Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"I can't..." she said as a tear silently fell down her check. The rainy night comforted her more or less, but here, in the intimacy of her balcony, she felt lonelier than ever. Who was the girl talking to? To no one. Cause no one was there for her. Why? Cause she has no one. There's no one she could completely trust, no one she could tell her pains to. She was alone.

"Did *yawn* you say something Marinette?" the small red kwami said as she woke up from her nap. The last fight dragged on for hours and, besides sweets, she really needed some sleep.

The bluenette turned her head, quickly wiping her tear, before she turned again to face Tikki with a fake smile. A smile she mastered so well in these past few months, that even her kwami can't see past it. "Oh, nothing, I was just lost in thought, and I think I voiced some. Don't worry about it!" what was one more white lie after all?

"Oh, ok! I'm really tired so I'm going inside to take a short nap. In case of anything, you know where to find me." the little bug hugged her holder's cheek before going inside.

'Well, now, I really have no one...' it's not that she didn't trust Tikki, but talking with her didn't help Marinette's situation that much. Yes, she was sweet and understanding, but what could a magical god do to help her? Listening wasn't enough anymore, nothing was. Her burden had finally defeated her completly and she can't take it anymore. She tried, she always tried. She pushed harder and harder, she fought to fix it all, to help anyone, to protect everyone, but who was going to protect her? The answer? No one. She was all by herself.

'I can't do this anymore...' the thought came back again, but this time she managed to keep it to herself. Who knows who else might be listening to her? Oh wait, no one would.

She went down to her room, quietly grabbing the small box out of the drawer of her desk, then she took out her earrings and placed them inside. 'It wouldn't be like Chrysalis to attack again so soon.' She wasn't giving up her responsibilities, don't get her wrong. But taking her earrings out sometimes felt like the burden on her shoulders was weighting a little less. 

Changing from her t-shirt to a baggy hoodie she grabbed her purse and left. Where? No where. She didn't have a destination or a direction, she just felt the need for a walk. To find some comfort in having the sky cry with her, to experience life as a Parisian under the heroes' protection, to maybe search for herself a little.

The air was cold, but the chilly feeling made her feel a bit more alive. Sometimes you need to feel, and in order to do that, you need to get out of your comfort zone, out of the comfort of your house. On the balcony she didn't feel the cold, knowing she could put on something at any time, but when you're already outside and don't feel like going back to change, you tend to feel the temperature more. Knowing you have something to rely on, makes you experience things different than when you don't. Maybe that's why Chat could once enjoy being a superhero, because he knew he could always rely on her to save the day.

Without a proper destination, her feet carried her to the Eiffel Tower. 'Of course I would end out here...when don't I?' she internally mocked herself before taking a minute to take in the sight. If she tried a bit she could imagine seeing the two heroes being there, laughing at some dumb joke after patrol, or comforting each other after a rough fight. But she knew those times were long gone. Ever since that day, Chat rarely interacted with her. The Parisians must think they are more busy in their civilian lives, but she knew the truth.

Ever since Chat tried calling her by her real name and she replied, things just weren't the same. How did he find out? Well spending more time with her as Marinette gave her out. 'It was all there, the movements, the stares, even the expressions, I kind of subconsciously knew for a while.' was Adrien's answer when she asked. She didn't know which part hurt her worse after their reveal, the fact that he felt betrayed when he found out some of the things she hid from him, or the fact that she didn't tell him all there is yet. 'Stupid! I'm stupid! I should've just enjoyed the reveal, but no, of course I tried to let him in on some things.' Which things? The fact that a lot of people knew her identity before him, the fact that she appointed Alya as the next guardian, even the fact that she knew who 'the killer of his father' was, but she refused to tell him his identity. 'You still don't trust me, do you?' where the last things he spoke to her before leaving. She won't ever be able to forget the betrayed look she saw on his face. Since that day they barely talked, besides their tactics in a fight. And as civilians? Adrien refused to talk to her since that day.

