Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“It’s only for a month,” Adrien said, looking gloomily at his ticket. His three friends all exchanged looks, none of them sure what to say to that, until finally Nino cleared his throat. He clapped Adrien on the shoulder.

“That’s right. You’ll be back in no time!” he said with forced cheerfulness.

“Absolutely,” Alya said, smiling.

Marinette stayed quiet, but Adrien still looked over at her and smiled with gratitude. After all, if it weren’t for the three of them, he wouldn’t have anyone to see him off except for his bodyguard, who was looming in the distance. The Gorilla seemed to recognize that Adrien wanted some private time with his friends and had moved away accordingly.

“You wanna get something to eat?” Nino asked.

“Nah, I’m good,” Adrien said.

“Hey Nino, let’s go scope out the gift shop. Marinette and Adrien can keep an eye on his luggage,” Alya said. Over Adrien’s head, she winked at Marinette.

Marinette tried to smile back, but she wasn’t sure her face was cooperating. Her brain still felt frozen, and had ever since a certain black cat told Ladybug last night that he was also leaving for a month. Was it too much of a coincidence that both of the loyal, kind, blond men in her life were leaving at the exact same time for the exact same length of time for the exact same place?

Probably. She’d wrestled with that very question all night. Her process had involved a lot of screaming a lot into her pillow in between harassing the hell out of poor Tikki, with the occasional pause to shed a tear or two over the thought of being away from Chat for a whole month. She had now evolved into a state of being numb with shock and exhaustion.

Nino and Alya walked off and Adrien sighed loudly. “It’s only a month,” he said again.

“A month isn’t terrible,” Marinette lied, looking around the bustling airport. A month was an eternity and they both knew it.

Adrien shot her a weak smile. “It’ll go by before I know it?”

“Sure?” Marinette said unconvincingly, and Adrien sighed again.

“I’d really rather not go,” he confided, shuffling a little closer to her. “My father says it’ll do my career good to model in Italy, but I don’t care. I don’t even know if I want to keep being a model after we graduate.”

“Then why go?” Marinette asked, genuinely curious. She’d posed the same question to Chat. He hadn’t had a good answer. She was curious to know if, over the past several hours, he had come up with anything better.

“I guess because my father says I should?” Adrien said, making it sound like a question - and god, that was word for word what Chat had said.

She didn’t say anything. Couldn’t.

He laughed a little awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess that’s a shitty reason.”

Marinette dug her nails into her thighs. “Well,” she said, heart racing uncomfortably fast because she was sure now. “If it were me, and I had other responsibilities here, I wouldn’t go.”

Adrien paused at that. “That’s right. I forgot you turned down that trip to New York.”

“I did. I had to. Paris needed me,” Marinette said.

He watched her for a long moment, silent. Thinking. Then he finally said, “I do have other responsibilities here. Big ones. Important ones. If something happened while I was gone, I’d never forgive myself.”

She turned her head to meet his eyes. “Sounds like maybe you should stay.”

“Yeah… I don’t know.” Adrien looked away. “On the other hand, I’m sure that she’ll be able to take care of herself. She doesn’t need me.” He whispered that last part to himself.

And there it was, the thing that snapped her out of her daze. Pure rage. Because that - that just made Marinette mad. Really mad. Mad enough to forget herself. She stood up, clenching both fists to keep from punching someone. Maybe Adrien for having such a low opinion of himself, or maybe Gabriel for being such an asshole and purposely cultivating that low opinion to keep Adrien under his thumb.

“You idiot,” she seethed. “You stupid, stupid cat!”

Adrien’s mouth fell open. “Marinette?”

“How dare you say I don’t need you?!” Marinette shouted. “Do you think I could do anything that I do without you? Do you think I could keep going without you? Do you even remember who gave me the courage to keep going when I wanted to quit the first time we messed up? Do you realize I can’t do this without you, and that when you told me you were leaving last night, I went home and cried?!”

He stared at her in shock. Everyone was staring at them, including Alya and Nino - they both looked incredibly bewildered, almost as confused as Adrien. But she couldn’t find it in herself to care. Marinette planted her hands on her hips and leaned down until their face were inches apart.

“You are my partner,” she hissed through gritted teeth. “If after all this time you can’t appreciate that, and still haven’t realized how much I need you, maybe you should go!”

He kept staring, shocked speechless, as Marinette turned on her heel and stormed away. She passed by Alya and Nino, who were both staring at her with open mouths, and the Gorilla, who might have actually smiled at her - she didn't stick around long enough to find out.

They had traveled to the airport with Adrien, and it was only once she got outside that Marinette realized she had no way home, since it was unlikely Adrien's driver would take her anywhere before Adrien's plane left. That was fine. It was only late afternoon so the train was still running, and a ticket wouldn't cost very much. For once, her ladybug luck was in full effect and she was able to buy a ticket for a train that was leaving within ten minutes. Marinette got on board and found a quiet seat to herself at the very end of a mostly empty compartment. She sat down and pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs.

"Are you okay, Marinette?" Tikki asked, poking her head up out of Marinette's purse.

Marinette swallowed before she responded. Now that she was away from Adrien, and the flush of anger and adrenaline was fading, she felt a little silly and stupid for lashing out at him the way she had. Oh, her feelings were very much valid and she stood behind what she'd said - but she knew she shouldn't have dumped all that on Adrien literally two hours before he left for Italy, for a trip that was undoubtedly going to be both stressful and difficult. Not to mention, she shouldn't have said such incriminating things in front of all those people. Especially Alya and Nino! What would she do if they put two and two together?"

