"He knows."

"Marinette - "

"He knows, he knows, he knows - "

"Marin - "

"I was so careful," Marinette whispered, her hands gripping her desk so hard her knuckles were white and actual little chunks of wood were chipping off. She felt like someone had just punched her in the gut while simultaneously crushing her windpipe, preventing her from breathing properly. "I was so careful."

"Oh my god," she half-laughed and half-sobbed. "I've been playing the idiot for this long. I can't believe - should've known - was he just messing with me? Why didn't he ever say anything? He knows, how does he - "

"Marinette."

She looked up to see Tikki floating in front of her face, her expression a deep frown and her antennas buzzing lightly with anger.

"Marinette, I know this is difficult to deal with. But I'm so disappointed in you."

"W… What?" Marinette hiccupped, eyes wide and blinking slowly.

Tikki shook her head and sighed. "Honestly, I don't understand. I know your identity is a secret - one that I told you must be protected at all costs - but I know for a fact that you even thinking for a second that that boy would do anything to harm you is an utter mistake." She paused.

The tiny god reached out to gently brush away a tear with her paw, and she muttered, "Luka is so in love with you that it makes my own heart ache, my little bug. Do you know that when he looks at you, his eyes get so beautiful? It's like he's at his best when he's with you. I can't imagine anything more precious - so don't you dare of accusing him of such a thing, don't you dare. That boy knows, but he has never once said anything, respecting your privacy and loving you through it all. He deserves to be respected in return, and this? This right here is anything but."

"My little one," Tikki cooed, and she rubbed her cheek against Marinette's. "Please, there's nothing to worry about. He loves you, and he already knows - isn't that so much better? The less secrets between you two, the closer you'll be. After all, you've been chasing that cat and that, what was it you called him, prince? For a long time now. So cheer up, bug. Luck is on your side."

Marinette sniffed, and she sobbed once more, hiccuping lightly before cupping the kwami and staring at her. "Luka loves me?"

Tikki sighed in exasperation, but her touch was fond as she gently tapped Marinette's red and tear-trailed cheek. "Oh bug, you really are oblivious. He and Chat trip over their own feet around you, how on earth you survived this long, I'll never know," she teased gently. She stroked Marinette's skin in a comforting manner, and underneath her paw Marinette's cheek went even redder, but it wasn't because of her previous crying.

Flustered, the slightly dazed girl (crying always gave her a headache, and now the motion of Luka and Chat - squeak - loving her was enough to make her dizzy) wandered over to her desk and slumped into her seat.

She looked at the nearly done sketch of Chat's final jacket sitting on the surface of the said desk, laying right next to a guitar pick that she had chosen to keep.

Tikki was right, she thought. Tikki was right.

Luka, if he really did know, had been nothing but the perfect gentleman. He hadn't pushed her for anything, hell, he hadn't even indicated he'd known, at least not outrightly! He picked up on her reluctance (her fear) of being found out, and instead of getting annoyed and insisting on the reveal of her superheroine self, he respected that and just smiled. His smile, which was so calming and lovely and amazing, hadn't at all changed from the moment they first met and when they last saw each other.

The better part? That meant he liked her. Like, really liked her. He liked Marinette. If he had found out about her Ladybug self during the time they got to know each other, and he liked only Ladybug, then he would've changed. He would've been different, trying to capture her attention, but hedidn't. His patient self had been the constance in her incredibly chaotic life, his voice and actions never turning drastically whenever he found out who she really was.

Oh my god, she thought. He chose her. Just like Chat, he chose her. He chose Marinette, because he didn't care that she was Ladybug.

"Tikki," she said in a faint voice.

"Hm?"

"I'm an idiot."

"I wouldn't say that, but you are certainly oblivious at times. Even painfully so."

"Oh my god, Tikki, he likes me!" Marinette screamed, and her face was a bright red as she shot up from her chaise and practically bounced off the walls of the room. "He and Chat, they both like me, I like them back, and then when we finally start dating we can all get married and have five kids with ten cats because Chat is a dork like that, oh my god - "

"Marinette!" Tikki tried to interrupt, but her charge was too far gone to even listen to her. The kwami sighed, but she smiled and settled on top of Marinette's head, and thought to herself that at least she wasn't writing down their schedules like she did with Adrien.

