Adrien kept his eyes trained on the door as Ms. Bustier called attendance. Nothing could have distracted him, not even Chloe 'accidentally' falling onto his desk as she got up to put her gum in the bin. Much to the girl's disappointment, Adrien barely blinked as she sprawled herself over his books.

"Chloe, kindly get off Adrien's desk," said Ms. Bustier tiredly, without removing her gaze from the sheet in front of her. "Mylene?"

"Here."

She continued with the roll and called the final name before looking around the room. "Just Marinette missing, then?"

"I saw her earlier," piped up Nino. "I dunno where she went, though."

"She forgot her pencil case," fibbed Adrien. "She went home to get it."

Ms. Bustier frowned and glanced at her watch. "She really should be back by now. Well, we'll go on without her. Please get out your copies of A Midsummer Night's Dream and turn to page three hundred and ninety-"

The door flung open and Marinette barrelled through, her hair coming loose from her pigtails and falling at her shoulders. She stood in the doorway, puffing. The entire class stared at her, waiting for her to speak.

"Sorry, Ms. Bustier," said Marinette. "I had to get something from home."

Ms. Bustier looked at her watch. "I suppose I won't mark you as late. Just this once."

The young girl grinned and began to walk to her desk. "Thanks." She made eye contact with Adrien as she walked past, and gave him a reassuring nod before sliding into the seat beside her best friend. Adrien would have liked to watch her as she redid her hair- it was weirdly hypnotizing to watch- but instead turned around to focus on his teacher. Staring at Marinette was pretty suspicious, and it would be extremely embarrassing if he was caught.

"As I was saying, class, please turn to page three hundred and ninety-four in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Adrien, if you could please read aloud to the class? Enter Oberon, King of Fairies?"

Adrien cleared his throat and looked down at the page in front of him, hoping that this passage of text wouldn't be quite so Shakespeare-ish.

"I wonder if Titania be awakened….."

MLBMLBMLB

As soon as Ms. Bustier dismissed class, Adrien was leaping out of his seat, books already clutched to his chest. He was first out the door, with Marinette hot on his heels. The pair raced to the lockers, and arrived before the rest of their classmates had even reached the bottom of the stairs. Hastily, Adrien unlocked his lock and tossed his books inside the locker, grabbed out the ones he needed and put them to the front, then grabbed his food and slammed the door, beating Marinette by just a few seconds, as moments later another loud bang was heard from her direction. They walked over to each other.

"We gotta talk," said Marinette clearly. "But not here." The chatter of their classmates was growing louder by the second. "We'll find a corner in the courtyard."

Adrien nodded and followed his girlfriend out of the room through a side door, evading their classmates nicely. The pair wandered over to a dim and secluded area of the courtyard. It would be difficult for anyone to find them there, and if they were found, well, Adrien was sure they could come up with an excuse.

Marinette rested her back on the wall and slid down, crossing her legs as she took a bite of a cupcake, iced with pink and featuring two small and perfect fondant roses. Adrien slid down beside her, chewing his protein bar. They sat there for a moment, eating.

Adrien decided to take the leap. "So, you exactly happened just then?" he asked.

Marinette swallowed and brushed the icing from her lips. "I-I went to Andre's ice-cream stall, and I yelled at him for what he did." Now that she was saying it aloud, it didn't seem like such a good thing to do.

Adrien stared at her. "What exactly did you say?"

The designer shrugged. "I don't remember exactly. But something about him having been akumatized himself, so it was horrible of him to blame you. And there were other people there, too. I told them off."

The blonde boy gazed at her, this amazing person in front of him. "You defended me?"

"Well, yeah." There was an undertone of regret in her voice. "Are you mad?"

"Mad?" Adrien's eyes went wide. "Of course not, Marinette! I'm really, really grateful for you. You didn't have to do that."

A smile began to creep across the dark-haired girl's face. "What are partners for?"

