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It had been an accident.
Theoretically, bad luck was meant to follow him as the holder of the Black Cat miraculous, only he and Ladybug had agreed to swap their miraculouses every now and then, just in case they ever needed to use each other’s again in battle. So Mister Bug was swinging merrily home after patrol, already kind of missing Plagg but enjoying the change that came with being paired with Tikki (and still, if he was honest, concentrating harder than he needed to on using a yo-yo for transport - it took a bit to get the hang of it!) that he hadn’t even considered that with the swap of miraculous and kwami also came the swap in pure dumb luck.
Ladybug, of the two of them, had always been the more particular about keeping their identities a mystery. Adrien had always — not-so-secretly — yearned to know the identity of his beloved. Thus her good luck and his bad luck double teamed to ensure both of their identities were kept secure.
Great.
Wonderful, even.
It sure made the battle against Hawkmoth easier, considering what he might do if he knew who was behind either of their masks.
But it didn’t stop Adrien from secretly longing to know. When they detransformed on either side of a chimney earlier that evening, he had risked a peek - and hadn’t seen more than a single dark pigtail, which only told him his Lady’s hair was the same in her civilian life.
It was a piece of information he added to the scant few scraps he knew about his Lady’s real identity, and he hoarded each and every one to his chest like a dragon did its treasure.
What neither hero had considered, however, was how the shift in luck would change the balance over their identities. Because him wanting to know, and her wanting him not to know, with all the good luck shifted to his side of the equation and all the bad shifted to hers… well, it was simple mathematics, really.
On his way home from patrol, swinging his way across the rooftops, he just so happened to pause for breath directly across the road from the Dupain-Cheng bakery. And he just so happened to look directly across at Marinette’s balcony just as Lady Noire landed and called out “Claws in!”, leaving…
...Marinette.
Marinette was the love of his life. Sweet, shy Marinette, who was a powerhouse with a heart the size of Paris itself, and was honestly one of the prettiest girls he had ever met - high praise from a model who worked with other models. Of course his Everyday Ladybug was his Lady! Now that his eyes were open to the truth it made so much sense! And the best part was, he knew her as Adrien, too. He was friends with her as Adrien. Maybe he could even pursue her as Adrien…
...Except for that one little detail that he was pretty sure Marinette didn’t even like him. She always seemed so off-balance, so uncomfortable around him in her civilian form, possessing none of Ladybug’s confidence. Only that wasn’t true, either, was it? She was plenty confident around their classmates - how else had she become class president, after all? Come to think about it, she was only ever like that around him. She even managed to be confident around Chloé and Lila, but with him every new interaction needed a warmup period before she could speak without stuttering or messing up her words.
She must really dislike him.
The revelation was a kick in the guts. His first instinct upon seeing her transform had been to leap across to her balcony and tell her that he knew, that he was Adrien, that he loved her as her civilian self, too, now that the veil had been lifted and he was finally able to see her completely. Because Marinette had always been special to him, right from the very first day. She had mattered. Her opinion counted, even more than Nino’s. He could admit that now. He had been so blinded by his love of Ladybug, so determined to be true to her and only her, he had foolishly convinced himself that what he felt for Marinette was mere friendship. Special friendship.
He snorted at himself.
Special friendship.
He watched her disappear into her room below, and turned away with a heavy heart.
She wasn’t interested in him. And-- oh.
The other boy.
Luka, maybe?
He didn’t want to dwell on it. Luka was his friend, he didn’t want to be jealous of him.
Besides, it might be someone else.
Who did Marinette like?
Swinging out his yo-yo, he pondered as he made his way across the rooftops. He could ask Tikki when he detransformed, of course, but… somehow that felt like cheating. Besides, Tikki was trustworthy. It would be wildly out of character for her to give away a confidence like that.
Besides, there was another avenue to pursue: Marinette’s best friend was dating his best friend.
Nino would know.
Landing in his bedroom, he pulled out his super secret stash of cookies hiding in his bottom desk draw (if his father or Nathalie found out about them he would be on restricted calories for weeks - at least cheese was a protein, after all, and therefore contained some nutritional value) and offered one to Tikki, who was apparently oblivious to his discovery.
Good. He would keep it from her a little longer, if he could.
She nuzzled his cheek. “Thanks Adrien.”
He grinned at her, cupping her to him, enjoying her affection. “Not a problem. Would it be a problem if I called Nino though?”
