Hi! This is an extension of Ignoring the Rain- a One Shot with the Identity Reveal. You don't have to read it to understand what's going on here, but it does give you a little more context.

WARNING: If you're a reader of my HP fics you'll know how inconsistent I am with updates. I'll do the best I can, but don't expect much. Hopefully the effort I out into this cancels out the frustration of waiting between uploads. I should probably write the whole story before I upload, but who does that anymore?

Enjoy!

~BH

PS: There were typos. I edited them. I'm paranoid.

A Plan is Made

Marinette wondered if what she had just experienced was all a dream. The thought that Adrien Agreste of all people was Chat Noir was something she never thought she could comprehend. Somehow though, it made sense to her. She understood how Adrien needed his disguise as an outlet to combat his suppressed emotions in his family home. She knew she used her disguise as an outlet to exert more confidence and express herself without her clumsiness, something that she had used and abused over the past few years. She knew she wasn't perfect, and neither was he. What mattered was that they tried to do right in the world, and that they accepted it when things went wrong. She knew, as Marinette, that she would always be more self conscious. She knew she would still struggle to talk to people, but she was working on that.

Adrien would help Marinette. He knew that she deserved all the happiness in the world, even if she got jealous and hot-headed. From being a superhero himself, he had come to learn that they are still normal people, and their negative feelings towards others are not justified because they have magical powers and super-suits. He was glad that Marinette was Ladybug, and now he knew, he could remember the times when Marinette was Ladybug, even in her signature pink jeans. Somehow everything felt right.

He still needed to talk to her about it though.

Something in the back of his mind was brewing now they knew each other's identities. What if everyone else found out? Would Hawk Moth find them? Would they be in even more danger by being together? Adrien had to find away around this. He didn't want to have an opportunity to find happiness only to have it forced away from him because he had heroic duties to maintain. Why couldn't he balance his responsibilities as a hero and as a boyfriend? Not that she will want to jump to that stage yet, but he would like to think so. Maybe.

Even though he was well aware that Marinette liked him now, he was still finding ways to doubt himself. He sat in his limo on the way to school, pretending to scroll through his phone but in reality his head was whirring. How do I approach her now? He felt his phone buzz in his hand and he glanced at the screen, dreading a change to his schedule or an impromptu late night photo-shoot.

He could help but smile when he saw that it was a text from Marinette: Can I talk to you at lunch today? Nino and Alya are doing their own thing (surprise surprise) and I need to see you alone. Text me back, don't draw attention to it in class, it'll make more sense later. Mari x

Adrien read through the text several times, sensing some sort of cryptic message but not quite registering it. He sipped his coffee that was provided in the limo and locked his phone, sliding it in his pocket. Getting out, he thanked The Gorilla even know he knew he would ignore him, and headed inside. He saw Marinette and Alya walking in together just in front of him, and heeding the advice of Marinette's text, didn't approach them. Thankfully, he felt a tap on his shoulder as Nino fell into step with him.

"You look well out of it bro" He said, squeezing his shoulder before pulling out his own phone. Adrien laughed nervously as he pushed open the door.

He couldn't help but glance at Marinette and Alya first as he entered the room. Alya waved at them and Marinette smiled as they took their usual seats in front of them.

"Are we still on for lunch, Nino?" Alya, like him, had a way of avoiding greetings when starting a conversation. Nino nodded and took her hand briefly before their teacher entered the classroom. Marinette glanced at Adrien almost wistfully, and wave of panic hit him. What if she felt like they couldn't be together? He tried to catch her eye, but she was focusing on her work. Even Alya was surprised: Marinette never sat through a lesson without glancing back at least once. She decided to let it slide though, it was only one day after all. She had noticed how wiped out Marinette had been lately, maybe it was taking more concentration to stay awake than usual. She glanced at Marinette's work and noticed how fast she was writing down notes. Trying not to dwell on it, she wrote down notes of her own. As the bell rang, Marinette waved them off and starting putting her belongings into her bag. Adrien didn't move, hoping that Marinette would finally acknowledge him today. After everyone had left, she turned around and grinned before running down the steps and almost leaping into his arms. Adrien was startled, but couldn't help but smile to himself as he embraced her. She nestled her head into his chest briefly before letting him go.

"I'm sorry for ignoring you all morning." She said softly. Adrien noticed how she couldn't stop smiling at him, and that made her all the more endearing. "I need to talk to you, but I don't think we should do it here."

"Okay, shall we take a stroll, my lady?" He smirked as her cheeks flushed. Marinette was still coming to terms with Chat Noir phrases coming out of Adrien's mouth. It still couldn't help but make her swoon. Marinette couldn't see any harm in merely walking out of school with Adrien.

They sat together on a bench in the park, and both of them couldn't help but remember the last time they were here together, when they were participating in a gaming tournament. They glanced at each-other shyly, and Adrien considered taking her hand, but it didn't seem as natural as Nino earlier.

"It's going to look weird to everyone if Chat Noir and Ladybug are suddenly dating at the same time as us." Marinette said very quickly, as if she didn't want to say it.

"You're right." Adrien said, not bothering to hide the regret in his voice. "People already comment on how alike we look to them, especially as your best friend is one of the sharpest journalists in Paris…"

Marinette sighed, briefly resting her head on his shoulder before straightening up and fiddling with her hair awkwardly. She knew she would never be able to explain her sudden confidence around Adrien, and Adrien would not be able to explain his sudden interest in Marinette, especially since Nino knew of his deep admiration for Ladybug, which could be interpreted as a crush.

"I have always found you to be adorable though." Adrien said quietly, earning himself another flush from Marinette.

"That's news to me." She replied, smiling at him. "It would still look weird though if we suddenly started dating."

"I guess. I'm not very good with acknowledging how I feel. I'm… not very good at this…" He looked down at his lap. He was surprised to see Marinette take his hand.

"I have an idea." She squeezed his hand, and Adrien felt a sense of hope that he didn't have before. Was there a way for them to be together?

"Who says we need to suddenly be together?" There was a glint in her eyes that reminded her so much of Ladybug, he couldn't help but be intrigued.

"Go on…" He said, winking at her. There was a glint in his eyes that reminded her so much of Chat Noir.

"We just need to pretend to gradually fall in love with each-other… well, you do. In your civilian form that is. I've always had a crush on you so it won't be that much different for me…" Adrien couldn't get used to that thought running through his head, why didn't he notice this sooner? "… if you want to go through with this, that is, you just have to pretend you have a crush on me and then we can slowly drift into a relationship, if you get me?"

"I don't have to pretend, Princess." He said happily, conscious that he was using his nicknames for Marinette and Ladybug at the same time. They are the same person.

"We are such a good team after all." Marinette said before getting up. "We have to get back to class, Nino and Alya can't know we spent lunch together, they can't be suspicious just yet."

"Sure thing. You go first, I normally get driven home for lunch so I can get a lift back to school and it will look like nothing's happened."

"Okay." She squeezed his hand before heading to the bakery, planning to pick up some croissants before class, feeling guilty that Adrien missed lunch. Adrien watched her leave before pulling out his phone to ring The Gorilla. He could have easily walked to school himself, but if he wanted to be with Marinette, he had to pull this off with her. This was going to be very interesting.