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“I have a proposal for you.”
Ladybug’s eyes narrowed on her partner as he leaned against his staff to be level with her face. There was a smugness in his expression that told her she wasn’t going to like what came next, so it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to him when she sighed and said, “No, I will not marry you.”
“Ha-ha, that’s…not what I was going to ask,” he said, averting his gaze briefly before flashing her one of those boyish grins. “This time.” She rolled her eyes and waved an arm for him to continue. “Well, you and I can’t know anything about each other…”
“Correct,” she said with a nod, crossing her arms over her chest.
“So, I’ve been thinking…We can’t even do stuff like celebrate each other’s birthdays, so what if we picked a day and designated it as our birthday-day?” He said, beaming when she didn’t immediately shoot him down.
“You want to pick a random day to celebrate both of our birthdays?” She asked for clarification, mask raising to one side.
“Yes.” He nodded.
She drummed her fingers, considering it a moment before shrugging. “Alright. What day?”
“How about this Saturday? We can get each other gifts, have cake, watch the lights, talk.” He shrugged. “Anything we want. It’s our birthday.”
“Okay, sounds fun,” she said, lips curling into a smile.
“Wait, really?” His ears stood up straight in surprise.
“Yeah, I think it’s a good idea. I’ve thought about asking when your birthday is before, but I didn’t want to learn anything that could give away your identity,” she said, turning to face him fully. “I’ve wanted to get you a gift for a while, but we’ve never had the time.” A smile tugged on his lips, and she averted her gaze, cheeks burning. “It’s not a big deal. You’re my friend, so of course I’d want to get you a birthday gift.”
“Right,” Chat said, though his expression was far too smug for her liking. “So, Saturday then?”
She pursed her lips, contemplating it a moment, and nodded. “Saturday.”
***
Adrien stared out the window of his town car with a pensive frown. When he’d suggested their joint birthday, he hadn’t actually expected her to be so receptive to it, and he had to admit, he was caught a little off guard. Sure, he was excited that she’d approved the idea, but that left him with a bigger problem: he didn’t know what to get her as a gift.
Normally, he could think of a thousand romantic ideas, but this time he was coming up empty. Should he buy her a gift? Or make her a gift like he did for Marinette? Should he write her a poem? Or maybe get her a gag gift? No, that would be lame. What did Ladybug even like?
His chest clenched.
What did Ladybug like? He didn’t really know. Video games? What type of perfume did she wear normally? Did she like makeup? This was worse than he thought. All this time he thought he knew Ladybug, but the truth remained that she really kept a lot of things about herself hidden. The curse of secret identities.
Maybe he should just keep his gift general and pick something that any girl would like. After all, Ladybug made it clear that this was strictly a platonic endeavor. But what did girls like from boys that are just friends? Especially boys that you care about deeply who would risk their life for you but in a totally platonic way? He needed advice.
But from who? Chloe? No. She’d probably grill him about why he was getting a gift for someone other than her. Alya might just grill him in general. He needed someone he could trust. Someone like…
Marinette!
Black pigtails bounced up the stairs as the car rolled to a stop, and Adrien hopped out, racing to catch up to her. Marinette was the perfect person to ask. She was like a master gift-giver.
“Hey, Marinette!” He placed a hand on her shoulder, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. “Oops, my bad. Guess I should have warned you.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I need a favor.”
“A favor? For why? I mean- why? What’s up?” She asked, blinking several times.
“Well, I have a…friend, and I want to get her a gift for her birthday, but I don’t really know what to get her. You’re really good at giving gifts, so what do you think I should get her?” He asked, and she relaxed, a smile curling on her lips that helped ease some of Adrien’s own nerves. Marinette had a way of doing that.
“Oh. Well, what does she like?” His shoulders tensed at that.
“Uh, well, I don’t really know,” he said with a wince. “I was hoping you could give me some advice on some stuff girls like in general?”
“Hmm, who is she?” Marinette asked, but at his hesitance she added, “Or who is she to you?”
“She’s just…a friend. A good friend. Someone that I kind of hope to be more than friends with some day,” he said, cheeks warming, and he cleared his throat. “I want to get her something that she’ll love, but I don’t really know what that is.”
“Is it Kagami?” Marinette asked, and Adrien blinked, wondering how she could have come to that conclusion. Then again, he remembered not too long ago asking for Marinette’s help taking Kagami on a date, so he conceded that it was a fair assumption for her to make.
“No. It’s not Kagami,” he said which seemed to perplex her more, and he knew he had to be careful with his words. “It’s for someone I work with. You don’t know her.”
