Someone To Watch Over Me, Chapter 11: Soft Voices And Softer Feelings


Marinette spent much of her afternoon in quiet reflection. I'm glad that Tikki and I had that talk last night, she thought. Things have been going so well lately... but she's right that we're headed into uncharted territory. I need to be more careful with all of this.


"I'm not going to tell you to cut off being around Adrien as Ladybug or as Marinette," Tikki had explained to her. "Partly because I know what that would do to both of you. I'm not sure that anything Hawkmoth can make could push you two apart right now," she'd grinned. "And I am seeing a lot of good coming from your new closeness. He's looking so much happier and stable since you started reaching out to him, both ways, and you're glowing like I've never seen you glow before. But I hadn't figured on things escalating this much this quickly!"

"I know..." Marinette replied, blushing hard and feeling guilty.

"And I understand why it did, too," Tikki reassured her. "I watched you trying so hard to follow his lead and not push things forwards unless he did... but then he led you right into that beautiful song he'd written about you. I think I would've kissed him, too! And then nature set the mood even more... I'm glad you were both mature enough to stop where you did!"

Marinette's stunned face made Tikki add, "I'm not surprised that you both stopped there, don't get me wrong! You both know better than that at your age. But you understand why I'm concerned, right?" The Kwami floated closer and added, "You were trying to keep things light both ways with him, until you both figured out who and what he wants most. Getting physical like that kind of jumped way past 'light,' and that's why you spent the next half-hour talking him down off the ledge. And now things are that much more complicated."

"Yeah. He seemed overwhelmed, even before the kissing, and I felt so bad for him! Adrien's really concerned about hurting my feelings," mused Marinette, wide-eyed. "I mean, I knew that he would be... he's sweet like that... but he's so terrified that he's going to hurt me, especially as Marinette. It's not like he'd be breaking up with me; we haven't even started anything yet!"

"Haven't you?" chided Tikki.

When Marinette stared back wordlessly, Tikki continued. "He's been confiding his deepest thoughts and feelings to you. He's walking you to school, he's calling and texting you at night, he's been giving you those eyes, he held your hand, he asked you on a date, Marinette! When he found out about your feelings for him, he didn't apologize and make sure that you stayed friends; he apologized a dozen times and started responding back. I think more has started than maybe you realize."

"Something's growing there," mumbled Marinette, "I can feel that. What it is, I'm not sure yet. But you make it sound like how he feels about Ladybug and about me are... equal! And I'm not sure about that yet, either."

Tikki's raised eyebrow made Marinette a little uneasy. "Hey, I'm not getting all 'woe is me, I can't compete with Ladybug,'" she added. "Because I'M Ladybug! But it's like Nino told me; Adrien really likes me, but he's crazy about Ladybug."

"Ladybug had a big head start, that's true," Tikki replied. "But as Marinette, you've caught up really fast this last week or two. You can't feel that?"

"I think I can, but... my head understands it. My heart's still not sure," sighed Marinette. "They keep me up at night with their arguing."

"And that's part of why Adrien's so overwhelmed right now," soothed Tikki. "Because you're one person trying to figure out how best to love one person, even if you pretend that you're two different people. He's one person who has deep feelings for two, and they both love him back!"


The Kwami had paused to gather her thoughts, trying to phrase her next thought carefully.

"Imagine something for me, okay?" began Tikki. "Imagine that you and Luka started getting close like you and Adrien have been. Spending time, talking about anything and everything, doing lots of things together like a couple. You feel your feelings growing, so you ask him out on a date, and he says yes. Then that night, Adrien comes over to see you and he ends up kissing you. Would you feel conflicted and worried and ready to pull your hair out?"

It sank in for Marinette, as she looked increasingly anxious while processing that. "I... I don't..." she stammered. "The last thing I ever intended was to cause more problems for Adrien... am I making things worse for him, Tikki?"

"Not intentionally, but you know that," Tikki answered. "If you're hurting him by being there for him and caring for him and getting closer to him twice over, we should all be so lucky! But like he told you last night, he's never thought of romance before as something where he can go partway. He wants to fall hard for one side of you, and he's found himself falling for both. And that's something that you need to consider going forward."

"Yeah. That's... wow, that's big," said Marinette. "I'm so new at this. I've never had one boy who's seriously wanted to go out with me, let alone two! I don't know how I'd react."

Never? wondered Tikki. Luka's interest never registered with her that way? He didn't make a lot of direct overtures, but I didn't think that he'd need to...

"Let me put it another way, then," Tikki explained. "Ever since that day with the umbrella, your love life has been Adrien-shaped in your head. Maybe there has been someone else interested in you, and maybe there hasn't," she grinned. "But you didn't notice if there was, because all you could see was Adrien. That's how Adrien was with Ladybug; he wasn't ignoring your affection, it just didn't register as romantic with him because he had Ladybug on the brain. But now... now he sees you, too. So be gentle with him, okay?"

"I... I will. Do you think he understood what I meant by what I said afterwards?" asked Marinette, looking concerned. "That all of that kissing was important, but it shouldn't mean that things have been decided yet between us?"

"I think so," Tikki agreed. "He's a smart boy, and his feelings are genuine both ways. So that leaves us with a couple of questions. How do we protect your identity as Ladybug now, and how do we get Adrien feeling more romantic one way than the other?"


Marinette rolled onto her stomach, remembering Tikki's next question... "Which way would you rather have him?"

That's... I just don't know yet, thought Marinette. Not entirely.

