Chapter Text
"Chat Noir! Over here!"
Turning around in a full circle, Chat perked his ears for the source of the tiny voice calling him.
Sure it was absurd, but with akuma roaming Paris, he'd learned not to be phased by much of anything.
Leaning down by his desk, he finds a small familiar looking pink purse, and he almost drops it to see blue eyes blinking up at him.
"What are you?"
"I think you know what I am, Chat Noir."
Come to think of it, she had the spots just like ... "Do you belong to Ladybug?"
"Yes, and I need your help. She's in danger."
"Where?"
"When I take you to her, she won't be transformed. Promise me you won't reveal her identity, Chat."
Guilt began to pool heavily in the pit of his stomach.
He'd always wanted to know her identity. He'd fought temptation on numerous occasions and just barely resisted. But his racing heart and sweating palms made a fool out of him. He was going to find out her civilian identity! The least he could do was put her safety first.
"I'll do what's best for Ladybug. I promise. Where is she?"
"After the teacher evacuated the classroom, she got caught by the Heart Taker before we could transform. She's in the girls bathroom, and I couldn't get her to go any farther."
"Oh, no. I'm sure you did your best! Let Chat Nior take care of the rest, okay? What's your name, if I may ask?"
"Tiki! And you must tell Plagg I said hello when all of this is said and done."
"Absolutely."
Shivering nearly out of his skin in shameful anticipation, Chat made to push open the girls bathroom door, but was stopped by a pressure coming from the other side.
"Tiki?"
"She was the only one in there. She must be leaning on the other side of the door."
"Well, kicking it down is out. What is -" he paused to swallow a lump in his throat, "...what is her name? Maybe we can talk her into moving."
Tiki opened her mouth and closed it once or twice. As much as she knew her Ladybug needed to keep her worlds separate, she was the only one who could undo the chaos putting innocent people in danger.
"Marinette. Oh, forgive me, but her name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng."
Blinking twenty or so times in a row, the Adrien within Chat Noir was stunned into silence. Flashes of stutters, smiles, pigtails, pink jeans and pies clashed with spectacular views of Paris, black spots, and the cunning and strength he'd come to associate with the woman he most adored.
He wanted time, to plan, to prepare, to buy flowers and compose sonnets -
"Chat Noir?"
"Right."
"Marinette?"
"No one is in here."
"Then whose speaking to me?"
After two beats of awkward silence, he began to push the door firmly and carefully. When wedged it upend enough to squeeze himself through looking much like his namesake in the process and carefully cradling Tiki to his chest all the while.
"It's you."
But she didn't look how he remembered her now. Instead she was slumped into a ball, all the color washed out of her.
Literally - the Heart Taker had been galavanting all over the city in a wedding dress trapping others within their personal heart break with a click of a camera.
He crouched down in front of her leaning on the balls of his feet and placing Tiki at her side.
"Hey, what will it take to bring some color into those cheeks?"
She only huddled further into herself, mumbling unintelligibly into her folded arms.
"What was that?"
"He'll never love me."
He reached out to touch her, and then hesitated at the last moment.
"Anyone would be a fool not to love you, Marienette."
"Adrien isn't a fool. He just doesn't notice shy, clumsy, unnoticeable, mousy Marinette."
"A-Adrien?" His voice might've cracked. He fell backwards on his butt. Too much. This was too much.
"Chat Noir! Adrien might be able to snap her out of it!"
"Don't worry Tiki! Wait with her, I'll get him."
He ran just far enough, just into the boys restroom next door and pressed his back against the adjourning wall. He could hear people screaming outside as their hearts were stolen, and all he could feel was his own beating vivaciously inside his chest.
"Plagg, claws out!"
"Are we done yet?"
"No! I promise one more transformation. Then we save the day. But before any of that, Ladybug is in the next room!"
"So why didn't you two finish the job?"
"She got caught by the akuma. Tiki thinks the boy she loves will snap her out of it..."
"Since when are you on first name basis with Tiki?"
"Plagg! I'm coming apart here! It's Marinette! Ladybug is a girl I sit in from my of in class everyday! Who thought I was putting gum in her chair! Who beat me at video games! Who-"
"Okay, sheesh! So let me get this straight - Ladybug-" Plagg began from his place resting in Adrien's pocket where he unwrapped the slightly squashed single piece of camembert hidden there.
"Yes."
"Is actually the shy Marinette."
"Yes, who probably loves me -"
"So they or she..." he gestured around the next bite of the smelly cheese, "...has feelings for you, then? Isn't this what you've been moaning about?"
"Plagg, it's not that simple. What if she's only attracted to one side of me?"
"So what are you going to do?"
"I'm going to get to know her. I'm sure she's just as amazing without the mask, you know?"
"Then problem solved."
"It's not so simple. There's more romance to it than that."
"You haven't seen romance until you've watched the cheese aging process, and that's a fact."
When Adrien only rolled his eyes, Plagg continued again.
"So, what do we do next?"
"She's in the bathroom behind me. I have to try to break the hold of the akuma. Stay hidden."
Stealing himself, Adrien ran a hand through his hair and stepped up to talk down the love of his very short, sheltered life.