This was a gift for the APS server's Secret Santa 2021! I had a lot of fun writing this, especially because it's my first time writing a fic based on a song and I really like how it came out! Merry Christmas, Noodles! I hope you enjoy it.

It was no secret that Marinette was terrified of confessing her love to Adrien. Everyone in school knew about it, her parents knew about it, maybe even the entire city knew about it. Even through all of her doubts and painful thoughts of rejection, she knew it was getting old.

"What if instead of telling him directly , I can send him some hints?"

Alya squinted at her best friend as she threw out new and crazy ideas to get Adrien's attention. "I mean, isn't that what you've been doing already?" She smirked as Marinette let out a sigh. "But let's be real, homeboy isn't the greatest at picking up hints."

"Exactly my point," Marinette said. "And I haven't been the best at giving him hints either, I will admit." She sat down on her chaise and pulled out a notebook from underneath. "Which is exactly why I think this is my greatest plan yet."

She opened up the notebook to a list and showed it to Alya. "Operation Message in a Bottle," she read out loud. "This sounds interesting."

"So talking directly to him is my greatest flaw, right? I always get all tongue tied and trip over both my words and myself." Her shoulders slunk down as she spoke. "This might be my last resort, Alya."

Alya wrapped her arm around her best friend's shoulders. "I wouldn't say that," she gave her an encouraging smile. "But it does sound like an idea that could actually work."

Marinette smiled brightly. "My plan is to slip anonymous notes in Adrien's locker, just to see how he reacts at first. Then, if it goes well, I'll move up to his school bag, then maybe…it can end with me revealing myself."

"I'm interested to see how this goes," Alya said. "I think you could pull it off, though if I could make one suggestion."

"What?"

"Perhaps you should disguise yourself," Alya pointed at the pink paper covered in Marinette's signature logo. "He may be a little slow, but he's not dumb."

Marinette's cheeks burned. "You're right, and maybe I can take it to the next level too," she stood up and called out her signature phrase. "Tikki, spots on!"

A flash of pink filled the room as she transformed into Ladybug. "He knows that I'm friends with Ladybug, right?"

"Marinette, I'm not sure if I like where this is going."

"Well, he doesn't have to know that Ladybug is actually me, Marinette," she said reassuringly. "And yes, I do know that I'm not supposed to use my powers selfishly." She sat back down next to Alya. "Which is why I'm not being selfish, it's simply a superhero wanting to help out two of her friends."

"Well…when you put it like that…" Alya said as she tapped her chin. "I guess I can see your point."

"And…okay I'll admit it," Ladybug sighed. "I do have more confidence when I'm in this suit, so it would give me more confidence to actually get closer to Adrien, even if I'm also helping out Marinette, aka myself, at the same time."

"Okay, okay, I get what you mean," Alya told her reassuringly. "I'm really looking forward to seeing how this goes."

Marinette then detransformed, which garnered a disapproving glare from Tikki, and pulled out a plain sheet of paper. "Me too, Alya, me too," she said as she clicked a pen and began writing.

The school day dragged on as usual. They had lecture after lecture and lots of note taking. Marinette bit her lip nervously as she watched the clock. Every single glance at the blond haired boy in front of her sent her heart flying into her throat.

She looked down at the pink envelope in between her stack of books. Alya had helped her articulate her first letter the night before and she hoped it would be enough to move things along.

As the class was dismissed for lunch, she quickly slid the envelope back into its hiding spot and got up along with the rest of the class. Adrien always went home for lunch, so it would be the perfect time for her to slip the note into his locket without him noticing.

She and Alya waited until the locker room was clear and Marinette took out the letter from between her books. Her face burned, only being cooled by the beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

"Come on, Marinette, you can do it," Alya encouraged her from behind.

Taking a deep breath, she held the letter between trembling fingers and slipped it into the vents of his locker. With a relieved sigh, she stepped back just in time to see her best friend jump up with a "Yay!"

The sudden realization hit her and Marinette jumped back slightly. "I really just put a note in Adrien's locker didn't I?"

Alya places both hands on her shoulders. "Yes, yes you absolutely did," she instantly pulled her into a hug. "I'm so proud of you."

