Chapter 10-Rules

This one's going to be a little longer than usual. I believe Zagg has gone on record saying that a permanent reveal of the love square would be the end of the series. I have two words in response. Challenge accepted.

Marinette woke the next morning feeling refreshed. The previous night had brought her one of the craziest, if not the craziest, emotional rollercoasters of her life. She could tell it would take her a few days to fully process everything that had happened, but the night's sleep had been one of the best she'd ever experienced after all that. Being forced to confront, and admit to, her feelings for Cat Noir actually gave her a feeling of peace that she'd never felt before. It hadn't been easy, but clearing the air between them once and for all had felt wonderful.

Of course then she'd had to face her guilt and shame over her concealment of the truth about Gabriel Agreste. She had been honest when she told Cat Noir that Gabriel's last request had been a big part of her motivation. Marinette felt the nobility of his sacrifice to atone for his mistakes deserved that much. And she had not considered Adrien weak when she wanted to spare him the burden of the truth about his father. But her partner had also been right; she couldn't lie to Adrien for the rest of his life. He deserved better than that.

And with a start, Marinette realized that she had been thinking about them as two separate people still. That had been, by far, the biggest shock of the evening. Finding out Cat Noir and Adrien were one and the same had rocked her entire world, and not only for the conversations they'd been having before he revealed himself. Of course, that had brought her to nearly collapse out of panic of what Adrien's reaction would be to her mistakes. But again, the kindness and grace her partner possessed seemed limitless. If it was possible for her to fall in love with him a third time, it had probably happened last night.

Marinette suspected things might have gone differently if Adrien had only just found out everything right then and there. But the fact that he had been able to forgive her, even with the time to cool down and process things first, was yet another testament to how lucky she was to have him in her life. Whatever else happened, she was determined to stand by his side.

At the moment, thinking it all through, the most prominent feeling Marinette was experiencing was contentment. She'd managed to work things through with Adrien so far, and she had a plan to figure things out going forward. She needed to discuss a few things with him regarding their partnership and relationship, but that would be a breeze after the previous night's discussion.

Stretching, she sat up on her bed, and decided to start the day by heading to her patio to feel the sun on her face. But as she opened the hatch, she was met by a small surprise. A single rose atop a sheet of folded paper, set right in front of her on the patio.

Curious, but suspecting where it had come from, Marinette picked up the flower and paper and opened the note to read.

I woke up early this morning and thought I'd check on our 'guests'. But I thought I'd pass by and leave this for you so you'd know I was thinking of you too.

Your favorite kitty.

Marinette grinned, her face as red as the rose, and climbed back down to her bed. She sprawled out, basking in the bliss she felt. But after a moment, she realized that this was something she needed to make sure Adrien didn't do anymore, no matter how happy it made her. If someone spotted Cat Noir spending too much time around Marinette, it could risk exposing one or both of them.

Sighing, but still grinning like a fool, she climbed down to her desk to grab her phone to text Adrien. Laying the flower on her table, Marinette was about to message him, when her computer lit up and started ringing.

Accepting the request for a video chat, Marinette answered, "Morning, Alya."

"Hey girl." the enthusiastic aspiring reporter exclaimed. "I hear things were pretty exciting last night. What'd I miss?"

"A lot." Marinette replied honestly, then instantly regretted it. The wide eyed excited look on Alya's face was one she was familiar with. That's how she looks when she's determined to get all the juicy details. Marinette thought.

Before Alya could inquire, however, Marinette said, "There's actually a lot to explain, but the short version is we have some out of town guests."

Alya looked puzzled. "Out of town?"

"Way out." Marinette added. "The Shadybug and Betterly sort of out of town."

"They're back?!"

"No, it's not them." Marinette clarified. "But in the battle last night, Cat Noir got sent, well, out to a different town, and brought back another Cat Noir and Ladybug to help. They're going to stay a couple of days before they head home."

"Awesome. We should do a sleepover with you and the other Ladybug." Alya paused. "Is she…?"

"Uh huh." Marinette confirmed. She hadn't actually seen the other Ladybug de-transform, but considering what she had led Adrien to discover, she must be another version of herself. "They brought their butterfly miraculous and we even used it to make magical charms for Cat Noir and me."

"That's fantastic!" Alya crowed, a huge smile on her face. "It should help make sure neither of you get akumatized."