I mean, I know which way would work better, logically... As Marinette, I can't swing from buildings, but there are things I _can_ do that would be tougher as Ladybug. Dating as Marinette and Adrien would let us spend more time together; so much less sneaking around, and we can bring our friends and family into it more... like, how would I bring him home for dinner as Ladybug? Or have him meet my parents? Or our house and our three kids and our hamster?

And I have wanted him as Marinette for SO long... she smiled. And every time he gives me those soft, romantic eyes as Marinette, I just want to scream!

So that would be the smart thing to do.

But is it what HE wants to do? Especially after what just happened?

Tikki was right that Adrien really has been looking at me with new eyes lately... but he _loves_ Ladybug. I felt that in his song, his words, his touch, his kisses... so much. That's impossible for me to ignore, no matter what else is growing.

And there are some ways that I can could make it work as Ladybug. I know that there are. She giggled, picturing herself wearing street clothes over her costume, or passing herself off as a cosplayer. Maybe I could get Tikki to work out some 'casual wear' costumes for me, too. I've got his email and phone. His father knows about Ladybug's visits and interest, from what Adrien's told me, and he doesn't seem to mind the potential for publicity. If we need private time together, I can take Adrien places that no one else could reach. Other than Chat Noir, anyway...

It could work. The question is whether it _should_ work.


"As far as your identity goes," Tikki had continued, "you know that I trust you... but you also know how close you just came to giving it away. When I was talking about a friendly rivalry, I don't mean that I want you to start playacting more than you have to, making up a lot of things going on between Ladybug and yourself. You're... not the best at that kind of thing."

Marinette had raised an eyebrow in protest... then agreed, sheepishly. "Besides, I'd rather stick to as much truth as possible. The more I end up making things up, the more likely I am to mess something up," Marinette had replied.

"Exactly," Tikki said. "Like I said before, you're already doing ninety percent of what you need to do. Around other people, you act as if Ladybug and Marinette are different people, and you do it very well almost all of the time. He thinks that the two of you are friendly with each other, and I want you to keep it that way! But Ladybug is telling him 'Give Marinette a chance' and Marinette is telling him 'Give Ladybug a chance.' Well, if I was Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I'd certainly tell him that Ladybug just got her chance in a big way."

"I can't really argue with that," agreed Marinette. "If Ladybug doesn't have his full attention now, I'd better check his pulse."

"So he'll probably approach you next as Marinette, and tell you all about what happened last night, and he'll have a look on his face like he just ran over your dog the whole time," argued Tikki. "It's up to you how you handle that. But I need you to be consistent, okay? If you think that you may want him dating Marinette and best-friending Ladybug, you're going to need to assert yourself as Marinette, and make sure that he knows that he's not going to have two steady girlfriends in the long run."

Tikki circled around, nervously. "You could tell him that you understand that he's still making up his mind, and you... well, you do whatever seems right to you. I'm sure that you could be quite persuasive that his choice should be you, whether or not you get kissy! He's halfway there already, every time that you bat your eyes at him. Or if you decide that you want him dating Ladybug instead, you can say that, but do it in a way that he knows for sure that Marinette's not heartbroken and still wants to be his very close friend. Or if he finally says 'This person is who I'm in love with,' then you've got the direction you wanted."

She met Marinette's gaze, and was glad to see Marinette taking all of this very seriously. "What we do next depends on which way you two choose to proceed. But Marinette and Ladybug, both going out of their way to support each other out the way that you have been... that needs to stop until one of you makes that decision. It's too obvious if you don't. You need to put a little distance between your two selves before he figures out that there isn't any distance."

"Tikki... do you have a preference as to which way we should go? I can probably guess that you do," asked Marinette.

The tiny Kwami hesitated. "I... don't want to tell you what your own feelings are," she managed. "Or that anything is completely off limits. Would it be easier to manage if it went a certain way? Yeah, it would be, and you understand why. But like you've told Adrien... you each love who you love, the way that you love them. Sometimes the most sensible thing isn't the right thing for two people. And I know that you want him to make that decision... but if he can't, you might have to, before one or both of you gets hurt."


With all of that fresh in her memory, Marinette laid flat on her back, pondering what would be best to do next.

I can't blame Adrien at all for being confused, she thought. Now that I'm thinking harder about the situation, I'd be a wreck if I was in his shoes.

And I would be so happy to date him as either side of me. If _I_ can't choose, is it fair of me to expect him to?

Not really. So I guess I'd better make my mind up.

Which'll it be, Marinette? Costumed kisses halfway up the Eiffel Tower or hand-holding with silly grins on the way home from school?

Marinette closed her eyes, picturing Adrien's smitten face as they cuddled on his couch... then his, she had to admit, nearly-as-smitten face as they hugged after detention on Friday.

Her lips tingled, remembering what Adrien's felt like against them... then when imagining what one on her unmasked face would feel like.

She pictured the worried look on Adrien's face when he spoke of how worried he was that he'd hurt her... and her stomach tied itself in a knot.

Concentrate, Marinette, she ordered herself. You are NOT ruining Adrien's life. You are doing so much good for him, and you know it, and every time he looks at you... mask or no mask... you can FEEL that.

But Tikki's right. One of us will have to make a decision, or at least declare a preference. It might just be up to me to guide that so that neither one of us gets hurt by it.

And that decision...

She glanced down at her phone, which had just started ringing.

...Will wait until after I talk with Alya.


"Hi, Alya! What's up?" asked Marinette, pleasantly.

"Hey, girl! I've got something I'm trying to figure out, and I was hoping you could help me," her friend replied.

"Shoot," said Marinette.

"I'm sitting here with my boyfriend," Alya began, "who just spent the afternoon with a certain blonde classmate of ours."

"Uh-huh," replied Marinette, a little nervously. "What did Nino have to say about that?"

