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MiraculElse #9: Someone To Watch Over Me

Story by DFC and buggachat

Concept / Inspirational Artwork by buggachat

(Timeline: End of Season 2.)

"Your poses this afternoon were atrocious. Completely unusable! Tomorrow, it will all be done again... at considerable expense, I might add."

"I counted EIGHT misplayed notes in your Grieg this afternoon. Would you care to list them for me now, or must I detail them to you once again?"

"How am I supposed to take you seriously, young man, when you refuse to take your responsibilities seriously?"

Some things in life pass by in but a matter of seconds. Words are spoken, emotions are expressed, actions are taken or not taken. But when you are of a certain sensitivity, and when so much of your well-being centers around obtaining approval which seems always a fingertip's length out of your reach... their echoes in your mind can last for hours.

Sometimes, for days.

Sometimes, they seem to stretch on forever.

"This is IT, Alya. This is THE DAY."

Alya Césaire chuckled to herself, watching her dark-haired best friend psych herself up in the front hallway of Françoise Dupont High School. "It seems to me like I've heard this sometime before..." she replied, trying not to giggle.

"I know, Alya! But this time I mean it." Marinette Dupain-Cheng's face certainly seemed full of determination on this particular afternoon. "I've been rehearsing this all night! I know just what to say. I know just how I want to say it. Today, I'm going to ask Adrien Agreste out on a real date!"

"Not one of those fake dates. Oh, no," teased Alya, affectionately.

"You can be proud of me, Alya!" insisted Marinette. "I've been practicing breathing exercises, so that I won't get tongue-tied and tell him that I'm going home in a coleslaw this time. I've asked out my reflection in the bathroom mirror a hundred times, at least! And, I'll tell you what, Alya... the way I looked, the things I said, I'd date me. I have all my bases covered!"

"Uh-huh. So... where are you going to invite him?" Alya asked her.

"Huh?" Marinette's mental engine abruptly shifted gears without pressing the clutch. "I, um..."

"Are you inviting him to the movies? Perhaps a nice walk in the park? Adrien, would you like to come over and play video games this afternoon, or maybe frost some cookies with me? Will you be my lawful wedded husband, Adrien Agreste?"

Marinette's Aw, CRAP! expression was unmistakable... followed by a fit of giggles. "I really am kind of hopeless, aren't I?" she smiled.

"No, you're not! I keep telling you that! You know I do," soothed Alya, supportively. "But you're overthinking it again! He's not a puzzle to be solved, he's a boy. And he's a boy who likes you, Marinette! We both know that he does! He just needs you to tell him - and show him - just how much that you're interested. Save the falling-in-love part for the third or fourth date, though. Start slow and easy!"

"He likes me, sure. But does he liiiiike me?" grumped Marinette.

"I'll say this much, Marinette," added Alya. "The way Adrien's been looking these last couple of weeks... you might be exactly who and what he needs right now."

Marinette turned thoughtful in an instant. "He hasn't been himself, has he?" she mused. "Maybe three, maybe four weeks now... he smiles at us in school, he goes through the motions, he tries to look normal and happy, but his heart's just not in it. Something deep down is bugging him, and I wish I knew how I could help."

"You notice that kind of thing about him. Not many people do. That's the kind of thing that Adrien really ought to know, don't you think?" Alya asked, pointedly. "How much that you care about him and worry about him, without him ever asking you to?"

"I hope he knows," blushed Marinette. "I know he's fond of me, and he made me melt the way he talked about me and the things that I do at that picnic! But there's a difference between being a really good friend, and being... what I want to be to him."

"Well, now's your chance, girl! Because here he comes now. Are you ready?" asked Alya, nudging her head in his direction.

Marinette swallowed hard. "Yeah. It's now or never, Alya," she declared. "I've got him now."

Adrien and Nino walked down the main hallway of Françoise Dupont High School together, as was typical for them at the end of a school day. They kept their chatter light, and Adrien greatly appreciated the company, which helped take his mind off of... a lot of things.

"Hey, are you going to be around this afternoon? We haven't gotten together in a while," Nino asked him. "Wanna come over and hang for a bit?"

"I'd like to... you know I would... but I have a handful of things I have to do at home today," said Adrien. "More than a handful. More like a day-and-night-ful."

"Again? Man, your dad has really been piling it on lately, hasn't he?" complained Nino. "He does know that you're only fourteen, right?"

"I don't know what's been going on with my dad lately... but I'd really rather not talk about that right now, okay?" evaded Adrien. "Are you watching the football game tonight? Lille OSC versus Lyon? Should be an exciting one."

"I'm not a Lyon fan like you are, but yeah, I bet it'll be a good one," said Nino. "I'm sure we'll be watching it at my place, if you'd like to... yeah, I know."

"I'm sorry, Nino, I'll be tied up with things right up until gametime! I'll be lucky if I can concentrate on the game instead of homework," apologized Adrien. "But text me; we'll keep up-to-date on what's happening!"

As they approached the front door, they saw Alya wave to them, and Nino greeted her warmly. Next to Alya, Adrien saw Marinette leaning up against the doorway, casually. Marinette looked at him and smiled, turned back to Alya, turned back to him and smiled again, and managed a half-wave, half-gesture that he couldn't quite interpret.

Marinette... someday, I'm going to figure her out, thought Adrien. It's always great to see her, even if I do still make her a little nervous for some weird reason. He smiled warmly, returned her wave, and the way her face lit up gave him a little thrill that, again, he was still trying to come to terms with.

What IS it about Marinette that makes me feel so... strange lately? Was it that kiss on the cheek she gave me at the picnic?

Am I thinking too hard about this?

"Hello, Marinette, Alya!" he greeted them when he got closer. "How was your day?"

"Not bad. A little better now, of course. And yours?" Marinette asked, beaming at him.

My girl is SMOOTH today! grinned Alya, internally. Keep it up!

Adrien noticed Alya's grin widening as Marinette spoke, and wondered why. She turned quickly to Nino, and then her happy expression was far more explainable, as they snuck in a quick kiss.

The foursome exchanged some small talk for a few minutes, until Alya and Nino looked at their watches at the same time, semi-theatrically. "Hey, we ought to get going, if we're going to be on time for that... thing," said Alya. "I'm sure you two can find some things to... talk about?" She slipped Marinette a meaningful wink, and Adrien saw Marinette take a deep breath...

From down the hall, a loud voice rang out. "HEY! See you later, BUGSY!"

Marinette watched Adrien's entire demeanor change in an instant. One moment, he seemed quite happy to be near her, a pleasant conversationalist, maintaining eye contact with her, showing all the signs that she was hoping to see in him... and then it was like what Kim yelled at him, whatever it meant, knocked the wind right out of him.

My sunshine boy just turned to dusk, just like that, she wondered. What was THAT all about?

"I..." Adrien was suddenly at a loss for words.

"Don't let him know that it bothers you, Adrien," muttered Nino, just loud enough for Adrien to hear. "You know him; he'll tease you forever if he thinks he's getting under your skin."

"I know, I know," said Adrien, wearily. He looked down at the street, then added, "Hey, my car's here. I'll see you all tomorrow, I guess?"

"Sure... I guess?" replied Marinette, looking a little confused. She watched as Adrien trudged down to the waiting sedan, hopped in the back seat and closed the door. Peering down at it, she thought for a moment that he was looking back at her from there - Was that a little wave?, she wondered - and then he was gone, lost into the early afternoon traffic.

Alya and Nino left together, Alya giving her a sympathetic face on her way down the steps. Marinette stood still by the doorway, with one thought burning through her mind:

BUGSY?

What the heck does THAT mean?

Adrien slumped down in the back seat of the car, thoroughly annoyed with life at the moment.

Damn it, he thought. I just wanted ten minutes of my day where I could forget about everything else going on with me. One little moment. And I had a couple of minutes to talk with someone sweet like Marinette, to listen to her giggly little laugh that's so cute to hear... and Kim just had to be Kim and razz me about my... feelings again. Like it was any of his business in the first place!

Arrgh! Let just one day go right for me again. That's all I want. Is that too much?

He tuned back into reality as Nathalie's voice registered in his brain from the passenger seat. "...Piano from three to four, and you'd better nail that Grieg concerto this time; you know that your father will be listening intently. Your Chinese instructor will... Adrien, are you listening to me?" she said, accusingly.

"Yeah... yeah, I am. Three to four. Grieg versus Adrien, best of three falls," he muttered. "Sorry."

Nathalie sighed. "I don't mean to pick on you, Adrien, you know that. But if I don't, he will, and neither of us wants that, right?"

"Definitely not," Adrien agreed, a little sourly. He forced himself to focus on his upcoming schedule as dictated by Nathalie, which as so often seemed to be the case in recent weeks, sounded nearly endless.

After dinner, Marinette went upstairs and pulled out her phone. Time to play Junior Detective, she thought. Something odd is going on, and I am going to find out what it is!

"Hey, Marinette!" Alya greeted her. "I felt so bad for you this afternoon! You were all ready to rock Adrien's world and then... whatever that was, happened."

"I know, right? That was so weird," Marinette nearly shouted. "Do you have any idea what that was all about? I mean, he and Kim are friends, aren't they?"

"As far as I know," replied Alya, sounding equally confused. "They've always gotten along when I've seen them together. In fact, is there anyone out there who doesn't like Adrien? He's so nice, he's really easy for people to like and be around."

"Yeah. It's been bugging me ever since... and not just because it shot my plan right into the river," mused Marinette. "Nino seemed to know something about it, didn't he?"

"You know, he did," said Alya. "He said something to Adrien about teasing. But what does Adrien have to be teased about?"

"Hmmm. Do you mind if I call him and ask him what he knows, Alya?" asked Marinette.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng," Alya scoffed, in a faux-stern voice. "Are you trying to STEAL MY MAN?"

"Do you really think that I could?" giggled Marinette.

"Obviously, no! But your plots and plans to win the hearts of young men are legendary." Alya laughed loudly along with Marinette, then added, "Of course you can call him! He's your friend, too. I think he's watching a football game tonight around seven, so you've got a little while before kickoff to catch him."

"Awesome! I'll call you back later and let you know what I hear," Marinette said.

"Marinette? Hey, hi there! I, uh, didn't expect a call from you tonight!" answered Nino. "What can I do for you?"

"Hi! I hope I'm not bothering you, or anything, and I'll be quick. I just have a question for you..." replied Marinette.

"Shoot."

"That thing that Kim yelled at Adrien today. 'Bugsy.' As soon as Adrien heard it, it was like someone hit him with a tranquilizer dart. Do you know anything about what that meant?"

There was a pause on the other end of the line. Finally, Nino said, "I'm... not sure that I should tell you that, Marinette. He might think it's a little embarrassing, and there's another thing about it that, uh..."

"Oh, come on, Nino! It can't be that bad, can it?" asked Marinette. Okay, turn on the charm! she thought. "I mean, we're all friends, right? And you've always been a good friend to me, and I know you're Adrien's best friend, and we both want the best for him... He's seemed so down lately. I'm trying to figure out what I can do to cheer him up."

"Yeah... he has," agreed Nino. "You picked that up, too?"

"I did. And if I can help make him feel a little better, I'd like to, for... a lot of reasons," said Marinette, trying not to turn shy about it. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Oh... listen, I'll tell you. It's not that bad. And you'll like some of this! Some... maybe not so much," Nino relented. "Here's the story..."

"I'm all ears," Marinette replied.

"Okay, so... it all started in gym class yesterday, right?" began Nino. "You know how they change up what we practice there every couple of weeks. Right now the boys are doing track-and-field stuff, running events, all different lengths. So we were all doing our best, and Kim was sure he could beat Adrien in a race, for some reason. I don't know why he challenged Adrien in particular, but they lined up and did a sprint, and Adrien blew by him. It wasn't even close! So Kim said, 'Okay, but I can beat you at distance running!', and they did a mile... and Adrien won again."

"Should that have surprised anyone?" asked Marinette.

"I don't think so, but you know Kim... he's really competitive and he hates to lose at sports. Now, Adrien was cool about it, right? He told Kim that he has a runner's physique, so he's naturally good at that kind of thing, but Kim would beat him every time at strength and power events. And that's true, too. But maybe Kim thought Adrien was calling him big and fat or something, or he just didn't like losing in front of people. I don't know, it shouldn't have been a big deal, but Kim kind of made it one."

"Okay, so... there's more to it, I hope?" said Marinette. "That doesn't sound too bad."

"Yeah, and this is the interesting part. We hit the showers, and the guys all started talking about what we guys usually end up talking about... girls," continued Nino.

"Naturally," giggled Marinette.

"Do... the girls talk about the guys in their locker room?" wondered Nino, nonchalantly.

"That's a carefully guarded girl secret, Nino," she admonished him. "C'mon, I'm dying to know this!"

"Okay, so..." Nino continued. "Someone pointed out that just about every guy in our class is paired off now. Kim has Ondine, Ivan has Mylène, I've got Alya, Nathaniel has been hanging out with Marc a lot, and that's cool. Max... well, Max kind of has his own thing going on, but that's cool, too, right? He's happy and that's what matters. Anyway... I think it was Ivan who asked Adrien, 'Hey, so, who is it that YOU like? Anyone in our school?' And Adrien didn't want to say. And that meant we had to gang up on him and find out who his big secret crush is."

"You had to?" asked Marinette, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. We're teenage boys. It's in our DNA. We do that," Nino laughed. "So close your eyes and imagine us rattling off names, and I'll tell you what I saw..."

Marinette closed her eyes and let Nino paint the picture.

Kim started it off. "You like Chloè, right? You're one of the only people who can put up with her," he guessed, sure that he was right.

"Dating Chloè? Oh, HELL no. I've known her for so long that I know FAR better than that," retorted Adrien, with a look of undisguised horror on his face. A giant laugh filled the room.

"How about Sabrina, then? I know she's available," suggested Max.

Adrien didn't look quite as terrified by the concept, but he replied, "Ehhh. Sabrina can be nice when she wants to be... but she doesn't usually want to be. She's so tucked into Chloè's pocket that I feel kind of bad for her, but... nah. She's really not my type."

"How about Marinette?" I asked him. "She's really nice, right?"

And all the eyes in the room went straight to Adrien, y'know? And he got this really... unusual look on his face. Unusual for him, I mean. Kind of dreamy! It was like, he thought about you and he was somewhere better, in his head. And we waited for him to say something, and after a few seconds, he just said, "Marinette is... someone special."

"...Special?" Marinette breathed, trying not to overreact. "Like, good special?"

"Like very good special, it sounded like! I thought we had a winner right there, y'know? But the others kept going," replied Nino.

Ivan asked, "What about that fencer girl we saw you with... Kagami, right?"

Adrien got kind of a different look on his face. Thoughtful. He said, "I haven't quite figured her out yet. She's not like any other girl I've met. I'd say she kind of... intrigues me."

Kim grinned. "Keeping your options open! Smart."

And then Max said, "Well, the only other girl we've seen you hanging around with is Ladybug."

"He went there?" muttered Marinette.

"He meant it as a joke, I think!" said Nino. "But then..."

All of a sudden, Adrien just went CRIMSON! Completely red in the face. He went completely defensive, like he was looking for a locker to climb into. I've never seen him nervous like that, Marinette!

So Kim saw a weak spot, and he had to pounce on it, right? He said, "Hey, I can't blame you there, man. Ladybug is, like, really hot! But you're aiming kind of high, aren't ya?"

Everybody looked at Adrien. He stammered, "I don't know that I'm AIMING for her... or that she'd ever... Come on, guys, knock it OFF!"

"If there's one thing Adrien usually is... it's a smooth talker. Nothing winds him up like that," Nino added. "But for whatever reason, this did."

Marinette was momentarily speechless.

"Kim wasn't trying to be mean to him, I don't think. He's not like that. But like how he picked on Ivan for a while? He'll tease people sometimes, if he thinks he's getting to them. That's all he meant by it," explained Nino. "So, anyway... it got even wilder."

"Go on..." Marinette breathed.

Kim laughed out loud. "It's not like you'd have a chance with Ladybug, anyway, right? She's Chat Noir's girl."

And Adrien went from nervous and shaky to fierce and angry just like THAT! It was like Kim flipped a light switch on him. Adrien got right up in his face, dead serious, nose-to-nose with him. And Kim's no little guy, so this was a big surprise to all of us! Kim kind of backed off, then he leaned in face-to-face again because everyone was watching them and he didn't want to look scared.

"NO, she's NOT," Adrien yelled.

"You wish," smirked Kim, and then Adrien got even angrier.

"I'm telling you, she's NOT," he growled. "If there's one thing that I do know, it's THAT."

Ivan looked puzzled. "HOW do you know that for sure, Adrien?"

And just like that, Adrien went back to defensive mode. "I just... do," he said, like, quieter.

Kim thought of something and his face lit up. "Well, since you're such a GREAT ATHLETE, Adrien... I know just how you can win her love! You can get a red costume and jump around and be her new sidekick! 'Bugsy, the Boy Beetle!'"

Kim struck a pose and started jumping from bench to bench, imitating that. Okay, that even made me laugh. Everybody laughed... except for Adrien. He looked like he was about to cry, and I didn't like seeing that at all.

"And about that time... the bell rang, and it was time for us to get out of there," finished Nino. "Kim razzed him a little more, we got dressed and we all left. But something about that whole thing really got under Adrien's skin, I could tell."

"Okay..." Marinette continued processing all of this, on mental autopilot. "I know that it's not just that incident bothering him, right? Adrien hasn't seemed like himself for weeks now. Maybe a month or so. He's seemed more and more depressed and I keep wanting to just lean over my desk and hug him."

"He has... you're right. Things have been building up around him. This might've just been the straw that broke the camel's back that day," Nino replied. "But Kim just had to go and bring it up again today..."

"Uh-huh," Marinette stammered, unsure of what to add.

"Hey, uh... Marinette?" Nino added, sounding apologetic. "I didn't want to upset you by telling you this, okay? I... know you have a real thing for Adrien. I think everybody knows... except for Adrien. And I know he really does like you, and that's a good thing! He talks about you all the time when he's hanging out with me. As rarely as that's been, lately... but I promise you, he does." He took a deep breath before finishing his thought.

"But as far as where his heart is really aimed... I think Adrien's got a huge crush on Ladybug. That's going to be really hard for you to compete with."

There was a pause of several seconds.

"Marinette?" asked Nino, worriedly.

From flat on her back, in the middle of her bedroom floor, Marinette managed, "I'm here!"

Adrien might have a crush on Ladybug? Adrien might have a crush on Ladybug. ADRIEN might have a crush on LADYBUG! BUT I'M LADYBUG! I'M LADYBUG? YES, I'M LADYBUG!

"I'm here, Nino, I, um... slipped," she covered for her lapse. "Well, there's not a whole lot that I can do about Ladybug, right? I mean, it's not like I can talk to her about it or anything, or that I'd really want to, I guess..."

"Well, that's all I know, I'm afraid," Nino answered, unfazed. "Anything else I can help you with tonight?"

"No, that's it. Thank you so much, Nino," Marinette replied. "I'm not going to bring it up with him, I wouldn't want to embarrass him. But that was, you know, so out of nowhere today when I didn't know what it meant, you understand?"

"Sure, I'd have wondered too," he agreed.

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay? And I think your football game's just coming on now..." hinted Marinette.

"Oh, yeah! Thanks! See you then!" Nino replied, and hung up.

"Tikki? Can you come over here with me, please?" asked Marinette, very quietly. "I need you."

Tikki floated over with an unsettled feeling in her tiny stomach. This could get very messy, very fast! she thought to herself.

"I'm here, Marinette," she said, perching on Marinette's shoulder gently. "What's going on?"

"Did you hear that conversation I just had with Nino?" Marinette asked. "Where he said he thinks Adrien has a crush on LADYBUG?"

"Yes, I overheard it," Tikki confirmed. "And... Adrien also had really good things to say about Marinette, didn't he? All dreamy, thinking of you? Floating in a little world of pink clouds?"

"Yeah..." Tikki watched that register in Marinette's mind for a brief moment, then float out into the air again. "But Nino was so right, Tikki! Adrien is never worked up like that, and definitely not because of me! He was nervous, he was embarrassed, he was defensive, he got his fierce up, he didn't know what to say or how to say it... because of LADYBUG?" Marinette said, seemingly finding it hard to believe.

"It does kind of remind you of someone, doesn't it?" remarked Tikki, dryly.

"Does it?"

"Anyway..." Tikki grinned. She'll never change.

"So what should I do, Tikki?" begged Marinette. "I mean, if he might have a crush on me - on Ladybug - on me as Ladybug - then I have to find out if it's true, don't I?"

"I wouldn't put a lot of pressure on him right now, Marinette. He's been feeling awfully fragile lately; both of you agreed on that," said Tikki, trying to steer Marinette in a slightly different direction.

"That's true," Marinette replied, coming back down to Earth slightly. "I want to build him up, not make him feel like he's being pushed even more."

"I would suggest this," Tikki noted. "As you and as Ladybug... keep an eye on him for a while, okay? Be as good a friend to him as you can. Make sure he knows someone's out there who cares about him, who's thinking about him. Someone he can always reach out to if he wants to get things off his chest. I think he'd really like that."

"Yeah! That makes a lot of sense," smiled Marinette. "And if he does start reaching out..."

"It's a great way for the two of you to get to know each other much better, on a much deeper level. I think you'd like feeling closer to Adrien, in costume or out, wouldn't you?" Tikki asked her.

"Absolutely," she agreed. "I think I may just have to approach him like that tomorrow..."

"Go slow, Marinette," Tikki advised. "Tread lightly. Let him decide how much he wants to talk about what's bothering him. You don't want him to feel pressured."

"I just want him to be happy again, Tikki!" Marinette sighed, flopping back down on the floor. "The way he's always been. The kind, sweet, happy boy I fell for. Whether I'm just his friend, or... whatever."

"And I want that for both of you, Marinette. You know that, right?" smiled Tikki. "You both deserve so much to be happy."

"Thank you, Tikki. You're always right there with good advice," grinned Marinette, leaning over to peck her on the cheek affectionately.

The next afternoon, Marinette stood at the school's front doorway once again, this time by herself. Alya and Nino passed by, having just shared a last class of the day together, and they exchanged a few quick words with her before heading out.

"Thanks so much for that talk last night, Nino," Marinette greeted him, warmly. "That really helped clear my mind on a few things."

"It did?" asked Nino. "I mean, cool, I'm glad that it did!"

"Are you going to try to ask him out again today, Marinette?" wondered Alya. "I can stay around as moral support if you're going to, and if you'd need that..."

"No, not today," Marinette replied. "I'm going a little different route today. A lighter touch."

"I hope it works!" bubbled Alya, and Nino gave her a thumbs-up as the two of them headed for Alya's house.

Be cool, Marinette, she thought to herself, waiting patiently for Adrien to show. This isn't about crushing right now. This is about being there for him. Maybe I am 'just a friend' right now, but I'm going to be a damn good one to him until that status changes.

She waited for a couple more minutes, then looked down at the street and noticed that Adrien's bodyguard's car hadn't pulled up yet. That's strange, she thought. He's usually very punctual...

When Ivan and Mylène walked by, shortly thereafter, Marinette greeted them and asked, "Hey, um... have either of you seen Adrien this afternoon? He usually comes this way."

Mylène shook her head no, but Ivan perked up. "Yeah, he, uh, said he texted his driver and said he was going to walk home today. Some working-things-out time, y'know?"

Marinette looked stunned. That's really not LIKE him. And it's also not like his father to LET him do that!

"Th-hanks!" she managed. "That would explain it."

As the happy pair left, Marinette considered her options. I have the strangest feeling that I ought to check on him, right now, she thought. From a distance, maybe, so he doesn't think I'm stalking him... but I really want to see what's going on with him today, if I can.

A young man stomped his way down a well-worn sidewalk, visibly upset, though no one was near him at the time to observe it. No one, that is, except a tiny floating black cat.

"Adrien," Plagg pestered him. "ADRIEN. Talk to me, okay?"

"Plagg, leave me alone, okay? I'm thinking about some things," replied Adrien.

Yeah, I'm thinking about things, he thought to himself. Thinking about the crappy day I just had! How Dad blew me off at breakfast time today - again. He SAID he'd be there to eat with me before I left for school, but I know just how that always turns out, right? Then there was that snarky text he sent me an hour ago about the next photo shoot, "DO remember to comb your hair this time." He knows how seriously I take these things! And what happened at that last shoot was NOT my fault!

Then Nathalie gave me a hard time about walking home alone. I mean, I'm fourteen, I'm not a baby any more! No one's going to jump me and steal my wallet, and that's not even figuring in my 'secret weapon' floating next to me right now! And then I was almost out the door of the school, away from everybody, and what do I hear yelled at me?

"Buzz! Buzz! There goes the Bug Wonder!"

ARRRGH. That Kim is lucky that I don't show him what I've learned in karate class, sometimes. He just does NOT know when to quit! And I've got about ten lines in my head that I _should have_ yelled back at him, but I just turned and left and looked like a dope.

But why should I be mad at Kim, anyway? Maybe I _am_ just Ladybug's sidekick, after all. I sure don't seem to be making any headway with her, relationship-wise.

"Adrien, this isn't like you. You're not the sulking type... I know things have been tough lately, and Kim is a dork, but you gotta calm down! How about... there's a little cheese shop I know not too far from here..." worried Plagg.

"I'm FINE," snarled Adrien, his reddened face and tone of voice indicating how much of a lie that really was.

Plagg noticed that, of course, but gauged Adrien's tone and pulled back a little. If he wants to talk... I'm right here, he thought. But I can't make him do it.

Something tiny and purple, floating not very far away from the two of them, also noticed.

Ladybug swung out over the city, heading in the general direction of Adrien's house. I'm so much faster than Adrien would be on foot, she reasoned. He had a little head start, but if there's anyone that I could pick out of a crowd...

...There he is! I'd know that blonde head anywhere. I ought to, I spend hours at a time right behind him, memorizing every hair on it, she giggled.

So now what do I do? Ladybug pondered.

She began hopping from rooftop to rooftop, staying well behind him, considering what to do next. I'll be as quiet as I can for now, Ladybug thought; I don't want to startle him.

Should I go down and talk to him? He might like that... But if he's walking home like this, it's because he wanted to be alone. And as much as I'd like to think that li'l red-and-black me is on his mind, I know better than to believe that that's all that's been driving him crazy lately.

I know that he's hinted that his father's been really hard on him recently, she recalled. His father is always hard on him, but it sounded like this was harsh even for Mr. Agreste. Nagging at him about every little thing... I'm so glad that MY parents aren't like that.

It really must be hard, being kind of famous like he is, Ladybug mused, a little bit wistfully. To have half the city know you on sight, to have people throwing themselves at you, crazy fans like that Wayhem guy, all those expectations, having to act so... perfectly in public all the time. I bet that's why he wanted to come to public school - so he'd have some kind of outlet where he could express himself, for once, and not feel so penned in by how everybody expects him to be!

She hopped across two more rooftops, getting just a little bit closer. And then there are people who think that he's stuck-up and horrible just because his family's rich. Even I kind of did that when we first met... that whole gum thing... I was so ready to write him off as Boy Chloè. I'd have missed out on so much if I had!

Wow, Ladybug thought. The more I think about it, I bet... if I was in his shoes... I'd probably feel more lonely than anything else. He sees us at school, but his father locks him down pretty well most of the rest of the time. His dad doesn't really like Nino much, from what Nino told me, so they can only hang out once in a while when Adrien can get away from home. He spent all those years being homeschooled, with Chloè being one of the only people his own age he knew... and THAT could give anyone a complex.

I die a little inside every time I hear him call me "just a friend"... but maybe a really good friend is what he NEEDS the most.

She laughed to herself, quietly. Something about trying to figure this boy out turns me into a junior psychiatrist, doesn't it? Now I just need to figure out my own... issues...

Ladybug looked down at Adrien and squinted, trying to make out something odd she'd spotted near him. Was that a tiny... black thing buzzing around him just then? she wondered. Maybe a dragonfly, or something like that? It was big for an insect, whatever it was.

Wait a second...

She looked again, and coming in from a slightly different trajectory, she saw a different insect that made her blood run cold.

"Hey, Kim! YOU'RE the one who was dumb enough to try to date Chloè!" thought Adrien.

Nah. That's too mean, to both of them. Kim didn't know better at the time, and Chloè's... well, she's getting better. Very, very slowly, but it still counts for something.

Adrien kept walking, pondering zingers in his head to respond to Kim's next razzing attempt, frustration and anger and melancholy all simmering inside him...

A sudden scream caught his full attention:

"ADRIEN!"

That voice! he thought. Was that... Marinette?

He turned, quickly, as Plagg dove for cover into his shirt pocket...

...and froze, in pure shock, as tiny purple wings dove straight for his face!

Adrien tried to scream, but no sound came out of his mouth.

No time to react -

NO!

Adrien barely had time to blink.

His eyes, wide open, saw an Akuma about to consume him, ready to turn him into one of Hawkmoth's creatures.

They closed, involuntarily, from raw fear.

He forced them open again... and a red-and-black capsule chose that instant to slam shut around the Akuma, yanking it away from his face.

"GAAAAAH!" the scream finally emerged, as Adrien fell backwards, landing on his rear on the ground.

That... THAT... was too... too...

Thinking would have to wait until his heart stopped pounding like a kettledrum.

He looked up and saw Ladybug a few meters away, releasing a white butterfly into the afternoon sky. "Bye-bye, little butterfly," she waved goodbye to it, as always...

Another blink, and another, and then she was leaning over him. His dark-haired goddess, with her perfect blue eyes that he could easily drown in, and a look of pure concern on her face.

"Are you okay, Adrien?" she asked him, catching her own breath. "That was too close."

She reached out to him with her right hand, offering to help him up... but he felt paralyzed, totally overwhelmed by emotion and adrenaline. His arm moved to meet hers, but that small movement was all that he could manage.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked, her voice as light as a morning breeze.

"I - I ..." Adrien stammered. He tried to form actual words that could be arranged into sentences, but the BA-WHUMP BA-WHUMP BA-WHUMP of his pounding heart had full priority just then.

I do and I don't and I HAVE TO and I CAN'T.

Hesitantly, he put a tiny bit more strength into the hand that Ladybug was holding. She took that as a sign that she should help him up, so she pulled gently, and he rose to his feet very slowly.

"Th-thank you, Ladybug," Adrien half-whispered. "I..."

"Come here," she beckoned, opening her arms. "Shhh. Just come here for a minute."

There was no way that he could resist it, even if he'd wanted to. Adrien sank into Ladybug's arms, feeling like a child, his head resting gently on her shoulder. She wrapped her arms around him to comfort him, all thoughts of crushes and romance and hamsters flying straight out of her mind.

This isn't about any of that right now, she knew. This is just... needed.

"I... I'm not sure how that happened," Adrien said, in a tiny voice.

"I think I know," replied Ladybug. "You thought for just one minute that you felt all alone, that you had nobody that you could lean on or talk to. But I think I just proved that you're wrong about that."

As they broke the hug, Ladybug kept her hands on his shoulders. "You have lots of people who do care about you, Adrien. You know that, right? And you know that I'm one of them. I always will be, I promise."

Thoughts of TELL HER! and APOLOGIZE TO HER! and KISS HER! and THANK HER! and MARRY HER! all fought for control of Adrien's brain, and in the chaos something else slipped through. "Can I... meet you sometime?"

"Meet me?" Ladybug wondered aloud. "I think I know you pretty well already, don't I?", she giggled.

"I m-mean, meet with you sometime. To talk about it. Not like a date. Unless - no. I just want to... so I can talk to you. Thank you properly. For everything."

"Adrien," she smiled, "I'm just happy I was nearby, and close enough to help. Of course we can meet and talk sometime. Let me... um... figure out how you can reach me..."

Ladybug stumbled slightly, trying to figure out how not to give her identity away in the process. "Or, how about this - I'll find you in the next day or two and we'll work something out, okay? I'll see if I can set something up so that whenever you need me, you can contact me."

"I would really like that, Ladybug... more than you can imagine," Adrien replied, still somewhat in shock.

"On one condition, mister," Ladybug told him, giving him a serious look.

"Anything! What is it?" asked Adrien.

"The next time you feel that down, or that angry, or whatever put you in that mood that put the Akuma on your trail, will you remember something for me?" asked Ladybug, in a gentle tone of voice. "That someone's watching over you."

"I'll don't think I'll ever forget that again."

He smiled at her, warmly and honestly and as pure as a songbird's call, and for an instant she was back on the school steps, staring at an extended umbrella and That Smile. A little part inside of Marinette joined all of her other little parts already labeled YOURS FOREVER.

"Be careful going home, okay?" asked Ladybug, and Adrien nodded.

With one last little wave, Ladybug swung away.

And two young people and two ancient Kwamis all knew that this was going to be a very long and sleepless night ahead for them.

Next time:

* A little light conversation... and a little more.

* "So... it didn't work?"

* "I do NOT normally do this..."

* Plagg's two cents.

* And more...

Chapter Text

*BA-THUMP!* *BA-THUMP!* *BA-THUMP!* *BA-THUMP!*

*Ba-Thump!* *Ba-Thump!* *Ba-Thump!*

*ba-thump* *ba-thump*

"You know, once in a very long while... I do give some good advice."

Plagg looked at Adrien's annoyed face and added, "What? I waited 'til your pulse rate went mostly back to normal to say 'I told you so.'"

Ladybug landed on her balcony, as quietly as she could. She transformed back to Marinette, then plopped down on a lounge chair, visibly shaken. Tikki landed on the left arm of the chair, knowing that she'd be needed.

"That was... intense," panted Marinette, after a moment. She covered her face with her hands and breathed deeply, but waved Tikki off when she felt her fly even closer to check on her. "I'm okay, Tikki... I'm holding it together for now," she managed, with only the slightest quiver in her voice.

"You did everything perfectly, Marinette," replied Tikki. "You recognized that Adrien was troubled, you checked on him, you saved him from the Akuma, you cooled him down and you got a smile before you left. You were the answer to his prayers today."

"Today, sure. But what if I'm not there next time?" sniffled Marinette. "Tikki, he's so much more shaken up than I'd imagined!"

"Well, he did go nose-to-nose with an Akuma just now. That'd be enough to make anyone freak out," Tikki argued. "Anyone can have one really bad day."

"Tikki, I've memorized a lot more than Adrien's class schedule," she retorted. "I may become a babbling idiot when I'm around him sometimes, but you know that I pay attention. He's had a ton of really bad days lately. This wasn't a one-time thing; this had been building up for a while! And I'm terrified that he'll get targeted again."

"Oh, I agree; I'm very concerned, too," said Tikki. For more reasons than you know, she thought to herself. "But there was one good sign; he asked if he could meet you and talk about it with you. That's a lot of trust that he has in you, Marinette."

"In Ladybug, you mean," Marinette corrected her. "It took that sudden shock today to get him to open up at all, even to Ladybug! If he'd come out the school's front door where I was waiting for him just now, I don't know if he'd have given me the same amount of trust, or anything near it."

"Why not give him another chance to?" Tikki asked. "You were going to reach out to him today as Marinette and check on him. I'd say it's even more important that you try that again soon."

"I think I need to."

As Marinette stood up and headed for her balcony hatch, Tikki cleared her throat. "Forgetting something?" she asked.

"What?" asked Marinette, confused.

"You haven't come home from school yet. Won't your parents wonder how you got into your room if you didn't go in the house through the front door?" grinned Tikki.

"Oh! Good point, Tikki. I'm just a little distracted right now. I wonder why?" smiled Marinette, sheepishly. "Plus, I have a quick errand to run. I do have an idea or two about how to contact him as Ladybug, and another idea that might help keep him smiling more often... Spots on!"

As Adrien passed through the outer gates of his family mansion, he muttered for Plagg's benefit, "Here we go..."

"Hang in there. I wanna talk with you when we're alone, okay?" whispered Plagg.

"Fine," Adrien whispered back. "Yes, you were right back there."

"Of course I was! But I still wanna talk with you," Plagg grinned, then ducked out of sight.

Adrien walked through the front door, expecting Nathalie to be standing there impatiently waiting for him, and he was not disappointed. "Well! You finally made it," she said, looking at her watch and appearing annoyed. "Did you take the scenic route through Spain?"

"I... took the long way, yes. Is that a problem?" sulked Adrien. You have NO idea what I've been through today, he thought, give me a break for once! "I needed a little time to think through some things."

"Time, young man, is something you do not have to spare. Your father is waiting in your room right now to hear your Grieg concerto, and since you're seven minutes late, I'm sure that he's fuming."

"Uh-huh. Great." He slapped his messenger bag down on a table, a bit too hard, and began marching upstairs to his room.

"Excuse me?" snapped Nathalie. "I'd also strongly suggest that you lose the attitude."

Adrien stopped, turned to face her... then sighed, exhausted. "Yes. I'm... I'm sorry, Nathalie. You didn't deserve that."

"Okay. Go impress your father, then," she replied. "Good luck."

Sabine brightened up when she saw Marinette walk into the bakery, giving her a wave. "Hi, honey! How was school today?" she called.

"Pretty good, Mom," answered Marinette. "Nothing too unusual. How was your day?"

"Decent business, about average," Sabine said. She noticed two bags in Marinette's hands and asked, "Stopped at the store on your way home?"

"Oh, this? Yeah, it's nothing much," she replied, holding them up. "Some little supplies for a project at school."

"Okay, good. Supper will be ready in about an hour, okay?" her mother smiled.

"Sure, I'll be down then!" called Marinette, as she dashed up the stairs to her room.

Gabriel put his hand to his face and let out a loud sigh. "Stop. Stop right there, Adrien," he insisted. "Start the whole thing over. That attempt was amateurish; you are not even trying today."

"I'm... sorry, Father," Adrien replied, downcast. "I had a really bad day today and I guess I'm feeling distracted."

"...Did I ask?" said Gabriel, pointedly.

"What?"

"...Did I ask you why you were mangling this fine piece of classical music? I did not. I asked you to start it over." Gabriel's glare was intense. "Continue."

Adrien turned beet red, and considered for a moment slamming the piano cover shut and storming off... but, instead, turned back to the sheet music and began playing once more, using the tiny bit of willpower that he had remaining.

"Okay, Tikki," Marinette began, laying out what she'd bought that afternoon. "I'm hoping that I can count on your help with some of this. I know that I'm not supposed to use my powers for personal reasons..."

"This isn't really... that," allowed Tikki. And somehow I think that "helping Chat Noir stay sane, even if you don't know that that's who you're actually helping" qualifies as a just cause, she thought. "I'll help you however I can."

"Remind me of something," asked Marinette, thoughtfully. "You can pass through solid objects when you want to, like zipping through the floor if someone walks in on us. You can carry small objects, too, up to about as big as the Book of Lore. Can you do both at the same time?"

"...Not easily?" Tikki said, hesitantly. "It depends on the object. The bigger it is, the tougher it would be. Like, I'm pretty sure that I couldn't carry that big book through a solid wall."

"Something tiny and light like one of these, though?" ventured Marinette, gesturing to some sheets of paper sitting on her bed and what was on them. "Through, say, cloth or a glass window?"

"Oh, THAT, no problem," smiled Tikki. "For a second there, I thought you were going to ask if I could carry you into his room."

"HEY!" Marinette yelped, and Tikki giggled at the massive blush she'd just caused. "TOTALLY not what I had in mind."

"I didn't think so... though just once, it might be worth it to see the look on his face," laughed Tikki.

"Here's the thing, though. You're not completely wrong with that train of thought..." Marinette whispered some things in Tikki's tiny ear, and Tikki's eyes went wide.

She thought it over for a few seconds, then broke out in a grin. "Marinette, that's downright devilish! And I like it," Tikki replied.

"Not right away! I want to start a little lighter, first. But you could do that for me when I ask you to?" asked Marinette.

"If we're careful about it."

"Marinette! Supper's ready!" came a call from downstairs.

"Coming!" replied Marinette. She winked at Tikki and headed for the door.

Once Adrien was alone, a little while later, Plagg flew over to him with a bit of hesitancy. Adrien was flat on his stomach on his bed, gripping a pillow tightly under his chin and neck, staring intently at nothing in particular.

"Okay, that... that wasn't just harsh of him. That was nasty," began Plagg.

"Beyond nasty," muttered Adrien. "And I just wish that I could understand it."

He rolled over and looked at Plagg, with an anguished expression on his face. "He hasn't been himself ever since Mom... disappeared. We've both been dealing with that for a long time now, and it'll never be okay, but I've at least adjusted to what our new 'normal' is. But this isn't like that, Plagg! It's like he's decided that I can't do anything right, everything I do is wrong, and I'm doing it all on purpose! And that shouldn't make any sense to him. What would I have to gain from doing that?"

"'Oh, yeah, Dad, yell at me some more! I love when you do that,'" mocked Plagg, sympathetically.

"Exactly! And he won't talk to me. Nathalie just stands there with her little checklists and does what he tells her and she's no help, either," moaned Adrien. "And I have no idea how to fix it, or who to talk to about it."

"You might have... one idea of who to talk to, other than me," Plagg ventured. "And that's what I wanted to talk to you about. If Ladybug hadn't been there today..."

"I know, I know. Wow, that was lucky!" Adrien flopped down on his back, looking overwhelmed. "I don't know if I could've fought an Akuma off while I was worked up like that."

"Almost nobody can, even when they're thinking straight," said Plagg. "And you certainly weren't. And if you get Akumatized, you might as well just drop your Miraculous in an envelope and mail it to Hawkmoth."

As Adrien closed his eyes in frustration, Plagg framed his words carefully. "You have emotions just like everybody else, Adrien. And you should! And you should let 'em out when you need to! Locking it all away inside you just lets it eat away at you over time, and then one day, KA-POW!", he said, mimicking an explosion. "Having me means you have to be that much more careful, though."

"You really think that I should talk to Ladybug about these things?" asked Adrien, still a little unsure.

"YES! And I can think of a couple of other people, too," insisted Plagg, almost too loudly. "But Ladybug would be someone great to start with. She's asked to hear it, so it's not like you're throwing it on her, and she cares about you."

"She does, and I'm so glad she does," mused Adrien, with a hint of a blush. "But I don't want her to think that I'm..."

"Human?" Plagg quipped.

"A basket case," corrected Adrien. "Someone too weak and anxious for her to ever take seriously."

"Oh, boy. So that's what you're worried about? Listen, Adrien," replied Plagg, nervously. "I'm... okay, I'm not all that good at human emotion; you know that. I've watched you chasing Ladybug, and watched you being chased by..." he trailed off.

"...Chased by who?" asked Adrien, looking startled.

"Forget I said that," mumbled Plagg.

"No, chased by WHO? Someone's interested in me?" repeated Adrien. "Who is it?"

"Look, that's beside the point right now! I've watched humans sit and moan about who they love for centuries, and it's mostly kinda funny to me," evaded Plagg. "But I've figured out this much. Don't worry about trying to be who you think she'd want you to be. Be honest with her about who you are. Warts and all! That gets you a lot farther."

Adrien was silent.

"And let's get your head straight first about everything else going on in your life. Then worry about who likes who," Plagg finished. "And I think Ladybug can help you with that."

"Plagg," replied Adrien, slowly. "...Thank you. You're right. About all of that."

"I know I am. Twice in one day, right? That has to be worth a bunch of Camembert," grinned Plagg.

Evening came... and Marinette stretched out in her pajamas, ready for bed. Ready for sleep was another matter entirely.

I've been dreading what happened today for a long time, she thought to herself. For some weird reason, our class is completely jinxed; EVERYONE in it had been targeted by Akumas, except for Adrien. And now, he has, too... and if he stays the way that he's been lately, he will be again!

Oh... that LOOK he had, today! she shuddered. It was like, his mask finally came off for a minute, and he showed me just how vulnerable he's really feeling. Not just from the Akuma... from everything going on with him! He nearly broke my heart, he looked so fragile...

She looked at her phone, seeing that most of her friends had already signed off for the night or gone idle...

Except one.

I could call him, or text him... wondered Marinette. But for all I know, he's just about to get some sleep, finally, and then here comes Marinette going blah-bla-blah-bla-blah-bla-blah in his ear...

I'll wait, and start my plan tomorrow, she reasoned. With a little smile, she thought, And then my nights like this might even get a little more interesting!

Priorities, Marinette, she reminded herself. Help him first. Silly dreams that likely won't happen can wait.

She rolled over, still too wound up to sleep. Tikki was curled up in her favorite spot across the room, in a small upholstered container Marinette had crafted for her. Do Kwamis even sleep like people do? Marinette wondered, idly. Maybe it's just mental down time for her.

I'd sure like to have a little of that, myself.

Hello, ceiling. You and I will be getting to know each other well tonight. Again.

Adrien stared into space, blankly, feeling more numb than anything else at that moment. He turned his head for a moment, watching Plagg amuse himself browsing on the Internet, then returned to studying a tiny black spot on the ceiling that he wasn't entirely sure was really there.

I don't even know what to feel right now. Dad... I can't even think about him or I'm going to start throwing things. I've tried everything I can think of to get him to pretend to be human again, and nothing has worked. But is there anything else I can do? Like, I can't run away. Where would I go?

I mean, I can slip out the window as Chat Noir once in a while and get some fresh air. That's always an option. But I know where home is, and I _don't want it_ any more but I have to come back here eventually. What am I going to do, tie up a bandana on a pole with some clothes and hitchhike to another city? Tell Nino that I live in his attic now? Set up a tent on somebody's roof? Get on a plane, get a part-time job as a waiter and hope for my big break in Hollywood?

If nothing else... I can see what Dad is like _now_. If I ran off, Nathalie would have her hands full trying to keep him from burning the house down on a daily basis. He'd be hopeless. And so would I... I'm not old enough or savvy enough to be self-sufficient, even if I did empty my bank account first. So we're stuck with each other, and that means I have to find some way to coexist with him again.

Images from the afternoon's incident floated through his mind, and that distracted him away from his father's unpleasantness. Normally, if I'm thinking about Ladybug, I can't sleep for entirely different reasons, he thought, wryly.

That look on her FACE when she rescued me! Adrien squirmed a little, uncomfortably. I've seen so many expressions on her face when I'm Chat Noir, but this was a new one. It was like... in that moment, I couldn't hide anything from her. Hell, I couldn't have if I'd tried, I couldn't even think! She looked at me and she saw just how broken I am right now. She's the only one who has.

I've been by her side probably more than anyone else, with my ears on. I've seen her in all kinds of bad situations, consoling all kinds of people. But I've never seen her look so... hurt! It was like the situation took her right out of it, too, and she was as lost as I was for a second there.

She came right out of it, of course, because she's amazing. And the way she held me to calm me down, the things that she told me, that smile on her face once I felt a little better...

If I hadn't been so in love with her _before_ this...

Stop it, Adrien, he ordered himself. Don't go thinking that you're super-special in her heart just because she took good care of you. You're a friend of hers; of course she was very concerned! You could lay here all night imagining what you want to imagine, and it won't change anything.

Adrien reached over and checked his phone to see what time it was: 11:30, he thought. I hope I can calm down enough to sleep by two or so.

He scanned through one of his messaging applications, and saw that everyone else had sense enough to be asleep by then...

Except one.

Huh! Marinette's still up! Or at least she checked her phone recently, too.

An errant thought flickered through his mind... I could text her and say 'Hi,' just to be friendly. Maybe she's got something on her mind, too. We could swap horror stories about our miseries.

...Nah. That's all she needs right now, right? A friend of hers bugging her around midnight, saying "Help me, my life is a wreck." Just what every girl dreams about happening to her! I've finally gotten closer to her as a friend, so now I'll just unload my problems on her out of the blue? I can't do THAT to HER!

At the very least, I can't inflict myself on her until I've got things a little more under control.

Maybe someday I will.

Nathalie Sancoeur couldn't sleep, either.

She wasn't sure why; she felt fine. Just restless, for some odd reason.

Quietly, she stepped into some slippers and threw a robe over her pajamas, and padded down to the kitchen for a glass of water and something to snack on. She was mildly surprised to see a tall figure sitting in a chair there, a cup of coffee in hand, lost in thought.

"Gabriel?" she said, and smiled as he turned and acknowledged her. "Are you all right?"

"Not really," he shrugged. "And you?"

"Just needed a drink of water." She hesitated for a moment, before continuing in a quiet voice. "So... it didn't work?"

At the incredulous look on his face, she waved off his answer. "Of course it didn't work. I met him at the door when he came home. Was he not quite ready?"

"Oh, he was ready," grumbled Gabriel. "The Akuma was literally inches away from him. And my nemesis just happened to be right there, and snapped it up before it could touch him."

"Seriously?" Nathalie gasped, hushing herself as best she could. "How in the world? Typically, we don't see Ladybug until well after the Akuma has made contact! How could she have known it was there?"

"I do not know," he answered. "Did someone tip her off about Adrien's mental state, somehow? Is she someone familiar to him, perhaps a schoolmate, beneath her mask? Simple horrific luck? Regardless, it happened. Weeks of preparation, negated in an instant."

"I don't know about... negated, exactly. He was not looking good when he got here; I think today was one heck of a shock to him. You saw how shaky he was during his piano practice... and from what I eavesdropped on, you helped that along some more. He'll be back at that vulnerable point very soon."

"Lovely." Gabriel closed his eyes and lowered his head. "Just how I enjoy spending my days, torturing someone I love."

"You know that this is for his own good, Gabriel. You've told me that a dozen times while we planned this," argued Nathalie. "The reward will be worth it in the end. I realize how uncomfortable it must feel in the meantime..."

"Do you?" interrupted Gabriel, looking up abruptly.

"I'm sorry, Sir," she apologized. "I'd imagine that I couldn't."

"It feels like desperation. Because that is precisely what it is," he snarled, then forced himself to relax slightly. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't snap at you like that."

"It's fine. I think all of us are tight as a drum right now. It will be over soon, I hope."

"It must."

In the morning, Sabine looked over her daughter, watching her stumble into the kitchen with half-closed eyes. "Uh-oh," she sympathized. "Someone's up early. Were you ever actually down, dear?"

"Did I get any sleep, you mean? A little," Marinette replied. "But coffee is definitely the first thing on my to-do list. I'm getting a head start today, I'll need the boost."

"Is today's a long list?" asked Sabine. "Anything I can help you with?"

"Oh, it's nothing major," she demurred. I guess I can tell her some of it, Marinette thought. "A friend of mine is having some problems at home, I think. I want to see if I can help him."

"Him? The plot thickens," said Sabine, raising an eyebrow. "Anyone I've met?"

"Um... Adrien Agreste," replied Marinette, trying without much success to avoid blushing.

"Ah. That does make it more complicated, doesn't it?" Sabine offered, saying quite a bit without saying most of it out loud. "How bad is it?"

"I don't know for sure. Finding out if he wants to tell me is part of this," she admitted. "I don't want to push my luck, but..."

"But he's a good friend of yours. At least that, so far... A good enough reason to try, I'd say. Be gentle, okay?" her mother requested.

"I will, I promise. Now, about that coffee..."

Before long, Marinette was perched on the front steps of her school, pacing back and forth impatiently.

"Easy, Marinette," Tikki whispered. "He'll be here soon."

"He's not the only one I want to talk to, actually," replied Marinette.

Tikki left it at that, wondering who else she meant. Marinette sat down, off to the side of the main doorway, and pulled out one of her sketchpads.

"What are you doing?" asked Tikki, quite curious.

"Giving myself an excuse to be out here, if people ask. I'm doing a little light drawing, practicing crowd scenes," she smiled, then started some light pencil work. "Now all I need is a crowd."

The crowd wasn't far away. As the minutes ticked by, handfuls of students passed by her at a time; some greeting her as they walked by, many others whom she didn't know.

"Any minute now..." whispered Tikki.

"Actually, this is kind of fun. I hadn't done any figure drawing in a while. Good practice," Marinette whispered back.

A familiar sedan pulled up to the curb, and Tikki dove further into Marinette's purse. Marinette took a deep breath, but kept on drawing.

Adrien got out of the car and gave the driver a small wave as it pulled away, then turned to face the inevitable. He climbed the steps, one at a time, head facing down, ignoring his surroundings...

...until a cheerful voice by the front door woke him up. "Good morning, Adrien," said Marinette, brightly.

"Oh! Hi, Marinette!" Adrien replied, a little startled to see her there. "How are you?"

"Pretty good. Tired," she smiled. "Long night, for some reason. And you?"

"Oh... all right, I guess." Adrien watched her pencils moving and asked, "What are you working on?"

"Nothing fancy, just some basic sketches. I was up early enough that I figured I'd get a little morning air and a little practice in."

"Mind if I join you, and take a peek?" asked Adrien, catching her off-guard.

"S-sure, you can... they're not all that good, I'm better with clothing designs than people... that's why I need the practice," she stammered, shuffling over a little bit to make room as he sat down beside her. I wasn't expecting that! she thought.

"I see... not bad at all, honestly!" smiled Adrien, paging through some of them. "Don't sell yourself short, Marinette. You're talented at just about everything you try."

"Thank you, I'm... flattered that you think so!" replied Marinette, trying to keep her body temperature below a steady simmer.

"Are you coming in? I can walk you to class, if you like," he asked her.

"N-not right this minute, actually..." she grinned, "but thank you for asking! Maybe I can take you up on that tomorrow?"

"I'll be happy to."

As Adrien stood up to go inside, Marinette stopped him by adding, "Actually, Adrien? I was hoping that I'd see you this morning. Could you come find me at lunchtime? There's something I wanted to ask you about."

He looked a little surprised. "Oh? What is it?"

"I'll tell you later. It's nothing major, but can I talk to you for a few minutes then?" she asked, her heart throbbing in her chest.

"Absolutely. I'll come find you and we'll find somewhere quiet to talk. See you inside, okay?" said Adrien.

"You bet," smiled Marinette, then let out a huge breath once Adrien was inside the building. "AAAAAAGH!" she panted. "I did it!"

Tikki poked her head up to near the top of Marinette's purse and whispered, "Good job! See, you can talk to him! But... I'm a little confused. Why didn't you go inside with him now?"

"Because that's not who I was waiting to talk to just now," whispered Marinette. "Though I would never turn Adrien away."

"He wasn't?" puzzled Tikki. "Then who..."

Marinette waved her down as she saw a handful of boys from her class head for the door, including Max, Kim and Nathaniel.

"Hey, Kim?" she called out. "Can I borrow you for just a second?"

Adrien settled into his normal seat, greeting those around him. He kept an eye out for Marinette's arrival, but she didn't appear right away.

Alya and Nino came in together, and he and Nino discussed the game they'd watched the night before, which distracted him from watching the classroom door for a while.

Meanwhile, Alya noticed the empty seat next to her. I wonder what's keeping Marinette? I saw her as I was coming in, so she should be here by now...

"Listen, I don't want to hold you up, but I wanted to ask you a favor," asked Marinette, doing her best to look innocent.

"Uh... sure! What's up?" asked Kim.

"I don't want to say a lot about it," she began, "but, um... Adrien's having kind of a rough time with some things at home right now. Could you do me a favor and lay off of teasing him for a few days, at least?"

Kim looked somewhat stunned. "Oh! Um... yeah, I can... how did you even know about that? The teasing, I mean."

"I was out here talking to him the other day, coming out of here, and you yelled something at him that stung him. I forget what it was, it doesn't matter... Anyway, I'm not yelling at you, okay? And he didn't put me up to this, either; he can fight his own fights. But I just know he's pretty stressed right now, and I think he could use his friends acting more like friends for a while."

Marinette smiled up at him, softly, hoping that her plea was sinking in. Please let this work...

"I didn't know that, um, I was getting to him that much. I'll... I'll tone it down, I promise," apologized Kim. "Should I, like, apologize to him in person?"

"That's up to you," said Marinette. "I wouldn't make a big deal out of it unless he does. I think if you two just go back to normal, that might be fine. And please don't tell him that I asked you, or that I mentioned any of this, okay? I'd rather keep that between us. I don't know if that'd embarrass him. I can trust you, right?"

"Yeah, you can," Kim smiled. "Thanks for telling me. I never wanted to, y'know, hurt him."

"Of course you didn't," Marinette replied, folding up her sketchpad and getting ready to go inside. "I know you better than that."

As they walked down the hallway together, Kim looked at Marinette and had to smile. "He's really lucky to have you, you know. As, um, such a good friend."

"Th-hanks," she replied, a touch awkwardly. "I appreciate that."

And maybe someday, he'll be interested in something more than that, she sighed to herself.

Kim entered the classroom just as the bell rang, and loped to his seat before being noticed. A moment later, Ms. Bustier greeted the class, but was distracted by Marinette opening the door and slipping inside the room.

"Marinette, if you're going to come late, would you please do it discreetly?" Ms. Bustier asked.

"Sorry..." she blushed, taking her seat quickly.

As the lesson began, Alya whispered to Marinette, "What was THAT about?"

"Nothing big, I'll tell you later!" whispered Marinette, trying not to get in trouble twice in the first two minutes of class. I just didn't want Adrien seeing Kim and I together and guessing we were talking about him, that's all. Now how do I tell her that?

A short while later, things had settled into a typical literature-class routine. Marinette leaned down to her purse, as if she was fetching something out of it, and tapped lightly on it to get Tikki's attention. "Are you ready?" she whispered.

"I'm ready," answered Tikki.

"Then let's start Phase 1," smiled Marinette, returning to an upright position.

Tikki poked out just enough to make sure no one was watching... then a tiny red blur shot out of her bag, across the floor and into Adrien's messenger bag. She accomplished her task quickly - it was a very small thing to do - and got a chuckle out of finding Plagg tucked away in there, sprawled out on his back, fast asleep. It's a good thing that he doesn't snore, giggled Tikki, before dashing back to safety.

With about fifteen minutes left in class, Ms. Bustier finished up the lecture portion of what she had planned. "Now, it's time to practice a little of what you just learned," she smiled, drawing a mild groan from some of the students. "Could you each take out a piece of paper? I'd like each of you to write out a short essay - a couple of paragraphs will do, nothing big - on the differences between literary naturalism and romanticism..."

Adrien reached down into his bag, pulled out his pad of paper... and stared at it in disbelief.

On the front page of his notepad, there was a tiny red sticker shaped like a ladybug.

How did THAT get there? he wondered, and flipped to the next page... and found three more ladybug stickers waiting for him there.

He turned and glared sharply at Kim, who noticed Adrien's expression and looked confused. What? Kim mouthed, silently.

Ohhh, I didn't think of that! worried Marinette, watching the exchange. If he thinks Kim did that, that might make things WORSE!

Adrien flipped to the next page, looking for a blank sheet without red-and-black adornment. This one had a small note attached to it, folded over, with a ladybug sticker on the outside.

I'll worry about that in a minute, thought Adrien, finally finding a blank sheet and ripping it out to complete the assignment. Who does Kim think he's fooling?

After class, the students filed out. Kim heard a sharp "HEY!" from behind him, and turned to see an angry Adrien walking towards him.

Marinette feigned tying her shoe as an excuse to stay close enough to overhear what they had to say to each other. This would probably work better if I had shoelaces on these shoes, she worried. But I doubt anyone is watching ME. Come on, please don't let me down, Kim! she thought.

"It's one thing to rag on me like you have been, Kim. But don't mess with my stuff, okay?" accused Adrien.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Adrien. Really, I don't," replied Kim, looking confused again.

"You didn't do THIS?" Adrien said, holding up his notepad and pointing to the ladybugs on it.

"Um... no?" Kim answered. "That wasn't me. If I'd thought of something like that while I was being a pain, maybe I would've, but I didn't."

Adrien continued to glare at him, but with a little less intensity. He seems like maybe he's telling the truth, he thought. If he had done it, I doubt he could resist teasing me about it.

"Look, Adrien..." mumbled Kim, "I don't want this whole thing to go too far, okay? I'm sorry that I've been teasing you. I got all worked up because you smoked me out on the track, and I took it out on you and I shouldn't have. We all like who we like. With who I was chasing after for a while there, it's not like I have any room to talk."

Adrien simmered for a moment longer... and then something resembling his typical smile reemerged. "Okay. Apology accepted."

"Are we good?" Kim asked. "I do have to get to my next class..."

"We're good. And any time you want another race, just ask," said Adrien, with a small grin.

"Hah! Next time, more like a weightlifting challenge," laughed Kim as he left.

Adrien scratched his head, idly, not hearing Marinette's sigh of relief a few meters away. If Kim didn't do that... who on earth would've? He was the only one around here who was still teasing me about Ladybug...

He flipped to the notepad page that had the note attached to it, and opened it up.

A reminder that your guardian angel is thinking of you. Let me know where and when we can meet!

- LB

Underneath that was an email address that he didn't recognize. It was a Gmail account, with 'redbeetle' as part of the username, and he flashed back to Ladybug's words from the previous afternoon:

I'll find you in the next day or two and we'll work something out, okay? I'll see if I can set something up so that whenever you need me, you can contact me.

The implications sank in. Marinette heard Adrien say "Holy crap!" to himself quietly and saw his face light up with happiness, and tried not to give herself away by celebrating out loud.

She watched Adrien dash off to his own next class, then whispered to her purse, "Great job, Tikki! That was perfect!"

"Yeah!" agreed Tikki. "A little bit lucky, too, but it worked out just like you'd hoped!"

"Okay, now I have to run. If I'm late to every class, sooner or later one of my teachers will write me up for it!" she giggled, taking off down another hallway.

"So... do you want to tell me what that was all about this morning?" pestered Alya, as she and Marinette took their seats in the school cafeteria. "You were here early today, I saw you on the steps when I got here... but you were the last one in. What were you up to?"

"A little peacemaking. I think it worked," smiled Marinette. "At least it looked like it did."

"Being crafty, huh?" admired Alya. "Cool. So how is Adrien, anyway?"

"Uh-oh," Alix chimed in, from a couple of seats over. "Another master plan in progress? Will we need code names again?"

"No, no, nothing like that," insisted Marinette, a little embarrassed. "If I need to call in the troops, make no mistake that I will, but this isn't about that. It's a little more basic, just trying to cheer him up."

"It must've really worked," noted Alix, pointing her fork at the door.

Alya and Marinette looked in that direction, and saw Adrien entering the cafeteria, sporting a dreamy expression on his face, looking like he was about halfway tuned into the real world.

"Wow! I think he's pink-clouding!" marveled Alya.

"Yeah! ...Wait. I told you about that?" Marinette said, startled.

"He looks like someone smacked him in the face with the Happy Stick," grinned Alix. "What did you do to him?"

"Not whatever you're thinking, Alix," replied Marinette. "And I don't want to know what that is."

Marinette wolfed down her lunch as quickly as she could. I don't know how long it'll be before he...

"Hey, Marinette?" a gentle voice asked. "Oh! I didn't mean to interrupt," added Adrien, as he watched Marinette try to maintain control of the cutlery she was holding.

"No, I was just finishing up," she managed. "Did you eat yet?"

"Yeah," said Adrien. "It was small. You'd asked me to come and talk with you, right?"

"You did?" asked Alya.

"You DID?" echoed Alix.

"I did," replied Marinette, doing her best to ignore the peanut gallery. "Can we... take a walk somewhere? It won't take long."

"Sure! Let's go down by the library," suggested Adrien. "It's pretty quiet around there."

Marinette rose to join him, and as they left, Alix whispered, "Are we seeing the beginning of something here?"

"I don't know," Alya said. "But I think we might enjoy the show... At least the parts we get to watch."

Adrien and Marinette picked out a table on the east side of the library, away from everybody else. "You look like you're feeling a little better today, Adrien," ventured Marinette.

"I... am, thank you. Some things are going right for me, for a change," he answered. Especially one thing in particular. "You said you had something that you wanted to ask me?"

"Yeahhhh... I did," said Marinette, framing her words carefully. "I do NOT normally do this... This is something that's kind of been building up for a while, Adrien, and you've been on my mind a lot lately..."

She watched his face, and her words stopped in their tracks. Is he... NERVOUS? she wondered. Around ME?

Adrien's mind was running at a million miles per hour.

Is Marinette... about to ask me OUT? Like, on a date? I mean, that's kind of great, I think, SHE'S great, I know I'd really like to spend more time with her, but I'm still TOTALLY a mess inside... could I let her put up with that right now? My whole life is a mess, my father's still crazy, I have no idea when I could make it happen, I don't know if Dad would actually let me out of the house to do it! And Marinette's amazing, actually, she's REALLY amazing, in a lot of ways, wow, maybe I need to THINK about this, but LADYBUG just left the cutest little notes in my bag today! How did she DO that? I never saw or heard her, I never suspected a thing! Is Ladybug INTERESTED in me? Was that who Plagg was hinting at? Could I POSSIBLY be that lucky? And if she is, oh my gosh, Marinette is right here, maybe asking me out, I can't possibly hurt her feelings NOW, I was going to say YES if she asked me out, wasn't I? Should I? CAN I? What if-

"...Adrien?"

Adrien shook his head briefly, returning to reality. "I am so sorry, Marinette. I was... thinking of something that happened recently. You have my full attention," he apologized.

"It's fine," she smiled, shyly. "What I was trying to say is... Adrien, I've noticed you've seemed really stressed lately. You haven't been yourself in weeks. You're putting on a pretty good show for most of us, but I can see that something's very wrong. Am I right about seeing that?"

He blinked twice, stunned into silence. When he spoke, it was in a very soft and vulnerable voice.

"Is it that obvious?" he asked, quietly, looking a little bit alarmed.

"To me? Yes," Marinette half-whispered. "How bad is it, Adrien?"

He swallowed hard, wondering how much he could feel comfortable telling her, until she stopped him.

"Let me put it this way, Adrien. You don't have to tell me everything. You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to, okay?" she said, her heart pounding. "But what I brought you here to tell you is that if you want to talk about it, whenever that would be... you've got my number, you know where I live, you can pull me aside any time you need to. I'm listening, and I'm here."

A wave ran through Adrien that he would never be able to describe in words, as long as he lived.

"I..." Adrien struggled to form words that would make sense.

Oh, no... Marinette began to babble, "I... didn't mean to make you uncomfortable or overstep anything, Adrien, and I'm so sorry and I don't want to pressure you or make you feel like you have to-"

"I'm really, really lucky to know you, Marinette," said Adrien, giving her a small but sincere smile. "And I... want to tell you. I do. I don't want to just dump my problems on you, but you're one of the only people that I'd trust. I just... I can't put everything going on with me into words in ten minutes, and that's about how much time we've got here before we've got to get back to class."

"Do it when you're ready, however you'd be comfortable. I won't rush you; you know where I'll be," replied Marinette, glowing softly. "I just want to help, if I can."

"Marinette... I don't think I have a single day where you don't," Adrien smiled, even more warmly.

Deep in his lair, Hawkmoth scanned the city of Paris, looking for a very specific target...

"NOTHING!," he raged. "Not even a flicker of melancholy in him! Unbelievable."

He stood still, with his head in his hands. That's good, isn't it? he told himself. Your son is resilient? Not fully broken? Actually HAPPY? He has enough of his mother in him that he can bounce back from the worst you can throw at him?

But the voice of necessity grew in volume in his mind, until it could no longer be ignored.

That's not the worst you can throw at him.

And it WON'T be.

It simply CAN'T.

Next time:

* You've Got Mail!

* A quiet rendezvous for two.

* "Why are you doing all of this?"

* An inevitable escalation.

* And more...

Chapter Text

As Marinette walked to the front door of her school, she held her breath a little. Alya, walking next to her, had been chatting away on a variety of topics all afternoon... but had left one in particular conspicuously un-asked about.

It's coming. I know it is! I know you better than that, Alya.

Finally, near the end of the hallway, Marinette looked at Alya with one eyebrow raised. "It's burning a hole through you. Go ahead, ask me," she grinned.

"If you're suggesting that I would intrude upon delicate matters of the heart..." replied Alya.

The pair stepped through the front door out onto the steps... where Mylène, Rose, Juleka and Alix were standing together, their heads whipping around at Marinette's approach. Rose had an unmistakable look of anticipation on her face, which lit up immediately at the sight of them.

"...it would be most impolite to leave your other friends out of it," Alya cackled. "Okay, girl - spill!"

Marinette facepalmed, turning red, but with a smile. Should've expected this...

The group moved a short distance to the side and settled into a seated circle.

"There's not that much to tell, honestly," began Marinette.

"Oh, come on, we saw what we saw," smirked Alix. "Did you finally ask him out?"

The faces fell a little bit at Marinette's reply of "No, I didn't..."

Rose looked a little confused. "You didn't want to? Or you just couldn't?" she asked.

"I, uh... of course I want to!" stammered Marinette. "Someday... But that's not what this was about today."

She explained the circumstances of why she'd pulled Adrien aside - "there's only so much I know, and I don't want to gossip about it," she warned - and how she'd volunteered herself as a sounding board for whatever issues he was enduring.

"That was really sweet of you, Marinette," admired Juleka. "Did he tell you what's going on?"

"Not exactly? He looked kind of surprised that I could tell he was feeling bad, and kind of relieved that someone had. He told me that he trusts me and wants to talk things out with me, but 'I can't do this in ten minutes' and that's about all the time we had," replied Marinette. "I really hope that he does reach out."

"Speak of the devil," noted Mylène, with a grin.

Adrien and Nino strolled through the door together, in the middle of their own conversation. They turned and waved politely to the girls as they walked by... but when Adrien saw Marinette among the group, his eyes locked onto her and he paused to make sure she'd seen him.

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Adrien called to her.

"I sure hope so," Marinette smiled back. As Adrien headed down to his waiting car, and Marinette pointedly ignored a quiet undercurrent of "Ooooohhhh..." behind her, Nino doubled back to meet up with Alya.

"Hi, honey," he told Alya, settling in next to her. "Hey, everybody."

"How's he doing?" asked Marinette, a little nervously.

"He seemed a lot cheerier this afternoon," replied Nino. "He told me about the talk he had with you; he seemed really touched by what you did. And, um... he was all fluttery about some note he found in his classroom stuff."

"Note?" asked Alya, as all other heads whipped towards Marinette.

Adrien entered the sedan with a genuine smile on his face. The driver, his bodyguard, returned it with one of his own. Nathalie's face, on the other hand, gave nothing away.

"Good afternoon, Adrien. How was your day?" she asked, evenly.

"Surprisingly good, actually!" Adrien grinned. "A nice change."

"Hmmm... that's good news, then. What went well for you?" asked Nathalie, ready to take substantial mental notes.

"Oh... a friend of mine and I had been having problems, and we made up. Then another friend pulled me aside and said, 'You haven't been yourself lately, so come talk to me any time you need to lean on me.' And that was... well, kind of what I've come to expect from her, she's so nice and thoughtful... but it still surprised me when she saw right through how I've been feeling," he explained.

"Let me guess. The baker girl?" Nathalie smirked.

"Y-yes... how did you know that?" Adrien replied, looking surprised.

"I pay attention to whom you talk about, Adrien. And she's certainly on your mind quite a bit."

"She... is. She's a wonderful friend," said Adrien, looking thoughtful.

At that, he heard a small, grunting laugh from the driver, who did his best to muffle it. Nathalie remained stonefaced. "She's never responded romantically to you?" she asked, pursuing that line of thought. "From what I've heard from you, she seems to care about you a great deal."

"I... don't think she's ever made any romantic moves my way," said Adrien, a little confused. Though I kind of thought she was about to, today...

"No, I meant from you to her," clarified Nathalie.

Now Adrien looked even more startled. "What makes you think that I'm romantically pursuing Marinette?" he asked, hesitantly, as if he wasn't too sure if he had an answer to that.

"Oh! I'm sorry. She's already seeing someone else, then?"

It still wasn't clicking with Adrien; he looked a bit like a dog with its head tilted, trying to comprehend French poetry.

"I don't... think so? I know that time I went skating with Kagami, she was there with Luka, Juleka's brother... the guitarist from our band, you know, the guy with no eyelashes? But I hadn't heard anything about them together since, and I hadn't really... asked?" he ventured. "She'd told me once, a while ago, that she had someone she liked who'd left her with a broken heart. But she didn't tell me who that was."

Nathalie blinked, reading his lack of coherency, then waved him off. "Oh, never mind. I may be inferring things that just aren't there," she offered. "Are you ready for round three with your concerto this afternoon?"

"Yeah, I'm ready," he grinned. "I think I've got that section near the end ironed out that'd been giving me trouble."

"I hope so," said Nathalie, at least partially sincerely.

Marinette kept her cheeks from turning scarlet through force of will alone. "What note, Nino?" she asked, innocently.

"He didn't say much about it," said Nino. "Just that he found one in his notebook and then he went all... um..."

"...Pink-cloudy," finished Alya.

"Yeah, that's it," Nino smiled.

Marinette gave them a frustrated look. How DOES everyone know about my romantic daydream fantasy world? she thought. Do I talk in my sleep?

"So the note wasn't you asking him to talk with you later, Marinette?" asked Juleka, trying to put the pieces together. "Or asking him anything else?"

"Not that I know of. Have I ever struck any of you as the kind of person who could sneak around with romantic notes for Adrien and not get caught?" she replied.

"She has a point there," chuckled Alix. "With anyone but Adrien, maybe."

"I can pretty much guarantee that whoever wrote the note, it doesn't have my name on it," added Marinette, amusing herself with the irony there.

"That's not good, though, is it?" pondered Rose, drawing some questioning looks. "That means that someone else might be interested in him and letting him know..."

"Don't look at me," shrugged Alix.

"I was behind Chloe and Sabrina all day; it couldn't have been either of them," noted Mylène. "Neither one went anywhere near his stuff, at least from what I saw."

"M-maybe it wasn't romantic at all, you know," Marinette threw in. "Maybe it was just someone letting him know they were thinking of him."