“Okay,” she said slowly, pursing her lips. “Well, whenever I give someone a gift, I make sure that it’s personal to that individual. Like for Alya I made her a new case for her phone and for Rose I knit some pink mittens.”
Well, there went his general idea.
“Do you think I should make her something?” His eyes widened, and Marinette held up reassuring hands when he blanched.
“It doesn’t have to be hand-made, but it should be something from your heart that you know she will like,” she said, but it didn’t help. “Tell you what. Why don’t we go shopping after school? I’ll help you pick something out.”
“Thanks, Marinette. You’re a life saver,” he said, pressing his palms together in an expression of gratitude.
He had to admit that having Marinette’s assistance did calm a lot of his nerves about the situation. With her helping, he was bound to find the perfect gift for Ladybug. Plus it meant he got to spend more time with Marinette which was always a win in his book.
“So, where do you think we should start?” He asked as Gorilla strolled slowly up the street. “Should I buy her clothes?”
“Do you know her size?” Marinette asked, and he pursed his lips, conceding her point. She paused outside the jewelry store and pointed inside. “You want this gift to tell your feelings for her, right? So, come pick out something that makes you think of her.”
“Well…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess, I mean, she only sees me as a friend, so do you really think I should buy her something like that?”
“You want to be more than friends someday, right?” Marinette asked, and his cheeks warmed. “Follow your heart.”
It was solid advice considering his head was a frantic mess, but what did his heart want? To get her something she’d love. Something that conveyed how much he cared about her. Something that would make her think about him whenever she saw it.
Marinette was browsing bracelets when he approached her, and she straightened, giving him an encouraging smile as he held up a golden heart-shaped locket. The front was encrusted with a ruby that reminded him of her suit, and Marinette’s eyes lit up when she saw it.
“Adrien, it’s beautiful. She’ll love it,” she said, clasping her hands over her chest.
“Are you sure? It’s not too much?” He asked, but she placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
“It’s perfect, and if it’s what your heart picked out then there’s no way she won’t like it,” she said with a confidence he tried to grasp for himself.
He took a deep breath, glancing down at the locket once more and nodding. “Okay. You’re right. It’ll be perfect.” He smiled back up at her. “Thanks again for your help. I was feeling really lost about all of this.”
“Any time. We’re friends, aren’t we?” She said, lowering her gaze to her shoes and clasping her hands behind her back. “Well, good luck with your gift. Let me know how it goes, okay?”
“I will,” he said as she moved for the door. “Marinette?”
“Yeah?” She paused in the threshold, turning back to face him and tilting her head to the side.
“I’m really glad to have an amazing friend like you,” he said, and something flashed on her face that he couldn’t quite read. She seemed sad almost, but just as quickly as it came, she covered it up with a smile.
“Yeah, me too.”
***
Ladybug stared out across the rooftops, twirling the ribbon of her gift around one finger. She hadn’t been able to focus ever since she helped Adrien pick out a gift for his mystery girl. Alya was joking about having her admitted for being such a space cadet, but she couldn’t help it. Adrien was going to give that locket to some beautiful model then they were going to get married, have beautiful model babies and move to private island then Marinette would never see him again. She’d die all alone with her fifty cats and a hamster named-
“Ladybug?” Chat waved his hand in front of her face, and she blinked.
“How long have you been calling my name?” She asked with a wince.
“I dunno. 15-20 seconds?” He shrugged, and her stomach did a little flip. “You okay?”
“Yeah, sorry. I had a…long week,” she said, rubbing the back of her neck. “Lots of homework. Hawkmoth making akumas every day. Juggling a double life. You know how it is.” She gestured around to the streamers she’d hung up between chimneys. “Plus, I set all this up for us.”
“You really liked this birthday idea,” he said, sounding a bit too smug as he leaned down into her face, so she flicked his bell.
“Everyone likes birthdays. Anyone who doesn’t like birthdays is a monster,” she said pointedly. “But I will admit, it was kind of fun decorating our cake.”
“Oh? M’lady baked me a birthday cake? I’m honored.” He waggled his eyebrows, and she shoved his shoulder with a laugh.
“Just a small one,” she said.
“And it’s not burnt?” He asked, mask lifting to one side, and her jaw dropped.
“I’m a very good baker, thank you very much!” She crossed her arms over her chest as his shoulders shook with laughter. “Fine. Don’t eat any of it then.”
“Wait, no! I want it. I’m really happy,” he said, holding up apologetic hands.
Ladybug rolled her eyes and paced over to retrieve the cake from the white unmarked box sitting on an orange crate. She had to go to two different stores to find a box that wouldn’t give her away, and explaining to her dad why he couldn’t see the cake she was baking was a whole other situation in and of itself. She just hoped that Chat Noir wouldn’t be too suspicious of her. Maybe she should have added too much vanilla to the frosting. Curse her years of bakery experience!