She pulled her purse into her lap, where it was hidden between her legs and her chest, and slowly shook her head. "Tikki, I feel awful," she confessed in a whisper. "Adrien probably hates me now."

"I'm sure that's not true," Tikki said immediately.

"I yelled at him in front of everyone," Marinette pointed out, wincing at the thought of it.

"Well... that part isn't so ideal," Tikki allowed. "You lost your temper, but you weren't wrong to say what you did. I think Plagg has been spending too much time with Adrien. That boy is getting as thick-headed as Plagg is!"

Tikki sounded so indignant that Marinette couldn't help a tiny smile. "I'm just so frustrated. Chat can be so infuriating! One minute he acts like he's the best thing since Papa's macarons, and the next minute he acts like he's an accessory that Ladybug could throw away!" She pursed her lips, feeling a renewed surge of anger. "I can't believe he had the nerve to say that to me."

"He didn't know who he was saying it to," Tikki pointed out.

"Somehow, that makes it worse," Marinette said sadly. Chat had made little comments here and there that suggested he found himself to be the dispensable one, but Marinette hadn't known how deeply that ran. How could he honestly think that she didn't need him? Sometimes the stress of what they did made her want to break apart at the seams. Chat was the only one who could make her smile or even laugh at those moments. Without him, she would've collapsed into a twitching pile of spots a long time ago.

Was it his fault for never realizing that or her fault for not making it clear?

"I know." Tikki sighed and shifted, looking up at Marinette with sad eyes. "I'm sorry you had to find out like this."

"Maybe it was always going to be like this. I guess there's a lot of things Chat and I have never said to each other... same with me and Adrien." Marinette looked out the window as the train started to move, taking her away from the airport. She could feel her phone vibrating against her hip - Alya, no doubt, trying to reach her - but she had no interest in talking to anyone else right now.

Adrien was supposed to be gone for approximately four weeks. The thought of letting this sit between them for four weeks was unbearable, but Marinette didn't think this was a conversation to be had over the phone. No, she and Adrien needed to sit down and talk face-to-face. She rested her head against the back of the seat and sighed deeply, closing her eyes. At least four weeks would give her ample time to figure out how to translate all her confusing, conflicted emotions into actual words. There was a lot she wanted to say, but right now she had no idea how to say it.

The trip back into Paris took just under an hour. When the train reached the station, Marinette got off. She could've transformed to get home, but the thought of anyone seeing Ladybug coming from the train station made her uncomfortable. It was bad enough that so many people had witnessed what happened between her and Adrien; she didn't need anyone putting two and two together and figuring out that Ladybug had been on a train. Besides, with the way she was feeling she knew that transforming would only make her dwell on the situation even more.

She walked home, hands in her pockets, staring intently down at the pavement like it could somehow give her the answers to all the things going through her head. Things like how she'd always assumed that Chat was a playboy, but Adrien didn't seem like the kind of person who would toy with a girl's heart. Besides, he'd outright told her that the girl he loved didn't like his jokes either. At the time, she'd assumed that he meant Kagami. Now... Marinette could feel herself blushing as she realized that maybe Adrien had been referring to her. She didn't hate Chat's sense of humor, just his timing, but maybe he'd misinterpreted what she said.

Maybe there’d been a lot of that.

"This is such a mess," Marinette whispered to herself. She was in love with Adrien, who was Chat Noir. Apparently, Chat was in love with Ladybug, who was Marinette. All this time they'd been chasing themselves in circles! No wonder things had gotten so needlessly complicated and tangled.

She rubbed her aching head as she pulled open the door to the bakery. The worker behind the counter gave her an absent-minded wave; Marinette smiled tiredly back but didn't stop to chat. She knew her parents had a big event tonight. Her papa had been holed up in the kitchen for the last three days madly baking to prepare for it, while her maman worked on decorating. She could've stopped in to say hi to her parents, but the thought of being drafted into work right now didn't sit well with her. Instead, she went up to her bedroom and threw herself down on her bed with a drawn-out moan.

"Oh, Marinette, it's going to be okay. I promise," Tikki said, emerging from her purse to hover next to Marinette’s head.

"You don't know that. Maybe Adrien and I have ruined everything." Marinette buried her face in her pillow with a frustrated whine. How on earth would they work together from now on? It was going to be so awkward!

"Maybe, but I don't think so. It's true that you two need to have a serious talk, but that's not a bad thing. Once you're both on the same page, you'll be fine," Tikki said wisely.

Marinette lifted her head, squinting. "You sound too sure about all this. Do you know something I don't know?" she asked suspiciously.

Tikki smiled widely. "Maybe."

"What? Tikki, you can't hide things from me now," Marinette said. "What?!"

"Look up," Tikki said.

"Look -" Marinette obeyed, confused, and gasped when she saw the familiar face peeking into her skylight. She wondered if she was dreaming, because Adrien was supposed to be on a flight to Italy right now. But then Chat caught her eye, his expression unusually serious, and mouthed her name. They stared at each other for a long moment.

Then, slowly, Marinette stood up on her bed to let him in.

Chapter Text

The silence hung heavily in the air. Marinette sat in her desk chair, arms crossed over her chest. Chat wasn’t looking at her; he was sitting on her chaise, looking down at his hands like they were the most fascinating thing in the world. She thought she knew him well enough to know that he wasn’t going to be the one to speak first, not when he thought she was mad at him, and that made her sigh.

“What are you doing here?” she asked finally. “You’re supposed to be on a plane to Italy right now.”

