Chapter Eleven

Ladybug was frozen in shock. Chat Noir had kissed her. And it wasn't a chaste peck on the cheek. No, Chat Noir had kissed her on the mouth with a passion that rivalled Adrien's. What the heck? Why were her earrings beeping? Oh yeah, that's right, akuma defeated. Ladybug mentally shook herself and her glazed eyes refocused. People were staring at her with knowing grins and her face turned scarlet.

Her gaze shifted to the akuma victim who was being patted on the back reassuringly by a couple of bystanders. That was meant to be her job. But Chat Noir's kiss had completely messed with her brain. Chat Noir was a flirt, a harmless flirt who generally didn't push too hard against her boundaries. Now though, he'd smashed through that divide with a brashness she didn't know how to process.

She looked at the yoyo in her hand as she neared the buildings, then someone called her name. Lifting her head, she spied Alya with phone in hand, having clearly recorded the whole exchange. Oh no. "Hey Ladybug, is it finally official? Are you and Chat Noir a couple?"

"A couple?" she freaked. "No, no. He almost died, I'm not sure what that was."

Alya's smirk suggested she thought otherwise. "That kiss looked pretty hot. I think Chat Noir's intentions are pretty obvious."

Ladybug giggled nervously. "He's a flirt. He always has been." Her earring chirped again. "Look I've got to go." She backed away as she waved, awkward smile plastered in place.

Panic set in. What would Adrien think? No doubt Alya would be uploading that video if she hadn't already been streaming live. Good grief, why did Chat Noir have to choose now to display his affection so publicly? Why had he presumed it was okay to kiss her? She'd only hugged him.

Her mind turned over the event. Was it just an impulse from Chat due to a near death experience? Ladybug's aggravation cooled as she recalled her partner's distressed face during the akuma attack. She could have lost him today if she hadn't acted so quickly. Yet part of her remained annoyed at his audacity. What would she say to him when they next met?

Locked in a deluge of conflicting thoughts, Ladybug was relieved when she caught sight of her home. But her balcony wasn't near enough, her earrings gave their final warning and she dropped to an archway nearby and transformed back. Tikki hovered in front her face and Marinette immediately passed her a cookie. "Why did he kiss me?"

The kwami's mellow blue eyes studied her with a warmth touched with amusement. "It was a moment of immense emotion. You saved Chat's life and you expressed your fondness for him in a physical way. I'm guessing he thought it the opportunity to reciprocate."

"But I hugged him, where would he get the idea that it was okay to kiss me?"

Tikki took a nibble of her biscuit then countered. "What concerns you more, the fact that he kissed you or the way that he kissed you?"

Marinette's eyes widened. "Does it matter? Chat Noir kissed me as Ladybug. While I've been kissing Adrien in the same form. Gosh this is a mess." Tossing her head in frustration, she lowered her face to her hands. "What's Adrien going to think? Alya recorded the whole thing."

"You could go and see him. Talk it over and explain."

The girl looked up from her hands and gave her kwami an unimpressed stare. "I'm not supposed to be seeing Adrien as Ladybug."

"You've got to go back to school. Discuss it with him as Marinette."

The girl's cheeks flushed and her jaw tensed. "I need time to think first."

Tikki shrugged. "Do what you need to do. But if you need to go back to class, I'd suggest you get there sooner rather than later. Marinette nodded and put her head down in determination as she strode back to school.

Confusion reigned supreme in Marinette's mind. With her attention focussed elsewhere, the girl didn't notice how close she was to the first step in their classroom. The toe of her shoe caught the edge and she floundered forward, waving her arms like a chicken desperate to fly. Gravity appeared to have won the battle until a strong hand caught her arm, hoisting her away from a painful landing.

That helping hand had come from her right, from the first row which meant one thing. It was Adrien's hand holding her arm. Heat flooded her cheeks as she lifted her eyes to his. "A-Adrien, I-I, thanks, s-so clumsy," she stammered.

Blonde eyebrows shot up and his green eyes widened. "Clumsy and inarticulate," he mumbled under his breath as he continued to stare at her, his expression slowly turning smug. The grip on her arm tightened as he pulled her closer. His eyes bobbed over her face and his free hand cupped her cheek. For a moment Marinette forgot where she was and stared back. Then Adrien leaned in and whispered in her ear. "I found you."

Marinette stopped breathing as she stared at Adrien's shoulder. He'd worked it out, already! How was that even possible? Wait, he'd said clumsy and inarticulate…

Chloe's clipped voice broke through the fog. "Would you hurry up and move already, some us want to take our seats."

Marinette straightened up as Adrien dropped his hand. But it didn't fall completely away from her, the tips of his fingers trailed down her arm and over her hand. As she sat down at her desk she noticed that his eyes were glued to her and he seemed awestruck. Adrien didn't normally look at her that way, at least when she was out of the mask. Heck he even seemed annoyed when it was time to turn around and start the lesson.

Being seated behind Adrien meant Marinette noticed every time he peered over his shoulder and for the remainder of the afternoon he did it a lot. Tikki was going to kill her. She'd never thought in a million years that the boy would work out she was Ladybug.

Alya gave her a nudge with her elbow and passed a note. Someone seems awfully interested in you today. Maybe your plan worked or maybe he saw the Ladyblog.

Marinette's face burned and her hand shook as she wrote, playing dumb. What's on the Ladyblog?

A tiny squeal escaped Alya's lips before she could clamp them. She scribbled furiously. Ladybug saved Chat Noir's life and then he kissed her. It was epic!

Adrien was eyeing them over his shoulder and she saw a look of mischief in his gaze before he turned away. She swallowed and replied to Alya. Wow, that was unexpected.

I know! I totally think they'll be an official couple before we know it. Which means Adrien is a free agent ;)

Marinette stared at the note. To Alya everything was peachy, and while her best friend was aware that Ladybug had been pursued by two different boys, she had no clue that Marinette was the one under the mask. If she wanted to date Adrien, it meant she had to reject Chat Noir. Her stomach felt like it flipped over. That may be the case but it doesn't mean he's interested in me.

A quiet chuckle came from Alya as her pen scratched across the paper. I just caught him looking at you and now he's blushing.

Discreetly glancing up at the boy before her, Marinette spied the faint flush in the glimpse she caught of his profile. His hand quickly lifted as he fingered his hair. Good grief, he does appear to be flustered. Was it wrong that it made her excited?

Maybe you should linger after class. I have a feeling he'll stick around if you do. It took everything she had not to squeal but she did beam at her best friend. Adrien was finally interested in her. But did she have the gumption to confirm to him that she really was Ladybug?

Adrien has definitely figured it out, will he reveal his own secret? Stay tuned... Thanks for reading!