Marinette hugged her back, wrapping her arms around her. The lump in her throat made it hard to speak. "I-I just hope it was worth it."

The girls then headed to the cafeteria to have lunch with their classmates. The two of them decided to sit at their usual table with Rose, Juleka, Alix, and Mylène. The girls were already busy chatting away when they noticed their friends' presence.

"Oh hello Marinette, Alya," said Rose in her usual cheery voice. "So happy you decided to join us."

"We were discussing Avery Speed's new album," Mylène told them. "It just came out yesterday."

"Oh, it did?" Marinette said. "I completely forgot about that."

"You'll have to check out later, it's really good," Alya told her as she took a bite of her food.

The other girls went back to chatting as Marinette quietly slipped out her phone and began playing the album over her earbuds.

I know that you like me

And it's kinda frightenin'

Standing here waitin', waitin'

Her foot tapped to the beat of the song as she finished her lunch, all the while anticipating what Adrien's reaction to her letter might be. The music helped to calm her shaking hands.

As lunch ended and everyone headed back to class, it wasn't long before Marinette saw Adrien walk through the front entrance of the school. She froze in place, which caught his attention as he walked past.

"Hey Marinette," he waved at her with a wink as he made his way towards his locker.

She immediately felt her cheeks glow with a warm intensity and her body shook in a mix of anxiety and anticipation.

Alya picked up on this and immediately took her by the hand as they walked to the locker room together. "Just follow my lead," she whispered.

They both opened their lockers as normal, but she gave Marinette a nudge to keep an eye on Adrien. She watched as he opened his locker, gasping as the envelope fell from it. He bent down to pick it up, then turned slightly towards them with a confused look on his face.

Marinette tried her best to act casual as she gathered up her books for the next class, but it was so hard now to look at him.

And I became hypnotized

By freckles and bright eyes

Tongue tied

Adrien slowly opened the letter and began to read its contents. His face lit up and a faint blush appeared on his cheeks as he appeared to read it over and over again.

Marinette bit her lip as she watched him from afar. He folded the piece of paper and stuck it in his pocket before quickly shutting the locker door. He stuck his hands in his pockets, seemingly mesmerized by her words.

"This is a good sign," Alya whispered to her as she closed her own locker. "Go talk to him."

"I-I don't know, I think it might still be a bit early for that," she swallowed, trying to clear the dryness from her throat. "What if- Ah!"

In an instant, she found herself lying flat on the floor as a certain blond boy landed clumsily on top of her. "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry Marinette!" He said hastily as he tried to compose himself. He sat up and grabbed her books which were now scattered on the floor around them. "Are you okay?"

She sat up to see his glowing green eyes looking back at her, freezing her in place. "I…I…y-yeah, I'm fine," she watched as he stood up and held out a hand for her. "Are you?"

The blush on his face deepened. "Yeah, I guess you're not the only clumsy one around here either," he laughed and pulled her up out of the floor. "Want me to walk you to class?"

Marinette froze in place. "Yes, that would be awesome!" He smiled at her before turning around and nudging her to follow him. She turned around to see Alya giving her a wink and a thumbs up, to which she awkwardly smiled at.

The school day ended and everyone went home for the day. Marinette walked outside just in time to see Adrien getting into his car, to which they exchanged a wave. Alya came up beside her and placed an arm around her shoulder.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say he's got a crush on you," she said with a smirk.

Marinette froze, her body feeling as if it was going to burst into flames. "H-How do you know?"

"Ever since he saw that note in his locker, he's been acting differently towards you," she said. "You did leave it anonymous though, right?"

Marinette thought for a moment. She remembered that she wrote that note the day before when Alya had visited. "Hmm, I'm pretty sure I did."

"But what paper did you write it on?"

Her eyes widened at the sudden realization. "Oh no! Alya! I wrote it on my pink flower paper, remember!" Her breathing became rapid as she worried chewed on her fingers. "But that doesn't mean that Adrien knows I wrote it though, right? Right?! "

Alya grabbed her best friend by the shoulders. "That's not what his body language is telling me."

