Did i tell you?
A MIRACULOUS LADYBUG & CAT NOIR FANFICTION
"Did I ever tell you if it weren't for him, I would have fallen for you?" Ladybug turned to look at Cat Noir. Cat's eyes opened wide. He was her second choice. If HE weren't there, his unnamed rival. Cat Noir clenched his fists and jaw.
"Goodnight, Cat Noir." Ladybug turned and zipped off towards her home…wherever that was.
Adrien lay in his bed scowling at his ceiling." So, you're not her first choice ("cough Lie cough") big deal; you're still her second." Plagg popped his cheese into his mouth.
"You're right Plagg! And you just gave me the perfect idea."
"What's that?" Plagg garbled through his cheese. "You're not going to take her on a romantic dinner again, you know how well THAT turned out."
Adrien shuddered. He still had nightmares about ice cream snowmen.
"Yeah…I was planning on something else."
"GOOD, we don't need a Glaciator 2 just because Andre doesn't ship Marichat."
"Marichat...Please don't tell me you just ship-named me and Marinette, she's…"
"Just a friend? Come on kid, I know you're not blind. Stop denying it."
"Plagg even, if she was more…. Never mind, I'm in love with Ladybug. Remember?"
"Are you reminding me or yourself?" Adrien rolled onto his side.
"Goodnight Plagg."
"Night Kid. I hope you come to your senses, before you hurt yourself or her more."
"Tikki?"
"Yes, Marinette?" "I'm going to confess to Adrien tomorrow."
The next morning at Francois Dupont High School, Marinette was trembling, carrying a black umbrella. Tucked inside it was a note, a poem really, that explained her feelings for Adrien. Showing that he wasn't just a friend to her. If he didn't accept her, she'd be heartbroken, but not as heartbroken as she'd be without her partner. Maybe if he asked her next time to go out with him, she'd say yes. Marinette let out a sigh when Alya sidled up to her. "So, any plans with telling Blondie?" Alya said, a smirk playing at her lips. Marinette smiled shakily." Oh, crap you are! We need to tell the others they'll be psyched! You, me, Nino, and Adrien can finally double date!" Alya started speed-walking to Rose and Juleka when Marinette grabbed her arm.
"Alya, wait. I don't know if he does have feelings for me or not, but if he doesn't, I'll be okay because I have my best friend by my side."
"That's so sweet! You were talking about me, right?" Marinette laughed and smiled.
"Um, no, I know him from, um, volunteering at the shelter! Yeah, he asked me out several times and saved me during akuma attacks. I had to kiss him to break him from a spell once, not that he remembered it."
By this time Alya had the most perplexed expression Marinette had seen. She was frowning and had her hands on her hips.
"So…. You have a best friend other than me, who I did not know about, have heard about, or met who could help heal your heart if Adrien rejects you."
Marinette nodded.
"And this friend is male, has saved you from akuma attacks, and has asked you out. Is there anything I'm missing?"
"I kissed him to break him from a spell?" Marinette said weakly.
"And when was this?" Alya asked exasperatedly.
"When Kim was akumatized into Dark Cupid." Marinette mumbled into her hands miserably.
"Dark Cupid was a reverse love akuma exactly one year ago…. Oh, it's Cat Noir. Duh."
Marinette's head snapped up. "Exactly?"
Alya nodded. "So, on the anniversary of the day you kissed your other best friend/ other crush is the day you decide to confess your undying, everlasting, one-and-only love for Adrien?"
"I do not have a crush on him!" Alya looked at her, unconvinced.
"Sure, did you ever tell him there was another boy?"
"Yes! Multiple times."
"You kissed him to break a spell."
"We covered this."
"He saved you during akuma attacks."
"Yeah…."
Alya looked at Marinette like she was crazy.
"What?"
"Girl, you need to get your priorities in order. You have this guy who "volunteers at an animal shelter" and saves you during akuma attacks and you "don't" have a crush on him. And then you have Adrien who was nice to you when it was raining, who you have a crush on. See the problem?"
Marinette quirked an eyebrow. Alya groaned and walked away to find Nino.
Meanwhile, on the steps of the school, Nino was scolding Adrien.
"Dude," Nino groaned out. "You like one girl, then another…. And I don't know anything about them!" Nino slapped his cap against his thigh. "Just tell me who they are!"
Adrien chuckled." You don't know the first girl. I met her at the… animal shelter! She's…." Adrien sighed dreamily. "Amazing."
