Adrien's POV

"Good morning, Adrien!" Chirps Tikki as I slowly wake up in the morning.

I just groan and stuff my face in my pillow.

"Adrien, you can't lay in bed all day! You've got to get up and start getting ready to go see your friends!" Tikki reminds me, sitting in my nest of messy blond hair.

Oh right. Right before I fell asleep, Alya urgently texted the group chat that she wanted to go to the park to see the new Lady Noir and Mister Bug statues. Everyone, including me, agreed to meet up at 11:00 so we could have a whole day together.

I sigh and smile, remembering everything that happened yesterday. I discovered who my lady was under the mask: Marinette. I couldn't have been more happier. To be honest, I always kind of liked her from the start, I was just too afraid to fall for some else other than Ladybug.

Turns out I was just falling for both sides of her.

My only problem is how to go about it. Should I make a move on her as Adrien? What about Mister Bug? What if she just simply doesn't want to be with me?

My phone buzzes and I grumble, moving my hand out to grab my phone and turn the screen on. I smile slightly, reading the texts that Alya sent to the group chat.

Alya: im sorry again that i invited y'all to the park so late in the night, i just really wanted to see the new lady noir and mister bug statues!!

Nino: nah itz chill alya

Alya: ew nobody adds "z" to the end of its. don't be weird nino 💀

Nino: :c

Alya: anyways!! y'all BETTER be getting ready and waking up

Alya: IM TALKING TO YOU MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG

Princess: Ugh okay! I'm awake! I'm awake! I just had a weird dream, that's all.

Alya: a weird dream?? could it be about a certain somebody... 🥴

Princess: ALYA I SWEAR.

I just chuckle as I put my phone back down and start getting ready.  I brush my teeth, comb my hair, and wash my face. I put concealer over the dark magic growing on my face, and it temporarily hides the creepy black roots.

I start to pick out my outfit, trying to low key look slightly more attractive then I usually do (for obvious reasons). Because it's nearing the end of the school year, the weather is typically hotter, so I decide to leave my white jacket in its closet again.

Tikki rests at the bottom of my bag as I slip into the back of my body guard's car. I told my father that I was going to a charity event which is the only reason he let me out of the house. My body guard is in on it, however. We're almost like a team at times. He wants me to hang out with my friends and have a childhood.

A part of me thinks that he knows I'm Chat Noir. But I never bring it up.

"Thanks for the ride!" I say as I jump out of the car to join my friends. He nods silently and drives off.

Tikki stays silent in my bag as I wave hello, and the group waves back. Marinette looks at me, and instantly her knees cave inward and her face turns red.

I smirk.

I walk over to Alya and pull her aside. "So, she really is head over heels for me, huh?"

Alya freezes, and stares at me with a pale face. She blinks and stutters for the right words.

"Thanks, that's all I needed to know to make my move," I whisper, patting her on the back and making my way back to my princess.

She grabs my arm and I look back.

"Adrien Agreste..." She mutters in awe. "Since when have you acted like this?!"

I smirk. "I always have. You've just never known."

I walk back over to Marinette who's standing in the grass and smile. She greets me with lots of adorable giggles. She then reaches into her bag, and pulls out a tiny knitted ladybug toy.

"Y-You would always talk about how much you love ladymugs- I mean, ladybugs - so I knitted you this toy all by myself," she quietly squeaks, gently handing the ladybug to me and looking away with her cheeks as red as cherries.

I smile. "What a coincidence. I got you something too."

She freezes and looks at me with big eyes.

I pull out a single red rose from my bag, and carefully place it in her delicate hands.

"F-For me?" She stutters in disbelief.

I nod.

She gasps and hugs me. "Thank you so much! This means so much to me!"

I don't move, surprised from her embrace, but then give in and wrap my arms around her.

She seems to realize what she has just done and frantically jumps back with embarrassment.

"S-Sorry! I was just so happy about this toes - I mean, rose! Ew, why did I say toes?! It just means so much to me! Like - I mean, not romantically of course! It's just that I read this book one time with love, glass, thorns and bloody roses and stuff - once again, totally not romantically haha - and I just..."

I stare at her.

She sighs and limps over. "I'm rambling, aren't I?"

