"You lied to me."
It's a statement, not an accusation; but when the words fall softly from Marinette's lips, Adrien winces as if she'd screamed them.
The midday sun filters through the small spaces between the leaves above them, speckles of golden light falling onto the pair as they sit quietly on the bench. The park probably isn't the best place to have this conversation, but nowhere else felt... right.
Nowhere in Paris was neutral ground; they'd fought together everywhere, and even the park held memories of the two of them eating quiche before being attacked by an akuma, and taking photos of their class for Juleka.
But they'd needed to talk. The revelation of their identities was a shock to them both, and answering one question has led to a thousand others which whirl in Adrien's head like a tornado.
How does this - us - work now we know each other's identity?
Why didn't you tell me?
What are we?
He can't tell if Marinette is thinking the same thing. Since he revealed himself to her she's barely looked at him – in hindsight, confronting her about her identity in the middle of the night as Chat Noir probably hadn't been the best move.
But god, he'd been so happy. His mysterious Lady who'd stolen his heart with ease was Marinette, the girl who'd begun to pull him away from Ladybug with her sweet smile and kind heart. The fire and determination in both girls – well, the one girl, it turned out – had drawn Adrien to them, but when he had finally been allowed to know Marinette, her awkwardness around him dropping as soon as he wore a mask, the choice had been surprisingly easy.
And when he'd figured it out, that crystal moment of realization which had been like putting on a pair of glasses and seeing everything clearly for the first time, he hadn't wasted a minute.
It had been reckless, bounding to her house at midnight – he'd been lucky she had still been awake to hear his gentle knock on the door of her balcony. And that had been exactly where his luck had run out, her reaction to his revelation about her identity and his de-transformation far less thrilled than Adrien had hoped it would be. Instead of gleefully throwing herself into his arms, Marinette had just… stared.
Adrien was concerned that Marinette had turned to stone after a few minutes. He'd never seen someone go that long without blinking. Her mouth had fallen open in shock when his transformation dropped, and for a split second Adrien had been worried that she would scream – the last thing the situation needed was Marinette's parents.
Instead she'd just gaped, eyes unmoving from Adrien's face until, finally, she'd spoken.
"I – I can't do this. Not right now."
And she'd walked back into her room, leaving a stunned Adrien standing on her balcony, the chill of the Parisian night seeping through his clothes.
He had waited for ten minutes to give Plagg time to rest before transforming again, but also to make sure that Marinette wouldn't come back out to talk to him; but he understood the shock of the revelation, and once Plagg was ready to go, Chat Noir went back home to a sleepless night filled with the thoughts of tomorrow.
Adrien had gotten to class early the next day, watching his classmates slowly amble in. Nino sat down next to his best friend, and the pair had chatted as Adrien kept one eye on the door. Alya had walked in alone, and Adrien had begun to worry that Marinette was going to skip when the bell rang to start class.
Five minutes later, Marinette sprinted through the door, apologising to the teacher as she took her seat. She'd avoided Adrien's gaze, and he'd spent the whole class barely able to pay attention to as he thought about what he was going to say to her. Time dragged by, each few seconds punctuated by a glance at the clock, which couldn't be willed into going faster no matter how hard Adrien tried. When, finally, the clock had struck twelve, Adrien had spun around to face Marinette, his arm draped on the back of his seat as he looked imploringly at her.
"Hey Marinette? Can I talk to you about something?"
He ignored Alya's grin and Nino's look of confusion, focusing solely on the girl who couldn't quite meet his eyes.
"Sure," Marinette replied, forcing casualness into her voice as she looked at Alya. "I'll see you after lunch?" Marinette asked her friend, who nodded and moved out of the classroom, grabbing Nino's arm and dragging him with her.
Adrien stood up, hoisting his bag over his shoulder as Marinette did the same. He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped as Marinette shook her head.
"Not here," she said, still looking at the floor. "We can talk, but… not here."
Adrien nodded, gesturing to the door. "Lead the way."
The walk to the park wasn't long, but it felt it; Marinette stayed a step in front of Adrien, and he didn't feel confident enough to catch up to her until she stopped by the bench. They'd sat there, letting the world pass by them as they wrapped themselves in the cocoon of their secrets, known only to each other.
Adrien didn't want to rush Marinette; the first words shouldn't come from him in this conversation.
So when she spoke, as softly as the breeze which slipped over them, Adrien let his shoulders sag in relief, even as the words sliced his heart.
"I didn't lie to you, technically," Adrien replies to her words, shooting her a glance before his gaze drops back to his shoes, scuffing the ground with his sneakers as he talks. "I just... didn't tell you the whole truth."
Her hands are grasping her knees, her body leaning forward as if she's ready to leap away at any moment. Tension tightens her shoulders, and she lets out something which isn't quite a laugh, but is better than the silence of moments before.
"Okay. Maybe you didn't lie to me," she concedes, still not looking at Adrien. "But you should have told me it was you."
Adrien raises his eyebrows. "You mean like you told me that you were Ladybug?"
