AN: What's up everyone? So, in case you don't have a Tumblr, I am basically participating in Adrinette/ Love Square month by writing a month long fiction! That's right! I'm out of my mind crazy! Each day has a different theme and today's (well, Feb. 1st) is "Made for Each Other!" Am I out of my mind? Why, yes I am. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1: Made for Each Other

There was no doubt that the two of them were made for each other. Each of them had received half of the miraculous in the yin-yang balance: her, the earrings of creation; him, the ring of destruction. There cannot be one without the other. It was almost as if believing that a fish could live without water or plants without the sun. The idea of one being without the other was just a ludicrous idea. When together, they became far more powerful than any forces in the world but separate, they would weaken and be nothing once again.

At least, that's how Tikki had argued for getting Marinette to reveal her identity to Chat. She sat nervously on top of Notre Dame on a pleasant summer evening, swinging her legs back and forth, biting her lip as she contemplated what to do with that. On one hand, she understood what Tikki was saying. If it meant that they would be stronger to protect Paris then why not? But, there was still the crippling fear she had that Chat… well, that he wasn't going to like the clumsy girl underneath; rejection by him was the last thing she could handle. Ironically, the month just turned to February. The month of love. Tensions had been mounting at the school for some time but now they were starting to reach their max. Everyone was worried about asking someone out. Juleka wanted to take Rose on a date. Nino had the same problem even though the DJ had been dating Alya since sophomore year. Kim, Max, and Alix all had plans. Nathaniel really wanted to do something nice for Chloe but was afraid she was going to throw it back in his face. Sabrina wanted to get something for Nathaniel but wasn't sure what and… and all of them were coming to her with these problems because she was still the class president. Even after two years, she was still holding the popular vote and everyone still liked her enough to warrant running and complaining to her about what to do for a holiday that was still thirteen days away. She sighed.

A reveal was the last thing she needed right now.

Footsteps off to the side told her that Chat had finally arrived. She smiled and raised a hand but didn't bother to turn around. "Hey Chat," she greeted.

His eyes were luminescent in the darkness of the night. She heard the soft sound of his baton shrinking as he slid it into its place on his back to join her on the edge. He smiled at her. It was such a goofy grin.

"Good evening LB. Any sign of an akuma?" She shook her head. Tonight was Thursday. This made it their joint patrol night; she came from the East and him from the West until they finally met up at the top of Notre Dame to talk before disappearing for school the next day. Chat looked out over the city. It was such a pleasant sight and one he was glad to experience. These nights were definitely much better than being locked in his room staring at homework or some other project his father wanted him to do.

"Hey… Chat?" His ears perked up and he turned with a cat like expression on his face. Ladybug's face was hard to see as she'd turned away from him. He leaned his head quizzically to the side.

"Yes my lady?"

She pursed her lips, unsure of how to ask about revealing themselves. After all, she was the one who had made a big deal about them keeping their identities secret for so long and he'd… well, Chat just kind of went with it. "What… what has your kwami explained about our miraculouses?" He blinked. Suddenly, he was laughing. He laughed so hard, he fell back off the ledge and onto the roof of the cathedral. Ladybug eyed him bewildered. As he got up, Chat wiped a finger under his eyes to remove the tears that had come out.

"Plagg," he managed, "Plagg? Explain anything? Not on your life! He's about as helpful as a sponge in a sinking boat." He stood, dusting himself off. "Listen, my kwami's nice and everything but he's not exactly the telling type. He probably thinks it makes him look cool or something." She shook her head and turned completely around to face him. He offered a paw. She took it, sliding off of the edge.

They were standing rather close together. Ladybug's face twisted into a smile as under his mask, she saw the light tint of a blush forming. Chat hadn't exactly told her he liked her but neither had she really given him the chance in the last two years; besides, it wouldn't be fair to him or their partnership if she started dating him while still being completely infatuated with Adrien Agreste. She playfully pushed his face away by placing a gentle finger on his nose. "Don't even think it alley cat."

He rolled his eyes. "Wasn't going to. Your lack of faith in me knows no bounds."

"I never said I didn't have faith in you but you can't admit that you're not a giant flirt." He flinched.

"Touché." She giggled. "Anyway, what's up with that question about our miraculouses? I'm assuming yours said something about them? What's got you worried?" Now it was her turn to flinch. They'd been partners for two years now. They knew each other like the back of their own hands. They didn't need to speak in battle and they rarely did anymore which is why they met on Thursdays at the top of Dame. They were so in sync with each other that she knew, without a doubt, that what Tikki told her about them being perfect for each other must be true.

She just didn't want to lose what they currently had if everything goes south.

She sighed and shook her head. "Nothing. Don't worry about it." He started to say something but she smiled and covered his lips with a finger. He paused. "Listen, it really was nothing. Tikki wants me to do something I'm not ready for okay? She says it'll increase both of our powers but I… well, I'm just not mentally prepared for it." His face softened. Her eyes widened as it went from concern to sorrow all in a moment. Chat swallowed.

