Okay, so this might not be my most eventful chapter, but hopefully it's enjoyable nonetheless! I may or may not have been listening to Hawk Moth's rap on repeat while writing this. What can I say? It's a bop. Let's hope this chapter isn't tainted with villainous yearning! XD

Recap: Previously, on You Times Two… Clumsy Girl fell hard for the sidewalk, sent macarons flying, and was starkly reminded of her feelings for Sonata the Hedgehog. Meanwhile, Jealadrien made his saucy debut, but blamed his funky stomach feels on his breakfast, and as he, Salami and Marimoo arrived at Alya's front door, he unwittingly saddened our fav gal by mentioning his imminent date. Will envy run amuck during their gaming afternoon? And will Buginette get her feelings back on track? Read forth, my furiends, and find out!

Chapter Eight

Marinette stared down the scuffed floor of the stair landing, if only to hide the sting in her eyes and what it truly meant. She blinked – once, twice, thrice – and clung to the carton of macarons, so hard the cardboard let out a faint crack beneath her fingertips. She was waiting outside Alya's apartment: the third wheel to a bicycle, soon to be the fifth to a quad bike. Not that she was mad. Well, not at Adrien.

She'd suggested a candlelit dinner. She'd told him to ask Kagami out properly. She'd planted the seeds in his mind. And God, if the night of Glaciator was anything to go by, she'd bet her earrings he'd planned the most swoon-worthy of dinners. Had he decided Kagami made him happier than Ladybug? Did he plan to make their relationship official? To make her his girlfriend?

Adrien's polished shoes shifted from the corner of her eye. "Marinette?" The concern that coated his voice had her lifting her head. "Are—"

The apartment door squeaked open, and the familiar herbal scent of Marlena's houseplants flooded the stairwell.

"Why hello, boy and girls!" Alya's eyes zipped across the three of them. "Weiiird. It feels like we talked just seconds ago!"

Adrien's eyes snapped ahead, model smile at the ready. "Hey, Al," he said, readjusting the pizza boxes. "You took the words right out of my mouth!"

Kagami offered a little half-bow. "Thank you for welcoming me into your home."

"S'all good, Kagami!" Alya's attention turned to Marinette, and her grin wavered.

"Uh - Hi, Al!" Marinette pasted on a smile. "I'm here on time for once!" Had her hands been free, she'd have whipped out some jazz hands for extra oomph.

Alya shook her head. "Dang, girl! You sick or something?" She stepped aside with a lively, "Come on in, squad. Shoes can stay on." She eyeballed Adrien. "Being exposed to your shoeless feet once was enough for me."

His ears reddened. "I don't know what you're talking about."

The image of Plagg's gooey Camembert squelching around in his shoes hit Marinette and suddenly, her smile came more freely. They had another joint patrol tonight. She'd have to ask him where he stowed it all.

They'd just crowded in the entry hallway when Nino bounded on up, his sneakers pounding on the parquet floor. "Hey, ma dude!" He threw an arm around Adrien, nearly bowling him over. "Thanks for keeping the pizzas away from Marinette."

"Marinette was bluffing," Kagami interjected, her lips splitting into an awkward grin. The corner of Marinette's own mouth rose in recognition. "She led us up the stairs right after making her threat. She never intended to eat the pizzas without you."

Two seconds ticked by as Nino and Alya bore witness to Kagami's pearly whites. "Err," Nino drawled, first to shatter the silence. "Riiight." He pulled his trademark finger guns.

"Yo, Kagami!" Alya planted a hand on her hip. "Ready for the grand tour? Adrien, you might as well tag along."

Marinette didn't miss the scheming glint in Alya's eyes as they swept from Kagami to Adrien, then her to Nino. "In the meantime, babe, can you give M a hand with fixing things up?"

Nino readjusted his cap. "You got it, Al." He reached for the pizza boxes in Adrien's arms. "I'll take those off your hands, bro."

The instant he did, Kagami took Adrien's hand in hers.

"Alrighty, ladies and gents!" Alya nodded toward a lone door on her left. "Right there is the bathroom, where yours truly fabulizes herself every morning." After a sassy flick of her fiery hair, she gestured to the pale wall on their right, which stretched to the far end of the apartment, its surface busied by tribal masks and animal paintings. "All those doors lead to the bedrooms, which brings me to the most important part of our tour." The volume of her voice faded as she led the hand-in-hand couple past the kitchen, the dining room, the lounge – all open-plan – and through the furthest door. "Here is your royal highness' room!" She shut the door behind them.

