(A/N : okay so some people here still believe this to be my story meaning they skipped the first A/N I've wote for this story and most likely ignored or skimmed the discription . So I am just reminding you guys that this is not my story I was given permission by Phantompierce-Okamoto from fanific.com to share this story. I, by no means, did not write this story. And I can only update when the author does. so thank those who have been very patient with the author and please enjoy this chapter that she wote. ( ' ▽ ' )ﾉ)
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"Oh my god he's waking up."
Adrien felt his heavy eyelids drift open, vision hazy. As the blur cleared a little, he immediately saw Marinette. His body still heavy with exhaustion, he couldn't reach up to her, to comfort her, to rid her face of that anxious expression. He felt a gentle hand on his face, the one he knew that belonged to his Lady, to his princess. Still delirious, he exerted whatever effort he had to put his hand on hers.
"Thank god. Oh my...Adrien you absolute idiot."
"What did I do?" he asked, drowsily. His lips felt stiff and dry. Marinette slowly raised him to a sitting position, and feeling returning to his fingers and toes.
"Do you need water? Food? Are you okay?" she asked hurriedly. She frantically grabbed a cup of water from the table.
"A kiss would be nice," he responded quietly, forcing a smirk. "I feel awful, what happened?"
Marinette didn't laugh or even smile. "You overworked yourself, is what happened." she hissed. "I knew it! You aren't taking care of yourself and you passed out and you are such an idiot and why haven't you been sleeping or eating properly and I swear to god I'm talking to your dad about this-"
"Mari," Adrien interrupted. "It's okay. I'm fine. You don't need to bother him, the workload is over for now anyway. No shoots for a few weeks and no lessons today."
He watched as she clenched and unclenched her fists, lips quivering. He reached his hand to cup her cheek gently. Her worry was evident in her eyes, and her tense shoulders suggested she hadn't left his side even once.
"How long was I out?"
"An hour or so," she responded, with a gentle, shuddered breath. She leaned over and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her forehead on his shoulder. "You scared me, you idiot."
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "Are we alone?"
"Everyone else is in class. The nurse is out so I said I would take care of you," Marinette explained, voice slightly muffled in his shoulder. He put his hands on her cheeks and moved to look into her eyes. He smiled with a sigh. Marinette's stress faded into relief. And he pulled her in gently for a tender kiss, pausing before their lips met.
"Is he awake - oh shoot!"
Marinette jolted back, causing Adrien to burst into laughter and her to blush heavily. Marinette stammered out some sort of excuse to the wide-eyed Nino and got redder by the second. Neither of their friends had seen them kiss yet, after all. Nino was probably freaking out about stopping them from kissing for the first time, knowing him.
Adrien watched as Nino tried to comfort the blushing girl, sheepishly apologizing for barging in. Adrien yawned, shivering in the fierce air-conditioning of the infirmary.
"Are you cold?" Marinette asked hurriedly. "Should I grab another blanket? Oh let me try to turn the air-conditioning down-"
"Marinette, calm down," Adrien said, amused. "I'm fine, okay? Just relax and sit with me."
"The perfect girlfriend," Nino snickered, getting two prompt glares from them. Taking the hint, he raised his arms in surrender and left them alone.
Adrien wouldn't lie, he didn't mind it at all. Yeah, the fact he had passed out was not the greatest, but a morning of quietly sitting with Marinette, feeling her gentle touch and holding her hand definitely made up for it.
Adrien sat on his bed, ignoring the little peeved voice in his head. He hadn't expected his father to be all that sympathetic about his...accident, this morning, but would've appreciated at least a word about it.
After all, it had indirectly been Gabriel Agreste's fault.
No. Don't go and blame him for something like this, you just need to put up with it.
Adrien sighed, lying down and staring at the ceiling. His Lady had made it very clear that he was not to leave his room (she had event threatened to periodically use her tracker to check), so he was left with practically nothing to do. Of course he had homework...but there were so many other things he would rather do.
He sat up, sighing again. Okay, go do your homework Adrien.
With every analysis question he answered, it was getting more and more difficult to focus on schoolwork. He went over his notes that he had missed when he was in the infirmary, not finding anything particularly difficult to go over. He was tempted to call Marinette and see if she was busy.
He turned on his computer and rested his head against his hand, leaning on his desk. His browser automatically opened the Ladyblog (he had definitely not been obsessed). The newest post caught his eye. He clicked on the video link and saw Alya excitedly staring at the camera.
