Chapter Text
Adrien exhaled wearily as he stopped back at his locker after fencing practice, fiddling absently with the lock as he covertly peered over at Marinette’s.
For the second day in a row, there was a distinct absence of anything back from her.
This morning, he dropped off the usual yellow note, still posing as her secret pen pal. Just a silly little pick-me-up, one very much like the others that had left her chuckling.
But in the note from Chat Noir, he only dared to ask if she was okay after her sudden silence.
Adrien’s shoulders slumped as he finally managed to put in the code correctly to pry open the door and grab his bags. It was too much to hope that she might have slipped in to grab the notes he’d left before he had headed off to practice today.
What was the point of being a secret superhero if he couldn’t make things better for the people he really cared about?
With one last forlorn glance at her locker, Adrien shut the door and hefted his bag on his shoulder as he trudged out to meet his bodyguard.
All he had wanted was to help her to smile again.
But it seemed he couldn’t even do that right…
In the austere Agreste formal dining room, dinner was as boring and lonely as ever. Adrien rushed through to get back to his bedroom, since there was no one else there to notice… or complain.
Plagg had stayed quiet throughout the meal, stealthily noshing a bit of stolen cheese from Adrien’s plate to tide him over for the main course that was hiding in his mini-fridge.
Stomach satisfied at least, Adrien flopped down onto his white couch to pore over the pile of letters before heading out to patrol.
“What am I missing, Plagg?”
Plagg shrugged, devouring more cheese greedily. “Sometimes people just need a bit of time. Besides, every chosen I’ve ever had thought their crush was a bit of a mystery. Give me cheese any day. Just as tasty and way less complicated.”
“Did I say something that hurt her?” Adrien sat back, dragging his fingers through his locks and messing up the picture-perfect hairstyle that lasted through the whole of his pre-approved school day and extracurriculars. “I certainly didn’t try to. But somehow, I managed to mess this all up so badly.”
“I’m still not sure why you think you did.”
He wasn’t sure why, but after one day of silence, Marinette had gone home sick this afternoon.
She looked a little pale… maybe even a little distracted. But there was no other indication she was unwell.
His fingers itched to transform—to drop in as Chat Noir just to check on her. At least patrol was one thing he could still look forward to, so he could reassure himself that she was okay from a distance.
Only, he really wanted to talk to her.
Adrien could try… except he wasn’t supposed to know anything. He had no reason at all to suspect anything had been bothering Marinette, considering how well she’d been putting on a brave face. Besides, there was always a chance someone would catch a picture of him outside trying to visit her, when he definitely wasn't supposed to be.
Sighing, Adrien curled up on his couch with the letters scattered out in front of him, reading again and again over the bundle of replies she had sent back to him. There was such hope and joy—after she had been in such a bad place.
Settling back against the pillow, Adrien let his eyes close, holding the letters to his chest. His mind raced, struggling to puzzle out something amazing that was sure to knock her off her feet…
A way he could somehow get all that hope and joy back on her face.
And his...
Somehow…
Unfortunately for him, Marinette’s light was off when he drifted past on the way to patrol.
Unusually, Ladybug arrived on time rather than a few minutes late. He couldn’t sneak in any more time pondering what to do for Marinette.
More than once on their patrol, he had fallen into murmuring a bit in Mandarin about little ideas to file away as they swooped and scampered over the rooftops.
“What were you talking about?” She smiled, surprisingly softly, as they settled onto a rooftop after their rounds were done
“Civilian stuff. Don’t think you want to know.”
Ladybug cuddled against her legs, pulling her knees back against her chest, just sitting quietly beside him. “Not that I don’t want to. Can’t, really.” Her dizzyingly blue eyes darted over to meet his, warm with concern. “But… something is troubling you?”
Chat Noir nodded, leaning his weight back as he peered up into the sky, so his eyes didn’t keep straying in the direction of Marinette’s balcony. “A friend and I have been talking. I think I must have done something wrong, but for the life of me I can’t figure out where I slipped up with her.”
Ladybug arched a smirking brow. “Her, huh?”
His cheeks flushed, he was sure of it. At least the mask would do some extra bit of good. “It’s not like that…” Not for her at least.