"I dunno," Nino replied, looking doubtful. "It looked like a pink-cloud face to me. But maybe."

As the sedan plowed through the afternoon traffic of downtown Paris, Nathalie's fingers flew on the keyboard of her tablet.

[Gabriel] An update, please?

[Nathalie] He seems _remarkably_ positive today. A total turnaround.

[Nathalie] Friends at school boosted his spirits. Particularly the baker girl.

[Gabriel] Unfortunate in this situation, but difficult to avoid.

[Nathalie] Interestingly, she seems closer to him than ever, but he remains fully platonic. Perhaps he's just blind to that?

[Nathalie] So targeting her might not be the weak spot we'd hoped... Still, perhaps a potential angle to exploit.

[Gabriel] Indeed.

[Nathalie] Should I set him up for a downswing this afternoon?

[Gabriel] Not yet. Let him come down on his own before we continue with our plan.

[Gabriel] If he is quite happy right now, I would have to be a _complete ogre_ to reverse that. I am wary of pushing too hard.

[Gabriel] We will bide our time and watch for an opening.

[Nathalie] Understood. I'll follow your lead on how much we must rush.

Gabriel sat in his study, staring at the text conversation, lost in difficult thought.

"This will hurt me more than it hurts you" is one of the oldest parental cliches there is, he mused. I am learning its truth more day by day.

Tapping at his keyboard, he called up his scans of the Book of Lore on his computer, riddled with notes, partial translations and question marks. Slowly, he perused the small pieces of it that he'd been able to decipher, or at least infer what it was likely that they said.

My time of desperation is at hand, he thought. The days when I could peck away at my enemies' weaknesses, trying one Akuma after another, searching for a weak point are over. I threw my best shot at them, and they not only weathered the storm, but very nearly defeated and unmasked me! Only Nathalie's intervention saved me... and that may end up costing her more than she is aware of.

So, very soon, I must strike hard and true, straight to the heart of my foes. I must create a foe that Ladybug not only will not defeat, but CANNOT defeat. One that would burn down all of Paris rather than fail in its mission. One with, if I am interpreting these pages right... as strong of a connection to Emilie, familial or emotional, as possible. Drawing from those energies, as well as the Ladybug and Cat, might give me the strongest possible chance of being successful.

There is only one person whom that can be.

As resilient as he is, as much of his mother's spirit as he has in him... he has proven a most elusive target.

But I may not have many chances left, before I am discovered. I was an utter fool to go out in public as Hawkmoth, so sure of my inevitable victory! Even now, they may be combing the news footage of my defeat for clues; the knock at my door may come at any time. Or perhaps I will wake up one morning gagged and bound, with a smirking Ladybug and Chat Noir standing over my bed, mocking me in triumph.

For my wife's sake... for my SON'S sake... I must break my son's will. I must catch him at his weakest and mold him into who and what I need, and pray that when he returns to normal and finds his mother alive and well, he will understand why I have done what I have done.

It would break my heart to lose him... and by the end of all this, I may well lose him, completely.

...but if my fate is what it may well be, he needs HER more than he needs me.

Marinette plopped down on her bed, with butterflies in her stomach. "I think we did everything right today, Tikki," she said. "Up until now, at least. But I can't shake the feeling that I should've followed Adrien home again..."

"Well..." Tikki considered, "you did see him get into the car this time, so he's not out alone on his own. You can't hover over him 24/7, and he looked so much happier today than yesterday."

"True," agreed Marinette. "But..."

"AND, since you know he found the note, you might be hearing from him before long," smiled Tikki.

"Which has me more nervous than the Akuma did," Marinette giggled. "The way he reacted to that note... Tikki, what am I going to do if he does have a crush on me? On Ladybug, I mean?"

"One step at a time, Marinette. He may be smiling today, but listen to what he has to say about his problems first. Dating Adrien as Ladybug could be... complicated," hinted Tikki, as indirectly as she could. "Even in normal times. And he hasn't been normal lately."

"Right. You're right! I need to stay focused. What's best for him comes first, and that's healing him, not kissing him."

Marinette pondered the situation for a moment. "Do you think I should ask Chat Noir to check on him, too? I know they know each other," she asked.

"Um..." stammered Tikki. "Well, you reached out to Adrien first, right? Maybe find out more before you get Chat involved." Speaking of complicated... she thought.

"Yeah." She hopped off the bed, sat in her computer chair, logged into her new account, and mentally willed an email to arrive.

And waited...

And waited...

The final bars of Grieg's Concerto in A Minor echoed in the air of Adrien's room.

The pianist took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and looked anxiously at his audience of one.

Gabriel straightened his glasses, measuring his son with a meaningful look, and considering his response. When it came, it was short and to the point...

"...Flawless."

Adrien exhaled, loudly.

"That is the kind of performance I expect from you, Adrien. The third movement in particular was as perfect as I have ever heard you play it. An excellent job, son."

"Thank you, father. Today... um... I was able to concentrate properly," Adrien replied, shyly. "That made quite a difference."

Gabriel read the subtle reference there to his frigid response of the day before, and winced internally. "I... see," he managed, with a tight smile. "I do hope that such a state continues; it makes this experience so much more pleasant for both of us."

He stood up, with a thoughtful look on his face. "Might I suggest Schumann's Concerto next? Their stylistic similarities should make for a fairly easy transition."

"I agree. I'm already familiar with that one; I'll start practicing immediately," agreed Adrien.

"...Don't rush. Take a little time with it, all right? I do appreciate a job well done," his father replied. "We will pick these sessions up again in a few days, perhaps. For now, I anticipate that supper will be ready shortly, so rather than diving into it right away..."

"Yes, thank you," said Adrien, cheerfully. "Will you be eating with us tonight?"

"I'll... try," said Gabriel, hesitantly. "I have some other business I must attend to first."

He left the room, quickly, leaving Adrien to come to terms with the temporary tension release.

"A watched inbox never boils," noted Tikki, wryly.

"I know, I know..." mumbled Marinette. "But this is so important!"

"Let me put it this way, Marinette," smiled Tikki. "If you'd received a note from Adrien like that, would you be able to respond right away? Or would you sit there for a few hours, staring at your computer, agonizing over what would be the perfect response?"

Marinette was silent... but her face screamed out You know me so well.

From downstairs, Marinette heard her mother's voice calling. "Marinette! Supper will be on the table in a few minutes!"

"Coming!" she replied. "All right," she added, in Tikki's direction. "I'll do my best to breathe normally. And I'll sneak you up a taste of dessert..."

"Oooh!" the Kwami cooed, happily.

"You're going to wear out your Backspace key," chuckled Plagg.

"I know, Plagg..." Adrien grumbled. "This is, what, my fifth draft of this?"

"Ninth," corrected Plagg. "But who's counting?"

"I only kept changing one sentence back and forth those other times," growled Adrien.

"Still counts!"

A sigh was Adrien's only response.

"Look, Adrien, you're overthinking this," said Plagg. "You're not writing a full-on love note here. Or... are you?"

The sigh turned into a full-on glare, which set Plagg off laughing again. "I know you're not. But that look on your face was worth it! Anyway... if you're just picking a time and place to meet and talk, it's not that big a deal, is it?"

"The girl I love wants to meet me somewhere in private and spend time with me. And you think that's not a big deal?" asked Adrien.

"You spend time with her all the time..."

"But not as me, as Chat Noir! There's a difference," insisted Adrien. "I mean, it's still me either way, but she reacts so differently when I'm normal..."

A text message from Nathalie interrupted the conversation:

[Nathalie] Are you coming down for dinner?

"You'd better," said Plagg. "As little as they let you eat around here, you need every meal you can get."

Marinette sat down at the dinner table and greeted her parents warmly. "Mmmm," she smiled, "I could smell this all the way upstairs, Mom. I've been looking forward to this since I got home."

"I agree. Everything looks wonderful, honey," echoed Tom, getting a wide grin from his wife.

"Oh, it was nothing," replied Sabine. "Marinette, how did your mission of mercy go today?"

"Very well, actually, thank you," she answered. To her father's curious expression, she replied, "Letting a troubled friend at school know he could lean on me if he needs to."

"That's very nice of you, Marinette. Anyone we know?" asked Tom.

Sabine half-covered her face and whispered, deliberately too loudly, "THE ONE."

"Ah, you mean Adrien! What's going on with him?" Tom grinned, enjoying Marinette's reaction to that.

"I don't know all that much yet. I think he's having problems at home," she managed to reply. "The way his father pressures him to be so perfect, I wouldn't be surprised if it's related to that."

"I thought he was perfect..." teased Tom, then backtracked with a gentler tone when his daughter made a face at him. "I'm kidding, Marinette. I'll be serious. How did it go?"

She described her lunchtime meeting, along with a tiny bit of her peacemaking efforts with Kim. "He looked so stunned when I told him I could tell he was really hurting," sighed Marinette. "Even if I'm still just a friend to him... he should know me better than that by now!"

"Teenage boys are not known for their awareness. Not even the sensitive ones like him," soothed Sabine. "And we all have our blind spots. I bet he did fool a lot of people... just not people like you who keep watch over him."

"Keep that up, and that's the kind of thing the right boy should notice," suggested Tom. "If that helps."

"Yeah, I know. I might even make it all the way to Just A Really Good Friend by summertime," she grumbled, but her good humor came back quickly. "Anyway, he knows I'm here to listen. If he reaches out, that'd be wonderful, but I'm not going to lose sleep tonight over-"

The sound of a ringing cell phone was heard from upstairs, very faintly, and Marinette hurled herself up the stairs like a bolt of lightning.

"Not losing any sleep, is she?" chuckled Tom.

"Oh, shush. You know she means well," chided Sabine.

"Of course she does. That's my girl," he beamed, proudly.

A moment later, Marinette came downstairs with phone in hand and sat down again. "Wrong number," she explained.

"You can have your phone at the table, Marinette," Sabine replied. "Just excuse yourself if he calls."

"Oh, I know, I just didn't want to be rude," said Marinette.

"Let us know if we can help you help him, okay?" noted Tom. "I'm not sure what we can do, but we're listening, too, okay?"

"I know, and thank you," smiled Marinette. "But right now I have something else on my mind," she added, looking at her dinner plate.

Adrien entered his own dining room looking hopeful. As he sat down, joining Nathalie, he asked, "Just the two of us?"

"I believe so," Nathalie replied. "Your father is ironing out some contract details. It'll probably be another hour or two."

"Hmmph," grumbled Adrien. "So we really are getting back to normal around here."

"Am I poor dinner company?" asked Nathalie, with a tinge of humor.

"Not what I meant at all," backpedaled Adrien. "But he and I had something of a positive moment earlier... I was hoping to spend some more time with him while he was still in a good mood."

Nathalie looked thoughtful for a moment, a bit conflicted. "If there's one thing I've learned from working with your father, Adrien," she replied, "it's to enjoy his good moods for what they are. They're like shooting stars; they're beautiful, but they don't last."

"He hasn't always been like that. Things used to be so different," Adrien said, quietly.

"If you could go back to that, you would, wouldn't you?" asked Nathalie. "No matter what it cost?"

"In a heartbeat," agreed Adrien. "But I know how impossible that is."

"Never say never," said Nathalie, cryptically. When Adrien looked at her, puzzled, she simply added, "Finish your quinoa."

After eating, Adrien went back up to his room, feeling unsettled. "I feel like I've got to get out of here tonight, Plagg," he said. "Dad gave me some time off to think, and I don't think well in here lately."

"Well... I think I can arrange that, as long as that window still unlocks," replied Plagg. "Are you going to meet up with Ladybug? And as yourself, or as Chat Noir?"

"Hmmm... I should do that as myself, first. I hate to dump my problems on her... but she really seems to want to help." Adrien went over to his computer and started typing. "So instead of staring at this mail draft all night..."

Marinette sat on her bed, sketching idly.

I am not going to sit and stare at that computer monitor all night, she told herself. I am not going to scream if he doesn't respond in the next hour or two. I'm sure he has lots of things going on in his life right now, and as much as I'd like to-

*BA-BLOOP!*

A new-mail alert sent Marinette flying across the room. She checked her inbox, and found:

To my guardian angel:

I'm feeling really cooped up tonight, and I need some time away from here. If you're free tonight, could you meet me sometime outside my front gate? I'd like to take you up on your offer to talk, and maybe even pry out of you how you got that note into my bag.

- Adrien

"Perfect!" she crowed, in triumph. She typed back, quickly:

I'm free tonight. Can I pick you up there in about twenty minutes? We can figure out where we want to go from there. LB

"Once he confirms that that'll work," Marinette said to Tikki, "I'll let my parents know I'm going out and we'll go."

Adrien saw Ladybug's response and grinned. "That was fast," he said. "She must've been at her computer when I sent that... whoever she is."

"Or had her phone set to that account," suggested Plagg. He noted Adrien's odd expression and asked, "...What?"

"Nothing," Adrien evaded. "Just... it seems a little funny thinking of Ladybug that way, but of course she's a normal person underneath."

He replied:

I'll be there. Can't wait to see you!

- Adrien

"You're up for a very short transformation, buddy?" asked Adrien. "Just enough to get me out the window and over the wall."

"Yeah, sure," Plagg agreed. "Camembert paybacks go to the usual address."

Seeing Adrien's reply, Marinette hopped up and readied a few things. "One nice thing about meeting him as Ladybug," she said to Tikki, "is that I don't have to spend hours agonizing over what to wear and how my hair and makeup look! You do all the work for me there."

"As if making you look attractive is hard work," teased Tikki.

"Oh, stop," grinned Marinette. "I know better."

She headed downstairs and found her mother in the laundry room. "Mom, Adrien messaged me and he'd like to meet up tonight for a little while and talk. Is it okay if I go meet him for a little while?"

"Sure, just be careful. Do you need a ride?" asked Sabine.

"No, I'm... going to ride my bike over. I won't stay out too late; I know it's a school night," she evaded.

"All right, then. Tell him we said hello," Sabine smiled.

With that, Marinette slipped out the back door, got onto her bicycle and rode it over to a nearby alley; it wouldn't do for them to find it still in the garage, she reasoned, parking it there, if I'm 'riding it over to meet Adrien.' "Spots on!" she called, and a moment later, she took to the air.

Adrien paced nervously along the sidewalk, just outside the front gate of his estate, the high concrete walls behind him.

"I'm going to look awfully silly if this is some kind of prank," he muttered to the Kwami in his jacket pocket.

"You don't really think that it is, do you?" replied Plagg. "Kim seemed honest that it wasn't him. And Ladybug seemed sincere about wanting to see you."

"I know... but part of me still can't believe it," Adrien said. "I mean, this isn't a date or anything... she's just being proactive about Akumas... right?"

Plagg just chuckled to himself.

A flash of scarlet caught Adrien's eye, and his heart jumped in his chest. It swung gracefully from a rooftop down the street, hopped across a lower building, used a streetlight for one more change of direction, and landed by his side with a quiet thump.

"Hi," Ladybug grinned.

"Hi, yourself," Adrien managed. "Thank you for coming."

"Thank you for inviting me!" she replied. "So... where should we go? I figured you'd want somewhere kind of private, where we could talk in peace."

"Well, you can get us to so many more places than I could," reasoned Adrien. "Are you going to be warm enough if we're outside?"

"I'll be fine for a while, at least. This costume's thin, but it insulates very well. Kind of like thermal leggings," said Ladybug. "Got anywhere in particular in mind?"

"Oh... how about the picnic area, over in Place Dauphine? It shouldn't be full of people right now, and it's better scenery than some random rooftop," he ventured.

"Sounds great. Ready to go for a ride?" asked Ladybug, gesturing for him to cuddle up close so she could carry him.

He wrapped his arm over her shoulders, felt her arm grasp his waist, and it felt like... home.

A short while later, Adrien sat down at a picnic bench. Expecting Ladybug to sit down across from him, he was surprised when she came around and sat next to him, on the same side.

"...So," Adrien began.

"...So," Ladybug echoed, and they shared a laugh. "How do we start this? I guess like this... how have you been feeling since yesterday? Any better?"

"Getting there," answered Adrien. "Today helped quite a bit. I had a couple of stresses that eased up, and a very sweet friend of mine from school reached out to me, too. That really made my day..."

Adrien saw Ladybug's smile widen, and wondered for a moment... Is she BLUSHING?  With that red mask, it's hard to tell, but...

"That's good," she replied. "Don't take this the wrong way, Adrien, because anyone can get targeted by an Akuma. Anyone can have a bad day or a rough moment, so don't feel bad about it at all, okay? But it really surprised me when I realized it was coming after you. From what I know about you... it's not like you to feel that down or angry. Can you tell me a little about what's going on?"

"Sure..." Adrien took a deep breath.

Over some time, he explained to her how his father had seemed distant ever since his mother's disappearance, but how that had ratcheted up intensely over the last month or so, and how the previous day had been flat-out horrible. He skipped over the part about being teased about his crush on Ladybug, for... reasons.

"I'm used to pressure from him, and to him not having a lot of time for me. His job takes up so much of his time, and I can tell how much he's still hurting over my mother. What I don't understand is why it got so much worse, so quickly!" he said. "It's felt like he's gone out of his way to find everything I've done the least bit wrong, even when it wasn't my fault, and throw it in my face."

"Ouch," Ladybug sympathized. "I can't say that my own parents have ever been like that to me... but I can only imagine how much that would hurt."

"And it's not like I can do much other than suck it up and deal with it, either," he continued. "My father keeps me locked down pretty tightly... you wouldn't believe how much begging it took for me to be able to go to public school, just to be around people my own age! I kind of had to earn some time off tonight, just to be able to make the time to be here with you. Which he doesn't know about, so I can't stay too long..."

"However long you're comfortable with," assured Ladybug. "Do you like the school you're in?"

"Definitely, most of the time! It's a great escape from everything else going on. I've made some very good friends there, my class is awesome... well, most of them, anyway..." smiled Adrien. "It's not like I'm on safari amongst the common people, or anything like that, you know? It's like, when I'm there and around everybody, I feel like this is how I was supposed to be all along. Not feeling like Rapunzel up in her tower, only let out for photoshoots."

He thought for a moment before continuing. "The other thing about my father is that, well... he's hurting, too. I know I'm important to him, whether he shows it or not. And not just from the business end, being one of his primary models and everything... I'm his son. I need to do whatever I can to help him and make him feel loved and needed. And, lately... very little seems to work."

"That can't be easy on you. At all," said Ladybug, softly. She reached out and took his hand with both of hers. "Do you have friends from school that you can let this kind of thing out with? Or anyone else where you live?"

"Around the house, not really... my bodyguard kind of keeps to himself, though I know he's sympathetic. Nathalie, my father's assistant, is my father's right hand; whatever he wants, she makes happen. So she gets that I'm unhappy but she's paid very well not to care much about that. That sounds mean of me to say, but it's pretty accurate," he replied, glumly. "At school... my best friend's named Nino, I'm pretty sure you've met him.  He does his best to be a really good friend to me, but my father doesn't like him much. We don't get to spend as much time together as I'd like, so that makes it hard. And I'm in a band with a couple of others from school, so we get together to practice sometimes... but that's about band time, not swapping horror stories.  They have to do without me more often than I'd like; it wouldn't surprise me if they kick me out eventually because of that."

"I do have other good friends there, though," he continued. "Like the girl who reached out to me today, and asked me if I'd tell her why I'd been so down lately. Marinette's her name. She's... someone special."

Ladybug saw the beginnings of a pink-cloudy expression on his face...

Tell me all about her and how you feel about her, Ladybug stopped herself from screaming. Instead, she simply nodded, indicating for him to continue.

"You'll laugh at this," Adrien smiled. "The other day, I told her she was our 'everyday Ladybug,' because even without a costume, she reminds me of you in many ways. She'd do anything to help a friend in need. She's so selfless and sweet. I almost didn't want to open up to her today, even though she asked me to, because I didn't want to feel like I was taking advantage of her good nature and dumping on her... But her powers of persuasion are very hard to resist."

"I..." stammered Ladybug. "I really don't think that she minds. That's the kind of person she is." MUST... SUPPRESS... RED FACE! "You know that I've met her, from one Akuma or another. I wouldn't say I know everything about her, but she seems to me like someone who cares quite a lot about her... friends."

"Kind of like how I didn't want to just dump on you, either," said Adrien, himself turning red. "I know you have better things to do than to listen to me venting about my life, though I'm very grateful that you're here."

Ladybug gave him a knowing grin. "Let me show you what better things I have to do, Adrien. Can I see your phone for a second?"

He passed it across to her, with a slightly confused expression. He watched as she typed something into it, then handed it back.

"Dial the number I just entered, okay?" smiled Ladybug.

Adrien looked in his contacts, and saw a new entry labeled "LB" with a phone number attached. Dutifully, he dialed it... and heard a phone ring, just behind Ladybug, which she reached for and held up.

"I don't do this for just anyone, just so you know that," Ladybug said, a little nervously. "You're the only one who has this number, and I'll trust you not to give it out. But when you need another person to lean on or talk to, that's a way you can reach me, either calling or texting. Even if I'm out of costume."

The implications hit Adrien like a freight train. Ladybug just gave me a portal into her PRIVATE LIFE!, he gasped, internally. Even Chat Noir's never been allowed THAT!

"I... don't know what to say, Ladybug," Adrien managed. "Why are you doing all of this for me?"

Because without the mask, I'm in love with you? Ladybug suppressed, via a mental headlock.

"A few reasons," she began. "One is really simple... because you're a friend of mine, and I can tell that you could use another good friend right now."

She hesitated, debating how much to open up to him... then continued. "I keep my normal life and my Ladybug life as separate as I can, to keep my family and my friends safe," she confided. "Even though they're both 'me,' I don't let this 'side' open up very much. I have a lot of people whom I'm friendly with as Ladybug, but not a lot of close friends as her, y'know?"

"What about Chat Noir?" Adrien asked, unable to stop himself. "I mean, I know he's not your boyfriend, but surely..."

To his surprise, Ladybug sank down where she was sitting, wrestling with emotions. "Chat and I are... complicated." She looked up at Adrien with a weak smile and added, "See, now you don't have to feel bad about 'dumping' on me! We're friends. It's your turn to psychoanalyze me."

"I'm all ears," said Adrien, wide-eyed...

"Okay, first off... what I'm about to say... I know that you've met Chat Noir. You don't tell him any of this, okay? Because I wouldn't want him to hear this second-hand. If I ever did get the nerve to tell him, I'd want to do it to his face," said Ladybug, her eyes pleading with Adrien.

"What you say stays between you and me," he whispered, suddenly a little bit terrified. "I promise."

"Chat is very, very dear to me. Maybe more than even he knows," she began. "And, no, he's not my boyfriend. Though he really wants to be... and there are days where I feel terrible about telling him 'no.'"

Adrien's heart dropped into his stomach, but he remained silent.

"He is such a sweetheart. He's the best partner I could ever ask for, and such a good friend. He's brave, he's honest, he's smarter than he admits to, he takes so many beatings trying to protect me, even when he doesn't have to. He has a caring, compassionate, tender side that's just... ohhh, when he shows that, he pushes the right buttons. I'll admit that much," said Ladybug.

"But as long as I have these," she continued, pointing to her earrings, "I just can't even consider it. Our secrets are too important! Imagine if I did let him into my private life, and me into his, and then some villain with telepathy or mind control says 'Tell me who your partner is, under the mask.' There goes Paris, right? Hawkmoth wins without even trying. Or he gets hit by some villain's attack, and I yelp out his real name by mistake... it'd be disastrous."

"So I keep my wall up around him, in part because I have to. He doesn't deserve that, but we don't have a choice. And what makes me feel a little better about that is that I know that, just like me, he has another life to go home to. He can turn off the costume and he has friends, family, a private life... and, deep down, I think he gets that, and that's why he doesn't push me as much for a relationship any more. He knows he has a special place in my life, even if it's not involving kissing."

"He did mention once that there was also another guy...?" asked Adrien, hinting as much as he dared.

"There is someone that I'm crazy about, yes," Ladybug admitted, sheepishly. "Someone I know with my mask off. And maybe someday that'll work out like I hope it will."

THAT'S... new information, thought Adrien. My competition might be Ladybug's crush, not her boyfriend!

"This feels a little strange to me, I have to admit," she giggled. "I've never talked about Chat like this with anyone. When I'm Ladybug, I don't really have anyone to talk to about these kinds of things."

"Well, maybe now you do," smiled Adrien.

"But let me bring this back around," continued Ladybug. "You asked me why I'm doing this for you... Well, that kind of 'feeling lonely, because you're a public figure and you have to keep your shields up' feeling? Like I just said, I get that. Chat Noir gets that. But we each have another life to go home to when there's no Akuma. Adrien... you kind of don't! It sounds like you get a little escape from it now and then, through school, and then you feel like you're locked away, and that's kind of worse than how Chat and I are because that's your normal state!"

Adrien watched, stunned, as Ladybug finished her thought with shining eyes. "And I've come to know you well enough that you deserve better than that. Someone as kind and sweet as you shouldn't feel isolated. And definitely not so much that a little purple butterfly chases you down."

"You've... given me a lot to think about, Ladybug. In a very good way. I'm not sure what to say," Adrien stammered, smiling broadly. "But I'm so glad that we talked."

"Just say that when you're feeling like life's standing on your neck, you'll text me or call me? Probably texting is better, first, to make sure I'm somewhere where I can talk," replied Ladybug with a smile. "Or some of your other friends. I bet that some of them are more approachable than you think."

They sat there for a moment, with big stupid grins on their faces, then leaned in for a hug.

"I will. I promise," he said. This time, he felt much more like the hug was mutual, friend-to-friend... not just for comfort. "And that goes both ways, Ladybug! If you ever need someone to turn to, or talk to, or spend time with..."

"Be careful," she grinned. "I might just take you up on that sometime."

"I probably should be getting back," Adrien admitted, reluctantly. "But this really has helped me, Ladybug. Thank you so much."

"Any time," she replied. "It's what friends are for."

"Can I... ask a silly favor of you?" he asked. "When you drop me off... can you drop me off at my window, instead of the sidewalk? I'm pretty good at sneaking in and out, but I think I've had enough exercise for one night."

"Sure, I can do that." Mentally, Ladybug pictured the grounds of the Agreste estate. "Say... how do you get down from there and over the wall, anyway?"

"Same way that someone slips notes into my bag without my noticing. Ancient Chinese Secret," he grinned.

That got a laugh from her. "Funny, you don't look Chinese..."

Adrien slipped back into his room, and made sure that no one was watching before giving Ladybug one more wave. "Good night," she mouthed from the window, before launching herself into the evening.

*FWUMP!* was the sound he then made, as he planted himself flat on his back on his mattress.

"That was interesting," noted Plagg, flying over to join him. "Feeling a little better?"

"About six miles past overwhelmed," responded Adrien. "In about ten different ways. Mostly good."

"Can't blame you there," Plagg said. "That was a lot to digest."

"I'm just... I just learned more about Ladybug and how she thinks of me, as Chat and as Adrien, in an hour than I had in... wow!" Adrien said, clutching his head. "It's like a missing puzzle piece in my brain just snapped into place. I'm going to be processing this all night."

When he finally figures out who Ladybug really is... that boy's brain is going to turn to guacamole, snickered Plagg to himself. He thinks he's figured out the puzzle and he's barely got the edge pieces in place.

"But, first... before I sit here and make babbling noises all night," said Adrien, "I need to follow some good advice I just got."

"Which part? I heard a lot of good advice back there..." asked Plagg.

"The part about who's more approachable than I'd thought."

At home, Marinette covered her tracks carefully, putting her bicycle back in the garage and entering through the back door. "Hi, Mom," she called as her mother came into view.

"Hello, dear. How did it go?" Sabine asked.

"Very well, I think!" beamed Marinette. "It's mostly family stuff, from what I gathered. He may not fix it overnight, but now he knows he's not alone."

"Good, good!" her mother smiled. "Like your father said, if we can help, let us know."

"I will," said Marinette, heading upstairs, where she performed a *FWUMP!* of her own.

"Ohhhhhh, that was such a relief," she sighed, for Tikki's benefit. "He has such a beautiful smile. It feels wonderful to be part of what made it come out of hiding."

"That went really well, Marinette," Tikki agreed. "And you were very perceptive about Adrien, I think." In both his identities, she thought.

"You think so? I didn't want to, like, babble at him and have him go 'No, actually, I'm nothing like that...'"

"You saw it in his face, didn't you? How happy he looked that you were there, listening to his problems, and that you shared what you did? Just remember to silence that new burner phone you showed him," advised Tikki, "so he doesn't text Ladybug in the middle of class and hear ringing right behind him."

"That would be a good idea," giggled Marinette, reaching for her phone. As she did, she heard a text-message alert...

...but not on that phone.

Marinette reached for her everyday phone, and her eyes widened...

[Adrien] I just wanted you to know that I'll sleep better tonight, after what you did for me today.

[Adrien] Reaching out to me like that was amazingly thoughtful and sweet of you.

Nervously, she typed back:

[Marinette] My pleasure. I'm so glad it helped.

[Marinette] I didn't want to overstep my bounds, or anything, but you looked like you needed a friend.

The response came, a moment later:

[Adrien] Can we make some time tomorrow, either before school or at lunchtime? I'd like to take you up on that offer.

[Adrien] And you won't believe what happened to me tonight...

[Marinette] Something good, I hope?

[Adrien] Something _wonderful_.

Tikki pondered just what it was that she was seeing. How is Marinette managing to type [Marinette] See you in the morning, then. Good night! with her eyes closed, her body curled into a ball and her mouth making little happy noises?

Humans. Always full of surprises.

Next time:

* Processing lots of new information.

* A morning chat adds more.

* And speaking of Chat...

* "Perhaps we should throw them off the track a bit."

* Another shift in the wind.

And more...

Chapter Text

Nnnnnngh, thought Marinette, smacking her alarm clock with her right hand. It _can't_ be morning already.

Her second alarm clock, which was red and could float in mid-air, wasn't quite as easy to silence.

"Marinette..." murmured Tikki, trying to be gentle. "You need to get up now, Marinette."

"Nuh-uh," she replied, mid-yawn. "It's barely even light out. It's way too early to even consider physical movement."

"Well, that depends," her tiny friend grinned. "Today was the day Adrien wanted to meet you before school and talk about things, but if you-"

Marinette's eyes opened wide...

Huh! thought Tikki. I knew Marinette had many talents, but teleporting directly into her shower? That's a new one. That might have valuable Akuma-fighting uses.

At his house, Adrien went through his own morning routine, growing increasingly annoyed by what he heard in the background. Finally, he turned around and glared at Plagg.

"What?" asked Plagg, knowingly.

"You're laughing to yourself. You haven't stopped the whole time I've been up," accused Adrien. "What's so funny?"

"Oh... nothing. Just that someone seems to be working quite hard at looking his best today," Plagg giggled. "I wonder why?"

Adrien just stared at him for a second, then returned his focus to his reflection in the mirror. "Maybe it's escaped your tiny head," he smirked, "but I am a model. I do know my way around looking presentable without going overboard. Does it surprise you that I'm running a comb through my hair?"

"Can I ask you a question, then?" Plagg said, still grinning. "Just for the sake of argument."

"What is it?" grumbled Adrien.

"How often do you tuck in your white shirt, button it up and put your collar down when you're just going to school?"

That stopped Adrien in mid-motion. He considered what he saw in the mirror, and thought, Well! I... am kind of dolling myself up, aren't I? What's gotten into me today?

As he reached for the buttons, Plagg interjected, "No, no, I didn't say don't do that! It looks good on you. Honest. You just had me wondering, that's all..."

Adrien allowed himself to smile. Actually... me, too.

Tikki sat on Marinette's dresser, watching her host work feverishly. "You look fine, Marinette," she assured her.

"Hmmmm. I'm not sure if I'm happy with the foundation I picked..." said Marinette, staring at her reflection. "Could you bring me the two on my vanity, Tikki, please? That way I can decide which one's right for today."

"Can I remind you of a couple of things, Marinette?" asked Tikki, as she ferried makeup back and forth. "Number one, this isn't a date. Number two, if he's going to get lost in anything, it's those big bluebell eyes of yours. And three... you're running the mile in gym class today. I'd go light on the makeup so you don't end up sweating most of it off."

She watched Marinette process her advice carefully. "Right! Right... um... That means the waterproof mascara..."

Tikki floated away, smiling to herself. If that boy ever TRIES to win Marinette's heart... she's a goner.

"Okay, Plagg... distract me," Adrien said, making some final corrections to his wardrobe. "Help me process a couple of things that I learned last night."

"Sure, I'm game," volunteered Plagg. "Shoot."

"First, a big one. It sounded to me like Ladybug might be single right now. That the boy she's crazy about isn't her boyfriend... he's her crush. Did you get that impression?" opened Adrien.

"It wouldn't surprise me," Plagg replied, suppressing a laugh. "I mean, a lot of human teenagers go through relationships like potato chips sometimes, one right after another... but I think Ladybug's a monogamous kind of girl. And if her crush for that guy is as big as yours is for her, it might be very hard for her to move on from it. If he ever does respond to her that way... look out."

"Speaking of moving on from things..." said Adrien, looking a little more subdued. "I heard 'I can never date Chat Noir while I have a Miraculous' loud and clear. I really didn't want to hear it at all. But this time, it sank in a little deeper."

"Uh-huh..."

Adrien frowned. "Does that mean that if I do - somehow - through a miracle - get to date Ladybug as myself... is that wrong? I mean, she wouldn't know that I'm Chat Noir. But is that being unfair to her, like I'm lying to her by not telling her, even though I'm not supposed to ever tell her? Would one of us have to give up their Miraculous? Or both of us? Or wait until we finally defeat Hawkmoth and maybe then, it'd be all right?"

"Slow down, slow down! I'm thinking," Plagg muttered. "That's a lot of questions, and they're tricky. Those might be some things to ask Master Fu about sometime. And maybe hold off until you think she might be interested in dating you."

"I shouldn't think that... I know I shouldn't... but last night..." marveled Adrien, holding up his phone. "She gave me her phone number, Plagg! Her out-of-costume phone number, without my even asking for it! I'd have thrown myself into a volcano to get that. That has to mean something."

"It means she's really worried about you, for one thing," counseled Plagg. "Like I have been, lately."

"I know. And I appreciate that, buddy," smiled Adrien. "There's one more thing that did kind of trouble me about last night..."

"And that is?"

Adrien's face became thoughtful. "When I'm Chat Noir... or I have Chat Noir-ish things to talk about... Ladybug's there for me, but she's usually in a hurry after a battle and we don't have much of a chance to talk. Once in a while, I'll bounce over to Marinette's balcony and knock, and she'll hear me out... kind of like I'm about to do in a few minutes without my ears on," he said, softly. "Plagg... I don't think Ladybug has anyone like that for her to lean on."

"She has her Kwami..." offered Plagg.

"Just like I have you. And I may throw rolled-up socks at you sometimes, but I really do appreciate that you're listening," grinned Adrien. "Like right now, for instance. But without meaning any offense..."

"None taken," Plagg replied.

"...sometimes a human perspective really helps. As serious as she is about her secret identity, I'm sure she doesn't transform back and then tell all her friends about those things... Do you think she has a confidant, like I have in Marinette sometimes?"

"I, uh, wouldn't know," Plagg evaded. This is creeping in on territory that I literally _can't_ talk about, he thought. "Maybe? Maybe not?"

Adrien let that thought hang in the air, pondering some things in his head.

If I didn't know better... he mused, it sounded like my problems resonated with Ladybug because _she_ knows what it's like to be a little lonely, or at least isolated, and to bottle things up inside. To have things stuck within her that she just can't say out loud.

Maybe I'm not the only one who could use a little reaching out...

He stood up, pocketed Plagg and headed downstairs quickly. It had taken a little persuasion for him to talk his bodyguard into getting up and taking him to school an hour early today; it wouldn't do to keep him waiting, too.

Tom let out a whistle as his daughter breezed into the kitchen, wearing a pastel blouse and mid-length skirt. "Good morning, Marinette. You look great today! Any special occasion?" he asked. "Grab a plate, while you're at it; your mother's minding the store, and it's my turn to sling some eggs."

"Not a special special occasion, but... You remember the situation I was talking about last night at supper?" Marinette asked, to which he nodded. "Adrien messaged me last night to say that he would like to get together and talk about it, and rather than sitting up all night on the phone, we figured that we'd talk before school. So I'm getting ready for that."

"I see," he nodded, sagely. "And if you're going to play Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Girl Psychologist, you'd best dress the part, right?"

"Exactly!" Marinette giggled. "Actually, I'm bringing a change of clothes; I have gym today, and I'll switch over then. I just wanted to look, well... really nice for him today."

"Well, it's working," smiled her father.

Adrien hopped out of the sedan, and peered up the steps towards the front door of the school. I don't see Marinette there, he thought. Maybe she went inside, where it's warmer... or, more likely, I'm just way too early.

I can wait up there for her, I guess...

A breeze carried the distinct aroma of morning croissants his way, and other thoughts left his mind momentarily. Or...

He leaned down into the sedan again, where his bodyguard was staring at him intently, as if to say, Close the door already, it's cold outside!

"If I was to go over to that bakery, while I'm here... is there anything I should bring home with me today?" asked Adrien.

The bodyguard looked surprised for a moment... looked over at the passenger seat, which due to the early hour was uncharacteristically empty... then made a small gesture to Adrien with a smile.

"Cream puffs, huh?" grinned Adrien, and the bodyguard's smile widened.

"You got it. A little gift for putting up with me this morning. I'll see you this afternoon."

The car pulled away. Adrien waited for traffic to clear, then hustled across the street.

Marinette listened politely as her father told her all about what dating was like in his day, back when he'd just met Sabine and both of them were around Marinette's age. I do appreciate your advice, Dad... she thought, stifling a yawn, but this is the 137th time I've heard this story, and Adrien and I aren't even actually _dating_ yet...

A text message on Tom's phone distracted him from recounting the days of yore. Taking a quick peek at it, he grinned. "Your mother asked me to tell you... when you leave for school, go out the front door through the bakery, not the back door."

"Oh? Does she need help with something?" asked Marinette.

"She didn't say. She just said that you'll definitely want to go that way today," shrugged Tom.

Marinette washed her plate and utensils off, quickly, then leaned over and pecked her father on the cheek. "All right, I'll go see what she means by that. Have a good day, Dad!"

"You too, sweetheart," he grinned.

Taking the steps two at a time, Marinette hurried downstairs. "Coming, Mom!" she called, knowing her mother could hear her in the shopfront. "What can I help you... with?"

"Oh, I think I've got it under control... I just had a very nice customer who was asking for you, that's all," Sabine grinned. She watched Marinette's face as it locked onto Adrien's, as he stood there with a couple of wrapped parcels under his arm... then Adrien's face, as he took in Marinette's arrival and forgot everything else in the room.

Oh, yes, smiled Sabine to herself. Just a matter of time.

"H-hi!" said Marinette, once what she was looking at clicked in her brain. "I wasn't expecting to see you here... though it's a really nice surprise! Yeah, it is!" Inside her mind, she kicked herself and screamed Stop babbling at him!

"I, um... well, I knew we were going to get together this morning, and I couldn't wait! I mean... sure, I could've waited, you're right on time, not that we set a time... but I know how good everything your parents make tastes, so I thought I'd get a few things to take home with me." Adrien looked equally off-balance. "You look fantastic today, Marinette," he added, to which her face radiated a silent Thank you.

"His bodyguard adores our cream puffs," hinted Sabine.

"I do, too! They're amazing," beamed Adrien, turning back to her. "I just don't get to eat them very often. I'm on a pretty strict diet at home."

"You? You're still a growing young man," Sabine frowned. "The last thing you need is to lose any weight. You're already a rail!" She turned to her daughter, who was suppressing crimson cheeks with all her willpower. "You don't think he needs to be any thinner, do you, Marinette?"

"I have... no complaints about how you look. None," stammered Marinette, losing the blush battle rapidly.

"I wish I could take you both home with me to tell my father that," said Adrien, looking away a little shyly. "It's a constant battle around our house. 'You just don't understand what it means to represent the Agreste Design House, and how every calorie matters,'" he intoned, imitating his father's cadence.

"I'll tell you what, Adrien... any morning you like, you come over here and I'll sneak you a little something. A cream puff, a cookie or two, whatever you need," offered Sabine, conspiratorially. "We treat our good customers right around here."

"Oh, don't tell me that, Mrs. Cheng... you might find it very hard to get rid of me, with that kind of standing offer," smiled Adrien.

Sabine looked at her daughter with a grin, as if to say, See? Trust your mother. She's working this for you.

"I really didn't rush you, did I? I didn't mean to," apologized Adrien, as the couple strolled down the sidewalk, in the general direction of the school but in no hurry to actually get there. In point of fact, they were meandering off-course somewhat, which was fine by Marinette.

"Not at all. I was on my way over to meet you... and then there you were," she smiled. "That saved a lot of time."

"How about over here?" gestured Adrien, pointing to a set of benches in a rough U-shape. She agreed, and they made their way over, settling down on the bench on the left.

"So... how do I begin this? I, uh..." Adrien wondered. "Well, I wanted to thank you again just for being here, and for reaching out to me yesterday. Those really mean a lot to me, Marinette."

"It's what friends are for," she beamed. "I know you'd do it for me, if I was having problems. So, tell me, what's troubling you this much?"

"Just between us? I know that I can trust you on that," he asked.

When she nodded, he began running down the things his father and Nathalie had been saying and doing, and how they seemed intent on slowly driving him insane. Marinette followed along, being careful to look surprised at the right moments, when things were said that Ladybug had heard but Marinette hadn't.

"I feel so bad for you, Adrien. And, like you said, there's no easy fix..." soothed Marinette. "I feel like I should've texted or called you, some of those late nights when I saw you were still up. Saw that your account was active, anyway, I'm not peeping in your windows," she giggled.

"Honestly? I would love that. The, uh, texting or calling, I mean! It's good to know that I have someone watching out for me." Thoughts of his 'guardian angel' popped into his head, and he made a decision. "Can I trust you with another secret, Marinette? This is a big one."

"My lips are sealed," she told him. Unless you were to kiss them, very softly. That'd break the seal. Yep, I bet that it would. Perhaps we should test that out-

"I... almost got Akumatized this week," he whispered, confidentially. "It came this close."

"Oh, wow!" gasped Marinette. "Only 'almost,' I hope? Did you actually see the butterfly?"

"Not until the very last moment," explained Adrien. "I was walking home by myself, angry and frustrated and beating myself up in my head, and I heard someone yell my name... and it was Ladybug. She snatched it out of the air, maybe two inches from my nose."

Once again, Marinette listened attentively to his story, reacting appropriately. "I don't know if I've ever been so scared in my life, Marinette," he admitted. "Not just because of the Akuma - I mean, that was scary, but in the end, I know Ladybug would save me if it'd gotten me - but because of what it meant. That I'd fallen that low." He gulped, looking rather emotional. "You and I and Ladybug are the only ones who know. I didn't even tell my father."

Marinette thought for a second... then replied, "It's not like that's some kind of badge of dishonor, Adrien... or that you're weak or damaged or something. You're only human! Look around our class today; everyone else there has been targeted at least once..." She paused, then added, "...Even me."

"You've been targeted, Marinette?" asked Adrien, momentarily shocked. "That's hard for me to imagine. You're the most positive person I know."

"Remember Zombizou, when Ms. Bustier got Akumatized?" she explained. "That one was meant for me. Ms. Bustier protected me, and it switched to her because of how scared she was for me that morning."

Adrien still looked incredulous. "I remember that day. That was when Chloé scribbled on your present for her, right?" He shook his head, remembering how it had gone. "Chloé racks up quite a body count, doesn't she?"

"She does... but it went after me, not her," reminded Marinette. "I let my emotions run away with me, and Ms. Bustier paid the price. And so did almost all of Paris."

"That wasn't your fault, Marinette," consoled Adrien, instinctively.

"And that's what I'm saying. What you're going through right now isn't your fault, Adrien. Getting targeted wasn't your fault. Your father and Nathalie being unreasonable isn't your fault. You're doing everything you can and then some to make things better... sometimes other people just won't let that happen."

She smiled at him, though misty eyes, and added, "But you always keep trying. I know you do. Because that's the kind of wonderful person you are, Adrien... you're someone who's so special to me... and I won't let you forget that. Not ever."

A little voice inside Marinette's head shrieked Did you just SAY THAT out loud?

In that moment, Adrien's mind... simply froze.

It was as if time stood still all around him. Adrien heard Marinette's soft voice, saw the yearning look on her face as she spoke, watched the emotions flowing out of her... but he felt as helpless as a child, unable to respond.

I should be kissing Marinette right now.

I NEED to be kissing Marinette right now.

Right now.

RIGHT NOW.

I should...

RIGHT NOW!

I should be...

...

Why am I not moving?

Why, Adrien?

I have no idea why I am not totally in love with Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

No idea at all.

...What is _wrong_ with me?

The mist in Marinette's eyes increased as she watched Adrien lock up, sitting motionless, processing what she'd said with a stunned expression on his face.

He's... I'm not reaching him, she thought. I'm not getting through. I want to help him, so much, I'm trying so hard, but maybe I can't...

Oh, God, I just poured my heart out at him... I couldn't stop myself... I just told him that he's so wonderful and special. Why don't you just scream "I LOVE YOU" in his face, Marinette? That's the last thing that he needs right now... for me to make his life even more complicated with my _stupid_ crush...

The sight of tears running down Marinette's cheek jarred Adrien out of his emotional lockdown. "Hey, hey, hey," he gasped, reaching out and touching her face gently. "Don't... I am so sorry, Marinette. You asked me here to help me and I'm... just not..."

"It's okay, Adrien," she breathed. "I didn't expect you to just-"

"It's not okay," he insisted. "I'm not okay. But I'm better than I was... and you're the reason for that, Marinette. Listen to me, please?"

Marinette wiped her cheeks dry, at least for the moment, and looked up at him with a puzzled expression.

"I am... I don't know what I am right now. I've been on this total rollercoaster the last couple of days. I was at my absolute low point, and Ladybug saved me, and she comforted me, and then she checked up on me again, I didn't expect it at all, and she gave me her email and I sent one to her, and we met up last night, and I am babbling at you about Ladybug and I'm so sorry..."

"It's fine, Adrien. Take a deep breath. I'm here and I'm listening. I'm here for you, no matter what," she sniffled. "Talk it out."

"Okay... okay." Adrien tried to settle himself. "My emotions are all over the place right now. I'm... numb, Marinette. Both the highs and the lows are overwhelming me and I don't know how to react to anything right now. Including this incredible, beautiful, emotional girl next to me right now, who's so determined to help me. Especially her."

Marinette forced a smile, seeing the beginning of one on Adrien's face, hearing his tender words.

"And the one thing that I do know... more than anything else... is that I cannot hurt you, Marinette." He gathered what willpower he had left, and looked into her widening eyes. "I won't. Never on purpose, and I pray never by accident. And that means I have to get my mind straight before I try to figure out anything else... I can't trust my own reactions right now. My thoughts and feelings are all confused, and it's scaring me."

She nodded for him to continue. He did, and she swore that she saw That Smile on his face, the one that had stolen her heart long ago.

"I don't know if you're kind of telling me what I think you are... or if I'm reading that wrong... or if we're both caught up in the moment, but we don't have to figure that out right now, okay? But I want to make sure you know this, Marinette... you are very important to me. You are trying so hard to help me... the way that you always do... and I don't have the words right now to tell you how much that means to me. What you mean to me."

There was nothing else Marinette could do... other than lunge forward and wrap him up tight in her arms.

They remained like that for a short time, drawing strength from each other. "We're going to fix this," she whispered. "I don't know how. But we will."

"I know we will. I know that much."

They walked, hand-in-hand, up the steps of the school and to Ms. Bustier's classroom. Rose and Juleka saw them walking up together, and Rose looked like she was about to burst out in a squeal... but Marinette just smiled at her and mouthed Not yet, silently.

Rose looked a bit confused. Marinette heard Juleka whisper "She'll tell us later" as they passed, and she smiled again. She said a silent prayer that Chloe wouldn't get in their faces today; dealing with Chloé's attitude and possessiveness was the very last thing either of them needed right now.

In the classroom, Marinette guided Adrien to his seat, gently. She squeezed his hand and asked him, "Are you going to be all right for now?"

"Yeah... thank you so much," Adrien whispered back. "Can we talk again later?"

"Count on it," she smiled, then walked up to her own seat. Nino gave Adrien a quick greeting, registered that only about eighty percent of Adrien was answering right now, and looked up at Marinette questioningly. Alya had a look on her face that screamed out What the HECK did you DO to him?, but was polite enough not to ask it out loud.

"Just... be cool," Marinette whispered to them. "I'll talk to you later, okay? It's complicated."

As other classmates came in, Marinette was a little bit encouraged to see Adrien act a bit more like his normal self; greeting people, answering questions, maintaining a smile. This is what he was doing before, she thought. Putting up a brave shell. Acting like the normal Adrien would. And he's pretty good at it, too; enough to fool a lot of people, unless they know him well enough to know better.

But that's _so_ not where he needs to be.

Adrien spent the majority of Literature class giving Ms. Bustier a very specific look, one that he prayed that she recognized; I'm here, I'm trying to listen, but please, please, PLEASE do not call on me today. Through the first half-hour of class, she appeared to understand, and gave him a sympathetic smile or two as she continued her lesson.

He tried to focus, but his thoughts were fragmented beyond repair. It probably didn't help that the cause of his distress - wait, _that's_ not right, is it? She's not causing me any distress. Other than how terrible I feel that I distressed _her_ by being such a wreck right now, he thought - was close enough that he could turn around and touch her foot, if he'd wanted to.

Things inside him continued to simmer and bubble... until, finally, something had to give.

Adrien raised his hand, and asked, "Ms. Bustier? May I please use the restroom?"

"Of course, but try to be quick," she replied.

A few minutes passed... then a few more... and Marinette's concentration, also already fragmented, broke apart when Adrien didn't return.

I don't want to be paranoid... but I don't like this. I gave him one heck of a shock this morning. Maybe I should...

She raised her hand.

Down in his lair, Hawkmoth stood, weighing the possibilities in his mind as he scanned his son from a distance.

Adrien is teetering on the edge, he thought. His emotions are quite conflicted at the moment... enough for me to sense negativity, but not overwhelmingly so. I am pretty sure that I could target him successfully right now.

It's not a sure thing, however; I would have to monitor the Akuma carefully. His mind is not so much despondent, as... chaotic at the moment. Some good, some bad, mostly confusion and anxiety. Is this the right mix of emotion that my plans require?

He paused, considering it further. Am I tipping my hand by targeting Adrien again, so soon? Should I wait for a better opportunity?

I must try, Hawkmoth thought, with a frown. If I can capture my son without subjecting him to _complete_ despair, I will sleep better at night. If it strikes someone else first, so be it. And the response to the exercise might be revealing in other ways...

Before he could change his mind again, he reached out for one of the white butterflies circling around him.

"Tikki, I'm scared. Did I do more harm than good this morning?"

Tikki did her best to ignore her surroundings. We seem to do a lot of talking in the women's restroom these days, she thought.

"No, Marinette, I really don't think so," she soothed. "You were an amazing friend to him today and he clearly appreciated it. You were just what he needed."

"I went way too far," lamented Marinette. "I didn't mean to. It kind of slipped out."

"I don't know that he thinks it was too far..." mused Tikki. "I think he understood what you meant to say by saying that. He's just trying to figure out how he feels about it, and he can't right now."

"I'm just afraid that I made everything worse, Tikki." Marinette's face was a jumble of emotions. "Now I'm just one more thing for him to worry about. And if I ruin our friendship by pushing too hard..."

"Marinette," insisted Tikki, flying up close. "Listen to me. You didn't throw yourself at him, or ask him to be your prom date, or declare your deep and undying love and ask him to marry you. And I know very well that you could've done any of those... You showed him that you have very deep feelings for him, and I know that he's happy to know that! That he has someone like you looking out for him and caring for him. Like he said... you two can figure out if it's friendship or romance or both another time, when you're both ready for that. You were honest with him, Marinette. That's never a bad thing."

"Then why is he probably sitting in a bathroom stall right now, wondering what to do?" asked Marinette.

"Why are you sitting in a bathroom stall right now, wondering what to do?" replied Tikki. "You're taking some alone time to think things through. And I'll bet that's what he's doing, too."

"Part of me wants to call him and make sure he's all right... but I don't want to hover over him, either. Especially if I'm one of his problems right now," Marinette said, hesitantly.

"Or you could wait and see how he responds. He asked you to talk to him again later, right? When you-"

Tikki's thought was interrupted by a vibration in Marinette's purse. "There, see? That might be him texting now," she smiled.

Marinette rummaged through her purse quickly, then stopped, turning slightly pale. "Tikki..." she whispered, "that was my other phone."

[Adrien] Hi there... are you available right now?

Adrien stared at the text he'd just sent to his newest phone contact.

"Don't look so worried, Adrien," said Plagg, nervously. "I don't think Ladybug gave you her phone number so that you wouldn't use it."

"Sure, but the very next day? And I'm a mess inside already? What if she..."

Plagg just stared at him. "If somebody told you 'wait three days before calling,' they've seen too many movies. Relax, will you?"

Adrien sat still, lost in chaotic thought for a moment, until his phone beeped at him:

[LB] Hi! I'm around. I can text but I can't talk right now. What's up? Are you okay?

"How do I phrase this..." Adrien muttered.

[Adrien] Kind of... kind of not? I met with a good friend this morning to talk, and I totally blew it. I'm afraid that I really hurt her.

[Adrien] I'm all tied up in knots inside and I'm hiding in a bathroom and I'm afraid that... something might come for me.

Marinette stared at her burner phone in disbelief. "He blew it?" she marveled. "He's afraid that he hurt me? When I'm the one who messed everything up?"

Tikki just smiled. So meant for each other, she thought. They both think of everyone but themselves first. What comes next may be hard on her... but I have faith that she'll get it right.

Marinette thought hard for a moment, then started typing.

[LB] Okay. Do this for me right now. Calm your thoughts. Deep breaths. Breathe in for five seconds, hold it for five, breathe out for five, repeat.

[LB] Where exactly are you right now?

[Adrien] My school. Men's restroom. Second floor west.

[LB] Stay there. I'm closer than you know. Be strong for me, okay?

[Adrien] I will. :) You're a real-life angel, you know that?

[LB] I have my moments. :)

"Well, Tikki, I may be about to learn something I hadn't planned on today... what a high school boys' bathroom smells like," sighed Marinette. "Spots on!"

Ladybug arrived at the scene, on the west side of the second floor, and considered her options. She was alone in the hallway, but that wasn't going to last for long; she was pretty sure that classes were about to let out.

She texted, quickly:

[LB] Does the room you're in have a window?

[Adrien] Yeah, it does.

Damn, thought Ladybug. An Akuma could go right through that. So much for guarding the door...

Before she could change her mind, she ran over to a nearby janitor's closet, which (to her pleasant surprise) turned out to be unlocked. Dashing back to the bathroom door, she texted:

[LB] Are you alone in there?

[Adrien] I am.

She slapped a sign on the door, reading RESTROOM OUT OF ORDER - BEING CLEANED, then slipped inside, locking the door behind her.

"Now, you're not," she said, quietly.

"Ladybug?" Adrien's voice hissed, from behind a stall door. "What are you doing in here?"

"Hoping no one walks in with a cameraphone," she giggled. "How are you doing?"

"I'm... I can't believe you came here like this, just because I... Ladybug, I'm sorry," he apologized. "You were busy with something where you couldn't talk and I dragged you away from that."

"None of that, you," Ladybug chided him. "I have a pretty simple rule about my life; Ladybug stuff comes first, people I'm close to come second, everything else waits its turn. And you qualify in both categories, so relax." She added, "But I also know you wouldn't exaggerate just to bring me here, either. You're pretty shaken up; I can hear it in your voice. So... I'm watching out for Akumas, and let's make the best of it together, okay? Stay hidden if you feel more comfortable that way. I've got you covered."

An errant part of her thought, Gee, I sure hope he has his pants up behind that door.

"Okay," said Adrien, quietly. He paused, then asked, "So, do you, um... come here often?"

That got a laugh out of her, which she did her best to keep quiet. "First time, actually. Wow. You guys don't even have chairs or anything in your bathrooms?"

"Nope... ours are pretty Spartan," confirmed Adrien. "I guess we're not meant to come here and, like, hang out."

"It's not as bad as I imagined it might be, honestly," said Ladybug. "Just... well, you should try and get an interior decorator to work on it sometime."

Adrien chuckled at that. "I'll put it in the Suggestion Box in the lobby. But I'm sure you didn't come here for the aesthetics..."

"Not really... so let's talk about it. What's got you stressed out, Adrien?"

He took a deep breath. "This is... kind of complicated..." he began.

Ladybug leaned against one of the bathroom sinks, taking in Adrien's story, and thought to herself, I am _dying_ here.

I need to be here for him... but I am absolutely DYING listening to him talking about the two of us, without being able to tell him how I feel or who I am!

"So her eyes started tearing up... and my heart just broke in half, from what I'd just done to her," said Adrien, his voice growing shaky.

"Stop. Stop for a second, Adrien, okay?" Ladybug cut in, forcing the words out of her. "You hadn't just done anything to her. She told you how much you truly mean to her, and she didn't lay any expectations on that. She didn't say 'I love you' or 'Be my boyfriend' or 'Please kiss me, right now,' did she? Maybe she wanted to, but I can't speak for her. She'll have to tell you that herself if that's what she's got in mind. But I do know this much..."

She took a deep breath before continuing. "She thinks the world of you, Adrien. Even I know that. How you feel about her is your decision, and she understands that, too."

"Are you asking me how I feel about her?" asked Adrien, not much above a whisper.

Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes, YES, YES, YES, I AM, YES, PLEASE, YES, "No, I'm not," Ladybug said. "Again, that's between you and her."

"Thank you... because even I'm not sure any more." he replied.

That stopped Ladybug in her tracks. "Can you... explain that part?" she managed, unable to keep that from coming out.

Hawkmoth concentrated hard on the Akuma, which was busy dancing back and forth near a school bathroom window.

I was afraid of this. He's wobbling back and forth between emotional states. Every time he gets close to where my Akuma could strike, something calms him again.

I may have to abort this, before it gets noticed, or find another prey. Who or what could be in that room with him?

"Marinette has always been a really good friend to me. Someone whom I can always depend on, someone I admire very much, someone who brightens my day every time that I see her. She's sweet, she's caring, she's cute, she's funny..." he began.

"I'm - er, Adrien, you think Marinette's cute?" Ladybug stuttered, quietly.

"Of course she is! She's one of the most attractive people I know, inside and out," Adrien replied.

I am DYING over here. I am DEAD. Someone get a mop and wipe me off the floor, thought Ladybug.

"But I have had a... well, a massive crush on someone else all year long. Someone who is kind of unattainable, way out of my league, but who just blew me away the very first time that I met her. Please don't ask me to say who that is, okay?" said Adrien, shyly. "And because of that, I never even... really thought about anyone else in any kind of romantic way. I was so focused on that girl that I was blind as a bat about anyone else. Very little even registered with me."

He laughed. "I guess I'm so used to keeping Chloé at arm's length, it became a habit. And that doesn't speak very well for me, does it? So it's only recently that I've even imagined being with anyone else. And, well... with everything that's been going on at home, I'm wondering if I can trust _those_ feelings, either."

"But... they're not going away." Adrien paused, then added, "Can I tell you one other secret, Ladybug? You have to promise not to laugh at me."

"I promise," she said, catching her breath.

"I've... never had a girlfriend. I don't know how all of this works, to be honest." Ladybug's jaw dropped as Adrien continued. "I told you last night how little I've been around people my own age, all the things I've missed out on. That's definitely one of them. I'm learning as I go how these social cues work, and not very fast. Today, I wasn't sure just what Marinette was telling me at first... and I was terrified that if I misread it, I'd break her heart. And that would break mine! Or that I was reading too much into it, and that could hurt our friendship if I overreacted. But I... just don't know what I'm doing. Or even why, lately. I'm just so confused."

"If the rest of my life wasn't such a dumpster fire right now, and I could think clearly..." Adrien sighed, "I'd be willing to take some chances, learn how to flirt, and either tell my crush how I feel or... well, I don't know just what I'd do. But I'd do something. When Marinette said those sweet things this morning... I just froze in place. I felt so terrible for her. She deserved an honest reaction, at least, and I don't know what mine is yet."

Ladybug looked over at the window, as a motion there caught her eye, and was horrified to see a purple butterfly dancing just outside the glass. I have to get him feeling positive, and FAST! she thought, panicking. I hope that he can't hear my yo-yo spinning...

"I'll tell you a secret of my own, Adrien," Ladybug offered, the words spilling out of her. "I've been around people my own age all my life... and I've never had a boyfriend. Getting a relationship's not as easy as you may think it should be."

There was stunned silence in the room. "I... can't believe that," Adrien said, in a surprised voice. "You?"

"It's true! With the mask or without. I can relate to you more than you think," replied Ladybug, startling herself with what she was admitting out loud. "I've had my own crush on someone for a year now... someone who stirred up feelings in me I wasn't used to having. And please don't ask me who he is, okay? We'll both keep from asking that question for now."

"More than fair," Adrien agreed. "Please, continue?"

"One minute, I wasn't sure that I even liked him. Then he opened up to me all at once, he showed me the kind of person he was inside, and I just... crumbled," she admitted. "He's been on my mind every day since. I keep hoping that he'll start looking at me like that... but, so far, he hasn't."

Though what I heard just a minute ago makes me start to wonder about that, but I CANNOT think about that right now! This is about Adrien, not me.

Ladybug saw the butterfly begin to retreat, but remain close by. Well, I've got his full attention, anyway, she told herself.

"Is he someone that you spend time with, as your normal self? Someone who's gotten to know you better?" wondered Adrien.

"He is... we've been getting closer, very gradually. We're definitely friends," she replied, watching her phrasing carefully.

"If he knows the real you... how can he not have fallen for you?" asked Adrien.

Ladybug gasped...

...as did Hawkmoth, as the butterfly snuck through the window just far enough for his mind's eye to see inside.

"LADYBUG is with him? In there? Right NOW? This is absurd!" Hawkmoth roared, loud enough that Nathalie actually heard it upstairs, though she knew well enough not to investigate during one of his "private business meetings."

The situation left him standing there, actually laughing out loud. Is she truly my inescapable nemesis? Is she magically empowered to appear wherever she is most needed, perfectly attuned to thwart my plans time and time again?

Or... could there be a different explanation?

"Fly away, my little Akuma," he called out. "This prey is too well guarded, it appears. Find a different target for me, someone without a scarlet guardian watching over him. Perhaps we should throw them off the track a bit... and make sure that Ladybug and Chat Noir understand that my reach far surpasses their grasp."

"I'm sorry, that was... not something I should have asked," muttered Adrien. Dummy! Why don't you just throw yourself at her, while you're at it? he grumbled in his mind. Right when she's telling you about the other guy she's in love with!

"It's fine, Adrien," she said, keeping her voice steady. "I've asked the same question about him many times. And the answer's always the same; we love who we love. We can't 'win' someone, like a prize at a carnival. We can't convince them that they're wrong about their feelings. We can do everything just right and still not get to where we want to be, you know? We just have to... be our best selves around them, show them how much we care, and hope that they notice, that their feelings start to grow."

She heard a stirring behind the stall door... and then it opened. And there was Adrien Agreste, smiling at her.

"For someone who's never had a boyfriend... you might be the smartest person I know about love," he said.

"You need to meet more people, then," Ladybug blushed. "I'm flailing away at it just like everybody else."

That look that he's giving me, thought Ladybug, feeling flustered... neither of us is ready to go there, but I don't know if I can resist if he...

Abruptly, they turned towards a loud crash from somewhere outside the window, accompanied by screaming. "AKUMA!" was one of the words they heard.

"Oh, you have to be kidding me..." muttered Ladybug. "Well, at least I'm already here!"

She turned back to Adrien with a soft smile. "I'm kind of needed, Adrien. But I'm glad that I was here for you, and that the Akuma wasn't coming for you after all. Are you going to be all right?"

"Yeah. This was... not how I expected my morning to go... but I wouldn't trade any of it," he beamed at her. "Not earlier, and not now."

"Listen," she added, laying her hand on his shoulder. "I hear what you're saying about figuring yourself out again before you start chasing anyone else... and that makes perfect sense to me. You need to heal, and I'll help you however I can. But when you do feel better and you turn on the charm, Adrien Agreste? Whoever it is that your heart desires is going to melt. I'm sure about that."

Adrien stared deeply into her bluebell eyes, wondering if he should act on his feelings, right then and there...

"But for now, duty calls!" Ladybug called, heading for the door. She blew him a kiss as she left... and she was gone.

Adrien stood still for several moments, dumbfounded, half in shock... but smiling.

That girl is going to be the death of me yet, he thought. Every time I think I've got her figured out, she surprises me again.

Plagg popped out of his pocket, a bit wide-eyed himself. "That was... educational," he quipped.

"I'll say. And I went from having no idea what to do about my love life to having even less of an idea what to do about it. But remind me to send Hawkmoth a thank-you card," said Adrien.

"And why would you do that?" asked Plagg, looking puzzled.

"Because he just sent me something big and ugly that I can hit to take my mind off of things," grinned Adrien. "Plagg, CLAWS OUT!"

Next time:

* Chat Noir and Ladybug in action... and post-action.

* "I knew this day would come... I feared it, really."

* Mother knows best.

* "Well, as long as we're going to be there together, anyway..."

* "Knock, knock..."

And more!

Chapter Text

Chat Noir dashed down the hallway of his school, heading for the back stairwell on the west side. This'll be easier than trying to pop that bathroom window open, he thought. Having looked at it, I'm not sure if that window's been open since 1953. Come to think of it, that may be when the toilet paper dates from, too; I think I could use it as a book cover in a pinch.

As he ran, he grinned to himself, feeling better on a number of levels than he had an hour ago. NOW I get to do what I do best, he smiled. None of Dad's criticism in my ear; no anxieties about hurting my friends in my head. I get to be with my lady again and not make her worry for me this time.

Have I got plenty to think about? Sure... but that's for later. Right now, I'm all business.

He rounded the corner of the building and scanned the courtyard where Ladybug was facing off with the villain, straining hard to try to see what was going on there. And from what little I can make out, business isn't looking very promising.

Ladybug covered her head as she turned in a defensive stance, still stinging from the two blows that'd connected so far. The villain had an irritating laugh and an even more annoying knack for staying just out of her range of vision; she'd caught glimpses of a greyish-black blur moving around her, but it slipped away time and again like quicksilver.

The costume is protecting me from being injured, as usual... but getting whacked from behind is still no picnic! she grumbled to herself.

"I don't suppose we could settle this with a nice game of chess, or something?" called Ladybug, trying to draw her out of hiding.

"It would be so much easier if you'd just relax and let me take your Miraculous, Ladybug," she taunted back. "Though not nearly as much fun, I'll admit!"

The voice danced around just as the figure did, obviously nearby but otherwise evading detection. It sounds female, but is it... old? young? Somewhere in between?

Ladybug crouched down and spun her yo-yo rapidly over her head, in a wide circle. Maybe this will buy me some room to operate... she thought, as she turned to try to get a good look at who she was fighting. I need to make her keep her distance until I figure her out.

She turned left, then right... and lying on the ground next to her, in a casually mocking pose, was a woman in a grey-and-black bodysuit and a black mask. "Mind if I join you?" she quipped, making Ladybug jump from surprise, and by the time Ladybug recovered her stance, the villain was gone again.

She could've hit me just then; she's toying with me! thought Ladybug. Is she teleporting? Is she a speedster?

"Who are you, anyway?" Ladybug called out. "I like to know who I'm sparring with."

"You can call me Blindside," teased a voice, still dancing from place to place. "That's where I spend my time; where you'll almost see me coming. But when you do..."

Suddenly, the voice was right behind her. "...it's already too late," she cackled.

Ladybug felt hands at her ears, pulling at her Miraculous!

A baton cracked down across Blindside's wrists, making her yelp in pain. "Mind if I play through?" grinned Chat Noir. "You looked like you could use a helping hand."

"I need all the help I can get," Ladybug murmured, feeling around her ears and not sounding happy. "There's a half-off sale at my favorite store this week, so I want to get out of here soon!"

Chat stiffened, hearing the code phrases they'd worked out after Troublemaker's attack. Ladybug lost one earring, and needs to take cover!

"Are you getting in on the ground floor of that one?" he asked. "Or should I take away something different from that?"

"I think ground floor sounds good to me," said Ladybug. "Back-to-back! Let's cut off the angles here."

That means she's pretty sure it got knocked loose, but that the villain didn't grab it, so it's on the ground somewhere nearby, thought Chat. He assumed a defensive stance as well, extending his baton to a staff, going back-to-back with Ladybug and watching his half of the battleground carefully. "What are we dealing with here?" he asked.

"She's fast, she's really hard to see, and she doesn't like chess. That's all I know," gasped Ladybug, watching her detransformation energy beginning to form around her limbs. "Got any ideas?"

"I can't see her yet," mumbled Chat. "I see... and hear... something dancing around us. Wow, she is fast. Can you see what you need yet?"

"N-no," replied Ladybug. "Think fast, Chat, I don't have much time..."

Hawkmoth sprang to full attention, witnessing Ladybug's distress. "Excellent, Blindside! The battle's nearly won!" For being a spur-of-the-moment second choice, he thought, you might just be my most effective creation yet!

"Keep your focus on Ladybug, as much as you can," he ordered her. "In a short time, her transformation will fade enough for me to see just who's under that cursed mask; if you can grab her other earring, we'll know all at once. And with Ladybug out of the picture, Chat Noir will be easy pickings."

"No problem, Hawkmoth," Blindside replied. "This'll be a piece of cake."

"Yiiiii!" cried Ladybug, narrowly dodging another swipe from Blindside. "Too... fast! That one almost got me."

She kept as low as she could, trying to spot her missing earring, but it wasn't leaping out at her. Looking at her arms, she saw about a foot of her civilian sleeves and pantlegs visible through the transformation energy, and its inexorable crawl wasn't slowing down.

"Turn around if you n-need to," Ladybug murmured, resigned to what would follow. "Saving your Miraculous is more important than my secret identity..."

"Or we could keep both," said Chat, confidently. "I'd prefer it that way." He spun around, his staff held protectively over the crouching Ladybug, and she looked up at him with worried eyes...

"Chat... you can't fight with your eyes closed!" gasped Ladybug, seeing Chat's eyes shut tight.

With a quick "Shhh!", Chat silenced her. He stood quite still, in a martial arts stance, clearly focusing on his environment.

Every time she moves... thought Chat. She's fast as lightning, but there's a slight sound with it. If I concentrate hard...

...there!

"DOWN!" he yelled, and Ladybug went prone by instinct. She covered her remaining earring with her hand, felt Blindside's hand grasping at it... then heard a staff whooshing through the air and a yelp of pain.

"A lucky shot," snarled Blindside, stepping back and darting away into relative invisibility. "But let's see you do that aga-OW!"

Ladybug looked up from her downed position, and saw Chat strike three times with his staff, twice in one general direction and once behind him. To her astonishment, all three hit, as if the staff was tracking Blindside's movement!

"How are you-" the voice gasped from yet another direction, then was cut off by a loud "WHUMPH!" as the staff tangled up her legs, sending her crashing to the ground.

These cat ears aren't just for good looks, lady... though they DO look good.

Chat stood over Blindside, his eyes now open wide, glaring down at her fiercely. Behind him, Ladybug couldn't help but stare in surprise, before resuming the hunt for her earring.

"Do you have any idea what I'm capable of, Blindside?" he asked, confidently. "What I could do to you right now, if I wanted to?  How much power I truly command?"

"N-no... but I..." stammered the villain.

Chat's eyes continued to carve holes through the fallen woman... then, suddenly, his face changed to a grin and a wink. "Then be sure and tell Hawkmoth that he doesn't know that, either," he laughed, flicking away any loose objects he found on her with his staff and testing them. The second one, her belt, emitted a purple Akuma once Chat's staff crushed the buckle.

Without turning around, Chat asked, "Ladybug, how are you doing?"

"Not very well," she called, nervously. "My earring is still missing... and my yo-yo is breaking up! Chat, I can't catch the Akuma like this!"

"Earring? You mean... this?"

Chat looked at the fallen villain, who had reverted to being a middle-aged woman whom he didn't immediately recognize. She looked up at him, confused, and showed him a red earring that she'd been holding in her right hand.

"YES! Ma'am, I could kiss you. May I have this?" he asked, taking it from her hand. He held it behind his back and yelled, "Ladybug, come quickly!"

He heard her running footsteps as he helped the woman to her feet. "I'm terribly puzzled. What just happened to me?" the woman asked.

"You were Akumatized, ma'am. Did something set you off just before this, making you feel angry or sad or depressed?" asked Chat.

"Well, I was crossing the street, and some bozo nearly ran me over with his truck! Oh, he missed me by that much! He claimed he couldn't see me coming, which is ridiculous. The traffic here has been miserable ever since they opened this up to two-way traffic. Back when I was in working at Beaumont's, they..."

Chat listened politely to the woman's lengthy ramblings as he felt Ladybug snatch the earring from his hand. A moment later, she called, "I'm good... but we're still in trouble!"

"All right, ma'am. Are you okay to continue on your way? Ladybug needs me," asked Chat, as gallantly as he could.

"I think so... Akumatized! Well! Wait 'til I tell Myrtle when I get home!" said the woman, who straightened her hat and began strolling down the street again, unfazed.

