A/N: Sending you all some love! Your support is greatly appreciated and I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Prompt: secrets
7.
Adrien approached the topic carefully, bringing it up first with his best friend Nino when they were walking to the classroom.
"Who does Marinette like?" he asked innocently. He was looking ahead, trying to make this conversation seem as ordinary as he could. He didn't want to draw unwarranted attention to himself before he found out the answer.
"Don't know," Nino shrugged. If Adrien had watched him, he would have seen the boy tense up for a second before lying. "And even if I did, I couldn't tell you. Marinette would kill me. Why the sudden interest?"
"Oh, no reason." Adrien wasn't going to pester his best friend just yet, though he immediately wanted to ask why Marinette would resort to such drastic measures to conceal her secret.
Nino wasn't satisfied with his answer: "Oh, come on, dude! If you like her, you can tell me! I'll support you!"
"It's not like that, Nino. She's just a friend."
"If you're so sure…" Nino wasn't convinced. There was something about the smile on Adrien's face when he said it. It wasn't loving per se, but it lit up his eyes in a way that nothing else did, so warm that girls fell in love with it, so different from his smile on the posters of the city. Nino made a mental note to tell Alya about his question, happy that he had managed to protect Marinette's secret.
The young designer wasn't in the classroom when they arrived, her seat empty. However, Alya was there, scrolling on her phone, scavenging, seeing if she could find another photo of her best friend and Chat Noir. There was nothing new.
"Hey Alya!" Nino greeted her first. The girl looked up from her phone and grinned at him before going right back to work.
"Hey, Alya," echoed Adrien, taking his seat. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure, sunshine." Alya's eyes didn't leave the screen until the blonde spoke again, making her head snap up with a force that sent her curls flying and almost made her glasses wall. She couldn't believe it. "Say that again?"
"Who does Marinette like?" Adrien repeated, looking curious. "If anyone knows, it's you."
"She doesn't like anyone." Alya laughed awkwardly, looking desperately at Nino who shrugged apologetically. He mouthed "I don't know what's up either" to her.
"But she told you just yesterday…" A frown marred Adrien's handsome face and he pouted a little. Marinette would have given in, telling him all her secrets at that look, but Alya wasn't so easy to trick. She took a photo of that face, certain that Marinette would need as much practice as she could to deal with it in the future.
"You better not think about asking her, sunshine boy," she added, dead serious. "This is something that's strictly between girls only." Girls and their boyfriends, she corrected in her mind. "Are you interested in her like that? Romantically?"
Alya knew how to be confrontational in a kind way better than most of their classmates, though she could be blunt at times. This was one of those times. Adrien flushed at her tone of voice, cheeks coloring a shade of pink that Alya was tempted to capture on a photo for Marinette's collection. But she'd made her mind that this conversation shouldn't reach her friend's ears unless absolutely necessary. And that in turn meant no photo.
"I'm just curious," Adrien defended himself. "Like… if she likes someone, I want to help her get the guy's attention. Like a good friend."
Alya was torn between groaning and facepalming and in the end, she did neither. She just smiled at him, a pained smile, wishing he'd already realize what was obvious to everyone else in their classroom: Marinette's crush on him.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but she doesn't see anyone like that," she said, tasting the lie on her lips, dull and bitter. It left her wondering if it was right to conceal truth from their other friend.
Adrien slumped in his seat. He knew Alya was lying. As other students started pouring in, he wondered who would tell him the truth. Then it hit her – Chloé. She didn't like Marinette a whole lot, so she might be willing to tell, if she knew. He hoped she knew.
When the blonde girl latched herself onto his arm, calling him "Adrikins", he smiled politely, feeling for the first time in a very long time joy at her presence.
"Hey Chloé." His voice was soft, touching the girl's heart, making it flutter. She flashed him a radiant smile and tried to kiss his cheek. Adrien leaned away. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Anything, Adrikins." Chloé didn't give up, her puckered lips closing in on him while his strong arms held her a safe distance away.
"Who does Marinette like?"
Chloé froze. All color drained from her face, as she squeaked a furious "What?" Adrien took this chance to push her gently away. He repeated the question. The blonde stared at him, as if he'd suddenly grown a second head.
