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“Today is the day, Alya!. Today is THE DAY!”
Marinette grabbed Alyas hand and pulled her determinedly towards their last class of the day. Her best friend chuckled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they walked down the hallway.
“You need any back up?” Alya gently hip checked Marinette, causing her to stumble slightly.
“No elaborate plans this time. I've already texted him to meet me at the park after school. I told him there was something important I needed to tell him. So - no backing out this time”
“Alright, girl. I'm proud of you! Call me with all the deets after ok?” They linked pinkies and laughed
“Promise”
--
Her last class went torturously slow. She was at once, the most terrified and the most excited she had ever been. Her legs kept bouncing in her seat and she couldn't concentrate in class at all. She had chewed the end of her pencil until it looked like a mouse had gotten at it. By the time the final bell rang for the day her nerves were shot.
Alya shot her some finger guns and a wink as she left the school towards the park. She took a deep breath and stuck her hand into her purse, letting Tikki give her hand a comforting hug as she crossed the street.
‘This is it’ she thought to herself ‘don't chicken out marinette’ ‘you can do it’ she chanted over and over in her mind.
She found a park bench in a secluded area of the park and pulled her phone out of her pocket to send Adrien a message.
Hey! I'm in the park now, on a bench to the left of the fountain
Her phone lit up almost immediately after
I had to talk to one of my teachers real quick, im on my way now. See you in a sec
She stole one last glance at Tikki who gave her an encouraging thumbs up from inside the purse, before looking back up and seeing Adrien jogging towards her. When she caught his eye he slowed down and gave her a wave along with an easy smile.
He sat down on the bench beside her, turning his whole body towards her she could see the concern on his face.
“So whats up? When you said that you had something important to talk to me about, it kind of got me worried. Is everything ok?”
“Yeah, everythings fine. I mean, I hope everything is fine. I’ll find out in a minute I guess”
He cocked his head to the side, clearly confused “Okay” he started slowly “so what did you need to tell me then?”
She fiddled with her fingers in her lap, trying desperately to calm her racing heart. She could feel Tikki in her purse wiggling slightly against her leg to try and help sooth her nerves. Taking one more deep breath she started shyly.
“So we’ve known each other for awhile, right?” She looked up hesitantly into his eyes
“Uh Huh” he replied slowly, his eye brows drawing together
“And you're one of my best friends and I love hanging out with you”
“Me too!” he smiled then and draped one arm over the back of the bench putting his hand on her shoulder.
“The thing is, I've been trying to tell you this for a long time, but I keep chickening out and getting scared. But - I’ve gotta get it out now or I’m going to drive myself crazy wondering if you feel the same way”
She took a deep breath and looked up into his green eyes that were staring straight back at her. Filled with kindness.
“Adrien - I …….”
---
“LOOK OUT!!!!” He dove over her, bringing her to the ground as the bench they had just been sitting on exploded out from under them.
Screaming people were running past them and they could hear the very distinct un-human laughs of an obvious Akuma heading their way.
He grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet. The only thought on his mind getting Marinette somewhere safe so that he could find a place to transform. They didn't make it very far before he felt Marinette's hand slip out of his, he heard her cry out in pain as she fell to the ground behind him. Whipping around he knelt back by her side to try and pick her up but stopped short when he realized why she fell in the first place.
She had clearly been hit by whatever Akuma was terrorizing the park.
Her feet looked like they had been turned to stone. And the stone was slowly crawling up her legs. Slowly but steadily turning Marinette into a stone statue. Freezing her into the position where she was on the ground.
Adrien felt helpless and he hated it. He couldn't just leave Marinette here, but he had to escape and transform! Marinette's voice broke him out of his thoughts
“Adrien look at me! Look at me!” she cried desperately
When he looked back up at her face, she was ripping the earrings out of her ears and shoving them into her purse.
“Listen, this is important ok? You need to give this to ChatNoir ok?” Her voice was commanding and he felt obligated to obey her but he couldn’t understand why or what was so important about her purse
“What? What are you talking about?” he watched in horror as the stone crawled its way up her torso.
