(Continued from part 1)

(Mood Music: "Last Carnival" - Norihiro Tsuru)

One week, that's what Marinette had told herself seven days ago. That in one week's time, she would accept Chat's offer and let him confess his identity to her as Marinette.

Marinette twisted the hem of her dress, mentally rehearsing what she wanted to say, pacing back and forth in her bedroom as she did her best to not fall into a downward spiral of anxiety. She took several deep cleansing breaths, pausing for a few moments to look out her window, centering herself.

Tikki hovered dutifully nearby, occasionally chiming in with her usual reassuring phrases and mantras, but regretting not being able to do more for her ward.

Glancing into the mirror for one last check, Marinette decided it was time. She picked up her purse and called her kwami over, then made her way downstairs to Chat Noir's bedroom.

She raised her fist to rap on the door once she reached her destination; but then she just... froze. Her hand hovered there, noiselessly. Coward. She glared at it, twisting her mouth in displeasure, urging it to perform its task.

Just knock, damn it!! Why is it so hard??

In the midst of her argument with her own hand, the door jerked outwards, narrowly missing her, and she let out a surprised yelp as she hopped back.

Chat's eyes popped open in surprise and he gasped.

He began to apologize, but Marinette interrupted, "HelloChatNoirIneedtotalktoyou!!!"

Chat's eyebrows furrowed in confusion at her incoherent outburst. "Uh... come again?"

Marinette inhaled then tried again, more slowly this time, "Good afternoon, Chat! There is something important I would like to discuss with you. Can we go somewhere more private?"

Chat Noir let out a small chuckle at her forced, almost robotic tone, then nodded. "Sure. I think I know just the place."

The pair went back upstairs and exited the house via Marinette's balcony. Then Chat picked her up and leaped towards his chosen destination.

Marinette fought to keep her breathing even, wishing with all her might that Chat wouldn't be able to hear her heart pounding as he carried her. She tried her hardest to ignore the way his broad chest felt against her side, the way she could feel his muscles flex with every leap, the way his cologne smelled when combined with the scent of his leather suit. The way his lips looked so impossibly moisturized and utterly kissable. The elegant way his hair and cape flowed while in mid-air. The way his grip changed ever so slightly whenever he landed, ever the considerate gentleman, to diminish any potential discomfort on her part every time he jumped.

She squeezed her eyes shut to try to concentrate.

Focus, Marinette! It's happening. It's really happening!! I'm about to tell Chat that I'm ready for him to reveal his identity. And it's going to be totally fine! He's going to tell me that he's Adrien Agreste, and I will act surprised. And I will be supportive. I will reassure him that I will keep his identity a secret, no matter what. He's going to be safe. Everything is going to be fine. Adrien is going to be fine. Sooo fine. Adrien is sooo fine. Wait, no, that's not what I—

Sooner than she would've hoped, the two of them arrived at their destination a few blocks away. Chat stopped on the rooftop of a building facing a park, deeming it tall enough (and private enough) to converse at.

Chat set Marinette down, but as her feet touched the ground, she heard a loud, rumbling sound emerge from Chat's torso.

He chuckled awkwardly, but brushed it off as he took a seat. She joined him in sitting down, when his stomach grumbled again even louder.

Her head swiveled around to meet his gaze. "Minou, I have to ask. Are you hungry?"

Chat blurted, "Yes. I mean, no! Well, I mean, sort of... " He winced in embarrassment, then confessed sheepishly, "Actually, I haven't eaten yet today. I've been pretty... preoccupied with something. But it's okay, I can eat after this."

Marinette shook her head adamantly. "No way! You shouldn't have to go hungry when we're surrounded by a bunch of amazing cafés and restaurants! Let's just get something to eat real quick, I'm not in any hurry. How about you? Any plans that you need to rush for?"

"Well, no..."

"Are you wearing a zip-up hoodie under your suit?"

"Y-yeah..."

"Good. I've got some emergency sunglasses and a mask in my purse that you can wear. Always be prepared, I always say!"

"'Always be prepared?' What are you, a girl scout?" Chat said, suddenly flooded with a sense of déjà vu.

Marinette let out a nervous laugh, feeling the same way, then replied, "Never mind that, let's just go somewhere and eat."

Chat Noir knew better than to argue with Marinette once she'd made up her mind. He picked her back up, then climbed down the side of the building that he thought would attract the least amount of attention from any passers-by.

After finding an appropriate hiding spot to detransform, Marinette handed Chat the accessories and turned around, closing her eyes to give him privacy. After detransforming, he pulled the hood over his head, then put on the sunglasses and face mask. Now ready, the two embarked on their new side quest of finding some lunch.

