Chapter Text
“Lila! Tell us about your week in the Kingdom of Atchoo,” Mrs. Bustier asked in excitement. The rest of the class leaned up in their chairs to get a better listen, save for Marinette and Adrien who knew whatever was about to be spoken would be lies.
“It’s absolutely amazing! Prince Ali invited me and my parents to his gorgeous palace!” Lila gushed, eyes practically shooting stars. Marinette, who had done her research, smirked, knowing she had the liar in her tracks now.
“Excuse me Lila, but Prince Ali couldn’t possibly have invited you because he is in the United States,” she pointed out, crossing her arms victoriously. Alya looked to her best friend in concern.
“Oh Marinette. You’re such a laugh!” Lila started with some giggles. “I never said he was actually there. I just said he invited us, that’s all. His parents hosted the visit,” she said fluidly, despite inwardly panicking at having been caught once again by her main opponent.
“She’s lying! And I’ll expose her for the fake that she is,” Marinette whispered, tapping away at her phone for more research until Alya took it out of her hands. Confused, Marinette looked to her best friend.
“Oh no Marinette, not this again. She’s not a liar you’re just jealous of Lila because she spent so much time with Adrien,” she accused. Marinette’s heart sank as it usually did at this topic. It hurt that Alya didn’t believe her about Lila’s true nature. Instead of arguing, she sighed and looked to the side.
Adrien turned around at the mention of Marinette being jealous and saw how upset the girl seemed. He wanted to ask if she was okay but knew that whenever he tried to talk to her directly, she shriveled up and avoided him. Instead, when she turned back to face the front, they met each other’s gaze. He tried sending her a look that said he knew Lila was lying, but Marinette looked away before he could. Frowning, Adrien turned back around.
“Marinette, Prince Ali is coming back to Atchoo today, isn’t he?” Lila asked, sucking Adrien’s attention back to the screen. Oh. So that was why she had looked away.
“Yeah, that’s right,” Marinette answered irritably, looking away again. She couldn’t stand the looks her classmates were giving her. They didn’t understand why she hated Lila so much.
Adrien shook his head in annoyance at how Lila made Marinette look bad. It wasn’t fair how no one believed her. At least he knew in his heart that Marinette was genuine. He hoped that counted for something.
“Sure, superheroes like Ladybug save lives and whatever but they couldn’t care less about the environment,” Lila went on. Adrien’s blood boiled at that sentence. His fists clenched and he tried to quell his negative thoughts. The last thing Paris needed was for Cat Noir to get akumatized. Instead, he plastered on his model smile and rose his hand.
“Actually Lila Ladybug symbolizes hope. And her magical ladybugs fix up Paris after every akuma attack. If that doesn’t save the environment, I don’t know what does,” he spoke innocently. Marinette beamed at Adrien’s comment and Lila held in a glare at how smug Marinette appeared and instead said she had to go because of the time difference before hanging up.
“Alright class, I know that we can’t all be on Lila’s level and make worldwide change, but what good deeds have you all planned for today?” Mrs. Bustier asked, going around the class.
Everyone went by and shared their good deed for the day. When Marinette’s turn came, she grew shameful. Everyone had such amazing ideas for change, meanwhile all she had were macaroons. Maybe it would be okay? Everyone like sweets, right?
“Um, I brought macaroons for everyone,” she said softly, holding up her box. Chloe laughed mockingly, making Marinette shrink in on herself.
“Just like every year huh? You really went above and beyond Dupen-Cheng,” she mocked, flipping her hair. Sabrina joined in on the laughter and Marinette felt humiliated. How lame was her good act?
“Hey. She did what she could and that’s better than nothing. What’s your good deed?” Alya questioned the blonde menace. Marinette felt something flutter in her heart. Maybe Alya didn’t believe her about Lila, but she could always count on her best friend to defend her when it came to Chloe’s brat-like tendencies. However, it gave her the confidence to fight this battle herself.
“It’s not just macaroons for the class, it’s for the entire school! I’m having a huge macaroon tasting in the park later tonight Everyone is invited,” Marinette bellowed, feeling like herself. Everyone cheered and for a while, she felt like it would all be okay.
-
It was not all okay. She was way in over her head. How could she commit to making a thousand macaroons in one day?! Her parents didn’t have the time to help her because they’d committed to making a Ladybug cake already.
