"A-A-Adrien?" Marinette breathed as the blonde walked closer to her, his smouldering green eyes not leaving hers. "A-Adrien, what-"

"Do you really think that I don't like you?" He asked in a soft voice- one that was betrayed as the look on his face hardened into determination. Marinette nodded.

"W-Well, you must, seeing as that article-"

"I don't care what others think." Adrien grabbed Marinette's hand, his eyes never leaving hers as he intertwined her fingers in his own. "You're the only one for me, Marinette. No one could replace you. The paparazzi and reporters- they don't know what they're talking about. All that matters…" He leaned in, and Marinette's heart pounded wildly in her chest. "Is that we know the truth."

"Adrien…" Marinette breathed wistfully, watching as his eyes looked down at her lips. In turn, her eyes looked down at his. They were closer than before, a lot closer. She could feel his breath on her lips. "I-I love you."

"I love you too, Marinette."

"ALYA!"

"Marinette? What's wrong?"

"Wh-What is this?!" Marinette shoved her phone in Alya's line of vision, and Alya smirked.

"Oh, yeah, that's been happening for a while. An anonymous user started uploading fanfics like this onto my shipping blog for a week or so now, and it's growing viral. Apparently, they like shipping you and Adrien together."

"D-Did you write this?!"

"No, who do you think I am?"

'Translation- I totally wrote that and am hoping that Adrien reads it.' She thought.

"This can't go on any longer- I can't let him know!" Marinette threw her arms wide. "If he finds out-"

"If who finds out?"

"EEEEIIIIIIKKK!" Marinette jumped and turned around, nearly tripping over herself as she and Alya stared at Adrien and Nino, who stood there looking confused. Alya smirked.

"The guy Marinette likes."

"A-Alya!"

"Marinette… likes someone?" Adrien muttered.

"Yeah, but what would they find out?" Nino asked.

"This." Alya unlocked her phone and handed it to Nino. "Someone anonymous ships Adrinette and is posting fanfiction about it on my Ladyblog and Main blog. It's gone viral."

"What's Adrinette?" Adrien asked.

"Ship Name." Alya smirked. "Someone ships you and Marinette together."

"Mph!" Marinette glared at Alya while trying to not scream in terror as Adrien looked at her.

"Really?" He asked, looking back at Alya. "Someone ships us?"

"Yeah." Alya nodded, her smirk only growing bigger. "You should read some of it- they're a really good writer."

"You don't know who they are?"

"No." Alya shook her head- almost sadly. "Such a shame too."

"Huh." Adrien seemed to ponder over this information, glancing at Marinette. "That's interesting. I'll check it out."

Marinette gagged, almost tripping over nothing even though she wasn't moving.

"Well, we should probably get to class." Nino pointed out, giving Alya a pointed look. Alya only winked.

"Yeah, we should." Adrien agreed, smiling at Marinette. "Shall we?"

"U-U-Uh, yes! We sh-shall!" Marinette nodded, blushing, and together the four of them headed to class.

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"Alya, can I talk to you?"

"Sure thing." Alya looked u at Adrien as he pulled them off to the side, looking up at him curiously.

"I, uh, know that this might be a little awkward." He admitted awkwardly, running a hand through his hair. "But, uh, who exactly does Marinette like?"

"Sorry, sunshine." Alya said with a sigh. "Girl code- I'm required to keep it a secret."

"Oh." Adrien blushed. "It's just that- I had a plan, see, to try and get Marinette and whoever she likes together."

"Oh?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "With the… uh…. Fanfiction going around, I figured why not make him jealous, and get the two of them together?" Alya blinked, and she almost laughed at the absurdity of it all. "You know, for a small amount of time, make Adrinette cannon?"

"And why would you do that?"

"Well, it worked for Tamaki, and..." Adrien paused, a blush lighting up his face. "Marinette deserves whoever she wants to get together with. She's so kind and sweet, and smart and brave, and I want to help whoever she likes see that."

'You already see it, you idiot.'

"You do realize that we'd have to talk this all out with Marinette, right?" Alya asked, raising an eyebrow. "She could get the wrong idea, you know."

"I do." Adrien nodded, looking at the ground. "I just figured that I would talk to you about it first, since you are her best friend and all…"

"I think that this is a great idea." Alya nodded. "I'll talk to her about it after school- you have a photoshoot today, right?"

"Uhh, yeah."

"Then I'll give you her answer tomorrow." Alya said. Adrien smiled at her.

