Chapter Text
Adrien tried not to look for the girl beneath the Ladybug mask. Their kwami, the very beings responsible for their superpowers and the masks that came with them, were adamant about keeping the secret from civilians. Ladybug was adamant about keeping it secret from even each other. He really did try to respect Ladybug’s wishes to keep their identities completely secret.
Try as he might, he still found himself looking for her everywhere. Every face, every girl, every person went through a mental checklist. They usually came to a nope, no, or definitely not, and every once in a while, maybe. It was really hard to stop himself from searching for her.
There was no one thing that gave her away. It just added up.
He was not sure when he started to suspect Marinette Dupain-Cheng, a girl in his class at school. It was really just the little things at first. Her hairstyle, her voice, her little nose, her glossy pink lips, her eyelashes, the feel of her shoulder in his hand... Little by little, it started to add up in his mind. Every time they had a real conversation, which wasn’t often, he was able to pick out traits and expressions that reminded him of Ladybug.
Earlier that year, he watched Marinette compete for Class Representative and win. Sometime after that, she was voted to be the producer for the class film project. He heard she helped in her family’s bakery a lot, she designed and made her own clothes and accessories, and she was picking up projects, requests, and commissions on her own time. She was always so busy, she couldn’t possibly be Ladybug.
Then again, he was the same way, wasn’t he?
He had not ruled her out. There was one time he did briefly, because Marinette and Ladybug were in the same place at the same time when Alix became Timebreaker. Shortly after in hindsight of the event, after considering the nature of that akuma’s abilities and the fact two Ladybugs appeared, he considered Marinette again.
He tried not to look. He tried not to think about it. But every once in a while he would think about it again.
Was Marinette Ladybug?
One day, it struck him rather unexpectedly. An epiphany. Instead of wondering if Marinette was Ladybug, he instead thought, was Ladybug the girl who chewed him out on his first day of school?
Yep, that’s Ladybug…
It was as simple as that.
Adrien thought he would learn because Ladybug would tell him, or even if they ran out of time on their miraculous, but it looked like he figured her out. He was not disappointed, he did not jump with joy… it just was. Just like when he realized he had made a friend in Marinette on his first day of school, he just smiled.
After suspecting her for so long, it was merely confirmation. From then on, he couldn’t stop looking and making the connections. He didn’t try to stop himself from doing so either. The girl that sat right behind him in class was Ladybug. Ladybug is Marinette. He was sure of it.
He wondered what she would think or say when she found out about him. Did she suspect him at all?
Chat Noir wanted to tell her soon, but the one time he was able to bring it up after a battle again, she was even more firm about keeping quiet about it. He understood, he really did, but at the same time, if she did not know that he knew, it was not fair. It could be dangerous if they were not on the same page.
He decided that until she was ready, he would keep quiet about it. They were partners and as soon as she expressed even the tiniest bit of interest in knowing, he would come clean by telling her what he knew and who he is.
He hoped it would not take too long.
If only they could be closer, then maybe she would see it on her own just as he had.
He got an idea. It was probably a bad idea, but it was something.
It was the end of the week when Adrien put his plan into motion. They were returning from lunch and he had fencing practice that afternoon. He carried both of his bags while he waited outside by the steps of the school for her to cross the street from her family’s bakery.
He didn’t wait long and waved to her when she crossed the street. Marinette waved back as she approached. For a moment he was speechless and just stared fondly at her. It was her.
“Hey Marinette, can I ask you something? It’s totally okay if you say no,” he said.
Marinette squeaked and fidgeted before standing ramrod straight with a wide smile. “Uh, yeah sure, you say what– I mean, what you say?– I mean… what is it?”
Alya wasn’t back yet, but would be within minutes. Same for Nino. This was probably his only chance to speak with her privately in person for a while.
“Well, I know we didn’t exactly get off on the best foot, but I hope we’re past that now, and with that in mind I was wondering if you were free to see a movie with me this weekend?” With the practiced calm and poise of all his modeling experience, his delivery was smooth.
Adrien watched as Marinette’s face slowly changed from pleasantly listening, to surprised, to gleeful, and then suddenly, she looked horrified.
