I had trouble at first with this chapter, but then I really put my head into this, and I think it worked out. I hope so.

Obilivo was one of Marinette's least favorite akuma's.

She meant nothing hateful towards Chat. She just still couldn't understand why she kissed him, what even led up to it, or heck, really anything about that day for that matter. While she was completely clueless as to why, her beef was definitely not with Chat on that one.

It was with Alya.

She loved the girl to death, don't get her wrong, but the blogger just wouldn't shut up about the ladynoir kiss, no matter how much Marinette begged her to — and to boot, everyone in Pairs loved them as a couple, even though she found it to be incredibly dangerous seeing as Hawkmoth could use it against them if he tried.

Plus, there was the fact that she was in love, and dating Adrien, but of course only she knew that.

She couldn't make it easy on herself. No, why would she do that?

Keep your identity a secret so your loved ones don't get hurt, why yes Master Fu that sounds perfectly reasonable, now excuse me, I'm late for my date with the most famous boy in all of Paris!

Her mind was a complete mess. But you know, having a best friend who got her ships wrong didn't help one bit!

So, without skipping a beat at that very moment everyone was seated in the classroom, waiting for the bell to ring, Alya was already gushing about the two's 'romantic relationship'.

While he wasn't bad, the thought of kissing Chat over Adrien was comparable to swapping hairballs.

It had been months since Obilivo. Literal months. But Alya was still obsessed. "Maybe they're just not allowed to tell anyone? You can clearly see the way they look at each other that they're in love."

Nino was actually the one to speak up. "But didn't she say that she was in love with another boy?"

Alya slumped back, defeat heavy on her shoulders. Marinette could tell her best friend was muddling all through the different possibilities as to why Ladybug would kiss Chat during Olivio if she had feelings for another boy.

She had honestly wondered why herself.

Marinette saw the second it clicked in her best friend's mind. Her spine went straight as she bolted upright. "What if… the other guy, is Chat? As in the guy underneath the mask?"

Marinette felt her jaw drop to the floor. And then snap shut, and repeat a few times before she nearly burst out in nervous laughter. Oh if that wasn't the definition of irony. If Mr. Hot Stuff was Chat. Oh, goodness, that would be just awful. Not awful because she disliked Chat.

No, awful because she had rejected Chat more times than she could count and the thought that she had done that to the love of her life and now has to hide his true feelings of painful, unrelenting rejection by not only his partner but the person he trusts more than anyone else in the world. The thought that she had crushed his little feline heart over and over again and again just to tease him nearly every night. It was just unspeakable. It was horrifying.

But hey, he's not.

So, what was she even worrying about? He just couldn't Chat.

Because what kinda luck did she have, at all if she had been rejecting her crush— her boyfriend— all this time.

Alya, the ever observant journalist she was, had been taking no notice to her best friends complete freak out as she tried to hold in her, triangle, octagon, no square. A love square. Why?! Nope! This was just all the proof she needed that Alya's theories were the ramblings of a mad person. But there she was, just scrolling through her precious little blog. Oh, how fire burned through her veins seeing the casual demeanor she was taking. Didn't she notice the complete world ending hell she had brought upon her best friend!

She turned her phone to show a specific video that she has qued up. "I mean, look at this," Marinette could feel her pulse pounding through her forehead as she looked at the small, utterly breakable screen.

It was the little clip of her dragging Chat around after he got hit by Obilvo, and then her writing on the wall before she got hit herself. "If they got hit, that means that they lost their memories."

Marinette didn't want this to be real. It wasn't. It was a theory, and not a smart one at that. But like all of Alya's theories, they were pretty much false.

But, her mind offered, what if it's true.

To which the .85 percent of her brain not having a freak out responded with.

What if you shut up? Nope, brain needs to go bye bye. Besides, Alya was speaking, again.

"And so, if their miraculous were beeping, as you can tell in the video, then that means they were detransformed together. And that means they could've fallen in love with each other all over again."

Unaware that anyone else had been paying attention, Rose spoke up, hands clasped together with her head swaying sideways. "That's because it's true love."

Alya bounced out of her seat pointing to the terrified girl with ecstatic glee. "Exactly!"

Marinette's mind just hurt. This wasn't happening. It wasn't possible. Even if it was, heck, even if she would be kinda happy with the idea, she didn't want to know. So, she wouldn't. She wouldn't connect the two, she wouldn't ask, she wouldn't know. Just sweet, ignorant, bliss.

Because it was far safer that way. At least, until Hawkmoth was defeated.

That was when Adrien decided to show up, bookbag secured around his torso, and a beaming smile on his lips. "Hey, guys."

The second, he was in earshot of Alya, she told him her theory, explaining from the beginning to the end about what she thought was possible.

The absolute worst part? His smile. His smile grew, turning so crooked until his lips could only part into a sneaky grin, imagine the Grinch melded with Tim Curry and they had just taken a child's lollipop. That was his freakin' smile! All the while his eyes took on a whole new life of their own as they had a knowing smile all on their own. She could feel her throat try to consume itself.

"Oh," He breathed, "Wouldn't that be ironic?"

She would not ask him. She would not ask him. She would not ask him!

"Are you Chat?"

Eyes nearly bulging out of his head, he sputtered out his drink, choking as he tried to regain his breath at her question. After a few more coughs, his breathing was starting even out, leaving her feeling just a tad bit guilt at just blurting out the question like that.

Maybe she should've been a little more tact than that. Oh, well. Too late now.

He turned to stare at her, gauging if the question was even real.

Before she could think about it, she slapped a hand over his mouth. "Actually, don't answer that. I don't wanna know."

She hadn't meant to disturb their weekend sleepover. Her parents had been out for the weekend once again, simply because this time of the year was always packed full of people looking for their sweets. But she was used to them having to travel because of the business. It only happened this time of the month, so it wasn't anything awful.

So, here they were, on his couch, lights off, with a movie playing on the screen. Her wearing her civilian ladybug mask and lounging in his pj's, with her legs in his lap.

His gaze held worry, but he tried to keep it from going any further. "Would it be so bad if I was?"

She immediately shook her head no. "Of course not. It's… just not safe for Chat and I to know our identities. It could risk the lives of our families. After Hawkmoth yeah… but before? It's just… I don't want to know the outcome of that."

His head swayed up and down, not exactly a nod, but still an acknowledgment of her words. "That's understandable, I guess."

She scootched just a bit closer, holding his gaze firmly. "So, I don't want you to answer yes or no. Just say okay when I say I don't want to know, okay? Because if you say anything else, like 'I won't tell you if I don't wanna know,' a part of me will wonder what that means, a part of me would know, so I need you to say exactly what I'm asking you to say, okay?"

He nodded.

"I don't wanna know if you're Chat or not."

His smile was weak at best, forced. "Okay."

She sighed and moved until she fully sat in his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and snuggling in. "If.. if Chat and I reveal our identities by accident, if it's beyond our control that is, then, it happens. But for now, I'll do whatever I can to protect him. Even if it's from myself. Because I could never forgive myself if I got akumatized and he got hurt. I just couldn't."

At that, Adrien's body seemed to release and breath again, and he let his arms fall around her waist, accepting her cuddles. "He trusts you, lovebug. He has a lot of faith in you. You wouldn't hurt him. Eventually, the reveal will happen."

She could feel herself start to fall asleep under the lull of Adrien's heartbeat.

"I know."

And her heart already did. But her head would deny it, be blind to it, until it was ready to catch up.

She still doesn't know. In her mind yet at least.

But she will. They both will. It's only a matter of time.

I hope you guys enjoyed. Let me know your thoughts! See you tomorrow!