"Very little! I mean, they hung out, they worked on one of Nino's new mixes together, the usual stuff. And then I brought up you. The girl who's been driving Adrien crazy lately, and we can all see that's been happening. And since Adrien was with his best friend, the one guy that he might talk about it with or ask for advice..." Alya's voice was light and teasing. "So you can understand why Nino clamming up entirely about what they talked about seems a little odd, hmmm?"

"Well, maybe Adrien asked Nino to keep what they said confidential," countered Marinette. "A secret between close friends. Like some of the ones we have that you've never told Nino. There are still some of those, right?"

"Oh! Oh, of course there are," Alya assured her. "Lots of those. He'll never know about the time that you went on a mission to swipe Adrien's phone and-"

"HEY! He's right there!" Marinette cried out, which made Alya break up laughing.

"I know, I'm teasing you. Anyway, I figured that my best friend was going to tell me all about what happened in detention and afterwards, and I hadn't heard from her yet..."

"I'm sorry about that," Marinette apologized. "I didn't mean to leave you hanging, things have just been... um... complicated this weekend? I had some family things going on, and, uh..."

"Some Adrien things going on, perhaps?" laughed Alya. "Come on, spill! If nothing had happened, Nino would tell me that. But you're not talking, Nino's not talking, and I'm dying to know at least some of what's going on!"

Marinette only paused briefly before giggling. "Exactly what is it that you think we're hiding? We wrote back and forth on notepads all through detention, like you and I do in class. I think we like each other. I walked him to his car, and I waved as it pulled away. Is that so complicated?"

Alya looked confused. "That's it? I mean, that's all good news, but then why wouldn't Nino just tell me that?" she said.

"Oh, and Adrien asked me out on a date," added Marinette, as calmly as she could manage.


Several seconds passed quietly.

A car honked in the distance.

A pair of birds flew by the window, one chasing the other.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?" cried Alya, as Marinette collapsed into laughter. "Well, you buried the lede! How in the heck did you not get on the phone ten seconds after it happened?"

"It wasn't easy," grinned Marinette. "Plus, we were in detention when he did, so I couldn't talk out loud or use my phone."

"I am so happy for you! So are you his girlfriend now, for real?" bubbled Alya.

"Not... quite. It's a little complicated, so please don't make a scene tomorrow morning, okay?" asked Marinette.

"You're not?" asked Alya, sounding stunned. "What happened? What went wrong?"

"Let me explain..." began Marinette, as she related as much of her detention story as she could to her friend...


I have to leave out the Ladybug parts with Alya or that'll open up a dozen cans of worms, thought Marinette as she told her tale. But I don't want to lie at all to Alya unless it's by necessary omission.

"...So it's not that I won't be his girlfriend. It's that we're going to take it slow, try some dates together, and see how everything works out for us," Marinette concluded. "Which seems like a smart approach to me."

"You're ready for that?" asked Alya, a little unsure. "You can hold back from wanting more right away? Because I know that you do."

"If it means that I'm actually dating him while we figure it out? Darn straight," beamed Marinette. "If it's meant to be, it might multiply fast. And I'm loving it so far!"

The two talked things over for the next hour until Marinette got called down to supper.


As she hung up, Alya glanced across the room at Nino, who had been trying to eavesdrop enough to prepare without being obvious. "So... what did she say?" he asked, dryly.

"That she's not Adrien's girlfriend yet, but that he's asked her out on a date! They don't know when it'll happen yet," smiled Alya. "So that's part of what's going on. Your turn!"

"What makes you think that there's more to tell?" asked Nino, sensing the inevitable.

"Because if that's all it was, I know that you'd have told me. That means that there's a bigger secret lurking somewhere," she replied. "And you're going to tell me what that is."

"I... I really shouldn't," Nino mumbled, as he watched Alya approach him, grinning. "He told me not to talk about... whatever it is that we didn't talk about."

"One, you're a really bad liar, Nino. Your heart's not in it, and I can see that. Two, I'm your loving girlfriend, and you wouldn't hide secrets from little old me, now, would you? Three, I'm Marinette's best friend. If there's something going on that she needs to know about, I can help prepare her or protect her." Alya's facial expression danced dangerously as she got closer. "And four..."

"What's four?" asked Nino, cowering.

"I know where every one of your ticklish spots is," she cackled.

Adrien, I tried, thought Nino, as he backed into a corner...


At that moment, Adrien had his own surprises to contend with.

"Good evening, son," Gabriel intoned, striding confidently into the main dining room. "Is this seat taken?"

"...Of course not," Adrien replied, watching his father pull up a chair across from him as the staff sprang into action. He glanced over at Nathalie, two seats over from Gabriel, and got an enigmatic smile back from her. "I'm glad that you have the time to join us."

"A slow day, for once," his father shrugged. "What with the photoshoot cancellation and the Gallagher contract signing being delayed, I had an easy time of it. Believe me, I will not complain. In addition, a young man told me that he would not mind enjoying more meals with me..."

"He did," agreed Adrien, a smile beginning to form.

"What are we expecting tonight?" asked Gabriel, in Nathalie's direction.

"Center-cut beef tenderloin, Béarnaise sauce, shallot whipped potatoes, something with romanesco, I forget just what Michel told me he was doing with it. He suggests a Château au Pont de Guitres to pair with it this evening," recited Nathalie.

"That will do nicely," smiled Gabriel.

"And for me?" asked Adrien, turning her way.

"The same," Gabriel interjected, "minus the wine, of course." He paused to take in his son's reaction, and noted, "You appear surprised."

"Happily, believe me!" Adrien replied. "I suppose that I was expecting something a bit more..."

