Marinette, de-transformed, ran over to the horse carousel.
She saw that it had been broken apart and Master Fu was gone, causing her to gasp in horror.
She pulled out her phone and dialled his number, hearing the voicemail message.
~I'm not here right now. Please leave a message.~
Tikki opened the purse and tried to reassure her, while Marinette bit her nails nervously.
"Don't worry Mari, Master Fu is very wise. If anything's happened, he'd know what to do."
Marinette looked down.
"But Tikki, if anything's happened to him, it's because of me."
Kagami stood by the edge of the river, looking down into the water.
"Kagami! Is everything okay? What happened with ladybug?" Adrien asked in an upbeat, but soft, voice as he ran over to her. He had been looking for her since he transformed back.
Kagami looked at him blankly, staring back at the water.
"She took me away to... protect us... because the monster she was battling against was attacking... people in love."
She looked right at him, watching his face.
"People in love?" Adrien asked in a put-upon surprise.
Kagami smiled at him, watching him with a half-closed side-eye.
"Mhm." She dipped her head.
She turned to him and laid her hands on his chest, stroking them up his front to loop around his neck. She used the grip to pull him towards her, standing higher on her toes.
Andrè saw them from on the bridge. He smiled and turned away, not wanting to intrude on their moment.
Adrien realised what Kagami was about to do and turned his face, her lips just brushing the far edge of his jaw.
"Adrien?" Kagami asked as she pulled back, looking at him in confusion.
"I can't Kagami." He kept his face looking the other way.
She smiled at him, "of course you can. Our parents won't mind if it's us."
She leant in again but Adrien reached up to remove her arms from around him, stepping back and letting go of her wrists.
"I can't." He looked at her, now, seeing confusion on her face.
Kagami stepped back slightly, appearing disappointed.
"Is it me? Do you prefer Marinette?" She looked away from him, frowning into the water.
He shook his head and stepped slightly closer.
"No, no it's-..." She looked at him sharply.
"It's what?" She demanded, glaring at him.
"I'm.. I'm-", he rubbed a hand down his face.
"You're what." She got right up in front of him.
He panicked slightly at how the situation was going and looked around helplessly for someone, something, that could save him.
He saw a couple down the street and a lightbulb went off in his head.
He looked at Kagami and shook his head apologetically.
"I'm gay. I think. Yeah, guys are hot." Her eyes widened and she took a large step back.
"I'm so sorry! I read the situation completely wrong!" She bowed, her face slightly pink in embarrassment.
Adrien put his hand on her shoulder, smiling kindly.
"Well, no one else knows. I think some people suspect but I haven't said anything." He smiled. He felt bad about lying, but he didn't want to hurt her. And it wasn't necessarily all a lie. He was bisexual. So, it was a half-truth, really.
"I hope this doesn't mess up our friendship. You and Marinette are the only friends I really have here."
Adrien nodded and they walked away from the river bank. He reassured her that it wouldn't and they eventually parted ways, each heading home to face the fury of their respective guardians.
Marinette walked out of the park, a sag in her shoulders. She closed the gate behind herself and hung her head, thinking about how whatever happened to Master Fu was all her fault,
Luka happened to be cycling past and he stopped as he saw her, putting one foot down as he spoke to her.
"Are you okay Marinette?"
She looked up at him, a sad(fake) smile on her face, "yeah, I'm fine.." she tried to smile but her face crumbled and she started crying slightly, "actually, no! I'm not fine at all..." she turned to the side and buried her face in her hands, her shoulders bunching up as she began crying.
He climbed off of his bike fully and walked over to her, removing his helmet.
"I'm so tired Luka," she cried as she turned into his chest, "of all the responsibilities and having to put up a front all the time." He looked down at her in concern, bringing up his arm to wrap around and rest on her shoulder, rubbing soothing circles into her arm.
"Of never being able to be who I truly am!" His eyes widened and he rested his chin on top of her head, holding her close as a sad expression veiled his face.