“Take my purse Adrien. Find chat noir and give it to him ok?” she grabbed his shoulder and squeezed “promise me Adrien, please!”
The stone was now crawling up towards her shoulders and she forced her purse into his hands, pushing it towards his chest.
“Promise me Adrien, please” she pleaded tears welling up in her eyes
“I promise, I promise” he stuttered. He had no idea what was happening and was still watching in shock the stone slowly make its way towards her neck and up into her face
“Tell him I'm sorry, I'm so sorry” A tear slowly falling down her cheek, and then her voice was gone and Marinette was completely stone. Frozen in place where she had fallen to the ground.
He looked down at the purse in his hands now, still no idea what had been so important that he now suddenly needed to give this to chat noir. Plagg interrupted his thoughts then by shooting out of his shirt and getting into his face
“Kid, we gotta get out of here, come on!”
Adrien ran to a nearby park shed and let himself inside shutting the door behind him.
“Alright Plagg let's get out there and help LadyBug”
Plagg looked worried, and plagg never looked worried.
“We've got a problem kid”
“What do you mean?”
“Open the purse. You'll see”
He looked down at Marinette's purse that she had forced on him. Opening it slowly. A red and black spotted kwamii floated out looking full of concern. Her big blue eyes peering straight at Adrien as he stared back in shock.
“You're …. A ….. Kwamii” he whispered, barely able to breath
She nodded back slowly
“You Are ladybugs kwamii. In marinette's purse”
Tikki opened up her hands revealing the earrings that Marinette had hastily put inside just moments ago.
Adrien's back hit the wall of the shed and he slowly sunk to the floor.
“LadyBug …. Mar-marinette” he blew a long slow breath out and put his head on his knees “this is a lot to take in”
“I promise you can freak out about this later” came Tikkis kind voice as she landed on his knee “but right now you have an important decision Adrien”
“I do?”
“Yes kid” prompted plagg “ only ladybug can cure the akumas, you can't go out there alone as chat noir. There needs to be a ladybug”
“What?! No, I can't just give this to someone else! I can't replace her!”
“Not permanently, Adrien” Tikki placed a hand on his cheek “you're not replacing her. But someone needs to use these earrings or Marinette is trapped as a statue for good”
Adrien searched his mind for anyone he could give a miraculous, but the shock he was in right now was making any sort of thought process impossible. Besides, the thought of anyone else being ladybug, even if just for a day, made him physically ill.
“Can I do it?” he looked back and forth between the two kwamii
“I’ll do it. Plagg you stay here and watch over Marinette ok? Cataclysm anything that comes close to her. I'll wear the earrings, beat the akuma and come right back”
Plagg shrugged his shoulders but glanced over at Tikki, pointing his arm at her
“Fine, but I just got him smelling how I like him, don't let him come back smelling like cookies”
Tikki giggled and shook her head at Plagg. She handed the earrings to Adrien who pressed them into his shirt collar.
“Say Tikki spots on” she smiled up at him “I believe in you Adrien”
“Alright Tikki spots on!”
He looked down at himself, checking out his new suit. It was different than LadyBugs suit. It looks more armoured. With a black background and red covering his shoulders, chest and forearms. The red also extended down his thighs ending in black boots. The usual black dots scattered throughout.
“Not bad kid” plagg looked him over “have fun out there …. LordBug?”
“Pft” Adrien scoffed “LordBug sounds stupid ….. How about MisterBug?” he nodded to himself and ran out the door.
“That sounds ridiculous” Plagg muttered to himself, He slipped out the door, hiding in a bush right behind the Statue-marinette to keep watch over her during the battle.
----
The battle didn't last long at all. And truly Adrien was having way too much fun using the ladybug miraculous. He had long ago accepted that he was a major ladybug fan girl and he wasn’t embarrassed about it. At all.
