This turned out a lot longer than I meant it to...

Oh, no.

Oh, god, no.

Not him. Anyone but him.

That was the first thing that ran through her mind as she stood in shock over his unconscious body.

"Don't just stand there, Ladybug!" The little black kwami dragged her out of her state of shock. "You need to get him to safety, quickly!"

He was right, of course. The akuma was intent on literally drowning Paris in her tears (which were falling from the sky as rain), and the Seine had already risen enough to move cars. Chat had taken a tree branch to the head while in pursuit.

She pushed her worry to the back of her mind; there'd be time to fret later. Right now, it was time to work.

As soon as she got home, Marinette was all nerves. She couldn't even speak for ten minutes. She just sat in her bed, hugging her pillow as though it could soften the ache of anxiety in her belly.

"What am I going to do?" she finally whispered.

Tikki knew the question wasn't for her. Marinette needed a listening ear, not advice.

"I can't tell him about my feelings. That could make working together awkward. I can't tell him who I am, because that could make school awkward." She huffed. "But ignoring the fact that I know who he is would raise it to a whole different level of awkwardness."

With a groan, Marinette rolled out of bed and walked over to her desk. She had to make a list of options.

1) Tell Chat (Adrien?) who I am.
2) Tell him I like him. (That was a definite no.)
3) Ignore that it had ever happened. (It had happened and it was going to affect both of them.)
4)

She tapped her chin with the pencil. There had to be something less confrontational than just telling him. She didn't exactly have the best track record when it came to talking with Adrien.

Maybe...

4) Let Chat ask me questions?

It was probably the easiest way for her to reveal herself without trying to tell him outright and then chickening out. She wasn't worried about his feelings for her. At least she knew they could be friends and get along. She was more concerned that she wouldn't be able to do her job as Ladybug as well as she had when Chat Noir was just a flirtatious stranger.

A thought.

Adrien doesn't flirt.

So why did he flirt so much as Chat?

"Oooooh, my god," she muttered. "He's been totally serious this whole time. He's had a thing for Ladybu-for me this whole time, and I thought he was just goofing around!" She turned to her kwami. "This is it, Tikki. This is how I die."

Tikki grinned. "You'll be fine, Marinette."

"No," Marinette replied, burying her face in her arms. "Embarrassment and shame will be the death of me."

"It's just Adrien," Tikki replied. "He wouldn't judge you."

"You don't know that, Tikki." Marinette sighed. "He might get embarrassed about my stupid crush on his stupid face." Another thought occurred to her. "Or he'll laugh. It'll be so much worse if he laughs."

Tikki landed on her list, pointing to the last item. "This," she said, "is a good idea. And since you know who he is now, you can leave him a note to meet up with you when you feel ready."

"That's the problem," Marinette whined, dropping her head into her arms again. "I don't think I'll ever be ready."

Tikki smiled and put a tiny hand on Marinette's arm. "Then now is as good a time as any."