"Finely-tuned? Nutritionally focused?" his father asked.

"Spartan?" added Nathalie, drawing a look from Gabriel.

"...Grainy. Or chickeny. Or devoid of taste," replied Adrien, a little hesitantly.

"I have been doing some thinking, Adrien," his father continued, after a sip of his wine. "You are, after all, a growing young man; not so much a growing boy any longer. Obviously, I am not about to grant you carte blanche in all matters... we do have a vested interest in keeping you perfectly photogenic and representative of our business, after all! But perhaps we should experiment with loosening those reins a bit. Allowing you a bit more... normality, shall I say? Additional freedoms, responsibilities... choices to make, and we can see how things go."

Nathalie shot Gabriel an unmistakable What are you DOING? expression, which he ignored for the moment. "Does that sound agreeable to you, Adrien?" he asked, intently.

"Extremely so," his son grinned.

"Excellent. We will discuss this further sometime this week, rather than take up all of supper with it," smiled Gabriel. "How did you spend your day?"

Gabriel listened to Adrien as he described his afternoon, suppressing most of his discomfort through force of will whenever the word "Nino" came up.

"I see," Gabriel mused. "So your friend is advising you on your... romantic dilemma?"

"As best he can. He's not my only source of input, of course, but he's making sense," Adrien replied. "I know that you're still not particularly fond of Nino, Father, but he has a good head on his shoulders; he's a lot more practical and sensible than you might be able to tell from his manner, and he knows Marinette very well."

"I can respect that," said Gabriel. "And whom do you know that knows Ladybug very well?"

"I'm not sure how to answer that," shrugged Adrien, with a smile. "I can't exactly look Chat Noir up in the phone book, and if I'm making time with his partner, he might not want me to! Behind her mask, I don't know her name or much personal information about her; I might walk right by her every day and not even realize it. But I'm learning all that she'll let me learn as we go."

"Very interesting," Gabriel smiled back, slyly, like a cat eyeing a canary. "Before long, you might be uniquely qualified to provide certain... insights regarding our Heroine of Paris."

After a moment's uneasy silence, Gabriel returned to his previous demeanor. "How about this?" he asked. "Nathalie, which nights this week have the most available time for us?"

"Sir?" Nathalie asked, caught off guard as she reached for her tablet. "Let me see here... I hadn't anticipated... Thursday and Friday, depending on how the negotiations with Chanel go... if we move this meeting here, and adjust this to... I'd say that Thursday night would be your most flexible."

"In that case, I have a job for you, son," grinned Gabriel, turning back to Adrien. "Would you invite one of your lady friends to join us for supper Thursday night? I am quite interested in learning more about these two, as both of them seem to be doing you a world of good lately. Let me know if there are any food allergies or preferences to consider, and I will have Michel make something extraordinary for the occasion."

"I'd... be happy to ask them!" replied Adrien, looking surprised. "Is there one or the other whom you'd prefer to meet first?"

"Certainly not both at once, but I would assume that you already understood that," Gabriel laughed. "Lest they throw bread rolls at each other across the table once they know that they are each other's competition! Perhaps if you feel that one of them is lagging behind a little, invite that one, to reassure her that she remains high in your affections. The other will get her turn before long, as well."

"I'll give that some thought!" said Adrien, brightly. "But in the meantime," he added, gesturing at the approaching staff carrying covered trays.

"Indeed! Enjoy your supper," his father smiled.


Marinette spent her evening touching up her homework assignments, then putting a couple of design ideas on paper as rough sketches. Some soft music in the background was the only sound in the room, other than her dancing pencils.

At intervals, she stared at one of her cell phones, then the other. All right, darn it. ONE of you had better ring tonight, she smiled to herself.

About half an hour later, a sound drew her attention, but it came from neither of her phones; rather, from her computer. Marinette rolled her chair over and checked Ladybug's email account...

To my guardian angel,

I wanted to thank you for last night - in so many ways. For the company, for the pizzas, for thinking of me, for trusting me, for spending the blackout with me... for a great many firsts for both of us.

I had an absolutely wonderful time... and in those few moments when I didn't, you were irreplaceable. But, then again, when are you not? :)

I hope that we can see each other again sometime very soon.

- Adrien

Marinette glowed in her chair for a little while, taking his message in. She thought for a moment, then replied:

Hey there,

I had a great time, too. Even before the lights went out on us. :-x

It sounded like we were on the same page when I left. A happy page, I hope! Still near the beginning of our book. Any time you want to talk about things, whether it's "us" or anything else, don't hesitate. As you've noticed, I can reach you in a hurry!

Let me know when and where you want some more company - I'm thinking "A Night at the Opera" for our next movie night - or if you need someone to get you out of the house for a while! I have some ideas as to how we could hide in plain sight, if we want to.

Thinking of you, LB

That'll do. Affectionate and supportive, but not throwing myself at him, she thought with a smile. Well, at least his friends aren't telling him that he's uncool if he doesn't wait three days to call or contact me...

Wait... am _I_ looking desperate if I just responded to him right away?

She giggled at the thought.

That's one side accounted for. I wonder if -

At that moment, her everyday phone rang. Seeing Adrien's incoming call, she smiled again. Aren't I popular tonight?


"Hi!" beamed Marinette. "I was just thinking about you!"

"Hey, Marinette," Adrien began. "How was your weekend?"

"Pretty good, I guess... that storm last night was pretty nasty, so I did my best to stay inside. Just hanging out today," she drawled. "How about you? Do anything fun this weekend?"

"Ah... you could say that," he mumbled. "Marinette, I really need to see you... for more than a few reasons."

"Oh?" Marinette replied, shifting instantly into concern mode. "Are you all right, Adrien? Did something bad happen?"