He caught sight of Alya live streaming the fight and for once cheered that she was so close. He wanted to watch this fight tonight when he got home.
----
“Miraculous Ladybug!”
The swarms of magical ladybugs made their way through the park where most of the victims had been, and Marinette woke up on the grass where she had fallen earlier. She stood up shakily dusting the dirt and grass from her clothes when a red and black spotted hero landed dramatically in front of her.
She took in his super suit, and raised an eyebrow at him cocking her hip out to the side but said nothing. He chuckled and swung his yoyo around a little, taking a few more steps into her personal space looking far too smug
“Good evening princess” he smirked at her
She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Oh, don't look so pleased with yourself chat noir”
“Chat noir?! There's no chat noir here. Misterbug at your service, little lady” he added with a wink and dramatic bow, sweeping his arm out in front of himself.
“Mister bug?” she snorted
“Oh come on. It's not that bad” he pouted as his arms fell to his sides
She laughed, stepping into his space and pulled him into a tight hug. He froze for a second before wrapping his arms around her back and pulling her tight against himself
“Its awful” she teased “but I'm so proud of you. Thank you for saving me” she whispered
“Anything for you” he smiled into her hair, blushing all the way down his face and silently relishing in the open display of affection.
“I'm actually surprised that you are being so calm about all of this,” he added, still not willing to let go of the hug
“Im fully planning on freaking out later” she muttered into his chest before letting out a sigh.
“I've spent so long trying my best to make sure no one knows who I am, and now that you know, I just feel relieved. It makes no sense”
“Ugh, wait Adrien knows now too doesn't he?”
She let go of the hug and started pacing back and forth in front of him.
“ Ugh I’m such an idiot! Why did I get him involved in all this? I don't want to put him in danger! It's dangerous enough having one person knows my secret and now two people know my secret”
“Yeah, about that” he scratched the back of his neck and looked away from her “ its only one person that knows who you are”.
“What? What do you mean? I gave Adrien my earrings and he gave them to you, and then ‘mister bug’ appeared instead of ladybug. He's going to put two and two together chat noir”
“Yeah, he put two and two together alright … but it's still just one person who knows your secret”
He looked up at her eyes then and shot her a small half smile and a little wave. He could see the moment she caught on when her face went from worried and confused to shocked and looking like she was about to pass out.
A full minute had gone by and she still hasn't replied, or moved, or blinked. But her face went very pale and Adrien was very concerned that she was going to pass out.
“So, that freak out you were going to have later … has that been rescheduled to right now?”
She nodded ever so slowly and Adrien thought she looked so cute that he couldn't help but let out a nervous chuckle himself.
“Alright, let's take this conversation somewhere else then, come on plagg, I know you are hiding here somewhere”
He scooped her up into his arms while plagg flew up with her purse to hide inside her jacket pocket, He threw the yo-yo to pull them to the tops of the buildings and Marinette's brain suddenly remembered how to speak and she tightened her hold around his shoulders.
“NO FREAKING WAY!” she screeched as they flew over the rooftops. Adrien laughing the whole way.
----
The next morning at school Alya waited for Marinette impatiently on the stairs.
“I've been trying to call that girl since yesterday afternoon. Where on earth has she been?” she grumbled to herself.
Just then she caught sight of Marinette rushing out of the bakery doors and running towards the school. At the same moment Adriens car pulled up and he stepped out looking around for someone or something.
Alya had to blink hard several times before she could truly believe what she was seeing.
Just as Marinette made it across the street, Adrien made a beeline straight for her, his whole face lighting up like it was christmas day. He scooped her up into a hug and swung her around in a few circles. She flicked him on the nose as he put her down and his face split into a biggest dopiest love sick smile Alya had ever seen.
Adrien then grabbed her back pack for her and with both back packs over his arm, offered his other arm to her as they walked up the stairs.
“Good morning, Alya” Adrien called cheerfully as they walked past her into the school as if nothing had happened.
Alya stayed rooted to the spot she was in for several more moments.
“Da fuq did I just witness”