"Yo, Ladybug fans! As you know, I have been piecing together clues to find Ladybug's identity! The textbook was a huge tip off, and I think we all know how Chloe's cosplaying clue went...but I am starting to be more critical of the situations she has been in.
"When we were directing the class film, and everything went south, both Ladybug and Chat Noir had been inside at the time. Either they go to my school and were staying a little late like my class was, or they had been patrolling inside my school. Either way, they are close enough for me to catch and I just have to up my game.
"So I am calling out to all of you! I'm looking for any kind of clues or tips you can find. People who disappear during attacks and show up miraculously after they're over should be a huge clue. Heh, miraculously. I crack myself up. Point is, I'm counting on you guys! My classmates especially. Let's uncover who our beloved heroes are together!"
Adrien clicked out of the video. Goddamnit...she's getting closer. How do we keep her from finding out?
His thoughts turned. Why don't we want her to find out?
Adrien was fully aware that Marinette doubted herself and that people wouldn't respect Ladybug if they knew who she was. Adrien himself couldn't let his high-profile modeling career get mixed with superhero life, or people would lose respect for him. Both sides of him. But Alya...she was Marinette's best friend. Marinette trusted her and Alya trusted Marinette...why wasn't Marinette okay with Alya knowing?
Alya would never lose respect for Marinette. She already gets into enough danger when filming for the Ladyblog, knowing who Ladybug was wouldn't change the danger. And she would never post Marinette's identity for the world to see.
Would she...?
Maybe Marinette was worried Alya would post her identity...? Maybe Alya wanted to show the world how incredible her best friend is? Is that the problem?
"If you think so much, you'll pass out again."
Adrien glared at his kwami. "Not funny, Plagg."
He refreshed the blog page, finding Alya live streaming Ladybug, running alongside. Honestly, that girl probably got so fit chasing after the agile superhero.
"Where is she going?" Alya said, between heavy breaths. Adrien watched as Ladybug ran in a familiar direction...he stood up suddenly. Alya stopped running. "Is that...? Hey guys, I'll check in later. Bye!"
Adrien rushed to his window and opened it, leaning forward. Sure enough, Ladybug threw her yo-yo out, hooking to his roof, and sliding in through the window. Landing gracefully on her feet, Adrien raised an eyebrow.
"Oh good, you listened," she said, sighing in relief. He laughed.
"I wouldn't dare to disobey you, my Lady," he said gently. She glared at him.
"I'm still mad at you for overworking yourself," she stated. He pouted. "And as punishment, I am leaving."
"But-" he started to exclaim.
"Uh uh! No protests. I am leaving. Think about what you have done," she interrupted mischievously. She planted a quick kiss on his lips before hopping out the window, grabbing the string of her yo-yo.
"Wait!" Adrien called. She turned around, holding her yo-yo with one hand and grasping his window with the other. He leaned in and kissed her, rubbing her cheek. He grinned. "Fine. I'll see you tomorrow."
She smirked and unhooked her yo-yo, doing a simple flip and landing on the sidewalk.
Adrien looked down at her, but the smile dropped off his face.
"How...dare..."
Ladybug waved her arms. "Wait, Alya! I can explain, please!"
"You...you..." the furious blogger pointed a shaking finger at Adrien. "...cheating...with Ladybug?! Ladybug?!"
"Alya, it's not-" Adrien started.
"Don't you dare. Marinette...oh my actual god. I am going to tell her right now, you absolute son of-"
"Alya, please can I explain?" As Alya started storming away, Ladybug quickly dragged her into an alleyway.
Oh. My. God.
Ladybug paced back and forth as her friend stared at her, steam practically radiating off the enraged Alya.
"I don't know what you want from me, Ladybug. I may be a huge fan, and in a regular situation would be enamored to be talking to you. But this is absolutely...there is no word to describe how awful-"
"Okay." Ladybug said, taking a deep breath. "Okay, I'm debating how to explain this. Should I just go out with it? Is there a better way? Help?"
"Explain how you kissed Adrien Agreste who just so happens to be dating my best friend?"
"I know, I know!"
"You even know!" Alya threw her hands up and stepped towards the street. Ladybug put a hand on her shoulder, pulling her gently.