Adrien smiled and slipped his hand into hers. For a second she was still, and Adrien wondered if it wasn't the right time. Then she wriggled closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder, and he relaxed.

Marinette broke the comfortable silence first. "If you wanted to know exactly what I said, I'm sure there's a video somewhere of it. Almost everyone had their phones out."

Adrien nodded. "Maybe someone sent it to Alya."

He felt Marinette tense. "Adrien…" she began slowly.

"Yeah?"

"About Alya. I meant to talk with you about it this morning, but I got distracted. I think we should tell them."

He frowned, shifting slightly. "Weren't we going to?"

"Well, yeah, but we never really specified when," Marinette reminded him. "I think we should do it now, because if we wait, we'll eventually get more comfortable around them, and it won't seem like a new relationship. Then they'll be mad at us for lying. See what I mean?"

Adrien nodded slowly. "Yeah, I guess. But who do we tell first?"

The baker's daughter frowned. "I don't really know. "Alya and Nino, maybe? Then ask them to keep it down until we tell our par-" She caught herself and looked up at her boyfriend. "Do you want to tell your father?" she asked softly.

Adrien stared into space. "I don't know. Do you mind if we ask everyone we tell to keep it down? It's not that he dislikes you, it's just…" He bit his lip. "He might think that it'll be a bad look for the business or something like that."

Marinette wanted to punch Gabriel Agreste but kept this to herself. "Of course, Adrien. Let me know if you're ready to tell him." She squeezed his hand. "You don't have to do this alone," she whispered. "You've got Nino, and Alya and everyone else."

Adrien smiled down at her. "And I've got you." He closed his eyes and leaned down toward her. Marinette wanted to scream in excitement but didn't for the sake of Adrien's eardrums. Instead, she closed her eyes, too and met him in the middle.

It was a sweet kiss, Adrien tasting of honey from his protein bar. It lasted for a while, too, neither person wanting to end it.

But it did end, the two snapping apart when a delighted giggle reached their ears. Adrien felt his stomach drop, as though he was on a rollercoaster and the track had just dipped. He looked around for the giggling sound, wondering where it was coming from and who was making it.

Marinette evidently realized before he did, because she gave a sharp gasp and jumped to her feet, stalking towards the staircase that blocked their view of the courtyard. It also blocked the courtyard's view of them, unless someone went up to the staircase and stared through the railing.

Adrien quickly got to his feet and followed the baker's daughter, his stomach still swooping. They rounded the base of the stairs and stopped, staring. Adrien gaped at the culprit, unable to move. Marinette reacted first, hurling herself at the person.

"How dare you!"

Adrien simply stared. He couldn't believe the person in front of him would do such a thing. After all, they'd known each other forever.

Adrien shook his head, trying to make sense of it all. There was no way Chloe would do this to him.

MLBMLBMLB

Marinette was furious. Fuming, enraged, and infuriated, to the point where she was almost hysterical. Her only goal in this was to make Chloe Bourgeois sorry.

Adrien tried to pull her back, grabbing her with his strong arms and attempting to calm her down by talking in a soothing voice, as Marinette spat and hissed at the mayor's daughter, who was backed up against the wall, whimpering.

"You little brat!" whisper-screeched Marinette. "Why the hell would you do this? You're unbelievable!" She launched herself at Chloe once more, fists at the ready. A little voice in the back of her head was telling her that violence wasn't the answer, but Marinette's anger was smothering the voice and stripping all the sense from Marinette.

Just as she was about to give it to Chloe, Ladybug-style, Adrien swooped in and restrained her. Actually, he did more than just restrain her. He pulled Marinette away completely from the blonde girl, dragging her up the stairs and into an empty classroom and she squirmed like a feral cat. She was careful not to hurt her boyfriend in her attempts to get free, though.