Instead, the girl began to work furiously in her sketchbook, pencil moving swiftly as she began to put the last final touches to Chat's jacket.

"You know, Marinette," Tikki started cautiously. "Luka wasn't the only one who said something strange."

"Hm?"

Tikki grumbled at her Holder's nonchalant tone, and tried again. "I just mean that Adrien also said something weird, don't you remember?"

"What do you mean, Tikki?"

"Oh, nevermind," Tikki gave up, shaking her head at Marinette's lack of interest.

"Honestly," the kwami tutted, shaking her head. "She'll never figure it out. It's all in the hands of Luka - how can one girl be so oblivious?"

XxXxXxXxXxX

Adrien's shoes made soft splashing noises against the concrete as he stood at the entrance of the school, watching as the rain pattered down onto the dim streets of Paris only lit up by the orange glow of the street lamps. He felt his skin crawl at the smell of the moisture in the air, and he stuffed his hands into his pockets, swallowing down an uncomfortable growl as he felt Plagg vibrate with a muffled hiss in his shirt pocket.

The scene was a familiar one.

There were footsteps approaching him all of a sudden, the quiet splash of sneakers against puddles of rain, and a warm presence came up behind him.

A hand bigger than his own with nails darker than the sky raised an umbrella above him, the fabric of it a bright scarlet with dots of black on it, shielding him from any stray raindrops that might spill towards his way despite the awning above him.

"You fought bravely today," Luka's voice murmured, swooping down to his ear and speaking in a quietly affectionate tone.

Adrien's cheeks blushed pink, and his eyes fluttered involuntarily as he shuffled back just a little until his shoulder blades pressed gently into Luka's warm chest.

"I was worried either of you would get hurt," Adrien said just as quietly.

A hand squeezed his waist with a gentle touch, and Luka sighed endearingly. "Oh, mon petit minou."

Adrien swallowed. "So you do know. How long?"

Luka hummed low in his throat as his nose rubbed affectionately at the nape of Adrien's neck, golden wisps of hair tickling Luka's nose as he did. Shivers ran up Adrien's spine, and he squeezed his eyes shut as his heart danced dangerously and his face went an even brighter red.

"Luka - "

"I didn't come to like you because you were a model," Luka muttered. It shut Adrien up, and the taller boy kept speaking. "And I didn't like you because you were a superhero. I like you so much because you're Adrien and Chat - you're not split, sweetheart. No matter what, to me, you will always be both, my sweet and beautiful Adrien and my equally brave and funny Chat. I've known for a while now. I think maybe a few minutes after I met you as Chat I realized."

Adrien felt like he was floating, and just for a minute, he managed to anchor himself enough to squeak, "how'd you know?"

Luka nuzzled his neck sweetly. "Because I thought that two people having the same beautiful smile couldn't be a coincidence."

"Oh god," Adrien choked. "Oh my god. I like you both so much. God, this is crazy, how can I feel so much for two people?"

"It's okay," Luka cooed into his neck. "It's okay."

"I don't like being Adrien," Adrien whimpered, and he clutched desperately at Luka's hand, the one around his waist, and they folded their fingers together tightly. "I'm just a mold for my father, a doll for him to play around with on stage. I love Chat Noir, because he's a hero and he saves people and he can run across rooftops without worrying about anything. But even now I feel useless as Chat - I can't believe that something as stupid as rain is keeping me down. It stabs me from the inside, and I'm so useless as a partner for my Lady, how can you and Marinette ever like me when I can't do anyth - "

"Adrien."

Adrien slumped, posture dwindling as he leaned heavily onto Luka.

"My silly kitty," Luka said lovingly. His thumb rubbed over Adrien's soothingly. "Do you know what I see when I look at you? I see someone I'm proud to like and cherish. I know your father isn't understanding, but don't turn to him - turn to me, and turn to Marinette. We're your bridges,chaton. We'll take you from today to tomorrow."

Adrien whirled around and threw his arms around Luka's neck, shoulders shaking slightly as he buried his face into Luka's shirt, breathing in the eucalyptus scent that was so familiar to him now. He wasn't crying but he was close - his eyes pricked with tears.