“You should tell your friends you didn’t have enough time and you can reschedule. They’ll understand,” Marinette’s mother urged. Marinette sunk her head down.
“But it won’t be very…heroic,” she said, berating herself. Mrs. Dupen-Cheng sat down with her daughter and tried to make her see reason.
“Yes it will. Being brave enough to face one’s mistakes is heroic sweetie,” she reassured, brushing a loose strand of Marinette’s hair behind her head. Marinette looked up slowly and felt her mom was onto something.
“You’re right. I know what I have to do mom. Thanks,” she said, kissing her on the cheek before rushing off back to school.
-
“Anyone can get carried away. My friends will understand, right Tikki?” she asked into her crossbody bag.
“Of course, Marinette! They’re your friends. They’ll always have your back,” Tikki agreed. Those words set something aflame in Marinette however. Did they always have her back? Most of the time, yes. But when it came to Lila…
“Lila isn’t a liar. You’re just jealous.”
“Lila is the sweetest girl ever!”
“I wish my good deed was even half as good as Lila’s.”
“Lila is the perfect role model. I want to be just like her!”
They all loved Lila. No one thought she was a bad person. This was bad. This was so so SO bad.
Marinette froze on the steps of Francois Dupon. How could she admit that she was cancelling her good deed? Everyone would say she was a hypocrite for calling Lila out and then being unable to commit to her own promise. She couldn’t. she had to figure something out. This was a disaster. As she was racking her brain as to what to do, a voice called out.
“Marinette! Hey Marinette!” She turned around to see Adrien coming out of his car and rushing up to her. Huh?!
“This is awesome. My father gave me permission to come to your tasting!” he gushed, clearly happy about the allotted free time.
“I-I huh?!” Marinette asked, unable to process that flux of information. Adrien’s face fell as he came to his own conclusion.
“You didn’t bake enough pastries for me, is that it?” he asked. Marinette waved her hands so as to wave that idea away.
“Oh no! We’ve got…plenty. There’s…” she started, but trailed off, sulking. Adrien forgot his own sadness momentarily and grew concerned for his friend.
“What’s wrong Marinette?” he asked with concern, placing a hand on her shoulder. Marinette looked up to him when it suddenly clicked. Of course! Adrien was the only one who knew the truth about Lila. He’d listen to her, right?
“Adrien…You’re the only one that believes me about Lila. You won’t judge me, right?” she asked shyly.
“Judge you? What do you mean?” Adrien asked, squinting his eyes in confusion. Marinette hugged herself and admitted what she wanted to, but was afraid to.
“I felt like my good deed was so underwhelming earlier in class, so I…kind of promised to make all those macaroons even though my parents don’t have time to help me. Then I tried making them myself, but I was going too fast, so they all burned and now I don’t know what to do,” Marinette rambled, covering her face in her hands. Adrien gasped softly and felt for his friend. That explained a lot. He shook his head and knew he had to comfort her.
“Marinette, you’re a nice person. A wonderful girl with a pure heart. You can tell people the truth. Your friends will understand just like I do,” he convinced with an easy smile. Marinette was not so easily convinced. She denied that thought instantly.
“No, they won’t. They’ll think I’m a fake and that I really am just jealous of Lila,” she explained exasperatedly. “Alya would never look at me the same way,” she said, blurting her true fear. Adrien thought for a moment and then sat down on the steps, gesturing Marinette to join him. She did, looking at him expectantly.
“Listen Marinette. I know it seems like all hope is lost, but you can do this. It’s like ripping a band aid off. Do it quickly and the moment will pass,” Adrien promised.
“What if it doesn’t? What if they hate me forever?” She asked, hiding her face. Adrien felt for the girl. How could he convince her that it wasn’t the end of the world? It hit him.
“Sounds like you need some luck,” he joked, pulling out the lucky charm she’d given him. “Do you still have yours?” he asked. Marinette smiled at the trinket and nodded, pulling the charm Adrien had given her.
“You can do this. Lila is good at lying. You’re good at telling the truth,” he said. “Would it help if I came with you?” he offered. Marinette seemed to look at Adrien for the first time all over again.
“Y-yeah. Uh. Th-thanks Adrien,” she said as he stood up and helped her up too.
