Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Marinette had been counting down the days to summer vacation. It would be nice to have some time to herself. In fact, she'd made sure to block out some time JUST for her. In her planner it was annotated as 'MT' for 'Marinette Time.' She'd signed up for a ceramics class at the university just down the street. Nathanael had raved about a class he'd taken there last summer so Marinette thought it might be a good idea. She'd always considered herself artistic.

"Maman, what do you think about my taking a class at the university this summer?" She asked.

"What kind of class?"

"I was thinking something fun."

"So artsy?"

"Sure," Marinette grinned.

"That sounds like a great idea, Marinette. You should."

"What do you think I should do?"

"I don't know. What is something that interests you?"

"What is she talking about?" Tom asked as he came around from the back.

"Marinette is thinking about taking an art class down at the university."

"Oh?" he smiled, "What kind?"

"I was thinking photography?" Marinette mused.

"Oh?" her mom smirked.

"What's that look for, maman?"

"Nothing. I was just thinking maybe you'd branch out and try something more tactile, technical even."

"Sabine, I completely agree."

Marinette glanced from one of her parents to the other, "Um, yeah, I could look into it."

That was a month ago now. Her first class was TODAY! She could hardly contain her excitement. This was something she'd kept from Alya because she wanted to focus on what the teacher had to say and not constantly hear about Ladybug and Chat Noir. No, she wanted a summer without that. Now that Hawk Moth had been MIA she thought it was the perfect time, too. There was so much extra time when you're not chasing after possessed people on rooftops.

"I'm heading out!!" she called, "Off to my first class."

Sabine smiled, "Have fun, baby. Don't be nervous."

She noticed Marinette had on a scarf over her head and sunglasses on.

"Psssh, I'm not nervous," her eyes darted shyly, "Maybe a little. I'm excited, maman!" And still hiding because it was typical Marinette behavior until she was comfortable in a situation. Her first day of kindergarten she wore a hoodie and kept it on all day; hood up.

"Go, get out of here."

Marinette grabbed the little lunch sack her mom held out and bolted out the door, "LOVE YOU!!"

The art building was a large concrete block structure with a lot of windows and double doors at the front. She ran up the stairs and opted to keep the scarf and glasses on. When she entered room 204, which was the first one on the right down the first hall way, she smiled to herself. There was someone else incognito today. He was wearing a hoodie, hood up, with dark glasses and carried ac up of coffee. Marinette smiled and sat in the seat next to him. They didn't talk, but sat in a comfortable silence of camaraderie.

The professor came in moments later and greeted the small room of about ten students. Marinette thought the classes would be larger, but was thankful it wasn't.

Professor Casanova wore a flamboyantly bright purple smock with giant pockets and smears of pastel. Underneath, he wore a pair of brown corduroy pants and a coral colored polo. His black hair had silver tips and he wore glasses. His eyes matched the gray tips of his hair. He was young and Marinette could tell he was in shape by the way his clothes sat. This might be an easier semester than she thought.

"I see I have a wonderful set of students this semester," he greeted, "I'm excited to see what kind of projects you all are capable of producing. I have high hopes, not going to lie, so let's see where this goes. I've passed out a syllabus. I want you to read it over. Before you panic, I'm assigning your studio partners so you don't have to worry about the awkward meet and greets to try and get a feel for people. Heck, I'm going to do it now." He glanced down the rows, "You, you. You and you. You and you." He got to Marinette and pointed from her to the shrouded guy next to her, "You two. Okay, done. Now, pairs are important. I don't want any of you glazing and firing without a buddy, is that understood? There is a lot of responsibility necessary when dealing with high heat and expensive equipment. You will be completely at the mercy of your partner. Plus, this will make it more fun in the end. I'll give it to you straight; ceramics is a very sexual art."

The guy next to Marinette snorted and she was afraid his drink would come out his nose. He began coughing and spluttering.