"Wait. Don't go." she begged. "I'll just...show you. Tikki, it's okay."
She waited for the magic to release. She tugged on Alya's shoulder again. Alya turned slowly. Alya's infuriated expression morphed into shock and betrayal.
"Mari...Marinette?"
Marinette brought her hand back, holding her arm and looking at the floor. "It's me." she verified, resigned.
"You're...you're Ladybug? You're..." Alya put a hand on Marinette's face, tears pooling in her eyes. "All this time...you...Ladybug sitting..."
"I'm sorry," Marinette said, her own tears starting to flow. "I-I know I should've told you a-and you're my best friend and I just...I-I couldn't endanger your life, couldn't take any chances..."
"But...you didn't trust me?" Alya asked. "That means...Adrien knows?"
"I do, I trust you so much! And I-I didn't mean for h-him to find out either...that was kind of an accident a-and I didn't want anyone to know about my secret identity-"
"How...? So I assume that in the picture my neighbor took Chat Noir and Ladybug weren't kissing for sure. Unless...Adrien is Chat Noir. If he is, I'm actually gonna get mad."
"Oh he...er-"
"He is, isn't he."
"Alya-"
"Okay." she cut her off. "Okay. I'm calm. I'm still in shock, but I'm calm."
"I understand if you're mad-"
"Yeah, and I'm going to flip when it sinks in."
Marinette gave a short, nervous laugh. "Okay..."
"So here's what's going to happen. I'm going to go home with you, and hang out with you until it sinks in. I'll yell probably, but afterwards it will be okay."
"Sounds good," Marinette said, sighing. "Thank you for being so...I don't know, calm about this. I-I couldn't blame you if you hate me and stuff."
"I can't hate you, Mari." Alya hugged her. "I can be furious enough to want to smash a glass bottle against the sidewalk, but I couldn't hate you if I tried."
Marinette gave a shuddered laugh and wiped away her tears before hugging her back. "Okay. Let's go to my house. Also I'm going to self-prepare for the yelling."
"Good idea." Alya quipped, sniffling. They laughed together, and Marinette's chest filled with warmth.
Adrien had not received an "okay" text from Marinette, frankly a bit worried Alya had killed her or something. That woman was insane when angered. Risking his Lady's wrath, he transformed and ran towards her house. He could feel Plagg complaining, probably because Adrien hadn't given him Camembert for the last few hours.
He landed on her roof, then hurried in through the window. He nearly fell over when he saw Alya and Marinette sitting next to each other on the floor, doing homework and laughing.
Marinette turned to him, and her eyes widened. She stood up and balled her fists. Alya turned quickly, jaw dropping.
"What did I say..." Marinette seethed. "...about leaving your room?!" She punched him hard in the chest, causing him to reel back.
"Ow," he rubbed the sore spot. "I know, I know! But I had to check if you were dead-"
"You thought I killed her?!" Alya exclaimed.
"We're fine, but you're dead you idiotic cat." Marinette fumed.
"Wait wait! You guys made up?" Chat asked, waving his hands around. "If that's all I'm going to-"
Marinette growled. Alya crossed her arms. Chat inched away in fear.
"You can detransform," Alya shrugged. "I know it's you, Adrien. And I haven't told Nino yet but you bet your sorry butt that I expect you to."
Adrien stared at them, jaw dropped. He looked back and forth between the girls, uncomprehending.
"She figured," Marinette explained with a snort. "I told her we shouldn't tell more people, but whatever."
Chat stared at them for a few moments, unsure, before dropping his transformation. He sighed. "Okay, give me a second." He stared at them. "You're not mad at each other. You're okay with her being Ladybug. You're still friends."
"Best," Alya smirked, fist bumping Marinette.
"You should not be out of bed," Marinette whined right after, flicking his forehead. A low chuckle rumbled in his chest knowing she had to stand on her tiptoes to reach his head. "And stop making fun of me!"
"I'm not!" he contradicted immediately. Marinette glared up at him, he smirked back down at her.
"How can you guys stand each other?" Alya gave them a disgusted look. "You're so cute, it's gross." They laughed. Alya's amusement faded. "In all seriousness, are you going to tell Nino?"
Adrien sighed. "I don't know. No one was supposed to know, and we didn't mean to find out each others' identities either."
"So you didn't know each others' secret identities until recently?" Alya questioned, surprised.