He sighed, his shoulders slumping.
She bit her lip, tilting her head to lean onto his shoulder. “I think you might be taking on some extra blame too early. Did your friend say you did something wrong?”
“That’s the trouble. She hasn’t said anything, not for days. After we’d been talking every day.” He frowned, his claws digging subtly into the roofing tiles. “I honestly really miss it.”
If Ladybug noticed his anxiousness, she was polite enough not to say anything. She smiled softly, peering out over the familiar roofs of his home neighborhood. “Give her some time. I’m sure she misses you, too.”
“You are?
“Of course,” Ladybug beamed at him. “I know I miss you sometimes, too, when things get insanely busy and we’re not called to duty so often. I’m sure that your friend will figure out whatever is troubling her, and then your worries will just fade away.”
After watching Marinette rush home for lunch the next day, Adrien dared to duck into the locker room, bracing for disappointment.
“I don’t know if I can look, Plagg.” Adrien whimpered.
Wearily, Plagg grumbled before flying up to furtively peer over the rows of lockers.
Sighing heavily, Adrien slumped down onto the bench, his leg bouncing anxiously as he waited for some sort of news.
After what felt like an eternity, Plagg came back grinning. His smile only dampened as his ears suddenly perked towards the soft rumble at the door.
Urgently, he tried shoving Adrien over to the locker where the banana costume was stored. “Time to suit up, Kid.”
Adrien bit his lip, peering over his shoulder and hoping to steal a glance before he ducked into the locker.
“No time to dawdle!” Plagg hissed quietly.
The locker door had barely snicked shut when the voices grew much louder, echoing slightly in the room.
“Did you hear something?” That had to be Max.
“There’s nobody here, dude.” Kim snorted.
Adrien didn’t dare to breathe. He didn’t even dare to move much more than to lean forward slightly, pressing his forehead against the cool surface of the locker door to quiet the vibration of excitement he was only barely holding back.
It wasn’t until the door shut again and their voices faded that he finally allowed himself to change into the bulky suit. “What did she send, Plagg?”
Plagg simply grinned. “See for yourself.”
With a little less grace than usual, Banana Noir broke out of the locker and scrambled across the empty room. It took a few jumps to actually grab ahold of what she’d left sitting on the top of her locker, where her reply letters usually were.
Gaping, he stood in awe, staring through the honeycomb mesh of the eyes. In his gloved hand was one tiny, familiar—but pink—box.
It was as if Ladybug’s words had been a particularly effective Lucky Charm.
He held the tiny treasure close to his heart—or at least as close as the giant banana costume would allow. After two days of silence, Marinette actually answered.
With baked goods.
A sudden rumble of shouts and footfalls interrupted his quiet victory, sending him racing back to an empty locker and slamming the door shut.
He tried to lean back against the back wall of the locker to calm his racing heart, but no matter how he pulled, he could only move so far.
Adrien’s gaze darted to the top of his costume. In his haste, he didn’t realize he’d shut the door on it, leaving a bit of the banana’s point sticking out—he’d clearly be exposed if someone happened to notice.
For one, very terrifying, minute, he waited to be caught.
Thankfully, the clamour faded without anyone else scrambling in and noticing his slip up.
If the beeping alert from his phone was any indication, the mad rush that had spiralled him into a panic was actually everyone else running away from the inevitable mid-day Akuma.
Chat Noir peered over at his partner suspiciously as she snagged the Akuma’s butterfly mid-air to purify it. “You’re sure your magic only relates to Akuma when you’re wearing the suit, right?”
Ladybug blinked at him, clearly a bit confused. “Last I checked, yes.”
Chat Noir’s eyes softened, his hand drifting to rest upon his pocket and the tiny treasure it contained.
She smirked. “You got good news?”
Chat Noir smiled, genuine and crooked. “The best.”
Once he was finally back in the safety of his room, Adrien sat down at his desk and pulled the tiny box out of his bag. He marveled over the extra decorations and filigree she’d added to the usual macaron boxes from her parent’s bakery.
As happy as he was with her delicious—and thoughtful—gift… the chocolate and mint macaron hadn't lasted long once he’d carefully pried the box open.
