PIÑA COLADA

"Ladybug...wait."

The second dot on Ladybug's Miraculous flickered and vanished. She paused, turning to face Chat Noir. "I have to go," she insisted. "So do you."

Chat Noir stepped closer, reaching out to her before letting his hand fall limp at his side. He bowed his head, clenched his fists, then looked up and stared into her eyes. "I just...I have something important I need to tell you."

Ladybug watched him, waiting, mentally counting down the seconds until she'd be exposed.

Chat Noir took a deep breath. "Ladybug...isn't it time we, you know...knew?"

"Huh?"

"Who you are, who I am. You know." Chat Noir paused, looking out over the skyline. "I trust you with my life, you know?"

"Chat Noir..."

He stepped closer, reaching out and taking her hand. "More than that," he said softly, "I trust you with my heart." He swallowed heavily. "I...I'm in love with you."

Ladybug's eyes widened. "Y-you're...?"

"Yeah," Chat Noir said, his voice heavy and rough. "And...and I want to know the girl I'm in love with. Really. And I want you to know who I am."

The third dot on Ladybug's Miraculous flashed and disappeared. She ducked her head. "I...I don't know what to say," she said. "Umm...there's somebody I actually like, but I haven't told him, and..."

"That doesn't matter," Chat Noir said. "Even if...even if you turn me down, I still want to know..." He reached up and caressed her cheek. "Please."

Ladybug stared into his pleading eyes. She swallowed nervously. "I...I need to think about it," she said. Her Miraculous beeped again. "I really need to go now," she said. "I...I'll think about it and...and we'll talk again, okay?"

Chat Noir watched her go, taking his heart with her.

* * * * *

"Hey, Tikki?"

"Yes, Marinette?"

"Would it...would it really be so bad if Chat Noir and I knew each other's identities?"

Tikki tilted her head at Marinette and frowned. "Well..." she drawled. After a pause, she asked, "Is this because of what he said today?" Her eyes lit up. "Are you falling in love with him?"

"N-no!" Marinette said shakily. "You know my heart totally belongs to Adrien! It's just..." She sighed. "Today..." She smiled dreamily. "Hearing him say he loves me, seeing how sincere he was...it made me feel warm inside." She spun around in her chair. "I just..."

Tikki sighed and perched on the desk. "It's up to you," she said. "You've been Ladybug long enough now that I can trust your judgment. And, well...Chat Noir makes a good point. You trust him with your life every time you're out there. You can probably trust him with your identity." She glanced slyly at Marinette. "But before you tell Chat Noir who you really are...don't you think you should take care of another confession first?"

"What does one have to do with the other?" Marinette demanded, cheeks flaming.

"I wonder..."

* * * * *

The next time an Akuma attack came along, Ladybug pulled Chat Noir aside after the battle.

"I've given it some thought," she said.

"Yes?" Chat Noir asked hopefully. She could practically feel his heart racing from several inches away.

Ladybug steeled herself. "I haven't...completely decided whether or not to tell you who I am yet," she said, "But...I'll have made my decision by Saturday." She looked into his eyes. "There are some benches near the entrance of the zoo. You know where I mean, right?"

Chat Noir nodded. "Yeah, I remember."

"Be waiting for me there at nine in the morning on Saturday," Ladybug said. "As, you know, yourself. If...if I'm going to let you know who I am, then I'll meet you there."

Chat Noir frowned. "But how will I know?"

"I've given that some thought too," Ladybug said. "We'll need a sign. I was thinking you could have a cell phone strap with a black cat charm on it around your right wrist."

Chat Noir nodded thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "And you'll have one with a ladybug charm on yours," he said.

"Right." Ladybug took a deep breath. "If I show, then...then we'll talk about...the other thing." Her Miraculous beeped. "Well, I need to go."

"See you Saturday, My Lady," Chat Noir said. As she swung away, he added, "I hope..."

* * * * *

When school let out on Friday, Marinette waited for Adrien near the gates. As he walked into view, talking with Nino, she intercepted them. "Adrien, can I talk to you for a minute? Alone?"

Adrien smiled. "Of course. What's up?"

"Over here," Marinette said, gesturing to an out-of-the-way spot with her head. "Nino, if you see Chloé wandering over our way, can you—"

"Say no more," Nino said with a smile. He gave a jaunty salute and moved to a discreet distance.

Adrien leaned against the wall and faced Marinette, arms folded, eyebrow quirked. "This must be pretty serious," he said.

Marinette's cheeks flushed. She took a deep, bracing breath. "There's...there's something I've wanted to tell you for a long time now," she said. "And...and I kept tripping over my own nerves, babbling, spazzing out..." She looked Adrien in the eyes. "I've had a crush on you for a long time now."

Adrien blinked. "Really?"

Marinette nodded. "Really." She sighed. "The thing is...there's this other guy who just confessed to me, and...he's really sweet when he wants to be, and..." She smiled wistfully. "I...I don't really know if I feel the same way about him yet or not, but I'm..." She trailed off. "Sorry, I'm not making any sense."

"I think you are," Adrien said. "It's sort of like with Nino, when he had that crush on you, then got over it and ended up with Alya, right?"

"Sort of," Marinette said shakily. "Except I'm not over you at all, and I really don't know what to do about him yet. But..." She sighed. "If...if I go ahead and meet him this weekend, if...if I try to give him a chance...I want to go into it without any regrets. You know?"

Adrien smiled. "I think I understand." He jammed his hands in his pockets. "Honestly? There's...there's this girl I..." He blushed. "I'm meeting her this weekend. I'm nervous about what she's going to say."

Marinette felt her heart sink, but gave him a friendly, supportive smile. "Hey, who could possibly say no to you? You're the most amazing guy I know."

Adrien laughed. "Thanks." He studied Marinette thoughtfully. "So, uhh...it won't be awkward, will it? Being around me, after..."

Marinette sighed. "Probably," she admitted. "But...no matter what happens with either of us, I really do want us to always be friends. That's...that's why I needed to finally tell you how I feel."

Adrien nodded. "I'm glad you did." He hugged her briefly but tightly, patting her on the back. "Good luck."

"You too," Marinette said, blushing at the close contact.

* * * * *

Adrien sat on a bench in front of the zoo, listening to the sounds of children laughing and shrieking in delight as they visited the animals with their parents. It was a warm, bright, clear day, with a light wind rustling the leaves. He looked down at the black cat charm on the strap around his wrist, his brow furrowed with worry.

Would she show up? What would happen after that?

He was so lost in thought that he almost didn't hear the voice calling out to him.

"Adrien! What are you doing here?"

Adrien looked up to see Marinette, dressed in much nicer clothing—date clothes?—than she usually wore to school, a nervous expression on her face.

"Oh, hi Marinette!" Adrien waved. "Actually, I'm waiting for that girl I mentioned."

"Huh, that's weird," Marinette said. "This is where I'm meeting..." She trailed off. "Oh."

Adrien looked up at her, noticing her wide eyes and her blush. Her gaze was focused on his wrist.

She raised her right hand and gave a sheepish wave, the ladybug charm dangling from the strap around her wrist swinging to and fro.

Adrien's eyes widened. "You're—?"

Marinette's blush deepened. "And you're—"

They stared at each other for a long moment. Then, they both laughed.

"Small world," Adrien said.

"Yeah," Marinette agreed.

Adrien stood up and walked over to her, leaning close. "So...umm...yes or no?" he asked.

Marinette's eyes shone as she looked into his. "Absolutely yes."

With another shared laugh, they walked away, arm-in-arm, no particular destination in mind, just two teenagers in love, in Paris, on a sunny spring day.

FIN.

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