Tikki woke early, as she always did. She stretched sleepily and rolled out of her tiny, yet exquisitely made bed. This morning, she paused next to that bed and ran a tiny paw lovingly over the hand-stitched blanket that was tossed over her mattress. The whole bed, indeed, her whole house, had been lovingly crafted for her by the young woman sleeping just outside. It had been two years—exactly two years—since she'd begun this journey with Marinette. She doubted that Marinette would realize the date; she was a healthy 17 year old with all of the normal worries and desires of a teen starting her last year of high school- and then some. But it didn't matter. Tikki was happy to mark the date, and reflect on the last two years on her own.
Floating out of her little house on the shelf in Marinette's room, Tikki smiled as she considered the girl's face in repose. She'd changed so much in those two short years. She'd been just a girl, shy and reserved and wholly unaware of what she was capable of. Now, she'd grown into a vibrant young woman, strong, compassionate, and clever. She'd grown physically, too. She was at least 3 inches taller, her lithe figure fuller, and her lean body stronger. She'd let her hair grow, and abandoned her once signature twin tails in favor of letting it fall in a loose blue-black curtain, or pulling it back into a long braid. Her "bluebell eyes" (and here Tikki chuckled softly, remembering Adrien's poem) were still large in her elfin face, but they were now fringed with heavy black lashes that made her eyes look more exotic. Her face had lost most of its childhood roundness, and her high cheekbones and chin were more defined. Simply put, she was stunning, but somehow, she still didn't know it. Tikki chuckled again. Some things hadn't changed at all.
It was still too early to wake Marinette. Tikki flew over to the desk, lifted a cookie from the box that Marinette kept there especially for her, and watched the morning sky brighten as she nibbled on her breakfast. Her thoughts turned then to Marinette's counterpart, Adrien Agreste. He had changed, too. He'd gained four inches to Marinette's three, and while still lean, his shoulders had broadened considerably and he'd gained in muscle mass. But he had the same laughing green eyes, the same disheveled golden blond hair, and the same ready smile. He was the perfect counterpart to her Marinette, her perfect partner.
Unfortunately, the two still didn't know what they were to each other. Oh, they'd grown into a comfortable friendship at school. Marinette had gotten over her shyness around him once it became clear that their respective best friends had become an inseparable couple. They were thrown together so frequently that she hadn't had much choice. She still loved him, she certainly lusted after him, but she was no longer star struck by him.
As Ladybug and Chat Noir, they'd become like two parts of a fluid whole, each knowing the other's mind without a second thought. They'd worked well together from the beginning; now, it was like watching a choreographed dance every time they'd fight. It was a partnership built on trust, mutual respect, and many, many shared experiences. Adrien, for his part, was more committed than ever to winning Ladybug as more than his friend, while she continued to gently rebuff Chat Noir in favor of his alter ego.
It was ridiculous. How they had managed to make it two whole years without revealing themselves, Tikki still could not understand. It was uncanny that they'd not figured it out on their own, especially with as bright as they both were. Privately, Tikki thought that they were both willfully oblivious, because to learn their identities now would ruin the delicate balance they'd struck. Plagg thought that they were just oblivious. But, there was no way they could continue on in this way indefinitely. She now regretted having told Marinette in the beginning that their identities must remain an absolute secret, because now Marinette would not budge from that position. Chat had tried more than once to convince her that they ought to reveal their identities to one another, and Tikki, too. But she would not be moved, and Chat—Adrien—respected her too much to force the issue. And here they were.
Tikki sighed again. The chemistry between them was undeniable. Adrien ignored it around Marinette, and Ladybug ignored it around Chat, but it was there. Tikki knew that one day, probably one day soon, that chemistry would spark and the two would no longer be able to hide from one another. She only hoped that it would not happen in such a way as to burn their worlds down around them.
Marinette did not oversleep. Perhaps she didn't bounce out of bed at the first alarm, but she didn't hit the snooze more than twice. It was the first day of her last year of school, and she was determined to start off on the right foot. But, being Marinette, she was still running behind. With Tikki tucked safely in her small purse, she breezed through the bakery downstairs, blowing kisses to her parents and snagging a few croissants on the way out the door.
She ate her croissants on the way, enjoying the cool morning. She didn't have time, though, to enjoy a leisurely walk. She wasn't late, yet, but she had to hustle.
Alya was already there, and waved from the front steps when she saw her approach. Marinette waved back. "Good morning!"
Alya reached out a hand, but instead of hugging Marinette, she raised it to her forehead. "Girl, are you feeling ok?"
Marinette frowned. "Erm, yes?"
"You're not late!" Alya laughed as her friend rolled her eyes. "Is that for me?"
Still shaking her head, she passed the bakery bag to an eager Alya. "Not that you deserve it, ye of little faith." Her eyes moved past Alya, and she brightened. "Nino! Do me a favor, and rein your girlfriend in."
"Ha! As if." He slid his arm around Alya's waist, and tugged her closer to kiss her temple. "I know better."
Alya beamed at him in approval, her mouth too full of croissant for anything else.
Marinette looked around, frowning again. "Where's Adrien? He's usually here well before I am."
"No idea." Nino shrugged. "I haven't heard from him yet this morning."
"Hmm. Well, we might as well go in. It's time."
The three friends walked in to the school together, taking their usual seats in the classroom. The seat next to Nino stayed empty for only a moment, before Adrien slipped into the room with the bell and dropped into his seat.