After a cozy meal at an outdoor café, Marinette spotted none other than the cart of André the glacier . Thrilled with this lucky happenstance, she took Chat's hand and practically dragged him to it, saying that it had been "for EVER" since she'd had any of André's ice cream. He shrugged and relented, letting himself be dragged to the cart. Marinette insisted on paying since Chat had paid for their lunches while she wasn't paying attention, all the while denying any romantic involvement to a skeptical André.

Once they had purchased their ice cream, the two headed back to the hiding spot from before. Marinette held onto the ice cream while Chat lifted them both up to the rooftop again with his staff, and then they found a spot to sit and converse while they ate.

Back on the roof, the conversation was... awkward, to say the least. Small talk at best. Neither could think of anything to say, so it was mostly silent. They licked away at their spoons, opting to people-watch from the rooftop as they ate.

Chat looked over at Marinette, the sunlight in her hair making the blues in her beautiful raven hair stand out more than usual. Her nose was a little pink from the cold, but she didn't seem to mind. He watched her tongue flick in and out as she ate her dessert, following it as it licked the corner of her lips to lap up some wayward cream.

Why did he suddenly feel so warm?

He tore his eyes away, realizing he'd been staring. His mind and his heart still swirled in an ocean of confusion and dismay, as he found himself torn between the two most important women in his life.

His Lady would always hold his heart in the palm of her hand, of course. He had always been naturally drawn to her since the start. No matter how hard he'd tried back when they were enemies, he couldn't help but gravitate towards her; to try to learn more about her, try to spend time with her, to crack jokes on the off-chance that he'd get to hear her laughter that day.

And then somehow, miraculously, they fell in love. And how wouldn't he fall for her? She was incredible. Being with her made him happier than he'd ever thought possible.

However, in spite of everything, he couldn't deny the presence of... something , with Marinette. A flicker that had grown into a flame. One that he'd tried to extinguish time and time again. There was an attraction, one that confounded him more than he cared to admit or even acknowledge. Especially after...

After that kiss.

He looked over at Marinette again as she licked a drop of ice cream that trickled down her hand, making an acute realization about where else her tongue had been the day before. He whipped his head away again, blushing hotly.

He recalled the video from the Dark Cupid akuma attack the day before, the one Alya took with the tiny camera that had been mounted on her glasses. He bit his lip and suppressed a groan as he recalled the way he saw himself kissing Marinette as Adrien. Hungrily. Ravenously. Had that been his subconscious emerging, acting on these hidden, forbidden feelings? Feelings he'd been unknowingly suppressing because of his loyalty to Ladybug?

Well... maybe not unknowingly suppressing. He'd always known Marinette was cute... More than cute, in fact; Marinette was beautiful. And he was most certainly aware of this, especially now, after having spent so much time together these past few months.

Having spent a large part of his childhood and adolescence as a model meant that Adrien had spent a lot of time around good-looking people; physical beauty was not something he was unaccustomed to. But there was something different, something innately special about both Ladybug and Marinette. Something so unique that, if he didn't know better, he could swear they were one and the same. A beauty so thorough and pure, it permeated from the inside, encapsulated everything that they stood for and believed, and it shone.

But he knew it was impossible. To even consider or fantasize about it would be selfish, and unfair to them both.

His musings were interrupted by Marinette's musical giggling at the silly antics of some pedestrians below on the street. Apparently some pigeons had stolen Officer Raincomprix's hat and he was chasing them around with a megaphone threatening to arrest them, with little Auguste (who was now a kindergartener) pointing and cackling mischievously.

"Funny how some things never change, huh?" Marinette remarked, snapping the emptied champagne glass-shaped sugar cone in half so they could share.

Chat agreed with a hum, eating his half of the edible cup with a chomp. He wiped off some excess bits of ice cream that had dripped onto his chin with a napkin, which he then stuck in his pocket to throw away later.

Moments later, Marinette scooted a bit closer, then cleared her throat. "So, um... I wanted to talk to you about something."

Chat could swear he felt his heart seize up, lightning shooting through his veins as the nervousness he'd had all day came back full force; the anxiety that had kept him from eating breakfast twisting his stomach into knots. He now regretted having eaten all that ice cream, as he suddenly felt rather queasy, and he could feel his hands getting clammy under his suit.

"O-oh yeah? Actually, I had something I wanted to talk to you about too," he replied.