“WHAT!?” Marinette shrieked.
Oh no, this was a bad idea. Very bad idea. Abort mission!
“I mean, if you don’t want to, that’s fine, I was just wondering…” His voice faltered into a bit of a whisper at the end. “Sorry, it was a bad idea.”
“Yes!”
Adrien’s shoulders fell. Maybe it was best if Marinette never found out he was Chat Noir. It could ruin his friendship with Ladybug if she hated Adrien so much.
“I mean, not a bad idea! It’s a good idea, I meant yes I’m free! This weekend. To go to a movie. With you!” Marinette was flailing about and Adrien wasn’t sure what to say. “Is… is it just the two of us?”
Adrien finally caught up with her train of thought. “Oh! Yes, just you and me, like a date.”
Marinette smiled widely again and a high-pitched squeak slipped through. For five seconds.
“So… that was a yes?” Adrien asked hesitantly. Maybe he should have asked her by text after all…
Marinette nodded. “Yeah, I can’t wait, just text me the details later, okay?”
Alya was crossing the street and waving to Marinette. “Sure thing, see you in the classroom, Marinette.” Adrien waved and turned to head up the stairs and enter the school. It would have been nice to walk with her, but he supposed there would be plenty of time for that on their date.
Just when he reached the doorway for the school, he heard Alya’s excited shouts and then the two girls squealed together. He hoped that was a good thing.
As usual he stopped by his locker to drop off his athletic bag and then he headed to the classroom for about fifteen or twenty minutes of study hall before his practice started. There was some reading assigned he wanted to finish. Nino arrived a few minutes later and took his seat next to him.
“Dude,” Nino started right away.
“Huh?”
“Like, I didn’t know you had a thing for Marinette, when did this happen?”
Adrien had not prepared a cover story. He had to wing it. “I guess a little while, hard to say, I just thought it would be nice to get to know her better.”
“Man, you really do have a way with the ladies, you just like, asked her out and out of nowhere if what Alya just told me is true, so what happened?” Nino placed his arm on the desk to lean forward.
“Was that… weird?” Adrien asked.
Nino snorted a quick chuckle. “Don’t tell you were just like, ‘hm I think I’ll ask Marinette out today’, and then did it without a second thought, no mulling or anxiety…”
“I don’t know what to tell you, Nino, though I guess it wasn’t just today I thought of it, I considered it for a couple days… is that okay? I’m not in violation of the bro-code am I?”
Nino raised an eyebrow. “What? Because I liked her way back? Don’t worry, dude, that was a really short-lived crush and I’m with Alya now. If you had told me you liked Marinette now, I could have helped you and got something set up, you know?”
“Sorry, Nino, guess I didn’t need help on this one.”
“Figures. You’re something else, dude,” Nino said and laughed. “You gotta tell me about it afterwards though.”
Adrien had a feeling that Nino would hear all about it from another source. That source being his friend’s girlfriend since he was sure Alya, ever the journalist, would get every detail she could out of Marinette first.
Alya and Marinette entered the classroom and headed to their seats. Alya winked at the boys and Marinette smiled bashfully.
Cute. Adrien thought. He could never imagine Ladybug looking at him like that. If he looked carefully at Marinette, he could probably imagine, but with the girl sitting behind him, staring might be a little awkward.
It was Friday, so Adrien had fencing practice during the afternoon. It gave him a little time to think about when and where he should meet up with Marinette before he would text the details after practice. They lived pretty close to each other, so there was no point in meeting all the way at the cinema. He would have to account for enough time to slip away from his bodyguard. At least for the first date. If Marinette doesn’t kick him to the curb right away, then he’ll consider telling his father and Nathalie about dating and talk about having a chaperone, since his father was likely to insist on it.
Besides practicing for the gaming tournament, Adrien had not had a chance to hang out alone with Marinette, since most of the time Alya and Nino were present as well. Even during that one gaming session, her parents frequented her room. They didn’t really get to talk much outside of pleasantries either. Then they were interrupted by The Gamer akuma. He didn’t even get to try out the lucky charm she gave him.
