Chapter Text
Nineteen year old Chat Noir swung from building to building as his thoughts were consumed by thoughts of his princess, Marinette. He spent a lot of time with her as Adrien, but he cherished the little talks they had on her rooftop at least once a week as Chat and his princess, and could obsess over the memories for days afterwards.
When he was younger, he had always pushed for a relationship with Ladybug. From the moment he’d met her, Chat Noir had literally fallen head-over-paws for the awkward new superhero. When she had sassed back to Hawk Moth during their first fight, it had solidified his love for her.
That love had only ever hurt him.
Blinded by teenage hormones, Chat Noir had persistently pursued his red-clad superhero partner to the point their dynamic was at risk of becoming awkward. He truly loved her but she’d never given him a chance. One day, Chat Noir had woken from a nightmare that his love would ruin their partnership if he continued to pursue her. When he had voiced his fears to her, she swore that they were fine, but that was the day he decided to give up on his rejected love, making a vow to himself to become the best partner he could to his Ladybug instead. After being constantly rejected, he had begun to fear that Ladybug would come to resent him for his unwanted advances.
As much as it had broken his heart at the time, he couldn’t deny that the results were worth it; their friendship grew stronger after that and their fighting style became unbeatable. His unrequited crush on Ladybug had almost destroyed their partnership, but his pursuit of friendship instead made them an unrivaled force against Hawk Moth.
In his private life, Adrien Agreste was no luckier than Chat Noir in love. After giving up on Ladybug when he was fifteen, Adrien tried to move on with Kagami. They dated for close to two years, but their romance never really progressed naturally and both parties often felt it was forced or almost like a business arrangement. Eventually, they made the mutual decision to go back to being friends as they obviously weren’t meant to be lovers. Since their breakup, they had returned to their former close friendship, and neither held any hard feelings.
Recently, when Kagami had told him that she had started seeing a new man, one who made her feel truly special, Adrien had felt nothing but joy for his ex-girlfriend. No one deserved to be treated more like a goddess than she did.
On the surface, he had moved on from trying to force himself to be in a relationship, and was just enjoying spending more time with his classmates. When he turned eighteen, Adrien decided to take control of his modeling career; instead of letting his father sign him up for every job available, he now had the freedom to be picky with the contracts he’d accept. Gone were the days of daily photo-shoots. These days Adrien Agreste was only seen in ads and campaigns that he truly enjoyed and backed personally, aside from the few obligatory clothing lines for his dad. Taking control of his modeling career meant that he actually had a lot more free time to pursue alternative interests — like friendships and focusing on school.
Now enrolled in university full time, Adrien enjoyed studying Physics and Business as he’s expected to inherit his father’s business, Gabriel . While Adrien didn’t care one whit about fashion, he couldn’t deny that he greatly enjoyed the business courses.
He took a deep breath of fresh air and glanced at a nearby billboard. He paled when he saw the time was ten minutes until seven in the morning.
He was late.
If he didn’t book it home, he wouldn’t be able to shower before heading to meet his friends for Wednesday morning coffee.
Chat Noir quickly made his way the long way back to Agreste manor.
He flipped into his bathroom and called off his transformation in a rush.
“Lost in thoughts of your Sugarcube?” Plagg asked, annoyed as Adrien frantically dashed to the bathroom, shedding clothes as he went.
“Not today, Plagg,” he called back. “Just help yourself to the camembert. We’re late. Mason’s going to be here in five minutes!”
Mason had been assigned to the family when his father’s previous assistant, Natalie, had fallen sick. Adrien often missed Nathalie, but he mostly hoped she would be able to recover while getting treatment in America. She’d gotten the same illness Adrien’s mother had contracted before she’d died. Fortunately, Nathalie was able to get treatment, and was often able to call and check in once a week.
Adrien showered in record time and was pulling on a shirt when he saw Mason entering his room. Adrien opened his outer shirt, and Plagg quickly moved from his bag to hide within the folds of his charge’s clothing, narrowly avoiding Mason’s eyes.
The fashion-obsessed gay man was unimpressed when he looked up from his tablet to see Adrien barely dressed with wet hair.
“Did you oversleep, sir?”
