Happy (very) belated birthday, Mozzy! Sorry it took me forever to write it.

You and Me Against the World

It made sense for Adrien to check on Marinette. She'd left earlier when the two of them, along with Kagami, had gone to get ice cream. He'd been worried, but even more so when Miracle Queen had come into play and forced the past miraculous users to reveal their identities. Multimouse hadn't been with the others, which was a good thing. Still, he wanted to check on her.

He just hadn't expected to find her crying on her balcony.

"Marinette—"

She glanced up, her eyes red-rimmed and tears spilling down her cheeks. "Chat?"

"Are you alri—"

A little hiccup-sob escaped her and she threw her arms around him. He stumbled back in surprise but held on, enfolding her in his arms. She hugged him so tight it would have hurt his ribs had he not been wearing his suit. Gently, he rubbed circles on her back.

"Wanna talk about it?" he asked.

A shuddery breath escaped her. "I …"

"Yeah?"

She shook her head and burrowed closer. "Can you just hold me like this a little longer?"

A sad but soft smile curved his lips. "Sure."

They stood there like that on her balcony while the sky turned to smears of fire and pink. He continued to rub her back, stroke her hair, murmur soothing nothings until all trace of teary tremors had gone and her breathing evened out. It was odd in a way. He'd never held Marinette like this, but something about it felt so natural. As natural as when he'd hugged Ladybug underwater after she'd almost lost confidence in herself.

Marinette stepped back and rubbed at her puffy eyes. "Thanks. I … I really needed that."

"Anytime. Just say the word if you need another one." A wink. "My hugs are free all night."

His breath left him in a whoosh as she pulled him into a tight embrace.

"Thanks, Chat."

He blinked. It had been a joke, not something he'd expected her to take him up on, but he had no problem hugging her again. His fingers skimmed her hair and he closed his eyes, resting his chin on the top of her head. The drumbeat of her heart steadied against chest. She nestled closer like a little kitten trying to snuggle, all softness and warmth.

If he was being honest, maybe he needed this too.

"Wanna come in for a bit?" she asked, pulling back to meet his gaze.

His eyes widened. "In your room?"

She nodded.

"Oh." He rubbed the base of his neck. "Um, sure."

A tiny smile peeped out on her lips, as if she was amused by his shyness. Heat tickled his cheeks. What a way to ruin his cool superhero image. But it wasn't like he made a habit of being invited into girls' bedrooms, especially not Marinette's. Yes, maybe he'd been in her room before, but this was different. More intimate somehow.

"You coming?" she asked, pausing by the skylight and glancing over her shoulder.

He nodded and followed her down the ladder.

The room looked much like he remembered: pink, tidy, and with a lot of pictures of him plastered over her wall. Most were cut outs from magazines.

"Fan of the Agreste kid?" he couldn't help but tease.

Colour dusted her cheeks. She looked the other way. "I should probably take those down now."

"Huh?"

"N-nothing."

An awkward pause. He shuffled on his feet.

"Um, I have cookies." She gestured to the chaise where a plate of cookies had been left. "Want some?"

"I won't say no to some Marinette Dupain-Cheng cookies. I'm sure they'll be delicious."

Her smile was less strained that time. Good, she was easing up more.

They settled on her chaise and nibbled on the chocolate chip cookies together.

"So," he said, "I actually came over because I wanted to check on you."

She choked on her cookie. "O-on me? Why?"

"Did you hear about what happened with Miracle Queen?"

Her shoulders slumped. "Yeah …"

"I didn't see Multimouse there, and I'm glad for that. Definitely didn't want to fight you, but—"

"Oh, right. I, um, managed to avoid the bee things."

He blinked. "Wow, that's impressive. Ladybug and I only managed to escape them by going underwater."

"Guess I'm just lucky." She let out a strained laugh.

"Seems like it. No wonder Ladybug trusted you with the mouse miraculous. You're amazing, Marinette."

Pink bloomed on her face and she ducked her head. "Thanks, but I really did just get lucky. Anyway, it's not like I'm the only one who managed to avoid Miracle Queen. Aspik wasn't there either, right?"

His brow furrowed. "How do you know—"

Her eyes bulged like a startled rabbit. "I heard from Alya."

"But I didn't think she knew anything about Aspik …"

"Or maybe it was Luka. Everything is kind of a blur. Today has been rough."

His expression softened. "Right. Sorry. I didn't mean to sound like I doubted your word or anything."

