Today was a new day with a new fierce battle against an akumatized victim that Ladybug and Cat Noir managed to save from the clutches of Hawkmoth. With less than a minute left before both their Miraculous' timed out the Bug and Cat team desperately fled the scene. Without really thinking about it both heroes swung into the same lonely, abandoned ally. They managed to once again keep their identities secret; that is from everyone but each other. Though it wasn't intentional Ladybug and Cat Noir finally discovered one another's identities and it was a shock for them both.
"Tikki," yelled out Plagg in an abnormally excited manner at the unexpected sight of the little red kwami.
"Plagg," exclaimed Tikki in equal joy as she flew towards him.
The two kwamis tightly embraces each other with their equally tiny arms. Though they may have been in Master Fu's box side by side for an extended period, it had been a long time since the two were able to see each other in their physical forms. The reunion, even if unexpected, was a happy one. But it wasn't the same type reaction for our two heroes.
"A… Adrian," Marinette stammered at the sight of the blonde boy in front of her.
"Marinette," Adrian said, though sounding much more enthusiastic seeing the girl that sits behind him every day in class standing before him, "you're Ladybug."
"And you're Cat Noir," remarked Marinette, "meaning…" And with that simple word the images and moments began flooding through her; the banter, the flirting, the…
"The kiss," Marinette blurted aloud causing her to feel even more overwhelmed and embarrassed than she already was, she could only come up with one thing to do now, run.
"I… I have to go," and without even as much as a second glance, Marinette made a break for it. Tikki noticed the abrupt departure of her Miraculous holder and quickly followed her, flying closely behind, calling out for her to "wait" and asking, "are you okay?"
"Wait, Marinette," Adrian meanwhile called out as he tried to grab for her but she was already out of reach. He wanted to run after her but he was frozen in place with one arm reaching out. In no time at all she had rounded the corner, leaving Adrian alone in the silent alleyway.
"Don't go," Adrian whispered as his hand clenched the air of where she had stood.
"Well, that certainly wasn't the reveal you were expecting," Plagg chimed in, "what a disaster."
"Thanks, Plagg," remarked a dishearten Adrian as he dropped his arm to his side.
The next day in Mademoiselle Bustier's class, the homeroom of the Paris heroes, Marinette had not only arrived on time but she quieter than usual. Without so much as a smile or 'hello,' Marinette took her usual seat next to her best friend Alya. Before Alya could register and comment about the strangeness, another normally late student came through the door.
"Hey Nino, hey Alya," Adrian greeted as usual, but then his sights fell on Marinette and he couldn't help but stutter, "Good… good morning Marinette."
"Yeah," Marinette responded uncharacteristically soft, "good morning."
This behavior didn't go unnoticed; Alya soon placed a hand on her friend's shoulder and asked, "Hey are you okay."
"Yeah I'm totally fine," responded Marinette quickly as she jolted straight and began laughing nervously, "why… why do you ask?"
Alya pointedly stated, "Well first of that was Adrian and you weren't a total stammering mess; if anything he was the one who seemed a bit nervous."
"You think so," though Marinette sounded halfhearted, Alya could tell that she was concerned.
"Yeah I do," said Alya before continuing, "now where was I, oh right, and second of all you are totally spaced out in a totally non-Marinette. I can tell you're upset about something and I want to be able to help you out, but I can't do that if you don't talk to me."
"I guess I might just be a bit under weather," Marinette said dazedly. The journalist in her wanted to push, her dark-haired companion's behavior was truly abnormal, but her intuition could tell that her friend had a lot on her mind, so Alya decided to let it go, at least for now.
"Okay," responded Alya, but she wasn't going to leave everything completely unsaid either, so she added, "you know I'm always here for you girl, whenever and however you need."
"Yeah I know," Marinette replied, with the closest thing to a smile she had presented all morning "thanks, Alya."
It was the last break of the day and still, Marinette was as dazed as ever, but Alya promised to give her some space to sort thing out, so she tried to act as normal as ever while also trying to cheer her friend up. It was hard to act cheerful though when she knew her best friend was seriously hurt because of something she didn't know about. Alya then saw Nino walk by and decided to try a different approach.
Alya called Nino over to where she and Marinette were sitting to try to have a conversation, and in a way get information, about a different kind of topic. The boy-girl pair were planning on going on their first kind-of-date this week and Nino had planned what he was describing as the best date in the history of dates. As excited as she was, Alya was never good at waiting so she continued to pry as much as possible but Nino anticipated as much and refused to spill anything.
"Come on just give me a hint," begged Alya, who was now standing beside the taller boy.
"No way," responded Nino, " just be prepared for the best day of your life."
"You know the more you say that the more frustrated I get," she retorted.