"No! Well - I don't - I don't want to scare you by saying that," Adrien stammered, with a slight laugh mixed in. "I do have something that I need to talk to you about... but it's nothing terrible, I promise, and mostly I just wanted to talk to you. You've been on my mind all day."

"I like the sound of that better, I think," smiled Marinette, still feeling a little anxious. "What else is on your mind? Something with your dad?"

"Actually, it's funny that you mentioned him right now. I just got surprised, but in a good way this time..."


Alya sat with her head in her hands, taking in Nino's inevitable admission.

"There's another girl?" she asked him, not wanting to believe it.

"Does that surprise you all that much? Adrien's nice, he's handsome, he's rich... it's a wonder that there aren't more applicants lined up. Chloé, for one, would throw herself onto that list in a heartbeat," argued Nino.

Nino moved over and sat next to Alya, doing his best to lighten the situation. "But he's also a pretty private kind of guy; he doesn't throw himself around romantically. He's not looking to play the field; he'd much rather give all of his affection to one girl. And I promise you, he's strongly considering Marinette to be that girl."

"And you're not going to tell me the other girl's name," grumbled Alya.

"I'm not, because I don't know it! He says it's not someone from our school, and I believe him." Largely because it's hard for me to picture Ladybug sitting in Physics class with her suit and mask on, Nino thought to himself.

"I know that your reporter's instincts are all kicking in, wanting to go charging out and confront Adrien or spy on him and find out who this mystery girl is," he continued. "I, uh... don't think that's a really good idea this time. Not yet, anyway!"

"Why not?" demanded Alya, accusingly. "You don't think that I could find out? I want to help Marinette!"

"Oh, I know all about your powers of persuasion. I just suffered through some of them," replied Nino.

"It wasn't all suffering, now, was it?" chuckled Alya.

"That's beside the point," blushed Nino. "Anyway... what I'm trying to say is, Marinette knows what's going on. Adrien's being completely honest with her. He's scared out of his mind about hurting her; believe me, if it does go the other way, he'll be beyond gentle, and he wants to give Marinette every shot at this. He told me just how serious he is about their upcoming dates."

"Dates? More than one?" she marveled. "Marinette didn't tell me that part!"

"Let's let them figure it out, okay?" pleaded Nino. "I'll get what I can from Adrien, you get what you can from Marinette, and we'll compare notes. But this time, I get the feeling that Marinette knows exactly what she's doing."


The conversation danced around for quite some time. Marinette stared up at her ceiling as she talked, one foot pressed lightly against the wall next to her bed, looking and feeling relaxed.

"I'm glad that things seem like they're working out so much better, Adrien. But can I ask you something a little personal?" she ventured, a little hesitantly.

"Sure, anything," said Adrien.

"Am I right that you're a little more than just surprised?" asked Marinette. "Almost like you're not sure if he's even sincere."

"You see right through me so easily," Adrien replied.

"You're worth watching closely," smiled Marinette. "Though I could be wrong about what I'm hearing..."

"No, you're not. I'm a little... well, I don't want to say 'suspicious,' that doesn't sound right. Let me put it another way..." struggled Adrien.

"Take your time. Only if you're comfortable," she assured him.

"You make me comfortable."

Marinette did her best not to curl into a ball and squeal as he continued.

"My father and I have been complicated together for a long while now. Mostly since my mother's accident, though we had our moments before that, too," Adrien told her. "Ever since then, he's had a manipulative side to him that I hadn't really seen before. It's like everything's one big master plan for him, and he needs every part of it to go just how he wants it or, I don't know, the world will end or something."

He sighed, quietly. "When we were having our bad problems recently, the ones that you helped me get through, that feeling was really intense. I felt like a puzzle piece that didn't fit where he wanted me to go, and he was going to just shove me through there even if pieces of me broke off. Now, he's killing me with kindness. And that's kind of what I've wanted to see from him from a long while! But I can't shake the feeling that it's..." he trailed off.

"Replacing the stick with the carrot?" Marinette asked.

"Exactly!" he exclaimed. "I'm not sure about this. Maybe he really does want to reach out and be a... caring father again," Adrien added, quietly. "And he's not quite sure how to do that without my mother to guide him. Or maybe he's decided that he'll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, and he's just changed his tactics with me, to get me to do... whatever it is he wants me to do. Which is more pleasant than before... but it means I'm still a fly."

"Cutest fly I know," replied Marinette. "And the sweetest."

"I'd buzz over there right now, if I could," he laughed.

You know... that's actually tempting, Adrien thought to himself. Chat Noir hasn't paid a visit to Marinette's balcony lately. If I did it _right now_ it'd be a bit of a giveaway, but I might just have to put my ears on and do that soon...

"I'd keep my window open for you. Maybe just a crack, 'cause it's cold outside," she giggled.

"Speaking of... insects and windows..." Adrien said, a little hesitantly. "That thing I need to talk with you about? We can do it tonight, or if you'd rather, we can wait and talk about it in person..."

"Somehow I think I know just the 'Bug you're talking about," replied Marinette. "You can tell me now, if you want to. I won't promise that I'll like it, but I'm here to listen. How did things go?"


The next several minutes were awkward for both of them. Adrien was gentlemanly enough to leave out the more salacious details and to emphasize the conversation he and Ladybug had shared afterwards, but he didn't sugarcoat it; Ladybug had kissed him, and he'd kissed her back, and it had happened far more than once that night, and there was no getting around those facts.

Marinette did her best to maintain what she felt was a realistic mood; sympathetic and understanding, but also a little uncomfortable. He passed a really big test, she smiled to herself; he's being completely honest with me about what happened and why. He's trying _so_ hard not to hurt me.

