Chapter Text
Adrien:
Who would’ve thought? I’m in love with the most wonderful woman ever to be seen on the face of this Earth. And she loves me back. Marinette loves me. Ladybug loves me. She’s my princess, my love, and my best friend.
And yet…it feels wrong. It feels wrong to walk into school everyday and look at her. It feels wrong to be unable to go up to her and ask her how she’s feeling. It feels wrong to see her everyday and not even tell her. It is wrong. So wrong.
I sigh. Marinette can’t know my secret identity. If Hawk Moth found out…it would be horrible. It’s already bad enough that I know hers. Although, I’m so glad I know who she is. Doesn’t she deserve the same honesty?
Maybe… I’m more afraid of the fact that she might not love me anymore if she found out who I was. Why would she, if she knew who I really am? A modeling boy who she constantly avoids talking to. A kid with no interests or life, thanks to his father. Why would she love me then?
“Ughh,” Plagg groans, flying into my face. “You’ve got that look on your face again.”
“What look?” I ask.
“The one where you’re thinking about your sweet baker girl again,” he replies. “I don’t understand why you people don’t think about cheese all the time.”
I roll my eyes. “Plagg…I’m thinking about telling her who I really am.”
“Who…you really are? Adrien, if you’re thinking what I know you’re thinking, you better stop right there. This idea stinks worse than a rotten piece of Camembert!”
“I know who she is, Plagg,” I tell him. “It’s only fair that she should know who I am too.”
“I don’t approve of this idea, but…I understand. I wouldn’t be able to keep secrets from the one I love either.”
I raise my eyebrows. “You’re not talking about cheese anymore, are you?”
“Ha, what are you talking about?” he asks, laughing hesitantly. “Kwamis can’t fall in love, Adrien. My only love is this amazing Camembert.”
I narrow my eyes. It was never a secret that Plagg was in love with Ladybug’s kwami, and he certainly wasn’t good at hiding it
“Stop overthinking it,” he huffs, then zooms off to the opposite side of the room.
I smile. If two kwamis can fall in love, why can’t Adrien and Marinette? I cross my arms and grin at Plagg.
“I’m telling her today, Plagg,” I declare. “At school.”
Marinette:
As I walk up the steps to school, Alya practically tackles me as she squeals.
“You finally did it, girl!” she yells. “You finally figured out your love life!”
“Not exactly…” I say softly.
“So, you’re telling me you don’t love Cat Noir?” she whispers, raising an eyebrow.
“Of course I do!” I argue. “He’s funny, witty, caring, kind, and you just get lost in those deep green eyes…”
“And…he’s got you rambling.” she remarks. As I protest, she laughs. “Marinette, your cheeks are bright red!”
I cover my flaming cheeks and glare at her. But…she’s not wrong. He visits my room every night, always asking whether I’m okay. He cheers me up when I feel down with flowers and hilarious jokes, and I feel like he’s the only person I can really trust.
He’s seen me with tears in my eyes, with cuts and bruises on my face, with dizziness and paleness so serious it makes me fall unconscious, with laughter that makes me double over, with…everything. He even knows who I really am, as Ladybug and Marinette, and he loves all sides of me. I love him because of it all.
But…it can’t ever be real.
“Come on girl,” she says, nudging me. “What’s wrong?”
“What do you mean?” I lie. “Nothing’s wrong.”
“I just saw your face drop in five seconds,” she says. “You’re also a terrible liar. What’s up?”
“How…how am I supposed to be with him, to truly love him, when I can never see the entire picture of who he is?” I ask sadly. “I’ll never really know who’s behind the mask.”
“He knows who you are,” Alya states. “You have a right to know who he is.”
“NO,” I say loudly, causing a few people to turn their heads toward us. I lower my voice. “I can never know who he is. If Hawk Moth ever akumatizes me, you can say goodbye to Paris.” Tears start gathering in my eyes. “I have to put the safety of everyone in Paris over me and Cat Noir. That’s the problem with being Ladybug.”
“Hey dudes-dudettes!” Nino calls behind us. I quickly wipe my eyes and smile. “Wassup?”