“I couldn’t just leave after I found out who you were,” Chat said, glancing up at her. “And especially not… after what you said.”

“Won’t your dad be angry?”

“Yes,” Chat said simply, as though that didn’t matter; Marinette squinted at him, confused.

“And you’re okay with that?” she said doubtfully.

“Marinette, that’s – it’s not – ugh.” Chat sighed. “Plagg, claws in.”

Green light zipped up his body and coalesced into Plagg, who waved at Marinette before flying up to join Tikki on Marinette’s bed. Adrien rubbed at the back of his neck, looking as awkward as Marinette felt. As much as she’d hated the thought of having to set this conversation aside for four weeks, she almost hated the thought of having it now even more. What if they ruined everything?

“How did you know?” he asked, which was simple enough to answer.

“It wasn’t that hard to figure out. You told everyone you were leaving three days ago, and then Chat told Ladybug last night… it didn’t take a genius to put two and two together,” Marinette said. “I wasn’t going to say anything. I was just going to think about it while you were gone. But then…” She scowled at him.

Adrien frowned back. “How was I supposed to know you were Ladybug and would get mad when I said that?” he asked indignantly.

“That’s not the point. You shouldn’t say things like that at all!”

“But you don’t need me!” Adrien said, throwing his arms up. “You’re the only one who can purify akumas, and you’re the one who always comes up with plans, and I – I’m a distraction, that’s all. Carapace or Rena Rouge or even Queen Bee could fill in for me just as well.” He paused suddenly, then chuckled a little. “Oh, I just realized why you don’t like Queen Bee that much.”

“Don’t get distracted,” Marinette snapped. “How dare you say that you can be replaced?! You’re my partner! We might have other teammates, but none of them will ever you. Why do I have to say to get that through your thick head?”

“You don’t act like it,” he countered.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You work so well with everyone else, and you’re always pulling away from me.” He crossed his arms.

“Pulling away – wait, you mean like when you kiss my hand?” Marinette said in disbelief. “Like when you flirt with me? Of course I pull away! I’m not here to be your experiment for flirting!”

“It’s not an experiment! I love you! Why don’t you believe me when I say that?”

Marinette opened her mouth and then closed it, shocked. Adrien Agreste had just told her that he loved her. Brain, meet blue screen.

Adrien seemed to realize what he’d said and blushed, cheeks turning bright pink. “I-I’m not some playboy,” he mumbled, looking mortified. “You… you always brush me off and it hurts.”

“I didn’t think you were serious,” Marinette managed to squeak out finally.

“Well… I am.” He looked away. That helped, because it gave her the chance to steady herself without having those beautiful green eyes staring her down. Marinette took a couple of deep breaths, squeezed her eyes shut, and squared her shoulders. Later, she could focus on this later. Right now…

“You can’t do that, Adrien. You can’t base your worth on whether or not I’m receptive to your advances,” Marinette said. “We have always been professional partners first and foremost, no matter what happens. And frankly, it’s just plain wrong.”

“Why? Why is it so wrong to want more?” Adrien said, and Marinette felt a flicker of frustration and renewed anger that he just didn’t get it.

“Because it is! I don’t belong to you. We might be two halves of a soul, but it’s my choice to decide who I want to be with! You have no right to just assume that I want to be with you, or even to push me about it when I’ve said no, or to act like a brat when I turn you down. You can be upset and mad about it all you want, but I am still your partner and you should treat me with some respect! I’m not an object for you to throw a tantrum over!” Her voice was getting louder until she was almost yelling towards the end of it.

Adrien looked shocked. His eyes widened. “I – I didn’t mean – that’s not what I intended, I…” He sat down hard on the chaise. “Marinette… holy shit, you’re right. I’m sorry.”

That took the wind out of her sails. Marinette’s shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry too,” she said after a moment. “I should’ve said all of that to you a long time ago… but, you know, nicer. Not yelled.”

“I deserved to be yelled at,” Adrien muttered. He looked up at her. “I’m really irreplaceable?”

The tentative question struck her right in the heart, and Marinette scrambled over to him. She sat down beside him and rested her hand on his arm. “Oh, Chaton, of course you are. No matter what happens, you’re always the person I want by my side.”

He was quiet for several seconds, contemplating that, before he said, “You don’t act like it.”

“What do you mean?” Marinette said warily.

“Alya is the one who always invites me to hang out with you guys. It always seemed like you didn’t want me around. You barely talk to me most of the time, and, when you do, you always stutter and stammer so bad it’s hard to figure out what you’re saying. I actually used to think you hated me,” he said, eyeing her. “But Nino said that’s not true, and he wouldn’t lie to me… but I always wonder if maybe he just doesn’t know any better.”

“You think I hate you?” she said in disbelief.

Adrien shrugged. “Well… not hate. Not anymore. But I didn’t think you liked me much.”

“No,” Marinette said, her head spinning. “That’s not true at all. It’s actually the opposite.”

“The opposite?” he repeated.

“You remember that guy Ladybug likes?” Marinette said, looking right at him.

He looked confused for all of two seconds before it hit, and he squeaked, “Me?!”

“Yeah, you,” Marinette said. It was her turn to blush. “I guess we were chasing each other around in circles. Funny, huh? No wonder Tikki used to tell me all the time that things would work out.” She shook her head at herself.

“Wow,” Adrien said after a moment. “I… huh. I didn’t see that coming.”