“Sorry Mason,” Adrien apologized as he quickly towel-dried his hair and made his way to the bathroom to grab a glob of gel to give his hair an intentionally tousled look. Unlike the mop-like locks of his youth, Adrien now sported a slightly longer and messy undercut that accented his sharp jawline. His sweetheart face had sharpened as he’d gotten older and he was happy with the more mature look it gave him. The older he got, the more he realized he was starting to look like his father. All his youth, he had been compared to his mother, so he was both glad and saddened by his growth over the years.
Most days he preferred to be clean-shaven, but Adrien resigned himself to keeping his five-o-clock shadow for the day since he was running late. He didn’t have any modeling gigs today, so he reasoned that it would be fine.
He exited the bathroom and grabbed his schoolbag, following Mason out to the car. On the way, he was grateful to see the family chef holding a protein shake for him to have as his breakfast. He patted the older gentleman on the arm in thanks, and gratefully took a chug of the chocolate banana smoothie as he exited his family home to see Mason waiting by the car while his bodyguard casually leaned against the hood. He quickly trotted down the steps and slid into the car behind Mason after greeting Gorilla.
“What time do you want to be picked up, sir?” Mason asked tapping on his tablet after he had slid into the front passenger seat. Gorilla got behind the wheel, exited the courtyard, signaled, and then merged into traffic as the trio headed towards Adrien’s university campus.
“I can get a salad for lunch on campus today,” Adrien told his father’s assistant. “I need to stay on campus to grab some research materials from the library before my afternoon classes. You can pick me up after fencing.”
“Very good, sir,” Mason rolled his eyes after making a note. “Don’t forget you have your Chinese lesson at the manor after fencing, so please don’t be late to our meeting spot. As for your morning updates…”
Adrien spent the ride listening to Mason rattle off uninteresting facts about his father’s business. Adrien enjoyed being a model for the fact that the shoots could be fun when his friends were involved, but aside from that, Adrien wasn’t interested in the fashion industry. Everything he knew about it was based on what he’d been told.
The one time he really enjoyed listening to someone talk about fashion was when his friend, Marinette, talked to him about it. She loved the fashion industry and she was extremely good at it; she created designs for fun and all of her art made an impact. How many 15-year-olds could say their art was good enough to be commissioned by an international rockstar like Jagged Stone? Marinette had the skills and talent to make it in the industry, and as Mason prattled on about how Adrien’s father was a genius for choosing silver buckles over brass, Adrien only wanted to snooze. But when Marinette worked, Adrien was fascinated. She lit up the room with her energy. During the fashion shoots he’d done with her, everything was fun and she valued the opinions of her friends. Her models were more than just a pretty face to her.
Not that he’d ever admit it to anyone, but Adrien had started to form a crush on his friend much to Plagg’s amusement. So sue him if he had realized that his type was kind-hearted, dark-haired princesses. He had told her when she turned fourteen that she was everyone’s “Everyday Ladybug”, but as they have gotten older, it had only become more true. She always went out of her way to be there for her friends, no matter how much was on her plate; she was encouraging and loving and not afraid to kick his ass at video games whenever they got together with Nino and Alya for their weekly hangout at Marinette and Alya’s flat.
Those nights were Adrien’s favorites each week. The four friends had made it a tradition to always get together every Saturday at five in the evening for movies and video games and oftentimes, the group would often wind up spending the night on the girls’ sofa. Nino and Alya’s relationship was now four-years strong, so they would sometimes slip off to sleep in her bed (Adrien and Marinette had enforced a “no sex on gamenight” rule after the fourth awkward evening of being abandoned), but Adrien never pressured his way into Marinette’s room, despite their friends teasing that her bed was more than big enough for the two of them to sleep next to each other.
He never wanted to pressure her to further their relationship since he was fully convinced that she didn’t share his growing deeper affections. In the beginning of their friendship, she’d stutter and even shut down if they were left alone to talk, but she’d gotten more comfortable around him over time. They’d developed a close friendship and he really enjoyed her company. He’d love a little bit more alone time with his princess, but it was obvious she didn’t feel the same. Everytime they were teased or left alone together, she would always get extremely awkward and make excuses about how to make herself scarce. He’d even think he’d done something wrong if it wasn’t for her years of assurances otherwise.
She swore up and down to him over the years that he hadn’t upset her in any way, but he couldn't help but doubt that. He saw how relaxed she was with their other male friends, like Luka and Nino — and even her friendly neighborhood Chat Noir — and unlike when she was around Adrien, she never turned into a stuttering mess that shut down all semblance of speech around them. They were now at a level where they could joke and talk, even tease each other, but she was still a little bit more clumsy and awkward around him, as if there was a tension between them.