"Are you not attracted to your partner?" the professor glanced his direction, "Because we can give you a blindfold. It is all in the touch. You have to feel the clay. For the love of Pete, have none of you seen the movie Ghost?" The class began to titter excitedly, "It's JUST like that. If you have any qualms about your buddy we can discuss an arrangement for someone else, okay? Everyone should be comfortable. Absences are sometimes unavoidable, but I'd like to be notified in advance. We're going to go over tools and equipment today."

Marinette took out her notebook and began taking notes. The guy next to her pulled out a tape recorder and also began writing notes. They talked about types of pottery wheels, sculpting tools, kilns, firing cones, throwing mats, and whatnot. Marinette was already pretty excited at the idea of using all of it. She'd never made anything more than the little coiled bowls in art class as a kid. They'd be throwing pottery in this class.

After the hour was over, she stood up and the guy next to her tapped her shoulder, "Um, sorry, I was just wondering if we could exchange contact information since we'll probably be seeing a lot of each other this semester."

"Yeah," she smiled and pulled out her phone. "Do you want my number?"

"That would be great." She recited it to him and he smiled, "Thanks. Do you want mine?"

"Yes, please." He recited it to her and she gasped, "Adrien?!"

"Yes?! Do I know you?" he smirked at her.

"It's Marinette," she whispered, suddenly way more nervous than she had been a second ago. All expectations of having some 'Marinette Time' for the summer was out the window. Oh, and Alya was definitely going to find out now. "PLEASE don't tell Alya."

Adrien chuckled, "Wouldn't dream of it. I'll keep your secret if you keep mine."

"Why are you taking a ceramics course?" she asked suddenly curious.

"I've always wanted to," he looked at his feet in embarrassment, "I know, it's weird. I just wanted something to do this summer and I've always found pottery fascinating. Ever since I saw them making raku in Japan."

"Oh! No, it's not weird. I mean, I'm taking ceramics. It's just as weird. Which it isn't. I'm learning something new."

"Yeah," he nodded, "Looks like we'll be seeing more of each other this summer then."

"I suppose so," she smiled shyly.

"I have to head home, but I'll see you around."

"See ya in studio." She waved awkwardly and groaned. This was going to be a long six weeks.

Chapter Text

Studio was held in a different building than the classes. There were four rooms, as it was a small community college, and this one handled sculpting and ceramics. There were beginning paper mache creations with chicken wire when they walked in. There were four long tables, shelving the length of the room, and a door at the back.

Marinette, still wearing her glasses, sat next to an equally, if not more so, hidden Adrien. They sat away from the rest of the group.

"Welcome to the studio!" Mr. Casanova announced, "Where everyone's dreams come true...or we hope. It is where our imaginations are given life! You will play God as you breathe life into the formless lumps of clay week by week. This first week were going to do bowls. Yes, basic, sure. Although, it will be anything, but basic. You will get the ethereal feel for the craft here in this room and alongside your partner. You will bond with one another just as the pigments in the glaze binds to the clay. I expect to hear you are great friends by the end of this semester, if not more."

Marinette could only hope.

The brunette girl next to Marinette, a few seats down, snickered and smirked, "You have lofty expectations."

"Do you not?" She had caught the teacher's attention, "Is it not your goal to suck the very marrow out of life? To experience and bathe in its essence?"

"Uh..." she just stared, dumbfounded with a face that said 'are you for real?'

"I take it that's a no," he frowned, "Ah, well, we can't all be romantic at heart, although I would appreciate a valiant effort on your part. That goes for all of you. I'm giving an assignment now. It is spontaneous. I expect you all to get to know your partners. Go out to eat, get drinks, talk into the night, whatever, but I want a very detailed, well thought out piece that reflects how you feel about them as people and a weekly journal of your escapades. I want to live vicariously through you young people as I can not! We'll read your first essay during our throwing lesson on Monday. Then we'll do another that last week and see how your opinions or attitudes have changed towards each other and I'll grade your journals. The results will, hopefully, speak for themselves." He winked at the girl and smiled smugly. "Oh, and that brings me to the get to know you part of this studio workshop today. We're going to do introductions!"