"So," Nino drawled.

Only then did Marinette realise she'd watched Adrien every step of the way.

Or rather, his hand.

In Kagami's.

She ripped her eyes from Alya's bedroom door and threw Nino her most inconspicuous smile, hoping it was enough.

"Do you – uh – like triple cheese?" He jerked the pizza boxes a little higher in his arms. "Could I interest you in a slice? Or two. Maybe three. As many as you need."

"Triple cheese sounds great."

With a nod, Nino led her down the short corridor, around the corner and into the kitchen. Red overran her vision, a result of the dated cabinets that lined the wall to their left. He laid the three pizza boxes across the island bench, her carton of macarons soon joining them.

Flipping back the lids, the aroma of melted mozzarella and spicy pepperoni warmed the air. In a matter of moments, napkins layered the polished bench before them, and pizza sagged between their fingers. One bite of pizza and her troubles seemed just a little smaller. Two and they were melting like mozzarella in one of those nifty clay ovens.

A self-assured voice travelled through Alya's door.

"—our first date – couple—"

Was Kagami talking about tonight?

"—no doubt – perfect—"

Marinette squinted, like that'd help her hear bett—

Splat.

A glob of mozzarella slid off her steaming slice and onto the bench.

"Hey…" Nino's voice was oddly gentle, much like his eyes when she met them. "I'm sorry about my dude. He's pretty clueless sometimes."

"What? No, I just—" Her sight sunk to the bench, zeroing in on the glob of mozzarella. She plucked it up, dumped it on her napkin, and sighed. "Sorry. I'm trying to get over him."

Nino offered her a smile of solidarity. "It'll be okay, M." He propped his arms upon the bench, eyes sinking to his pizza. "I figured he'd tell me if they were official, you know?"

"Um – They're not official?"

"They're not?"

Wait.

Did Nino not even know?

"Well, uhh…" She toyed with the edge of her napkin. "Adrien told me he didn't think they were official yet, despite what people have been saying. But they are going out on a date tonight, so..." Any words thereafter only clung to her tongue, refusing to be given voice.

"Really?" His brows squished together. "When'd he say that? How'd this even come up?"

"Well, I left my backpack at school yesterday, so he dropped it off. I took the chance to congratulate him and – uh – that's when he asked for my advice."

"Man," he murmured, cupping his chin, "maybe I should talk to him. See where his head's at."

Marinette tensed. "Ju-Just – If you do, please don't tell him I said anything. I – I thought you knew. And besides"—the volume of her voice dropped in time with her eyes—"Kagami's right. I hesitated. I had my chance – heck, I've had hundreds of chances – but at the end of the day, I just can't seem to bring myself to tell him how I feel."

Nino shifted closer on his barstool and set a hand on her shoulder. "Well, Marinette, sometimes the slowest turtles are the ones that win the race."

Images of a green-clad superhero played in her mind's eye. She couldn't help but giggle. He'd made a great Carapace. Goodness, even now, without the Turtle Miraculous, he was still looking out for Ladybug.

And now that she thought about it, maybe there was a truth to Nino's words that even he was unaware of. The bond between Ladybug and Chat Noir was second to none, built from a year of blind trust and friendship. If Chat Blanc was anything to go by, a sudden confession from her could end the world. Perhaps things were better this way.

Bunnyx sure seemed to think so. She knew Marinette was Ladybug. It wasn't a stretch to assume she knew Chat Noir's identity too. Even Hawk Moth's. When Timetagger terrorised Paris, Bunnyx had hopped in and suggested through flailing hand motions that love between her and Chat Noir would be messy. Was that because of timing? Or were they just not meant to be?

"Well," Nino tore her from her thoughts, "the slowest turtle usually wins the race… but not in Mario Kart!" He grinned, prodding a thumb over his shoulder, toward the living room. "Ready to eat my dust?"

There was a glint in her eye. "May the fastest turtle win."

Their pizzas downed, Marinette and Nino made their way onto the immense L-shaped sofa. Thumbs soon flicked joysticks. Fingers scurried across tiny buttons. An upbeat soundtrack bounced through the TV speakers. On a particularly tight corner, Marinette's character drifted by Nino's in a flash of yellow and pink.

He growled, gripping the controller tighter. "How are you so good at gaming?!"

She threw her nose in the air, a twinkle in her eye. "Practice."

Seconds later, a turtle shell crashed into her character, lurching Princess Peach into the air. She didn't lose first place, but that didn't stop her from pouting. "How do you keep hitting me?! You can't even aim the green ones!"