I laugh and pull her in for a tight hug, pressing my hand against her head.

"I like when you ramble. It's very cute," I murmur in her ear, then innocently walk away towards Nino and Alya.

I can feel the heat coming off of her cheeks.

Marinette's POV

What.

Was.

That.

I can barely breathe around him, much less have a stable conversation with Adrien, and he just comes over here and whispers in my ear while we embrace?!

Is that even legal?!

Alya seems suspicions of everything that went down. She glares at the blond currently talking to her boyfriend, curious about him. She walks over to me with her brows furrowed and doesn't take her eyes off of him.

"Okay, really M? You need to tell me what on earth is going on between you two!" She demands.

My knees bend indward and I collapse into Alya's arms.

"He... hugged... me..." I whisper, with stars in my eyes and deep breaths.

Alya scoffs. "Yeah, and whispered in your ear, gave you a flower, and fucking flirted with you!"

I gasp and break away from her grasp "Alya, language! What would your future kids think?!"

She growls.

"It's just... I've never seen anyone act like that..." She thinks out loud, but then quietly gasps.

"Wait."

I look at my best friend with a confused look. "What?"

She furiously shakes her head. "None of your business. This is something the blogger has to investigate on her own."

I frown and cross my arms. "Didn't the blogger want us to meet up with her to see her idol's statues?"

She glares at me, but then a smile slips on her face and she erupts in laughter.

"That's fair, Dupain-Cheng. Let's go, I wanna be there for the unveiling!" She squeaks, and grabs my hand.

She sprints to the park square while firmly grasping my hand, with a grin on her face. I tumble after her, almost collapsing on the ground after every stride we take. The boys follow close behind.

Eventually we reach the unveiling. There's about fifty fold out chairs, and about thirty of them are taken with eager kids, adults, and elders. I feel a slight tint of red find its way on my cheeks. After all, all of these people came out here to see a statue of Mister Bug and I. They came to see my partner. They came to see me.

We sit in the back, and after some more eager theories from Alya (this one is about how the miraculous could be ancient and created by the oldest tribe on earth, similar to Sheikah technology in Zelda. I guess she's on the right path?) the mayor stands on his podium and begins his speech.

"From various eye-witnesses and other reports, we've been informed that Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculouses have been temporary switched, and the duo are now going by Mister Bug and Lady Noir. We want to help as much as possible during this time, so we are now accepting donations."

Adrien rolls his eyes and leans over to me, whispering in my ear. "That's so not true. Mister Bug and Lady Noir don't even accept donations."

I nod my head, slightly angry. "I know. Mister Bug and Lady Noir save the city to keep it safe. It's not just some business! I bet it's just going straight to Chloé's bank account."

He looks at me, and smirks. I give him a confused look. Did I say something wrong?

"Anyways," The mayor continues, grabbing the velvet sheet. "This monument is to represent our trust and love to the Pairs superheroes!"

The sheet falls, and the crowd gasps in awe. People cheer as they rest their eyes on the beautiful, stunningly gorgeous monument.

The statue of me holds her hands pumped out in front of herself, with a fierce smile on her face. Lady Noir's braid whips behind the two, fluent and elegant. Beside me is my partner, Mister Bug. His red mask sits on his cheek bones, and his eyes stare at his love with a fiery passion, accompanied with his arms crossed confidently on his chest.

Whether he's Chat Noir or Mister Bug, his personality is always the same.

I can't help but smile. I feel proud. Accomplished. Loved. I notice Adrien smiling next to me, almost like he was feeling the same feelings I felt.

"Don't you think Lady Noir looks beautiful?" He asks me, as we applaud.

Adrien just called me beautiful. Me. Beautiful.

I nod, feeling my cheeks heat up. "Y-Yeah, she does."

He smirks. "You two have a lot of similarities, you know."

"Psh, me and Lady Noir?! No!" I nervously giggle.

He smiles. "No, seriously, I mean it. You're both kind, caring, and absolutely wonderful people."

I smile, and fidget with my thumbs. "T-Thanks, Adrien. I mean it."

Now, Marinette. Now.

I stand on my toes and lean in. I kiss his cheek with my eyes closed, then slowly pull away.