There was a collective groan from about half of the class. Adrien was subconsciously, of which Marinette was hyper-aware, of him scooting his chair closer to hers. He was practically radiating nervous energy and Marinette hadn't a clue how to help that. They were in a room of complete strangers and, though Adrien was used to the attention, he didn't want any unnecessary attention. He had hoped he could postpone this for a while longer. It had been nice just to sit in a room and not be stared at or flirted with for once.

The professor continued, "It is crucial for you all to know--"

Adrien automatically reached under the table and snatched Marinette's hand. She gasped, but didn't pull her hand away from him. Instead, she looked at him with a shocked expression.

"Introductions make me nervous," he confessed.

"Really?" she whispered. It was a surprise to know that he could get nervous about anything. He always seemed so chill.

"Yeah," he nodded, "Hey, would it be too much to ask that we pretend that we're, you know, dating or something just in case?"

Marinette initially just gawked at him. The reason he wanted to in the first place was obvious. It wasn't fair. This was going to hurt. Although, she didn't want to say no for some reason. They have therapists for this, she knew, but she couldn't say no to that smile, "N-no, of course not." She glanced down at their intertwined hand beneath the table and intertwined her fingers with his and gave a reassuring squeeze. Her stomach did a flip when she realized what she'd done.

Adrien didn't seem to mind her intertwining their fingers at all. His thumb lazily rubbed circles on her knuckles and he squeezed her back, "You're the best, Mari."

"--and that's why introductions are so important. Now, let's start at the front. Our first pair--go!"

A shy girl with mousy brown hair and glasses stood up. Her glasses were wire frames and sat up high on her nose. She was wearing a long printed skirt and a tanktop. "I'm Nelle Toufet. Uh, I'm a second year in university and I'm majoring photography."

Her partner stood up, "I'm Grayson Willamette. I'm a junior at Descartes majoring in mathematics, but I'm taking this for an art credit to transfer."

The professor led them through the rest of the introductions. There were only ten people in the class, total. The red haired girl next to them was Bianca Biassi and she was an art major."

"Our last pair," he announced, "Your turn--and go!"

Marinette stood up, "I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I'm getting ready to start my last year in lycee. I'm going to major in textile design." She didn't realize she was still holding onto Adrien's hand until he stood up next to her. Instead of letting go, she just sat down.

"I'm, uh," there was a pause as he glanced down to Marinette. She squeezed his hand and nodded reassuringly, "I'm Adrien Agreste..." Three of the four other girls in the room squealed and two of the guys sighed, "I'm going into my last year at lycee and I'm not sure what I'm doing after."

He sat down as quick as a flash and Marinette heard him let his breath out in relief.

"You did fine," she whispered.

"Yeah," he turned and smiled at her, "Thanks."

"Looks like we have two love birds already," the professor waggled his eyebrows at them, "I find that horribly romantic that you would sign up for a summer class together. How beautiful!" The man was beaming and his eyes sparkled, "Reminds me of my first love..."

Marinette and Adrien cleared their throats nervously. Prof. Casanova had inferred what they'd wanted him to, but the affirmation of it knocked the wind out of their sails.

"What's the story there?" Bianca, the vocal girl sitting next to Marinette, asked.

"Ah, well, we were engaged and she died in an automobile accident," he sighed, "No one is immune from tragedy." He pulled out a silver medallion from inside of his shirt, "This was hers and I wear it every day; a phoenix." A collective 'awe' reverberated throughout the room. "BUT we can't dwell on tragedies. In fact, without her I would not be here before you today because up from the ashes we must be reborn brighter and more beautiful than the time before. Just like a phoenix." He tapped the pendant and nodded.

He walked them through the studio and showed them how to operate the kiln. There was a little sheet of paper, a checklist, that would guide you through the process so nothing would go wrong. They couldn't chance someone burning down the building or releasing toxic fumes inside.

The wheels he had already set up. Marinette and Adrien settled near a kick wheel. Today they'd be making bowls.

"Everyone grab a chunk of clay!" Prof. Casanova exclaimed, "I'll expect you each to have one. I only have enough wheels for you to work in pairs; one and then the other."

