So part 2 of this weird fic. The summer is too long if my mind is entertaining this considering it would never happen. That is also what fanfiction is for so, oh well.=^-^=

Ch. 2 - Side Bet

By Friday his over active thoughts finally won out. He was on his way to school in his car as he looked over his phone. Through his extensive collection of Ladybug photos, he pulled up one with his friends. More specifically, one with Marinette. One where he'd drawn a red mask around her eyes and colored over her clothes with red and black spots. He let out another exasperated sigh as he compared it to a Ladybug picture. Sure it was a little off, but there was no question. Either Marinette had a twin somewhere, or she was Ladybug. A conclusion he'd been trying to deny since Tuesday. He dismissed the picture when he noticed they were at the school, and he shuffled out with a wave at his bodyguard. At his locker Plagg popped out with some cheese. "Okay kid, this is getting old. Would you just snap out of it. No one's going to figure out who you are just because you look like Chat Noir."

"What about ladybug?" Adrien countered without thinking.

"Huh? Well I'd say the same for her." Plagg simply responded feeling minorly curious.

Adrien chuckled at that. "Sure you would. You already know who she is, and if I know her."

Plagg's nervousness at the comment was obvious, and only served to prove Adrien's own conclusion. "I-I can't tell you kid, you know that."

"Yeah... I know." Adrien lamented as he heard other students coming in.

Alya was leading in a very sleepy Marinette. "Morning Adrien." She waved while Marinette's was more of a sleepy twitch. "Morning..." Alya chuckled at that. Marinette probably didn't even know who she was greeting, and her expression showed it. "She stayed up too late drawing a new design after we finished our essay. I promised I'd go by her place early and drag her out of bed."

Adrien chuckled a bit. "I bet your topic gave her all kinds of ideas."

Alya almost looked exhausted thinking about. "You don't know the half of it. I mean I appreciate her designer's eye, but her designer brain can be like wrestling a bear when it gets going. We probably would have finished Wednesday if it wasn't for her need to get her ideas on paper right that second." Though Alya looked amused instead of mad at her friend.

"Yeah, sounds like Marinette." He agreed with a grin that Alya knew would turn her friend into a puddle if she wasn't still half asleep. "I suppose this means neither of our groups have to worry about the essay anymore huh?"

"Oh, you guys finished too?" Alya inquired as she gave Marinette a text book to put in her bag.

"Yeah we finished after only two days, though if my dad asks, it took all week." Adrien hinted with a grin. He'd been using it as an excuse to have Nino over every afternoon once he was free from practice.

"Oh? So your were shamelessly monopolizing my boyfriend instead of working on school work? The nerve!" She exclaimed in mock anger. She already knew his dad was strict about having people over so it was understandable. "Anyway, now that I know you're done, I'll be sure to take him back for the weekend." She finished before getting an idea in her head. He wasn't sure what that sudden smirk was about before she spoke again. "But I don't want to leave you on your own, so I'll trade you Marinette." She playfully insisted as the sleepy girl took note of her name for the first time that morning.

"Trade me?"

Alya couldn't help but laugh at her friend's question. "Don't worry about it Marinette. Just a joke."

The aforementioned girl looked confused before it finally came to her that she was standing in front of Adrien. "A-Adrien.. uh... good morning."

"You already said that." Alya whispered to her causing her blush to intensify.

"I did... I mean I... an extra good morning then..." She looked away from him shyly while keeping her traitorous mouth shut before she made it worse.

She felt Alya pat her back in comfort. "Well, let's get to class Marinette." She turned them around. "Before you give him an extra super good morning." She whisper teased as they made their way to the doors. He stood there for a long moment before realizing the love of his life had told him to have an extra good morning, and he said nothing back. Like an idiot.

By the end of the day Adrien was going over scenarios in his head of how he was going to break the news to Ladybug about accidentally figuring out who she was. It wasn't like he was actively looking for her after all. He was just doing a homework assignment that got him thinking and then it just... clicked. The minute he saw her that morning after working with Nino, it clicked. He saw her, and Ladybug flashed into his mind. Then after the next few days of denial he realized he had to let her know. It wouldn't be fair after all. He certainly wouldn't want to be on the other side of this problem. She may even be mad he waited so long to tell her.

On the other hand... this might be an opportunity. For once in his life, being Adrien Agreste, famous model, might come in handy. Ladybug said she had a boy she liked. She must've been talking about someone she knew as Marinette. That at least narrowed down his prospective competition. When it came to the heart of his lady, however, there was no competition. He'd be the one with her in the end. He had to be. He wouldn't just sit back and let another guy take her when he was now in a great position to woo her himself. The first step, however, might be a bit of a hurdle. "H-Hey Adrien." He heard her greet as he passed her on his way out of school.

