Gamer

As the Paris Ultimate Mecha Strike 3 tournament came closer, Max has been asking Kim and me to practice with him.

Well, mostly me since I have the better skill to help Max train.

And today we are going to see if all that practice will get me to be his partner for the tournament.

To be honest, I don't particularly care if I am selected to represent my school. I like playing video games as much as the next guy, but ever since Max has been asking me over and over again to practice with him…

You could say I'm a little apathetic towards it at the moment.

But that doesn't mean I wasn't going to try.

"And so far, Jolene still remains having the second highest score," Mr. Damocles announces as Kim finishes playing.

Max pushes up his glasses and looks at me, "Guess we are going to be partners, Jolene. We can continue our training sessions at my house again."

I nodded, feeling a little tired already. I have no doubt that Max will be an even more intense trainer after this.

"Can I have a turn?" Adrien asks all of a sudden.

"Sure, everyone deserves a chance," Max says and soon a new game starts.

And with every hit that Adrien made against Max, I couldn't help looking with wonder.

Adrien was keeping up and defending and attacking really well. His face was of pure determination.

And I was shocked when he beat Max's high score.

I whistled in awe as my classmates cheered for Adrien's win. But then I stopped as I noticed that Max looked slightly disappointed. But he took his loss like a champ.

"Awesome job, we'll make a killer combo," He offers a high five that Adrien eagerly meets.

I clapped for them, happy that things were fine. (And totally not for finally having a break from Max's training regimen.)

That is until Marinette came into the picture.

It immediately struck me as odd that she wanted to try out. But then I realized one thing.

If she beats Max's score… Adrien and her will be partners.

And it did not escape me that she was cuddling the joy-con Adrien gave her for a couple of seconds. She's only competing because of Adrien.

And I didn't like that. But I liked less the sting of jealousy that went through me.

Marinette still has a huge crush on Adrien, and I've noticed that she's doing a little better with talking to him.

It's been eating at my consciousness ever since Adrien and I became an item. But I just couldn't tell him that. Or, could I?

I need to talk to someone who could give me advice. Someone who isn't going to be biased about the situation. Someone who will not judge and clearly has a better understanding with relationships.

And I know just who that person could be.

My thoughts were interrupted as I heard the cheering from my classmates.

Max lost.

I may not have seen his face, but I felt the sadness and disappointment in him.

I wanted to stop him as he left the library, but…

I looked back at Marinette and I saw the love-stricken eyes she was giving Adrien.

I'm sorry, Max, but I want to protect my happiness. Starting with figuring out what I need to tell Adrien.

Marinette may still have trouble talking with Adrien without getting flustered, but this opportunity where they will have to train together alone does not sit well with me.

"Hey, Marinette, let me drop Jolene off at her place before I head into yours, okay?"

"Yes, that's fine," She smiles with the honey glow still on her cheeks. "I'll be waiting."

Adrien and Nino both walked on either side of me as I started walking towards the exit.

Nino said that he had to go home to babysit Chris and couldn't come over today.

I understood, but I reminded him about how the three of us agreed to come to my apartment this weekend to play some video games.

He nodded and soon went home.

The drive to my home was silent.

We didn't talk until Adrien and I were inside the apartment.

"Is something wrong?" Adrien asks as he brushes my hair away from my face. "You haven't talked to me the whole way."

I opened my mouth, but then closed it and opened it again before groaning in defeat as I sat down on my couch.

"I'm… jealous," I said it out loud. "Well, not that jealous," I mean, this is Marinette we are talking about. Adrien barely knows her, but he considers her just a friend like the rest of our classmates.

"Of Marinette?" He asks confused, "Why would-" But then he stops himself and places his hand behind his neck. "I think I know."

Wait, he noticed?

"You do?" I asked for verification.

He sighed and sat down next to me, but he grabbed my hand. "Yeah. I was feeling the same way when it seemed that you and Max were going to be partners."

I blinked a couple of times before laughing, but then I saw that he wasn't. "Wait, for real? Me and Max? But we are just friends," I assured him.

This phrase is a little too familiar…

It was his turn to groan. "I know, but I don't like…" He paused as his cheeks flushed as he scooted closer to me and hugged me, "I didn't want to share you more than I have to."

My answer was to kiss him, to which he quickly responded.

When we broke for air, I cupped his face with both hands and looked into his eyes. "I love you, you know that right?"

He smiled, "I know. I love you, too."

"...You know, this weekend Aunt Kathy is going to be gone almost the whole day until dinner time," I say softly as I rub my thumbs against his cheeks. "And Nino will come around after lunchtime."

"Your unsaid offer is very tempting," he whines, "But I have a photo shoot in the morning."

