Chapter 3: Relationships and Theories

A/N: Thanks to all who had favorited or followed or reviewed this fanfiction. It really meant a lot to me, your support of changing this one-shot into a multi-chapter story. I would also like to sincerely apologize for waiting till almost a year had passed to finally update this story. This chapter was hard to write, and I procrastinated by working on other stories and writing new ones. Please forgive me and enjoy the contents of this chapter, as well as any of my other fanfictions you may be interested in. Have a wonderful day.

...

Adrien had always thought his life before he knew Marinette was Ladybug was difficult. After all, he was forced to follow the rules of his controlling father, his crush was a secretive partner who insisted on staying professional, and his only real friends were a floating cat and three other students, one in which seemed scared of him.

His loneliness and reserved nature made it easy for him to hide how much he wanted his life to be different, how much he wanted more freedom to do what he wanted and be who he wanted to be. The only one who really knew how bad life really was for him was Plagg, who got to witness firsthand how alone he was sometimes.

Ladybug had always been his saving grace, since the first day they met. He had thought her to be crazy, but she was also so awesome, brave, and incredibly intelligent. Since the moment she had stood up to Hawk Moth and declared to all of Paris who they were, he had told himself he would always love her. And even though he found himself more and more disappointed as she never seemed to pick up on his feelings, he still found it very much bearable. As long as she was in his life, things would work out.

Then he had discovered that Ladybug was Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the sweet, compassionate and shy girl who sat behind him in class; it was like a huge wake-up call for him. In hindsight, it was embarrassing how he didn't realize they both had bluebell eyes, midnight hair, and the same stubborn nature that he found so irresistible. Even more mortifying was the finally figuring out that the reason she acted so nervous and tongue-tied around him was because she liked him about as much as he had liked Ladybug. And now that he found any and every reason to spend time with her, he found there were new things about her to love.

Like the fact that she knew tons of books but when she tried to read anything to you she sounded like a robot. Like when she got nervous she either played with her fingers or her hair. That she was generally nice and polite to everyone, but whenever Chloé was so much as mentioned, her face twisted into an annoyed and disapproving expression. It was cute.

He made sure to wait for her outside school, ask her out to lunch, and find activities to do together without the supervision of his bodyguard or their friends. Alya and Nino had gotten that memo really quickly, and did their best to give them alone time, whether it required them making up bogus excuses or feigning their own excursion together that were meant to be date-not dates (though the blond boy was pretty sure they were actual dates if the glances the glasses-wearing teens spared each other was anything to go by).

Adrien also used the chance to show his Chat Noir side. He made super obvious and funny puns when he felt the occasion needed it. He would wink and tease. He would hide little gifts, like pure silk or rose quartz jewelry or even bits of candy in her school bag or in her pocket (she always asked him about it and he would make extra sure to openly smirk while denying any responsibility).

When they were interrupted by an akuma, he made sure to be super understanding when she suddenly had to take off. After all, they both had to rush off to the same place, not that she knew that.

The blond knew it looked a little too much like he was playing with Marinette's feelings, and maybe a selfish part of him was as retribution for his earlier confusion and longing for Ladybug and being constantly shot down. But mostly, it was in order to win her over as not just Ladybug but as Marinette. He made sure to be more like Adrien when he was Chat Noir, and vice versa, because he wanted her to love all sides of him. Just like he loved all sides of her.

And yes, he can now confidently proclaim that to the world. He had feelings for the girl behind the mask, and he wanted her to be his. But he wanted to earn that affection first.

That may not sound like it made sense, but to the model it was a pressing concern. After all, he had many people who claimed to love him due to his job, and he knew most of the time it was mainly so they could be famous too, or because they wanted him as a trophy boyfriend and husband. And while he knew his Ladybug wasn't so shallow as to love him because of his status or looks, he couldn't help the same whisper in his head that told him otherwise. I mean, what had he really done to deserve her love?