“No problem. Now c’mon,” he said, leading her into the school building. Marinette went over to them and started to explain when she saw everyone looking miserable. What was that about?
“What’s going on?” she asked, Adrien right next to her.
Rose answered by holding her phone up to show that Cat Noir was defeated, and Ladybug had been akumatized by hawk moth.
“What?!” Marinette and Adrien cried out at the same time, running off to transform. Macaroons could wait.
-
Everyone was gone. Marinette was at a loss, retransformed in a sewer, no more than six feet apart from her partner who she did not know the identity of. The first feeling of hopeless came in when Alya got akumatized. Her best friend…succumbed to the power of Hawk Moth. With a miraculous no less. What were they to do now? There were too many of them. Saying they were outnumbered was a massive understatement.
“Something’s changed,” Marinette spoke, looking to the wall that separated her from Cat Noir’s civilian persona. “Hawk moth has never re-akumatized so many people in go.”
“Maybe he’s found a way to boost his powers like we did,” was his response from the other side. Marinette took his words in. It made sense. Looking down, Marinette asked,
“Do you still think we can win?”
Marinette took her partner’s silence as acceptance of their loss. What could they do?
On the other side, Adrien reached for wall with his hand, feeling a surge of determination. He and his lady could do anything, no matter who she was beneath the mask. She just needed a pep talk. Kind of like Marinette had needed one earlier. He was lucky he was successful once, maybe he could go two for two.
“Like you said, we can’t lose hope! People are relying on us,” he spoke, waiting for the sweet voice’s response.
“But…our team crumbled,” came her reply. Adrien shook his head. That meant nothing. They’d fought side by side before when being outnumbered. He was not wavering.
“Then let’s go back to what’s always worked. A duo. You and me against the world milady. We’ve never lost. Trust me,” Adrien said with vigor.
Back on the other side, Marinette gasped at those words. Cat Noir was so confident. He was so full of hope. Dare she say it, it reminded her of Adrien’s pep talk from earlier. That brought her the comfort she needed. Cat Noir was the most dependable partner she could have asked for.
Marinette smiled at how he managed to uplift her in a matter of seconds. While he admired her so much, he had no idea just how much he meant to her. “You remind me of one of my friends you know,” Marinette verbalized, placing a hand on her heart.
“And you remind me of my future wife,” came his reply. Marinette rolled her eyes, giggling nonetheless. That was the Cat Noir she knew.
“C’mon kitty. Time to save Paris,” she said, taking to the water and smiling when she heard him follow.
-
Marinette sighed, walking back into the bakery. Sure, she’d saved all of Paris just now (with the help of Cat Noir of course), but no one knew it was her. She still had to face reality; she’d done nothing for heroes’ day. No good deed. She hadn’t even give her classmates the macaroons she’d originally taken with her because she wanted to use them toward her huge macaroon tasting idea. Defeated, Marinette took to sulking at one of the barstools.
The bell chimed, indicating someone entered the bakery. That was odd. The ‘closed’ sign should’ve been up. Looking up, Marinette turned to see none other than Adrien walking through the door looking as angelic as ever.
“Adrien? H-hey. What are you doing here?” she asked, swiveling her chair around to face him easier. Adrien walked up to her with a wave and million-dollar model smile.
“I realized you never got the chance to tell people the truth earlier because of the akuma attack,” he explained.
“S-so you’re here to drag me to school and explain?” Marinette asked, dreading the answer. Adrien laughed softly, knowing it was just like Marinette to jump to odd conclusions.
“Actually, I had something else in mind,” he said mysteriously, quirking an eyebrow up with a sly smile. She wondered what that meant.
Marinette watched in awe as Adrien grabbed two aprons from the hook in the kitchen and handed one to her. Her then tied his apron around himself and winked. “I think the two of us can make enough macaroons for everyone to at least have two, don’t you?” he asked, looking rather dashing in his apron.
Marinette held a hand up to her mouth to stifle a giggle. He looked so cute as a chef. He’d even found her father’s chef’s hat and donned it on for good measure. The amusement was short lived however as Marinette processed what he was suggesting they do. “Adrien, I can’t ask you to do this,” she protested, clenching her own apron tighter in her grasp. Adrien only had a certain amount of free time per day. She couldn’t let him waste it on her.