"And we're going to build on it. Cat Noir had an idea to protect us even further. I'll let you know how it goes later, but it's something my favorite kitty suggested, and I think it'll work."

"You're favorite kitty?" asked Alya, her expression skeptical.

Marinette froze. Her mind had been on Cat Noir's note and she'd spoken without thinking. She started babbling, "Well, I mean, you know, he is my partner after all, and one of my closest friends, and he's a cat, well sort of a cat, so he's kind of my favorite cat. And I like to call him kitty-cat sometimes, so he's kind of my favorite kitty." Even she could tell her nervous smile was not particularly convincing.

Alya didn't even bother responding to Marinette's rant with words. She just crossed her arms and raised both eyebrows.

Marinette dropped her head and arms in defeat. "Okay, fine. After the other Ladybug and Cat Noir showed up last night, a lot happened. Cat Noir had a lot to talk about, but I don't know how much I can tell you about it. At least, not until I talk to him." She paused. "We cleared the air about a lot of things, but I'm not sure how much it's fair to reveal yet."

"Oh come on! You can't just say something like that and not give me anything!" Alya complained. "Give me something, girl! What do you mean you cleared the air?"

Marinette deliberated. She supposed that wasn't exactly confidential between them, and Adrien probably wouldn't mind this particular detail being shared. She had a half truth of an explanation for it too. "I mean we'll never have to worry about Cat Noir's feelings for me ever again."

Alya smiled. "Well, that's good to know. As much as I enjoyed the gossip about the two of you, it's a relief that he's finally accepted that you don't love him."

Marinette smiled a deep, satisfied smile. "Actually," she said, "I meant that we've both accepted how we feel about each other. He's happily in love with his girlfriend, and I'm happily in love with Adrien. But we also know that we both love each other too."

Alya looked stunned. Before she could get any words out, Marinette continued with the half truth part of her story, "Our counterparts from out of town have dated, and that kind of pushed both Cat Noir and me to confront our situation head on. He told me that even though he was in a relationship with someone and that he didn't want to upset that relationship, that he still loved Ladybug too, and thought I was wonderful." Marinette paused, glancing down and thinking about how that conversation must have felt from Adrien's perspective. He'd probably had to work hard to keep from exposing himself, but had enjoyed talking about their relationship as if Cat Noir wasn't Adrien.

"He also wanted to know about when I had shown feelings for him. He wanted to know what had changed and why I had suddenly wanted to be with him. And since he came out and asked it like that, it put things in a different perspective for me. No," Marinette corrected herself, "it forced me to be honest with myself about my feelings for him." Marinette looked up at the screen and Alya, whose expression was one of rapt attention. "I made it clear to Cat Noir that I was happy with my love life now, but that my feelings for him had been, and were still, genuine. And I meant every word."

Alya just looked at her through the screen, slightly open mouthed. Clearly, she could read Marinette's sincerity. Remembering the times when she had tried to convince Alya that she wanted to pursue a relationship with Cat Noir, Marinette could feel the difference in their current conversation. As her best friend had once insisted, she had been lying to herself before and running away from her feelings for Adrien. But that's not to say that my feelings for Cat Noir were lies. Marinette thought firmly, and honestly.

After blinking several times, Alya seemed to recover and said, "I-I'm not sure what to say to all that. Wow."

"It's a lot, I know." Marinette said. "I told Cat Noir I wouldn't trade what I have now with my love life for anything, and he seemed to feel the same way about the girl he's with. But talking about how we feel about each other, just getting that all out, made such a difference. It was something we'd both been ignoring for a while, but it feels so much easier now." Marinette smiled. She was sure Adrien shared that feeling of relief, and it probably helped him to forgive her the night before.

Just then, Marinette's phone lit up, and she glanced at it to see a text from Adrien.

"Now who could that be from?" Alya asked, with a knowing smirk on her face. "I'm guessing a certain green eyed, blonde, former model?"

Marinette's smile widened. "Sure is. He wants to meet in the park later." She texted a reply, confirming the meetup.

"Well, I won't hold you up then. I'm sure you'll need time to prepare how you're going to tell loverboy about his competition."

Marinette sputtered. "Th–th-there is no competition!."

Alya just smirked.

