DETENTION

Summary:

Adrien and Marinette are both good students, but their teacher can't let one more late arrival slide. Reveal one-shot.

Inspired by fanart on Pinterest. Unfortunately, the link didn't work, and I can't figure out who the artist is. Basically, Adrien and Marinette are in detention and Adrien starts spinning a mop. I'd just like to give credit where credit is due. I'll gladly update if the owner is named (and a link provided to the original work – most likely to Deviant Art it seems – for proof). Just message me.

"That's enough!"

Everyone blinked in surprise at Ms. Mendeleiev's outburst. Until then she had seemed rather laid back for once. However, Marinette's heart sank realizing she had triggered the reaction. Another akuma had made her late to physics again.

"That is the third time this week the two of you have been late for my class." Two? Marinette's sinking head rose at the word. "Marinette, Adrien, I don't care what you're doing outside this classroom at any other time of the day, but this hour you should be here. You'll be making up your absences in detention after school."

Some in the class snickered at Ms. Mendeleiev's implied comment and Marinette blushed. If only she was late because she was making out with Adrien. But... Adrien was late? Adrien was never late. Was he? Obviously, he had been this week. He must have always gotten there before her. Barely. The two of them arriving late together must have triggered this outburst.

"Yes, ma'am," they both muttered before the teacher returned to her lesson.

Marinette quietly groaned and slumped in her seat.

"Hey," Alya whispered while Ms. Mendeleiev's back was turned. "At least you get to spend more time with Adrien after school."

Marinette let out a chuckle at her friend's positivity.

"Yeah…"

Marinette wiped the chalkboard down as Ms. Mendeleiev left to put some lab equipment away. She had already given the two teens their duties. The classroom would be sparkling by the time they were done. Behind her, Adrien was sweeping the floor.

Marinette was halfway done with the chalkboard when she started to hear a tune from Adrien's direction. She was surprised but continued to clean the board. Adrien was humming, and it was getting louder as he went. Soon enough Marinette recognized the Ladybug theme song. She blushed. The song played in the background of Alya's blog and in the hero's day parade. Clara Nightingale had written an overnight sensation with the people of Paris.

Apparently, Adrien was no exception. His loud hums were getting more dramatic and Marinette finally couldn't take it anymore. She turned around.

"Are you-" She stopped, her jaw hanging open.

Adrien wasn't sweeping anymore; he was twirling the broom like… like Cat Noir. Was Adrien a fan? Suddenly he flipped it around, still humming and pulled a pose.

Marinette stared. Only one person moved like that that she knew.

Adrien finally caught her staring with her mouth open. He straightened and blushed.

"Sorry, I uh got carried away." He rubbed the back of his neck.

Marinette still hadn't responded.

"Marinette?"

There was no way. No way. Adrien could not be… but no one else moved like that. What other teenage boy could actually move a broom- or baton around at that speed?

"Marinette?" Adrien asked again.

"Are you Cat Noir?!" She blurted out. Adrien's eyes went wide. "I- I mean! Do you like Cat Noir?! You moved ex-exactly like him…" She tried to give a nonchalant laugh, but it came out as one whine like noise.

Adrien blinked at her red face. He opened his mouth to answer, give some kind of excuse, but Ms. Mendeleiev walked into the room.

"No talking. Get back to work," she reprimanded before cleaning up the different lab stations as well.

They glanced at each other before quickly wiping the board and sweeping the floor once again.

They were going to have to talk, Marinette realized. She needed that answer.

"Adrien!" Marinette called as the model was trying to walk briskly out of the building. His evasion practically answered her question itself. Adrien just didn't know what to say yet.

"Yeah, Marinette?" he spoke like nothing was wrong, but his awkward smile revealed what he felt underneath.

"I…" She took a deep breath. "I wanted to know… what you were going to say…"

"Oh, uh."

A honk from the Gorilla interrupted.

"I'm sorry, Marinette. I gotta go."

Marinette sighed as Adrien walked away.

Unfortunately for Adrien, possibly Cat Noir, Marinette was Ladybug. And they had patrol tonight.

"My lady," Cat Noir greeted with a smile and kissed Ladybug's hand as he fell onto one knee. A typical greeting from him, but instead of laughing him off, Ladybug seemed to pause and go red before she tried to address her issue. She had been too obsessed with the idea of Adrien being Cat Noir that she didn't think how she would react to his usual flirtations. If Adrien really was Cat Noir, then he liked her, and she didn't know how to handle that. She never thought she'd make it that far. But first, she needed proof.

"Cat Noir," she started.

He raised an eyebrow at her tone as he stood and faced her. "What is it, Ladybug?"

