Chapter 6: Gris

A/N: Warning for some angst and swearing, if you're not about that life then I'm sorry. And, wow… that, that Christmas special was pretty bad. Like wow it was frighteningly bad, Zagtoon should never try for a musical again.

Marinette had woken up that morning feeling like shit. Her light cold from yesterday had not gone away with sleep as she had hoped, but instead came back tenfold and left her with a small fever, a weary headache, and a nose clogged to hell and back. Despite her request to go to school, it was only the second day she couldn't start her missing streak already, her mother insisted that she stay home and get more rest. Marinette did little to resist her mother in her weary state, instead making sure to at least send Alya a message about her attendance before curling back into bed and going to sleep. She barely heard her phone chime with a multitude of messages from down below, they could wait.

A good long nap later, some medicine to calm the fever, nose, and head, and some wonderfully warm soup from her mother, and Marinette felt much better. She was sitting at her desk wrapped in a blanket having just finished her soup when her phone chimed again. She quietly stood up and unplugged the device from its charger before crawling back up the ladder to her bed. Marinette curled into the soft blankets and adjusted herself so that she was comfortable. A quick click of the button and her phone sprung to life saying that she had messages from Alya, Nino, and Chat.

Oh good, Chat was messaging her again. She was rather worried when he didn't respond all of yesterday to her questions about how his first day at school went. He was so excited about going and told Marinette all about all the trouble he had gone through, going behind his father's back, to get himself up and registered for the school. Had school been a disappointment to him? Or had his father found out? She sighed unlocking her phone and clicking on Alya's most recent message first, Chat really didn't deserve all the strife his father seemed to give him. If only she could really be there with him.

She read the last message from Alya.

"Prepare yourself dear, we're coming over."

Marinette smiled, she could always count on Alya and Nino to be there when she felt bad, how sweet of them, though how silly of them to tell her to prepare herself.

"Marinette…" Tikki whispered.

"Yes?" Marinette asked, turning to Tikki who was looking at her phone over her shoulder.

Tikki gave her a concerned look that Marinette did not understand, was something wrong?

"You…" Tikki was confused, "You're much less concerned about this than I thought you'd be."

Concerned about what? "Alya and Nino coming over? Why would I be concerned?"

"Did you?" Tikki's eyes flashed to the phone for a quick moment, "Did you read them all?"

Marinette didn't respond, instead looking back at her phone to read Alya's earlier messages that Marinette had ignored.

"Holy shit guess who Nino and I just met." "Our other!" "Of all days for you to be gone I CANNOT believe it's today!" "He's so cute you're going to love him." "Listen I know you're probably sleeping so we're not gonna come over for lunch, also our other is a giant dork who's nervous to meet you."

Marinette stiffened from her place in her bed. Their other.

She had met…

Marinette had quickly switched her phone conversations over to Nino. She read over the many texts he sent her that morning. They were the same as Alya's, gushing over meeting their other.

Marinette's finger hovered over to back button, what was Chat's message? It couldn't be good. Though it couldn't be too bad either, Alya and Nino mentioned nothing about an Akuma. A couple of taps and she was staring at the single message from Chat.

"Is your name Marinette?"

He knew.

Oh shit, he knew!

Marinette barely had time to collect herself and do something before her mother called up for her.

"Marinette! Alya, Nino, and another young man are here to see you! I'm sending them up" Her mother sang out in a knowing tone. But she didn't really know of the shit show that was coming up to Marinette's room.

After a long day of brooding, contemplating, barely being able to actually concentrate in class, and a wonderful lunch with two of his soul mates, Adrien had confirmed one thing.

He was angry.

He was pissed beyond the stars at Ladybug, Marinette, whichever he should refer to her as now. It didn't matter, because he was angry at her. How dare she keep him from his own soulmates, how dare she lie to his and their faces. None of them deserved that, especially Alya and Nino. How dare she do something as horrible as keep them apart from each other! And now, he was going to see her, to confront her, and deal with this problem face to face.