The lucky charm… from Ladybug. It wasn’t just any lucky charm. He was in possession of an actual lucky charm from Ladybug! It already went everywhere with him in his bag, now he was going to be even more sure to never lose sight of it.
By the time he got home, he decided what to text Marinette.
Adrien: Hi Marinette, would you like to meet me at the station at 12:30 tomorrow? There’s a matinée showing of Zag Heroez II. -Adrien
He typed properly as he always did and was not surprised when it took some time to receive an answer. She probably had to ask her parents. Adrien had worked on some homework and started reviewing some Chinese for Monday’s lesson by the time he received her response.
Marinette: Sure! See you then :)
Good so the date was set. Everything was going smoothly. Or so Adrien thought.
Meanwhile, Marinette was rolling on the floor of her bedroom while Alya sat upon the chaise with Marinette’s smartphone in her hand.
“Girl, you have got to stop freaking out,” Alya said.
“What am I going to wear!?” Marinette shot up and threw open her trunk.
Clothes started being flung all over her room.
“I’m pretty sure this is a casual outing, just wear your regular clothes,” Alya said. “The last time we all went to the movies together, we just wore normal clothes.”
“But this is my first date with Adrien, it’s special!” Marinette looked panicked. “I have to make something right now!”
“Whoa, girl!” Alya jumped up to stop Marinette. “You’re skills are great, but you don’t have time to design and make a whole new outfit if you plan on getting enough sleep tonight.”
Marinette took a calming breath. “You’re right, but I think I need your help picking something out.”
“No problem, what are friends for?” Alya laughed and Marinette sighed. Alya looked through some of the items that had been thrown to the floor during Marinette’s freak out. “Oh, this is cute,” she said.
It was a white high neck halter top. “Yeah, but does it say casual movie date?”
Alya looked it over. “I don’t see why not.”
“What’s the weather going to be like?” Marinette asked and switched on her computer to view the forecast.
Alya looked over her shoulder. “Hm, chance of light rain but mostly cloudy all weekend, and it looks like it’s going to be a little too windy for that cute pink skirt I saw.”
“I won’t be wearing sandals either.” Marinette rested her chin on the desk as she continued to gaze at the screen.
“That just means you won’t have to worry about painting your toenails,” Alya offered. “I still think your regular clothes should be fine… though if it really does rain while you’re outside, I’d rethink the white shirt.”
Marinette sighed. She certainly didn’t want to have a wardrobe malfunction on her first date with Adrien, an actual fashion model. “You’re right, I have to play this cool, just be causal.”
Alya returned to picking up the clothes on the floor and looked them over. “My mom says black plants are slimming.” She tossed a pair of black skinny jeans at Marinette.
“I forgot I had these, I should make sure they still fit,” she said. Marinette draped the pants over the back of her computer chair and started to unfasten her pink capris.
Alya looked through a few tops until her eyes landed on an extra short red jacket. “I think I got it, something just your style.”
Marinette checked the black skinny jeans in the mirror which appeared to fit just fine. “Hm?”
“Here.” Alya held up a grey ruffle tank top and the short red jacket. “Do these go well together? Then pair it up with some matching flats and maybe a belt?”
Marinette had made that shirt to wear specifically with that jacket. Was it good enough for her date with Adrien though?
She tried on the whole outfit. It only took a minute to change her shirt and jacket and look it over in the mirror. Not bad, but she still wasn’t sure.
Marinette turned to Alya. “How do I look? Be honest.”
“I think you achieved that balance of hot and casual,” Alya said with a wink. “Knock him dead, girl, don’t be afraid to go for the gold.”
Marinette laughed. “Gold in what?”
“You know, the kissing department,” Alya said.
Marinette’s eyes blew wide. “What? We’re not going to… are we?”
Alya laughed too. “Well if the date goes well, just like, lay one on him right at the end.”
“Right, of course… I knew that,” Marinette said with her ears turning a little red. “Now does that come before or after the fainting?”
Alya coughed out a laugh at that. “Girl, you’re going to be fine, and besides, it’s not like you haven’t been alone together to play video games, and then there was that time you were out together for your uncle’s cooking competition, and you’ve even almost kissed in front of everyone when we were filming that movie.”