The box itself was pink, just like the envelopes she’d left for her pen pal.
Adrien frowned, only now realizing that she hadn’t sent two messages. Only the one for her secret pen pal.
It wasn’t really like Marinette to leave anyone out. Now he really was convinced he needed to check in on her.
At least she had answered, but it was odd that she had forgotten to contact Chat Noir, especially seeing as she knew he was the messenger.
Glancing at the clock in his room, Adrien started to pace.
There was still about 20 minutes before the Gorilla would usher him back to school—and not enough time for Chat Noir to sneak out and drop in on a friend’s balcony.
Lunchtime would not end soon enough.
Adrien was sure it had been a lucky sign that the Gorilla was already standing and waiting for him when he opened his bedroom door to head back to school. He was able to return to the classroom with time to spare.
Of course, he conveniently forgot that Marinette often raced into class just before the bell.
Adrien pouted, shooting a fretful glance at her empty chair before slumping down in his own as the rest of class shuffled in. In all his haste and excitement to get in, he had completely forgotten it was very unlikely he would even get the chance to say more than a few words to her before class started.
In all honesty, he was really worried that he had done something to upset Marinette.
From what little he could recall, he had only answered her question about what he could do to help Ladybug.
He raked his fingers through his hair, resting his head on his open palm. Maybe she was still ust trying to figure out how to respond.
His brows furrowed, as he shifted in the seat to cross his arms over his chest. Playing piano wasn’t really a big battle skill when it came down to it, but Ladybug had used odder approaches in the past… with no small amount of success.
“Are you okay, Adrien?”
Startled, he looked up, meeting Marinette’s sky blue eyes. Concerned, her head was tilted slightly as she waited patiently for him to answer.
Warmth grew in his chest at that thought, even though the model-polite smile that crept onto his lips was nearly automatic. He nodded, ignoring the lurching skip of his heartbeat—which was surely just because she hadn’t forgotten about him after all. “Just a little tired.”
Marinette’s smile softened as she set her bag down and sat behind him. “These near-constant lunchtime battles are getting a little exhausting, aren’t they?”
Blinking, Adrien nodded fervently.
Even if that wasn’t the only reason he was so tired, those battles would continue to be more exhausting for him than she would ever know.
Ladybug had cancelled patrol for the night, so as soon as he got home, Adrien set to writing out a new pair of letters to Marinette with renewed purpose.
“Again?” Plagg sighed noisily when Adrien settled back down at desk, pen and paper in hand after he had just put away his homework for the night. “I thought you’d settled all of this.”
Adrien’s eyes narrowed intently. “Even if it takes all night, I really need to make sure to get this right.”
Yawning, Adrien stepped out of the sedan, noting that he had arrived with only a quarter of an hour before the bell for lunch would ring.
Never was he more thankful for the relatively easy excuse of a photoshoot. It hadn’t taken all night, but he had stayed up far later than usual. Enough that it had taken extra concealer, causing the make-up artists to grumble loudly.
At least his smiles were far more genuine than he had felt in a while.
The pair of letters he had come up with for Marinette were burning a hole in his bag. He closed his eyes, bracing for another quick change as he headed into the locker room; he was cutting it a bit too close in time. If he hurried, he might be able to switch into the costume quickly to drop the letters off at her locker before lunch.
It was a scramble—but with the rapid change, he’d managed to get into the costume and slipped the letters into her locker in only 5 minutes.
Which left him enough time to check to see if she had left anything for him, too.
After yesterday, he was holding on to the hope that maybe his words would compel Marinette to write back to Chat Noir again.
He jumped, flailing awkwardly a few times before he was able to reach the top of the locker. This time, there was no letter, but there was something up there.
Not just one box, but two.
The first looked just like the one she had left for him yesterday. She clearly decorated the box for Chat Noir by hand, with the tiniest black paw print inked just above the seal.
Gleefully, he broke the wrapper open on the one meant for her Admirer. He had still been a little worried about getting everything just right that he hadn’t eaten much for breakfast. Greedily, he snagged the macaron and lifted the velcro that locked the heavy mesh screen that masked his just enough to sneak it into his mouth and devour it whole.
