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Chapter One: Questionable Ethics
Chat Noir swung lightly onto his favorite balcony. He took a moment to admire the fragrant flowers that adorned the pots. He was tempted to pick one. But that had not been met with a positive outcome last time. He’d been smacked by the intended recipient for plucking one of her precious flowers.So he kept his hands tucked behind his back and sauntered over to the little window that looked down into the room below.Marinette was lying on her bed with her face smothered in a pillow. Chat Noir chuckled lightly at the sight, then firmly knocked.A muffled groan made its way past the pillow’s defense before she peaked from behind it. Upon seeing his cheerful grin and wave, she promptly buried her face again, making him laugh out right. A moment later she obediently sat up and climbed the ladder to open the hatch.He waited for her to reach the floor again and move out of the way, then he dropped straight down, ignoring the ladder, landing with the grace and ease of a true cat.“Bad day, princess?” he asked, sitting cross-legged at the foot of her bed. Her response was to flop back on her bed and resume her presumed attempt at smothering herself. “Tell your dear chaton all about it.” He relieved her of the potential hazard, pulling the pillow into his lap.“Just reliving my most fantastic spazzy moments of the day,” she muttered. “I put my foot in my mouth. Again. Am I just completely incapable of forming normal sentences around him?” she demanded the air, gesturing wildly before covering her face with her arms, since her pillow was out of reach.Chat’s ears perked up at this. He had a suspicion already of who she was talking about. But Marinette didn’t often mentioned his civilian self to his hero self. Not unless she was talking about the whole gang in tandem. “Oh?” he asked cautiously, but trying to sound casual. “Is this a particular ‘him?’”Marinette mumbled something under her breath, but Chat couldn’t hear her.“Huh?”She removed her arms from her rather red face. “Adrien Agreste.”Chat’s pulse picked up a few beats. He’d long ago noticed that Marinette only had trouble talking to him. He’d never quite been able to figure out why, though he had several theories. She was very interested in fashion and design, after all. He was a model, and his father happened to be her favorite designer. Either of those could have something to do with it.Then, an equally plausible reason, is the fact that they had such a rocky start to their friendship with the whole gum incident. Maybe she’d simply never quite been able to find her footing afterwards. Or maybe…maybe she was still sore about the whole thing and just didn’t want to admit it.That was the possibility he dreaded. And no matter how many times Nino told him he was an idiot, he couldn’t quite banish the possibility from his brain.He hesitated. “Adrien Agreste, huh?” he asked at last. “Isn’t he that model friend of yours?”“Ya. I always, always, fumble my words around him. It’s so embarrassing.”His heart continued to thrum. He should probably change the subject. She didn’t know who she was talking to, after all. But… “Is there…a particular reason you have trouble talking around him?” He studied her carefully. Marinette continued to stare at the ceiling, which actually made this a little bit easier. “Do you two…not get along or something?”“No!” Marinette protested, sitting up straight and looking at him with wide eyes. “Nothing like that! No, Adrien’s great.”And just like that, the long-standing bubble of fear that had lived inside his chest popped. The relief from that simple sentence! He felt like singing. He tried his hardest to keep his face straight and mostly succeeded. The next question almost blurted out of him. “Then what is it?” He really wanted to know. He liked Marinette. But there was no denying that he’d grown much closer to her as Chat Noir than he ever had as Adrien. How he wished they could have this ease of friendship in their every-day lives, too.She sighed, and looked down at her hands in her lap. “I guess I may as well tell you. Don’t laugh, ok?” she looked up at him briefly, then down at her lap again.He placed his left hand over his heart and raised his right. “I paw-sitively promise no laughter shall escape my lips.”She groaned. “It’s embarrassing,” she repeated, then threw her hands wide. “But I have the biggest crush on him.”Chat Noir choked on nothing and nearly fell off the bed. Heat immediately rushed into his face.