"That's what you say now," he argued, "but this Saturday, when you see the awesomeness I prepared, all that frustration will disappear.
"And there you go again," said Alya, "building up my already high expectations."
At the sight of the unofficial couple, Marinette couldn't help but be happy and also giggle a little, even with the bummed mood she has been in. "You two really are adorable together," Marinette said casually from her seat on the stairs, causing them to stop talking and suddenly start blushing.
"What are you talking about," the pair yelled in unison, causing them to look at each other and blush even more intensely.
"It's not like we're," Alya couldn't finding her next words, especially once she looked at Nino's eyes, making them both quickly look away in awkwardness.
The whole situation was so unexpected for the pair, making their behavior completely unlike them. Marinette couldn't help but laugh. The whole scenario was so cute, that it somehow also made it seem funny.
During the whole bumbling, funny situation the small group didn't notice a blonde friend coming their way. "Hey," waved Adrian as he approached the three.
And with that simple sound, Marinette's embarrassment and confusion about the current reveal came rushing in. "Um I'm going to go to the girls' room before class starts," Marinette quickly said as she ran up the stair, in the opposite direction.
"Wait," but Alya was too late, Marinette had made her way quickly for the girls' restroom.
The sight of the dark haired girl once again making a break for it caused Adrian to drop his hand as he reached the remaining pair. He couldn't help but sink from another failed attempt at even a simple conversation; 'not again,' he thought.
"That was weird," commented Nino, not noticing his best friend's loss in composure; not many would though considering their female classmate's changes have been much more dramatic.
"What's with her," Alya asked herself aloud. Evidently, Alya wasn't the only one worrying about Marinette's sudden strange behavior, as several of their classmates came to ask the Chinese-Parisian's best friend what was going on.
"Hey is everything okay with Marinette," asked Rose.
"She's been kind of quiet and totally spaced out the last couple days," added Nathanial.
"Honestly, I have no idea," confessed Alya, "but I'm starting to worry."
"Everyone can tell that something's wrong," Adrian realized. He couldn't help but be a bit baffled by how many people were influenced by her in their normal life.
"Well yeah," responded Alix "it's hard to miss that kind of change from a girl like Marinette."
"She's just one of those people," explained Nino, "you know, who can just influence everyone around her without really doing much."
"She been like that since grade school," added Kim with Max nodding in agreement.
"Yeah, you're right," said Adrian as he thought, 'I shouldn't be surprised that so many people are worried about her, she always does so much for everyone,' causing another thought to quickly fill him. 'No wonder she's disappointed someone like me is Cat Noir.' Suddenly Adrian felt himself despair, not that anyone would notice that kind of change in him, unlike Marinette he had learned long ago how to hide his true emotions.
"Is there any way we can help her," asked Ivan.
"I don't know how we can," responded Alya, "not without knowing at least a little bit about what's wrong."
"We have to do something," bellowed Mylène, "Marinette is always there when we need her, now it's our turns."
"We shouldn't push her, all we can do right now is be there for her," suggested Adrian, "and support her, I have faith that if we stick by her she'll open up."
"Are you sure," asked Nino, surprised that Adrian was the one with the idea.
"Yeah I'm sure," Adrian responded, thinking, 'it's all I really can do now.'
"Okay," said Alya, "she has until the end of the week; if there is no progress by then we have an intervention."
"Agreed," replied the group in unison.
It was finally the end of a long school day, which happened to be followed by a gloomy rainfall. Everyone had quickly made their ways home, as what normally occurred when the weather was bad. The only who seemed to be left was Adrian who sat outside on the steps, alone. He was waiting for his driver, but if he was honest the blonde wasn't in any rush to go home. The entire day and all the failed attempts with Marinette had gotten him down, he was at a loss about what to do now.
"So why are we out here exactly?" asked Plagg from inside Adrian's shirt.
"Huh," muttered Adrian, "my dad needs the Gorilla to do an errand so he's running late."
"Yeah I get that," responded Plagg, "I'm asking why are we waiting out here in the rain instead of inside?"
"Oh hey you're right," answered the blonde putting his hand out as if he had only just realized.
"You're seriously out of it," observed Plagg as he flew out of Adrian's shirt and up so they could be face to face. When he looked at him, Plagg couldn't help but notice how the light in his big emerald eyes had dimmed. 'This is really starting to hurt him,' thought the black cat before trying to cheer him up by saying, "come on Adrian, Marinette will come around, just give it time."
'Yeah right,' Adrian thought to himself, 'as if it wasn't bad enough that I was too blind to see just how amazing she was in everyday life, but then I actually claimed to love her when I couldn't even recognize her when counted it.' "I'm just pathetic."