"Yeah, I know. Now who's the other girl?" Adrien scratched the back of his neck, turning pink.
"Um, it's Marinette, but she's just a friend!" Nino stared at Adrien. His mouth opened and closed like a fish. He wrung his cap between his hands and then started pacing. Adrien raised a brow.
"What are you doing?" Nino rubbed his chin.
"Come with me." He stalked away.
Boiler Room: Francois Dupont High School
0800 Hours
"I suppose you're wondering why I brought you here." Adrien sighed.
"Here we go again." He muttered. Nino swung around, his detective coat twirling.
"What did you say?" Nino said, (attempting) menace.
"The last time you dragged me here was when you thought Alya was cheating on you with Cat Noir." Adrien said flatly.
"It was a reasonable conclusion!" Nino exclaimed. Adrien leaned back, crossing his arms. He cocked his brow.
"Really?"
"Yes!"
"Then tell me Nino, why would Cat Noir date Rena Rouge?" Nino looked confused.
"He's a ladies' man?" Nino said this like it should be obvious.
"No, he's not. He is a pun-loving dork who learned to who learned to flirt from anime!"
"Dude…."
"Do you know how many times he's been rejected? How he had to break someone's heart because he loves Ladybug? How that girl's dad got akumatized because of her heartbreak? How does Ladybug not trust him? How many times has he sacrificed himself for her? And you accuse him of being disloyal! He's stood by her side through it all! She doesn't trust him! She trusted Scarabella with her secret, why not Cat Noir?!"
"You're really invested in this. You okay dude?"
"No, I'm not. I need to tell you something and you must keep it secret. Bro Code."
"Dude, even from Alya?" Nino knew it must be serious if Adrien invoked the bro code. Adrien never used the Bro Code, only Nino. Like the time Nino broke Alya's phone, Adrien replaced it. He knew Alya was an absolute demon when it came to her phone. She loved that more than anything, possibly even Marinette! (Nino was third in line. It was phone, Marinette, and Nino.)
"Especially from Alya."
"Dude, okay."
Adrien rubbed his hands against his legs. Was he really going to do this? Was he betraying His Lady's trust? He looked up and saw Plagg in a corner. He nodded. Adrien let out a breath and turned to face Nino.
"You said Alya knows Cat Noir better than I think she does, but I disagree. After all, how well does she know me?"
Nino quirked his eyebrow.
"You asked me if I was calling you a liar when you said you and Alya were superheroes. I wasn't. I knew Ladybug wouldn't let anyone know their true identities."
Nino frowned. "Hold on, you don't know a thing about being a superhero, you don't get how it works."
", I do. Ladybug trusted me with the Snake Miraculous before Viperion. I failed her 32,912 times. I spent months with that miraculous, even though I only used it once."
"…. No wonder you have trauma."
"That isn't the secret I meant though."
Nino crossed his arms. "Then what is it?"
"Do you trust me?"
"Of course, you're my best bro."
"Then why don't you trust Cat Noir? Plagg, Claws Out!"
Nino's mouth dropped as Adrien transformed into Cat Noir.
"Du…What…Oh, crap what did I do?"
"Believed Ladybug." Cat Noir said, shaking his head. "I still love her. It's just…. I…. I don't know."
"You don't know why she doesn't trust you." Nino said slowly.
"I don't know what I did to make her not trust me. I tried everything."
Nino's mind was reeling. His best friend and Cat Noir were one and the same.
"This….", Nino said. Cat Noir turned around. His cat ears flattened when he heard Nino's yell. "IS THE BEST DAY EVER!"
"Huh?"
"My best friend is Cat Noir!" Nino had a huge, dorky grin on his face. "It makes so much sense! All the excuses, the disappearances!"
"Why I knew Alya wasn't cheating on you with, well, me?"
Nino's face fell and he took off his cap. "Uh, yeah. Sorry about that dude, with that movie…. It freaked me out and her video about you…. I was worried she was keeping something from me. I mean, her and Marinette have been huddling together like they have a secret."
"I know what it feels like."
Nino looked up. His best friend's face was filled with pain, anger, sadness, guilt, and resignment. His shoulders were slumped. He looked like the weight of the world was on his shoulders.
Ladybug got all praise for protecting Paris, while his best friend stuck to the shadows. He got up close with the villains while she got other heroes. He distracted while she planned. He died, got wounded, and hit with spells for her. He got the short end of the stick.
