Chapter Six
Marinette was practically ambushed by Alya as soon as they met up, dragging her into the taxi where Nino, Juleka, and Rose were waiting. She was greeted by a chorus of 'happy birthday!', but didn't even have time to buckle up before Alya slipped into what she called 'reporter mode', grilling her with questions on what had taken place this morning. She had to hold back a smile at Alya's clear frustration when she refused to give the name of her date.
All Alya was able to get out of her was that she had spent the morning with an old friend, that they had gone several places, and that it had been very romantic. The ride to the theater was full of groans from Alya as she tried to get more of a story from her, coos of congratulations from Rose, a soft smile from Juleka, and Nino attempting to comfort his frustrated girlfriend.
She did feel a little bad for not saying more, she knew how invested Alya got in events like a first date, but she didn't want to say anything without Adrien there. They hadn't decided how or what they were going to tell people, though they didn't plan on keeping it a secret forever.
So far everything was going well though– the movie was enjoyable, it had been a romance she had been wanting to see ever since the first trailer, and her friends had spoiled her with plenty of treats and popcorn. She shared the candy with Tikki, who was able to safely watch with them on her shoulder, the theater being dark enough for her to stay hidden. She was also able to safely touch her ring without drawing any unwanted attention to it.
It was a strange feeling– not just being married or Adrien being Chat– but the fact that she could be with Chat whenever she wanted now. She could call him up without being transformed, they could now hang out in public without drawing a crowd, she would be able to have him in every aspect of her life (though technically he had been the whole time). As she watched the couple in the movie kiss her own lips tingled, and her fingers twitched, wanting to hold a hand that wasn't there.
Now that every barrier had been removed from her and Chat she just wanted him with her– the mere idea brought a sense of safety, a belonging that she only felt when he was around. And even though she found herself laughing throughout the movie, and exchanging playful banter as they exited the theater, it just wasn't the same without Adrien there. Her eyes kept scanning the crowds, watching for a glimpse of blond and a playful smirk.
Marinette felt bad for Nino, who was the only guy in their group. He hadn't seemed particularly interested in the movie, and he didn't bother hiding a groan when Alya announced they were going to the mall next. Most of it was spent window shopping, but when they were going from store to store the four girls were trying on everything they could. Marinette didn't buy any clothes, though she did see a few outfits that gave her a few ideas for her own designs. For the most part she just enjoyed chattering with her friends, and refusing to let them pay for her purchases.
She bought a new purse at Tikki's insistence ("It's so fluffy on the inside!"), and a set of charm bracelets from a small vendor that she couldn't resist. It was a pair of Ladybug and Chat Noir themed friendship bracelets, one featuring a face of a black cat while the other had a ladybug. The Chat Noir one was already on her wrist, and as soon as she saw Adrien the Ladybug one was going on his.
After their shopping trip they parted ways with Juleka and Rose, and while Alya had planned on going to Marinette's favorite cafe, none of them felt peckish, so Nino had suggested a trip to an arcade instead. From there she had proceeded to beat the couple in every game that didn't involve dancing. After that the trio made their way to the cafe for a late lunch, sitting at an outdoor table as a waitress took their orders.
"Better now than at the lunch rush," Alya said as the waitress left, leaning back in her chair.
"Speak for yourself, I'm starving," Nino replied.
"Just save room for dessert– we're heading to the bakery after this for cake and presents," Alya grinned at Marinette. "We all know getting a cake from anywhere else wouldn't be up to the birthday girl's standards."
"Not my fault people don't know how to bake properly," she said with a shrug, before grinning. Growing up in the best bakery in Paris had its perks, but everything else did pale in comparison.
"My mother makes a mean mille-feuille, and you know it."
"I don't get you dudes," Nino said, shaking his head. "Food is food."
"Food is food, but taste is taste!" Alya snapped back. "Quality is more important than edibility!"
Nino smirked slightly. "Well, seeing as this place seems to be up to your standards, you don't mind paying, right? Because if I remember correctly someone owes me fifty euros..."
Alya let out an unintelligible grumble, but it seemed to be one of acknowledgement.
"What bet did you lose this time?" Marinette asked, not even surprised, they always placed bets on even the smallest of things– though fifty was a larger sum for them.
"Your love life," Alya muttered. "I thought for sure I was right."
Nino was grinning. "That's what you get for thinking far-fetched was reasonable."
"There was evidence there and you know it!" Alya snapped back.
"Evidence like the 'evidence' you had for your 'Ladybug and Chat Noir are aliens' theory?" A voice asked from behind them, and Marinette felt her heart skip a beat.
"I was thirteen then, stop bringing that up, Agreste," Alya replied, scowling at a figure behind Marinette.