'Maybe he needs some time to digest the information...' was the excuse she gave herself in the first week. 'Maybe he's disappointed I didn't name him as the next guardian...' in the second. But now, two months later, she knew the answer 'He doesn't trust me anymore.' Of course he doesn't, she hid so much from him and she still does, but he doesn't need to know the rest. If that little was enough to break their relationship, the others would surely shatter his world view and destroy his life.

She continued her walk along the Seine. Watching the droplets of water hit the surface of the river brought a sense of peace, of relief. She had no one, but at least the gods were crying with her and that was comforting enough. Or was it? Were some mere tears, shed by the dark clouds in the sky, enough to ease her pain?

Her parents? They are unaware of their daughter's double life so of course they can't help her. Her best friend? She was so disappointed in the bluenette that she started distancing herself, with the excuse being 'I need some time to process the fact that you know a detail this important, but you decide to hide it even from your team.'. Her classmates? Being on summer break meant rarely seeing each other, so she couldn't talk to them that much, plus what was there to talk about? Such vital details weren't meant for their ears. Her boyfriend and partner? Simply calling him ex-boyfriend explains the situation well enough. Her kwami? Even a god doesn't know a suitable way to relieve her from this pressure. 

She truly had no one, only the river of tears that was floating down her face, blending in with the rain. 'Is it being a hero a blessing or a curse?' she asked herself, knowing damn well the answer. If being a hero meant giving up her love, her passions, her friends, everything else she could possible want, then it means that it could only be a curse. Being the savior means saving everyone else before saving yourself, and when you finally get there you find out that you can't, all your resources were spent on others, so now you have nothing for yourself. 'Maybe being the villain is actually a blessing...' Saving yourself and your loved ones while destroying what you don't care about. Being selfish, happy in your little own world. But even the villains suffer, because that's how they take on that role, so it couldn't be a blessing in any way, shape or form. 'So in the end, who gets the best deal out of it?' she froze in place as she asked herself that. Was there an answer? Who out there could actually be happy? And her mind answered that for her. 'No one.'

What she didn't take into consideration, through her black and white mentality, was what being in the middle is like. What meant to be morally grey? Being an antihero meant enjoying some parts of the both. Creating a mixture that makes you self centered and happy, without playing a role in someone else's life. Being able to protect your happiness, without the struggle of saving others nor hurting them, if not necessary. And the one person watching over her, on this late night adventure, was exactly that, a morally gray person that had in plan to save her. 

He was the 'no one' that she needed. A no one that started following her two months ago, that saw her go through all the stages of grief, through all of her sleepless nights and lonely conversations with herself. The one she didn't know she had. The one who was always there, unbeknown to her, doing small favors for her. The one who stopped Alya from telling Adrien the truth, for more than 5 times before finally getting her to understand that she had no right to. The one who made Adrien keep his miraculous, knowing that losing Chat Noir would destroy her even more. The one who organized the patrols and assigned the schedule to the miraculous team so that Paris was constantly protected, even without Ladybug and Chat Noir present. He didn't take it upon him to replace her, to start acting like a hero by saving Paris himself, he only did small things to help her from the shadows. She was his priority, not the civilians. 

Before, it wasn't like Felix to be interested in his cousin's girlfriend, so he kept his feelings suppressed, trying to extinguish them. But seeing the way she didn't look all that happy when she finally got with her crush, seeing the way their relationship was always burdened by the secrets between them, and especially seeing the way things ended, made him feel like he had a chance. He already knew Adrien and her would make up one day, but as friends, because his cousin hates being lied to and wouldn't be able to completely trust the bluenette again, after all this, so a relationship between them was out of the question.

He wouldn't impose himself upon her while she's like this, as he was a gentleman at heart, but he would do his best to help her get back on her feet, before making her fall for him. Or at least that was his initial plan. But how could he appear in her life without feeling like an intruder? His features would remind her of losing him, his presence would make her worry rather than make her feel relaxed, and the last thing she needed was more on her plate. So he let her grieve, let her lick her wounds while carefully shielding her from behind and, one day, he would appear directly in front of her, as her support. One day he would make his presence known and allow her to use him, to exploit him in order to get back on her feet. If she needed a fighter, he would shield her, being prepared to win battles for her. If she needed comfort, he would be her shoulder to cry on. If she needed distraction, he would be a model for her. But only if he could go do it, only if he could finally get the courage to tell her that, only if he could find the right way to appear in her life without scaring her.