Marinette settled on the stool in front of the kick wheel. Adrien scooted his stool up next to hers to watch.

"All right, first things first," he announced, "Place your clump of clay in the middle and give the mat a spin." They all plopped their chunk of wet clay in the middle and spun the mat. "I want you to hold your hand around the clay and mold it into a mound with a little nob in the center. It should closely resemble a breast." There were some uncomfortable chuckles and he sighed, "I did tell you this was a sexual art, did I not? This is serious business people. If you are squeamish about it you know where to find the door. I can cleanse your energies later."

Marinette glanced over at Adrien who looked a little uncomfortable, "Should I let you go first?"

"NO!" he exclaimed.

"Why not?"

"I believe you have much more experience with this shape than I do," he gestured flippantly.

"Oh? Adrien Agreste, are you embarrassed?"

He squirmed in his seat. Sure, he'd go with that. "A little."

"You've seen enough of them, Mr. Model, that I'm sure this will be simple for you."

"Yes, but you've actually held one." He didn't realize what he'd said until it was already out and his face flushed.

Marinette didn't know what to say so she just said, "Oh."

"Yeah," he drawled bashfully.

She got her hand wet with slip and held it curved over the chunk of clay to mold it into a dome shape with a little nub on top. "There," she nodded satisfied, "Looks close enough for me."

Adrien got his hand wet and reached out to feel it. She spun the mat so he could feel it spin beneath his hand. She saw his eyes close and an infinitesimal shiver traveled through his body. Marinette bit her lip. It was a sexual art, indeed. It was rather intimate, sitting there with him and their hands gliding over the cool, slick surface. The idea of him reaching out to fondle her symbolic breast was unnervingly arousing and she blushed.

"Ahem," Adrien opened his eyes and pulled his hand back, "It's so cold and smooth. It felt nice." Marinette was just staring at him and he gulped.

"Yeah. It is," she agreed and looked away, back to her mound. The instruction was to gently press into the nub at the top and let the clay form a concave shape. At the end used a tool to carve the base. Then they used a tooth pick to measure the thickness of the wall of the pot. Another tool was held inside to thin it to a uniform thickness. Next, she molded a thin piece of clay and used some slip to fill in the hole the toothpick and made.

Adrien's bowl was not quite as uniform as Marinettes, but he still did a wonderful job for not being very artistically inclined.

Class ended and their bowls were set up on the newspaper lined rack to cure. They'd be glazing and then firing later in the week.

"Marinette!"

Marinette turned to see who was calling her and found Adrien jogging down the stairs after her. "Yes?"

"Whew, I'm glad I caught you," he huffed, "I wondered if maybe you wanted to hang out or something. You know, we can journal or something. We got done early. I don't have to be anywhere for another couple hours."

"Sure," she nodded. Hell yes! "What did you have in mind?"

"Fountains in the park?" He smiled mischievously, a look not befitting of the Adrien she knew, and bit his lower lip to keep from grinning.

Marinette glanced down at her attire, a low-cut white t-shirt and jean shorts. She gasped and giggled before playfully poking him, "Adrien Agreste!? I'm shocked."

"Are you?" he smirked, "It's going to happen anyway." He glanced up at the dark storm clouds in the sky just as thunder rumbled.

"Shit," she cursed, "Nothing like a wet t-shirt contest on the first day of lab in front of...never mind."

"Who?"

"You!" she pouted.

"I promise not to make fun. I'm just genuinely curious what color bra you're wearing."

Her eyes widened, "A-Adrien..."

"We spent the last hour handling symbolic breasts. I couldn't help, but be curious."

A bolt of rash bravery shot through her as she pulled the neck of the t-shirt to the side so he could see the bra underneath. His eyes widened and he blushed.

"Satisfied?"

He cleared his throat, "Very." Then he peeked over again as if he were trying to catch another peek, "Interesting. I'd never have guessed green."

"Chartreuse."

"Whatever," he waved his hand with an uncaring 'pssh' and Marinette looked insulted. The son of a fashion designer not knowing his shades of color was a travesty! One she'd have to help him remedy.

