'She likes me!'

Adrien sat bolt upright in his huge bed, his mind racing. Had he looked at his clock on his bedside, he would have noticed that it was 3 am, but the adrenaline coursing through his body made him disregard the fact that it was the middle of the night.

'Whaaat?' Plagg yawned, startled awake by Adrien's sudden outburst. 'I was dreaming of cheese!'

'Go back to sleep, Plagg,' Adrien said, too used to his kwami's whining to care. He permanently stank of camembert because of the tiny floating cat – he could take being woken up for once.

'Gladly,' the kwami replied, almost asleep again already.

Adrien lay back against his pillows, trying to trace back his train of thought to see why he was so certain of this. The last time someone had been akumatised, he and Nino had been in the park, being chased by a group of zombified Parisians (again). He hadn't been able to get away long enough to transform, but just before he and his friend were overrun by the zombies, Ladybug had arrived and spirited them away on her yoyo. When she'd dropped them off safely, and before she'd headed back out to find the poor akumatised victim, she'd gotten all… awkward wasn't the right word, but she definitely wasn't the confident Ladybug he knew as Chat Noir. She played with her hair, wouldn't meet his eyes, and stumbled over her words. He'd never seen her get so… flustered. That was it. Flustered.

He, Adrien Agreste, made Ladybug, saviour of Paris, flustered.

Then when he'd made a joke about 'just dropping in,' she giggled in a way she never did at Chat's puns. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate Chat's puns; more like she wasn't actively trying to pretend she didn't. She asked him whether he was alright, and reassured him that she (and Chat, which he had appreciated) would take care of it. He smiled, saying, 'I believe in you.' Then she'd gone as red as her suit, stuttered out a thank-you, and shot off on her yoyo.

Adrien might have noticed her acting weirdly sooner, but the second she left he'd run behind a building to transform, and barely a minute later had caught up with Ladybug to fight the akuma. Once they'd purified it, he had to run off, both because his ring was flashing, and because he was late for a fencing lesson. By the time he got home and did his homework (perks of being a teenage superhero), he was so tired that he barely stayed awake long enough to eat, then fell straight into bed.

But apparently his brain hadn't switched off entirely. Something had been ruminating at the back of his mind all evening, but now it was at the forefront.

Ladybug had a crush on him.

He let out a short, silent laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. He'd flirted with her for months, complimented her every chance he got, even outright confessed his feelings for her at least twice, but she'd told him there was someone else. And that someone… was him.

He had been jealous of himself this whole time?

Well, if that was the case… surely there was a way for all of this to resolve itself happily.

'Pound it!'

Chat Noir and Ladybug bumped fists, just as Chat's ring started beeping.

'Gotta dash,' said Chat. He bowed grandly. 'See you next time, M'Lady.' With that, he vaulted over a building and disappeared. As soon as he was out of sight, however, he stopped in an alley. He had no intention of going home quite yet.

'Claws in,' he said as his ring beeped again. His suit disappeared in a flash of light, returning him to his normal clothes. Letting Plagg fly back into his shirt, he ran to the corner of the alley and the street he'd just left, peeking round the side of the building to check Ladybug was still there. She was talking to the akuma victim – a job they shared, but given that he'd used his Cataclysm, it was her turn this time.

Adrien ducked back into the alleyway and took a deep breath to steal himself. He didn't think he should be this nervous: if he was right, he had nothing to worry about. And if he was wrong… well, at least he'd get to speak to Ladybug again today.

Pushing off the wall, he made his way nonchalantly towards Ladybug, trying to time it so that she would bump into him just as she turned around.

'I'm so sorry!' Ladybug hurried to apologise after they collided. 'I wasn't looking – are you okay?' she asked, pulling him back to his feet – she really had bumped into him quite hard, since she was taking a run-up to launching herself into the air.

Adrien half-laughed, rubbing his head. Ladybug tracked the movement, looking worried. 'I'm fine,' he assured her. 'Just a bit of a bump; at worst, I'll have a bruise. Which could get me out of modelling for a couple of days,' he said thoughtfully. Maybe this plan of his would have multiple good outcomes.

