Marinette finally flopped back into bed after getting in from her first date with Chat Noir. Tiki spun in little circles around the room, before popping onto the pillow next to her weilder's head.
"Tiki! I can't believe what a busy day it was!" Marinette kicked her feet up. "I'm totally exhausted! But so utterly happy! I didn't know you could be so happy!"
"And I'm happy for you too!" Tiki chirped. "Your Chat Noir finally found you!"
Marinette rolled over to her side, leaning her head against her hand. "Tiki he knows I'm Marinette! Somehow I messed up, and I don't even know what tipped him off. Did I just ruin everything?" Marinette closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then dared to ask, "I...I can still be Ladybug?"
"Oh Marinette," Tiki affectionately patted her head. "Of course you are still Ladybug!"
"But I thought...?!" Marinette started.
"Master Fu had experienced losing a partner, and the one he loved because they revealed their identities...others in Miraculous history have faced peril because their secrets were revealed," Tiki explained. "Master Fu made the rule to try to protect you both...and the miraculous'. Even Master Fu knew that it was only a matter of time before you discovered each other."
"What! He knew?!" Marinette gasped.
"Wayzz' may have let it slip that after defeating your very first akuma Master Fu had said you and Chat Noir were 'made for each other.'"
"Then why make us wait?!" Marinette asked with an edge of frustration.
"You had to be ready. Do you think you're ready now?" Tiki inquired with wide blue eyes.
"I...I...think so," Marinette responded.
When Chat Noir said your name what did you feel?" Tiki asked.
"Surprised...excited...electrified...Tiki it was like everything just clicked into place. I wasn't even worried about it...what might happen...not upset...it just felt..."
"Like it was meant to be?" Tiki asked.
"Yeah," Marinette rolled back onto her pillow, looking up at her ceiling.
"Then you were ready," Tiki pronounced decidedly.
"But what about Chat Noir. Why didn't he just tell me who he is then?" Marinette bit her lip. "A couple years ago he was jumping at the chance to tell me who he was...how can I feel so strongly for someone when there is so much about them I don't know?!"
"Tonight you just had your first date, but you've been through so much together over the years. You know him better than you think. You may not know who he is without the mask, but it doesn't make him any less Chat Noir," Tiki counciled.
"Thanks Tiki," Marinette smiled.
"You're not going to ask who he is?" Tiki asked curiously.
"I'll find out...when he's ready," Marinette said softly, finding a strange comfort amidst the whole upturned situation.
Tiki smiled proudly at her beloved weilder. She kissed her lightly on her head, before floating to the desk to munch on a plate of cookies Marinette had left out for her. Tiki did wonder though how much her chosen's calm persona would hit the roof when she found out who she'd been kissing!
Marinette sighed deeply, as she scanned the recent texts piling up on her phone...mostly from Alya.
"I can't believe you didn't tell me girl! Nino let it slip that Adrien told him a couple days ago he was planning on taking you out tonight! How did I not hear you screaming it from the rooftops already?! How did it go? Was it amazing? Did you kiss that clueless boy yet?!..."
The list of questions for details on every aspect of the night went on and on.
Marinette shook her head. Alya was so excited for her, thinking her date had been with Adrien. How could she blame her...Alya had been her wingwoman for years now ('Operation Secret Garden') trying to score a date with 'Buttercup." Alya had endured countless hours of Marinette lamenting about unrequited love. Alya had nearly give herself a concussion with the number of times she had face palmed when Marinette had fumbled another attempt to confess her feelings to her long time crush.
How was she going to explain that she had turned him down?! She could hardly believe it herself. It wasn't like she was about to tell everyone she was now dating a superhero, whose name she didn't even know! What was she going to say?!
Was dating Chat Noir crazy?! Then her mind blissfully replayed the kisses and embraces with Chat Noir in her mind. It absolutely was crazy, but she wouldn't trade it for anything!
Somehow she was going to figure out how to deal with it all...but she needed time to figure out what to do exactly.
"Sorry for keeping things under wraps! We can talk more Monday after school! Girls night at my place?" Marinette typed, knowing her best friend would be losing her mind having to wait on the latest news...even a couple days. At least that would give her some time to come up with something.
"You're not even give me one juicy detail from your night with the man of your dreams?!" Alya typed back with a pouty face emoji. "Common' you've got to give me something!"
"I'll give you homemade cookies with double chocolate chips on Monday!" Marinette typed back, hoping Alya's weakness for her Dads famous cookies would be enough to bribe her.
"Make it triple chocolate chips and I won't hold your totally unfair mysteriousness against you forever," Alya typed back. "But Monday I expect a full exclusive on how this finally happened. (p.s so happy for you!)"
Then there was a pause and another text from Alya popped up. "Are you sure you can't just give me the tiniest hint to get me through the weekend?"
"See you Monday Alya! Ive got to go!"
"Wait is he still with you? Is that why you can't talk now!? He is isn't he?!"
"Goodnight Alya, I'm going to bed now." Marinette shook her head and decided Alya would not rest her reporter frenzy of inquiry unless she stopped responding
"Marinette Dupan-Chang! I've been a bad influence on you! ;) Is that boy keeping you company?!" Alya teased.
"Going to bed, by myself," Marinette clarified
"Fine...leave ur bff in suspense." Alya typed "luckily I've got lots of work to do this weekend to keep me busy! The London studio I interned at called, and they are going to pay me to continue the International Ladybug story from here in Paris!"
"Wow! Alya that's amazing! Has there really been that many sightings though?" Marinette typed back.
"Like you wouldn't believe!" Alya sent back, clearly buzzing about the news. "They've been popping up everywhere! I've got people sending me pictures of them in Australia, Philippines, USA, Bhutan, India, South Korea, and rumors of them in so many more places like Tibet, Canada, Germany, and Egypt too!"