It was Marinette’s turn to shrug, leaning forward and adjusting the strap on her shoe. She was slightly less awkward now that this was all out in the open. She’d never realized that they had so many things they couldn’t say to each other just because of their identities. No wonder things between her and Chat sometimes felt like two puzzle pieces trying to be forced together into shapes they didn’t fit. How could they figure out where they belonged if they didn’t have all the necessary bits of information?

“So… what are you gonna do about your dad?” she asked finally.

“I dunno. He’s going to be really mad.” Adrien sighed. “It’s always been easier for me to just do what he says. When I push back, it usually doesn’t go well. Now that I’m going to school, he always holds that over my head. He threatens to take it away all the time.”

Marinette glanced at him, feeling guilty when she remembered thinking that going on the trip just because Gabriel wanted him to wasn’t a good enough reason. She forgot sometimes what it was really like for Adrien to live with such a controlling father, and her chest tightened when she thought about the possibility of him being taken out of school. She wouldn’t put it past Gabriel to do it.

“I’m sorry,” she said, for lack of anything better to say.

“Don’t apologize; it’s not your fault. I made the choice not to get on the plane,” Adrien told her. “It was my decision and I’ll have to deal with the fall-out… whatever that might be.”

She wondered what it was like having to deal with a parent like that; she couldn’t imagine her parents being so cruel as to threaten to isolate her permanently from her friends and classmates. And god, no wonder Adrien never wanted to say anything to Lila; he’d been taught, pretty thoroughly from the sound of it, that it was better just to stay quiet and not make waves. Gabriel had done a good job of beating all the fight out of him.

“You must love being Chat,” she said impulsively. “Not having to worry about your dad.”

Adrien chuckled and turned to look at her. “You hit the nail on the head. It’s one of my favorite parts.”

“What’s the other favorite part?” Marinette asked.

“Spending time with you,” he said, so earnestly that she blushed again. “Even if… you know… we’re never more than friends and partners, you’re my best friend, Marinette. You know me better than anyone else. I like that. I like you. You’re a good person.”

“An everyday Ladybug,” she said with a sly smile, and Adrien groaned.

“I can’t believe I didn’t see it before!” he exclaimed, shaking his head.

“I like to think I do a pretty good job of hiding it,” Marinette said, scuffing her foot against the ground. She smiled to herself. “It’s kind of nice when I’m Ladybug. People actually listen to me when I say something. Well, most people do.” She gave him a playful nudge in the ribs.

“I listen to you!” Adrien said, then amended that to, “Most of the time.”

“There it is,” Marinette said with a giggle. He grinned at her, and then suddenly they were both laughing. Every time she tried to stop, Adrien caught her eye and set off into a fresh peal of giggles. She laughed until her ribs were aching, and she had to slump back against the chaise with a groan and cover her face so she couldn’t see him anymore. And even then, the sound of his giggles still made her want to laugh more.

“We really got ourselves twisted up,” Adrien said, breathing hard. He leaned against her knees. “I really am sorry, Marinette.”

“It’s okay,” she said, realizing that it was. “Just as long as you never throw a hissy fit again if I turn you down.”

“If?” Adrien said.

Marinette peeked between her fingers, swallowing when she saw the hopeful look on his face. “Well. I mean. Maybe? We both lo – um, like each other,” she said, flustered. “So… we could… go on a date? And get to know each other for real, without any masks between us?”

“I would really like that,” Adrien said. “It might have to wait a while, because I’m sure I’m going to be under house arrest for the next six months…” He sighed heavily.

“Maybe it’s time to talk to your dad. You’re growing up. You’re not a little kid anymore,” Marinette pointed out as gently as possible. “He can’t keep you under his thumb forever. What’s going to happen when it’s time for university and you decide you want to do something else? Unless you want to model for the rest of your life…” She trailed off. They’d never explicitly talked about their futures but knowing Chat – Adrien – the way she did, she was guessing that he really didn’t.

Adrien wrinkled his nose. “I guess I could. It’s just so hard. He makes me feel like a little kid. He always cuts me off and acts like his opinion is the only one that matters.” He quieted, resting his chin on his elbow, which was propped on her knee.

“Well, he’s wrong. You matter, Adrien,” Marinette said as firmly as she could, meeting his gaze unflinchingly. “You’re not just a puppet for him to use and direct as he sees fit. You’re more than that.”

“No one’s ever told me that before,” Adrien said, sounding a little surprised, and okay. She could see now why he didn’t think much of himself as her partner, and even why he’d taken her romantic rejection as an all-around rejection. She nudged him with her toes, and he glanced up.

“I meant it. You’re my partner,” she said shyly. “You mean a lot to me, Chaton.”

“I like it when you call me that,” he admitted, smiling at her. “And you like it when I call you Bugaboo, right?” His eyes glinted with mischief.

“No, I don’t like it at all,” Marinette lied.

Adrien narrowed his eyes. “Are you lying?”

“Nooooo…” Marinette said slowly.

He leaned in closer, until their faces were inches apart. “Are you sure?”

Her heart thumped at his proximity. With his hair all messed up, he looked like a weird, wonderful cross between Adrien and Chat Noir. It was embarrassing to realize just how much she liked it. How much she liked him. She was so screwed. She swallowed hard and put her index finger on his nose, gently but firmly pushing him back. He went with it, grinning knowingly.

“You’re a menace,” Marinette said when she thought she could talk without screaming. “I regret everything.”

His grin widened and he winked at her. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Chapter Text

They fell quiet after that, just looking around at Marinette’s room. Adrien wasn’t really sure what to say next. He’d been blindsided by Marinette’s unexpected explosion at the airport; the decision to chase after her hadn’t been made consciously, but rather he’d been outside the airport and looking around for her frantically before his mind even processed that his body was moving.