Who would've thought that today was the day? Lost in thought, Marinette approached the river more than she should. Probably she subconsciously thought that she was in her suit, so she got closer to the edge and climbed the railing. She didn't want to jump, she couldn't allow herself to do so. knowing there was no one strong enough to take her place right now. She just wanted the freedom, the adrenaline of staying on the railing with her feet dangling in the air while watching the Seine getting hit by small raindrops. But with her incredible luck, of course she slipped, as the railing was wet. 

"Spots on!" she said quickly, but nothing happened. The habit that usually saved her in dangerous situations, like these, was of no help as she left her earrings at home. After the initial panic was quickly replaced by a sense of freedom, of liberation, she closed her eyes, relaxing her muscles preparing for the impact. But the impact never came, or at least the one with the river, as she felt two arms gently wrapping under her back and legs, taking her in a warm embrace. She didn't realize what the soft pillow under cheek was, but right then it didn't matter. Maybe her fall was the cause of this hallucination, maybe her brain tricked her into feeling like she was receiving a final hug and she was grateful for it.

"What do you think you're doing?!" a voice full of panic and concern brought her back to reality. "How could you do that?!" after hearing the second question she quickly opened her eyes. Right there, holding her tightly to his chest, was Argos, the cold new member of her team, that was 'Crying?!' The shock of seeing him like this was bigger than the one caused by her near death experience. Two purple eyes were staring into hers with such worry and fear that, for a moment, she thought she was seeing things wrong.

"I-I..." she was trying to find the right words to say as she tried to get down from his arms. But he only tightened his grip. "Let me down first." 

"No! I'm not doing such thing! You're better protected right here, so before you tell me what was going through your mind that made you jump, you won't get to touch the ground!" his imposing tone with nuances of fear made her understand that she has no choice but to obey.

"I fell...I didn't jump. The railing was wet and I slipped." she said distantly as if she was relieving the experience in her mind. 'It was so...calming...'

"And you expect me to believe that? You didn't even yell for help! You were prepared for it!" he yelled at her again. The fear caused by seeing the girl he loved in such a dangerous situation, made him lose his composure.

"I told you the truth as it is! It's your choice if you believe it or not! Now let me down!" the bluenette said trying to break free from his arms.

"You're not going anywhere, who knows what you will do next!"

"And who cares?!" she didn't mean to yell at her savior, but the feelings and burdens from before already returned in her body. Plus there's a thought in her brain that's really making her mad at him in the moment. 'Maybe it would've been better that way...' Before he could even have time to prepare a calculated answer, she started speaking again. "I'll tell you! No one! No one cares! So let me go!"

"I do, Marinette! I do! Now shut up! I don't want to hear any more words or complaints before we reach your room."

Chapter Text

"I do, Marinette! I do! Now shut up! I don't want to hear any more words or complaints before we reach your room." he told her the truth. Right now she needed him, so he realized there was no need for his calculated answers or mocking replies.

As Argos quietly carried her home, he couldn't stop thinking about what he has just seen. The girl he cherished, the one he constantly shielded these past few months, was also the one who directly put herself in danger this time. 'If...If I haven't been there...' was the question that made him slightly tremble in fear. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, before looking down at her to remind himself that she's there, she's safe in his arms. 'But why does she look so annoyed? If she said she fell shouldn't she be scared?' 

Marinette was furious. 'I know I should be thankful that he saved my life...but if he didn't...maybe then all of this would've stopped. What if that was the heaven's way to free me of all this? That way I could've escaped this burden! This-'

Her thoughts were cut short by their arrival at her house. "Now, if I put you down, I hope you won't go 'fall' off your balcony." Argos tried his best to use his usual mocking tone, but the concern was still there.

"I told you it was an accident! And why do you care anyway?! Thank you for bringing me home, now leave." she forced her way out of his arms, before turning around preparing to go for the trapdoor.