"So...you see mine, I see yours?"

Adrien chuckled. It was no big deal for him one way or the other. People saw him disrobe all the time. What Adrien didn't calculate in was that Marinette did not. He unclasped his belt, popped the button, and pulled out the waist band of his red boxers.

Marinette gulped and managed to whisper, "Scarlet."

"Yep," he shrugged, "Today, anyway. To tell you the truth, I was kind of curious. I forgot what color they were."

"Oh," she grinned, but looked away so her blush could subside. She was losing herself a little in the visions of him 'disengaging' his lower region. "Uh, boxers or briefs?" Shut up, Marinette, why would you ask that? That's not helping!?

"Boxer-briefs, actually," he stuck his tongue into his cheek to keep from laughing. Although, deeper down, he felt like he'd been cheated out of time with her for not actively engaging her earlier.

"I see," she nodded.

"It's weird now, isn't it?" he worried his cheek.

She shrugged, "I guess. Yeah, it is kind of strange. Not that you're strange. I mean, I'm strange. I'm so awkward."

"Me, too," he nodded and nudged her with his elbow. Then he smiled, "It's nice to know I'm not the only one."

Chapter Text

"Well hell." Marinette sighed heavily as she stared up at the crowded building. There were dozens of people standing about and campus security at the head, blocking the door. She didn't know how she was going to get in. She was meeting Adrien to glaze their bowls, but it didn't appear she'd get a chance.

"That's what my source said!" one man grumbled.

"...watch the side doors."

"How can I get pics if I don't know what she looks like?"

Marinette walked up to the front where a security guard stopped her, "Your business?"

"I'm a student. I have to work on a project." She pulled out her ID and flashed it to him.

Someone saw her ID and tugged on her sleeve, "$50 bucks for a pic of Adrien Agreste in the classroom and $250 if you get a pic of him with his girl."

"No way," she scoffed in disgust as she shrugged the oily cameraman off. "Why don't you leave him alone?"

The man tried to snap a picture of her out of spite, but she turned her head before he could get her face. She plowed into the building and straight towards the lab. "Holy shit," she exclaimed as she slammed her hands down on the table. She was visibly shaking.

"You okay?" It was Adrien that had stepped behind her. She could feel the warmth behind her from his close proximity.

He placed a hand on her shoulder and his brows furrowed with concern.

Instantly, without thinking, she turned and threw her arms around him. If she hadn't been so shaken up she'd probably be mortified by her own gumption, but she had felt threatened. Plus, they were trying to get pictures of Adrien. Why? His girl? He didn't have a girl. 

Marinette heard the sound of a camera click. She went to whip her head around and look, but Adrien had stiffened and was holding her firmly against him, "Damn it. Don't look."

"Was that...?"

"Yeah." He growled angrily at the cheeky red-head that had been so talkative earlier that week, and glared.

"Why?"

He sighed sadly against her, defeated, and it broke her heart. 

"I'm always being followed, Marinette. I never wanted you to be dragged into any of this. I'm really sorry."

"No, I'm sorry. You have nothing to be sorry for."

"Apparently, now that I'm older I'm fair game for their persistent stalking. Their questions have moved on from my favorite hobbies and books to what I look for in a woman and how I like to be pleasured." He grimaced and dropped his head in defeat. "I can't do anything about it. I really didn't want you to get caught up in it."

Marinette lifted his chin with her finger, "Hey, gloomy Gus. I'm a big girl. I can handle it."

He grinned, "Thanks, Marinette." He ran a hand through his hair and huffed, "I think you're the girl they're talking about."

"ME?!? Why?"

"I don't know," he shrugged, "They're everywhere. I can only assume that maybe they saw us the other day?"

Marinette's face scrunched up in thought. What did they do the other day? Then her eyes widened with realization. They'd exchanged colors of underwear, he'd taken her to lunch, and they shared a milkshake in the park. Oh, crap. "They think we're dating?"

"I guess." He shrugged, "I'm just warning you because there are likely to be pictures and articles speculating about us and I don't want you to be caught off guard. They might even hound you, because they're vultures without any self-respect."