"Rely on us," Luka hummed. "Trust us to love you, sweetheart."

Adrien's breath stuttered, and oh my god, he thought. He was falling in love. That cliff he had been wobbling on for so long now had been looked at one last time, and without any regret, he was free-falling and they were his wings and please don't cry please don't cry please don't cry.

Luka didn't say anything more, sensing that Adrien was emotionally turmoiled at the moment, and only hummed a song quietly. The pattering of the rain against the ladybug-pattered umbrella created a sense of rhythm, and mixed with his lovely voice, Adrien felt almost drowsy.

After a few moments, Adrien looked up with a red face of both embarrassment and affection.

Luka chuckled and brushed a thumb lovingly under Adrien's eye, wiping away the single tear that managed to fall despite Adrien's best attempts for it not to. "Feeling better?"

Adrien made a strangled noise.

The taller boy laughed at that.

"I-I, um," Adrien blinked rapidly as his face heated up at the realization of what had just happened. He glanced down as the wiggling in his pocket grew fiercer, and a sudden thought struck him. "Do you want to meet someone?"

Luka glanced at the pocket as well and smiled. "I'd love to."

Adrien slowly reached up a hand to the pocket and widened the top as he looked down and said, "Plagg?"

A black blur zoomed out rapidly, and the kwami was growling with his dark fur almost frizzy and his tail swinging in agitation. "Kid, you owe me some serious camembert. You think it's fun being squashed to death between you and your boyfriend?"

Adrien gaped. "He's not my - !"

" - worse than that time Tikki nearly strangled me to death with one of her 'hugs', I swear, you better get me the smelliest, gooiest, most expensive cheese ever - "

"He's a lot more… passionate than I thought he would be," Luka said, his amusement clear in his tone.

Adrien, mortified by his kwami's behaviour, couldn't say anything.

"Oh, it's you," Plagg sniffed in Luka's direction, his expression unimpressed and his voice even more so. "Yeah, yeah. Nice to meet you too. Geeze, at least you picked a smart one Adrien, between you and that bug of yours, I thought it'd take a millennia before you had it figured all out."

"Plagg you little - "

"So, how's the old man doing?" Plagg continued, ignoring his Holder's offended gaze as the kwami flew closer to Luka's face. "Taking on the duties, I see. You're a bit young, but whatever, you seem fine enough, I guess. Think you can handle it?"

"What are you talking about - "

"Be quiet, kid," Plagg said, cutting off Adrien, his gaze never straying from the taller boy.

Luka blinked and then laughed gently, before squeezing Adrien's hand. "I only do it for them, Plagg. It's not out of greed, if that's what you mean."

"Hmph," Plagg grunted, but he visibly relaxed, and he began washing his whiskers lazily. "Good luck with that, kid. Oh, and…"

Plagg looked up from his cleaning to stare with sharply narrowed pupils, and there was a sudden pressure around Luka as they looked at each other. The feeling was almost suffocating, just on the brink of it, as Plagg growled deeply, "your duties as the guide is important, but Adrien is a hell lot more than that. I may not look like much but I'm a god for a reason, punk. You keep him safe, and I'll make sure you don't turn into ash from a nice little Cataclysm."

"Plagg!" Adrien, now fully aghast, swiped at his kwami from midair and stuffed him back into his pocket. "You little devil! You're only getting cheddar when you get home. You don't have to be so rude!"

"It's okay," Luka finally laughed as he had been in slight shock in Plagg's sudden change of behaviour. "He's just being a good protector, minou. I'm sure he deserves the best of camembert."

Plagg's head poked out of the top of Adrien's pocket, and after a moment of staring at Luka with those sharp eyes from before, his pupils dilated as he relaxed and smiled a fang-y grin at him. "I like you, punk. I'm gonna call you Cheddarhead."

"Plagg, if you - "

"I'm going, I'm going!" Plagg sing-songed teasingly before disappearing once more.

There was a moment of silence only broken by Adrien's heavy breathing and the pouring rain. Finally, after struggling to get over his frustration (and slight amusement) with Plagg, the blond said, "so, um… So you like me."