“Whoa,” Chat gasped when she pulled the cake from the box. She’d drawn their faces in the frosting, and the lettering was perfect if she did say so herself. A little too perfect, actually. “You made this yourself?”
“Everyone has hobbies, chaton,” she said as nonchalantly as possible, and fortunately, he seemed to accept it.
“Oh, can I light the candles?” He asked, bouncing like a kid who really should not be trusted with matches.
“Just don’t burn the building down. I don’t think the business below will appreciate it,” she said, offering him the box and doing her best not to laugh when he stuck his tongue out as he passed the flame over each wick.
“Ready?” He grinned, the flickering light casting shadows across his face as they started to sing.
When the song finished, they blew out the candles in unison, and Chat flashed her his signature boyish grin.
“Joyeux anniversaire, m’lady,” he said, lifting her hand to his lips.
“Joyeux anniversaire, Chat Noir,” Ladybug replied. “Cake first or presents?”
“I’m dying to try your cooking,” he said, bouncing on his heels. “But I think I want to give you my gift first.”
“Okay,” Ladybug said with a smile, retrieving her gift and holding it out to him.
“Oh, I wonder what m’lady got me,” Chat said, shaking the neatly wrapped box before carefully ripping the bow. He removed a hand-knit black beanie with cat ears and turned it over in his hands with a grin. “Wow, did you make this too?”
“I- watched a tutorial. I’m not great at knitting, but I think it’s best if a gift comes from the heart,” she said, rubbing the back of her neck.
“This looks so well made. I think you’ve uncovered a hidden talent, m’lady,” he said, pulling the hat over his ears. “Maybe next time you can knit me a blanket, and we can snuggle.”
Ladybug let out a breathy laugh as he leaned into her face and waggled his brows, pushing his nose away. “Dare I ask what you got me?”
Chat retrieved a small square box wrapped in red paper from his belt and held it out to her with a cheeky grin. She turned it over in her hands, the contents inside rattling, and shrugged, tearing away the paper. When she lifted the lid, her jaw dropped but snapped shut again as her stomach jumped up to her throat. Inside was a small golden locket embezzled with a ruby. The same locket she’d helped Adrien pick out two days ago. Which meant that either this locket was popular, or-
“Do you like it?” He asked, looking up at her through his lashes.
She knew that look all too well. It was the same shy, wanting-to-be-accepted look she’d seen Adrien give so many times. She had that look on posters on her wall. She’d always known Chat’s smile was a little too perfect to be normal. Now she knew why.
“It’s-” Your identity.
Granted, it wasn’t his fault. After all, what were the odds? It wasn’t like he’d done it on purpose. He just wanted to make sure she liked whatever he got her, so he asked a friend for advice. He didn’t know that she was that very same friend he was buying said gift for! Oh, and Adrien had been so worried about getting the perfect gift…
“It’s beautiful, chaton. Thank you,” she said finally, trailing her fingers over the jewel.
He breathed a sigh of relief, but Ladybug tensed more with each passing second. Adrien was Chat Noir. Adrien the-love-of-her-life Agreste was Chat Noir. Which meant she was in love with Chat Noir.
This wasn’t happening. Should she tell him? No. Well…maybe? What if he wasn’t really Adrien, and it was all a coincidence? It could be a coincidence, right? Then if she told him how she knew, he’d know her identity. Her head was spinning.
“Do you want me to help you put it on?” He asked, his voice more subdued and timid than she was used to, and when she flicked her gaze back to him, he looked every bit Adrien with one hand cupping the back of his neck.
“I- yes. Sorry, I just…I’ve never gotten something like this before,” she admitted, turning around as Chat draped the necklace over her head. “It’s really beautiful.”
“I gotta confess. I was really nervous about buying you a gift. It made me realize how little I know about you,” he said, fastening the clasp. “I asked a good friend of mine for help because I wanted everything to be perfect.” She turned to face him, his eyes warm and soft. “You mean the world to me, Ladybug, and I wanted you to know that.”
“Chat, I-”
“I know. You love someone else,” he said, lowering his gaze to his shoes. “I envy him every day, and I hope he realizes how lucky he is.”
Ladybug searched his expression as he smiled down at her, her heart hammering in her chest. Adrien was in love with her. She’d been rejecting him for months. Oh, how she just wanted to fall of that roof, but true to form, she panicked and hugged him to hide her face before it could betray her.
“You mean the world to me too, you know,” she said, nuzzling into his shoulder. “You’re my best friend.”
