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"WHAT?! WHY?"
Ladybug shot her partner an odd look.
"What do you mean, 'why?' It led to something amazing!"
"I can hardly believe that. If it hadn't been for some last minute... clarifications, I would be friends with one less person!" Chat Noir replied, shaking his head.
Chat Noir, who also happened to be Adrien Agreste, despised chewing gum. Hated it. Couldn't even look at it.
"What could possibly be so amazing that—"
"I... fell in love."
"Oh."
"..."
"WAIT."
Chat paused his dramatic sighs for a moment and raised an eyebrow.
"Er, milady, I don't mean to judge or anything, but... chewing gum? Really?"
"Yep! And an umbrella! It was so romantic!"
"Huh. Well, LB, I can assure you that if you ever fall for me, it won't be because of chewing gum. At all. Not related to it in any way."
Ladybug blinked in response, then proceeded to roll her eyes when she realized he was serious.
"Wow. The 'other guy' must really be something if all it took was chewing gum. Either that, or I've underestimated your love for gum."
"Yeah... He's amazing. I feel bad for him sometimes, you know? His father doesn't pay much attention to him, but is still really overprotective. He isn't even allowed to leave the house half the time! It took a lot of convincing just for him to be allowed to go to school."
"...You're kidding, right? PLEASE TELL ME YOU'RE NOT SERIOUS."
She glared at him. Chat Noir sighed. Of course Ladybug would fall for someone with the exact same backstory as him. And he couldn't even say anything because of "secret identities" and all that!
"And his eyes... they're such a beautiful shade of green!"
Chat blinked. Green eyes. IT HAD TO BE GREEN EYES. Couldn't it have been any other color? No. Of course not. Because that was just his luck.
Up until that day, he'd known he was a black-cat-themed superhero, but didn't think the bad luck associated with the animal would transfer onto him! He scrunched up his nose in annoyance.
"Sounds nice."
Ladybug gasped. "Chat! I'm so sorry! I didn't realize..."
She mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like "I guess I'm just that obsessed."
"Oh no, tell me more!" He was determined to find a difference between himself and the mystery guy.
"Um... really? You're sure?"
"YES!"
"You sound... oddly enthusiastic..."
"Just continue."
"He's really sweet. He was very sheltered when he was younger, and we're his first friends. I'm not sure if I'm really that good of a friend though, because I constantly stammer and fall around him. But he's always nice to me—US—anyway!"
"Well THAT'S helpful. Does he know you like him?"
"Don't be silly, Chat. Of course not!"
Chat Noir blinked, confused.
"There's always that fear that he might reject me... and even when I try to tell him... it never really works out."
"Oh. Isn't it kind of obvious though? If you're constantly stammering and falling around him and he still hasn't figured it out..."
Thank goodness he wasn't that oblivious!
"Eh, I've denied it every single time he comes close to figuring it out... and that concludes patrol!"
"See you soon, Bugaboo!"
"Bye, kitty!"
---
"I never thought of you as someone who liked gum."
"Well it did lead to an event, which led to another event—"
"Which you ramble about every time someone asks—"
"Which led to me understanding that he's the love of my life!"
"Um. Does this mean you like yelling at people and realizing you're mistaken, too?"
"No...yes? No. I don't know?!"
Alya sighed.
"Maybe instead of obsessing over things that led to the 'umbrella scene,' as you like to call it (which really doesn't make sense. It's not like we're in a movie or TV show or anything), you could talk to him? Go on, girl! He's right in front of you!"
"And he can probably hear you, Alya! Shh!" Marinette whispered.
"Marinette, Alya, if you're done with your conversation, which I'm sure is VERY IMPORTANT, could we get started with class?"
The girls' eyes widened. "Sorry Ms. Mendeleiev!"
---
It had been a perfectly normal day.
And Adrien Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Cheng had been perfectly fine with that.
But then it wasn't normal.
So here they stood, staring at each other in silence, while Plagg ate his cheese noisily and Tikki told him to be quiet.
"Are you going to say something or do I have to keep talking? Because I'm trying to be polite—"
"You're really not." Tikki interrupted.
"and I don't want to talk with food in my mouth. And we all know I won't stop eating cheese for long."
"You're..."
"Yes, go on. Continue. He is..."
"You're..."
"You can't keep saying that forever! Tikki, tell your chosen to repeat after me. He is."
"He is..."
"Chat Noir."
"Splat Car."
"PFFT. Splat car! Sorry, pigtails, but I don't think there's a kwami for that kind of superhero."
"Oh. Sorry. Chat Noir."
"And you're..." Adrien began.
"I have to hear this one."
"Ladybug. And Marinette."
"Well that was boring."
"And Ladybug. And Marinette."
"Um, yeah, Adrien, we've been over this."
"And Ladybug. And Marinette."
"ADRIEN. MY PERSONAL CAMEMBERT PROVIDER. And chosen, I guess. HURRY UP AND PROCESS THE INFORMATION. MY CHEESE IS WAITING, AND TIKKI, FOR ONCE, ISN'T HELPING HERE."
"Hey! For the past 5000 years, I've had to calm them down while you obsessed over food. It's my turn. Let me have my cookie in peace." Tikki continued to nibble on the cookie she took from Marinette's bag.
"And Ladybug. And Marinette."
"I give up."
"Hold on. Why did you hate gum?"
"And Ladybug. And—oh, it was because of that time when you hated me because of the gum on your seat."
"OH. But that led to—"
"Wait... how many chewing gum incidents with umbrellas have you even been in? That's at least two!"
"Forget this. You'd think the reveal would simplify things, but NoOoOo... This is why I stick to cheese."
Marinette looked at Adrien, and then Plagg. And then Adrien again. She gave him an exasperated look, shaking her head. "You know what, Plagg? I'll join you. Cheese IS simpler."
Adrien blinked, still confused. He shrugged, and then turned to Tikki.
"Do you have another cookie?"
"Of course, Adrien! Thank goodness you're not one of those chosens who obsesses with Plagg over cheese. Cookies are much better."
"HEY! CHEESE IS ALWAYS SUPERIOR!"
---
A Year or Two Later
"OH!"
"Do you have something to say, Mr. Agreste?"
"Yes, Ms. Mendeleiev! Marinette, you've only been in one chewing gum and umbrella incident! THAT MAKES SO MUCH MORE SENSE."
"That took long enough...at least you figured it out, Adrien!"
"It was an odd way to look at the situation, though! If anything, I would have expected you to hate it! Like I did!"
"About the lesson, Mr. Agreste. About the lesson. I don't care about gum right now."
"And umbrellas!"
Ms. Mendeleiev sighed.
"And umbrellas."