“I know!” Marinette said, and flopped herself back down on her bed. She snatched the pillow from his lap and once more covered her face. Chat was thoroughly relieved that she was not looking at him.He had not expected that.That’s why she couldn’t talk straight around him? He thought back to their fumbled interaction earlier today and it made so much sense. And there he had been, worrying that she secretly hated him.Nino was right. He was an idiot.Chat swallowed hard, trying to get his deep blush under control. That would surely raise some awkward questions. There was a strange fluttering feeling in his stomach to accompany it. She liked him. The kindest, sweetest girl in school liked him. How on earth had that happened?He shouldn’t. He really, really shouldn’t. She’d kill him if she ever found out. He couldn’t help himself. “Why do you like him so much?”She peaked from under her pillow. “What’s got you so curious?” she demanded.Thankfully, he’d mostly managed to compose himself. But cautious of her scrutiny, he sat up a little straighter, crossed his arms, and shot her one of his trademark Chat Noir grins. “Just curious what sort of knight has managed to capture my princess’s special attention.”She chucked the pillow at him, which he caught deftly. In the meantime, she went back to staring at the ceiling with a defeated sigh. “I don’t know,” she said. But then she continued, contradicting herself. “He’s kind. Did you know, one time we had this class service project—and I’d forgotten all about it. I was embarrassed, so I lied. I told everyone I’d planned this huge picnic with all these baked goods. And when Adrien found out? He organized the whole class to each bring something to contribute and we had a picnic anyways. He saved me.”Chat swallowed hard. “Sounds like a good guy.”She smiled softly, blush receding to a faint hue. His breath caught at the sight. “He is. And he’s…strong.”Him? Strong? “How so?”She hesitated a long moment, composing her answer. “Well,” she said slowly, “he hasn’t exactly had the easiest life.”He frowned in confusion. “Isn’t he a rich and famous model who lives in a mansion?”“Yes, but…You don’t know his father,” she countered. He froze. “Gabriel Agreste is a brilliant designer, but he’s not exactly a warm or present father. And Adrien doesn’t have a mother, either. He tries to act like it doesn’t bother him, but I know it does. He’s lonely.”Chat wilted. He hadn’t realized she’d caught on to all of that.“A lot of people could become bitter with that kind of home,” Marinette continued, “or cynical. Especially when they also grow up with pretty much everything, materialistically.” She peaked over at him again. “But not Adrien. He just keeps going. Instead of being cynical, he’s… inspiring. He has a habit of lifting people’s spirits. Of lifting mine.”He continue to stare at her, mouth hanging slightly open, long after she stopped talking. Marinette was clearly lost in thought. And Chat—Adrien—Chat—he didn’t have a clue how to respond. After a time, Marinette seemed to take notice of his frozen state. “Chat Noir, are you all right?” she finally asked, sitting up again.He snapped back to the reality of the situation and pasted another grin on his face. “Of course, princess!” he paused. “Adrien is a lucky man,” he managed, truthfully. “I…hope he knows that.” Marinette opened her mouth to respond, but Chat cut her off, jumping to his feet. “Now, I’m sorry princess, but I should be going. I’m supposed to meet Ladybug for a patrol tonight.”Marinette frowned at that, eyes narrowing in suspicion. Hopefully she couldn’t see through the lie—it was plausible, right? But he needed to process all of this. He bowed dramatically. “Another time, Marinette?”“You’re always welcome here,” she reminded him. “You sure you’re all right?”To answer, he took her hand in his and kissed her fingertips. “Never better, princess.”With that, he scurried up her ladder, out onto the balcony, and into the night.
