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He had drawn them several times. Marinette was his model for Ladybug ever since the Evil Illustrator incident and he had used Adrien’s photos as drawing references for poses and clothing inspiration. So because of this he had eventually ended up using Adrien as his Chat Noir reference in his comics.
That’s probably when he realized their secret identities.
They fit perfectly into the suits of Ladybug and Chat Noir- it was shocking that he never realized it sooner. The timing of where they were when Akuma attacks happened. The way Adrien slipped a stupid cat pun into every day conversation or the confidence Marinette displayed. It fit with Ladybug and Chat Noir to the T.
And he didn’t do anything about it after he found out. Not that he could anyway.
He just made sure that his characters in his comic weren’t too influenced by Marinette and Adrien. Bridgette and Félix were totally different characters, they actually had the same personalities without the masks for one. They just may or may not look very similar to Marinette and Adrien- he couldn’t help it, they were his muses. No one seemed to notice the similarities though which was a relief for Nathanaël.
And they read his comics. Well he made sure to give them free copies of the first volume so they obliged to, but after they kept reading it and it made him so happy. Then they came back again and again to talk to him about it, about the characters and incidents. And eventually he became good friends with both of them. Not saying he wasn’t a good friend of Marinette’s before, they had just become closer.
He honestly thought she hated him after she found out that he liked her but she didn’t treat him any differently.
Nathanaël was sitting in his room reminiscing about all this while drawing when there was a knock on the door. He had his chin rested on the back of his office chair while he was drawing. “Come in.” he managed.
“Hey.” A familiar voice entered that made him swerve his chair to take a good look at the blond god standing before him. The motion almost made him fall off.
A certain Agreste quickly fell onto his bed and pulled the blankets over him. “Stop coming over to my house just to sleep Adrien.”
“Eeeh but Nath your bed is just SO comfortable and I’m just SO tired so goodnight.”
Nathanaël sighed, he wasn’t sure whether this friendship with Adrien was a good idea, the boy kept intruding his personal space whenever he felt like it which was basically all the time. He let Adrien nap at his house one time ages ago and he hasn’t stopped coming over since. He shouldn’t have fed the stray. “Why don’t you sleep at Nino’s?” he whined.
“Nino has siblings and he just got a new DJ rig. Do you think I’d get a wink of sleep there?”
“What about Alya? Marinette?”
“I can’t just sleep at a girls place! I’m still a gentleman you know.” Nathanaël laughed at him.
“Fine, fine. You can sleep here. But seriously you’re nearly 18 you should stop using being at my house an excuse for avoiding your responsibilities. Damn stray. What is this? The 10th nap at my house this week?”
Adrien, looking pleased, removed his jacket and shoes and made himself more comfortable in Nathanaël’s bed before turning to Nathanaël. “Other than a cat nap I actually had something I wanted to ask you.” Nathanaël gave him undivided attention. “I think I’m dating this girl.”
“Is it Marinette?”
Adrien nearly fell out of the sheets “No! Why would it be Marinette!?” Nathanaël shrugged.
He really wanted to say because Marinette’s liked you since forever you dense idiot but he refrained from it. “Why are you coming to me of all people anyway? Ask Nino.”
“Dude I can’t, besides you dated 2 girls before I thought you would have more experience.”
“Yeah ‘experience’. Sure. Alix for a month in College which was childish and then Rose for a while because she was double checking if she was straight or not. Which she is defiantly not.” He sighed “so who is it?”
“I can’t really tell you it’s…complicated,” Nath figured it was Ladybug “but anyway, she kissed me and she knows I like her butshesneverdonethatbeforeohgodNathwhatdoIdo.”
“Well it means she likes you doesn’t it? Or it means she was testing you.”
“Testing me?”
“Sometimes a girl will kiss you to test if there’s that spark. Y’know?”
“No I don’t. I’m pretty sure that was my first kiss.” Nathanaël started laughing, hard. “Hey! Don’t make fun of a man’s first kiss!”
Nathanaël wiped a tear away “Sorry, sorry I was just thinking. The tabloids would have a field day I can see it now. Model Adrien Agreste, virgin.”
Adrien was now as red as Nathanaël’s hair. “DUDE!” He threw the pillow at Nathanaël and Nathanaël ended up on the floor using it to muffle his laughter. When he finally calmed down and sat up he looked at Adrien who was now an embarrassed blanket burrito. “Are you sure you didn’t have your first kiss with like, Chloe when you were kids?”