Grinning, he pinched the brim of his cap. "Practice."

To the left of the TV, Alya's bedroom door eased open, and the queen herself peeked through the crack. Seeming satisfied by the sight of them gaming up a storm, she swung her door the rest of the way and sashayed into the living room, Adrien and Kagami in tow. The latter stopped to study the screen. "Who's winning?"

Adrien didn't miss a beat. "Marinette, of course." He ducked past the TV, careful of obstructing their view.

Her breath accelerated in time with the music tempo as she commenced her final lap. It had absolutely nothing to do with Adrien claiming the empty spot to her right, the sofa sagging a smidge beneath his weight. Kagami was close behind, and despite the minimal leg room, she squeezed into the actual corner of the L-shaped sofa, right beside him.

"Dude," Nino was screeching, "you have so little faith in me!"

"Sorry, Nino." Adrien let out a little laugh. "I'm sure you'll beat her one of these days."

"You are so not helping."

Alya plopped down beside Nino and planted a peck on his cheek. "At least you're not far behind, babe."

"No, but I will be if you keep doing that."

Not even a minute later, Marinette sprung to her feet with her fists in the air. "YES! I win! Marinette style! Booyah!" With a second fist pump, she almost lost the controller to the ceiling—but she didn't, 'cause she was a winner. And of course, that warranted a fervid victory dance, so she did just that; her hands swept from left to right and back again as she chanted, "Uh huhhh! Oh yeahhh! I'm the best! Uh huh!"

Her theatrics were only urged on by the laughter that layered the air (around eighty five percent of which might've just come from a certain kitty cat).

Nino thumped a hand on the round coffee table ahead. "I demand a rematch," he squawked, "on two hundred CC!"

Marinette spared her nails a cheeky glance. "Ha! You're on, chump." In the wake of her victory, she was well on her way to feeling normal again. "Let Master Dupain-Cheng show you how it's done!"

True to her word, she pulverized him.

For the next half hour, chit-chat and banter filled the airy apartment, as the quintet savoured their fill of pizza. Four slices remained, tucked away in a cardboard box on the coffee table for Luka.

A four-player game of Mario Kart had ensued.

Marinette was winning.

Adrien was hot on her trail.

Alya and Nino were half a lap behind, after two run-ins with a certain yellow fruit.

And Kagami was keeping a curious eye on the TV, no doubt making mental notes for her first attempt next round.

"Ready, guys?" Adrien jumped to his feet. "Here it comes." His character, a burly ape on a hefty quad-bike, was fast approaching a ramp. "Donkey Kong dab in three, two, one!" He dabbed in time with his character, complete with a dramatic grunt.

Marinette's eyes remained on the screen, but that didn't stop a smile from puffing her cheeks.

Nino, adamant that "whole body steering" was a legit strategy, unknowingly tilted into her personal space. "Bro," he exclaimed, "was the grunt really necessary?"

"Absolutely," Adrien quipped. "It elevates the dab to a whole new level—"

"Babe," Nino cut in, now leaning right into Alya's space. "What're you doing? Get outta my way. Get outta my way. Get outta my—"

"Nu uh, Nini! Get your stupid dinosaur outta my—"

"Dude!" He thumped his feet on the floor like Gigantitan 2.0, and Marinette's eyes flicked to his section of the screen just in time to catch the tail-end of his kart spinning. "Another freaking banana?!"

"Ha!" Adrien voiced, triumphant. "Yes. Peel the pain of my slippery secret weapon!"

Alya snorted. "The pain of your puns isn't bad enough?"

"Just call me Banadrien."

"Bro? You can't think up something better than that?"

Marinette's smile turned wry. "Don't you mean something more apeeling?"

Adrien gave a hearty laugh. "See? M gets it."

She narrowly escaped an explosive, green turtle shell. Since when did Adrien use that nickna—

Gasping, she clutched the controller closer.

A certain pesky primate had crept into the corner of her screen.

"No no no no no!"

"Yes yes yes yes yes!"

She shoved her thumb against the accelerator button, so hard a tiny circle was surely forming on her skin. "Adrien, get your creepy ape away from me!"

"That was the perfect opportunity for a Planet of the Apes reference. I am so disappointed in you!"

Adrien's conniving cackles enlivened the room, but now was not the time to admire the unbridled joy in his voice, nor the throatiness of his chuckles. Her face scrunched as she wrestled with her thoughts. For goodness' sake, Kagami was sitting right next to him!