Marinette nodded. "We found out by complete accident. We had agreed not to share them before..."
"How'd you find out anyway?"
They flushed in tandem, causing Alya to raise an eyebrow in confusion. Marinette stammered out something, trying to change the subject, but Alya didn't seem keen on that idea.
"What's making you all blush-y?" Alya asked.
Adrien sighed. "I had kissed Marinette as Chat once...and then as Adrien...and she figured it out."
Marinette made an unidentifiable noise, similar enough to "eep". Alya burst into laughter, only making the pair's blushes darken.
After bantering for another hour or so, Adrien transformed back into Chat Noir. With an angry, worried reminder not to overwork himself from his far-too-caring girlfriend, he ran off into the night.
He ran roof to roof, the cool rush of air pushing through his hair and causing him to shiver. Although the stars were blocked out by Paris' bright lights, he could feel them just looking down at him. With the Eiffel Tower in his line of vision and the sounds of the street echoing in his ears, he found a strange sense of calm.
There was nowhere quite like Paris, in all of the cities he had visited.
Going back into his room, he detransformed (not forgetting to feed Plagg the cheese the kwami had been waiting for). Adrien felt the soft cloth on his bed, savoring the warmth at his fingertips. Though to him, nothing was as soft or warm as Marinette's hands.
Marinette was a constant source of light and warmth, and he would do anything to stay by her side. He hadn't felt that love, that overwhelming love, since his mother had been with him. And oh, how he missed her.
Yet Marinette was his therapy. His reminder that no matter how alone he felt, she would be waiting for him in the warm bakery, the scent of sugar and bread wafting into her room, with her kind and accepting parents watching over them.
And that was the closest thing to home he could ever imagine.
The thought of losing it made him paranoid, desperate to protect it. It was his last chance at love, and he wouldn't let it go to waste. He would travel to the far corners of the world, fight Hawkmoth by himself, even give up his life, to protect her and what she loves.
"Kid." Plagg said, gently. Somehow, his kwami always knew what he was feeling. "You should try to getting some sleep. Can't have you passing out on the job."
Adrien chuckled. "Okay. Goodnight Plagg."
Adrien woke up to his alarm, like every morning. His routine permanently imprinted in his mind, he didn't even register his going to school until a honk jolted him out of his stupor. He looked outside the window at the cars in the front, where a slow driver remained unperturbed by the honks of the following cars.
Adrien sighed. The thought of telling his best friend about his most guarded secret made his stomach turn, but his hours of wrestling with the idea last night suggested there was no imminent danger if Nino knew.
He hoped.
Adrien waved to the Gorilla as he did every morning, walking into the school building. He was immediately greeted by Alya and Nino, with Alya giving him an expectant look. He ignored her expression, figuring he would chicken out if he felt pressured.
They walked into class, a hasty Marinette entering as they sat down. She smiled at him before hurrying to her seat.
During class, Adrien scribbled (or his ridiculously fantastic equivalent of a scribble) a quick note to Nino. Taking a breath, he watched Nino read it.
Hey man, can we talk during lunch?
Nino gave him a confused look. He shrugged and nodded before turning back to the board, and Adrien followed.
Now the difficult part is actually telling him.
Marinette bit her lip as she looked at the exchange. She could feel Adrien's nervousness from her seat and wanted nothing more than to get up and comfort him. She felt Alya's gaze on her as well, probably realizing how much Marinette actually cared for Adrien.
Marinette didn't know when she had fallen so hard but...that's not accurate. She was still falling. Every stupid flirty line, every sweet compliment, every gentle touch. As she sailed farther down into the endless chasm, she could look up and see his smile.
She didn't know when she started falling, but she didn't think stopping was an option.
To demonstrate her point, she fell out of her chair.
"Ms. Dupain-Cheng, are you alright?" her teacher asked, raising an amused eyebrow. As the class snickered, Marinette stood up blushing and nodded. Adrien looked at her with a kind, concerned gaze, and she just smiled gently at him.
There would be no escaping this fall.
Adrien stood outside the door while Nino grabbed his bag. As his friend exited the classroom, Adrien reached his hand to pull him aside.
"I have something to tell you," Adrien admitted. "But...uh, not in front of other people."
Nino shrugged. "Sure, man. Is everything okay?"
Adrien nodded as they walked outside and to a spot a good enough distance from the school where he was sure no one would overhear. He took a breath and looked at Nino, who looked kindly back at him.