'Oh no!' Ladybug squeaked, going bright red. 'Is there anything I can do to help? Or to make it up to you?'

Adrien smiled inwardly. This might actually work.

'I suppose… you wouldn't want to have a chocolat chaud with me, would you? To show there aren't any hard feelings?' Ladybug's eyes widened, but Adrien pressed on – he'd thought this through. 'You probably want to avoid attention, and we're two of the most recognisable people in all of Paris. I know a place where no-one will see us. Please?' he added.

Ladybug gaped for a second, then found her wits. 'Sure,' she managed, sounding a little breathless.

Adrien grinned, his face changing from angelic to impish in a matter of moments. 'Awesome.' He searched through his pocket for a pen and a piece of paper, on which he scribbled an address. 'Shall we say tomorrow around three?'

'Sounds good,' said Ladybug, who seemed to be recovering slowly. Tucking the note into a pocket in her suit, she smiled shyly at Adrien, then threw her yoyo, swinging away, although she appeared to simultaneously get slightly tangled in the string, and have taken off with a bit too much power, which together made her exit significantly less graceful than usual.

Adrien laughed quietly to himself.

Flustered, indeed.

'Marinette, you have to calm down. You're going to hyperventilate.' Tikki sounded worried, but Marinette was too excited to notice.

'I can't calm down, Tikki! Adrien asked me out! I didn't know he had a crush on Ladybug. How did I not know that?' Marinette was practically bouncing with excitement, a huge smile on her face.

'Lots of people have a crush on Ladybug,' Tikki pointed out reasonably. 'It's not exactly inconceivable that Adrien might be one of them.'

'I know, Tikki… but it's Adrien. And we're going on a date!' Marinette gasped. 'I don't know what to wear!'

Tikki rolled her eyes. 'Marinette. You're going to wear your suit, because he doesn't know who you are – and you should probably keep that secret.'

Marinette smiled guiltily. 'Maybe I do need to calm down. And hey, even though I love Adrien, I sort of think that if I tell anyone that I'm Ladybug, it should be Alya… or Chat. He wants to know so badly…' She bit her lip. 'Tikki… is it bad that I want to know who he is too? We spend so much time together, I think we'd be really good friends in real life too.' Marinette looked round at her kwami. 'Why are you smiling like that?'

'No reason,' said Tikki innocently – too innocently. 'I'm just happy you're going on a date with Adrien.'

'I'm going on a date with Adrien!'

The next day, Marinette left her house with a quick, 'Bye, maman!' and ducked into a nearby alleyway. She had all the convenient transformation points around her house memorised, especially since she lived so close to school – if she couldn't risk transforming inside and being seen come out of either of them, it was good to have a few places she could get to easily.

Once she transformed, she checked the address (for the fourth time in the last twenty minutes, and about the ninth time overall) and threw her yoyo. It wrapped around a chimney of one of the houses along the alley, and she shot upwards, landing like a cat, as Chat would invariable say, before running along the rooftops.

When she arrived, she stopped on the roof she was on for a minute, hoping to see Adrien so she could work out where, exactly, they were going. She caught sight of him standing inside the glass door of a building across the street from where she stood, scanning the skies for her. When he noticed her, he waved, beckoning her down to street level. She took a deep breath to still the butterflies swarming in her stomach, then flipped off the roof, using her yoyo to slow herself down as she neared the ground. She landed outside the door, which Adrien opened, stepping out of the way to let her in.

'Hey, Ladybug.' Adrien looked ecstatic that she'd come, and if she was honest, Ladybug was sort of ecstatic to be here.

'Hi, Adrien. Where are we going?' She didn't mean to be quite so blunt, but she really needed to get off the street – the last thing she needed was for some stranger to post a picture of her and Adrien alone together in some random building. She did not need that sort of press coverage.

Adrien's smile widened. 'Follow me.'

He led her to a door at the back of the entranceway, down a flight of stairs, along a corridor, and around a corner before they stopped in front of another door.