“I know,” he sighed, leaning into her embrace. “And you have no idea how happy that makes me.” He pulled away, his signature playful smirk returning. “But if you loved me back, I’d buy you pretty necklaces all the time. As many as you wanted.”
She flicked his bell with a laugh. If only he knew. And he could know. She could tell him. Should she? She didn’t know. Adrien was Chat Noir.
“Thank you for indulging me tonight. I’ll cherish your gift forever,” he said, lifting her hand to his lips, and she hated how hot her cheeks got when he pressed a soft kiss to her fingers.
“This is fun. We’ll have to do it again next year,” she said, biting her lip.
“Happy Birthday, Ladybug.”
“Yeah. Happy Birthday, chaton.”
***
“What am I gonna do, Tikki?” Marinette flopped onto her bed and buried her face into her pillow. “I’m not supposed to know Adrien is Chat Noir.”
“Well, there isn’t much you can do to take it back now,” Tikki said pointedly, and Marinette let out a groan.
“Do you think I should take his Miraculous?” She lifted her head, eyebrows knit together in a worried frown.
“Do you think you should?”
“Well…” She sat up and moved the pillow to her lap, picking at loose threads. “It’s the rule, but…I can’t imagine being Ladybug without Chat Noir. Putting aside the fact that he’s the boy I love, Chat Noir is my friend, my partner. I trust him.”
“You are the guardian now, Marinette, so knowing his identity isn’t a bad thing,” Tikki said, floating over to sit on the pillow. “And you two work so well together.”
“Yeah, but what if I get flustered around him now that I know he’s really Adrien? What if I get distracted, or try to kiss him, or-” She covered her face with her hands. “I don’t want him to stop being Chat Noir, but now I can’t stop thinking about his identity and how he’s the boy that I…you know. I mean, should I tell him I know? I should tell him, right?”
“If you think it’s a good ide-”
“But what if I tell him and then he wants to know my identity? I mean, it would only be fair since I know his. And if I tell him my identity, what if he gets distracted. Well, more distracted than usual,” she said, clutching fistfuls of her hair. “What if he comes to visit my balcony as Chat Noir because he’s in love with me and then Hawkmoth sees him then Hawkmoth will know I’m the guardian, and he’ll get the Miracle Box, Paris will be doomed, and I’ll be the worst Ladybug in the history of Ladybug!”
“Marinette,” Tikki chided as her chosen fell back onto the mattress. “You always think too much. I’m sure everything will be fine no matter what you decide to do. You said it yourself that Chat Noir is your friend and you trust him, and you know that Adrien is a good guy too. Trust yourself to make the right decision.”
“Yeah, but what if I mess up? What if…I get it wrong again?” She flicked her gaze over to her hidden compartment that housed the Miracle Box.
“Then you’ll definitely want Chat Noir to have your back, right?” Tikki said, and Marinette gave her a small smile.
“Yeah. Definitely,” she said, taking a deep breath. “Thanks, Tikki. I’ll sleep on it and make a decision in the morning.”
“That’s a great idea,” Tikki said, flitting over to her spot as Marinette turned out the light and laid down. “Good night, Marinette. I know you’ll make the right choice.”
“Yeah…” Marinette hummed, picking at the golden locket around her neck.
It’s what she was hoping.
***
The following Monday, Marinette climbed the stairs of the school slower than usual. She’d made up her mind, but she couldn’t help questioning whether or not it was the right choice. Adrien deserved to know that his identity was compromised, and telling him her own identity felt fair. But was she telling him because of her feelings for him or because she actually felt like it was the right decision? That fact was yet to be determined. She just hoped she could find the words.
A mop of blond hair was hunched over a locker, shuffling through a silver shoulder bag, and Marinette took a deep breath. She could do this. It was just Chat Noir. She talked to him all the time. He was her best friend. He was going to be ecstatic to finally learn her identity. This was for the good of their partnership. She hoped.
“Adrien?” She called, her voice timid and unsure, and she flinched as he turned over his shoulder.
“Marinette!” A smile broke over his lips. “Thanks so much for your help the other day. My friend liked the gift.”
“Oh, that’s awesome!” She said, feigning enthusiasm. “Actually, I was hoping to talk to you about that. Do you have a minute?”
“Sure, what’s up?” He asked, those green eyes calm and unassuming. He didn’t have a care in the world unlike the quiet storm brewing inside Marinette.
“Um, it’s kind of private. Can we talk somewhere else?” She said, glancing around the other students filing in and out of the locker room. Adrien seemed confused but didn’t question it as he followed Marinette to a secluded corner of the courtyard.