"Who does the peasant like?" Chloé started, realization suddenly kicking in. She narrowed her eyes. "Why do you ask?"
"I want to help her get the attention of the guy she likes." Adrien's answer received a burst of laughter.
"Ridiculous!" She declared. "Utterly ridiculous!"
"Do you know who she likes Chloé?"
"Of course, I know," she huffed, insulted that he thought she wouldn't. "Everyone knows she likes…"
Chloé stopped herself before she could say too much. It hit her that if she told Adrien that Marinette liked him, he might like her back. Chloé realized that if he ever found out the truth, she herself might get hurt. She scrambled in her mind for a name that would sound believable.
"Everyone know that she likes that dumb superhero," she finally said with a smirk that echoed her superiority. "Chat Noir."
Adrien's heart skipped a beat. She liked the superhero-him? It tickled his heart, shooting an arrow of betrayal through it, as his thoughts jumped to Ladybug who had recently started to refuse his affections even more firmly.
"Are you sure?" he inquired, hoping she would tell him that no, she wasn't.
"Absolutely!" Chloé lied through her teeth, almost wishing that Marinette was there to see how well she could keep her secrets. Adrien's face fell. He looked so heartbroken that Chloé almost faltered.
"Must you lie to me too, Chloé?" he asked in the saddest voice he could muster. Chloé hated it.
"Adrikins!" she whined. "I would never lie to you!"
"Then why won't you tell me the truth?"
Chloé threw her arms up in the air, frustrated at herself. "Fine, let's ask Maritrash, then." She grabbed Adrien's arm and pulled him along violently, walking over to the girl.
"Marinette," she growled in anger. Refusing to let go of Adrien, she pulled him up, holding his arm between her boobs. Marinette twitched in equal fury. "Adrien wants to know who you like. I told him you like Chat Noir. Isn't that right?"
Marinette's eyes widened. They moved from one blonde to the other, unsure what to say. Interested in her answer, Alya and Nino leaned closer. Was this it? Was this the moment where she revealed her crush on sunshine boy?
Marinette thought she was going to faint. Her heart was beating like a hummingbird in flight, rushing blood to her face and neck. She had never been this red before. All at once, she felt grateful to Chloé for not outing her and angry that it had even come to this. Unbeknownst to her, Adrien interpreted that as embarrassment at being outed like this. He almost regretted involving Chloé.
"It's none of your business?" came out of Marinette's mouth. She choked on the words, anger mixing with humiliation mixing with the color of Adrien's eyes that made her melt on the inside and wedding bells ring in her ears.
Alya shook her head. "You go, Marinette!" she cheered a moment too early, as the bluenette let out a loud "meep!", hiding her face behind her arms and spinning around, trying to focus on her breathing. Alya waited for the realization that he was completely wrong about Marinette's crush to hit Adrien, but when it never did, she slung an arm around Marinette's shoulders and grinned.
"Now, are we finished with my best friend's love life? Cause it's awfully boring."
"Yes, please," huffed the said best friend.
Adrien had no other choice but to drop the topic. What he'd learned was not satisfying at all. His mind wandered, seeing the bluenette in a different light. Nothing much had changed. But when Nino saw the pale pink on his cheeks, he knew that something had. He wondered if Adrien knew it too.
Later that night, Chat Noir paid a visit to Marinette's balcony. She was leaning over the railing, so deep in thought that she didn't notice his arrival even despite the loud thump which accompanied his landing.
"A peony for your thoughts?" He held the pink blossom out for her. Marinette bit her lip, wondering if Chat knew the meaning of the flower. Good luck.
"Today was the worst," she muttered, sighing sadly. "The guy I like almost found I like him."
"How is that clawful?" Chat leaned over the railing, copying her position, curious to her answer. He wondered if he had missed something during the day, as she hadn't interacted with him as Chat Noir at all.
"Because," Marinette stressed in a soft voice, gazing at the stars above. "Because I'm pretty sure he doesn't like me like that."
Chat didn't answer immediately. "But wouldn't it be better to tell him? If he doesn't like you, it will be easier to move on."
