The fun's just beginning. Let's get this show on the road! :D

The moment it clicked, he became her toy. Not forever, but for the time, she had him in this particular position, she was going to have her fun. She was gonna tease him, play with him. Bait the poor boy. Oh, he didn't have a clue. That right there, that was the fun part. She might leave little hints here and there, she couldn't be too cruel, but certainly, nothing to give it away, no, not until she was done with the game and he told him herself.

Was she surprised that Adrien was Chat? Well, maybe for a second, but then she looked at him, actually looked at Chat Noir with eyes opened wide, and all she could see was Adrien. He was there, underneath that mask, the goofy, sweet, caring, and good hearted boy was also her dorky, brave, and loving partner.

She truly couldn't ask for anything better.

Boy, this was gonna be fun. Turned out, secretes could have benefits

Adrien was on his toes when he went to school the next day.

He still couldn't understand what Ladybug had meant when she said she was going to play with him, or where the shift in her mood even came from. He was baffled, and now his guard completely up.

But he couldn't deny the jumble of excitement stirring in his stomach.

His eyes were searching everywhere, looking for her. She was going to toy with him, and the Chat in him purred at that, because if she wanted to play, he was game.

The bell went off to usher the kids to class. He followed the flow of his classmates entering the room and taking his seat next to Nino.

Alya and Marinette entered just seconds later, causing some shock to the young model, Marinette was never on time. Maybe she was trying to be punctual? As she passed, he caught her glance his way before she made her way up the stairs to her seat.

The look in her eyes was.. unsettling. But he ignored it and brushed it off.

With class not having started yet, he could hear the light chatter of his classmates buzz around the room. Adrien decided to pull his tablet from his bag. He scrolled over his homework, checking for any errors. He was doing nothing out of the ordinary when his ears picked up a conversation behind him.

"So, Luka officially asked you out?"

Adrien restrained himself to keep forward, whatever the two girls were discussing, it wasn't his business.

Nope, nothing for his ears.

But what Marinette said next, made him crank his neck— just a little.

"Yeah, but I turned him down. I just… I don't like him any more than a friend. You know who I actually have feelings for."

He didn't want to turn around. And he didn't, simply because the teacher came in at that exact moment. But that didn't stop the words from replying in his head.

I don't like Luka.

He had convinced himself over that for so long that she had.

I don't like Luka.

He figured, it'd be easier to set that in his head now, than be disappointed later.

I don't like Luka.

He had to take a moment to compose his mind.

Marinette liking Luka was the only piece of evidence that didn't link her to the valentines day card. The only reason that she couldn't like him, Adrien! Ladybug couldn't be Marinette because Marinette didn't like Adrien and Ladybug loved Adrien and now the equation was all out of whack with nothing given but a gosh dang migraine!

But.. that still didn't prove she was Ladybug, right? He wasn't that lucky. He just couldn't be.

But something in the back of his mind was nagging him, telling him that if he had just turned around in his seat, he would've seen that familiar smirk that Ladybug had given him last night on Marinette's face.

The day continued to drag on.

He couldn't get the thought out of his head, trying his hardest to pay attention in class, but it just wasn't working. He felt like a mindless zombie at the end of the period. Even when he went home to eat for the lunch hour, it was robotic, at best.

And it only got worse from there.

When he returned back to school, Marinette was everywhere, and okay, he was used to seeing her often, but he wasn't used to was the zero percent personal space that she had been giving him all day. She was always giving him weird looks, smiles, friendly pats or something of the sort. It was to the point where he questioned if an akuma was running loose and she had gotten hit by it.

They were now two classes away from the end school for that day, and he was in the locker room, switching out some of his thoughts, when he picked up on someone's voice, and...crying? Someone was definitely crying.

He turned to see Chloe slumped down, her butt seated on the wooden floor of the locker room, her face buried in her knees as her sobs shudder through her small frame. Next to her, crouched low on her haunches and trying to console the girl, was Marinette.

And oh. Everything just clicked.

Because in Marinette's place, he saw Ladybug. He saw the girl that would go to any length to protect people, to make sure to stop anyone that was hurting, no matter who they were. He saw his strong, fearless classmate who would put others before herself, because that was just who she was. Ladybug was her, and he wouldn't ask for anyone else.

He had so many questions. So many thoughts. But he needed to see what was wrong with Chloe first, so locking away his thoughts for the time being, he moved over to the blond and designer, crouching down on her unoccupied side.

"Hey, Chloe. What's going on?"

Her head snapped up, her bloodshot eyes going to him, and he immediately felt a tang of guilt, but knew it was for the right reason too. "Sabrina.. she ..she.. Left me. Said she was tired of being my friend. That she couldn't keep doing it if this continued to happen." She sniffled, wiping her nose against her arm sleeve, not caring about the small audience of two that she had acquired.

