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Alya Cesaire knew Marinette Dupain-Cheng.
That wasn’t a sentence to be used lightly. When Marinette was frustrated, she grew quiet. When she was nervous, she tugged on her pigtails. When she was sleepy, she pinched herself to stay awake. When Marinette was excited, she clicked her tongue when she smiled widely. Alya knew all of Marinette’s tells.
Especially her Adrien-specific tells.
Marinette, poor girl, hadn’t been able to string a sentence properly in all the time she’d known him. It was a little embarrassing, a little endearing, and incredibly frustrating. Adrien, ever the sweet boy, waited for Marinette to struggle through her sentences. He was patient, even if he looked a bit confused while Marinette threw out random words.
But it vanished one day. One day, Marinette walked into Madame Bustier’s classroom in the morning, and said good morning to Adrien. An actual, genuine good morning! No tripping, no stuttering. She said, “Good morning, Adrien.” And it wasn’t awkward, either! Marinette spared him a glance, and on her way up to her seat, smoothly said good morning.
Adrien seemed unsurprised, giving Marinette a little smile. “Good morning.”
Alya’s mouth hung open.
But the weirdness didn’t end there. Everything was normal, and Alya might have almost forgotten about that little good morning, except lunchtime was even weirder. As usual, Nino and Adrien meet Alya and Marinette outside the main school doors.
“Where should we go for lunch?” Alya asked.
Adrien slung his arm around Marinette’s shoulders. “I think it’s Marinette’s turn to pick.”
Marinette did not stumble. She did not blanch. She did not cease to function as a normal human does. She just smiled, side-glancing at Adrien. In fact, she pushed him away. “Get off. And yes, it is.”
Nino froze, his gaze flicking between both Adrien and Marinette.
They both noticed.
“What?” Adrien asked.
“What… was that?” Nino asked slowly, finger flicking between the two of them.
“What was what?” Marinette responded, looking genuinely confused. As if it was completely normal that she could string a sentence together around Adrien. That she could jokingly push him off of her after he threw an arm over her shoulders–something he never did.
“That!” Nino screeched, pointing at the glance Marinette and Adrien traded. Like they were… secret allies or something. “What was that?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Nino,” Adrien laughed, glancing down at Marinette again.
Nino gaped at them.
Alya was just as confused, but decided to take pity on him. “Come on, babe. Let’s just go get lunch.”
“Where are we going?” Adrien asked Marinette.
“Hmm. I’m feeling… Thai?”
“Does that have anything to do with me telling you I didn’t want Thai for lunch?” Adrien asked.
Marinette smirked. “Nope. Definitely not.”
Adrien sighed. “You’re cruel, Princess.”
Marinette looped her arm through Adrien’s as they walked down the sidewalk.
Alya and Nino were both frozen on the sidewalk, staring at each other.
“Did you hear that?” Nino asked.
“Yes,” Alya replied faintly. “Did you notice how she was able-”
“Yes. Did you see-”
“Yeah.”
The newfound weirdness didn’t end there. At lunch, the two bickered over their pad thai like an old married couple.
“I don’t like bean sprouts, eat mine-” Adrien shoved his plate at Marinette.
“I don’t want them, Adrien!”
“You do! You know you do.”
“You’re just a picky eater-”
“You’re supposed to take care of me-”
“OKAY!” Nino broke in, placing both hands on the table. “I can’t take it anymore. What’s going on? Are you guys dating?”
Adrien and Marinette shared a bemused glance.
“Stop doing that!” Alya pleaded.
“Looking at each other?” Adrien asked as the two traded another look. Like they were in on a secret together.
“We’re not dating.” Marinette sliced her hand through the conversation, as if she could make all the weirdness dissipate. “We just hung out yesterday and made some… strides in our friendship.”
“Some revelations, if you will.” Adrien added.
Marinette smacked his outstretched hand.
“Me-owch! I was talking about the bean sprouts thing.”
Marinette flushed as she turned back to Alya and Nino. “So, you see. Nothing weird here. Just two great friends.”
Alya and Nino looked at each other.
“Ookay,” Alya said finally. “I’m glad you guys have become… such good friends. Overnight.”
“Girl, what is going on with you and Adrien?” Alya all but followed Marinette into her home, demanding answers.
“Nothing! He walked me home after school yesterday. I realized there’s nothing to be nervous about, and we’re friends.”
Alya regarded the bluenette suspiciously. “Riiiight. You suddenly found the way to speak to him after years of flubbing around him?”
Marinette went pink. “I do not flub.”
“You flubbed. But not today, apparently.”
What she couldn’t say was that after fighting an Akuma for hours, Marinette had fled the scene. She’d just de-transformed on a rooftop, Tikki cradled in her hands, when Chat appeared to check on her.
“Shit!” Marinette had sworn when Chat materialised, wide-eyed and exhausted.
“I’m sorry!” Chat said immediately as Marinette turned around, as if that could conceal her identity. “I didn’t know you were de-transforming, Marinette!”