“Hey, Nino,” Alya says as he wraps an arm around her. “Ready for that history test?”
He groans. “These akumatizations haven’t killed me yet, but that just might.” He scratches the back of his neck, clearly nervous. “Hey Alya, I was thinking…after school…if you maybe…possibly…wanted to go get some ice cream?”
She laughs and holds his hand. “Of course, you dumbo.”
Nino smiles as she kisses his cheek. I watch them happily and wish that my love life could be that simple.
“Hey guys,” Adrien says, coming up the steps. He looks at me and starts to say something, but suddenly the bell rings.
“Oh no, we have to get to class,” I interject, grabbing Alya’s hand and walking away.
Alya snorts and looks at me. “That was very inconspicuous,” she says sarcastically. “We still have five minutes before we need to be in class.”
“I can’t talk to him, Alya,” I mumble through my bright cheeks. “Not after…everything.”
“Right, and avoiding him seems totally normal,” she says.
I don’t know how to feel about Adrien. I love Cat Noir, I really do. But I’ve had a crush on Adrien for so long. I had pictures of him on my wall. I've planned his next fifty birthdays, and I know all his middle names. With Cat Noir, I’ll never know who’s behind the mask. But with Adrien, there will never be some invisible barrier between us. I’ll know who he really is.
On the other hand, I can never really talk to Adrien. Every time I’m around him, I stutter and trip over my words. With Cat Noir, words flow out freely, as if they were meant to be said. I can truly trust him with everything, even when I barely trust myself.
I groan. “Why does love always have to be so complicated?” I ask Alya.
“Girl, it isn’t super complicated,” Alya says. “But with Ladybug, everything is complicated.”
I can’t refute that, since I know it’s true. As we walk into Ms. Bustier’s class, a burning question is still lingering in my head: Cat Noir or Adrien?
Adrien:
I’ve been trying to talk to Marinette all day, but every time I get even close, she just avoids me like I’m the plague. Before school, she used the bell as an excuse. After Ms. Bustier’s class ended, she stammered something about needing to go see if Alya’s turtle was doing fine. I am fairly certain that she doesn’t have a pet turtle. At lunch, she stood up to throw away the food on her tray as soon as I started to say something.
I don’t understand. Am I doing something wrong? Did I say something wrong? Have I been so caught up in my relationship with her as Cat Noir that I didn’t notice something I did as Adrien? I need to tell her who Cat Noir really is. Who I really am.
As the bell rings, I jump out of my seat and race out the door. I am not leaving this school without talking to my princess. I spy her beautiful blue hair as she walks with Alya toward the exit and immediately walk toward her.
“Marinette,” I say, touching her shoulder. I see her look frantically at Alya. Why do I make her feel this way? “Can we talk?”
“I’m sorry,” she starts, and I sigh. She’s going to give me another excuse.
“Please, Marinette.”
She stares at me with those wonderful, bright blue eyes before she nods.
“Of course, Adrien.”
Marinette:
I follow him as he leads me to a room, checks to see if anyone’s in it, and closes the door behind us. I have no clue what he would want to talk to me about, and I’m honestly nervous. I don’t think I can get through this conversation without butchering every word I speak. When Adrien asked me to talk with him, he looked desperate, as if he'd been wanting to do it all day. Honestly, he probably has and I’ve just been too wrapped up in my own problems to realize it.
“What did you want to talk to me about?” I ask.
“Marinette, I think you’re amazing,” he says, and I freeze. “You’re extremely brave, even when someone is akumatized. You’re kind to everyone you meet. You always find the right words, and always make me laugh, even when I don’t feel like it. You’re an extremely special person. I…I love you, Marinette.”
I stare at him in shock, embarrassed by the heat surrounding my cheeks. His confession was so sweet. How am I supposed to tell him my heart belongs to Cat Noir? Especially since I’m not sure about that statement.
“I’m sorry, Adrien, but…my heart belongs to someone else,” I say weakly, bracing myself for his reaction.
He smiles. “I know.”
I tilt my head in utter confusion. “How could you possibly know?”
His smile grows bigger. “I know because…you’re in love with me.”
He takes a deep breath and whispers, “Plagg, claws out.”