Adrien's heart leapt. He pulled his Lady tighter into his side happily. They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments, content to just be for a while. Ladybug sat upright after a bit.
"What are you going to do now?" She asked him, looking him in the eye. He raised an eyebrow.
"About…?"
"About your identity," she explained. "Now that you know who you are, are you going to go back to your father and your job? Or are you going to stay here and keep pretending to be Jean Luc? Or tell my folks your real identity and stay here anyway?"
His brow furrowed in thought. That really was the question, wasn't it? Then, all at once, he realized what she'd said…and that her face was turning purple. He tightened his grip on her.
"It's alright, Milady," he said softly. "I already know who you are." Her sky-colored eyes widened in shock.
"You…you already knew? But- but how?"
He pointed to the ring on his right hand. "I noticed it that day when you dropped your drawings. I think my subconscious recognized it," he explained. "When you gave it to me, everything just…clicked into place. All the similarities."
She groaned, burying her face in her hands. "You weren't supposed to know," she mumbled. "I'm such a failure… You must be so disappointed." Her head snapped up, her eyes wide. "This could put you in danger! Oh gosh…"
"More danger than you knowing my identity?" He asked dryly. She still looked panicked, tears filling her eyes. He shifted to kneel in front of her, taking her hands in his. "Don't worry, Little Bug. I can take care of myself, and now I have Plagg to help keep me safe. Besides, we'll be able to help protect each other's identities, now that we both know." He looked at her earnestly. "It's likely the only reason I figured it out is because I'm your Chat Noir. I probably wouldn't have noticed the ring otherwise."
Ladybug sighed. She looked skeptical, and still very worried. Not really knowing how to help, he tentatively pulled her into a hug. She tensed for a moment in surprise, then relaxed into his chest.
"Tikki, spots off," he heard her mumble. He took a step back as pink bubbles of magic washed over her. A second later, a defeated-looking Marinette appeared in her place, handing over a cookie to a tiny red creature who floated in the air just as Plagg had.
"Je- Adrien, this is Tikki," she said. "You've met before," she added.
A new memory floated into his mind.
Adrien was running. Chaos reigned everywhere he looked. He'd been at a photoshoot at the Trocadero when a sentimonster attacked, aided and abetted by an akuma. He had tried to transform only to remember that he'd been required to remove his ring for the shoot, leaving it in his bag in the car.
All at once, he was struck from behind by a beam of purple light, which transformed his look. Now, his form was clearly female, with pink hair done up in twin buns that would put Princess Leia's to shame, a dress, and very tall platform heels, to add insult to injury. He righted himself and continued carefully on his way so as not to twist an ankle in those stupid shoes. He had to find Plagg so he could help put a stop to all this! Not to mention, ditch the heels.
He finally found his car, dumped upside down by the sentimonster at some point since the fight began. "Plagg! Plagg!" He called, but Plagg and his ring were nowhere to be seen. Just then, he caught sight of a slight figure dressed in black leather. What the-? He thought. Had someone else found Plagg?
Suddenly, he caught sight of a tiny red creature floating in midair in front of him. "Are you Chat Noir?" The creature asked in worry. He nodded, disconcerted as his giant pink hair buns swayed on top of his head. "There's been a mix-up," the red creature said, handing him a pair of spotted earrings.
"You're Ladybug's kwami?" He asked. She nodded.
"I'm Tikki. Plagg should be with Ladybug, don't worry. To transform, say 'spots on'." Tikki instructed as he pinned the earrings to his shirt.
"Right," he said, "Tikki, spots on!" Instantly, his body was covered in a thin, stretchy, red material covered in black polka dots. His chest bore an armored plate, and there was a circular shield attached to his back.
He pulled out his yo-yo, twirling it to deflect the purple beams as he ran toward the leather-clad figure. She was petite, her suit accented with lime green detailing. The typical fuzzy black cat ears stuck up out of her black hair, which was pulled into a braid so long it looked like a tail as it swished behind her. There was no doubt this was his Lady. She was stunning in his suit; he noticed his face becoming uncomfortably hot and cleared his throat awkwardly. As he watched, she deftly swung the silver staff so the purple light ricocheted off in another direction. It was then that she caught sight of him.
"Hey Buga-boy, nice of you to finally show up," she remarked with a signature Chat smirk.
He grinned at her. Who knew Ladybug was so sassy? "The pleasure is mine, Milady Noire."