It was solid advice and Marinette appreciated it. She looked away from the night sky, turning her attention to the boy clad in black leather. Her best friend, but he didn't know, couldn't ever know that.
"Chat, I don't want to move on. Not yet." Her voice was barely a whisper. "I become a mess around him, but he makes me so happy and I like that. He's just so wonderful." A dreamy sigh and her attention was back to the stars.
The bob of Chat's throat as he swallowed was the only sign of the indecisiveness he felt. Part of him wanted to tell her that he knew about her feelings for Chat Noir. That these feelings were appreciated but not returned. But he didn't want to hurt her either.
"Wh-Who's your prince, Purrincess?" he asked instead, wanting to give her the option of telling him. "Anyone I might know?" He sounded more hopeful than he thought.
Marinette felt her body relax, as laughter swelled up in her chest and a lonesome giggle made it past her mouth, as she begun to crack up. Soon, she was clutching her sides and gasping for air between roars of laughter. Chat felt a smile tug at his lips at the sight of freely flowing happy tears on her face.
"You're like the thirteenth person to ask me that today." Marinette said once she had calmed down enough to speak. She wiped away her tears. "You know, a lot of people think there's something between you and me. But, um… can you keep a secret, kitty?"
Tears in her eyes sparkled like stars in the sky above them. Somehow seeing her like that felt insanely personal and his clawed hand reached out to tuck away a stray strand of hair. His breath hitched.
"Pawsitively sure I can."
"Well," she smiled, slightly embarrassed of what she was about to admit. "The guy I like… His name is Adrien."
Chat Noir's first thought was that she had somehow discovered his identity and was now pulling his leg, making fun of him, but when he opened his mouth to voice his displeasure over it, no sound came out. Marinette, oblivious to his inner struggle, continued speaking.
"I bet you think it's because he's so handsome. I mean, I guess that's part of it. But he's so sweet and kind and he never judges me for being such a mess when I try to talk to him." She sighed. "I just wish it was easier for me to get to know him better."
Chat Noir's arms snaked around her in a hug that surprised them both. His heart ached with regret at having wanted to know her secret, well kept away from his reach, because now that he had, he couldn't pretend not knowing.
"For now, I'm fine being just his friend," she murmured against his suit. He felt a prick in his heart, as if he'd just been stabbed with a toothpick.
"Oh, Purrincess," he sighed, voice full of longing that seemed to whisper I've wanted to be your friend for so long. He could offer her that – his friendship as Chat Noir, as Adrien, as long as she wanted it. As long as she didn't know the two were one and the same. Or if she did find out one day, as long as she was okay with it.
"Everything will be okay," he promised. She hugged him back and he could feel her nod against his chest. The sensation made him smile a little.
They broke the embrace when they heard a camera shutter go off. Down on the street, a smug Alya waved at them before running off. Marinette laughed.
"I bet that this will only escalate the rumors that you and I are dating," she teased.
"We're dating?" His cat eyes glimmered in the dark, amusement shining in a way that told Marinette that he had also heard those rumors.
"Of course," she nodded in mock seriousness. "Ladybug's heartbroken!"
"You think?" Unadulterated hope slipped into his voice unintentionally. Marinette smacked him gently, unable to keep a grin off her face.
"I think she'd be happy for you. Hasn't she been telling you to move on?" The girl was sure Alya had written about it on Ladyblog, so she wasn't revealing her secret identity by talking about things only he and Ladybug knew.
Chat Noir frowned. "Yeah… But I guess you and meow are more similar than I thought, Princess."
Marinette nodded. "Let's keep it a secret, alright?"
"Agreed." The cat leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek, trying to convey the gratitude he felt. Marinette went rigid at the touch, too surprised to react otherwise. "Thanks, Marinette. I'm lucky to have a friend like you."
When he had jumped into the night, Marinette brought a hand to the cheek his lips had touched and smiled softly. She could only think about how lucky it was that Alya had already left. This kiss, though not something that caused butterflies in her stomach, was something she wanted to keep just to herself. Something precious. Something to be guarded.