A hand caught her wrist "Marinette, you're not going anywhere. Not until we discuss this. What the hell was going on through your head?!" he forcefully turned her around "If I wasn't there you would've ended up in the Seine!" 'maybe even drowned by now...'

"I thought it was gonna be fine! I usually have my way to get out of these situation!. And it's not your business anyway!" she yelled back while looking him in the eyes. 'If he wants to scream at me then he should be prepared for me screaming back.' her thought was caused by the calculated look on his face.

When he finally understood what she was referring to, the concern made him speak before filtering the information. "With or without superpowers, one doesn't just go around throwing themselves into danger!" When the realization of his words finally hit him, he had to suppress the urge to run away 'So much for keeping it for myself...Great, now she's going to be scared of me even more!'

"S-superpowers? What superpowers?" the bluenette laughed anxiously 'He doesn't know, does he?'.

"I know your identity, Ladybug. So quit playing innocent and tell me what happened back there." 'Or maybe she's not.' he thought after seeing the way her face turned serious instead of frightened after his statement.

She sighed, usually she would try to keep up the act, but today she was in no mood for it, especially not while hearing a familiar voice in the back of her head telling her 'Oh, so another person that knows your identity, so much for keeping secrets.' "I told you already, I slipped! I went on a walk, I ended up there and I wanted to take a better look at the river, but the railing was wet and that happened."

"If it really is as you said" he eyed her skeptically "Why didn't you yell for help? Why didn't you panic? It looked like you just accepted the situation, like you didn't mind at all." his voice gradually turned into a whisper as the image of her falling kept replaying in his head.

"Maybe I didn't..." Marinette whispered under her breath before going past him. She approached the railing of her balcony, leaning on it while glancing at the full moon in the sky. "Maybe if it happened all this would've been over." 

Argos froze for a second 'She...Is she talking to me? I thought she would refrain to do so...' but he quickly forced himself to get out of his shock. After all it's not everyday that he got this girl to open up to him. "And why would you want it to be over?" it was too much to directly ask her what 'all this' means.

"Because I got...tired?" she put her forehead on her hands, looking down "sick? I don't know, I just can't keep up with it anymore..." her voice started to break as tears appeared in her eyes. "Maybe I've just had enough of being a hero and saving everyone. Maybe I've had enough of keeping it all together." she looked up again, eyeing the Eiffel Tower "Maybe I didn't expect him to leave me..." and the dam broke, rivers were now running down her cheeks "I hoped that at least he would be there for me...at least as my friend..." 

"Marinette..." he sighed before going approaching her "It's not on you to do all this. You don't have to save anyone. You don't have to help everyone. You should focus on yourself first..." he looked at her for a bit before looking away. Watching her cry made something inside him hurt. "And Adrien is...I think he is ready to forgive you. But we both know he was somehow right to feel betrayed, even though he didn't even get to hear the entire truth yet."

"I did it for him..." she placed her head back down on her hands "I tried to keep him happy! I knew finding out the truth would hurt him, so I had to protect him! And I will continue to do so! He will never find out the truth..." 

"But don't you think that telling him would make you feel less burdened?" he tried understanding her point of view. Yes, he was one who always tries to help his family, but he would have never thought that somebody out there would do so much for someone they're not even related to, at least not anymore.

"He doesn't have to know. I can't burden him with this. I promised G-Monarch! I mean I-"

"I know it was Gabriel." 

Marinette sighed. 'Of course he knows! Is there anything that he doesn't know?' "I promised Gabriel I wouldn't tell Adrien the truth..."

Argos paused for a bit, digesting the information while thinking about his next move. "Ok...let's leave this aside...Why? Why do you keep doing this if it doesn't make you happy?" he knew that the discussion about his cousin would lead to nowhere, so he chose to focus on trying to understand was what really pressuring her. Trying to find out what he could do to be there, to help her.

"Doing what?" she looked up again, wiping her tears. She was still looking away, trying to focus on the view, because if she focused on him, she knew she would breakdown over the fact that the one standing there, having a heart-to-heart conversation with her, was someone she should never trust.

"Being Ladybug. It looks to me like this is the thing that's destroying you." he turned his head to watch her, maybe her expressions would tell him more than the words could.

