A/N: I edited this chapter a bit since I decided to re-edit. I hope you enjoy.

Please Keep My Secret

Chapter 2

Marinette, We really need to talk about what happened earlier today. I'll be on your balcony on your roof at 9pm, just after it gets dark. Please tell no one.

That was the private message got from Adrien after school. Her heart raced in her chest when she realized that he wanted to talk to her about what happened. Marinette's heart beat against her chest at a speed that would break the sound barrier, and it only got worse when Tikki zoomed around and giggled. "Marinette! This is your chance! You can really get to talk to Adrien!"

"I'm going to throw up," Marinette explained. Her stomach jumped up into her throat now and she had to hold in its contents. She desired nothing more than to run away. Marinette tossed her phone on her bed and paced around her bedroom, having a mild freak out.

"Marinette, it's Chat Noir. It's Adrien. Have either one of them ever shown themselves to be bad people?" Tikki asked.

Marinette stopped pacing long enough to ponder about what Tikki asked her. She shook her head. "That's not what I am concerned about. I know that they...I mean, he, is a good person. He's just...not the person I thought either of them were. And I can barely talk to Adrien. And Chat Noir never takes anything seriously and just flirts. I feel like the rug was ripped from underneath me."

Tikki zoomed over to Marinette. "It's alright to feel that way. The important part is you know he isn't a bad person, so you should be alright. Just remain calm."

She realized that Tikki knew that Adrien would be frightened. Far more freaked out than she was right now. He was the one who had his deepest secret fond out, and had no one he could turn too. She doubted that Chat Noir would even tell Ladybug about this. This calmed Marinette a little, but only because it honestly broke her heart. She didn't want him to believe his identity wasn't safe with her. If anything her finding out was the best out come, even if she couldn't tell him.

Tikki smiled, realizing that Marinette was understanding of the real situation. It was Marinette's job to help him realize his secret was truly safe. Tikki flew over to the bed and lifted Marinette's heavy cellphone. "Now, come on, give him an answer. He's waiting."

Marinette's chest was pounding and she was at a loss of words to say to him, but she felt awful still. Marinette had to assure him she would never break his trust. She took the phone from Tikki, who sighed with relief as she was free from the heavy phone. Marinette looked at the phone and read his message over a few times, her heart was still pounding in her chest. She let her fingers be her guide as she typed.

All right, I'll see you then.

She sent him the message, her heart still racing as she tried to calm herself down and remember that Adrien needed her comfort right now. She tried to put on a brave face, but as soon as she saw that her message had been read by him, she dropped her phone and a squeak escaped her mouth. Tikki floated over to her and was giggling. She patted Marinette on the head. "I'm proud of you Marinette. You need to assure him his secret is safe with you. Maybe you should tell him you're Ladybug too. That will assure him."

"NOPE!" Marinette cried. "Not happening!"

Tikki frowned. "But why not?"

"Because Adrien likes Ladybug, I am so far from being her. I'm clumsy! So clumsy and I can't hold down a conversation with him. He would be so disappointed," she explained. "As Ladybug, I am SO DIFFERENT!"

"That's because you're showing your confidence as Ladybug. You can do that too. I've seen you at school. When you ran for class rep, you showed so much confidence and you got the votes. I'm sure Adrien noticed that," Tikki explained. "You just need to learn to be that person, without your mask. I know you can, Marinette."

She shook her head. "No, it's different. When I transform, I feel like a different person. I'm not nearly as clever as she is."

Tikki was getting annoyed now and zoomed in front of Marinette. "Marinette, the Miraculous doesn't change one's personality. Sure it gives you some power and abilities you don't have with it, but personality and brains are not one of my powers! That's all you, Marinette! Remember when Anti-Bug was after Chat? You used your cell phone to distract her. You saved Chat Noir on your own. That is why Master Fu chose you. You're kind personality and your own personal strengths!"

Tikki noted that Marinette was taking in what she was telling her, and she was still processing it, which satisfied her for the moment. It took several minutes for Marinette to look up at Tikki. "I still can't tell him. Not yet."

While Tikki didn't agree she still nodded. "As long as you tell him eventually. For now, just focus on assuring him his secret is safe with you. I'm sure Adrien would appreciate that much."

Marinette nodded. "I'll tell him when I'm ready. But tonight, I'll do what I can to assure him."

Tikki smiled. "Then think about what you will say to him tonight. It has to be perfect." Tikki looked at the clock, seeing it was almost dinner time. "You have a few hours. Why don't you go help your mom with dinner?"