He shook his head to clear it. Tikki was floating in front of him.
"It's an honor to meet you again, Tikki," he said, shaking her tiny paw with an index finger. "Though, I have to say I think I prefer these circumstances."
"You remember?" Tikki squeaked excitedly. He grinned and nodded.
"I remember. That Miraculous switch-up thing was crazy awesome! But, it's much nicer to make new friends when not having an akuma battle." He turned back to look at Marinette. She looked exhausted without her mask, he noticed. He looked around, startled to find the sky outside already spangled with stars; it was much later than he'd thought.
"Hey Bugaboo, what do you say I go grab us something to eat, and then you can go home for the evening. You look dead on your feet," he suggested. She quirked a small smile, leaning back on the chaise.
"I didn't know if I'd ever hear you call me that again," she said happily. "I begged you time after time not to call me Bugaboo."
"Good thing cats never listen," Adrien teased. "Now. About dinner…"
"Sure," she butted in. "Just don't forget your contacts and glasses, unless you want to do all the big reveals in one night."
Adrien grinned at her, shaking his head. "I think I've had enough excitement for one day." He replaced his contacts and oval spectacles before creeping down, cat-like, through the trap door.
Marinette let her mind wander as she waited for Adrien to return to her- his- room. Might as well make plans while she waited, she decided.
She ran over everything she'd learned about her Chat Noir, intending to find a solution to his identity problem. He was the definition of perfect- strong, kind, confident, gentle, skilled, brilliant, and, if she was being honest, the most handsome man she'd ever seen. It left her feeling…pretty inadequate, actually. She loved him, but she could never measure up. Especially not now. She was the world's biggest failure as a superhero. What would he see in her?
She was so lost in her head, she didn't hear Adrien return.
"Hey. You ok?" His voice sounded from the other side of the room. She looked up to see Adrien looking at her in concern.
She blushed a little. "F-fine," she said.
Marinette looked at him as his expression turned unreadable, wondering what he was thinking, before shifting her gaze to her twisting fingers. She couldn't deny how strongly she felt for him as she pondered his concern for her. But there was no way. She was a clumsy klutz, after all, a washed-up superhero, and he was a gorgeous supermodel. Her thoughts must have shown on her face, because all at once, a pair of strong hands cautiously took hers. Her stomach did a flip.
"Marinette," he said softly. She didn't look up. She heard him sigh. "Milady, please look at me." Slowly, she met his eyes. The beautiful green was hidden by the brown contacts and his oval glasses again. "Now. How about you tell me what's on your mind," he asked. His tone was calm, but his eyes were pleading.
She sighed. "I just…" she stopped, looking down again.
She couldn't tell him. He didn't even remember her properly, didn't remember all their adventures, all the nights on patrol, all the times they played games together or protected each other. He didn't remember their partnership. And she wasn't sure he remembered what he had felt for her…or how she'd treated him in return. It wouldn't be fair to him to dump all her insecurities on him. He already had a lot to sort through anyway with the newly-revealed identities; she couldn't add to it by telling him her fears and feelings, she told herself.
"It's…it's nothing," she finished weakly. She knew he wouldn't believe her, but prayed he wouldn't press her.
Apparently she'd forgotten how stubborn her Chaton could be. He laid his glasses to the side, gently tilting her chin up to look at him. His eyes were blazing, his brow furrowed. "It's not 'nothing' if it hurts you," he said mulishly, before his face softened. "Please. I want to help."
She pulled her hands away. "No, it's fine. I can handle it. You shouldn't have to-"
"It's ok, I want to," he reminded her. "I wouldn't have asked otherwise."
She looked at him uncertainly. "It's- it's stupid," she complained. "You have so many new things to worry about already. I- I can't ask you to take on my worries, too."
He stared at her in confusion. "We're friends, aren't we?" He asked, looking uncertain. "Isn't that what friends do?" He was looking at her through his hair again. She recognized the gesture. She sighed.
"I'm sorry, Chaton. I don't want to hurt you. I just…I don't want to bother you with this. You'll think it's stupid." That I'm stupid, was unspoken, but she knew he could probably read it from her, clear as day.
He looked stunned. "I- I'd never-" he cut himself off as he noticed the look on her face. It spoke of so many things- insecurity, uncertainty, hurt, resignation, sadness, and…and fear. Overwhelming amounts of fear.
