#what is plot?

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Adrien's jaw dropped. Eyes still shut, he pointed an accusing finger towards Marinette's shoulder.

"How dare you!"

"You literally did this same thing to me."

"You're supposed to be a role model to idiots like me!"

"Just open your eyes!"

"I won't!" Adrien's voice rose two octaves. "I'm not ready!"

"You've been wanting to know my identity for years," Marinette shot back, arms crossed in a huff.

"I was a child back then!" Adrien began to pace, nearly tripping at the end of the rug, "I was a sheltered, naive child that doesn't know what he wants!"

"You're actually acting like a child now-"

Like a slow motion collision, it all came crashing down around the two heroes. 

"Why is there so much yelling?! These walls aren't soundproof you kn-" Adrien heard the door swing open and his heart plummeted to his feet.

It finally happened, Chloe's selfish lack of boundaries has finally destroyed Adrien's life. Why doesn't she ever think to knock?

A distressing pause filled the silence, then chaos ensued.

"Dupain-Cheng?!"

"Chloe!"

"WHAT?" Adrien cried, eyes flying open. Before him was Marinette distraught and angry, staring at Chloe who (as usual) was confused and annoyed.

"Who let you into my room?"

"I-"

"Where the hell is Ladybug?"

"Chloe-"

"What the fu-"

Marinette bounded to the spoiled blonde in a wave of fury, slamming her small hands onto Chloe's face as a way to shut her up. This could be the day Ladybug actually commits murder.

"You're Ladybug." Adrien whispered. His brain was finally beginning to catch up to events before him. Chloe's eyes grew comically wide, cheeks still flattened under Marinette's death grip.

"Yeah," Marinette groaned, "and this is a disaster."

She let Chloe go and tried to take deep breaths. Adrien felt a wave of relief flood his chest, and he watched his Lady make that adorable concentrated pout he knew so well.

Of course Marinette was Ladybug, the best two people he knew were one and the same.

"I am so glad it's you." He breathed, an elated smile spreading on his features. Marinette looked up at him in her panic, met his eyes, and gave a soft smile.

"I'm not."

Right. Chloe.

"Okay Adrien, how do we make Chloe forget the last ten minutes?" Marinette glared at Chloe, who was still frazzled and pink around the edges of her face.

"You don't." She sneered, "Although of course this makes perfect sense."

"What do you mean?" Adrien stared between the love of his life and his childhood friend. Chloe smirked viciously.

"Well the fact that you were in love with Ladybug the whole time Marinette was in love with-"

"Nope!" Marinette yelped. She held her arms above her head in a large X. "If you had any respect for me as a hero you will not say a word more."

Chloe pursed her lips, a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Fine." She winked, "But I wonder which secret is more precious to you."

"Chloe don't." Adrien couldn't handle any more mind-shattering revelations today, especially knowing who Ladybug/Marinette was in love with the whole time he pined for her. It would hurt too much.

God, it was probably Luka. (Somewhere in a massage parlor, Plagg slapped his tiny, godly forehead.)

"This is definitely going to make things tricker." a small, sweet voice rang in the silence. Ladybug's kwami poked behind Marinette's shoulder, eyes narrowed at Chloe.

"Can we trust her?"

"No." Marinette scoffed.

"Maybe?"

"No." Marinette shook her head disapprovingly. Chloe's lips thinned. Her eyes lingered at the small red blob that looked vaguely familiar. Chloe let go of her displeased expression and sighed.

She uncrossed her arms and looked between the two.

"Don't forget, for one shining moment, I was a hero too." She walked over to her night dresser, pulling out a small container. She brought it over to Tikki, who watched her with curiosity.

"It's honey caramels," Chloe explained, one arm tucked protectively around her waist, "Pollen loved them."

Adrien in that moment saw a bit of himself in Chloe. A person who missed their kwami as much as he missed Plagg.

Tikki graciously took the caramels and began to recharge. She hummed approvingly. Marinette watched her kwami feed happily, the air of defiance had left her and all that remained was a mutual understanding.

"Thank you Chloe," She said quietly. 

“If you mention I did something nice I’ll deny it.”

“Noted.” Marinette watched Chloe with a guarded expression. This was her bully, and now the keeper of her greatest secret. "I really need to be able to trust you with this."

"You can, at least when it's regarding him." Chloe mused, walking over to her childhood friend and ruffling his styled hair. "Just don't hurt him."

"I won't."

"Otherwise you'd deal with me and daddy."