When he'd reached the end of his story, Adrien fell silent. Marinette wrestled within herself for the right response.

"I'm... well, I'm glad that you told me, Adrien. I mean that very much," she began. "I'm not sure how happy I am for me about it... but I'm happy for you. I know that what happened was something you'd been wanting for a very long time."

"It was," Adrien said, simply. "I won't lie to you and say that it wasn't."

"So how do you feel about it? About the two of you and where you stand?" asked Marinette, in a quiet voice.

"I'm kind of... stuck. I don't know how else to describe it," he replied. "You are both amazing. If I end up hurting either one of you, I don't deserve either one of you. I'm still not sure that I do in the first place."

He paused, then added, "There are a lot of new feelings in me that I'm trying to figure out. Like, one of the things I'm trying to get out of my head is the idea that it's some kind of competition, if you know what I mean. That my heart's a prize to be won, or yours is, or hers is! I had kind of a schoolboy crush going on for a long time, and I've never had... well, I'd never known that I had someone with real feelings for me."

Marinette squirmed a little at the emotion behind Adrien's words. "Maybe that's part of growing up. I have a lot of growing up to do, I think. I ought to, I'm only fourteen!" he laughed. "But it's so much more complicated than I'd ever imagined now that it's happening."

"I... get what you mean, Adrien," offered Marinette. "You're not the only one who's had daydreams and wishes and crushes, and all of a sudden, everything's a lot more real and happening all at once."

"I don't want to read too much into the kissing with Ladybug. She insisted that I shouldn't, and she's right," Adrien continued. "I mean, it was a big deal for both of us! But it kind of happened all in a rush, and it shouldn't make my mind up all by itself. Ladybug made very sure that we stopped to think and talk about it afterwards, and we both needed that to happen."

"Well, I know that one kiss doesn't make your mind up by itself," Marinette replied, in a lightly teasing voice. "Because if I remember that picnic with our class correctly, I kissed you before Ladybug did!"


That stopped Adrien in his tracks. "Well, uh... yeah, of course you did! But that kiss wasn't..." he replied, stumbling over his words a bit.

"Wasn't it?" asked Marinette, with some urgency in her voice.

His memory shot back to that moment; the heartfelt things that he'd said to Marinette that day, her running up to him as he was leaving, the look in her eyes as she leaned forward, her soft lips against his cheek, the feelings that he now knew were behind it...

The only thing wrong with that kiss was that I was too stunned and too _stupid_ to return it right then and there, he thought.

"What it should've been was my wake-up call," Adrien admitted with a sigh. "I knew that it was sincere when it happened. I wish I'd known just how sincere, like I know now. But I still had spots in my eyes that day."

"Don't beat yourself up over that, Adrien," Marinette replied. "What you feel now is more important."

"And what I feel," said Adrien, "is that I'm still very serious about our dates, if you're still interested. I hope that you are, but I'd understand if you just said 'go be with Ladybug' after hearing all this. It can't have been easy to hear me say that."

"Well, it's not every day that I hear a story like that, it's true," soothed Marinette. "But I wouldn't be much of a friend if I told you to give Ladybug a chance and then shut you out because you did and she took it." And I'd be one hell of a hypocrite, she thought. "Of course I'm still interested."

"Marinette... I'm-"

"On two conditions," she added.

"...Okay?" said Adrien, a bit surprised. "What are they?"

"One, that since you and Ladybug are looking at each other with clearer eyes now... if I hear about another makeout session with her, I'll assume that you've made your decision and that you and I will be just good friends. I completely get why this one happened, and I'm not mad or jealous! Honest, I'm not. But if you and I end up as something a lot more than friends, that part of you I won't be sharing with her, or anyone else."

She saw Adrien's eyes widen a bit as she continued with a grin. "Now, before you get all worried... no, I won't be saying 'never touch Ladybug again' if we do get serious. Friends hug, friends can la bise, or if you jump off another building, by all means let Ladybug catch you," Marinette giggled. "I know that you'd never cheat on either one of us. And I'm sure that she'd extend me the same courtesy if she ends up dating you and we're just friends."

"She'd let you catch me if I jump off a building?" wondered Adrien, who got a raspberry in response.

"All right, smart guy. You know what I mean, though, right? You and I aren't going steady yet. You're certainly allowed to explore your options, and it doesn't hurt me that you did. But there's a difference between getting swept up in a moment and making out on purpose. Does that make sense?" asked Marinette.

"Yeah, it does! But about one thing you said just now..." Adrien began.

"Marinette... you and I are never going to be 'just friends' again. Not after everything we've been through together these last couple of weeks, and especially not now that I know how you feel. Just the way that we've been talking tonight... I love this, being this close to you! I've always known that you were a special person, but it took me far too long to realize how wonderful you truly are. I'm never going to forget that, no matter what we end up being to each other."

"Oh," Marinette managed, an intense rush of blood to her face providing the rest of her response.


"Darkwings... fall," intoned Hawkmoth, returning to his normal form as Gabriel Agreste.

As he rode the elevated platform back into the above-ground portions of his mansion, he saw Nathalie standing in the room, waiting for him. "Yes?" he asked her.

"I was just curious... what was all of that at supper tonight? Loosening the reins, giving Adrien more freedom, dinner invitations? I know you have something in mind, but it just seemed so... odd coming from you that I wanted to make sure that we're on the same page."

"I just scanned the emotions of my son, and of the surrounding areas of Paris as well. Do you know what I found in the way of adolescent heartbreak and despair?" asked Gabriel. "Not one bit. At least not from anyone in whom I am actively searching for it. That tells me a couple of things."

