Chapter Text
“Another year, another pen.”
Adrien twirled said pen around in his fingers as he talked with Nino. “It’s always the same thing with him.”
“What about your birthday last year?” Nino asked, “Didn’t he get you a hat or a scarf or something?”
“Yeah. A blue scarf. I really thought he was starting to change. It made me so happy that he went out of his way to make something for me.”
“Merry Christmas Adrien!” A new voice entered their conversation. Marinette Dupain-Cheng, easily the cutest girl in school, and the nicest one too, presented herself before the two best bros. Her hands were outstretched, and in her hands she held a small gift, which was obviously to Adrien.
“Wow! Thanks Marinette! I can’t wait to see what it is.” Adrien exclaimed, smiling brightly at his friend.
“You can open it now, if you want. Or…or later. Whichever you prefer.”
Adrien tears into the present, and is surprised to find a blue hat. It was the exact same color as the scarf his father had supposedly given him. “Thanks Marinette!” He managed to say, despite his brain running at a thousand miles an hour. “This is beautiful. Did you make it yourself?”
Marinette’s face reddened. She was blushing? “Yea-Yes. Yes I did. I’m sorry it’s so late. I had so many commissions and other presents to work on I just finished it last night.”
“It’s fine. I love it!“
"So what are you boys doing for New Year’s?" Alya asked. She had apparently come with Marinette, although Adrien hadn’t noticed her before this point.
"I haven’t made any plans yet." Nino interlaced his fingers with Alya’s, causing a small blush to rise on the brunette’s cheeks. Adrien sighed absentmindedly. How he wished he could have what they had.
"What about you Adrien?" Alya pestered. "Do you have any plans? Will your father let you out of the house for one night?”
Adrien just shrugged. He had no idea whether his Father would be okay with it or not. He was more lenient nowadays, but you never knew what he would be against.
“Well if you boys are free, Chloe’s throwing a big New Years party at the hotel, and the entire class is invited. It’d be so much more fun if you guys came.”
“Well if Chloe’s hosting it, it shouldn’t be that hard to convince my father to let me go.”
“Wonderful! We’ll see you guys there!" Alya pulled Marinette away from the guys and headed towards one of the stores.
They sat there a few moments in silence, as they watched the girls go and drank some of their smoothies. Finally, Nino spoke up. "That hat…”
“You noticed it too?”
“It looks an awful lot like the one your father got you for your birthday. Do you think…?”
“Maybe he didn’t get it for me at all." Adrien slumped a little. "I should’ve known.”
“Maybe he just hired Marinette to do it, because he didn’t have the time?”
“Proof that he doesn’t care enough about me to spend any actual time creating a gift.”
“Maybe Marinette just saw the scarf and wanted to make you a hat to match?”
“That’s more likely, but how could she have possibly gotten the same color?”
“It’s blue?”
Adrien chuckled. “Yeah, but it’s a specific kind of blue. If my dad actually made it, there is no way on earth that Marinette has enough money to buy this particular kind of scarf for her friend.”
“Yeah, her friend.”
Adrien looked over at Nino, curious as to why he emphasized friend like that. “Regardless, I think Marinette made me that scarf.”
“Why would she let your scumbag of a father take the credit for it then? You were telling everyone in school your father made it for you. I know Marinette heard about it.”
“I don’t know. I just don’t know.”
—–
Adrien and Nino entered the party at about 6pm that night. Alya and Marinette were already there. They dragged the boys over to their conversation with Rose and Nathanael.
It was at about 8pm when Kim insisted they play Spin the Bottle: Truth or Dare Version. Adrien had never heard of Spin the Bottle, but Nino told him he should be thankful that they weren’t playing the normal version of Spin the Bottle.
It was 9pm when the bottle landed on Marinette.
“Marinette, Truth or Dare?" Alix asked.
"Truth!" Marinette replied, scared for whatever dare the pink-headed partygoer would come up with.
"Have you ever kissed someone of the opposite gender, besides your dad?”
“Oh come on, Alix!" Alya playfully punched her classmate in the shoulder. "Ask something harder. I could tell you the answer to that.”
“Welll…." Marinette was blushing profusely.
"No way!" Alya all but screamed.
"Who was it?" Rose asked.
"Was it Adrien?”
“Was it Nathanael?”
“Was it Chat Noir?”
Adrien didn’t know it was possible, but at the last suggestion, Marinette blushed even harder.
“It is Chat Noir!”
The girls were suddenly clamoring all over Marinette to get the details. How? When? Where? Why? Did she like the cat-themed superhero? Did Chat like her? When did she get the chance to talk to him, let alone kiss him? Was it on the lips?
Adrien didn’t really register any of their questions, and he definitely didn’t hear any of the noirette’s answers. When had he kissed Marinette as Chat Noir? The only time he had ever kissed someone was when Ladybug had kissed him during the events of Dark Cupid. Had another akuma got rampant and he didn’t know? Was it Theo as the Copycat? No. That didn’t make any sense. Theo was after Ladybug’s love. As far as Adrien knew, Theo had no idea Marinette even existed. So what did that mean?
Adrien’s eyes grew wide as it suddenly clicked. The girl he was in love with and the girl he had a crush on. The girl with courage and strength and the girl with kindness and love. It was the same girl. The girl who was there for anyone who needed it, both in and out of costume. Marinette Dupain-Cheng was Ladybug.