Author's Note: This is a plot bunny that was just dancing around my head that I needed to explore! I have no idea where this is going to go, but I wanted to try my hand at parallels and Marichat and do something a little bit tonally different from my other ongoing fic. This chapter's just meant to set up the scenario, but I hope you stick around and enjoy the ride! :) (and please come talk to me on tumblr! my ML sideblog is chassecroise)
It's been two weeks since Adrien found out that Ladybug is none other than his classmate Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and to his surprise, the main emotion he feels is curiosity.
He's been learning a lot about Marinette over the past few months—her likes, her dislikes, her extreme expressiveness, the fact that her parents own the best bakery in Paris, and, most recently, (and purely by accident), the fact that she has a huge crush on him.
He overheard Alya talking to Nino about it one day, how Marinette just can't seem to straight up tell Adrien about her feelings, and Nino promising to do his best to talk to Adrien about her without being obvious.
Thanks to years of experience with modeling and photoshoots and living with an emotionally distant father, Adrien has learned to be pretty good at acting and hiding his feelings, so it isn't too hard to hide the fact that he already knows what Nino is going to say by the time his best friend finally comes up to him and talks to him about Marinette.
But even knowing all of that, he wasn't sure what to do with the information. He's always liked Marinette and they've been on increasingly friendly terms as of late, but the fact of the matter is that he barely knows her, and she barely knows him; after all, he's only gone to Francoise-Dupont for the past year.
So why does she have a crush on him? He's curious, and in the meantime, falling harder and deeper for Ladybug with every mission they work on together.
And then, the day after his conversation with Nino, it happened. He and Ladybug were both running out of time on their Miraculous, and they split up immediately. As he ran around looking for a place to hide and de-transform, he saw her leap behind a lamp post.
He hadn't meant to look—he tried to avert his eyes, but the magic was too fast, and there she was. Marinette. Walking away casually, even whistling, like she hadn't just spent the past hour battling a gigantic purple slug who had it out for rude international tourists.
It was fascinating, and he spent that whole night trying to reconcile what he knew about Ladybug with what he knew about Marinette, and he came out of the process wanting to learn more about about the girl in his class, who is much more of a mystery than Adrien could have ever imagined.
He's at a loss for how to do it, when he remembers that Chat Noir knows where Marinette lives, and has even helped "save" her from an akuma once. Of course, he knows now that Ladybug planned for it to be that way, but she doesn't know that he knows.
Maybe he can use that, play it off like a night patrol, checking up on the neighborhood, dropping by for some conversation, and get to know her that way. He'll just come by once, and see how she reacts. If she tells him to go away, he will. But it's an idea and a chance he doesn't want to pass up.
It's been two weeks since Marinette found out that Chat Noir is none other than her classmate and love of her life (though Tikki might disagree), Adrien Agreste. To her surprise, the main emotion she feels is concern.
She's always tried to avoid thinking about Chat Noir's personal life, but now that she knows who he really is, she can't help but marvel at how he fits in crime fighting with the hundreds of other things on his schedule. How does Adrien keep his cool the way he does? How can he handle all the pressure?
Marinette thought she knew a lot about about Adrien, but it's become abundantly clear that interviews in fashion magazines and casual conversations in class and during projects is hardly enough to get to know someone. She's still having trouble coming to terms with the fact that her sweet and charming classmate is the same person as her flirty, self assured, and cocky partner. What is his true self?
She wants to know, and she wishes she could ask him. But she herself has imposed this policy of secrecy, for the safety of both them and for Paris. And even though she's sure that he would jump at the chance to learn who she is, she doesn't feel like it's right to compromise the safety of the citizens of Paris just because she wants the gratification of learning more about her crush.
But still, the more Marinette thinks about it, the more she admires him, and the harder it is for her to be casual around Chat Noir. Over the past year, she's become fond of her partner, and even though she always bats away his flirtatious overtures, she's found herself wondering on more than one occasion what it might be like if she actually went along with them. But then she always pushes it away, because of Adrien.
And then, two weeks ago, it happened. Marinette had just de-transformed and was walking down the street, when she saw a flash of black and green dart behind an empty newsstand. Even though she had just defeated an akuma, she thought perhaps that it was another one, and so she looked more closely—only to find that it was no akuma, but her partner, Chat Noir. He had a confused expression on his face, like he had just learned something that had totally blown his mind.
Her heart clenched with worry for him, and her first instinct was to go to him. And in fact, she almost did, but then she heard the familiar beeping sound of his Miraculous, and with a sudden whoosh of magic, his transformation disappeared. Leaving one Adrien Agreste and a totally shocked Marinette Dupain-Cheng in its stead.
She'd ducked behind another lamp post and tried to put together the pieces, wondering how on earth it was possible. She's spent the last fourteen days staring even more intensely at the back of his head in class, but thankfully, Alya hasn't said anything. Marinette imagines that her friend probably thinks it's just another symptom of her lovesickness, which she is thankful for.
But simply staring doesn't answer any of Marinette's questions. She feels a deep, compelling need to get to know Adrien the way she knows Chat Noir. But how can she get him alone? He's always surrounded by people and there's always someone who needs his time.
And then one day, when she sees him sitting on the edge of the school steps by himself, scrolling through the Ladyblog on his phone, it strikes her. She could just visit him in his own room, as Ladybug.
It's a crazy idea, but she and Chat are always doing night patrols and checking up on citizens who have been akumatized in the past. They'll drop in and quickly say hello, making sure that everything is fine, before disappearing back into the night.
Maybe she can use that, play it off like a night patrol, checking up on the Agreste Mansion, dropping by for some conversation with the handsome boy she once saved from The Mime. She'll just come by once, and see how he reacts. If he tells her to go away, she will. But it's an idea and a chance she doesn't want to pass up.