"Adrien," she held up her hand to calm him, "I'll be fine. I will. If they hound me, I know of an amazing person, with experience in this sort of thing, that I can always ask for advice."

He cocked his head to the side in confusion, "You do? Who?"

"YOU, goof!!!" She exclaimed as she playfully pushed against his chest, "Who else?"

"Oh," he blushed and looked away shyly. "Right."

They spent the next hour glazing their bowls. They waxed the base and did a primary and a secondary coat. It took about half an hour.

"Voila!" she exclaimed as she held up her painted bowl.

"Le voici!" he responded holding his up as well.

Marinette finished cleaning up their mess and waited for Adrien so they could leave. That's when she checked her phone and noticed there were eight new text messages and three missed calls.

Text messages:

Alya.

Alya.

Alya.

Nino.

Alya.

Alya.

Mom.

Alya.

Calls:

Alya.

Dad.

Alya.

Adrien came back from his quick trip to the sink, to rinse off, and had a shocked look on his face. "SO..." he started, "Apparently I have a lot of explaining to do to Alya, Nino is ashamed of me, and, according to Nathalie, I have an impromptu meeting with my father as soon as possible. How is your day going?"

"Buuuh..." she was speechless as she stared down at her cell phone, speechless.

Alya was demanding clarification with full explanation. There were six new texts from her in rapid succession and they kept coming. Over the course of a dozen texts she said she felt irritated she had to find out Mari was taking college courses behind her back; icing on the proverbial suck cake, with Adrien, no less. Plus, to make matters worse, she found out when she saw it on the news. Nino wonders how his bud was doing as he assumed they were together. There was perhaps a bit of bitterness there. The two happiest messages came from her parents. Her dad called, and left a voice mail, to ask her to invite Adrien over so they could chat. Sabine sent a text of congratulations.

"That bad, huh?"

He took a seat on the bar stool next to her and chuckled.

"I'm glad you find it funny," Marinette smirked.

He shrugged, and shook his head, "Not really, but what can you do?"

"Do I want to know?" she glared at her cell phone like it had offended her.

"I'm betting the story broke and I have a very important phone call to make." He grimaced apologetically at her.

Marinette shrugged and got up, "Well, I guess I'll see you later." She was going to get home as soon as possible before any newspapers got her photo and published it. Her freedom was limited now, too.

"Nope," he reached out and grabbed her by the elbow, "Where do you think you're going? This involves you."

"It does?"

"At the very least you have to allow me to get you a ride home, safely."

She nodded reluctantly, "Sure. Okay."

They were on their way back to the bakery when the sky took on a pink haze. Marinette glanced nervously over to Adrien who grimaced.

"Looks rather ominous, doesn't it?"

"Sure does," she agreed.

The car lurched which sent Marinette and Adrien flying forward in a huddle of tangled limbs.

"Are you okay?" Adrien asked as he tried to get his legs out from between Marinette's.

"I think so," she nodded.

They sat up and looked out the window to observe what appeared to be pink, sticky gunk all over the roads.

"Is that...bubble gum?" Marinette mused aloud. It was ridiculous to see what appeared to be sheets of sticky, chewed up bubble gum. "Yuck!"

"That is rather disconcerting," Adrien grumbled and glanced down at his jacket where his kwami was silently snoozing. "I will try to get out and get some help. You stay here, Marinette."

"NO!" she exclaimed, "I'm going to go get help. You stay here."

He flashed her his most charming grin, "No can do. I guess we'll just have to go together."

Marinette glared. That charm would normally weaken her clear into her knees, but not today. No. She was determined to get out of here and find the obvious akuma that was gumming up Paris.

"Let's go." She rolled down the window and slid out to sit on the ledge. Then she clamored up onto the top and turned to offer Adrien a hand.

He grinned and hopped up, "No need. I am perfectly capable, but thank you."

"Maybe I wanted to help you," she smirked.

Adrien blushed slightly, "Oh." He was a little taken aback by her offer.