"At least I tried," I sighed, but I kissed him again. "Text me when you get there, okay?"

He nodded and gave him one quick peck before he left.

Once I heard the door click and his footsteps faded into silence, I looked at my contacts and called Dr. Babineux.

I hope she is available for a phone session.

"First of all, I'm happy that you have a boyfriend. Especially the boy that helped you make more connections to your other friends," Dr. Babineaux congratulated.

"But I see that you are in quite the dilemma. But overall, how are you feeling? You explained the situation, but not how you feel."

I sighed as I laid down on my couch, getting more comfortable. "I feel… guilty and conflicted. Not of having a boyfriend, but of hiding secrets to my friends.

"Marinette has had a crush on my boyfriend first and she's so… in love with him. And she makes it so obvious. Even I thought… before I thought of him that way… that they would be cute together. I even encouraged her to pursue after him.

"But now… I took him away from her. And neither she nor the rest of my friends know. I want to tell them, but it's not a good time now.

"We want to tell at least Nino, but we both agreed at a later time." I paused and took a huge breath. "I want to tell my boyfriend my real identity."

"...That's a big," She paused to clear her throat, "That is something really serious. You know why you are to remain Jolene Baudelaire. Yes, you seem to completely trust your boyfriend, but revealing this secret can jeopardize your life here. And if that happens, you will lose that boy."

I was quiet and let that sink it.

I know that already, but it was something else to hear it from someone else.

"I don't have to tell him my real name," I offered, "Just saying that Jolene isn't my real name and because I'm in the Program. I don't have to tell him everything. Just enough to come clean.

"I just feel that I've been cheating on him. He's been completely honest with me and I want to do the same.

"How can I talk about honest communication, if I hide something this important and life changing to him?"

Dr. Babineaux was also silent for a couple of moments before she talked again.

"That is true. But I have to warn you that it's still a big risk. I will not tell the Embassy about your decision, but I would prefer it if you took a little more time to think about it.

"You both haven't been friends for that long, and you both have been a couple even less.

"I suggest that you wait for a longer time."

I hummed quietly, "Okay. Thank you for your time, Doctor."

"Anytime," She says, "You know that you can call me when you need someone to talk to."

"Yes, ma'am, thank you. Have a nice day, bye," I hung up before she could say another word.

Wait more time?

No.

I'll tell him soon.

I look down at my cast, smiling at my classmates' autographs.

I'll tell him as soon as my cast is off.

Yes, there is some time, but not that long.

Just a couple more weeks before I can finally walk on my own.

I'm glad that things turned out fine in the end for Max. Sure, he became another victim to an Akuma, but at least he and Marinette were able to participate in the tournament.

They were the champions.

Adrien dropped me off at my home after the tournament was over.

Kathy still wouldn't be home until another hour so Adrien and I were cuddling on the couch while Plagg took his cat nap in my room.

Adrien was playing with my hair while I was tracing a mandala pattern on his chest.

"Whatcha thinking?" He whispers.

"More like feeling," I answered as I looked into his eyes. "I feel happy. At peace."

He smiled as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer to him so our chests were touching. "I feel that way too."

He kissed my temple before he rested his forehead against mine.

I could feel his hot breath warming my face delicately. I let out a pleased hum as I closed my eyes and wrapped an arm around him.

"I want to tell you things," I whispered, "But I need time."

"That's okay. I can wait," He answers softly, "Is it something… bad?"

"It's… something," I answered, "It's about the Program that I'm in."

Immediately he pulled away.

I opened my eyes and saw him frowning, "You don't have to say it if it makes you upset."

"But I have to if I want to be honest with you," I frowned too. "I trust you. And I would be a hypocrite if I'm demanding honesty, when I haven't been completely honest with you."

He continued to frown, but he brushed my hair away from my face, "Are you sure?"

I nodded, "But I want to tell you when my cast is off." My thoughts wandered to dark places, "Just so I will be able to stand on my own if you decided that you don't-"

Adrien interrupted me with a deep kiss as his tongue dominated my mouth. I tried to fight back, but I completely melted as he moved on top of me, his knee in between my legs and his hand resting on my waist.

He pulled back for just a moment before kissing me again.

We were both out of breath and our hair a mess by the time we finished snogging.

"I love you, okay? Whatever you have to tell me, I'm sure I will understand. Nothing is going to scare me away from you." He kissed me softly before breaking away, "I love you too much for that."

I hugged him and pulled him down so he could rest beside me once again, "I love you too, Adrien. Don't ever forget that."

"Don't you forget it too."

"Promise," I said as I offered my pinky to him.