"Thanks, Alya." He said, turning around to walk off. "Let's hope that this works."

"Oh, it better work." Alya said with a determined nod, and she walked towards class as well.

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"Chat?"

"Yes?"

"How do you go about fake-dating the guy you like?"

Chat Noir almost gagged, and fell off the Eiffel tower, but he caught himself before Ladybug could see his blunder.

"Wh-Why would you be fake-dating the guy you like?" He asked, slightly breathless. Ladybug shifted, not looking at him as she stared into the Parisian night.

"He doesn't know that he's the guy I like." She admitted, frowning as she thought. "Someone started writing fanfiction that shipped us together, and he saw it and learned that I liked someone, but he doesn't know that it's him, and he wants to date me so that the guy that I like gets jealous, but he is the guy I like, so his plan won't work…"

"And while I'd LOVE to tell him my feelings, I don't want him to know at the same time for a reason even I don't know, and even then I'm Ladybug- I have to disappear at random intervals to go and fight akumas. I don't want him to think that I'm ditching because I don't like him, but the only way to avoid that would be to tell him who I am, but that's dangerous to even think about…"

"Life's confusing." She concluded. She glanced at him. "And that's why I'm asking you, Chat Noir- what would you do?"

"I… don't know." He admitted slowly. His brain felt like he was missing something, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out what. "That's a very unique situation to be in, milady." He smirked at her, and she rolled her eyes, but it gave him some time to think.

"Don't I know it."

"I know that you appreciate honesty, and that's really the only reason why I'm telling you this." He said after a moment of silence. It was his turn to stare off into the distance, Ladybug observing him. "I'm kinda on the opposite end of the problem, you see… a lot of people ship me and this one girl together. And she's amazing- she's kind, thoughtful, sweet, brave…"

"But when I found out that we were shipped together, I also found out that she liked someone. She deserves whoever she wants to date, and me…" He shook his head with a small laugh. "I'm just a socially awkward guy who watches Ouran Highschool Host Club to help him out with romance."

That prompted a laugh from Ladybug, so he continued. "I figured that I would use what little I knew to help her get the guy she likes jealous by dating her- for the moment, of course."

"Of course." Ladybug echoed. "But you wouldn't have proposed that if you didn't have some feelings for her, right?"

"Of course not!" He exclaimed. "She's amazing! One of my closest friends, and one of my first ones. She deserves the world!"

"It certainly sounds like you have a crush, kitty." Ladybug laughed, booping him on the nose. He blinked, confused.

"No, there's no way. She's just a really good, amazing, one-of-a kind friend."

To his surprise, Ladybug rolled her eyes.

"Chat Noir, you don't talk about someone like that and call them 'just a friend'." Ladybug quoted. "It sounds like you're denying it to yourself. Trust me, I know that feeling."

"Speaking from experience, my lady?" Chat Noir asked.

"I wish I wasn't." She admitted. "I do it to myself all the time- making things complicated when they don't have to be, almost giving up being Ladybug…" She shook her head, smiling at him in a sad, but still happy way. "I honestly think that I won't ever stop. But that doesn't mean that I can't recognize it and learn from it." She stood up, a speechless Chat Noir looking up at her as she took out her yoyo.

"Thanks for talking it out with me, Chat." She said softly. "I have to go home now. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah." Chat Noir nodded, watching her swing away. "Tomorrow."

"It sounds like you're denying yourself."

He shook his head.

"But Marinette's just a friend."

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A few days later, Adrien was seriously regretting his prior words.

To Alya and his lady.

'If this girl gets any cuter, I swear I'm gonna die.' He thought as he watched Marinette from across the courtyard, a smile involuntarily lighting up his face.

He didn't mind that smile one bit, though.

He blushed and turned away when he realized that Marinette was turning to look in his direction, groaning.

'I didn't even know that I had a crush on her before yesterday!' He exclaimed in his head.'And she likes someone else, idiot- you're only dating her to try and get the guy she likes jealous! Why'd my crush on her have to rival and win over my crush on Ladybug? How am I supposed to get out of this?!"

He sighed, pulling out his phone to look at the newest update from the mysterious Author.

"Hello there."

"Uh… hi." Marinette said, waving at the new guy. He sat down next to her, scooting closer.

"What're you doing here?"

"Just some research." She said, giving him a light glare.

"Anyway that I could help? Dove?" The new guy asked. Marinette shook her head, and he laughed. "Come now, I don't bite, dove." He moved his hand to wrap around her, but a hand grabbed his and held it there tightly. He looked up, only to freeze under the gaze of harsh, green eyes.