"Marinette, calm down," said Adrien firmly, gripping her arms. "You'll regret it if you hit Chloe." Despite the calmness in his tone, Marinette could see how pale he was. She supposed it must have been a pretty big shock to discover that your oldest friend had done something like this. Maybe it didn't seem like that much of a big deal, but this relationship was a secret, and for good reasons. Now one person knew about it, and she had the ability to share it with hundreds, even thousands of people- with evidence to back it up. Marinette hated her privacy being invaded, and this was just too far.

Adrien put her down on a nearby desk with ease, as the dark-haired girl had stopped struggling. He pushed a stray lock of hair out of her face, and she gazed up at him. He still wasn't quite the right colour, his golden skin looking far paler than usual. "You okay?" whispered Marinette.

He nodded and ran a hand through his own hair. "I guess. I just feel kind of...betrayed?"

Marinette nodded, and reached for his hand, massaging it. "I get you. I can't believe she would do something like this."

Adrien sighed. "Yeah, me too. I'm just scared of what she'll do with that video. If it was Alya, it wouldn't be so bad. But Chloe loses all common sense when she gets mad. If she gets jealous, she'll go completely crazy. I'm scared that she'll show the video to my father, or post it online."

Marinette bit her lip. She hadn't even thought about the possibility of Chloe showing Gabriel, but she wouldn't put it past the girl to do something like that, especially in a jealous rage. The ore Marinette thought about it, the more likely it seemed. "We have to get her to delete that video," she said at last, still holding her boyfriend's hand.

"I agree," replied Adrien seriously. "And check that she didn't send it to one of her other phones, or laptops."

Marinette blinked. "She has more than one phone?"

"If she wants it, her father gives it to her. One for gaming, one for social media, one for carrying around, one for smashing when her father is slow to meet her demands, then one laptop for schoolwork, one for online shopping, and one for breaking," recited Adrien.

The baker's daughter shook her head, baffled. "That's completely ridiculous. But yeah, we'll have to make sure she hasn't sent it off." She looked up at Adrien ruefully. "We shouldn't have left her."

The boy looked serious. "You needed to calm down," he responded. "I didn't want you making any decisions while you were angry. My mother always said not to make permanent decisions on temporary emotions." He shrugged. "It's good advice." His hand moved to Marinette's hair again, curling a strand around his finger. "And besides...I wanted to kiss you again. This time, with no one watching." His hands cupped Marinette's cheeks, which were sporting a rosy blush. "May I?" he asked.

Marinette nodded, and tilted her face up to meet him. His soft lips pressed against hers, gently at first. They continued to kiss, and Adrien seemed to get desperate. One of his hands left her face and travelled through her hair and down her back. He began to push harder with his lips as Marinette ran her hands through his silky golden hair. Marinette responded by opening her mouth and felt his tongue flicker against hers. She gasped, and opened her lips wider, allowing their kiss to turn into a French one. Adrien let out a small sound, before putting both of his hands on her hips. He picked her up, and the girl wrapped her legs around his waist as they continued to make out.

Adrien didn't seem satisfied with this. He began to move, still holding Marinette, and pushed her back against the wall. She gasped, before Adrien's mouth met hers again. They kissed passionately, Adrien's hands still on her hips. Marinette moved her hands from his hair and began to slowly move them down his body, feeling his muscles. Then they slipped under the hem of his shirt, meeting his abs.

DING. DING. DING.

The pair broke apart at the sound of the bell, both flushed and panting. Marinette still had her legs around him, and both were reluctant for her to let go of him. But they still had to find Chloe, and the classroom wouldn't be empty for long. Adrien let Marinette down and gave her a confident smirk.

"How did you like that, my lady?" he asked.

Marinette gazed up at him, beaming. "I loved it," she said breathlessly.

"So did I," he replied. "Next time, we won't be interrupted."

MLBMLBMLB

Chloe Bourgeois sat on one of the courtyard benches, fiddling with her phone. Sabrina was in the library, studying for the English test next week. Chloe had had no wish to socialize with all the peasants in her class, and so she had gone to find her only other friend- Adrien. Turned out Adrien was busy, and when Chloe had recognized that little upstart Marinette as the girl he was kissing, she'd been tempted to storm in there and tear the two apart with her bare hands. But then she had realized that this was a golden opportunity for her. And so Chloe had filmed the pair, planning on using the video for blackmailing purposes.