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Chapter Two: Choices
Adrien paced rapidly around his room, repeatedly gripping or pulling at his own hair. His heart had not stopped hammering the entire trip home, and it had nothing to do with the pole vaulting. Marinette Dupain-Cheng was in love with him. Him. She thought he was kind. And strong. And inspiring. Marinette thought he was inspiring! This was the girl who had gone out of her way to pair up Nathaniel and Marc for their comic book. Who had encouraged Ivan to pursue Mylene. Who went above and beyond to make sure Juleka was in the class photo and didn’t feel forgotten. Who had given him her own lucky charm to help with the tournament. This girl, who helped everyone around her and made everyone into better versions of themselves, thought he was inspiring.His chest was fit to burst. “It’s fun watching you change colors,” Plagg drawled from his place on the desk. He took another bite of camembert. Adrien glared at him. “I’m serious,” the tiny cat continued after another swallow. “Every once in a while you go back to normal, but then you’re suddenly cherry red again. It’s fascinating.”“Plagg,” Adrien groaned, pausing in his pacing and turning to his snarky companion. “What am I going to do?”“I fail to see the problem,” Plagg announced, still happily munching away.“Don’t see the problem?” he spat out. “Marinette is in love with me!”“I thought you liked Marinette.”“Of course I do!” Adrien exclaimed. “That’s not the issue. Plagg, I’m in love with Ladybug.”“So, tell Marinette you don’t like her that way.”His heart felt sick at the prospect. That would crush her. He’d be single-handedly responsible for destroying that selfless, precious girl.He flushed again as those words crossed his mind.“There you go again,” Plagg noted. “A nice bright crimson.” His words only succeeded in making Adrien’s blush deepen.Adrien groaned and flopped onto his bed. “Marinette…is amazing,” he admitted. Precious. The most recent addition to his flattering thoughts of her repeated over and over again in his head. She was precious. Brave. Selfless. Talented. Good. She’d become one of his best friends. Realizing he’d somehow managed to attain her affections made him feel giddy.“But…I’m in love with Ladybug,” he repeated weakly. Plagg swallowed his last bite of cheese. “Your face says a different story.”Did it? He definitely cared about Marinette. Very deeply. He couldn’t deny that there was something there. When she’d called him great—and simultaneously put permanently to rest his fears that she might dislike him—he’d been over the moon. And the moment she admitted to having a crush on him?He’d been shocked, yes. But…he’d been ludicrously happy. The panic didn’t set in until after his brain caught up with his heart.But…he’d been in love with Ladybug so long. And honestly, he still was. “So you think, what? I should just…forget about Ladybug? Be with Marinette?”“Seems to me like Ladybug isn’t very reciprocal of your feelings,” Plagg pointed out.That was true. But what would that make Marinette? Second choice? Good enough? Those thoughts seemed appalling to him. He knew first-hand how incredible she was. Even before he’d known of her feelings, he constantly found himself drawn to her. That’s how they had ended up friends, not just as Marinette and Adrien, but as Marinette and Chat Noir, too. Anyone who picked her as a second choice was…An idiot.Oh dear.“Plagg…” Adrien began, then hesitated. He licked his lips to give himself time to muster the courage for his next words. “I think I’m in love with Marinette, too.”“Well that’s a revelation that doesn’t come every day,” the kwami drawled, floating suddenly in front of his face.“How can I be in love with two different girls?” he mused, looking cross-eyed at his tiny friend who was too close to his face.Plagg shrugged. “How indeed?” he asked cryptically, then flew away. Adrien left out a huff of annoyed air.He sat up. “But if I…If I tell Marinette. If I choose her…all the while still being in love with another girl, that wouldn’t be fair to her.”“Is it fair to keep pursuing Ladybug, knowing you’re also in love with Marinette?” Plagg countered.Adrien pursed his lips in thought. No. No, that didn’t feel right, either. Great. So he was stuck.Unless…unless he told her the truth.