She twisted in her seat, her heart starting to race as she caught sight of perfectly combed blond hair and the warmest smile. Adrien was wearing the same outfit he had this morning, suit not even wrinkled. His green eyes lit up as they shifted towards her, and an anxiety she didn't even know she had drained away.
"Dude, you made it! That's–" Nino began, but was unable to finish as Marinette threw herself out of her chair.
She slammed into Adrien's chest, burying her face into his shirt as her arms wrapped around him. She took in his familiar scent, though lacking the leather of his suit, and she relaxed in his grasp as he pulled her into a hug. She felt his chin brush against the top of her head, and while he usually would have given her a kiss, he just held her.
She felt a silent purr rumbling out from his throat, and she let out a soft sigh. "I missed you."
"I missed you too, Princess," he whispered back, holding her tighter. "Do they know?"
"Not that it's you."
"Do you want them to know?" He asked softly, ignoring the stares their friends were giving them.
She nodded, still practically cuddling up against him. His hands shifted from her back to her shoulders, she pushed herself onto her tiptoes, and he tilted his head down to meet her. She meant it to be a simple kiss, but the moment their lips met she couldn't pull away. Her arms slipped around his neck, and his hands were soon buried in her hair as he held her close.
"I knew it!" Alya's voice trumpeted as they pulled away, and they pulled their gazes away from each other to see that their friend had risen to her feet, hands slamming down on the table. She had a grin on her face, pointing at them with a finger. "I knew it– I called it, I called it! Ha! In your face, Nino!"
"D-dudes?" Was all Nino managed to say.
Adrien's hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her against his side. "Well, it looks like the cat is out of the bag now."
Marinette elbowed him.
"My ship is finally sailing!" Alya cheered. "Get over here you two– I want all the deets right now! Tell me exactly what went down this morning, how long this has been going on, everything!"
"I'm guessing we don't get a choice in this?" Adrien asked, pulling Marinette's chair out for her as they approached the table. She was flushing slightly from the kiss, and was startled that Alya hadn't pounced on them yet. Her mind was spinning, not used to having an audience for her and Chat's kisses.
"She was being too evasive this morning, she wouldn't tell me anything– I knew something was up," Alya had a wicked gleam in her eyes. "I also noticed that she wasn't wearing a certain necklace today– a necklace she's been wearing everyday for the last few months... one that had a ring that happens to now be on her finger."
Nino's eyes widened, Marinette and Adrien stiffened up slightly, instinctively reaching for each other's hand.
"And here Nino kept saying there's no way it was a promise ring when I pointed it out, that it was probably just a charm," Alya was grinning. "And I was like 'I know what a ring looks like', and I knew it was much more than some cheap charm– something that Agreste here could afford. Also there was just the fact that there was always several times a week that Marinette couldn't hang out... which always happened to be the same nights Nino said that Adrien couldn't hang out either."
She paused for a moment, as if waiting for them to deny it, and she smirked smugly as she continued.
"Now Adrien being unable to hang out is nothing new, with daddy dear saying no to everything– including to the idea of Sunshine here dating someone," she sat up a bit straighter. "And on the days where I decided to take the extra step to ask Nathalie if Adrien had some free time in his schedule she said he did, even though he told Nino the opposite– meaning he had plans in his free time the exact same days Marinette did. And since you were always hush-hush on just what those plans were clearly it was something secret... perhaps secretly dating so a certain Gabriel Agreste wouldn't find out? Hmm?"
She then turned towards Nino, crossing her arms.
"And what did you say to that? That it was too far-fetched? That there was no way they're dating?"
"I didn't say it was impossible," Nino began. "Just unlikely–"
"'I bet you fifty euros that they're not dating'," Alya parroted in an impression of Nino's voice. "'There's no way they're together, babe, we would have known'!"
"Don't act like I was being unreasonable, the chances of it were–"
"Guess who's paying for lunch now, Lahiffe– I was right!" Alya cheered. "I win the bet– you owe me!"
Adrien leaned over towards Marinette, speaking in a whisper. "Did Alya really figure out we were secretly dating each other when even we didn't know?"
Marinette just shook her head in disbelief. "She's too observant for her own good."
"Let me see the ring," Alya said, turning back towards them in excitement. "I've only seen glimpses of it– you always clammed up whenever I asked about the necklace."
Marinette held out her left hand, allowing Alya to look over the golden ring, giving what seemed to be a scoff of approval as she looked at the gleaming ruby. She shoved her hand away, shaking her head.
"Rich boys," she muttered, before smiling at Adrien. "You have good taste, Agreste, you better take good care of her. She's my bestie, and if you hurt her you get to deal with me– got it?"
"Don't worry, I plan to," Adrien said, giving Marinette a fond smile. "The last thing I want to do is cross Alya, after all."