He felt nervous as he held Nino and Alya's hands and followed them to the little bakery across the way from the school. How they would react, he wasn't sure, but Marinette had to be the one to tell them, she was the one to do this. They enter the little bakery and are greeted by a short woman standing at the counter. Adrien is taken aback for a moment, the bakery is just as he pictured when Ladybug had told him she lived in a bakery, in fact he and Ladybug had entered it on a couple occasions, he did not know it was her bakery. It looked much different in full color.

The woman at the counter recognized Alya and Nino and they chat for a moment about Marinette, she must be her mother.

"Sabine," she introduces herself to Adrien with a warm greeting.

"Um, Adrien," He replies, timid under her perceptive gaze.

Sabine simply smiles at him and asks no questions. She leads the three of them up and into her home, calling to her daughter upstairs and giving them a little "good luck," before heading back down to the bakery.

Good luck? He was probably going to need it.

Alya pulled them up the stairs and stopped before the little door in the celling. She turned to Adrien and Nino following closely behind.

"You two wait here, I going to get her ready, I'll call you when you can come up," Alya said before opening the door, Adrien saw a flash of pink from inside the room before Alya carefully lowered the door for a moment of privacy between them.

It was just him and Nino. Not a sound between them but their quiet breathing while waiting on the stairs.

"Are you nervous?" Nino whispered from behind Adrien.

"…Yes."

"But?" Nino continued, he knew something was wrong.

But he was angry too, angry beyond all belief. He wanted to scream and yell and run at Ladybug demanding an answer, for him and for their soulmates.

There was a shifting of fabric and Adrien felt Nino hands rest on his shoulders, they gave a squeeze.

"It's okay," Nino reassured, "It'll be great."

It won't, Adrien thought, keeping silent.

The celling door opened and Alya peeked inside with a smile, "We're ready for you!" She sang before she hopped away from the door.

Nino gently pushed Adrien up the stairs. He took in the bright pinks and eloquent designs of the room as he made his way up the stairs before Nino brought his hands over Adrien's eyes.

"For a surprise," Nino whispered and guided Adrien forward before pulling him down to sit on the floor.

Adrien sat cross legged on the ground and took a deep breath waiting, hoping for some twist of luck that he was wrong, and that Ladybug didn't lie. He heard Alya and Nino quietly count down.

"Three, two, one!" Their hands were removed from both sets of eyes.

He looked her straight in the eyes, and she him. He saw nothing. No new color, no new blend of bright beauty, just the girl before him, slightly disheveled and tired looking, with her hair out of place, but who was undoubtedly Ladybug under the mask.

Alya and Nino had sat on both sides of them and eagerly looked between Adrien and Ladybug. Their excitement died at the unexpected expressions of their soulmates.

Ladybug… Marinette, looked genuinely afraid, and in looking at her eyes widen in fear and her back stiffen as she realized that she had been caught, Adrien felt his anger bloom, brighter and brighter until he might burst.

"Wha-"

"Can we have a moment to speak alone?" Adrien practically yelled out.

Alya and Nino shared a look of concern. They gave a short glance to Adrien and Marinette before nodding their heads and slowly getting up from where they sat on the floor.

Adrien kept his hand's clenched and took heavy breaths to keep himself contained. He kept his eyes on Marinette as she watched Alya and Nino leave, she didn't look back at him until he heard the door quietly close behind him.

There was a moment of silence between them, She looked unsure of what Adrien was going to say, and honestly Adrien didn't know either, but he was going to say something. She opened her mouth to speak but he immediately interrupted her.

"What the fuck?" He growled through clenched teeth, she flinched at his words.

"I-I-"

"You what? Lied to me? Lied to them? Your own soulmates?" He was yelling now, he couldn't help it, "I mean what the fuck? Who does that? Who lies to their own soulmates? Who keeps their soulmates apart?"

She turned away from him, looking more and more ashamed with every word.

"Chat, I-"

"Adrien! My name is Adrien! But you didn't ever both to learn that did you? No! I just wanted to know you, to know all of the real you. And be there with you, but you just had to keep you perfect little lie all wrapped up and contained. You-you couldn't even tell me that they existed? Tell me that you knew them but wanted to wait until you were ready to tell me who you were. Something, something to tell me that they're real, something better than lying to me, to all three of us! You lied to us! How could you do that?"

