Chapter Text
“We have to tell Alya,” Nino decided, leaning back.
“May as well,” Adrien agreed. “She’s going to find out anyway. It’s possible she’s out for my blood right now. Her knowing would definitely help with that. She thinks I’ve somehow tricked Mari into dating me for ulterior motives.”
Marinette looked between the men in irritation. “Seriously. Four years I was able to keep this a secret. Literally no one knew.”
“That past is past, my Lady,” Adrien grinned. “It’s time to move on.”
She stuck out her tongue and he leaned in to catch it with his lips. She giggled and pushed him away.
“Oh, wow, you guys are just disgusting now, huh?”
“Hey!” Marinette protested.
“Yep,” Adrien answered with a satisfied smirk.
“Okay, I can tell Alya tonight. We’re supposed to hang out at my house.”
Nino scratched his head. “Uh, I was actually thinking I could tell her.”
“That doesn’t seem very fair,” Marinette argued. “She’s my best friend and the secret is about me.”
“And me,” Adrien countered, “and I think Nino should tell her.”
“Don’t you want her to talk to me again, Mari? This would be the perfect opportunity.” Nino gave her his most hopeful smile. “How could she stay unreasonably mad at me when I’m the one who tells her the only thing she’s wanted to know for the last four years?”
Marinette threw her hands up in the air. “Fine, Nino can tell her, but I want to be there when it happens. I really don’t know how she’s going to react.”
Adrien squeezed her shoulder. “And Ladybug saves the day again.”
____________________________________
“Put me down for Team Agreste,” Kay said without preamble. “Do we have shirts or something? I’d really like it if we had shirts. You’re a designer. Get on that.”
Gabriel slid his glasses off and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “You’re going to need to start from the beginning, Kay.”
“I met with Madeline,” she began, perching on the edge of his desk.
“I’m listening.”
“I told her I gave you the Peacock back so you might want to start wearing it again, buddy. Paon Royale is probably going to be needed soon.”
“That won’t be happening,” he replied.
“But you were so sexy as a big bird hero.” Kay scrunched her nose. “Now I’m imagining you covered in yellow feathers like that Sesame Street guy. Not so sexy, eesh.”
“Is there an actual point you’re trying to make?”
“Yes. The point is that I’m one hundred percent on your side.”
Gabriel studied her. “And what does that mean?”
“Whatever I need to do to keep you and Ren out of this Archambault family crap, I’ll do it.”
“Really,” he drawled.
“Don’t say it like that, like you don’t believe me.”
“I want to believe you, Kay, but what happens when Sebastian decides to crawl out from whatever swamp he’s currently inhabiting?”
“I’m done with him,” she replied but her voice had lost some of its confidence.
Gabriel studied her face for a moment and then pressed the button on his intercom. “Nathalie, can you join us please?”
“Are you trying to throw me out because you know I can take her, right?”
“Yes, Mr. Agreste?” Nathalie asked, ignoring the other woman.
“Please see that one of the guest rooms is made up. Kay will be staying with us indefinitely.”
“I knew you loved me, Gabe,” Kay beamed.
____________________________________
“Trust me. I have something to tell you and you are absolutely going to thank me,” Nino said, herding Alya out of the computer lab.
“What’s your game, Lahiffe?”
“No game, just a really juicy secret,” he grinned. “We’re going to meet Marinette and Adrien at—“
“Nino!”
The pair turned to see Penny heading their way. She slowed when she saw Alya. “Uh, hi,” she said hesitantly.
“Hey.”
Penny turned, giving Alya her back. “I thought we talked about this,” she whispered.
“What are you talking about?” Nino asked, confused.
“You know,” Penny tilted her head in Alya’s direction, ”being careful about certain people’s company because of possible akumas,” she finished, mouthing the last word.
Alya pursed her lips. “Well, that answers that question.” She turned and started heading down the path towards her dorm.
“Alya, wait!” Nino shook his head at Penny and ran after Alya.
“Nino!” Penny yelled after him but he ignored her.
“Hey, slow down,” Nino huffed, catching up to Alya.
“Sorry, I didn’t want to get my akuma stank on you,” she scoffed.
“You know I don’t feel that way.”
“Your girlfriend does.”
“She’s not my girlfriend. We’ve just gone out a few times.” He grabbed her shoulder, spinning her. “Can you stop for a minute?”
Alya glared at him, eyes glassy.
“Oh, Al.” Nino wound his arms around her, pulling her close. “You can’t possibly think a little akuma stank would ever bother me when it comes to you.”