"It's okay."

Silence settled between them. Her shoulders drooped and she scuffed her foot against the floor, then let out a small sigh. It was like looking at a wilting flower. No spark, no vibrancy. Just crushed resignation that the time to flourish was over.

He bumped her shoulder with his. "You sure you don't want to talk about what's bothering you? I'm a pretty good listener."

"I …"

Again, she hesitated. She bit her lip and stared at him with such blue, vulnerable eyes. He had to resist the urge to hug her again.

"I shouldn't," she whispered.

"Why not?"

Fresh tears gathered, clinging to her eyelashes.

"Hey," he said in alarm, resting his hand on her shoulder. "If you're worried you can't trust me, I promise I—"

"No." She shook her head. "No, it's not that. I know I can trust you. I just …"

Their eyes met. Something crumpled in her expression and she averted her face and huddled more into herself, body tensing. His heart ached in sympathy. There was no way he could leave her like this.

"Marinette." He clasped her hands. "You can tell me anything. You know that, right?"

Tears slipped down her cheeks. "Chat …"

Thunk.

They both flinched.

"What was that?" he said, glancing towards the desk.

She bolted off the chaise, half tripping over her own feet. "Oh, um, my sketch book fell on the floor." A strained laugh. "I guess I didn't put it down properly."

His brow furrowed. He could have sworn it had been farther from the edge, but maybe not.

"A-anyway," she said, fidgeting with her sleeve. "Thanks for stopping by, but I—"

His gaze fell on a red and black spotted thing tucked by her desk. One that looked an awful lot like the new miraculous box. It was like a lightning shock to his spine, to his blood. His heart pumped and pumped, dizzying and electrifying.

"L-Ladybug?" he whispered.

She went rigid. All the colour drained from her face.

"You," he said, taking a step towards her. "You're … but then how …"

Kwamibuster. Multimouse. Ladybug and Marinette standing together. He'd seen it with his own eyes, but then had he not used Wayhem to create his own double once? And at the time she'd had every miraculous at her disposal …

"You tricked me," he said, piecing it together. "That day when we fought Kwamibuster, you must have used the fox miraculous to create an illusion of yourself."

She groaned and shook her head, covering her face with her hands.

"And that's why Multimouse didn't show up today, because you were already suited up as Ladybug. It's the only thing that makes sense."

"Please stop."

Hurt stung him like a slap. Even now she was going to shut him out?

"Why?" he demanded. "Why is it so—"

"Because!" The word was wrenched from her, and suddenly she was no longer hiding behind her hands but meeting his gaze, her chin quivering. "I can't do this right now, Chat! I just can't!"

He blinked.

"I messed up! It's my fault Master Fu is gone! It's my fault he had to give up his memories and make me the new guardian, and now you know who I am, and it hasn't even been one day, and—"

He closed the last few steps between them and hugged her close. She stilled.

"It's okay," he murmured. "It's okay, Marinette."

"No it's not."

"It is." He held her tighter. "I'll keep your secret. I won't breathe a word to anyone. I promise. Everything is going to be okay."

A big shudder passed through her and then it was like all the strings keeping her upright snapped. She collapsed into him, trembling and crying.

"I don't think I can do this, Chat," she whispered. "Master Fu should have never entrusted me with the miracle box. I have no idea what I'm doing now, and I just feel so alone, and—"

"You're not."

"Huh?"

"You're not alone." He shifted so he could cup her cheek, wiping one of her tears away with his thumb. "You and me against the world, remember? I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere."

Her bottom lip trembled. Then she threw her arms around him and just clung. "Thank you," she breathed into his chest.

He closed his eyes. "You don't have to thank me. We're partners, but more than that we're friends. I'll always be here for you."

Though, if he was being honest, it was hard to rein in his more romantic desires. Learning that Marinette was Ladybug had only strengthened his feelings, entrenching them deep into his heart like the roots of an old oak. Any hesitation he'd felt, any hope that he could move on and give Kagami a chance—all of that was gone.

Marinette's name was an echoing beat in his heart. It would never be silenced, never falter. He was hopelessly in love.

"You know," he said, soft and hesitant. "Since you're the guardian now and I already know your identity, maybe …"

"What?"

"Maybe … you could know mine too."

She pulled back with a jerk. "You want to reveal yourself to me?"

Warmth pooled on his cheeks and he didn't quite meet her eyes. "I mean wouldn't it be easier?"

