Author's Note:

Description: Between fighting crime, his distant father, and an over-scheduled life, Adrien doesn't exactly have it easy, despite all outward appearances otherwise. Can he find respite and refuge in a certain polka-dotted someone, or will he crash and burn? Anything's possible. Miraculous love square. Also published on wattpad under backthataccioup.

I do not own Miraculous Ladybug or its characters, but I do own this story.

Thank you, thank you, to everyone who has left a review, favorited, or followed this story. It motivates me ;)

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The sun streamed through the open window, right into Adrien's weary green eyes. He cracked his neck experimentally, finding it sore from a night spent with a textbook as a pillow. He wasn't going to complain too much, seeing as he got four hours of sleep, which didn't always happen. But he still massaged his tender muscles even as he rose from his chair and went to the dining room for breakfast.

A small selection of food options had been set out for him- the chef's own chicken and pepper breakfast sausage, a still steaming omelette, artisan whole wheat cereal, and a small hunk of cheese. So it seemed that the chefs had attributed Plagg's liking of cheese to Adrien. He smiled. He didn't have to visit the fromagerie this much that way, and anything that saved him time was nice.

His father had flipped out when he discovered that Adrien was using 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, something about how it would make his hair look dead in photos. The rare moment of 'care' had tempted Adrien into using it more, but he had submitted to his father's wishes, per usual.

Munching on his omelette, Adrien saw that Nathalie had left him a note. Usually she waited until after his school day ended to give him an update on his schedule. Adrien let out a groan. She only felt the need to warn him of an event early if it was a meet-and-greet, something about ensuring he had sufficient time to get in the proper mindset. He didn't have to leave school early today, which was a relief. For all that his father seemed to be frustrated when Adrien was late to school in the mornings, the man didn't seem to mind it when Adrien 'missed his education' to model.

Natalie had booked the meet-and-greet for him in some fabric store in desperate need of patronage. Fitting his father would have bookmarked that one for a publicity stunt- anything to make the Agrestes have a well-like public image. Adrien couldn't stand these type of events with his fans. He appreciated their support, but the fact that they cared so much about him as to buy tickets and merchandise made him feel a little sick. It was easier to stomach admirers in small doses, like running into the odd fangirl while out and about.

Tucking Plagg into his pocket with a crumble of cheese to tide him over for the rest of the morning, Adrien grabbed his chemistry assignment, stuffed it in his bag, and went down to meet the car. 7:32.

After Monsieur Gorilla dropped him off at school, he entered the building with a purpose and strength at odds with his exhausted mind and body. He was full of the knowledge that Ladybug was a classmate of his, had been for quite some time. He was emboldened by this fact. Maybe he could finally piece together her identity.

Theoretically, he understood why it was safer to keep their identities secret from even one another. Practically, he understood it as well. The fewer the people that knew the truth, the fewer the people that could be corrupted or manipulated to tell or show Hawkmoth. The fewer the people that knew, the safer they would be. And most likely, if he knew Ladybug's real identity, he'd spend too much time trying to talk to her. Without knowing her identity, it could be very out of character for that to happen. For example, although he and Rose were nice enough to each other, they operated in entirely different social , Adrien might risk alienating her further than he sometimes (accidentally, mind) did when he was Chat. That happened in moments where they were dependent on each other and she could not really risk pushing him away.

But safety wasn't the primary concern of the spark of curiosity that burned inside him. Usually he did his best to tamp it down. It only seemed to get in the way of whatever was going on in his life. Nathalie and her schedules had no time for wanderlust or discovery. His father didn't need childish wonder interfering with photoshoots and networking. He needed all the time he had after school to try and cram his work in so that he'd be able to make it to the patrol on time.

Adrien was burning to know who Ladybug actually was, but the clue that she was a classmate was both alarming and reassuring. He was psyched to finally have a direction to search in. Doubt pressed at the back at his mind, though. If she was his classmate (as she herself had confirmed) how had he missed it so far? How had he failed to spot Ladybug's brave and charming personality among his classmates?

He found his way to homeroom and looked around, Ms. Mendeleiev's nasally and serious voice fading instantly into white noise. Who could it be, anyway? His rational brain argued that it could be anyone, boy or girl. His own Miraculous altered his eyes and hair, physical changes, so he supposed that Ladybug's, uh, assets could be a product of the transformation. But the hormonal teenage boy part of his brain, the one that snuck glances at her impressive physique between bouts of action, subliminally knew that she was a girl. Maybe because he couldn't cope with it any other way, but still. Who could it be?

Well, he could start by ruling out people he knew Ladybug wasn't. Alya was definitely out. She ran the Ladyblog and took all the footage of said hero, plus she was trapped on the carousel during the attack. Chloé was out too, for the simple fact that he had seen them in the same room together. That indubitable fact reassured him, as Adrien was pretty sure he would be able to come to terms with anyone but Chloé being Ladybug. His mind wouldn't have been able to reconcile the two, which occupied opposite ends of his thought spectrum. He tried not to think about Chloé if possible, and he had to fight thinking about his lady.

Even as he pondered hard, his eyes began to flutter shut as his escapades from the previous night caught up with him. His head found his desk and he drifted off. Due to his slumber he failed to notice Marinette behind him, who was also dozing through attendance.

a/n: please R&R!