"Because it was given to me..." she sadly smiles being reminded of Master Fu "The miraculous I mean. Out of every other Parisian, I was the one who got it, so I thought that there must be a reason. Then I started saving Paris and it was...unique" her eyes sparkled "Everyone was so happy seeing us. Everyone felt more at ease, knowing we will always be there to save the day. The smiles on their faces, the appreciation and peace that I was able to give them, they were the greatest payment in the world. I felt like I could do anything in my power to keep them safe, and I did..." the sparkle faded as her eyes turned dull , the happiness being replaced with sadness "But of course that with this responsibility, there had to be many other things to come...Fear..." the memory of Chat Blanc played in her head "Burdens..." Master Fu transferring the guardianship to her "Exhaustion..." all the sleepless nights "Failure" she looked at him for a brief second, reminder of the time he stole the miraculouses "And lies..." she closed her eyes, as if trying to block the memories, before continuing "I still want to do all of this...I still want to save everyone...I still want to be a hero...But it became to much and now...I think I can't do it anymore..." a new round of tears filled her eyes "But I have to. I'm the only one who can do this, given the experience...and the secrets...and the guardianship..." with every argument it felt like a boulder fell down on her. "Though mentally? I don't think I can..." the tears finally escaped.

Argos turned her around to face him "Marinette, you said so yourself. All of these were given to you, you didn't ask for any of them, and yet, you still managed to do anything you had to, you sacrificed everything you could to help the people. Receiving the miraculous wasn't just an accident, it was the way things were supposed to happen, fate as some would call it. You received the miraculous because you were meant to be the savior and you did a wonderful job. I think you can continue doing it, if you still want to." he gave her a small encouraging smile. Initially he didn't plan to say any of this, but nothing could be compared to the way his heart jumped when he saw her eyes sparkle that way. 'If being Ladybug brought you this happiness back then, I'll do everything in my power to make it happen again.'

"But I can't...I can't save everyone...Not anymore..." another tear fell down her cheek. "I can't even save myself..." she hugged herself as if trying to protect her body from an external danger, but the only pain she felt was the one coming from the inside.

"You can do whatever you want, Marinette. You can be the hero you want to be. You can focus on saving everyone else. Because I'm here. There is this one person who will forever be in your shadow, saving you. And that person is me."

Chapter Text

"You can do whatever you want, Marinette." he encouraged her in a gentle tone while taking one of her hands into his, as if trying to prove his support. "You can be the hero you want to be. You can focus on saving everyone else." with his other hand he cupped her chin, wiping away the fallen tear with his thumb "Because I'm here. There is this one person who will forever be in your shadow, saving you." he slowly lifted her face to make her watch him in the eyes. "And that person is me."

The girl's eyes grew wide. "Y-you?! S-save...me?" 'Oh gosh, what's wrong with me?! I haven't stuttered in months!' she cleared her throat before starting again "Why...why would anyone do that?" taking a step back she continued "And especially, why you?" The shock had it's moment, now it's time for the logical questions.

"I know you have no reason to trust me. I get that, given what I did in the past, no one would..." he turned to the railing again, leaning on it he continued "But I've changed. There was no way you could notice that, as you don't even come to patrols anymore, but I'm more...accepted?...better said implicated, now. I chose the right side" he glanced at her "the one that has you in it."

"Hah, yeah...like I would believe that." the bluenette mocked him while copying his posture, standing way too close to him, but somehow not close enough to touch "You? On our side? And patrols? I've never seen you atten- Wait! I haven't attended patrols either! Oh gosh, how are things going? How is the team holding up?" she started playing with her hair as she became anxious. One of her duties as the guardian was managing the team, but due to her problems it seems she forgot to do that lately.

"Don't worry, everything's good." Argos muttered, with a subtle nuance of disappointment. 'I thought we could finally get closer...but it seems to be too soon for her. Or...maybe she will never trust me...' shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he focused back on the discussion. "They have schedules and all, you don't have to get involved right now." going back to business was his way to protect his feelings, now hurt by her doubts.