Marinette nodded and climbed to her feet. "I will."

Marinette thanked Tikki and disappeared down her trapdoor to the kitchen.

After dinner, Marinette chatted with her parents about school, and when they asked about the attack they watched on the news, she made excuses like she had before. She hid, and the Akuma came nowhere near her. She didn't get hurt, and she was safe. Her parents seemed to accept that, and she returned to her room after. She looked at the time on her phone and realized it was eight-thirty and she had half an hour to figure everything out. She tried to take in some deep breaths, but Marinette was still really nervous. No matter how hard she tried to breathe her nerves just wouldn't calm down. Tikki left her alone mostly, but she gave Marinette a comforting smile whenever their eyes met.

When Marinette looked at the time again, she saw she now only had fifteen minutes. She took in another deep breath through her mouth and exhaled out of her nose. A breathing technique, Master Fu had taught her. She reached over for a blanket wrap she had and looked at Tikki. "I'm going to go outside now."

Tikki nodded. "I'll keep low. Unless you change your mind and decide to tell him. You can call me and I'll come out for you."

Marinette smiled. "Thank you Tikki."

Marinette turned her back to Tikki and climbed out onto her balcony. She closed her window behind her. She shivered as the cold night air hit her. It was still mid fal, and that meant the nights were still cold and tonight the air had an extra bit of dampness to it. Marinette wrapped her blanket around her and took a seat in one of her chairs. Marinette looked out over the cityscape, trying to spot Chat Noir approaching. There was nothing for a while, but then she took notice a black shape coming toward her. Jumping to her she waved when he approached. He did not wave back, but he landed in front of her.

"H-hi," she greeted.

"Yeah...hi, Marinette," he greeted back.

"It's rather cold out, isn't it?" she stated.

She could see his breath n the cold air, and he nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's pretty cold tonight."

"I could get you a blanket if you need it," Marinette offered. Though her words came out jumbled and quickly. She judged from the expression on his face, she knew that he could she was. He shook his head.

"I'm fine, thanks for the offer though," he said. "I have...I need to be certain you're not going to tell anyone."

His words were to the point, and Marinette knew he was serious. Of course he was. A tightness in her chest formed and she bit her bottom lip. "I'm not going to tell anyone."

"I need to know for certain," he said. "I mean, you don't seem to like me very much."

Her eyes widened, and she cried out. "Adrien, that's not true!"

His eyes also widened when he heard her response. "But you clearly have never liked me. You have seemed to hate me from the moment we started going to school together. You believed I put the gum on your seat when it was Chloe, not me. Sure we made up after, but she always seem to freak out whenever I try to talk to you."

Her cheeks burning, but the cold air made her pale skin flushed, so he wouldn't notice. "I don't freak out because I don't like you."

She no longer could stand to look at him and glanced away and looked over the city instead. He still had more to say though. "Whenever I try to talk to you...you shut me out or run away. Why is that? Marinette, you communicate to everyone else in the class, even talk with Chloe more than you do with me. So, why are you always so nervous around me?"

She hated the idea he believed she didn't like him and her emotions were getting the better of her. The knowledge he speculated she hated him hurt her a lot and brought her a pain in her chest. She tried to take in those deep breaths to calm the tears that threatened to spill. Adrien was the victim here, not her. Some of the tightness disappeared and she looked over at Adrien and shook her head. "You're... different from the others."

"Different?" he asked. "How can I be different?"

Her cheeks were as red as her Ladybug costume and she wished she had the option to run away. Not this time. She didn't want to answer his question. Marinette wanted him to realize his secret was safe with her. "A-Adrien, I can't explain. I need you to realize that I will tell no one. Especially Alya. She will never know."

"I'm in a very tough situation here," Adrien explained. "I can't just accept that. You have to understand that, if my identity got out, my whole family would be put in danger. Our classmates, anyone I'm close friends with."

"I understand Adrien, I really do. Please believe me. You're secret is safe!"

He was right in front of her now, having moved closer her as their discussion turned heated. Both were becoming overwhelmed by their emotions. But Marinette could sense the dread he was feeling. She needed him to believe her, but he just in a panic and it upset her to see him like this. "Marinette, please, you need to tell me. I need to know why I can trust you. You seem so sweet and our classmates speak very fondly of you, so, why am I different?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She knew she had to tell him something. The only thing that was popping into her head was confessing her feelings, but that was far too much for her. Marinette didn't know if she would ever be ready. The pain in his eyes hurt her so much, and she recognized the sting of tears forming in the corner of her eyes. "A-Adrien. I won't... I won't t-tell bec-cause..."

