Ahh! Last chapter! I am so sad and so happy to finally be marking a full-length work as Complete. It's been so much fun and I love you all so very much for sticking it out with me. Can't wait to see you all again in the sequel after season 2.
Also, keep an eye out for one-shots. And I'm working on the plot for an AU so keep an eye out for that as well.
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"So, how was your 'study session' last night, honey?" Sabine smirks knowingly.
Marinette looks up from her hastily prepared cereal and turns bright red. She made it home only minutes before her mom had entered her room that morning. And she's not entirely sure her fib of coming home late last night fooled Sabine. "Eh-I...i-it was fine." she stutters, swinging her feet against the stool and hunching her shoulders to hide her face as much as she can.
"Did you get to meet Adrien's father? Or tutors? I hear he takes Chinese and piano lessons." Sabine wipes the counter and watches her daughter out of the corner of her eye.
Marinette shrugs, "They weren't there. And we kinda ended up talking more than studying...and eating pizza..." she smiles. She's not lying after all, just leaving out a minor...well, okay, major detail.
"Ah, I see." Sabine takes her bowl from her and ushers her up, "You'll be late for school." she hands her her backpack with a smile.
Marinette takes the pack, barely suppressing a sigh of relief. "Thanks, maman." she kisses her mother on the cheek and rushes outside, making it across the street just as the light turns. She pants lightly and makes her way to the steps, waiting for both Alya and Adrien. She still isn't exactly sure how to tell Alya about her Kitty's identity.
Hs plan did sound pretty simple (albeit crude, even though it was a joke), but that would be embarrassing for both of them if he said that. She turns red when she sees his car pull up, and she yelps in surprise when a hand rests on her shoulder. "Hey girl." Alya sits beside her with a knowing smile, "How are you?"
Marinette looks at her and raises her brow, "Would you stop looking at me like that?" she covers her face and watches Adrien approach out of the corner of her eye.
Alya hums and pulls out her phone, starting to type rapidly, "I don't usually see you here so early." she points out, glancing slyly at her to gauge her reaction.
"Alya, stop trying to wheedle details out of me." Marinette stands and collects her bags, following Adrien into the school.
Alya chuckles, that Marinette is starting to become too smart for her nosy reporter skills. Granted, she just gave herself away with her demeanor. She gives a little gesture of triumph before she stands up and brushes the back of her pants off, looking up in surprise when she sees Nino standing right in front of her. "Hey Nino." she smiles warmly.
He smiles back and snickers, "Did you see Adrien? He was on cloud nine! He totally got laid last night." he comments.
"Nino!" Alya whacks him upside the head, "That's none of your business, much less telling me about it." she scolds.
Nino rubs his sore head and chuckles nervously, "Sorry, Alya."
"Whatever, just try to maintain Adrien's personal boundaries. I may be nosy, but at least I know where to draw a line." she says as she walks to class.
Nino weighs the fact of whether or not that's true in his own head.
That might have been the end of that particular conversation, with no suspicion on Alya's part. But she can't help but start to connect some dots when Nino decides it's his duty to point out unnecessary things again.
Nino turns to Alya while they are at lunch, after Marinette excuses herself to head to the bathroom. "Hey, do you think Marinette is walking funny? Or is it just me?" he smirks at Adrien.
Alya's eyes dart to Marinette's stride, and she can't help but notice that observation is entirely correct. Her thighs are slightly held apart, giving her a somewhat silly, penguin-like look as she walks. It's not surprising, and Alya is carrying no doubts now, the girl did have a date with Chat yesterday after all. However, her outlook is changed when Nino's statement causes Adrien to flush red and choke on nothing. Alya looks at him in suspicion, observing the tiniest, prideful smirk and subtle, lecherous glance in Marinette's direction.
She narrows her eyes and leans back with a thoughtful hum, weighing the possibilities in her mind. That is definitely not how a friend looks at a friend. 'There is something fishy going on here...' she thinks to herself.
•
"Hey, Adrien." Alya leans against the locker beside his and smiles when he jumps in surprise.
"Oh, hey Alya!" he greets with a warm smile.
She gives a light, mirthful hum, "Did you have a nice day yesterday? I haven't really talked to you for a while." she says to write off her conversation as casual.
His eyes cloud over as he thinks of something, and his smile turns all dopey and triumphant, "Yeah, I had a pretty good day."
She nods, "And how about today? Still going good?"
He blinks and shrugs, "I can't complain, plus it's the start of the weekend." he grabs his bag and closes his locker. "I heard you've got a date with Nino, so I guess I'll see you later." he walks away with a wave.