“Not at all,” Tikki chirped. “If you have a spare device and some headphones, I’ve been watching this really great baking show. I can take it up those stairs if you want privacy.”
“You’re the best, Tikki. Lets get you set up. I have a beanbag up there, will that be comfortable enough for you?” Adrien grinned.
“That sounds wonderful. And just call me or come up and find me when you’re done and I’ll come back down to sleep,” she said easily.
He couldn’t help but smile. He adored Plagg, he really did, but it was a nice change to have such an easy to please, agreeable roommate.
It didn’t take long for him to set Tikki up with his tablet and some headphones, then he headed downstairs and facetimed Nino, choosing to pace with his phone rather than sit.
“Hey, Dude, what’s up?”
“Nino, bro - I need some advice.”
“What about?” Nino asked easily, settling himself in for a chat. He loved how his best friend never let anything phase him.
“I was thinking about Marinette tonight,” Adrien said carefully.
A light of humor came into his best friend’s eyes, but all he said was “Mmmhmm…?”
“...and I realized she acts nervous around me, stuttering and tripping over her words, but she’s not like that with anyone else.”
Nino leaned forward, looking more and more gleeful. “Yes?”
Adrien took a deep breath. Time to find out the truth. “Does she- does Marinette hate me?” he asked timidly, bracing himself for the answer.
Nino went off into a peal of laughter.
Adrien pouted. “I’m serious, bro!”
Nino took off his glasses to wipe at his eyes, his shoulders still shaking. “Okay, I’m here. I’m sorry. God, I needed that. My dude. My bro. My dude bro. My broski. What brought this on?”
“I dunno,” Adrien suddenly felt foolish, his cheeks pinking under his best bro’s knowing stare. “I just realized tonight that I actually really… like her? And it bothers me that she seems so uncomfortable around me, and I was wondering if you knew why that is?”
“Hold up,” Nino waved his hands. “You like her? As in... like-like her?”
Adrien nodded slowly. “I really do.”
Nino leaned forward, squinting at him. “What happened to your insurmountable love for Ladybug?” he asked.
Adrien went even more red. He couldn’t explain that without giving away far too much, so he went with, “Oh, well, you know… What chance do I have with a superhero?”
Nino nodded to himself, satisfied. “And you’ve finally noticed our Marinette.”
Adrien sighed hopelessly. “I just want to know what I’ve done, so that maybe I can fix it, you know?”
Nino’s mouth twitched suspiciously. “Alya’s gonna kill me for this, but she doesn’t understand how clueless you are, so I’m going to spell it out for you. Marinette is nervous around you because she likes you.”
Adrien blinked. “She- she likes me? Me as in Adrien me?”
“Of course, dude! Practically since the first day! Really it’s been embarrassing to watch how hard she tries to get your attention. That’s why she’s always stammering. Haven’t you seen how she blushes around you?”
Adrien, who had been pacing, sank down to sit on the foot of his bed. “She likes me,” he said again, dazed. “I’m the boy she likes.”
“It’s the truth, dude.”
“Oh God. Marinette likes me. Nino, Marinette likes me!” he said, springing up and starting to pace once more. “What do I do? How do I talk to her? How does someone as amazing as her even look twice in my direction? Should I get her some flowers? Some jewelry? Nino, what do I do???”
“Whoa, chill, dude. Why don’t you start by talking to her before school? Alya said she’s been making a special effort to come early the last week or two because her parents are going to ground her if she gets another tardy.”
“I… could do that,” he gulped. Talk to Marinette? Talk to his Lady, in her civilian form, when she doesn’t know who he is? Talk to her when he knows she likes him??
“Awesome. Well, I need my beauty sleep, dude. Catch you in the morning.”
“Night Nino,” Adrien said absently, sinking down on the end of his bed.
Would he even survive tomorrow long enough to be able to talk to her?
---
It was with trepidation that he approached the courtyard the next morning. Alya and Nino were sitting together on one of the benches near the base of the stairs, one of their usual hangout spots when they arrived early and didn’t want to head up to the classroom right away. It was normal for the four of them to gather before school, but Nino’s knowing smirk had his insides quivering with anticipation even with no sign of his La- of Marinette just yet.
“Morning, Sunshine,” Alya chirped, a knowing glint in her eye. Oh, God, Nino had already told her. Traitor.
“Morning, my dude,” Nino added, his expression matching his girlfriend’s. “How’re you doing?”
Adrien gave them both a weak smile. “I think I’m going to pass out,” he said through gritted teeth.
