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Marinette groaned: their class was going to do a musical, RENT, and Chloé was gushing over it. ‘Anything that made Chloé happy was probably unwelcome news for Marinette.’ Sure enough, Chloé was talking about how two of the main characters, Mimi and Roger, fall in love and Chloé wanted Adrien to be the Roger to her Mimi. Everyone would try out and choose a song their preferred character sang to perform as their audition. Madame Bustier and the rest of the staff would then vote on the final cast. Alya and Nino wanted to be Angel and Tom respectively so they could be a couple in the show. Alya urged Marinette to challenge Chloé for the role of Mimi, “Girl, you could fall in love and even kiss Adrien! You must be confident and believe in yourself. You don’t want him to kiss Chloé, do you?”
“But Alya,” Marinette started to protest but Alya gave her a look saying, ‘Don’t you dare. You know you want to’. “Fine,” Marinette said relenting.
“Awesome, girl!” Alya said completely oblivious to her best friend’s total lack of enthusiasm. “If you want to beat Chloé you’re going to have to sing and dance to Out Tonight which she is performing. This way you can show how much better you are.”
“Oh, okay,” Marinette said. ‘Just another thing she had to do between school, being Ladybug, and designing.’
The next day, Saturday, came and Marinette totally regretted her decision. ‘There was no way she could sing and dance that to and with Adrien, let alone in his presence; it was just way too far out of her comfort zone. But maybe all she’d have to do would be to pretend she was Ladybug playing Mimi. She knew people thought Ladybug was really confident, so maybe she could channel that.’ Marinette practiced the song and a dance of her own making every night to get it just perfect. Marinette had never tried singing before, but she discovered she wasn’t half bad and her dancing was helped by her flexibility and skills she retained from being Ladybug.
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The day for tryouts came and Adrien was very nervous; ‘He knew he had a nice voice but he was worried he wouldn’t get the part of Roger. Chloé really wanted him to play Roger, and his dad even talked to him that morning saying that he needed to do the Agreste name justice by getting the part of Roger. Adrien could tell his father meant well and was, in his own way, wishing Adrien good luck. Chloé on the other hand just wanted to fall in love with him in the play, which upset Adrien at first but then he learned more about the character and realized he was a good fit, not that anyone at school would think that. At school, he had to be happy and pretend that everything was perfect; he was a rich model, but he still wasn’t happy. Both he and Roger were a little lonely and longed for something more, and they both loved music. Adrien thoroughly enjoyed his piano lessons even though his father preferred he spent more time on fencing and basketball. He chose the song One Song Glory to sing because it was a brooding sad song which would show how well he could act since he was normally happy.’
They went in alphabetical order, so Adrien went first. He poured almost all of the pain he had ever felt into the song, but he had to save some so he could blow everyone away at the performance. He wanted to be Roger; he had to be Roger. Everyone applauded his performance, and Adrien was sure he got the spot.
Marinette was amazed; Adrien really poured his heart into that song. ‘Did he really feel like Roger or was he just acting really well?’ Chloé went next and Marinette paid rapt attention to see what she would have to be better than. Chloé danced really well, and her singing was not too bad either. Marinette shrunk down in her seat; ‘How was she going to top that?’ Marinette spent the next few auditions plucking up courage and preparing herself for her audition. Finally, it was her turn, and Marinette knew she needed to be almost perfect to prove she was better than Chloé. She had to prove that she was by far better than Chloé just in case Chloé threatened her classmates.
Marinette started out shakily, when she looked at Adrien and Chloé she almost lost her confidence, but she continued and pulled out all her stops to perform the best and most enthusiastic audition so far. Marinette smiled as she sat down; her Ladybug confidence helped her so much. She wasn’t sure she would be able to sing with Adrien if she got the part, but she would do her best.
The final cast list was posted on the door of the classroom the next day. Marinette and Alya had got to school early to check it. The only other people there were Nino and Adrien. Marinette hung back as Alya crowded the list with Nino and Adrien.
“Yes!” Alya exclaimed, “Nino, we did it!” Alya practically picked Nino up in her excited hug.
Adrien turned to Marinette, “Congratulations, Mimi.” Marinette looked into his kind and happy eyes and peered around him to see the list. 'Adrien’s name was listed next to Roger’s and her name was next to Mimi’s!'
Trying her hardest not to stutter she looked into Adrien’s bright green eyes again and said, “T-Thanks Roger. Congratulations.”
“Thanks Marinette. Guess you’re my girlfriend now?” Adrien said and Marinette blushed ‘His girlfriend? Oh wait, in the play.’