“You didn’t. I offered. I got free time from my father for once and I’m not letting it go to waste. We never get to spend time together as it is. this will be fun, yeah?” Adrien insisted, urging her to put the apron on and join him.
“Y-yeah. O-okay!” Marinette said unsurely, trying her apron on and walking to the pantry to retrieve the necessary ingredients. He had a point. Between the two of them, they were bound to get just enough macaroons ready. They had two hours and the best bakery in Paris on their side.
Adrien began opening drawers to find the baking utensils and called out as he worked, “besides, you’d do the same for me. You’re always helping people.”
Marinette hit her head on a shelf with a THUNK, not expecting the kind words from her longtime crush. He had a point. She would drop everything to help him. She just hadn’t expected him to catch onto that. “Y-you think so?” she asked, rubbing the sore spot left by the shelf.
“I know so. Like the day you helped Juleka overcome her class photo curse,” he started, pulling out a hand mixer. Marinette’s heart started beating fast at that memory. Adrien paid attention to the things she did?
“Or when you partnered Nathaniel and Marc to make a comic book,” he continued, taking out some measuring cups. He stopped for a moment, remembering a few weeks ago and smiled fondly at how kindhearted Marinette was. “…Or when you helped me get to the movies so I could see my mother on screen.”
Marinette froze in the pantry too, the memory of that day coming back. Everyone had mistaken her for Adrien’s girlfriend. It was a ‘problem.’ She couldn’t form any other thoughts. Adrien was praising her so highly and it was just the two of them in the bakery. He was speaking from the heart…wasn’t he?
“That’s why I’m helping you right now. It’s my chance to help you for once,” Adrien said, eyes on the counter, unable to focus on anything else. The words were flowing out of him faster than his brain could process. That much was evident when he said what he said next. “You’re like our everyday ladybug.”
Marinette dropped the bag of almond flour she had reached for earlier, not expecting that comment. Adrien just compared her to Ladybug? Little did he know how on the nose he was.
Adrien also frozen, glanced at his ring. Had he really just called Marinette his everyday Ladybug?! Why would he do that? Unless…
It made sense. Marinette was always going out of her way to do the right thing. She always had a solution. Her brain saw plans that no one else seemed to. Like when she was running for class representative and helped everyone remain calm. Just like…Ladybug. The realization shook him to his core. The way he had to give similar pep talks twice in one day. There couldn’t be any reason other than the fact that Marinette was Ladybug.
Adrien walked over to the pantry and saw Marinette jaw dropped, trying to reach down for the flour she dropped. He leaned down as well, and their hands met when they reached for the bag. Electricity ensued. Adrien looked up to the girl he considered his very first friend he’d made all on his own. In her ears sat a pair of earrings he’d never noticed before.
“Am I the friend he reminded you of?” Adrien asked softly, recalling earlier in the sewers. Marinette’s hands shook, her brain unable to function properly. She suddenly craved water more than anything. On Adrien’s finger, a lone silver ring coiled around and sat innocently. Proof that he was who she didn’t want to think he was.
They couldn’t speak it out loud. That would make it too real. But they both knew. Adrien frowned and stood up, dusting his apron off despite the fact that there was nothing on it.
“Now it makes sense,” he said, smiling sadly. Marinette was confused, but still was too in shock to say anything. Was he upset that she was Ladybug? Maybe he was expecting it to be Kagami…
“Why you constantly rejected me. You’re perfect. You’re Marinette Dupen-Chang. And me? I’m nowhere near perfect. The boy you’re in love with is obviously Luka. You’re uncomfortable around me when I’m myself and you’re annoyed of me when I’m…him,” he said in defeat. Marinette shook her head and furrowed her eyebrows, reaching for Adrien’s shoulder for once.
“What are you talking about Adrien?” Marinette said in shock. The blond would not meet her gaze. She took a deep breath. Her flustering could wait. Adrien needed his friend right now, not a lovesick fool with a schoolgirl crush. This wasn’t just Adrien Agreste. This was her partner. Her second half. Her chaton…
“You said all these nice things about me,” she started, shutting her eyes closed. “But I didn’t get a chance to reciprocate. You’re not perfect, it’s true, but no one is. Least of all me,” Marinette said earnestly, fluttering her eyes open and getting more confident in her words. Adrien finally looked at her, wondering where she was going with her speech. Marinette stood up too and crossed her arms.