Alya, Nino and the Gorilla had followed him out, which meant he couldn’t transform into Chat and run after the train that he had been pretty sure Marinette was on. To his credit, the Gorilla hadn’t even tried to get Adrien on the plane. He’d just gone into the airport and retrieved Adrien’s luggage. Alya and Nino had both tried to ask Adrien questions, but he’d been in such a state of shock that he hadn’t been able to answer either of them.

Marinette was Ladybug. That realization still sent Adrien reeling for a loop to some degree, even though now that he really thought about it, it made an astonishing amount of sense. Who else could it be? There was only one girl in Adrien’s life who was that fierce, that sweet, that stubborn, that determined, that kind, that fiery. He’d never been as simultaneously happy and disappointed as he was when the truth finally sank in: happy that it was Marinette, but disappointed that he’d made her angry already.

Except… she didn’t seem to be angry. Not anymore. He took another quick peek at her, just in time to see her quickly look away. Were they Ladybug and Chat? Adrien and Marinette? Somewhere in between? He wanted to ask, but he wasn’t sure how. And frankly, he was a little afraid of the answer. Suppose Marinette said she needed a few days to get used to this? Where would he be then?

Up the creek with his father, that’s where he’d be. Adrien grimaced at the thought, and that must have caught Marinette’s attention because she suddenly leaned forward and touched his arm. He looked over at her, caught off guard by the intensity of her blue eyes. He’d always loved Ladybug’s eyes, and he’d always admired Marinette’s eyes. How had he never noticed those eyes were the same?

“Are you hungry?” Marinette asked softly. “My parents are closing the bakery early tonight because they have a big event to cater, so there are probably lots of pastries downstairs.”

“I could eat,” Adrien said, rather than tell her the truth, which was that he’d been so knotted up inside about leaving for a whole month that he hadn’t eaten a thing in like three days. The thought of some Dupain-Cheng pastries made his stomach growl.

“I’ll come with you,” Plagg declared, launching himself off of Marinette’s bed. “I want cheese.”

“You need to come with me for that?” Marinette inquired, looking amused.

“I need to see what kind of cheese you have to offer so I can choose the best one,” Plagg said loftily. Adrien rolled his eyes and was all set to point out that Plagg could deal with whatever cheese he got and like it, but Marinette just smiled and held out a hand for Plagg to land on. She carried Plagg out of the room while Adrien shook his head.

This was a bad idea if only because Plagg was going to end up incredibly spoiled.

“Adrien?” Tikki left the bed too and flew over to him. She landed on his knee and peered up at him, looking concerned.

“Hi Tikki,” Adrien said. He didn’t know the kwami well, but she seemed very sweet. It figured that Marinette’s ladybug luck would have her end up with the kind kwami, whereas Adrien got… well, Plagg.

“How are you doing? That was a big revelation this morning,” Tikki said.

Adrien blinked, surprised that she was checking in on him, then shrugged. “Um… okay, I guess. I wasn’t really planning on fighting with Ladybug… with Marinette today.” Then there was everything else he’d learned in the span of an hour: why Ladybug got upset with him sometimes when he persisted in chasing her, why Marinette acted so weird around him, and what Ladybug really thought of him. It was going to take some time for him to get it all worked out in his mind.

“If it helps, she wasn’t planning on fighting with you either,” Tikki said with a cute grin. “What you said at the airport really caught her off guard.”

“I didn’t know I was talking to Ladybug,” Adrien mumbled. On the other hand, even if he had known, he might’ve said it anyway. What he’d said hadn’t been a lie – or at least, that’s what he’d thought at the time. He still wasn’t wholly sure about that, but Marinette had certainly been convincing. It was hard not to believe her when she was looking at him with that determined glint in her eyes, but…

“I know. But now you know how important you are to her,” Tikki said, very gently. “And make no mistake, Adrien. As both Chat Noir and as Adrien Agreste, you mean everything to Marinette. She’s… she’s just not always good at showing it, but she’ll learn. You both will – so long as you’re willing to let yourself learn to believe it.”

Adrien paused, startled at how it seemed like Tikki could see straight through him, and then quietly said, “It’s hard to believe. Ladybug is so… and Marinette too… and I’m…”

“Her partner and her friend. Ladybug and Chat Noir are a perfect balance for a reason, Adrien. They are always active at the same time. You can’t have one without the other. Ladybug literally could not do what she does without you,” Tikki said.

“Without a Chat Noir,” Adrien corrected.

Tikki shook her head. “No. There is only ever one Chat Noir for a Ladybug and vice versa. A bond like that can’t be replicated,” she replied. “Both of you are so young. It was painful for Plagg and me to watch you dance around each other, never being able to say what you really needed to say. In a way, though it’s more dangerous, I’m glad that you finally got the chance to talk. You needed that and so did Marinette.”

He contemplated that for a moment, reflecting on how frustrating it must have been to watch him and Marinette being utterly oblivious in such close proximity, and then smirked. “Wow, we must’ve driven you two crazy.”

“You have no idea,” Tikki said, deadpan. “The point is, what Marinette said to you today was the truth. She does care about you, all of you, a lot. She might get frustrated or angry with you, but that’s never going to change. And while she might pull in other teammates for the two of you, you’re her partner and no one can ever replaced you. Believe me when I say that she would be crushed if you left her, because Ladybug leans on you a lot during battles. She can pull it together for a few minutes, but she would be lost without you.”