Her eyes were wide with panic as she watched him unload all of his anger that had built up from the day.

"Well what the hell was I supposed to do?" Marinette suddenly yelled back, "Tell you everything and risk someone finding out? If anyone found out that Alya and Nino were our soulmates then they would use them against us, he would threaten their lively hood to get to us. You can handle yourself, but them? They can't! And I couldn't bear to see either of them get hurt because of me! It was the only way I could think to protect you, all of you, I didn't know what to do," Her voice had gone soft, she was looking down and he saw some tears dripping down her face.

For a moment he felt bad, and was at a loss for words. She was kind of right, but that didn't mean it wasn't a terrible thing for her to do.

"Tell me," She looked back up at him, words warbling and face teary, "Tell me you wouldn't have done the same thing."

He wanted to refute it, to instantly tell her no, he wouldn't have done the same thing, that he wouldn't have lied. But he had been doing it, all today he had kept the truth from Alya and Nino, he didn't tell them anything.

"That still doesn't make it okay," Adrien finally said.

"I-I know, I'm so sorry, but… I didn't know what else to do."

They were quiet for a moment, unsure of what else to say. Adrien finally spoke.

"We need to tell them. You need to tell them," He said with emphasis

"I know," She mumbled, "But, I can't."

"Marinette," He whispered, she perked up at her name finally being said and looked back at him, "You need to do this, they need to know."

"They've probably been listening to this conversation the whole time," She mumbled looking at the door behind Adrien.

"You can do this," He needed her to focus, "Don't worry. I'll be here with you."

A small smile graced her lips, Adrien felt accomplished of all things.

"I'm so glad you didn't turn into an akuma," She sighed.

"What?"

What? An akuma?

She became uncomfortable at his change in demeanor, "Um… One of the reason's I didn't tell you sooner, was, because I was scared of you becoming an akuma. I was afraid that you would get so angry that you would become consumed by Hawkmoth's akuma. That Alya and Nino might become that angry too. And after fighting Alya…" She had a glazed look at the memory, "It was hard fighting her, but you, I wouldn't be able to fight you, not one my own."

Adrien hadn't considered the possibility of that happening, and he had been angry, so, so angry, and he still was, if barely. Why hadn't he turned into an akuma?

"I figure now would be the time to interrupt," Plagg said zipping up from where he hid in Adrien's bag, "You and Ladybug cannot be turned into Akuma because you have been chosen by us the miraculous, and we can protect you from the abilities of Akumas. Think of us as emotional spirit hiders."

"But that doesn't mean your other soulmates can't still be affected," Marinette's kwami came from their own place above where they sat , answering an internal worry Marinette had at Plagg's comment.

"Who on earth is in there with them?" Both Adrien and Marinette jumped at the sound of Alya's voice from the door. They had been listening, just as Marinette guessed.

Both kwami returned to their hiding places again. Adrien shuffled across the floor over to Marinette's side, he gently put his hand on her shoulder.

"We need to tell them."

"But you heard what Tikki said, they could-"

"They won't, at least, not for long if we can help it," Adrien did what he could to reassure her, this couldn't go on for any longer.

Marinette clenched her fists and took a deep breath in effort to calm herself, Adrien could tell that it did little to quell her, but at least she was making the effort.

"You can come back in now," She finally called out with a shaky voice.

The door creaked open slowly, and Adrien saw both Nino and Alya peek their heads above the floor the examine the room. They eyed Adrien and Marinette suspiciously across the room before lifting the door all the way and coming in, Nino following Alya. They sat across from Adrien and Marinette in silence and waited.

All four of them waited and waited for someone to break the silence. After sometime Alya was the one to do it.

"I think I already know what it is, but, do you two have something to tell us?" She said with a slightly accusatory tone.

"Wel-Yes. We, we do have something to tell you," Marinette nervously replied looking down at her hands, she took another breath and clenched her hands on her lap, "Adrien and I, well, we've met before just now, in fact we met several months ago."

"Months?" He heard Nino whisper. Marinette flinched.