"There isn't!" Marinette insisted. Then, with a bit of a laugh, she raised her right hand and added, "I solemnly swear that Adrien Agreste has absolutely nothing to worry about with regards to Cat Noir. Satisfied?"

"Satisfied? Yes. Convinced? Not completely." Alya winked. "Later."

A few hours later, after preparing for the day, a simple breakfast with her mother, and an explanation that she'd be out for the entire day to her father, Marinette found herself sitting on a park bench, waiting for Adrien. She ran through all the things that she wanted to discuss with him in her head. Separating behavior between in costume and out, what we need to tell the team about our 'guests', meeting up with Felix to use the peacock-

"Good day, m'lady."

Marinette smiled. Turning around on the bench she was greeted with a sight that made her heart beat a little faster. Adrien stood right behind her, holding out a rose to her.

"There aren't going to be any roses left in Paris, at this rate." Marinette joked, taking the flower and smiling at the young man.

"Whatever do you mean?" Adrien asked innocently.

"Well," Marinette said, enjoying the game, "Someone left a rose and a note on my patio this morning. I can't say for sure who it was. They didn't sign their name. All I have to go off of is 'your favorite kitty', whoever that could be."

Adrien grinned. "I'll be sure to make it more clear next time."

Marinette sighed, losing some of her humor. "Actually, that's something I wanted to talk to you about." She glanced around, making sure no one was within earshot. It was a Sunday morning, but there were a few other groups of people in the park. "Can we talk somewhere a little more private?"

"Of course." Adrien answered. He seemed a little confused by her request, but appeared to think for a moment before snapping his fingers. "I know a corner of the park most people don't normally visit. Come on."

He stood up and offered his hand, helping Marinette to her feet. Adrien moved his hand as if to let go of her, but Marinette just gripped his hand a little tighter and said. "Lead the way."

They walked for a short while, talking of ordinary subjects, such as school projects and how things were going on with Marinette's family. Her older brother might be coming for a visit soon, finally taking a break from his studies at the university he attended. Adrien in turn spoke of plans he had with Natalie later that week, and of the party his aunt was throwing next month. Marinette was surprised to hear him speak of Natalie in such a light hearted way. Either Adrien's conversation with her went extremely well, or he hadn't had the chance to speak with her yet.

"Have you heard from Felix lately?" Marinette asked casually.

Adrien glanced at her. She tried to convey that she was asking this to find out when they could meet with him. She must have gotten the message through somehow, because Adrien answered. "I sent him a message on his, uh, private line this morning. He and my Aunt are in Mumbai this week and Mumbai's five and a half hours ahead of us. So it might be a while before I hear back. And Kagami's still traveling with them, so we can reach out to her if we need to."

Eventually, they reached a shaded section of the park that didn't have a clear path leading to it. Two walls from an adjacent building were overgrown with ivy, making the spot feel like the corner of the park. Despite that, there was a weathered stone bench among the brush and trees, for them both to sit on. After entering the secluded area, Marinette noticed how much quieter things seemed. Holding his shirt out in a signal to Plagg, Adrien's eyes followed his kwami as he flew out to hover in the air beside the two teens. Tikki followed suit.

"This is a spot not a lot of people know about, so it's a good place for a private conversation." Adrien explained. "It's hard to hear with the brush to dampen the sound, and we can see anyone coming a mile away."

"It kind of feels like we're not even in the city anymore." Marinette confessed. She looked at the kwamis. "Would you two mind keeping watch, just in case?"

Both kwamis nodded in agreement and flew into the brush, facing toward the park.

Adrien smiled, sitting on the bench, and patting the spot next to her. "What did you want to talk about?"

Marinette sat. "Ok, I'll cut straight to it. Please don't leave notes or flowers or anything like that on my patio again."

Adrien looked worried and confused for a moment. Clearly, he thought that he had upset her. Rushing to reassure him, Marinette said, "I'm not complaining about the gesture." She held both hands up in front of her. "When I woke up this morning and saw the rose, I knew you must have left it. It made me so happy that I just crawled back into bed and couldn't stop smiling." She confessed.

Adrien relaxed visibly. "I don't understand," he admitted. "What's the problem?"

Marinette smiled gently. "I just don't want anyone to notice my favorite kitty-cat coming and going from my balcony. It could draw attention, and we both know that's not something we want."

"I've done that before."

