Something needed to be done. Now that Adrien knew who Ladybug was, he absolutely had to talk to her. Coming into class, he caught an amusing look on Marinette's face as she passed Alya's phone back to her. She must have just seen that post. He'd reacted to it earlier in the privacy of his own bedroom. Adrien had developed a habit of checking the Ladyblog first thing in the morning to see if there were any clues he could use to identify his partner. Even though he didn't need its help anymore, it didn't feel right to set his habit aside just like that.

"Dude - hello? I asked you if you heard about the akuma attack last night!" Nino waved a hand in front of Adrien's face.

Adrien was able to pull himself together and respond. "You mean with MeTuber? Yeah! Wasn't it awesome?!" He would have to slip away from Nino; his conversation would be between him and Marinette.

"Uh, okay, it wasn't that cool, they save the city like that all the time, unless you mean their new development. Are you into that?"

"Oh, right, silly me, they're just doing their job. Hey, do you mind if I just... slip off somewhere for a moment?"

"Yeah, sure dude, go ahead." Nino pulled his headphones over his ears, leaned back against the wall, and closed his eyes. Adrien smiled. His best friend was always there for him, but he didn't express a need to be in on everything. That made him easy to be around.

"You need to look at this." Marinette's best friend was the opposite. There was Alya, shoving her phone back in Marinette's face. Adrien realized that slipping away from Nino wasn't the half of it, he would need to pry Marinette away from Alya. They had secrets that weren't for her ears, but he was fairly sure that "a private word with Marinette" would only serve to deepen Alya's curiosity. He considered the four of them - himself, Nino, and the girls - to all be friends, but there was something about Alya that he found slightly obnoxious. It was the same investigative reporter mentality that had allowed her to create a sucessful blog in the first place. It served well, but right now she was getting in his way. He would need to get rid of Alya. No, that made it sound like he intended to hurt her. He needed to distract Alya.

Realizing he wouldn't be able to talk to Marinette at that moment, he stepped outside the classroom to think. From under the edge of his jacket, Plagg snickered, "You've - RRRRIIIIINGGGG! DIIIIINGGGG! DOOOONGGGG!" The school bell rudely interupted whatever - most likely teasing - thing Plagg had to say, and Adrien went to take his seat. "Good morning, Marinette," he greeted the girl in the seat behind him. He was afraid of saying any more than a salutation in others' presence, but he didn't want her to think he'd forgotten.

Between completion of the first assignment and start of the next, he looked around the room for something that could help distract Alya away from Bugaboo. Applying that endearment to Marinette was somehow a discomforting twinge that wasn't unpleasant. It was him, coming to terms with the placement of his feelings. Several visual sweeps of the room gave him nothing, but the fourth time he caught Mylene glancing back at Ivan. She did so several times before Ivan looked back at her. They both blushed and looked away. It looked as if he and Marinette weren't the only two having relationship drama, but Ivan and Mylene had shared a kiss after the Horrificator incident; they should be past that stage by now! An idea started to unfold in Adrien's mind, one for getting a little bit of time alone with Marinette. He'd need his best friend's help.

He wait until the break to approach his friend. "Nino! Have you noticed Ivan and Mylene?"

"Nah, what about them, dude?"

"They're still trying to get up the courage to be together! Don't you think It's time someone gave them a little nudge?"

"Eh, I guess that'd be cool. Who do you think would try that?"

"Us."

"Wha-? Dude, I'm no match maker."

"The match has already been made, they just need a little extra confidence! Besides, we can get Marinette and Alya to help us!'

"Marinette and Alya? You got a plan?"

Adrien grinned, "A bit of one." He walked over to where their two female friends were sitting on a bench, bending over what appeared to be a super hero comic. "Marinette! Alya! Care to help us with something?"

The girls stood up. "Sure!" Marinette responded enthusiastically.

Alya put a hand on her side. "We could probably help, depending on what it is. Right, Ma-" She was about to elbow her friend out of habit, when she realized Mari had already answered without need of prompting. She watched her friend suspiciously out of the corners of her eyes. Alya could have sworn that not only Mari, but Adrien too, had blushed. What was going on?

"We need you to invite Mylene to hang out after school today. We'll bring Ivan and meet up with you. It's time they made some progress in their relationship."

"Getting two people to hang out as part of a group doesn't seem to work that well... I've tried." Alya commented.

"I was thinking we'd find a way to 'get separated' somewhere along the way. Then, we can split off in teams of two and follow them."

Alya got a mischievous glint in her eye and pointed between Adrien and Mari. "You two should work together, you'd make an awesome team!"

'If you only knew,' they thought.