Luka giggled, and he gently squeezed Adrien's hand. The blond's face heated up as the older boy said, "I think we already established that already, but yes, chaton. I think that you're unbelievably beautiful."

Suddenly, Luka tugged at Adrien's hand, and the shorter boy went tumbling closer to him. Slowly, without breaking eye contact with Adrien's widening eyes, Luka raised their joined hands and pressed a soft kiss to the back of Adrien's.

Adrien's face heated wildly, his blood rushing through his veins and pounding in his head as he took in the feel of Luka's soft and warm lips pressing into his skin.

Oh my god oh my god oh my god is this happening oh my GOD.

"Someday, I'm going to take you and Marinette on a date," Luka murmured, his lips still pressed against Adrien's hand, causing the blond to almost swoon at the feeling of his lips moving across his skin. "And I'll ask to kiss you both for real. So please be patient, alright?"

"Okay," Adrien said breathlessly.

He said he wanted to kiss me.

I think I'm dying .

"I'm sorry it took me this long to tell you," Luka sighed almost sadly as he pulled away to look at Adrien. "And I'm also sorry you've been feeling so lost and I didn't help you. But I'm here now, and I'll stay for however long you want me to until you tell me to leave."

Adrien smiled at him - it was almost blindingly-sweet, his eyes crinkling at the edges and his expression positively beaming as he stood up on his toes, and pressed a kiss of his own to the corner of Luka's lips, savoring the warmth against his skin and the eucalyptus smell that surrounded all of his senses. "I won't ever tell you to leave."

Luka stared, stunned, as Adrien pulled back, the tanned skin of his face a bright pink but his lips curling up into a satisfied grin.

"Fuck," Luka breathed, slapping a hand over his mouth and averting his gaze. Underneath his fingers, Adrien could see his pale skin burn the hottest red he'd ever seen, and despite the rising color in his own cheeks, he couldn't help but tease.

"What's wrong, purrince? Feeling a little bit flustered, or maybe furustrated?" Adrien prodded.

"Fuck," Luka muttered again from underneath his hand, his voice muffled lightly. "Why do you have to be so cute? God. You're killing me. You and Marinette both, I swear."

"Oh," Adrien said in a tiny voice. His rocked on his heels, staring down at his shoes like they held all the answers in the world, face completely red and the heat now traveling down his neck and up to his ears. "Um."

"I saw Ladybug give you the umbrella," Adrien blurted out, still staring at the ground and the small puddle of rain that laid beside his feet. "It was a few days ago. At your boat. I, uh, I got really upset, because I thought I would lose you to her. Ladybug's amazing, and she's pretty, and if you had both her and Marinette I didn't really feel like I could fit into your life."

"Adrien."

He peeked up from under his lashes.

Luka smiled at him, calm and gentle, and his lovely deep blue eyes were soft as he said, "you don't have to worry about Ladybug, I promise. Just know that you and Marinette are very special to me. Now come here, you silly cat."

Luka wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and Adrien snuggled closer, the warmth of his body keeping the shivers from the rain away. Quietly, Adrien began to purr deep inside his chest, and he knew that if he had his tail it would have made a heart from how much affection welled up inside him.

"I'll take you home, and later, let's talk about how cool Marinette is."

Adrien felt peace for the first time in a long time ever since the rain had started so many weeks ago.

"Sounds perfect."

XxXxXxXxXxX

Due to this slew of almost ten chapters at once (again, AO3 and Tumblr are way better), I can already feel the questions coming in.

This isn't a love triangle. It's called a healthy, loving, and polyamorous relationship between three people who come to love each other very much. If you can't understand that then I'm sorry, but you have a lot of learning and growing up to do. Love comes in all shapes and sizes and in this case, Marinette has two hands, and instead of tormenting herself over choosing one, she realizes that she can hold both of them.

This is it for the whole ocean of chapters at once, by the way. You guys are all caught up with my AO3. I don't know when I'm going to update on this site again, and I apologize in advance for it, so I really recommend – again – to go to my Archive of Our Own or Tumblr. My handle is redyarns at the both of them.

Until next time.