"True." Marinette conceded. "But it's probably not something we want to make a habit of. It would look strange if we were seen coming and going too often from each other's houses all the time. Or if another member of the team saw a note you left, they might make the connection."

"Ah." Adrien exclaimed, looking taken aback. "I didn't think of that." Then he looked thoughtful for a moment, before snapping his fingers. "That's right, Rena Rouge knows who you are, so she probably checks in with you that way too. Got it."

Marinette smiled. Rena Rouge, in fact, did not come and go via her balcony, but Adrien didn't know that. "There's a lot I think we need to talk about this subject, actually. So I'm glad you wanted to meet up. I think it might take a while. Is there anyplace you need to be today?"

Adrien waved his hand to the side in a gesture of dismissal. "I cleared my whole day. I knew we'd need to head over to visit Felix to borrow his miraculous. That shouldn't take too long, but I wanted to be prepared, just in case."

"You're right, we will," Marinette nodded. "But let's wait to hear back from him before we do. I texted Kagami on the way to the park and asked her to give me a good time for us to meet them. I didn't tell her why, but just said we needed their help with something."

Adrien started to nod, but then looked confused. "Wait, you texted her on the way over? As Marinette?"

Marinette nodded again, and she could feel her face growing more serious. "That's a pretty good place to start, I think. We should both know who all knows our identities."

Adrien realized immediately what she was implying. "Kagami knows? You told her!?"

"I did not tell her." Marinette said immediately, silencing Adrien. "Kagami overheard me talking to Rena, and eventually pieced it together. I swear, I did not mean for her to find out."

"So, who all does know?" Adrien asked carefully.

Marinette looked down, feeling guilty. "I've always tried to be super careful about my identity. The only person I've ever actually told was Rena. But a few other people know. Bunnyx, the future Bunnyx knows, but with her powers she probably knows all our identities."

"Yeah." Adrien said, sounding a little shaky. "I don't think she counts. We know she'll find out who we are eventually, but that could happen tomorrow or ten years from now."

"Agreed." Marinette said. "Master Su-han knows, but that makes sense too, since he's able to track the miracle box.

"Yeah, I already knew that he knew." Adrien replied, more calmly.

"Luka knows both our identities. I never told him, and I'm guessing you didn't either?" Marinette inquired.

"No, I didn't." Adrien confirmed. "I was shocked when Luka let me know that he knew. He probably found out using second chance."

"I've never asked him, but that's what I always thought too." Marinette agreed. "Either way, he knows."

"That does make him something of a target, even with the new Hawk Moth." Adrien worried. "We may need to do something about that."

"As long as the new Hawk Moth doesn't find out that Luka knows who we are, it's fine." Marinette reassured him. "I've already gone to everyone that was there that day, as Ladybug. Everyone that is aware that he knows our identities knows to keep quiet about it. So we should be safe. I have some ideas on how to protect him, but in the meantime, Hawk Moth would need to akumatize someone who knows Luka knows, then they'd have to reveal that knowledge, then akumatize him. I don't think it's very likely."

"True." Adrien agreed. "And as far as I know, he's the only other one who knows who I am. I've never told anyone except for you last night, and I don't think anyone else ever found out. So there's only three of us."

Marinette scowled. "So not fair. I was way more paranoid about keeping my identity a secret than you were, and more people know my identity than yours."

Adrien just shrugged. "I guess the old saying is wrong. You can be too careful."

Marinette shook her head. "The only other person who knows who I am is Felix."

Adrien started in response to that. "Felix?"

Marinette nodded. "Kagami told him, they needed my, well Ladybug's, help with…something."

Adrien raised his eyebrows.

"It's related to what I mentioned last night." Marinette admitted. "They're the ones I need to talk to before I can explain everything. It's another reason I want to go see Felix."

"Okay." Adrien said slowly. "I kind of guessed Felix was who you were talking about last night. The only other person it could have been was Natalie, and that didn't make sense. But why Kagami?"

Marinette hesitated. She knew how much Adrien wanted to know what she was keeping from him, and could sense some frustration coming off of him. But she knew that this information could crush him if it wasn't presented the right way. It might crush him no matter how it was presented, but the damage would be much worse if not done carefully. She was determined for Adrien to have as much love and support as possible when he found out. This was one time when her tendency for elaborate plans would actually be good for her relationship with Adrien.