“Yeah, I guess I am. I’ll be a good a one, I promise,” Marinette swore to Adrien. ‘I didn’t stutter, yes!’ They all went inside to get ready for class Marinette smiling widely.
Later, Chloé walked in complaining loudly, “But- but I should be Mimi. I’m supposed to be the one to fall in love with Adrien, not Marinette! My father will hear about this!!”
Madame Bustier turned toward Chloé, “Miss Bourgeois, sit down. The staff voted on those parts and Marinette got it fair and square. No buts!” Chloe sat down angrily and was quiet, for the time being.
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Every day after school they practiced for an hour or two and luckily there had been no akuma attacks during that time. Adrien’s dad had even given him a break from his other classes and modeling so he could practice. Practices had been going well and Marinette learned that Adrien was very funny and had a love of puns that could rival Chat Noir.
Adrien caught Marinette as she fell and he said, “You better be careful, a trip like that could get you into treble.” Marinette was shocked for a moment but then she started to laugh. Adrien laughed with her; ‘He did not know why but for some reason Marinette was more comfortable around him now that they were acting together. Out of character she was still having some problems, but she was getting better.’
They started to practice on Saturdays so they would be ready for the play which was in less than two weeks. Marinette and Adrien had almost perfected their dynamic and Marinette was very excited; ‘she was acting with Adrien, and he was amazing. They really just needed to work on the song I Should Tell You’. On Saturday morning an hour before they were supposed to practice there was an akuma attack. Chat Nor had taken a bad hit for Ladybug and Marinette was really worried.
After she threw her lucky charm up to cure all the damage done she went to check on Chat Noir, “Hey, chaton you okay? That was a pretty nasty hit you took.”
“I’m fine m’lady. Don’t worry about me, you could have been hurt,” he said as he stood up slowly.
“Well, you-you can’t just take all the hits for me!” Ladybug exclaimed, “I can take care of myself, so you don’t need to take all these hard hits, and if something happened to you, I don’t know what I’d do.”
“Aww does my lady care for me?” Chat Noir teased before he looked up to see Ladybug’s upset teary face.
“Yes!” she exclaimed, and Chat Noir was shocked. The beeping of their miraculouses broke the moment and Ladybug said, “Goodbye chaton, and make sure to rest.”
“Bye, m’lady,” Chat Noir murmured to himself.
During the practice both Marinette and Adrien were preoccupied; Marinette thinking about how much she had wanted to hug Chat Noir and Adrien wondering what Ladybug’s reaction meant.
“Alright,” Madame Bustier called, “It looks like this practice is going to be a little short and maybe you will be able to focus better on Monday.” She looked straight at Marinette and Adrien, “And you all need to go home and practice.”
After dodging some questions from Alya, Marinette went home. ‘She and Chat Noir wouldn’t patrol that night, but they would Sunday.’ She got some designing and practicing done absentmindedly as she thought some more about Chat Noir. ‘Why had him getting hurt scared her so much? He always took the hits, but this time it was different. The hit wasn’t just harder, she realized that she really did care for Chat who always protected her even at his own expense. But she was getting closer to Adrien, and she liked him. What did it all mean?’ Marinette found herself humming ‘I Should Tell You’ while she thought about Chat Noir.
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Adrien found himself thinking about Ladybug as he practiced. ‘She was so upset that he got hit today and she showed him that she truly cared for him.’ As he started to hum One Song Glory he thought of the musical and Marinette, who he had developed a friendship with during the practices. ‘She still stuttered sometimes but she was getting over it and she acted very well. She was funny and she even designed her own costumes for Mimi. She had offered to design Adrien/Roger’s, but he had to say no because his father, in one of his rare moments of kindness, already had a design being worked on by the Agreste designers. Marinette cared for everyone and even asked Adrien if he was okay after practice on a particularly difficult day, just because she noticed he seemed extra sad.’
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Sunday’s patrol came swiftly and as Ladybug approached Chat Noir she heard him humming a song. She recognized it immediately as One Song Glory from RENT which she had heard Adrien sing so much she had it almost memorized herself. Chat Noir seemed extra sad, and she wondered what could possibly be wrong, but she decided not to press that matter.
“Well, chaton, I never knew that you were a fan of RENT,” she said.
Chat Noir turned around and replied, “I am. I got recently introduced to it and I think it’s message is very powerful.” Ladybug knew which message he had to be talking about. They had analyzed the play in class, so she knew almost all the different themes.
“I completely agree. The message saying that we should spend every moment fully and full of love is very powerful,” Ladybug said. “Come on let’s get this patrol done quickly; you should get home and rest more after that akuma yesterday.”