Nino let out a snort of a laugh, Marinette rolled her eyes, while Alya crossed her arms. "I'm serious, Agreste!"
"Hi Serious, I'm Adrien."
Their waitress came by with their food at this point, probably saving Adrien from having both girls turn on him. Adrien placed an order for himself, apologizing to the waitress, but she just brushed it off with a smile, scribbling down his order on a notepad before going back inside
"So," Alya said with a mouthful of food "Just how long exactly has your little dating scheme been going on? According to my notes both of you have been acting off for quite some time now– changing topics at any mentions of being set up with someone, avoiding commenting on others attractiveness, the overlaps in the 'busyness' of your schedules... From what I can gather, I believe you two have been together for a year."
Nino snorted. "No way they'd stay quiet for that long. Three, four months– maximum."
Adrien and Marinette looked at each other with a knowing smile. They didn't need to say a word, just holding each other's gazes before they knew how they both wanted to respond. Marinette leaned up against them, while Adrien spoke in a nonchalant tone.
"We had our third anniversary last Christmas."
Nino choked on his drink, while Alya stared at them in shock. Marinette took a sip of her water, as if this wasn't something to be surprised at, and Adrien wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He stole a bite of food from off of her plate, the two of them waiting for their friends to say something.
As the silence dragged on Marinette grew worried, glancing at Alya. "You're not mad that we didn't tell you, right?"
She bit her lip. "I... I would be lying if I said I was fine that you didn't tell me," she finally said after a moment. "I mean three years... but I understand why you didn't, but still– we're best friends! Did you trust us? We wouldn't have told anyone."
"It wasn't like we wanted it to be a secret," Adrien said, his hand squeezing her shoulder reassuringly. "But when we first got together we decided it would be best if we didn't tell anyone– a secret best kept is a secret not told," his face twisted slightly. "You guys know my father... he literally has my dating and marriage life all planned out, me being with Marinette wasn't something he could know. We kept quiet about it, and I don't think we meant it to be a secret for this long, it just ended up that way."
Marinette wondered if Chat had planned on using his dad as an excuse for the secret dating from the start.
There was something nagging her in the back of her mind as she thought about this, a realization that just couldn't fully form. Something that felt important, yet her mind drew a blank. Her focus was currently on her friends and the story, and she was still taking in the fact that Alya wasn't only accepting the secret dating, but had predicted it as well. It made things easier for now, but she wasn't sure how the marriage part would be taken. But if there was anyone she wanted to tell first it was going to be her parents, so for now she was content with enjoying the peace.
The waitress came by with Adrien's food at this point, which was just a simple salad. She frowned at it as he began eating it– it wasn't an uncommon meal choice for Adrien, but now it did not settle well with her knowing that they danced across rooftops and battled against akumas– did his meal plans account for that?
"You need to eat more than that," Marinette said.
He gave her a smile. "I'm afraid I have a diet to follow."
"You didn't eat breakfast this morning," she countered. "And besides, if I have anything to say about it you're not going to be on a diet like that for much longer."
"True that I didn't have breakfast, but a pretty lady did bring me a whole box of pastries for me to eat instead," he replied with a small grin. "So I think I'm good."
Marinette's reply was to scrape half of her own meal onto his plate. His eyes widened slightly in surprise, and he moved to but it back, but she crossed her arms. "Eat it all or no kisses for the rest of the day."
"Princess! You wouldn't!"
"Try me!"
"What monsters have we released onto the world Nino?" Alya asked as she and her boyfriend watched them. "They're one of those lovey-dovey couples, and now that we know the truth they aren't even going to try to hide it."
"Last Valentine's Day!" Adrien and Marinette snapped at them together, causing their friends to blush slightly at the reminder at how 'lovey-dovey' they were themselves.
"Wh-whatever," Alya muttered, crossing her arms. "Just eat the food Agreste, there's no winning with it when it comes to Marinette."
"I don't know, I can be very purr-suasive," Adrien said with a grin.
"You can also be tied to the top of the Eiffel Tower," Marinette said, pointing at his plate with her fork. "Now eat, and remember that whatever diet you've had is going out the window as of today. Dupain-Chengs need to know how to eat."
Adrien smiled. "I have no complaints with that."
"Also I have a gift for you," Marinette said as she reached into the purse, pulling out the Ladybug charm bracelet she had bought, and her voice softened. "It goes with mine, see?"
"I thought you were supposed to be the one getting gifts today, not giving them," His smile turned into a grin as she saw the Chat Noir bracelet, and he happily slipped on his. "You know," he said, leaning towards her. "I still have that lucky charm bracelet you gave to me in collège. I knew it was really lucky, and now I know why."
"Is your ship everything you dreamed it would be?" Nino asked.
"Yep, they're perfect," Alya firmly, beaming happily.