“Aww, our little Sunshine is growing up before our very eyes,” Alya teased.
Nino wiped a fake tear away, nodding, then straightened in anticipation. “Morning, Marinette my dude!” he called out.
Adrien froze. He couldn’t turn around, even as the familiar scent of her teased his senses - vanilla and cookies; only today there was a distinct undertone of camembert that he knew far too well, banishing any doubt that this was Plagg’s temporary holder.
“Hi Nino! Hey Alya!” her precious voice chirped as she joined them. He chanced a look at her in time to see her beautiful cheeks pink in the sunlight. “G-good Adrien morning! I mean, g-good morning A-Adrien!” she stuttered, her blue, blue eyes peeking up at him.
She was so beautiful, and so adorable. His mouth felt dry, his tongue suddenly three times too big for his mouth. “Mey Harinette! I-I mean,” he faltered, looking wildly at Nino for guidance. “Hi Marinette.”
Alya and Nino weren’t even pretending they weren’t enjoying the show. Nino went so far as to reach blindly into his backpack and pull out a bag of popcorn, which he opened and offered to Alya before taking a handful himself.
Making a mental note to cataclysm Nino’s headphones once he got Plagg
—
who was always down for senseless destruction of property
—
back, Adrien turned his attention back to the beautiful lady beside him.
It’s her , his heart sang. It’s her it’s her it’s her . He just wanted to talk to her, to hear her voice, to bask in her attention.
“What brings you here?” he began, and mentally smacked himself.
“My feet,” she replied, then cringed. “I-I mean, I toe goo school here. Go. To. School… here,” she stammered.
“Me, too,” he said lamely, wracking his brains for anything else to say.
Nino passed Alya the bag again, and their munching seemed to echo across the awkward silence.
“You have a lot of books there,” he said finally, nodding to the pile in her arms. “Do you heed nelp carrying them? N-need help, I mean?”
She looked down at the pile in her arms as if she had no idea how they got there. “Oh. These? Um… They’re for a student council leeting at munch today. Meeting. Lunchtime. I’m gonna just - go. And lut them in my pocker. My locker, put them.”
“Can I c-carry them you for? -F-for you, that is?” he asked.
“O-oh that is swery veet of you. Sweet. Very. Um, h-here,” she added, holding the pile out.
He went to take them, his hand brushing hers.
Her hand. Her skin was touching his, without any suit between them. He was touching her hand!
The books flew into the air, landing around them in a series of dull thumps.
“Oh gosh!” she exclaimed, and he scrambled to help pick up the books.
She cried out as their heads bumped together, the movement enough to unbalance her and she reached blindly for something - anything to break her fall.
He wasn’t going to let his Lady hurt herself on his watch. He swooped in, gathering her into his arms before she hit the ground, holding her securely to his chest, his heart hammering. One of her hands had found purchase in his t-shirt, which she was now holding in a death grip.
His eyes swept over her face, looking for any sign of injury or discomfort. “Are you okay?” he breathed.
“I’m - fine. Just - m-madly clumsy,” she replied, staring up at him with those wide blue eyes, her kissable mouth parted and tempting.
He felt his ears turn red at her words, remembering the first time she said that - remembering falling in love with her the first time, just as he was doing all over again right this second. “Here,” he said, unwillingly helping her to her feet. “I’ve got these,” he added, forcing himself to release his grip on her and quickly picking up the books.
Honestly he had forgotten Nino and Alya were even there, so he jumped when Nino gasped in what was clearly mock horror. “Dude, is that a hole in your shirt, up by the shoulder there?”
Marinette’s gasp contained true mortification. “Oh no, did I tear it when I grabbed it? I’m so sorry, Adrien. Here, I have my sewing kit with me. Would you like me to fix it for you?” she pulled off her backpack and dug through, emerging a moment later triumphantly with her sewing kit.
He glanced at his shoulder where there was a definite hole in the seam. He hesitated, not wanting to give his Lady any trouble (even as he basked in her attention) but he knew his father would have words to say about his clothes being messed up from school. “I - that would be great. Thanks Marinette.”
Depositing her books and his backpack on the bench next to Nino, he shucked his overshirt and laid it carefully over his backpack so it wouldn’t crease, then stripped his t-shirt off.
Marinette, who had seated herself beside Alya and started the business of threading a needle, glanced up and squeaked.
“Here you go,” he said, handing his t-shirt over.