He smiled and hooked his pinky with mine, "Promise."

The Mime

There was just one week left before I could finally get rid of this stupid cast. I want to climb stairs on my own. Not that I'm not grateful for Adrien carrying me, but I like being independent.

I did a lot of things on my own.

And I've lived on my own, so I'll be glad to have my apartment back where the only nightly visitor would be Cat. I miss our nightly routines.

And the privacy.

Kathy has been a thoughtful roommate, but… still. How embarrassing would it be that she comes in and sees Adrien and me in a rather intimate position. Or worse, she sees Plagg.

And as the week got closer, the jitterbugs in my stomach were becoming more active, but it only grew my resolve to tell him something.

Of course, I wish I could tell him my birth name. But the less my name is less known, the better.

I'm Jolene Baudelaire.

Estrella Marina is dead along with her family.

Mylène's dad is starring in The Mime movie, which I have been waiting to see for a while.

Adrien got tickets and invited me and Nino over.

But I could tell that he was disappointed that his dad wasn't able to see it with him.

Nino was meeting us there, as he still had to wait for his parents so that Christ would not be alone.

"Your dad is a busy man," I told him softly as I grabbed his hand as the silence in the car was getting a little tense. "I'm sure he would have loved to see the premier with you."

Adrien didn't say anything, but he squeezed my hand as he looked at me.

"I'm grateful to have you," He says softly, but I'm sure that Giles and Natalie heard from the driver's and passenger's seat.

However before I could reply something, Giles stepped on the brakes making us lurch forward, but thankfully our seatbelts did their job of keeping us in the seats.

I looked out the window to see Ladybug twirling her yo-yo in front of her like a shield.

"Get out of the car and find a place to hide! I'll cover you!" She exclaims as she is facing her foe.

Adrien rolled down the window and for a brief moment, I saw recognition in Ladybug's eyes. She paused and something about her distraction did not sit well with me. But I just couldn't pinpoint why.

There were the swishing sounds of something flying through the air and then the force of something landing on the ground.

"Hurry!" She says as she trudges forward.

In no time, I already got out of the car, biting down my lip when I landed on my cast a little too hard. I barely got two steps out of the car before Adrien swooped me off my feet and ran behind Nathalie and Giles.

But Adrien separated from them the moment he could and brought me towards an empty area of Notre-Dame.

He sat me down carefully on the steps. I noticed the beautiful statues that were observing us. He tucked a piece of my hair behind, "Are you okay?"

I nodded, "I'm fine. I'll be here when you come back."

He nodded and soon pulled out an unwilling Plagg out of his blazer.

"I thought we were going to be just spectators, not performers," He pouts. "What about the show?"

"No time," Adrien scolds, "Plagg, claws out!"

I looked down, waiting for the transformation to be done.

I felt fingers under my chin, lifting my head. I open my eyes to see a smirking Cat.

He leans forward and gives me a peck on the lips, "Something to remember me by, my little lady."

"My hero," I replied fondly. "Go and save Paris. Again."

He chuckled, giving me one more peck before using his magic staff to reach the top of the building.

I sighed and took out my phone, hoping to entertain myself with an app game.

It was getting darker and I still couldn't see Cat.

Just as I was ready to turn on the flashlight from my phone, Cat showed up and reverted back.

"Sorry for making you wait," He says as Plagg floats around me.

"Are you guys okay?" I ask as I look at them, grateful to see they didn't have injuries.

Adrien only smiled as he helped me up. "We're fine. We're made of tough stuff, aren't we, Plagg?"

"Heck yeah, we are," Plagg says as he makes a show to flex his arms. "I'm the toughest of all the kwamis."

"That's good to know," I say fondly as I use one finger to scratch under his chin. He immediately started to purr and almost floated down if I didn't stop.

He pouted, but only hid in Adrien's blazer.

And we knew why when we heard Natalie calling for us.

When we arrived, we saw Marinette and Alya already there.

We both greeted them, and noticed Marinette's large grin as she couldn't stop staring at a clueless Adrien.

There was only a slightest twinge of insecurity before it was crushed. Adrien, even though he sat in between Marinette and me, he held my hand, away from their view. I smiled softly throughout the movie, glad that once again, Adrien proved yet again that he has eyes only for me.

And I have eyes only for him.

AN: Thank you to all that waited this long for this chapter. And sorry for keeping you waiting this long.

But I want to thank Shadowing and starrat for their reviews. And to pesadillalunar, akiretkm and GlaresThatKill for following and/or reviewing this story. You guys are amazing and made my day when I saw the notifications.

PS: Next chapters are going to include Kung Food, Guitar Villian, plus an Omake...