"R-really??" Marinette replied. "Oh!! Please, you go ahead! You go first!!" she added quickly.

"Huh? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, totally! Please, go right ahead," she said, her voice carrying a slight undertone of relief.

He held in a large sigh, unsure of how this conversation would go, the knots in his stomach multiplying tenfold.

"Well, okay," he began. "It's about last week..."

Lila Rossi lay on her bed, idly scrolling down various social media platforms, scowling at photos of smiling people and downvoting videos that she deemed too boring to hold her interest. With a frustrated sigh, she tossed her phone on the mattress and stood up to open her window and get some fresh air into the bedroom. She looked outside, still surly from the previous day's events, placing her hands under her chin as she sulked.

A few seconds later she did a double take, thinking that she saw someone on a rooftop a few buildings away. She squinted and stared.

What in the world...?

She darted to her nightstand to fetch her retractable spyglass, which she used for her daily... observations of the outside world, then looked again.

No. It couldn't be.

Marinette??

It sure looked like her, although she couldn't be sure. Why would Marinette be on a roof? And she wasn't alone. Was that...?

Peering through the spyglass and adjusting the lens, she confirmed her suspicions: it was Marinette with none other than superhero Chat Noir, sharing an ice cream cone, of all things.

She watched them for a few tense minutes, as they moved on from eating ice cream to just talking. They were facing the opposite direction so she couldn't see their faces well, but everything was made clear when they entered into a loving embrace.

Lila's fists gripped her spyglass and her lips curled, a low growl escaping her throat as she glared through the glass. That dirty, two-timing hussy! How dare she play with both her and Adrien's feelings, screwing around with Chat Noir all along?!

Marinette, Marinette, it was always all about that damn Marinette!

As she screeched at the sight of Chat Noir giving that girl a kiss on the hand, she didn't notice the blackened butterfly that slipped in through her open window.

"—which is why I'd rather wait a little longer. I hope that makes sense. Is that okay with you?" Chat added meekly.

Still inwardly reeling, Marinette stammered, waving her hands wildly, "N-no, that's fine! I understand. It is your secret identity, after all. If you'd rather wait, it's perfectly fine with me!" She forced a wide grin, despite her inner desire to scream and cry in frustration.

Chat let out a relieved sigh. "You're the best, Mari. I truly don't know what I'd do without you. I thought you might be mad or upset, especially after I'd already offered to tell you."

"Of course not!" she said with an almost excessive forced cheerfulness. "We'll always be the best of pals no matter what!"

Chat let out a small laugh. "Thank you for always being so understanding. And I don't want you to think that I don't trust you, because it's actually the opposite. It's just... some stuff happened lately and I need more time to process it all. I'm just so–" he let out a distressed groan, "–I'm so confused right now. And I'm afraid I'll end up hurting people's feelings if the timing isn't right."

Marinette's expression softened, and she held in a sigh as she reached for him and brought him into a tight hug. "You don't have to explain, Minou," Marinette said softly, rubbing his back. "I'll be here whenever you're ready."

Chat squeezed back and laid his head on her shoulder. "Maybe once things calm down a bit... I don't know. I just don't want things to change between us, or for you to treat me differently if you know who I am. I don't want my secret to harm our relationship."

"It wouldn't!" she insisted. "Don't worry."

Chat didn't reply, but he didn't seem convinced.

The two separated, but not quite letting go of each other.

"Anyway, I've talked enough. It's your turn. What did you want to talk to me about?" he asked.

Marinette stiffened, then stammered, "Umm! Uhhh, it's nothing! F-forget about it."

Chat looked confused. "Huh? Are you sure? It sounded pretty urgent."

"Y-yeah, it-it's not important."

"Come on, Mari, I know you better than that," he coaxed. "Tell me what's on your mind."

She glanced up at him through her lashes, the young man looking unfairly gorgeous considering all the grief he'd unknowingly put her through during this entire conversation.

With a small smile, she replied, "It really doesn't matter now. It can wait until later, too."

Despite his puzzlement, Chat didn't press the issue. He picked up her hand and gave it a small peck, then said softly, "Don't forget, I'm always here for you, too."

Marinette did her best to chase away the butterflies in her stomach, trying to keep herself from getting flustered enough to visibly blush. "I know you are."

Before either of them could say more, the entire sky suddenly went dark.

Marinette gasped and Chat instinctively wrapped his arm around her to prevent her from falling off the roof in the darkness. His glowing eyes surveyed their surroundings, tail swishing in alert.

"What's going on?" she muttered indistinctly.

(Continued in part 3)