***It had been two days since the incidental confession and subsequent self-realization. Thankfully, this had all occurred over the weekend, which meant Adrien hadn’t had to deal with seeing Marinette at school, thoughts and heart in turmoil all around him. He’d made his decision, but…following through with it was infinitely more difficult. Once more disguised as Chat Noir, he watched Marinette’s balcony from a safe distance while he gathered his courage. It was…slow in gathering.He nearly fell off his perch when the balcony hatch opened and up climbed the very person he was most anxious to both see and avoid. He watched Marinette make her way around the balcony, watering the flowers and humming softly to herself. He couldn’t help the smile tugging at his mouth. Well, it was now or never.He launched himself onto the roof behind her, causing her to emit a rather adorable squeak of surprise and nearly drop her watering can—but she recovered.“Chat, you startled me,” she accused, planting her hand on her hip.“Sorry, princess.” He jumped down to her level. “How has your day been?”Her accusatory glare turned into a smile. She set her watering can down and jumped up to sit on her rail facing him. “It’s been wonderful. I helped papa in the bakery, which is always fun. And then I hung out with Alya for a while.” She suddenly frowned at him. “Are you all right?”Well, no. Did he look anxious? Shoot. He was going for casual. He tried to perk up. “Swell!” he answered. He took a deep, anxious breath. “Although, I…actually have something I’d like to talk to you about.”She looked surprised, but obediently jumped off of her rail. “Come on in, then,” she invited, making her way towards the hatch.“Uh…no. That’s all right. I mean, we should—can we stay out here?”She frowned at him again. “Well, sure, but why?”He fidgeted. “Because…I’m pretty sure you’re going to wanna kill me after this and I’d rather have multiple escape options open,” he confessed.Now Marinette looked significantly more concerned. “Chat, what is it? You can tell me anything, you know that.” She took his paw in hers. He was rather torn on whether he wanted to clutch her tighter or scamper away.He compromised. Letting her go and taking a few pacing steps away before turning back to drink her in. This might very well be the last time they were together like this. Anything and everything could go wrong in the next few minutes.“Ok,” he said slowly. “See, here’s the thing. There’s something I need to tell you—something I think you need to know. But…I can’t tell you.Her brows drew together in confusion. “Then why—”“Not…as Chat Noir,” he continued.She tilted her head at him in confusion. “Wh--?” she stopped, eyes going suddenly wide. “Oh!” she exclaimed, hands clutched in front of her face, then she threw them down in fists at her sides. “No!” she exclaimed. “Chat, you can’t—well—no one can know who you are!”“You sound just like Ladybug.”“Well she’s right!” Marinette scolded. “What if I got akumatized? If I knew your secret, then so would Hawk Moth!”“And how many times have you been akumitized so far?” Chat countered, crossing his arms in front of his chest.“But I could,” Marinette answered. “It’s too dangerous. I—I can’t know.” She came closer to him. “Chat, what is going on? Why can’t you tell me as Chat?”Because that wouldn’t help. He’d also thought about just approaching her as Adrien…but she needed to know the full picture. Otherwise it wouldn’t be fair to her. He shook his head. “Do you trust me?” he asked instead.“You know I do.”“Then believe me, it either has to be as my civilian self, or not at all.”She pulled at her pigtails. “Why do you have to be so difficult?” she asked.“Look,” Chat placated, “I know it’s risky, and I know this is a lot to ask. “I…I want to show you who I am. But, it’s your decision.”She started. “Mine?”Chat nodded. “Yes. Like I said, I have something I need to tell you. But…it wouldn’t be fair of me to just throw this at you without giving you say. Knowing my secret is a big deal. And I’m not going to burden you with that if you don’t want me to.”Marinette turned away from him and began pacing around the balcony, tugging on her pigtails some more. “Oh Chat,” she said at last, “You have no idea what you’re asking.”“I know, it’s a lot.”“That’s not it.” But she didn’t elaborate. She turned back to face him again. “This thing you need to tell me…are you in trouble?”“No. No trouble, no danger. Nothing like that.”“Then…is it, is it urgent?”He wilted. Was she going to ask for time to think? He didn’t know if he could handle the strain. But he’d have to. “No.”