"Your kwami," he said softly, "she wants us to reveal ourselves?" Ladybug flinched again. Chat, upon their first meeting, had appeared rash and impulsive to her, but years of working with him had revealed a rather intelligent and bright young man who wasn't just rushing head long into things; he did actually have plans most of the time but continued to let her hold the spotlight because she was the one who could purify the akumas. Therefore, it shouldn't have been a surprise that he'd figured out what was bothering her. She nodded slowly.

"Yes but… but right now just isn't good for me. I've got so much going on in my civilian life that I don't… well, I don't need the stress of a reveal added on top of that."

"Ladybug…."

"I'm sorry Chat," she cut in solemnly. "I know how badly you want this to happen. To be honest, I want it now too but… I can't okay? I just can't." She reached down to pull the yo-yo off of her hip. She flung it to the nearest gargoyle and took off before her partner could reach her or say anything. Chat Noir was left at the top of the building, looking down as his red spotted partner, crush, and idol, rushed off into the darkness of the Paris night. A sigh escaped his lips. As he rubbed the back of his head, he wondered if maybe he should have told the truth about what Plagg had told him; after all, the cat kwami had told him nearly months after getting the miraculous that he needed to know her identity and why. It was part of why he had been so desperate to learn it.

Now, he'd just put his foot in his mouth, insulted his best friend, and sent his crush swinging into the night, crying.

He was never going to live this down.

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Tikki looked down at her ward as she rested peacefully in her bed. Her breathing was even. She was sound asleep which was good considering the girl had stayed up far too late crying and apologizing for not being able to reveal herself and for hurting Chat Noir. Tikki had tried to calm her but it hadn't happened until several hours later when the young woman had climbed into bed after washing her face. The water didn't get rid of the redness around her eyes and on her cheeks.

The little fairy felt bad. She hadn't meant to get her partner all worked up but she didn't need to hide the truth from her any longer about the miraculouses; after two years, Marinette had proven herself to be more than capable of handling anything that was thrown at them, even if they hadn't been able to find or stop Hawkmoth just yet. She had no doubt that they would. It was just going to be a matter of time. For now, she just needed to focus on getting the two of them together so they could be more effective in battle and hopefully achieve their goal of shutting him down for good. This meant she was left with only one option.

She didn't want to do this.

She had no other choice.

Tikki hovered just above her chosen's head, placing a gentle touch to her temple. She closed her eyes. Concentrating, she pulled forth some of the most powerful magic she had, sending it into Marinette's body. It came out as a gentle red glow that traveled from her to the sleeping girl and spread out through her body. The glow faded as Tikki slowly shut the magic off. Exhausted herself, she nodded and flew down next to her head, curling up and closing her eyes, saying one final prayer to the magic that it started to do its job quickly.

MLMLMLML

Marinette was still exhausted when she woke the next morning but it didn't stop her from rushing to gather her things and take off for school. She arrived with several minutes of freedom in between. She sighed in relief. Next to her, her best friend in the whole wide world, Alya, smirked and playfully poked her cheek.

"Girl, I don't know if you got the chance to check the mirror but you look awful."

Mari glared. "Thanks for the assessment." She stuck her tongue out at the other girl. Alya giggled. "I didn't sleep well last night. Had a lot on my mind. I'll tell you more after class," she hurriedly explained. Honestly, sharing this early in the morning made her stomach twist in pain and she needed to come up with a viable explanation before the two of them started talking. She pulled out her things for class as more students trickled in. Her heart started pounding like crazy as she saw Nino and Adrien walk in together, chatting animatedly about something. Marinette couldn't help but stare.

Adrien was smiling brightly today, his green eyes lit up in excitement. His hair nearly glowed in the lighting from above. She often fantasized about running her fingers through it and wondered if it was as soft as it appeared.

Her thoughts were quickly halted by the appearance of another blond in her mind.

She saw the torn and sad expression of Chat Noir, the one she'd caused last night, as it flashed in her mind.

Her heart twisted painfully. It was horrible how she had just denied the reveal like that despite how badly both him and Tikki wanted it to happen. She was letting down the two people in this world she couldn't stand to let down and it hurt. It hurt so badly. There was only one answer for all of this, and one solution she didn't know if she was ready for: her two-year-old crush on Adrien was hurting her partnership with Chat and it had to go. Her hand slipped in her daze. It sent her pencil tumbling down the stairs and she sighed, standing to retrieve it.

Marinette stooped over to pick up her pencil and in doing so, ended up with her hand being clasped so gently by the wide, stronger fingers of Adrien Agreste. She blushed a bit but oddly felt cool, calm, and above all else, stable as her eyes shot up to connect with his. It was like the sky was meeting land for the first time. She never really noticed how green his eyes were until that moment. He was staring at her too. Both of them felt a tingling sensation run between their hands and through their bodies but it wasn't unpleasant. In fact, they wouldn't mind if it would kindly keep going.

Someone cleared their throat, snapping them back to reality. Alya and Nino were watching in mild confusion. Marinette bit her lip, picked up her pencil, mumbled a thank-you to him, before returning to her seat. He rubbed the back of his neck before following suit. Alya elbowed her side. She shot her a wink but saved her questions for later as class was beginning.