Nathalie nodded for him to continue. "That one part of my plan, easing the emotional gauntlet I had been making my son run through, is succeeding; between that and his lady friends' influence, Adrien is back in a good place mentally. That is good for him for now, and it is a sufficient height from which he may fall when the trap is sprung, for maximum impact and likelihood of success. The other, simply put, is that the budding love triangle has not yet had time and opportunity to become suitably complicated."

"So... you're providing that time and opportunity?" asked Nathalie, catching on.

"A teenage boy, given the tools to do so, will almost invariably dig himself into a hole. One deep in the throes of young and first love, and a love triangle to boot? It is a simple matter of time," smiled Gabriel. "So, if we can bring one of his ladies into our immediate circle, influence her as we may, then repeat the process with the other? I feel that the moment for our master plan will present itself soon afterwards."

"What should I do in the meantime?" asked Nathalie.

"Continue to monitor Adrien's progress. Be there as his informal advisor, as questions arise. Nothing too fancy. Once we have a dinner guest's confirmation, then we can brainstorm what comes next..."


"There was a second condition, right?" asked Adrien, after a moment.

"Y-yeah! Yes, there was," stammered Marinette, trying to keep her voice steady. "Actually, it's more of a request than a condition. I know that you've met my mom and dad... but not for more than a few minutes at a time. I know that they're really curious about you, and I've got this sweet, sensitive, handsome boy in my life and I'm dying to show him off!"

It was Adrien's turn to glow a faint red as she continued. "So... would it be all right with you if you came over for supper some night this week? Maybe even as soon as Tuesday? You can get to know each other better, my mother's cooking is excellent and she can make anything you'd like, and my father's promised an amazing dessert..."

"...What?" she asked, confused, as she heard Adrien begin laughing. "I mean, if it's going to be a problem with your father or something, we don't have to, but why is that so funny?"

"Because when I called you tonight, I was planning on asking you the exact same thing!" Adrien replied. "My father is quite curious about you, too, and he asked me to invite you over to meet him some night soon. He was thinking about Thursday. And I have this wonderful, beautiful classmate in my life, someone who has me thinking of her all the time without her even trying..."

"Stop, you!" bubbled Marinette. "I'll have you know that I've tried very hard."

"...someone with impressive design skills that have caught even my father's attention, and I'm dying to show her off!" continued Adrien, undaunted.

Marinette stopped in mid-protest. "Your father... knows who I am? As a design student, not just as your friend?" she managed.

"His son wore one of your designs on an Agreste runway. How often do you think that kind of thing happens?" Adrien smiled. "So, yes, he knew who you were as soon as I mentioned you. And I might just have talked about you a little bit... or more than a little bit... Not to mention that he's watched his troubled son cheer up considerably recently, and I've made sure that he knows that you're a huge reason why that happened."

"Adrien, I... I don't know what to say," Marinette replied.

"Say 'Yes, I'll have supper with you Thursday night at your place!' And of course I'll do the same, whenever you'll have me," beamed Adrien. "Can I meet you on the way to school tomorrow and we'll talk about it then?"

"Sure! I'll walk over with you any morning; you don't need to ask. In fact, let me know when there's a morning that I shouldn't wait for you at the bakery," grinned Marinette. "But don't think that I don't know that you're getting fringe benefits out of that..."

"Ah, yes. The old date-the-girl-to-get-the-free-macarons trick. I should have known that you'd recognize that," chuckled Adrien.

"All right, I have a couple of things to get done before bedtime. You and I are good?" asked Marinette.

"Very good, I think... though I know when I'll be a little bit better," Adrien replied.

"When's that?"

"Tomorrow morning."


After a pause, Marinette whispered in a warm voice, "For someone who's never had a girlfriend before... you know exactly what to say, Adrien."

"Do I have one now?" Adrien whispered back, innocently.

"I'm... not sure," replied Marinette, quietly. "You do want one?"

"Very much."

Marinette let that hang in the air for a few seconds.

"Do you want her to be me?" she asked.

"I might," mused Adrien. "I could be very, very, very happy with you. I know that."

"But you're still not completely sure about the rest..." said Marinette.

"I really want to find out, and soon," he said. "Do you want to be that?"

Another pause. "That depends."

"On what?" asked Adrien.

"If that's what you want me to be." Marinette took a deep breath. "Or if your heart is still set on red-and-black, and if we're better like this, I can be this."

"Marinette?" Adrien's voice was soft and pleading. "I need a different answer than that. Don't put what I want first - I know that it's your nature to put others first, and it's one of many reasons why you amaze me all the time - but don't do it this time, okay?"

"Okay," she breathed.

"This isn't me asking, officially... quite yet. I want to take the whole ride with you to find out how we fit. I want to do family dinners with you, I want to go places with you, I want to snuggle with you, I want to learn everything I can about you," Adrien said. "But if I asked you right now if you wanted to be my girlfriend, for real..."

"Very much." Marinette's voice was just above a whisper. "I really, really do. But we don't have to decide that tonight, Adrien. I want the whole ride, too. Let's find out for sure."

"I'm tingling over here," Adrien said.

"Me, too," giggled Marinette. "I think I need to get some sleep before my alarm goes off and we're still doing this."

"I'll meet you in the morning, and we'll walk over together and figure out when we'll do supper and where?" asked Adrien.

"That sounds perfect to me."

"In that case... sweet dreams, Marinette," Adrien replied.

"Feel free to visit them, if you like," she purred before hanging up. "Good night, Adrien."


Having been listening in from just underneath Marinette's bed, Tikki floated silently over to her favorite nook on the computer desk. She allowed herself a smile and a small sigh of relief, once out of earshot.