"It's alright Marinette, you can tell me everything." He smiled at her kindly, her face still hidden behind her hands. "Or... nothing, if you prefer. You can be yourself with me, you know." He smiled and she pulled back slightly to look up at him.
"Just yourself." Her hands were on his chest as she looked into his face. Her eyes were watery, her cheeks flushed and her bottom lip pouted and quivering slightly.
She dropped her face into his chest and continued to cry, hugging him for comfort.
He allowed his bike to drop, his guitar making a noise, as he brought both hands up to hold her.
"It's okay. Let it all out. I'm here for you Marinette."
She continued to cry in his arms, comforted by his warm presence.
(A/N: and here it begins.)
Adrien entered his room, taking off his white shirt and flopping onto his bed.
He stared at the ceiling and frowned to himself.
"I feel bad." He spoke into the emptiness, musing out loud to himself.
"Why? Is it because you lied to the Kagami girl?"
He glared over at Plagg.
"I didn't lie. I just..."
"Lied. Or is there something that you want to tell me?"
He watched as Plagg floated over to his desk, pulling the tin of Camembert from the drawer.
"It wasn't a lie. It just wasn't the full truth. I'm not gay, I'm bisexual. I can appreciate the attraction of both genders."
"Mhm." Plagg looked at him in disbelief.
"I'm serious." Adrien defended and Plagg just gave him an amused look.
"Sure you are."
Adrien crossed his arms and turned away from his kwami, sulking- though he wouldn't admit that.
"Look, it's easy to prove if you're right."
Plagg flew over and sat on his shoulder, waving around the smelly cheese.
Adrien looked at him blankly.
"Tell me one boy and one girl that you want to kiss. If you can't think of one then my point is proven."
Adrien put his hand on his chin, rubbing it thoughtfully.
'A girl, well, obviously Marinette. She's so beautiful. I want more than just a kiss from her. A boy. Which boy would I want to kiss? Well, I know which boy I want to kiss. But he wouldn't return it. Besides, he loves Marinette. That also proves a problem because it means that I can't be with either of them.' He thought to himself, muttering incoherently.
"Well?" Plagg asked with boredom.
Adrien frowned but looked up, answering.
"Marinette and Luka."
Plagg grinned. "My oh my."
"What?" Adrien asked, confused by his reaction.
Plagg just smirked and floated away, disappearing to do whatever it is that he does.
~~~~~~~~~~<Lukadrienette>~~~~~~~~~~
Adrien soon grew restless and before long he gave up on trying to sleep, darkness having fallen an hour ago or so.
He stood from his bed and went over to his window, where he opened it and then made sure that his bedroom door was locked. It wouldn't do for someone to enter the room and see him gone.
He looked back to check that nothing was off with the room and then called out to Plagg, transforming and vaulting away on his baton. He pulled the window shut, despite it still not being locket, for an easy entrance when he returned later.
He spent an hour, just patrolling. He stopped a couple of muggings, helped an old lady who had lost her house key and caught a fake parking meter which he reported to the police.
He was just wondering what else he could do, when he approached a familiar bakery.
He saw that there was a light on at the top floor and quietly jumped across, onto the balcony.
He peaked down through the skylight and smiled as he saw Marinette on her chaise longe, reading a book of some sort.
She turned a page and he smiled softly, finding endearment in the little things that she did, like rubbing the corner between her fingers before she turned it.
He realised how creepy it was that he was essentially spying on her and moved back from the window.
He was going to leave but looked back at the trap door that lead into her room.
He debated in his head for a few seconds before shrugging and moving over to it.
"Oh, why not."
He rapped his knuckle lightly on the glass, hearing a pause and then movement inside.
The door pushed open and her head peaked out of the hole. She spotted him and ducked back down into the room, allowing him inside.
He closed the door behind himself and sprang down the small ladder, bouncing over to perch by the chaise, peering curiously at the book, 'black beauty'.