She made a choked noise that landed somewhere between a laugh and a sob. “You’re such an ass.”
He pulled back enough to see her face. “Do you have any idea how important you are to me?”
She shrugged.
“Alya, I…” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “This isn’t the time to tell you. How about we go meet up with Mari and Adrien? I still have that secret you’re going to want to hear.”
____________________________________
“You believe Adrien will be easily swayed to our side?” Hawk Moth asked, eyeing his partner skeptically.
“I believe so if I’m given the opportunity to talk to him about it. He’s the next Archambault heir, but he has no idea about his family history,” Madeline answered.
“He’s also an Agreste,” Hawk Moth said, dropping his transformation.
“You say that as if it’s a bad thing, Sebastian,” Madeline quirked an eyebrow.
“I’m an exception to the Agreste name, believe me.”
“Oh, I’m well aware.” She smiled, leaning in for a kiss.
“Minx,” he teased.
Madeline laid her head on his shoulder. “Adrien and Gabriel have never had a good relationship. I made sure of that when he was growing up. It won’t be hard to convince him to come with me, I don’t think. And then we can be a family.”
“Which is all fine and well, but our ultimate goal is to control all the Miraculous, and in turn, the world.”
Madeline frowned.
“We’re going to need to recruit new wielders for the Tibetan Miraculous set. I know they won’t be legitimate Archambaults but we don’t have many options at this point besides your crazy sisters,” Sebastian said, opening a large tome. “Nooroo is helping me form a holding charm that will keep the charges of each Miraculous under my control.”
The small kwami floated by his master listlessly, eyes downcast.
“It will all need to be done at once for the strongest hold so we must bring in Adrien soon or he’ll need to be put out of commission until we’ve taken the rest of the Miraculous over.”
“Put out of commission?” Madeline asked, worried.
“Only temporarily. Not anything that would hurt him too much permanently,” Sebastian answered.
“What exactly did you have in mind?”
“Don’t you worry your pretty little head about that. I’ll tell you when you need to know.”
____________________________________
“How much time do we have until they get here?”
Marinette checked her phone. “They should be here any time now really.”
“It sure seems a shame to waste this time alone though, short as it may be,” Adrien sighed, lightly running his fingers up her arm.
“Is that so?” she asked with a shiver.
“Mmhmm,” he nodded, cupping her chin and bringing her face closer to his.
Their lips met softly at first, tentative and still unsure. Marinette brought a hand up into Adrien’s hair to hold him in place, gentle and then increasingly firmer. Adrien broke his lips from hers to place kisses along her neck, nipping and sucking periodically. Using her hold on him, Marinette leveraged them both backwards, taking his weight on as she reclined against the chaise.
Adrien pulled back to look down at her. “You’re so incredibly beautiful.”
“I was about to say the same thing to you,” she said with a blush.
He leaned back down to kiss her again. Marinette wrapped her legs around his and ground upwards, taking his bottom lip between her teeth. Adrien groaned and pushed himself against her. A little sigh slipped from her as they continued to move against each other.
“Come on! You knew we were coming over!” Nino yelled.
Marinette pushed Adrien away and he rolled off the chaise with a yelp. “Sorry,” she winced breathlessly.
“To him or to us?” Alya smirked.
“Both?”
“You going to get off the floor, dude?” Nino asked.
Adrien swallowed thickly, red-faced. “Uh, I think I’m comfortable right here for now.” He hunched behind the chaise, propping his chin in his hands. Marinette’s cheeks darkened at the thought of why he was staying mostly hidden.
“Right,” Alya drawled. “Well, I’m here. What’s this big, super secret Nino said he couldn’t tell me until we got here?”
Nino cleared his throat. “You may want to sit down.”
Alya took one of the desk chairs and looked at him expectantly.
“This is actually a little harder than I thought it would be,” Nino said, looking to Marinette for guidance.
“That’s probably what Marinette was thinking before we interrupted them,” Alya teased.
“Alya!”
“Holy cats,” Adrien breathed, cheeks the color of a tomato now.
Nino shook his head with a grin. “You’re shameless.”
“I’m aware. Now, out with it. What’s this big secret?”
“I might have found out who Ladybug and Chat Noir really are.”
Alya sat up straight. “How?!”
“Turns out I’m much smarter than anyone gives me credit for,” Nino replied, buffing his nails on his shoulder.
“Out with it, Lahiffe!”
“Right, uh, well, they’re not you and they aren’t me but they are in this room.”
Alya turned towards Marinette and Adrien in slow motion, eyes widening.
“Meow,” Adrien chuckled.