Marinette felt her heart lurch. Was it that unusual for someone to think of him? To want to help him out? Surely not.

They got on top of the car and realized they were stuck; quite literally. There was no where they could go that wasn't covered in gum. Well, not on the ground, anyway. There were some holds she'd be able to wrap her yo-yo around on the buildings, but that would require a transformation.

From inside the car he heard Arthur make the strangest sound. He meowed. Adrien's eyes widened and he threw himself over the car to lean in the driver's side window.

"Did you just meow!?!?" Adrien was baffled.

Arthur huffed exasperatedly. He pointed to Adrien and signed 'cat' by showing whiskers on his cheeks. Adrien gulped. Yes, Arthur had meowed. Apparently he hadn't been as successful in his attempts to maintain a secret identity as he'd thought. No wonder Nathalie was never on his case.

Adrien thought about it for a second and grinned at his driver, "Thanks, bud!" Then he threw himself into the driver's side window. Arthur managed to catch him as he slid across into the passenger side.

"ADRIEN?!" Marinette exclaimed as he disappeared back into the car.

"I'm sorry, Marinette. I didn't mean it to happen this way. I just don't see any other choice. This is the best cover I could find."

"What do you mean?"

Just then she saw a flash of green light and Chat's head poked out of the car, "Hello there, Princess."

"You have got to be kidding me," but then she grinned, "Why am I not all that surprised. Move over!" She slid into the passenger seat and settled herself in his lap. "Hold onto your hats gents. Tikki, spots on."

There was a bright flash of pink light. Adrien squeezed his eyes shut against the brightness, but when they opened he about swallowed his tongue. There in Marinette's place, sitting on his thighs, was Ladybug.

"Oh, mon dieu!!!" he exclaimed, "Y-y-y-you're Ladybug." Then he grinned and wrapped his arms around her middle, "Just so you know, I am surprised."

She chuckled and tried to peel his arms off of her, "Not now, Chaton. The akuma is running rampant and we need to catch up to it as soon as possible."

He whined, "Can't I just hold you for a moment longer?"

Then beside them Arthur, who had had his own moment of shock, meowed again.

"I suppose you're right," Adrien grumbled and let go, "Okay. Let's go kick some akuma ass."

She climbed out of the car and watched Chat do the same. He stood up to survey the area and turned to find Ladybug checking him out.

"Were you just staring at my ass?"

He'd never seen Ladybug blush before, but it was beautiful. "No. Maybe. I just never thought about how revealing that suit really was until I knew who was wearing it."

Chat turned and now it was his turn to blush. He gulped, "Oh." There wasn't a whole lot he could say to that, and the few words died in his chest. Instead, he grabbed her under the arms and vaulted them to the roofs.

Ladybug squealed with surprise before giggling, "You realize this will make it a lot easier to shirk reporters now, though, right?"

Chat paused and stared off into space. He was deep in thought. It was true. If he and Marinette could transform into Ladybug and Chat Noir, and his driver already knew their identities, he could just set up a rendezvous point with him later and no one would be any the wiser.

"You are a genius!!!" he exclaimed before grabbing her face in his hands and planting a big wet kiss on her forehead. Once he'd realized what he'd done he sobered, "Ahem, I, uh, let's go."

Marinette nodded dumbly and followed him towards the gummiest part of the city.

Standing near a large central water fountain stood a little akuma. She was wearing three different shades of bubblegum pink with streaks of magenta through her chestnut locks. "I am Bubblesquirt. No one will be denied gum again as long as I'm around. Now, give me your miraculouses!"

"You really are too young to be using a phrase that's so old," Chat smirked.

"I'm six!!!" She shouted, "And I want to be old! Old people can do whatever they want like chew gum, stay up late, and get pets. I want it now and thanks to Hawk Moth I shall have it!"

A pink ball shot out of a tube of gumballs. It exploded with a growing slime of sticky pink goo.

"Don't let it touch you, Chat Noir! Lucky charm!" She threw her yoyo in the air and caught a tank of pressurized liquid nitrogen. "Uh, this is a bit extreme."

