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Adrien gulps nervously and pulls at his shirt collar as Alya interrogates him about why Marinette was outside in the middle of a rainstorm at midnight, which has resulted in a cold so bad that she can’t go to school tomorrow.
He’s told Marinette multiple times that they should cut their evening patrols short if there’s bad weather, but Marinette is Marinette, and she insists on fulfilling the duties of Ladybug, rain or shine.
Because she never listens to reason.
And so now, here she is, shivering under her sheets, doped up on cough syrup, and running a high fever as she clutches her best friend’s hand.
“Alya,” she whispers.
Alya’s fierce gaze softens as she turns to look at Marinette. “Yes, love?”
“I...have a secret.”
“Is that right?”
Adrien’s eyes dart back and forth between the two girls. Is Marinette really going to reveal their secret?
“I’m…dating Adrien.”
Alya’s eyes widen in pretend shock, though her expression is still mirthful.
“Marinette! How could you not tell me?”
“I’m sorryyyyyyyyyyyy,” Marinette keens, her lips turning downward. “I wanted to tell you earlier, but I got sick.”
“That’s okay, hon,” replies Alya, patting her cheeks. “You just get some more rest.”
“Mmmmm…” Marinette murmurs as her eyes start fluttering shut. “I think I had something else I wanted to say too.”
“My little cabbage, I think it’s time for you to take a nap,” says Sabine, who has just entered the room with a warm washcloth, followed by Tom, who is carrying several extra blankets. She presses the cloth to Marinette’s flushed forehead as Adrien helps Tom place the blankets over her.
Marinette shakes her head. “Maman, Papa, you don’t understand.”
Tom smiles. “What don’t we understand?”
Marinette closes her eyes and beams, lifting her arms into the air.
“I’m Ladybug!”
Adrien presses his palm against his forehead as he tries unsuccessfully to muffle a groan.
“How wonderful!” Sabine crows. “Darling, did you know that our daughter is Ladybug?”
“I most certainly did not,” booms Tom, eyes twinkling. “I’m so proud of you.”
“That’s the reason I’m always falling asleep in class. Because when I tell you I’m working on homework, I’m actually out patrolling Paris. That’s why I got detention three times this week, for falling asleep.”
“That’s nice, dear,” says Sabine, patting Marinette’s arm.
“And did you know I almost wasn’t Ladybug?”
“How do you mean, dear?”
“You know the key to my powers? I almost gave them to Alya. But it’s a good thing I didn’t, or I wouldn’t be Ladybug.”
“Well, I’m glad you didn’t,” says Alya, laughing. “I’d much rather document what Ladybug does than be her myself. Too much responsibility.”
Marinette nods solemnly. “Yes. Only I could be Ladybug. I was chosen to protect the city from Hawk Moth and purify all of the akumas.”
Adrien feels like his stomach is going to crawl up to his throat if Marinette keeps talking.
Unfortunately, she does.
“You know, everyone thinks that I go to the bathroom when akumas show up because I’m scared, but that’s not why. It’s because I transform into Ladybug.”
Alya snorts. “Well, that explains why I can never find you during an attack.”
“And do you know why Adrien goes to the bathroom too?” Marinette continues.
Adrien turns pale. “Marinette, I think maybe you should try to sleep.”
“It’s because he’s Chat Noir!”
“Marinette!"
Sabine turns to Adrien with an apologetic smile as he quickly tries to contain his panic with a smooth smile. “Marinette has always had quite the imagination.”
“I think it’s a great idea,” adds Tom, placing his hand on Adrien’s shoulder. “In fact, I think you and Marinette should be Ladybug and Chat Noir for the costume party that she mentioned you were invited to next weekend. She could even sew the costumes! What say?”
Adrien laughs weakly and turns to Alya. “What a crazy idea, eh? I couldn’t even imagine doing what Chat Noir does.”
“Mon minouuu, why are you lying?” babbles Marinette. “You’re the best partner ever. I love you so much.”
Marinette frowns as Adrien sighs and shakes his head.
“This is where you’re supposed to come back with a cat pun, mon chaton. Why are you so quiet today? Cat got your tongue?”
Sabine titters as Marinette continues. “Kitty, you look so good in black and green. Those colors suit you."
Alya’s eyes narrow as she looks back and forth between Adrien and her best friend.
“Is there something you’re hiding from us, Adrien? A certain reason why Marinette keeps calling you her kitty?”
Adrien gulps. “Um. No?”
Alya shakes her head. “You’re a secret Chat Noir fanboy, aren’t you? I’ll bet you have a custom-made suit just like Chloe does. And Marinette made it for you, didn’t she?”
Adrien considers the consequences of falsely confessing to being a huge fanboy of Chat Noir versus revealing the truth to his girlfriend’s parents and her best friend, who also happens to run the most popular fan blog dedicated to Ladybug and Chat Noir.
The former has a possibility of spiraling into an out-of-control situation where everyone assumes that Adrien is too embarrassed to embrace his secret passion for Paris’s favorite superheroes.
The latter has a real chance of leading both Alya and Marinette’s parents into legitimate danger.
The answer then, clearly, is to make the false confession.
“Um, yeah. Actually, Chat Noir is my favorite superhero— ” he starts, before Marinette interrupts.
“I thought I was your favorite superhero, mon minou!”
“Um—”
“That’s pawfully unfair of you. I’m apawlled.”
Tom nudges Sabine with his elbow. “And you said she’d never like puns. Looks like our daughter inherited my sense of humor after all.”
Sabine rolls her eyes. “She’s also running a high fever.”
Alya nods. “I agree, Monsieur Dupain. There’s no way Marinette would ever pun like that if she wasn’t sick.”
Tom turns to Adrien with a pout that almost perfectly mirrors the one on his daughter’s face.
“Adrien, you’re a good boy. You like puns, don’t you?”
“Of course he does,” croaks Marinette. “Adrien considers any day when he doesn’t pun a catastrophe.”
Alya grins. “Marinette, are you sure you’re not Chat Noir instead of Adrien? He hasn’t made one pun since he got here, but you don’t seem to be able to stop making puns.”
“You know, Alya has a point,” says Adrien, sitting down on the bed next to Marinette with a smile. “You are the one who’s making all the bad jokes today. Could it be possible that you’re actually Chat Noir, and I’m Ladybug?”
Marinette turns to him with a petulant glare.
“...No.”
Adrien laughs. “Hey, it makes more sense than you being Ladybug and me being Chat Noir, don’t you think? Now that would be silly.”
“You’re silly,” Marinette replies, with a small yawn. “My silly kitty.”
“That’s right,” says Adrien, grinning as he bends over to press a kiss to her flushed forehead. “I am. And you're my lucky charm."
"I'm everyone's lucky charm," murmurs Marinette, as her eyes finally flutter shut and her breathing becomes slow and steady.
"Well, I can't deny that one," says Adrien, smiling broadly as he turns back to Alya, Sabine, and Tom. "I'd say you're a lucky charm for all of us here."
"I know," Marinette whispers, though when Adrien looks back at her, she appears to be fast asleep.