Sadly, he was now fully convinced that she didn’t feel the same way about him and Adrien didn't want to lose their friendship by pushing too hard. He really liked how Marinette cared for everyone in her life, but he didn’t want to ruin what they had because she was already so nervous around him. If he were to confess that he was falling for her and she didn’t feel the same way, he was scared that he would be officially rejected by both of his “Ladybugs.”
This inherent fear firmly kept Adrien from discussing his feelings with any of his friends — even Nino. The only one who knew of his broken-hearted dilemma was his ever-faithful (but entirely exasperated) kwami, Plagg.
The only time they both were completely at ease around each other was when Marinette’s friend, Chat Noir, came to talk to her in the evenings — not that she ever knew it was Adrien behind the mask. Over the years, Chat and Marinette had grown close, both had moved on from their initial mutual “broken hearts” club and he made it a point to visit with her if he saw her relaxing on her balcony after he was done with his patrols.
Just as Adrien had created a routine to visit his friends more in his free time, Chat had made it his routine to unwind with his friend once a week with a glass of wine after he was done with his patrol. The days he visited varied based on his schedule, but he still made the effort to see her. They couldn’t talk much about their lives because he had to protect his secret identity, but he enjoyed the discussions of their interests; they’d talk about video games and new movies, and Marinette would open up with him in a way she didn’t around Adrien.
He was thrilled when she kept up their tradition when she moved in with Alya a year ago for university. Their new setup wasn’t as cosy as the one over her parent’s bakery but she had claimed a little corner of the roof of her apartment building and had put up a padded bench and some fairy lights. It was private and quiet, that’s all that mattered.
Even though the pair enjoyed sharing a ridiculously sweet and mildly alcoholic wine (since Chat still had to run home over the rooftops afterward), Chat hated how Marinette was always the one to provide it for them from her stash. She rejected any offer he made to pay for the wine, and so he would make a point to leave a few bills behind whenever they shared a glass. She had made it a game to try and give it back to him, but he made sure she never succeeded. Chat wished she could always be that relaxed and silly around Adrien, but more often than not, she turned awkward as if she found it uncomfortable to be in his vicinity if he tried to be playful like Chat.
His musings were interrupted as they rolled up to Adrien’s university. He was glad to see his friends gathered at the cafe on campus. The car hadn’t even rolled to a full stop before he had his door open and was making his way out of the moving vehicle.
“Adrien!” Mason hollered in alarm, but his warnings were ignored as the nineteen year old slammed the door shut behind him. He waved his farewells to his father’s upset staff and his glorified babysitter as he made his way to the coffee shop.
“Hey guys!” he called joyfully as he ran up to his friends.
“You know, based on previous data, you’ve increased the likelihood by 35% that your father is going to force you to do an extra photoshoot for that,” Max told him with a smirk as his robot best friend, Markov, beeped in agreement beside him.
Adrien couldn’t disagree. His father left him mostly alone these days, but his assistant, Mason, could hold onto a grudge for a while and he just knew he would suggest adding a photoshoot in his schedule. The order would ultimately come from up high, but Adrien knew who to blame…
Instead of crying over spilt milk — or cream in his case — he tried to enjoy the free time he had with his friends before classes.
“What did I miss?” he asked the group. It had been a while since he’d been able to catch up with his collège classmates and he was eager to hear what they’d been up to.
“Mylene was wondering how close Ladybug and Chat Noir were,” Alix answered.
“They are together, of course,” Rose, Juleka, and Sabrina deadpanned.
“What?” Adrien was surprised. They often talked about the latest fights and akumas, but discussing the private life of the miraculous holders? This discussion could get slippery, even for an agile cat like him.
“I don’t know, guys,” Alya intervened. “I’ve never seen them act more than friendly towards each other in all the hours of footage I shot for the Ladyblog. I really don’t think they are together.”
“It wouldn’t make sense for them to be a couple if they couldn’t know each other’s identity anyway,” Marinette stated defensively.
“What do you mean they couldn’t know? Of course they know each other’s secret identity! The opposite would be ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!” exclaimed Chloé.
“Markov agrees,” Max interjected. “There is a 97% chance that they know each other in their civilian life.”