They started patrol and Ladybug started to hum and sing I Should Tell You. Chat Noir was surprised; he did not know that Ladybug could sing so well. She sang softly but then Chat Noir joined in singing Roger’s part while Ladybug continued on Mimi’s part. He felt a sense of déjà vu, but he didn’t remember ever doing something like this with Ladybug. Soon they were singing loudly and passionately together. Ladybug thought about the song and realized that it related perfectly to her and Chat Noir; they both sometimes struggled wanting to tell each other who they were. At the end of the song and the patrol Ladybug felt an overwhelming urge to reveal herself to Chat Noir. She thought about it, and she tried to think of everything it could help with. ‘They might fight better. They might be able to communicate better about akumas if they knew each other better. But then would he hate her? If he knew Marinette would he be disappointed that she was Ladybug?’ She decided to pull them into an alleyway.
“I should tell you; I should tell you,” Ladybug sang to Chat Noir as she started the song again. He realized that she was referring to them and she wasn’t just singing anymore. Chat Noir was confused but he continued the song until Ladybug stopped them and said, “You know chaton, you’ve always wanted to know who I am and the first time you asked I almost told you, but I thought that it would be better if you didn’t know, if I didn’t know, and it could mess up our dynamic. In my heart, I wanted to tell you, but I let my head think too much. RENT brings up that important message and so I’ve been thinking about this.”
“You know m’lady it’s not necessarily a bad thing to let your heart lead,” Chat Noir said hoping that maybe, just maybe, Ladybug would see things his way. He looked into her eyes full of fear.
“I know. I just—I’m scared Chat. Is this the right things to do?”
“All I know is that you determine what the right thing is Ladybug, and that I will stand by you, whatever decision you make. I will and have respected your wishes,” Chat Noir said as he tried to comfort Ladybug. He could tell that she was struggling and needed help.
“Well, chaton, here goes nothing,” Ladybug said, “Tikki spots off.” Chat Noir closed his eyes just in case Ladybug wasn’t sure. “You-you can open your eyes kitty,” Marinette said.
Chat Noir opened his eyes and saw Marinette in front of him. ‘Marinette was Ladybug?!’ Maybe he didn’t have bad luck after all; he had a wonderful funny and nice girl as his friend and partner.’
Marinette noticed that Chat Noir did not say anything. ‘Did they know each other as civilians? Did he hate her?’ “Chaton are you alright?” Marinette asked concerned. “Is it okay that it’s me? You-you don’t hate me, do you?”
Marinette’s question interrupted Chat Noir’s thoughts. “I’m fine Mari, and I could never hate you,” Chat Noir said. “I was just wondering what you would think of me. Plagg claws in!” he exclaimed.
Marinette stared at Chat Noir’s sheepish expression as he de-transformed right in front of her. ‘Standing in his place was Adrien Agreste?! Wait she had her first kiss with Adrien? Adrien was her silly flirty partner? How did she not realize before? She should have recognized his voice, it all made sense now!’ Marinette grabbed Adrien in a huge bear hug, “I think you’re amazing!” she said. “I can’t believe it. The boys I love are the same person!” As she realized what she said Marinette went beet red, “Wait what?”
Tikki chose this time to make her presence known, “Marinette you may have denied it, but you always loved Chat Noir.” Adrien blushed at this outburst, ‘Marinette, Ladybug, always liked him, both sides of him!’
“Eww, come on Tikki let’s hide before they explode into a gooey, lovey, dovey mess!” Plagg exclaimed.
“Plagg,” Adrien whined. Marinette just chuckled as they pulled apart and Tikki led Plagg away.
“You know, chaton,” Marinette said smiling fondly, “I should have known it was you. Not many people can sing that well while multitasking.”
“Well Bugaboo, it looks like I actually got you to laugh at my puns after all. I knew you loved me.” ‘Huh,’ Marinette wondered, ‘Oh the treble pun.’ She smiled fondly remembering the play.
“Ooh, well I think Roger and Mimi are going to get a boost in this musical,” Marinette said, “After all we make a great duo.”
Adrien smiled too, “I bet they will.” He leaned close to Marinette, “Tell me if you want me to stop.” Marinette leaned in and placed her arms around Adrien’s neck as they kissed. Adrien’s arms gripped Marinette’s waist, and they leaned together happily.
The next day Adrien Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Cheng walked into school hand in hand.
The show was a success, and Marinette gave her role everything she had. She and Adrien performed wonderfully together and had most of the audience moved to the point of tears. Although they were teased by Alya and Nino and they had to fend off Chloé, both Adrien and Marinette were happy to be together. Ladybug and Chat Noir were two halves of the same whole and they completed each other.