“Abs,” she mumbled, then flicked her eyes up to his in horror. “I-I mean, absolutely not a problem. We’ll get this off our chest - I mean, I muscle - MUST - get going on this.”
There was just enough room at her end of the bench for him to squeeze himself onto. “Do you mind if I watch?” he asked. He was aware that he was crowding into her personal space, but he just couldn’t stand to be away from her, arranging himself so his shoulder pressed against hers like they were sitting on a rooftop together taking in the view and chatting after patrol.
Her fingers were shaking as she threaded her needle. It took her three tries, and then when she was finally successful, she pricked her finger. “Ow!”
His hands were both cradling the abused finger before she could do more than drop the needle, and on instinct he brought it up to his lips to kiss it better. She watched him, mouth parted, blue eyes dazed, cheeks rapidly rivalling her suit in color.
Then she stood up, his shirt tumbling from her lap onto the ground, and she fled.
“That’s my cue!” Alya shoved the popcorn back at Nino and took off after her best friend.
Adrien sat, shirtless and dejected, as the love of his life ran away from him.
---
The girls bathroom on the ground floor was almost always empty before school, and Marinette thanked whatever luck Tikki had left her as she barrelled in to find that today was no exception. Bracing herself on the sink, she concentrated on taking slow, even breaths in and out to ease her embarrassment.
WHAT. JUST. HAPPENED???
Yet before she could piece together the entire (beautiful? humiliating?) morning, the bathroom door opened once more. Marinette shrank away, her eyes dropping as she turned on a faucet, hoping whoever was barging in wouldn’t notice her distress.
“Girl, that was some show this morning,” the comforting, kind tone of her best friend cut into her thoughts, and with what could only be described as a sob of relief, Marinette turned and threw her arms around Alya.
“I’m so glad you’re here. I have no idea what just happened but I’m so embarrassed,” she babbled, and Alya hugged her, soothing her gently.
“Nino and I pushed you both too far is what happened. I’m so sorry, Marinette,” Alya confessed.
“But why?” Marinette pulled away. “It’s not like you to laugh at me when you know how I feel.”
Alya put a hand on her shoulder. “This morning was different though. Adrien told Nino last night that he likes you. We were just trying to nudge you together.”
Marinette gave out a high-pitched whine. “By humiliating me in front of him?”
Alya let out a soft chuckle. “By embarrassing you both? A little bit. You were both too cute though.”
Marinette mulled it over. She knew her friends, and she could tell even now that there had been no malice in either Alya or Nino’s actions. She then rewound the conversation in her head. “You really think he likes me?” she whispered, not daring to hope.
Alya grinned. “Judging by how he was stammering and tripping over his words every bit as much as you were? I’d say so. Our poor Sunshine has got it bad.”
Marinette gulped. It was one thing to dream about having Adrien’s affections, it was another to be told she already had them. “What do I do? He probably hates me now.”
“I really doubt it. Girl, do you have any idea how adorable the two of you are? Now you listen to me. He likes you. He already said so to Nino. You don’t need some big, crazy scheme here to convince him to look twice at you - he already is. You just need to channel some of that Class President confidence of yours, march out that door, and ask him out. Think you can do that?”
Marinette shook her head. “No,” she said honestly.
Alya sighed, exasperated. “There’s no fear of rejection here, girl. He’s going to say yes, if he doesn’t beat you to it and ask you out first. Don’t you want to be Adrien’s girlfriend?”
“Yes,” Marinette whispered. “More than anything.”
Alya raised an eyebrow. “More than daydreaming about dating him?”
Marinette nodded. “Yes.”
“More than hesitating and watching him walk off with another?”
“Yes!”
“More than stuttering and messing up your words?”
“YES!”
“Then go out there and ask the guy out, Marinette! You’ve got this!”
“YES!” Marinette cried, throwing open the bathroom door and marching back across the courtyard to where Adrien was just pulling his discarded t-shirt over his head.
She stopped in front of him, planted both feet, lifted her head, and gathering all the Ladybug confidence she had within her, proclaimed: “ADRIEN, I REALLY LIKE YOU. WILL YOU GO OUT WITH ME?”
A hush descended on the courtyard as chattering students from every class paused on their way in to stare at the drama unfolding before them. Adrien stood slowly, t-shirt still askew.
“
Abs
-solutely,” he replied, his face lighting up with a smirk that suddenly felt… awfully familiar to her. Before she could puzzle it out though, he was stepping forward, cupping her face in his hands and murmuring “May I…?”
