"I offer my sincerest apologies, my lady, but I have to mo-my job tomorrow night and won't be able to patrol. Should we reschedule?" Chat tilted his head.
"Rip." Ladybug said drily, entirely out of patience and kindness after being stuck with Chloe for a science project in the library for two hours. It felt like ten days.
"Pardon?" Chat's eyes filled with confusion as he edged closer to Ladybug on the roof.
"Rest in pain." Ladybug sighed.
"My lady?" Chat asked in his state of utter confusion. "Are you alright?"
"Hmm?" Ladybug's eyes were glazed over as she looked over at the black clad hero beside her. When did he get so close? She shook her head wildly in an attempt to escape her zombie-like state and stood up.
"Sorry, Chat. I guess I'm a little out of it today. Don't worry about tomorrow- I'll cover you."
"If-" Chat hesitated. He didn't want to lose precious patrol time with Ladybug, but he couldn't guarantee his availability at any time frame tomorrow, without sacrificing sleep. There was no way he could get away with panda eyes on the set so he held back. "If you're sure, my lady, until next time!"
Chat leaped away, having already finished patrol with his lady for the morning.
"Dude, Natalie booked your entire Saturday? That sucks big time, bro." Nino patted Adrien's back.
"Yeah," Adrien sighed while looking at the ground. "I miss her…"
"What?" Confusion splattered across Nino's face.
"What?" Adrien blinked. "Oh, I was thinking about… Camembert! Yeah. The same lady usually delivers Camembert on Friday morning every week, but she hasn't delivered it yet today and I was thinking about the Camembert and her not being here yet." Adrien laughed nervously, thankful for his Kwami's odd taste for once.
"Dude, you are way too obsessed with that smelly cheese. I swear I can smell it on you every other day." Nino shook his head. "I just don't get the attraction."
Me neither, thought Adrien, but didn't voice his real opinion. "I just can't get through my days without it, you know? It's just something I need."
"What are you talking about, boys?" Alya propped her elbow on Nino's shoulder and raised an eyebrow at Adrien. Marinette drifted beside her with downcast eyes.
"My bud's addiction to smelly cheese. Can you smell it on him too?" Nino leaned in for a sniff and leaned away immediately with a wrinkled nose.
"It can't be that bad." Adrien defended himself.
"Please, my younger siblings have had better smelling days- after they threw up fish on each other." Alya winced. "Now that was a day to remember."
"Now you're just exaggerating!" Adrien protested. "I can't smell that bad, right Marinette?"
"Rip." She muttered.
"Pardon?" Adrian's eyes widened in surprise.
"Rest in pain." Marinette's lower lip pressed up in a small pout.
"Girl, you're letting your inner thoughts leak out." Alya chuckled. "Miss Dupain Cheng over here is all fizzed out after another two hour study session with Chloe." Alya made a disgusted face at the blonde girl's name.
"Hey Marinette, how about you try to convince my bro here to tell Natalie to let up his schedule! The dude can't be booked for an entire day on Saturday of all days! That should be like, against the law or something." Nino winked at Alya and she rolled her eyes.
"Hmm?" Marinette finally cast her gaze up and looked at Nino's smug face next to Alya's patient one. She shook her head wildly to get rid of her zombie-like state.
"Sorry, I guess I've been a bit out of it lately. You know me and Chloe. Being stuck with her for two hours, two days in a row is already killing me. I don't know how I'm going to survive next week."
A twinge of familiarity sparked in Adrien's mind.
"I feel you." Alya sympathized, "but that's all the more reason to convince Adrien to hang out with us tomorrow!" She pushed Marinette towards Adrien and dragged Nino with her to the door. "We have this quick thing we need to ask the science teacher so you take your time and convince the boy!" She winked at Marinette.
Alone in the classroom with her crush, Marinette suddenly feel exposed. No longer did she have the protective cover of her friends and she was sure she would collapse into a stuttering mess. Good thing Adrien started talking first. Bad news: the gorgeous blond boy was talking to her and she wanted to collapse into a pile of pink goo.
"Do all raven haired girls shake their heads like that? I've seen Ladybug do it too." Adrien smiled dazzlingly.
Except… he was supposed to be home when she did that yesterday, and Marinette was sure she didn't see him in the vicinity at the time. She'd only done the head shake when she was Ladybug that one time.
"How do you know about Ladybug shaking her head to wake herself up? Weren't you supposed to be home at the time?" Marinette frowned.
"Oh-uh I saw it on the Ladyblog! Yeah. And how do you know I was supposed to be home at the time?" Adrien questioned.
"Alya wasn't there at the time! She was babysitting, and I checked the Ladyblog this morning- there was no such video." Marinette avoided his question like the plague.
"Well how do you know why Ladybug shook her head like that at the time?" Adrien directed the questioning back to Marinette.