"It involves her too." Marinette answered carefully. "Or at least, we think it does. I'm sorry that I'm being so vague, but it's a complicated situation. And I really don't want to talk about it until I've had a chance to talk to her."

Adrien's expression cleared. "Oh, well, that seems perfectly reasonable. I mean, if you want her permission, or it's something confidential to her, then I mean-"

Marinette smiled. She could tell Adrien felt embarrassed, maybe he even felt like he had been prying about Kagami, but his reaction to the situation had been more than reasonable. And she was again reminded that he was someone who deserved better than to be lied to.

Marinette leaned over to kiss his cheek to bring Adrien out of his apologetic rambling. Smiling, he took her hand. "Ok, so that's everyone who knows who we are. At least, as far as we know. What else did you want to talk about?"

"It relates to your note this morning." Marinette smiled. "I just think we need to be careful about how we act from now on. Even if we can't be akumatized after today, we could still blow our secret identities if we act the wrong way."

Adrien looked curious. "What do you mean?"

"For example, you probably shouldn't call me m'lady again."

Adrien looked surprised.

"I mean," Marinette went on quickly, "that Adrien shouldn't call Marinette m'lady. It's small, but it's distinct. And pretty much the whole team has heard Cat Noir call Ladybug by that. So it's probably not a good idea to call me that." Marinette clarified.

A look of comprehension came over Adrien. "I get it, that makes sense." His expression shifted to one of being deeply impressed. "You've put a lot of thought into this."

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Overthinking things is what I do. It's part of why I'm always so stressed out."

Adrien grinned. "It's also saved us more times than I can remember. So I'd say it evens out."

Marinette laughed and he continued, "But I don't think we need to worry too much about Adrien and Marinette giving the game away. I'll make sure to only call Ladybug m'lady from now on."

"As Cat Noir." Marinette added. "Adrien calling Ladybug that would be just as bad."

"As Cat Noir." Adrien agreed. "And I don't talk like him as Adrien in public. But I'm guessing you have some other things troubling you?"

Marinette hesitated, then nodded. "You're probably not going to like this one, but we really can't act all…couply either. Not in costume.

As Marinette had predicted, Adrien groaned. "Really?"

Marinette gave an indulgent smile and nodded.

"Dang." Adrien grumbled. "I already wanted everyone to know about our relationship. When I found out you were Ladybug, I started planning how I'd shout it from the rooftops as Cat Noir. A dream denied."

Marinette giggled, squeezing his hand. "Luka is the only one that knows who we both are, and I'd like to keep it that way. If Rena, Kagami, or Felix sees Ladybug and Cat Noir acting as a couple, they'll either think I'm cheating on you or they'll guess who you are. And they know that first option would never happen." She paused, then asked in a shy voice. "You really wanted to shout like that about our relationship? Not just because I'm Ladybug?"

Adrien grinned. "I'll do it right now, if you want."

Still sounding bashful, Marinette said, "Don't. At least not now. Maybe some other time." Straightening up, she continued. "You also can't suddenly try to protect me and keep me out of danger all the time. Girlfriend," Marinette said the word slowly, savoring it, "or not, I'm a superhero too. We're partners. We watch each other's backs, no matter what."

Adrien looked at her with mild disbelief. "I was in love with Ladybug all that time, and you're worried about me pulling the knight in shining armor routine now?"

Marinette gave him a sardonic look. "You've run into danger to protect me on more than one occasion."

"And you've saved my neck more times than I can count." Adrien shrugged. "That's what being partners is all about."

Marinette considered that. He wasn't wrong exactly, but she knew Cat Noir had been far too reckless in the past. Time for a different tactic.

"Just try to keep yourself safe too, from now on." Marinette said, softly. "Try and remember what it would do to me to lose you."

Adrien stilled at her words. He looked at her, and she hoped he could see nothing but the concern she had for him in her eyes. Nodding, he said, "I promise, I will."

Marinette smiled.

"I mean," Adrien added, "I certainly wouldn't mind being your knight in, well, black armor. But I don't think I've ever really thought of you as a damsel in distress. So I'm not worried that I'll ever treat you like one." He paused, grinning. "And I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't hoping to impress a certain someone," he winked at Marinette, "all that time. But I suppose I don't need to worry about that anymore."