Then Chloe had slipped up and laughed at her own genius. They must have heard, and boy, Marinette was not happy about being filmed. Chloe had almost feared for her life, but she feared for her hair more. Then Adrien had dragged the little feral away, saving both Chloe's ponytail and her manicure. Did the little baker girl realize how long it took to do her hair?

But Chloe couldn't feel too eased with herself, not after seeing the look on Adrien's face. The only time she could remember him looking so betrayed was after his mother left. She had been his only friend at that time. Would their friendship continue?

Chloe had been planning to get Adrien to break up with Marinette and get together with her, simply by using the video as a threat. But now she wasn't so sure if it was a good idea. Adrien might not even want to be friends with her anymore. Maybe she'd broken his trust completely.

The mayor's daughter just didn't know, which was why she was sitting on a bench in the courtyard, a minute after the warning bell had rung. Usually, her indecisions revolved around a pair of new heels, or which colour her nails should be. She had virtually no experience in indecisions about friendships, and therefore had no idea of what to do.

She stared at her phone, hoping the answer to her problem might be in the bejewelled piece. Unfortunately, she found nothing and was about to get up and walk to class when a shadow fell over her. The blonde girl looked up, expecting Sabrina to be standing over her.

Instead, it was Adrien. Beside him was Marinette. Both had their arms crossed, and neither of them looked happy. Marinette's expression was one of rage and dislike, while Adrien just looked disappointed.

"Delete the video," said Adrien quietly. "Now, Chloe."

She stared up at him, lips trembling. His voice was quiet, but she could tell that he was angry. It was kind of scary- but not quite as scary as the look on Dupain-Cheng's face, which told Chloe that the baker's daughter cared nothing for her highly expensive manicure. The blonde girl gulped and tapped into her camera roll. Friendships could be mended, but if one of her nails broke now, it couldn't be fixed until next week, when Raphael got back from London.

Choe deleted the video.

MLBMLBMLB

Adrien and Marinette broke the news to Alya and Nino first.

The final bell had rung, and Alya and Marinette stood on the stairs outside the school building, waiting for Adrien and Nino. Alya babbled on about one of her Ladyblog- related projects as Marinette scanned the flow of students for a particular boy. Her eyes fell on Adrien's golden mop as he walked beside Nino, talking and laughing.

"Hey, Marinette," Nino greeted her as he approached with his friend. "Hey, Al." He slung his arm around his girlfriend's shoulders. Marinette and Adrien looked at each other. They'd decided this during study hall, in the last period. Marinette just hoped they'd made the right decision.

"Alya, Nino," said Adrien nervously. "Marinette and I wanted to tell you guys something."

Alya's head snapped up, and she looked at Marinette excitedly. Marinette smiled shyly in response. Adrien slipped his hand into his girlfriend's and smiled at her. "Marinette and I are dating," he announced.

Alya screamed and threw herself into Marinette's arms, almost smothering her. Nino fist bumped the model, exclaiming, "Dude!"

Alya finally let go of Marinette and began to bounce. "For how long?"

"Just today," replied Marinette, glancing at Adrien. It didn't feel right, fibbing to her friends, but this was what they had decided to do.

Alya squealed again, attracting stares from passing students. "I know exactly how to celebrate this!" she cried, grinning at her friends.

Marinette, Adrien, and Nino all looked at her curiously.

"Double date!" announced Alya triumphantly.

MLBMLBMLB

They told Tom and Sabine next, walking into the bakery after finalizing their double date plans with Alya and Nino. Sabine looked up from the till as they walked in, letting out a cry of surprise. "Marinette! Adrien! How lovely to see you!" she said happily, rushing out from behind the counter to hug her daughter and the model. "Tom!" she called. "Adrien and Marinette are here!"