Holding her breath, Marinette dared a peek at the silent girl. Kagami's hand cupped her chin, her eyes set on the screen. She eased her head onto Adrien's shoulder—

Princess Peach zoomed straight over a poorly concealed banana peel, the wheels of her kart skimming the track with a dizzying spin.

His pesky monkey shot straight past and—

"NO!"

"YES!"

Kagami placed a hand on Adrien's knee, which had bobbed wildly for most of the race. "Well done, Adrien," she praised, patting his knee twice.

"It's not over yet," Marinette declared.

The music amped up, Adrien now in the lead and commencing his third and final lap. Marinette was close behind.

Alya unleashed a throaty groan. "Adrien, you and your bananas are driving me cray!"

"Dude! How many do you have?!"

Adrien sniggered. "I'm gonna hazard a guess and say a bunch."

"But how?!" Nino screeched.

"I guess you could say they were ripe for the picking."

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Gosh, Banadrien! Stop distracting me with your lame puns!" From her peripheral vision, she caught his grin inch wider. He leaned well within her bubble and her Chadrien Alarm™ blared like an air horn.

"Now you're just hurting my peelings."

Her heart thundered in her ears. She didn't trust herself to speak. No, instead she elbowed his gut, which only encouraged another laugh. Suddenly, she was laughing too.

That is, until she glimpsed Kagami's thumb shift a smidge atop the black denim of his jeans. Her hand hadn't left his knee.

"M, you're falling behind!" Alya cried, snapping her to attention. "Quick! Cut corners!"

"Find shortcuts!" Nino added.

"Run him off the track!" said Alya. "You don't want him banana punning for the rest of the day, do you?"

Marinette giggled. "Shouldn't you be taking your own advice?"

"Girl, we're a lap behind."

"Yeah, we're just cruisin' at this point. You've still got a chance!"

Marinette honed in on the TV. His quad bike was up ahead. Only half a lap remained. Things weren't looking good, but that's never stopped her before.

Her tongue peeked through her lips.

"Oh! Oh!" Alya made an exaggerated gasp. "She's got her game face on, boys and girls!"

"She's catching up!" Nino cheered.

They were right. So maybe if she really dug in and focussed—

"Say yellow to my triple bananas!"

Three slippery suckers clustered behind Adrien's motoring monkey. He released the first.

She dodged it.

He let loose his second.

Another dodge.

The third.

Yet another dodge-a-roonie.

"You really aren't living up to your nickname, Banadrien." With a satisfying jingle, her character rocketed through a mystery box—but suddenly, she was whirling at the hands of a despicably well-placed banana. "WHAT!?" Her eyes bulged.

"You were saying?" He sent her his signature wink.

She sputtered—for words or air, she couldn't be sure. That sly cat! Had he planted that sucker on their previous lap?

Donkey Kong whooshed over the finish line.

Nino and Alya's jaws dropped in unison, their gasps rocking the room.

"Yea-hea-heah!" Adrien launched to his feet, Kagami's hand falling from his knee, though the smile on her lips was as apparent as his excitement. He whipped out a fervent victory dab—once more in sync with his character. "Beat you by a banana split second. Adrien style!" With dramatic flair, he threw Marinette some dual finger guns. "Booyah!"

She burst into a fit of laughter. Gosh, if this was the price to pay for losing to her partner, she honestly couldn't complain. "Next—" She wheezed. "Next round I will reign victorious!"

His shoulders shook with his every snicker. "Seems our Gamer Princess is salty she got dethroned!" He flashed a smirk and suddenly, all she saw was her cheeky kitty. All she felt was a fierce thumping in her chest. And all she could do was beam up at that face and those eyes and the pure joy that sang within them.

Why yes, she'd been dethroned.

And if he acted like this every time, she'd lose again in a banana split second.

For anyone who's interested, I also write Miraculous one-shots. Two are up so far and I've almost finished a third one. The first one-shot is pure Adrienette fluff (post-reveal and established relationship). The second, which I've just posted tonight, involves pre-reveal Marichat makeouts. Huehuehuehue! The third will be Adrienette kicking butt at laser tag.

When the time comes, I also plan to write two side fics for YTT: a coming-of-age Bunnyx fic and another about Ladybug and Chat Noir visiting the Tibetan Temple. I don't want YTT's main story to be too all over the place, so side fics like these are my solution! Reading them won't be needed to understand and enjoy this fic, but keep your eyes peeled if the premises interest you. :D

With all of that said, I hope you all have a wonderful rest of your day! :)