He turned, quickly, to see a panicked Ladybug next to him. "Chat... look up!" she said, pointing at the rapidly vanishing Akuma. "It's out of my reach. I can't jump that high, and I certainly can't fly. Any ideas?"

"Actually, I have one," said Chat, quickly. He got down in a crouch and interlaced his hands together. "Run up to me, jump onto my hands, and then jump as hard as you can just as I throw you. Like an acrobatic tandem leap or a cheerleader's basket toss. Normal people can send someone flying; imagine what we can do with our combined strength!"

Ladybug considered it, quickly. "That... might work! You'll catch me, right?" she asked.

"Do you trust me?" asked Chat, and was rewarded with a very warm smile from Ladybug.

"Always," she grinned. "On three. One... two... THREE!"

Ladybug leapt up into Chat's hands, and thought as she leapt, I sure hope that this works... YI-I-I-I-I-I-I!

She soared through the air as if propelled by a rocket, and it took a couple of seconds for her to get her bearings. WOW! We'll have to remember that move! she thought. But first things first - did we get the right angle? Where's the Akuma at?

Ladybug spotted it, a tiny speck up ahead of her in the sky but growing closer rapidly. I'm only going to get one shot at this, and my timing will have to be precise...

Annnnnnnnnnnnnd...

NOW!

With a desperate heave, she hurled her yo-yo... neatly plucking the Akuma out of the sky.

Great! That will save SO much trouble.

Now, there's the small detail of my flying through the air like a red-and-black meteor...

"CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!" she yelled...

Chat Noir ran as fast as his legs could carry him. Hurtling through traffic, around buildings, through the back yard of a woman doing laundry... He remained polite enough to wave to the latter as he dashed past her, but his focus was on his plummeting partner.

Here she comes... just out of my reach!

Desperately, Chat pushed himself into the strongest leap he could manage... and felt Ladybug's weight hit his waiting arms, their combined momentum redirecting them more sideways than Ladybug's previous trajectory. Wrapping her up as best he could, Chat grunted in pain as the pair tumbled down the street, rolling over and over, finally crashing to a stop through some shelves in front of a small grocery.

Chat caught his breath, shoved a pile of half-smashed apples and heads of cabbage off of them, and stared down at the dazed Ladybug beneath him. "Are you okay, my lady?" he asked, hesitantly...

The response was a sleepy-eyed smile... that quickly widened, and before he knew it, Ladybug had thrown her arms around his neck in a warm hug. "Yes... thanks to you," she replied, holding him tight in gratitude.

Chat had absolutely no complaints about the situation... but the grocery owner certainly did. "I hope you two are all right, but look at what you did!" he moaned.

"I'm on it," Ladybug gasped. "Just catching my breath. Um... I never did use Lucky Charm, did I?" she asked.

"Not that I know of. You didn't have the chance to," agreed Chat. "Before you could think about it, your earring was off."

"Cross your fingers, then. LUCKY... CHARM!"

Ladybug tossed her hand upwards, and scarlet energy danced above her fingertips, coalescing into...

"A cup of coffee?"

Both Chat and Ladybug stared at it, a bit confused, until Ladybug smiled. "What I think this is telling me, Chat... is that for saving me in the fight and for saving me again just now, I owe you a cup of coffee at the very least. We're near a Starbucks, right?"

"Is there any place on Earth that's not near a Starbucks?" asked Chat.

"Perfect. How about I take care of this first... MIRACULOUS... LADYBUG!"

She hurled the red cup into the sky, hoping that it would work as intended... and the magic of the Miraculous did just that, zipping around the city repairing damage caused by the Akuma fight and its aftermath. Apparently, the leap to catch the Akuma counts as close enough! Ladybug smiled. She watched as the grocery's shelving repaired itself, asked "...We're good?" to the owner, and grinned as he nodded appreciatively.

"Cool. Chat... how about you go get us a table? I'll head upstairs and freshen up, and let my Kwami recharge... and then I'll join you," beamed Ladybug.

"Er... right now? I kind of had this fight take me out of something," Chat pondered, remembering that this was all part of a bathroom break from school...

"Actually, me too... but, uh... I'll risk it if you will. Pretty please? I need to talk to you about something," she pleaded, gently. "But I'll understand if you can't."

Who am I kidding? thought Chat. It's not like this is my first extended bathroom break for Akuma reasons, and if I'm lucky, the class'll have gone for cover during the fight and I can claim that I got redirected in the confusion. And Ladybug wants to socialize after a fight? That's totally not like her. This must be something important...

"Bugaboo... it's a date," he grinned, then backtracked a bit. "Okay, not a date date. You know what I mean."

"See you in a few! Order me a caffè mocha, and I'm buying both of ours when I get there," waved Ladybug, leaping up to the roof.

Nathalie expected to find Gabriel in an extremely foul mood as he ascended from his hidden lair... she readied herself for an explosive outburst. She was somewhat flabbergasted to see him not only not furious, but smiling.

"What happened?" she asked. "You did not sound happy down there. Did... you win, somehow?"

"You should know better than to even ask that question, Nathalie," Gabriel replied, with a small smile. "Walk with me, please. I have some theories about what I just witnessed, and I would greatly appreciate your assistance as my sounding board. I trust your judgment as to whether I am on the right track, though I am sure that I am."

"As you wish," Nathalie replied, joining him in a walk to his private office at the rear of the mansion.

Atop the grocery store, Ladybug called, "Spots off!" and plopped down on the roof. "Whew!" Marinette panted. "THAT was a rush."

"A very near miss is what it was," noted Tikki, as she accepted a macaron from Marinette. "A handful of very near misses, actually. Do you want to talk about it before you and Chat talk about it?"

"I think I'm all right... I mostly just want to talk with Chat about Adrien. Chat knows him, too; maybe he can help me keep an eye on him," replied Marinette. "Also, he was awesome back there against Blindside and he needs to hear that from me."

"Oh, I agree! If he hadn't been there, you'd have been in deep trouble. That was a clever gimmick Hawkmoth came up with," said Tikki. And for someone who'd just run through two dozen emotions in two hours, then had his crush rescue him from a bathroom stall... he did absolutely fantastic, she thought to herself.

"In comic books, Superman is the definitive archetype of the superhero," began Gabriel. "He is generally invulnerable... as my tiny nemesis seems to be, all too often... but his friends and family are anything but. How does he work around this?"

Nathalie's face fell. "I knew this day would come... I feared it, really," she replied.

"I beg your pardon?" asked Gabriel, looking rather puzzled.

"You're taking cues from comic books. You're going to shave your head bald and start dressing in bright purple and green," lamented Nathalie. "I do not look good in that shade of purple, Gabriel."

Her employer chuckled, appreciating her joke. "Allow me to ease your troubled mind, Nathalie," he smiled. "My won-loss record may be similar to Lex Luthor's. My fashion sense is immeasurably superior."

"Fair enough," Nathalie replied, smiling as well. "So how does this relate, then?"

"Jimmy Olsen was one of Superman's most endangered friends. He had enough wit and curiosity to get himself into trouble over and over again. So Superman gave young Mr. Olsen a signal watch; should he find himself in mortal peril, he had only to press a button to emit a frequency and alert Superman to come and rescue him," Gabriel continued. "And I suspect, after today's encounter, that we find ourselves in a somewhat analogous situation."

Nathalie held her hands out, silently asking, Which is?

"The other day, I sent an Akuma out after Adrien. Before it could touch him... Ladybug came to his defense and captured it. Coincidence? I wondered about that. Just now, I sent a second one after Adrien. My son was emotional and troubled, hiding in a school bathroom, all alone. And yet, when my Akuma got near him, who was standing two meters away, protecting him like a lioness with her cub?"

"Ladybug was there again." Nathalie began to see the light. "Before Akumatization. When she should have no idea that it had even taken flight."

"Precisely!" smiled Gabriel. "What does this suggest to you, Nathalie?"

She put the facts together in her head. "That... Adrien may have some method of contacting Ladybug. Or contacting Ladybug's secret identity, whether he knows it or not... or both? And that she is close enough to him, both geographically and relationship-wise, to come running when he calls and to arrive in the nick of time."

"I concur," Gabriel agreed. "It is possible that after the first attempt, she decided to simply follow him around in case I would target him again... but that seems unlikely. It is more probable that he made a phone call, or sent a text message, or was given some signal device by Ladybug. I suspect the latter; Ladybug is sophisticated enough that she wouldn't just give him her phone number, even if today's adolescents seem to live and die by their cell phones."

"Should I attempt to get more information from him, and see what slips out?" asked Nathalie.

"No, not yet. We have too many gaps to fill in this narrative before taking action," cautioned Gabriel. "We do not know how much Adrien knows about Ladybug, or how close they actually are. It is certainly possible that he is largely innocent in this matter, in which case we would resume our original plan."

He folded his hands, with a sinister smile. "But should it turn out that he has a substantial connection with Ladybug, a close friendship... or potentially more?" he smirked. "What... interesting possibilities that might have!"

Ladybug entered the Starbucks, a little nervously. I hope that the customers don't mob us! Maybe this wasn't the smartest place to pick, out in public like this...

To her surprise, the barista waved her over as she entered, matter-of-factly pushing forward cups labeled LADYBUG and CHAT. Ladybug paid for the drinks and carried them over to a back table, where Chat greeted her with a smile.

"That was surprisingly normal..." ventured Ladybug, as she took her seat.

"I told the staff that we were cosplayers from a convention up the street," explained Chat. "They see that kind of thing all the time around here. The barista liked my outfit, but gave me a couple of tips on making it more realistic."

Ladybug giggled loudly at that. "Well, she would know, right?" she laughed. "I've considered some alterations to my own suit once in a while. Maybe working in some black panels to add a little contrast."

Chat considered the mental picture. "I like that idea! And maybe some ornamental wings on the back..."

"Oh, yeah. Something else for villains to grab onto. Great idea," mocked Ladybug. "I still don't know how you don't get your tail yanked on a regular basis..."

"Fastest hips in the business," grinned Chat, shaking his rear in his seat, getting an eye-roll and a small laugh from his lady. "Thank you, by the way," he added as he picked up his cup.

"Thank YOU!" she replied, very warmly. "You were incredible back there with Blindside, and you saved me twice! I was in real trouble. It's a good thing that I have the best partner I could ever ask for."

"As if I could ever let you come to harm," replied Chat, softly.

"It's appreciated, Kitty. I need to let you know that more often, I think, because you deserve it," Ladybug said. "That was one reason I asked you here today. The other is someone we both know. You're friends with Adrien Agreste, right?"

"Are you all right, Chat?" asked Ladybug, watching Chat choking slightly on some mis-swallowed coffee.

"Y-yeah... m'okay... a little just went down the wrong pipe," he gasped, regaining his composure. Once he got his breath back, he replied, "Yes, I know Adrien. We don't, like, hang out together, but we've crossed paths. He's a good guy."

"He really is; he's one of my favorite people. But right now, he's hurting... badly," replied Ladybug, in a sad voice. "You were very nearly fighting him just now, instead of Blindside."

"That bad, huh?" asked Chat, taking another sip, trying hard not to let his face betray anything. This is crazy! he thought. First I talked with her about Chat as Adrien, and now about Adrien as Chat! Sometimes I've wondered if she's ever thinking about me, but this is bordering on surreal...

"It's bad. I don't want to say too much, I was told about it in confidence... you understand?" she said, hesitantly. "But he's had two Akumas aimed at him this week, including the one we just fought, over issues he's having at home. I was really lucky that I was nearby both times; I caught the first one, just before it got him, and talked him down the second time."

A realization hit her, and Chat watched her face fall. "Oh... that wasn't very smart of me just now. I should've let the Akuma get closer and tried to catch it; instead, I was so wrapped up in protecting Adrien that I let it get away, and it hurt someone else!"

"Honestly? I don't think that lady minded all that much. From the way she reacted afterwards, I think she enjoys having the story to tell!" smiled Chat, trying to make her feel better. "It was a judgment call. And we won the fight, just like we always do."

"I know... but I should be better than that," Ladybug moped.

Chat took another sip of his drink, and weighed his words carefully. "Adrien's... someone you care about, isn't he?" he ventured.

Ladybug looked up at Chat and tried hard to judge if there was any hurting or jealousy behind what he'd asked. There didn't seem to be, but she still felt that she needed to be tactful.

"I don't make a lot of friends as Ladybug. I meet lots of nice people, but it's rare that anyone gets past the surface with me, because of the identity thing. I mean, look at us!", she pointed out. "You're very dear to me and we've never even done this before. Maybe we should make this more of a habit."

"I wouldn't complain," smiled Chat. "Though I understand that fight's-over, only-have-less-than-five-minutes, gotta-run feeling, too."

"Yeah," she agreed. "Anyway... I've met Adrien several times, and he's definitely a friend. He's very sweet, and it kills me to see him hurting like this. It almost makes me hope another Akuma hits his father, just so I'd have an excuse to knock some sense back into him."

"I know that feeling," mumbled Chat, then realized Ladybug was looking at him strangely. "My father and I have... some issues, too," he explained.

"If you ever need to vent..." offered Ladybug. "Whatever you can say without giving away your identity, I'd be here to listen."

"I appreciate that. If it gets to that point, I might take you up on that." Chat gave her a sincere smile. "That's why I have the best partner I could ever ask for."

"I bet you say that to all the Ladybugs," she grinned. "But anyway... just something to watch out for. Any time we can stop one of these Akumas before it starts, that's a good thing, right? So if you happen to talk with Adrien, do what you can to give him a boost, okay? He could use all the friendly faces he can get right now."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the heads-up," said Chat. He finished off his drink and added, "I probably should head back to... where I was... but I really liked just hanging out with you as friends, Ladybug. Can we do this again another time?"

"I'd like that," Ladybug said, a little shyly. "We'll work something out, okay?"

The heroes left the coffee shop and headed off in different directions. Ladybug headed to the back of the school, transformed back, and slipped through the door.

It's later than I thought, she grimaced. I bet I'm in trouble.

She made her way down to the hallway where Ms. Bustier's classroom was... and ran into Adrien, heading to the same place from the opposite end of the hall.  Both of them stopped in their tracks as the situation became clear.

"H-hi!" he called, nervously. "What are you doing here? Are you all right, Marinette?"

Think fast, Marinette! You shouldn't be here now, and you shouldn't know where he was earlier!

"I... are you all right, Adrien? I saw you leaving class, so I went looking for you... then there was an Akuma, and I was so worried that it was aimed at you... and then I couldn't find you afterwards..." she stammered, trying to seem convincing. "If what we talked about earlier had caused it, I don't know what I would've..."

"No! Trust me, it wasn't that," he assured her, concern obvious in his eyes. "Talking with you today is probably what kept it from coming after me, Marinette."

Inside, she smiled a little at that. If only you knew how true that was, Adrien.

"But I was worried about you... I thought that I might've really hurt you this morning," he continued. They sat down together against a wall outside the classroom for a moment. "You were so caring with me, so honest, and there I was, a big lump barely reacting to you."

"And you can stop that right now, Adrien," she replied, with a flash of spirit. "I know how numb and hurt you're feeling; that's why I reached out to you in the first place. And we said we weren't going to try to... figure things out yet, right? Not until you're yourself again."

"That's probably the smart way. Not that I always do things the smart way," smiled Adrien.

The bell rang, and students came flying out of the classrooms around them. "Maybe we should get our stuff and talk about things later, before we miss any more class time," offered Marinette, to which Adrien agreed.

The pair entered Ms. Bustier's room, shyly... and found their belongings set aside on a table on the far side of the room. Their teacher looked up at them with questioning eyes. "Are you two okay?" she asked, quietly.

"Yeah... I think we are," Adrien said, gathering their things up. "I'm sorry I disappeared like that. I had some things in my head that I had to work out."

Marinette blurted, "And I knew about them, and I felt like I needed to help."

"I understand that. But I also need you to understand that bailing on three classes in a row isn't acceptable behavior," Ms. Bustier replied, calmly. "I could write both of you up for three days' detention, but I'll knock it down to one, because it was for a good cause. But the next time you need some time like that, come to me, don't just disappear, okay?"

"Thank you. That's more than fair," nodded Adrien. "And I will next time."

"Are you all right with that, Marinette?" her teacher asked, giving her a meaningful glance.

"I am," she answered. "I did the crime, I'll do the time."

"Good. Now, scoot, before your next teacher isn't so understanding," Ms. Bustier smiled.

Out in the hallway, Marinette and Adrien looked at each other. "I'm sorry that I got you into this..." they both said at once, then shared a laugh.

"I think it was worth it," Marinette smiled.

"I agree," said Adrien. "And now we get an extra hour after school tomorrow to, er, not figure things out yet."

Marinette giggled, "Well, as long as we're going to be there together, anyway... that sounds like a plan."

They waved, each heading off to their next class before the bell rang again...

...and Marinette let out a long breath that she felt like she'd been holding in all morning.

A few hours later, Marinette arrived home. She greeted her father in the bakery as usual, then went upstairs.

In the kitchen, her mother was sitting at the table, with a magazine in one hand and a cup of chamomile tea in front of her. Another cup was in front of the seat across from her, steam still coming off of it.

"It's like you know me," smiled Marinette, taking a seat.

"After fourteen years, shouldn't I?" her mother chuckled. "How did it go?"

Marinette thunked her head down on the knit placemat in front of her, lightly. "Some of it, very well. Some of it, I need a vacation."

With her mother's encouragement, she began a somewhat-edited version of her morning...

"I can't believe that I told him that," lamented Marinette. "Not now! But it just slipped out."

"What you told him," her mother noted, "sounds like something that he already knew. That he's very dear to your heart."

"But how would he..." Marinette began, then nodded. "Yeah, he should've known that and more by now, even if I've been too scared to say it plainly... and I only kind of half-said it today. And his reaction... Mom, it was the strangest thing."

Sabine nodded for her to elaborate.

"When I told him to his face how wonderful I know he is... I think I hit him with an emotional truck. He just... locked up. And I get that; like he told me a moment later, he's overwhelmed by everything right now, and I hadn't even meant to do that to him," continued Marinette. "But then when I started tearing up... it was like a light switch flicked on in his head! He was right next to me, so concerned, so sweet, saying such wonderful things to me. He responded so strongly, right after not just saying that he couldn't but showing that he couldn't!"

"If he stops and thinks about it... he's not sure how he feels. If he sees you in distress, he knows how he feels and he acts on it. I know what that tells me," her mother replied.

"What's that?" asked Marinette, suppressing a sniffle.

"That he's fourteen. And he's still learning how to do all of this, just like you are."

And that I'd better get used to setting an extra place at the dinner table, Sabine thought. Because it's only a matter of time before these two will be inseparable...

"Detention?"

Nathalie's voice sounded equally surprised and annoyed.

"It wasn't my fault, really. I got separated during the Akuma attack, and -" Adrien tried to explain.

"Detention..."

"It's only an hour."

"You do realize what your father's going to say, right?" asked Nathalie.

"If you tell him."

"Of course I'm going to tell him!" snapped Nathalie. "Why would I not?"

Not NOW, Adrien grumbled, internally. I'm riding the emotional rollercoaster again, can't you see that, Nathalie? I just had another absolutely insane morning!

I bared my soul to a friend and then hurt her feelings. I don't care what Marinette said, I know that I did, and she's determined not to admit it to spare MY feelings. I only escaped an Akuma because Ladybug dropped everything and came and talked me down in a high school bathroom. I saved my lady, feeling like I did something right for a change, I got to sit down and just spend some pleasant time with Ladybug for once, and even my teacher was understanding. And my reward is to come home and get snapped at, AGAIN, with a promise of so much more to come and nothing I can say can stop it?

Nuts to THIS.

"Because it's one hour out of my day?" sighed Adrien, wearily. "Because I'm fourteen years old, and I'm allowed to make a mistake once in a while, even though this time I really don't think that I did? Because I had an AKUMA come after me today? Did you know that? How about this? Because I really don't care right now whether you tell him or not, but if you don't, we'll have a little less yelling in this house for a change?"

Nathalie stared at him, stunned by the uncharacteristic anger and defiance building up in Adrien's voice. She struggled for a response...

"How about if I tell him?" a voice intoned, as footsteps echoed in the hallway. "Perhaps that would save quite a bit of time."

Adrien didn't even look up in his direction. "Yes, Father, please do that. That'd be lovely."

"You will remove that sarcasm from your voice immediately, Adrien," Gabriel ordered.

"Or?"

Nathalie took a step back, with an Oh-h-h-h-h! look on her face. This is unprecedented, she thought.

"Or?" Gabriel repeated, with an intense stare. "This is your intention, then?"

"I didn't intend for any of this, Father... but I know what's inevitable right now. I can smile sweetly and get yelled at, or I can sulk and get yelled at, because once again I was less than utterly perfect. And with the day I've had, I'd rather sulk."

Gabriel stood silently for about ten seconds. When he spoke, his voice wasn't much above a growl.

"Yes, you will be yelled at. No, I have not decided yet whether it should be now or later. So, while I am making that decision, go to your room. Leave your computer and your phone off; this will not be playtime for you."

Without a word, without looking directly at his father, Adrien stomped out of the room and began marching up the stairs. At the last step, a voice thundered through the room.

"ADRIEN!" his father shouted.

Adrien turned and looked back at his father, expectantly...

"I have decided. It will be later."

Gabriel turned away and faced Nathalie, waiting patiently for the sound of a door slamming. He was not disappointed.

Nathalie exhaled loudly, looking frustrated. "I am not enjoying any of this, Gabriel," she muttered. "I understand the need, but this house is becoming a pressure cooker."

"I know," Gabriel grimaced. "One way or another, this must end soon."

Marinette made it through dinner in one piece; still worried about Adrien, of course, but both parents understood her reasons for her crime against school truancy rules. "I don't know how the bakery will survive without you for an hour..." moaned Tom, until Sabine elbowed him in the ribs and got them all laughing instead.

After dinner, the family was watching television together when Marinette's phone beeped:

[Adrien] Just wanted to let you know... if I'm not in school tomorrow, there's no reason for you to worry.

"Uh-oh," Marinette gulped. "Something's up. Do you mind if I..."

"Go, by all means," Tom smiled. "Tell him we said hello."

Upstairs, Marinette plopped down on her bed, suspecting that this might take a while.

[Marinette] And why is that?

[Adrien] I just got an earful about tomorrow's detention. If he's that mad about it, maybe I'll just be somewhere else tomorrow.

[Adrien] And see what he thinks about that.

Marinette turned to Tikki and showed her the conversation. "I don't like the sound of this," she told her Kwami.

"Me, neither," Tikki said. "He's more angry than depressed now, it sounds like, but that's still setting him up to be targeted."

[Marinette] I'm not going to tell you what to do... but don't you think that might make things worse?

[Adrien] Very probably. But right now I don't really care.

[Adrien] I just don't want _you_ to worry, okay? I'm not running away from home or anything. I promise I'll keep in touch.

"What do you think, Tikki?" asked Marinette. "Anything we should do to stop this? I understand his mood, but I'd love to improve it."

Another message came in:

[Adrien] I'm supposed to have my phone off, but I needed to let you know before Daddy Dearest takes it away.

[Marinette] Just be careful, okay? I'll be watching this like a hawk, in case you need a lifeline.

[Adrien] You are always _so sweet_ to me. I do notice that, just so you know.

There was a pause... followed by something else Marinette wasn't expecting to read:

[Adrien] ...Wish you were here.

With a little gasp - he DOES? - she typed back:

[Marinette] Me, too.

Marinette turned to Tikki, with a determined expression. "You do know that you're not going to stop me, right?" she said.

"On the contrary... I'm going to help you," replied Tikki. She laughed at Marinette's surprised face. "What, you didn't think I'd agree that Adrien needs a friend right now? And there's only one way for us to get you to him tonight."

Quickly, Marinette packed a small bag with a few light supplies, then grinned at Tikki. "Operation: Where Did That Come From is ready to go. Tikki... SPOTS ON!"

Adrien shut his phone off, then handed it to Nathalie, standing there with her hand out to receive it. "You'll get this back in the morning," Nathalie explained. "You brought this on yourself, you understand?"

"Sure. Whatever." He slumped down in his desk chair. "Do you want to pull the computer's power cord out, too?" he asked, snidely.

"All right, Adrien. Maybe you'll get this back in the morning, at the rate you're going," frowned Nathalie. "And, no, I won't go that far, but I'll trust you not to turn it on. Play fair with me and I'll play fair with you."

"Uh-huh. Good night, then," Adrien muttered, as Nathalie walked out the door and closed it behind her. He paused for a moment, then snarled, "Do you believe this, Plagg? It's like I'm six years old again."

"You told your dad off when you were six? Huh. I didn't picture that," mused Plagg.

"Ha, ha. He acted more like a father back then." Adrien stood up, aimed a half-hearted kick at the chair and sent it skittering a short distance, then walked over near the foosball table. "I'm tempted to transform and go out that window right now, and not come back until I feel like it."

"Well, um... I kind of think they'll be checking on you tonight, just to make sure your computer's off, right? That's a good way to get them even madder. Your dad might put bars on the windows, or something like that," Plagg replied. He started to add something else... but stopped himself, blinking, trying to make sure that he was seeing what he thought he was seeing behind Adrien's back.

Is that... TIKKI?

Plagg tried not to be overly obvious about it, while following Tikki's flight path with his eyes. She looked at him and mimed Shhhh! with a finger to her lips, and busied herself placing some small objects around the room.

"What is it, Plagg?" Adrien asked. "You look... distracted."

"Me? Nah. I'm, er... um... just thinking about your piano playing. You could get some practice time in, while you're doing nothing," Plagg grinned.

Adrien looked at him, looking disgusted. "You really think I want to practice my piano now? Maybe get my next sonata just perfect, and make Father so happy? And what's so funny, anyway?"

"Just... go play your piano, Adrien," said Plagg, doing his best to keep a straight face but failing.

"Fine," shrugged Adrien, still looking disgruntled. "If you say so. Plagg, you may be a fountain of wisdom from ancient times, but sometimes you just don't make any... sense?"

His voice trailed off, anger turning into wonder...

Resting on the keys of the piano, he found an assortment of tiny squares of paper with colored pencil drawings on them. Some of them were smiley-faces, some were little hearts... and the rest were ladybugs, no two exactly the same.

"What in the world?" Adrien marveled.

Plagg took the opportunity to make a beeline for Tikki, whom he found hiding behind the globe near Adrien's bed for the moment. "Tikki?! What the heck are you doing here?" Plagg hissed, as quietly as he could.

"Getting Adrien out of this foul mood, any way we can!" whispered Tikki.

"We?" wondered Plagg, before his eyes lit up when Tikki gestured at the row of outside windows, one of which was slightly open. "Oh! Oh oh oh! I got it."

"Do you want to help?" asked Tikki.

"To mess with Adrien? Of course! This'll be funny as hell," he grinned.

"Good! Cover for my movements, then take cover yourself!" Tikki smiled, then darted across the room. "You might have company soon."

Plagg flew up next to Adrien, admiring Tikki's handiwork.

"Plagg... what did you do?" Adrien asked, dumbfounded. He picked up a couple of the tiny drawings, seeing that they were all hand-made.

"I didn't do anything," swore Plagg. "You've seen my handwriting, or lack thereof. Do you think I could, or would sit around drawing little hearts and ladybugs for you?"

"No, that wouldn't be like you at all," reasoned Adrien. "But then... where the heck did these come from?"

"Good question. I thought I was the only thousands-of-years-old spirit in this house," Plagg offered. "Is anything else around here different?" He looked over towards the dresser, then gasped, "Why, yes! Something is!" a bit too theatrically.

Adrien followed Plagg's eyes to his dresser, and scanned it quickly... He laughed out loud when he found a paper label stretched along the bottom of his mirror, with an arrow pointing upwards and the phrase INSERT AWESOME HERE next to it.

"Is this... Plagg, is this some secret power of Ladybug's that I didn't know about?" He paused briefly, with a pleasant realization. "Or is she here somewhere?"

Quickly, his eyes darted to all corners of the room, then up around the ceiling. He opened his closet door, then rummaged under his bedsheets. Unsurprisingly, as with most teenage boys in his situation, searching his room failed to turn up any teenage girls in skintight outfits waiting for him.

Plagg zipped into Adrien's shirt pocket, quickly. "What are you doing?" Adrien asked.

"Getting out of sight, in case she does turn up!" the Kwami replied.

"Good thinking," said Adrien. He got up from looking around the bed... and there, on one of his pillows, he found a small, folded-up note with a ladybug sticker on it.

How is she DOING this? Adrien wondered to himself. And how do I get her to keep doing it?

He unfolded the note, and read:

Dear Adrien,

I was thinking about you and how our morning went today, and how much happier you looked after we talked. I'm so glad that I could help you get to a better place, because that's where I need you to be. The world is so much dimmer without your warm smile lighting it up.

Pleasant dreams, I hope!

Watching over you,

- LB

Tikki zipped out the window and down to an eagerly awaiting Marinette. "Did it work?" Marinette asked, anxiously.

"Like a charm! He went from kicking his desk chair to full pink clouds in sixty seconds," grinned Tikki. "You have to see his face!"

"You know, I think I will!" smiled Marinette. "Spots on!"

Adrien scanned the room, frantically. "Ladybug... if you're here... please come out!" he said, quietly, trying not to be overheard.

He ran up the staircase, checking near his library shelves... down again, and into his bathroom... under his sofa... Don't be a moron, Adrien, she wouldn't fit under the sofa, even as tiny as she is...

A giggle in the vicinity seized his attention. He whirled around, trying to find its source...

At his window, he saw the top of a dark-haired head, a red-and-black domino mask and two blue eyes shining at him. He heard the giggle again, and the head quickly dropped out of sight.

"I saw that!" Adrien called, and ran towards the window. As he reached it, a slim figure flipped up onto the narrow balcony on the other side of the window.

"Knock, knock," Ladybug beamed.

Next time:

* "I like what you've done with the place."

* "...Am I hallucinating?"

* A slight change of heart.

* "Did you bring enough for the whole class?"

* "This is where I either get a status update, or my head falls off."

And more!

Chapter Text

Adrien stood staring at his window and at the smiling red-and-black figure just behind it. He couldn't imagine what the expression on his face looked like at that moment... but Ladybug seemed to be enjoying it, whatever it was.

"Hi," she said, in a giggly voice. "Are you busy right now?" I can't believe I'm doing this, she thought, a little bit of nervousness inside her surfacing.

"Not even remotely," he replied. "Please, come inside!"

Adrien opened the window the rest of the way and Ladybug stepped inside, with a warm smile on her face threatening to become an ear-to-ear grin at any moment. "Thank you," she cooed. "Such a gentleman!"

"Well, I'm not in the habit of leaving ladies waiting at my window... though I only know of one who doesn't use the front door." Adrien returned the window to being open just a crack, then turned back to Ladybug. "And only one who can leave little surprises for me without being seen. If you weren't in here already... how did you do that? First in my school bag, now in my room...!"

"Oh... a girl has to have some secrets, doesn't she?" beamed Ladybug, rather proud of herself. "But let's just say that I had a little help."

Adrien looked dumbfounded, unable to connect the dots immediately. For some odd reason, he was a little distracted. My father wouldn't have done that... or Nathalie...

He shook it off. Another time, he thought. Focus, you idiot! She's HERE!

"However you did it, it was just what I needed. I'd just had a fight with Nathalie and my father, I came up here, I was pretty much grounded for the night... and all of a sudden, the most wonderful decorator had been hard at work cheering me up, right under my nose." Adrien gave her a smile that made her toes feel warm inside her costume. "I couldn't believe my eyes! Thank you so much."

"I wouldn't say that I needed to decorate much. I like what you've done with the place," grinned Ladybug, gesturing around her. "There's everything here that a young man could want."

Not everything, thought Adrien. Until right now.

"So... I'm delighted to see you, but what brings you here tonight?" he asked, covering for that last thought. "Something I can help you with? Is there an Akuma?"

"Not that I know of," said Ladybug, sitting down on Adrien's sofa. "At least, I hope not... part of why I'm here is making sure that there isn't. You've been targeted twice this week, you had a really rough day today, and your father has been very hard on you lately. I wanted to try and help avoid a third time, if I could."

"That makes sense," Adrien replied, feeling slightly disappointed. I mean, it's still awesome that she came here and all, but... "What's the other part?" he asked her.

Adrien watched Ladybug as he spoke, and wasn't sure that he believed what he saw. She's looking away a little bit, like she's nervous... is she blushing a little?

"Well... because you had a really rough day today, and I was worried about you. I wanted to see you, Adrien," said Ladybug, in something of a shy voice. "I hope that's all right."

"I..."

He looked at her, and she looked at him.

Her smile crept a little wider... and so did his.

"You're grinning," Adrien said.

"You're grinning," Ladybug replied.

They both laughed a little at that. Adrien answered, "Well... you're here! That's enough reason for me."

"Oh, it's not like I've never been here before," she noted. "I've been in here a few times."

"On a mission, sure. Like, that time my father was Akumatized, or when Volpina first showed up. Or when you dropped me off the other night. But we've never, just, like, you know... hung out together, have we?"

Ladybug thought for a second. "I don't think we have," she agreed. "And I can't stay half the night or anything, or my parents will be wondering. And yours, I'm sure! But if you'd like some company for a while..."

"I would like nothing more," Adrien answered, very quickly. He paused, and laughed to himself briefly.

"What is it?" Ladybug asked.

"It's nothing, really... but, just, hearing you say 'my parents' like that. I mean, of course you have parents! You're about my age, right?" Adrien smiled. "I know, I know, never ask a lady her age... But we look like we're pretty close, maybe in the same year in school."

He walked over and joined her on the sofa, keeping a friendly distance. "I'm so used to seeing you as Ladybug, the Superheroine of Paris, the larger-than-life powerhouse in a tiny package, bravely risking her life to save us all..." he intoned, his voice growing melodramatic to the point where Ladybug raised an eyebrow, playfully.

"Stop, you," she giggled. "I'm just..."

"You're a normal person underneath, I know. I'm reminding myself of that. I'd never want to say 'just' about you," he added.

"Heh. That's not a bad thing, is it?" Ladybug asked, feeling curious. "That I'm not a strange visitor from another planet, I'm just a schoolgirl with a life and problems like anyone else?"

"Not for a second," Adrien replied, without hesitation. "If anything, I'd love to know so much more about that side of you. Though I know you're very limited in what you can tell me, of course."

"And I'll have to be careful," she smiled, shyly. "Because I bet you could pry an awful lot out of me."

"So..." Adrien began, nervously. "Can I get you anything?" He paused, then wondered aloud, "Can I get you anything? I'm not supposed to leave my room..."

"Don't worry about that, I'm fine," Ladybug reassured him. "I ate before I came over, and I didn't exactly give you a lot of warning."

"Still, I hate to be an ungracious host..." worried Adrien.

"So what was it that got you confined here? I know your father's been a pain lately, but this is new, isn't it?" she asked him, to distract him away from that.

"Yeah, it is. I got detention at school today... I took my time after we, uh, met to gather my thoughts, and I skipped a couple of classes," he explained. "Nathalie got snippy with me about it, and was going to run straight to my father to tell him. I got sarcastic with her, then Dad walked in and got on my case, and I snapped at him, too. He did not like that."

"I bet. Was it worth it?" asked Ladybug.

"You know what? I think it was," Adrien replied, after thinking about it for a second. "I mean, I'd always rather avoid a fight than start one. But as far as I'm concerned, they started this one, and I defended myself for once. Maybe I did go a little too far."

"I wasn't there, so I can't say that for sure... but you weren't getting nasty, were you? You don't seem the type to hit below the belt deliberately."

"No, nothing personal. But I was defiant, and Dad's really not used to anyone not just accepting his authority. Especially me," mused Adrien. "I mean, I do it sometimes, like when I sneak out because I need some time on my own... but almost never to his face."

"I can kind of relate to that. Like, my parents and I get along great, almost always... but there are times that I have to go behind their backs because of this," Ladybug replied, gesturing to her costume. "And that's gotten me in trouble. They get that look on their faces where they're not so much angry as... disappointed. And that hurts worse."

"I kind of miss those days. My father used to be a lot like that. Now he seems like he prefers to do both at once," Adrien sighed. He looked up at Ladybug with a small smile and added, "I was almost ready to go too far on purpose, afterwards; I was thinking of skipping school tomorrow entirely. 'You don't like me in detention, Father? Fine, I won't be in it.' But I talked with a friend of mine and she helped me realize how bad of an idea that was."

Ladybug gauged her words carefully. "Yeah, I don't know if I would go that far. That's a good way to get suspended instead, and you don't want to give your father an excuse to yank you out of public school, do you?"

"Definitely not!" he agreed. "That'd put an end to my feeling like a normal person."

Ladybug looked thoughtful. "Though, in another way, I do feel good about you pushing back some against your father and Nathalie," she continued. "They've been going way over the line lately, right?"

"You know it," Adrien said.

"Then this is a way of letting them know that," Ladybug argued. "You don't express a lot of anger, from what I know of you; you tend to bottle it up. This is your way of telling your father, 'Hey, you're being unreasonable,' and that's unusual enough for you that maybe they'll think, 'Wow, if Adrien's angry and pushing back, maybe I am going too far. That's not like him.'"

Adrien nodded, seeing her logic.

"Or he may just say, 'Wow, Adrien's being defiant, I need to double down on discipline,'" shrugged Ladybug. "That all depends on him, which is why I'd take it slow for now. A little rebellion goes a long way sometimes."

She fought the impulse to ask another question, and the impulse won. "...Who was the friend who talked you out of it, by the way?" she asked him.

"Who else?" smiled Adrien, sheepishly. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng again. You and she have been my lifelines through all of this."

"Good," Ladybug said, feeling very pleased. "She's a good friend."

"She's more than that," replied Adrien, in a tone of voice that she couldn't quite place.

She... is?

Ladybug tried not to let her face betray what four little words had just done to her brain.

Marinette, you came here to make him feel better, not to stir things up! she ordered herself. Change the subject!

"So... I didn't mean to pry," she said, a bit nervously.

"No, it's fine! I needed to talk things out," Adrien said. "You're right; I do bottle things up. Sometimes far too much."

"Let's get your mind off of that, then, and do something fun," Ladybug smiled. "Just how grounded are you, anyway?"

"Nathalie took my phone, and said to keep my computer off, too," shrugged Adrien. "Beyond that, she didn't say anything else was off-limits." He gestured around the room, and added, mockingly, "Poor boy's got nothing else to play with," making Ladybug giggle. "I could put in a movie, or something like that. What kinds do you like to watch?"

"Well... I'm not into horror movies," Ladybug began.

"Hold on. Ladybug, the fearless protector of Paris, gets scared by ghosts and boogeymen?" laughed Adrien. "After some of the things you fight?"

"Hey!" replied Ladybug, also laughing. "I know they can't come out of the screen and get me, or anything like that! That's just... not my kind of movie."

"All right, then, what would you rather?" He gestured to his shelves on the second floor and said, "Between what's up there and streaming services, I bet I can find just about anything."

"A good comedy, maybe? We could both use one of those."

"Hmmm," answered Adrien, with a calculating smile. "I could go old-school with that. Do you know your Marx Brothers movies?"

"I know of them, but I've never watched any of them," admitted Ladybug.

"Perfect! Sit tight for a second, I'll be right back," grinned Adrien, rushing up the stairs to where his DVDs were shelved.

A short while later, Nathalie stood outside the door of Adrien's room, listening intently.

If I didn't know better, I'd swear that he was talking to someone just now, she thought. But I took his phone, and if his computer's off, he can't video-chat anybody.

Quietly, she opened the door just a crack, to see if Adrien had turned his computer on after all. He hadn't. Scanning the rest of the room, she saw the television on, and reasoned for a moment that it was where the voice had come from... then gasped with surprise, covering her mouth, when she saw a girl's head sitting next to him on the sofa.

That little SCAMP! she thought. He's grounded and he thinks that he can have company? Alone with a girl in his room, no less?

Nathalie closed the door again, to gather her thoughts and plan her attack. The first question that jumped into her mind, of course, was How did he MANAGE that?

"There's no way that whoever that is could've come in through the front door. I'd have seen her; I was right by there for the last hour," she mumbled to herself. "He didn't come downstairs to let her in through either of the back doors; we would've heard the garage door open..."

She edged the door open again, a little wider, to get a better look. Dark hair, pigtails. That may well be the baker girl. If it is, we may have to include her in our plans after all. But how did she - WHAT?

The girl adjusted her position slightly, lifting up a little bit and turning towards Adrien to say something... and Nathalie swore that she saw a domino mask on the girl's face and a red-and-black neck and shoulders coming into view.

Am I hallucinating?

Is Adrien watching a movie with LADYBUG?

The door closed once more, as silently as Nathalie could manage. She stepped away from Adrien's room and sent a frantic text message:

[Nathalie] We have an EMERGENCY. Come meet me outside of Adrien's room at once.

His response was immediate:

[Gabriel] What is going on? Is he all right? Has something happened?

[Nathalie] He's fine. Actually, he's quite happy at the moment.

[Nathalie] But you're _really_ going to want to see this.

"Bahahahahaha!" cackled Ladybug, as Harpo Marx made a shambles of a passport-inspection station with a stamper and a manic grin.

Adrien stole a glance at her, and felt very warm inside. Ladybug had her feet tucked underneath her and her hands in her lap, sitting half-sideways so as to see either the screen or himself with ease. She was clearly loving the movie, and seemed completely relaxed being there with him.

I can't get over how natural this feels, he smiled to himself. It's the first time we've done this together, and it feels as if we've been close friends all year.

She turned and grinned at him, then busted up laughing again as Groucho approached an unconscious woman and quipped, "Sure, I'm a doctor - where's the horse?"

Even if we just stay friends like this... it's delightful to see her this happy.

Behind them, silently, the door cracked open once more. This time, a male head poked in and inspected the proceedings.

He retreated, just as quietly, with a startled expression on his face.

"Well?" asked Nathalie, impatient to find out if things were still as she'd left them.

"I can say only one thing for sure..." said Gabriel. "My son has excellent taste in movies."

Ladybug giggled her way through watching Groucho impersonate a cat in his own inimitable style.

Oh, this is exactly what I needed! After all the stress we had today, something silly and hilarious like this can make us both forget our troubles.

She peeked at Adrien, who had a huge grin on his face watching the brothers' antics. Adrien turned and looked at her, as if sensing her gaze, and smiled even a little wider. As he turned back to the TV, he reached his arm behind him for a moment, as if scratching the back of his head nervously.

He is SO cute when he's feeling better, she thought. No wonder I'm working so hard to keep him that way...

"Gabriel, what should we do?" hissed Nathalie, waving Gabriel farther away from the door, lest they be overheard.

"Do? I would say, at this moment, we will do nothing," whispered Gabriel. "You saw the two of them. Assuming that she is the real Ladybug - and I cannot imagine how anyone else could have entered via the window - does she have the slightest inclination at the moment to hunt anyone down?"

"Well... no," Nathalie admitted.

"On the contrary, she appears to be here for a different reason entirely; to spend time with my son," Gabriel smiled. "Not that I can blame her, of course; Adrien is quite the charmer when he wishes to be."

"You are remarkably calm about this, Gabriel," marveled Nathalie. "Your arch-nemesis is in your own house - this close to your hidden lair, and to Emilie - and making time with your son. Isn't that a whole set of disasters waiting to happen?"

"Perhaps," he nodded. "Or, let us consider another possibility. My arch-nemesis is in my own house, making time with my son, as you put it. Building up a closer friendship, perhaps into something considerably more charged... Nathalie, we needed Adrien to be in a fragile emotional state. This could be the answer to our dilemma! We should not only ease our emotional manipulation of Adrien for now, but subtly encourage this."

His grin widened. "Imagine it with me. Ladybug feeling secure and comfortable in this house. Our knowing precisely where and when Ladybug will be at certain times, and with whom. A growing bond between them, leaving Ladybug vulnerable when Adrien is in peril... or Adrien in despair when Ladybug is. A perfect target for the Akuma for which we've been preparing him!"

Nathalie stared at Gabriel with a bit of awe. "You, sir... are diabolical."

"You disapprove?" he asked, mildly surprised.

"No, that's meant as a compliment," she assured him. "And once your plan succeeds..."

"...Then my son will have both his mother, restored to him by his father's brilliant master plan, and the love of the young lady beneath Ladybug's costume. Should he still feel so inclined, of course... I would imagine she might need considerable consoling from him in those circumstances, and would fall straight into his arms. Who knows? At that point, with Emilie restored, I might even feel benevolent enough to return her Miraculous to her!"

Gabriel smiled at Nathalie's look of disbelief. "All right. That is not very likely," he conceded. He then walked down the hallway quietly, motioning for Nathalie to follow. "Come. I have much to consider... and many plans to weave."

As the movie ended, Adrien looked over at Ladybug, who appeared to be delighted. "If I didn't know better, I'd say the Marxes have a new fan," he noted.

"Absolutely!" beamed Ladybug. "That movie's older than my parents, but it was hysterical! I loved it."

"Well... not to try and tempt you into a return visit, or anything... but I do happen to have their whole collection on DVD. There are about a dozen movies in all, but they had a run of six in a row that are all just incredible. That one was the second of those," smiled Adrien.

"M-maybe we should make this a regular thing, then. I mean, if you'd want to..." suggested Ladybug, saying it out loud before her nerves could overcome her.

"Could we? I mean, I'd love to," Adrien blurted out, a little more quickly than he'd intended.

They engaged in another impromptu grinning contest, this time adding a trying-not-to-blush category to the scorecard, but once again it ended in a draw.

"I probably should be getting home... I don't want my parents noticing that I've disappeared. But I had a wonderful time tonight, Adrien," Ladybug told him. "I really needed this."

"You have no idea how much I needed this. Or, maybe you do... since you made it happen," beamed Adrien, as he walked her towards the window. "Thank you so much; for the surprises, for staying with me tonight, for this morning, for all week! For so many things. I can't even name them all."

"Believe me, Adrien... I'm happy to do all those things. Let me know when you want to do another movie night, or whatever else, and we'll get together again. But I need two favors from you, okay?"

"Just name them," Adrien replied.

"Number one should be easy; just keep in touch. Especially if you feel like you're slipping again, like this morning," said Ladybug...

...and Adrien's eyes widened. This time she IS blushing! he thought, with some amazement. I'm sure of it!

"...But any time you want to reach out to me is fine," she finished her sentence, a little shyly.

"That... um... goes for me, too," replied Adrien. "You've got my number and my email, and I'll keep my window unlocked just in case."

That got Ladybug giggling again. "Well, I will try to give you some warning next time! If your dad caught me sneaking into your room at night, I can only imagine the security system he'd buy."

I can only imagine how fast I'd learn to disable it, thought Adrien, trying not to turn crimson from the mental picture alone. "What's the second favor?" he asked.

"This one you can do for me tonight," grinned Ladybug. "You found the note on your pillow, right?"

He nodded.

"The pleasant dreams that I mentioned? Have one of those," she winked.

Before she could offer to tuck him in to make sure of it... she tossed her yo-yo, gave him a happy wave, and she was gone.

"That's not going to be a problem," mumbled Adrien, mostly to himself. "I won't be dreaming of anything else for a month. If ever."

Plagg floated out of hiding, marveling at Adrien's half-stunned expression. "You look like you might not sleep for a month. Just lying in your bed, wide awake, night after night, moaning Laaaaadybuuuuug..."

That snapped Adrien out of his trance. "Hey!" he said, coming to a realization. "You have some explaining to do, Plagg. Remember how Ladybug said she had 'a little help' redecorating the room?"

"Yeah?" replied Plagg. "I didn't have anything to do with that, until I was asked to distract you."

"So Ladybug was in here...!"

"Not exactly," Plagg said. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Which is?" asked Adrien, looking confused.

"Who are you talking to right now? Your Kwami! Just like how Ladybug has one. She floated right through the wall when you weren't looking," grinned Plagg.

Adried nodded. "Okay, that makes more sense," he replied, but then looked stunned again. "Plagg... are you telling me that Ladybug was standing under my window for a while, without her costume, while her Kwami was leaving surprises for me?"

"Yup."

So I was _that_ close to finding out, if I'd only known...!

"I've said it before, but I don't know if I've ever meant it more... it's a good thing that my father doesn't have security cameras outside my room."

Ladybug popped the hatch to her room, made sure that the room was unoccupied, then slipped inside silently and transformed back. Better safe than sorry; I don't want the neighbors seeing a white flash at night and wondering what it is, she thought.

Plus, I don't want them to hear me when I squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeal!

Marinette let loose a happy shriek into her pillow, getting an amused reaction from Tikki. "I take it that you enjoyed your evening," the Kwami deadpanned.

"That was absolutely magical!" she bubbled. "You and I did what we went there to do, and it worked so well, thanks to your help... and then - it was just - I mean - the way he looked at me, Tikki! Did you see how he looked at me? That smile? How we both kept going back and forth between being so comfortable together, and being so shy and nervous?"

"I think Nino was right about that crush," Tikki agreed. "And now you've seen it yourself, up close. Was it that surprising to you, really?"

"Tikki, I... let me explain it this way, okay?" answered Marinette. "This is all so new to me, and I'm trying to make sense of it. I've never had feelings for someone before who's had them back for me! And unless I completely misread tonight... and I don't think that I did... it's finally happening!"

"You need to be careful with this, Marinette," warned Tikki. "You're high as a kite right now, and I'm not saying that's wrong... if it's how you want it to happen. But would you rather have him fall for Ladybug... or for Marinette? Because I think you're seeing signs that he's falling for both of you."

All of a sudden, Marinette's eyes got so big that Tikki briefly worried whether they might fall out of her head.

"Plagg... I think she really likes me," Adrien half-whispered, trying to make himself truly believe it.

"Of course she likes you," sighed Plagg. "I didn't think that was ever in doubt."

"I think she likes likes me. That's different."

Plagg mumbled something under his breath about humans and dictionaries and goofy teenagers until he had to fly out of Adrien's reach, cackling at him.

"I'm serious!" Adrien wailed up at his tiny friend. "The way I get all tongue-tied around her... how she can make me nervous or make me blush without even trying... all those times that I can't do anything but just grin and admire her, and wonder how I'm worthy to even be near her... you didn't see that tonight? Ladybug was doing those things, too! I'm sure she was!"

"Now, let's assume that I agree with you. Mostly because I do," parried Plagg. "That's what you want, right? You look like you feel happy, but... something else, too."

"I feel happy, and excited, and worried, and scared out of my wits! It's like I'm being electrocuted a little at a time," babbled Adrien. "So help me, already!"

"I've... been feeling that, Tikki. I thought that I was just reading into it what I wanted to see. But if you're seeing it, too...?"

This is a very delicate moment, reasoned Tikki. I need to guide her carefully here.

"Marinette, take a breath. I don't want you passed out on the floor, okay?" she guided her young charge. She waited until Marinette composed herself somewhat before continuing. "I do think Adrien's crushing on Ladybug. I think that's obvious, and you two are so cute together! You giggle and you blush and you flirt and you just keep grinning at each other. That could be just a matter of time, don't you agree?"

Marinette nodded her head yes, repeatedly, but with something of a mix of emotions now visible.

"Now, think about how this week has gone, okay? How touched Adrien was when you met with him in the library. All the text messages, the look on his face when you walked into the bakery this morning, how much he needed to comfort you today!" continued Tikki. "You were there reaching out to him, but the only thing he could do was make sure that you were all right, that you understood why he couldn't respond well when you told him how you feel. And that's because he's not sure how he wants to respond yet... but he is thinking about it. I've never been surer of that. You two have never been closer."

Tikki flew up close. "He said these words himself today, when you mentioned how Marinette was a good friend... 'She's more than that.'"

"You're right. And it's scaring me a little," admitted Marinette. "Or maybe a whole lot."

"Explain that to me," said Plagg. "What's got you so nervous?"

"Okay... I'll try," Adrien replied, speaking rapidly. "I told Marinette this morning that I felt numb and overwhelmed, and I didn't trust my own instincts right now. That hasn't changed, and that was before Ladybug was in my room tonight, blushing at me! That is AWESOME, but it's not exactly a calming influence."

He sat down, gathering what wits he had left. "And I have to tell Ladybug that. I don't want to, but I do. It feels like something's starting here, and it's not fair to her if she doesn't know what she'd be getting into with me."

"Oh, I think she knows just where your head is at right now. You've opened up to her a couple of times this week," Plagg ventured. Plus, she kind of heard you this morning, but I won't mention that... "And she knows you've nearly eaten an Akuma a couple of times."

Adrien's face fell, making Plagg backpedal quickly. "And that turns her off so much that now she's setting up movie nights with you, right? She knows you're having a hard time, and she doesn't think any less of you because of it. Obviously."

"Which is nice to know," Adrien conceded. "But there is one thing Ladybug doesn't know, and that I can't tell her about. You. And that's still worrying me a lot, because if Ladybug does want to be more than close friends, I'm tricking her into dating someone she's already rejected twice."

"Oh, boy. Um..." Plagg circled around, wondering how to handle that issue. "Adrien, listen..."

"And speaking of that... Ladybug has someone in her life already! She's told me that," worried Adrien. "I mean, it kind of sounded like he was her crush, not her boyfriend, so maybe she isn't really off the market after all, but if I'm getting in between her and who she really wants -"

"Adrien. Breathe," instructed Plagg. "Seriously. There is something big that you don't know yet. And I'll bet that she doesn't know yet."

"What's that?"

Plagg tried his best to show a soothing smile. "What she wants."

"I am just not ready for this," worried Marinette. "I thought that I was. I was sure that I was. I had it all figured out, right down to our future and our house and our white picket fence and our hamster! And now..."

"...Things got complicated," Tikki finished. "Talk it out for me."

"Adrien and I never have been this close before. We're talking! We're really talking! We're sharing our thoughts and feelings! I'm not stuttering and babbling around him. He's looking at me lately like he's really seeing me for the first time," Marinette stammered. "And every time he gives me that sweet look of his, I feel it all the way down to my feet. It's not pink-clouding! It feels kind of... deeper."

"Feels good, doesn't it?" Tikki smiled. "I know that I'd want more of that."

"I do. I do, I do, I do! But... then there was tonight. That felt so right, too, but so different! Like... flirty and giggly and a little more romantic, you know? And I've been wanting that so much, too! It's like... like I'm becoming his best friend one way, and maybe his girlfriend the other way."

She thought hard for a moment. "If he's ready for a girlfriend, that is. And I don't know that he is... but he was responding like he wants to be."

"And do you want to be?" asked Tikki. "If it means doing it as Ladybug?"

"Like I said... I thought that I was sure."

"There is one more thing that you need to think about, Adrien," insisted Plagg. "And I hate to make things more complicated, but I can stop you in your tracks with one word."

"And what word is that?" asked Adrien, with an eyebrow raised.

"Marinette."

Adrien started to respond, and stopped in mid-thought... then just smiled, softly. "Yeah," he agreed. "I was hoping to do some serious thinking about her tonight... and then everything else happened. "

He looked at Plagg with a curious expression. "Plagg... do you think she was trying to tell me what I think she was this morning?"

"Let me put it this way," Plagg grinned. "Tonight was great, and yeah, it felt to me like Ladybug was being kind of flirty and bashful with you... but is she the one who kissed your cheek last week?"

And we now pause for a little more dreamy reminiscing, grinned Plagg, internally. He wasn't wrong.

"I think you need to ask Marinette what she was trying to say, not me," deflected Plagg. "But not tonight, not tomorrow. Not yet. You don't need to decide anything about either one of them right now; get your head straight first. It's a nice problem to have, two pretty girls who both seem to be into you, and you don't want to rush anything if you're not sure. It's not like they'll be fighting to the death over you; they can both have a big place in your life."

"That does make sense," agreed Adrien. "And not worrying about that all night means that maybe I will have that pleasant dream."

He glanced over to the closed door and saw something lying just inside it. Curious, he walked over and found his phone sitting there, with a little note attached to it on his father's personal stationery:

I believe that I made my point tonight... but so did you. Let's not make a bigger deal of this than it should be, all right?

"Huh," Adrien smiled. "I didn't see that coming."

"Don't overstress yourself, Marinette. I promise you that time will make all of this clearer. The more that the two of you spend time together - in both combinations - the more each of you will know what you want it to be. Just enjoy where you are now with him."

Tikki's gentle wisdom seemed to make Marinette feel a little better. So, too, did a gentle *bleep* from her phone.

[Adrien] Hey... are you still up?

[Marinette] I am. Your father didn't take your phone after all?

[Adrien] He did, but he returned it just now. It seems that he still has some humanity left.

[Marinette] Good, I'm happy to see that. How are you feeling?

[Adrien] Much better, thank you. I had a very good evening.

[Adrien] I was wondering... may I walk with you to school tomorrow?

That got Marinette's full attention.

[Marinette] Oh, you are joining us tomorrow after all? :)

[Adrien] Yeah. And joining you, if you'd like.

[Adrien] Not an early go-off-and-talk like today... though thank you so much again for that... just as company.

[Marinette] I'd never say no to that. Any special occasion?

His reply made her emit yet another unidentifiable happy noise...

[Adrien] I'm trying to do things that I know will make me feel better. I know being around you is one of those.

"Tikki... look at this, Tikki... How do I even?" Marinette stammered.

"Gently," Tikki smiled.

[Marinette] I'll see you then. :)

Morning came, and with it a whole new set of important choices to be made.

"Tikki... which blouse do I wear?" begged Marinette, earnestly. "And do I go with my normal eyeshadow, or this one?"

The response came amidst a giggling fit from her tiny friend. "Marinette, take a breath. Adrien's not falling for your eyeshadow; he's falling for who's underneath it. Besides, you're not spending the day on a beach in Bermuda with him; you're spending an hour in detention after school. Go with whatever you're most comfortable in!"

To her relief, Marinette appeared to ease up somewhat. "You're right," Marinette conceded. "I'm a little keyed up, for some odd reason..."

"C'mere," called Tikki, summoning Marinette over to her. "Let me remind you of something. Do you know what the difference is between this week and, say, the beginning of the year as far as Adrien is concerned? Right now... you're learning to relax around him. To be yourself. When you do that, it works. So just do that and don't worry about figuring out the perfect everything."

Marinette gave her a warm and sincere smile in return. "Thank you, Tikki. I don't know what I'd do without you," she said.

"Probably a lot of blah-bla-blah-bla-blah," Tikki giggled, imitating Alix's impression of tongue-tied Marinette. Even Marinette couldn't resist laughing at that.

Marinette tiptoed down the stairs to the bakery, hoping for a pleasant surprise...

"Hi!" called Adrien, standing by the front door near her mother. She was moderately relieved to see that he was in his normal school attire as well... not that she had any complaints about his everyday appearance.

"Good morning!" she replied, with a broad smile. "I wasn't sure if I'd be meeting you here, or over on the steps..."

"I figured that if I came here, we could walk a little longer," said Adrien.

"Plus, there's that Preferred Customer plan I told you about yesterday," interjected Sabine, slipping a small white bag his way. "On the house."

Adrien looked visibly surprised, but happy. "Oh! Thank you so much, Mrs. Cheng!" he replied. "You really didn't have to..."

"Ohhhh, I see how it is," grinned Marinette to her mother, with her hand on her hip. "He's using me to get to you for free pastries."

"Not even close, dear. I'm using you to get to him," she smirked back, trying to keep a straight face. "I love your father, but you know how it is... maybe I can trade him in on a newer model like this?"

That got all three of them laughing, with only a touch of She's kidding, right? visible in Adrien's facial expression.

As they crossed the street together, Marinette asked him, "Ready for our big afternoon together, Adrien?"

"Oh, yes," Adrien said, with a humorous roll-of-the-eyes. "Detention's another new school experience I've been waiting to try. How does it work, again?"

"There's really not much to it. I've only gotten it twice, myself... You pretty much just sit there. Some monitors will let you talk quietly; others get fussy about that. You're supposed to just do some homework, or read, or agonize over your terrible behavior that got you there."

"Twice? You?" gasped Adrien, as they reached the bottom of the school's steps. "I find that hard to believe."

"What, that I'm so goody-two-shoes that I've rarely gotten in trouble?" she asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"Just the opposite! Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the terror of Françoise Dupont, baddest of the bad girls, and you've only been caught twice?"

"They fear me too much to lock me up," she mock-growled, suppressing a giggle. "At least until a new criminal mastermind came into our class, even more devious and twisted than I am, too clever for them to make anything stick on him - until now..."

"Watch out, world! She's got a cake-frosting gun, and she's not afraid to use it..." Adrien laughed.

"They found his victims dazed and helpless... but so fashionably attired, in the newest Agreste casual line," she retorted, cracking up as she finished her sentence.

The pair traded one-liners and helpless laughter all the way to their classroom... Adrien found himself grinning uncontrollably again, the same way that he had the night before. Now, _this_ is the Marinette who makes me laugh and smile so much when I'm Chat Noir! he thought. I was wondering if she'd ever get that comfortable with me this way... and it seems like she has.

Good.

As they walked, more than a few people noticed not just their keeping company again... but how natural it now appeared.

As Nino chatted with Alya, he saw her face brighten as he heard footsteps behind him, from someone entering the classroom; rather quickly, it was joined by a look of surprise.

He turned around and saw Marinette and Adrien walking in... together? he wondered. That's kind of new...

"Hey! Good to see you, Nino," said Adrien, his trademarked smile back on his face as he rounded the corner of the desk they shared. "How are you today?"

"Pretty good. How about you?" He watched Marinette pass by on the way to her seat, with her smile as prominent as Adrien's, then focused on Adrien again. "You're looking more like yourself today."

"I'm getting there. Things are starting to make some sense again," replied Adrien. He and Nino started their conversation as Alya looked Marinette up and down, intensely curious about what she just saw.

"Well?" Alya whispered, as Marinette reached for her notepad.

"Well, what?" grinned Marinette, enjoying this.

"You're sparkling," noted Alya, quietly. "Are you..." she hinted, with a tiny head nudge in Adrien's direction.

"Not quite," Marinette whispered back. "Long story."

"Good story? A story you can tell? Happy ending? Is there an ending yet?" bubbled Alya, trying not to be overheard.

"Later!" insisted Marinette, happily.

Meanwhile, Nino and Adrien kept busy catching up on things they hadn't had a chance to talk about lately.

"What are you doing this weekend?" asked Adrien. "I'm going to try to get out for a while, and if you're free, maybe we can do something?"

"That'd be awesome!" said Nino. "It's been too long since we've had the chance."

As they chattered, Adrien checked the clock on the wall. "We still have a few minutes before class starts, right?" he noted, and pulled a little white bag out of his messenger bag.

Nino came up with a couple of weekend options, then stopped short in mid-sentence, watching his friend. "Are... you all right, Adrien?" he asked.

"Um... yeah?" Adrien replied, puzzled. "Why?"

"You're eating a snack."

"...Uh-huh? I do that sometimes when I'm hungry," continued Adrien. "And this apple turnover was calling to me."

Nino was still processing all of this. "You brought a snack to class? I don't think I've ever seen you do that before. Isn't your dad on you all the time about counting every calorie?"

By this time, a few people on the other side of the room were also starting to take notice. Marinette making goo-goo eyes at Adrien... that was normal operating procedure. Adrien showing his own interest back in her... that was still pretty new, but at least within believable parameters. But Adrien the model, scarfing down pastries at his school desk? THAT was different.

"Let me put it this way, Nino... right now, as far as what my dad's on me about? I don't really care," Adrien grinned, taking another bite.

Kim couldn't resist piping up, watching the scene. "Did you bring enough for the rest of the class?" he called over to Adrien.

"Nope! Just this one," came the reply.

"Then what am I supposed to do if I'm hungry, too?" teased Kim.

"Get in good with Marinette's mother? That's what worked for me," smiled Adrien, as he made the last bite of the apple pastry disappear.

That got a small round of laughter and an unmistakable What? look from Alya, though the latter faded quickly.

On the way out, Marinette got about ten steps towards her next class before Alya pulled her aside, with an overly excited expression on her face.

"C'mere!" Alya insisted, and pulled Marinette by the hand a short distance away from everyone else. Marinette was a little bit startled, but played along.

"All right, you... You and Adrien came strolling in together two mornings in a row. Yesterday, he looked like he'd been whacked by a hockey stick when you two walked in; today, he's all smiles and sunshine, much more like his old self. And you're still sparkling. He said he'd 'gotten in good with your mother' and you didn't even blink. You look perfectly relaxed. Around him!"

Alya held her skull in simulated agony. "This is where I either get a status update, or my head falls off. What is going on, Marinette? It has to be good news, right?"

"Nino hasn't been filling you in on the details?" whistled Marinette, innocently.

"Nino is just as startled by all of this as I am, trust me. Come on, girl! What's happened?" begged Alya.

"I'll tell you what I can, but not here; we don't have enough time. Pull me aside at lunch," Marinette replied. "I need to get to Physics before the bell rings!"

As Marinette hurried away, Alya yelled to her with a grin, "Just remember, the longer I have to wait, the larger the audience'll be!"

Nino caught up with Adrien again on their way to the locker room, after gym class. "Hey," Nino said, falling into step with him. "You're really feeling better, Adrien?"

Adrien shrugged. "Dad's still being... Dad. But I'm finding ways to cope with it better, and getting some help."

"Dark-haired help?" hinted Nino. "With twin pigtails?"

Adrien looked at him, a little surprised, then settled into a sheepish smile. "Yeah, dark-haired help. She's been just wonderful to me," he replied.

"Good. I know how much she wanted to help you," Nino said. "Are you two... considering..."

Adrien laughed, a bit nervously. "I'm not sure yet," he begged off. "We're not sure yet. We agreed to wait and figure that out once my head's in a better place. But I'll tell you one thing... I'm really tempted to ask her. She's amazing."

He looked at his friend's face, saw both happiness and relief there, and his mind kicked into gear. "You... seem pretty happy about that, Nino," Adrien noted. "Why is that?"

"Um..." Nino stalled. I don't want to just say it out loud if Marinette hasn't yet... "I think you two would be great together, that's all."

"I think you're right. I really do. But there is... one potential complication," Adrien said, slowly.

"What's that?" asked Nino.

All of a sudden, Adrien's whole demeanor changed. "Nino," he half-whispered, "if I tell you a secret, can I trust you not to tell anyone? Not Marinette, not your other friends, not even Alya?"

"Um... sure?" Nino replied, looking confused. What secret could be that important?

"There's one potential complication who visited me last night... and she wears red and black."

Nino wasn't sure what his own face looked like at that moment; he didn't think he'd want to, all things considered. "Slack-jawed astonishment" only covered the surface of it, he figured.

But the look on Adrien's face was much less complicated, and said one thing quite clearly:

"Please help me."

Next time:

* Alya tries to keep her brain from escaping out through her ear canal.

* Nino swears himself to secrecy about something that no one else would believe, anyway.

* A meeting of tiny minds.

* "Romantic, isn't it?"

* How do you bare your soul to someone... when you can't speak out loud?

And more!

Chapter Text

Nino Lahiffe walked slowly to his next class, trying to process what he had just heard from his friend Adrien. It was an… interesting set of statements.

"I've nearly been Akumatized twice this week. Both times, Ladybug saved me at the last moment."

As bad as Adrien had felt over the last few weeks… that one Nino bought at face value.

"The Akuma that became Blindside was meant for me."

Well… Adrien was here at school, right? And so was the Akuma. That also checked out.

"She came to visit me at my house last night. All of a sudden, there she was at my window."

Okay…

"We talked about things for a while… and then she stayed and watched a movie with me. I couldn't believe it!"

If it was anyone but Adrien saying this… not a chance.

"She was nervous. She was blushing. She couldn't stop grinning. She acted around me the same way I was acting around her!"

He had to have been exaggerating… right? He just had to be.

"She gave me her phone number – her PRIVATE phone number – and, no, it doesn't match anyone else's that I know. And her email address! And she wants to get together again for another movie night! I… I think she LIKES likes me, Nino."

Nino's Bull-o-Meter was pinging very loudly. Except…

"Nino, I know _precisely_ how crazy all this sounds. It sounds like I'm either hallucinating, insane, or Lila Rossi. I'd look like the King of All Jackasses if I was lying about this," he'd said. "But I swear on everything I own that it's all true. I have no reason to lie to you. I'm not telling you this to boast… and I don't want you to tell _anyone_ else_. Not even Alya. Please promise me that, Nino!"

Which, if Adrien was telling the truth… kind of fit. And he'd never known Adrien to lie or brag before.

"I'm telling you this because I may be facing an impossible choice, and I need some advice. I'm finally waking up as to how incredible Marinette is… and that maybe she's had feelings for me, too. And if that's true… I need to make that up to her in about a thousand ways. But the girl of my dreams, the one I've been pining for all year, is suddenly right there and responding to me! Not just saving me, but sneaking me notes, visiting me at home and blushing on my couch! And that can't really be happening… but it did!"

"And I'd rather cut my own foot off than hurt either one of them."

"So if I'm right… what the heck can I do?"

Nino tossed the whole conversation back and forth in his head all the way to History class. It was all weapons-grade implausible… except that, somehow, it wasn't.

He'd seen the two of them together several times, and they certainly looked quite friendly. This wasn't someone far older, like Clara Nightingale or someone like her; Ladybug is clearly a girl around their age. Adrien is a handsome model… who doesn't act all stuck-up like a rich model might. Maybe Ladybug could be crushing on him. And Adrien's gut reaction to two beautiful girls interested in him isn't "Yippie!" or "Lucky ME!"… but worrying about their feelings first.

So, if he was in Adrien's shoes… what would he do?

Nino pondered that as he took his seat.

He imagined Ladybug - LADYBUG! - looking at him in the soft and caring way that Alya did.

He pictured the look on Marinette's face whenever she talks about Adrien.

He wondered how Adrien could thread that needle and keep both of them happy.

And he kept coming to the same conclusion…

I'd start running.

Marinette entered the cafeteria and settled in next to Alya, who was on the edge of her chair. Alya was polite enough to let her take at least three bites of her salad before giving her a Well? look.

"So… I suppose I'm not getting out of here without telling my story, hmmm?" Marinette teased her.

"I will tackle you if I have to," Alya begged. "What is going on? And whatever's going on, how on earth are you so calm about it?"

"It isn't easy…"

Alya gaped as Marinette related the edited-to-remove-Ladybug-activities version of the last two days. "You finally told him?" she marveled. "Face to face? I thought I was going to have to hold you at gunpoint for that to happen."

"I didn't mean to," replied Marinette. "It kind of… slipped out. And I didn't go all-in telling him that I'm in love with him, and I'm glad I didn't. He was fragile enough already, and what little I said was enough to fry his circuits."

She gave Alya a hopeful expression, continuing, "But he was so sweet as soon as he saw me tearing up… and every minute since then! He's been texting me, he asked to walk me to school again today, and we're so much more comfortable together now. I don't have him as a boyfriend officially yet… but I definitely have his attention. And he looks so much happier since we talked, which is what I wanted most."

"Hmmm. So you're not out of the Friend Zone… but you've escaped the Just A Friend Zone. That's progress, right?" noted Alya, wryly.

"It is. And I'm not pressuring him for more yet; I'm letting him make decisions at his own pace. He's still dealing with things at home, and he won't get over those overnight," Marinette answered. "And I don't want to get too hopeful. Maybe when he's not feeling so vulnerable, I'll go back to where I was before with him… but it feels so good to be closer to him like this."

Alya saw a bit of worry creep back into her friend, and moved in a little closer. "Marinette, I don't think you have anything to worry about. There are stars in that boy's eyes right now… Marinette-shaped stars. Everyone can see that. Once he gets his head straight about those home issues you'd mentioned… I think you may have all the Adrien in your life that you can handle."

"That's an awful lot," sighed Marinette, with a smile. "But it's a challenge I'm willing to accept."

She looked over at the other end of their lunch table and saw her other girlfriends looking at them, with Rose in particular twitching slightly and looking on with longing eyes.

"C'mere," Marinette called to them with a little wave, and the girls came running over for their turn to hear Marinette's story...

"...And that's where we're at. Now, who wants to tell me what to do next?" grinned Marinette.

The table was filled with thoughtful, but momentarily silent faces.

"I stumped the panel, huh?" she giggled.

Mylène piped up first. "I think you're smart to play it slow, the way you have been. If he's having that hard of a time right now..."

"I don't agree with that," argued Alix. "You've been making bold moves lately, and they're all working great! Strike while the iron is hot and while he's fascinated by you. Kiss him again when he's not expecting it."

"And watch him freeze up again, all overwhelmed?" said Juleka. "That couldn't have been fun for either of you last time it happened. He needs to figure himself out first."

"Or sit and wait and then watch someone like that fencer girl grab him up," parried Alix. "We don't want that, right?"

"I'm with Alix," added Rose, surprising Marinette a bit. "You love him. He's finally figured out that he loves you. Why make each other wait longer?"

"First off, loves is a strong word... for him, anyway," said Marinette, a little overwhelmed herself. "And, secondly... because he asked me to?"

Mylène frowned, "She's right about that. Going at this pace and letting him get comfortable seems like the right plan for now. Alya, what do you think? You're our tiebreaker today."

Alya thought for a moment. "With what I've seen this week... I think he's there already. He's just trying to find the right way to say it out loud."

"You could still make the first move..." suggested Alix.

"Hasn't she already? She kissed him at the picnic, she's been his confidant and shoulder to lean on twice this week, and she hinted how she feels about him! That's, like, moves one through four, at least," Juleka countered, turning towards Marinette again. "And I am so proud of you for getting up the nerve for all of that..."

"He needed those," shrugged Marinette. "Okay, the kiss was more what I wanted than what he needed..."

"He needed that," five voices said in unison, causing a round of laughter.