It sounded like Marinette took my advice and played things just right, she thought to herself. If Adrien had any inkling yet that Marinette is Ladybug, he wouldn't have hesitated at all just now. He's still a little conflicted, and still carrying a torch for Ladybug, but he's VERY interested in Marinette now. That's just what she wanted, I think, and it'll let her slow the pace and not feel like she has to jump on him as Marinette if she wants him that way.

That jumping still might happen, of course, she giggled silently. They _are_ still teenagers. But time will tell on that. I doubt that Adrien's written up a new Piano Concerto For Marinette just yet...

So, for now, some balance has been restored. Marinette's feeling sweet and flirty and not nervous around Adrien, Adrien doesn't seem as wobbly about the girls in his life, and supper downstairs should have Marinette's parents wrapped around Adrien's little finger in no time. And if I'm lucky, that should settle the romance situation for a while.

I wonder, though...

Tikki pondered the implications of supper with the Agrestes. I might need to coach Marinette a little before that trip. I'm sure that she'll be nervous - this _is_ THE Gabriel Agreste inviting her to dine with him - and that whole thing that Adrien said about manipulation and master plans has me a little edgy.

We _did_ clear him as being a potential Hawkmoth... didn't we? But even without that worry, he is a crafty and powerful man. He doesn't know that Marinette is Ladybug, but if he knows that Ladybug likes Adrien that way, he might try to mold the situation to his advantage somehow.

Maybe I should talk to Plagg again for his side of how things are there. I don't know how observant he is most of the time, but he sees a lot more of the Agrestes than I do. He might have seen something worth mentioning, if he can wake up long enough to tell me.

One thing's for sure, though. Between whatever Mr. Dupain makes for Adrien and whatever the Agrestes' chefs make for Marinette... I should be delighted with whatever desserts Marinette can sneak under the table!

Tikki watched as Marinette climbed down from her bed, humming a pleasant tune. She floated over to her computer, checked her emails quickly, then danced across to her dresser with a hop-step and a couple of spins.

"Someone's in an awfully good mood," Tikki called over, rather amused.

"Someone should be, wouldn't you say?" Marinette fluttered back. She made sure that everything was ready for an early start in the morning, then dashed over and kissed Tikki on the cheek. "Good night, Tikki," she beamed, then turned off the light and headed back up.

"Good night, Marinette. Sweet dreams," replied Tikki, then settled in for her own meditative rest.

I really think that we might be back on the right track, thought Tikki. I sure hope so.


Plagg watched as Adrien woke up and hopped out of bed quickly, rising with the sun. "Are you all right?" he asked Adrien. "Usually, you're a snooze-button guy. And you were tossing and turning half the night!"

"Oh, I was asleep. Just dreaming," grinned Adrien, getting his clothes together quickly before heading to the shower.

"Those kinds of dreams, huh? Ooooohh," cackled Plagg.

"I beg your pardon?" countered Adrien. "What kind of dreams are you implying they were?"

"You don't want me to say it out loud, kid," Plagg laughed. "You're young. Kissing and hugging and rolling around dreams will do for now."

"You can stop right there. I can assure you that those were Marinette dreams. A lot more innocent than that," Adrien insisted. Well... maybe one or two of them weren't _completely_ innocent, but _he_ doesn't need to know that or I'll never hear the end of it, he grinned to himself. So much for "Feel free to visit my dreams"; I didn't have to, she was already camped out in mine!

As he prepared for what he hoped would be a very pleasant morning, visions of the dreams he'd had floated through his mind. Some of them faded somewhat with awakeness, of course, but their themes were still very vivid in his mind's eye. A dark-haired, blue-eyed girl, gazing at him the way he'd always dreamed that a girl would look at him. Not just any girl, but the right girl, the one who'd been captivating him so completely these last few weeks. Holding his hand. Writing him notes. Laying her head on his shoulder. Listening intently to him in detention, in a bathroom, in the library. Talking for hours on the phone. Watching movies with him. Telling him how much she cares for him, how worried she's been about him, how long that she's wanted him. Being his friend, his confidant, his wannabe girlfriend, his... partner?

Well, my subconscious is mixing things up big time, I see, he thought during his shower. I have two beautiful blue-eyed girls in my life who care for me, and they're blending together in my dreams now? I really do need to start getting more sleep, he grinned. THIS is why dating more than one person could be so dangerous! If I call one by the other's name, Marinette might whack me over the head with my own umbrella, or Ladybug might leave me dangling from the Pont des Arts bridge!

And I'd deserve it, too. I really need to straighten this out and stabilize this before either of them gets hurt. I care for both of them too much to let that happen.

Dreams. Who can understand them? Adrien chuckled.

He checked himself out in the mirror, making sure that every hair was in place. He closed his eyes and imagined Marinette coming down the stairs to the bakery... The way that her eyes light up when she sees him. The feel of her hand in his. The emotions running back and forth between them like an electric current. All the sweet things that she'd said last night.

With anticipation eating away at him, he grabbed his books and headed downstairs for a quick breakfast...

...but one other memory kept nagging at him, keeping him from being fully focused on the charming, giggly girl he was preparing to meet up with.

It was a soft voice, whispered in his ear in a dark room, saying...

"The boy I'd had my heart set on? It's you. It... always was."

And, somehow, he could still hear its echoes.


Next time:

* "I screwed up just now. How, I have no idea..."

* A pleasant supper at Marinette's.

* "This might be above my pay grade."

* Cafeterias have no set seating charts.

* "I think everybody knows that it's happening but them."

* *TH-BMMP!*

* A chill in the air, and a long-awaited moment of truth.