Marinette reddened a little at the memory. “But this is a real date, so it’s different.”
“I think you’ll find it a lot easier than you anticipate,” Alya assured. “By the way, did I tell you what Nino said?”
“Don’t think so, what was it?” Marinette began changing back into her regular clothes so she could neatly hang up her date outfit.
“He wanted to help Adrien get a date, to return the favor from the zoo a while back, so he was a little bummed Adrien just went it did it without talking to him or worrying about it,” Alya explained. “But I think it was mostly because Nino had no idea Adrien was interested in dating anyone, so it really came out of nowhere when he asked you out without hesitation.”
“Really? Just like that?” Marinette wished she had guts like that. She’s wanted this movie date almost all year.
“Yeah, that boy must go from zero to a hundred real fast,” Alya said. “Hope he doesn’t go from a hundred back to zero just as quickly.”
“Oh no, don’t say that! What if it’s true?”
“If it was, I think Adrien is smart enough not to date a girl on a whim and we know he’s not that type of guy anyway. I think you’ve made an impression on him, and Nino told me Adrien wants to get to know you better,” Alya said.
“What did I do?” Marinette sat back down in her desk chair.
“Who cares? You finally got that date, and since you’re going to the movies, you won’t have to worry about talking much, just look kissable,” Alya said and added a wink.
“Ugh! Knowing my luck I’ll have popcorn in my teeth or I’ll suddenly catch a cold tomorrow!”
Alya sighed and shook her head. “Carry a compact with a mirror and don’t go out with wet hair,” she said. “Listen girl,” she said and placed her hands on Marinette’s shoulders. “Everything will be fine, just enjoy yourself, ask him questions about himself, and above all, just be you.”
Marinette took a calming breath. “You’re right, at the very least, I should try to have fun and hope for the best.”
Meanwhile, Adrien was doing a bit of fretting himself in front of the mirror in his bathroom. He wanted his appearance to give away enough subtle clues about being Chat Noir. Something Ladybug would recognize easier.
After he showered, he messed with his hair in the mirror. Maybe he should try something different? He wouldn’t be allowed past Nathalie to get out of the house if there wasn’t product in his hair, so he wouldn’t be able to go all natural like he does when he is Chat Noir. In the end, he decided to style his hair like normal. He did not want to risk being unrecognizable when Marinette looks for him at the station.
This meant he had to focus on his clothes. Somehow, he needed to wear as much black as he could. He already wore a black shirt on a regular basis.
He looked through part of the wardrobe behind him. Every once in a while he would grab a shirt or an overshirt and look them over in the mirror. His black hoodie from the Fall collection seemed too casual and it was athletic wear anyway. Not to mention he didn’t want to be out in public wearing something with a large G trademark. It just wasn’t his style.
He had a plain black shirt and matching overshirt from a past photoshoot, but now that he looked at it in front of the mirror, it didn’t really seem appropriate for a dark theater. He liked to have a little color to go with it, so he put the shirts back.
He decided quickly on a black jacket and a green shirt with two black stripes across the chest. When he looked through his pants, he realized the only black pants he owned were slacks, so he settled for a pair of grey jeans.
“That was quick,” Plagg said.
“So?” Adrien said and set out his clothes on the counter for tomorrow.
“You aren’t going to mull over and fret for a while longer? Aren’t you nervous?”
“As far as Ladybug knows, I’m just Adrien and she’s going on a simple date with Adrien, why would I be nervous, I want her to see me.”
“Well like you said, she agreed to go with Adrien, you don’t think she would be mad to find out you’re Chat Noir after the fact?”
Adrien had thought of that several times, but this was the only way he could get closer to her. “What choice did I have? Ladybug doesn’t see me outside of battle. I want her to… get a better look I guess... to give her a chance to figure it out for herself.”
“Do you think that’ll work?” Plagg asked.
“I won’t know until I try,” Adrien said and left the bathroom to sit at his desk. Plagg followed and sat on the surface. “I just hope it isn’t a big mistake.”
“Best of luck to you,” Plagg said and reached for a piece of cheese. The phrase was innocent enough, but Adrien worried it might have another meaning coming from the embodiment of bad luck.