"Schedules? Who made them? What if they mess up?! I have to attend the next meeting and see what's going on. Why didn't anyone notice me of these?!" she started spiraling, leaving the railing, she started pacing around 'Am I disappointing them too? Did they figure out something is wro-'

"You're doing it again, Marinette." Argos approached and stopped her by placing his hands on her shoulders. "You're putting too much pressure onto yourself. The schedules are well made, as they have been done by me. No one is playing around and there was no need to tell you. You already have too much on your plate already, this can be managed by someone else, as of now by me." 'And I could do much more, if only you'd trust me enough to let me help...'

"Y-you made them?!" her eyes widened once again as she looked into his. She was searching for something, trickery, superiority, mockery. But she found nothing, his eyes were unreadable, almost as if he didn't have a soul. 'He clearly knows how to keep his thoughts hidden...' "Why? I mean, I'm grateful to you for doing my job, but why? Why would you do that? I thought you don't care about saving the city."

Argos released her before looking away. "I don't." he sighed. 'When did I become the topic of this conversation? Is she hiding her pain again?' 

"Then why?" she couldn't understand his motives.

"Because I did." he felt like he couldn't tell her the truth, again. Her behavior from earlier made him feel like if he shows any concern again, when it's still too soon for her to believe him, she will back away. "I tried to help. I know you don't trust me, but at least trust your te-"

"Thank you..." the words came out on their own, given the shock on her face. It was like a habit long forgotten. 'I...haven't properly used those words in months...How long has it been since someone did something for me? Especially without me asking...' "Thank you." she said again, with intention this time, the proof being the sad smile on her lips. 'It's been so long since someone cared about me enough to help...' she thought as tears filled her eyes. "Thank you!" A gesture so simple as someone doing a task that was meant for her, made her tear up. The thought of someone helping her twice without her even saying anything. In that moment she felt like it was the first time she wasn't alone, in months. 

Argos turned to her, with the intention to tell her to stop thanking him, but seeing that tears have begun to fall on her face again worry filled him up. "Are you ok? Did something happen?" 'Did I do something wrong?' 

Her response never came, instead she started crying even harder as she felt on her knees. Even she didn't know why she reacted like that. Was it her receiving help? Was it relief that the team is doing ok? Was it the gratitude for the fact she didn't die? No. It was a little bit of happiness. The burdens she carried by herself were now weighing a little bit less, as even though she didn't manage her duties properly, someone else did. The loneliness she constantly felt was fading for a bit, allowing her to feel like someone cared about her, like someone was there for her. And he was. Witnessing her fall, he quickly got on his knees to hug her. He had no idea what happened, or why she was crying, but it was clear she needed someone. It was clear she needed him. 

"Hey...Marinette...There's....There's no need to cry. You're safe, your team is organized, everything is going to be ok. So...why are you crying?" Argos softly asked her while gently caressing her back. 'One minute ago she didn't have trust in me, now she's letting me hug her? She clearly needs someone...' 

"I-I...Y-you...helped me...and I...t-thank you!" she barely managed to get the words out, between her sobs.

Seeing there was no way to find out what happened he preferred to comfort her instead of asking for the reason. So he picked the bluenette up, carrying her to a chair, where he sat down carefully positioning her in her lap. Cuddling her like one would with a baby, he began humming a classical song.

After a while, when Marinette calmed down she found the situation a little weird. 'Why is he...caring for me like this?' But she preferred to enjoy the moment instead of ruining it. It was the most cozy and comforted she's felt in a long time.

"So, are you planning on telling me what happened?" Argos asked as he realized she was almost falling asleep.

"Huh?!" Marinette felt a bit startled by his words, but after she reminded herself of the situation she asked back "Well...are you going to stop being so mysterious? I need to know more about you if you want me to trust you."

'What did she say? S-She wants to know more...about me?!' he panicked inside. The things took a weird turn once again, but who was he to complain when he had the girl he loved in his arms, asking him more about himself. "What do you want to know?"

"Why did you save me?" she lifted her head up to look him in the eyes, but she didn't get away from his embrace. She wanted to see if she can spot any feeling in his eyes, to check if his emotions were in line with his actions.