'M'… Ladies first,' said Adrien. He wanted his Lady to see the room he'd prepared without having to worry about ignoring him for a minute. Once, she had told Chat that no one had ever done anything properly romantic for her before. He had been sad at the time, because he had, in fact, tried to do such a thing for her, but it didn't matter. He could do it now.

Ladybug glanced back at him curiously, but when he said nothing, she pushed the door open.

'Wow.'

The room was filled with thousands of twinkling fairy lights. Strung from the ceiling in loops, along the walls in waves, even draped across a table, the strings twining around the legs. The place was mostly empty: a rug covering the wooden floor, an oversized brown sofa with several plump cushions, a small coffee table, and a hot plate on another table off to the side. Despite the emptiness of the space, it was somehow cosy; the lights flickering across the walls like candles, tongues of flame licking the air.

'Do you like it?' Adrien asked shyly.

Ladybug could hardly answer, she was so touched. 'Adrien… it's perfect.'

Adrien's tense expression relaxed into a smile. 'Make yourself at home.'

Ladybug headed to the sofa, tucking her legs under her as she sat. A few minutes later, Adrien joined her, having made two chocolats chauds on the hot plate in the corner. Ladybug took a sip and almost moaned in delight – hot and rich and chocolatey, it was almost better than what her parents made in the bakery. Adrien was inordinately pleased that his Ladybug seemed to be enjoying something he had made himself so much,

'Did you do all of this yourself?' Ladybug asked.

'Most of it was already here – I just added the lights.' That didn't quite convey the several hours he'd spent falling off a chair, getting tangled in strings of lightbulbs and swearing, but maybe it would be better not to mention that part.

'What is this place? How do you know about it? Why are you just allowed in?' The questions spilled out of her like an overflowing cup. She wanted to know why this place felt so homely, why he'd chosen this place in particular for their first date. But most of all, she wanted to know why he seemed more comfortable here than anytime she'd seen him in his own house.

Adrien was quiet for a minute. Ladybug was about to apologise for the intrusiveness of the question, but then he spoke, staring at his steaming cup. 'This was my mother's secret place. When I was nine, she brought me here for the first time. After that, we'd come maybe once a month? It was our time. we would talk about everything – what I wanted to be, what she'd dreamed the night before… anything. I think Father knew about this place, but he understood her need for a private place of her own. They shared everything, but this… this was special.' Adrien's voice had been soft but steady all the way through, but on 'special,' his voice broke slightly, and Ladybug's heart broke for him.

'Thank you,' she whispered, placing her hand on his arm. 'For showing me this place.'

He turned to face her properly, covering her hand with his own. 'I'm glad you like it.' Their eyes met, then Ladybug blushed and looked away. Adrien let her hand fall out from under his. She really is shy around me like this, he thought. Almost like Marinette.

Wait.

Where had that come from?

He had to be imagining things. Marinette wasn't anything like Ladybug. Sure, they were both brave, and intelligent, and pretty, with their bright bluebell eyes, but that didn't mean they acted alike.

Except they did. Marinette would giggle at his puns, exactly like Ladybug did when she saved him. They both stumbled over their words when they spoke to Adrien, but up against Chat their wit was unstoppable. They never flinched from taking the hard path, always trying to do the right thing.

Memories started coming thick and fast – things he hadn't realised he'd noticed. Marinette arriving late to class every other day. Marinette being on time but out of breath one the days he was late – almost as if she had left just before him. Strange excuses for things Nino or Alya had planned. Marinette being tired in class the day after a late patrol. Ladybug rushing off on nights where Mme Bustier had given them piles of homework.

Marinette always smelling like macarons, like Adrien always smelled of cheese.

Ladybug always smelling like macarons.

'Adrien, are you alright?'

He snapped out of his reverie when Ladybug – Marinette? – touched him on the shoulder, looking worried.

He shook himself. 'Yeah, I'm fine. I just… I need to ask you something.'

'What is it?'

'Are you Marinette?' The words escaped before he could stop them.

Ladybug gasped. 'What? No! Of course not! Why would you – I mean, how could – what?'

At her stammers of indignation, shock, and distress, Adrien simply looked her in the eye, his eyebrows twitching upwards. 'Mari?'