"Hey Marinette." Her eyes quickly found the floor, and he internally sighed. She wasn't very comfortable talking with him. She stuttered, and barely looked him in the eye. Surprisingly enough, it got worse when they were alone. But there have been a few times right? He snapped his fingers and gave her a smile. "Hey, would you like to come play some UMS 3 at my house?" He suddenly invited. He wasn't sure if Nathalie would let him get away with it, but he remembered how she was with games. She was awesome at games.

"I-I... Sorry. I have to help my bakery at the parents..."

"You mean help your parents at the bakery?" He corrected thinking about what she said.

"Yes... what did I say?" She asked looking mortified.

He gave her his best comforting smile. "Don't worry about it Marinette, it doesn't matter what you said. I understood it..." He trailed off as he thought of something else. "Uh... how about I walk you home?" Marinette looked hard pressed to reply which worried him. Was she that uncomfortable?

"She'd love to." Alya suddenly cut in placing and arm over her shoulders. "Isn't that right Marinette?" The young designer looked more calm, as she nodded with a blush. "See?" She expressed to Adrien who seemed a tad confused by the interruption. Either way though, he got the response he wanted.

It took a few weeks. A few weeks he was guilty about hiding the truth from her for, but a very productive few weeks. He'd taken every opportunity he had to be around her even if it was just for a few minutes. He'd ask to walk home with her as his driver stalked them ready to drive off when she was home. If he heard Alya mention doing something with her, he'd try to get himself invited too. Most of the time it involved inviting himself and Nino, but he didn't want to be obvious. He'd even taken up eating lunch at school so he could try and eat with her.

In any of his attempts to be near her though, something odd usually came with it. For whatever reason, Alya seemed to play right into his hand. It was like she wanted him to spend time with Marinette as much as he himself did. Nino seemed pretty on board too, which probably had something to do with Alya, but it was still odd. Whether it was his bad luck finally taking a break or just a coincidence, it had the desired effect. Marinette could talk to him much easier now. Something he loved to no end. "Hey Adrien!" She called as he headed for the doors. "I heard you have photo shoots scheduled all weekend." Her sympathetic expression yanked at his heartstrings. She cared!

"Yeah, I do. Some weekend right?" He returned lightheartedly. Not that it was the worst thing in the world, but he'd rather spend time with Marinette.

"I'm sure it won't be that bad..." She bit her lip. "Um... if you find yourself with some free time after y-you could..." Her voice went out to a squeak as she finished, but after a breath continued. "Drop by? Y-you could have a treat for me? No, wait I mean I could have a treat for you? Y-you know, like pastry? Since I live in a bakery and all? It could be something to look forward to... If you want?" She looked straight down at her shoes, but her blush could still be seen.

"That would be pretty nice though I don't see my schedule being that accommodating." And it killed him too.

"Oh? Well that's fine. I don't want to press your time any more than it is already. I-I guess I'll see you Monday!" She responded hoping he didn't notice just how disappointed she was.

She ran off before Adrien could even ask to walk her home again, and he let out a sigh. "Dude, what was that?" Nino asked looking annoyed at his best friend.

"What was what? She seemed to be in a hurry."

Nino shook his head at his still quite clueless best friend. "No dude, wasn't she trying to ask you out?"

Adrien raised a brow. "Ask me out?" No, he wanted to ask her out. Something he'd been trying to get closer to her so that it would happen successfully.

"Well yeah dude. You've been spending so much time together recently, I thought she finally got up the nerve to ask you out. Me and Alya kinda got a bet and... Opps..." He finally realized his mistake. He'd assumed Marinette finally asked Adrien out, so he forgot to hide the fact that her crush was supposed to be a secret.

"Wait..." Adrien began as a realization came to him. "Why would she ask me out?" Could her crush really have been...

"Well dude..." Nino played with his fingers a bit hoping against all odds he didn't just ruin things.

"So, Marinette's crush... is on me?" He asked for clarification. Nino looked to the side without saying anything though that was all he needed. Adrien's eyes were like dinner plates as he looked back to where he'd seen her run off to. "S-she has a crush on me!? I can't believe..." It then hit him just how stupid it was he never noticed. She was always nervous around him not because she was scared or uncomfortable; she liked him!