"I got it Chloe." Marinette assured at the same time that Adrien said "Thanks."

"I'm ready when you are Marinette." Tikki smiled, handing the container back to Chloe who accepted it with a small nod.

"Would you like a ride back?" Marinette shifted her feet, "I think we still have a lot to talk about."

"Yeah." Adrien beamed, "I would love that."

He could've sworn her cheeks were dusted pink, but her transformation hid any trace. She wrapped an arm around his waist and took off out of the window, Chloe yelling a threatening goodbye behind them.

Skip days were a lot more intense than Adrien had ever imagined.

__

In the end, they couldn't talk long as Ladybug had dropped Adrien behind his gate that were flooded with paparazzi. Natalie and his father (in digital form) stood waiting for them.

"I understand you are dating my son." Gabriel Agreste's face was as passive as ever. Though he anger rang clear in his words. "I suggest you do not take to having him skip his classes anymore."

"Of course sir."

"Adrien, get inside." Adrien kept his head down as he walked past the tablet, shoulders hunched over.

"Have a good night Ladybug." An attempt at a normal smile was made, Gabriel’s eyes still shone with malice, "I hope to see more of you."

Ladybug offered a polite nod and swung away quickly. She was surprised Natalie didn’t try to come at her with a butterfly net. 

The moment she detransformed on her balcony her phone pinged with a new message. 

Adrien A: At least now I can text you!

She smiled, sending a quick reply before her mother called her down to dinner. 

MDC: Just don’t overdo it with the memes. 

_

Adrien 100% abused this new power at the palm of his hand. Marinette woke up to 26 cat memes, all that have been sent throughout the night at alarming times. Does this boy ever sleep?

She quickly got dressed, faking a sniffle for her mother, after her “cold” the day before.

“I’m glad to see you’re feeling better dear,” She cooed, handing her daughter a slice of cinnamon toast. 

Marinette grinned, kissed her mother goodbye, and raced down to the bakery.

She ran into a familiar body, who had just been ordering cookies at the counter. 

“Oof! I’m so sorry, I-” She stopped dead in her tracks, “Alya?”

Her ex best friend smiled sheepishly, a box of treats in her hands. 

“Hey! I don’t know if you were getting my..texts..” She cleared her throat, “I thought we could walk to school together today!”

Marinette watched the reporter in disbelief. So this was how she was going to do it? Completely pretend that none of the last two months happened?

Thankfully Marinette didn’t have to answer because a designer blonde had walked through the front entrance. 

Unfortunately it wasn’t the blonde she was hoping to see. 

“Marinette, the car is outside and I don’t have all morning.”

Both girls turned to Chloe in shocked, who was picking at her nails with disinterest. She gave a bored look, “What?”

“Chloe-” Marinette didn’t know where to begin, “I am less than two blocks away from the school.”

Chloe wrinkled her nose, “Only the poor, walk.”

“What is she doing here?” Alya gaped, her face was scrunched in hurt. Did her best friend really prefer her live long bully over her? 

Marinette was silently cursing Tikki, who clearly had no influence on her luck at this moment. It was like she was in a bad otome game, and both choices were crud. Walk with Alya, in awkward ex best friend silence? Or Drive with Chloe, in irritating blabber and insults?

Was there an "end game” button?

Secret Option Unlocked! 

“Come on Princess, we’re going to be late!” Adrien, with a lazy smile, ripped black jeans and oversized crew neck sauntered in. His sunglasses pulled his unstyled hair back, and to Marinette’s conflicting post-pubescent horror, Adrien wore eyeliner. 

The many silver rings glittered a hand as he pointed a finger gun at his partner, completed ignoring the gaping faces of the other two.

He winked, and Marinette’s face grew hot.

“You comin’?”

(I love Amina's mum so so much)

When Saira wakes, the sofa is empty, and someone has folded a blanket around her. She’s dying for a cigarette.

She shrugs her shirt over her shoulders, slips out the back door and sparks up in the yard. It’s early-early and the light is thin and grey, but Saira can see how neat the patio is, weeded and swept. Amina and her family probably sit out here for dinner in the summer. She bets Amina’s dad even barbecues.

Saira’s down to the dog-end and considering where to hide it when the light clicks on in the kitchen. She quickly flicks it over next door’s wall and wafts her hands to disperse the smoke.

Amina’s mum pokes her head out the door as Saira is trying to hide her tobacco tin in the tuck of her armpit.

“I’ll make you chai if you give me one.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Saira says.

Amina’s mum fold her arms and waits.

“…Okay.”