"Thank you, Adrien," I mutter, not daring to look in his eyes.

He grabs me by my waist, and pulls me in.

"You're welcome, Marinette. May I?"

My eyes widen. "I- Uh- Sure..."

And as soon as the confetti is tossed to celebrate the monument, he places his lips on mine.

The sun beams down on my face as I quietly eat my hamburger outside in the restaurant's patio. It's lunch time, and Alya and I wanted burgers, but the boys didn't. We separated temporarily, which I didn't mind. I don't think I could handle looking at Adrien without fainting right now. The silence, however, is too much for Alya to handle.

"GIRL. WHAT WAS THAT?!" Alya screams as we eat our lunch.

I bite into my burger. "Just a kiss."

" 'JUST A KISS' MY ASS!"

"Alya, language!"

"Sorry."

I smile slightly. "Anyways, what did you think about the statue unveiling?"

"No, Marinette, we are not doing this!" Alya scoffs. "Don't you dare even try changing the topic! You just kissed Adrien! The love of your life! You cannot just blow it off!"

I freeze, and lightly put my half-eaten burger down on the paper wrapping. She's right. I can't just act like nothing happened, even if I want to. Alya is my best friend, and she deserves to know.

"So, I'll ask you one more time..." Alya continues. "What was that?"

I sigh. "A kiss. No, a wonderful kiss. It felt like he really loved me. It felt like he really wanted me. It felt like he knew everything about me."

"Does he?"

I shake my head slowly.

She smiles. "That's what I thought. That's reserved for the best friend and the best friend only."

I quietly sigh.

"Thank god I do, though," she warmly continues. "I know all of your secrets, even the ones about reading the Adrien x reader fanfics on Wattpad ~"

I stay silent.

" - but, I will keep them safe," She adds with a wink.

I fake smile, but look away sadly.

"Uh oh. I know that look," she whispers, the mood dropping. "That's the face you make when you don't want to tell me something."

I play with the cat miraculous resting on my finger.

Alya grabs my hand across the table. I look up at her with tears forming.

She gently rubs her thumb on the top of my hand, telling me that I'm okay.

"I love you, girl. You can tell me anything. There's only so much someone can keep to themselves," Alya whispers. "And I can tell, just by your face, that this one is a big secret."

I bite my lip.

"Is it... Adrien related?" She asks.

I shut my eyes. Tight. I can't tell her. I won't allow myself to. I can't tell my own best friend that I'm Lady Noir. She would freak. She wouldn't trust me anymore, knowing how badly I lied to her. We wouldn't even be able to be friends. She would hate me.

So I keep my mouth shut.

"No... but I don't want to talk about it," I mutter, afraid of my own voice.

She stares at me, lost in thought, but then nods. "Yeah, sure! I get it."

I take a drink from my sweet tea.

"That's a cool ring," Alya says out of the blue. "Can I see it?"

I look at her.

"It looks cute. Where'd you get it?"

I move around in my seat, uncomfortable. "Uh, from my grandma."

"Uh huh, sure. I know you're lying, girl! You always say 'uh' when you're lying!" She giggles, taking a big bite out of her burger.

I watch as the ketchup oozes out the back and drips onto the wrapper.

"I don't know," I quietly reply.

"Could I see it then, at least?" Alya asks with her mouth full, licking the ketchup off her ring finger.

I bite my lip. "Um..."

"I just want to see if I could get one for my sister, you know?" She continues, placing her burger down and leaning to the side with her hand out. "So if I could just see it-"

"-NO!" I snap, slamming my hands on the table and standing up.

People that are eating outside next to us stare. I immediately get hit with embarrassment, and quickly look straight downwards.

"I-I mean, it's just... I..." I stutter.

"I get it," she replies quietly, standing up and sliding her purse over her shoulder.

A single tear falls down my cheek. "Alya, I-"

"-let's go find the boys," she suggests with a monotone voice. "I'm sure Adrien is eager to see you."

Sad girl hours :c

What lovesquare ship would you like me to focus on the most in the next chapter? (Not ladrien tho, I hate ladrien lmao)

Anyways, please consider upvoting this chapter! A lot of stuff happened and I would love to see you're responses on it!

my border thing isn't working so until then... -melody 🥰