Adrien poked his head out “Does that count?”
“It counts dude.”
“Nooooooo I don’t want my first kiss to be that. That was just horrible I’d rather it be with my lady…I still don’t know how to fix that problem by the way.”
“Just ask her if you two are dating. Call her up and be straight forward with her.”
“I can’t do that! Besides what if she says it didn’t mean anything…or she says she hates me forever or something?” the burrito started rolling around on the bed.
“If she kissed you it means she must like you a little right? Just go for it dude. Seriously. You two would make a good couple.”
“You don’t even know who she is.”
“Oh I have a pretty good idea.”
“It’s not Marinette.” It was but he wasn’t going to tell him. “Besides…I used to like her a lot –and I’m not talking about Marinette, Nath.- but recently I…feel like I don’t like her as much as I used to.” Adrien faced the wall and curled up. “Like I liked her but it’s been almost 4 years so I started giving up recently…or something…I think I might like someone else.”
“Is it Mari-“
“Maybe. Well, I mean I have kind of maybe thought about dating Marinette, she’s cute but argh I don’t know it’s just…tell me Nath have you ever thought…of dating like…a guy?”
“Well yeah.” Nathanaël answered like it was obvious. Which it should’ve been. Well hopefully to Adrien. “I’m French and an artist, so of course.”
Adrien laughed “I know straight French artists.”
“The minority. Anyway, so, who’s the guy? Nino?”
Adrien almost choked. “NO. DUDE! JUST NO.” Nathanaël was in tears again “Nino’s my bro! Besides he’s totally straight! He’s dating Alya.”
“He wasn’t that straight when I kissed him.”
“YOU WHAT!?” Adrien was now turned to him wide eyed.
“Oh you weren’t there? That’s a funny story that one.”
“Do tell.”
“Well remember at the end of college when we had to put on that senior year graduation play as a class? You played the lead that night remember? Anyway after that Akuma attack happened and we somehow survived the craziness of it all…that’s right that’s why you weren’t there.” Adrien looked at him questioningly “Chloe sprained her ankle during the Akuma attack so she couldn’t continue her lead role remember? And then Marinette jumped in as her understudy. Anyway after the play the two of you took Chloe to the infirmary because she made you and then Marinette went so that Chloe wouldn’t pull anything while the two of you were alone. So yeah after that, the rest of the class hung out in the classroom. We were all pretty sad cause college was coming to an end. Then Kim found a bottle of wine from somewhere, I think it was for the parents that attended that night haha. So there we were kind of drunk when Alix suggested truth or dare. Honestly she and Kim were the ones that were smashed because they had a competition to see who could drink the most. It got to Nino and he chose dare and his dare from Sabrina was to kiss me and he did. I’m pretty sure Alya has it on film somewhere.”
Adrien was shocked “I can’t believe I missed that.”
“Yeah dude, that night not only did we get Rose to confess to Juleka but I also found out Sabrina has fantasized about Chloe and her and how far Ivan and Mylene had gotten. It was great.”
“And I’m finding out about this, what, 3 years later. I’m kinda mad I missed that. Why didn’t Nino tell me?”
“Well you’d probably bring it up later while he probably wants to forget it. He probably gets enough of that from Alya.” They both laughed. “So are you going to tell me who this guy is? The one that you like?” Nathanaël had to know. He hoped it was him but that chance was unlikely. It could have been any guy really.
“Just so you know I’m not gay.” Adrien looked him in the eye, trying to make the point very clear.
“Well that makes two of us.”
Adrien seemed to be taken aback “Wait you’re not gay?”
“Well I’m not straight either if that’s what you’re asking. Just tell me already Adrien or I swear to god-“
“Okay well you see Nath it’s-“
Suddenly there was a knock on the door and in came Marinette “Hey Nath! I have some-“ then she saw Adrien “-past…ries…am I interrupting something?”
Damn it…later then Nathanaël thought. “No, not at all, actually I was starting to get hungry. What about you Adrien? ...Adrien?”
Adrien was once again a burrito with only the top of his head poking out “it’s okay dude! I’m going to nap.” Nathanaël sighed and gave up.
“Then let’s leave him and go get some coffee to go with these pastries huh Marinette?”
She blinked at him and then a light blush graced her beautiful face. “J-Just the two of us?”
“Of course?”
She laughed nervously then said something that sounded like ok he wasn’t sure but he went with it and out they went.