"And, I… I didn't tell either of you about each other," Both Alya and Nino were taken aback by this statement, just like Adrien had when he figured it out. He suddenly felt worry for if one of them were to become an akuma then, "I knew I should have, but, we didn't meet in the most typical of ways. You see, uh, we… A-Adrien and I, we… we are…"

Adrien watch as she choked and stumbled over her words, she really couldn't tell them. It was aggravating and worrisome, and he knew that he had to be the one to help her.

"Marinette and I are Ladybug and Chat Noir," He announced to his soulmates. Marinette bowed her head lower in shame.

"Really?" Nino asked, his expression was very disbelieving, while Alya had one of a shocked realization.

"Yes, it's true," Marinette supplied, bringing her head up slightly but still not bringing herself to look at anyone, "Adrien and I, we met as Ladybug and Chat Noir, and it wasn't until after I released my transformation that I realized that he was our other. I-I had no idea what to do, we had to keep our identities secret."

"Prove it," Nino breathed out harshly, still unable to believe what she they were telling him.

Tikki and Plagg came out from their hiding places to grace their soulmates' eyes. Nino jumped back at seeing the peculiar creatures while Alya stiffened from where she sat.

"It is a pleasure to officially meet Marinette's other soulmates," Tikki greeted with a bow.

"And I, the same," Plagg said rather uninterestedly, Tikki bumped him.

"What the fuck?" Nino whispered from where he was leaning away from the kwamis.

"These are our, kwamis. They, as well as our miraculous," Adrien pointed to his and Marinette's jewelry as he explained, "Are how we are able to transform and have our powers. They're our companions."

"That's so cool," Alya mumbled staring intently at Tikki while her fingers twitched.

"Do not write about this information in your blog!" Tikki suddenly yelled out, pointing accusatorily at Alya, already knowing what the girl was thinking.

Alya looked down with some shame, "I, if all of what you're saying is true, then, I can see why you were so secretive Marinette."

"If anyone knew, who we were, that you two were our soulmates, we all would have been in danger," Marinette was quiet as she revealed her fears to all three of them, "Hawkmoth could have used you, hurt you, to get to us and our miraculous. I couldn't let that happen."

Both kwami floated back to their respective miraculous wielders and settled in their laps. Adrien noticed how Tikki gave a reassuring look up to Marinette who still looked down without making eye contact with her soulmates. Nino had moved forwards a bit as he slowly relaxed to their presence.

"I wanted to protect you, and… I didn't know the right way to do it. So, I chose the wrong way, and I ended up hurting all of you," She paused and finally brought her head up to look between all three of them, "I don't expect you to forgive me, but, please just know, that I am so, so, sorry for lying to you, for keeping you apart."

Everyone was silent for a moment to let her words sink in. Nino was the first to speak.

"Marinette," She weakly looked him in the eyes, "I don't necessarily agree with what you did, and I'm certainly not going to forgive you right now. But, I think-no, I, I understand why you did it."

Her shoulders shook as she looked at the ground and let a relieved smile grace her lips, "That's all I ask of you."

There was a moment of silence as everyone tried to figure out what to do or say next. All that need to be said was done, and it was silent consensus between all of them that they we're not going to forgive Marinette just now, what she did was not okay, and they needed time before they could all really get over the harm her lie had caused.

"I think, the three of us should have some time on our own to talk things over," Alya offered.

Marinette nodded her head in agreement, "My head hurts again," She mumbled as everyone made to stand up.

Alya helped her up the ladder and into her bed, telling her to rest for now. Nino had grabbed Adrien's hand and gave it a squeeze, and he finally felt relief at the gesture, at the realization that he was done. He met his soulmates, all of them, he revealed his identity to them, and now… he wasn't sure. He had all the explanations he needed from Marinette, and honestly, he didn't want to talk to her, not anymore, not for another week at least. Alya came down from the ladder and led Adrien and Nino out of the room.

She took his hand and led the two of them out of Marinette's home, out of the building and to a small café where they could talk on their own.

A/N: Fucking done! All has now been revealed! Sorry this is a couple days late. This was one of the first scenes I had written when I originally came up with this fic idea but I found it rather hard to write. Anyways one more chapter after this one, and it may be another two weeks before it's posted, so brace yourselves.

Leave a review of what you thought lovelies!