She waves distractedly and watches how he keeps shooting glances at Marinette on his way out. If she didn't know better, she'd say he is vying for her attention. And to her surprise, Marinette seems to follow him out. "Something very fishy..." she mutters, heading after them. She jumps when she gets a text from Marinette seconds after she closes the locker room door.
M- 'Hey Alya, can you come visit my house for a few minutes? I've got something to show you, or tell rather.'
Alya purses her lips and shrugs.
A- 'Okay...?'
M- 'Relax, lol, I think you'll like this.'
Alya smiles and slips her phone into her pocket.
•
Marinette exhales as she puts her phone away and glances at Adrien as he walks beside her, "You sure you're ready?" she asks, laying a hand on his shoulder.
He shrugs, "Ready as I'll ever be."
She frowns, "We can put it off for maybe one more day, if you want."
He shakes his head and opens the door to the bakery, "No, best get it over with." he says in a whisper to avoid catching her parents' attention.
She leads him upstairs and sits on her chaise, "Okay then." she smiles.
"What about you? When are we going to tell her you're Ladybug?" he sits beside her and leans back, crossing his arms.
She bites her lip and lays against him, she hadn't really thought about it, "I don't know..." she murmurs, nuzzling her face into his shirt, "Should I tell her now?"
He hums in consideration, "Only if you want to. Unlike me, you don't have a time limit."
She nods, "I suppose that's true...I think I'll wait a few days. Just to amp myself up first." she says, sitting up when she hears the front door open downstairs. "She's here."
•
"Hello, Alya." Sabine greets, "Are you going to be staying until dinner?"
Alya waves her hand, "Oh no, I have plans, I'm just stopping by to talk to Mari." she says as she walks to the back.
Sabine follows closely, "She told me who her secret boyfriend was." she leans close to say with a smirk.
Alya's eyes widen and she has to contain her shrill exclamation of surprise, "Who-"
"A-Alya! Come on up." Marinette interrupts, looking almost frantic in her attempts to get the girl away from her tattle-tale mom.
Alya raises a brow and heads up the stairs, watching in amusement as Marinette places a few books on top of her trap door. "Really need a lock for that..." she murmurs, turning to Alya and blowing air to keep calm.
"So, what is it you want to tell me?" Alya prods.
Marinette gulps and walks around Alya, "I've been talking to Chat...and we think it's time you know who he is-"
Alya opens her (overly-excited) mouth to speak.
"-under a condition or two." Marinette interrupts.
Alya pouts and nods, "Alright, lay it on me." she lifts her hand up and gestures for Marinette to continue.
"Well, for one, try to...contain your excitement?"
Alya nods, "Done and done."
"And keep this entirely to yourself! I know the Ladyblog is dedicated to finding out Ladybug and Chat Noir's identities...but for your safety, mine, and his, and everyone around us, you need to keep it secret." Marinette stresses.
Alya rolls her eyes, "I know that! I read comic books for a living." she chuckles. Marinette crosses her arms and raises a brow, "Alright, alright! I promise." Alya raises her hands and giggles.
"And...what else? Let me see..." Marinette taps her finger to her chin, "Oh yeah, try to keep the exclusive interview pleas to a minimum, okay?" she adds with a chuckle.
"Okay! Come oooon, Mari, you're killing me!" Alya sits on the computer chair and kicks back with a sigh.
Marinette clears her throat, "Erm...well, Alya...I mean...uh, Chat, do I tell her or do you tell her?" she calls up to her bed. Alya scrambles to her feet in shock and points upstairs for confirmation, covering her mouth and giggling when Marinette nods in exasperation. "Excitement, Alya, try to keep calm."
Chat pokes his head into view and grins at Alya, "I think I can tell her...but first-" he hops down from the loft, "-bet you €10 that you can't guess it." he challenges, crossing his arms and leaning close to Alya as if to intimidate her.
Alya smirks and mimics his posture, "Is that so?" she grins, "You're on."
"Seriously?" Marinette groans.
"Lighten up, Mari, it's fun." Chat says.
Alya considers thoughtfully, placing her hand on her chin and tapping her lips with a finger. "I would guess..." she drawls, thoughts drifting back to her strange observations and Nino's subtle...hints? She supposes they can be called that, and she smiles knowingly, "I think you're..." she continues, glancing at Marinette's curious face before she looks Chat dead in the eye. She shrugs, punting dramatically in his direction, "...Adrien Agreste!"
Chat gapes and Marinette makes a weird, strangled sound. "How did you...?" Chat murmurs.