Marinette closes her eyes, twining her fingers together and propping her forehead on them as she rests her elbows on her knees. Adrien sighs, his confidence in this conversation faltering; maybe they needed more time before they had this talk.
He'd always imagined knowing Ladybug's identity would break down the barriers between them. Adrien had never thought it would cause more to be built.
He doesn't know if he can piece back together the trust between them, his affection for Marinette having caused this trouble in the first place (although he can't bring himself to regret his inability to stay away from her, even as Chat Noir) but he knows that he'll hate himself if he doesn't try.
"I was really happy when I figured out it was you," Adrien whispers, unable to look at her as he speaks, baring his emotions for her eyes only. "And when I looked back, I realised I couldn't imagine Ladybug being anyone else. Because you're… you. You're fantastic, and I can't believe I didn't see it sooner. And… and I know that it must be disappointing to find out that I'm me, but… I thought you might – might be happy. Might be okay with it." He lets his words trail off, and thinks that maybe this was a bad idea.
She'd always said their real identities were better kept secret. Maybe Ladybug – no, Marinette - had been right.
His thoughts are interrupted by Marinette's startled voice.
"You think I'm disappointed?" she asks incredulously. Adrien turns to look at her, and he's surprised to see a look of horror on her face.
"Well… yeah," he says, and he looks back down at his knees. "I'm hardly a prize partner."
He feels a hand on his shoulder, and looks across to see Marinette scooting closer to him, a blush warming her cheeks as she looks at him, a sad smile on her lips.
"Adrien, I – I'm so glad it's you. Honestly. I know I haven't exactly been acting like it, but there's nobody else I'd rather have fighting by my side."
"Really?" Adrien says, his voice small as he stares at his hands.
"Yes," Marinette replies, her words firm but kind. Adrien looks up at her, and their eyes meet for the first time since he revealed himself to her. He notices the dark circles under her eyes, and realises that he wasn't the only one who had a sleepless night worrying over this. Marinette removes her hand from his shoulder, blinking as she turns away from his gaze. Her knuckles clench against her pink jeans, and Marinette sighs as she looks down at them.
"I know I haven't dealt with this well. I'm sorry. But this has all come as quite a big shock, and I guess it's just difficult, because I thought I knew you so well – both of you. I mean, I do, but I also don't, and it's just kind of hard to get it in my head that you're Chat Noir and that he's you!" Marinette is gesturing wildly with her hands as she explains, and eventually gives up and places her head in them. "It's not a bad thing, I just… need some time." The words are muffled by her hands, and Adrien looks at her affectionately. His hand moves onto her shoulder, mimicking her own gesture of comfort, and he smiles at her softly.
"Okay," he says, squeezing Marinette's shoulder.
She opens her fingers slightly, one blue eye peeping through the gap as she looks towards him.
"Okay?" Marinette repeats quietly. Adrien nods, his other hand scratching the back of his head as he does so.
"Yeah, I get that this is a lot to take in. I did kind of throw this at you all at once." He laughs dryly, leaning back against the bench. "Honestly, I don't think I did this the right way. I'm sorry."
Marinette lets out a laugh, her hands slipping down to drop into her lap.
"We're teenage superheroes who've just found out each other's identities after months of secrecy. I'm not sure there is a right way to do this." Marinette gestures between the two of them, and her eyes widen as she realises what she's doing. Adrien pretends not to notice the implications, although he's wondering exactly what this means for the two of them now.
Adrien looks at Marinette, whose head is back in her hands as she makes unintelligible noises, and knows that now probably isn't the best time to talk to her about his feelings for her in both her personas (and her feelings for him, perhaps – because he's sure that this isn't unrequited. He's seen the way she looks at Chat sometimes, when she thinks he doesn't see, and recognises it as the same look she sometimes gives Adrien).
So he pushes past his desire for answers to a question she isn't ready for, and instead focuses on rebuilding the friendship they have in numerous forms, masks on or off.
"I do understand," Adrien says, his hand rubbing Marinette's shoulder soothingly. "I mean, I thought I would recognise Ladybug if I saw her every day, and I thought… well, I thought I knew you pretty well, too. So how about this: we take some time, and get to know each other properly. Without the whole secret identity thing. And we… we can go from there. Deal?"
Marinette's hands fall back into her lap, and she nods vigorously at the boy next to her.
"Deal," she says, and a small smile creeps onto her face. Adrien can't help but grin, the peace settling between them like the rays of light slipping through the leaves. He reaches out a hand to Marinette, who raises an eyebrow as her eyes flick to it.
"Friends, then?" Adrien asks, hoping that Marinette doesn't notice the wobble of nerves in his voice at the possibility of her rejection. Marinette's shoulders shake as she giggles silently. Adrien notices the pink tinge on her cheeks as Marinette delicately takes his hand, meeting his eyes as she shakes her head firmly at him.
"No," she replies, and Adrien's eyes widen in shock. Marinette beams at him, and it's like looking at an angel; Adrien blinks as she replies, the single word filled with meaning.
"Partners."