Nino determined then that he was going to find out who Ladybug was and tell her what she was doing to her partner.
Adrien looked up. Nino hadn't realized he'd dropped his transformation.
"So, you trust me?"
"Dude, of course. Anything you need, I got it." Adrien let out a weak grin.
"Alfred?"
"The Alfred to your Cat man." Nino bumped his fist to Adrien's. Adrien grinned hugely.
"You punned!"
"Anything for my bro. Actually," Nino whispered conspiratorially," I pun around Alya and my family all the time. Drives them nuts."
"So…. It's a girl thing?"
"Yep."
Marinette was at her desk, fidgeting. Telling Adrien how she felt could change everything. He might accept her feelings and kiss her, hug her tight, and declare his undying love for her. Or…. He could smash her heart to pieces by saying that he's been in love with Lila this whole time and they would get married, live in America; Lila spreading her lies and Adrien being his kind, sweet, smart, beautiful self, and get a hamster named….
"Marinette, are you alright?" Adrien asked looking concernedly at her.
"Ye-Yeah fine me hamster." Adrien's eyes lit up at the mention of hamsters.
"You have a hamster?" he asked excitedly. "Can I see it? What's its name? I've always wanted one and I was planning on naming it…."
"ADRIKINS!"
Adrien barely had time to move before Chloe tackled him.
"Adrikins help me! Daddy is sending me away to a boarding school in London!"
Adrien tried to speak but Chloe beat him to it.
"Hug me please?" Chloe gave him her best puppy dog eyes. Adrien sighed and hugged her.
"Well," Chloe let go of Adrien before turning to Marinette. "You and I need to talk."
Marinette and Chloe stood in the hallway facing each other. Chloe fidgeted nervously.
"Look I know you don't trust me, but you need to trust me on this." Chloe said. "I know you're Ladybug."
Marinette's mouth fell open.
"I figured it out on my own." Chloe rushed to explain. "You didn't detransform or anything. I also figured out the other holders' identities…. Including Cat Noir's. "
"Are you trying to blackmail me?" Marinette asked quietly. "Like you said I'm Ladybug, so I can take care of myself." She said then turned on her heel and walked away.
"I was trying to warn you!" Chloe said. Marinette froze and walked back.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, last night a rabbit superhero named Bunnyx came to my room and said to tell you to stop doing what you're doing or a mistake from your past will return. I don't know what it means, but…." Chloe shrugged.
Cat Blanc Cat Blanc Cat Blanc Cat Blanc Cat Blanc Cat Blanc Cat Blanc Cat Blanc Cat Blanc It ran through Marinette's head all day. She was so out of it she forgot the umbrella on her seat at the end of the day. Cat Blanc could return and unless she stopped doing something, he really would. She couldn't see her partner like that again.
"You broke my heart, Marinette!"
Marinette froze breathing hard. Was it because she was pushing Cat Noir away? She felt tears come to her eyes. She remembered his face when she did akuma fights without him and when he found out someone knew her secret identity.
Marinette's head shot up. The umbrella! Her gift had been part of the reason her Kitty had been akumatized. She ran back to the classroom, but the umbrella was gone.
Adrien twisted the umbrella around.
"Dude, why would someone leave you an umbrella?" (To all Miraculers: I hope you know who this is!")
Adrien frowned. "That's the thing, it's my umbrella. I haven't seen this in a year."
Nino whistled. "Long way?"
"No, I gave it to Marinette…."
"Hey, is that a note?" Adrien looked down and saw a little pink post-it with his name on it. He opened it up and turned bright red after a few seconds.
"Dude? You, okay?"
"Uhhhhh." Adrien handed Nino the note.
"'You gave this to me when we met, the day I fell in love.
In love with you, you brought a light into my life the day I fell in love.
I love your mint green eyes and when your smile lights up the room.
I love it when you say you couldn't live without me.
I hate it when you say we're just friends cuz I want more.
Will you forever be my Valentine because my heart belongs to you.
Marinette."
"Well, it seems that Miss Dupain-Chang has summoned up her courage. I approve."
Gabriel Agreste stood in the doorway o Adrien's room. He looked at his son appraisingly, noticing his red cheeks.
"And it seems you are quite taken with her too." Adrien sighed.
"She's just a friend."
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Just wanted to say I will be finishing this and let me know if you have suggestions for any other fics. Bye! ;)