With no small amount of delight, he realized the flavor was passionfruit. It was hard to go wrong with any of the macarons the bakery made, but this was definitely a particular favorite of his, even if it wasn’t usually on the bakery’s menu.
He had checked often enough.
As he chewed, he cracked open the box for Chat Noir.
Much to his surprise, the second box contained the exact same thing—he nibbled at a corner just to be sure.
Had Marinette just been baking a single batch?
Or had she puzzled out a little more than he had planned? Color—and tiny paw print—aside, the boxes were identical. Was it pure coincidence that she had just managed to pick out his favorite flavor?
Marinette was clever. Insanely clever, or she would never have been able to pull off what Multimouse did.
Had she managed to figure him out?
A very stunned Banana Noir stumbled out of the locker room. The pair of boxes were still in hand, pressed to his heart—or as near as he could make it—like the most precious thing he had in his possession.
“Young man,” a booming voice echoed behind him. He froze, slowly wheeling around to spot the Principal swooping down on him.
“Yes, you. In the banana costume. What are you doing on school grounds?”
“I—” He provided, eloquently.
Principal Damocles scowled, advancing on him with surprising speed. “I won’t have it, you know. None of this nonsense and tomfoolery in my school.”
Not-so-nimbly, Banana Noir wheeled back and toppled backwards, promptly crushing the delicate boxes against the ground.
Crestfallen, he rushed to pick up the pieces—as much as the heavy gloves would allow, as the principal loomed overhead. As bad as this was, it was about to get infinitely worse.
His father was about to know…
Beneath the mess of yellow, Adrien flinched and prepared to be yelled at.
He didn’t expect to hear another voice chime in instead. “I’m pretty sure I heard from Nadja Chamack on the news this morning, there was a contest to find Mr. Banana out on the streets of Paris. I think she mentioned some sort of prize reward… if you call in.”
Damocles blinked. “Then shouldn’t you be calling her.”
She crossed her arms. “Not sure that would be fair. After all, I didn’t find him first…”
Damocles blinked owlishly before scurrying off. “Don’t let him go anywhere.”
She waved. “Oh. Don't worry. He won't give me the slip.”
Damocles guffawed merrily as he shambled off.
After he was out of sight, Marinette leaned in to press a coy little kiss to his yellow cheek.
Banana Noir finally moved, half in panic. “Marinette. Won’t he find out you lied?”
“Well, it isn’t my favorite thing to do.” She smiled ruefully, before glancing down to finish typing out a text.
“Who are you writing?”
“Madame Chamack.” She smirked, as she returned her phone to the tiny pink purse that was forever at her side. “I might have a bit of extra babysitting duty with Manon after this, but she should be able to appease Principal Damocles. Besides, it seems like you really needed the rescue.”
In spite of himself, he grinned beneath the costume. “Not like it's the first time for you, though, is it?”
“Hardly.” Marinette smirked. Fierce as he had ever seen her in action, she pulled him up, cumbersome costume and all. “It has to be the 80th at least.”
He peered back, banana costume eyes wide. His eyes inside it were only marginally smaller.
He knew all too well that Marinette saved him once, very early on when the Evillustrator had outwitted them both. He would have gotten there eventually, but her quick wit had ensured that no time had been wasted to get him out to save the day. So, too, she had saved him when Kwami Buster had managed to steal Plagg. Marinette had been amazing as Multimouse. It was only a shame Ladybug would never allow her to wield a miraculous again….
Adrien frowned. That was still only two times. He could probably even argue for a handful more times she had helped him out, even just helping him to feel better. But she probably wouldn’t have been very aware of that.
Except… that coy, delighted smile on her lips seemed to scream she was right.
The only one who could even come close to claiming to have that many saves was...
“Ladybug?” he breathed.
“Hi, Chaton.” She grinned, "Or should I say… Adrien?"
“Oh…” Adrien breathed, hurriedly beginning to peel the front of the costume down so he could face her. “How did I slip up?”