"Okay! So... stick with what I'm doing now, except I should pounce on him instead, but I totally shouldn't. Got it, " Marinette grinned, pretending to take notes.

"Honey, we can't tell you what to do, because you're already nailing it all on your own," consoled Alya. "Look over there, as slowly as you can," she directed Marinette with a subtle finger-point.

She looked... and saw Adrien watching her from three tables over, perhaps not fully realizing he was doing it. Abruptly, their gazes met, and Adrien jumped slightly; he and Marinette exchanged smiles and a little wave, then Adrien turned back to his lunch and his conversation with Nino with a reddening face.

"He's on the hook. You'll know how and when to reel him in," Alya grinned.

"So, when's your next fishing trip going to be, then?" wondered Alix. "Since he looks like he wants a taste of the bait."

A little "Oooooohhh" went around the table, which Marinette tried hard to ignore.

"Well, um..." she began, "I do kind of have a chance to be next to him this afternoon... though we probably won't get much of a chance to talk while we're there."

"Oh!" bubbled Rose. "Are you going to the movies?"

"After-school detention, actually," replied Marinette with a sheepish grin. "For when he and I disappeared yesterday. Ms. Bustier was actually easy on us in that it's only one day."

"Ah, detention," Alix smirked, striking a dreamy pose. "Romantic, isn't it?"

Rose looked confused at that. "It is?" she asked, then listened closely as Juleka whispered something in her ear.

"Adrien's dad isn't going to go ballistic because Adrien got detention, is he? worried Alya. "That might not help him stay in a good place."

"From what he told me... yeah, his dad kind of did at first," admitted Marinette. "But they worked it out, I think, from what he texted me last night. His dad's not thrilled but he's dealing with it."

"Do you have anything special planned for this afternoon?" asked Mylène.

"Not really," she replied. "I don't know what I could do there, really, so I'm playing it by ear. Plus, I'm still running on a high from this morning..."

"You're not kidding about that," noted Juleka, wide-eyed. "When you two walked up the stairs together like that, all laughing and smiling, you looked so much like a couple already! I'd wondered if it had finally happened."

Marinette caught herself staring back at Adrien, mentally comparing his face just now to the even dreamier one he'd had for her as Ladybug last night.

"I've been wondering a lot of things lately," she replied, absently.

Nino watched Adrien's reactions to Marinette's wave with some amusement.

"I'm hopeless, aren't I?" asked Adrien, a little embarrassed at having been caught staring.

"Maybe a little," agreed Nino, good-naturedly. "So tell me more about this Ladybug thing! When she's not fighting Hawkmoth... what's she like?"

"Very down-to-earth. She's a regular teenager underneath it all. I think she's our age; maybe a little older, she seems so mature," Adrien replied. "As she put it, she's not a strange Ladybug from another planet; she's just a person, with family stuff and problems like anybody else."

"That makes sense. I mean, I'm pretty sure that the other Miraculous heroes are like that, too," ventured Nino. He and Adrien kind of looked away from each other for a second, neither one wanting to say out loud how they knew that was true.

"I'd never gotten to spend personal time with her before," added Adrien. "Usually, she's gone as soon as the fight is over. But she charmed the heck out of me... she was sweet, she was playful, giggly, a little bit bashful... she's always so compassionate... and we talked about a bunch of things. I've never seen her open up like she has with me lately."

"She didn't, like, tell you who she really is, did she?" Nino wondered.

"Oh, no," Adrien replied, quickly. "And I'm not sure that she ever will. Or can, for that matter... The phone number was under an alias. But that she gave me anything about her normal self at all... let alone her phone number... I'm just floored. I have no idea how to react."

"Huh. And you're pretty sure that it wasn't just 'here, call me if there's an Akuma?'" asked Nino. "I mean, you are a great guy and everything, but..."

"I know, I know. I've been replaying it all in my mind, wondering that," conceded Adrien. "But I really don't think so! I mean, she's been friendly with me before this. This just felt like something extra... you know, that she's interested."

"But..." he added, staring over at Marinette again for a moment. Nino followed his gaze.

"What do you think I should do, Nino?"

"Hey, it wasn't too long ago that you were giving me romantic tips over an earpiece, wasn't it?" Nino laughed. "And even then I ended up with a different girl than the one I'd been chasing! I barely know what I'm doing, myself."

Adrien got a laugh out of that. "We're all new at this. But, seriously, what do you think? Even if it's just a gut reaction?"

"Well..." pondered Nino. "This isn't, like, deciding which one you want to marry, or take to prom, or something big like that. You're not dating either one for real yet, right?"

"No... not really..."

"Then maybe take it slow and give both of them a chance? Let them know that you're seeing someone else, too, of course... definitely don't keep secrets... but see how it feels. Spend time with both of them and see if one or the other feels more girlfriend-y," suggested Nino.

Adrien looked a bit startled. "...You're allowed to do that?" he asked.

"Probably, as long as you're completely honest the whole time," shrugged Nino. "Where you get in big trouble is if one doesn't know about the other and they think you're hiding something. They're both good friends of yours, right? If you're not going steady with one or the other, it shouldn't be a big thing to want both to be in your life. They know each other, from what you said before; maybe they'll even compare notes! And even if one of them does become your girlfriend, the other won't just disappear and never hang out with you again. It's kind of a good problem to have."

Adrien still looked dubious. "And what if they both end up wanting to be more than friends?" he asked.

"Uh... then it's not so good a problem to have," Nino allowed. "So tread lightly. Really lightly. In fact, think hard whether you want to try that approach at all." His face contorted a bit as he rethought his previous advice and felt compelled to add additional disclaimers. "I, uh, don't really know Ladybug well, so I can't speak for her... but if Marinette gets this close to being your girlfriend and then she's not, she could take that very hard. Be gentle with both of them, I'm saying. Make sure both know exactly where they stand."

"Yeah. I have to... I could never hurt Marinette," agreed Adrien, caught up in his thoughts a little bit. "I have to think hard about this before I do anything." He pondered the concept for a moment, then turned to Nino with a questioning look.

"But being my girlfriend... that's something that Marinette really wants?" he asked in a serious voice.

"Dude... I, uh, that's not really for me to say, but..." his friend stammered. Nino wavered under the probing look on Adrien's face for a moment, then blurted, "...yeah. I'd bet my house on it. I'd bet your house on it."

"I had a feeling about that," Adrien replied, looking as happy as Nino had seen him in a long while. He turned thoughtful again, and added, "At least since what she's been like these last few days, anyway."

The sudden look on Nino's face shouted out to Adrien some extremely valuable information... which was "No, that's NOT new..." or it would have, if Adrien hadn't turned away again to gaze at Marinette. This time, when she noticed his stare and smile, she returned his smile but she was the one who turned away, giggling.

I need to think more than a LITTLE harder about this, Adrien pondered.

The end of the day arrived, and Alya waited up for Marinette outside of her last class. "Dead girl walking!" she grinned.

"Oh, stop," shooed Marinette, giggling. "It's just detention. It's not like I didn't earn it."

"I mean, 'girl who's going to die because she'll be sitting next to Adrien for an hour and she can't talk to him' walking," cackled Alya. "But you've got this figured out, right?"

"I think so. At the very least, it'll be better looking company than the last time I was there."

They walked together towards the front of the building, where the designated detention room was. "Want some company while you wait?" Alya asked.

"Oh... all I can get," grinned Marinette.

They chatted for a few minutes until they saw a familiar blonde head poke around the end of the hallway and grin. As Adrien walked in their direction, Alya quipped, "Still want some company?"

"Can you hold up cue cards for me, so I'll know what to say to him?" asked Marinette, a little nervously.

"I don't think that's allowed. Besides, you've got this," Alya assured her. "Hi, Adrien," she called over to him.

"Hi," he replied, happily. "Hello, Marinette! I was looking for you... I wanted to make sure I was in the right place."

"This is it. This is where the magic happens," she grinned. "Yeah, I guess that would be kind of bad... getting another detention for not being able to find where detention was."

"And before you know it, I can never go back to class; I'm just in detention all the time. Kinda reminds me of home, really." He smiled at his joke, but that faded when he saw Marinette cringe a little bit. "I'm kidding! Really, I'm fine, it's been getting better lately," he assured her.

"I hope so," Marinette told him, with concerned eyes. "I worry about you, you know."

"I think I'll let you two settle this," smiled Alya, as she headed for the front door to meet up with Nino.

"I know you do," Adrien told Marinette, "and you're wonderful for doing that. I've seen a change in myself these last couple of days, and you know that you're a big part of the reason for that, right?"

It was one thing to know it; it was quite another to hear it straight from him. Marinette felt her face redden and a silly grin appear on it, and struggled for how to reply. Seeing the room begin to fill up somewhat, she managed, "Shall we?" and gestured towards the door. "Can't let all the good seats get taken."

Marinette picked a desk in the back of the room, and was pleased to see Adrien settle in next to her. She peered up at the front of the room and groaned, subtly. "We got Mr. Travers today as the monitor," she explained. "He's one of the stricter ones, I'm told. Teachers take turns with this, and some will let you talk quietly. I was hoping for Miss Beauchamp-"

"All right, everyone, settle down," Mr. Travers intoned, in a deep and unenthusiastic voice, quieting down Marinette immediately. "None of us want to be here, especially on a Friday afternoon, so let's not make me bring you back here on Monday, hmmm? Some of you, I'm not sure if you've been here before. Others, like James here, are frequent flyers."

James, a hefty upperclassman, gave the teacher a wave and a grin.

"I believe he thinks that every time he accumulates ten visits, he wins some kind of prize," quipped Mr. Travers. "Nevertheless, the rules are very simple. No talking. Period.  Texting counts.  If I see a phone, I will take it, so turn them off now. If you are silent, and I don't have to come over there, we'll get along well. If not... you may have to get used to this view."

He took roll call quickly, then settled in with a book. "And your hour of quiet contemplation begins... now."

Adrien nodded quietly, folded his hands, looked around briefly... and realized that unless he thought of something fast, that was how he would spend his next fifty-nine minutes. Wow, he thought. As a punishment, this is kind of... effective. This sucks.

So...

He felt a foot nudge against his, and turned to see Marinette looking down at her pad of notebook paper. On it, in a stylish cursive script, she'd written ARE YOU GOING TO GET SOME PAPER OUT SO WE CAN COMMUNICATE, OR WHAT?

As he reached into his messenger bag and fetched his own notepad, he could almost feel the silent grin on her face. All right... you do think of everything, he mentally conceded.

Marinette watched as Adrien prepared his notepad, pulled out a pen, and wrote Clever! at the top of his page.

DO YOU HAVE A PENCIL? she wrote. EASIER TO ERASE THAN A PEN.

Not with me...

She slid a pencil across the desk to him, then discreetly placed another blank sheet in between the two of them and started on some rough figures on it. THIS WAY, IF MR. TRAVERS LOOKS, WE CAN BE WORKING ON A DESIGN TOGETHER, she wrote on her own notepad.

I like it! You've thought of everything.

ALYA AND I DO THIS IN CLASS SOMETIMES. IF YOU PASS NOTES, PEOPLE CAN CATCH YOU AT IT; IF YOU WRITE SEPARATELY LIKE THIS, IT'S MORE PRIVATE. AND EASIER TO GET RID OF ANYTHING INCRIMINATING.

Incriminating? You? Whatever could you mean?

WOULDN'T YOU LIKE TO KNOW WHAT WE TALK ABOUT SOMETIMES, RIGHT THERE BEHIND YOU AND NINO?

That depends. How scared would we be?

Adrien looked over at Marinette, and saw her wicked grin...

I retract my question.

Down by Marinette's feet, a tiny red blur zipped across the floor, also seeking some private communication.

Once she was inside Adrien's messenger bag, Tikki gently shook the sleeping Plagg. "Hey! Wake up!" she whispered.

"Hah? Wha?"

"Shhh!" Tikki cautioned. "They're both right above us, so we can't talk here. C'mon!"

Plagg watched as Tikki zipped down through the bottom of the bag, presuming that she'd gone straight through the floor as well. He grumbled a bit to himself, then followed her.

SO... YOU'RE RIGHT, I HAVE NOTICED A GOOD CHANGE IN YOU THESE LAST FEW DAYS, Marinette wrote, in between filling out the two rough figures on the sketch paper. YOU NEEDED THAT.

Adrien watched her draw, and realized with a grin that the figures bore a striking resemblance to a certain pair of students sitting in detention. She'd started on a mini-dress on herself, and he took a stab at a summer outfit on his.

I'm not much of an artist, but I'll give this a shot.

YOU'LL BE FINE. IT'S NOT LIKE WE'RE SHOWING THIS TO ANYONE.

I meant what I said earlier, by the way, replied Adrien. So much of my feeling better is because of you.

Her nervous smile returned. I'M JUST GLAD THAT I COULD HELP YOU. I HATE TO SEE ANYONE IN PAIN... ESPECIALLY FRIENDS WHO DESERVE SO MUCH BETTER.

You have a real gift for that. I don't think I've ever known anyone who works so hard to make everyone else happy.

It's appreciated, so very much... and it's noticed. And not just by me.  But definitely by me.

YOU'RE SWEET, she wrote with a wider smile. BUT YOU KNEW THAT ALREADY.

Adrien debated with himself whether to test the waters, and to see if Nino had been right...

I need to take a chance, he thought. She's worth the risk.

But you are looking out for yourself as well, right?

Marinette glanced over at him, with a raised eyebrow. WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?

You push yourself so hard to brighten the world around you. But you have wants and needs, too, and I bet you set them aside more than you should.

If you could ask something of me , anything I could do or be that'd make your own life better... what would it be?

Marinette gasped a little, involuntarily. She turned in his direction... and felt like she was about to drown in two perfect green eyes.

Plagg caught up to Tikki in an unoccupied basement room, just below where their hosts were sitting.

"Okay, I'm here," he yawned. "And somehow I know what you want to talk about."

"Uh-huh! I need to compare notes with you on what the kids are thinking. We're on the brink of something big, I think, and we need to keep it from becoming a car crash!" Tikki appeared happy, but also somewhat agitated. "Adrien really is feeling better?"

"Way better. Between his father easing up on him a little and Marinette blowing his mind - in costume and out - he's still dazed, but more of a happy daze now," replied Plagg. "I think he's done being an Akuma target for a while."

"I sure hope so. I don't even want to think about what an Akumatized Adrien would do to Marinette," shuddered Tikki. "You've been talking to him; what's he been saying about her? Is he leaning one way or the other, or neither one yet?"

"Both!" Plagg declared, bluntly. "He's always been head over heels for Ladybug, and last night was a dream come true for him. I thought he was going to pee himself when he saw her at his window, or when he started figuring out that she really likes him that way! But Marinette's opened his eyes in a big way, too. I think he'd be asking her out right now if it wasn't for, well, her - and he still might! He might be doing that right now."

Plagg scratched his head, giving the situation more thought. "Adrien with Marinette, rather than Ladybug is what we want, right? But what does she want?"

"She's not sure yet, either," answered Tikki. "She adores this new closeness with Adrien, and every time he looks at her that way, she gets the shivers. But you know how he looks at Ladybug... it's ten times more intense that way, at least so far, and I don't know if she can resist that."

Tikki flew in a little circle, nervously. "As for what we want... them dating without costumes would be easier to manage, that's for sure. But I don't like telling her what her own heart needs... and if she does decide to chase him as Ladybug, I can't blame her, and we could make it work."

Plagg added, "His friend Nino had a suggestion earlier... keep it light and date both of them. Be honest that he's not getting serious yet, but that he's interested in seeing if he should be with either. Nino was like 'it's an idea, but it could be dangerous, so think about it first,' and that's without knowing that they're the same girl."

Tikki rolled her eyes. "Marinette's head might explode." She thought about it a little longer, though, and got a curious look on her tiny face. "Although... maybe it isn't that crazy!" she considered. "More opportunities to get to know each other better... they really do need that... and that way she remains a strong presence in his life both ways, which he still needs, too..."

"Adrien wasn't sold on that yet. But he is thinking about it," replied Plagg. "He's not going to date one and tell the other goodbye, if that's a worry. They both mean so much to him. He's scared out of his mind that he'll hurt either one of them, so he'll be overcautious if he's anything."

"That's good," smiled Tikki. "You know where I'll be if you need to reach me."

"You know," Plagg grinned, "if he does pick Marinette... we could always double-date with them. I haven't been out for a nice Italian dinner in a while..."

"Keep dreaming, Stinkysock," giggled Tikki. "Let's get back up there before either of them notices."

At that moment in time, Marinette Dupain-Cheng... froze in place.

Her mind tried to process what she'd just read, how Adrien was looking at her with questioning eyes and THAT SMILE right now, whether it meant what she thought it meant...

...and all she could string together was that she'd be in detention all next week, because surely Mr. Travers could hear the BA-WHOOM BA-WHOOM BA-WHOOM pounding in her ears.

Is he... asking me how I feel about him? Asking me if I want him to ask me out? Or ask me to be his girlfriend? He's been acting different around me lately - oh, God, those EYES - am I ready for this? Is HE ready for this? Am I overreacting? If he's just being close and friendly and I really go for it, am I ruining it? Should I just SAY IT and get it over with and risk all the good that's happened this week?

She took a breath, trying to collect herself and not show Adrien that, internally, she was screaming at herself.

He asked you to take things slow, she reasoned. So take things slow and don't blow it!

With a mostly steady hand, she wrote:

YOU ALREADY DO MORE FOR ME THAN YOU KNOW.

Like what? he replied.

Deep breath, Marinette. Focus.

YOU ARE ALWAYS SO SUPPORTIVE OF ME. ANY TIME I DOUBT MYSELF OR FEEL NERVOUS, YOU'RE THERE TO COMFORT ME.

Comfort? Support? Marinette's brain howled. THAT'S what you're telling him that you want from him? What are you DOING?

That can't be very often. You're one of the strongest, most confident, most positive people I know.

You seem like, anything you set your mind to, you can do it and do it well.

Except for telling you how I feel, thought Marinette.

Like how you almost made the fencing team the first time you ever tried it.

WAIT, YOU KNEW THAT?

I could tell you'd never done it before... but you looked so natural out there that day. You amazed me.

WE ALL HAVE OUR WEAK MOMENTS. YOU ALWAYS CATCH ME ANY TIME I'M FALLING, AND I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR THAT.

I'm glad that you think so. But there must be something more I can do than "what I do already."

I guess that... I could make myself drop a _little_ hint...

Before she could change her mind, she wrote out, quickly:

I'VE REALLY ENJOYED HOW WE'VE GOTTEN SO MUCH CLOSER THIS WEEK. I'VE WANTED THAT FOR A LONG TIME. IT FEELS WONDERFUL.

That got a bigger smile out of Adrien, and Marinette tried hard not to turn into pudding when she saw it.

I have, too. Not just because of how kind you've been to me this week, either.

Every little thing I learn about you makes me want to know more.

That turned her a light shade of red, at least momentarily. "You do?" she whispered, barely audible. "Like what?"

"Lots of things," he whispered back, then turned back to his paper with an acknowledging nod when he saw Mr. Travers glaring at him.

Lots of things, he wrote. What kinds of music you like. What your favorite food is. What you like to read. What you do to relax when you're by yourself, or when you're with your friends, or out on a date.

Red became scarlet, which Adrien noticed immediately.

Are you okay? I didn't mean to overstep.

NO, NO, I'M GOOD, she scribbled. THERE ARE LOTS OF THINGS I'D LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT YOU, TOO! I'M HAPPY TO HEAR THAT.

Inside, the impulse to add to that statement burned brightly... and it finally won out.

AS FOR WHAT I DO ON A DATE, I'M NOT SURE. I'VE NEVER ACTUALLY HAD ONE.

Feeling a little embarrassed, Marinette stared down at what she'd written. Too late to erase that now, she thought. But when she turned, she saw Adrien looking quite nervous, and then she saw what he'd written in response...

There's nothing wrong with that. I've never had one, either.

Would you like to figure out how it works together, sometime?

Tikki watched Plagg slip back into Adrien's bag, her eyes barely peeping past the surface of the floor.

Marinette's purse is a little higher up, I'll have to time this carefully so that they don't see me -

She glimpsed the expression on Adrien's face, and how focused he was on Marinette's at that moment. Then she peeked up at Marinette...

Hah! I think I could do a tap dance and sing three arias from 'Carmen' right now and neither of them would notice.

Did he just...

"Did you just..." Marinette gasped, then clapped her hand over her mouth. Quickly, she grabbed her pencil:

DID YOU JUST ASK ME ON A DATE?

The smile on his face showed that it wasn't a mistake.

It doesn't have to be anything fancy or elaborate. We can start slow and easy and see how we both feel about it.

Adrien watched Marinette swallow hard, breathing a little faster, and wondered if he'd just screwed up badly.

That is, if you want to do it at all. No pressure. If you're uncomfortable with it, we don't

YES! YES, I'D LIKE THAT VERY MUCH! Marinette's pencil flew on her paper, as quickly as she could write, interrupting his sentence. Her visible delight was interrupted momentarily by another thought.

BUT ONLY IF YOU'RE SURE THAT YOU WANT TO? I CAN WAIT UNTIL YOU'RE READY. I KNOW THAT YOU'RE STILL WORKING THINGS OUT...

Adrien didn't hesitate at all.

Like I said last night, being around you always makes me feel better. I'd like to return that favor every way that I can.

I'm starting my life back up slowly... but I really  do  want to start.

Fireworks burst into brightly-colored sparkle showers deep within Marinette Dupain-Cheng's soul.

Marinette suppressed an excited squeal only by an enormous display of willpower. She watched as Adrien's face also lit up with happiness...

...But there's something else, she worried, as she saw nervousness in him as well.

There is one more thing that I HAVE to tell you, before this goes any further. I can't do this without being totally honest, okay?

Wide-eyed, Marinette nodded silently.

There's another reason that I need to start slowly. There is another girl I need to talk to.

Someone I've had a crush on for a very long time, and she surprised me recently by showing interest.

I don't know if there's anything possible there... and nothing serious has happened yet...

Marinette looked stunned. On her paper, she wrote: KAGAMI?

Adrien reached over and drew two lines through her name, shaking his head 'No.'

CHLOE? Marinette wrote, with an incredulous expression.

Adrien's eyes bugged out. He reached over again, scratched her name out with a huge black X and scribbles, then wrote Oh, HELL no underneath it.

She remained puzzled. LILA? she wrote underneath that.

This time he scratched the name out very thoroughly, adding Ewww, no. He paused before continuing. How do I say this? he wondered.

She's not someone in our class... at least I don't think so, anyway. It's a really unusual situation. I can't really explain it yet.

Wait, what? thought Marinette. I don't THINK so? Wouldn't he KNOW?

Now Marinette looked extremely confused... until the light bulb went on over her head.

She drew a little bug, penciled in some spots on its back, and put a question mark next to it. With an odd smile on her face, she pointed to it and looked up at Adrien...

Adrien looked like he'd seen a ghost. His eyes bugged out as a sensation of panic swept over him.

"How did you know? Did Nino tell you? When did he tell-"

Adrien's whisper was cut off when Mr. Travers shifted his weight in his chair, subtly warning him to be quieter, or else.

HOW DID YOU KNOW?

Marinette's grin was sly and triumphant.

I DIDN'T, FOR SURE... UNTIL YOU JUST TOLD ME.

Okay. Wow. I didn't mean for it to come out quite like that.

Adrien's nervousness increased as he kept writing.

Like I said... there's nothing "there" yet for sure. But I feel like I need to at least talk to her about it.

I'd told you how she saved me recently. It's happened twice now. She's talked with me about my problems, just like you have.

We've even talked about you. So she knows just how much I've been... thinking about you lately.

And I might even be imagining that she seemed interested in me. Wishful thinking.

AND WHAT WILL YOU DO IF LADYBUG IS INTERESTED? wrote Marinette, intensely curious as to what he'd say.

I have no idea. It barely even seems possible to me, he began writing. I CANNOT mess this answer up, he thought.

But I know that I wouldn't just tell her "I'm yours," for a bunch of reasons.

One is that she and I don't know each other that well yet. I'm amazed that she's told me anything personal at all about herself.

Two is that maybe I'm dead wrong about her, and she's really just worrying about me, preventing another Akuma.

But if if I'm not wrong... which is a little scary to me...

WHY DOES THAT SCARE YOU? SHE'S JUST A GIRL UNDERNEATH, ISN'T SHE? Marinette wrote.

"Just" is a funny word. Whoever's under the mask, she's not "just" anyone.

She's a dear friend that I'd never want to hurt, either by assuming too much or by not taking how she feels seriously.

But you're dear to me, too. And that's the biggest reason.

I know what it's like to have feelings for someone, but she doesn't know about it because I haven't been able to tell her.

Adrien gave Marinette a smile that made her toes curl, and the BA-WHOOM BA-WHOOM BA-WHOOM returned to her ears.

And I might be wrong... but I've realized this week that someone else I know might have had some unspoken feelings like that.

Marinette did her best not to spontaneously combust in her chair.

I MIGHT AGREE WITH THAT, she wrote, in the understatement of the decade.

So here's part of why I'm so nervous, Adrien continued.

If she does have some feelings, I don't want to just leave her hanging...

Like I might have left you hanging. And if I hurt you without meaning to...  I'm so sorry about that if I did.

We can talk about that, if you want to.

ADRIEN... YOU DIDN'T KNOW, wrote Marinette, after a long pause. IT WASN'T YOUR FAULT.

Adrien sank down in his chair a little, clearly struggling with mixed emotions.

So it is true, then? This isn't something recent, it's been building for a while, and I was oblivious?

Her silent expression on her face told him all that he needed to know about that.

The horror on HIS face told her how blind he'd just realized he had been.

DON'T YOU DO THIS TO YOURSELF NOW, she wrote with some emphasis. WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT WHEN WE CAN TALK OUT LOUD, IN PRIVATE.

BUT... WELL... NOW YOU KNOW. AND WHAT YOU DO NOW THAT YOU KNOW IS FAR MORE IMPORTANT.

Adrien looked at Marinette, shaking a little bit with nervousness. He leaned over and drew little horns and a pointed tail on his figure on the sketch paper.

He looked at her with remorseful eyes. I don't know that I even deserve you as a friend.

LET ME DECIDE THAT, OKAY? SO FAR, I'M NOT TRADING YOU IN.

...Thank you. I do want to talk about that sometime, though. And make it up to you. So much!

But that's where I'm coming from. If Ladybug is really interested, I don't want to just leave her hanging or ignore how she feels.

I want to at least talk it out with her and not hurt her by accident... like I did to you, even if you deny that.

I don't know what that means yet.

I feel like a total jerk just for bringing this up!  I just told YOU I'm interested, and I meant it!

But I do know this much.

I have two amazing friends who care about me, and I care so much about them, and I can't lose either of them.

But I just asked the sweetest girl I know on a date... and she said yes... and I can't wait to see what happens next.

...Does that tell you enough to make sense of all this, and decide if the answer's still yes?

If the other girl who might steal you away from me wasn't ME, Marinette thought with an internal giggle, somehow I think I'd be a lot more worried.

Adrien watched Marinette's face, nervously... and to his massive relief, Marinette's smile returned quickly.

IT TELLS ME JUST HOW SENSITIVE AND SWEET YOU REALLY ARE, she wrote. AND YOU SAID THAT I PUT OTHER PEOPLE'S FEELINGS FIRST!

HOW COULD I BE UPSET WITH YOU FOR BEING HONEST WITH ME, AND TRYING SO HARD NOT TO HURT ANYONE?

She reached across and erased the devil horns and tail from Adrien's figure... replacing them with little wings and a halo, instead.

I NEED YOU IN MY LIFE, ADRIEN AGRESTE. WE'LL FIGURE OUT THE REST LATER.

Adrien reached over and drew a halo over Marinette's figure as well... then, to her delight, he drew a thought bubble next to his with a tiny heart inside it.

Marinette did the same.

Shyly, Adrien reached across and took her hand in his...

Mr. Travers looked up from his book, making sure that everything was in order. His eyebrow raised as he saw what appeared to be young love blossoming in the back row.

Hmmph, he thought. Kids! They'll make goo-goo eyes anywhere.

Well, as long as they're quiet about it...

Nathalie Sancoeur sat impatiently in the passenger seat of the Agreste sedan, passing messages back and forth with Gabriel. The unexpected hour out of Adrien's schedule had long since been accounted for and redistributed, but she still had her hands full attending to business matters of the day.

[Gabriel] You have the contract lined up with the de Vries people?

[Nathalie] Yes, that should be settled and waiting for your electronic signature. I also cleared the Dior invoices before I left.

[Gabriel] Good, good. I'll admit that settling this contract will be a load off of my mind.

[Gabriel] Speaking of which... keep me informed as to Adrien's mood when he arrives.

[Gabriel] I'd imagine that his school punishment might have him somewhat downcast, and given what we discussed last night, I don't want that right now. Perhaps, stop for ice cream or something on the way home if he needs a boost.

Nathalie looked up at the doors of the school, seeing them open, and once she recognized what it was that she saw... her jaw dropped.

[Nathalie] I really don't think that's going to be a problem, Sir. ;)

[Gabriel] Whatever do you mean?

She watched as Adrien walked down the front steps, hand-in-hand with Marinette, both of them with a smitten look on their faces.

[Nathalie] It appears as if our junior heartbreaker has been busier than we knew!

[Nathalie] He and the baker girl are walking towards me together, far cozier than I've ever seen them.

[Nathalie] Perhaps a breakthrough between them? I'll find out what has happened.

[Gabriel] Really? So soon after what we saw last night? Perhaps I jumped to conclusions about that.

[Nathalie] Should I discourage it, to get him to focus on Ladybug?

[Gabriel] No, no. Ladybug may be just a friend after all, encouraging him to speak his mind to his true interest.

[Gabriel] And I have a contingency plan worked out involving that possibility.

[Gabriel] We need more information before we act, however. I trust that you can pick his brain about it?

[Nathalie] Consider it done.

Adrien walked down to his car with Marinette, feeling as if his feet were barely touching the ground. The sensation of her hand holding his, the warmth of their shared excitement, the grin that neither one of them could erase from their faces... they were all intoxicating to him, in a new and unfamiliar way.

If I could have known that she'd liked me like this all along...

"What are you doing this weekend?" he asked her, as they approached the car. "I know I told Nino I'd get together with him, I haven't had a chance to do that in a while."

"I have nothing much planned, that I know of," Marinette replied. "And we still don't need to rush our date, if that's why you're asking. I know your father keeps your calendar pretty full; whenever it will fit is fine."

"Somehow 'our date' doesn't sound right..." he mused.

"It doesn't?"

"It makes it sound like there'll only be one," grinned Adrien. "And I really doubt that."

"Ohhhh..." she beamed. "Yeah, I agree."

As they reached the car, they stopped and faced each other. Now what do I do? he wondered. Keep holding her hand? Kiss her? Tell her that I...

Without a word, Marinette leaned forward and hugged him tightly, which he happily returned.

"Keep in touch, okay? I'll be watching for you on my phone," she whispered up to him.

"Count on that," he smiled.  "And if you need some company... let me know, and I'll come running."

The sound of a car door opening distracted them for a moment. Nathalie hopped out of the passenger seat, opened Adrien's door, and then turned their way. "Obviously, detention wasn't as bad as you feared, hmmm?" she smiled.

"You could say that," grinned Adrien, hanging onto Marinette's hand while turning to face Nathalie. "It most definitely had its moments."

"Good. Your father will be waiting, I'm sure. And you must be Marinette?" she asked, lightly.

"I am. Nathalie, isn't it?"  She reached out with her free hand and shook Nathalie's. "You know my name?" Marinette asked her, a little surprised.

"Adrien's spoken very highly of you!  And I make it my business to learn about people whom I'm sure we'll be seeing much more of," winked Nathalie.

With one last hand-squeeze, Adrien entered the car and they headed out into traffic, the two watching each other until the sedan rounded the next corner.

"Tikki?" whispered Marinette, grinning from ear to ear. "I'm afraid you might've been replaced."

"What do you mean?" came a tiny voice from her purse.

"I feel like I could leap onto my balcony right now without transforming."

Next time:

* To two cups of exhilaration, add one pinch of complications and two tablespoons of reality. Stir.

* A little midnight texting.

* Red and black and even redder.

* It was a dark and stormy night.

* "I... shouldn't."

Chapter Text

Marinette walked through the front door of her parents' bakery... or did she float in, like a soap bubble on a breeze? She really couldn't tell at that moment in time.

Tom looked up from the display case he was filling, and called, "Hello, Marinette... Uh-oh."

Grinning from ear to ear, Marinette stood with a hand on her hip. "What do you mean, 'Uh-oh,' Dad?"

"I know that look," he laughed. "The first time your mother kissed me, I walked in the house with that look. That's what your grandfather told me. And he was right!"

"Right about what, Tom?" asked Sabine, entering through the door from the kitchen. "Has something happened... Uh-oh," she grinned. "What did Adrien do?"

"Something wonderful," Marinette bubbled. "He's interested in me! We talked it out - well, we wrote it out, we couldn't talk out loud in detention - and he asked me on a date! More than one date, even! He held my hand, he gave me that look, that smile, those eyes...! It finally happened!"

"That's great, Marinette!" smiled Tom. "I know how long you've really wanted that."

"Yes, I'm so happy for you!" Sabine agreed, enthusiastically. "I'm tied up with something right now, but you'll tell us all about it at dinner?"

"I doubt that you could stop me," giggled Marinette, as she dashed up the stairs to her room. "And if you hear happy shrieking from upstairs, pay no mind!"

Her parents shared an amused look as a pair of customers entered the shop. "Are we really ready for this?" Sabine asked.

"Are any parents ever ready?" Tom answered, with a knowing grin.

As Marinette's room door closed, Tikki emerged from her purse. "Well! I guess that I should say -"

Her sentence was cut off as Marinette turned and wrapped her up in a tight hug, dancing in a little circle. "It happened! It happened, it happened, it happened!"

"...Congratulations!" gasped Tikki, happy for her but also preferring to continue breathing freely. "Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Oh, yeah," Marinette mocked playfully. "I just snapped my fingers and he fell for me, right? Easy as pie."

She flopped down into her desk chair, overwhelmed. "I'm just... I feel amazing, Tikki! It was almost as intense as the other night as Ladybug... but this time there was no doubt about it, it was all Marinette!"

"Are you suggesting that Ladybug isn't all you, Marinette? Because I beg to differ," asserted Tikki.

"Oh, I know it's me either way, Tikki. But he doesn't know that!" Marinette grinned. "And Ladybug has a certain... well... flashiness to her, doesn't she? I was hoping he was into the girl who wears the mask, not just the mask... and now I know that he does!"

"I think you could wear clown makeup and a tutu and he'd still be into you, though I wouldn't recommend that," Tikki giggled. "Now, are you ready for the extra challenge ahead of you?"

"Challenge?" asked Marinette, looking surprised.

"You're closer to him now than you ever have been. You've opened up to him as both yourself and Ladybug. He's going to want to stay close with both of you... and probably try to figure out which of you he's falling for more," explained Tikki. "So now you're going to flirt with him both ways, share even more of yourself with him, and still try to keep your secret that his two sweethearts are the same girl, right?"

"Oooh! You're right," Marinette replied. "Challenge accepted! It can't be that much harder than keeping Ladybug's secret normally, can it?"

Tikki just smiled as Marinette ran through a bunch of the possible scenarios in her head. "Or... um... yeah, it could be. Tikki... did I just make things worse?" she worried aloud.

"Not at all!" Tikki assured her. "Just because you're Ladybug doesn't mean you don't get to have a real private life, too. And I know you well enough to know that you'll be careful. You'll just need to be extra-careful to keep your two sides balanced and keep your facts and statements straight. Do you have a preference yet as to which way you'd rather have him?"

"Is it bad if I don't yet?" wondered Marinette, with a soft smile. "I'm still getting used to the idea that he wants to be with me at all!"

Once Adrien pried himself away from his car's rear window, his peaceful journey lasted about another half a block.

"Okay, okay, you were right!" he laughed, bashfully, under the weight of Nathalie's I told you so smile. "There was something there between us. Wow, is there!" he added, still half in a daze.

"Good for you!" smiled Nathalie, with an uncharacteristic touch of humanity behind it. "Tell me about it! I'm dying to hear how it happened."

"You are? Um, okay," Adrien began, a trifle surprised. "A couple of things happened. You've heard me talk about Marinette before, I know you have, and what an amazing friend she's been to me all year. She's been on my mind more and more lately, especially this week when she's been helping me deal with some things about... um... well, Dad."

"I see," Nathalie noted. "Do you feel like you and your father are still an issue right now?"

"Yes and no?" admitted Adrien, hesitantly. "I think we're better than we were this time last week. There are some things I'd still like to talk out with him, but I know what his schedule is like, and... we'll see. Anyway, Marinette's been so good to me - even more than usual - that I guess I started seeing her in a different light. I talked with Nino about her, and Nino pretty much confirmed that he knew she had feelings for me. I have no idea how I hadn't noticed them before."

"Hmmph," Nathalie half-laughed. "You'd think that if a girl dedicates so much of herself to making someone else's life better, it'd be a dead giveaway, huh?"

There was an odd catch to her voice, almost as if that was a wayward thought that shouldn't have escaped. Adrien and the Gorilla both looked at her strangely, hearing that.

Nathalie realized this, regained her composure quickly and added, "But these things are always complicated. We all know that." She turned to the Gorilla, pointed straight ahead and noted, "The road's over there..." brusquely; he turned back to focusing on his driving with a grunt.

"So... um..." Adrien continued, feeling a little bit awkward. "I talked it out with her today and tried to find out if Nino was right. She was a little shy about it, but definitely interested, and when I told her I was interested and asked her on a date, I think we both nearly fell over."

"Good! I'm happy that it worked out. Where are you thinking of taking her?" asked Nathalie.

"I'm... not sure yet?" Adrien said. "We're starting slow and seeing how we feel about it, getting to know each other better. We haven't spent a lot of time together outside of school, so there's so much for me to learn about her! I can't wait."

"Sounds like a smart approach," Nathalie smiled. Time to do a little more fishing, she thought. "Was there someone else you'd had your eye on all this time, perhaps? Sometimes that can distract you from who's right under your nose."

"There... um..." hesitated Adrien. How do I explain THIS? "There... kind of is? And that's also something I talked with Nino about. There's a second girl that I'd, uh, been crushing on for the longest time. Someone very much out of my league, but she's so amazing."

Nathalie's eyebrow raised. "Adrien, your father would have a heart attack if he heard you say that. You are an Agreste. You define the league. Who could possibly make you feel that way?"

"It's... complicated," Adrien struggled to say. "I'm going to leave it at that. And there have been some unexpected positive signs recently with her, as well... so I need to speak with her and make sure I understand what's going on there before I make any commitments with anyone. And Marinette knows that, and she agreed that I should."

"She did?" marveled Nathalie, sounding genuinely surprised. "I doubt that I would've."

"It would break me in two to hurt either one of them," added Adrien, gently. "They're both very good friends of mine. So if I seem overwhelmed over the next week or two, while I figure all of this out..."

"You will, I'm sure," soothed Nathalie. "You're a fine young man, and you have a huge heart. You'll make the right decisions."

"...Thank you," Adrien replied after a slight pause, not used to hearing that kind of praise from her.

He looked up at the Gorilla in the rear-view mirror, who smiled, made kissy noises and then gave him a questioning expression.

"No, we haven't done that yet!" blushed Adrien. "One step at a time, okay?"

The Gorilla's quiet chuckle ended the conversation and left the other two passengers alone with their thoughts for the moment.

"Well, hello, Miss I've-Got-A-Boyfriend!" grinned Tom, as his daughter entered the dining room for supper.

"Not... quite yet?" Marinette hesitated slightly. "But so much closer than ever before!"

"Oh?" asked Sabine, carefully bringing a roasted chicken to the table. "Tell us about it! You certainly looked like you were on cloud nine earlier, and he couldn't have looked much more boyfriend-ish these last few mornings..."

Over the duration of the main course, Marinette related the afternoon's events to her parents. They seemed genuinely happy for her, but not without some concerns.

"Do you know who this other girl is that he's been interested in?" Sabine asked. "Not one of your classmates, I hope?"

"I don't think that she is," evaded Marinette. "She's not, like, one of my close friends or anything. That could get weird very fast if it was."

"Indeed! Nothing breaks up friendships faster than mutual crushes," Tom agreed. "That's good if you can avoid that."

"So... yeah, I'm waiting to see what happens there, but I feel like I've already won, you know?" Marinette ventured. "I wanted more than anything else to be closer to him, to feel special to him. And I feel like I'm there now, no matter what else happens! He's trying so hard not to hurt me or her, whoever she is... so if I'm this close now, I think I'm staying there at a minimum. I don't know how long it'll take to get to... um..."

"...The kissy parts?" suggested Tom.

"Yeah, those," blushed Marinette. "And I do want those! Wow, do I want those. But he's still unsure enough that I don't want to just fling myself at him."

In response to her parents' grins at her statement, she turned even redder. "And, no, we don't need to discuss any of that right now," she mumbled.

"I know we don't," Sabine assured her. "We've had The Talk, and I trust your judgment, and it's far too soon to even think about such things."

"And if you do get pressured to do something and you're not ready, you remember the ol' Dupain Uppercut I showed you, right?" her father added, half-teasingly.

That got Marinette laughing. "Yes, Dad. That and the Knee of Doom. I hope neither one gets tested out any time soon," she giggled.

"I highly doubt that they will be. Adrien has always seemed like the sweetest boy, someone very sensitive and gentle," smiled Sabine. "But from what I've seen in his eyes, there's one more thing you might have to get used to, Marinette."

"What's that?" she asked.

"Being chased, instead of doing the chasing," Sabine laughed. "The boy looks smitten to me."

"I sure hope so," grinned Marinette.

After piano, dinner and homework, Adrien sat at his desk, mustering up his willpower.

I do need to do this, he thought. Somehow.

He stared at his computer keyboard, then at his phone, and dared himself to finish typing something and send it on one or the other.

I was nervous doing about this before... and after today, it just got that much harder to do! I crossed a big line with Marinette today, and I'm really happy that I did...

...But did I do it too soon, before I know what Ladybug is really thinking?

Marinette seemed... surprisingly cool, really, with the idea of taking it slow. But I'm pretty sure that 'slow' doesn't mean 'stop halfway there,' and it definitely doesn't mean 'end up being with someone else.' What happens if Ladybug is crazy about me, somehow? I can't even think about breaking Marinette's heart now that I know she likes me that much. That's not even an option.

Do I tell Ladybug "no?" Will I have to? Is it even physically possible for me to tell her "no?"

Aw, am I kidding myself about Ladybug even THINKING about me like that? I probably am. And I'll look really egotistical and dumb if I bring it up and she's like "I'm just your friend, silly."

But what if I did read the other night correctly? Ladybug's body language, her blushing, what she said, how she said it?

I mean, it's not like being close with both of them would be bad. Nino was right about that. I'm going to need Marinette's sweetness in my life even if I end up dating Ladybug. And if I end up with Ladybug as a good friend and Marinette as my girlfriend... well, there's nothing wrong with that, either! That would be amazing, actually. The way I felt when Marinette accepted our date, that look on her face, that hug... every time I think about all of that, I just want more of all of it!

So I _could_ just steer towards that. Play it safe. Ease off of Ladybug and keep falling for Marinette.

But I have to know for sure...

The staring contest with his technology continued.

Type, you idiot.

"...So, that is where we stand," concluded Nathalie. "Adrien appears to have begun one relationship, however tentatively, and may well be considering another with your costumed nemesis."

Gabriel pondered this deeply... then rotated his desk chair away from Nathalie for a moment, with his back to her.

"Sir? Are you... I didn't mean to alarm you..." began Nathalie, concerned.

She heard a quiet sound coming from Gabriel... then a louder one, and it was something she was generally unaccustomed to hearing from him.

He's LAUGHING!

"You are telling me," guffawed Gabriel, rotating back around, "that my son is setting up a potential love triangle... involving himself, a close lady friend, and Ladybug?"

"It appears so," she confirmed.

"You know... part of me had once considered letting Adrien in on my little family secret," Gabriel laughed, trying to catch his breath and mostly failing. "Perhaps even give him one of the Miraculous, once I have captured the Ladybug and the Cat. But now I may just have to give him the Moth, because he's doing my job better than I am!"

"So all is well for now?" asked Nathalie, now smiling with a little more confidence.

"Yes, yes! By all means, allow my son to dig this hole himself. The boy could use some pleasant diversions for the time being; good lord, he is earning them right now." Gabriel regained most of his composure. "I am prepared to follow this as it goes, and even to encourage it. We will pick off whichever piece ends up crestfallen at the end of it and use it to snare the other two."

As Nathalie looked on, Gabriel resumed his more thoughtful demeanor. "This Miss Dupain-Cheng... Marinette... she is not unknown to me," he mused. "As I recall, she was the winner of that Derby Hat competition we sponsored through Françoise Dupont... the one that Adrien wore the day when that dreadful Bourgeois woman attacked him."

"And she was Clara Nightingale's choice as Ladybug in her video with Adrien, wasn't she?" Nathalie added.

"Pfft," Gabriel sniffed. "That is of no importance. But design skill potential, however raw and unpolished at this stage... that, I notice. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I had penciled in her name as a possible match for Adrien down the road."

"...What?" he asked, seeing Nathalie's startled face. "Not as a permanent match, obviously; Adrien is intended for someone of a much higher profile. But in a few years, I had imagined that I could persuade Adrien to romance some talented young designers on my behalf, so as to bring them into the company. Time will tell on that, and he's simply jumped the gun on approaching this one."

He continued, ignoring Nathalie's shocked He just SAID THAT OUT LOUD! facial expression. "Thank you, Nathalie. That will be all for now; please keep me informed as this develops."

As she left the room, she heard Gabriel break into laughter again, and shivered, involuntarily. Somehow he sounds more like a supervillain NOW than when he's actually in costume, she thought to herself.

That evening, Marinette busied herself around her room, making multiple sets of plans for a date that hadn't been planned yet, so that she'd be ready for whatever and whenever. Outfit combinations, makeup choices, accessories, the perfect thing to say, the perfect way to say it, even getting her smile just right in the mirror...

Tikki looked on with some amusement. "You'd better get some chaps, in case he decides on a rodeo date," she noted, wryly. "Maybe a black leather catsuit, too."

Marinette was halfway to her computer to look up what chaps cost before Tikki's teasing sunk in. "Very funny," she grumped. "I just really want to get this right when it happens..."

"Adrien himself said you're getting far more than one shot at this, didn't he?" Tikki replied. "Spoiler alert: he likes you already, just as you are!"

"Of course he does. But I'm ninety percent of the way there, so I want to stick the dismount, don't I?" giggled Marinette.

A *BA-BLOOP!* noise from her computer got Marinette's immediate attention, and she dashed over to it.

"What was that, an incoming email?" asked Tikki.

"An email on that account."

"Ohhhh," grinned Tikki. "By all means, then, continue."

Marinette opened up Ladybug's email account, and saw:

To my guardian angel,

Would you be free some time Saturday or Sunday? I have some news to pass on, a space reserved on my couch, and another Marx Brothers movie waiting to be watched together.

Let me know when it's convenient for you; I can plan around your schedule, or around whatever fifty-foot monster's trying to eat Paris next. There's something that I need to talk to you about, and I really can't wait to see you again.

- Adrien

"Hah!" laughed Tikki, looking over Marinette's shoulder. "Told you."

"Told me what?" muttered Marinette, still processing Adrien's request.

"He'd like you to turn into you and come see him, because he can't wait to see you again, but he also needs to talk to you about whether he'll be dating you, you, or you and you, because he's also crazy about you," the Kwami giggled. "Clear enough?"

Marinette did the mental math, then made a face. "Yeah, but what if he wants a double date, hmmm? Did you think about that?" she asked.

Now Tikki looked confused. "How would that work?" she asked.

"Him, me, you, and the fifty-foot monster. A dinner date, and Paris is dinner," Marinette grinned.

"That could work. You two get a nice restaurant, I'll handle the bakeries, and the monster eats the rest," giggled Tikki. "Now, whatever am I going to wear?"

Adrien flopped over on his bed, unable to get comfortable. He'd practiced his latest piano piece until it echoed in his ears, he'd browsed the Ladyblog for half an hour and mentally noted a dozen edits to make to Chat Noir's main entry, he'd talked Plagg's ears off about Marinette until Plagg had started browsing the Ladyblog...

Luckily, Plagg wasn't the only friend available for comment, even at the relatively late hour.

[Nino] Dude, you finally asked her? All right!

[Nino] Maybe we can double-date sometime.

[Adrien] ...Aren't you even going to ask if she said yes?

[Nino] Do I need to?

[Adrien] A couple of weeks ago, I'd have said so. Shows what I know. :)

[Nino] I wanted to tell you, but you know... it wasn't my thing to say?

[Adrien] I get that. I just wish I'd paid attention to what should've been obvious!

[Nino] Have you thought more about the other thing we talked about?

[Adrien] The other person, you mean? Going slow with both?

[Nino] Yeah.

[Adrien] You're not going to believe this. I mentioned that to Marinette... and she GUESSED who it was!

[Nino] Wait WHAT

[Adrien] She knew that I like Ladybug! It's amazing how intuitive she is.

[Nino] Yeah! Intuitive. That's it.

[Nino] So... did she freak?

[Adrien] No... surprisingly enough.

[Adrien] I said I wasn't sure how LB felt, but I didn't want to maybe leave her hanging, like I'd left Marinette hanging.

[Adrien] And I apologized 36 times for THAT.

[Adrien] And I guess that struck a chord with her. She said I was sweet for not wanting to hurt either of them.

[Nino] Huh. I wasn't sure how she'd react.. but that's Marinette.

[Nino] So you got lucky that way. How about the other?

[Adrien] I emailed her. I'll see what she says. I'm keeping my window open just in case!

[Nino] Hahahaha

[Nino] Can't blame you there!

Another incoming text got Adrien's full attention:

[LB] Hey, I got your email. Is everything all right?

Adrien responded quickly to Nino:

[Adrien] She just texted me! Gotta go, I'll keep you posted!

[Adrien] We'll get together sometime this weekend and talk.

[Nino] Sounds good. Good luck, bro!

With his heart pounding, Adrien returned Ladybug's text:

[Adrien] Yes, thank you, no emergency. What I wanted to talk about can wait.

[LB] So I shouldn't come flying through your window tonight?

[Adrien] Well, that's up to YOU. ;)

[LB] Ha! Maybe you shouldn't tempt me like that. You never know...

[Adrien] That one window stays open a crack from now on. Just saying!

[LB] If you wake up with something drawn on your forehead, I know nothing.

[Adrien] Hahahahaha!

[LB] So what is going on? I saw "something I need to talk to you about" and worried a little.

[Adrien] It's something good, actually... at least I hope you'll think it's good. It can wait until I see you.

[LB] You'd rather not tell me now?

[Adrien] Probably better said in person.

[LB] Okay, next time that I visit, then. I like surprises.

[LB] And Marx Brothers movies. :)

Adrien thought for a moment, then worried that he'd disturbed her needlessly...

[Adrien] I didn't take you out of something, did I?

[LB] Actually, no... I was just thinking about you, but I'm not doing anything special right now.

[LB] Lounging in my room at the moment.

[Adrien] Heh. Another case of "well, why wouldn't she be? Of course she has a room," but it's still hard to picture!

[LB] And before you ask "What are you wearing," it's not my spots! Some simple pajamas and slippers.

[Adrien] I feel faint.

[LB] Oh, you! I'm just an ordinary girl, with an ordinary life. Trust me, it's nothing exciting!

[Adrien] I'm not imagining anything you couldn't show your mother, if that helps...

[Adrien] Just the idea of Ladybug chatting with me, sitting in her room, getting ready for bed, perfectly casual.

[Adrien] Do you ever do that with anyone else?

[LB] Some of my girlfriends, sometimes... but they don't know I'm Ladybug, of course!

[LB] You're the first one I've talked to like this, who knows me and talks to me as Ladybug.

[Adrien] I'm honored! I really am.

[LB] You're sweet, is what you are. That's why you're reading this.

The conversation floated along for the next hour or so, on a variety of light topics.

[LB] Listen, I probably should get some sleep soon... but it was great talking to you!

[LB] Would tomorrow afternoon or early evening work for you? I have some family stuff in the morning.

[Adrien] By all means. Send me a text before you come over so I'll know to watch for you.

[LB] It's a date! Good night, and pleasant dreams 'til then!

[Adrien] You too. Good night!

"Well, aren't you the socialite! Setting up two dates in one day!"

Adrien flipped over and swatted at Plagg, who floated away giggling. "This one isn't a DATE date... is it? It's just getting together for a movie, and to talk," Adrien protested.

"Why... do you want it to be one?" asked Plagg.

"That's... a good question," replied Adrien, giving that more thought than he'd anticipated. "I'm really not sure now."

He slumped back down with his head on his pillow. "The idea of dating anyone other than Ladybug... it still seems so strange to me. I've been focused on her for so long that she's second nature to me. And it's one thing to think about moving on when Ladybug tells me right to my mask that she's not interested, you know? It's another thing when she felt like she was flirting back at me."

Adrien's grin slid back into place quickly, however. "But as strongly as Marinette responded... and as wonderful as she is... I'll be honest, Plagg. I don't feel at all like I'd be settling in any way if I get serious with Marinette. She's nobody's consolation prize; she's right there, and she's amazing, and she likes me, and I like her. So much! And I feel like a complete jerk even considering anyone else now that I know how she feels."

"Well, let me put it this way," the Kwami mused. I have to word this carefully, he thought. "Marinette really is someone special, and yeah, she seems crazy about you. And she'd be so good for you in so many ways. And if you end up with her as your girlfriend and Ladybug stays just friends, there's nothing wrong with that!"

Plagg paused, watching Adrien acknowledge his first statement. "But Ladybug is special, too. And I know what it's like to want someone for so long and she's just out of reach. If Ladybug's flirting with you, that's what you've always wanted, right? It's got to be killing you to even think of turning that down. And maybe you don't have to yet."

"You know how that feels, Plagg?" asked Adrien, with a little wonder.

"How old am I? Adrien, I was going through heartbreak before your language was invented. But that's beside the point," continued Plagg. "The only reason you feel like you were hurting Marinette was that you didn't know how she felt. Well, now you do, and if she's trusting you with her heart, you'll take good care of it. Even if you end up giving it back to her, you'd do it gently, right?"

"You know I would. She'll never be just a friend again," smiled Adrien. "Wherever this leads."

"Good. Because you need to keep Marinette close. That one's unique," grinned Plagg. "But what you don't know yet is what Ladybug wants. And until you know that, you're not making a decision based on all the facts. And Nino was right; if Ladybug is okay keeping it casual, you might just get to date both until one of them leaps out at you as your steady girl."

Adrien sighed. "This was so much easier when Ladybug was just my partner, a little red fireball that made me melt and then disappeared with a smile until the next Akuma. The more she reaches out to me as a girl, not as a hero... I feel confused. Good confused, not bad confused, if that makes sense," he said. "She's more fleshed out as a whole person this way. And I really do like it, and I want to know more, but it's also so much more complicated."

"If women weren't complicated, would you be chasing after them?" Plagg quipped. "That's half the fun. That's why you're chasing after two of the best, instead of some random model who'd just sit at your feet and adore you."

"Good point," Adrien chuckled. "And they have one other thing in common, too... I kind of get the feeling that even though she certainly has friends, and her parents seem great, Marinette knows a little bit about feeling lonely. She told me that she'd never dated anyone or had a boyfriend. Well... Ladybug said the same thing! And with the mask complicating things, it's got to be even harder for her to get to know people well."

"Where are you headed with that?" asked Plagg, warily.

"Look at how Ladybug and I were just texting back and forth, talking about everyday things, and she said she doesn't normally get to do something as simple as that. Or how she said she sometimes feels isolated as Ladybug, that night at the park. Ladybug really needs a good friend, Plagg, one that I can't entirely be as Chat Noir. Whether that's a close friend or a boyfriend, we'll see, but I want to be that for her. And the same goes for Marinette! I want to always be there for her, whether that ends up as like, love, or somewhere in between. She's so emotionally giving as a person... she needs to get as well as give."

"That's... very thoughtful of you, Adrien," Plagg acknowledged. "Not easy. But admirable. I really like that."

GOOD, Plagg thought to himself. He wants to bend over backwards to protect both their hearts. That's perfect, because he doesn't know that if he breaks one of them, he loses them both!

Adrien glanced down at his phone. "And speaking of that... if you'll pardon me, it looks like someone else is awake, too."

"Sure, I won't eavesdrop. Especially if it's going to be one of those kinds of phone calls," laughed Plagg, flying away.

"It won't be," called Adrien.

Actually... I'm not even sure what THOSE kinds of phone calls are, he thought.

In Marinette's room, Tikki floated over once Marinette's text conversation was done. "Hey, I wanted to talk with you for a minute, before things get too crazy," said Tikki, gently.

"Oh? Oh, sure, Tikki!" Marinette replied, making room on her bed for her tiny companion. "What's on your mind?"

"I am genuinely happy for you and Adrien. I think you'll make beautiful music together, and I'm so glad that he's finally noticed how caring and devoted you are. But the thing about 'I want to see how this other person feels, too...' Are you sure that you're okay with that?" asked Tikki.

"Well, yeah, because I know I'm the other person! If he'd said 'I want to ask Kagami how she feels first,' or someone like that, I'd be a complete wreck. I won't lie about that," answered Marinette. "Or if he'd flat-out rejected me but he still had eyes for Ladybug... that could hurt a lot. But he didn't! He seems like he's really interested in me now - as Marinette - and that's what I've always wanted. And it's consistent; he likes me and he likes my other side, and that makes me feel really good."

"So if he does pick Ladybug..." prompted Tikki.

"...It would be because I left that open as an option, wouldn't it?" Marinette argued. "If I wanted to, I could let him down easy as Ladybug next time I see him, and he'd fall right into my arms as Marinette. I'm not all the way sure that's what I want to do yet!"

"And why is that?" Tikki asked. "Adrien falling into your arms sounds exactly like what you've wanted all along."

"Oh, it is, it is!" emphasized Marinette. "And I want him to keep falling there, because believe me, I'll catch him! But the way he's been around Ladybug lately..."

Marinette took a deep breath. "How do I explain this? It's for a few reasons. One is that he feels like he's... flirtier with Ladybug so far. His heart beats just a little faster when I'm Ladybug. And it's easier for me to flirt back that way, at least so far! I don't know why; maybe it's the secret identity thing, that I have the mask to hide behind, a sense of mystery, less fear of rejection or failure... and it's not like I'm playing with his heart if I flirt that way, because the girl underneath really does love him!"

She paused. "That didn't come out like I wanted it to. It's not a game, either way. It's still me and Adrien... just a different aspect of me. And today with him, in detention and after... that felt absolutely wonderful! But just a little different than it did on his couch the other night, when I almost kissed him and I think he almost kissed me! And I'm still kind of exploring why that is, and how I can get both of those from him in one package."

"Another thing... you saw how much he apologized for 'leaving me hanging,' Tikki," she continued. "He didn't know how I felt. Well, I know how he feels about Ladybug! And I don't want to just dismiss that any more than he wanted to dismiss Ladybug's feelings, even if he wasn't sure that they're there."

Tikki nodded, appreciatively. "Which is very considerate of you."

"And just now... Tikki, I know that I can always talk to you about Ladybug stuff, obviously... But it felt really good just now talking with Adrien as Ladybug. I still have to hide a lot of things from him that way, of course; I have to keep those lives separate. But for someone to understand that and still want to be closer to Ladybug, to share with her, to be open to things that she can share, just to talk about everyday things like that... that's pretty rare, and it's really sweet, and right now I can't get enough of him like that." Marinette gave her friend a soft smile. "Does any of that make sense to you?"

"You seem like you've thought this out, which is good. I won't push you one way or the other; you know what your heart is telling you," smiled Tikki. "But the best plans sometimes go crazy when you try them out, and I'm here whenever you need me."

"I know," beamed Marinette, "and I love you for that."

Marinette's phone picked that moment to beep:

[Adrien] Hi! Are you still awake?

"Speak of the devil," grinned Tikki. "I'll give you some privacy..."

[Marinette] Yes, I am! Hello!

[Marinette] Surprised to see you up this late...

[Adrien] Well, it's not a school night, nothing modeling-related scheduled for tomorrow...

[Adrien] How about you?

[Marinette] Oh, I had a pretty exciting day today! I'm still cooling down from that.

[Adrien] Should I take that as a compliment?

[Marinette] You'd better! :)

[Marinette] Can you talk out loud right now?

[Adrien] Sure.

[Marinette] Call me! Easier to talk that way. I'll silence my ringer so my parents don't hear.

That's one thing I need to figure out how to handle, before he calls my other phone! Marinette giggled to herself. I don't want him noticing that Ladybug and Marinette's phone voices are the same.

A moment later, she picked up her incoming call...

"Hi! What a nice surprise!" Marinette told Adrien's smiling face.

"I was awake, I was thinking of you, you were awake, here I am," he grinned. "Plus, I wanted to do something I'd never done before."

"And what's that?" she asked.

"Call a pretty girl after midnight so that I can hear her giggle," Adrien said.

Marinette couldn't help it; her laughter rang out. "Stop, you, my parents will hear me if I'm too loud!" she chided him. "But I am glad that you called. I was thinking about you, too."

"Good. I like it when we match," he smiled. "Have you told anyone about today yet?"

"Just my parents, and they're thrilled. They really like you, you know," Marinette replied. "That runs in the family."

"I told Nino, so I'm amazed that your phone isn't ringing like crazy," said Adrien. "He must not have told Alya yet."

"I figured that I'd spring that on her tomorrow. Maybe take a night to make sure I know what I'm going to tell her!" answered Marinette.

"Why is that?" asked Adrien. "They won't be that surprised, will they? I mean, maybe we took the long way around to dating, but they've seen us getting a lot closer lately..."

"Oh, you know. They'll be amazed that I finally told you..."

"Told me what, exactly?" Adrien grinned.

"YOU know!" protested Marinette, turning red. "What we talked about today!"

"Ohhh. That little thing," laughed Adrien. "I think that what'll amaze them more is that I was finally aware enough to realize how I feel."

"And how is that?" asked Marinette, teasingly. "How do you feel, Adrien?"

"You know! What we talked about today," he teased back, and they laughed together.

Once again, the conversation danced here and there over some time...

This feels so natural, thought Marinette. It's like a huge weight taken off from around my neck... without the pressure of trying to win him over, I can breathe, I can think, I can laugh with him so much more easily!

Around one in the morning, Marinette yawned loudly. "I do need to get some sleep... can you tuck me in, Adrien?" she asked.

"If I could crawl through this phone, I sure would," he replied. "Should I sing you a lullaby?"

"That's up to you," giggled Marinette. "How's your singing voice?"

"Not very good. I'll warn you that up front. And I need to get some sleep, too... tomorrow's going to be... um..." he trailed off.

"It's what? Have you got a hot date planned, or something?" teased Marinette, gently.

"That, uh, kind of slipped out," he admitted. "I think Ladybug's coming over so that she and I can talk. I still feel bad even bringing her up with you."

"It's okay, Adrien," soothed Marinette. "Let me ask you something. One way or the other, are we going to stay closer like this?"

"Absolutely. For as long as you'll have me," Adrien replied, quickly.

"Then talk to Ladybug. I'm sure she'll say 'talk to Marinette,' too." Marinette's voice surprised Adrien by sounding happy and fearless. "Tell her I said hello. Maybe sometime this week, we'll get together and figure out a little more about you and I, too?"

Adrien was nearly glowing. "Count on that. You're one in a million, you know that?" he replied.

"I sure hope not. That means there are at least a few of me, and that's just in Paris," she laughed.

"Sweet dreams, Marinette," Adrien said, with an adoring expression on his face.

"You too," she purred, and blew him a tiny kiss before hanging up.

Adrien laid back on his pillow, with mixed emotions running through him.

I cannot believe that Marinette is so CALM about Ladybug being in my life, knowing what she knows! he thought. If Marinette told me that she really liked me, but she had to talk to, say, Luka before she could date me... I'd be pulling my hair out! To be that close to something so great and then maybe see it go another direction completely... that'd scare the heck out of me.

I don't know if I could handle that. Then again, before Ladybug, I didn't know that I could have feelings this intense... for one person, let alone for two!

But Marinette brushed it off like she's happy however it turns out... however  WE turn out. Even though she's had feelings for me all along! I know that now!

WHY?

Either she knows something about Ladybug that I don't... or...

The second possibility choked Adrien up a little bit with emotion.

Or she wants me to be my happiest, even if it's not being in love with her. That she'd sacrifice what SHE wants if it turns out that I want someone else.

"I have no idea why I am not totally in love with Marinette Dupain-Cheng," I told myself the other morning. Well, I'm a HELL of a lot closer to that now! Just the idea that she might be willing to think like that, to settle for less than she wants for my benefit, is exactly why I... shouldn't let her, if it's true. If I let Marinette slip through my fingers, I might regret it for the rest of my life.

And maybe Ladybug will take that out of my hands tomorrow, and just want to stay friends.

But if she doesn't...! SHE'S been so sweet to me during all of this, too. She's opened up to me in ways that Chat's never seen. In ways I've always dreamed of seeing her!

He closed his eyes... and two blue-eyed visions competed for the foreground, each one coupled with pleasant memories, warm emotions, and increasingly intense longings on his part.

She's everything I could ever ask for...

...They both are.

The right path is in front of me. I just wish I knew which one it is.

His eyes snapped wide open once more, and seemed intent on staying that way for a while.

And that I knew what the heck I'm going to say to Ladybug tomorrow.

Marinette turned out her light and laid down, her head hitting her pillow with a very contented smile.

This may have been the best day of my life! she thought, warm sensations running from head to toe. I have my Adrien! I hear that sweetness and those yearnings in his voice and I'm just a puddle. I know that he truly likes me as myself AND as Ladybug. It felt so great to talk to him like that for hours, with no nervousness, BOTH ways, like we were made for each other.

And after we spend time together and have our talk tomorrow, I'll either be his girlfriend... or his girlfriend... or his potential GIRLFRIENDS, she giggled to herself.

It all depends on which way he'd rather go. I want to respect his feelings, too. Now he's heard one side of the story... and tomorrow, he'll hear the other, and we'll see where we land.

Oh, I can't wait for tomorrow! I have a feeling that it's going to be so much fun...

Next time:

* Classic comedy and a little musical magic.

* Red and black and even redder... for real, this time.

* We... didn't quite get to that dark and stormy night in this chapter, so that's where it'll be! But not all storms are destructive.

* "It... always was."

* "Just... come here. Please. Come here."

Chapter Text

As he turned the corner into the main dining room on Saturday morning, Adrien blinked twice, then rubbed his eyes to make sure that he wasn't seeing things.

"Well! So you do still eat breakfast with the commoners," he smiled at the distinguished-looking gentleman sitting at the end of the table.

"So you do still want me to," his father replied, dryly. "Good morning, Adrien."

"I don't remember ever keeping you away," Adrien retorted, taking a seat near him. "Quite the opposite, in fact. Any special occasion?"

"Do I need one? No, there is not. However, I do have a couple of things that I would like to discuss, if you are amenable?" Gabriel asked.

"Of course," nodded Adrien, as his breakfast platter was placed before him. "What's on your mind?"

"For starters... you and I?"

Adrien gave him an enigmatic look in return. Let's see where you're going with this...

The kitchen table at Marinette's house was a lot less tense... though just as full of questions.

"So," Sabine began, as she watched her sleepy-eyed daughter dig into her eggs and toast. "How late were you up last night talking to Adrien?"

Marinette looked up with a bit of surprise. "How did you know that I was... could you hear me? I didn't think we were that loud..." she asked.

"Of course not, dear. I didn't know... until you just told me," grinned Sabine.

Heh, thought Marinette. Should've seen that one coming - she's the one who taught me that trick!

"Around one, I think?" she admitted. "I'll pin my eyes open when I'm working on those cookies this morning, I promise."

"Oh, I'm not lecturing you. I was just curious. I was young once, too... and it wasn't THAT long ago."

"Of course not," grinned Marinette. "It wasn't anything major, just talking about a little bit of everything... for some reason, we were a little too excited to fall right to sleep."

"I'll bet!" her mother replied. "If it works out like you're hoping it will... would you be his first girlfriend?" she added, lightly.

"I think so," Marinette said. "I'm sure of it, actually; he told me that he's never dated before. His father's kept him on a pretty tight leash."

"Have you met his father? I know you told me about how something happened to his mother," Sabine asked.

Well... there was that one time that I returned the Guardians' Book of Lore to him, and he didn't look too happy with me then... thought Marinette.

"Briefly," she replied, cautiously. "He might remember me from the Derby Hat competition, the one that Adrien wore that day on the runway? And we've seen each other in passing, but I've never, like, sat down and talked with him. I wouldn't really expect to, he's quite the bigwig in the fashion industry, so I doubt that I registered with him."

"You might be surprised by that," noted Sabine. "If you do end up dating Adrien, I'd count on his wanting to meet you. Be ready for that. And by ready, I mean don't be nervous about that. He may be rich and famous, but you're an amazing young woman and he'll see that right away."

"I hope so," blushed Marinette. "If I can get a word out of my mouth around him without stuttering."

Adrien toyed with his fork on his breakfast plate, a bit nervously.

"I spoke with Nathalie last night," Gabriel began. "I may not always have the wherewithal to keep a close eye on you, Adrien, but I assure you that I am always interested in your well-being. When we had our... altercation on Thursday, that surprised me quite a bit; it was quite out-of-character for you. So I took some time to reflect on what brought that on."

He gave Adrien a meaningful look. "And whether I myself have been out-of-character lately. And I do believe that I have."

Adrien took a deep breath. "I didn't want to jump right out and say that... but I have noticed that," he said. "In a number of ways."

Gabriel sighed. "Then I need to apologize to you, and to explain myself. There have been a number of things on my mind recently, none of which justify mistreating my only son."

He folded his hands in front of him. "Business has been going through some intense negotiations over the last two months. We're landing some new contracts, negotiating over terms, trying to keep certain clients in line... and I am sure that I do not need to go over all of that in detail, nor would you want me to! It's hardly anything new and surprising. But it is an element of where my mind has been recently," he began.

"Another factor is... your mother," Gabriel said, watching Adrien carefully. "She and I had an anniversary around this time, the first day that we had met. It is a very fond memory of mine, and it's something that's been weighing on me very heavily over the last week."

He watched emotions cross over Adrien's face, and added, "And I know just how much you still miss her, as well. I would do anything in my power to bring her back, and I know that you would, too."

"Of course I would," said Adrien, causing Gabriel to submerge a small and knowing smirk.

"And when it comes to you... you have always known that I hold you to very high standards, Adrien. Not unfair standards... most of the time... but ones keeping in accordance with your talents, your gifts, and your status. You are a young man of extreme potential, both by birth and by skill," Gabriel continued. "I will continue to push you to fulfill that potential, but when I push too hard, I must never make you feel like you cannot push back. If I have done that, I apologize for that."

"Th-hank you, Father," Adrien managed. "And I apologize for snapping at you and at Nathalie yesterday, and I will apologize to her when I see her. She caught me at a very emotional moment, and I reacted without taking a moment to think about it."

"Which I do understand. You are at a very difficult age, Adrien..." noted Gabriel, "And I do not mean by that that you are being intentionally difficult! But one goes through so many changes around fourteen and fifteen. Physical, emotional, social... I do wish that I had your mother here to help me guide you through it all. I know that I am not an easy person to lean upon... but I will try to be available when I may."

"I appreciate that, Father. I will keep that in mind," smiled Adrien.

"And speaking of changes..." Gabriel added, sneaking in a forkful of eggs. "What's this I hear about a young lady friend?"

"So have you set a date yet?" asked Sabine.

"A date?" You mean for our wedding? And our house with the white picket fence and the three adorable children and the hamster and the -

"For your first big date, silly," Sabine chuckled. "Or any other get-together plans?"

"Well... he did ask if I could come over this afternoon or early evening and hang out," said Marinette. "Obviously, I'll get the bakery work done first..."

"Do what you can to help, but we're not going to lock you up if you don't finish every little bit," her mother replied. "Are his people coming to pick you up, or do you want me to drive you?"

"Oh! Um..." Marinette thought fast. Can't say "I'm going by yo-yo..." She replied, "Actually, I thought I'd just ride my bike over?"

"You don't have to do that!" said Sabine, with a hand on her hip. "I'd be happy to take you over there. Besides, isn't it supposed to rain tonight?"

"Well, I'll make sure that I get back before it does. Or, worst case, I'll see if they can drop me off, and then I'll go pick up my bike from there tomorrow. A good reason for a return visit," she giggled.

"Not that you've thought this through, or anything," Sabine smirked. "Okay, but watch the weather, okay? I heard it might get pretty nasty for a while later."

Adrien turned crimson, causing his father to laugh out loud. "Oh, come now, Adrien! That's nothing to be embarrassed about. Frankly, with all of the models and whatnot running around the business, I had expected one to catch your eye before now."

"The girl you were told about... she's not one of our models," explained Adrien. "She is very pretty, but in more of a natural way than..."

"I know precisely of whom you speak, Adrien; your dark-haired classmate in pigtails, yes? The derby hat girl?" Gabriel asked. "And, yes, she is attractive. Please tell me more about her."

For some reason, Adrien felt a bit wary. "...What would you like to know?" he replied.

"Oh, many things. What is Marinette like as a person? What are her interests? What made her finally obtain your full attention, or you hers?" smiled Gabriel. "What did you think I was going to ask?"