"Because I was there and I witnessed the scene." he played it cool, not knowing if he's supposed to show he cared or not. 'Though I believe by now it's pretty obvious I care.'

"And why were you there?" Marinette wanted to know more. 'From the way he averted his gaze it looks to me like it wasn't just a random encounter, if it was we wouldn't be here now.'

"I was looking after you..." he looked away, trying to hide the embarrassment he felt. 'How do I tell her I was protecting her without making it sound like I was stalking her?'

"So you weren't there by accident, you were following me." seeing him nod, even though she didn't ask a question, she just stated a fact, she continued "Since when?"

"Two months..." he sighed. 'Looks like it's time to come clean.' The way it happened so quick, a few minutes ago she was pushing him away and now she was talking with him, it made him feel like it was too ideal to be true. But he had to talk now, while she's interested. If he has the chance it's better to take it.

Marinette quickly made the connections in her head. It started to make sense, but why would he know who Chat is and what happened between them? There had to be a connection. "Do I...do I know you as a civilian?" she knew that wasn't a question she should ask anyone, after all she was the one against heroes knowing each others identities. But after the last reveal she wasn't sure she cared anymore. 'If he knows who I am, but I don't....things might become ugly again.' Seeing him nod she continued "Then, if you don't mind, I'd like to know who I'm talking to."

He froze. He expected it would be one of her questions, but not the fact it would come that fast. "I think we can leave this for later. I'm not refusing your request, I just prefer answering the other questions like this." 'cause seeing me might have an adverse reaction...'

She thought for a while before speaking again. 'Is he refusing to reveal himself now because of the rule, or because he's hiding something? Should I trust him or is he going to hurt me too?' a shiver passed through her at that thought, but seeing that his eyes were sincere she didn't refuse 'I guess I'll have to wait and see.' "Ok, I don't mind. Then tell me why, why are you trying to help me? If you followed me for that long, you should know I'm not really...a perfect person. I made a ton of mistakes and hurt...a lot of people. So why would you want to help someone like me?" she was the one who turned to look away this time. Did he really care about her? Was she just imagining things? Was it just her desire to let go of the loneliness by having someone close, or was he really in this situation because he wants to be? 

"Because I care about you. And before it sound weird let me explain myself." he turned his face back towards her, wanting to see her reaction. Her curious and a bit happy expression was clearly visible even from that angle, and it made his heart skip a beat before continuing.  "I've known you for quite a while, I know you good enough to see through your actions and realize you never meant to hide all those things, you never meant to hurt all those people, but things happened and they backfired.  You were, and still are just trying to protect everyone, even if that means destroying yourself, because that's just who you are. And I..." 'now or never' "care about you since a long time ago, but I didn't have a chance to approach you. Seeing what happened...and the state you were in...I knew that it was too sudden and weird for me to come forward and help, so I just tried to...protect you from afar? Let you get better to some degree and then come help you. But after the...accident from earlier..." images began replaying before his eyes again and his hands tightened around her "I knew I had to do something about it." He sighed, the thought of making her feel scared of him was less scary compared to the things he just got reminded of. 'I have to make her accept my help.' 

'He...it isn't just my imagination...He really cares about me. That's why he followed me, that's why he knows so much...Should I-Should I be scared or relieved that Argos would help me? And why am I enjoying this hug so much?' she felt a bit conflicted. The one who was once her enemy, now is on her side. The one who once betrayed her, was now hugging her while fearing for her death. Her eyes got filled with tears, having someone be there for her was everything she whished for lately. He only appeared now, when she needed him the most, but the way he protected her from afar for so long made her feel a bit stupid. 'I wasn't really alone all this time, I unknowingly had him with me...Every time I thought I have no one, I had him...And he let me process things on my own without any hidden intentions. He only appeared now because I was in danger...I guess even the savior gets saved by someone else sometime.'