Alya's smirk drops in favor of shock at being right, then she grins. A wide, brilliant grin, and she jumps for joy, whooping in victory. "I knew it! I knew it!" she laughs.
Marinette turns red, and so does Chat, "B-But how d-did you figure it out?" she stutters.
Alya stops bouncing on the balls of her feet and giggles, "Simple, you had a date with Chat yesterday, then Nino dropped a couple helpful hints-"
"Nino knows too?!" Chat exclaims.
Alya purses her lips, "I don't know, he just pointed out a couple things I might not have noticed...and you-" she walks up to Chat and pokes his chest, "-you got all choked up and embarrassed when he mentioned Mari's penguin-walk." she glances at Marinette with a smirk.
"Penguin walk?!" Marinette gasps, clenching her legs together and glaring incredulously at Chat.
"What are you looking at me like that for? Nino's the one who said it!" he holds his hands up defensively.
"And you're the one who ogled her butt." Alya teases, "You looked so damn proud." she chuckles when Chat turns a bright red and covers his face.
Marinette squeaks and mimics him, "Adrien..." she groans.
"We were gonna tell her anyway! Why are you so perturbed?" he asks.
"She found out through innuendos!" Marinette exclaims.
"How's that my fault?"
"I didn't say it was."
Alya laughs, "Okay, okay, calm down you two." she sits down and sighs, "So...Chat...or should I say: Adrien...can you, err-" she waves her hand and struggles to find the right word, "-un-transform?" Chat shrugs, and Alya's star-struck eyes widen a fraction when the green magic consumes him from the feet up.
Adrien holds his hand out for Plagg and digs into his shirt to supply the cheese before his kwami can start to complain. "The cat's officially out of the bag." he takes a deep breath and smiles hesitantly.
"Don't pun." Marinette mutters.
Alya stands again and peers at Plagg, "What is it?" she asks, reaching to poke him.
Plagg gasps indignantly and hovers right before the girl's nose, "I am not an 'it', I am a kwami! Thank you very much. Eons of dealing with you humans, I swear..." he grumbles, munching his cheese.
Alya blinks at the snappish kwami, "So it wasn't a radioactive cat." she chuckles.
Marinette sniggers, remembering Alya's original assumption of a radioactive ladybug being the source of her powers.
Adrien shakes his head, "Nope. Like Plagg said, he's a kwami."
Alya grabs Adrien's hand, "So this ring is the source of your power?"
"The kwami is the power source." Adrien corrects, "The ring is just a conduit...I think." he shrugs.
"Oooh!" Alya giggles and bounces up and down. "I should have connected the dots sooner, I mean, you and Chat are never in the same room. But the ring looks so different from the transformation..." she pauses and her jaw drops, "No. Freaking. Way!" she exclaims.
Marinette gulps.
Alya pulls out her phone, "I just have to find matching earrings and I'll know Ladybug's identity!" she mutters, pausing to look up at Adrien, "Do you know who Ladybug is?" she asks.
Adrien rubs the back of his head, "Maybe?"
"So that's a definitely." Alya nods and looks back down at her phone.
Adrien glances at Marinette and grins nervously, the girl in question gives a sigh and rubs the bridge of her nose. "What are you writing, Alya?" she asks.
"Just a reminder..." the brunette looks up and hums thoughtfully, eyes narrowing in suspicion as she looks at Marinette. "Can I see your earrings?"
"Alya..."
"Girl, you let me see those earrings right now." Alya demands, snapping her fingers and pointing to the floor to gesture for the frustrated girl to come closer.
"Alyaaaa..." Marinette moans, inching closer to placate her.
"You already have enough evidence against you to convince me you are Ladybug, this would be the nail in the coffin. I just realized you and Ladybug have never been in the same room either." Alya gently grabs her chin and turns her head from side to side, looking at her earrings thoughtfully.
Marinette shoots Adrien a look that screams 'Help me!'
He shrugs and spins his finger in circles next to his forehead, gesturing to Alya.
"What are you smiling about?" Alya asks.
"Nothing."
"Gurl..." Alya steps back with a chuckle, "If you're Ladybug you'd best spill right now. You didn't wear those earrings when I met you, but as soon as Ladybug showed up you started wearing them. I should have realized that sooner as well."
Marinette opens her mouth to speak, "Ah...uh...I-I...I didn't...wha..?" she blabbers.
"Yup!" Alya reels back and plops back onto the computer chair, spinning around and chuckling all the while. "I can't believe I didn't see it!" she almost seems hysterical now.
"Well, technically the magic keeps you from figuring it out." Marinette explains, "Are you okay?" she asks.
