Marinette couldn't sleep that night, thinking about how many hints she had gave Chat Noir about how she's Ladybug. She couldn't exactly say that she was Ladybug and that she liked him and another boy named Adrien Agreste, she never knew being a hero of Paris would be so difficult for her normal everyday life.

"Tikki, why did you choose me for Ladybug?" Marinette asked her kwami, who was silently sleeping on a tiny pillow.

Knowing she wouldn't answer Marinette looked up at the ceiling, how could she have dropped all those hints, both in her alter ego and her normal life. She shifted in her bed, trying to get comfortable. How could she have been so blind, she knew she was dropping hints. A lot of hints.

~|~|~

Marinette woke the next day, tired as could be. Hurrying to get out of bed Marinette grabbed her back and headed out the door, but not before grabbing a pastry from the kitchen. Heading to school wouldn't be that hard as Ladybug but where would she transform back? Running would possible be the best idea, although it would be tiring. It would be a bit less efficient as doing it Ladybug style but she was already out the door.

By the time she got to the school it had already started, sneaking into the classroom would be easy. She's done it many times, most of the time it was by accident, or because of an Akuma. Marinette silently took her seat and listened to the boring lesson the teacher was giving. But the one thing that really caught her attention was that she was going to be put into a pair with someone.

"Chloe and Sabrina," the teacher read off the list, "Nino and Alya, Alix and Kim, and Adrien with Marinette."

Shocked Marinette looked towards the blonde boy in front of her who gave her a kind smile.

"Looks like you and I are going to be partners,"

Marinette nodded, blushing at his cute smile. Although her crush on him had died down a bit since the beginning she still couldn't talk to him without blush sneaking up on her. Yet she could talk to Chat, another one of her crushes yet smaller, without even stuttering on a single word. Yes there was an occasion when she would forget what she was going to say but not as much as it did when she was talking to Adrien.

Working on this project with him would be hard, but she could always pretend he was Chat. No, that would just be silly of her. Thinking that Adrien was Chat Noir, the person who's always flirting with her in anyway he could. That pesky cat is nothing like perfect Adrien. A small laugh escaped Marinette's mouth, barely audible but Alya sure saw. Nudging her friend in the shoulder.

"Girl, why are you laughing?" Alya asked, being as quite as possible.

"I -er- just was thinking and I guess it made me laugh," Marinette lied, placing her hand behind her head.

Marinette never did like lying to her best friend but if she told her she was thinking about Adrien being Chat Noir and that she personally knew Chat, Alya would go berserk and post it to her Ladyblog immediately. Sighing as she put her focus back onto the teacher knowing that she wouldn't be able to tell Alya that she was Ladybug, Alya would freak! She would post it to her Ladyblog and everyone would know that she was Ladybug and it would be hard to protect Paris while everyone knows her secret identity.

Marinette couldn't really focus the thing that was on her mind was that annoying black cat. She had dropped so many bugs hints and he probably wouldn't leave her alone till her and Ladybug were in the same place. The only way that would happen is if the Timebreaker came back and took Ladybug back in time again. Why did being a superhero in Paris have to be so hard?

The bell rang shortly after, causing Marinette to stand up swiftly and grab her stuff. Still a bit confused about why she was put with Adrien, it seems like she was almost always put with him, along with Nino and Alya sometimes.

She saw Adrien stand up and heard something out of the ordinary, a bell sort of sound. Not the type when a school bell rung but an actually bell, like the one she had given Chat Noir. Although it cam from Adrien, or Nino, Nino could have a bell on him.

"Dude, did you hear that?" Nino asked, "it sounded like a bell."

"Oh, yeah, that," Adrien started, "I found a bell on the ground so I made it a bracelet. It just made me feel, I don't know, safe I guess."

"Are you feeling well?" Nino questioned, "a bracelet making you feel safe? Is it some sort of special bell?"

"It's not that much but I like it," Adrien said showing Nino the bell bracelet around his wrist. The tiny bell ringing as he moves it.

"Where'd you find it?" Nino asked, looking at the tiny bell attached to Adrien's wrist.

"I -er- forgot but it's certainly not from my father," Adrien replied, scratching the back of his head as he told Nino.

Marinette couldn't help but look at the little bell wrapped around Adrien's wrist, all though it was with Adrien Marinette knew it was the on she had given Chat the night before. Had Chat dropped it on his way back?  Without looking Marinette rushed out the door, did Chat lose it or did he drop on purpose was her question. Marinette walked past the girls locker room just at the right time to overhear someone's conversation.

"Listen, Sabrina, this project is going to be a lot of our mark so you better do good on it while I go get my hair done," it was Chloe, talking to Sabrina about the project that they had been assigned partners for.

"Exactly as it was before," Marinette sighed as she began to pass the locker room.