"S-so, dude... You won't tell her I told you right?" Nino tried to plead knowing Alya would know quickly after and make him regret it. Whether Adrien heard him was debatable as he made a B-line for the direction of Marinette's even while his driver honked his horn in protest. "Yup... I just lost 20 Euros."

Adrien couldn't help admiring her speed after making it to her place without even seeing her once. He caught his breath just outside the door. "That's definitely Milady's speed. I guess I can't even catch up outside the suits." He mused while ignoring his driver who didn't look too happy.

Adrien entered and was greeted with a broad grin from Mrs. Cheng. "Oh, hello Adrien. Are you here to see Marinette? She just got home." The pleasant woman gestured towards the back and Adrien nodded.

"Yes, thank you Mrs. Chang."

"And please take these up for the both of you." She had a few treats on a plate before he could walk past and didn't look like she would take no for an answer.

"Of course. These look great." He knew the way up to her room from experience, and it only took a few minutes before he was staring up to the door that lead him there. "Alright... I got this. She likes me... and I like her.." He silently chanted to himself. This would go great. Why wouldn't it?

After that short session to psych himself up he stepped up to knock on her door. "Yes?" He heard.

"Hey Marinette, it's Adrien." He heard something fall and it made him worry she might have been doing something important. "Marinette?"

"C-come in! Sorry, you can come up!" She called back sounding frazzled.

He peeked in to see her stacking a few books back onto her desk. She must've been doing her homework, he reasoned. "Sorry for interrupting Marinette."

"N-no, it's fine." She defended with a blush. "Nothing I won't have time for over the weekend. Your schedule isn't nearly as nice." She countered while silently racking her brain for why he was suddenly here. "Um.. so what brings you here? D-didn't we just see each other?" Though she was NOT complaining. No, never!

He held up the treats as he came fully into the room and found a seat. "Well I... Wanted to talk to you about something. I also wanted to walk you home, but that's fine..." He added in which made her instantly face palm.

"Urgh! I can't believe I forgot!"

"No, it's fine Marinette. It didn't have to be every day." Even if he tried as hard as he could to make it that way. "Anyway Marinette, I really wanted to talk to you about something... or two things really." He began again when he saw her calm a bit.

"Oh.. Sure then." He saw the flush on her cheeks and it only made him fully aware of his own.

"Well you see... Um first you should know something. I'm in love with Ladybug." He blurted out before he lost his nerve. Considering everything revolved around Ladybug anyway, it seemed the best to start. If the reaction Marinette was giving him was any indication... maybe it wasn't.

"I-In l-love with... l-l-ladybug?"

He couldn't tell if she was happy or freaked out. Maybe a mix of the two, and then there was the stutter again. "Yes, since the first day I saw her actually. She was so brave, and confident, and creative..." He trailed off rubbing the back of his neck. "And that leads to the first thing I want to talk to you about." He transitioned to a more serious tone. "Do you remember that essay Ms. Bustier assigned us a few weeks ago? About theatrical tropes?"

She nodded still not fully calm from the revelation she had just been hit with. "Yes, I'm pretty sure Alya would never let me forget how I drove her crazy." Joking didn't help her calm down as much as she wanted it to.

"Yeah, but did you ever hear what me and Nino did? Paper-thin Disguise."

She raised a curious brow. "I don't think I did... Why?"

This was going to be the hardest part especially considering how long he waited to tell her. "Well as we worked on or paper we went over a few characters for examples, like Superman. A hero who wore such a simple disguise it was a wonder none of the other characters recognized him." He could see the worry on her face now.

She had to have come to the right conclusion. "So you..."

He nodded. "I realized it the very next day. As soon as I saw you that morning it hit me. You're Ladybug." The panic in her eyes hurt him. He wished he could just forget and let things be, but he knew that couldn't happen. "I'm sorry Milady, and I tried hard not to think about. After realizing you might not look so different I tried not to look for you! I knew you... I'm sorry..." He finished weakly as he turned away. He didn't want to see how hurt she was that he'd hid it from her so long. The tense moment was quiet save for a few small noises. He felt the hand on his cheek before he even noticed she'd moved. He wanted to say something but could barely work himself to look back at her. She was... not angry? Her expression was more of curiosity as she took his face with her other hand as well. She then slid them up to his hair where she started to run her fingers through it slowly in no real pattern. The touch was heaven for the blond but he knew better than assume anything anymore, especially about Marinette. "M-Marinette?" She didn't answer, but finally pulled her hands from his head and stood back looking shocked. "I don't know how-"

"Kitty?" She finally got out.