“However,” Markov interrupted, “based on Chat Noir’s flirtatious speech patterns, there is only a 58.3% chance that they know the other’s secret identity.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Alix claimed.
“Well, in fact it does,” Max explained. “It would mean there is a large chance they know each other in real life — and they obviously know and trust each other as Ladybug and Chat Noir — but they don’t know that their friend outside of the mask is also their friend behind it.”
“How dense could they be?” asked Kim. “They have been working together for years. If they can’t figure it out by now, it’s a bad sign for the future of Paris.”
“I don’t think so,” Nino intervened, trying to lighten the mood and divert the subject. “With Rena Rouge, Carapace and Viperion added to the team, I think Paris is in good hands!” Glancing quickly at Marinette out of the corner of his eyes, he quickly added, “Not that there was a problem with only L.B. and Chat Noir. Those dudes are next level awesome!”
While the rest of the group started talking about the great (and not so great) examples of awesome superhero prowess over the years, Adrien leaned back on his chair. He knew that before Master Fu had transferred the Guardian role to Ladybug, she had offered Miraculous to Alya, Nino, Chloé, Max and Luka. Kagami had used one a few times too, and Marinette had also been tagged in as Multimouse when their kwamis were in danger under Ms Mendeleiv’s akumatization. Even though he had been offered Sass for a fight, it hadn’t worked out in the end, and Luka had instead taken up the mantle to become Viperion.
Most likely, Ladybug had been someone in his class all the way back in collège.
Before he could process that thought any farther, his eyes caught on the big clock on the wall. He was on his feet seconds later.
“Is that the time? My first class is on the other side of the campus, I have to go! I’ll see you guys later at lunch!” he waved as he shouldered his bag and cut through the crowd. Still deep in thought, he bumped into a few people and barely looked up before high-tailing it out of the café and heading towards his class.
Marinette grimaced. Adrien had bumped into someone on his way out, causing him to shove her with his elbow and spilling the coffee she had just collected over her arm. Luckily it was an iced coffee, but she would have to endure the sticky residue on her sleeve until she could go home and change during the mid-morning break. Bummed out, she headed to her seat, picked up her bag and signaled to Alya that she would text her later to explain her foul mood.
Unbeknownst to Adrien, Marinette had long-since accepted that she wouldn’t end up with him so she had forced herself to chill out around him and become a better friend. She had even tried to move on and develop a long-term relationship with their friend Luka a few years ago. They had been good together and Luka had been a sweetheart who helped her build her own brand of confidence as a young woman outside of her Ladybug persona. She had loved him, as he did her but they had never been deeply in love .
When Luka had received an offer to tour the world as part of Jagged Stone’s band, they had been forced to face their relationship critically and honestly. Following a heartbreaking conversation, they had decided that breaking up was the best solution for all involved. She didn't want to tie him down while he was off chasing his music dreams when she couldn’t promise him her whole heart, and he didn’t want to keep her waiting when he wasn’t sure where his career would take him and how long he would be gone.
They were still very close, having shared such a significant period of their teenage years together. After three years, they were confident that if they were meant to be, they would find each other later in life and that they should enjoy their youth in the meantime. They had each promised the other that they would always be honest about their feelings, and do their best not to hurt the other. When he was back in town for a few weeks between legs of his tour, he would always schedule time to see her and catch up. She loved to talk about his crazy late night adventures with his father after shows, and the places that he had visited; while she told him about her ‘normal’ life at Uni and how Paris was fairing against Hawk Moth.
As Ladybug, she had asked him to leave the snake Miraculous in town under her supervision whenever he left for more than a week but she was always quick to find him whenever he got home to return Sass to him.
Speaking of Luka, he had texted her a few days before warning her that he would be back in town at the end of the week and that he was staying a whole month this time. Feeling in a better mood, she started to plan how to approach him as Ladybug. Luka and Chat were the only two permanent holders who didn’t know her identity, and it was starting to make things difficult.
Sighing, she tried to not have the same debate in her head again.
As the Guardian, it would make sense to know the identity of Chat. Even Master Fu had known his identity, but Master Fu was not an active holder in the line of fire as often as she was. And he had been adamant that they mustn’t know. She would have loved to debate the subject with him, but since his memories had been erased…
Shaking her head, she looked at her phone and squeaked. She was going to be late again if she didn’t hurry up.