"No!"

He flinched.

"That came out wrong," she said, wincing and waving her hands frantically. "I didn't mean it like that. I didn't … I mean I do want to know who you are, but …"

"But what?"

She chewed on her thumb. "I don't know, Chat. I don't know if this is a good idea. Master Fu was so adamant that we shouldn't know each other's identities."

"But I do know yours, and I could support you so much better if you knew mine. We could—"

"What if Hawkmoth gets me? What if he akumatises me? I could lead him straight to you or—"

"Not gonna happen."

"You don't know that."

He gently grasped her arms and met her gaze. "I know you. I know we can make this work."

Something shifted in her eyes, a veil of sadness and secrets. "No one is immune to negative emotions."

"That doesn't mean we have to live in fear. If anything, I think it would be safer at this point for you to know who I am. There's been a few times where things have got complicated because I couldn't transform while you were with me, and I'm sure it's the same for you. Just think: we wouldn't have to worry about that anymore. We could even help cover for each other, especially at school since we're—"

Both her hands clamped over his mouth. "No clues."

He didn't resist, even though he could have easily pulled her hands away thanks to his enhanced strength. Instead, he looked at her, warm and earnest. Pleading. He wanted to convince her that they could make this work. He wanted to be there for her in and out of the mask.

He wanted her to know him. To know that he'd been there by her side all along and that he would be there forever if she'd let him.

Pink spilled across her cheeks. "Don't look at me like that," she murmured, lowering her hands.

"If you knew who I am, you would understand."

Her blush darkened, blooms of rose deepening to plum. It was like a siren song. A whisper that she was not as unmoved by him as she liked to proclaimed.

It gave him hope.

His hands moved up to her shoulders. "Marinette," he said a bit huskily, "I know this isn't what you wanted. I know Master Fu said we shouldn't reveal ourselves to each other, but you're the guardian now. No one is going to take our miraculous from us." His grip turned almost caressing. "Let me be your support. Let me carry this burden with you. I promise you won't regret it."

She bit her lip, obviously torn.

"This is your choice, Marinette," Tikki said, coming out from her hiding place behind the computer. "Chat Noir is right. You are the guardian now. No one can stop you if you wish to know his identity."

He met the kwami's gaze, but neither said anything. There was not much point. Tikki would have intervened earlier if she really disapproved. Perhaps she also wanted her bearer to have extra support. Perhaps she had intentionally knocked the book over to get his attention.

Marinette chewed on her thumbnail, glancing between the two of them. Then she closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. "Okay."

He blinked. "Wait, what?"

"Okay. S-show me who you are. I want to know."

His heart thumped faster and faster. "You sure?"

A small groan. "Don't make me second guess myself. Just do it now before I change my mind."

"Okay, okay."

Their eyes met and she tensed, biting her nail again. He smiled with all the reassurance he could offer.

"Plagg," he said softly, "detransform me."

The magic slipped away in a flare of green. Plagg went to join Tikki, but Adrien simply stood there in his jeans and hoodie and held Marinette's gaze. So many emotions passed over her face. Shock, then a vivid blush, then the trapped rabbit look was back and she froze as if paralysed.

"Adrien," she said. "You're Adrien."

He rubbed the base of his neck. "Um, is that bad?"

"No." She shook her head and waved her hands frantically. "No, it's not bad. It's just …" Her fingers touched her lips, drawing attention to the plump softness. "I'm remembering a lot of things …"

His face warmed. Right. They'd kissed twice, not that he had any memory of either time.

They shared an awkward glance and looked away, blushing. Had it been obvious he'd stared at her lips?

"This is a lot to process," she muttered, pressing her hands to her rosy cheeks.

"But not bad?"

Her eyes found his and she gave a shy shake of the head.

He dared to step closer.

"Marinette …"

"Y-yes?"

"I meant what I said, you know. You won't have to do this alone." A smile curved his lips and he touched her cheek, his bare thumb caressing the heated skin. "You and me against the world, my lady. I'll always be here for you."

Her eyes glimmered with fresh tears and she crashed into his chest, arms wrapping around him. "I know, my kitty. I know."

He pressed the softest of kisses to her hair and held her close. He knew they were going to be okay.

This isn't as humorous as I intended (and I know you asked for the shenanigans), but I hope you enjoyed this fic, Mozzy! Thank you for being the amazing friend you are!