"No," Marinette agreed softly, grinning and squeezing his hand again, "you definitely do not need to worry about that." Then she grew more serious. "But this also means that we need to keep our relationship distinct from our partnership."

"What do you mean?" Adrien asked.

"Just that when it comes to dealing with things in costume, our dynamic has to stay the same as it's always been. We're partners. No using your status as my boyfriend," Marinette said that last word slowly too, savoring it, "to try and get out of patrols or anything."

"You seriously think I'd want to get out patrolling with you?"

Marinette just glared at him.

Adrien laughed, holding his hands up. "Kidding, I get it. And as much as I don't like it, you're right. Us being a couple needs to be kept out of our superhero work." he agreed. "Do you think you'll be able to keep things… professional?" Adrien asked Marinette curiously.

"For once, I'm not worried about something like that." Marinette promised. "You and Cat Noir are so distinct in my head that when I woke up this morning, I was still thinking of you both as separate people."

Adrien laughed.

"I still can't believe I didn't see it." Marinette said, voice growing soft again.

Adrien didn't need to ask what she meant.

"It's easy to see the picture once the puzzle is complete, love." Adrien reassured her. "But I get what you mean. My head was spinning for days in that other universe for a lot of reasons, but this was one of them."

Marinette shook her head. "It's not the same. I spent so much time getting to know you, trying to find out everything I could about you, and I still missed it." She paused, then, while trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach at his new nickname for her, added, "Is that what you're going to call me instead of m'lady?"

"Only if you let me." Adrien said with a wink, courteously ignoring the giddy look Marinette could feel on her face. "And for the record, we were both trying to keep our identities secret, it makes sense that we didn't figure it out. It took a while for me to be able to see it that way, but I got there eventually." he added.

"I know, but looking back, there were just so many clues and near misses!" Marinette exclaimed. She knew he was right, that their deliberate efforts to conceal their identities was why neither had ever figured it out, but she still felt foolish for not seeing it. "You both even have the same feather allergy!"

Adrien laughed. "Now that was something I couldn't have helped. I wonder what would have happened if you'd put two and two together all the way back then."

"I'm not sure." Marinette admitted. "But I'm glad things worked out this way. If we'd figured out each other's identities sooner, we might have gotten together sooner, but I don't think it would have worked out as well. I hate to admit it, but Tikki was right last night. I think this is the best possible way we could have come together. Falling for each other, in costume and out."

"You're welcome!" called a voice from the bushes.

"That doesn't mean I'm not still annoyed that you didn't tell me!" Marinette called back.

The responding snort caused both teens to fight to keep their faces straight.

"Still," Adrien said, humor fading to a more serious emotion. "You have to wonder."

They sat in silence for a while after that, both of them imagining what would have happened if they'd deduced each other's identities sooner.

"So, since we don't want people knowing Ladybug and Cat Noir are a couple," Adrien asked, breaking the silence, "Do we want the team to know that we know each other's identities? After today, we shouldn't ever have to worry about being akumatized, sooo…?"

Marinette considered for a moment. "Let's not tell them, at least not right away." She decided. "I think we can tell them that we found a way to make magical charms for ourselves and protected ourselves from akumas, but let's not tell them we know each other's identities." She decided. "I told them all that I trust their judgment, but to take their secret identities seriously. I don't want them to think that you and I were lax about that. I think it's safe to tell Luka, he already knows who we are anyway."

"I bet he'd probably notice, even if we didn't tell him." Adrien commented. "Between second chance and him knowing our identities, he'd probably figure it out."

"Probably." Marinette laughed. She thought of Alya, and what she had already told her that morning. She didn't want to lie to her closest friend, but she had made the mistake of treating Alya as more of her partner than Adrien before, and she didn't want to repeat that mistake.

"What's wrong?" Adrien asked.

Marinette froze, not sure what her face was doing.

Adrien smiled. "There's someone on the team you want to tell, isn't there?"

Marinette winced, then gave a nervous smile.

"Rena Rouge?" Adrien guessed.

Marinette sighed. "How'd you guess?"

Adrien grinned. "Call it cat's intuition. I don't mind you telling her that we know each other's identities. I wouldn't even mind her knowing who I am, if we could make sure she couldn't be akumatized. Do you think she'll figure it out if you tell her?"