“The piano. The fencing.” Marinette snorted, tugging him along behind her, as if it was instinctive on her part. “The Mandarin. You didn’t assume that I was talking to you all along. It’s the only reason I knew…”
It took him a few moments to recognize the path as she tugged him back into the boiler room they’d found when fighting Horrificator. The obvious tension in her shoulders fled as she shoved the door closed behind them.
She peered over at him carefully. “Luckily, it’s the very same reason you’re still completely safe now.”
He held his breath, automatically moving to hand the ring back to her.
When she realized, she reached out touching his hand.
“Keep it.” Marinette smiled softly, stopping him in his tracks. “I don’t think it would fit anyone else nearly as well.”
Ecstatic, he hugged her fully.
It wasn’t until Marinette tensed up that he had belatedly realized that he was a little extra sweaty at the moment. “Sorry. I keep forgetting just how hot it is in this costume.”
“Don’t…” she murmured, reaching her hand up to cup his face. “All along, you’ve just done this to see me happy.”
“My job is to keep you safe.”
“That’s my line, Chaton…”
“Who guards the guardian?” He frowned.
“I have a bunch of Kwami to help with that.” Marinette whispered. “But you have something different. You don’t have to listen to me… but you still do. You don’t have to care, but you have—over and over. You keep me safe and sane so I can watch over all of them. It’s a heavy burden, but you’ve already proven yourself, time and time again. You know what I am like… how I think. How I worry…” She nibbled at her lower lip. “When I get mired in the details and ten layers of planning, you always cut right to the heart of the matter.
“You've always cut straight to my heart.” He winked ridiculously.
To his never-ending surprise, Marinette—Ladybug—blushed furiously.
How had he missed that she was this adorable?
Daring for a moment, he resorted to his oldest antics, as he had when he first introduced himself to her as Chat Noir.
Or at least he thought he had.
With well-practiced formality, he bowed over her hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles.
It was a sight only made more ridiculous by him progressively peeling himself the rest of the way out of the banana costume, and Marinette collapsed into a fit of giggles at the sheer absurdity.
But she didn't push him away, not even an inch.
He held up the tattered remains of the boxes in hand. “Did you make these for me?”
She nodded, slipping her head onto his shoulder.
“You knew?”
“Not for long, really.” She sighed. “It’s been driving me crazy for days, figuring out what I could safely say. Which wasn’t much in the end.”
He chuckled. That was a feeling he knew all too well.
Marinette shook her head as he opened the crushed box. “You should throw that away…”
“No.” He pouted. “I’m going to keep it forever.”
Her eyes widened, before she could spot the slightest hint of mischief in his eyes. “You’re being absurd. That was on the floor. I will make you more if you really want them.”
Adrien just laughed, joyfully. “What if I asked for banana flavor?”
She gasped in feigned affront. “That’s cannibalism.”
He cackled madly. “What about something a little more peachy?”
“What about if you came over and helped one afternoon?” She butted her shoulder against his, blue eyes peering up at him. “So we can figure out all of your favorites?”
“I think my nutritionist will be up in arms.”
“Somehow, I think they’re not counting on all the extra cardio you’ve been sneaking in every day.”
She arched a brow, before peering down at her phone to check the time. “Anyways, we need to get you out of here before anyone else notices you didn’t show up when your bodyguard dropped you off.”
He sighed, shucking off the banana costume and tossing it messily into a box. He would have to stop back later to grab it, but at least it would be safe here for now. “I wish we could stay like this all day.
“Why can’t we?”
His brows furrowed. “We do have class.”
“Sure,” Marinette nodded, holding her hand out for him. “But I’m not going to head back alone. Neither are you.”
“It's okay." He shrugged. "I'm kind of used to it.”
“You shouldn't be.” Determined, she laced her fingers with his. “Not anymore, Adrien.”
Beaming, Adrien happily followed as she led him back out into the lunchtime rush. With his longer gait, it wasn’t hard to fall in step at her side once they were both out on the open terrace.
Ducking the curious glances from their friends, and the likely eagle eye of Principle Damocles, Marinette blazed a trail out of the school and turned towards home.
Her home.
“So,” she whispered, as he lowered his head to savor every one of her words. “Let’s go get some lunch. And you can tell me all about the notes you left in my locker…”