He knew keeping the secret of knowing her identity would probably hurt her when she eventually found out, but he just couldn't risk her judging him because he was Chat Noir. He didn't want her feelings for Adrien to change just because he happened to be the black cat she sometimes looked like she could barely tolerate.

So he would keep up the dates and the new attitude until he was ready to tell her everything. Some would say he was playing with fire, but the blond model was willing to take the risk. After all, his luck had held on for this long. What could possibly happen now that everything he wanted was just within his grasp?

…

Marinette didn't understand what just happened. One moment, she was barely noticed by someone she greatly admired and cared for; then the next, she's spending almost every moment with him. And it seemed to happen so fast, her head was still spinning.

Since she had become Ladybug, she had accepted that there would always be a part of herself she would keep to herself. Marinette always knew she would remain friendly, but distant from everyone in order to protect her secret. Even her very best friends, Alya and Chat Noir. And that was okay, because it was what kept them safe.

Now though, it seems as though Adrien was going out of his way to hang out with her any chance he got. He walked her to school, asked to join her for lunch, wanted to invite her over when school was over and done with. He even invited her to his photo shoots and his fencing tournaments.

At first, Marinette feared it was out of pity maybe. Perhaps he was trying to make up for all the times he let Chloé act the way she wanted to everyone while he never spoke up and continued to be her best friend. But that couldn't be it, the girl hadn't seen him trying to talk to anyone else and he never invited other people on their little excursions. The second option she considered, however unlikely that someone as sweet and compassion as Adrien would do so, was that it was a prank for Chloé, that he was trying to get her alone and to trust him only so he could humiliate her in some way and text it to the whole school. However, that was discarded as well after the second trip when he had taken her to a pizza shop for them to share a meal. If it was a prank, Marinette seriously doubted money would have been spent by the blond model. Besides, the way he was looking at her now was too sincere to be dastardly in any way.

But that only begged the question: What had she done to get noticed by Adrien? He had always left her alone when her awkwardness around him had risen to maximum level and didn't seem in any hurry to change their relationship before. Now, like it was out of the blue, he wanted to know everything about her and was happy to shower her with gifts he would subtly slip into her pocket and then deny ever seeing when she tried to give it back the next day (and he was real sneaky about it, making sure she never actually saw him give her and indicating she had no proof before walking away with a barely concealed smirk on his face).

Another thing, it was like he was a different person when it was just the two of them. He made jokes sometimes (puns, ugh!) and would show a confidence she had never known the blond to have before. Generally he was quiet and sad, like someone who just accepted that life was the way it is, badness and all. Now, he was more outspoken and not afraid to debate anyone who got in their way, especially her way.

He also never questioned when she had to rush off when an akuma attacked, accepting any and all excuses she gave with an understanding smile on his face. He never got irritated or demanded her to stop, like any reasonable person probably would and should.

To make matters even more confusing, Chat Noir was acting different with Ladybug. He still flirted, but it was more subdued and his attitude was more serious. He would make little comments about how beautiful she was or how brilliant her idea was. He would be very sensitive and coy now, and it made it harder and harder to ignore the possibility that his feelings for her may be real.

It also made her feel guilty, like she was stringing both of them along by allowing herself to be treated like she was something precious by the both of them. Which was weird, considering neither of them had any real claim to her.

It made her almost dread seeing them both, even though she knew it was a necessity. Besides, she couldn't cut them out of her life now. Adrien was her long time crush and Chat Noir was her superhero partner whom she needed to defeat Hawk Moth with. It wouldn't be worth anything to disassociate herself from the two just because of some misplaced feelings of guilt.

Besides, it was nice to be noticed by Adrien and doted on by Chat Noir. She never really had people who saw her as someone worth that. Especially as Marinette, who would never measure up to Ladybug, despite what Chat Noir said about her. Her true self was boring and quiet, and would never be someone people would do a double take for.