Her eyes bore into his. Was it the transformation that made them green or did he have blonde hair and green eyes just like someone else? She glanced at the curve of his jaw and lips but didn't stay long less Cat get the wrong idea. She took a deep breath. "I think I might have found out your identity today," Ladybug all but whispered, choosing to check her yo-yo on her hip rather than see his reaction. When she looked back at him, hesitation in her eyes, he looked just as surprised and nervous.

"H-how…?" The question died on his lips, his eyebrows knitted in confusion.

Ladybug bit her lip. "If I tell you…"

Cat Noir's brain caught up quickly. "I'll find out your identity," he stated. He thought he had escaped this today with Marinette, but now he wondered if there was a reason Ladybug brought it up too. Could she be…? He sighed. "You already know mine."

Some of the tension between them seemed to ebb away. There was a light in Cat's eyes, but the nerves were still behind it.

"No, I don't!" Ladybug exclaimed. "It's a guess. What if I'm wrong and I'm just crazy and the boy who I thought was you is going to think I'm crazy?! And all just because I saw him twirling a broom and it was so familiar, but really he was just copying you from some news clip. I never would have thought he was you otherwise! Let's just- Let's just go on patrol and forget this whole conversation ever happened!"

She started to march away, past the cat and throw her yo-yo, but Cat Noir grabbed her wrist before the round object could leave her hand.

"You're not crazy, Ladybug," he said, moving her arm down and turning her to face him. "I did twirl a broom today. But only one person saw me. Because we were in detention. For being late after another akuma attack. Does all of that sound familiar to you?"

Ladybug swallowed and stared into his eyes. How had she not seen all the similarities before? She knew that story; it was her story. Why she was late for class, how she got detention, and how… Cat Noir had been beside her the whole time. He was all but saying it out loud. And so was she.

"Yes," she breathed.

Cat Noir's breath hitched. Was it really her? Could it really be her? He summed up all his courage to ask the next question. "Marinette?"

Ladybug thought her brain might stop working. Her whispered name, her real name had fallen from his lips with such love. As much love as Ladybug, My Lady, or Bugaboo. His hand was still around hers and she realized just how close they were standing.

"A-Adrien?" she breathed.

Cat Noir's lips quirked into a smile that was only all too familiar now. "No more secrets. We can be stronger now, and defeat Hawkmoth."

Ladybug nodded, then she looked up at him nervously. "Well…"

"What is it?"

"There are some things I should probably let you know. Miraculous identities. Things like that…" Cat Noir let out a strangled gasp. "And the other boy… I told you about…"

He gulped. He had no idea who Marinette had continuously turned him down for, but he would have to respect that. He would have to every day. He would stay her friend, of course, but it would be different, to be forced to see her head over heels for another boy he wished could be him. He felt his heart break as she smiled at the ground.

"Cat Noir," she started, "the boy I like… his name is Adrien Agreste. Yeah, the same one from all the ads around Paris. I don't just like him because he's a model though. I'm not that shallow. In fact, I thought he was shallow, the first day I met him. You see, I thought I caught him putting gum on my seat, but really he was just trying to take it off. He apologized after school though, which was nice of him, considering it wasn't actually his fault. I'd already decided to give him a second chance, but then he gave me his umbrella. He was kind and sweet and, in that moment, I fell for him. I couldn't get my words right around him, but he kept doing nice things, becoming my friend. And even though he saw us as just friends, I couldn't give up. I kept falling and I kept turning you down because… I didn't want to give up on him. I don't want to give up on him. I love him."

Her blue eyes shown in the moonlight and Cat Noir didn't know what to say. He was Adrien. And she knew that now. She confessed to him. His Lady loved him. Loved all of him it seemed. His hand still around hers, he pulled her away from the edge of the building where someone might see them.

"Ladybug," he began to speak as he led her to the center of the rooftop. "There's this girl in my class. I was so in love with you that I didn't realize I'd fallen for her too. She's really smart and beautiful. She reminds me of you a lot actually."

A surprised giggle came from Marinette and Adrien smiled.

"She's won a hat design contest, designed an album cover for Jagged Stone, won a gaming tournament. She's amazing! And she never stops surprising me." He had finally stopped at their destination and was watching her with eyes full of love. "Plagg, claws in."

Marinette gasped, seeing Adrien instead of Cat Noir. Making everything more real.

"And I'd really like to kiss her now. If she'd let me." His timid smile melted her heart. "Maybe without the mask," he added with a chuckle.

She giggled back before detransforming. "Tikki, spots off." The surprise and happiness on his face gave her confidence. "I think she'd like that."

With large smiles, the two teens finally kissed. They'd loved each other all along. Students or superheroes, they had unknowingly danced around one another for ages. Neither had been so grateful for detention in their lives.