"Please," she pleaded softly. "Please. Let it go."
He hung his head. "Alright, Milady. I get it. I won't push you anymore." She could see his hurt written on his face, but he quickly shoved it away, offering her a croissant in silence.
"Thank you," she whispered. She knew he understood that she didn't just mean for the croissant. She was glad he'd let her be. Maybe one day she'd tell him, but it would not be this day.
They ate in silence, Tikki and Plagg appearing momentarily from wherever they'd been hiding to retrieve their favorite snacks before they retreated. Finally, Adrien looked up at her expectantly, though his chocolate eyes were dull. He seemed to be trying to pretend that nothing had just happened.
"So…about my identity…? Do you have a suggestion as to which option I choose?"
Marinette stared out, not really seeing as she retreated into her head. "If you keep everything the same and stay hiding out as Jean Luc, that prevents you from having to deal with the press, at least for the time being," she said, beginning to think out loud, her tone business-like. "The downside to that is that you'll have to be constantly on your guard to make sure no one figures you out. I don't know about you," she looked up at him, "But personally, I feel like that would be terrible."
"It's possible that all of these options are terrible," he reasoned. "We just have to pick the least terrible choice."
She nodded before continuing. "If you go back to your father as Adrien, you'll be able to learn more about your upbringing, be able to go back to the life you had as a member of high society."
"The downsides are that I'd possibly get forced into a loveless marriage to a crazy witch; probably go back to being mostly alone and/or my father's pawn; and the press will probably go insane once they get a hold of the story of what happened to me," Adrien interjected gloomily. "They'd never leave me alone after that, not to mention I don't think I can just come out and say, 'Hey everybody, I was missing because got knocked out in a battle with an akuma and lost all my memories. Also, I'm Chat Noir.'" He gave a dark chuckle. "I likely wasn't even supposed to be there as my civilian self in the first place."
Marinette shot him a sideways glance in concern before moving on. "The third option is that you reveal yourself and the situation to my parents, minus being Chat Noir, of course, and continue being Jean Luc the bakery employee by day. You'd be able to avoid the press without having to worry about Maman and Papa figuring out your secret…"
"…but they might fire me on the spot," he finished. "I haven't been honest with them, after all."
"But that's not your fault," she protested. "You didn't even know your real name until today."
"Yes, but I knew I'd been a model," he pointed out. "I technically took advantage of their hospitality and kindness, rather than trying go back to my real life. That doesn't really seem like an ethical thing to do, right?" He paused, then, looking worried. "What if they insist that I go back to my father? Of those three options, I can tell you right now, I'm absolutely not interested in going home. This-" he gestured to the room around him, "- has been more like a real home than it seemed like I'd had with my father."
Marinette looked vaguely pleased before she turned to him with a shrug. "You're an adult," she reminded him. "They can try to insist that you go back to your father, but ultimately, they can't legally make you. Nobody can, including Gabriel Agreste. You get to decide."
Adrien processed this. It was then that Marinette had another idea.
"Or…there might be one more option," she said, flushing a brilliant red. "You…you could come and stay with me and then figure out from there what you want to do. I have space…" His eyes widened in shock, his jaw hanging open, before he blushed crimson as well.
When he failed to find his voice, Marinette hurried on. "You- you don't have to decide right now," she rambled. "I…I just wanted to let you know that it's an option. I-if you want." Still stunned, he just nodded silently.
The awkward pause stretched between them, before Marinette suddenly stood. "I- I should probably let you get to bed," she said reluctantly. "You still have work in the morning." She turned back to him, reaching for his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. He met her eyes questioningly.
"I'm really glad you're safe," she said finally, her face turning red. But she continued determinedly. "Even if you don't remember everything, you're still the same person, and…I'm so, so glad you're not gone. Nothing was the same without you. Nothing was right- my powers, the battles, even me. Especially me."
He just watched her in stunned silence as she dropped his hand, transforming back into Ladybug. "We should meet up tomorrow so you can practice using your powers," she said, suddenly business-like again. "You need to get used to them again before there's another akuma attack. Let's meet at our spot- at the Eiffel Tower. 19:30." She took out her yo-yo as she prepared to exit through the balcony hatch, then turned back over her shoulder, her eyes softening.
"By the way…I much prefer your true eyes and name to the fake ones. They…they suit you." Then she disappeared without another word.