Because I'm Ladybug! "I was passing by at the time and saw her." Marinette defended herself.
"No you weren't." Adrien was certain Marinette wasn't in the vicinity at the time. He would have definitely noticed her.
"Why are you so sure of yourself? It's not like you checked every alley around the roof of Alix's house."
"I-Chat Noir told me."
"He wouldn't." She was certain her kitty would never do something like that.
"Why are you so sure he wouldn't?"
"It might put you in danger. The details of Ladybug and Chat Noir's patrols are only known to themselves. It's for the similar reasons that their secret identities are secret even from each other."
"Why do you know that? How do you know so much?" Adrien took a guarded step towards Marinette.
"You act as if you know everything I say is true, like you already know it." Marinette let a breath out. "The question is- why do you know what I'm saying is true?"
"Well isn't this a catty situation."
The two teenagers stared at each other intensely, as if they were trying to read each other's secrets from their eyes.
Adrien took in the all too familiar bluebell eyes and stubborn expression. That fighting stance that said she would never back down. The fighting stance that was always directed towards an akuma victim.
Marinette thought seriously through her memories of Adrien- all of her memories. The bow at her door as he offered to be her Chinese translator. The encouragement he gave her when she thought her uncle didn't like her. The pun he made about knights and nightmares. The pun just now. No way…
"Ladybug!?" Adrien yelled.
"Chat Noir!?" Marinette shrieked.
She backed away as if he was a ranging fire and fell backwards in the process.
They stared at each other, wide eyed as they really looked at each other. Blue-black pigtails. Blond hair. Bluebell eyes. Cat green eyes. Red hair ribbons. Silver ring. Round black earrings.
"There's really no use in hiding anymore." Tikki floated out of Marinette's pink purse and over to Adrien.
"Hello Chat Noir! My name is Tikki! I'm Marinette's kwami." She piped cheerfully.
"Awe man, does this mean I have to introduce myself too?" Plagg drifted from Adrien's jacket over to Marinette.
"Hey. I'm Plagg. I help him turn into Chat Noir. Got it?" Marinette nodded, still wide eyed.
"Good. Now can you hand over the cheese from your sandwich in your backpack? I know you bought it with that other girl and didn't have time to eat it."
"Plagg!" Tikki protested as she flew over to him.
"What? A kwami's gotta eat what a kwami's gotta eat! It's not my fault lover boy over there isn't speeding up the Camembert delivery."
"Fine." Tikki swooped in for a hug and Plagg encircled her with his arms. "It's nice to see you too."
"It's only been a few months since we've been separated. You're far too emotionally attached for your own good."
"You say that like you're not."
"So, um, wow." Adrien managed. He had no idea his beloved Ladybug was so close this whole time. How did he miss her?
"Yeah- wow." Marinette echoed. "This-this is just- wow."
She looked at him dubiously, unable to imagine half the flirting from Chat Noir coming from Adrien's modest personality.
Adrien noticed and smirked. "Like what you see, Bugaboo? I told you you wouldn't be able to resist me out of the mask."
"Yeah, no kidding." Marinette said in a daze. Then her eyes widened. "I mean- that's not what I meant." She sputtered.
"Then what did you mean?" He approached her and crouched down to her eye level. He was holding his breath, recognizing the lovesickness he often looked at her with in her eyes, along with shock and panic.
"I- forget it. We're not going there, kitty. What we should do is go to Master Fu and tell him about this… new development. He should know what to do next." She stood up and brushed herself off.
"Come on Tikki." Tikki flew into Marinette's pink purse with Plagg right behind her.
She strode out the door, knowing he would follow. He always did.
"But you haven't answered my question yet, my lady! I simply must know the answer." Adrien's eyes widened in false innocence.
"Nope. Nuh uh. I told you once and I'd rather not tell you twice. We're not going there, kitty."
"Then I'll make up the answer as I please. Let's see… you're in love with me."
Marinette tripped but caught herself in time. "What did you just say?"
"Oh don't mind meow. I'm just feline the love bug going around, and a little kitty's telling me a certain bug's got the hots for a certain blond kitty but she's too shy to say." He whispered.
"Wha-I-that-" she sputtered and narrowed her eyes.
"Sure kitty, whatever helps you sleep at night." She was not going to fall for his trap.
"Does that mean yes? I'm right?" His eyes sparkled as he looked at her excitedly.
"Keep dreaming." She stopped suddenly and grabbed Adrien's collar to peck his cheek.
She smirked. "Just keep dreaming, kitty. It's not like I could stop you."
Adrien smiled dreamily and wrapped an arm around Marinette as they strolled off together.
"So when am I getting my cheese?" Plagg demanded. He narrowed his eyes and glared at Tikki.
"You planned this, didn't you? Distracted me from my cheese." He grumbled.
"Oh Plagg! It's good to see you too." Tikki giggled.