So Chat knew who she was. Cool. No, that’s fine. She wasn’t freaking out right now.
“You should go,” Marinette said.
“Turn around.”
“Chat, I need-”
“Turn around, Marinette.” Chat’s voice was as firm as Marinette had ever heard it. So she did.
Adrien Agreste stood there, smiling sheepishly. On his finger, a heavy black ring glowed green. A black cat kwami circles his head, looking annoyed.
Marinette could only stare at him. Adrien… was Chat? Chat, who was in love with Ladybug, was the boy Marinette was in love with? Chat, her partner of years, was Adrien?
“Surprise,” Adrien said, a little weak.
Suddenly, she was overcome with anger. “You stupid, stupid cat!”
“What?”
Marinette shoved him. “I reveal my identity, so you do too? What happened to never revealing it?”
“That went out the window when you revealed yours!”
“Chaton, you idiot.” She went to shove him again, but Adrien grabbed her wrists.
“C’mon, m’lady. You know that you would’ve spiraled about this. This way, we’re in this together. Equals, like we’re supposed to be.”
Marinette considered. He’s right. Of course he was. He knew her better than anyone did. Sighing, Marinette dropped her head into his chest. If you told Marinette yesterday that she would feel comfortable doing that to Adrien, she would’ve laughed herself silly. But this was Chat. Her partner, her other half.
“We should go,” Adrien’s voice was muffled by her hair. “We do have that presentation in Madame Bustier’s class.”
Marinette began laughing. Once she started, she couldn’t stop. She couldn’t believe the impossibility of the situation. Adrien began laughing too, holding her to his chest.
Once their kwamis were recharged, they both transformed. Marinette unhooked her lasso, but she was sad to break this moment.
“See you tomorrow, Purr-incess.”
Marinette rolled her eyes at Adrien. She could see his eyes under his mask, and felt a surge of affection for Chat and Adrien both. “Good night.”
It was only until she got into bed that she allowed herself to squeal into her pillow. She did not sleep well that night, tossing and turning with a large smile on her face.
But she couldn’t tell Alya that. So she just shrugged. “I don’t know. We’re… friends. Isn’t that what you wanted?”
“Yeah, but…” Alya seemed at a loss for words. “Yeah, I guess.”
Marinette shrugged impishly. “Great! See you tomorrow, Alya!”
“Wait-”
Marinette was already scurrying into the bakery, leaving her best friend behind.
“They’re studying together,” Nino hissed.
“Yes, babe. I see that.” Alya and Nino were hidden behind a stack of books, watching Adrien and Marinette study together. They were mostly silent, but every once in a while they would exchange a few words or giggles. Alya’s eyes were glued to Marinette’s fingers–pressed to the back of Adrien’s hand.
What the hell?
“They’re basically holding hands,” Nino whispered.
Alya couldn’t take it anymore. She popped out of their hiding spot. “Hey, guys!”
“Hey, Alya!” Adrien looked up from his book, smiling. His hand remained under Marinette’s fingers, as if they didn’t even realize they were there.
“What are you two up to?”
Adrien completely missed the suggestive tone in Alya’s voice, but Marinette’s eyes narrowed in on Alya. The bluenette looked a little terrifying, but Alya ignored it.
Adrien held up his book, as if that helped. “Just studying.”
“Right,” Alya agreed. “As you… do. Normally.”
“Right!” Adrien said, clearly not catching what Alya was saying. “Do you want to join?”
“Okay, spill!” Alya begged, desperate. “What is happening? Are you two dating?”
“What?” Marinette cried.
“I thought we talked about this already,” Adrien said calmly. “We’re friends.”
“What is that?” Alya pointed at their hands like it was a murder weapon.
Marinette tapped her fingers against the back of Adrien’s hand. “We’re touching hands, yeah. What is this, second grade? Premarital handholding isn’t allowed?”
Adrien laughed, flipping his hand over. “M’lady, we weren’t even holding hands!” He interlaces their fingers together. “This is holding hands.”
Marinette unlaced her fingers from his and shoves him. Adrien laughs in delight as Alya and Nino stare, uncomprehending.
Alya is a journalist. She’s going to get to the bottom of this, goddammit. “What in the world did you possibly talk about on your way home that got you guys to this level of comfort? What?”
Marinette and Adrien swapped a conspiratorial glance.
“Stop doing that!” Alya yelped, loud enough that Nino, Adrien, and Marinette all shushed her.
“Alya, you’ll get us kicked out!” Marinette hissed.
“Stop doing what?” Adrien asked innocently.
“Jesus Christ, you’ll kill her!” Nino cut in. “Just explain what the hell happened between the two of you that has changed your relationship so drastically so she doesn’t die.”
“Well… we just thought that we were other people. And now we know each other’s true identities.” Adrien grinned at Marinette.
Marinette tried to mask a hysterical laugh with a cough.
“I-that doesn’t… what?” Alya mumbled.
“Christ. You broke her,” Nino snapped at the pair before pulling Alya out of the library.