~|~|~

Adrien had sent Marinette a text, asking if he could come over to work on the project with her. She had replied with a yes which meant Adrien could go see her. Maybe not as Adrien though. But as Chat Noir instead.

"Plagg, claws out!"

Jumping across rooftops were easy for Chat Noir, even if they were far apart. Not before long he was at Marinette's bakery/house. Landing on the balcony knocking on the window below him. Not before long Marinette had come to answer.

"Chat? What are you going here?" She asked, curious for why he had come. Marinette had been hoping it was just a one time thing that he would visit her.

"I came to see my Princess, is that bad?" Chat Noir asked, giving Marinette a small grin.

"Well my partner for a project is supposed to come and I don't know what he'll say when he sees you," Marinette explained, coming up onto the balcony to join Chat.

"He's probably on his way Princess, don't worry," Chat lied, he was already there of course.

"I -er-," Marinette stuttered, "I don't know if I trust you with this but I just need it off my chest, my best friend isn't helping all that much. Well, for the longest time I had a massive crush on my partner and couldn't go say a sentence to him without stuttering for the longest time. But now, I think he thinks I'm just an annoying girl who is always so, so, clumsy. That's why I'm sort of starting to fall for someone else."

Chat Noir couldn't believe it, Marinette had a crush on him. An actual crush on, him, no she had a crush on Adrien. Not Chat him, Adrien him. Without another word Chat looked out onto the beautiful lights of Paris.

"I'm sure he doesn't think your clumsy and your certainly not annoying," Chat sighed, "but who's the person who your falling for?"

"I'm not telling you," Marinette slightly yelled, "besides curiosity killed the cat."

"Well, my Princess I'm afraid I have to leave, Ladybug asked me to meet her so I should probably get going," Chat grinned before grabbing Marinette's hand and kissing it lightly.

After jumping across four roofs Chat went down and transformed back into Adrien inside of an alley not far from Marinette's. Long enough for Marinette to not think that he's Chat Noir, Ladybug did say not to tell anyone about their secret identities, not even themselves. Though Adrien would like to know the real name of his love he knows that Ladybug would most likely not want him to. But now Adrien knew Marinette had liked him, but it was too late to say anything about it. For she had already started falling in love with another person.

Could it be Nino? No that would just be weird, besides Marinette knows Alya has a crush on him. It's kind of obvious. Adrien thought turning the corner to knock on the door of Marinette's.

Knocking three times before he kindly waited for an answer. Marinette's mother had opened the door, a bit of flour on an apron she was wearing had falling off onto the floor.

"Ah, Adrien please come in," she greeted him with a smile.

"Thank you,"

"Marinette! Your friend is here!" She yelled at the stairs.

"I'll be down in a second!" Marinette's voice was distant.

Marinette walked down the stairs towards the door, thinking it was Alya with some Ladybug think or something since she thought Adrien wouldn't come. She was surprised it was him at first but calmed down enough to talk to him.

"Hi-hi Adrien," she stuttered a little, "I guess you were coming over for the project."

Adrien was still a bit shocked from when he had talked with her as Chat so he just nodded as Marinette leaded him up the stairs to her room. Adrien had been here before, to practice for the gaming competition there were in.

As he walked into the light pink room of Marinette's he noticed that the window hatch to the balcony was still slightly ajar. Being the polite person Adrien is he closes it for her. Upon doing so Marinette had left only to come back with pastries. Smiling as she handed him one.

"Thank you Marinette," Adrien nodded before taking a bit of the pastry.

Before Adrien could take another bite screaming was all he heard, from multiple voices. Almost like whatever had happened happened to a large amount of people at the same time. That had only happened for The Gamer and The Pharaoh because they needed strength. Adrien and Marinette rushed towards Marinette's little window hatch, a person in what looked like a green bubble floated past. Was The Bubbler back? How could Adrien protect Paris when he was with Marinette? Good thing he gave Plagg a piece of cheese on his way here.

"Oh no," Marinette muttered, stepping back from the window hatch.

She turned on her heel and started to run towards the other end of her room. Opening the hatch to the bottom half of the house. Before she could go down fully Adrien grabbed her wrist.

"Where are you going?" He asked, curious as to why she was leaving.

"I'm going to go make sure my parents are alright," Marinette explained, "last time this happened they got caught in the bubbles."

"What if you get caught in a bubble?"

"I'll be fine just stay here," Adrien nodded as Marinette continued her way down the ladder.

Only thing was that he couldn't stay here, he had to go save everyone from The Bubbler before they were gone. Maybe he could transform in Marinette's room, but if she came back and saw that he was gone she would ask questions as to where he went. Without even thinking he yelled.

"Plagg, claws out!"

A/n

Exactly 2000 words! Hehe, anyways hope you guys enjoyed. 

Netti