"Are you sure those photos aren't photo-shopped though?" Marinette tried to cover up. "What can you tell from a blurry photo really?"
"I checked with Max and at least the ones from those locations are totally legit!
The best news I got tonight was that you had finally got a date with Adrien! The second best news was this..." Alya then sent Marinette a extremely recent photo taken that very night. A photo that was certainly not blurry...it was a crystal clear photo of Ladybug kissing Chat Noir on the boat cruising the Seine.
Marinette's mouth dropped open, and then she smiled the longer she looked at the picture. Chat Noir had been right all those years ago; they really did make a good looking couple!"
"I know right!" Alya typed without even waiting for Marinette to respond. "Isn't this the best picture ever! I can't believe they finally got together! I know you haven't always been a LadyNoir shipper, but you gotta admit they look pretty happy!"
"You know I think you might have won me over to the LadyNoir side...they do look happy!" Marinette smiled taking another look at the photo Alya had sent and forwarding it to Chat Noir.
Finally saying a definite "Goodnight" to Alya for what seemed the hundredth time, Marinette noticed a response from Chat Noir. Excitedly she pressed his icon.
Chat Noir had sent back a winking emoji, accompanied with a string of hearts in response to the photo she had forwarded.
Then clearly too excited to sleep Chat Noir sent her a video "Chat" request. Marinette shook her head, but immediately accepted the call, self consciously tucking her loose hair behind her ear.
"Hey Beautiful," he purred. "You haven't had enough of me yet?!"
"Not yet!" she laughed back.
"Guess we're not going to fly under the radar Princess! By Monday everyone in Paris will be chatting about the greatest Romance in the history of the city of Love!"
"Haha not everyone..." Marinette tried to brush it off, but then something truly alarming struck her! "...it's not like anyone would know that...oh no...everyone...no no no! He'll know!"
"What are you talking about? who knows what?!" Chat Noir's face filled the screen concerned.
"Adrien!" Ladybug exclaimed.
"Yes?" Chat Noir responded, and then scrambled to pile on more words, "...I mean yes, what about him, that boy...the one you spoke of earlier...before?"
"Adrien is going to figure out who I am!" Marinette transformed into full panic-mode. "How could I be so stupid! I knew we shouldn't have...Of course someone saw us! How did I not think it would get back to him!"
"Wait, wait...so you're upset that you think Adrien...Adrien Agreste...has figured out your identity?" Chat Noir said slowly with a smirk pulling at his mouth.
"It's not funny Chat! I'm serious!" Marinette couldn't see what he could be smiling about at a time like this.
"Oh yes, very serious," Chat Noir strained to put on his most serious face. "How exactly do you think he would find out a thing like that?"
"The tickets! The date!" Ladybug wailed. "Adrien was the one that set it up, so when pictures of Chat Noir kissing Ladybug on that boat instead of Marinette he will absolutely, totally figure it out!"
"Are you sure he'll put two and two together though?" Chat Noir asked, "he seems like he is pretty clueless sometimes."
"How can you say that!" Marinette rose in his defense. "He is one of the smartest people I know!"
"Hmm you think so hey!" Chat Noir grinned again.
"Now don't you get all jealous on me!" Marinette scolded.
"I don't know if I can help it," Chat Noir sighed dramatically. "One of the hottest models in Paris is trying to get his paws on my girl!"
"Chat Noir, you know he and I are just friends...we've really always been just friends," Marinette tried to reason with Chat Noir. "Just because we are together now, doesn't mean Adrien is not going to still be part of my life."
Chat Noir's throat closed tight hearing that "friend" word again. Somehow the "just" in front of it made it so much harder to take. Suddenly he thought of all the moments over the years he (as Adrien) had claimed that Marinette was "just a friend." He felt hollow inside, with a pain like he had just been cataclysm in the gut.
"Marinette, I'm sorry..." Chat Noir lost the teasing behind.
"It's okay Kitty!" she continued, not really understanding. "You know that you can trust me!"
"Of course I trust you!" Chat Noir said quickly, and then paused. "How much do you trust Adrien?"
"Even though he might be upset I turned him down, he wouldn't betray anyone. He is totally loyal and selfless!" Marinette mused softly.
Chat Noir was stunned into silence, before he could slowly string words together again. "Sooo is it really so bad if he were to find out who you are?" he asked.
"Chat, we've never been more vulnerable! A super hero is supposed to keep their identity a secret not only to protect themselves and the ones they care about, but anyone who knows my secret could be a target. What if someone went after Adrien because of me! I would never forgive myself!" Marinette insisted.
"Chat Noir's eyes softened, and he wished more than anything he was in front of her that moment, instead of separated on the other end of a video chat. She really did care for all of him. No one else had never made him feel like a priority before.
"What if..." Chat Noir suggested carefully, "that you tell Adrien that you gave the tickets to Ladybug and Chat Noir?"
"You really think he'd buy that?" Marinette asked hopefully.
"Sure, why not? After all everyone knows Ladybug and Chat Noir were always meant for each other!" Chat Noir responded.
"Well I guess that IS true!" Marinette said, her smile returning. "Even if Ladybug took a little convincing," she teased.
"Are you convinced?" Chat Noir's ears perked up.
"Hmmm..I might need more convincing tomorrow," she replied playfully, shooting him a look that made his heart skip a beat. It took everything in him not to sprint across the rooftops of Paris back to her.
"I might be able to help with that," he gulped.
"Goodnight my Kitty!" she smiled.
"Goodnight Marinette," he sighed, making Ladybug's heart leap.