Marinette's heart went into a fit as she tried to calm herself. "Okay…okay, it's fine, everything is fine…"

"This could be a really good thing," Alya told her. "Perhaps he's finally realized how he feels about you."

"You think so?" It was Marinette's turn to blush. "I guess there is another way I could find out…"

"You don't mean…"

Already preparing to jump behind a bush, Marinette yelled out, "Oh, yes, I mean it."

Alya shook her head. "Well, let me know how it goes then, I suppose." She sighed as the glow of red light came from behind the bush. "I hope you know what you're doing."

Ladybug didn't hear a single word she said, as she had already taken off.

But now

You're so far away and I'm down

Feelin' like a face in the crowd

I'm reachin' for you, terrified

Adrien laid sprawled out on his bed as he stared up at the ceiling. His face still burned as his mind played the day over and over again. "I think I'm in love, Plagg."

Plagg stopped munching on his camembert to turn to the boy. "You mean you weren't already?"

Adrien laughed as he covered his face. "No, I was, but now…I think I like Marinette, too," he sighed. His love struck expression turned into a small frown. "But she's just so cool and amazing, ya know? I'm not sure…"

"Well, she did write you that note didn't she? Or at least you think so?" The kwami grabbed the note and dropped it on Adrien's face. "She didn't sign it."

"It has to be, this is her signature logo and everything," Adrien said as he held the piece of paper in front of him to read it once again. "I wouldn't be surprised if-" He was interrupted by someone knocking on his window.

Plagg immediately zipped away and Adrien sat up in bed. "L-Ladybug?" His mouth hung agape as he walked up to the giant glass windows. "Is this real?"

He pushed a window open to let her inside, never once taking his eyes off of her. "What are you doing here?"

"I, um, uh, your friend Marinette sent me," she said, sheepishly.

His blush returned in a deeper shade of red. "Marinette?" He asked. "Is she okay?"

"She is more than okay, trust me," Ladybug reassured him. "She, uh, wanted me to talk to you."

"Oh, okay," he said, slightly confused. "Should we sit down?"

"Yeah, I guess," she said as he then led her to his couch near the windows.

The teens sat in silence for a few moments, just listening to the ambience from the city outside. Ladybug bit her lip and took the opportunity to gently brush her fingers on top of her. "Adrien, listen…"

"Yes?" He tended as he felt her gloved hand grabbing ahold of his fingers.

"I…haven't been completely honest with you," she said in a near whisper. His eyebrows scrunched as he anticipated her response. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Marinette didn't actually send me here."

"Really?" Adrien asked, now totally dumbfounded. "Then why…?"

"Marinette didn't send me here because…" he heard her whisper something, then a quick flash of light nearly blinded him. " I am Marinette ."

Adrien gasped, nearly taken aback by this new revelation. "You're…Ladybug?" His voice was so soft that she nearly missed what he had said.

"Yes, yes I am," Marinette looked away from him and put a piece of loose hair behind her ear. "I really don't know why I wanted to tell you, but I guess now since you know about my feelings for you, well, now you know my other secret, too."

He scooted closer to her on the couch. "So, it really was you?" He gently moved her head to look at him. "I really have been in love with you this whole time."

Now it was her face that burned. "You loved me? Even before now?"

"Why, yes, of course I have always loved you…Milady," he smirked as she gasped, grabbing his hand tighter.

"You…you're Chat Noir?" She asked in near disbelief. "I…wow, this is crazy."

Adrien placed a gentle hand on her cheek, caressing her soft skin with his thumb. "Yes, it is."

He closed the gap between them as their lips met. Behind them, Plagg fell and hit a button on Adrien's stereo.

'Cause you could be the one that I love

I could be the one that you dream of

Message in a bottle is all I can do

The song blasted through the speakers as they continued to kiss, all while getting lost in each other's warm embrace.

Standin' here, hopin' it gets to you

You could be the one that I keep, and I

Can be the reason you can't sleep at night

The two pulled apart before then pulling one another into a deep hug.

"I'm glad it was you, Marinette," Adrien whispered in her ear.

Message in a bottle is all I can do

"I'm happy it was you, too," Marinette whispered in his ear, then rested her head on his shoulder.

"Standin' here hopin' it gets to you