A hard knot in Adrien’s chest, which had been steadily loosening ever since he’d arrived at Marinette’s, suddenly gave way, filling him with a sense of warmth. Ladybug needed him. Him. Maybe he wasn’t easily replaced after all. He smiled down at Tikki, grateful for her kindness. Somehow, it was a little easier to believe when it was being confirmed by a third party.

“Thanks Tikki,” he said softly. “I appreciate that. I care a lot about her too.”

“About Marinette too?” Tikki asked, eyes boring into him.

“Of course,” Adrien said. “Marinette is my… she’s my friend. I was so caught up in Ladybug, I never let myself see her as anything different… I never wanted to… to make things complicated.” He smiled ruefully and rubbed the back of his neck. “But I guess we ended up making things complicated anyway.”

“It happens. You’re not the first Ladybug and Chat Noir to have that problem,” Tikki said. “From now on, you two really have to work on communicating with each other. There are no more barriers stopping you from doing that.” She paused, sizing Adrien up, and then said, “You know, Marinette has always been afraid that she’s not good enough for you. And she’s always been afraid she’d lose Chat.”

“What?!” Adrien blurted out, shocked.

Tikki nodded gravely. “She’s always felt guilty about having to turn Chat down. She worried that someday your heart would find someone else and leave her behind. And she would’ve supported you,” Tikki added, gently admonishing. “But it would’ve hurt her very much.”

“I… I would never,” Adrien said. “It’s always – I mean, if not Ladybug, then…” He gestured around at Marinette’s room, because yes. Now that he could see everything with a clear eye, he knew that it would’ve been Marinette if it hadn’t been Ladybug. Everything that had attracted him to Ladybug was still there in Marinette, of course, and he believed that, in time, Marinette would’ve gotten over the stammering, too-embarrassed-to-speak part of her crush and been able to show that.

No wonder Plagg and Nino used to get so frustrated when he referred to Marinette as a friend.

“I know.” Tikki patted his knee gently, then flew up near his face. “You’re a good boy, Adrien. You take care of my Marinette, got it?”

“Got it,” Adrien said with a nod, suddenly feeling like he was being entrusted with something very precious.

Tikki smiled at him and then darted forward, kissing his cheek. “Good. Now, go downstairs and help Marinette. She’s a total klutz and there’s a good possibility she might drop whatever she tries to bring up.”

“Oh! Right!” Adrien jumped to his feet, nearly hitting Tikki; she dodged out of the way with a giggle, and safely flew up to perch on his shoulder as he scrambled down the stairs. He made his way up the hall and emerged into the Dupain-Cheng’s kitchen.

Marinette was leaning against the counter, her arms crossed over her chest. Plagg was hovering right in front of her face. Neither of them noticed him right away, as they appeared to be having quite an intense conversation. Adrien, looking at them, suddenly realized that Plagg and Marinette were probably have a very similar talk to the one that he and Tikki had just had.

Their kwamis had done that on purpose, he quickly figured out. Waiting to get them both alone so they could talk. Though it was hard to guess what Plagg might have been telling Marinette. Plagg could be a bewildered mix of pure mischief and genuine concern, and it was sometimes hard to determine which side was going to rear it’s head. He cleared his throat before he could give into the urge to try and eavesdrop.

Marinette startled, looking over at them. “A-Adrien!”

“Sorry. Tikki said you might need some help carrying things,” Adrien said sheepishly.

“Oh, uh… sure. I guess… you can come downstairs and pick out your own pastries,” Marinette said. She was looking at him with something new in her expression. Something had changed, but Adrien couldn’t put his finger on what.

Then again, he supposed that was fair. He was probably looking at her differently too. Never in his life would he have imagined that Marinette thought she wasn’t good enough for him, or that Ladybug had ever feared she would lose Chat, or any of the other dozens of things he’d learned today. It felt like his whole world had been flipped upside down… but in a good way? Or so he hoped.

“I’d like that,” he said, giving her a tentative smile.

“Great,” Marinette said, smiling cautiously back. “Tikki, I’ll get your favorite cookies.”

“Thanks Marinette!” Tikki chirped, flying over to Plagg. Before Marinette and Adrien had even left the room, the two kwamis were engaged in a furious whispered conversation.

They went downstairs to the bakery, where Sabine was just in the middle of closing up. She told them to help themselves to whatever they wanted. Adrien took the small plate that was shoved in his direction, but honestly wasn’t sure what to choose. Everything looked amazing and he usually wasn’t allowed to have sweets, so he just stood there like an idiot looking around.

Marinette filled her plate quickly and then came back to him, raising an eyebrow at his empty plate. “Something wrong?”

“I need you,” Adrien said helplessly, and then blushed. “Help! I… I need your… help…”

Her face softened and she smiled for real this time, swapping their plates. “Of course.”

Chapter Text

“Hold up, Pigtails. We need to talk.”

Marinette paused, her hand on the fridge, and turned to look at Plagg. “Why am I not surprised?”

Plagg grinned, showing a little fang. “I need to make sure that you’re going to be nice to my kid,” he explained. “You may not realize it, but Adrien is a lot more fragile than he lets on. It’s really easy to buy into the polite, nice kid act, or even into Chat’s cocky jokes, and think there’s nothing more to him.”

“And you think I have. Bought into them, you mean,” Marinette said, not sure whether to take that as an insult or not.

“To some extent,” Plagg said. “Most people do. Except me.” He preened. “I saw right through it from day one.”