He paused to search her eyes for an answer
—
she gave the tiniest nod, but he had always read her well
—
before bending down to press his lips to hers once, twice, then deepened the kiss, winding his arms around her waist. She was powerless against it, sliding her hands up his arms and around his neck, burying one hand in his hair, simply holding on. He pulled back after a moment, and she felt him lean in to her ear and say only just loud enough for her to hear, “I knew you had it in you, Bugaboo!”
She blinked, leaning back in his arms, her eyes raking over his face. “Chat Noir?” she whispered.
He smirked again, and this time she could see it, see him. Both sides of him merging into one before her eyes. He leaned into her space once more. “At your service, My Lady,” he said, then pressed his mouth to hers once more, just as the bell rang and the crowds around them dispersed, leaving them alone in a matter of seconds. Even Alya and Nino went, taking their things with them, but neither Marinette nor Adrien paid attention, too focused on the feeling of each other’s lips, on finally being together.
“Wait. Wait, wait, wait. Stop. I can’t-- stop.” Marinette pulled away from him abruptly.
“Bugaboo?”
Her eyes dropped, and she stepped back, away from those amazing arms, those insanely kissable lips.
He let her go, of course. He had never been anything other than a gentleman. And now that she knew he was, in fact, the most perfect boy in existence as well as her partner in crime (fighting), she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she could trust him to stop when she told him to. Eyes averted, she didn’t see the longing in his, or the dread rising up to stifle the hope and joy that had existed there.
“I thought… I hoped you would be happy, My Lady. Are you disappointed that Adrien is just Chat?” he choked out.
Her eyes flew back to his, the honest confusion easing his fears. “What? No. Disappointed that the guy I’m crazy about is also my best friend?” She laughed a little hysterically.
He reached out like he couldn’t stop himself, capturing one of her hands in his. “What’s the matter then?” he asked gently.
She looked down, then away.
He waited her out, drawing soothing circles on the back of her hand with his thumb, sending delicious tingles up her arm.
“Is it-- is it just because I’m her?” she asked quietly, peeking up at him from under her bangs, timid as a mouse.
He blinked. His confusion was, well, adorable, but she was too afraid of his reply to get lost in that right now.
“Honestly? If anything, it’s because she’s you.”
Now it was her turn to blink.
“But you love Ladybug. I’m just… me.”
He smiled then, that soft look in his eye, and she was powerless as he tugged her closer once more, tucking her safely into his arms.
“Do you remember Stoneheart?” he asked. She nodded against his shoulder, not sure where he was going, but content to linger here just a few moments, even if… even if… but he was still speaking, and showing no sign of letting her go. “I was so excited. Being Chat Noir was the biggest freedom and adventure I could have asked for. But you - you were terrified. I could see it. Yet you stood up to Hawkmoth and saved Chloé and restored Ivan, even though it took every ounce of courage you had just to be there. And in that moment, that’s when I fell for the girl under the mask. It had nothing to do with being Ladybug.”
She pulled away slightly so she could look up at him. “But Adrien, I’m not - that’s not--”
He bent down and kissed the tip of her nose tenderly, as if unable to stop himself, then leaned his forehead against hers so his green, green eyes took up all of her vision. “But you are, Mari. That’s all you. Or was it some other girl who marched over here and asked me out in front of everyone, in spite of the fact that you were shaking in your boots?”
She bit her lip, a telltale flush climbing her cheeks. “It’s not the same thing,” she replied weakly.
“But it is. And that’s who you are, Marinette. That’s all you. You’re kind, and determined, and stubborn, and brave, and confident, and you have the biggest heart that allows you to look out for the smallest person. That’s all you, and that’s what I fell in love with about Ladybug. I just didn’t see her in you for the longest time because… well, you didn’t exactly show Adrien who you were, did you?”
She shook her head. “I was too scared and shy to even talk to you,” she admitted.
“See? And since I couldn’t exactly see you when I wasn’t around, I couldn’t find My Lady in you. Except for the occasional tantalising glimpse that always made me want to get closer to you and figure you out, and sometimes even made me question my devotion to My Lady. Can’t you see, Marinette? I don’t love you because you’re Ladybug. I love Ladybug because she’s you.”
She couldn’t help herself from going up on her toes and surging into him, kissing him as he had kissed her, full of heat and want and finally, finally having that which had been so longed for. Then, joining hands, they ran upstairs to class - late, but together.