'Don't think that,' thought Plagg, hearing those self-destructive words truly hurt the kwamii. But he knew what Adrian needed was encouragement so aloud he said, "no way, she's probably just dealing with her own feeling about the whole situation right now." When that didn't get a response out of the blonde he added, "plus knowing Tikki she is pep talking our girl as we speak, so no need to worry."
"It's probably dry in my backpack if you don't want to get wet," Adrian said, thus avoiding the conversation.
Plagg could tell that he wouldn't be getting anything else out of Adrian for now, so he gave in, but not before saying, "just have a little faith buddy, not just in Marinette but in yourself too. I know you two will be back as the Cat and Bug team in no time." With those parting words, Plagg tucked himself back into Adrian's shirt; he didn't know what else to do but to be there for him which is part of why he opted for the usual shirt pocket instead of the dry bag.
'You'd think after a couple thousand years I would know what to do in this kind of situation,' thought Plagg, 'I hope you're having better luck Tikki.'
As Plagg made his plea Adrian couldn't help but think of a specific memory that caused another pang in the disheartened boy's chest but it finally gave him the courage to make another move.
Flashback:
Cat Noir took hold of Ladybug and propelled them upwards using his staff; the goal being to beat the akumatized victim, Mime, to his target.
"I could have done this on my own," claimed Ladybug.
"But, we're the cat and bug team," Cat Noir explained, "remember?"
"Bug and cat team, you mean," corrected Ladybug, but she was right in doing so figured Cat Noir.
Adrian grabbed his phone and tried to think of what exactly he wanted to send, he decided to just go with what he honestly wanted to say to her if he had the chance. Once completed Adrian hit send but with the whooshing sound he began to think about their old times together again and he couldn't help but wonder, 'will we ever be able to get that back.'
Meanwhile:
In the front entrance of the empty school stood the dark-haired heroine ready to make her way home just like everyone else. That is until she saw a lonely blonde boy sitting at the bottom of the stairs.
"Hey, it's Adrian," noticed Marinette, "he's getting all wet, and he looks so..." She couldn't bring herself to complete her thought, but her heart could still feel that he was in pain, and it was worse because she knew that she was the cause.
"Go talk to him," suggested Tikki.
"I... I can't," stammered Marinette, "I just... I can't."
"Come on Marinette," said her kwamii, "just tell him how you feel."
"Why," cried Marinette, "so that I can disappoint him even more, don't you think I've done enough."
"No," Tikki exclaimed desperately, "you are not a disappointment, and after all this time as partners you both deserve to be heard out."
"But-" before Marinette could continue, she was interrupted by the sound of an incoming text.
Marinette looked down to her bag and decided to check the message, presuming it to be her parents or Alya. But she was wrong; it was "Adrian," she said shocked and out loud. It felt like time had stopped as she debated whether or not she should see the message; in the end, her curiosity won out.
Text:
I know things are awkward from the reveal but you don't need to avoid me. If you want we can forget and nothing has to change. But honestly, I wouldn't want to forget. I value every minute we've spent together and the things I've learned.
PS - knowing the truth makes me really happy.
"He's... happy," Marinette questioned aloud as she finished reading the text.
"But then why does he look so," suddenly realization struck her, "wait you don't think that he thinks that I'm the one disappointed?"
"There's only one way to find out," Tikki said, this time giving her a physical push.
Adrian continued to sulk, become numb to the raining soaking him that is until it stopped, but he could still hear it. He looked up to see that a black umbrella, being held by the trembling hand of the person that he wanted to see most of all but least expected, was covering him.
"Marinette," said Adrian in awe, not sure if what he was seeing was real.
"I'm a little confused and completely embarrassed but Adrian, I want you to know," for the first time in what Adrian felt like forever Marinette looked at him with her pretty bluebell eyes and told him, "I was never disappointed."
"Knowing that the guy I have a monster crush on is also the guy that I saved Paris with is a bit much," Marinette confessed, a bit embarrassed, "but you've never disappointed me and knowing the truth... it makes me happy too."
Adrian continued to look at her in wonder, his gorgeous green eyes shining brighter than usual; he hadn't realized just how badly he wanted to hear her words, and how joyful he would feel when he heard them.
Noticing that Adrian wasn't about to saying anything yet, Marinette decided to continue. "It's still going to take some time for things to feel normal again, but I just-"
Before she could finish Adrian grabbed hold of her, causing her to drop the umbrella as he pulled her in for a tight, emotional hug.
"Take all the time you need," whispered Adrian, "I can wait."
Somehow that was the moment Marinette had needed. Whether it was Adrian's words or the warmth she could feel from him holding her, Marinette finally felt at ease. As did Adrian as he felt the pull of Marinette returning his embrace.
For them both it felt as though the whole world and all their worries had slipped away as they each took comfort in the others arms.