“Our first day as heroes. Remember that? I lost faith in myself so quickly, but you were there for me. You lifted me back up without hesitation, not having any idea who I even was,” Marinette started, recalling her first go as Ladybug. Now Adrien was shocked into silence.
“You also unknowingly convinced me that Chloe was worth taking a chance on. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have had the mind to give her the bee miraculous,” she said, grinning. Adrien gasped, remembering when he’d told Marinette that nobody was useless. Feeling like her Ladybug self, Marinette went on.
“You risk your father’s anger every time you ask him to spend time with us. That takes courage that only a select few could harness. You make an effort to be there for the big moments. Like my birthday. And…today,” she said, growing bashful again upon remembering the lucky charm he’d given her. How she’d used it for courage earlier. Adrien smiled, but it fell in a matter of seconds.
“If that’s how you feel…why are you always so reserved around me? I feel like you never want to be near me,” he said insecurely. Marinette facepalmed herself and giggled a little at the sheer absurdity of Adrien’s perception of her feelings toward him.
“I…the boy preventing me from being with you. It’s you Adrien. I acted that way because I’ve been in love with you since the day you started school with us,” she admitted, rubbing her shoulder out of nervousness. She never envisioned herself admitting her feelings, but something about Adrien being Cat Noir made it so much easier. Adrien felt chills all around his body. Marinette-LADYBUG-had been in love with him since the day they met?! But-
“But you hated me that day. You couldn’t even stand to look at me,” he voiced, still insecure. Marinette shook her head.
“That was when I thought you were a pompous daddy’s boy,” she laughed, covering her mouth with guilt when Adrien quirked an eyebrow at that. “Er, I mean. I fell for you when you apologized and gave me that umbrella. You didn’t have to, but it was a sweet gesture and I kind of…melted,” she admitted sheepishly. Adrien’s heart was reverberating in that same way it did when Ladybug first gave her speech to Paris about how she and he would always be there to protect all its citizens.
“I’ve been in love with you since the day we met too. I saw you release all the akumas and look like nothing in the world could destroy your hope and I couldn’t help myself,” Adrien admitted, scratching the back of his neck.
Marinette and Adrien. Ladybug and Cat Noir. Having been together all this time. And having no idea. The boy and girl in the pantry shared a nostalgic look.
“With your permission milday?” he asked, heart racing and mind reeling. Marinette blushed at the pet name, finding it strangely comforting coming from the lips of the boy before her. Without his costume, Adrien was much more shy, as was she. She wondered if it would stay that way the next time they transformed. She wondered a lot of things, but for the moment, she nodded wordlessly.
Adrien placed his hands on Marinette’s waist with slight hesitation and Marinette locked hers around Adrien’s neck in return. Slowly, they began to lean in. Soft, peachy lips met with rougher, apricot ones. Their eyes fluttered shut and they embraced each other in this moment, pouring all their emotions into the action. Marinette trying to convey just how much Adrien meant to her and Adrien trying to be worthy of her affections. Striving to be a better superhero and a better man in the process. Fireflies flickered about in their hearts, slowly dimming as the seconds passed by.
When the moment was ready to be complete, they both started to part and open their eyes. Blue and green of the most vibrant shades were locked onto each other the way an akuma made contact with its target. The way an akuma got trapped in Ladybug’s yoyo. The way Alya and Nino made a perfect couple. The way Marinette’s parents looked at each other. The way Ladybug and Cat Noir made the best duo.
“That was…” Adrien started, bring a hand to his lips to ensure it had really happened.
“Miraculous,” Marinette breathed with a lovestruck smile. Adrien grew bashful at her wording and moved to pick the flour up once more.
“Well, we’ve got macaroons to make milday. We better get to it,” he teased, tossing some of the flour at her face. Marinette blinked out of her stupor at this action and smiled sneakily. “You’ll pay for that,” she called, rushing out of the pantry to grab some milk from the fridge and spray him with it. Adrien tried to protest, but he was doused in the creamy beverage and made a face.
“What’s wrong?” Marinette giggled, covering her mouth. “I thought kitty cats liked milk,” she teased, running when Adrien chased her around the kitchen. Neither of them had a care in the world in that moment. They were simply blissful in their new discovery and their friendship was strengthened along with their love.