“What are you getting at here, Plagg?” Marinette asked, folding her arms. “Adrien and I talked. We’re getting on the same page.”

“I know you are, but you’ve also shown that you’re not very good at saying what you mean,” Plagg said flatly. “Also, literally anyone else would’ve figured it out ages ago.”

“It was safer not to know!” Marinette said defensively, and Plagg rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, I get it. Look. You seem to be under the impression that Chat flirts with everyone. He doesn’t. It’s only ever been you, no matter which form you were in. He was serious when he said he was in love with you, he just doesn’t know how to show it. He learned everything he knows about love from those dumb shows and comics.” Plagg twitched his nose in disgust. “And since he insists on loving a girl, not cheese, I’m not very much help when it comes to advice.”

Marinette could feel a blush warming her cheeks. “It was just always so much. He told me he loved me like two days after he met me,” she said, leaning against the counter. “And then he flirted with civilian me too. How could I take him seriously?”

“The kid isn’t very good at articulating what he wants, much less what he needs. Comes from a lifetime of growing up with parents who are control freaks.”

She stilled at that, looking up at Plagg. “I know his dad is, but his mom too?”

“I didn’t know her, and Adrien always speaks well of her,” Plagg said slowly. “But sometimes the stories he tells aren’t great. I can tell that he thinks she was amazing, but let’s be honest. Adrien never attending public school wasn’t solely because of his father. I’m pretty sure his mother had a hand in that too. His life was just as restricted before she died, but he was happier because she spent so much time with him.”

“As opposed to his father,” Marinette muttered. It was impossible to miss what kind of impact Gabriel had on his son. Adrien was pretty good at hiding his disappointment when Gabriel failed to show up for things, but Marinette had always been able to see it anyway. When she compared Gabriel Agreste to her own parents, the difference was painfully obvious.

Plagg nodded. “And then, once she was gone, his father never paid him any attention. He still doesn’t. It’s just that, now that he’s Chat Noir and has you, Adrien cares a little less.”

“Me? I…” Marinette bit her lip, then whispered, “I shouldn’t be that important.”

“Shouldn’t but are. Black cats and Ladybugs always have a bond.” Plagg gave her a critical look. “It’s frequently more weighed to one side than the other, though. Secrets don’t help.”

“We had to keep our identities a secret,” Marinette said, exasperated.

“I don’t mean that. I mean things like not telling him who your teammates are, or not telling him about Master Fu, or even refusing to share anything about the other miraculouses… He almost gave up being Chat because of that, you know,” Plagg said.

Marinette froze. “W-what?!”

“Yup. During Syren, when you ran off to find Master Fu. I had to beg him to put the ring back on.” Plagg’s green eyes bored into her. For the first time, Marinette realized that Plagg was angry with her.

“I didn’t know that. He never told me,” she breathed, shocked.

Plagg sniffed. “Well, he wouldn’t. Adrien always thinks that you know best, even if you don’t. I know Master Fu was the reason you were keeping all those secrets. That part isn’t your fault. Ever since everything happened, he’s been gun shy about letting too much information leak out and trusting the wrong people. But there’s a reason there used to be more than one Guardian, and there’s a reason it wasn’t usually Ladybug or Chat Noir. You two need to be balanced. Master Fu is forgetting about that.”

“That’s…” Marinette put a hand to her head. The realization that she’d almost lost Chat without even knowing it hit harder than she’d anticipated, leaving her reeling.

She could function without him. They all knew that. Just like Chat could function without her. But to be her very best? To be the Ladybug that Paris really needed? To be able to do this for an extended period of time? To be able to do this with no potential end in sight? She needed him. She couldn’t fathom doing this without him. She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling cold.

“I’m not trying to guilt you,” Plagg said, easing up slightly at her reaction. “I’m telling you this because you needed to know. All his life, decisions have been made for Adrien. People have always kept him in the dark. His father never gives him a reason; he just expects Adrien to fall into line and obey.”

“I know,” Marinette said softly.

“Then you know that you can’t do the same thing. You have to talk to each other. Talk to Master Fu. Be a team. You’re partners. That has to mean something,” Plagg said. “As both Ladybug and as Marinette, you mean everything to him.”

Her cheeks warmed again, but Marinette couldn’t deny that it helped to hear that. “I care a lot about him too. I love him.”

Plagg narrowed his eyes. “Chat too?”

“Yes, of course Chat too. Chat is the whole reason I’m Ladybug. Without him…” Marinette exhaled, shaking her head. “I always thought that if it weren’t for Adrien, then maybe Chat… It was just coincidence I met Adrien first. And things with Chat, well… they’d be complicated since we couldn’t exchange identities. I guess we don’t need to worry about that anymore, though.”

“Good,” Plagg said, looking satisfied. “You treat my kit good, Bug, got it? That loyalty between you needs to go both ways.”

“I will. It does,” Marinette said, her mind spinning with everything. She suddenly like she needed a year of sleep just to come to terms with it all.

But of course, she didn’t get that because Adrien came downstairs with Tikki just then. He was looking at her like he’d never seen her before, and it occurred to Marinette in a flash that Tikki must’ve had a similar chat with Adrien. She narrowed her eyes at Tikki, but Tikki just grinned and giggled quietly without saying a word. Typical. No one had ever warned her that kwamis were so sneaky!

After taking Adrien downstairs and getting some snacks – and after a quick stop at the fridge to finally get Plagg some cheese – they went back up to Marinette’s room. She sat at her desk and Adrien sat back down on her chaise, and for a few minutes everything was quiet and relatively peaceful as everyone munched away on their snacks. Or at least, it was outwardly quiet.