So why was Adrien suddenly so interested? Marinette wasn't sure what the answer was, but she was going to do whatever she had to in order to find out. Little did she know that as soon as she found out the answer, she would wish with every fiber in her being that she didn't know.

…

The day that all hell broke loose was a normal day. It had been about a month and two weeks since Adrien had discovered his lady's identity, and it seemed that all the effort in officially getting to know her and slowly but surely woo her would finally lead up to what he had been debating over for weeks. He was going to ask Marinette to be his girlfriend.

"I don't know about this, kid," Plagg said as he floated by him with his standard cube of camembert in his tiny hands. "You're still technically lying to the girl. Doesn't she deserve to know why you're suddenly so interested in her?" Adrien was looking at his bathroom mirror, tying his bow tie and trying to look his best. Today there would be a fashion show at the mayor's hotel and of course, he had taken the opportunity to ask Marinette to accompany him.

It had taken a little convincing, as the blue-haired girl had worried about how she would look compared to the other guest and whether she'd embarrass him by not knowing how to act or what to say. He had immediately assured her that she would be great. To sweeten the deal, he had made it clear that either she go with him or he would have to go with Chloe (which wasn't necessarily true, but knowing the blonde she would hang onto his arm so long that people would assume they had come together). Almost a second later, Marinette agreed to go with him, saying repeatedly that she would look her best.

Persuading his father had been a bit harder, but once he found out the girl he was taking was an aspiring fashion designer and had also won one of his previous contests before, he had been all for her as long as she was polite and presentable. And here he was, taking the girl whom he loved very much, to a public event. Kinda like a date.

"You say that like the only reason I started hanging out with her was because she was Ladybug. I was always interested in getting to know Marinette better, it was just I always thought she was secretly afraid of me or too intimidated by my status as a well-known model." Adrien argued as he pulled down his jacket and left the bathroom, Plagg following him easily.

"And now you know it's for real, and you're still not telling her. I don't want to say I told you so when this all blows up in your face, but when it does, I'm so doing that." The black kwami stated simply. The blond model sighed as he turned to face the tiny cat, looking determined.

"Plagg, she won't find out. And I'll tell her I know her identity, just not yet. I want us to be on the same page before that happens, you know? Besides, what could happen to make it all blow up in my face? It'll be fine."

"Famous last words, kid. Especially when you regularly deal with bad luck." The kwami said ominously as he swallowed the last of his cheese and moved to the inside of Adrien's jacket, more or less ready for how the night will unfold.

…

"I don't think it's a date, Alya. Maybe he was just tired of always having Chloé off his arm." Marinette said as she made sure her hair was perfect in their standard pigtails. Alya's voice blew from the phone, "So that means he rather have you on his arm, girl. Read between the lines, Marinette."

"That's probably because we've been hanging out a lot. That doesn't make this a date." The blue-haired pointed out as she smoothed down her dress and made absolutely sure she looked perfect. An exasperated sigh came from the phone then.

"Girl, everyone can tell you two are going out. Except Chloé, but that girl has never been the brightest diamond in the set, you know? Or maybe her denial is very strong. Either way, it's been clear for months that Adrien has been deliberately looking to spend time with you, giving you gifts and now inviting you to a special event. If that's not romantic interest, I don't know what is."

"But don't you think this all sort of came out of the blue? I mean, we were friends before, sure, but he has never really seemed all that interested in me. In fact, from what Nino told me, he was always more focused on Ladybug." Marinette claimed as she moved from the mirror to her desk, watching Tikki eat a cookie in front of her computer.

"Well, maybe he thinks you're better than a superhero?" was Alya's teasing question.

That made Marinette laugh, readily joining in, "Yeah, or maybe he figured out—"

And that's when it clicked. Suddenly everything became clear. Why Adrien was suddenly so interested, why he's been treating her so differently, why he was completely okay with her rushing off whenever an akuma attacked. The blond model knew she was Ladybug. It was the only thing that made sense.