"Hello Purrincess~", he smiled charmingly at her, receiving a small one in return.
"Hello Chat. What are you doing here?" She moved around the room, picking up the book and marking her page before sliding it back into her bookshelf in the corner.
"Oh, you know, patrolling in the area. Thought I'd pop in to see how you were doing." He smiled at her and sprawled across the chaise.
She smiled at his antics and knelt down in front of the chair.
"I heard about your fight with the Bourgeois couple, today. Are you okay?"
He sat up and reached out a hand, letting his catlike nail brush delicately across her cheekbone, pushing a piece of hair behind her ear.
Her cheeks went slightly pink and she averted her eyes, making him smile at her response to his action.
"I'm good. That fight actually saved me."
She looked at him in confusion.
"Saved you? I don't understand."
He chuckled softly and sat up, crossing his legs, allowing her to sit, with her knees to her chest on the chair, beside him.
"I went to a party today. As my civilian self." Marinette nodded and listened quietly.
"I left with two of my friends and we got ice cream from Andrè. It's great, by the way." He smiled at her and she nodded that she agreed.
"I've heard that. But as many times as he and I have spoken. And I've been there with friends and classmates, I've never actually tried it."
Chat looked at her in surprise, but continued talking about his day, filing that information away for later.
"We had a problem because we were an odd number, so we asked our friend to pick which ice cream to get. I think she over-thought it. Her rambling was cute, though." He grinned at Marinette, who just smiled, she didn't follow the joke.
"She chose one for our friend and I and then she took off."
Marinette turned to him curiously, "What? Why?"
Chat shrugged and draped his arm over the back of the chaise, facing Marinette.
"I don't know." He shrugged, though he had a smidgen of an idea.
"Anyway, after she left, we ate the ice cream. My friend was getting very close though and I was actually so relieved when I saw ladybug."
"You saw ladybug?" Marinette asked curiously.
Chat nodded and smiled.
"My friend continued flirting and getting closer after that and then Ladybug saved me when she took my friend away. God, I don't think I've ever been so confused and relieved at the same time."
Marinette froze and looked at Chat with slightly wide eyes.
He continued talking, oblivious to her reaction to how his day had gone.
"We all fought the villain and I think we won? I mean, it's gone, so I think that counts as a win." He rubbed his chin looking at the small rug on the floor.
He looked at Marinette and she quickly schooled her face into a neutral look, a small smile appearing as she saw his confused face.
"I think it counts as a win." She smiled and he nodded to himself, spreading his arms in either direction on the chaise.
"I went back to the river to find my friend and we spoke for a little bit. Then she tried to kiss me." Marinette's eyes widened and she sat slightly straighter.
"She kissed you?" She asked, slightly jealous at the thought. Despite what she may have just realised, she was still crushing on Chat and the mention of another girl kissing him caused something in her gut to churn.
"Tried to. I rejected her." He looked down, a guilty expression on his face.
Marinette reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, reassuringly.
"How did she take it?" She was curious to know how Kagami had taken the rejection. And yes, she had just realised that Chat and Adrien were one in the same.
Chat looked at her with a guilty smile.
"At first she shouted. Demanding to know if it was because I liked our friend that had left before." He ran a hand through his hair. "I couldn't exactly say that she was right, could I?" Marinette felt a happy little blush settle over her cheeks, at his confession.
"So, I kind of, maybe, told her I'm gay."
Marinette froze and looked at him in shock, before her face cracked up and she doubled over laughing.
"Really? And she believed that?"
Chat scratched his head. "Yeah, she did. I mean, I sold it pretty well. The whole, it's a secret so don't tell anyone, story."
Marinette smiled at him fondly and pulled him into a warm hug, her arms around his shoulders and face in his neck.
Chat was surprised but he hugged her back anyway, his arms around her waist.
"I can't believe you, you silly kitty. I can't believe you..." she pulled back to whisper in his ear, giggling, "...Adrien."