"I don't think so." Marinette said slowly, shaking her head. "She knows all about how I pursued Cat Noir before, so she knows I have feelings for Cat Noir. She was convinced I was only doing it to run away from my feelings for a certain someone," she batted her eyelashes at Adrien, "but she knows all about it. And I may have told her about part of our conversation last night already."

Adrien lifted his eyebrows.

"The part about where a certain Ladybug and a certain Cat Noir admitted they loved each other, but were both happily involved with other people." Marinette grinned. "I neglected to mention that the other people we were involved with were each other."

Adrien snorted out a laugh.

Marinette laughed more softly. "Yeah, she seemed to accept it this time, instead of thinking I was just running away from my feelings for you. I mean," she waved a hand, "I was running away from my feelings for you, but like I said last night, there was more to it than that." Marinette hesitated, then looked at Adrien. "Can I ask why it meant so much to you about how I felt about Cat Noir? I mean, one way or another, I was always in love with you."

Adrien's expression grew thoughtful. "I wasn't sure about that myself for a while. Not knowing how you felt about Cat Noir really bothered me while I was in that universe, but I couldn't put my finger on why. But I figured it out last night. I think it was because of two reasons. Firstly, because Cat Noir is a big part of who I am. I was never just the model who tried to be perfect for his family. I'm also someone that wants to help people…and have as much fun doing it as possible." He added with a grin.

Marinette smiled. "I'm not sure what I think about you calling what we do 'fun'."

"Hey, when things get serious, so do I. You know that." Adrien countered. "But being Cat Noir, being able to just go out and help people, there's so much freedom in that. And knowing you loved both parts of me, like how I fell for both parts of you, feels so amazing. Maybe that's the reason you couldn't make the connection," he considered. "Because I'm not trying to act like a different person. I feel like a completely different person. Like everything that troubled Adrien Agreste; family expectations, obligations, my father's instructions, they all just kind of fall off when I transform. So I could just show that side of me without reservation." Adrien's expression grew more thoughtful. "It's probably why I've never seen being Cat Noir as a burden. It's a responsibility, but also a gift and an escape."

Marinette was quiet at that. Adrien's phrasing forced her to consider how much of his actions were influenced by his father. And, importantly, how being Cat Noir affected him as a senti-human. Does using a miraculous give him more free will from the Amok? She wondered. Is that why he acts so differently as Cat Noir? That would be important to find out after she told him about his connection to the peacock miraculous. Is it because his true self is showing through?

"The other reason was because I didn't know how you'd react to finding out I was Cat Noir." Adrien continued. "I was terrified that I had annoyed you so much, been pushy too often, and just made it impossible for you to feel romantic about him. Despite the time you had been interested in Cat Noir, I was afraid I had done so much damage that it would spoil things between us." he admitted.

Marinette placed her hand on Adrien's cheek. "Cat Noir has always been important to me. I wanted to throttle that cat sometimes; you were more than a little annoying on occasion. But you were always there to support me when I needed it most, and I don't just mean fighting villains. I think the only reason it took me so long to realize how wonderful a partner I had beside me was because I was dazzled by someone equally brilliant."

And as she spoke the words, she sat up a little straighter with an invisible weight falling off of her shoulders. Her confidence swelled as she realized how true her statement was. And if Cat Noir was part of Adrien's true nature, so what? Adrien's actions had been controlled by his father, but not his heart. She had fallen in love with both sides of him. And each one was as selfless and wonderful as the other.

Adrien's grin widened, placing his hand over hers. "I know a thing or two about being dazzled, and not noticing something fantastic next to me because of it." he admitted, then asked, "Does that mean the billboards don't bother you as much anymore?" He nodded his head above them. Marinette looked and saw a billboard that had caused her more frustration than she could express. A familiar scene, a kiss exchanged between two superheroes, one in black and the other in red.

Marinette groaned, closing her eyes, but kept the smile on her face. "I still want to know how that happened." she grumbled good naturedly, then opened her eyes. "But, no, it doesn't bother me as much anymore. It mostly bothered me because we weren't a couple then. But now…"

A comfortable silence followed Marinette's comment, with both of them realizing how silly the situation was. Adrien's eyes were alight with his smile, the smile that she loved so much.

"Like I said before, if you want to tell Rena that you know who I am," he said, returning to the previous subject, "then I'm okay with it. If you trust her, then so do I."

