"I don't understand why you needed to talk to Alya. She just told said the same thing I did!" Tikki groused from Marinette's purse.

"I know, I know," Marinette sighed. She looked at bus, where Nino and Adrien were waiting by the door.

"Admit it, you're just stalling!"

"You're right, Tikki, I am," Marinette clutched her purse strap tightly. "I just-I really messed up."

"Marinette, the way to fix this hasn't changed. The longer you wait the more of a mess this is going to be!"

"Is there any way to make this less scary?"

"What about what Alya said?"

Talk to the boy who lost his memory with you.

"Okay," Marinette took a deep breath.

Nino and Alya got on the bus, both of them pausing to take turns laying a hand on Adrien's shoulder.

Marinette forced herself to walk to the bus.

Adrien straightened out of his lean when she got closer.

Marinette froze.

Why?

Why was it so easy to see Chat Noir's ears droop on Adrien's head?

Maybe because Chat Noir was Adrien…

Marinette took another shaky step forward.

Adrien was fidgeting almost as badly as Chat Noir on a stakeout.

Which made sense, because Adrien WAS Chat Noir.

"Marinette?"

Her heart jumped and then dove to join the butterflies in her stomach.

"Hey," She said eyes on his shirt.

"Hey," he said.

Oh God, he sounded so disappointed. This was why she never wanted anyone to know who she was-!

Her purse banged into her leg.

Marinette took Tikki's hint.

She looked up at Adrien who looked almost angry.

"Can we-?"

"I wanted to say-"

They both stopped abruptly waiting for the other to finish.

Adrien gestured to her. "Y-you go first."

"Okay," Marinette took a deep breath. "I, uh, we should-"

"Okay, you two," Madame Bustier said climbing halfway down the bus's stairs. "I know we had a bit of excitement today but we need to head back to school."

Adrien rolled his eyes and sent her a look that on Chat Noir would have said 'Civilians, right?'

She sent back an 'I know!' look before she frustratingly froze again.

Why was it so easy to project Chat Noir onto Adrien?

Marinette blinked.

Because Chat Noir WAS Adrien.

How was she going to do this?

Talk to the boy who lost his memory with you.

Adrien was half way up the bus's stairs when Marinette grabbed his wrist.

Adrien looked back at her, heartbreakingly hopeful.

Marinette swallowed with a dry throat. "Can, can I sit next to you?"

"Y-yeah, Yes, of course, M'la-, Marinette!"

Marinette nodded and followed him onto the bus. They walked along looking for an empty seats right next to each other.

"What is THIS?!" Chloe demanded as they passed her.

Marinette jumped, the whole class turning to look at what 'this' Chloe was shouting about.

"Chloe," Adrien said as he squeezed Marinette's hand and she realized: her hand had slipped from his wrist so they were now holding hands. "It's none of your concern."

"OOoooohhh!" Kim called mockingly, "Adrien and Marinette-!"

With one mind the class turned to Kim and started talking over each other. Everyone closest to Kim, and some classmates climbing over each other to reach him, started to physically attacking him. Some however were calling out…

Congratulations.

Where was the stupid memory Akuma when she needed it?

Adrien tugged on her hand, urging her to the back of the bus. She felt as safe as if it were Chat Noir pulling her out of the line of fire.

Which made sense seeing as Adrien was Chat Noir.

Adrien sat in the bus's window seat at the very back of the bus, leaving her the aisle seat.

"Have they lost interest?" Adrien asked once she was settled.

"Mostly, a few keep looking back."

Adrien half stood, startling their classmates into looking forward. "If my phone wasn't dead I'd just call my bodyguard and ask him to pick us up."

The part of her that was Ladybug wondered which was more secure: a bus full of their easily distractible classmates or a car with only Adrien's bodyguard who was paid not to eavesdrop?

The part that was Marinette with a MASSIVE crush on the boy next to her was leaping from 'he'd ask to marry her in the privacy of the car' to 'He'll declare that neither Marinette or Ladybug were good enough for him' to 'Now that he knew that it was pathetic little Marinette pretending to be a superhero he was going to join Hawkmoth' to-

"Sorry," Adrien said.

The apology and the bus jolting forward snapped her out of her eighteenth plan-ception. "Why are you sorry? If anyone should be sorry it should be me! I took way longer than ten minutes and then I ran away from you to talk to Alya."

Adrien gave a small smile. "You know, if you weren't…you know, it would've been impressive that you knocked her out of her shoe."

"So because of that, it's not impressive?" Marinette said.