"Marinette? Mari? Girl, are you okay? You were saying something about Adrien figuring something out and then you just stopped." She heard Alya say, although her friend sounded far away, like she was speaking to her from the other end of a tunnel. The blue-haired girl barely registered her next words as she said numbly to Alya, "Alya, I have to go. I'll call you when I'm done with the event, alright?" And then she hung up without an answer.

The glasses-wearing redhead was going to be furious with her, but right now Marinette didn't care. It was all she could do to stop herself from hyperventilating as the same sentence bounced around in her head over and over.

"Tikki, we have a problem! A huge problem!" she screamed at her kwami, who was just finishing her cookie and was now staring at her with a worried look on her face. Swallowing the last bit, she questioned her friend, "What is it, Marinette? You look like you just got some bad news."

"Don't you see, Tikki? Adrien knows I'm Ladybug. Everything makes sense now." She said as she started pacing back and forth.

"How do you figure that, Marinette? Are you sure you're not just jumping to conclusion because you're looking for an explanation about Adrien?"

"No. Well, yes, maybe. But listen, remember when we fought that one akuma that made us late to school and I had time to come as Ladybug? I looked around everywhere before I transformed. Everywhere but above me. Someone could have looked out the window and seen me transform back and I think Adrien was that someone."

"Marinette—," Tikki attempted to speak, trying to placate her, but Marinette was on a roll, pieces of evidence springing to mind.

"Don't you remember that day? He was all stiff and unfocused? Then he had rushed out of the room like he was being chased by a pack of hungry lions! Then the end of the day, he suddenly wants to hang out all the time? The way he never questions when an akuma attacks and I have to rush off? The way he seems smitten with me all of a sudden? It all fits! He knows I'm Ladybug."

Marinette sank to her knees as she realized what that meant. Tears welled up in her eyes, extremely saddened as the fact came to her head. He didn't care about her as Marinette. All he saw, the person he had been nice to this whole time, wasn't her. It was the perfect hero, Ladybug.

"He never saw me at all." she whispered as a few tears fell.

"Marinette, don't jump to conclusions just yet," Tikki cried as she flew over to her chosen, stroking her cheek with her little arms as she continued speaking, "Everything you said was speculation at best. Besides, you know Adrien! You know how nice and considerate he is. You can't claim he is only treating you a certain way just because of the mask without any proof. Don't sell yourself short just yet, Marinette."

The girl sniffed as she thought over what her kwami said, "Do you really think he's nice to me because I'm me and not because I'm Ladybug. Is that even remotely a possibility?"

"It is. You are amazing, whether you're Ladybug or Marinette. Don't ruin the evening you have waiting for you just because you're doubting yourself again. Please." The little ladybug pleaded with her chosen.

Marinette looked down at the floor, knowing she seemed a little paranoid and self-deprecating, but she couldn't help that. She grew up thinking she was bad luck and having a bully insult her and trip her every day without anyone ever really refuting the action. Her self-esteem always got so low when she was just plain old Marinette.

"You're right, Tikki. I should at least enjoy the evening before I let my insecurities get the best of me. Thanks." she said, smiling at her little friend.

"Look on the bright side, Marinette," Tikki said as she settled into the purse her human had set on her shoulders, "even if Adrien is just being this way to you because he found out your secret, at least you'll still have Chat Noir."

"Yeah," Marinette laughed as she looked once more in the mirror than headed out of the room quickly, "at least I'll still have that."

…

I had hoped this will be the second-to last chapter, but that will have to change. Honestly, I hadn't originally planned for Marinette to sort of figure out that Adrien knew, but the idea popped into my head while I was writing the phone call between her and Alya, and I just ran with it. So most likely, this will be five or six chapters long, we'll see. I'll try not to take so long in updating it, but I still have other fanfictions I need to work on, so please have some patience with me. I want to update all of them at least once this year before going back to creating some new ones or updating my most recent ones. Hope you enjoy what's in store.