Adrien held his head in his hands. "This can't be real..." he murmured to himself. He was back at home, sitting at the edge of his bed, staring at the floor. Tikki and Plagg waited patiently by his side, their little hands clasped firmly together. He had been silent since they left the park, and both of the Kwamis were worried. The blonde sat up straight, looking at them with crazed eyes. "Marinette is Ladybug? How is that possible?" The teen felt like his entire world was imploding.
Plagg released Tikki's hand, floating closer to his human. "I wanted to tell you, Adrien, but it wasn't my place to. Tikki and I have known the entire time, but it was supposed to be up to you and Marinette to tell the truth to each other. I'm sorry."
Hesitating for a moment, Adrien reached out, petting the top of his Kwami's head, ruffling his soft, short fur. "It's okay, Plagg. It's not your fault." He sighed, looking at the floor again. "I just...can't believe it. After all these years, she was under my nose the whole time. And I just rejected her." He gripped handfuls of his hair, tugging hard. "How can I live with myself?" He could feel tears emerge behind his eyes, but he couldn't cry. There had to be a way to fix this stupid mess he'd gotten himself into.
"You need to calm down, Adrien," Tikki advised him. "You can't change what's already been done. But now you know who Ladybug is. This is great news!" She smiled at him reassuringly, putting a hand on his cheek. "You wanted to know the identity of the girl you were in love with, and now you do. Now you can make things right."
Rubbing his forehead, the blonde replied, "How am I supposed to do that, Tikki? I told her I was in love with someone else. I didn't know that I was actually in love with her. And besides, she's always wanted to keep our identities a secret. She'll probably be furious if she finds out I know who she is." He could imagine Marinette fuming, crying out of rage, and it made him squirm. He never wanted to see her like that. What was he supposed to do now? If she ever found out on her own, Ladybug would never trust him again, but if he told her that he knew who she really was, she could get angry for ruining the secret. Adrien felt sick.
"Everything is going to be okay, Adrien," the red Kwami assured him. "Right now, you need to act like you don't know anything. Marinette is very upset right now, and we don't want to make it worse." When he looked at the floor in disappointment, Tikki told him, "Just be her friend, and let on that you want more. She'll be thrilled. And when the time is right, you can tell her the truth. I'm sure she'll understand, and Plagg and I will be there to help explain that it was an accident."
Nodding, Adrien stood from the bed. "You're right, Tikki. This is great; I finally know who Ladybug is. I just need to act natural for now, until a time presents itself when I can tell her that I love her." He didn't smile, but his voice was smoother, less distraught.
Plagg feigned disgust, and Tikki elbowed him, giggling.
Alya was checking her blog on her phone when she heard footsteps coming up the staircase. "You're back early," she commented without looking up from her phone. "How did it go?" Then she saw Marinette with red cheeks and tears streaming down her face. She was quickly on her feet, gripping Marinette's arms. "What happened?" she asked in a shocked tone. "What did he say?" Marinette was trembling in her arms, and the redhead felt despair and helplessness wash over her.
She ushered Marinette over to the day bed, where she sat down, wiping the tears from her face. "He's already in love with someone else," the black-haired girl said in-between sobs. "I told him how I felt and he said he wished he had my courage." Alya grabbed her a handful of tissues off her desk, handing some to her and using the rest to wipe off her cheeks.
Shaking her head, Alya knelt in front of her by the day bed, taking the dirty tissues in her hands. "I'm so sorry, sweetie," she whispered. A part of her had expected this outcome, but that didn't make it any less horrible. She hated seeing her best friend so broken up when she was usually a beacon of happiness and dorkiness. Alya placed a hand on her best friend's shoulders, working up a fake smile. "Who needs him, anyway?"
Marinette started on a fresh batch of tears. "I'm so stupid. I can't believe I thought he might've actually felt the same way." Then, her phone vibrated, and she picked it up, almost immediately dropping it to the floor. "It's him," she mumbled, sniffling, wiping her eyes as if she were afraid for Adrien to see her all a mess.
"Just ignore him," Alya suggested. Still, Marinette bent down, picking up the phone, and unlocking it. "What does it say?" the redhead asked. Marinette wordlessly passed the phone to her so that she could read the message for herself.
Hey Mari. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. You're so amazing, and I'm an idiot for not returning your feelings. Will you let me make it up to you?
Also, you forgot your purse. Don't worry, I have it.
Lightly shoving Marinette, Alya spouted, "See, he knows he's an idiot, too. Maybe he just needed time to think about what you said. What if he starts feeling the same way about you in return?"
Marinette wiped her nose, looking at the phone in Alya's hands. "Do you think that's possible, Alya?"
"Of course!" her friend exclaimed. "Now he knows how you feel, and he'll be able to think about his options. Just give him some time, and he might change his mind."
The black haired girl smiled, giving her friend a hug. "I hope you're right." She thought for a moment about Tikki still being in her purse at Adrien's house. Hopefully, he wouldn't try to go through her bag. She scoffed, rolling her eyes at herself. Of course Adrien wouldn't do that. He wasn't nosy like Alya. At least she knew that Tikki was safe with Adrien. She smiled, biting her lip, wondering what Adrien thought of her now. Even after being denied by him, she still thought so highly of Adrien. She could never hate him.
"You know what this calls for, don't you?" Alya asked, standing in front of her friend with her hands on her hips. When Marinette shook her head wordlessly, Alya went into a superhero pose. "Movie and junk food night!"
Marinette giggled, standing to give her a hug. "You're really the best friend I'll ever have."
Alya rolled her eyes but smiled. "I know."