"I DO." Adrien growled. "Now I suggest that you get away from MY girlfriend before anything bad happens." The young man literally leapt away once Adrien let him go, rushing down the halls. He sat down beside Marinette, replacing the new guy. He was still staring in the direction the guy had left in.

"Adrien…"

"Mine." He said, wrapping an arm around her waist. She squeaked, and then giggled.

"A-And mine." She said cutely, wrapping her arms around his shoulders to hug him. Adrien sighed, relaxing into the embrace.

"Mari-"

The bell wrang, surprising Adrien and making him jump.

"Seriously? Scared of the bell, now?" Plagg asked. Adrien blushed and shushed him, tucking his phone away as he moved to head for class.

However, a plan was beginning to brew in his mind.

The title of the plan?

Ways to get Marinette to fall for me.

Adrien smirked.

With help from Tamaki, he would have this in the bag.

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Adrien sucked up all of his confidence.

He could be smooth.

He just had to act like Chat.

That sounded weird, because he was Chat…

Wait, why would he refer to himself in the third person like that?

Shouldn't he have thought Tamaki?

But it was easier to be Tamaki as Chat…

But in order to succeed, he had to act like Tamaki as Adrien.

Alas, he was so caught up that he missed his chance. Marinette and Alya had already left the school ground, going out somewhere. He sighed.

Attempt 1: Failed

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He retried attempt one the next chance he could.

"Flowers for the Princess?" He asked, leaning down and holding out a rose to her. Marinette blinked before her face erupted in red, and she took it.

"I-uh-eh- Th-Thank you, Adrien!" She finally managed to stutter out. Adrien almost frowned.

Dang-it, she wasn't acting any differently towards him.

Good thing that he didn't give up all that easily.

Attempt 2: Failed

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The next attempt, he grabbed her bag before she could, hoisting it over his shoulder.

"O-Oh, y-you don't have to Adrien!" Marinette said, lifting her hand up to take her backpack back. Adrien shook his head, smiling.

"I insist, Marinette." He said, smiling down at her. Marinette blushed and looked around at anything but him, and then smirked when her eyes landed on the ground.

Adrien was confused until she knelt down to pick up his school bag.

"I-If you're carrying mine, I'll carry yours!" She said triumphantly. Adrien blushed, but nodded anyway, walking out with her.

Attempt 3: Failed

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If you're wondering about the next attempt…

We don't talk about it.

Readers: Wait- what happened-

No.

We do not speak of attempt four- to save sunshine cinnamon roll child from further embarrassment.

All you need to know, as it's obvious now…

Attempt 4: Failed

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Adrien sighed.

Four attempts between the last time he had seen Ladybug to win Marinette's heart, and all had failed.

Plagg still teased him about 'the moment that will not be named' multiple times.

"You know, kid, if you really wanted to-"

"Claws out."

"Wait- my cheese!" Plagg managed to shove the last slice of Camembert into his mouth before Adrien transformed, succeeding in shutting his kwami up.

But when he turned to leap out his window, he couldn't.

Because there, upside down, hung a familiar female figure dressed in red with black spots. Her hand was poised to knock on the glass, her mouth partially open in shock.

"Uhh…" Chat Noir waved awkwardly. "Hi?"

"C-Can I come in?" She asked, blushing. He nodded, opening up the window for her. She let herself in slowly, and he closed the window behind her.

"I, uh, wasn't expecting you." He admitted.

"I wanted to see what was wrong with you."

"Huh?"

"Y-You've just been acting so weird lately." Ladybug admitted, not meeting his gaze as she played with one of her pigtails nervously. "G-Giving me roses, a-and being a gentleman and all that…"

"What?" She glanced up at him, and then pressed a kiss to his cheek. She giggled when he turned as red as her suit.

"Chaton, Adrien… I'm Marinette." She smiled at him with her wide, heart-stopping blue-bell eyes that he really should have recognized sooner.

Then all sorts of revelations came crashing down on him.

"As lovely as this is, milady, I'm afraid I'm about to take an unscheduled cat-nap."

"What do you-" She learned the answer when Chat Noir fell onto her. She blushed. "Oh. That's what he meant." She dragged him over to his bed, situating him on the bed.

She smiled when he unconsciously snuggled into the bedsheets, nuzzling the pillow. She sat down beside him, situating his head into her lap before trailing her gloved fingers through his soft hair.

"Silly kitty."