He looked to Marinette for support, finding encouragement in her eyes. Boy did he love those ocean blue eyes. "Chloe, don't you think it's time maybe you did something this? Your friends aren't leaving you to hurt you, we want to be there for you, but they can't if you're not willing to make a change for them."

She coughed away the flem that must've accumulated in her throat, and when Marinette offered a tissue, she took it. "H-how do I do that?"

Marinette smiled kindly at her. "By being nice. Genuinely. For no alternatives. Without hope it will work, without people witnessing, and most importantly, without any reward. Do it for you, no one else. And you're not going to be perfect right away, we all have our moments. But that's part of growing and learning. If you do that, actually trying to be nice, you'll get your friends back, and who knows, maybe gain a few in the process." She winked, implying that she wouldn't mind being one of those friends.

Chloe, for the better lack of the term, was floored by that. "Really? You wouldn't mind being my friend, Dupai- Marinette?" She caught herself at the last minute, but gosh was it a great first step.

Marinette laughed, and it was so beautiful. Music should be jealous. "Definitely. It's never too late to change. I think we could be really close, Chole. And I really don't mind Dupaion Cheng, as long as you mean in it in a friendly way."

A rare, real, smile appeared on her face. "I think I'd like that. I'll try, I promise."

Marinette patted her shoulder. "I'm glad to hear that."

Marinette then lifted herself up, giving a hand to Chloe to pull her up as well. Once Chloe was settled on her feet, she gave them both a nod in thanks before disappearing off into the bathroom to fix herself.

He looked to Marinette, his lady, his princess. His girlfriend. That.. that was just unbelievably good. He honestly didn't think it was possible to feel this happy.

Questions were still flooding into him. When did she gain a crush on him, why had she been so nervous to talk to him? When was she gonna tell him?

Lost in his thoughts, he didn't take notice when she was only inches in front of him. "Adrien? Are you okay?" Her eyes were filled with concern, but her smirk was strong, and plastered firm on her lips. "Do you need anything?"

Your lips. I need your lips. Preferably against mine. Ca-can I have that?

But, he instead, said, "Um. Yeah." He blinked. "I'm good, actually."

She hummed. "Kay." And then she did the most unexpected thing. She stretched onto her tiptoes, pressing a sweet kiss to his cheek.

Adrien. exe has stopped working. Please stand by for rebooting.

Then she winked. At him. Making sure to take her leave not a moment after. "See you later."

He could hear the silent, tonight in her words.

That was definitely Ladybug.

If he thought he was a mess being kissed by Ladybug at night in his room after several months of dating, it was an entirely different experience of having his girlfriend Marinette kiss him in broad daylight in the middle of a school day.

Then a thought struck him. She was trying to to get him to find out her identity By playing a cat and mouse game. She didn't know he was her partner. Not yet at least. He was so gonna turn this around on her. Show her how fun this was gonna be.

Oh, his inner Chat was pouncing around inside.

Poor bugaboo, you don't have any idea what you just released.

That night, she was cuddled against his chest on the couch as he played with her hair— he had undid her hair ties a bit ago— as she scribbled away on her tablet doing some assignment, probably the one of chemistry that was due in a few days.

He didn't know what possessed him to blurt out what he did, but it happened. "When did you fall in love with me?"

She softened in his arms, putting her homework to the side, before stretching around to face him. "What's brought this up?"

He shrugged. "I was just thinking about it lately."

She bit her lip, maybe to keep the smirk at bay. He honestly didn't think she'd respond. "Second day of school."

That… that. Okay. "Oh."

"Yep."

If it was the second day, what could he had possibly done to get her to like him? Especially so recently after the gum incident.

The answer slapped him across the face. The umbrella. When he had given her his umbrella baring his heart out to her about everything being so new to him and wanting friends. It lined right up with her turning into a stuttering mess around him right after. That was how his lady fell for him. It made him soar.

He snapped back to the present, and smiled. She was looking at him worriedly. "Okay. That's… okay."

She nodded, taking his answer for what it was. "Yeah." She booped his nose. "You and your kitten eyes."

And just that, just by that conversation, the thoughts, slowly trickled in.

She knew

He knew.

They both knew in that second.

Oh, their game of cat and mouse just got heightened.

Adrien wondered who would crack first. And as he slowly knowing smile crept onto her lips, as full knowledge took hold of her face, he couldn't wait to find out. Oh, secrets were definitely fun.

Now, the question is, are they gonna talk about it, or just let it be. Until tomorrow! Thank you for all your reviews, they really help! :D