Chat grinned, "I don't know, Ladybug. Perhaps you just need to chill out."

She groaned, "Oh, Chaton." She shook her head, only for a moment, before she had to jump out of the way of a gumball. "Crap! Chat, I need you to distract her while I freeze that giant tube of gumballs on her back."

"Can do!" He jumped down in front of the akuma, dancing around the fountain in a circle while she launched gumballs in his direction. She was completely oblivious to Ladybug landing quietly behind her.

"Yo, squirt," she called, "You need to take a chill pill." Ladybug took the canister and sprayed it at the pack on the back of the girl. It completely disintegrated and a black butterfly fluttered out. "Bye bye, little butterfly...Miraculous Ladybug!"

Everything was cured with a flurry of Ladybugs and revealed a child sitting in front of the fountain, "What happened?"

Chat knelt down in front of her, "You got into a bit of a sticky situation."

"You could say that again...but don't," Ladybug warned, "Do you know where your mo--"

"Violet!!!" A woman screamed, "Thank goodness they found you. Are you okay?"

"Mommy!" she exclaimed, "I'm okay."

"You can have a piece of bubblegum, baby," her mother cried, "I didn't realize it would upset you so."

Ladybug considered this a job well done so she turned to face her partner, "Pound i--"

About that time, Chat reached out, grabbed her arm, and pulled her around himself so he could lift her off the ground and twirl around with her. "I finally found you, bug!" He exclaimed giddily with excited laughter.

Ladybug's eyes widened when her brain eventually caught up and she remembered he was Adrien. Her face broke into an infectious smile as she allowed herself to bury her face into his unkempt tufts of blonde hair. She took a deep breath to try and remember this moment for later; his smell, the feel of him against her, the pumping of her pulse in her ears, his joyous laughter. All of it. That was until her main processor shut down due to shock.

"I love you," he whispered reverently. They'd stopped spinning, but he still clutched her tight against his chest like he was afraid she'd disappear if he were to let her go. "I have since the day I first set eyes on you."

Ladybug squeezed him tighter, but she didn't trust her voice just yet. "Roof," was all she managed to get out when they both heard her miraculous beep.

Chat obliged by dashing up onto the rooftops and away from prying eyes. Only, he didn't just stop there, he ran all he way to the bakery where she lived. They were going to talk.

As soon as Chat let Ladybug's feet hit the roof, she pulled back just far enough to capture his lips with hers and bury her fingers deep into his golden locks.

"I love you, too," she whispered and continued her ministrations.

Chat wasn't sure if he were conscious or not. Maybe he died and went to heaven? Either way, he liked it, whatever it was, and he wasn't going to change a thing. "You...you do?"

"Of course, Chaton. I've loved you since you gave me that black umbrella."

He chuckled, "I've loved you since you fell out of the sky and forced me to believe in angels."

She rubbed his nose with her own, "What are we going to do about Adrien and Marinette?"

He smirked, "I say we slip them into some cement shoes and drop them in the Seine."

She leaned forward to bump their foreheads together, "No, silly, that is way too much work. Plus, Alya would kill us."

"Yeah, well, she is pretty scary. I guess we could introduce Marinette to Adrien's dad and hope he's supportive."

"There is that," she shrugged, "Or date in secret for a while and hope that our cover of 'dating for the press' is enough to throw everyone off the scent that we're actually dating."

"So let me get this straight. The press thinks we're dating."

"Yes."

"And we're going to tell all our friends and family that it's not true, but we're going to pretend to date to get them off our backs."

"Uh-huh."

"But we're actually going to be dating."

She grinned and tapped his nose, "I think you're getting the hang of it."

He shook his head and blinked a couple times real slow, "So why don't we just tell everyone we're dating?"

She quirked a brow, "Which one would you rather? Explain to everyone we're pretending, and avoid all the drama, or admit we're and item and bring on the Spanish Inquisition?"

He was silent a moment before nodding resolutely, "My Lady, you are a genius."

She placed a sweet kiss on his nose, "And this way Ladybug and Chat Noir can date without anyone making the connection to us."

"I like it!"