Inwardly, Marinette was thinking hard about what Plagg had said. Trust was a precious commodity when you were a miraculous holder. Yet, if anyone were to ask Marinette who the person was that she trusted most in the world, it wouldn’t be her parents. It wouldn’t be Alya. It wouldn’t even be Master Fu. The answer would unquestionably be Chat, and that hadn’t changed after she found out who he was – if anything, those feelings had only intensified.

“Adrien, what are you gonna do about your dad?” she asked.

He looked over at her in surprise, then finished his mouthful of macaron before responding. “I’m gonna tell him I got sick and that one of my friends took me back to their place to look after me. I think I can get the Gorilla to back me up. He’ll still be mad, but it’s not like he can do very much. He’ll probably ground me for not going right home to the doctor… but oh well.” Adrien shrugged nonchalantly and popped the last bit of macaron into his mouth.

Marinette nodded. “That makes sense… though I still don’t think he should be mad at you when you didn’t even want to go in the first place.”

“Don’t worry, My Lady. I’m used to it,” Adrien said, giving her a small smile. “Unless I do every single thing that he wants, I’m going to get into trouble sometimes. And since that would mean I wouldn’t be able to be Chat Noir, or spend time with you…”

“Right,” Marinette muttered, finishing off her last cookie. “Okay… then what are we gonna do about Alya and Nino? Did they hear what I said?”

“Yeah, they did,” Adrien replied with a wince. “Both of them were trying to ask me questions when we left the airport, but I was too shocked to answer them. I shut my phone off before I transformed so that neither they nor my father would be able to text me. I’m actually a little afraid to turn it back on…”

“I haven’t looked at mine either,” Marinette admitted. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and got up, moving to sit beside him again. They both looked at the screen together.

“Two hundred text messages?!” Adrien said in disbelief.

“I would bet good money that almost all of those are from Alya,” Marinette said with a sigh. “She’s too smart for her own good, and I wasn’t exactly thinking when I yelled at you…” She couldn’t even remember exactly what she’d yelled in her state of pissed off exhaustion, but it had definitely been telling. She scrolled slowly through the long list of messages, grimacing. It definitely looked like Alya was starting to put things together. And if Alya knew, then Nino definitely knew.

“What do you want to tell her?” Adrien asked, looking at her.

“I don’t know. What do you want to do?” Marinette asked.

Adrien seemed surprised by the question but responded quickly. “If she knows, or is about to figure it out, we might as well admit it. Otherwise, Alya will put herself into increasingly dangerous situations trying to prove that she knows the truth. We don’t have time for that, Bugaboo. We spend enough time rescuing Alya as it is.”

He had a point, Marinette realized, and it was one she hadn’t considered. She leaned into him. “You’re right. I… I’m sorry, Adrien.”

“What? Why?” Adrien said, confused.

“This is all my fault. I’m the one who got mad and started shouting in front of everyone. I didn’t even think about the fact that we were in public. I lost my temper.” Marinette clenched her hands around her phone, ashamed.

“Hey.” Adrien wrapped an arm around her shoulders, giving her a sideways hug. “It’s okay. Everyone messes up. I had my part in that too. And I’m pretty sure no one else would’ve figured it out. It’s just because Alya and Nino have so much context.”

Marinette nodded and confessed: “They’re Rena Rouge and Carapace.”

Adrien stilled, and she turned to look up at him. He was watching her with wide eyes. She stared back.

Finally, he said softly, “I guessed, but thank you for telling me.”

“You’re welcome,” Marinette whispered back.

“Adrien’s right, Marinette,” Tikki piped up, and they both jumped and hastily looked away as Tikki landed on Marinette’s knee and smiled knowingly.

“Uh, what?” Marinette said.

“It’s not ideal that Alya and Nino know, but it’s not the end of the world either. You’ll just have to make sure both of them are as careful as you and Adrien are,” Tikki explained. “They already have their own secrets about the miraculous to keep, so at least you know they can be trusted.” She paused. “Well, Nino can. You might have to lock the Ladyblog away from Alya for a day or two.”

“A day or two?” Plagg snorted, landing on Adrien’s opposite shoulder. “Try a week or two.”

“A week or two sounds about right,” Adrien said.

“I think we can trust them,” Marinette said. “I wouldn’t have given either of them a miraculous if I couldn’t. Though… I have to admit I am a little afraid of how much screaming Alya’s gonna do.”

Adrien, Tikki, and Plagg all winced simultaneously.

“I’m sorry, Bugaboo, but that is one thing I’m not going to protect you from,” Adrien told her with another smile.

“Rude,” Marinette said, trying to frown at him. “What kind of knight in leather armor are you?”

He laughed. “I will gladly insinuate myself between you and any enemy… except for Alya Césaire on a mission. I love you, but I’m not that crazy.”

Marinette tried even harder to pout, but her smile broke through. “Well… I guess that’s understandable. I love you too and I can’t promise that Alya isn’t going to hands down murder me.” She flushed as she spoke, but kept her eyes trained on his. So she saw the moment in which he processed her words, and it was like someone had switched on a light: his whole face brightened up, eyes shining, a grin stretching from ear to ear.

“Are you going to be gross all the time now?” Plagg complained.

“Yes,” Adrien said, still grinning, leaning forward to gently touch their foreheads together. “We’re gonna be the grossest.”

“Can confirm,” Marinette said, smiling helplessly back. If Alya killed her later tonight, at least she could say she was going to die happy.