"I... I really wasn't sure what you would ask," admitted Adrien. "This is sort of uncharted territory for me."

"Adrien, my son, do I seem like the kind of person who would tell you whom you may and may not spend your time with? Or whom you are allowed to romance?" said Gabriel, disingenuously. "I know you well enough to trust that you have excellent taste in such matters, and that she must be someone with the proper charm and discretion. But yours is not an easy head to turn. Tell me, how did she turn it?"

I need to be very delicate with what I say here, thought Adrien. You only get one shot at a first impression... and this is it!

"Well," he began...

"Good morning, Dad," Marinette called as she entered the bakery's kitchen. "Whoa! Let me help you with that!" She saw him struggling with a large tray of boxed goods, enough to tax even Tom's oversized frame, and she dashed over to pluck several of them off the top of the pile.

"You didn't have to - I had it - okay, I think I had it," Tom grinned, sheepishly. "Far table. Thank you."

"No problem. Once I'm done working on the cupcakes and the Carmichaels' birthday cake, what else can I help with?" asked Marinette, setting the boxes down carefully.

"Not a whole lot. I wouldn't want to keep you from your lovebird," he teased her.

"Daaaad..." she grinned. "He's not quite that yet, I explained that. And I have the morning and early afternoon to help; he invited me over after that."

"What, for supper?" asked Tom.

"Actually... I think just to hang out and talk and grin at each other this time. We didn't really make specific plans. It was late and I haven't talked to him yet today," Marinette clarified.

"Fair enough. I'll be needed here at the store, but your mother can-"

"She already offered to play taxi, and I told her that I'm fine on my bike," grinned Marinette. "I'll be careful and not too late, I promise."

"If you'd like to invite him over for supper some night... let me know the day before or so, and I'll make you two a dessert like even you've never seen," offered Tom. "I'm looking forward to getting to know him better."

"You know, I think he'd like that!" she agreed. "I'll see what he says tonight."

"Good. And, Marinette?" Tom called, as she moved over towards the stack of cupcakes awaiting her designs. "You're probably more comfortable asking your mother about certain things, but... if you ever need some advice on Adrien, let me know, okay? I was a boy once. I have some working knowledge of that."

"I promise, I will," Marinette smiled back, as she picked out a frosting gun. "Now, this first batch needed pink and white rosettes, right?"

"Marinette was one of the first good friends I made at Françoise Dupont," began Adrien. "She's a truly remarkable person."

Adrien gave his father an abbreviated rundown of his history with Marinette, and of the many experiences they had shared during the school year to date.

"She might be the most empathetic person I've ever met. She has an amazing knack for knowing when others around her are feeling down, and finding just the right way to make them feel better. Even Chloé, although Chloé would rather eat a bug than admit it," smiled Adrien. "You've seen some of her design talent, and honestly, I'd like you to see more of that, if you wouldn't mind sometime. She draws quite well, she's a wizard with a video game controller, she nearly made the fencing team with no experience, she designed an album cover for Jagged Stone..."

"A prominent musician let a schoolgirl do that?" marveled Gabriel. "Did she win a contest for the privilege, or something of that nature?"

"Not at all. He met her, he saw what she was capable of, and he commissioned her to draw it for him. At fourteen!" Adrien's enthusiasm was obvious and sincere.

"Hmmph!" noted Gabriel, impressed despite himself. "Music like Mr. Stone's makes me itch... but at her age, that is quite an accomplishment. Quite the prodigy, hmmm?"

"Though she be but little, she is fierce," quoted Adrien, drawing a smile from Gabriel at the Shakespearean allusion. "But modest, as well. She's proud of all the things she does, but she's also the kind of person who shares glory but shoulders blame. She's always putting others first, and picking up anyone who gets knocked down. She's a perfect team player, and she absolutely loathes people who push others down for their own benefit."

"Clearly, Marinette has been on your radar for quite some time, Adrien," Gabriel wondered. "And rightly so, it seems. So what changed to make you... fully notice her, or vice versa, if you know what I mean?"

"Actually... I hate to say it this way, but you had something to do with that," conceded Adrien.

"Oh?" said Gabriel, some of his sternness returning to his visage. "Now, that you should explain."

"When I was at my... lowest point this past week over things going on between us," admitted Adrien, his face turning red, "Marinette noticed. She pulled me aside to let me know that she could tell something was very wrong, and asked what there was that she could do to help, because she was very worried about me. That touched me very much. So we've gotten together several times to talk since then, and now I can't stop thinking about her. Nino hinted to me that she might have feelings for me... so I tested the waters, and it turns out that she does. And that's how Nathalie saw us holding hands and grinning like idiots yesterday."

"Good for you, Adrien," Gabriel replied, with at least some sincerity behind it. "I mean that. She sounds like a wonderful young woman, and I'd like to meet her properly sometime. Though that only answers part of my question... why only now, and not long before this?"

"I was blind?" Adrien said, helplessly. "And there was... another girl who's been on my mind, the other person who did so much to help me through all of this. I've had a crush on her for months now, and I couldn't see past that."

"And who was that?"

Now Adrien was approaching maroon. "Do I really have to say it out loud?" he asked. "I'll give you a hint. When that Akuma came after me the other day... she's the one who caught it."

To Adrien's surprise, Gabriel only showed the slightest flicker of hesitation, and seemed to take it mostly in stride.

"Well, clearly, you're consistent. You aim quite high... as well you should!" his father smiled. "And, apparently, your 'type' involves pigtails."

"That's a coincidence, I'm positive," laughed Adrien, nervously. "Though any girl that catches me when I'm falling off a skyscraper is definitely my type."

Gabriel winced slightly, remembering that incident. "All right. So how does Ladybug work into this equation?" he asked.

"I've had a place in my heart for Ladybug for a long time now," he admitted. "It had never been more than that, obviously; I only get to see her when Akumas are around me, and I'm glad that's not very often! But, anyway... she lucked into catching the first Akuma that came after me, and we had a long talk, and we've kept in touch since. She even came to visit me a couple of nights ago, to see how I was feeling."

"That answers one question," mused Gabriel. "How you had a houseguest who didn't use the front OR back door. You will inform her that she is a welcome guest here, I hope?"

"She... wasn't trying to sneak in, honest! She wanted to surprise me. And, wow, she did," Adrien backpedaled. "So we watched a movie and talked, and it turns out that we have quite a bit in common. We hit it off very well, and maybe I was just seeing what I wanted to see... but it felt like there might be something else there."

"Most interesting..." Gabriel grinned. "Tell me, what did she tell you about herself? I must admit, I am quite curious."

"Well... not that much," explained Adrien. "There's only so much she can say, obviously. Like, I'll probably never know her real name, or where she lives, or anything like that. But things like her taste in music, in movies, general getting-to-know-each-other stuff... we're getting to be good friends, fast. And I'm kind of holding off getting serious with Marinette until I find out more about Ladybug's feelings... and I feel like a complete jerk about that."

"You do?" asked his father, keeping a straight face. "It is still early yet between you and Marinette, yes? Treat each of your young ladies with caring and respect, and see where the path leads you, I would say. It sounds to me like both of them are very worthy of your time and attention."

"That's pretty much what Nino suggested, too... and it's good advice, I think," Adrien smiled at him.

"I am hardly an expert on matters of the heart," Gabriel replied, "but I did win over your mother, so I must have done something right at some point." Having cleared his plate, he rose from his chair. "And I am talking your ears off and letting your breakfast grow cold... but I did need to speak with you. Are we on a similar page again, Adrien?"

"...I think so," Adrien said. "I'm glad you took this time today."

"I must do so more often," smiled Gabriel as he headed for the door. "I will most definitely be interested in hearing how all of this progresses."

"Ladybug may be coming over again this afternoon or evening... just to let you know," called Adrien.

"I will let you have some privacy, then," Gabriel replied, pausing at the doorway. "Within reason, of course. You have been... educated on certain things, correct?"

"Um... mostly?" blushed Adrien. "Mother talked about that with me once, before she... you know... and a few months ago, the Gorilla did his best. But I strongly doubt any of that's even a consideration."

"Fair enough. Do tell Ladybug I said hello!" said Gabriel, as he vanished into the hallway. "And let me know when Miss Dupain-Cheng will visit!"

Adrien took a few deep breaths as he returned his attention to his breakfast. Oh... kay! he thought. That was certainly... different...

One other thought bothered him, as well. "Your mother and I had an anniversary around this time, the first day that we had met," he told me to help explain away his behavior.

I thought they'd first met at the Cannes Film Festival! That's in May. It's February now...

The late afternoon arrived, and Adrien stared at his phone, wondering to himself exactly what he was going to make himself do with it.

You're being silly, Adrien. She ALREADY SAID that she wanted to come over and visit again! he thought. There's no reason for you to be this nervous.

Yeah, right. It's one thing for Ladybug to show up out of nowhere and spend time with me. It's another thing to get up the courage to ask her to come over right now! Especially when she knows you were being cagey about what you wanted to talk about.

Especially when you're not sure how this might go. Or how you want it to go!

Stop. Stop it, Adrien. You're way overthinking this. Just message her and enjoy her company tonight!

Just follow her lead for now. That's the smart plan for this.

"So... are you ready for your big it's-not-a-date?" asked Tikki, watching Marinette scurry around her room.

"You're... enjoying this... a little too much!" huffed Marinette, rummaging frantically for where she'd left a certain spray bottle. "It's my first time alone with Adrien since I kind-of-sort-of-almost became his girlfriend! I want everything to go just right."

"This is true. Though he won't know that. As far as he knows, he's inviting his good friend over to watch a movie and talk about you and have a fun evening. Right?" argued Tikki, cheerfully. "There shouldn't be much of any pressure on you tonight."

"You're right, I know," conceded Marinette. "But, still..."

"You don't actually need perfume, you know." added Tikki. "Just name a scent and I can make your costume radiate it, faintly."

That stopped Marinette in her tracks. "...You can do that?" she asked, with noticeable surprise.

"Of course I can. It's like how I craft your costume to what your subconscious wants it to be. I can make you smell like chocolate, or like lavender, or like Hermès 24 Faubourg..." drawled Tikki.

"Wow! I'd never even considered that," said Marinette, with some wonder. "What would you suggest?"

"I'd suggest that he likes your normal self just fine," the Kwami giggled. "Besides, you live above a bakery! You're already sort of cinnamon-oatmeal-butter-brown sugary just from where you spend your time. Trust me, it's heavenly. It's a wonder that Adrien doesn't nibble on your ears every chance he gets."

"He might just get that chance," she breathed, then laughed along with Tikki. "But that's another reason why I'm nervous. You've watched him around Ladybug. Part of me is worried that he might want to kiss me tonight."

"And the other part?"

"Worried that he won't."

"You're hopeless, Marinette," sighed Tikki, playfully, "but in a good way. Just relax. Enjoy your movie. I hope that he picks Duck Soup tonight; that one's my favorite."

"You've seen the Marx Brothers movies, Tikki?" asked Marinette, sitting down on her bed.

"Seen them? Harpo had the Pig Miraculous for a couple of years. They're like watching home movies for me," Tikki winked.

Marinette laughed again at that, then sat for a moment, lost in thought. "You're right, though, Tikki. I do need to just relax. Maybe he'll be romantic with Ladybug; maybe he'll want to save that for Marinette. Either way, I come out ahead. I'll just... follow his lead."

Marinette's Ladybug-phone vibrated:

[Adrien] Hi! Are you free any time soon?

[LB] Sure! I haven't eaten yet, though... did you have anything in mind, or did you want to wait until after supper?

[Adrien] Oh, I hadn't thought of that. Which would you rather do? I can wait if you want to.

"Hmmm. If I stay for supper here, it might be raining by the time I'd be ready to leave..." pondered Marinette. She looked at Tikki, then grinned.

[LB]  I have an idea...

Adrien sat at his computer desk, turning to watch the open window at what Plagg estimated to be an average of every 38.4 seconds.

"A watched pot never boils, Adrien," lectured Plagg.

"It's not a pot, it's a window. And she doesn't boil," argued Adrien.

"She's been known to get you overheated," quipped the Kwami, keeping a well-practiced safe distance. "Doesn't that count?"

"Point taken," Adrien chuckled. "So, what do you think Ladybug's surprise is going to be?"

"I really have no idea. I hope it's cheese," Plagg replied, rubbing his stomach.

"One, you're not going to be out in the open eating it. Two, has anyone ever told you that you have a one-track mind?" said Adrien.

"I do not! I have three tracks. Cheese, sleep and snark."

He looked over Adrien's shoulder, whispered "Whoops! Time to go," and dove into Adrien's pocket.

From behind him, a pleasant voice called out, "Delivery for a Mr. Agreste..."

Adrien turned and saw a vision of loveliness in red in his balcony window... holding two pizza boxes and wearing a hat reading "O'scià Pizzeria Napoletana."

"Now, that's what I call door-to-door service... except you kind of skipped the door part," he grinned, running over to her. "Hi! Come in! Let me help you with those."

"I wouldn't complain. Swinging across the city was kind of interesting while keeping these level," Ladybug replied, handing him the boxes and climbing down. "Thank you!"

"Thank YOU! I wasn't expecting all of this... and where did you get the hat?" marveled Adrien.

"The owner gave it to me. And the pizzas! I had the money for them with me, but he wouldn't take it. Apparently, you save Paris a couple of dozen times, you get some fringe benefits," she giggled. "I wasn't sure what kind you'd like. One's Margherita - classic tomato, cheese, basil - and the other's got all kinds of stuff on it. Looked like salami, mushrooms, olives, artichoke hearts... we can pick off whatever we don't like, I guess. What do you think?"

"They look great to me! Let me just..." Adrien trailed off, running to his bedside table. "I should... yep! I have some Lactaid in here, so I'm good."

"You're lactose-intolerant?" asked Ladybug. "Huh! Chat Noir is, too. I wish I'd known that, I should have asked..."

"It's not really bad, honest! I take one of these with the first bite of cheese and it's fine. And they look delicious." Adrien rummaged through one of his cabinets and produced some plates and silverware.

"I see you came prepared," Ladybug smiled.

"When your father keeps you on a pretty strict diet," replied Adrien with a grin, "you learn to make midnight snacks as fast and efficient as possible. There's a mini-fridge over there; there are sparkling waters in a bunch of flavors in it."

"Got it!" called Ladybug, retrieving a pair of bottles and heading for the sofa. "So, what are we watching today?"

"I was thinking -" began Adrien, and then his phone buzzed. "Oh, just one second..."

[Nathalie] Are you coming down for dinner?

[Adrien] Actually... it just got delivered. I'm good.

[Nathalie] ...It did?

[Adrien] Trust me. ;)

"Just letting them know that I'm occupied for the evening. Now, where were we?" Adrien smiled.

"Picking out a movie? A little friend of mine suggested Duck Soup, but I'm up for anything funny," said Ladybug, leaning back on the couch.

"Oh, that one's a classic!" he replied, rummaging through the DVD boxes by the TV. "One of their best. I'd just call it up on Netflix or Amazon, but the Marx movies kind of jump on and off the available lists there. I'd get them on Blu-Ray, but I'm not sure if they've ever been released on that."

"They're from, what, the 1930s? Somehow I don't think high-resolution will make a huge difference," she smiled. "As long as I can see and hear it, I'm not fussy, trust me."

As Adrien got the movie started, Ladybug patted the sofa cushion next to her. "C'mere, you," she beckoned.

"With pleasure!" He sat down, grabbed a slice with one hand, and fought the impulse very hard to put his other hand in hers. He had plenty of time to wrestle with said impulse, and he expected it would be more of a best-of-seven than a single contest.

"We have a visitor," said Nathalie. "A masked one."

"Yes... from what Adrien told me this morning, I was expecting her! I even offered to give him some privacy, assuming that they behave themselves. And even if they didn't want to, trust me from experience... she'd need to transform back for anything concerning to happen, and I highly doubt that she'd do that." Gabriel's grin widened as he watched Nathalie's face contort, and he added, "Bathroom breaks, Nathalie. Let's leave it at that. Miraculous costumes don't have zippers."

"They're a bit young for that, anyway, wouldn't you say?" noted Nathalie.

"I certainly hope so. And, frankly, I would sooner expect them to kiss twice and pass out. Either way... as I said before, if Adrien is intent on this, I will not complain." Gabriel gave her a meaningful grin. "So... one less for dinner tonight?"

"Looks like it. From what I could see through the cracked door, it looked like she brought pizzas for the two of them. Whatever it was, it smelled good," Nathalie said.

"Then if I have raised my son right, he will do the proper thing when they're done tonight... and bring down the leftovers."

Nathalie smiled at that, then asked, "So what did you two talk about this morning, anyway?"

Gabriel stood and walked with Nathalie towards the main dining room. "Many things. Attempting to reestablish a foundation between the two of us, for one. And from how he speaks of Miss Dupain-Cheng... our masked visitor's A-game had best involve more than pizza, because she has competition."

"Gentlemen, Chicolini here may talk like an idiot, and look like an idiot, but don't let that fool you: he really is an idiot," intoned Groucho Marx, causing a fresh round of laughter in the room.

"I have to be careful with these movies!" said Ladybug, catching her breath. "I'm liable to start quoting them all the time."

"Is that so horrible?" Adrien asked.

"Well... if I... um..."

Ack! Be more careful, Marinette! thought Ladybug. You almost said "You might figure out who I am without the mask," and that would give away that he knows you without it!

"...start quoting 80-year-old movies, not many people my age will recognize them," she finished her sentence. Lame, but at least it's some cover.

"True. It can be our little secret together," Adrien smiled at her.

Feeling warm from head to toe, Ladybug snuggled in a little closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder. "I like being able to share at least some secrets with you," she half-whispered. "You're the kind of person I'd share everything with, if I could."

"That means a lot to me, Ladybug. It really does." Without even thinking about it, he wrapped his right arm around her shoulders, with no complaints from her.

BOOM!

Just about the time that the movie was ending, a loud clap of thunder made both kids jump in their seats.

"It's not raining already, is it?" Ladybug asked, looking a bit alarmed.

"That was pretty close," Adrien said. "Maybe we'd better take a look..."

They ran to the window together... and there was no mistaking the torrential downpour outside, through the rapidly fading light.

"Oh, crap. Crap, crap, crap," worried Ladybug. "I'm, uh, going to have to make a phone call... can I use your bathroom for a minute?"

"Something's wrong?" asked Adrien. "I mean, I don't want you going out in a thunderstorm, either, but..."

She debated how best to explain it. "Well... I told my parents that I was riding my bike over to your house. They don't know that I'm Ladybug... so now they're going to worry about me pedaling home through this. They'll be worried enough that I'm doing it after dark. And they'd be a bit surprised if they came here looking for me, and found Ladybug instead..."

"Oooh. That could get complicated," Adrien agreed. "And I can't have you driven home as Ladybug..."

"...or your bodyguard will know where I live, and my parents will wonder why Ladybug got out of the car, then ran around the corner and I walked through the door. Which I can't have happen, obviously. But if I say 'oh, I'm at my new boy friend's and I've decided to sleep over,' they'll probably ground me 'til I'm 40," Ladybug grinned, sheepishly. "So I need to at least call them and make sure that they're not searching the streets for me."

"New boyfriend?" wondered Adrien, wide-eyed.

"That's what you caught out of all of that?" she smiled. "Put a space between boy and friend. At least for now. Can we talk about it in a minute?"

"Sure, sure! The bathroom's right over there. Do what you need to do, please," assured Adrien.

He watched the door close, took a deep breath... and readied himself as much as he could.

Sabine held the phone to her ear, resigning herself to the idea that she was now a proud member of the My Teen Is Dating Now And It's An Occasional Pain In My Butt Club.

"I know, you told me so, and I even agreed with you at the time. We finished the movie and I went to the window, and the storm had started sooner than I'd hoped it would. I'm not riding my bike home in this," her daughter's voice apologized.

"Well, good. You do have enough sense to come in from the rain. Now, what do you want us to do?" Sabine asked.

"Nothing, yet? I'd say 'not worry' but I know better," Marinette offered. "I'm inside, I'm warm and dry, I'm eating pizza. Lukewarm pizza by now, actually. I'm going to watch the weather and see when the storm breaks. If it clears up, I'll ride home and call you before I do. If it doesn't, I'll get them to drive me and I'll pick my bike up tomorrow, like I'd said before."

"All right. Thank you for at least checking in with me," said Sabine. "But I would like to sleep tonight, so try not to make it TOO late, okay?"

"I'll try, and thank you, Mom. Love you."

Ladybug reemerged from the bathroom, looking a little more relaxed. "Okay, she's all right with Plan A for now, which is for me to not go 'biking' home through a thunderstorm. So for now, you're stuck with me, Mister," she smiled at Adrien.

"Which is fine by me. I don't want you dodging lightning, either. So..." he trailed off.

"So... I believe you had something you wanted to talk with me about?" Ladybug pulled up a soft chair, as Adrien sat down on his piano bench, facing her. "Something you hoped that I would think is good news," she said.

"Yeah. That... um..." Adrien stammered. "Okay, uh..."

"Take a breath. Take your time. I won't bite," soothed Ladybug, as softly as she could.

"It's like this..." breathed Adrien. "Marinette and I were talking yesterday... in detention, because of the classes we both skipped because of that Akuma at the school. Well, mostly because of the Akuma. But, anyway, we had something of a breakthrough between us... and things got romantic."

"That's wonderful, Adrien!" replied Ladybug, with a big smile. "I know that Marinette's been very fond of you for a long time."

"I wish someone had told me before then," he blushed. "But I know what it's like to not be able to get those words out, so I have no room to talk."

"Go on," nodded Ladybug, trying to remain calm.

"The thing is... I found out the hard way that Marinette's had feelings for me for a while. I feel like an idiot not noticing that, and I'm sure that she had some long nights along the way. And I want to make that up to her every way I can, because she really is someone special to me. You and she each kept me sane these last few weeks, and I couldn't have done it without both of you."

Adrien appeared to be struggling a bit. As calmly as she could manage, Ladybug told him, "I'm glad I could be there for you, Adrien. And that Marinette could be there, too, and that you've finally connected like that. But that's not what you felt you had to tell me in person, was it?"

"It's part of it. I, um... okay. I felt terrible that she had feelings about me and I didn't react to them the way I should've. And these last two weeks... and particularly the other night, when you came and surprised me here... this is going to sound crazy, and I'm sorry if it does... but I felt like..." stammered Adrien.

"...There were sparks between us, too?" finished Ladybug.

"...Yes," he admitted, grudgingly. "And I don't mean that to sound-"

"That's because there were," she replied, with a warm smile and reddening cheeks.

Adrien was momentarily speechless. If Ladybug could've pulled her phone out and snapped a picture of the look on his face, she would have, because it was priceless.

"Adrien... okay, now it's my turn to be brave," she began. And as careful as I can be. "I really do like you... I have for a long time now. I love that we've gotten these chances to get to know each other better and spend time together... and when you look at me with those big green eyes, I melt inside. I can't believe I'm saying that out loud... but I won't lie about it, either."

"So I'm not crazy," breathed Adrien. "At least no more than usual."

"But Marinette is a friend of mine, too. And I like both of you too much to cause either of you problems," ventured Ladybug. "So... what do you think that we should do about it?"

"The reason I'm telling you all of this... well, there are a few reasons," Adrien said, fidgeting where he sat. "One is that if you did have any feelings for me, I didn't want to do to you what I accidentally did to Marinette, and leave you hanging without at least talking with you about them. That was cruel to her, even though I didn't mean it and she swears that it wasn't, and I really don't want to do that knowingly."

He looked down, awkwardly. "Even Marinette said 'please talk to Ladybug first.' Which is just... I don't know how she can say that and not want to scream, you know? And that's another reason why I'm torn up inside right now. I can't hurt her. I just can't."

Ladybug nodded for him to continue. Behind her, lightning continued to flash intermittently.

"And I've had... um... I've crushed on you, too. I'll say it. I've been dreaming of us being close like this for a long time," Adrien managed. "And she knows that. And both of you are absolutely amazing. And I feel like a hole in the ground right now, even just saying this to you when I just got done telling you about romantic things happening with Marinette. It's so not fair to either of you... She told me to tell you my feelings and I still feel like I'm betraying her..."

"Hey. Just... come here. Please. Come here."

Ladybug moved over onto the piano bench next to Adrien and leaned into him, wrapping him up in a hug. As he did the same, she whispered to him...

"Don't you beat yourself up over this situation. You're not going to! Neither of us will let you. You're not doing anything wrong. You're doing so much right by worrying so much about both of us."

I'm the one who's hurting YOU, she thought, because of the secret that I have to keep. But I'm going to make this as easy on you as I can.

He looked up at her, and she continued. "Adrien, what I need... is to have a place in your life. You're too important to me for me not to need that. But do we have to figure out just what that place will be right now?"

Adrien's eyes were a little watery. "It's funny that you say that... That's what other people keep telling me, too. That if everyone agreed, and everyone stayed honest, it might be possible for me to date both of you for a while and see what happens. Which is just... it kind of makes sense, but it's so foreign to me. I always thought I'd meet someone, fall in love, and just throw myself completely into it. It never occurred to me that it could happen twice at the same time."

The loud rumblings of thunder outside paled beside the pounding of Ladybug's heart.

"Like I told you, that day in the school bathroom... we love who we love. We can't help it, we can't force it, and we can't just snap our fingers and make everything make sense," she told him. "Talk to Marinette about that, okay? I won't speak for her, but I'm not going to get possessive or jealous or needy. Whatever you're comfortable with, I am, too, as long as we stay close."

She touched him on the nose, gently, and added, "But what I do need to do is to get you smiling again."

"Which comes very naturally to you," sniffled Adrien, but with a smile starting to form.

"So, what can we do to take your mind off of all this for a while?" wondered Ladybug. She looked at where the two of them were sitting, and the answer was obvious. "Play something for me!" she suggested, a little bit coquettishly.

"On the piano, you mean?" asked Adrien.

"Sure! Please?" Ladybug smiled. "I know that you're really good at it, and I've never heard you play."

Ladybug stood up and walked over to the side of the piano, giving him room to maneuver and arrange some sheet music. "I could stretch out on top of this, like in the movies, if you need inspiration..." she teased him.

"Actually, please don't?" blushed Adrien. "If my father walked in and saw you doing that, his head would blow apart just from what this thing cost him. But it is an amazing mental picture."

Adrien settled in and prepared to play. "I might mess up on this first one. It's a tricky piece my father has me learning, and I've never had such a pretty distraction while playing it."

"Would I know it if you did mess up?" giggled Ladybug. "Just have fun and show off for me, already."

His fingers floated over the keys, and Ladybug listened intently as a complicated classical passage took form over the next several minutes.

"Wow," she breathed, once he had finished. "You are really good at that! I wish I had even a fraction of your ability."

"Have you ever played an instrument?" Adrien asked her.

"A kazoo, maybe?" she laughed. "I have some physical talents, but I've never tried anything musical."

"Some physical talents," scoffed Adrien. "I bet you'd be a natural."

"You know, I'm not sure about that? The costume certainly enhances what I can do. Without it, I'm a bit of a klutz," wondered Ladybug. "Maybe I'd be better at it while I'm transformed... but it's still a lot of learning and practice."

"I could give you some lessons, maybe?" he suggested. "If you'd want me to."

"Maybe," she grinned. "It sounds like a good excuse to keep visiting you regularly."

"I would hope that you don't need excuses for that," Adrien smiled. "And it doesn't have to be classical music. For instance..."

He resumed playing... and this time, a light ragtime tune emerged from the piano, making Ladybug gasp with pleasant surprise at the radical shift in tone.

"Oooh! I really like this one... sorry, I won't distract you," she cooed.

"No, it's fine, I can talk and listen," replied Adrien, continuing to play. "This one is much less complicated, and I know it by heart. It's called Pineapple Rag."

"I feel like I just walked into a saloon in an old Western movie," Ladybug said. "Reach for it, Sheriff! Is that something your father has you learning, too?"

"Actually, no," he said, pausing for a moment. "He loves classical works; I'm trying to learn all kinds of genres. Like, did you ever see the band I'm in with some of my classmates? Kitty Section?"

"I did!" smiled Ladybug. "The day of Captain Hardrock, the music festival! I was out of costume when you were playing, but I heard some of it, and I saw you playing keyboard!"

"Cool!" said Adrien, happily. "That's another kind of music I love that's completely different from the first two I just played. Piano's not as big in rock music as it used to be, but if you do it right..."

He played about thirty seconds' worth of a third piece that had Ladybug's jaw dropping. "There was a British pianist and keyboardist named Nicky Hopkins; he played with the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, the Who, all the classic rock bands of that era. He's one of my favorites. This is part of one of his instrumentals. It sounds even better with the drums and guitars around it, of course..."

"It's amazing just the way you're playing it. I love it! Thank you so much!" gushed Ladybug. "If you're not careful, I'll come over for a private concert all the time."

"I could do one more... um... well, maybe I shouldn't..." For some reason, Adrien looked as if he was turning somewhat bashful at that moment.

"Only if you want to... but I can't get enough of this," she smiled back, convincing him to take a chance.

Adrien rummaged through his papers, emerged with a specific set of sheet music, and set it up in front of him.

"I'm still working on this one," he noted, apologetically. "Here goes..."

It was a light and wandering melody, one that Ladybug couldn't quite place as anything she'd ever heard before. She closed her eyes and let the tune take her imagination where it wanted her to go.

In her mind, Ladybug pictured a butterfly wafting through a meadow, aimlessly moving as it pleased on a light breeze, enjoying a sunny afternoon... or perhaps a bird in flight, soaring overhead, seemingly effortless in its motion but majestic at the same time. For the couple of minutes that it lasted, she was somewhere else entirely... and she absolutely adored being there.

The last notes echoed in the air, and Ladybug caught herself breathing a little fast. "Whoa!" she said, with a huge smile. "That was... I've never heard anything quite like that before, Adrien. That was... what's that one called?"

"Come here, and I'll show you," he said, shifting over slightly on the bench. Ladybug could see that he was extremely nervous all of a sudden, and wondered why...

...until she looked at the top of the sheet music he'd been playing.

A Study in Scarlet

Composer: A. Agreste

The implications sank in for her, slowly. "You... wrote that yourself?" she asked him.

Adrien nodded.

"And it's... is... is that song about me?" Ladybug gasped.

Adrien nodded again, swallowing hard as he did.

Red and black turned even redder in an instant.

Ladybug wasn't sure that she'd ever blushed that hard in her entire life.

"Like I said, I'm still working on that song, I wanted to-" began Adrien.

"Stop. Stop! I can't... Oh, my God, Adrien, I'm trying so hard not to cry right now," Ladybug sniffled. "I never imagined that... I..."

"It was something that I couldn't put into words," he said, simply. "I was hoping that you would like -"

Adrien Agreste's first real kiss wasn't quite what he'd imagined it would be like. It was far better.

It was sudden, catching him by surprise. It began with urgency, with serious need behind it, and he was sure that his eyes popped out of his head once he realized what was happening.

It softened, after a moment, as she felt him respond to it in kind. Her lips parted slightly, parting his, adding a new dimension to the kiss that both needed but neither were fully prepared for.

He felt her arms around him, one hand moving to the back of his head, cradling it gently. His own arms wrapped around her gently, a little timidly, almost fearful of squeezing too hard and feeling her disappear like a popped soap bubble, as if this would all turn out to be just a dream.

He smelled... a touch of cinnamon. A tiny, tiny part of him was sure of it. It ranked around 173rd on the sensory input he was processing at that time.

He wondered if he was still breathing.

He wondered if he still needed to.

He wondered if anything would ever be the same again.

They opened their eyes shortly thereafter, both a trifle surprised to see that it was still the same evening. Another loud clap of thunder reminded them that it was.

"Whoa," Ladybug smiled, catching her breath. "So that's kissing! I think I like it."

"Me, too," Adrien replied. "Ladybug... are you sure that..."

"After that... incredible gift you just gave me?" she gasped, grinning from ear to ear. "That response wasn't... optional."

"I don't know what to say," said Adrien.

"I didn't, either. So I did that," giggled Ladybug. She saw his emotions wavering and continued to hold him close, reassuringly.

"I don't know that I should've..." Adrien muttered, his mind running a million miles per minute. "I don't know how I'm going to tell Marinette about this..."

"Honestly?" Ladybug replied, softly. "That wasn't a marriage proposal just now. Be honest with her, but don't overwhelm her, either. Let her respond. This is not a competition. She might surprise you."

And even though I'm sure that I do, she laughed to herself, it's one way to make sure that I'll have a trustworthy boyfriend!

"Then there's Chat Noir," he gasped, before he could stop himself.

"I'll talk with him, not you, okay? He'll be fine," replied Ladybug. "Trust me."

Not what I meant... but thank you for interpreting it that way, Adrien sighed to himself in relief.

"And then there's the boy your heart's been set on all this time... the one that you told me about. What about him?" he asked her.

Ladybug looked deep into Adrien's eyes, and took a breath...

BOOM!

All at once, the room was plunged into near-total darkness.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" yelled Adrien, in frustration. "Not NOW!"

"Was that lightning?" wondered Ladybug, regaining her composure. "That must've been really close."

"I'm not sure what it was, or what it took out... but it took something big out," complained Adrien, standing up and leading Ladybug by the hand. "Come and look out the window with me."

As they reached the window, they could see that power had gone out not just at Adrien's house, but for quite some distance around them.

"You don't have generators, or anything like that?" asked Ladybug. "We have a little one where I live, but it's only large enough to run certain things..."

"Something like that," Adrien replied. "There are a couple of them for major stuff, like keeping the refrigerators running. Dad has at least one down in a sub-basement running some equipment, I don't know what's down there. Probably something to do with his wine cellar. Maybe computer servers, or something like that. But the upstairs is wired on different circuits."

"Oh, well. So much for another movie," she smiled.

"Yeah, I can't say that I'll be much of a host right now... with no power, that takes out an awful lot of what I thought we could do tonight..." Adrien pondered.

"Adrien?" Ladybug whispered.

He felt her arm around his waist again.

"The boy that I'd had my heart set on? It's you."

His jaw dropped.

"It... always was."

Adrien wondered how he was still alive, with all of the blood in his body having rushed to his skull in that instant.

"And right now... we don't need lights."

If anyone had been looking up at a certain window of the Agreste mansion that evening, they would have seen two silhouettes entwined together standing next to it, lit up momentarily by flashes of lightning at random intervals.

The strings of the piano had fallen silent... but music was still being made.

Next time:

* Yes, this story is and will remain Teen-rated, as our heroes are both acutely aware of their age, modesty and inexperience. ;)

* It's not a Walk of Shame... since it's via yo-yo, and there's no shame involved.

* "I have absolutely no idea. None. Nada."

* Shootout rules apply.

* "Do anything interesting last night?"

And more!

Chapter Text

After about half an hour passed, the most tempestuous portion of the storm passed by, and the booming thunder reduced itself to occasional rumbles.

Outside of the Agreste mansion, the atmosphere also began slowly returning to normal conditions.

"Adrien?" whispered Ladybug.

She ran her gloved hand through his hair as gently as she possibly could, admiring the handsome face resting against her shoulder. In the dark, sitting on the couch with him, she could barely make out his features.

He looks so peaceful, she thought.

Oh my gosh... did he fall asleep?

Ladybug wasn't sure if she felt more like laughing or melting from that. She nudged him, very gently, and she saw his eyes slowly open.

"Hi," she whispered to him. "Welcome back."

"Oh," he breathed, very quietly. "For a moment there, I was afraid that this was all a wonderful dream."

"Nope, I'm real. Still tingling, but very real," smiled Ladybug. She leaned down to steal a few more light kisses, then sat up again. "Are you okay?" she asked him.

"I'm... I don't know what I am," he admitted. "I'm happy and excited and scared all at the same time."

"Me, too. Those were my first kisses, too, but you knew that," reassured Ladybug. "I wasn't sure that we'd end up like this... but I'm not complaining."

She felt him trembling a little bit against her, and wrapped her arm around his shoulders. "Wanna talk about it?" she asked.

"I think we need to," replied Adrien. "Very, very much."

"Well, at least I know that you're a cheap date," quipped Ladybug. "Thirty minutes of kissing and he's out like a light."

Even in the dark, she was sure he turned beet red at that, though she did get a laugh from him as well. She ran her hand up and down his arm to comfort him and added, "I'm just teasing, you goof. I'm overwhelmed, too. Definitely not ready for anything more than kissing any time soon."

"Me, neither," Adrien agreed. "I'm not sure that I was ready for that."

"Well, you were a quick learner! Not that I have a basis for comparison," Ladybug giggled. "There's no one else I'd have ever picked for my first kiss, Adrien."

"I'm so glad," he replied.

"Now that we can breathe again... maybe we should figure out together what this night means," she added, in a tone of voice indicating that this topic would not be evaded.

"Yeah. Because-" he began.

The lights came back on at that moment, making both kids wince and cover their eyes as they readjusted.

"Haha!" laughed Ladybug. "Perfect timing. I'd rather see each other clearly while we talk about this. How about I'll start?"

Adrien nodded, and Ladybug swiveled around to be face-to-face, still close enough to touch him if she wanted to. She could see Adrien's face becoming very tense as she readied her thoughts, and her own worries surfaced within her.

Okay, Marinette, she thought, talk your way out of this one! You just made Adrien's LIFE and broke him again at the same time. This is going to take a lot of finesse to get us both out of here in one emotional piece.

"First..." she began, "I'm really glad that this happened... and I'd do it again. Just looking at your face right now makes me want to kiss you again! And I can feel just how much I'm blushing right now, and I don't care. You are really special to me, Adrien. I'm so happy that I can finally say that to you... and show you. But..."

"Somehow I knew there'd be a 'But,'" Adrien grimaced.

"Hush, you. My turn," Ladybug chided him, pleasantly. "But I also meant every word I said about Marinette earlier. This is not a competition, where the first one who kisses you wins! She has real and deep feelings for you... and it's sure sounded to me like that's mutual. And how we feel about each other doesn't change either one of those at all."

"I'm a little confused, then," said Adrien, looking troubled. "If you want Marinette and I to be together, and you kind of sound like you do... why did you kiss me like that? You don't want me to be your boyfriend?"

"I don't know what I want just yet, okay?" Ladybug begged off. "I'm figuring this out just like you are. I keep reminding you, I'm just a teenage girl under this suit... never-been-kissed, until someone came along... and I can get emotional and be impulsive like anybody else. And you are so sweet and so handsome, and we have so much fun together, and I adore that you want to be there for me just like I'm there for you, and you played that amazing song for me, that you wrote about me, and I just... I'm babbling now."

Ladybug rocked into a little ball, her arms around her knees, but with a gigantic smile. "Adrien, like I said when I did it... that was not an optional reaction. I needed to kiss you so badly that it hurt. And that incredible thing you did for me finally gave me the courage to do it. I was just so... I felt so..."

She gave him a soft, shy look. "Adrien... I don't think we're ever going to go back to being 'just friends' again. Not the way that we were before this week. And not just because we just kissed," she told him. "We're going to be something more than that, no matter what. But I want whatever we are... whatever we become... to be something that you are comfortable with, and that Marinette is comfortable with, too. And before the lights went out, you still sounded really conflicted."

"I was... and I still am," Adrien admitted.

"Then let's talk this out some more," ventured Ladybug. "If you had heartache because you weren't sure that I liked you that way... I don't want you to have more heartache because I do!"

Adrien took all of that in with a face that Ladybug couldn't quite read. "I'm... kind of glad to hear that? I think? But I'm not quite sure what I'm thinking," he began. "It's a little bit of a relief that you're not sure, too. Because if you said 'let's just be friends' or you said 'I love you' right now, I'd probably pass out cold."

"Well, let's go one step at a time, okay? I want to keep you conscious," Ladybug giggled. "Not that you weren't so cute asleep against me a minute ago..."

"I can't believe I did that," blushed Adrien. "And I can't believe that I even have doubts about this. I have wanted to be close to you... to kiss you... from the moment I met you, Ladybug. It wasn't something that started when you caught that Akuma, or took me out to the park and talked with me, or anything else this week. I fell for you hard before I even knew you well. Everything since has just made that stronger."

"Wow," replied Ladybug, with a little quiver in her voice. "I've got the full-body shivers hearing that... No one's ever said anything like that to me before. Ever."

"And if it was just you and me... I know what else I'd want to say right now," Adrien gulped. "But it's not just you and me. And thinking about how to explain this to Marinette has my stomach tied in knots."

"You're... going to be honest with her, right?" prompted Ladybug, a little hesitantly.

"I have to be. I'm not sure that I can lie to Marinette, and I know that I'll never want to," he half-smiled. "But that's the problem. When I asked her out on our first date, when I held her hand, when I said she is the sweetest girl I know, when I told her that I'm interested in being with her... none of that was lying, either."

Ladybug's eyes shone at him as he added, in a serious voice, "I meant every word. Those feelings are real." His head slumped down as he added, "And now I get to tell her that I'm so interested in her that I just kissed someone else over and over."

"Did tonight change those feelings that you have for Marinette?" asked Ladybug, delicately.

"No, they didn't. But..."

"Then don't you think that she needs to hear that, too?" she replied, with a little emphasis. "Are you still going to take her on those dates? Call her and talk with her for hours? Walk her to school and back? Tell her those sweet things that turn her to jelly, and still mean them?"

Adrien's anxiety increased visibly. "I... I really want to do all of those things with her, for her. And more! But now I doubt that she'd want me to." He looked helplessly at Ladybug and added, "I was kissing you! And meaning that, too!"

"It sure felt like you meant it," Ladybug grinned. "But I'm not the only one who has a place in your heart, and I have to respect that."

"You're the only one I've ever kissed, let alone made out with. I'm not used to the idea of... well... doing any of that casually," Adrien struggled to say. "I mean, like you said, it wasn't a marriage proposal, but..." He trailed off as it became clear from her reaction that he really, really should.

"Do you think that I jumped on you casually tonight, Adrien?" asked Ladybug, with a growing frown. "My first real kisses ever? Do you think that this wasn't important to me, or that I just throw those around?"

"NO! That's not what I meant at all," gasped Adrien, desperately scrambling for a rephrasing. "Not even a little bit! But that's what I'm trying to figure out now. I can't... I can't quite wrap my head around kissing someone like that and then not wanting a relationship with them."

Ladybug looked at him very carefully, and weighed how to phrase what she was about to say.

"Then there's something else that you need to understand."

Adrien stared at her, uncomprehending, but very much wanting to.

"You can be just friends with someone, or you can be in a full romantic relationship with someone, falling madly in love with them. But those aren't the only two choices."

The room was silent for a moment.

"Don't just drop that on me and leave it there," said Adrien, finally. "Explain what you mean by that, please."

"Adrien, when I kissed you like that tonight," Ladybug began, "it was because you are very special to me. Because you touched my heart with that song and my emotions just took over. Because no one else has made me open up the way that you have. Because I really, really wanted to."

She gave him a meaningful look and asked, "You get that none of that was casual, right? There are people who'll get kissy with anyone, just for the thrill of it. I'm not one of those people."

"I never thought that you were," replied Adrien. "Believe me, I know that you're not."

"I feel closer to you than anyone else while I'm wearing this mask," Ladybug said. "That's not a small thing for either of us."

"Even closer than to Chat Noir?" he wondered, slipping out of him before he could think better of saying it.

"Well, see, that's an example of what I'm talking about," Ladybug argued. "I've told you before how I feel about Chat. He is so important to me in so many ways! He's way more than just a friend; he's my partner. He's my equal. He's someone I share things with that no one else ever gets to see. I rely on him for a whole lot more than fighting Akumas, and I couldn't be Ladybug without him."

Her head sank, in frustration. "And I'm mostly sure that he understands that, deep down. But the one thing that I can't give him is a romantic relationship, and sometimes I feel like that's the only thing he wants. That if he doesn't get that, none of the rest is worth it. Like it's either Love or the Friend Zone, one or the other, on or off like a light switch."

Adrien's face froze. "You really think that he feels that way?" he said, in a hushed voice.

"Not all the time. Not even close! He's matured quite a bit in the time I've known him. I think he understands how much I genuinely care for him. At least... I truly hope that he does, and I try to remind him of that all the time."

Ladybug curled into a ball again. Adrien wanted to wrap his arms around her to comfort her, but held back for a moment, not sure that it was what she wanted at that point.

"But once in a while, he does push too hard, asking for all or nothing. It hurts me when he does that. And I can't do that with you, Adrien. I just can't."

"...Okay," Adrien conceded, looking thoughtful. "You have a point there. More of one than you know."

Ladybug looked up at him with something of a sad smile. "Then maybe you do understand. I am crazy about you, Adrien. You get me emotional, you make me nervous, you make me shiver like nobody else does. I need some kind of relationship with you. Maybe it can be romantic, in our own way! Maybe it won't be. But I don't know what kind of relationship that it needs to be yet. We're both still figuring that out."

"And I'm not going to apologize for showing you how I feel without words... just like you did, with your song... or for wanting to give us more time to figure out if this is what's best for both of us."

Adrien was silent.

"If I end up being your steady girlfriend, and we do what we did tonight all the time, I'd love that. If I end up being a very close friend instead, and we watch movies and crack jokes and share things between us and kiss sometimes and you date other people at the same time, I'd love that too. If I stay as your good friend but Marinette gets all of those kisses, I'll be so happy for her - and for you!" pleaded Ladybug. "As long as I have you in my life. But I'm not the only one that you need to keep in your life. Am I making sense, Adrien?"

"You are," he answered. "My head is still spinning, but you are making sense. But..."

"Keep talking," Ladybug replied. "I really need to know what you're thinking right now."

"The girl I've been head-over-heels for all year just came to my house, threw her arms around me, blew my mind with our first kisses, told me how much she's crazy about me... and is now encouraging me to maybe date someone else. You'll have to pardon me if I'm still processing all of that," he smiled, sheepishly.

"I kissed you, and I meant to. That doesn't mean that I own you, or that you own me. I know you're more than smart enough to get that," replied Ladybug. "And if we decide that this is what we both want most, you'll get a lot more of those. But I'm not the only one you're head-over-heels for any more... am I?"

Adrien's head dropped again, but with a defeated grin. "No, you're not. And you're right. I can't just make a snap decision on this."

"I'm not saying that Marinette will feel the exact same way. I can't speak for her, or for how she'll react to what just happened," Ladybug replied. "So be gentle with her, okay? Be totally honest with her. And hear her out before you write off your chances with her just because you kissed me back. She's just as crazy about you as I am... maybe more."

He nodded at that. "Maybe the three of us should get together sometime and all talk about it?" he ventured. "Clear the air between us?"

"Um... I'm not sure that would be a great idea just yet," she stammered. "How about you talk to her first without my complicating things by being there?"

"Okay," Adrien replied, quietly.

"Are we good, Adrien?" Ladybug asked, intently. "Are you good?"

"I've got a ton to think about... but I'll get there. I have two wonderful friends to help me through it," said Adrien, with a hint of a smile. "And at least one of them is an amazing kisser."

"Maybe we both are. Did you ever think of that?" winked Ladybug. "But it's up to you if you want to try and find that out."

The goggle-eyed look on Adrien's face made her giggle. "Not to put ideas in your head, or anything..." she laughed. "Anyway... it sounds as if the rain has slowed down. I'm going to head home before my mother has a coronary worrying."

The pair moved to the window, reluctantly. "I'm serious, Adrien. Are you going to be all right?" asked Ladybug, with visible concern. "I don't want to leave here until I know that you will be, and that you won't be up all night worrying about the two of us. The three of us, even."

"Then I'll fake that I won't be all right, and just keep you here," he chuckled.

"Very clever, smart guy. I'll put it another way. This..."

Ladybug leaned forward and planted one more searching kiss on Adrien's lips.

"...should tell you that I'm not just your friend. But these..."

She tapped gently on his head, then over his heart, and added, "...should tell you that Marinette's not just your friend, either. What happens next is up to you. Just... be honest with both of us, and with yourself, okay? Nothing bad ever comes of that."

Without a word, he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. "Do I deserve either one of you?" he asked her.

"I think so. I keep coming back, don't I?" Ladybug grinned. She kissed him on the cheek, stepped outside, and was gone.

Adrien stared out the window for a few minutes, then closed it, walked back to his bed and flopped down on his back with a glazed smile on his face.

Plagg flew out of his pocket and hovered above him, gauging Adrien's mood as best he could. He wasn't giving away much at the moment.

"So... um... That was quite an evening, huh?" Plagg said, as nonchalantly as he could manage.

"You could say that," replied Adrien, distantly.

"What do you think you're going to do next?" asked Plagg.

"I have absolutely no idea. None. Nada."

Plagg stared at Adrien for a moment, wondering what he could possibly add to the moment. "Well, um... I'll be right over there if you need me. If you don't, uh, then sleep well!" he mumbled, then flew over to where he customarily spent his nights. I need to buy a little time to figure this out, he thought.  And he needs a little more time to tell himself that that was all real.

I don't ask for a lot of favors, Hawkmoth, wherever you are, Plagg chuckled to himself. But no Akumas tonight, please? If you send one, I'm pretty sure the kid's going to thousand-yard-stare it to death.

As a scarlet-and-black figure swung across the skyline of Paris, a cold and damp evening closed in around her. Misty raindrops pelted her face, stinging the exposed skin there. Wind whipped at her from various directions, trying to chill her to the bone. Her hair became soaking wet, as did the outside of her costume.

She never felt a thing.

When she reached the alleyway in which she'd stashed her bicycle, Ladybug quickly transformed back to Marinette. To her mild relief, it was right where she'd left it, locked securely to a metal railing. That's all I'd need, she smiled to herself. Not that I expected it to be stolen, but then how would I explain how I got home?

Tikki floated beside her, giving her a concerned look. She watched as Marinette thought for a moment, then stepped out from under the overhang into the pouring rain. "What are you doing?" she asked her.

"Well... if I rode my bike home from Adrien's through the rain, wouldn't it look a bit strange if my street clothes were completely dry?" reasoned Marinette, twirling a bit on the sidewalk. "I'm sure Mom would notice that."

"Heh, that's a good point. I'm glad that you're back to thinking about those kinds of things," Tikki replied, dryly.

Marinette's smile faded somewhat. "Wait... what do you mean by that, Tikki?"

"We'll talk upstairs, okay? Let's get you home before someone does notice you. Or before you freeze," suggested Tikki.

Marinette remained bothered by what she'd just heard, but hopped on her bike and pedaled the short distance remaining to her house.

"Mom, Dad... I'm home!" called Marinette, as she entered through the back door and wiped her feet on the mat.

As she expected, her mother came flying over to meet her, and was perturbed by what she saw. "Marinette! You're soaking wet!" she chided her. "Why didn't you just get the Agrestes to drive you?"

"It wasn't that bad when I left!" ventured Marinette. "The lightning had stopped, and the rain had died down to almost nothing. It picked up again a few blocks from here, and I was close enough that I didn't want to call from there. I did beat my curfew, right?"

Both heads turned to look at the clock on the wall. "You did... but just barely," conceded Sabine. "Next time, you'll listen to me and we'll handle this a little differently?"

"I will, I promise," Marinette said, with what she hoped was a conciliatory smile and her most innocent expression.

"All right. You're young, you're in love, I won't yell at you too much," Sabien smirked. "But get upstairs and get changed before your father sees you, or he'll have a fit!"

"Oh, I intend to! I'm freezing," replied Marinette as she headed for the stairs. As she reached the bottom step, her mother called out to her again.

"...Was it worth it?" asked Sabine.

"Sooooooo worth it," her daughter grinned, then took off up the stairs two at a time.

Good, thought Sabine. I think.

A quick shower helped restore Marinette to her normal operating parameters. With a bathrobe around her and a towel around her head, she fell backwards onto her mattress, arms outstretched, a peaceful smile on her face.

"Drink it in, Marinette," encouraged Tikki. "This was a very big night for you."

"It sure was," Marinette agreed. "A very big, romantic, passionate, electrifying, complicated night." She opened her eyes and sat up, turning towards Tikki. "But you're not happy with me, I could tell. Adrien was awfully fragile again after I kissed him. How badly did I screw that up tonight?"

"Actually... I'm okay with that part," Tikki answered. "I wasn't sure what was going to happen once the kissing started, or how either of you would react. I figured Adrien would be starstruck, and I was more than a little afraid that you would be, too."

"You were?" asked Marinette.

"You've been in loooooove with Adrien for how long? And here he was, in your arms at last. If you'd gone into full I-love-you-forever mode right then and there, I wouldn't have been surprised," grinned Tikki. "But everything that you said afterwards: how you feel about him as Ladybug, to be sure and consider Marinette's feelings for him, how he shouldn't read too much into all that kissing and snuggling, but to not take them too lightly, either... that was all very mature of you, and I liked it a lot. I think he learned quite a bit from you tonight."

Not to mention that maybe THAT will jar him out of the possessive way Chat acts towards Ladybug sometimes! thought Tikki. That part looked like it connected with him hard, and it should've.

"That's good. I had the advantage of having rehearsed most of it in my head all morning," smiled Marinette. "But if that's not what's bothering you, what is?"

"Um..." hesitated Tikki. "The part where you gave away your secret identity? I wasn't as much of a fan of that part."

Marinette froze in place, a mask of horror growing rapidly on her features.

"Tikki... what in the world did I do?" she gasped.

"Now, I understand why it happened. You weren't in full control of yourself at that moment, so I'm not going to blame you for it..." evaded Tikki.

"WHAT?" demanded Marinette.

"You told Adrien 'The boy that I've had my heart set on? It's always been you,' as Ladybug," said Tikki, simply.

Marinette did some quick mental math and frowned, not quite making the connection.

"To the same person whom you told twice this week that the boy you were crushing on was a friend of yours that you knew well without your mask on," Tikki continued. "So if Adrien was paying attention, now he knows for sure that Ladybug's secret identity is a personal friend of his. How many friends his own age does Adrien have? And how many of them are blue-eyed girls with dark pigtails that he knows have feelings for him?"

Now it added up. Marinette sank back down flat on her bed, with an anguished expression. "No... How could I have been that stupid?" she wailed.

"Stop that right now," lectured Tikki, immediately. "You are not stupid. You are a sweet girl in love, whose crush had just told her 'I love you' with that amazing, beautiful song. It's a miracle that you didn't yell 'Spots off!' right then and there. And with those kisses you laid on him, it's possible that what you said floated straight out of his skull! Those were some kisses, honey."

"He'd earned them," mumbled Marinette.

"He sure had. And maybe he hasn't put two and two together yet. But now we have to act as if he has, or that he's about to, if we want to keep your secret," Tikki told her.

"Agreed. What should I do, Tikki?" asked Marinette, looking and feeling helpless.

"Something that might be a little tricky for you, but it's important, and you're already kind of doing it," Tikki said, looking thoughtful. "You need to put a bunch of obvious distance between Marinette and Ladybug."

Marinette looked at Tikki as if she'd just been offered a grilled platypus with a Caesar salad appetizer. "Say that again?" she said.

"You heard me right. I didn't really want to do it this way, because it would be easier on Adrien if we could've avoided it, and it makes slip-ups more likely.  Any time we're introducing deception, that happens... But if your identity is in danger like this, we need to protect it," Tikki replied. "Right now, you and Ladybug are working in perfect harmony. You're both trying to make Adrien feel better; that's not going to change. You're both trying to romance Adrien; that's not going to change, because it'd be suspicious if one of you just went hands-off and let the other have him."

"Okay..." Marinette said, trying to follow along.

"But so far, you're being super-considerate of Adrien giving Ladybug a chance. Almost telling him flat-out 'think about dating her instead of me, or about dating both of us.' And as Ladybug, you're pushing him towards Marinette the same way. Because you do want him both ways, and I get that; it makes sense from some aspects. But people are going to notice if you're completely nonchalant about your boyfriend having another girlfriend. I'd bet some people around Adrien have noticed that already," mused Tikki. "Adrien himself may be wondering why. And we can't have any of them asking 'But what if that means they're the same person?'... and you just accidentally drew a straight line between them."

"So what, exactly, are you suggesting that I do next?" asked Marinette.

"To at least some degree... your two sides are about to become rivals," grinned Tikki.

Marinette shook her head in mild disbelief. "Okay, slow down. My brain hurts. How do I do that?" she wondered aloud.

"Like I said, you're already halfway to doing it. Think back to your conversations with Adrien this week," Tikki explained. "You talked about Ladybug with Adrien as if she was someone else. Ladybug talked about you with Adrien as if you were someone else. You've said that he reacts to your two sides differently, at least in subtle ways. That much should be second nature to you by now, right?"

"Yeah, I've been doing that... but I already act differently as Ladybug than I do as Marinette," argued Marinette.

Tikki's raised-eyebrow stare made Marinette add, "...Don't I?"

"What you're physically capable of is different. The girl inside is the same. That's part of why he's falling so hard for both of you," said Tikki. "And I'm not suggesting that you and Ladybug should suddenly hate each other, or anything dramatic like that. Neither side of you is going to give up on Adrien, either."

Tikki's face showed that she was trying to be as soothing as she could, despite her worried state. "What you said to him tonight, about how if one of you was his girlfriend and the other a close friend... that's still a great end goal! But what I think you need to do is get a friendly rivalry going between your two selves. He has to think that Marinette and Ladybug are still on good terms, but that they're each trying to win his heart for themselves in different ways! Show him different sides of yourself. Kill him with sweetness and flirtatiousness. Give him distinct options. Don't help each other quite as much. Convince him to make a decision... but stay close to him both ways, so you don't lose that intimacy with him one way when he's kissing the other."

"His head will explode," Marinette stated, flatly.

"A little? Yeah. But didn't you just spend half an hour explaining to him that he's not a terrible person for liking both of you? I know how much you want to bend over backwards and give him exactly what he wants... but he doesn't know who or what he wants any more. You're seeing that up close, right? And that's tearing him up as much as your love is healing him. Maybe he needs a little nudge or two."

"Maybe..." said Marinette, not entirely convinced. "I mean, what I'm doing right now is kind of working... but it is getting really complicated..."

Tikki continued, undaunted. "Besides, he's way too close to the truth right now. We need to get him off balance for a while, without making him feel like he's losing either side of you. And I'll bet that a crafty young lady I know could have a lot of fun with the concept... and blow his mind with how happy he is with both of your selves taking turns spoiling him rotten, not how stressed he is over hurting one or both of you."

Marinette pondered the situation for a minute... and as possibilities presented themselves to her, a slightly scary grin appeared on her face. "So I could be a one-girl Betty and Veronica, you're saying?"

"And kiss Archie either way," Tikki grinned.

"Tikki..." smiled Marinette, "I hope you know what ideas you're inspiring in me right now."

Tikki breathed a small sigh of relief. "I hope Adrien's taking his vitamins," she giggled.

Plagg debated whether or not Adrien would be ready to talk yet...

"You all right over there?" he hissed, from several meters away.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he heard Adrien half-whisper back. "I think so. I can feel my legs again."

"That's a start," the Kwami agreed. He flew over and landed on the nightstand beside Adrien's bed. "Are you going to be able to sleep tonight?" he asked.

"Eventually. I'm going over everything that Ladybug said... and I think she and I are on the same page now. But I still don't know what I'm going to tell Marinette," sighed Adrien.

"Well, let me put it this way. You're a football fan, right? Treat this situation like shootout rules apply," grinned the tiny cat.

"Come again?" asked Adrien, jarred out of his thoughts by the unexpected metaphor.

"You went into tonight's visit, and the two of them were tied. Ladybug went first in penalty kicks, and scored a goal tonight. Wow, did she score a goal! But having done that... is the game over now?"

Adrien thought hard... and grinned. "No, it isn't. Marinette still gets a turn to respond and try to tie the score again. Just like Ladybug said she did. Well, kind of."

"Exactly. Now, she may not try the exact same method... I highly doubt that you're going to see Marinette at your window holding pizzas... and she may not jump right into kissing, either," mused Plagg. "And you could use some rest and thinking time before you try. But like Ladybug said... let Marinette respond. You owe her that for sure. And get ready."

"Get ready for what?" asked Adrien.

"If Marinette knows that she has that kind of competition... just about anything," Plagg grinned.

"All right. Step one, then," said Marinette, as she reached over and turned her phone off for the night.

"Already?" wondered Tikki, watching Marinette's action. "No midnight chats with anyone tonight?"

"Tikki, I think someone needs some time to breathe, think, and make sense of all of this." She gave Tikki a tired smile and added, "And so does Adrien."

"Well, I can't argue with that." Tikki floated a little closer to Marinette and asked, "Hey... do you want to talk about things tonight? I mean, we already did just talk about some of it, but a lot of that was managing how Adrien feels. I need to know how you feel about what's going on."

"Like what?" asked Marinette, giving Tikki her full attention.

"Like, for starters, what it felt like to kiss the boy of your dreams tonight and have him kiss you back! You've done a lot of heavy lifting this week, Marinette, and if I were you, I'd be exhausted! You've kept Adrien sane and made him feel loved - twice over. You've flipped his life upside down and carried him on your back, emotionally. You've watched him fall for you twice. You've had your first kiss and given him his. I just gave you a big scare, on top of all that. You've worried so much about making everything just right for Adrien that I hope you're focusing on what you need, too!"

Tikki's eyes were soft and caring. "So, you don't have to right now... but could you use a little Girl Talk, just you and me for a little while?"

"You know what, Tikki?" said Marinette, with a sincere smile. "I think I'd really like that."

"You might be the strongest girl in Paris," Tikki added, "if they measure it in heart. But it's okay when you're feeling a little vulnerable, too, and I'll always be here for you when you are. And one reason I'm very happy that Adrien's falling for you is that he's there for you, too... for both of you."

Their conversation floated along for another hour, not as mentor-and-student... but as friend-to-friend.

The morning brought with it clearer skies, bright sunlight, and the distinct smell of pancakes in the Agreste mansion's main dining room.

"Good morning, Adrien," Nathalie called as she saw his pajamaed form approach her. "Long night?"

"Is it that obvious?" he replied, scratching his head idly. "But a good one. How are you?"

"Hungry," she smiled, working on her plate as Adrien took a seat at the table. "And we have some more time for it, because your noontime photoshoot is postponed."

"It is?" Adrien asked, surprised. "What happened?"

"The site took a beating from the storm last night. Mud, tree limbs, nothing they can't clean up in a day or so, but there's no way it'll be ready for us by mid-morning," explained Nathalie. "We're pushing it to Tuesday after school; I've adjusted your schedule appropriately. So you caught a break today; instead of being in a rush, we can relax for a little while, and if you had something social to do today you can get to it earlier."

"That's good," he smiled. "I'd told Nino I wanted to hang out with him today; that'll let him pick whether we should get lunch or wait until tonight."

"Nino?" marveled Nathalie. "I would have thought that you'd be dashing out the door to your new girlfriend! Or your other new girlfriend."

That got a stunned expression from Adrien, followed by an awkward grin. "I don't know that either of them is my girlfriend yet... You're aware of who the other person is?" he asked.

"Who else could deliver pizzas to your bedroom window? Or could possibly have you thinking she might be out of your league? Adrien, I know just about everything that goes on around here," said Nathalie, proudly.

"Plus, you talked to my father," countered Adrien.

"Plus, I talked to your father," Nathalie confirmed. "Ladybug? Seriously? How did that come about?"

"Well..." Adrien gave her a highly condensed version of their interactions to date, leaving out the kissing parts for discretion's sake. "They've both been absolutely wonderful friends to me... especially lately, when I've needed them most. As Ladybug put it, she's not a strange visitor from another planet... she's a girl my age who lives somewhere nearby, just like Marinette is, and we seem to have a lot in common."

"Like what?" asked Nathalie, her interest piqued. "Tell me about her. What have you learned so far?"

Adrien gave Nathalie a slightly surprised look - Why do you want to know? he thought - but continued on. "She's all business when dealing with Hawkmoth, of course... but underneath, she says she's a normal girl, nothing unusual about her. She's super sweet. A llttle bit shy. She has a great sense of humor; it's been sneaking out more and more as we've gotten comfortable with each other. We've been watching Marx Brothers movies together and she's a huge fan now."

"Aren't she and Chat Noir... um... an item?" Nathalie continued.

"Not so much, from what she's told me," explained Adrien. "They're very close, but they're good friends, not romantic. Trust me, she has... ways of letting me know that she's available."

Hmmm, thought Nathalie, while maintaining her smile as cover. Not a lot there that I can pass on to Gabriel... but maybe he can divine something he can use from that.

"So now I'm kind of stuck, trying to figure this out," sighed Adrien. "They're both adorable. One's absolutely irreplaceable, and the other's just as irresistible. And I can't hurt either one of them."

"So don't," said Nathalie, reflexively. "I know that you'd never hurt either on purpose. You'll find the right balance, I'm sure."

Having finished her breakfast, she stood up to leave and to allow Adrien to work on his. "The leftover pizza was delicious, by the way," she smiled at him. "It's a shame that the power went out like it did."

"Actually, that wasn't so bad," Adrien replied. "Two young people, alone in the dark like that... it gave us a chance to do something we'd really wanted to do together."

Nathalie's eyes widened.

"To sit and talk about things. Whatever are you thinking?" grinned Adrien.

She chuckled, involuntarily, as she left. All right, he got me good on that one, she thought.

Nino picked up his phone around one and greeted Adrien. "Hey, let me guess. Is your dad making you bail on me again?" he asked.

"Actually... just the opposite! I've got my afternoon free, too. Want to get together sometime soon?" replied Adrien.

"Sure!" said Nino, happily surprised. "Come over whenever and we'll figure something out. Are things with your love life getting any easier for you to figure out?"

"That would be a very large 'no.' But a good 'no.' I'll fill you in when I get there, I'm leaving right now!" Adrien told him.

Over at her house, Marinette's parents did their best to find out more without being overly nosy throughout the morning. Marinette got a good laugh when Sabine explained, "Oh, you don't have to tell me everything, dear... just the parts that you don't want me to know about."

"How about this?" countered Marinette. "I'll tell you the parts that I don't want you to know about, if I can leave out the parts that you don't want to know about."

"And which parts were those?" asked Sabine, innocently.

"None so far," Marinette giggled. "You can rest assured that we're still in the stare-at-each-other-nervously-and-grin phase."

"Can we keep you there for, oh, the next ten years or so?" called Tom from across the bakery. "Or just until you're married."

"How about 'no?'" Marinette laughed back.

"We know that we can trust you, Marinette... but every parent worries. It's our job," smiled Sabine. "Especially the first time around, and while we like what we've seen from Adrien, we don't know him that well yet."

"Can we fix that, then?" asked Marinette. "I'd love to have him over for supper some night this week, if we could. I'm sure that he'd enjoy it, you'd get to show off your cooking and desserts, and you can ask him anything you like then."

"Sure, we can set an extra plate. When are you thinking? Does he like anything in particular that I could make?" her mother asked.

"The only thing I know is he's lactose-intolerant, but he has something he takes for it, so that's fine. I've seen him eat ice cream and cheesy pizza," explained Marinette. "I'll ask him if he has any favorites... As for when, I'm thinking like Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday? That way, I can see when he's free and we'll have time to prepare."

"I was half-expecting to hear 'tonight,'" grinned Tom. "No hot-and-heavy plans for this evening?"

"I'm giving him a little room to breathe, Dad," she grinned back. "I'll call him tonight. As well as things are going so far, I don't want to cling onto him like a backpack with pigtails."

"You don't want to, or you don't want us to know that you want to?" her father laughed.

"Now, Tom?" Sabine interjected. "That part about 'things that I don't want to know about' that she'd mentioned?"

"That was awesome!" beamed Adrien, taking his headphones off. "This mix you've been working on is something else, Nino!"

"Thanks, dude!" Nino replied, wiping his brow. "The last party I did went pretty well, but I'm always trying to build something better, y'know?"

"It shows. I could tell what you changed from the last one you played me. This one flows a lot better in the middle."

The pair walked over to crash on a nearby sofa, trying to think of what to do next. "So... do anything interesting last night?" asked Nino.

One look at Adrien's face told Nino that it was definitely time to go close the door before continuing.

"Okay, lay it on me," grinned Nino quietly, once he'd returned to his seat. "What happened?"

"Oh... just my first kiss," blushed Adrien. "I mean... I guess Marinette gave me my first one at the picnic... it definitely counts... but my first mutual kiss. And a few more than that one."

"Awesome!" beamed Nino. "So you and Marinette, you're a couple now?"

"Would it be bad if I said 'no'?" said Adrien, putting his hand behind his head awkwardly.

"You're not a couple?" asked Nino, looking confused.

"It... wasn't Marinette."

"Are you telling me..." gasped Nino.

Adrien nodded, silently.

"DUDE!"

By this time in their relationship, Adrien knew Nino's vernacular pretty well. There were the casual "Dude," the playful "Dude!", the questioning "Dude?", the admiring "Duuuuude..." and many, many others.

But this one crossed boundaries that Adrien had never heard before. And with good reason, Adrien had to admit...

This was the Atomic Dude.

"You are kidding me right now. You and-"

"Keep your voice down!" cautioned Adrien. "I don't want the neighborhood to know! Or anyone but you!"

"Ladybug kissed you?"

Nino's face betrayed a variety of emotions as Adrien told yet another edited version of the evening's events. That's, like, great and everything... but the next time I get to be Carapace and we all get together, this is going to be awkwaaaard... Oh, man! If Alya finds out, is she ever going to want to be Rena Rouge again? She wants Marinette and Adrien to be together so bad...

"Have you told Marinette yet?" Nino managed, once Adrien had finished.

"Not yet... though I'm going to, and I'll need to tell her everything. Ladybug insisted on that, and that she and I aren't a couple yet, either. Ladybug said that we're definitely more than just friends now, but so are Marinette and I, and Marinette deserves a chance to respond and to express herself."

Adrien sat back, visibly still overwhelmed himself. "When you and Alya first kissed, did you... know right then?" he asked.

"Pretty much?" offered Nino. "Though neither of us were involved with someone else at the time. And I'd come to the zoo that day so that you could help me ask Marinette out. And we were kind of locked in a cage alone together while Ladybug and Chat fought a supervillain. It was, uh, kind of a weird day for us all around."

"That's one way to put it," Adrien agreed. "It ended well, at least."

"Yeah, it did," Nino grinned. "Really well. Now, how do you want this to end, Adrien?"

"Nino... I'm not sure. I'm just not. And if you'd ever asked me if I had any doubt if I wanted to be Ladybug's boyfriend," he replied... then mimed his own head exploding. "Seriously. I didn't think anyone in the world could make me even wonder, let alone run fifty-fifty with her. Which might be the best compliment that I can never say out loud to Marinette. Not quite like that, anyway; I don't think she'd exactly take it as one," he grinned, getting a laugh from Nino.

Adrien sat back, with a thoughtful look. "But what I can say is that I need to make both of them feel like the luckiest girls in the world, to treat them both like the angels they are..."

"...starting with Marinette."

Next time (or the time after, if Chapter 11 runs long again):

* Alya just can't seem to get straight answers these days.

* "I really need to see you... for more than a few reasons."

* Gabriel does another night's homework.

* "I can't swing from buildings... but there are things I can do."

* "I screwed up just now. How, I have no idea..."

* A chill in the air, and a moment of truth.

Chapter Text

Marinette spent much of her afternoon in quiet reflection. I'm glad that Tikki and I had that talk last night, she thought. Things have been going so well lately... but she's right that we're headed into uncharted territory. I need to be more careful with all of this.

"I'm not going to tell you to cut off being around Adrien as Ladybug or as Marinette," Tikki had explained to her. "Partly because I know what that would do to both of you. I'm not sure that anything Hawkmoth can make could push you two apart right now," she'd grinned. "And I am seeing a lot of good coming from your new closeness. He's looking so much happier and stable since you started reaching out to him, both ways, and you're glowing like I've never seen you glow before. But I hadn't figured on things escalating this much this quickly!"

"I know..." Marinette replied, blushing hard and feeling guilty.

"And I understand why it did, too," Tikki reassured her. "I watched you trying so hard to follow his lead and not push things forwards unless he did... but then he led you right into that beautiful song he'd written about you. I think I would've kissed him, too! And then nature set the mood even more... I'm glad you were both mature enough to stop where you did!"

Marinette's stunned face made Tikki add, "I'm not surprised that you both stopped there, don't get me wrong! You both know better than that at your age. But you understand why I'm concerned, right?" The Kwami floated closer and added, "You were trying to keep things light both ways with him, until you both figured out who and what he wants most. Getting physical like that kind of jumped way past 'light,' and that's why you spent the next half-hour talking him down off the ledge. And now things are that much more complicated."

"Yeah. He seemed overwhelmed, even before the kissing, and I felt so bad for him! Adrien's really concerned about hurting my feelings," mused Marinette, wide-eyed. "I mean, I knew that he would be... he's sweet like that... but he's so terrified that he's going to hurt me, especially as Marinette. It's not like he'd be breaking up with me; we haven't even started anything yet!"

"Haven't you?" chided Tikki.

When Marinette stared back wordlessly, Tikki continued. "He's been confiding his deepest thoughts and feelings to you. He's walking you to school, he's calling and texting you at night, he's been giving you those eyes, he held your hand, he asked you on a date, Marinette! When he found out about your feelings for him, he didn't apologize and make sure that you stayed friends; he apologized a dozen times and started responding back. I think more has started than maybe you realize."

"Something's growing there," mumbled Marinette, "I can feel that. What it is, I'm not sure yet. But you make it sound like how he feels about Ladybug and about me are... equal! And I'm not sure about that yet, either."

Tikki's raised eyebrow made Marinette a little uneasy. "Hey, I'm not getting all 'woe is me, I can't compete with Ladybug,'" she added. "Because I'M Ladybug! But it's like Nino told me; Adrien really likes me, but he's crazy about Ladybug."