“What’s up?” He asked, and she took a deep breath.
“Okay, I know this is going to be a big shock, so please don’t freak out, but…I know you’re Chat Noir,” she said, and Adrien’s eyebrows raised.
“What? You think I’m Chat Noir?” He scoffed, shifting his weight. “I mean, I’m flattered, but-”
His voice trailed off when Marinette pulled the locket from inside her shirt, and she curled her shoulders with a sigh.
“I’m so sorry. I had no idea who you were buying it for. If I had known it was going to give away your identity, I never would have agreed to help,” she said. “But what were the odds?”
“Wait,” Adrien said, blinking a couple times and tilting his head to the side. “Ladybug?”
“Hi, kitty.” She gave a small wave, biting her lip, and she expected him to break down. To panic. To do anything but lift her off her feet and spin her around. “Adrien!”
He twirled in circles, laughing and smiling before abruptly dipping her and touching his forehead to hers. “It’s you!”
“Adrien,” she hissed, giving a nervous glance at the other students in the courtyard, and he pulled her upright again, though his hands never strayed from her waist.
“It’s really been you all along,” he said, a dopey grin, crinkling his eyes. “You’ve been so close to me all this time.”
“Adrien.”
“You’re my bugaboo.”
“Don’t call me that out in the open!” She clamped a hand over his mouth, feeling her cheeks flush under that affectionate green gaze.
“But this makes perfect sense. You’re so smart, and you always look out for others. Of course, you’re Ladybug,” he said, smacking his forehead as if he should have realized sooner. One of his signature impish grins curled on his lips, and Marinette quickly learned just how much Chat Noir there really was in Adrien as he said, “So, what are you doing tomorrow night? Wanna see a movie?”
“Seriously? Just like that you’re in love with Marinette?” She gave him a look.
“Well, yeah.” He shrugged, and she felt her annoyance flaring. 72 hours ago, she would have killed to hear Adrien say he loved her, but now she felt a little offended.
“Why? Just because I’m you-know-who now?” She crossed her arms over her chest, and Adrien seemed to realize her point.
“It’s not like that,” he assured her, green eyes softening and working a sort of voodoo magic over her that she couldn’t quite resist no matter how hard she tried. “The way I see it…Ladybug is you. All of the crazy schemes, the brains, the heroism, the compassion, the kindness, everything about Ladybug that I fell in love with comes from you, Marinette. Because that’s who you are. So, yeah, just like that.”
She had to admit, it was hard to stay mad at someone so cute. Especially when he was looking at her with such fondness and adoration. She’d been trying to ignore her feelings this whole time. To listen to her head instead of her heart, but in a lot of ways, it had been just like that for her too.
All of a sudden, the giant question mark that was Adrien had become so clear to her. He became familiar. Safe. Comfortable. Her partner. Her friend. Her kitty. The boy who had once seemed so out of reach had become so close in the blink of an eye, and now he stood before her less than a meter away, heart open and willing if she would only reach out and grab it.
“I guess I’m free,” she said, pursing her lips, and Adrien’s face lit up.
“Really?” He asked, and she nodded. “Wait, really, really?”
“Yes,” she laughed, and his eyes did that thing again. “Am I going to have to put up with you hitting on me twice as much now?”
“Of course.” He grinned, and she let out a sigh, looking him up and down.
“And what are you going to do if I flirt back one of these days?” She quirked a brow.
“Die of happiness,” he said. “Wait, is that a possibility?”
“Well,” she hummed, biting back a smile. “The boy I was in love with all this time…It was you.”
“Yes!” He exclaimed, and Marinette shushed him into lowering his voice. “This just proves it. You and I are meant to be together. We’re going to be unstoppable. We’ll defeat Hawkmoth, get married, live together in a beautiful cottage with kids and a hamster named-”
Marinette silenced him with a kiss, taking his hands and swinging them back and forth when she pulled away. Adrien let out a dreamy sigh, lips glued into a smile, and at her laugh, he straightened his shoulders.
“Can I ask you something?”
“If it’s to marry you, I think we should at least wait until we’re out of school,” she said, flicking his nose playfully.
“No, that question will come in time.” He waved it away then rubbed the back of his neck. “I was just thinking…This birthday thing made me realize how little I know about Ladybug, and I do know a bit more about Marinette, but not as much as I’d like, so…I want to get to know you, Marinette. I’ve always wanted to.”
“Okay,” she said. “On one condition: I want to get to know Adrien Agreste better too.”
“Deal.” He gave her hands a squeeze, and she bit her lip.
“So, what do you want to know?” She asked, and a smile stretching across his cheeks.
“Everything.”