"I'm fine...just...let me deal with my shock for a minute." Alya holds up her hands and let's her head fall back against the chair, inhaling deeply. After a minute or so of awkward silence she glances up, "Oh, and Adrien, you owe me €10...cough it up." she holds out her hand and curls her fingers expectantly.
Adrien looks to Marinette with an amused scoff and produces his wallet, "I was hoping she forgot." he whispers jokingly, €10 is nothing for him after all.
Alya snatches the euro from him and chuckles, "Okay...so my two best friends were famous superheroes this whole time?" she lifts her head with a sigh.
Marinette nods and looks to the side guiltily, "Are you mad? I was planning on telling you in a few days..."
Alya shakes her head, "No, I'm not mad. Trust me, I'm not going to overreact like I did last time. I may babble like an idiot to Nino during our date...if he finds out about all this, I apologize in advance." the brunette looks at her phone, "Speaking of which, I'm gonna be late."
"Hey, remember your promise, I said keep this a secret." Marinette wags her finger in warning.
Alya waves her hand dismissively, "I'm teasing, but you really should tell Nino." she says to Adrien.
"I'll keep that in mind." he chuckles nervously.
"You'll have to come back tomorrow and get to know Tikki." Marinette says.
"Tikki?" Alya asks with a curious tilt of her head.
A red creature, just like the little cat Adrien has (minus the ears), pops into view over Marinette's shoulder. "Hello!" she greets with a smile.
"Aww!" Alya coos, fawning over the adorable kwami. "She's even cuter than Plagg..."
"Hey!"
"Oh Plagg, at least you know I love you." Marinette peers around Alya to say.
Plagg crosses his arms and mumbles something unintelligible.
Adrien laughs and pats Plagg on the head, "Have fun with Nino." he says.
Alya turns and smiles, pulling him and Marinette into a hug, "It just hit me...my best friends are superheroes!" she squeals, releasing them before they start to suffocate from her grip, "Okay, gotta go!" she heads downstairs. "I'll be back for details Marinette!" she calls up.
"Dear God no..." Marinette groans.
"What details?" Adrien asks.
"You don't want to know." she sighs, turning to hug him, "She's a bit too sharp, I didn't expect she'd figure me out so soon."
"Are you okay with it?" he pats her hair and rocks them from side to side.
"I was going to tell her anyway..." she mumbles.
"So you aren't really okay with it?"
She looks up at him with a sour expression, "Why does everyone keep seeing right through me today?" she asks.
He shrugs, kissing her cute little button nose, "I don't know."
"That doesn't help." she lets her face fall against his chest and sighs.
"So...about this Great Guardian guy..." Adrien turns to Plagg.
Plagg raises a brow, "Ask Tikki, I can't be bothered to remember what he looks like."
"Plagg!" Tikki whacks the unsuspecting kwami upside the head and plants her figurative hands on her hips. "How rude of you. You can't just forget about Master Fu!"
Plagg rubs his head and shrugs, "I didn't forget, I just don't want to expend any energy to remember." he says.
Tikki shakes her head, "You are impossible." she turns to Adrien, "You brought the book, yes?"
He nods and points to his school bag, "In there."
"Marinette? You remember during our fight with Princess Fragrance? I was sick and you took me to that healer-"
"So that's why you didn't show up!" Adrien exclaims.
Tikki smiles, "Yes, Adrien, let me finish. Do you remember where the healer lived?" she asks Marinette.
The girl nods and extracts herself from Adrien's grasp. "I wrote his address down in case you got sick again." she pulls out her phone and scrolls through her notes.
"Good, because that's where we're headed." Tikki says with a triumphant grin.
•
"So the healer is the Great Guardian?" Marinette asks as they walk down the hallway, admiring the various decor and paintings.
"Indeed." Tikki says as she leads the way. "Hey Plagg, we're going to see Wayzz again!" she exclaims in excitement.
Plagg opens one eye from his perch on Adrien's shoulder. "Yay..." he mumbles.
"You're so boring." Tikki huffs.
"This is it." Marinette halts and moves to open the door, hesitating briefly.
Adrien puts a hand on her shoulder, "Here goes nothing?" he supplies, smiling warmly and gesturing for her to continue.
She opens the door and they both pause at the sight of the old man, the one they met the day they got their miraculous'. He looks up with a kind smile, "Welcome, Ladybug and Chat Noir." he says, beckoning them inside.
•
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A.N.
I hate leaving it with so many loose ends...
Thanks for reading guys, until next time! ~Crazyaniknowit