"Ladybug had a big head start, that's true," Tikki replied. "But as Marinette, you've caught up really fast this last week or two. You can't feel that?"

"I think I can, but... my head understands it. My heart's still not sure," sighed Marinette. "They keep me up at night with their arguing."

"And that's part of why Adrien's so overwhelmed right now," soothed Tikki. "Because you're one person trying to figure out how best to love one person, even if you pretend that you're two different people. He's one person who has deep feelings for two, and they both love him back!"

The Kwami had paused to gather her thoughts, trying to phrase her next thought carefully.

"Imagine something for me, okay?" began Tikki. "Imagine that you and Luka started getting close like you and Adrien have been. Spending time, talking about anything and everything, doing lots of things together like a couple. You feel your feelings growing, so you ask him out on a date, and he says yes. Then that night, Adrien comes over to see you and he ends up kissing you. Would you feel conflicted and worried and ready to pull your hair out?"

It sank in for Marinette, as she looked increasingly anxious while processing that. "I... I don't..." she stammered. "The last thing I ever intended was to cause more problems for Adrien... am I making things worse for him, Tikki?"

"Not intentionally, but you know that," Tikki answered. "If you're hurting him by being there for him and caring for him and getting closer to him twice over, we should all be so lucky! But like he told you last night, he's never thought of romance before as something where he can go partway. He wants to fall hard for one side of you, and he's found himself falling for both. And that's something that you need to consider going forward."

"Yeah. That's... wow, that's big," said Marinette. "I'm so new at this. I've never had one boy who's seriously wanted to go out with me, let alone two! I don't know how I'd react."

Never? wondered Tikki. Luka's interest never registered with her that way? He didn't make a lot of direct overtures, but I didn't think that he'd need to...

"Let me put it another way, then," Tikki explained. "Ever since that day with the umbrella, your love life has been Adrien-shaped in your head. Maybe there has been someone else interested in you, and maybe there hasn't," she grinned. "But you didn't notice if there was, because all you could see was Adrien. That's how Adrien was with Ladybug; he wasn't ignoring your affection, it just didn't register as romantic with him because he had Ladybug on the brain. But now... now he sees you, too. So be gentle with him, okay?"

"I... I will. Do you think he understood what I meant by what I said afterwards?" asked Marinette, looking concerned. "That all of that kissing was important, but it shouldn't mean that things have been decided yet between us?"

"I think so," Tikki agreed. "He's a smart boy, and his feelings are genuine both ways. So that leaves us with a couple of questions. How do we protect your identity as Ladybug now, and how do we get Adrien feeling more romantic one way than the other?"

Marinette rolled onto her stomach, remembering Tikki's next question... "Which way would you rather have him?"

That's... I just don't know yet, thought Marinette. Not entirely.

I mean, I know which way would work better, logically... As Marinette, I can't swing from buildings, but there are things I _can_ do that would be tougher as Ladybug. Dating as Marinette and Adrien would let us spend more time together; so much less sneaking around, and we can bring our friends and family into it more... like, how would I bring him home for dinner as Ladybug? Or have him meet my parents? Or our house and our three kids and our hamster?

And I have wanted him as Marinette for SO long... she smiled. And every time he gives me those soft, romantic eyes as Marinette, I just want to scream!

So that would be the smart thing to do.

But is it what HE wants to do? Especially after what just happened?

Tikki was right that Adrien really has been looking at me with new eyes lately... but he _loves_ Ladybug. I felt that in his song, his words, his touch, his kisses... so much. That's impossible for me to ignore, no matter what else is growing.

And there are some ways that I can could make it work as Ladybug. I know that there are. She giggled, picturing herself wearing street clothes over her costume, or passing herself off as a cosplayer. Maybe I could get Tikki to work out some 'casual wear' costumes for me, too. I've got his email and phone. His father knows about Ladybug's visits and interest, from what Adrien's told me, and he doesn't seem to mind the potential for publicity. If we need private time together, I can take Adrien places that no one else could reach. Other than Chat Noir, anyway...

It could work. The question is whether it _should_ work.

"As far as your identity goes," Tikki had continued, "you know that I trust you... but you also know how close you just came to giving it away. When I was talking about a friendly rivalry, I don't mean that I want you to start playacting more than you have to, making up a lot of things going on between Ladybug and yourself. You're... not the best at that kind of thing."

Marinette had raised an eyebrow in protest... then agreed, sheepishly. "Besides, I'd rather stick to as much truth as possible. The more I end up making things up, the more likely I am to mess something up," Marinette had replied.

"Exactly," Tikki said. "Like I said before, you're already doing ninety percent of what you need to do. Around other people, you act as if Ladybug and Marinette are different people, and you do it very well almost all of the time. He thinks that the two of you are friendly with each other, and I want you to keep it that way! But Ladybug is telling him 'Give Marinette a chance' and Marinette is telling him 'Give Ladybug a chance.' Well, if I was Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I'd certainly tell him that Ladybug just got her chance in a big way."

"I can't really argue with that," agreed Marinette. "If Ladybug doesn't have his full attention now, I'd better check his pulse."

"So he'll probably approach you next as Marinette, and tell you all about what happened last night, and he'll have a look on his face like he just ran over your dog the whole time," argued Tikki. "It's up to you how you handle that. But I need you to be consistent, okay? If you think that you may want him dating Marinette and best-friending Ladybug, you're going to need to assert yourself as Marinette, and make sure that he knows that he's not going to have two steady girlfriends in the long run."

Tikki circled around, nervously. "You could tell him that you understand that he's still making up his mind, and you... well, you do whatever seems right to you. I'm sure that you could be quite persuasive that his choice should be you, whether or not you get kissy! He's halfway there already, every time that you bat your eyes at him. Or if you decide that you want him dating Ladybug instead, you can say that, but do it in a way that he knows for sure that Marinette's not heartbroken and still wants to be his very close friend. Or if he finally says 'This person is who I'm in love with,' then you've got the direction you wanted."

She met Marinette's gaze, and was glad to see Marinette taking all of this very seriously. "What we do next depends on which way you two choose to proceed. But Marinette and Ladybug, both going out of their way to support each other out the way that you have been... that needs to stop until one of you makes that decision. It's too obvious if you don't. You need to put a little distance between your two selves before he figures out that there isn't any distance."

"Tikki... do you have a preference as to which way we should go? I can probably guess that you do," asked Marinette.

The tiny Kwami hesitated. "I... don't want to tell you what your own feelings are," she managed. "Or that anything is completely off limits. Would it be easier to manage if it went a certain way? Yeah, it would be, and you understand why. But like you've told Adrien... you each love who you love, the way that you love them. Sometimes the most sensible thing isn't the right thing for two people. And I know that you want him to make that decision... but if he can't, you might have to, before one or both of you gets hurt."

With all of that fresh in her memory, Marinette laid flat on her back, pondering what would be best to do next.

I can't blame Adrien at all for being confused, she thought. Now that I'm thinking harder about the situation, I'd be a wreck if I was in his shoes.

And I would be so happy to date him as either side of me. If _I_ can't choose, is it fair of me to expect him to?

Not really.  So I guess I'd better make my mind up.

Which'll it be, Marinette? Costumed kisses halfway up the Eiffel Tower or hand-holding with silly grins on the way home from school?

Marinette closed her eyes, picturing Adrien's smitten face as they cuddled on his couch... then his, she had to admit, nearly-as-smitten face as they hugged after detention on Friday.

Her lips tingled, remembering what Adrien's felt like against them... then when imagining what one on her unmasked face would feel like.

She pictured the worried look on Adrien's face when he spoke of how worried he was that he'd hurt her... and her stomach tied itself in a knot.

Concentrate, Marinette, she ordered herself. You are NOT ruining Adrien's life. You are doing so much good for him, and you know it, and every time he looks at you... mask or no mask... you can FEEL that.

But Tikki's right. One of us will have to make a decision, or at least declare a preference. It might just be up to me to guide that so that neither one of us gets hurt by it.

And that decision...

She glanced down at her phone, which had just started ringing.

...Will wait until after I talk with Alya.

"Hi, Alya! What's up?" asked Marinette, pleasantly.

"Hey, girl! I've got something I'm trying to figure out, and I was hoping you could help me," her friend replied.

"Shoot," said Marinette.

"I'm sitting here with my boyfriend," Alya began, "who just spent the afternoon with a certain blonde classmate of ours."

"Uh-huh," replied Marinette, a little nervously. "What did Nino have to say about that?"

"Very little! I mean, they hung out, they worked on one of Nino's new mixes together, the usual stuff. And then I brought up you. The girl who's been driving Adrien crazy lately, and we can all see that's been happening. And since Adrien was with his best friend, the one guy that he might talk about it with or ask for advice..." Alya's voice was light and teasing. "So you can understand why Nino clamming up entirely about what they talked about seems a little odd, hmmm?"

"Well, maybe Adrien asked Nino to keep what they said confidential," countered Marinette. "A secret between close friends. Like some of the ones we have that you've never told Nino. There are still some of those, right?"

"Oh! Oh, of course there are," Alya assured her. "Lots of those. He'll never know about the time that you went on a mission to swipe Adrien's phone and-"

"HEY! He's right there!" Marinette cried out, which made Alya break up laughing.

"I know, I'm teasing you. Anyway, I figured that my best friend was going to tell me all about what happened in detention and afterwards, and I hadn't heard from her yet..."

"I'm sorry about that," Marinette apologized. "I didn't mean to leave you hanging, things have just been... um... complicated this weekend? I had some family things going on, and, uh..."

"Some Adrien things going on, perhaps?" laughed Alya. "Come on, spill! If nothing had happened, Nino would tell me that. But you're not talking, Nino's not talking, and I'm dying to know at least some of what's going on!"

Marinette only paused briefly before giggling. "Exactly what is it that you think we're hiding? We wrote back and forth on notepads all through detention, like you and I do in class. I think we like each other. I walked him to his car, and I waved as it pulled away. Is that so complicated?"

Alya looked confused. "That's it? I mean, that's all good news, but then why wouldn't Nino just tell me that?" she said.

"Oh, and Adrien asked me out on a date," added Marinette, as calmly as she could manage.

Several seconds passed quietly.

A car honked in the distance.

A pair of birds flew by the window, one chasing the other.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?" cried Alya, as Marinette collapsed into laughter. "Well, you buried the lede! How in the heck did you not get on the phone ten seconds after it happened?"

"It wasn't easy," grinned Marinette. "Plus, we were in detention when he did, so I couldn't talk out loud or use my phone."

"I am so happy for you! So are you his girlfriend now, for real?" bubbled Alya.

"Not... quite. It's a little complicated, so please don't make a scene tomorrow morning, okay?" asked Marinette.

"You're not?" asked Alya, sounding stunned. "What happened? What went wrong?"

"Let me explain..." began Marinette, as she related as much of her detention story as she could to her friend...

I have to leave out the Ladybug parts with Alya or that'll open up a dozen cans of worms, thought Marinette as she told her tale. But I don't want to lie at all to Alya unless it's by necessary omission.

"...So it's not that I won't be his girlfriend. It's that we're going to take it slow, try some dates together, and see how everything works out for us," Marinette concluded. "Which seems like a smart approach to me."

"You're ready for that?" asked Alya, a little unsure. "You can hold back from wanting more right away? Because I know that you do."

"If it means that I'm actually dating him while we figure it out? Darn straight," beamed Marinette. "If it's meant to be, it might multiply fast. And I'm loving it so far!"

The two talked things over for the next hour until Marinette got called down to supper.

As she hung up, Alya glanced across the room at Nino, who had been trying to eavesdrop enough to prepare without being obvious. "So... what did she say?" he asked, dryly.

"That she's not Adrien's girlfriend yet, but that he's asked her out on a date! They don't know when it'll happen yet," smiled Alya. "So that's part of what's going on. Your turn!"

"What makes you think that there's more to tell?" asked Nino, sensing the inevitable.

"Because if that's all it was, I know that you'd have told me. That means that there's a bigger secret lurking somewhere," she replied. "And you're going to tell me what that is."

"I... I really shouldn't," Nino mumbled, as he watched Alya approach him, grinning. "He told me not to talk about... whatever it is that we didn't talk about."

"One, you're a really bad liar, Nino. Your heart's not in it, and I can see that. Two, I'm your loving girlfriend, and you wouldn't hide secrets from little old me, now, would you? Three, I'm Marinette's best friend. If there's something going on that she needs to know about, I can help prepare her or protect her." Alya's facial expression danced dangerously as she got closer. "And four..."

"What's four?" asked Nino, cowering.

"I know where every one of your ticklish spots is," she cackled.

Adrien, I tried, thought Nino, as he backed into a corner...

At that moment, Adrien had his own surprises to contend with.

"Good evening, son," Gabriel intoned, striding confidently into the main dining room. "Is this seat taken?"

"...Of course not," Adrien replied, watching his father pull up a chair across from him as the staff sprang into action. He glanced over at Nathalie, two seats over from Gabriel, and got an enigmatic smile back from her. "I'm glad that you have the time to join us."

"A slow day, for once," his father shrugged. "What with the photoshoot cancellation and the Gallagher contract signing being delayed, I had an easy time of it. Believe me, I will not complain. In addition, a young man told me that he would not mind enjoying more meals with me..."

"He did," agreed Adrien, a smile beginning to form.

"What are we expecting tonight?" asked Gabriel, in Nathalie's direction.

"Center-cut beef tenderloin, Béarnaise sauce, shallot whipped potatoes, something with romanesco, I forget just what Michel told me he was doing with it. He suggests a Château au Pont de Guitres to pair with it this evening," recited Nathalie.

"That will do nicely," smiled Gabriel.

"And for me?" asked Adrien, turning her way.

"The same," Gabriel interjected, "minus the wine, of course." He paused to take in his son's reaction, and noted, "You appear surprised."

"Happily, believe me!" Adrien replied. "I suppose that I was expecting something a bit more..."

"Finely-tuned? Nutritionally focused?" his father asked.

"Spartan?" added Nathalie, drawing a look from Gabriel.

"...Grainy. Or chickeny. Or devoid of taste," replied Adrien, a little hesitantly.

"I have been doing some thinking, Adrien," his father continued, after a sip of his wine. "You are, after all, a growing young man; not so much a growing boy any longer. Obviously, I am not about to grant you carte blanche in all matters... we do have a vested interest in keeping you perfectly photogenic and representative of our business, after all! But perhaps we should experiment with loosening those reins a bit. Allowing you a bit more... normality, shall I say? Additional freedoms, responsibilities... choices to make, and we can see how things go."

Nathalie shot Gabriel an unmistakable What are you DOING? expression, which he ignored for the moment. "Does that sound agreeable to you, Adrien?" he asked, intently.

"Extremely so," his son grinned.

"Excellent. We will discuss this further sometime this week, rather than take up all of supper with it," smiled Gabriel. "How did you spend your day?"

Gabriel listened to Adrien as he described his afternoon, suppressing most of his discomfort through force of will whenever the word "Nino" came up.

"I see," Gabriel mused. "So your friend is advising you on your... romantic dilemma?"

"As best he can. He's not my only source of input, of course, but he's making sense," Adrien replied. "I know that you're still not particularly fond of Nino, Father, but he has a good head on his shoulders; he's a lot more practical and sensible than you might be able to tell from his manner, and he knows Marinette very well."

"I can respect that," said Gabriel. "And whom do you know that knows Ladybug very well?"

"I'm not sure how to answer that," shrugged Adrien, with a smile. "I can't exactly look Chat Noir up in the phone book, and if I'm making time with his partner, he might not want me to! Behind her mask, I don't know her name or much personal information about her; I might walk right by her every day and not even realize it. But I'm learning all that she'll let me learn as we go."

"Very interesting," Gabriel smiled back, slyly, like a cat eyeing a canary. "Before long, you might be uniquely qualified to provide certain... insights regarding our Heroine of Paris."

After a moment's uneasy silence, Gabriel returned to his previous demeanor. "How about this?" he asked. "Nathalie, which nights this week have the most available time for us?"

"Sir?" Nathalie asked, caught off guard as she reached for her tablet. "Let me see here... I hadn't anticipated... Thursday and Friday, depending on how the negotiations with Chanel go... if we move this meeting here, and adjust this to... I'd say that Thursday night would be your most flexible."

"In that case, I have a job for you, son," grinned Gabriel, turning back to Adrien. "Would you invite one of your lady friends to join us for supper Thursday night? I am quite interested in learning more about these two, as both of them seem to be doing you a world of good lately. Let me know if there are any food allergies or preferences to consider, and I will have Michel make something extraordinary for the occasion."

"I'd... be happy to ask them!" replied Adrien, looking surprised. "Is there one or the other whom you'd prefer to meet first?"

"Certainly not both at once, but I would assume that you already understood that," Gabriel laughed. "Lest they throw bread rolls at each other across the table once they know that they are each other's competition! Perhaps if you feel that one of them is lagging behind a little, invite that one, to reassure her that she remains high in your affections. The other will get her turn before long, as well."

"I'll give that some thought!" said Adrien, brightly. "But in the meantime," he added, gesturing at the approaching staff carrying covered trays.

"Indeed! Enjoy your supper," his father smiled.

Marinette spent her evening touching up her homework assignments, then putting a couple of design ideas on paper as rough sketches. Some soft music in the background was the only sound in the room, other than her dancing pencils.

At intervals, she stared at one of her cell phones, then the other. All right, darn it. ONE of you had better ring tonight, she smiled to herself.

About half an hour later, a sound drew her attention, but it came from neither of her phones; rather, from her computer. Marinette rolled her chair over and checked Ladybug's email account...

To my guardian angel,

I wanted to thank you for last night - in so many ways. For the company, for the pizzas, for thinking of me, for trusting me, for spending the blackout with me... for a great many firsts for both of us.

I had an absolutely wonderful time... and in those few moments when I didn't, you were irreplaceable. But, then again, when are you not? :)

I hope that we can see each other again sometime very soon.

- Adrien

Marinette glowed in her chair for a little while, taking his message in. She thought for a moment, then replied:

Hey there,

I had a great time, too. Even before the lights went out on us. :-x

It sounded like we were on the same page when I left. A happy page, I hope! Still near the beginning of our book. Any time you want to talk about things, whether it's "us" or anything else, don't hesitate. As you've noticed, I can reach you in a hurry!

Let me know when and where you want some more company - I'm thinking "A Night at the Opera" for our next movie night - or if you need someone to get you out of the house for a while! I have some ideas as to how we could hide in plain sight, if we want to.

Thinking of you, LB

That'll do. Affectionate and supportive, but not throwing myself at him, she thought with a smile. Well, at least his friends aren't telling him that he's uncool if he doesn't wait three days to call or contact me...

Wait... am _I_ looking desperate if I just responded to him right away?

She giggled at the thought.

That's one side accounted for. I wonder if -

At that moment, her everyday phone rang. Seeing Adrien's incoming call, she smiled again. Aren't I popular tonight?

"Hi!" beamed Marinette. "I was just thinking about you!"

"Hey, Marinette," Adrien began. "How was your weekend?"

"Pretty good, I guess... that storm last night was pretty nasty, so I did my best to stay inside. Just hanging out today," she drawled. "How about you? Do anything fun this weekend?"

"Ah... you could say that," he mumbled. "Marinette, I really need to see you... for more than a few reasons."

"Oh?" Marinette replied, shifting instantly into concern mode. "Are you all right, Adrien? Did something bad happen?"

"No! Well - I don't - I don't want to scare you by saying that," Adrien stammered, with a slight laugh mixed in. "I do have something that I need to talk to you about... but it's nothing terrible, I promise, and mostly I just wanted to talk to you. You've been on my mind all day."

"I like the sound of that better, I think," smiled Marinette, still feeling a little anxious. "What else is on your mind? Something with your dad?"

"Actually, it's funny that you mentioned him right now. I just got surprised, but in a good way this time..."

Alya sat with her head in her hands, taking in Nino's inevitable admission.

"There's another girl?" she asked him, not wanting to believe it.

"Does that surprise you all that much? Adrien's nice, he's handsome, he's rich... it's a wonder that there aren't more applicants lined up. Chloé, for one, would throw herself onto that list in a heartbeat," argued Nino.

Nino moved over and sat next to Alya, doing his best to lighten the situation. "But he's also a pretty private kind of guy; he doesn't throw himself around romantically. He's not looking to play the field; he'd much rather give all of his affection to one girl. And I promise you, he's strongly considering Marinette to be that girl."

"And you're not going to tell me the other girl's name," grumbled Alya.

"I'm not, because I don't know it! He says it's not someone from our school, and I believe him." Largely because it's hard for me to picture Ladybug sitting in Physics class with her suit and mask on, Nino thought to himself.

"I know that your reporter's instincts are all kicking in, wanting to go charging out and confront Adrien or spy on him and find out who this mystery girl is," he continued. "I, uh... don't think that's a really good idea this time. Not yet, anyway!"

"Why not?" demanded Alya, accusingly. "You don't think that I could find out? I want to help Marinette!"

"Oh, I know all about your powers of persuasion. I just suffered through some of them," replied Nino.

"It wasn't all suffering, now, was it?" chuckled Alya.

"That's beside the point," blushed Nino. "Anyway... what I'm trying to say is, Marinette knows what's going on. Adrien's being completely honest with her. He's scared out of his mind about hurting her; believe me, if it does go the other way, he'll be beyond gentle, and he wants to give Marinette every shot at this. He told me just how serious he is about their upcoming dates."

"Dates? More than one?" she marveled. "Marinette didn't tell me that part!"

"Let's let them figure it out, okay?" pleaded Nino. "I'll get what I can from Adrien, you get what you can from Marinette, and we'll compare notes. But this time, I get the feeling that Marinette knows exactly what she's doing."

The conversation danced around for quite some time. Marinette stared up at her ceiling as she talked, one foot pressed lightly against the wall next to her bed, looking and feeling relaxed.

"I'm glad that things seem like they're working out so much better, Adrien. But can I ask you something a little personal?" she ventured, a little hesitantly.

"Sure, anything," said Adrien.

"Am I right that you're a little more than just surprised?" asked Marinette. "Almost like you're not sure if he's even sincere."

"You see right through me so easily," Adrien replied.

"You're worth watching closely," smiled Marinette. "Though I could be wrong about what I'm hearing..."

"No, you're not. I'm a little... well, I don't want to say 'suspicious,' that doesn't sound right. Let me put it another way..." struggled Adrien.

"Take your time. Only if you're comfortable," she assured him.

"You make me comfortable."

Marinette did her best not to curl into a ball and squeal as he continued.

"My father and I have been complicated together for a long while now. Mostly since my mother's accident, though we had our moments before that, too," Adrien told her. "Ever since then, he's had a manipulative side to him that I hadn't really seen before. It's like everything's one big master plan for him, and he needs every part of it to go just how he wants it or, I don't know, the world will end or something."

He sighed, quietly. "When we were having our bad problems recently, the ones that you helped me get through, that feeling was really intense. I felt like a puzzle piece that didn't fit where he wanted me to go, and he was going to just shove me through there even if pieces of me broke off. Now, he's killing me with kindness. And that's kind of what I've wanted to see from him from a long while! But I can't shake the feeling that it's..." he trailed off.

"Replacing the stick with the carrot?" Marinette asked.

"Exactly!" he exclaimed. "I'm not sure about this. Maybe he really does want to reach out and be a... caring father again," Adrien added, quietly. "And he's not quite sure how to do that without my mother to guide him. Or maybe he's decided that he'll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, and he's just changed his tactics with me, to get me to do... whatever it is he wants me to do. Which is more pleasant than before... but it means I'm still a fly."

"Cutest fly I know," replied Marinette. "And the sweetest."

"I'd buzz over there right now, if I could," he laughed.

You know... that's actually tempting, Adrien thought to himself. Chat Noir hasn't paid a visit to Marinette's balcony lately. If I did it _right now_ it'd be a bit of a giveaway, but I might just have to put my ears on and do that soon...

"I'd keep my window open for you. Maybe just a crack, 'cause it's cold outside," she giggled.

"Speaking of... insects and windows..." Adrien said, a little hesitantly. "That thing I need to talk with you about? We can do it tonight, or if you'd rather, we can wait and talk about it in person..."

"Somehow I think I know just the 'Bug you're talking about," replied Marinette. "You can tell me now, if you want to. I won't promise that I'll like it, but I'm here to listen. How did things go?"

The next several minutes were awkward for both of them. Adrien was gentlemanly enough to leave out the more salacious details and to emphasize the conversation he and Ladybug had shared afterwards, but he didn't sugarcoat it; Ladybug had kissed him, and he'd kissed her back, and it had happened far more than once that night, and there was no getting around those facts.

Marinette did her best to maintain what she felt was a realistic mood; sympathetic and understanding, but also a little uncomfortable. He passed a really big test, she smiled to herself; he's being completely honest with me about what happened and why. He's trying _so_ hard not to hurt me.

When he'd reached the end of his story, Adrien fell silent. Marinette wrestled within herself for the right response.

"I'm... well, I'm glad that you told me, Adrien. I mean that very much," she began. "I'm not sure how happy I am for me about it... but I'm happy for you. I know that what happened was something you'd been wanting for a very long time."

"It was," Adrien said, simply. "I won't lie to you and say that it wasn't."

"So how do you feel about it? About the two of you and where you stand?" asked Marinette, in a quiet voice.

"I'm kind of... stuck. I don't know how else to describe it," he replied. "You are both amazing. If I end up hurting either one of you, I don't deserve either one of you. I'm still not sure that I do in the first place."

He paused, then added, "There are a lot of new feelings in me that I'm trying to figure out. Like, one of the things I'm trying to get out of my head is the idea that it's some kind of competition, if you know what I mean. That my heart's a prize to be won, or yours is, or hers is! I had kind of a schoolboy crush going on for a long time, and I've never had... well, I'd never known that I had someone with real feelings for me."

Marinette squirmed a little at the emotion behind Adrien's words. "Maybe that's part of growing up. I have a lot of growing up to do, I think. I ought to, I'm only fourteen!" he laughed. "But it's so much more complicated than I'd ever imagined now that it's happening."

"I... get what you mean, Adrien," offered Marinette. "You're not the only one who's had daydreams and wishes and crushes, and all of a sudden, everything's a lot more real and happening all at once."

"I don't want to read too much into the kissing with Ladybug. She insisted that I shouldn't, and she's right," Adrien continued. "I mean, it was a big deal for both of us! But it kind of happened all in a rush, and it shouldn't make my mind up all by itself. Ladybug made very sure that we stopped to think and talk about it afterwards, and we both needed that to happen."

"Well, I know that one kiss doesn't make your mind up by itself," Marinette replied, in a lightly teasing voice. "Because if I remember that picnic with our class correctly, I kissed you before Ladybug did!"

That stopped Adrien in his tracks. "Well, uh... yeah, of course you did! But that kiss wasn't..." he replied, stumbling over his words a bit.

"Wasn't it?" asked Marinette, with some urgency in her voice.

His memory shot back to that moment; the heartfelt things that he'd said to Marinette that day, her running up to him as he was leaving, the look in her eyes as she leaned forward, her soft lips against his cheek, the feelings that he now knew were behind it...

The only thing wrong with that kiss was that I was too stunned and too _stupid_ to return it right then and there, he thought.

"What it should've been was my wake-up call," Adrien admitted with a sigh. "I knew that it was sincere when it happened. I wish I'd known just how sincere, like I know now. But I still had spots in my eyes that day."

"Don't beat yourself up over that, Adrien," Marinette replied. "What you feel now is more important."

"And what I feel," said Adrien, "is that I'm still very serious about our dates, if you're still interested. I hope that you are, but I'd understand if you just said 'go be with Ladybug' after hearing all this. It can't have been easy to hear me say that."

"Well, it's not every day that I hear a story like that, it's true," soothed Marinette. "But I wouldn't be much of a friend if I told you to give Ladybug a chance and then shut you out because you did and she took it." And I'd be one hell of a hypocrite, she thought. "Of course I'm still interested."

"Marinette... I'm-"

"On two conditions," she added.

"...Okay?" said Adrien, a bit surprised. "What are they?"

"One, that since you and Ladybug are looking at each other with clearer eyes now... if I hear about another makeout session with her, I'll assume that you've made your decision and that you and I will be just good friends. I completely get why this one happened, and I'm not mad or jealous! Honest, I'm not. But if you and I end up as something a lot more than friends, that part of you I won't be sharing with her, or anyone else."

She saw Adrien's eyes widen a bit as she continued with a grin. "Now, before you get all worried... no, I won't be saying 'never touch Ladybug again' if we do get serious. Friends hug, friends can la bise, or if you jump off another building, by all means let Ladybug catch you," Marinette giggled. "I know that you'd never cheat on either one of us. And I'm sure that she'd extend me the same courtesy if she ends up dating you and we're just friends."

"She'd let you catch me if I jump off a building?" wondered Adrien, who got a raspberry in response.

"All right, smart guy. You know what I mean, though, right? You and I aren't going steady yet. You're certainly allowed to explore your options, and it doesn't hurt me that you did. But there's a difference between getting swept up in a moment and making out on purpose. Does that make sense?" asked Marinette.

"Yeah, it does! But about one thing you said just now..." Adrien began.

"Marinette... you and I are never going to be 'just friends' again. Not after everything we've been through together these last couple of weeks, and especially not now that I know how you feel. Just the way that we've been talking tonight... I love this, being this close to you! I've always known that you were a special person, but it took me far too long to realize how wonderful you truly are. I'm never going to forget that, no matter what we end up being to each other."

"Oh," Marinette managed, an intense rush of blood to her face providing the rest of her response.

"Darkwings... fall," intoned Hawkmoth, returning to his normal form as Gabriel Agreste.

As he rode the elevated platform back into the above-ground portions of his mansion, he saw Nathalie standing in the room, waiting for him. "Yes?" he asked her.

"I was just curious... what was all of that at supper tonight? Loosening the reins, giving Adrien more freedom, dinner invitations? I know you have something in mind, but it just seemed so... odd coming from you that I wanted to make sure that we're on the same page."

"I just scanned the emotions of my son, and of the surrounding areas of Paris as well. Do you know what I found in the way of adolescent heartbreak and despair?" asked Gabriel. "Not one bit. At least not from anyone in whom I am actively searching for it. That tells me a couple of things."

Nathalie nodded for him to continue. "That one part of my plan, easing the emotional gauntlet I had been making my son run through, is succeeding; between that and his lady friends' influence, Adrien is back in a good place mentally. That is good for him for now, and it is a sufficient height from which he may fall when the trap is sprung, for maximum impact and likelihood of success. The other, simply put, is that the budding love triangle has not yet had time and opportunity to become suitably complicated."

"So... you're providing that time and opportunity?" asked Nathalie, catching on.

"A teenage boy, given the tools to do so, will almost invariably dig himself into a hole. One deep in the throes of young and first love, and a love triangle to boot? It is a simple matter of time," smiled Gabriel. "So, if we can bring one of his ladies into our immediate circle, influence her as we may, then repeat the process with the other? I feel that the moment for our master plan will present itself soon afterwards."

"What should I do in the meantime?" asked Nathalie.

"Continue to monitor Adrien's progress. Be there as his informal advisor, as questions arise. Nothing too fancy. Once we have a dinner guest's confirmation, then we can brainstorm what comes next..."

"There was a second condition, right?" asked Adrien, after a moment.

"Y-yeah! Yes, there was," stammered Marinette, trying to keep her voice steady. "Actually, it's more of a request than a condition. I know that you've met my mom and dad... but not for more than a few minutes at a time. I know that they're really curious about you, and I've got this sweet, sensitive, handsome boy in my life and I'm dying to show him off!"

It was Adrien's turn to glow a faint red as she continued. "So... would it be all right with you if you came over for supper some night this week? Maybe even as soon as Tuesday? You can get to know each other better, my mother's cooking is excellent and she can make anything you'd like, and my father's promised an amazing dessert..."

"...What?" she asked, confused, as she heard Adrien begin laughing. "I mean, if it's going to be a problem with your father or something, we don't have to, but why is that so funny?"

"Because when I called you tonight, I was planning on asking you the exact same thing!" Adrien replied. "My father is quite curious about you, too, and he asked me to invite you over to meet him some night soon. He was thinking about Thursday. And I have this wonderful, beautiful classmate in my life, someone who has me thinking of her all the time without her even trying..."

"Stop, you!" bubbled Marinette. "I'll have you know that I've tried very hard."

"...someone with impressive design skills that have caught even my father's attention, and I'm dying to show her off!" continued Adrien, undaunted.

Marinette stopped in mid-protest. "Your father... knows who I am? As a design student, not just as your friend?" she managed.

"His son wore one of your designs on an Agreste runway. How often do you think that kind of thing happens?" Adrien smiled. "So, yes, he knew who you were as soon as I mentioned you. And I might just have talked about you a little bit... or more than a little bit... Not to mention that he's watched his troubled son cheer up considerably recently, and I've made sure that he knows that you're a huge reason why that happened."

"Adrien, I... I don't know what to say," Marinette replied.

"Say 'Yes, I'll have supper with you Thursday night at your place!' And of course I'll do the same, whenever you'll have me," beamed Adrien. "Can I meet you on the way to school tomorrow and we'll talk about it then?"

"Sure! I'll walk over with you any morning; you don't need to ask. In fact, let me know when there's a morning that I shouldn't wait for you at the bakery," grinned Marinette. "But don't think that I don't know that you're getting fringe benefits out of that..."

"Ah, yes. The old date-the-girl-to-get-the-free-macarons trick. I should have known that you'd recognize that," chuckled Adrien.

"All right, I have a couple of things to get done before bedtime. You and I are good?" asked Marinette.

"Very good, I think... though I know when I'll be a little bit better," Adrien replied.

"When's that?"

"Tomorrow morning."

After a pause, Marinette whispered in a warm voice, "For someone who's never had a girlfriend before... you know exactly what to say, Adrien."

"Do I have one now?" Adrien whispered back, innocently.

"I'm... not sure," replied Marinette, quietly. "You do want one?"

"Very much."

Marinette let that hang in the air for a few seconds.

"Do you want her to be me?" she asked.

"I might," mused Adrien. "I could be very, very, very happy with you. I know that."

"But you're still not completely sure about the rest..." said Marinette.

"I really want to find out, and soon," he said. "Do you want to be that?"

Another pause. "That depends."

"On what?" asked Adrien.

"If that's what you want me to be." Marinette took a deep breath. "Or if your heart is still set on red-and-black, and if we're better like this, I can be this."

"Marinette?" Adrien's voice was soft and pleading. "I need a different answer than that. Don't put what I want first - I know that it's your nature to put others first, and it's one of many reasons why you amaze me all the time - but don't do it this time, okay?"

"Okay," she breathed.

"This isn't me asking, officially... quite yet. I want to take the whole ride with you to find out how we fit. I want to do family dinners with you, I want to go places with you, I want to snuggle with you, I want to learn everything I can about you," Adrien said. "But if I asked you right now if you wanted to be my girlfriend, for real..."

"Very much." Marinette's voice was just above a whisper. "I really, really do. But we don't have to decide that tonight, Adrien. I want the whole ride, too. Let's find out for sure."

"I'm tingling over here," Adrien said.

"Me, too," giggled Marinette. "I think I need to get some sleep before my alarm goes off and we're still doing this."

"I'll meet you in the morning, and we'll walk over together and figure out when we'll do supper and where?" asked Adrien.

"That sounds perfect to me."

"In that case... sweet dreams, Marinette," Adrien replied.

"Feel free to visit them, if you like," she purred before hanging up. "Good night, Adrien."

Having been listening in from just underneath Marinette's bed, Tikki floated silently over to her favorite nook on the computer desk. She allowed herself a smile and a small sigh of relief, once out of earshot.

It sounded like Marinette took my advice and played things just right, she thought to herself. If Adrien had any inkling yet that Marinette is Ladybug, he wouldn't have hesitated at all just now. He's still a little conflicted, and still carrying a torch for Ladybug, but he's VERY interested in Marinette now. That's just what she wanted, I think, and it'll let her slow the pace and not feel like she has to jump on him as Marinette if she wants him that way.

That jumping still might happen, of course, she giggled silently. They _are_ still teenagers. But time will tell on that. I doubt that Adrien's written up a new Piano Concerto For Marinette just yet...

So, for now, some balance has been restored. Marinette's feeling sweet and flirty and not nervous around Adrien, Adrien doesn't seem as wobbly about the girls in his life, and supper downstairs should have Marinette's parents wrapped around Adrien's little finger in no time. And if I'm lucky, that should settle the romance situation for a while.

I wonder, though...

Tikki pondered the implications of supper with the Agrestes. I might need to coach Marinette a little before that trip. I'm sure that she'll be nervous - this _is_ THE Gabriel Agreste inviting her to dine with him - and that whole thing that Adrien said about manipulation and master plans has me a little edgy.

We _did_ clear him as being a potential Hawkmoth... didn't we? But even without that worry, he is a crafty and powerful man. He doesn't know that Marinette is Ladybug, but if he knows that Ladybug likes Adrien that way, he might try to mold the situation to his advantage somehow.

Maybe I should talk to Plagg again for his side of how things are there. I don't know how observant he is most of the time, but he sees a lot more of the Agrestes than I do. He might have seen something worth mentioning, if he can wake up long enough to tell me.

One thing's for sure, though. Between whatever Mr. Dupain makes for Adrien and whatever the Agrestes' chefs make for Marinette... I should be delighted with whatever desserts Marinette can sneak under the table!

Tikki watched as Marinette climbed down from her bed, humming a pleasant tune. She floated over to her computer, checked her emails quickly, then danced across to her dresser with a hop-step and a couple of spins.

"Someone's in an awfully good mood," Tikki called over, rather amused.

"Someone should be, wouldn't you say?" Marinette fluttered back. She made sure that everything was ready for an early start in the morning, then dashed over and kissed Tikki on the cheek. "Good night, Tikki," she beamed, then turned off the light and headed back up.

"Good night, Marinette. Sweet dreams," replied Tikki, then settled in for her own meditative rest.

I really think that we might be back on the right track, thought Tikki. I sure hope so.

Plagg watched as Adrien woke up and hopped out of bed quickly, rising with the sun. "Are you all right?" he asked Adrien. "Usually, you're a snooze-button guy. And you were tossing and turning half the night!"

"Oh, I was asleep. Just dreaming," grinned Adrien, getting his clothes together quickly before heading to the shower.

"Those kinds of dreams, huh? Ooooohh," cackled Plagg.

"I beg your pardon?" countered Adrien. "What kind of dreams are you implying they were?"

"You don't want me to say it out loud, kid," Plagg laughed. "You're young. Kissing and hugging and rolling around dreams will do for now."

"You can stop right there. I can assure you that those were Marinette dreams. A lot more innocent than that," Adrien insisted. Well... maybe one or two of them weren't _completely_ innocent, but _he_ doesn't need to know that or I'll never hear the end of it, he grinned to himself. So much for "Feel free to visit my dreams"; I didn't have to, she was already camped out in mine!

As he prepared for what he hoped would be a very pleasant morning, visions of the dreams he'd had floated through his mind. Some of them faded somewhat with awakeness, of course, but their themes were still very vivid in his mind's eye. A dark-haired, blue-eyed girl, gazing at him the way he'd always dreamed that a girl would look at him. Not just any girl, but the right girl, the one who'd been captivating him so completely these last few weeks. Holding his hand. Writing him notes. Laying her head on his shoulder. Listening intently to him in detention, in a bathroom, in the library. Talking for hours on the phone. Watching movies with him. Telling him how much she cares for him, how worried she's been about him, how long that she's wanted him. Being his friend, his confidant, his wannabe girlfriend, his... partner?

Well, my subconscious is mixing things up big time, I see, he thought during his shower. I have two beautiful blue-eyed girls in my life who care for me, and they're blending together in my dreams now? I really do need to start getting more sleep, he grinned. THIS is why dating more than one person could be so dangerous! If I call one by the other's name, Marinette might whack me over the head with my own umbrella, or Ladybug might leave me dangling from the Pont des Arts bridge!

And I'd deserve it, too. I really need to straighten this out and stabilize this before either of them gets hurt. I care for both of them too much to let that happen.

Dreams. Who can understand them? Adrien chuckled.

He checked himself out in the mirror, making sure that every hair was in place. He closed his eyes and imagined Marinette coming down the stairs to the bakery... The way that her eyes light up when she sees him. The feel of her hand in his. The emotions running back and forth between them like an electric current. All the sweet things that she'd said last night.

With anticipation eating away at him, he grabbed his books and headed downstairs for a quick breakfast...

...but one other memory kept nagging at him, keeping him from being fully focused on the charming, giggly girl he was preparing to meet up with.

It was a soft voice, whispered in his ear in a dark room, saying...

"The boy I'd had my heart set on? It's you. It... always was."

And, somehow, he could still hear its echoes.

Next time:

* "I screwed up just now. How, I have no idea..."

* A pleasant supper at Marinette's.

* "This might be above my pay grade."

* Cafeterias have no set seating charts.

* "I think everybody knows that it's happening but them."

* *TH-BMMP!*

* A chill in the air, and a long-awaited moment of truth.

Chapter Text

Tikki looked on with amusement as Marinette darted back and forth across her bedroom, making sure that every detail was just right for her Monday morning walk to school.

"You know, he's not going to be able to see half of the work you're doing," giggled Tikki, watching Marinette fix her hair and compare two bottles of foundation. "It's cold enough today that you're both going to be bundled up under your winter gear."

"I know, I know!" muttered Marinette, performing some quick touch-up work. "I don't even want to know what static electricity will do to my hair today. That's one reason that I wear it pulled back! But we'll be inside after that, and I'll be right next to him for a few hours..."

She stared at her reflection, weighing whether she liked what she saw, then sighed. "I'm not trying way too hard, am I, Tikki? I mean, this is mostly just my everyday look, not a prom dress or something fancy... but I seem to have his attention now, and I'd like to keep it."

"I'm teasing you, Marinette. Relax," Tikki smiled. "You look just fine. And I think a bomb could go off next to Adrien while he's walking with you today and he wouldn't even blink. The only distraction that might pull his eyes away would be Ladybug appearing, and somehow I think that won't happen unless you want it to."

"Yeah, I think Ladybug gets the day off unless an Akuma shows up," replied Marinette, happily. "After what he said to me last night, today's all about me."

She paused. "And I think I'm even believing it," she added.

Tom watched with a wide smile as his small talk with Adrien stopped abruptly, once Adrien heard light footsteps coming down the stairs from the main household; his eyes locked there with anticipation.

Young man, you are HOOKED, thought Tom, wryly. About time, too.

"Good morning, Marinette!" Tom called as she emerged, her grin widening at the sight of who was with him.

"Good morning, Dad," said Marinette, coming over for a quick hug. "Hello, Adrien!"

"Hello there," Adrien replied. "You look very nice today, Marinette!"

"You can tell under all this?" she quipped, gesturing to her heavy white winter coat and matching hat.

"Well, I can certainly guess the rest," Adrien answered her. "I like that coat; very stylish! Looks like Italian lines. Can I ask where you got it from?"

"This? My grandmother got it for me, this past Christmas. I don't know where she got it from, exactly," Marinette said. "But I had the hat already, and they seemed like a very good match for this kind of weather."

"I'm glad that you two don't have far to walk," Tom noted. "I can hear that wind whipping out there and just the sound is giving me chills. By the way, did I hear right that you might be joining us for supper tomorrow night, Adrien?"

"If you'll have me, I'd love to," he replied, a little bashfully.

"Then I have work to do in the kitchen," Tom grinned. "What's your favorite fruit flavor? Do you have a favorite dessert?"

"Um... I have a weakness for passionfruit, but that's not the easiest to find," Adrien mused. "Other than that, I'm easy to please; apple, cherry, raspberry, lemon, peach... I can't imagine that anything you could make wouldn't be delicious, Mr. Dupain."

"Don't go too far, Dad. I don't think dinner for four calls for a full croquembouche," Marinette added, lightly.

"What's a croquembouche?" asked Adrien.

"A tower of pastries that's half a meter high, that's what it is," she grinned at him, then turned back towards her father. "At least that. Something simple but delicious, okay?"

"Half a meter? Hmmph. My record was more than double that... but I'll behave, I promise," Tom laughed, watching the kids head towards the door together.

As they approached the door, Marinette asked Adrien, "Could you tie my scarf for me, please?"

"Certainly," beamed Adrien.

Tom watched as Adrien came in close and began looping it over and under, then under and over. Crafty, Marinette! he thought. That's one way to get him face-to-face. I bet he wishes he'd thought of leaving his own scarf undone!

As the pair trudged out into the cold morning, Marinette admired Adrien's handiwork. "I'm impressed that you knew this particular scarf knot, Adrien! It's more of a girl thing."

"When your family business is fashion, you pick up things along the way that you never thought you'd need to know," he chuckled.

"I like yours, too," noted Marinette, seeing something pale blue and very familiar wrapped around Adrien's neck. "That scarf really suits you."

"Thank you!" Adrien replied, brightly. "It's my favorite, actually. My father had someone make it for me for my birthday last year."

"Make it?" she asked, innocently. "It's not store-bought?"

"Definitely not. There were no tags on it, and the knitting is hand-done, by someone who knows exactly what they're doing," explained Adrien. "I really wish that I knew who or where it came from, so that I could commission a few more in other colors! Though, the more I think about it, this baby blue goes with so many outfits that one will certainly do for now. It's nice and warm, but not so much that I'm roasting while I have it on inside..."

He looked over at Marinette and got a sudden look of concern on his face. "Oh, Marinette, let's get you out of this cold! This freezing wind has your face bright red," he said to her, wrapping his arm around her and hustling the two of them towards the school.

I should tell him, thought Marinette in the lobby, watching Adrien looking at her curiously. I should tell him. I _need_ to tell him. That was the scarf I made him for his birthday last year, and I forgot to sign the gift, and then somehow the signed Post-It I attached to it afterwards disappeared!

But...

He was so happy when he thought it was a gift from his father, she told herself. That's why I didn't tell him then; it was so nice to see him happy about _anything_ involving his father. This whole thing between us recently started because Adrien's father was mistreating him, and they're just now starting to get back on the same page! If I tell him now, that could start bad feelings between them again, and...

No. I just can't, even now! He's happy with who he thinks that it was from, and that's what matters. I can tell him sometime that maybe I can make one _like_ it...

"Are you okay, Marinette?" asked Adrien, jarring her out of her pondering. "You got very quiet all of a sudden."

"Oh! Oh, yes, I'm fine, Adrien. Thank you for asking," she smiled. "I was just... um... lost in thought for a second there. Brrrrrr! Let's get away from the front door!"

Once further inside, they paused for a few moments before separating to go to their respective lockers.

"So, um, about what we talked about last night..." Adrien began, as they unzipped their coats and began de-layering.

"...Yeah?" asked Marinette, her face snapping to attention towards his.

"Did I visit your dreams last night?" he asked her, trying to keep an innocent expression on his face.

Hmmm, thought Marinette. I could answer honestly, or I could deny it, or I could just die right here.

"Maaaaaaybe," she replied, with a big enough grin to signal her real answer.

"Good. That way, we match," he grinned, with his own face reddening.

"Really?" Marinette asked, wide-eyed, then returned his grin with increasing confidence after thinking about it for a second. "And just what was I doing in them, Adrien?"

"I asked you first," Adrien answered.

"No, you didn't! You asked me if you were in my dreams, and I answered that. I was the first one to ask for more details," she giggled.

"Hmmm. This could be a problem. A gentleman's not supposed to kiss and tell..." pondered Adrien, overdramatically.

"He is when the lady wants to know what she did!" protested Marinette. "Or should I assume the worst of a teenage boy's imagination?"

"Nothing that you couldn't tell your parents about," Adrien insisted, then added, "...Someday," with a sly smile.

"Well!" exclaimed Marinette with mock outrage. "Maybe I shouldn't leave you alone at night!"

"Maybe you shouldn't," said Adrien. "But can I ask you something before you pronounce final judgment?"

"And that is?" she said.

"What was I doing in your dreams?"

Marinette stared at Adrien nervously, Adrien stared back... and then they both broke up laughing.

"We're hopeless, aren't we?" asked Marinette, still laughing.

"Uh-huh," Adrien agreed, as the two of them calmed back down.

When she met his gaze again, her facial expression was soft and her eyes were shining. "We're really going to try this, aren't we?" she asked him, in a quiet voice.

In response, his right hand slipped into her left, holding it gently. Hers clasped his, without her even thinking about it. "I really think that we need to," he replied, "and I know that I want to. The whole ride, remember?"

"The whole ride," Marinette agreed, softly. "Good."

People were walking around them steadily by this point, including several classmates, which they completely failed to notice. They didn't register a wide-eyed Alya being tugged along by Nino, Kim giving an approving nod and a low "...All RIGHT!" as he walked by, and Chloé clearly mouthing What the HECK is going on here? despite Sabrina's best efforts to distract her.

The first bell let them know that time was running short to get to class, shaking them back a bit closer to reality. "You know, Ladybug did tell me one thing that I hadn't shared with you yet..." Adrien added, a little nervously.

"Oh?" Marinette asked, genuinely curious.

"She said that you might be an amazing kisser, and that it was up to me if I wanted to try and find that out," Adrien purred. "Now, if I may submit certain dreams as evidence..."

"Do I even want to know about those dreams?" asked Marinette, her free hand on her hip.

"You did just a minute ago, if I recall correctly..."

"All right, you got me there," Marinette laughed. "But how would Ladybug know if I'm a good kisser? I'm pretty sure that I'd remember it if I'd ever kissed her. That hasn't happened."

"That... is a good question. She said it more like 'maybe she is,' not 'I know she is,'" wondered Adrien, wide-eyed at the concept. "Is there something she knows that I don't know yet?"

"Let me put it this way, Adrien," said Marinette, leaning in noticeably closer, her voice becoming a little bit huskier. "You got a free sample that day at the picnic. Did you like that one?"

"D-definitely!" stammered Adrien, watching Marinette's mischievous expression carefully. "But I was too surprised when it happened to fully process it."

"Well, then, if you play your cards right... I know something that you don't yet," she continued, reaching out with her free hand and placing it over his shoulder.

"What's that?" Adrien asked, not much above a whisper.

"When you'll find that out."

Marinette turned, with a giggle, and headed for her locker. "We've only got a minute or two before we'll be late, so we'd better hurry!" she called to Adrien.

Adrien was still nowhere near capable of movement. She said 'when'... not 'if!', he realized. "When will that be?" he called back.

"Oh, you'll know," she winked, and was gone.

Ms. Bustier greeted the class as usual, setting up her lesson plan and belongings while noting the undercurrent running through the students. Rumblings in the peanut gallery, she thought, and everyone seems to be looking towards Marinette and Adrien? How very _unusual_ lately. She smiled to herself, amused, as she allowed the class a moment to settle.

Adrien and Nino engaged in light conversation, while Marinette found herself with Alya focused completely on her. "What?" Marinette whispered, lightly.

"What do you mean, what? I know what I saw this morning! You and Adrien-"

"Keep your voice down, he's right there!" chided Marinette, trying not to draw Ms. Bustier's attention.

"You and Adrien," Alya whispered more quietly, "standing in the hallway, holding hands, making eyes at each other, I thought you were going to kiss him right then and there! Were you? Did you?"

"Sure, I did. You were there, that day at the picnic!" Marinette reminded her.

"You're killing me here," Alya whimpered. "This morning!"

"Don't be silly, Alya. The picnic wasn't this morning," giggled Marinette.

She relented once she saw that Alya was trying to glare a hole through her forehead. "Alya, I promise you, there haven't been any big changes since I talked with you yesterday! Adrien and I like each other. We're going to figure out just how much, and take our time doing it," she whispered. "Can we talk about it over lunch?"

"Do you think that you could avoid that?" grinned Alya.

"I'm not trying to, Alya," Marinette assured her. "But class is about to start..."

More than that has started, Marinette, Alya thought to herself. She looked down at Nino and Adrien, talking amongst themselves with occasional glances up at her and Marinette. A quick look around showed about three-quarters of the class watching Adrien and Marinette without trying to be too obvious about it. All this about 'we're playing wait-and-see' and 'we're still figuring things out...'

I think everybody knows that it's happening but them!

Lunchtime arrived, and as Marinette expected, she faced a set of eager faces as soon as she sat down with her tray.

"We are soooooooo ready for your good news!" began Juleka, with one hand holding Rose down onto her chair. "What happened? We saw you two this morning..."

"Looking awfully cozy together," grinned Alix. "After he walked you to school again today. It's looking like somebody had a big weekend... or cracked the code as to how to get romantic in detention."

"Oh, that's right!" Marinette realized. "None of you were around when we got out of detention on Friday."

"Correct," smiled Mylène. "And none of us got the kind of breathless update we would've expected if Adrien had left you breathless... but that was not just a friendly hallway meeting this morning, either! So..."

"And since even her loyal partner-in-crime didn't get any kind of update until yesterday..." Alya added, with mock indignation. "Spill, already!"

"I didn't shout it from the rooftops because we're still figuring a lot of it out," Marinette replied. "But..."

She left a pause in the air until she suspected pouncing was imminent, then giggled, "...someone asked me out on a date!"

A round of cheers filled the air around the table, to which Marinette motioned caution. "Time out! We're not a couple yet, officially. We're going on some dates to see how well it works... if it's meant to be."

"If, she says," said Alix, rolling her eyes. "I've seen how he's been looking at you. Did you kiss him yet?"

"Only back at the picnic," admitted Marinette. "We talked on the phone this weekend, but we didn't get together again until this morning."

"All right, back up! I don't want to miss any of this!" squealed Rose. "Start with what happened in detention!"

"Okay. Well, first, I had my notepads out and ready..."

The girls absorbed Marinette's story excitedly, though a little disappointed that the two of them were taking things at a measured pace.

"So... yes, there's another girl. But do not bug Adrien about her, all right? She's not someone in our class, or even our school, so there will be no covert operations exposing her identity. Right?" declared Marinette.

"I hear you, I hear you," muttered Alya, good-naturedly.

"Seriously. Whoever you're thinking of, it's not her. It's not Kagami, the fencer girl, either," she added, stopping Juleka in mid-thought before she could vocalize it. "And I'm not going to obsess over who she is..."

"Do you know who she is?" asked Rose.

"I do. He's asked me not to say, and I'm respecting that," Marinette replied. Which is the best way I have of defusing _that_ question, she thought. "And I'm not going to obsess over her, because I don't want to become one of those girls who gets jealous of every other girl he knows. He's going to have close friends who are girls if we do get serious. I'll still be one of those if he gets serious with her, or with someone completely different."

"I think that's a smart approach," Mylène said. "It's not all-or-nothing. You've wanted to be closer to him emotionally, and now you are and you don't want to risk that."

"Exactly," smiled Marinette. "And I think that I can win his heart without making it into some kind of full-blown competition."

"I still say," retorted Alix, her eyes gleaming with mischief, "that you could kiss Adrien one time - one kiss full on the lips, throwing everything you feel into it - and he would melt like an ice cream cone."

Marinette's response was cut short by a voice behind her. "While the jury's still out on that," he said, "it might be an interesting experiment."

To her credit, the "Eeep!" that Marinette emitted was both brief and as much of a laugh as a shriek.

Without turning around, Marinette quipped, "Just for the record, I've never kissed Alix, so she is completely guessing what that would be like."

That got a hearty laugh from the table as she turned to face Adrien. "Hello, stranger," she beamed in his direction. "What can I do for you?"

Adrien held back the impulse to say "Test out that kissing theory." Instead, he gestured to the empty table space next to Marinette. "Is this seat taken?" he asked, pleasantly.

Marinette blinked, then nudged the chair out with her foot. "It is now," she smiled. "This is a pleasant surprise. The guys didn't kick you out, did they? Or were your ears burning just now?"

"No, and maybe?" Adrien replied. "People seem awfully curious about you and I lately, for some odd reason."

"Funny, isn't it?" agreed Marinette. "I was just telling them all about how detention on Friday went, and how I'll have a dinner guest tomorrow night, and you'll have one on Thursday. If that invitation is still open, of course..."

"Of course it is!" said Adrien, very quickly, with a genuine smile on his face. "I know we were going to talk about that this morning, but we got sidetracked onto... um..."

"...Other topics?" answered Marinette, and then both started laughing.

Seeing the raised eyebrows around the table, Marinette continued, "And I was just telling them that you and I aren't exclusive yet, and that we're still figuring things out. So no one is to pressure you about anything, or follow you around with a cameraphone trying to figure out who any other girl in your life may or may not be, or anything like that."

"Jeez! I heard you the first time!" Alya exclaimed, throwing her hands up. "It's like I have a reputation, or something."

"I really hope that it does work out," Rose blurted out, her enthusiasm taking over. "You two would be so good together, and Marinette has been... uh..."

"Marinette has been a lot of things... I understand that so much better now. And she's made a huge difference in my life lately! Whatever we decide together, I'm really happy how much closer we've become."

Adrien leaned over and rested his head against Marinette's shoulder, just for a moment. Marinette closed her eyes, drinking it in with a huge smile, as their audience tried not to gape in astonishment and delight.

"So. Who else had an interesting weekend?" breathed Marinette, reopening her eyes.

"Oh, hey! There you are," said another voice. Nino appeared on the other side of the table, taking the empty seat across from Adrien and next to Alya. "Are we sitting over here?" he asked.

"It's a free country," smiled Alya. "Not hanging out with the boys today?"

"Ehh, Kim's trying to break his record for how many baby carrots he can keep in his mouth at once. I know better than to watch what happens next," Nino explained. "Plus, the scenery is so much better over here."

"Good answer," Alya smirked.

"You two aren't the only ones playing Musical Chairs today, by the way," noted Mylène. "Don't look behind you, Adrien, but Chloé's changed seats at least four times trying to get a better look at what's going on over here."

"Hmmph!" chuckled Adrien, without turning. "She'll get over it."

The lunch period continued with lots of chatter, more than a little shared laughter, and one young woman in particular feeling gloriously happy.

A couple of hours later, Marinette strolled through the front door of the bakery with a broad smile. Her mother was watching over the store, waving to her as she entered.

"Hi there! Everything still good with your honey?" she called over to Marinette.

"Absolutely!" Marinette grinned back. "I just walked him to his car again; he said that he had some things he had to get done this afternoon, and that we'd talk later. And did I mention just how perfectly his hand fits in mine?"

"Somehow I hadn't expected any problems there," Sabine laughed. "Before I run to the store later, any last-minute requests for what I should make tomorrow night?"

"He keeps saying 'anything is fine, whatever you would normally eat if I wasn't there,'" Marinette replied. "He doesn't want us to make a fuss over him. Though he should know me better than to think that I ever won't."

"You were devoted to him before he noticed you. I can only imagine what you'll be like now that he has," grinned Sabine. "That sounds good to me, though; I'll run over there in a little while and see what looks good to make. I have a couple of ideas already. Go see what your father's putting together for dessert!"

"Uh-oh," Marinette giggled. "It'll fit through the door, right?"

"I told him not to let his enthusiasm run away with him too much. I think you'll like it, and so will Adrien."

Marinette stepped into the kitchen at the rear of the bakery, walking over and kissing her father lightly on the cheek. "Hi, Daddy," she grinned. "I hear that you've got something that I should see?"

"Voila," Tom gestured, displaying his handiwork through the glass door of a refrigerated case.

"Ooooh! Is that what I think it is?" cooed Marinette.

"Uh-huh. Right flavor, too. I'm still fiddling with the top layer."

"That looks perfect," she beamed. "Thank you so much!"

"My pleasure. I only get to cater my daughter's first supper date once," he replied.

After piano practice and supper, Plagg watched Adrien carefully. Something seemed... just a little off.

"Hey," he called, flying over to where Adrien was stretched out on his bed. "For someone who has an adorable new almost-girlfriend who's clearly ga-ga over him, you've looked happier."

"Oh, no complaints there," replied Adrien, staring up at his ceiling. "I just have a bunch of things on my mind right now. Doing some thinking."

"Let me guess," smirked Plagg. "A red-and-black thing?"

"She's part of it," allowed Adrien. "I'm kind of focused on Marinette right now, but I'm sure not going to just forget the other night! But Ladybug's kind of on my mental back burner for the moment."

"So what's bugging you more, then? Anything that I can help with?"

Adrien gave Plagg a you-asked-for-it smile. "The other thing wears black, with a tail and a little golden bell."

"Come again?" Plagg asked, looking confused.

"If I'm going to get serious with Marinette... there's a Chat Noir-shaped elephant in the room. I need to think about this before I take the plunge," Adrien continued. "Whether I should tell her that I'm Chat. Whether I can tell her. How to tell her. How to keep her safe if I do. How to keep her guessing if I don't. And how to not screw up the friendship I have with Marinette either way!"

Plagg stared back, blankly, his head buzzing. "Oh. Those things."

"Any bright ideas, buddy-of-mine?" asked Adrien, evenly.

Oh, I've got a few, thought Plagg, but they're not the kinds of ideas in my head that'll make this easier. Like how the girl you're talking about has her own secret identity, and she's romancing you in THAT, too! And how she's secretly the girl you've been in love with for months, but you don't know that. And how she doesn't know you're the guy she's been turning down all those months. And how the two of you are going to need new pants once the secrets come out!

And what is Master FU going to do when he finds out?

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking. This might be above my pay grade," muttered Plagg. "You're right, it's complicated."

"I know that I'm supposed to keep things secret, but is that more of an absolute rule or a really good idea most of the time?" Adrien asked. "Even Superman had his Lois Lane eventually. You've met Marinette enough times; do you think that she's trustworthy?"

"Trusting Marinette, I'm not worried about; she's a gem, but that's beside the point. We've had identity disclosures over the centuries... sometimes it worked out okay. Sometimes it really didn't," worried Plagg.

"How about this, then?" Adrien ventured. "I'm not going to tell her yet... but I think that someone else she trusts ought to talk with her about the concept, at least. You up for a little trip tonight?"

"Is there cheese in the fridge when we get back?"

"Of course there is," Adrien assured him. "Claws out!"

In the early evening, Marinette sat at her desk in her room, idly browsing on the Internet...

*TH-BMMP!*

Well, THERE'S a sound I hadn't heard in a while! she thought, looking up hopefully. "Chat, is that you?" she called quietly, as she ascended the ladder to her bed and opened the hatch to her balcony.

"I hope so, I'm wearing his underwear," a familiar voice quipped.

"Hey! Long time no see!" beamed Marinette. "Get in here before you freeze, you!"

The blonde hero descended down into Marinette's room, and was a little surprised to be wrapped up immediately in a friendly hug... but not complaining.

"Hey, yourself! I'm sorry that I haven't been around lately... I've been dealing with some things on the home front, we haven't had a lot of Akumas lately, and it's kind of cold out to go patrolling the city... most of the crooks and villains know enough to stay inside when it's like this," Chat apologized.

"Unlike you, obviously," Marinette giggled. "You've been doing okay?"

"Pretty good. Very good in some ways, actually," he smiled. "And look at you... you look fantastic! You're positively glowing, Marinette, and I have a hunch as to why."

"Oh?" she asked, a little surprised. "Who have you been talking to, Ladybug?"

"No, but you're not too far off. The last time I talked with Ladybug, she asked me to keep an eye on a guy we both know, Adrien Agreste. So I checked on him a couple of times, and from what he's told me..."

Chat grinned from ear to ear as Marinette turned scarlet. "And from what your blush is telling me, he's telling the truth," he chuckled. "I think I finally know who your Mystery Crush has been all this time!"

"Yeah... it's true," Marinette admitted, still glowing. "Adrien's always been the one. And things have been going really well lately with him!"

"It sure sounded like it. And if it does go places, he's one lucky guy."

Marinette melted in mid-thought. "No, I'm the lucky one... But that is so sweet of you to say," she managed. After a moment of thought, she frowned slightly. "Did Adrien... tell you who else he's been hanging out with lately?"

Chat's smile was reassuring. "He did. And I'm fine with that."

"You're sure?" asked Marinette, with visible concern. "I know how deep your feelings run that way."

"If Adrien ends up dating Ladybug... I'm okay with that, I really am. I know that Ladybug cares for me, but she doesn't want to date me, and I want her to be happy," said Chat, sitting down cross-legged on the floor across from Marinette's chair.

"What if... Chat, I don't mean to pry, and you don't have to answer this. But if I end up dating Adrien, that means that Ladybug won't be. What would you do then?" wondered Marinette. This could get complicated in a hurry, now that I'm thinking about it!

Again, Chat surprised her with a calm and easygoing response. "Still be her partner, and leave it at that?" he replied. "I can keep pushing and pushing, but I've gotten the idea that she really doesn't care for that. So I'll be me, and she'll be her, and if she ever does decide that I'm date material, I'll let her make that move."

And since Adrien would be off the market, that means that Chat would be, too... but you wouldn't know that!

He grinned, shyly. "Besides... I might be seeing someone else very soon."

Marinette's jaw dropped. "Really?" she bubbled. "That's wonderful, Chat! I'm so happy for you. With your mask on or off?"

"Off, actually," Chat replied. I need to be careful with this, obviously... but I definitely could use her opinions on this.

"Is she anyone that I would know? Or can you not tell me that?" asked Marinette, excitedly. "Oh, I just want to pry every detail out of you, but I know that I can't!"

"You might know her... but I can't say for sure," he said. "Can I ask you something that kind of ties into that?"

"Sure. I'm always here for you," Marinette said, listening carefully.

He paused, considering his phrasing before continuing. "This girl is... not one of the other heroes. She's not Ladybug, obviously. I mean, I don't know who Ladybug is unmasked, but... nah, I think that's a pretty safe assumption," Chat noted. "I'm also very sure that she's not Rena Rouge, and as for Queen Bee..."

"Yurgh!" Marinette replied, sticking her tongue out with a disgusted expression. "I know you better than that."

"Right. She's a normal person, outside of all this hero craziness I'm involved in. So here's my question... should I tell this new girl that I'm secretly Chat Noir?"

He noted her wide-eyed expression. "Let me explain where I'm coming from. I don't want to, like, just blurt it out... there aren't many secrets bigger than this one. But if I get serious with her, I'll have to explain away a lot of disappearances, I'll want to keep her safe from harm, I'll need to balance both of my relationships with her..."

"You know her as yourself and as Chat Noir?" asked Marinette.

"I do," he replied.

"That could be quite the juggling act," mused Marinette. A very familiar juggling act.

"It wouldn't be easy... but it might be necessary. Or it might be easier to have one confidant I can trust and who can help me cover for things," argued Chat. "I'm still wrapping my head around this. So, Marinette... If you were dating someone who had this kind of secret, would you want him to tell you?"

"Oh, wow," Marinette answered him, looking a little overwhelmed. "You don't start with the easy questions, do you?"

"I know, it's a complicated situation. But you might be the most honest and clear-thinking person I know, Marinette. What's your gut reaction?"

My gut reaction is that I REALLY NEED TO THINK THIS THROUGH, she thought, because I'm in the EXACT SAME SITUATION!

"Well... okay, let me talk this out with you and see if we can figure it out," managed Marinette. "I know that you've told me that Ladybug really doesn't want to know your secret or have you know hers. But this isn't Ladybug you're talking about, it's some other girl."

"Right. So there are still reasons to keep my secret... but it's not as dangerous as if Ladybug and I knew each other's identities," Chat agreed.

"This new girl, she's someone that you feel like you can trust completely? It's not just infatuation talking?" Marinette wondered, pointedly.

"I can promise you that," said Chat, in a voice with no uncertainty behind it. "This is someone that I've known for some time now, and these feelings kind of snuck up on me when I wasn't expecting them. But the girl in question, if we do go through with this... I'd trust her with my life if I had to."

Marinette stared at him, reading his body language and expression... He's dead serious, she thought. This must be some special girl, especially if she nudged _Ladybug_ out of his romantic cross-hairs!

"Hmmm. The person, or people, or whoever gave you that Miraculous must have an opinion on this. What do they think?" asked Marinette.

"My... mentor, I guess you could say? I haven't asked yet," admitted Chat. "I'm debating whether or not I should. Maybe I'm afraid of what I'd hear! I have another... friend who's related to my Miraculous, and he's not sure yet either. He can see pluses and minuses on both sides."

"This is a tough one," she pondered. "It's smart that you're taking it this seriously. I'd like to think that in a strong relationship, both sides can share anything... but that's an awfully big responsibility, too. I know that you don't just share it with anyone, or you'd have blurted it out to me a long time ago. Or you'd have left a trail of clues that a blind girl could follow."

"Hey!" he protested, as Marinette broke into giggles.

Chat got a funny look on his face. "I will say this, Marinette... if I was going to trust anyone else with my secret, you're the first one I'd want to tell. I've come close to doing it a few times."

"Wait, what?" Marinette said, reacting with surprise.

"You're brave. You're honest. You're my best friend besides Ladybug with my mask on. I feel like I could trust you with anything, Marinette," Chat smiled, with warm eyes. "But, like you said, it would be a huge responsibility and I wouldn't just drop that on you."

"Let's... just keep you masked for now around me, okay?" Marinette stammered. "I am... really touched by what you just said! I'm being completely honest about that. But let me give some thought as to whether I'm ready for that! As far as your new girlfriend goes, though..."

Chat looked thoughtful. "The more I think about it, I'll hold back for now. It's a pretty heavy secret. Maybe I will talk with my mentor first, or with Ladybug."

That gives me my answer for now, he thought. If she wants to know, she'll ask. Though if I do get involved with Marinette, that's going to make hanging out with her as Chat a lot more interesting! he chuckled to himself.

Or I could see if she'd want to date me as Chat, too!

...Nah. How crazy could THAT get really fast?

The conversation went on for another half-hour before Chat said that he needed to head home.

"All right, Chat. But don't stay away so long this time!" Marinette insisted, hugging him again. "I worry about you out there, you know, and not just because of supervillains! There's a sweet boy under that mask, and I'm so glad to know him. And I know that you and your new girl will be exactly what each other needs."

"You don't know how lucky I feel to know you, Marinette," Chat replied, more sincerely than she could imagine. "That means so much to me."

"You ought to set up an anonymous email, or a burner phone, or something like that so that I can reach you when you're not around," suggested Marinette. "That way, if you're tied up with things or just want to talk, you can use that."

"That's actually a really good idea," mused Chat. "I've heard that Ladybug has something like that. I'll let you know if I do, okay?"

"I'll be watching," she grinned.

Once Chat climbed back up and shut the balcony hatch, Marinette slumped down on her bed, new worries buzzing in her brain. Wow, she thought. I am really happy for Chat; he's such a sweetheart, and he deserves some girl with whom he can share all of himself and be truly happy.

Some days, a little part of me wishes that girl could be me. But it can't, for so many reasons.

Now to do some thinking about how to handle my other identity with Adrien...

Tikki popped out of hiding, ready if Marinette needed advice on that particular topic. For the moment, Marinette kept her thoughts private. It's not like we hadn't just talked about identity things, Tikki thought. I'll be here if she needs me.

If things work out tonight... _could_ I tell Adrien? wondered Marinette. Chat made some good points about the pros and the cons, and it's not like I haven't weighed some of those myself.

Of course, there's the added complication that I've _already_ been romancing him both ways, she smiled. If I do tell him, would he react with relief that the two girls he's into are actually one? Or would he be horrified that I didn't tell him before now? Or some of each?

She peeked over at Tikki, who gave her a noncommittal smile from across the room. Tikki would _freak_ if I told him, I'll bet, she reasoned. I don't want to chance anything that might stop me from being Ladybug.

But... would it? pondered Marinette. Tikki's said repeatedly that I shouldn't share my identity, but if someone found it out by accident, or if someone I trusted completely shared that secret... that wouldn't be the end of the world, would it? Wouldn't it be nice to have a confidant, someone else that I can lean on as Ladybug?

It _would_ be one more opportunity for it to leak out to the world at large, and put me, my friends, or my family in danger. I don't like that thought at all, she frowned. My instinct all along has been to keep it secret, and that's worked for me. I could continue being Adrien's good friend as Ladybug and leave it at that.

I'll give it some more thought, she concluded. Wishful thinking aside, I think I still have some time to figure this out before decisions get made. Neither of us seems to be in a hurry to dive into the deep end.

Monday night rolled into Tuesday morning, with Marinette's new normal routine - And could I have ever imagined walking with Adrien and holding his hand every morning would become _routine_?, she giggled to herself - continuing as usual.

On the way out of Ms. Bustier's class, when their schedules diverged, Marinette stopped Adrien for a moment. "Do you need to stop at home before you come over tonight?" she asked.

"I can walk over with you and spend the afternoon, if that's all right," Adrien said. "I texted the Gorilla to let him know that I had that in mind, and he can pick me up afterwards. Does that work for you?"

"Absolutely," beamed Marinette. "I was hoping you'd say that! I can give you the grand tour of the bakery, then just hang out until supper's ready. I could throw in a movie, or there's a new online co-op mode for Mecha Strike V Turbo Edition; we could team up and destroy all comers..."

"Or you could destroy all comers while I hang on for dear life," laughed Adrien. "If you're anywhere near as good at Mecha Strike V as you are at III, they'd need to play ten-on-two instead of two-on-two just to make it fair."

"Oh, I'm still learning some different characters in this new version. You might even stand a chance against me," smiled Marinette, feigning innocence. "Maybe a few one-on-one games with some stakes attached?"

"The phrase 'sucker bet' comes to mind," Adrien replied, making Marinette giggle in response. He leaned forward and hugged her before turning to head to his next class...

"Am I hallucinating?" a shrill voice exclaimed.

The pair turned to see Chloé staring at them, hand on her hip and a disgusted expression on her face. "I mean, seriously, Adriekins, it's sweet of you to be charitable to our unfortunates sometimes... but what in the world do you call that?" she sneered.