"Nah, if anything, I'm disappointed that you didn't knock her socks off," Adrien teased back, looking radiant in the sun that bounced off of a passing building and with a grin that only Chat Noir could only hope to match.

Marinette ducked her head to hide her blush.

What was Marinette doing; teasing Adrien like he was Chat Noir?

Who.

Was.

Adrien.

Agreste!

Adrien wilted. "Sorry."

"No, no, no!" Marinette hurried to reassure, "It's, I, you-"

Talk to the boy you lost your memory with.

Marinette took a deep breath. "It's not you, I'm just having a hard time absorbing, that you're…well, you. You know?"

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, this isn't how I imagined we'd find out about each other."

"Except for the kissing! He's always imagined the kissing!" Plagg snitched, floating out of Adrien's shirt.

"Plagg!" Adrien hissed, snatching the kwami out of the air with both hands.

Adrien was…blushing…at the idea… of kissing…her?

For a moment she was over the moon and then she realized he was blushing about kissing Ladybug.

"Sorry," she said.

"You can't just-" Adrien looked at her, scolding his kwami forgotten. "Why are you sorry?"

"Just," Marinette tangled her fingers in the strap of her purse. "You must be very disappointed that, that the girl, behind the mask, is you know, so bland…"

Light pressure on her hand made her look over to see Tikki resting her paws on her hand.

"Marinette," Adrien hesitated then laid his hand on her wrist. "I'm…I'm sorry that it took losing our memories, for me to realize that you are just as incredible out of the mask as you are in it."

Marinette looked at Adrien. "You…you're nothing like I'd thought you'd be."

Adrien gave her a baffled look.

"I mean, don't get me wrong, you're handsome and incredible and incredibility handsome and I-" Tikki pinched her. Marinette cleared her throat. "What I mean is…I always imagined you'd be the class clown. Bouncing off the walls, puns everywhere, flirting with every girl you came across…"

"I wasn't kidding about loving you," Adrien said.

"I know! I just…"

"…are you disappointed?"

"No. I just…"

Adrien nodded. "I…I hope I didn't make things too awkward for you and Luka."

Marinette's unstable train of thought derailed. "Wait, when did Luka come up?"

Adrien blinked. "Isn't he the boy you like? The one…" Adrien looked at their classmates to ensure that no one was listening. He leaned in close to her. "The one you were always turning Chat Noir down for?"

Marinette jumped out of her seat. "WHAT?! No!"

Most of the bus looked back to them.

"MARINETTE!" Miss Bustier scolded.

Marinette gave an apologetic grin and sat down. "I mean, uh…"

Talk to the boy who lost his memory with you.

Marinette took a deep breath, her eyes focused on the grey fabric of the seat in front of her. "The boy I kept turning Chat Noir down for…was… you."

Marinette glanced at him.

He looked a stunned.

Oh, god he was about to realize what wreck she was and how he could so much better and-

Adrien leaned his head on hers. "We're idiots, aren't we?"

"Eh, I think it's 'cause you two speak two different love languages," Plagg said.

"You know about love languages?" Tikki asked, her brow raised.

"After the amount of 'oh, Plagg, how can I make Ladybug see I love her' YouTube marathons, I have no choice," Plagg grumbled.

"And you didn't think to just give him advice?"

"What do you mean? I tell him to skip school all the time! Not to mention all the cheese-"

"About love?" Tikki clarified.

"I'm giving him advice now?" Plagg said.

Tikki smacked her head.

"Look you two," Plagg said. "Adrien talks a big game but he really means it. He's also denser than a block of Gouda-"

"Hey!"

"-so you got to spell it out for him," Plagg said.

"And," Tikki said, coming out of Marinette's purse, "Marinette really likes to do things for others! She was really impressed by the picnics you put together for her!"

Marinette blushed. "So what you're saying is-?"

"-we have to work on our communication?" Adrien finished.

The kwamis nodded.

"I'm willing if you are," Adrien said, holding out his hand.

Marinette smiled, intertwining her fingers with his. "I am."

Marinette looked at him. "Can I-"

"Would you mind if I-?"

They blushed.

Marinette tugged on their hands. Adrien leaned towards her.

She met him half way.

It was just as gravity relaxing as the first one.

The universe cheering was new…

"They kissed before the end of the school year!" Alix crowed. "Pay up!"

Never mind, that was the whole bus.

Marinette rested her head against his chest, red faced and stage whispering over the cheers. "I should warn you: Alya posted a picture of Ladybug and Chat Noir kissing."

Adrien rested his head on the back of hers. "Now I really wish that my phone wasn't dead."