Marinette's father came lumbering out from the back, chocolate splattered all over his apron. "Hello, Adrien!" he boomed, shaking his hand. "Good to see you again, son."

"It's good to see you too, sir," replied Adrien, returning the handshake.

"What brings the two of you here? Do you need to study?" asked Sabine, dusting flour off her apron.

Adrien and Marinette shared a look. "Well, actually," began Marinette. "We have some news."

Sabine gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "You're together?" she cried.

Adrien laughed as Marinette went deep red. "You hit the nail right on the head, Mrs. Cheng," he told her.

Sabine squealed and launched herself at the pair, hugging them both tightly. "Finally!" she said happily. "Marinette's had a crush on you for years."

Marinette blushed again as Tom chimed in. "It's true, you know," he told Adrien. "Welcome to the family."

The baker crushed his wife, daughter, and son-of sorts in a hug and Adrien and Marinette smiled, because an amazing thing had come out of all the pain and emotion of the past month.

And that amazing thing was going to last forever.

MLBMLBMLB

AFTERWORD

Adrien and Marinette asked Nino, Alya, Tom, and Sabine to keep the news to themselves for the time being. They went on their double date with Nino and Alya to the movies, with all four of them wearing various subtle disguises, just so the paparazzi wouldn't find Adrien. There may or may not have been some kissing in the dark of the cinema.

Gabriel Agreste doesn't know about his son's girlfriend, and Adrien wants to keep it that way- for now. He plans to eventually come clean to his father when the moment is right.

Ladybug and Chat Noir haven't gone public with their relationship, and don't plan on doing so for a long time. The pair shut down any rumours of a romance on their latest interview with Nadia Chamack, and despite some disappointment from Alya, things have been running smoothly ever since.

Chloe Bourgeois decided to keep the secret. She and Adrien's friendship is hanging by a strand, and Chloe is doing everything she can to keep it from breaking completely. Despite being almost green with jealousy towards Marinette, she is trying to be civil, for the sake of her friendship with Adrien. The video has been well and truly deleted, much to Marinette and Adrien's relief.

Alya posted two videos on the Ladyblog- one of Chat Noir's incident in front of Andre's, and one of Ladybug admonishing both the citizens and Andre. The people of Paris were furious about Chat Noir's treatment, and wholeheartedly agreed that ladybug was right- they shouldn't blame their superheroes for being human.

Master Fu knew about Marinette and Adrien's relationship and agreed that it was best to keep it to themselves as Ladybug and Chat Noir. He's glad Marinette forgave her partner but gave both of them a stern talking to about controlling their emotions. They now meditate with him on a weekly basis, to prevent Hawkmoth from akumatizing them.

Plagg and Tikki are getting along well, and can often be found sharing cheese and cookies while their chosen's spend time together. Plagg has forgiven Adrien for being such an idiot, on the condition that his cheese allowance is doubled, and that he gets to raid Marinette's kitchen whenever he wants. Adrien has agreed, because wherever Plagg goes, he goes too, and there's nothing he likes more than snuggling up to his girlfriend while Plagg eats himself sick.

MLBMLBMLB

And we're done! Thank you all for all your support. I didn't expect for this project to take quite so long, but it has been an incredible experience. Thank you to all the reader who left reviews, and constantly made my day so much better. Thank you for all the tips and encouragement. This was a pretty long chapter, but I was determined to finish the fic today. I will continue to write fanfiction, but my next writing project won't be on here and may take a lot of time. I do have some ideas for more Miraculous stories, and I plan on posting at least one in the coming year. If you want to know when I post a new story, I think following my profile will send you an email when I do put a new fic up. I'm not a hundred percent sure, and if someone could clarify in the reviews, that would be great. Once again, thank you all so much for your support. Feel free to give me any tips that will improve me as a writer, so my next story will be better. Bye for now!