"I...I don't really know how to say this," Adrien laughed slightly. "I've been planning it over and over but it's just really weird to come out and say."
"This sounds like a confession," Nino joked.
"It is one of sorts," Adrien teased in response. He nodded, a bit more seriously. "My confession...I, well...I'm Chat Noir?"
Nino just smiled, as if waiting for the haha, just kidding!, but it never came. Nino raised an eyebrow. "Okay...you're Chat Noir?" Adrien nodded again. Nino blew out a little puff of air, disbelieving. "Okay...sounds fake but okay."
Adrien sighed. "It's true. Look." He opened his jacket to let Plagg out. The kwami grinned as he hovered in Nino's face.
Nino freaked out. "What is that?!"
"That has a name." Plagg responded snippily. "And I'm Plagg."
"It talked!" Nino screeched.
"He's a kwami," Adrien explained, slightly amused by his friend's reaction. "He gives me my powers, watch. Plagg, transform me."
Nino gawked as the magic covered him and left him in the Chat Noir suit. Chat gave him a nervous grin as Nino stared, shaking his head. "Okay." Nino breathed. "Okay. And who else knows?"
"No one else was supposed to, but Marinette and Alya," Chat admitted.
"When did they find out?"
"Mari on Christmas and Alya yesterday."
"Oh..." Nino trailed off. "I can't believe I never noticed."
Chat laughed nervously. "I don't blame you, I don't really come off as a superhero in everyday life."
Nino shook his head. "What the hell, man."
"I'm still figuring things out, to be honest."
"Right." Nino said, nodding. "It's sinking in. I get it, though. You were trying to protect yourself and me of course, and probably Marinette and Alya. Oh, and Ladybug."
Chat nodded as well, releasing his transformation. "Marinette is Ladybug..."
Nino's jaw dropped. "Marinette?! Ladybug?!"
"Why is that so hard to believe?" Adrien asked, raising an eyebrow. "She's kind and courageous in both forms. She looks the same."
Nino shook his head. "But...she's clumsy and gentle...how can she fight all those supervillains?"
"She's only clumsy sometimes," Adrien defended. "And you can be gentle and fight."
Nino gave him a look. Adrien pouted. Nino sighed. "Alright. That also explains your sudden turn around to go after her I guess..."
Adrien blushed and looked away. He did feel bad about not noticing her, he had been so focused on Ladybug to notice. But he didn't tell Nino he had gained a lot of interest in her way before he found out, falling for her each visit as Chat.
"...should we go back?" Nino asked.
Adrien nodded. And so they returned to school, Adrien feeling like a little weight was lifted off his chest.
Marinette watched as the boys returned to school, both slightly quiet. They looked okay though, so she walked over. Nino's eyes widened instantaneously.
"They do look alike!" Nino said, hushed. "I feel like an idiot!"
"If you feel like an idiot, imagine how I felt." Alya sighed. Marinette felt Alya's arm around her shoulders, and Marinette chuckled.
"Let's keep this all between the four of us, okay?" Marinette quietly asked. "I'm sorry about keeping it from you both, and although I hope you understand why, I don't have a good excuse."
Alya shook her head. "It's okay, Mari. It's time to move forward, right?"
"Yeah, not to mention going to high school next year." Nino agreed. "We really have to start moving on."
Marinette squeaked. "Can we not have this conversation?" she asked, meekly.
Alya laughed and hugged her. Nino turned to Alya. "Are you still running the Ladyblog?" he asked.
"No," Alya said.
"Of course she is," Marinette said simultaneously. After a pause, they gawked at each other.
"What are you talking about?!" they chorused. Out of the corner of her eye, Marinette saw the boys look worried.
"Mari, I already know your identity! What's the point?"
"You love the Ladyblog! How could you not?!"
"Because there's no point."
"Of course there is! You love blogging! You can't shut it down!"
Alya sighed. "It's fine. I'll shut it down-"
"No." Marinette cut her off. "For me. Please. Be our publicist or something, but please, please don't shut it down." Adrien put his hand on her shoulder.
Alya's lip quivered. "Are you sure?" she whispered. Marinette nodded and hugged her again. When she pulled away, she saw Alya's tears eyes and relieved smile. Marinette felt her worry quell. With her best friends, she found herself facing a bright future.