Marinette glared at her, genuinely offended. She was about to snap back at Chloé when Adrien beat her to it.

"It's called a 'hug,' Chloé. You give them to people whom you genuinely care for. So I'm not too surprised that you haven't heard of it."

"I know what a hug is, Adrien!" she snapped, watching Marinette suppress a loud laugh. "I'm trying to figure out the why."

Adrien didn't skip a beat. "Mostly because I was working up the nerve to do this," he explained.

He leaned forward... and Marinette felt a soft peck on her left cheek. Her eyes went huge, and it took every bit of will she could summon to keep from dropping the notebook in her hands.

"I'll see you tonight, okay, Marinette?" Adrien told Marinette, loud enough for Chloé to hear... and shot Marinette a knowing wink.

"You sure will," she managed, giving Adrien a little hand-squeeze as he turned and headed down the hallway to his next class.

Marinette blinked twice, then looked over at Chloé, who was frozen in place with her jaw hanging down. A sudden, firm hand against Marinette's lower back steadied her own shaky legs.

"We've got History next, right?" said Alya's voice, from just behind her.

"Y-yeah, we do. Let's go," smiled Marinette, and the pair headed down an adjacent hallway.

About twenty steps later, out of Chloé's earshot, Alya giggled, "You won that round."

"You think?" Marinette managed. "That just happened, right?"

"Witnesses and everything," agreed Alya. "I think Chloé will be frozen in place like that until someone has her bronzed."

As Marinette settled into her seat in her History class, her phone buzzed with an incoming text. Quickly, she snuck a peek at it...

[Adrien] Just checking. Is it all right that I just did that? I figured that you'd enjoy the look on her face, but...

With a big grin, she replied:

[Marinette] Maybe? Come over here and do it again so I can be sure.

Right before the teacher started his lesson and Marinette had to silence her phone and put it away, she saw Adrien's response:

[Adrien] Be careful what you wish for... ;)

Marinette left her last class with a tingle running all through her. This is it! she thought, heading for the front door at a rapid pace, just short of actual running.

"Not excited or anything, are you?" giggled Tikki, from within Marinette's purse.

"Just a bit!" she whispered back, feeling giddy.

Marinette took a seat off to the side of the steps and waited as patiently as she could manage. She waved to her girlfriends as they passed by; Rose mouthed "Good luck!" at her as she passed by, and Mylène gave her a thumbs-up and said "You've got this!"

A third voice chimed in...

"I have no idea what you told Adrien earlier to make him act like that," snarled Chloé, with Sabrina standing behind her looking as if she'd rather be anywhere else just then. "He has been acting really strangely this last week. I hope you don't think that he'll be into you once he gets back to normal!"

Marinette sighed, "Chloé... we're really not going to do this right now, are we? Preferably, not at all?"

"Oh, we don't have to have a fight or anything, because we both know the truth," Chloé smirked. "Whatever you've got him thinking right now, he's meant for bigger things than someone like you could ever give him. His father knows it, I know it, and he knows it."

Chloé stared down at Marinette, expecting her to either cry or snap back angrily. Instead... she looked on, puzzled, as Marinette began laughing steadily. "Oh, you think I'm wrong?" Chloé demanded.

"Chloé, there are a million things that you don't know," Marinette smiled back. "But there's one thing in particular that you don't know, and that means that you just can't spoil my mood."

"And that is?" challenged Chloé.

"What he's wanting."

Marinette turned to her right, her smile unchanged, and asked, "What do you think, Adrien?"

Chloé turned in his direction, a bit startled by his presence, and by his glaring at her unhappily. "Okay... so he heard me say that," she mumbled to herself, then regained her confidence. "So what if you heard that? You know that everything I said is true," she declared.

"What I know, Chloé..." Very deliberately, he walked over to Marinette as he spoke, and extended his hand to her to help her up. "...is that I have a date tonight. Are you ready, Marinette?"

"Definitely," she beamed, standing up and not letting go of his hand.

"A date?" barked Chloé. "Wait, with who?"

Marinette and Adrien left her standing there, hearing her shouting various phrases involving the word 'ridiculous' to no one in particular, as they walked arm-in-arm over to the Dupain-Cheng Boulangerie.

Next time:

* "Are those pictures... still hanging up?"

* It's in a father's DNA.

* Marinette and her parents learn much more about Adrien over dinner... and about Emilie.

* "I _so_ wish that I knew what to do next."

* Tikki asks a favor of Plagg, with her mouth full.

* One sentence, spoken aloud, can change so many things...

Chapter Text

As Marinette led Adrien through the front door of the family bakery, she called out, "Mom? Dad? Don't be alarmed, but someone followed me home from school. Can I keep him?"

Sabine scurried down the flight of stairs and waved to them. "So he did! Hello, Adrien! We'll be right there. I'm just finishing something up in the kitchen."

"Need any help?" asked Marinette.

"No, I'm good. You can check on your father, though," said Sabine before disappearing upstairs again.

"Perfect! I'll give you the grand tour," Marinette told Adrien.

As she started to move, Adrien stopped her for a second. "You know that Chloé had no idea what she was talking about back there, right?" he asked, with a serious expression.

"Pretty much since her birth," she agreed. "Most of the time, I can tune her out. I've had a lot of practice over the years, almost as much as you! And when she does find a nerve of mine that she can pinch, you have your own way of bringing me back to reality."

"Good. Because I have no intentions of even thinking about her for the rest of the night," Adrien grinned.

"On that note... c'mon, I'll show you the back of the bakery," Marinette offered. "Be careful, or my dad might put you to work frosting cupcakes.  ...What?" she asked, seeing Adrien raise an eyebrow.

"Did you really just say 'Can I keep him?'" replied Adrien.

"Well, can I?"

She watched him try to work out the right answer, then broke into giggles and took his hand. "Let's go, before I ask that for real," she laughed.

"And this, of course, is my room," Marinette said as they reached the top of the stairs, a short time later. "The last and most exciting stop on the tour. Though you've been here once before, of course."

And a few dozen other times, including last night, Adrien grinned to himself. Marinette gave him an odd look, sensing something was funny that wasn't being shared, but let it slide.

"Uh-huh!" he agreed. "I was up here when we were practicing for that Ultimate Mecha Strike III tournament for school. Your parents were really nice to me that day."

He paused before adding, "And I, uh, kind of saw your room on 'Fill My Shoes' once..."

Marinette cringed, remembering how Jagged Stone had managed to broadcast her photographic Adrien shrine to a Parisian television audience... then smiled a weary smile. What the heck, that can't hurt me that much _now_, can it? she thought. And it's not like I can tell him it was all a mirage, and that show doesn't have the budget for CGI.

"You certainly did," replied Marinette, eyes averted, still a little embarrassed. "I don't know how I had the nerve to come to school the next day."

"Why was that?" asked Adrien. "There wasn't anything in here to be ashamed of, was there? I didn't see anything too unusual..."

"Oh, just a few dozen pictures on my walls of someone I know..." blushed Marinette. "Nothing that would give away a gigantic crush to half of France, or anything like that."

Adrien remained looking at Marinette, trying to force himself not to scan the room, but the temptation was great. "Are those pictures... still hanging up?" he finally asked, a little teasingly.

"Go ahead, look!" Marinette directed him with a wave of her hand, turning even redder. "You know that you want to."

He gazed around the room, seeing not quite as many pictures of himself on Marinette's walls as before, but that he was definitely still among the prominent themes of the decor.

"I don't know how you didn't know right then and there that I was crazy about you," muttered Marinette, her smile starting to reemerge.

"Well, I... had a hunch the day that it happened. Remember, I was there at your locker the next day, asking you about it? But you told me then that 'of course you weren't into me that way, you were just really into fashion...'" Adrien recalled.

"Yeah, but you didn't believe what I said at all, did you?" shrugged Marinette, remembering the butterflies dancing in her stomach that afternoon. "I mean, really!"

"I kind of did?" replied Adrien, feeling a little bit awkward.

To her astonished expression, he added, "Well, you're such an open and honest person, and you looked so nervous and uncomfortable talking about it... I even acted like a jerk and asked you if you were lying, and you stuck with it. I wasn't quite sure how to take what you told me."

Adrien put his hand behind his head and looked away slightly, as Marinette knew that he did when he was anxious. "You might've been thinking 'Oh, no, now he thinks I have a crush on him and he's asking me out, and I have to stop that from happening!' for all I knew. If you weren't comfortable talking about it, I didn't want to force the issue. Like I feel like I'm forcing it now."

He gave her a slightly sad smile. "I mean, since you did like me that way... I kind of wish you could've told me then."

Marinette looked down at her feet, then back up at Adrien. "I just couldn't! I was so nervous because I had no idea how you would react," she admitted. "I'd been trying to figure out how to show you how I felt for months, then that whole spectacle on TV just threw it right in everyone's face, including yours... I didn't know if you'd be embarrassed, or if you'd laugh at me, or just blow me off for making a fool of myself like that. I was so scared about what you were going to say to me, if I'd ever get the nerve to look you in the eye again."

"But you were already such a good friend of mine! I'd never want to hurt you, Marinette," Adrien ventured. "I'm not that scary, am I?"

"Let me put it this way," Marinette explained. "Imagine that Jagged Stone was filming a show at your house that day. He wandered into your bedroom with live cameras rolling while you weren't there, and showed off a few dozen pictures of Ladybug on your walls, on your computer monitor, on your bedsheets..."

"Hey! I do not have Ladybug bedsheets," Adrien protested. "Do they even make those?" Note to self: Check on Amazon...

"I don't know, she says, noting that he's not denying the rest of what she said... but the point is, imagine if all of that was on TV one morning, and then Ladybug appeared at your bedroom window the next day asking if you were crushing on her. How would you have reacted?" asked Marinette, pointedly.

"Oh..." Adrien replied, then put himself in Marinette's shoes a bit more. "Oh," he gasped, with fuller recognition. "I was... wow, I am so sorry about how I reacted that day! I didn't know what to think..."

"Please. You're forgiven if I am. I'm the one whose feelings made all of that happen in the first place," said Marinette. "And one more question. If I had bared my soul and told you about my crush that day... what would you have done?"

Adrien thought back, considering his state of mind at that point in time... "I don't know for sure, to be honest," he said, lightly. "We were friends then, but we weren't really close yet like we are now... and I was still completely hooked on Ladybug..." He looked back at Marinette, helplessly, not wanting to finish his thought.

"And that's why I turned into a babbling idiot that day. And for most of the time that I've known you," sighed Marinette. "I knew who I wanted. I didn't know if you were ready to hear that yet, and I was terrified of being rejected. I wanted to get to know you so much better, but I didn't understand how to make that happen."

Adrien leaned forward and took her hands in his. "I'm... not very good at this kind of thing myself. You know that I have, like, no experience in any of this," he smiled, sweetly. "But maybe it's good that it worked out like it did. One thing that I do know is that crushes aren't much fun when they're one-sided. They're so much better when they're mutual."

"I'll have to try one of those someday," Marinette smiled, wobbling hard from the caring look she saw in Adrien's eyes.

"You might be already," replied Adrien.

As if guided by tender-moment-breaking radar, Sabine's voice echoed up the stairs and through Marinette's open door at that moment.

"Marinette! Adrien! Are you two... occupied at the moment?"

I'm pretty sure that we were about to be, grumbled Marinette to herself, but with an outward smile. She stepped over to the doorway and called back, "No, we're just talking about things..."

"Supper will be ready in about half an hour. Just letting you know," her mother responded.

"That sounds good. Thank you!" replied Marinette, then went back over to her seat near Adrien.

"Whatever it is that she's making smells really good," noted Adrien. "Do you know what we're having?"

"Turkey, I think," Marinette said. "I have a hunch as to how she prepared it, but I'll wait and see until we get down there. Since we've got a few minutes to burn, want to try that new Mecha Strike version that I'd told you about?" she asked, gesturing towards her television.

"Sure! That sounds like fun," agreed Adrien.

"All right, then," Marinette grinned, turning on her game console. "Let's do some damage..."

Heavy footsteps indicated to Marinette that her father was headed up to her room. She barely noticed, as the majority of her attention was focused on the pile of pixels on her television screen that she and Adrien were swiftly reducing to digital rubble.

"Hello, kids. Is everybody decent?" Tom called before poking his head through the doorway.

Marinette looked up, caught a bit off-guard. "Why... wouldn't we be decent, Dad?" she asked.

"Oh, just checking. It's in a father's DNA," he chuckled. "If you two are at a point where you can pause that, your mother sent me to tell you that supper's headed to the table in about five minutes."

"We'll be right down!" smiled Marinette.

Adrien studied the opponent their team was facing at the moment. "Should we quit out?" he asked. "This one looks like a tough cookie, and might take a little while for us to..."

He watched as Marinette focused intently, her fingers a blur on her controller. The screen lit up with a flurry of flashes, explosions and crunching sounds...

"...Dismantle?" he finished, marveling at the *YOU WIN* now floating on their screen.

"My boy, can I give you some quick advice?" Tom piped up. "Never, ever, wager anything in a video game against her."

"At least not on her home turf," laughed Adrien. "I have a few games where I'm pretty sure I could hold my own... but consider your advice well taken."

"Dad," grumbled Marinette, "Can I at least use my tricks on him before you warn him about them?" Her smile returned quickly, though. "Shall we?" she asked Adrien.

"I can't wait," he replied. "Something down there really does smell amazing."

"I can promise you that as long as you keep visiting me, you won't go home hungry," Marinette giggled. "Though you might go up a couple of clothes sizes if you're not careful..."

The three of them came downstairs and settled in at the table, where Sabine had just finished bringing everything in.

"Mrs. Cheng... that looks really good. I don't know that I've ever seen anything quite like it before. What's it called?" asked Adrien.

"Turkey Wellington. Turkey breast, with cranberry filling inside it and vegetables and pastry in a shell around it. Like Beef Wellington, but a little lighter," Sabine explained. "I've gotten a prepared version of this a few times from the store, so I thought I'd try a homemade version with a recipe I found online. I hope that you like it; if you don't, don't even think about feeling bad. Everything I make comes with a tastes-good-or-we-order-out guarantee, and there's a great pizza shop down the block."

"That is not going to be a problem, trust me," Adrien grinned. "I might even need the recipe later."

"Oh? Do you cook, Adrien?" she asked him.

"Not me," he begged off. "I'm notorious at home for being all thumbs in the kitchen, borderline hopeless. But I know what I like, and I'm sure that my father would enjoy this, too."

"Is it just you and your father over there?" asked Tom. "I don't mean to pry, but I do," he smiled. "Marinette hadn't mentioned any brothers or sisters, and had said something about your mother not being around. I hope that I'm not overstepping..."

"No, no, that's fine! I'm happy to talk about it," Adrien assured him. "Yes, I'm an only child. Right now around the house, there's myself, my father, his primary assistant Nathalie, and my father's bodyguard and driver. We nicknamed him the Gorilla, and when you see him, you'll understand why! It's a strange little family of sorts, but we do the best we can."

"Oh, so he's a gorilla, because he's large?" Tom asked, mostly jokingly, with one raised eyebrow.

"You, sir, are a large man," backpedaled Adrien. "He is huge. And agile. And an intelligent and cultured man, don't get me wrong, but he looks like his hand is out of place without a banana in it. It's an affectionate nickname, even if it might not sound like it! Peek out your front window some time when he's dropping me off, and one look and you'll be saying, 'that's him.'"

"Are you close with the other two in your household? Nathalie and the Gorilla, if I may call him that?" asked Sabine.

"A little, but not especially. I mean, I see both of them every day, and we're certainly all friendly, but they're also definitely staff; they maintain a little professional distance, if you know what I mean," explained Adrien. "Nathalie's grown a lot closer to my father since my mother's... accident. Sometimes she's... well, we both know Nathalie's not my mother, but she tries to fill her shoes a little bit sometimes. Other times, she's all business. The Gorilla doesn't say much - he kind of keeps to himself - but we have a good understanding between us. He's a good guy."

Marinette busied herself slicing the turkey and getting the vegetables circulating. I'm really curious about a lot of this, too, but this is their show, she thought. I'll let Mom and Dad ask what they most want to know before I jump in.

"Is your mother... I don't know quite how to ask this," apologized Sabine. "What was the accident that happened to her? Is she still with us?"

Adrien paused before answering.

"This is going to sound absolutely crazy... but I don't know for sure."

The room fell silent. All three Dupain-Chengs held back the urge to ask How can you not know for sure? and waited for Adrien to continue, if he chose to.

"I certainly know how to drop a bomb on a conversation, don't I?" smiled Adrien. "Let me explain..."

Marinette reached over and gave his hand a light squeeze. Hang in there, honey, she thought.

"It was close to two years ago," he began. "My father decided, somewhat out of nowhere, that he and my mother were going on a trip together. Usually, he has every minute of every day rationed out carefully, so this was a bit of a shock! I asked 'Are we going on vacation?', and was told that it was just the two of them. He made it sound like a second honeymoon... but I was really curious about it, especially since they were going to Tibet."

"Tibet!" Tom marveled. "That's not exactly your typical romantic getaway."

"Exactly. It seemed more like... there was something there that they wanted. I have no idea what it could have been," shrugged Adrien. "Anyway, the two of them left. Two weeks later, my father came home... alone and heartbroken. He's never told me all the details, only that she was 'lost.' And he's never been the same person since."

"Oh, dear!" Sabine gasped. "I have no idea what to say to that. I'm so sorry for you!"

Tom nodded in agreement, solemnly.

"Thank you, both of you," said Adrien. "It's been a very strange time for all of us."

"Has your father done anything else in that part of the world since?" asked Marinette. "Sending out search parties, or going back there himself?"

"Not that I know of... but I don't know everything that my father's involved in," Adrien replied. "He had packages coming in and out of our house, workmen installing strange machinery that he didn't want to tell me about, all kinds of odd happenings... I didn't know which were for the business and which could be something else. But before long, most of that stopped, and he just became a shell of his former self. He barely even leaves the house any more; Nathalie is his eyes and ears in the outside world most of the time. Mother was the piece of himself that he just can't function without."

He sighed, then forced a smile, pretending that he meant it. "I try to keep my hopes up about Mother, like she'll just turn up some day, but the longer we go without her the more final it seems. I've come to terms with it much better than he has, I think."

"Anyway..." he continued, "like I said, Father has never been quite the same since. He's buried himself in his business dealings, so I don't see a lot of him, and when I do, things can be very strained between us. He gets hypercritical of me sometimes to where I feel more like an employee than a son... High expectations are flattering, but only when they're ones that a human being can reach. And since he's kept me very sheltered since what happened to Mother, afraid of losing me as well..."

"It sounds like a recipe for feeling lonely to me," Tom mused. "Especially at a tricky age like yours."

"Sometimes it is. It's one reason that I begged him to let me go to public school this year; I was dying to be around people my own age and make some real friends." Adrien turned and flashed a smile at Marinette that made her spine tingle. "And as it happens, your daughter was one of the first people who made me feel at home there."

"Which was my pleasure," she beamed back. "I'll be honest; I've had friends in school, but I've never had a lot of close friends there until this year. Getting to know you has helped me come out of my own shell, too."

Sabine watched the two of them gaze longingly at each other. They really are made for each other, she thought. Two peas in a pod. They're so close to being a real couple, I can tell... I wish there was something I could say that'd just nudge them over that line!

Though I know that there isn't... if it's going to happen, it'll happen all on its own.

The four of them quickly made Sabine's main course vanish.

"Mom, you need to make this more often! I loved it," gushed Marinette.

"This was really good, honey," Tom agreed. "Add it to our rotation?"

"My pleasure! It wasn't that hard to make, so when I get a day where we're not busy in the bakery, I can make this again sometime," Sabine glowed.

"Just let me know when, and I'll come running," Adrien smiled. "After two helpings of that, I couldn't eat another bite."

"Now, I'm hoping that's the first untrue thing you've said tonight, young man," grinned Tom. "Give the turkey a little while to settle in our bellies, and I've got quite a dessert to bring out..."

"Somehow I should have known that was coming," grinned Adrien. "Challenge accepted! I can hardly wait."

The four of them settled back in their chairs, sated for the moment.

"So, young man, I have to ask..." ventured Sabine, "What's it like being famous?"

"Maybe you should tell me that," replied Adrien, still grinning. "This is 'The Best Bakery in Paris,' isn't it? Your reputation precedes you."

"Ha!" roared Tom. "I knew I liked you. Marinette, you'd better hang onto this one, or he might end up being your adopted brother."

"Oh, I'm working on that," smiled Marinette, just loud enough for Adrien and Sabine to hear.

"You know what I mean," Sabine continued. "Having your pictures in magazines, your face in advertisements, your name on posters all over Paris... Radiant! Carefree! Dreamy!"

"Moooom!" moaned Marinette. "You're going to embarrass him..." And me! ESPECIALLY me!

"She had that ad on endless loop on her computer for about two days," half-whispered Sabine. "Long enough for me to memorize it, too."

Marinette considered whether hiding under the dinner table would be sufficient, or if she should climb into the refrigerator until her embarrassed flush passed.

"Well..." Adrien tried to focus completely on Sabine, giving Marinette a chance to compose herself. "It's an accident of birth, first and foremost. I didn't choose my parents. I could've just as easily been born to anyone else in the world and led a very different life up until now, so I try to never let that go to my head."

He paused for a moment to consider how to phrase things. "It's also a lot of work. My father runs me ragged sometimes with what he has me do, what restrictions he puts on me, what I do for the family business, what I'm allowed to do on my own, what I'm allowed to eat... I can only imagine how many laps I'll be running to burn off whatever dessert you have planned, for instance. If there's ever a moment that I'm not living up to his expectations of the Agreste name... wow, do I hear about it in detail."

"But both the good and the bad parts are mostly accidental, like I said. Being who I am gives me opportunities that others don't get. It gives me responsibilities and headaches that others don't get, too. It makes people believe things about me when they don't even know the real me, or assume that they know what I want," he continued. "Like, right before we came over, Chloé Bourgeois tried to give Marinette an earful about 'what kind of person Adrien was meant for.' Like my last name makes me a trophy for someone's display case. Like she thinks that she is."

He sighed, "People like that frustrate me so much. It's not enough that she's at the top of the ladder; she just has to kick down at anyone else within reach."

Adrien looked over at Marinette. "Which is one reason why I like your daughter so very much... I could be named Adrien Shlabotnik instead of Adrien Agreste, and she'd be just as sweet and nice to me. I know that because I see how she is with everyone, not just me," he said, still directed towards her parents. "If anyone needs her help or a kind word, she never thinks twice; she jumps right in, every single time. And when I was at my lowest point ever and truly needed someone recently... well, I don't know what I would've done without Marinette, but she made sure that I'll never find out."

He reached over and took her hand in his. "You really opened my eyes during all of that, Marinette. And I hope you know that I'll never forget that."

"That's our girl," Tom smiled, correctly judging Marinette's inability to speak at that particular moment.

"Now, shall I fetch dessert?" Tom continued, and three enthusiastic nods sent him on his way to the refrigerator.

"Before we get started, may I use your bathroom?" asked Adrien.

"Of course! I'll show you where it is," Marinette replied, and the two of them got up and headed for the hallway. Sabine took the opportunity to join her husband in the kitchen.

Marinette led Adrien to the second-floor bathroom and stopped at the door. "Having a good time tonight?" she asked him, feeling pretty sure of the answer.

"Definitely," smiled Adrien. "I like your parents very much! They're easy to talk to, and that's rarer than you'd think. How am I doing with them?"

"Oh, don't even worry about it," Marinette grinned. "They definitely approve; that's obvious. Not that I had any doubt of that."

"I didn't bring the conversation down too much talking about my parents, did I?" he asked, with some concern.

"You didn't. They're the ones who asked, and I thought that you handled it just right," she replied. "I... didn't know all that about your mother, that there's such a question mark over her..."

"Like I said, I take that a day at a time. Special people in my life make that easier," Adrien said, soothingly.

"I hope so. See you in a minute!" Marinette smiled, then left him to his business and went back to the table.

"So... what do you think?" asked Sabine, as she moved quietly to Tom's side.

He poked his head out of the refrigerator and grinned. "I think that we should get used to having him around all the time. And that's fine by me; he's a delightful young man."

"I feel so anxious for Marinette," Sabine said. "She has been pining for him for so long now..."

Tom stood up, holding his dessert tray with both hands. "I don't think Marinette has anything to worry about," he mused. "He's fascinated by her! A blind man could see that. Whatever she did these last few weeks to help him, it meant the world to him, and now so does she."

"Oh, they're this close," agreed Sabine, holding up two fingers a tiny distance apart. "But there's being really, really, really good friends and then there's romance. Sometimes that's either there or it isn't, and I think things are still up in the air with the other girl that Marinette told us about. Whoever that is."

"Well, we'll do what we can to help, right?" shrugged Tom, as best he could with both hands full. "And hope for the best. They know what they're doing, even if they don't know that they know what they're doing yet."

Adrien Agreste stared into the bathroom mirror, deep in thought.

I so wish that I knew what to do next, he wondered to himself.

I mean, I do know for the moment. I'm going to go out there, have some amazing dessert, whatever it is that her father made, share some more small talk, I'll thank them all for a wonderful night... but then what?

I know what my instincts are telling me, Adrien grinned. Marinette is... everything about these last few days with her feels so NATURAL! Like she's the one I've always been meant to be with. She's someone I'd want by my side every single day. She's the sweetest ever, she's funny, she's talented in so many ways, she's so pretty, she's done _so much_ for me, and she wants this relationship so much. There's nothing not to like.

She wouldn't have any of the secret identity complications that dating Ladybug would bring...  Well, _Ladybug's_ identity, anyway. I still have to figure out when and if to tell Marinette about Chat Noir... but one step at a time. She didn't seem like she was in any hurry to know yesterday.

He stared at his reflection, gathering his thoughts.

I could become Marinette's boyfriend tonight.

That's right there for the asking.

It's what she wants. It's... something that _I_ want. It's not what I came here planning on asking her tonight... but it feels so right every time I think about it!

But...

Adrien closed his eyes. In his mind's eye, he saw a dark-haired girl reaching out to him, undisguised longing behind her big blue eyes...

...and a red-and-black mask that seemed to fade in and out, Ladybug and Marinette shifting back and forth in his imagination, a mental image that he still found at least a little bit puzzling.

But Ladybug was so sincere about me, too, and I can't let myself forget that. I know that Ladybug insisted I give Marinette a chance to express herself, so she could respond to what happened the night of the storm. Would it be at all fair to Ladybug if I committed to Marinette without giving HER that same opportunity?

He laughed to himself, Of course, this could go on all year and drive all three of us insane! There's never going to be a time when they're not BOTH dear to me. They're both so intent on staying friends with each other that neither one wants to hurt the other. Which means that they both seem to want me to make the choice for them...

Can I find a way to do that?

Once more, Adrien opened his eyes, and gave himself a hard stare as he washed his hands. Get a grip on yourself, he smiled at himself. Go out there and enjoy Marinette's company and your dessert before she sends out a search party. When it feels right... you'll do what's right.

Marinette sat impatiently at the table with her mother, waiting for the gentlemen to return.

"Marinette?" her mother said, lightly. "Don't forget to breathe."

"I know, I know," Marinette whispered back, with a nervous grin.

A moment later, Adrien returned to his seat, and Tom approached the table with a knowing smile.

"Voila!" Tom proclaimed. "The young man told me that passionfruit was his favorite flavor, so..."

The tray he sat down was covered in round pastries with fluffy white tops, each one lightly caramelized.

"...Passionfruit and lemon meringue tartlets," he continued, proudly. "I, too, have a 'like it or we order out' guarantee, but it's never been tested."

"And it won't be tonight, either," Adrien remarked. "Those look wonderful!"

"Dig in," Sabine encouraged him. "You, too, Marinette, there are plenty of them here to go around."

Adrien gladly offered up his plate, then dug a fork into the pastry he received on it. One taste, and the look on his face told Tom everything he needed to know about his handiwork.

"Can I rent a room here?" Adrien blurted out, hungrily digging in for more. "I'll wash dishes, do the laundry, mow the lawn, whatever! Just promise me more of these and I won't be leaving."

Tom shaded his mouth with his hand and fake-whispered to him, "Psst! You're supposed to say that Marinette has that effect on you, not my pastries. Thank you, though," he added, as everyone laughed.

Marinette felt the tiniest of tugs at her pantleg. With a practiced hand, she separated a piece of her tartlet into her napkin, then palmed it and brought her hand down beneath the table. Tiny Kwami hands quickly whisked it away from her, their owner zipping down through the floor and into the bakery below with her precious cargo.

On the first floor of the building, Plagg sat on a display case, watching Tikki wolf down her tartlet portion.

"What was that? I couldn't make out what you said," teased Plagg.

"I shaid... I fink I'm in LOVE," Tikki mumbled through a mouthful of meringue. "Dish is wormdeful!" For intelligibility's sake, she swallowed twice before continuing. "You absolutely must try this, Plagg! Mr. Dupain has outdone himself," she insisted.

Plagg sniffed at it, then accepted the taste Tikki handed to him. "Not bad... I was hoping for a cheese platter for dessert, but this'll work for now," he noted, nibbling at it cheerfully. "It's a good thing that we're more spiritual than physical," he teased her. "If human food affected you like it does them, you'd look like a twenty-kilo tomato with feet with all the sweets you eat here!"

"And you'd smell like an old gym sock, with all the Camembert you eat!" retorted Tikki. "Oh, wait! You do," she grinned, mischievously.

"You love it," sniffed Plagg. "Maybe I'll have to tweak the menu when Marinette comes over Thursday night... some kind of Limburger side dish..."

"Hey! About that," interjected Tikki. "The visit, not the cheese. I have a silly question for you. I know how observant you usually are, which is about the same as a lamppost, but have you ever noticed anything way out of the ordinary about Adrien's father or his house?"

"Like what?" Plagg asked, feeling curious. "I mean, he's rich as heck, he's a weird guy, he treats his son like dirt sometimes but then makes up for it just enough to keep Adrien sane. Is there something specific I should be looking for?"

"I'm not sure. Just... poke around the house while Adrien's sleeping sometime, okay? See if there's anything strange going on beyond the ordinary," replied Tikki, warily. "Like the strange machinery Adrien was talking about tonight... I don't know why, I've just been getting a bad feeling about him lately from the way Adrien's described him. As if he has something planned for Marinette, or for Ladybug, or both somehow. Root around on your own and see what you can find in the house... or we can both sneak off when Marinette visits this week. She's never been in his house as herself for very long, so I've never had a chance to snoop."

"You don't still think that he's Hawkmoth, do you? When he was Akumatized, I thought that cleared that up," Plagg wondered aloud.

"I don't know what I think. Maybe he is just a weird guy. But do me a favor and case the place for me before I get there?" offered Tikki. "Call it a hunch; my intuition isn't wrong very often. It's also a chance for you to have fun doing mischief around the house..."

Tikki smiled at Plagg's sudden wide grin. "Yeah, I thought that might appeal to you," she giggled.

Post-dessert conversation was pleasant. Adrien and Marinette took over the kitchen and did the dishes together, talking quietly amongst themselves all the while, then returned to the main room hand-in-hand.

"As much as I hate to say it," said Adrien, "I probably should be heading home soon. I've got a few things that I need to get done tonight, including finishing a Physics project, though I really don't want to leave. Mr. Dupain, Mrs. Cheng, supper was delicious, and those tartlets were out of this world! Thank you so much for having me!"

"Our pleasure as well, and we enjoyed your company," Tom beamed. "We'd be very happy to do this again sometime."

As Adrien texted his bodyguard to come pick him up, Sabine added, "Come by any time! You'll always be welcome here, and you know where to find a morning snack when you want one. Would you like what's left of the dessert to take home with you?"

Adrien looked thoughtful for a moment. "I probably shouldn't... but I don't know that there's any way I can say 'no' to that," he relented. "I know that Nathalie would love them - we have pretty much the same taste in sweets - and I'm sure that my father would, too. Thank you! That's very kind of you."

"That's why I made that many of them to start with; I figured some would be leaving with you," grinned Tom. "I'll go box them up."

Marinette returned from the hallway, having retrieved their heavy coats and winter gear from the closet. "I hate to let you go out there for a few reasons," she moped. "It's pretty nasty out there tonight."

"Oh, I'll be in a warm car," smiled Adrien. "The Gorilla should be here in a couple of minutes, so I won't be out there for long at all."

"And I'll bet that I can help you keep warm until then," grinned Marinette, watching her parents' faces as she said it. "Without scandalizing the neighbors," she added with a laugh.

Sabine watched as Adrien and Marinette helped each other bundle up, her daughter clearly intending to walk him to his car when it arrived. One detail in particular caught her eye...

"Oh! Marinette, I see that Adrien's wearing the scarf that you made him!" she called out.

Both teens froze in mid-motion.

"The scarf that... Marinette made?" asked Adrien, turning towards Sabine and looking extremely startled.

"Well, yes! I watched her spend a lot of time knitting that for your birth... day?" replied Sabine, trailing off as she saw her daughter go wide-eyed with alarm. Marinette shook her head back and forth, shouting No, no, NO! with her eyes and tiny head movements, then stopped as she sensed Adrien turning to face her.

"Wait, I'm confused. Marinette... you knitted this scarf?" Adrien repeated, starting to put some mental pieces together.

"I... did," she admitted, sheepishly. "You, um... your driver will be here in just a minute, right?"

"He should be..." said Adrien, nowhere near ready to let the subject drop.

"Let's step outside for a moment and talk, okay?" Marinette asked, with pleading eyes.

Tom walked back into the room with a white box tied with string, his buoyant mood pausing as he sensed the shift in the room's dynamics. "Is something wrong?" he asked, looking confused.

"Not at all, Mr. Dupain. Thank you so much!" replied Adrien, regaining some composure, taking the dessert box from him with a renewed smile. "Marinette and I just need to talk about something for a second. She'll be right back, and have a good night, both of you! I had a wonderful time."

The pair stepped out the back door quickly, leaving Marinette's parents alone and a bit unsettled.

"What did I just miss?" asked Tom, bewildered. "I thought the evening was going so well for both of them!"

"I screwed up just now. How, I have no idea...," mumbled Sabine, "...but I so did."

Once outside, Adrien's eyes were riveted on Marinette's, and there was urgency in his voice.

"I guess this explains why I love this scarf so much," began Adrien. "The work you did on it was fantastic, and I've worn it so many times since I got it... but you never told me that you'd made it, Marinette! I don't... did my father commission you to do it?" He thought back to that time period, trying to make sense of things. "Wait. Did he even know who you were way back then?" he wondered aloud. "No, he couldn't have. That was before... Then how...?"

"Adrien, I want to explain, but..." began Marinette, then fell silent.

Dammit, Mom! she thought. I know that you didn't know how things had happened back then, but... oh, I didn't want to start something, but I guess there's no avoiding it now.

"...Adrien, he didn't commission it. I made that on my own," she finally admitted, looking downwards. "It's not like my crush is a secret any more, but it kind of was then. I tried to give it to you in person, but I was too nervous that day and I couldn't, so when I went to your house, Nathalie had me drop it off in your mail slot."

"Then why did she tell me that it was from my father?" Adrien asked, aimed more at himself than at Marinette, looking perturbed.

"You and your father were having issues back then, too. Nino told me that your father wouldn't even let you have a birthday party with friends, and that's how he got Akumatized into the Bubbler that day, and a bunch of other things happened..." explained Marinette. "Anyway, I guess I forgot to sign my gift, and Nathalie must've, um, claimed it herself. You looked so happy that your father had given you something special for your birthday that, well, I didn't have the heart to tell you that he hadn't and spoil that for you. It meant so much more coming from him than it would've from me."

She looked up at Adrien with soulful eyes. He didn't look angry at all... but most definitely stunned. She continued, "Adrien, I didn't mean to lie to you about it... I just didn't want to-"

"Marinette?" asked Adrien, leaning in closer, his own eyes shining brighter. "This morning, when you saw that scarf and commented on it, you still didn't tell me that you'd made it even though we're so much closer now. Why didn't you say something today?"

"Um..." she stammered.

"I'm not mad or hurt at all! The exact opposite, I promise, and I know that you never lied to me about it. I just want to know... why didn't you tell me?" he pleaded, gently. "Please?"

Marinette swallowed hard before answering.

"One of the reasons that we are here right now is that you and your father were having hard times again, even worse than before. I'm really glad that I could help you with all of that, and it seems like that's been much better lately... so I didn't want to say anything that'd make you think less of your father, and maybe start bad feelings up again."

She tried to read his emotions from the look on his face, which seemed more full of wonder than anything else. "You're very important to me, Adrien. And he's very important to you. So I was trying to... I mean, I thought that it would be best if I..."

The revealed truth poured into Adrien like a shot of pure adrenaline.

Even before I knew Marinette well... she was putting my emotions above her own, he realized. Even while she had a crush on me and was so nervous that she couldn't say it out loud! She wanted me to be happy even if that meant that she wasn't.

He looked down into her bluebell eyes, which were focused on him intently, waiting to see how he would respond.

And even now, she's still doing it! thought Adrien. She was ready to let Ladybug date me instead, if that's who and what I'd wanted most. Last night on the phone, I had to convince her to tell me her true feelings about that! She was ready to hide the truth about my scarf forever and let someone else take credit, if that meant that I'd feel better about my father and Nathalie!

That look in her eyes has me so helpless... I can't even move...

Adrien tried to speak... but found himself getting choked up, instead.

And she knows that Ladybug is interested in me - someone she knows that I've been in love with, someone so hard for me to resist - and she had _this_ secret in her back pocket all the while. Something that she knew would mean so much to me, that might help tip the balance in her direction - and she STILL... put MY feelings first...

She is the most selfless, giving, incredible person...

A rush of emotions swept over him, carrying him along like a gale-force wind, pushing him towards Marinette.

This is someone that I should be in love with.

Absolutely, completely, madly in love.

_Crazy_ about.

Irreplaceable.

Irresistible.

He watched Marinette's face light up as his smile returned in full.

This is someone that I should be kissing. _Right now_.

And this time, before he could wonder why he wasn't...

Lightning crashed through Marinette Dupain-Cheng's body as Adrien Agreste stepped forward, took her into his arms and kissed her, slowly and tenderly, one kiss turning into dozens more, the two of them melting together into one bundled-up figure by the front door of the bakery.

Inside the house, Tom and Sabine dashed to the front window of the second floor, intently curious as to what was going on. They watched their daughter and Adrien talking to each other, Adrien appearing startled and Marinette apologetic and trying to explain something, from what body language seemed to tell them from afar.

"What do you think?" asked Sabine, extremely nervously. "Why wouldn't she have told him that she'd made that scarf?"

"I don't know! I mean... I'm sure that she had her reasons, but..." Tom mumbled. "I don't get it, either."

"From the look on Marinette's face before they left, I'm sure that I just caused problems for them," Sabine agonized. "And they were doing so well together! If this means that they-"

Adrien stepped forward at that moment...

"Oh!" Sabine gasped.

"Sabine? If that's the problem you just caused, somehow I think you've just been officially forgiven," her husband smiled, putting his arm around her shoulders.

The Gorilla drove down the street to the Dupain-Cheng Boulangerie, feeling a bit grumpy about being out on a bitter night like this.

He'd had a full evening planned - cozied up in his room with some light music, a glass or two of Chablis and the collected works of Michel Foucault - and instead, he was out driving around in frigid weather, collecting his young charge from his first dinner date with the baker girl. Couldn't they have picked a better night for it than this? he rumbled to himself. The weather tonight's not fit for man nor beast.  I certainly hope that he thinks that this date was worth all the inconvenience...

As his car pulled to a stop at the curb, he looked over and saw an entwined couple standing near the front door of the bakery...

Heh!

Well, whaddya know?

I'll give 'em a few minutes before I honk the horn.

Marinette opened her eyes, very slowly, taking in the new and different world that she now inhabited.

She had no idea if it'd been a few seconds, a minute, an hour... if it was the next night... if it was the same year. She couldn't feel the cold at all. For some strange reason, her conscious mind was focused completely on other things.

"A-Adrien?" she whispered, as they each caught their breath.

"You told me that I'd know when it was time," whispered Adrien. "And you were right."

"You sure did," Marinette gasped, tingling from head to toe. "And was Alix's theory right?"

"Oh, yeah," Adrien breathed. "Though I won't tell her that or we'll never hear the end of it."

They stood forehead-to-forehead, grinning uncontrollably, holding each other close until a quick flash from the Gorilla's headlights reminded them that, yes, they did in fact still inhabit the real world.

"Are we..." Adrien began, hesitantly.

"Don't you even overthink this. Not now. This is a perfect moment," whispered Marinette.

"You're right... I won't... but I know for sure... doing that was no mistake, Marinette," Adrien said, slowly recovering. "That wasn't optional. That was from the heart."

"I'm so glad," bubbled Marinette, and they leaned into each other once more until the headlights flashed again a minute later.

"Next time, my place?" Adrien asked her.

"Absolutely. Walk me to school tomorrow?" replied Marinette.

"You know it. More of what just happened?"

"There'd better be," she beamed.

They shared one more goodnight kiss, briefer than the previous string of them but just as heartfelt, then Adrien half-stumbled over to the waiting sedan.

"Good night," each called, then Adrien stepped inside, his face at the window locked on hers until the car pulled away.

Marinette spent a moment in quiet reflection, taking it all in, then whispered, "Tikki?"

"Yes, Marinette?" said her Kwami, from within her winter coat.

With the biggest smile of her life, Marinette said, "Remind me later... that I seriously need to do more knitting."

Next time:

* Walking an emotional tightrope requires balance.

* Some things should be said out loud.

* "There is something that you need to understand."

* "Well, this is a weird-looking... whatever it is."

* "I really need to see you... soon."

* A gasp in the night...

Chapter Text

Someone To Watch Over Me, Chapter 14: When Two Become One

Once back inside her house, Marinette made it all of five steps up the staircase before her mother rushed to her side.

"Did I just see him...?" gasped Sabine, a bit out of breath.

"You certainly did!" replied Marinette, with unmistakable bliss on her face.

"Are the two of you..." asked Sabine.

"I think so! I mean, we'll have to talk about it to be sure, but... those weren't friendly kisses," she giggled back.

"That's wonderful, Marinette! Okay," Sabine managed, regaining most of her wind. "Now what the heck did I say up there? You both looked so shocked!"

"Come on, let's go upstairs and I'll explain it to both of you," Marinette smiled. "Trust me, what you said wasn't your fault... and it worked out perfectly in the end."

Adrien laid his head back against the seat of the car, eyes closed, reenacting the evening in his mind. The last several minutes in particular required intense study, multiple replays and, with the assistance of his imagination, a variety of mental camera angles.

That.. girl... can... KISS!

When I first leaned in and took her in my arms, she seemed frozen for just a moment, like she hadn't been expecting it... but as soon she realized what was happening, WOW! Miss I've-Never-Been-Kissed-For-Real knew _exactly_ what she was doing! I thought I was standing on a live wire!

It was like... like she'd kissed me a hundred times before, and knew exactly what I'd like, how I'd move, how I'd react. It was uncanny!

I mean, I _was_ a little biased, he grinned. I wanted - I _needed_ to kiss her like nothing I've ever needed in my life... so from my end, it was electrifying even before it started! But that look in her eyes, the way that she melted into me, that cinnamon aroma in the air from the bakery behind us, the way she moved, the way she felt... the snow flurries floating around us, like we were the centerpiece of a snow globe...

...like she said, that was a _perfect_ moment. I don't even have the words.

And the way that she looked at me and smiled when we caught our breath...

He caught himself shivering, remembering it, even though he wasn't cold.

It's all I can do to keep from asking the Gorilla to drive me back there now!

Well, that, and if I asked him to do that in this weather, he'd sit on me.

Adrien caught a glimpse of the Gorilla grinning at him from the rear-view mirror, and smiled back.

I have a girlfriend.

Wow...

I didn't think I'd be saying that tonight... but I sure do! And she's wonderful. SO wonderful!

And I have one little problem left...

"...And that's why I freaked out when you said that," Marinette explained carefully, trying hard to make sure her mother's feelings weren't bruised. "You had no way of knowing that I'd been hiding that the scarf was from me, because I hadn't told you that part. Only Alya knew about that, because she was with me when I left the note on it and when Adrien first wore it to school afterwards."

Tom nodded, doing his best to understand. "And if you'd told him then, it might've done more harm than good. But surely there must've been some time between then and now to at least bring it up...?"

Sabine shook her head. "No, I get that now. The poor thing was nervous enough around the boy, and terrified of messing up her chances with him." She leaned forward and hugged Marinette in sympathy. "I just wish that you'd told me at some point!"

"Mom, I was afraid that you'd talk me into telling him," smiled Marinette, sheepishly. "And you probably could've talked me into trying, but what would've come out of my mouth was 'bla-blah-bla-bla-blah-bla-blah' back then."

Marinette paused, then added, "And at that point, I don't know if it would've had the effect I wanted. He had a massive crush on someone else back then, and I don't know that I could've done anything then to change that. It took a perfect storm over the last couple of weeks for me to break through now."

Her father raised an eyebrow and said, "Now, it's hard for me to believe that there's anyone's head that my beautiful daughter couldn't turn. And as for being afraid to try, you know what I always say about making mistakes in the kitchen..."

"Half of all triumphs happen by accident," recited Marinette, dutifully. "I know, Dad, and that's true. My first kiss just happened kind of by accident, because I sure didn't have Mom say what she did on purpose!" she grinned. "He asked me why I hadn't told him that I'd made the scarf, and I explained why I'd hidden the truth about it then and now... and all of a sudden, his eyes went wide, his smile even wider, and I was in his arms."

"It's not so easy to put yourself out there like that, Tom," Sabine noted. "You remember when you and I were courting, right? We both had our moments."

"Yeahhhh...," he conceded. "I'll agree with that if you'll agree not to tell those stories."

As the sedan pulled to a stop in the garage of the Agreste mansion, Adrien hopped out with his box of desserts in his hands. He watched as the Gorilla closed the driver-side door and studied him carefully.

"I am so sorry to make you come out on a night like this. I really am. I hope the tartlets I brought back will be an adequate 'thank you,'" Adrien apologized, showing off the package in his hands. When the Gorilla gave him a slight nod, Adrien turned and headed for the door...

A meaty hand grasped his shoulder, gently turning him back around.

Adrien looked up at his bodyguard's massive figure with a curious expression.

The Gorilla pointed to Adrien, then reached behind his head and flipped two imaginary pigtails. He made a kissy face, then looked down at Adrien.

"Y-yes, that's exactly who and what you saw," Adrien smiled, a little nervously. "Quite a lot of that, actually."

The bodyguard formed a heart shape with his hands... then pointed his index fingers in opposite directions, towards and away from Adrien, with a questioning look.

"Do we care for each other... and is it mutual?" asked Adrien, and to the Gorilla's nod, he replied, "Definitely. She's wanted that for a long time... and I want it, too."

The Gorilla stared down at him, sizing him up... He reached up with his hands in a heart shape again, holding them up to the center of his chest. With considerable theatrics, he made his hands pulse, as if his heart was beating fast; his eyes closed, he smiled, and he let out a deep sigh.

Adrien took it all in, working on what he meant by the gesture...

"Are you asking if I'm really serious about her?" Adrien wondered aloud. "If I'm falling for her?"

The eyes opened as the large head nodded again.

Am I?

"I... I think I am," replied Adrien, quietly. "I am. I've had my crushes, but this is something... different. Bigger. Realer."

The big man nodded, with the beginnings of a smile on his face. He reached down and tapped at the back of his left wrist.

"Um... what time is it? Am I too late? Are you saying that I'm..." Adrien stumbled.

A shake of the Gorilla's head indicated that Adrien hadn't grasped what he meant. He pointed to Adrien, flipped an invisible pigtail again, then tapped his wrist once more...

"...it's about time that that happened with her?" guessed Adrien.

He watched as the Gorilla smiled broadly, a rather rare sight. The bodyguard clapped his hand onto Adrien's far shoulder, and escorted Adrien into the house cheerfully.

"I am just so happy that everything's worked out the way it has," beamed Sabine. "He seems like such a charming young man, so polite and nice, and he obviously has very strong feelings for you. You two are so cute together!"

"You have my blessing, too," agreed Tom. "I don't even have to mention taking certain things very slowly...?"

"NO, you don't," blushed Marinette. "We did talk about that the other day, right? I think we'll be far too fascinated with kissing for a long while to consider anything more dangerous."

"And that's smart of you. If... complications do start sounding closer, you'll come and talk with me, okay?" asked Sabine.

"I will, I promise. I know I'm in no hurry."

"So what comes next for the happy couple?" her father wondered.

"Well, I'll talk with him tonight. I'm... I can't imagine that he's not my boyfriend now, but we didn't say the exact words, you know?" replied Marinette. "If we're on the same page, he'll walk me to school in the morning as usual, and he's invited me to dinner Thursday night at his house. I'll get to meet his family properly."

"I'd like to meet his father myself sometime," mused Tom. "From what I knew about him before and from what Adrien told us tonight, he sounds like an interesting man."

"And a complicated one, and a troubled one," Sabine added. "Marinette, maybe you can be a little ray of sunshine around that house, in your own way."

"I really want to be," Marinette said, with a serious expression. "All of this started because Adrien's home life was falling apart and I found my own way to help him. I need to mind my place, of course... Mr. Agreste is Adrien's father and THE Gabriel Agreste, and I'll want to tread lightly and stay in his good graces however I can... but if I'm there and can see how they are around each other, maybe I can give Adrien better advice. Or I can just be who he leans on when times get tough again."

"Oh, I have no doubt of that," Tom smiled. "You won him with your caring heart, not your pretty face, though he appears to have no complaints about that, either! I've been counting down the days until this happened, just from the look I've seen in his eyes on school mornings, and the little bit that I've talked with him so far."

"I'm a little amazed that your phone isn't glowing white-hot," Sabine grinned. "Alya isn't begging for an update? Among others?"

"For all she knows, our supper date's still going on," explained Marinette. "I'll tell her after I talk to Adrien later. I want to make sure that I give her the right good news!"

"How about we'll leave you to that, then?" replied Sabine. "I'd imagine that you've got a few things to do to get ready for tomorrow..."

"...Like figuring out how I'll sleep tonight," Marinette giggled.

"Come here, you!" beckoned Sabine, pulling Marinette in for a big hug before she left. "I am so proud of you, you know that?" Sabine said, tenderly. "You wanted to win his heart so badly, and you did it the right way... by being yourself. By caring for him so much that he just had to notice."

"I didn't think it would ever work... but I'm so happy that it did," Marinette glowed, holding the hug for several seconds. She dashed into the hallway to hang up her coat and hat and scarf, then flew upstairs like a pigtailed bolt of happy lightning.

"And so it begins," grinned Tom, wryly.

"Well, hello," Nathalie said as she saw the kitchen door open. "How did the big date go?"

Adrien's face said it all. As did the Gorilla striking a Cupid pose, then fluttering his hands as if about to take flight.

"That well, huh?" she grinned.

"Beyond that well," replied Adrien, bashfully. His face clouded for a moment, and he added, "And as happy as I am about it... you and I need to talk about something, Nathalie..."

He sat the box of tartlets down on the counter and motioned to the Gorilla, who wasted no time investigating. As the big man busied himself, Adrien approached Nathalie and began speaking in a low voice.

"Does this look familiar to you?" he asked, gesturing to the scarf still around his neck.

"It does. It's the scarf your father got you for your birthday, isn't it?" said Nathalie, still smiling but sensing something in the air.

"No, it isn't," Adrien stated. "It's the scarf that Marinette Dupain-Cheng made me for my birthday, and that you gave to me claiming that it was from him."

Nathalie stared back, struggling for an answer... then looked down, not finding a plausible one. "Guilty," she admitted. "But do not confront your father about it! It was my fault, not his."

Damn it, she thought. THAT was the girl who dropped the gift off that day? This is going to take some fast talking.

"Your father had asked me to make sure you had a nice birthday gift..." Nathalie stammered, "...Something besides a pen for a change. And we were... um... swamped with contracts and some last-minute operations and I totally dropped the ball. I found the gift among the other ones your friends and fans had left, I wasn't sure who it was from..."

"You're lying about that," Adrien replied, flatly.

"And what makes you say that?" she snapped back, looking annoyed.

"Marinette told me that she talked specifically to you that day, when she dropped it off in person. AND that she'd managed to get in here during my party and leave a note on it with her name on it. It's not that you didn't know who it was from... you just didn't care."

Nathalie fell silent for a moment.

"You know what? You're right, I didn't," she sighed. "Because I didn't know that girl from Adam. So if it came to you thinking well of some random girl I didn't know if you'd ever see again, or if she was just a fan of yours, or what... or of your father, I knew what I had to do, and which would be more important to you." She crossed her arms, defiantly. "I'm sorry that it happened, okay? But I'm not going to apologize for thinking of you and him first."

"Would you apologize to her? Since she's my girlfriend now, and she told me what she thought had happened that day, and you just confirmed it out loud?"

"Your girlfriend? For real?" Nathalie replied, seizing on the distraction. "That's wonderful, Adri-"

Adrien's stare cut right through her sentence.

"All right. I think I may have to," said Nathalie, grudgingly. "Can we do it in a time and place away from your father?"

"We can," shrugged Adrien, his anger fading somewhat. "I'm not going to make a bigger deal out of this than it is, what's done is done... but there is something that you need to understand."

As soon as she reached her room, Marinette saw a tiny scarlet blur burst into flight around her, dancing a happy trail through the air.

"Oh, my gosh, Marinette! I am so, so, so happy for you two!" bubbled Tikki. "He's been falling for you for weeks. Well, from what I just saw... that boy has fallen. Completely!"

"Yes," gasped Marinette, simply overwhelmed. "It's everything I could have wanted. That kiss was like heaven!"

"The next few dozen didn't look too bad, either," Tikki giggled. "You realize what he realized just at that moment, right? Not just that you'd made that scarf... but the way that you'd put his feelings over your own by not telling him. That melted his heart."

"Y-yeah," she agreed, "I'm pretty sure you're right. That wasn't how I wanted him to find out about it... but I'm not complaining now! As long as his finding out doesn't cause family problems..."

"And you're still doing it, Marinette," noted Tikki. "And that's your nature, and that's why he's crazy about you. Adrien's not going to pick a fight with anyone at home over this; I'd say that he's just a little bit distracted right now, wouldn't you?"

"He'd better be, after all that," grinned Marinette, a little shyly.

Adrien told Nathalie the story of how Marinette's mother had let the secret out, how startled he'd been - how startled Marinette had been - and how their conversation about it outside had gone.

"In a really weird way... I'm not sure if you did me a favor or not, inadvertently," Adrien managed, feeling a little conflicted. "The scarf is beautiful; I've loved it ever since I got it," he said. "And if I'd known that my pretty classmate had put that much time and effort into a handmade gift like that... maybe I would've looked at her differently then. This school year might've gone down a very different road. I might be celebrating a several-months anniversary with her now, instead of just starting to see her with clear eyes these last couple of weeks."

"...And maybe I wouldn't have," he admitted, as Nathalie let him continue, listening wordlessly. "I had a big crush on someone else then. You asked me the other day why I hadn't looked at Marinette that way, and I really didn't have an answer! I was just starting to realize things... about her... and I don't know exactly what I'd have done if that gift had happened before I discovered just how special she is."

"But now that you know that she did make it..." offered Nathalie.

"You're still not getting it," Adrien said, shaking his head. "I'm thrilled that she made it for me. I'm blown away that she knew someone else had taken the credit, and she held that back because she wanted me to feel better about Father. And she was happy to do it! And here we are, a year later, and she still put that concern over her own emotions, even when I was falling for her right in front of her eyes. Even when we were this close to the one thing she truly wanted most."

"...Wow."

"Yeah. Wow," smiled Adrien. "That's not just some classmate or some girl or some pretty face. That's someone to love."

Nathalie looked over at the Gorilla, who was halfway through a passionfruit tartlet... and who gave her a nod of agreement with Adrien before returning to his dessert.

In her room, Marinette stared at her phone impatiently.

I know, I know. You have your father to talk to, you have Nathalie to talk to... I can only imagine the earful that SHE might be getting from you.

So I'm not going to call you until I see that you're logged into Messenger and you're active there. That way I'll know that you're free to talk.

And I am going to make that happen any second now through FORCE OF WILL and whatever latent mental powers I might have, she grinned, concentrating on the screen of her phone...

After heading upstairs, Adrien flung off his winter coat and literally jumped for joy on the way across his room. "I did it, Plagg!" he said, as loudly as he dared.

"You sure did," Plagg agreed, floating out of hiding. "Congratulations! You, uh... you know you're inside, right? You can take that scarf off now."

"Take it off? I might go to sleep wrapped up with it tonight," Adrien laughed, giddy with excitement now that they were alone. "I'm just... I'm still taking it all in, you know? What I found out tonight, what it meant, how she reacted, what happened outside... I might not manage to sleep for another week."

"Good! Well, kind of. After about four days you'll start hallucinating things," the Kwami quipped. "You're absolutely sure about this, right?"

"I couldn't be more sure," said Adrien, sitting down on his bed. "I was going back-and-forth at her house when I was in the bathroom, whether or not to pull the trigger on becoming a couple... but after what happened next, there wasn't even a question. I know. I love her, Plagg."

"I think that you two will be great together. I really do," Plagg smiled. "Do you know what you're going to do about Ladybug?"

"Tell her the truth?" Adrien replied, the thought sobering him slightly. "I mean, I have to. I'm not going to string her along if I'm serious about Marinette. And that sounds so freakin' crazy... me, stringing along Ladybug?" He laughed at the absurdity of the concept. "A month ago I'd have given ten years off my life for Ladybug to look at me with those eyes. And now I'm figuring out how to let her down easy?"

He gave Plagg a sad smile. "You remember what she told me... 'I just need a place in your life. If we're good friends and Marinette dates you, I'm fine with that.' I just have to hope that she was honest when she said that, and to be as gentle as I can and hope that she'll ever want to hang out with me again."

Plagg looked thoughtful. "Knowing Ladybug... I think you will want to be gentle and sweet with her, but I also think that she'll understand. Heroes dating normal people can get really tricky. You know that, and she knows that. And she knows how sincere Marinette is about you... and she sensed how you felt about Marinette."

"I just don't want to hurt her," Adrien said, quietly. "I want Ladybug to be happy with whoever else she meets. Even happier than she might have been with me."

"I'm sure she will be," Plagg replied, chuckling to himself. "But give some thought as to how and when and where to tell her. Someone else is probably sitting by her phone right now..."

"Oh! Yes, of course!" Adrien grabbed his phone and opened his contact list. "And I sure don't want to keep her waiting..."

Nathalie Sancoeur stood outside her employer's door, leading to the private quarters where he would typically spend his evenings. She held her phone in her hand, weighing her options.

Adrien really is sincere about that girl, she thought. He's crazy about her, no doubt about it. Whatever happened over there tonight made his mind up in a big way...

...And I really did do both of them a disservice back then.

I mean, not that I'm that concerned about it. I did what I needed to do at the time, and she really was just 'some girl' then. I'll fumble through an apology when she visits and leave it at that. She's a sweet girl, from what I've seen and heard of her. She'll be good for Adrien in a lot of ways.

She frowned at her phone, a message-in-progress staring back at her, waiting to be sent.

And that's... bothering me. It shouldn't, but it is.

Marinette really _would_ do Adrien a world of good - emotionally, socially, romantically - and what I'm about to do could threaten all of that. He is _so_ happy right now! Gabriel needs to inflict emotional whiplash to get Adrien Akumatized the way that he has to be - it's for Adrien's own good, for his mother's sake! - but HE doesn't know that. And dangling this new relationship in front of Adrien and then smashing it to bits, which Gabriel might do, could traumatize him.

He looked genuinely hurt when he confronted me just then about what I'd done to Marinette months ago. What would he do if he knew I was betraying his new love this way?

With a grimace, Nathalie gathered her will and reached toward the [Send] button.

You're not his mother, Nathalie. You're the hired help. Do what you have to do.

I'm sorry, Adrien. I truly am.

[Nathalie] Sir, are you available?

A moment passed...

[Gabriel] I am. You have news?

[Nathalie] You had instructed me to keep an eye on Adrien's love triangle, and if he reached a decision or an emotional state that could be manipulated, to let you know.

[Gabriel] ...And?

[Nathalie] We've got him.

[Gabriel] Come inside. Now.

Marinette's phone rang for approximately an eighth of a second before she accepted the call. "Hello there," she glowed.

"Hello, yourself," grinned Adrien. "For some strange reason, you were on my mind just now! How did it go when you went back inside?"

"Very well! They're thrilled for us," Marinette replied. "I explained to my mother about the scarf - she had no idea that I hadn't told you it was mine - so that she'll be able to sleep tonight. She thought she'd ruined everything when she saw the looks on our faces... Anyway, you made a great impression on them and you're welcome back any time. How about on your side of things?"

"Not bad, so far. I haven't seen my father yet - he's buried back in his office, as usual - but the Gorilla couldn't stop grinning. 'It's about time,' he thinks, and he's right! Nathalie wanted to know how our date went, and I made her admit to me what she'd done with your scarf. I think you're due an apology when you see her next."

"I wasn't going to push for one," said Marinette, softly, "or have that cause any problems for either of us. You know that, right?"

"It's a big reason why what just happened, happened," Adrien agreed. "I made sure that she knew it was me wanting answers, not you... and we talked it out. If you're okay with it, I'm okay. But I also made sure she understood just how important you are to me now."

"I am, huh?" she replied, teasingly.

"You are." There was no doubt in his voice. "And that's one of the other reasons I called. I wanted to make sure that I introduce you to them properly."

"What are my choices?" asked Marinette, with anticipation running through her. "There are two Ts in Marinette, if that's what you were wondering."

"I know that, silly," groaned Adrien, as Marinette broke up into giggles. "I was thinking in terms of something else, if I can continue..."

"Go for it," Marinette grinned.

"Well..." Adrien began, a little nervously. "You and I have been more than just school friends for a while now. A long while, even if it took me forever to finally realize that. But I meant everything I said at the dinner table tonight... You are a huge reason why I got through that rough month with my father. You mean so much to me, Marinette, and I find more to like about you every single day. And I have for as long as I've known you."

"The feeling is mutual," replied Marinette. "But you knew that."

"We both kind of got a very big hint a few minutes ago," he blushed, "But you knew that."

"Yeah, I was there... It was, uh, nice, I guess..." Marinette ventured, then laughed at the look on Adrien's face. "You know very well that I'm kidding, and what every second of that meant to me!" she added, warmly. "All of the feelings that I was pouring into that..."

"Does it still count as 'taking it slow' if we were kissing like that by the end of our first date?" smiled Adrien.

"I don't remember complaining at all," glowed Marinette.

"So, when you meet my father again on Thursday, I can say 'this is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, my very special friend...' or 'this is Marinette, one of the most talented young designers around,' or 'this is Marinette, who's one heck of a kisser...'" Adrien continued.

"Maybe we won't lead with that last one," Marinette replied. "But thank you, and that feeling is mutual, too."

"...or 'this is Marinette Dupain-Cheng... my girlfriend.'"

Marinette took a breath and let that phrase sink in. "I was kind of hoping that would be one of the choices," she breathed.

"I don't think there's any doubt about it now... but some things ought to be said out loud to be sure, don't you think?" Adrien replied. "To make sure that it's what you want."

"And that it's what you want," countered Marinette, being extra-cautious. "And that you're sure about that. I'd be unfair to you if I didn't say right now that I know how Ladybug has been a big part of your life, too. If we do this, I have no problem with her staying close with you and spending time with you. One girlfriend... two good friends."

"I do want that, so I'm glad to hear you say that," said Adrien. "I'm... still working out just what I'm going to say to her. I would never want to hurt her... and I'm afraid that this is going to hurt."

"Well... I can't speak for her, but I can say this," Marinette replied, knowing that this was delicate ground. "If it had gone the other way, if you were telling me right now that you'd picked Ladybug and that we'd just be good friends... would it hurt me? A little, yeah. But if I stayed close to you like we've become, if I was a bigger part of your life than I'd ever been before, and if I knew that you were as happy as you could be... that someone like her would take good care of you... I'd be all right with that."

"Of course you would," managed Adrien, sounding like he was choking up again. Yet another reason why you are the perfect choice...

"...Adrien? Are you okay?" she asked, concerned.

"Marinette... I was thinking about asking you tonight, even before we stepped outside. I was standing in your hall bathroom, arguing with myself whether or not to do it," he admitted, his voice a little quivery. "I'm not going to lie to you and say that Ladybug isn't very, very special to me. And that even the thought of her wanting to date me blew my mind! And that I haven't had sleepless nights trying to decide what to do about the two of you."

"Some of that really wasn't fair to you, I've realized. And I'm sorry about that," conceded Marinette.

"...Why would you be sorry?" asked Adrien, sounding confused. "Your heart wants what it wants. You can't control what Ladybug wants, right?"

"Well, of c-course not," Marinette covered for her near-slip. "We talk sometimes, but..."

"Look. Let me try to get to the point before I lose it, okay?" Adrien smiled. "It was very hard for me to make a decision. It was. But every time we spend time together, it's a little easier. Every time I see your smile and you look at me with those beautiful eyes of yours, it's a little easier. Every time you are so sweet and caring towards me, it's easier. And tonight..."

"...Yeah?"

"...t-tonight, when you said what you said to me and I realized what it truly meant, the last doubt went away. Ladybug is very special to me, and she always will be. But she's not the one that I'm in love with the most."

"...Are you okay, Marinette?" asked Adrien, his eyes wide.

"They're happy tears, I promise," Marinette replied, holding it together for the moment.

"Then let's make it official, okay?" he grinned. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng... will you-"

"Yes! Yes, I will," she burst out.

"Can I at least finish the sentence?" Adrien marveled, making her laugh out loud. "Will you be my girlfriend, Marinette?"

"Of course I will. For as long as you'll have me."

The pair gazed at each other longingly over their smartphones...

...until Marinette broke the silence. "EEEEEEEEEEE! I just want to run right through this phone and kiss you right now!" she squealed. OR transform and yo-yo right over there and then have to explain how _I_ ended up at his bedroom window BUT I ALMOST DON'T CARE!, her inner voice screamed in her head.

"I know! I just want to..." transform and land on your balcony RIGHT NOW and then transform back... "run right over and be with you! But in this weather, I've abused my bodyguard enough tonight."

"Take your vitamins before you come see me tomorrow morning. I'm just saying," flirted Marinette.

"And there's our next question. How do you want me to show you off tomorrow at school?" Adrien asked. "All at once? Limited viewing groups? A ticket system?"

"Show me off? Honey, you've got it backwards. I'm the lucky one here, who'll have to explain to everyone how she pulled off this miracle," she giggled back. "I know that the girls will be happy for us; they've been trying to help me ask you out for ages! About the only one who might cause a problem would be..."

"Let me talk with her first," Adrien jumped in. "Chloe is... complicated."

"That's one way to put it," grumbled Marinette.

"Do you think that anything she says can change my mind?" argued Adrien, pleasantly. "Because it can't. But the way that she was snapping at you earlier... I know it would probably feel good to rub her nose in it, but if I can keep the peace instead and keep her from causing a scene, I'd rather do that."

"...Trust me?" he added, watching Marinette's face on his phone screen, weighing those options.

"I do. And I know that's the better way to do it. Maybe just a little nose-rubbing?" she smiled.

"I'll do my best. If she's still rude to you after that, fire away with my blessing," laughed Adrien. "But I'll feel better about it if I've at least tried first."

A tiny movement off to the side caught Adrien's attention.

"You're going to be talking to her for a while, right? I'll be right back," Plagg whispered.

Adrien nodded at him briefly, then dove back into his conversation with Marinette. Seeing that, Plagg took off to do some exploring, staying low to the floor in case he ran into anyone and would need to duck down through the floorboards.

Not that anyone should be around right now, he reasoned. The big gorilla's usually in his room this time of night, and the rest of the staff's gone home by now. So let's see...

He let the ambient sounds of the house guide his path until he ended up outside the door to Gabriel's section of the house. Sounds like the secretary's in there talking with him. Or something. Ooh-la-la! he grinned. Whatever it is, they're not going anywhere for a while.

Now, what the heck is it that I'm looking for, anyway? Plagg wondered to himself. "Anything strange, out of the ordinary. Weird machinery." That's what Tikki was talking about back at Marinette's. So what does weird machinery look like, anyway?

Maybe I'll know it when I see it.

And the first machine that I think I'll check is the refrigerator. Who knows what secrets might be lurking in there?

Gabriel listened quietly as Nathalie related her story about Adrien's confrontation in the kitchen.

"So... the boy's in love. Or believes that he is, at least. I am not surprised all that much; when he goes after something, he rarely stops halfway. He has his mother's spirit in him," he mused, "and her strong emotional core. Most times, that serves him well."

He rotated his chair to the side, staring off into space as he pondered the new information. "I am somewhat surprised that she won out so swiftly over Ladybug... but, then again, I recall how Adrien spoke of her at breakfast the other day. How smitten he sounded even then... My nemesis is a formidable girl indeed, but so too, it seems, is Miss Dupain-Cheng." He laughed, gently, then said "I must be careful that she does not slay me with kindness when I meet her," partly to himself.

"So! Let us take stock of what we now know," he said, turning back towards Nathalie. "Adrien and Marinette had an emotional moment, and now share a far stronger bond. Marinette possesses both a strong desire to please Adrien and a remarkable capacity for self-sacrifice in doing so. Adrien has locked onto her with the intensity of a teenage boy's first love and his mother's protective nature. Several obvious paths that we might exploit. And if Ladybug's interest in him was as strong as he had suspected..."

"He said nothing of having spoken with Ladybug. I must assume that such a conversation will be coming soon," noted Nathalie, looking uncomfortable. "He hasn't had time to figure that meeting out yet."

"A meeting with additional, delightful possibilities!" smiled Gabriel, wickedly. "That discussion should prove emotional for both of them, which might also be exploited. Ladybug may be strong enough to accept rejection, but if he breaks her heart, whether she admits it to him or not... imagine that vulnerability waiting to be seized!"

"You might find out her secret identity, by searching for such a strong emotion as Hawkmoth when the time is right," Nathalie said, "Or even Akumatize Ladybug herself!"

"Indeed!" he grinned back. "Which would bring us our total victory in one stroke."

"Definitely something to strongly consider as your first priority," emphasized Nathalie.

Gabriel considered his assistant carefully. "You seem... intent on directing me to target Ladybug. Is there a reason for that?" he asked, watching her reaction.

"Gabriel, I... I understand the gravity of the situation. You should do what has the most potential for bringing back Emilie," she parried.

"...But?"

Nathalie lowered her eyes. "Your son is truly happy right now. Happier than I think I've ever seen him," she replied. "I barely know the baker girl personally, but I've seen what she's done for him - and not just over these last few weeks. Adrien demonstrated to me tonight that Marinette has cared deeply for him for a very long time. And his feelings in return are multiplying very, very fast."

She paused before continuing. "Just... tread lightly with them if you can, please? I'm weary of seeing Adrien in emotional pain, and I'd rather not see her hurt if you can help it."

"Are you going soft on me, Nathalie Sancoeur?" marveled Gabriel, his face displaying obvious amusement.

"You can call it that if you like, though I'll disagree," Nathalie replied, undaunted. "You may rely on me to do what must be done; I am, after all, a professional. But somewhere beneath that, there's still a woman, who remembers what it's like to be young and confused and pining for someone she can't have. It would've been better for her to never win his heart if we end up ripping it away. And the fewer wounds this leaves on Adrien, the better for all of us in the long run."

"Well!" intoned Gabriel, his hands folding with his fingertips resting against each other. "I will add that into my considerations. Thank you, Nathalie; that is all for now."

As she left, Gabriel's face darkened somewhat, pondering what he'd just heard. I do not wish to torture my son any more than she does. And this young woman, if she is even half as extraordinary as of how my son describes her, might have interesting possibilities with or without her heart in his pocket.

But Ladybug is an elusive target at best, and factors under my own roof will be far easier to manipulate than the wild card that Ladybug represents.

Eyes on the prize, Gabriel. Unlike Nathalie, you do not have the slightest leeway for squeamishness. The goal is nearly in hand, and time continues to slip away...

Plagg floated back into Adrien's room, checking to see if the phone conversation was over yet. From what he could tell, it was a long way from that point. He listened from afar, picking up a few assorted fragments: figuring out how to tell their friends about their relationship, working out their daily schedules to spend more time together, something about a hamster...

Oh, he'll still be talking at the crack of dawn if I let him, grinned Plagg. Lots more time for exploring.

He wandered aimlessly through the house until the sound of an opening door made him duck for cover. From behind a vase, he listened to Nathalie's footsteps until he was certain that she'd left Gabriel's office and returned to her own room, leaving him free to continue.

Looking around, he found himself in a somewhat familiar room. Yeah... this is where that safe was, behind that painting of Adrien's mom, thought Plagg. And that book was in there, the one that turned out to be the Guardians' Book of Lore!

Huh. You know, maybe Tikki was right; we didn't think that through at the time, did we? There's something really weird about that. When Mr. Agreste got Akumatized into the Collector, we were so focused on getting the Book back to him and protecting OUR secrets that we never followed up on HIS.

Why... why would a fashion magnate from Paris own a priceless, one-of-a-kind collection of Miraculous information? he wondered.

Plagg floated through the wall and into the safe where he'd originally found the Book, then let out a frustrated grunt. Well, this won't get me anywhere; it's pitch black in here. I have great night vision, but there needs to be at least a flicker of light. I should've brought a flashlight or something. He felt around until he located a hard-bound volume that he was sure was the Book, then retreated back into the main room.