Ladybug let out a shaky breath. 'Yeah, it's me. But you can't tell anyone, Adrien. It's not safe – for them, or for me.'

'I know,' he said gently. 'I'm sorry, I just… I had to know. And hey, you trust me, right? So it's okay.'

'I guess,' she said warily. Then she let herself fall backwards, sinking deep into the cushions of the couch. 'How'd you know?'

Adrien made a face. 'It explains a lot. Honestly, I'm surprised neither Alya nor I worked it out before.'

Ladybug huffed a laugh. 'Alya will work it out eventually. She's going to be so mad that you found out first.'

Adrien laughed with her, then sobered. 'Can I… can I see?'

'See what?'

'See you transform.'

Ladybug frowned, then her face cleared. 'I suppose… since you already know who I am.'

She stood up, taking a few steps away from the couch to give herself space. 'Spots off.'

A flash of light, and in Ladybug's place stood a red-faced Marinette. She gave a shy wave. 'Hey.'

Adrien had stood when she did. Now he crossed the room and crushed her to him, wrapping her in a hug. He was close to tears. His Ladybug – his Lady – was his friend. One of his best friends. Now that he knew who she was, he was never letting her go.

Metaphorically, at least. Because when something small and red zoomed in front of him with a high pitched, 'Hello Adrien!' he jumped back, releasing her.

Marinette laughed at his surprise. 'That's Tikki, my kwami.'

'Hey, Tikki.' Why was he so surprised? It's not like he didn't know there were others like Plagg. Maybe it was just because this one was so… red?

'So you finally worked out who Chat Noir is,' Tikki said to Marinette happily, flying around in a little circle.

Adrien's eyes widened. 'What?'

'What did you say, Tikki?' Marinette said.

'…Or not.' Tikki sounded confused, but when Adrien saw her face, he noticed she was grinning mischievously.

'Tikki. What do you mean, I worked out who Chat is? Adrien realised that I'm Ladybug, but that doesn't…' Marinette trailed off, staring past her kwami at Adrien, who had gone as red as, well, Tikki.

He smiled sheepishly, then bowed extravagantly. 'M'Lady.'

At that, Plagg flew out from his shirt. 'I heard Tikki.'

'Plagg!' Tikki squealed, zooming towards the cat kwami. 'How are you?'

'I'm hungry,' Plagg whined. Adrien rolled his eyes and produced some camembert, tossing it to the kwami, who swallowed it whole.

'I… I think I need to sit down.' Marinette did indeed look like she was about to faint. Adrien could sympathise – this was definitely too many surprises for one day. He took her arm and led her back to the sofa. He wasn't really sure what to do, so settled for sitting next to her. He realised she was muttering something under her breath – the same word over and over.

'No no no no nononono…'

'Marinette, what is it? I'm sorry you found out like this, that I found out like this, I know you wanted to keep it a secret, but –'

He stopped when Marinette waved a hand in his direction, trying to get hold of herself again. 'It's not that. Just… you mean you were really flirting with me this whole time? I mean, it was real? And I kept turning you down?'

Adrien blinked. That wasn't really what he expected her to be worrying about.

'It's okay. We're here now.'

'Kitty, it isn't okay. I hurt you so much… I'm so sorry.' Marinette sounded genuinely upset.

Adrien shuffled closer, taking her hand and kissing the back of it. 'It is okay, M'Lady. Besides, it's not like I was the best at realising how you felt either. It doesn't matter anymore. I purr-omise.'

Marinette smiled, something between relief and exasperation. 'Do I have to put up with you puns at school as well now, Chaton?'

'Maybe even outside of school as well,' Adrien smirked. 'If you can manage that.'

Marinette's eyes flashed at the challenge. 'I'll manage,' she said, pulling him closer by his shirt. Then her lips were on his, and everything but Marinette, his Ladybug, disappeared.

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Hey guys!

I'm really hoping I got the characters right for this one – it was a lot harder than I expected it to be. As ever, leave a review if you liked it – I really do love reading them. If you didn't, leave a review anyway – I honestly want to know how to improve.

Love,

NewtPevensie xoxoxox