Felix let his transformation fall, while still hugging her, and saw Marinette covering her eyes. 'Is she scared of finding out, or just waiting for me to give my approval?'  he thought not knowing of her tears. "I know it's still all too sudden, but I think now's the time to say it. I'm here for you Marinette. You might not trust me now, but be sure that I would do anything I can to help you. If you need someone to fight for you, I will gladly do so in order to protect you. If you need a shoulder to cry on, I'm here to comfort you anytime. If you want a distraction, I can do anything you want, to amuse you. I might not be as good as him at modeling, but I believe I can help you even better in doing your designs." he stopped for a bit 'I hope I didn't ruin it myself by talking about him' but then he saw her turning to face him, possibly wanting to hear more, so he continued "I saw everything you went through and blamed it on me and my inaction in the past. If I were to be there for you before, things might've been better. I didn't have the courage to speak then, but now I finally managed to say all this because I want you to know I'm here. I want you to trust me when I say I love you Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and I know it's too early for you to accept my feelings, but I want you to be conscious of their existence so that you don't doubt my care." he took a deep breath after saying all this. Seeing her eyes still closed made him a bit anxious. 'Did she realize who I am already? Is she scared of me tricking her again? Maybe I shouldn't ha-'

Marinette had a feeling already, she was 80% sure that the boy in front of her was 'Felix' and somehow, that didn't disturb her at all. He might be the cousin of her past love, he might have betrayed her in the past, he might have done a lot of things actually, but right now, he was there for her. She opened her eyes to confirm her thoughts, and when she saw him she felt relieved. "It's you!" seeing him a bit scared of her reaction she giggled. Then she took a deep breath, arranging her thought before speaking. "You know what? You're right, I still don't trust you. I've been through a lot, I suffered a lot and I still do, and I am deeply scared of others hurting me again. So, if it's not too much burden for you, before I accept your feelings and maybe even reciprocate them, I want to see you prove the fact that you're down to do all this for me. For now I can say that you're a pretty comfortable shoulder and I'm sure you're a good model, so let's see if you're down to keep the rest of your words." she smiled and hugged him.

Even though the wound was still too fresh, Marinette is only human at the end of the day. Humans are made to break sometimes, and when you are down, seeing a hand inviting you to stand back up, might easily shake your whole being. It won't cure the pain, it won't erase the past, but it can still give you hope. The tricky part is that you're bound to fall in love with the people helping you. Seeing their care and selflessness becomes a seed for feelings. Platonic or romantic, there will be some connection between those humans later. And giving the fact that the one helping her is Felix, the later seems pretty plausible.

On a rainy evening, while on patrol, the two heroes stop next to the Seine to admire the surroundings. Something about this rain made brought back a lot of memories.

Leaning against the railing the heroine asked smiling "Do you remember when you caught me here?"

"Of course I do, darling. That was the best and worst day of my life." the other replied while protectively hugging her from behind.

"WORST?!" she exclaimed. 'How dare he say that our most important meeting was the worst day of his life?!'

The superhero smiled sadly before replying. "How would you feel seeing me now fall from such a height, straight into the Seine?" he mocked her while lovingly kissing her temple.

The heroine then turned around to hug him tightly "Oh god! Don't even joke about th-Oh...you're right! But still, without that accident we wouldn't be here now!"

"Yes my love, I know, but I'm still against having our two years anniversary as a picnic here. I know this place means a lot to you, but maybe we can maybe have it in London again, like last year." he looked into her eyes pleading.

"Mon amour, I'm not buying a ticket to London now! It's in less than a week and I still have two dresses to finish for the fashion show!" she scolded him annoyed.

"Hmmm, would this be a bad time to announce you that I already bought them a week ago in case I managed to persuade you?" he asked before kissing her to shut her up. 'The trick that always works!'

After the kiss ended the heroine turned around crossing her arms before speaking "You better feel lucky that maman expects you to come to dinner, if not I'd throw you into the river right now!" 

Argos leaned down to whisper into her ear "I love you Marinette Dupain-Cheng." before picking her up and turning away running.

"Where are you taking me?!" she giggled.

"Well if we already reminisced about that day, how about I take you home the same way?"

If the civilians saw them two laughing together while vaulting over the roofs in the rain, it was to be expected. After all, every Parisian knows that Ladybug and Argos are together.