Marinette broke into a wide, grateful smile, and pulled him into a hug. "Thank you." she whispered. "Is there anyone on the team that you want to tell?"

"Not right now." Adrien admitted, pulling out of the embrace. "Of course, if you do tell Rena, then there's less of a reason for me to avoid visiting you via your patio, now isn't there?" he added innocently.

Marinette laughed. "I should have guessed you had an ulterior motive." she teased. "I'd much rather you visit me through the front door. That way my parents get to know what an attentive gentleman caller I have."

"That could get awkward though." Adrien said thoughtfully. "I mean if Cat Noir is seen passing through your family's bakery too often-"

"Not as Cat-" Marinette started to say in exasperation, but then she caught the playful look in Adrien's eyes. She shoved him hard on his shoulder, but couldn't keep the smile off her face as he started laughing.

"I mean, I'd still like to stop by and visit you on your balcony, serenade you and the like."

Marinette looked at him beseechingly.

"But I won't do that any more than is necessary." Adrien promised.

"Thanks." Marinette sighed, relieved.

They sat in silence for a time, just enjoying the moment, until Marinette's eyes drifted upward.

"You know, since you mentioned the billboard, what will our counterparts think about it?" Marinette wondered.

"Mine would probably laugh, and yours would either laugh or have the same reaction you did." Adrien quipped, grinning. "I don't know whether or not people know about them being a couple in their universe, so I don't know if that would bother them. There's probably a lot of rumors about them, just like there have been about us, but they never told me if their relationship was public knowledge."

"Now that I think about it," Marinette said, growing more serious, "How are our counterparts? You checked in on them, right? Where are they?"

"In that order, cozy, yes, and I'll text you the address." Adrien answered, whipping out his phone.

"Cozy? What does that mean?"

"They were still asleep when I got there." Adrien said, his thumbs tapping away at his phone. "I left a note for them too, along with some food and some basic supplies. I told them we'd meet them this evening and said they should just relax for the day. Your counterpart brought her sketchbook and mine brought a couple of books. If they need to go out, I told them to check with us first, so they know whether to go out in costume or not."

"Sounds like you've got it covered." Marinette said approvingly, but then she frowned. "But I still don't get what you mean by 'cozy'."

Adrien grinned mischievously, seeming much more like Cat Noir. "I just mean they seemed very comfortable, keeping each other warm like that together in that sleeping bag."

Interestingly enough, the heat produced from Marinette's cheeks in reaction to that statement was enough to make the small, secluded area feel quite warm as well.

Marinette's phone buzzed a short while later.

"Looks like Felix is able to meet us in about three hours." Marinette told Adrien.

"Perfect." Adrien answered, pulling out his phone to check the time. "Did Kagami say where they want to meet?"

"She texted an address." Marinette said, her thumbs tapping at her own phone. "I'm telling her that I'm looking forward to seeing them both in their best outfits."

"Clever." Adrien complimented her.

"Better than saying I want them in costume." Marinette shrugged, then looked thoughtful for a moment. "Do you think we should start using codes like that?"

"Definitely." Adrien said, nodding. "But let's work on it together. It should be something simple that we both can remember easily. 'Best outfits' is a pretty good starting point though."

"Makes sense." Marinette agreed.

"Let's head to my place and grab lunch, to make sure no one starts to look for us for a while, and then fly over to Mumbai this afternoon." Adrien suggested.

"Sounds like a plan to me." said Marinette, standing and stretching.

"Good idea." Plagg said, floating back to Adrien. "It's been almost two whole hours since I've had any cheese."

Adrien rolled his eyes at Marinette, who couldn't help but laugh.

So, I know that Marinette doesn't have a brother (yet). But I thought it might be good to invent a character or two for plot purposes. As far as the show goes, I really like that both Marinette's parents (especially her father) like Adrien, but it's always fun to have an overprotective figure in the mix when the young girl starts dating. I'm sure you can tell where I'm going with this.

He won't show up any time soon, but if and when I manage to put together a sequel story, I think he'll be a fun inclusion. As soon as I figure out all that I want to do with him.

Now Marinette and Adrien have started to work through how things will need to be between them going forward. Will they manage? Or will problems occur? Only one way to find out.

See you next time!

Please review and comment, I love the feedback!

~Sneak Preview~

Then she walked in.

No one will see us.

Well, I certainly know which creation of the peacock miraculous is your favorite.