“Then why tonight? Why all of this now?”He searched for an answer, but couldn’t come up with an honest one that wouldn’t give too much away. “If you agree, then you’ll find out.” Not an answer at all.She came close to him again, studying his nervous face carefully. “But you…you really want me to know?” He couldn’t trust himself to speak, so he nodded. Marinette closed her eyes. She turned away once more, then turned back resolutely. “Ok.”He started. “O—ok?” he repeated.“Don’t make me say it again,” she pleaded. “I might change my mind.”He raised his hands in submission. Then the two of them stood there, staring awkwardly at each other for a long moment.“Well…then…” Part of him hadn’t really expected her to say yes. This was…monumental. He should just do it. Like ripping off a band-aid. Fast and painless. “Claws—”“Wait!” Marinette screamed, suddenly throwing her arms over her eyes and shaking her head rapidly.“What?” Chat asked. Was she going to change her mind after all? He’d been so close.“Just…just give me a second.”He did, pausing several long seconds, but then he strode up to her and tapped her chin with his finger. “If we wait any longer either one of us might chicken out,” he pointed out. Marinette looked over her arms at him. She took a deep breath, cheeks flaming red, then lowered her arms. Chat took her hands in his own trembling paws. He was blushing too. “Close your eyes?” he suggested.Obediently, she clamped them shut.This was it. “Claws in,” Chat said softly. A flash of light announced the start of his detransformation and before he knew it, his black gloved claws were back to the pale hands of Adrien Agreste.Marinette’s hands tightened around his, but she still hadn’t opened her eyes.“Marinette,” Adrien pleaded softly.Face down towards the ground, Marinette’s eyes blinked open, staring at his shoes. Painstakingly slowly, she raised her eyes to meet his face.“Hey,” Adrien greeted with a nervous chuckle.There was a heart-stopping breadth of stunned silence, and then—“Ahhhhh!” Marinette screamed.
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Chapter Three: Just Rewards
“Ahhhhh!” Marinette screamed.She jumped a foot back and pointed at him like he was the latest akumatized victim. “Adrien Agreste!” Her face was cherry red with shock, eyes huge. “Adrien Agreste,” she repeated, only moderately more quietly, but much more quickly. She rapidly began pacing around her balcony again, once more pulling at her hair. “Adrien Agreste is Chat Noir. Adrien Agreste is Chat Noir. Adrien Agreste is—YOU!” she suddenly rounded at him, with a new wave of shock replacing the old. “I told—I said—YOU!"Shock gave way to a flaring temper. “You you you you YOU!” She picked up a watering can and chucked it at him. “You knew! It was you! You knew I’d be humiliated and you asked me all. Those. Questions!” With each punctuated word she chucked something else at him—the last item being a rather heavy pot of soil which he dodged. It crashed against the floor behind him and shattered, spilling dirt everywhere. He spared a brief moment of admiration for her strength in the midst of his terror at her wrath.“Well I couldn’t exactly tell you it was me!” he pointed out, ducking for cover behind the chair.“You could have changed the subject!” She wheeled away from him suddenly, hands over her face in humiliation. “I can’t believe this. I actually told Adrien Agreste I have a crush on him!”“That’s—what I need to talk to you about,” Adrien inserted cautiously, fearful of rousing her anger again. “Please, please don’t be embarrassed.”“Don’t be embarrassed!” she repeated, wheeling on him again. “I’m humiliated!”He tried to take her hand again but she was having none of him. “Hence the reason I wanted to meet outside,” he said with a small chuckle, gesturing to the city, hoping to elicit a spark of humor in her at the ridiculousness of their situation.She sat down hard on the patio chair and buried her face in her knees with a groan.“Look, I can imagine how you feel,” Adrien said, kneeling in front of her. “I mean—after everything I’ve told you about my feelings for Ladybug, it would be like if you ended up being her.”Marinette squeaked and sat bolt upright, staring at him again but no longer ranting or raving. “But…Marinette, that’s why I had to talk to you, and I had to do it this way.” She stayed mercifully silent this time. “You, of all people, know how long I’ve been in love with Ladybug.” Her hand flew to cover her mouth, eyes widening in some sort of revelation. “But…honestly, Marinette. You’ve grown to mean so much to me. I fell in love with Ladybug rather instantly, but you…you snuck up on me.”Her breath hitched and they stared at each other—rather close together at the moment—for a long time. Adrien could barely breathe, as well. His heart was thundering rapidly.