The half Asian girl stared down at her hand. In her heart, she felt how right it was to be touched by him, and she knew, just knew, that they were made for each other.

She wanted nothing more than it to not be true.

MLMLMLML

Marinette paced back and forth in the hall of the school, hand covering her mouth, brow furrowed as she stared at the ground. Alya followed her with her eyes. Her mouth was open a bit and her brow furrowed too. She'd never seen her friend look like this; at least, not in the last two years that she'd known her and she practically knew everything about her. Finally, the frustration blew over. Marinette abruptly mussed with her hair, letting out a growl. A couple of others in the hallway turned to stare. Alya smiled awkwardly at them and gave a wave before turning back to her clearly distressed friend with a frown on her face.

"Girl, I have never seen you so stressed out. You gonna share what's got you so on edge?" She froze. Her eyes traveled over her friend for a second before she sighed dejectedly and joined her on the bench. The umber haired girl turned to make room for her. She placed a hand on Marinette's shoulder, waiting. Finally, she sighed.

"Alya… I'm so confused."

"Well that was obvious. About what?"

"About… about, well Adrien." She raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything, letting the distressed girl continued on. "I don't… look, I have another friend that, well, I think I'm starting to like but…."

"Liking Adrien after two years of getting nowhere is going to cause a problem uh?" She nodded.

"Yeah. What if I never get over these feelings? What if… what if I really hurt my friend? He's the last person I want to hurt and… and… gah! My head hurts just trying to figure this out!" Marinette leaned forward, burying her face in her hands. Alya rubbed gentle circles in between her shoulder blades.

"Girl, I know it stinks but if you want this to work, you're going to have to make a choice."

"How is that fair?"

"Life is sadly unfair but I think the answer to your problems is actually talking to Adrien." She turned her head and looked at her like she was out of her mind. Which she was. Marinette had only on a few occasions gotten a halfway decent sentence out of her mouth towards the blonde and hadn't proven her clumsiness at the same time. Or had the darker skinned girl forgotten this? Alya sighed now. "Look, you like Adrien because he's up on this pedestal in your mind right? Well, try talking to him without the goal of dating him and see if your feelings change or not. If not, then you're going to have to make the really hard choice, between him and your friend, but if they do, then you'll know going forward with your friend will be alright." She smiled sadly. "It's not going to be easy but if you want either relationship to be successful, you're going to have to start somewhere."

Marinette returned the smile before hugging her. "You're the best," she sighed. Alya laughed and winked when they pulled away.

"Yeah I know. What would you do without me?"

"Probably lose my mind to be honest."

"Exaaaactly." Alya grabbed her bag and stood, followed closely by Marinette, who grabbed her arm, heading back to the classroom for their next class of the day.

MLMLMLML

Tikki was absolutely no help with coming up with a solution to her conundrum. She merely shrugged from Mari's desk as she chewed on a soft, warm chocolate chip, and said, "I still think you need to reveal yourself to Chat but it's not my place to decide. It's your choice Mari and I'll support you no matter which choice you make."

She groaned. "Thanks. You're absolutely no help. For once."

She smirked in return. "I can't be helpful twenty-four-seven. You do have to figure some things out on your own."

Marinette poked her cheek and Tikki giggled. "You're so mean." She sat up from her desk, stretching back; standing, she pushed the chair under it, and told her kwami she was going on the balcony for some fresh air before turning in for the night. The air was warm as winter was fading away into spring. She breathed deep, leaning on her railing. Her thoughts were pounding in her head, making her dizzy and heated, and the air felt cool on her skin. She sighed. Usually coming here, in the quiet of the night, helped when nothing else would.

Paris' skyline had a soft glow to it. The silence was comforting. Time seemed to slow down which was fine; she needed the extra minutes to consider and plan how she was going to handle the travesty that was going to be her life.

MLMLMLML

Sophia LaGrange gripped the stack of papers close to her chest. She took a steadying breath, shook her head to toss her long, black curls off her face, out of her glasses, before she knocked on the door. There was a brief grunt and she opened it. Inside the room was dark and musky smelling, the smell of stale cigarette smoke hanging thick in the air, and from behind a large oaken desk sat a rather intimidating looking man. She swallowed hard.

"Good-good evening Mr. Perrott." He looked up from the paper he was working on but the glance didn't last more than a second.

"Evening LaGrange." She swallowed again.

"I-I-I brought…."

"Sit it there," he motioned with his head to a stack of papers on the corner of his desk. She walked forward, sitting her stack on the already tall tower, leaving her to stand at the front of his desk, wringing her hands together in front of her. A minute passed. She cleared her throat. He looked up again briefly. "You're still here?"

"Uh I…."

He sighed. Leaning back in his chair, he shot her a look. "Look. You're a sweet person. I promised I'd do you this favor since you helped my mom out but you gotta understand. I got forty other paying clients to have me edit their works. I can't guarantee anything. Come back and see me later this week." He paused. "I hope you're good with taking criticism LaGrange. I'm not going to be holding anything back." She nodded slowly, turning just the same way, and disappearing out into the evening, her heart pounding wildly out of control and hope, for the first time in years, soaring in her mind.