Alya nudged Marinette, then leaned forward, and tapped Adrien on the shoulder. "Are we in a parallel universe here? Seriously, Mari was on time and Adrien was late. What is this?"
Marinette's lips twitched, and Adrien chuckled. "Long morning," was all he said.
The girls sat back, then, as their teacher started class. It was a typical first day of school, full of policies and procedures. They had no new students this year, so it was really just a review of things that everyone already knew. The morning passed quickly, as did the afternoon. Lunch, in the middle, was a relaxed affair. The four friends sat together and caught up on the little that they'd missed in each other's lives over the summer before returning to class for the second half.
At the end of the day, Marinette stretched in her seat before rising to gather her things. "Hey, would you guys want to go do something this afternoon? We have almost no homework tonight, and I hate to waste an opportunity."
Alya shook her head. "I have some work that I need to get done on the LadyBlog, and then I have to watch the brats."
Marinette deflated a bit. If Alya was out, then so were the guys. Sure enough, Nino nodded.
"I promised this one" (here, he poked his finger into the side of Alya's head and pushed gently) "that I'd keep her company this evening. But Adrien had a similar idea earlier; perhaps the two of you could do something?"
Marinette and Adrien both looked at him in surprise.
Alya shrugged. "Well, why not? You guys hang out all the time, with us. You can hang out without us, too." Then she turned to Nino and tugged on the strap of his bag, her expression coy. "Want to help me edit pictures while I work on copy? If I get done before my parents leave, I'll have some free time."
Nino smiled wolfishly back at her, and the couple waved absent-mindedly at their friends as they walked away, hand in hand.
Marinette smiled fondly at their backs, then turned to find that Adrien was regarding her with raised brows. "What do you say? Shall we find something to do this afternoon?"
A little of her old trepidation returned, and her breath caught. They'd never spent time together, just the two of them, before. She'd all but given up on him, but clearly still harbored some hope. She cleared her throat.
"Um, sure. Want to come back to the bakery with me? Papa had a ton of day-old stuff in the back. We could grab a snack, knock out what little homework we have, and figure something out from there."
"Actually, that sounds great. Do you want to take the car, or just walk?"
Marinette shifted uncomfortably. Adrien's driver/bodyguard was huge, and he'd always intimidated her. "Do you, um, mind walking? It's such a beautiful day…"
"Of course." He smiled. A lot of people were intimidated by his driver, and he knew Marinette was one of them. "Let me just go and tell him about the change in plans."
Adrien put down his pencil and reached for the last cookie on the tray. "Nathalie is going to have kittens if she finds out about this."
Marinette smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I forgot that they keep you on a pretty strict diet."
He started shaking his head well before she finished speaking. "God, don't apologize! These are amazing. I always forget how good the food is here."
"Thank you!" She beamed. "I'll tell Maman that you said so."
"Please do. And remind me, the next time my dad is looking for a caterer, that your parents do special events."
Her smile brightened further, and Adrien found himself seeing her in a way that he never had before. He took in the blue of her eyes, the curve of her surprisingly full mouth, and the way her dark hair was gathered to one side, falling over her shoulder in a dark wave, and everything seemed to shift for him, ever so slightly. He had always seen her, of course, but now he could see her. As he watched, her smile fell and she drew her bottom lip in to bite it gently. The world shifted again.
"Adrien, is everything ok?"
He tore his gaze from her mouth, and back to her eyes. "Yeah! Um, yeah, why?"
"I don't know, you just got quiet all of a sudden, and… Do I have crumbs on my face?"
He laughed, glancing down at his now finished homework. "No! No, I was just thinking."
"Penny for your thoughts?"
His eyes flew back to hers, and she was surprised to see a faint blush tinge his cheeks. Her eyebrows rose.
"No, they're not worth even that much." He smiled, tapping his paper. "I'm done, are you?
"Yeah!" She pushed back her seat and stood, gathering her work. "Did you, um, want to go upstairs, maybe watch a movie? Or I have an Xbox up there, we could play a game."
"Yeah, I'd like that."
As Marinette led the way upstairs, she gave a mental sigh of relief that she'd put away all of her fangirl posters more than a year ago, and never got them back out. She didn't have that to worry about, at least. But—Adrien Agreste was going to be in her room, which was unusual in and of itself. And this time, he was there without Alya and Nino there too, as a buffer. She thought of Alya's comment that morning, and giggled, wondering if perhaps they were in an alternate universe after all.
They'd just cleared the steps, and Adrien had just opened his mouth to ask about the giggle, when a large explosion nearby shook the building. Marinette was thrown off balance, and fell back against Adrien. Thankfully, he still had a hand on the railing; else they might have both gone down the stairs. They looked at one another with wide eyes, then went to the window together to see what might have happened.
There was nothing to see, at least from that angle. Whatever had happened, it must have been on the other side of the building. Marinette bit her lip again, knowing that it was probably an akuma, but absolutely clueless as to how she could get away to transform.
What she didn't know, is that Adrien was wondering the exact same thing. They spoke at the same time.
"I should go—"
"Maybe I should—"
They both stopped, looking at one another awkwardly.
"Ladies first."
"Oh, um, I need to go down and see if my parents are ok. You, um, you stay here, and I'll be back up soon, ok?"
He glanced at the window, then at the skylight, and his features eased. "Sure."
She smiled, then dashed to the bathroom downstairs. It wasn't ideal, but it would do. She closed the door behind her, and peered into her small, round purse.
"Tikki, spots on!"