“Adrien—what are you…?”“I’m saying,” he licked his lips nervously, “that I think I’m in love with you, too.”Another sharp intake of breath was all the indication he had that she had even heard him. Her blush hadn’t receded during the whole conversation, which he found charmingly adorable, and he was pretty sure his face had changed color as well, but she didn’t move. “I…I know this is a lot,” Adrien conceded. “First Chat Noir, then…this. And…look. I can’t promise that my feelings for Ladybug will go away. But…I can promise not to act on them. I can promise…that I’m yours. Entirely. If you’ll have me.” Tentatively, he took her hand again. She didn’t pull away this time, but neither did she answer. Adrien waited through the pause, heart thudding away. But as it lengthened he grew increasingly worried. “Marinette?” he asked at last. “Please…say something.”She remained frozen, starring at him as he kneeled in front of her. Then at last, she took a breath. “Let me get this straight,” she said, looking him square in the eye. “You’re in love with Ladybug.”He hesitated, then nodded.“And you’re in love with me.”He nodded again.“But you…choose me?” She looked more baffled than anything else. A third nod. “Now you know why I had to do it this way. It…it wouldn’t be fair for me to just ask you out as Adrien. You, you had to know everything.” His stomach squirmed uncomfortably. This was ridiculous, and he knew it. Here he was telling her he was in love with another girl. How could he expect her to—?She kissed him.Adrien gasped in surprise against her lips, then kissed her back with a sudden hunger, placing his hand on her neck. His mind went utterly blank, and all he could focus on was this intoxicating moment. He could feel his blood pumping and his whole chest burned.She drew away far too soon for his liking. Dazed, he opened his eyes again and looked into her furiously blushing face. He stared at her—desperate and hopeful, half leaning in again already. When she gave a tentative smile he broke into a wide grin, heart flying. He moved in to kiss her again, but she stood from her seat before he reached her she began to pace across the balcony again. Adrien’s grin fell, nerves returning in full force as he watched her.“Oh Kitty,” she said at last, stopping her pacing. “We’ve made a mess of things, haven’t we?”He stood up. “Look, I know. I know this is crazy. But—” he stopped. She was shaking her head. He felt his heart plummet, so soon after soaring. He braced himself, fearful of what would come next. “There’s…there’s a reason you love us both,” Marinette said. Adrien frowned, fear being driven away by confusion. “You told me everything. Well, now it’s my turn.”“Marinette, what are you—”“Tikki, spots on.”Red and black spread quickly, taking the place of Marinette’s civilian clothes, complete with a spotted eye mask and a yoyo on her hip. A few measly moments was all it took for Adrien’s entire world to change.Ladybug stood in front of him. Ladybug. With Marinette’s big blue eyes, and her dark hair tied back in adorable pigtails. With Marinette’s sweet blush peaking out from behind her mask.“Ta-da,” she managed weakly. She gave a small wave and stood looking terribly uncertain.Adrien, for his part, couldn’t pick his jaw up off the floor. Then he closed the distance between them in an instant and hugged her hard. “Of course,” he whispered. “Of course of course.”She laughed weakly. “I’m justly punished,” she managed. He pulled back, grinning ear-to-ear.“How so?”“All those times I listened to you ramble on about Ladybug and I never said anything. Well.”“Aha!” he teased, “and this time the shoe was on the other foot.” He grinned mischievously, leaning down to put his forehead against hers and peer closely into her eyes. “Call it even?” he asked breathlessly.Still blushing—would the two of them ever go back to regular color, he wondered?—she nodded and actually giggled. Then it was her turn to gasp as Adrien closed the scant remaining distance and kissed her without hesitation, wrapping his arms around her waist with no intention of ever letting her go.He’d finally won his lady. And his princess. He was a lucky cat indeed.