Adrien's eyes widened at the name. She figured it out? Before he had to tell her!? "I uh... Yes Milady?" He responded with a sheepish smile that was so Chat.

Her shock morphed to a grin as she tried not to laugh. "Oh, Kitty..." Her expression loosened the knots in his stomach almost immediately. She wasn't angry! He internally cheered.

"So you're really not mad?" He questioned just to make sure.

"No." She shook her head with an understanding expression. "I believe it wasn't on purpose. I trust you Kitty. I do kind of wish you'd told me immediately though. Why wait? It was an accident."

Adrien took a breath of relief as leaned on his arms. "I wanted to, and I planned to... at first."

"But?" She prodded to get him to continue.

"I-I well. Here's point number two." He held up two fingers and concentrated on them. "I remembered you said you liked someone. Now that I knew who you were as a civilian I wanted to figure out who, but I didn't want to ask." He admitted in embarrassment. "So I decided to simply try and get your attention as me. I figured being a famous model would come in handy for once, so I thought I could get you to like me as Adrien, before telling you. At the very least, I wanted you to be more comfortable around me without the mask."

"Silly Kitty." She teased as she covered a giggle.

"Yeah... I know that now." He blushed brushing his fingers through his hair. "Your crush was me the whole time wasn't it?"

She gave him a nod that showed she was just as embarrassed as him at the revelation. "Ever since you gave me your umbrella, so about as long as you." Both of them looked away in embarrassment.

"Yup..."

"It's ironic."

"I know."

"I can't believe it."

"I can." Marinette turned to Adrien who looked at her with longing in his eyes. "I knew from that day we would be together... Well, most of the time I did. The rejection was hard." Her guilt was obvious at the mention. "But," He began as he stood and took her hand. "I suppose having your crush not really notice your feelings at all could be just as painful. I'm sorry Marinette... Milady." He then leaned down to kiss her knuckles as he usually did as Chat.

"I'm sorry too Chat. I suppose if I weren't so blinded by-"

"Chasing me?" He interrupted with a smirk. "I can't really blame you since well, I am me." He gave her suck a snarky Chat Noir grin she almost wanted to groan. "Of course, I'm guilty too. I never thought past my love for Ladybug after all. Heck... I'm a moron for never noticing really." And he doubted he would have ever noticed if he never found out she was Ladybug. The guilt of that made it too hard to admit.

A short silence ensued as the two stood up only inches from each other. "So... What now?" Marinette finally asked feeling the tension mount.

"What Now?" Marinette nodded as she gestured between the two of them. "Oh, well I was hoping maybe now that we both know we like each other we could... spend more time together? Maybe starting this weekend?" He asked shyly hoping he didn't move too fast.

"Of course Kitty..." Her smile was the perfect answer before it suddenly melted. "But what about your schedule? You have photo shoots all weekend."

He took both of her hands in his and gave her a wry grin. "You're right. My father usually doesn't like me to bring friends, but girlfriends? Well I'll be sure to convince him." He finished with a determination reminiscent of his hero persona.

"G-girlfriend?" Marinette stuttered out in surprise.

"Yeah, of course... Do you not want to be?" He asked back looking slightly disheartened.

"Of course, yes! I just... I'm just surprised." And she looked even more so when he pulled her into a hug.

"Surprise or no, I'm not wasting another second Milady, not now that you're in reach." He then held her by her shoulders. "I love you Marinette."

When the couple walked in Monday morning hand in hand, chatter instantly erupted. A few silent cheers were heard as well as at least one annoyed grunt. Alya eyed her friend with a smirk. "So this is why you were busy all weekend I imagine?"

Marinette blushed as she sat down finally releasing her boyfriend's hand. "Y-yeah." Her blush made anything else pointless to ask. She'd have to get it out of her later.

"Though I do want to know who asked who." Her answer came in the form of a twenty euro bill folded up and held in her face. She turned to Nino who looked pretty much defeated and grinned. She took the bill and sat back. "I guess that answers that." Adrien looked onto the exchange slightly confused while Nino moved hide his face. He'd already lost the bed. He didn't need his best friend knowing he'd bet against the blond ever asking Marinette out first.

So that's that I guess. I used another TV trope for this chapter to both end it and give it something more. I can't do crack very well so I improvised something else for a laugh. I could find another trope to continue this, but as of now? Nope. Thanks for all who read and especially those who took the time to comment. Though Fanfiction seemed to eat a couple of them in the last few days so that's probably why I could respond to two of them. Sorry about that!=^-^=