His attention was away from her as he looked up at the sky above. She drew her cause up, worried that it was an approaching Akuma, but she realized what it was. An icy cold raindrop hit her cheek. She flinched and looked down at the roof, watching as the drops hit the surface. It only took seconds for it to beat down in sheets. She turned around and looked at her window, the entrance to her bedroom. "Come on, come inside!"

"I have to go before it gets too bad," he interjected.

She shook her head. "You'll freeze. I have a jacket inside I made. It's warm and waterproof. Please come inside and get it." She could tell he was wavering, and Marinette's blanket and her clothes were already soaked through, and she was freezing. His blond hair was sticking to his head, and he had begun to shiver. Concern filled her, and she felt the need to reach for him, and she took hold of him by the wrist. "Come dry off, get the jacket and head home. You'll get sick otherwise."

He still looked unsure, but she tugged on him and brought him over to the window. She knelt down and opened the window. She motioned for him to get inside. He looked at her. She was dripping wet and she shivering. "Marinette, you're soaked," he gasped. "I'm fine like this, get inside."

"Not until you're inside," she stated.

She could tell his resolve crumbled, and he jumped inside quickly. He turned back and looked up at her. He reached his hand out to her. "Now come inside."

Marinette took his hand, and he helped her inside. Once inside, she removed the now heavy, wet, blanket wrap and tossed it aside for now and climbed down from her bed and searched for a towel to hand him. Locating a clean crisp one and turned back to hand it to him to dry off, but she stopped in her tracks when she noticed him looking around her room. More specifically her walls, and the pictures that littered her walls. He had only been in her room once before for practising for the gaming tournament. She had hidden all the photos before he came over, so he hadn't noticed them before. Her eyes went wide and her entire body froze. The concern she had for his well being was pushed aside realizing how embarrassing it was as he looked at the dozens of pictures she had of him on her walls. Many with little hearts drawn on them. She had no doubt he was piecing everything together. Marinette had never wished for the power of invisibility more than she did right at this moment. He turned his attention to her and their eyes met. Even now she could tell how red his cheeks were, not from the cold, but from what he had pieced together.

Marinette broke eye contact but she approached him and handed him the towel from just below the railing by her bed. He reached for it and she turned her back to him. Her cheeks burning and her desire to disappear into the floor were still there. "I'm different...because you like me?"

She felt her cheeks still burning and she nodded, but she couldn't face him. She walked over to her closet and pulled out the jacket she had been searching for. She didn't know what she could say to him. She couldn't even look at him. "Its not important. I know how you feel about Ladybug. Everybody does." She approached the railing again and passed up the jacket. "This will keep you warm and dry."

"Marinette, don't say that," Adrien stated as he tried to reach down to her and get her attention, but she had already placed the jacket on the railing and turned her back to him again. She had gone to get another towel and dry off. She was already using it to dry off when he picked up the jacket. "Marinette, I better go. I'll return the jacket at school tomorrow, okay?"

Now she turned back to him and shook her head. "N-no, you better not. Alya...she knows about...she knows about how I feel...if she saw you return a jacket to me, she would get suspicious."

He looked sad, but he nodded. Adrien put the jacket on, and buttoned it up. He still looked at her. "T-thanks, Marinette."

She could only nod. And he disappeared outside. That left Marinette alone, stilling anything abut relieved about the situation.

While outside, Adrien stood still in the rain for a moment. He could only hear the sound of the rain hitting the jacket and the tin roof's nearby. He looked down at his feet, feeling horrible about what had just happened. Marinette couldn't even look at him and he knew that she didn't intend for him to see the photos or for him to clue in about her crush. How could he be so wrong about his classmates feelings? She even passed her feelings off as nothing in front of him, when he could tell that it hurt her to say that about her affection for him. And now she was burdened with his secret. He glanced over his shoulder and at the window. He could see her sitting on her bed, still in her wet clothes and could see her shoulders shaking. He could tell, she was crying. He had to force himself to look away. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean to put this on your shoulders."

A/N: So Adrien knows about Marinette's crush. Marinette feels awful about how things are turning out, and I am exhausted. Sometimes these two are hard to write about. I will see you guys next time!