I could just pop the lock on the safe again... but that safe door's pretty heavy and Adrien's not here to close it for me. And I know that the Book's still there, so I don't really need to. I'll bring Tikki here on Thursday if I can.

Is there anything else weird around here?

Plagg scanned the room, not seeing anything particularly out of place. He flitted from object to object, examining what appeared to be mundane office supplies and furniture, then ducked beneath the surface of the floor and floated around. If something is hidden in here, I bet they didn't anticipate a snooper who could float through solid obj- HEY!

He let out a yelp of surprise as he passed into an open space where he didn't expect one, a wide cylindrical tube with a metal shaft running down through the center of it.

Well, this is a weird-looking... whatever it is.

Plagg floated back up to the room, then down below again, examining the mechanism from all angles. I think I get it, he thought. It's, like, an elevator hidden in plain sight! I'm sure it is. Somewhere here there's a button or something, and then this lowers whatever's standing on it to... wherever. It clicks right into the floor so that if you don't know that it's there, you don't see it even if you're looking right at it.

A totally normal thing for a person to have in their house.

Now, I have no idea how to start this thing up... but I'm a Kwami, I don't _need_ to start it.

He zoomed down below again, then flew straight down the tube, following its path. Let's see where it goes! he thought...

Adrien looked at at a nearby clock, then groaned. "I hate to say it, but have you realized what time it is?" he asked.

Marinette turned and looked at her own clock, then turned back to Adrien, looking surprised. "Wow! It's a lot later than I thought," she agreed. "You still have that Physics project to work on?"

"I should. Most of it's done, but I need to add some finishing touches to it... It's not due 'til Friday, but tomorrow could get hectic, and for some odd reason I don't think I'll get a lot done on Thursday night," grinned Adrien. "Something about my girlfriend coming over for dinner that night."

"You can keep saying that all you want. I'll never get tired of hearing it," Marinette beamed.

Adrien admired her smile for a moment, then added, "We're totally going to be one of those gooey kinds of couples, so romantic together that we make all our friends gag, aren't we?"

"You mean, all 'You hang up first' and 'I'm the lucky one' and 'I love you bigger' and things like that?" teased Marinette. "That's the plan."

"Good. That sounds perfect to me. Can I let you go for now, and I'll see you in the morning?" asked Adrien.

"I'll be waiting. Unless this is all a dream, and if it is I'll still be dreaming," she smiled.

"Good night, Marinette..."

"Good night, Adrien."

There was a pause...

"You hang up first," giggled Marinette.

NOW what am I looking at? wondered Plagg.

Some kind of dome-shaped room, it feels like. It's pitch-black in here, too, except for some teeny-tiny bits of light from some kind of funky window over there. It's like an observatory, but I can't tell if there are any telescopes or things like that sitting in here unless I find a light switch on the wall somewhere.

Fumbling around in the dark, Plagg shuddered a little, despite himself. What am I afraid of? Nothing in here can hurt _me_, he scolded himself. It's just that the energy in this room is weird, he reasoned; it's, like, a _really_ negative vibe. Like something really bad happened in here. Ghosts floating around haunting the place, or something. Whatever it is, it's got me on edge...

Gabriel, what the heck did you d-AUUUUUGH!

Plagg shuddered as he stumbled away from whatever it was that he'd just contacted. Some kind of BUG! Two of them, I think, just touched me and flew away!

Euuugh... yuck! If fumbling for the lights gets me covered in bugs,  screw this! I'll wait and come back with Tikki and a couple of flashlights. And maybe a can of bug spray... But for now I'm getting OUT OF HERE!

He flew out of the room in disgust, intent on finding more hospitable territory. Adrien's room was generally devoid of bugs; that'd do nicely.

Eventually, after considerable negotiations took place, Marinette and Adrien managed to count to three and hang up their phones simultaneously. Adrien got up from his bed with a blissful facial expression and a warm feeling filling his soul.

This feels AMAZING, he grinned. To have someone as special as Marinette feel this way about me... I don't care what she says, I'M the lucky one. It's not even close. And I'll have a very long time to show her just how blessed she makes me feel.

He closed his eyes, losing himself in their earlier embrace in his mind once more...

But as high as I'm flying right now... there is one thing that I _have_ to do. Right now, before this goes any further.

He walked over to his computer and started a new email. Drafts were started and discarded repeatedly, but most of them opened with the same sentiment:

Dear Ladybug,

I really need to see you... soon.

Marinette snuggled up in her bed, holding a pillow like it was a teddy bear. She imagined a certain blonde-haired teddy bear in its place and squeezed it tighter, knowing that holding the real thing once more was only hours away.

I can't believe that everything has worked out so perfectly! she thought to herself. I've dreamed of this a million times... but did I ever really believe that it would actually happen?

Adrien Agreste loves me.

_My Adrien_ loves me.

He held me, he kissed me, he asked me to be his... and if he could be mine.

Well, gosh, Adrien, I'll have to think about that for a little while... make my mind up, you know...

She giggled aloud at that, drawing a knowing glance from Tikki across the room.

When all of this started... what I wanted most was to help Adrien any way I could. He looked so hurt when his father was mistreating him, no matter how well he thought he was hiding it, and I just couldn't leave him like that if I could do something about it. Then things happened the way that they did, and Nino told me about Adrien and Ladybug...

I was so sure that Ladybug was the 'me' that he'd pick, if he picked either one of us that way. It was the only thing that made sense.

And I was fine with that! It's not like that wasn't still _really_ flattering. Because I'd still get to date him, and I'd be giving him what he wanted most of all, while still getting so much closer with him both ways.

Finally getting the courage to crack through his shell as myself felt  _so_ good. And if I hadn't spent that time getting to know him as Ladybug, too, I don't know if I could've done it the way that I did.

Then the movie nights happened, and that _incredible_ song he wrote, and the dark room watching the storm together...

Even with all the intimate times Adrien and I were enjoying, the talks we had, that day in detention, and that look in his eyes whenever I was near... I still wouldn't have blamed him at all if he'd preferred the red-and-black version. That was so intense for both of us, and he'd longed for Ladybug for so long.

So for him to fall for _me_, and feel that so strongly that it overwhelmed even his feelings for LADYBUG...

A happy tear welled up once more, and she wiped it away without opening her eyes fully.

I am _so_ lucky. And I'll prove that to him every day. I'll treat him so well that he won't even know what hit him, she giggled quietly.

In the background, her computer binged with an incoming email sound, but she was too close to deep sleep to react to it.

Sweetest dreams, Adrien, she wished from afar...

...and I'll do everything I can to make yours come true.

Like mine just did tonight.

Adrien Agreste pulled his own covers up over his body and settled down for his own evening's rest. A few jitters in his stomach persisted, but for the most part he was sure they were from the excitement of the evening.

"Plagg, are you around?" he asked in a low voice, but got no response.

Must be out roaming the house, he figured. As long as Father doesn't see him, and he's got plenty of practice at that. Probably emptying all the cheese from the fridge.

I wonder who they think eats all that Camembert, or where it goes? Or what I'm actually doing with it? If I ate that much of it, I'd probably stink like, well, Plagg does sometimes... and somehow I suspect that Father would mention that very loudly, even if everyone else was too polite to say.

He'll be back in the morning, and I'll see what he thinks then. I know that he approves of Marinette, but I want to make sure I'm doing the right things with Ladybug, too. This is really thin ice I'm treading on. If Ladybug was sincere when she said those things to me, and I'm pretty sure that she was, I think it can work out but I need to say just the right things to spare her feelings as best I can.  I have to make sure that she'll want to stay my friend.

I mean, what Ladybug and I had wasn't a spur-of-the-moment thing. She'd told me that she'd wanted that for a very long time, and...

...

...Wait.

...WAIT a minute, now.

A voice in his mind chose that moment to echo in his ears, clear as a church bell ringing on a Sunday morning. It was a soft whisper in his ear on a dark and stormy night, at a moment where he was running on full emotional overload, adrenaline pumping through his body... but he'd heard it. He knew that he had.

"The boy that I'd had my heart set on? It's you. It... always was," Ladybug had whispered to him.

Did she realize that she'd said that to him? What it implied?

Think about that. Think HARD, his subconscious whispered, insistently.

He flashed back to their first heart-to-heart talk, that night in the park...

"There is someone that I'm crazy about, yes," Ladybug had said, looking nervous. "Someone I know with my mask off. And maybe someday that'll work out like I hope it will."

With her mask off.

Do the math, already. You're right on the edge, he thought, more nervous by the second.

Now that day in the school bathroom...

"He is... we've been getting closer, very gradually. We're definitely friends," Ladybug had said of her crush.

Adrien sat straight up in bed, with a loud gasp escaping his lips.

It's not possible. It just can't be.

HOW?!

He stood up, not even thinking about what he was doing. He had other things on his mind right then.

Ladybug knows me as _her true self_. She's a friend of mine. She's wanted to know me, to date me, for a very long time. Her words, not mine.

Much like someone else I know, a dear friend of mine with dark pigtails and blue eyes, who had been crushing on me all year and was just as worried about me when I was at my lowest.

I don't have a lot of friends my own age. So there are only so many people that she could be.

There's only _one_ person that she could be.

Marinette had fallen for me... and so had Ladybug.

Ladybug wanted to date me... just like Marinette did.

And now...

The dreams that he'd been having floated before his mind's eye... Marinette and Ladybug, shifting back and forth, as if... as if...

...IS she?

Plagg flew back into Adrien's room at high speed, ready to complain about the bug-infested basement... but he stopped on a dime. Adrien had a look on his face that was unmistakably not normal for him, as if reality had just whacked him upside the head with a frying pan.

"...You okay, kid?" he asked Adrien, cautiously.

"I don't know," Adrien replied. "I just... I just had a moment where a lot of things... they all added up."

"Okay..." Plagg said, looking confused. "So what does that mean? What do you think that you... Adrien?"

He watched as Adrien padded across the floor of his room to his computer and called up a web browser.

"I should have known, Plagg. I don't think two different people on this planet could both be that caring and selfless and lovable," Adrien mumbled. "The scent of cinnamon when they were close to me. The way that they've both been watching over me, so much longer than I'd realized. The way that I've been so drawn to both of them. The things that they both said to me. Those kisses tonight. It's all... so familiar now..."

Uh-oh, thought Plagg. I think we have a problem.

Adrien's fingers worked the keyboard and mouse, and two images appeared. The left one was from Marinette's Instagram page, a selfie that she'd taken some time in the fall. The right one was a news photo from the LadyBlog, showing Ladybug smiling for the camera.

He gave Plagg a meaningful look, daring Plagg to comment; Plagg chose to say nothing out loud.

"All this time, Plagg. I've been searching for my lady all this time," Adrien half-whispered. He opened up a photo-editing program and copied the two pictures into it, side-by-side.

"Adrien?" Plagg said, very quietly. "Listen to me. Think about what it is that you're about to do. You can't un-see certain things."

Plagg watched as Adrien isolated Ladybug's mask on the news photo, then dragged it across and copied it over Marinette's eyes on the left.

"I've been the biggest idiot on Earth, Plagg," mumbled Adrien, in a shaky voice. "Because all this time... right under my nose... I couldn't see what should've been obvious..."

Plagg saw Adrien's fingers shake as the click-and-drag continued, this time from the neck down, bringing the top of Ladybug's costume across.

He sighed, preparing himself for what would come next, as Adrien compared two nearly identical pictures of Ladybug on his screen...

...and as Adrien slumped down onto his keyboard, collapsing in a trembling heap.

Next time:

* A wish that wishes didn't exist.

* "You have to stay positive. You don't have that option any more."

* "She is not the problem here. She never was, in any way."

* All roads lead to one destination... if the GPS is accurate.

* "You're not... wait. Who the heck ARE you?"

* "I'm... trying to make sense of this. That may not be possible."

* What's the record for the most secrets blown to shreds in thirty seconds?

* A scared kitten, found on a doorstep, needing shelter.

Chapter Text

Plagg watched his young charge from about a meter away, slumped over his computer keyboard, breathing heavily.

Well, Adrien's frontal lobe has stopped working, he thought. That's no surprise with what he just figured out.

He turned in circles, watching all corners of the room for approaching Akumas, and was relieved to see none fluttering Adrien's way. Hawkmoth's not a machine, Plagg reasoned; he's not scanning Paris 24/7. Otherwise, we might be in a whole lot of trouble right now.

I mean, we _are_ in trouble now... it's just a matter of how much it's fixable.

Let's see what kind of steel the kid has in him.

Tactfully, he gave Adrien a couple of minutes to recover before approaching him. "...Adrien?" he asked, in a quiet voice.

The blonde head raised itself up slightly. "...yeah, Plagg, I'm here," Adrien mumbled.

"Are you... um... holding it together? Grunt twice for yes. We need to talk about this, once you're able."

Adrien turned his head and looked at Plagg, a little woozily. "I can talk. I'm not sure that I can move... but I can talk," he managed.

Plagg studied Adrien for a moment, then asked, "Do you need a change of underwear? I can go fetch you one."

"I do not... thank you very much," he half-smiled, "though I think I understand why you would joke about that right now."

"Who's joking?" asked Plagg, with a straight face.

Adrien cleared his screen of his handiwork, lest someone walk in and wonder why he'd been studying two pictures of Ladybug at two in the morning in his underwear, and stumbled back over to his bed. He sat up, cross-legged, knowing that the bed wouldn't be used for sleep any time soon.

"Okay, let's get through the basic stuff first. This is not my first time having to do this," Plagg noted. "Yes, I knew. Yes, I knew a long time ago. No, I couldn't have just told you, ever. Kwamis have mystic safeguards built into them; like, I can't say your name to any Kwami other than Tikki."

"You can't?" wondered Adrien, snapping out of his state of shock slightly. "What happens if you try?"

"Bubbles come out of my mouth instead. I shouldn't even be able to talk about you with Tikki, but, well, she and I are the most powerful, we can bend the rules of the spell a little," laughed Plagg. "But if I'd just come out and said 'Marinette is Ladybug' to you before you knew it yourself, magical backlash would've turned me into a Funko Pop. At best. I might've spent a century or two as Master Fu's toilet paper dispenser. I couldn't tell you, ever, until you found it out on your own."

To Adrien's wide-eyed stare, he added, "I mean, I hinted at it a few hundred times... as best I could, anyway. But you had to see her truth for yourself."

"So, it is true... I'm not crazy... Wow! This changes... this changes everything..." Adrien stammered, clasping his head in his hands. "What am I going to... wow!"

"Uh-huh; everything. And we need to talk about this now before you see her again in either form. You need a clear head and a game plan, Adrien, or everything you've worked for could go boom," Plagg declared. "So much depends on what you do next."

Adrien stared at him for a moment. "This is as serious as I've ever seen you, Plagg..." he said.

"I have to be. And you have to be strong for me, Adrien! You can't collapse on me now; you have to stay positive. You don't have that option any more," insisted Plagg. "So let's talk this through, okay? Man-to-Kwami. Get a cold drink or something if you need to before we start."

"I'm as good as I'm going to get right now," Adrien replied, gathering his willpower. "Let's do this."

"Okay," Plagg began. "Right off the bat, tell me how you're feeling. Gut reaction. What thoughts are in your head right now?"

"I am... my brain is going in a lot of directions," Adrien managed. "Like, I'm replaying a hundred different memories all at once. Things Ladybug said months ago, conversations with Marinette on her balcony, things from school, times that she disappeared when an Akuma showed up... Plagg, I don't know how I didn't realize things sooner! She was right there next to me the whole time, and I didn't... How dumb can one person be?"

"You're not dumb, Adrien. Remember what I said to you the day of Clara Nightingale's video shoot? People are blind. Well, you're a people too," said Plagg, at least somewhat reassuringly. "Marinette did a good job of covering her own tracks all that time, just like you did. You had a feeling deep down, whether you could say it out loud or not; you even called her your 'everyday Ladybug' at the picnic, and got a kiss for saying it, right? She was special to you all along."

Adrien took that in as Plagg continued. "Now, the thing is, you had spots in your eyes until that day in the library, when Marinette pulled you aside to ask how she could help with your problems. After she yoinked that Akuma away from your face, she was so worried about you; she watched you like a hawk as herself AND as Ladybug. Good thing, too, 'cause you needed it! But that made you look at Marinette differently, and things went from there, and here you are now."

"Yeah..." Adrien agreed. "It's like... not knowing helped me fall in love with her the right way. With the girl, not the idea." He thought for a moment, then added, "Okay, Plagg; now I know her big secret. Do you know if she knows mine?"

"Not that I know of," Plagg said. "Tikki and I talk about you two fairly often, and she's never brought that up. Tikki knows, of course, but Marinette doesn't." To Adrien's questioning glance, he added, "Kwamis can fly through walls, remember? She'll sneak over into your messenger bag at school sometimes, or we'll duck down through the floor if we need more privacy than that. It's convenient that you two are side-by-side several days a week."

Adrien's face went a bit dreamy. Ladybug sits behind me in my literature class. That's a thing that's actually happening. That's real!

The sweetest girl I know who isn't Ladybug, the girl I've fallen for so hard, who reminds me so much of Ladybug... _really is_ Ladybug.

I've wondered about the girl behind the mask for months, dying to know more about her. Turns out that I already know what color shoes she wears, who her favorite rock star is, how she spends her spare time, what she dreams about, how she kisses... how she kisses _without_ her mask... how she...

"Ahem," Plagg coughed. "Are we focusing here?"

"Y-yeah, I'm here, Plagg. I'm just thinking through a lot of aspects of this," Adrien replied, nervously. "Now that I know, should I tell her my secret?" asked Adrien. "That I'm Chat Noir?"

Plagg fell silent.

"Think long and hard before you do that, Adrien," Plagg finally replied. "That has very, very big implications, both as your partner and as your girlfriend."

Adrien considered the possibilities. "Well, it could be so much easier on both of us if we knew each other's identities. We could cover for each other when we have to escape and transform, for instance..."

"More basic than that," insisted Plagg. "This is why we're talking before you talk with her. Either of her. What did she tell you that night in the park, when she told you how she really feels about Chat Noir?"

All at once, Adrien turned pale. "That... she could never date Chat Noir as long as she's Ladybug," he muttered. "That it's impossible, because of all the secret identity implications. She's terrified of what that could lead to if an Akuma got its hooks into one of us."

Oh, _crap_. Marinette and I just got started... are we doomed _already?_

"And she might be right," Plagg said. "Avoiding knowing is more of a judgment call than an absolute rule; knowing has happened in the past. And sometimes it's gone well for a while; we've even had married couples. But sometimes it's gone really, really badly. She's right to be worried about what might happen, because I could tell you stories that would curl your spine about bad breakups, the end of partnerships, Guardians having to take a Miraculous back..."

"Yeah. I don't know that I can change her mind about that, especially after all the times I've thrown myself at her as Chat and been shot down. Maybe I don't want her thinking that her new boyfriend can act like Chat does sometimes..." worried Adrien.

"Don't go too far with that thinking, now. Ladybug thinks that Chat Noir is wonderful. Just not dating material, for two reasons. One is the Miraculous; the other is that you exist," Plagg reassured him.

"...That's comforting, I think," Adrien smiled, then returned to a sober expression. "But now she is dating Chat Noir and she doesn't know it. That just doesn't feel right to me, with as much as that concept worries her."

"You were dating Ladybug and you didn't know it, right?" argued Plagg. "I mean, you were almost dating Ladybug openly, and then you did get serious with Marinette, and she didn't tell you, 'Oh, by the way...'"

"That's true," mused Adrien. "At least she hasn't yet."

"Look. When Ladybug was flirting with you, you had the same situation going on," Plagg continued. "And you worried about it then, too. 'Ladybug's dating Chat and that's lying to her!' And her big worry was that if she got Akumatized, she'd have knowledge that she shouldn't. Well, she doesn't have that knowledge yet. You do - so like I said, you have to be extra-careful from now on, because you can't get Akumatized knowing what you know, that'd give away both your identities - and you'll have to decide whether or not to make her vulnerable like that. For now, that's in your control. Like you told Marinette, just knowing is a huge responsibility."

"And when I hinted at telling Marinette, she wanted no part of that," said Adrien, working through the logic. "And now I know why she was so opposed to that, and why she kept her two dating lives with me separate... and it makes even more sense." He looked somewhat wistful, adding, "I wish... I wish she didn't feel so adamant that she can never date Chat Noir, but I have to respect those wishes. As a friend, as a girlfriend, as a partner, as a person. I'll have to keep my own two lives as separate as I can... which isn't anything new for me."

"But..." he continued, his face becoming troubled again. "She doesn't know that I know hers. Even if I keep my own secret hidden, should I tell her that?"

Plagg wiped his tiny brow. "That... is actually a very good question," he replied, "and there are a couple of ways to think about that. First off, how much do you want to?"

"I hate the idea of hiding anything from her. As Marinette or as Ladybug. I mean, I have one thing that I have to hide - we just went over that - and I think I'm okay with that for everyone's own good," Adrien worried. "Beyond that? Marinette hates lies and liars so much. And lying by omission kind of counts."

"It does. But it's also something that she really wants to stay hidden. She was flirting with you as Marinette and flirting with you as Ladybug and she didn't tell you then, did she?" replied Plagg.

"That's right, she didn't..." Adrien said, and his face lit up with realizations.

So all that time, I was sweating it out because I thought one or the other would get hurt, he thought, and if she'd just _told_ me at some point, things could've been so much easier...

No, I can't think like that. This _is_ Ladybug we're talking about. She _couldn't_ tell me. But she came closer to telling me than she has with anyone else - even Chat Noir. And I'm very glad that I had the chance to get closer to Marinette _without_ knowing her secret. In the end, that's the 'side' of her that I fell for the hardest!

"She really was flirting with me both ways! And all the while, Marinette kept saying, 'if you end up with Ladybug, I'm okay with that,' and Ladybug said the same thing about Marinette..." he said. "And I found that so hard to comprehend, because I could see the longing in both sets of eyes... but now!"

"Uh-huh. She did it again," Plagg grinned. "She wanted to be close to you both ways, because you were each getting so much out of both of your relationships, but she wanted you to pick the side of her that you felt more romantic about."

"More worried about my feelings than her own..." Adrien smiled, becoming a bit choked up again. "That's my Marinette."

"She has been yours for a very long time," said Plagg, gently. "Yours for the asking, anyway. Now, at least you know that, and it's mutual. So you can go a couple of ways here... You could tell her, as gently as you can, that you figured it out; I'm not going to tell you how she'll react to that, because I really don't know. I don't think that she'd break things off with you because of that, if that's a worry, but she might have some major panic over that."

"I could see her eyes bugging out of her head," agreed Adrien. "I do remember her saying that I was the kind of guy she wished she could share those things with, that day on my couch. I could be giving her that opportunity to let me be that special someone, and I kind of think that I am her special someone now. Or... I could just freak her out by saying it and cause a bunch of problems."

"You two have been an official couple for what, a few hours now? That's a lot to drop on her on your second day. Just saying," Plagg ventured. "And that brings up option two: don't tell her that you know. And I agree with you that it might not feel right to you in some ways, but it's also keeping things the way that she seems to want them."

"Not entirely, is it?" Adrien retorted. "She wants nobody but the Kwamis and Master Fu to know that she's Ladybug. And that's not true any more." He paused, adding, "Oh, man. What is Master Fu going to say?"

"Fu? That, you'll have to ask him. As far as Marinette knows, it is still true. And if you keep her secret like a good boyfriend would, and tell nobody - not her, not Nino, not your father, not the guy who sells ice cream on the bridge with all the locks on it - the effect is the same."

"Hmmm." Adrien looked less than completely convinced.

"Okay, then, option three: wait and see for now. You mailed Ladybug asking to meet with her, right? Maybe she'll tell you then. Maybe she'll hint about it. Maybe she'll keep it as secret as she can. Follow her lead and see what she does. You can always tell her in a few days, a week, a month if you find yourself needing to do that."

"...That's possible," Adrien conceded. "I can go that way for now. I'd rather do what's best for her, and she knows what that is better than I do."

Though I think I do know what I _have to do_ eventually, he thought with a grimace. But it's not something that Plagg can know yet.

"All right. Now, you just found out the biggest secret in all of Paris. You're going to get up in the morning and do what?" asked Plagg, still looking anxious.

"I'm going to go over to Marinette's house and walk her to school, obviously," Adrien said.

"You left out the 'take ten steps from the front door and neck like crazed weasels in mating season' part, but maybe that was just assumed."

"Do weasels even have a mating season?" wondered Adrien.

"That's beside the point. What's your plan?" insisted Plagg.

"Well," he replied with a grin, "I'm going to go where I want to be more than anywhere else in the world; next to Marinette. The weasels thing may well happen, but that's just a guess on my part. We're going to school, we'll watch everyone but Chloé congratulate us, I'll talk Chloé down off the ledge, and I'll hope that Ladybug replies soon so that we can meet. Now, um... what I'll have to say to Ladybug when I do meet her, I think that one click-and-drag over there just sent that script right out the window... but I'll think on that before it happens."

"And after that?"

"I'm still figuring that out. My whole world just got rocked, like, ten minutes ago, so I'm improvising. But what I won't do," Adrien said, "is freak out about Ladybug and get myself or anyone else Akumatized, or throw it right in Marinette's face that I know and make things weird."

"And why are you not going to freak out?" asked Plagg, looking a bit happier.

"Because what I just learned might change my entire life... but it doesn't change her. She is not the problem here. She never was, in any way." Adrien stood up and gave Plagg a determined look, his voice steady. "I'm going to do what I do every time I see her as Chat Noir, and what I should've been doing every day as Adrien."

"I'm going to fall for her all over again," he smiled.

Morning came soon after, as it typically did, and this one brought with it an excited and particularly determined young man as soon as sunlight touched his windows.

"Aaargh," grumbled Plagg, roused by Adrien's sound and movement. "You do know that school starts at the same time as always, right?"

"Uh-huh," Adrien replied. "But I want to make sure everything goes just right today."

"Hmmph. Did you get any sleep last night?" asked Plagg.

"Some, I promise."

Adrien smiled to himself at that, then appeared deeply lost in thought.

That's not a lie, I did... eventually. I had some heavy thinking to do, though, and I think I know what my game plan is.

Paris needs its Ladybug... and Ladybug needs her Chat Noir.  She protects us all and Chat protects her.  That hasn't changed.

Marinette, in or out of costume, can't date Chat Noir. And I'm Chat Noir. But she loves me... and I love her. THAT'S not going to change, either.

So how do I reconcile all of that?

If I tell Marinette that I'm Chat Noir, or if she finds out on her own, that's it; it's over. Unless she has a dramatic change of heart, but I doubt that very much. Her sense of responsibility is _so_ strong. Maybe we can still be friends - I sure hope so! - but it'd break both our hearts to do that after we finally found each other like this.

If I don't tell her that I'm Chat Noir, and our relationship progresses, but _then_ she finds out about my Miraculous... same deal, plus she could be really angry that I was hiding it from her. I mean, she would've been hiding her secret from ME, too, so it's not like she'd have too much room to talk... and she might get _why_ I kept it secret... but it's hard to see that ending too well, either.

If we both keep our secrets safe and just keep things like they are now, that could go well indefinitely. Or... one of us could slip up at any time, and then we're dealing with it all at once instead of in a controlled time and place.

It's a risk, but at least in the short term, it gives us both what we want...

But Plagg is right. I can't un-see what I saw or forget what I now know. The can is open; the worms can't go back in, and I'll accept those consequences. And, sooner or later, one of us _will_ slip. Or something will happen to expose what I know or who I am, and then we go for a ride in a way that wouldn't happen if I hadn't figured this out.

He cringed, weighing some conflicting emotions. But it's not just _my_ fault! I mean, I figured it out, but only because of what she'd told me...

I wasn't poking and prodding at her to learn everything I could about her. I have _wanted_ to do that once in a while, but I've held back from that. I've been on the other side of a door as her transformation ran out... and I left the door closed.  She's been vulnerable around me so many times...

...and in this last month or so, more than ever.

She's shared her real self with me, a little at a time. She didn't have to do that. She did that to help _me_ when I was in need. In costume and out.

And that's a trust that I can never betray, even if I wanted to. ESPECIALLY now.

So what does this all add up to?

"Are you okay, Adrien?" Plagg asked, warily. "You look troubled."

"I'm good, Plagg. I'm just thinking something out."

I _know_ what it all adds up to. All roads are leading me to the same place. If I want Maribug in my life - hah! I just thought of that, that's so cute!

Concentrate, Adrien. So much depends on how you handle this.

She would sacrifice anything for you. Not just for you - for anyone who needs Ladybug OR Marinette - but _especially_ for you. So you need to be just as committed to her happiness, her safety, her needs...

...or you don't deserve her.

Adrien took a deep breath. "I think I smell quiche down there, Plagg. Is that cheesy enough for your oh-so-refined palate?"

"I'm willing to try it if you are," the Kwami intoned. "I don't know what that is, but if cheese is involved, I'm game." He floated around the room, sniffing the air, as Adrien gathered some things into his messenger bag. "You ready for today, Adrien?"

"If I'll be with Marinette? Always," smiled Adrien, as Plagg zipped into Adrien's shirt pocket.

No matter what.

Adrien stepped into the main dining room for breakfast, and was only mildly surprised to find someone there waiting for him. This is starting to become habitual, he thought.

"Hello, Father," Adrien greeted him, pulling up a chair across from where Gabriel was finishing up a plate of eggs benedict and fruit.

"Ah, hello, Adrien!" replied Gabriel, with a pleasant expression. "I understand that congratulations are in order! I wanted to be sure and deliver them personally."

"Thank you," replied Adrien, gracefully. "You spoke with Nathalie, I presume?"

"Indeed. The word 'girlfriend' was used, approvingly. She expressed mild surprise at the speed of your decision, but none at all at whom you chose," Gabriel grinned. "She has mentioned to me, more than once, that you might be the only one unaware of the depths of your feelings for young Marinette. I congratulate you on reaching a fuller awareness."

"Th-thank you again, I think," smiled Adrien, looking slightly uneasy. "An interesting perspective. Was it really that obvious?" he wondered. "I feel like a bit of a fool, having slept right through her interest in me for so long."

"These things can happen. I was not the smoothest with your mother for quite some time, I will admit," handwaved Gabriel. "Regardless, I look forward to meeting your young lady properly. Tomorrow night, correct?"

"Correct," said Adrien.

"Do you have any special requests for the evening? A particular entree, music, activities?" his father asked. "Speak and I shall provide."

"No, no, nothing dramatic," Adrien assured him. "Last night was a quiet family supper together, and I thought that was a perfect way to get to know her family better. Her parents are just so nice! I'd like something like that here, if we can. I can guarantee that wealth doesn't impress Marinette, so I don't want to try to overwhelm her with excess."

"Understood, and agreed. But, still, could you find out any preferences of hers that you can today? Michel can fine-tune the menu accordingly. We will save culinary fireworks for another time, but I would not want to, for example, present a three-course seafood ensemble and discover that she does not care for that cuisine, or that she is allergic to shellfish."

"That does make sense. I'll be sure to ask her," smiled Adrien. "And speaking of food, you simply must try one of the tartlets I brought back before the Gorilla eats them all! They were absolutely amazing."

"I will make a point of that! Their Boulangerie's reputation is well-deserved. By the way... have you spoken with your scarlet lady friend yet?" inquired Gabriel.

"Scarlet lady?" Adrien replied. "I... wouldn't call her that; I'm not sure why, but for some reason that name just doesn't seem to fit the Ladybug that I know. And, no, I haven't had time to... though I am making arrangements. She is most definitely someone with whom I'll want to stay close, so I'll choose my words carefully."

To his father's questioning glance, he continued, "I don't care what Nathalie said; she may well have been right about Marinette and I, but it was still not an easy decision."

"I would imagine not," Gabriel replied, "and yet it is one that you made fairly quickly. Color me intrigued. What tipped the balance, if I may ask?"

"You may," Adrien said, scrambling for the right words. "It wasn't anything that Ladybug did wrong, believe me; she is an absolute sweetheart and she'll always be special to me. Both of them were adamant that this wasn't a catfight waiting to happen; each insisted that I give the other a fair chance."

"Oh?" Gabriel asked, an eyebrow raising. "Do they know each other personally?"

Adrien did his best not to turn purple, given his recent revelation. "You... might say that," he managed. "Like I said before, out of costume I have no idea whom Ladybug knows and whom she doesn't. I know that they've crossed paths a few times, in the wake of one Akuma or another, and they're at least sociably friendly."

"I see," said his father, taking mental notes.

"So I suppose that some of it came down to that I know Marinette much more personally than I know Ladybug. By her very nature, there's a lot about herself that Ladybug simply can't share, as much as she might want to... and that's not her fault, but it makes it tough for her to get close to people. Marinette has been right there by my side all year, growing on me all the while... and Nathalie is right, some of that right under my oblivious nose... and when we had a couple of the right kind of moments together, she was irresistible," smiled Adrien, a little sheepishly. "And I hope that she'll grow on you the same way, Father."

"I imagine that she shall," Gabriel grinned. "But I am holding you up right now, and business beckons. Do tell her that I am passing on a morning 'Hello,' please?" he added, as he stood up from his chair.

I imagine that we will be seeing quite a bit of Marinette in the near future, he thought, as he exited the room. Particularly during a certain ritual, if I play my cards just right, and the winning combination I shall play is nearly complete.

On the way to school, Adrien signaled the Gorilla as they passed through one of the shopping districts.

"Can you pull over for just a second?" Adrien asked. "I promise that I won't be long, I just need to pick up a little something for someone. You know."

He pointed towards a roadside stand. As the Gorilla's gaze followed in that direction, his look of mild annoyance shifted to a satisfied smile, and he flicked on his turn signal.

As Adrien hopped out of the car, the Gorilla grunted lightly towards him and tapped his own left wrist, pointedly.

"I know, I know, this time you do mean 'we're going to be late.' I'll be fast," Adrien assured him.

He was true to his word; within a minute, Adrien was back in the car with purchase in hand, and the Gorilla swerved back into morning traffic.

Tom kept an eye on the front door of the bakery as he greeted and helped his morning customers. As he expected, his daughter's favorite customer by far was right on time.

"Good morning, Mr. Dupain," called Adrien as he entered.

"Good morning, Adrien. And it's Tom," he smiled back. "Having a good morning?"

"So far. Traffic wasn't too bad coming over," Adrien replied.

"A little bird told me that you had a very good evening, as well," Tom grinned.

Adrien blushed, but held his ground. "I can't remember ever having a better one," he said, "and not just how it ended, either. I haven't felt like... at my house, we don't exactly have a lot of what I'd call 'family time.' You and Mrs. Cheng went out of your way to make me feel completely welcome in your home, and that meant quite a lot to me."

"Good! That was our intent," replied Tom. "I'm a pretty good judge of character, I think, and Sabine even more so. Just watching the two of you together, well... we have no doubt that you're sincere about each other, and that Marinette will be in very good hands when she's with you."

"I will always do my best..." began Adrien.

"Just not too much with those hands," Tom grinned, slyly.

Now Adrien was crimson. "I, um... promise, Sir," he stammered. "On that kind of subject, are there any house rules for visitation that I should be aware of? I don't want to overstep."

"Oh, I don't think so, not yet... son, the look on your face right now!" laughed Tom. "You have to understand, I've been waiting for fourteen years to play Protective Dad like this with her first gentleman caller. Relax, please!" He watched Adrien regain some amount of poise and added, "Rule one is the only rule for now; be smart. You're both smart enough to have an idea of what's appropriate and what isn't. We won't hover over you two unless it turns out that we need to. Deal?"

"Deal, Mr. Du... Tom," Adrien replied, watching Tom's smile widen as Adrien lessened his formality.

Sabine ducked her head through the kitchen door at that moment, waving at Adrien, who waved back. "Oh, hello, Adrien! Congratulations! Marinette should be down in just a minute," she called, and then darted back inside, tending to the ovens.

"So... what do you two have in mind for tomorrow evening?" Tom asked, pleasantly.

"Something pretty similar to last night," said Adrien. "I can't wait for my father to meet Marinette properly, especially since I'm hoping that he'll be seeing quite a lot of her around the house. I've told him quite a bit about her already, including her design skills... though he knew about those already, after I wore her derby hat on the runway."

"I'm sure that she'll appreciate that. Agreste always was one of the design houses she'd had in mind to try out for, once she reached that age..." began Tom, then trailed off with a smile as he watched Adrien's attention jump abruptly to the stairwell. "But we can talk about that another time," he added, lightly.

Light footsteps on the stairs seized Adrien's brain cells without even trying, despite his best efforts to remain a polite conversationalist.

His eyes locked onto the stairwell, his mind's eye imagining each element as it arrived...

Light pink ballet flats. Pretty calves and ankles next to them. I'd know them anywhere. Have I ever complimented her ankles before? Maybe I should.

Pink capris, with a white rolled-up cuff at the bottom of each leg. Does she roll them up herself or are they sewn like that? I'll have to peek, I'm not entirely sure.

A white blouse, with a pink floral design on it. A dark blazer, also rolled up at the sleeves, with pink polka dots on white as the lining. A smart choice; the dark color gives her a bit of contrast.

So far, I'm right on everything, he grinned, as Marinette's figure began to emerge in the stairwell.

A pair of pigtails, her hair as dark as midnight.

Those cute little freckles across her nose. It took me a while to notice those, but once I did, I couldn't forget them.

Just a touch of eyeliner. Dark earrings - HEY! I'll bet... of course! Just like my ring disguises itself. She's been wearing her Miraculous to class every day and no one was the wiser!

Look at me, Mr. Observant. I'd memorized every detail about Marinette's favorite look and even I'd never caught on to that before. Though that's kind of the point of the magical disguise, isn't it?

And those eyes... those amazing bluebell eyes... maybe the most expressive, emotional eyes I've ever seen... even when there is a mask around them, he smiled. Eyes that shine like a morning sunrise when she's happy. Eyes deep enough for me to gaze into for hours and never reach the bottom.

...And there they are.

As Marinette cleared the last step, she stood frozen in place, her gaze locked onto Adrien's, a radiant smile on her face...

...and all at once, she was running towards him, unaware of anyone or anything else around her. Adrien scooped her up in his arms as she reached him, her giggle filling the air as he lifted her slightly, rotating her around him, then lowering her back to a standing position, forehead-to-forehead, huge grins on both faces.

"Good morning to you, too," Tom quipped from behind one of the counters.

An embarrassed laugh burst out of Marinette, but she was too happy in the moment to care very much about dignity. "Good morning, Daddy," she beamed, giving Adrien a light hold that pose tap on the end of his nose, then walking over to her father and hugging him as well.

"We, uh, kind of made things official over the phone last night..." explained Marinette.

"Not on our front step?" grinned Tom.

"Okay, we said the words out loud over the phone," glowed Marinette, with Uh-huh, he saw that last night running through her brain. "So this is our first time together as boyfriend and girlfriend and I'm just a little excited."

"And you should be," smiled Sabine, emerging from the kitchen. "Now, we're not going to get a phone call from your school today, are we? Complaining that you're each due in different classrooms but your hands refuse to let go?"

"I'm pretty sure that we can manage, Mrs. Cheng," Adrien replied. "I like to think that we'll have a very long time for that kind of closeness. We don't have to use it all up on the first day." Reaching into his messenger bag, he added, "But since it is our first day officially together..."

Marinette's eyes widened as she watched Adrien retrieve a pair of red roses, extending them towards her, and her toes curled inside her shoes when he smiled, "For you, Marinette."

A quiet "...Well played!" from Tom was barely heard over Marinette's happy gasp.

Sabine looked on with approval as Marinette stepped forward towards Adrien. "Oh... you didn't have to," she managed as she took them from his outstretched hand.

"Of course I did," Adrien beamed, which earned him a kiss on the cheek.

"That's very sweet of you, Adrien. Is there any special reason for two?" asked Sabine.

One for each Marinette that I'm in love with? Adrien grinned to himself, but kept that particular thought to himself.

"It just seemed... right. I didn't know if she'd want to take them to school with her or not, so I didn't want to give her a double armful if she did," he replied.

"There you go, Marinette," agreed Sabine. "He's cute and he's practical!"

"Two is wonderful, Adrien," purred Marinette. "How about this... is there a little vase or something nearby, Mom?"

"Actually, there is a little one in the office," Sabine noted. "Let me go get some water into it..."

When her mother returned with a small vase, Marinette smiled, "Let's do it this way. I'll put one of them in here, for safekeeping," then tucked the other one into her purse with the petals sticking out. "And one right here so that I can show it off today," she giggled.

"Sounds like a plan," her mother said. "I'll put this one up in your room. You two are watching your time, right?"

"We are. Are you ready to head over, Adrien?" asked Marinette, and at his nod she tucked her arm into his. "Have a good day!" she called to her parents, "I'll see you both after school."

"See you then!" Sabine waved.

"Have fun! And don't cause too many scandals before lunch!" called Tom, grinning at the dirty look that brought from his wife.

As they exited the bakery, Adrien stole a glance at his girlfriend, and felt tingly inside at the heartfelt smile on her pretty face.

You are the luckiest boy on Earth, you know that, right? he told himself. The most amazing girl _ever_ fell for you. Someone whom you are gloriously unworthy of, but thank goodness, she disagrees.

She is so happy right now. It's _radiating_ off of her. And you're responsible for that, because you finally fell in love with the side of her that she wanted you to see all along.

This is a part of her that Chat Noir can't protect. Chat Noir can't make her this happy. Only Adrien can.

Is there even any doubt that-

"C'mere, you," interrupted Marinette, tugging at Adrien's arm about twenty steps down the sidewalk from the bakery.

"Hmmm?" smiled Adrien.

"We're still going to handle this at school the way that we'd talked about, right? Slow and simple and have some fun waiting to see who notices, right?" Marinette asked him.

"I'm up for that if you are," he replied. "Less chance of disrupting the whole class, plus we get to see the looks on their faces."

"Then I guess I'd better thank you for my roses now, before we get there," she whispered, huskily.

A minute or so later, the happy couple surfaced for air.

"Mmmmm," breathed Marinette. "I could get used to this."

"Same here," Adrien grinned. "Do you think we've got that out of our system just now, before we go over there?"

Marinette's eyes gleamed.

"No, we haven't."

"We... are going... to be late... for school," mumbled Adrien, as well as he was able to.

"Oh, well," smirked Marinette, catching her breath. "They're... kind of used to... me doing that."

"Not for this... reason," Adrien smiled.

"That's... true," she argued, giggling, "So at least... this'll be a... new excuse."

"But I do need a little time to do that one thing we'd talked about..." breathed Adrien, pulling very slightly back through a massive exercise of will. "And maybe save us both some headaches later on?" He centered his eyes on hers with a very intense smile. "There will be plenty more of this when we're ready."

Marinette leaned forwards...

"And when we're not going to be late for class," he grinned, leaning slightly further back. "I promise you that."

"Can you blame me?" Marinette smiled, blushing a little. "I've only been wanting this since the second day I knew you, Adrien."

"The second?" Adrien said, his eyes widening. "Really?"

"Well... you have to admit that we got off on the wrong foot on the first day..."

"No, I meant... it was that soon?" Adrien sat down on a nearby bench for a moment, and Marinette followed. "I knew that you were someone I wanted to know better as soon as I met you, Marinette... and I felt like such a heel when you thought that I'd gummed your seat... but was I really that oblivious?" he asked, with apology pouring out of his voice.

"It's okay, Adrien. We barely knew each other then," she assured him. "But this handsome boy that I'd totally misjudged opened up to me on the school steps, when he could've just written me off... and then he gave me his umbrella in the rain, and my heart just went THUMP."

"...Adrien?" she added, looking concerned.

"How can I not have been absolutely devoted to you all this time?" Adrien asked, with a gentle smile.

"Well, I guess I don't know," Marinette grinned, "But I can't wait to see how you're going to make it up to me..."

Marinette and Adrien walked through the front door of the school, hand-in-hand as before, with a red rose poking out of the front of Marinette's purse. They greeted friends as they passed them, most of whom appeared quite happy to see them but didn't register anything dramatically out of the ordinary right away.

As they approached the door to Ms. Bustier's class, the last few other stragglers were filing in. Alya waved to Marinette from the doorway... then her eyes went gigantic at the sight of the flower. She looked up at Marinette, who gave her a smile and nod; Nino's arm reached back and pulled her inside.

The only two left outside were Chloé and Sabrina. Chloé interrupted her incredibly important conversation with Sabrina to raise an eyebrow at their approach. "Well!" she smiled, turning it into a sneer. "So how did the big pity date go?"

"As a matter of fact, Chloé... it went incredibly well," Adrien replied, with a guileless smile in return. "Wouldn't you say so, Marinette?"

"I would! Incredibly well," she grinned, trying not to cackle directly at Chloé. She snuck a glance down at her purse, Chloé following her gaze, and she had the immense personal satisfaction of watching Chloé's jaw drop.

"The way we planned this?" whispered Adrien.

"Yep," Marinette whispered back. With that, she leaned in and planted a quick kiss on his lips, then gestured to Sabrina. "You and I might want to go inside right about now," Marinette smiled at her as she stepped into the classroom.

Wordlessly, Sabrina followed, not sure if an out-loud "thank you" was appropriate.

Inside, Alya watched the door like a hawk. "Something big is going on," she whispered to Nino.

"You think?" Nino said. "Though it probably ought to go on inside rather than out, unless they want to get written up... Here they come."

Alya brightened up as Marinette came through the door... then looked confused as Sabrina, rather than Adrien followed her in. She watched as Marinette walked over to Ms. Bustier and spoke to her quietly. The teacher gave Marinette a look of mild surprise, then nodded and resumed preparing her lesson as Marinette took her seat.

"What was that all about?" whispered Alya, once Marinette had settled in.

"Oh, just letting her know that Adrien will be slightly late today," smiled Marinette.

"And why is that?"

"Because of this," said Marinette, gesturing to the rose in her purse.

"And does that mean what I think it does?" Alya bubbled excitedly, trying in vain to keep her voice down.

"It completely does," grinned Marinette.

"Yes!" cheered Alya, as quietly as she could manage, with a fist-pump. "Oh, wow! Chloé is going to go berserk."

"And that's why they're out there. I told Ms. Bustier that Adrien was taking one for the team and containing the potential explosion outside the classroom," replied Marinette. "She told me, 'Congratulations and thank you, in that order.'"

"Your girlfriend," Chloé said to Adrien, in a voice dripping with ice.

Adrien sat next to Chloé in the hallway, who was looking as if she'd never want to stand up again. "She is," he replied, with a sad smile in Chloé's direction. "And I wanted to talk to you before you cause a scene about it in front of our friends."

"I don't understand any of this, Adrien," said Chloé, ignoring the parts of his statement that she didn't care for. "Why someone like her, of all people? I've been here waiting all this time for you to... well... be interested in dating. I've put myself out there so many times. You had to know that I was interested!"

"It would've been pretty hard to miss, Chloé," replied Adrien. "You're not what I would call subtle when you want something."

"What happened, then?" lamented Chloé. "Why would you pick her and not me? What did I do wrong?"

Adrien shook his head, trying to grasp her mindset. "Chloé... did it ever occur to you that I just don't have feelings for you that way?" he asked her.

"But you have to!"

Chloé's voice was genuinely pained. Adrien took notice, as it was rare that she acted genuinely towards anyone. "And why is that?" he asked her.

"You've always been meant for me. We both know that," she murmured. "Ever since I was a little girl, you've been part of my life. Our parents have worked together, socialized together, brought us together... we're celebrities together. You're the only peer I have."

Adrien let her continue. "So for you to reject me and carry on with that... baker girl..." she said, backpedaling when she saw Adrien frown at the venom in her statement. "Adrien, I can't believe that you're like them. That you, of all people, hate me too."

In the classroom, Alya's excitement and Marinette's happy smile did not go unnoticed. Ms. Bustier delivered her lesson as planned, and the students maintained their focus on it...

...mostly.

An undercurrent of Is that a RED ROSE? and Look at Alya's face, there's something going on! and Where are Adrien and Chloé? subverted the attempted education in progress. Undaunted, Ms. Bustier continued, knowing that Adrien's having taken things outside was what made even a partial lesson possible that morning.

None of them were aware that the most interesting conversation in the room was taking place right under their noses, just out of sight, inside Marinette's purse.

"WE have a PROBLEM."

Plagg's tiny, hissing voice made Tikki open her eyes, with increasing alarm on her part. He's here in Marinette's purse? she wondered. Usually, I have to go over there into Adrien's bag and hit him with something to wake him up. This _must_ be something serious...

"Keep your voice down! We don't want to get caught here," Tikki whispered. "Did you find something in Adrien's house?"

"Actually, yeah, I did! I found a really suspicious-looking hidden elevator, and some kind of secret room that was too dark to see in, and it was full of bugs and we'll want to check that out tomorrow but that's not what's important right now," Plagg insisted. "Come closer."

Tikki edged closer to Plagg, cautiously. "Why? What are you going to-"

"Adrien figured out who Ladybug is."

"Chloé, I don't hate you. You know that. I don't have to be here right now, you know; I could be in class where I'm supposed to be. You're a friend of mine, even though you do make me wonder why sometimes, and I'm not trying to hurt you. I would never want to hurt you," Adrien explained carefully.

"You're rubbing my nose in it. She certainly is," sniffed Chloé.

"With the way that you've treated her over the years, could you blame her if she did?" asked Adrien. "But I want to tell you something. She and I talked about you, and she wanted me to talk with you and make sure that you'd be all right. It was my idea at first, but she agreed with it. Completely."

"Bull!" snapped Chloé. "Why would she want to be nice to me, all of a sudden?"

"Because she knows what it can be like to feel lonely. Just like she knows that I do. And that you do. And that I'm one of the only people you can connect with in any meaningful way."

The words stung Chloé, partly because she sensed some truth to them.

"I'm not lonely," she protested. "I can get all the friends I want, if I want them."

"Can you, really?" asked Adrien, sympathetically. "Sure, if you throw a big party and invite people, they'll come. But how many of them can you really talk to? Or share secrets about yourself with? Or count on to be there for you?  Sabrina's more of your secretary than your friend sometimes, or at least that's how you treat her. You treat a lot of people that way; you look at them in terms of what they can give you or do for you."

Chloé glared at him as he continued. "And that's a shame. Because you already have anything you could possibly want, and you have so much going for you, but you spend so much energy trying to tear others down so that you'll be above them."

"But I'm..." Chloé began, then stopped.

"Go ahead. Say it out loud," insisted Adrien.

"I'm better than them!" Chloé snapped, but didn't look happy saying it. "They know it and I know it."

"You are a lot of things, Chloé. You're rich and powerful. You're a bona fide superheroine sometimes as Queen Bee. You're a surprisingly good dancer. You are proud of who you are and what you're capable of," rattled off Adrien. "More privileged, yes. More talented in some ways, yes. But you're not a better person."

"Why not?" she argued.

"Because you don't try to be?"

Chloé slumped down with her arms crossed, frustrated with the conversation.

"Let me tell you a story, okay?" asked Adrien. "This might sink in, and it might not. But I want you to listen."

Reluctantly, she nodded.

A muffled sound in her purse and a brief rustling motion drew Marinette's attention, but only for a moment, and not enough for her to investigate.

"Mmmmrph!" Tikki cried out, the sound dampened by Plagg's hand over her mouth.

He removed his hand once Tikki regained her composure. "Thank you. I think I needed that just then," Tikki whispered. "What happened? Is he right about who he thinks she is?"

"Mmm-hmmm," Plagg nodded. "Some of the things Ladybug had said to him all came together in his head at once. He played around with some pictures on his computer and lost his mind for a few minutes. I warned him to think before he did it, but he did it."

Tikki sighed, "'It's always been you.' I'd talked with her about that after she'd said that, and we'd hoped that all the kissing right after that had knocked that out of his memory. No such luck, I guess."

"It was that and a couple of other things, back when she was sharing things about herself to cheer him up," explained Plagg. "Don't be too hard on her. Being there for him like that and doing what she did then saved him from a world of hurt."

"And I don't think anything on Earth could've kept her from reaching out to him, any way she could," admitted Tikki. "Once she connected with him like that, this was probably inevitable... but, damn. I was so hoping this wouldn't happen yet, but Master Fu didn't pick Adrien because Adrien wasn't at least a little observant. So, how did he react? What's he planning on doing?"

"He didn't totally freak out. As you noticed, he wasn't banging on Marinette's roof in the middle of the night. Once he got past the immediate shock, it kind of made sense to him. And it should've, right? He's in love with two girls who remind him of each other, it turns out they're one and the same, a lot of things clicked all of a sudden," said Plagg. "I walked him through the logic for a while. He's not going to tell her he's Chat Noir, mostly because he's afraid that if she finds that out, she'll dump him immediately. He'd already sent Ladybug email to meet with her, and he'll take some cues by how she reacts and not just blurt it out that he knows. When he hinted about identities with her as Chat, she noped right out of that, so he's aware that she might not want to know."

"He did seem pretty normal this morning with her. That much is good..." Tikki remembered.

"Oh, he's in love. No doubt about that," Plagg laughed. "He sees her smile and he's helpless. And he'll do whatever it takes to stay that way."

"What do you think that he is going to do?" asked Tikki. "That's some pretty heavy knowledge to just sit on."

"I'm... not sure," said Plagg, scratching his head. "He's really intent on doing right by her, but he's being kind of... vague about it. Like he's got something in mind but he's not talking yet. I mean, he's happy. He's not going to do something that'd blow things up, at least on purpose, but some kind of stupid and enormous gesture in the name of love is in his playbook. If I see one coming I'll try to slow him down and warn you."

Plagg looked thoughtful. "But I'll say one more thing. He's in love with Marinette, and her being Ladybug is a bonus, not the other way around. If you'd told me a month ago that it'd be like that, I wouldn't have believed it."

"Yeah," agreed Tikki. "That's a good omen for the two of them. What's he doing now? I noticed that he's not in here."

"He's out in the hallway, doing damage control, trying to keep Chloé from screeching like a howler monkey."

"Good for him," she smiled. "All right. Thanks for the heads-up; I'll watch Marinette and see if I need to guide her, knowing this. Wow. Dinner tomorrow could get complicated, couldn't it?"

"Yeah. And that's before we go snooping."

Plagg disappeared through the bottom of the bag, ducking down through the floor to return to Adrien. Tikki curled into a little ball, consumed by thought and worry.

Well! This is a delightfully terrifying start to my day, she mused.

I guess that it really was inevitable. And if it came out of Marinette being caring and honest with Adrien, not by accident or from some weird Akuma side-effect, that's a good thing...

...but I'll have to warn Marinette to refill her emergency macaron supply, because I think I'm about to stress-eat her entire stash.

"...I had no idea what I was going to do," Adrien explained. "My home life was a shambles, I felt alienated around here, and I was this close to being Akumatized. Something that I know you know a little bit about," he said. "I was at the end of my rope, even after Ladybug saved me."

"What did you do?" asked Chloé, invested in his story despite herself.

"It's not what I did. It's what Marinette did."

He related how Marinette had reached out to him to find out how she could help, how she had been his confidant, his shoulder to cry on, his emotional anchor in his time of need. The Ladybug-related parts were left out of the saga, of course, but he was open about everything that he could be.

"So you approached her, and she helped. I mean, I could've..." insisted Chloé.

"No, that's not what happened, Chloé. I didn't approach Marinette. She approached me. She had the empathy to see that I was suffering, even though I was hiding it pretty well, and the good heart to want to help that to stop," said Adrien. "She didn't do that because I was rich, or powerful, or popular, or just because I'm cute. She did it because that's what she does. Because she's the kind of person that I hope I can learn to be."

It sank in for Chloé, ever so slightly, though she'd deny that it'd happened if asked. "So that's why I've been replaced?" she asked.

"You haven't been replaced, Chloé. You're still my friend. I don't turn friends on and off like a light switch," Adrien chided her. "You drive me crazy sometimes, but I'm one of the only people who has seen the real Chloé, the vulnerable Chloé underneath. That you do care about people, that you do have a gentle side, whether or not you'd ever admit it. Do you think Ladybug would've picked you as Queen Bee if you were just an irredeemable snot?" he asked. "Of course she wouldn't. She saw good things in you, too. And if you let that good out more often, you'd have a lot more real friends than you do."

Chloé looked like she wanted to cry. "But you'll always have at least one, okay?" Adrien added, and she nodded.

"I'm not sure what to say," Chloé sniffled. "Or where I go from here."

"Here's what I'm asking of you, okay?" Adrien ventured. "You don't have to like that I'm dating Marinette. You don't have to like her, even, though I do wish that you could try! But she's going to be a big part of my life for a very long time, and I want you to continue to be part of my life, too. That means that I need you to be civil around her. Not your best friend or your bosom buddy, but someone that you can at least see with me and accept that she's with me. To get that this is not a contest, because I'll warn you now; if you make it one, and you snipe at her trying to tear her down and put her in what you think her place is, if you try to make it 'it's her or me,' you've already lost."

He leaned in closer to her, and without thinking, she hugged him.

"I'm not going to tell you that it won't sting a little. But I'll tell you something that Ladybug told me about someone that she was interested in, but couldn't get his attention," Adrien whispered.

"Ladybug had someone she couldn't get?" asked Chloé, her eyes wide with astonishment.

"Uh-huh. She told me that we can be anyone, do anything, try anything and we'll never make someone love us. That's not how it works. All we can do is be the best person that we can be, put our best selves out there for others to see, and hope that the ones we admire see that in us." Adrien smiled, remembering how Ladybug had lifted his spirits on that dark day in the school bathroom weeks before. "We love who we love. And sometimes we think we know who we love, but then someone else comes along and before we know it, we're head over heels and wondering why it took so long to realize it."

"Heh... So maybe there's some hope for me after all," Chloé managed.

"Of course there is. With everything else you have going for you, Chloé, if you show off your long-lost sweet side whoever you set your sights on will be helpless," smiled Adrien. "Except for me. I'm taken," he grinned. "But you know what I mean. Your right guy will come along."

Chloé grumbled at the last part, then allowed herself a small smile. "You are the one person who gets me sometimes," she said. "She'd better take very good care of you."

"Of that I have no doubt," said Adrien, looking much happier.

The classroom door opened quietly, and everyone but Ms. Bustier reacted immediately to its movement. The instructor continued writing quietly on the blackboard, choosing to let the situation resolve itself.

Without a word, Adrien and Chloé took their seats. Adrien turned to Marinette briefly and gave her a thumbs-up sign, then turned back to focus on the classwork-in-progress. Marinette watched as Chloé glared at her momentarily, her face then shifting to an expression Marinette couldn't quite place... then as Chloé faced forwards, her face a bit red, doing her best to pretend like everything was perfectly normal. She overheard Chloé mutter "Not now" in response to something that Sabrina asked her, then focused on her teacher once more.

To Marinette's left, Alya wrote on her notepad and nudged it slightly in Marinette's direction:

NO FIREWORKS WITH HER?

As subtly as she could, Marinette jotted down "THAT'S THE IDEA" on her own paper.

Alya scribbled out a little more:

THAT'S NO FUN, IS IT?

"Later," Marinette whispered, with a grin.

Just because a lot of this started in detention doesn't mean I want to go back there, Alya, she giggled to herself.

The morning class ended, and as the group filed out the door, Marinette and Adrien were swiftly the center of attention. At least for all other than Ms. Bustier, who remained at her desk in an effort not to show favoritism but did send a smile their way, and Chloé, who stomped out quickly without a word or glance for anyone, with Sabrina in reluctant pursuit.

The happy couple confirmed their we're-now-a-thing-hood and accepted congratulations from all directions, curtailed by the short amount of time before the next class would begin. Promises to tell more of the story at lunch were made by both, and the students started to dissipate in various directions.

Marinette looked up at Adrien and asked, "Come see me then?"

"Defini-"

From down the hall, a loud voice called out, "Kiss her, already!"

Both of them cracked up and turned to see an expectant Kim staring at them, his hands outstretched as if saying ...Well?

Mindful of teachers and Principal Damocles nearby, Adrien leaned down and gave Marinette a quick peck on the lips.

"That's my boy!" Kim crowed, then bolted down the hallway.

"Think we'll need to put on daily shows?" Adrien asked her, still laughing.

"Maybe we can sell tickets," Marinette winked. She squeezed his hand, then took off towards her own next class, as did Adrien.

The rest of the day passed like a blur, from Marinette's perspective.

Lunchtime brought with it what both of them expected; they stepped into the cafeteria hand-in-hand, and saw a sea of eager faces at the girls' table all but screaming for Marinette to come and tell them every last detail.

"Shall I join you?" Adrien asked.

"How daring do you feel?" giggled Marinette. "They're going to want to know ev-v-v-verything. Do not underestimate the power of curious girls in large groups! I'm one of them, I know how Girl Talk works, but you haven't been trained to resist it."

"Will you train me in that secretive art, then?" grinned Adrien. "It sounds really useful."

"Now, why would I want to do that? Then I couldn't use it on you," she smiled, wickedly. "Plus, I'm sure that the guys are curious, too."

Adrien glanced over and saw his usual table staring at him, ready to pounce. "Uh-huh," he agreed. "If we're not careful, we'll end up in a scene from Grease."

"What's that? I haven't seen that one," asked Marinette.

"The girls sing 'Tell me more, tell me more, was it love at first sight,' then the guys sing 'tell me more, tell me more, did she put up a fight,' that kind of thing. An old, corny musical."

"Will you train me in the secretive art of old, corny movies, then?" Marinette pleaded, with faux-serious eyes. "Teach me your ways."

"That I can do," Adrien grinned. "I've got lots of movies I'd love to sit and watch with you. Maybe we can pick one out after dinner tomorrow night. Something funny and classic, maybe? Mel Brooks, Peter Sellers... the Marx Brothers?"

"Oooh!" beamed Marinette. "I love the Marx Brothers." She looked at Adrien, who had a... strangely knowing grin of sorts on his face?, and covered for herself. "My dad had me watch a few of their movies when they were on Netflix. Really funny stuff!"

Adrien smiled back, seemingly satisfied. "It's a date, then. Of course, it was already! If you need a rescue, or if you just want to sneak out to the courtyard out back and snuggle before lunch is over, give me a whistle, okay?" he asked.

He didn't even take a step before a low whistle from Marinette made him grin from ear to ear.

As he walked over to his usual lunch table, hearing high-pitched squeals behind him as Marinette arrived at hers, Adrien had to laugh to himself. If I do keep my knowledge secret... man, not giving her too many hints that I know is going to be HARD! he thought.

Fun, sometimes... but hard.

During his last class of the day, Adrien asked to be excused to the restroom, which his teacher granted. He settled into a familiar stall, one near and dear to his heart after a certain rescue by Ladybug, and settled down to think.

If I'm going to do this... I need to do it now. If I wait and second-guess myself, I'll talk myself out of it, and then I don't know what will happen.

Plagg floated out of his shirt pocket, somewhat unimpressed with the surroundings. He studied Adrien for a moment, noted that Adrien's lack of pants-dropping meant that he'd come here just to think, then did a quick scan of the room to make sure that they were alone before talking.

"I'm proud of you, Adrien," he declared. "I had a whole bunch of nightmares in my head as to how today could've gone wrong, but I had faith that you could hold it together, and you did. You even dropped that one little hint and left it at that."

"Thank you, Plagg. I don't always tell you this... but your guidance and your friendship have always meant a lot to me," smiled Adrien.

"I, uh... the feeling is mutual, right? Let's not get carried away with the mushy stuff," replied Plagg, a little thrown by the unexpected sentiment. "And that girl is crazy about you! As if I need to tell you that. You've done really well for yourself."

"I know. And I am just as crazy about her! She is so far beyond everything I've ever wanted that I can't even express it," he replied, choking up a little. "I would do absolutely anything to make sure she stays this happy."

"Somehow I don't think that's going to be a problem," grinned Plagg. "She sure isn't one of those girlfriends who's afraid to show affection! I'm not usually much on watching humans kiss, but you two are just so... enthusiastic about it?"

"...Anything," repeated Adrien, his face suddenly somewhat grim.

Plagg hesitated, sensing the shift in Adrien's tone. "Hey, what's with that face?" he asked. "Like I said, all you have to do is just be yourself with her."

"And that's exactly what I'm going to do, Plagg. You hit the nail right on the head," agreed Adrien. "I hope that you'll understand."

"Adrien?" asked Plagg, suddenly wary. "Understand what? What are you - HEY!"

The Kwami yelped as Adrien pulled a silver ring off of his hand, causing Plagg to vanish in a puff of fine black mist.

Methodically, trying not to think any harder about it, Adrien retrieved a black box from his messenger bag, which was hanging on the door hook. He placed the ring inside, closed the box, and held it to his forehead with his eyes closed...

"I'm sorry, Plagg," he said, not knowing if the Kwami could somehow hear him, wherever he had disappeared to. "I really am. But I know what I have to do."

He placed the box in his bag, exited the stall, and checked his reflection in the mirror. A little cold water from the sink helped mask the redness on his face and the eyes that he was fighting hard to keep dry.

A short time later, Adrien walked out into the main hallway, and saw a blue-eyed girl with a soft and sweet smile waiting patiently for him to arrive.

"Hello, beautiful," he called to her, and watched Marinette's eyes light up.

"Hi, handsome," she beamed. "Going my way?"

"If you can stand the company," Adrien joked, his hand slipping into hers. "So, did you enjoy today, or should we go back to the way we were before?"

"Ohhhh, no," Marinette squealed, clamping onto his arm with feigned intensity. "You're not getting away that easily, mister. I've got you now, I'm keeping you! Took me long enough."

"It feels so good seeing you this happy, Marinette," he smiled. "We had our bumps in the road getting here, but that look on your face tells me that it's all completely worth it."

She laid her head against his shoulder as they walked, affectionately. "Doing anything later?" she asked.

"Oh! Speaking of later, I was supposed to ask you something. My father wants to know what you'd like as the main course tomorrow night, or at least a hint. Is there anything that you really like, or really don't?" wondered Adrien.

Marinette thought for a moment. "That's a good question, really. I'm not too picky, and with my parents' backgrounds, I try all kinds of things. Mom's experiments in the kitchen turn out better than Dad's most of the time, but that's because Dad's not afraid to really try something new! I mean, I like lots of stuff. About the only thing I've tried that I'm not into is sushi."

"Didn't agree with you, hmmm?" Adrien smiled.

"Yurgh!" moaned Marinette, sticking her tongue out. "Whatever we have tomorrow, I'm fine with it as long as it's cooked. Did you have anything in mind?"

"Oh, I don't know. Michel, our lead chef, does so many things well," he pondered. "He has a classic French haute cuisine background, so when we're expecting formal company he really goes all out with extravagant courses, but when it's just the three or four of us he likes to branch out into different things. He's really good with Normandy seafood; he does amazing things with scallops and tuna. Poultry, beef, pasta... whatever you'd be into. He has an extensive list of vegetarian dishes, which is what they stick me with most of the time. Or at least they did," he added. "Father's kind of... loosened those reins recently."

Marinette leaned back to a standing position, to get a better look at his face. "Really?" she asked, a bit surprised. "I thought that he was so worried that you might gain a single ounce. Especially now that you're dating a baker's daughter, who could just stuff him full of pastries and ruin his perfect figure. And whose mother has already started on that on school mornings..."

"Oh, I'm sure that he hasn't forgotten any of that. I have visions in my head of my personal trainer cracking a bullwhip," Adrien replied. "But the other night at dinner, he told me that he's recognizing that I'm growing up, and he wants to entrust me with more choices and responsibilities. It kind of came out of nowhere... but maybe there's something to that. I'm certainly not complaining... not yet, anyway."

I hope that he's right. Because I just made maybe the biggest choice of my life just an hour ago, sitting in a bathroom, thinking of you, Marinette.

Just like you've done for me so many times... if I can't be both of my selves for you, I want to be the one that makes you happiest.

As they reached the front door and passed through it, they encountered Alya and Nino waiting for them by the main steps.

"So! Now that you two have finally made it official..." grinned Alya, "I guess that we can finally tell you about the betting pools we had on you?"

Adrien's face turned to confusion, while Marinette put her hand on her hip, her face simply saying What.

"Oh, it's not just us. Most of our class was in on it, too," admitted Nino. "There were a few different bets. I think we all knew that you two would be a couple eventually, right? So there was one on what day you'd come out together, the way you did today. Ivan won that one, right?"

"Yeah, he was the closest," Alya replied. "Poor Rose was so optimistic; she had put down five months ago. Then there was one on if either of you would date anyone else before you got together..."

"...Who did they think we were going to date?" asked Adrien, his eyes bugging out a bit.

"Well, you and that Kagami... that got a couple of bets," said Alya. "Marinette, a couple of people put money down on Juleka's brother... including Juleka. I guess she heard him talking about you..."

"Really?" marveled Marinette, looking shocked. "I mean, he is really nice and everything... but he'd never really, like, told me how he..."

"Oh, no, you don't!" Adrien exclaimed, playfully grabbing at her arm. "I saw you first."

"One person in our class even bet on themselves dating one of you. And it wasn't Chloé!" Nino added.

"Wait, who was that? And which of us were they betting on?" asked Marinette, Adrien's startled face indicating that he, too would love to hear the answer.

"All bets are confidential, to protect the anonymity of the ticket-buyer," Alya waved them off, grinning. "It was a small bet. And, very obviously, it didn't pay off."

They laughed together for a couple of minutes, sharing small talk, until Alya noticed that no one seemed to be in any hurry. "Adrien, is your car coming for you today, or are you hanging out at Marinette's?" she asked.

"Actually... if it's all right with you, Marinette... I was thinking of stopping by Nino's for a bit. I haven't hung out with him lately, and we could stand to talk about some things... and I'm sure that you and Alya have an awful lot to talk about, given current events," Adrien ventured. "Is that all right?"

"Hmmm? Oh, yeah, sure," Nino said. "I can hang."

Marinette grinned. "That all depends. Nino, you weren't the one who bet on himself to date Adrien, were you?"

"That would be a 'No,'" Nino sputtered, caught off-guard.

"Then I think we're safe," she giggled. She leaned over and kissed Adrien on the cheek. "Call me later?" she asked.

"Absolutely," Adrien grinned.

They watched the girls head off together towards Marinette's house. Nino watched his girlfriend talk excitedly with Marinette, and heard an exclamation of "...the scarf?!" just before they went out of hearing range. He looked at Adrien for a second, then asked, "Everything's cool, right? I mean, I'm glad to have you come over and everything, but what else is up?"

"I'll tell you when we get there, okay?" Adrien replied, enigmatically. "Trust me... I'm pretty sure that you'll like it."

Nino entered his bedroom, with Adrien right behind him, and dropped his book bag by his desk. "How long can you stay for?" he asked.

"Oh, probably an hour or two... I told the Gorilla to pick me up in time for dinner, and I'd text him when I'm ready," said Adrien. "So, whatever."

"Cool," smiled Nino. "So, what's on your mind? If you're in the mood to hang out with me instead of curl up with Marinette now, it must be something important."

"You're right, it is," sighed Adrien. "Believe me, I have no complaints about the curling-up part! I'm still tingling in places where I didn't know I had places." He thought for a moment, then added, "You're okay with me dating her, right? I mean, you and Alya have been together for a good while now, but I know you had a thing for Marinette once... I feel bad that I didn't ask before."

"Oh, absolutely, go for it!" Nino assured him. "I'm super happy for you two! Marinette is a really great girl, and it's like you two were meant to be together. And you know how happy I am with Alya. I hope that that's not what was bothering you!"

"It's not, like, a Bro Code violation?" smiled Adrien.

"If anyone knows the Bro Code, it's me, Bro," laughed Nino. "Seriously! This is awesome and it's long overdue. Most of the people who put money down agree."

That got a big laugh out of Adrien. "There were really that many people betting on us?" he marveled. "And waiting for me to make a move?"

"Well, look at it this way," Nino explained. "Nobody could blame you for having a big thing for Ladybug, but nobody knew you had a thing for Ladybug, right? And almost everybody kind of knew how Marinette felt..."

"...Everybody but me, right?" Adrien noted, a little reluctantly.

"You got there eventually, and that's what counts. And we all saw how you were around Marinette even before you started chasing her. You were kind of falling for her then, too, dude."

"Yeah," Adrien said, his smile coming back. "And I'm so lucky that she waited so long for me to wake up. I could be sitting here right now moping about her and Luka being together."

Actually, that's a thought. If Nino turns me down, maybe Luka would consider...? pondered Adrien. Or at least he's an option, someone who Marinette would trust. I don't know him all that well yet, though, so I'd have to do some homework on him.

And anyway, why would Nino say no to what I'm about to do?

"But I'm in a really good place now. I absolutely adore Marinette, and she knows that, and I just want to devote myself to making her as happy as she makes me," declared Adrien, standing up. "And there's one thing I can do to make sure of that."

"What's that?" asked Nino.

Adrien turned and opened Nino's door, making sure that no one was standing behind it, then closed it again. "Check your windows, okay? Nobody's standing by them?" he asked, cryptically.

"Uh... okay," laughed Nino. "I have no idea why anyone would be spying on us, but if it'll make you feel better..." He checked the window closest to him and, to his utter lack of surprise, found no one there listening in to their conversation. "All clear. Now, what is it... that..."

Nino turned back to Adrien... who was standing before him, holding out a black hexagonal box.

"Nino Lahiffe... Paris needs your help," intoned Adrien. "And so do I."

"Whoa! Is that... Adrien, what is going on?" gasped Nino, caught completely off-guard. He stared at the box with visible recognition. "What are you doing with that? Did Ladybug ask you to deliver it?"