"Sure, sounds fine." Adrien decided he might as well let Alya think it was her idea to pair him up with Mari.

The groups departed, agreeing to meet back up after school. At lunch time the girls invited Mylene and the boys invited Ivan.

As per agreement earlier, they met up at the zoo. It hadn't turned out so well the last time the four had tried to go, and they hadn't been there with Ivan and Mylene at all.

The six of them wandered around for a while, two of them unaware that the other four were looking for the first opportunity to ditch. A silverback ran against the glass, scaring Mylene into Ivan's arms. Eventually they ran into Alya's father, who greeted them with a wave.

"Hey kids! We'll be feeding the penguins soon. I'd suggest you come in now if you want to get a good view."

The building where the penguins were kept was cool, but not overbearingly cold. A sign explained that this variety was from the tip of South America, where the climate wasn't too drastic. Not very many people were at the penguins' exibit yet. They were able to see the penguins lined up, expecting to dive into the pool after their fish. Mylene pulled her lightly clenched fists to her chest.

"They're so cute! and..." she sniffed the air and started humming happily "Smelly penguins, smelly penguins..."

Alya nudged Mylene a little closer to Ivan, then drifted off to the side with Nino. They'd made their escape; now it was Adrien's and Mari's turn. As more people came in to watch the penguins, they allowed themselves to be pushed backward into the crowd - until someone tried to push between them. Then Adrien reached out and pulled Marinette into him.

She blushed as she stumbled, and grinned at him. "Did you plan this?"

Slightly nervous, he put his hand behind his head. "Yeah, but I didn't expect the part where Alya made my job a little easier for me. Was she trying to pair us up?"

Mari nodded. "She's known for a while that I have feelings for you, so she tries to help me out any chance she gets."

Adrien's cheeks flared red and his breath caught in his throat. He'd got the idea the evening before, but that was the first time Marinette had said out loud that she had feelings for him.

"Well this works out well, now we can talk."

"In front of all these people?" It was true they had successfully extricated themselves from their friends, but there were still quite a few strangers around them who would quickly be listening if they heard the names "Ladybug" and "Chat Noir". They'd need somewhere a little more quiet.

No matter where they went, there were constantly people around them, preventing them from discussing what they'd like to. They went along making small talk and considering leaving the zoo entirely until, "WOOOOP! WOOOOP! WOOOOO!" The gibbons were making so much noise that they drowned out the words of people talking nearby. They looked at each other happily. It wasn't exactly quiet... but it would do.

They leaned in closer so they could each hear what the other said. "I'm sorry," Marinette began, getting a confused look from Adrien, "for how I treated Chat, for how I treated you."

Adrien shrugged it off. "This is a big shock for both of us! We didn't know who the person was under the other mask. It's natural you wouldn't accept the affection of someone who was a stranger to you."

"But you suggested we reveal our identities to each other. I was the one who said no to that! I never gave you a chance, and then on the other side, expected you to give one to me."

"You were taking your job as Ladybug seriously! You always do the best you can, even though you were obviously scared to when we first started out. That's the primary reason why I fell for you." It was now Marinette's turn to feel what Adrien had felt back by the penguin exhibit. She'd become used to hearing Chat's feelings, but now it was coming from Adrien!

"I guess you're right, the important thing is that we're here together now. That's what we both want, isn't it?"

"Yes... Bugaboo."

"Kitty."

It was awkward, and yet somehow felt so right, blending their superhero nicknames together with their civilian identities. Especially since "Kitty" hadn't been an endearment before - but now it was.

"So, how much do you know about what happened last night? I mean the part where my dad invited you over for dinner."

"Nothing! I got home and was told we'd been invited to dinner. I didn't know where we were going until we got there."

So, Adrien knew more than Marinette did, but that still wasn't a lot. "I think it's something to do with that sketch book you dropped. My father never makes that big a deal out of anything. You really impressed him, enough that he wanted to set us up. He didn't tell me who he invited over, but he did say he intended for me to have a date."

"Why? Why would my parents go along with that?"

"Maybe my dad offered them some money. He's got enough to throw around if there's something he wants."

Marinette shook her head. "I know they wouldn't do that. Something else happened. I'm sure of it."

Adrien was inclined to agree with her. From the one time he had met Mari's parents, and the several other times he had observed them as Chat Noir, they seemed to be a loving couple who treasured their daughter. It was a sweet picture that offered bitter contrast to his own home life.

"So what do we do now? I'd introduce you to my kwami," he offered, "but the people around here can still see."

"I guess we could go ahead and meet back up with the others now," she suggested, pulling out her phone and shooting off a text to Alya.

"Where are you? We lost track of you after the penguin show."

"Girl, you really got lost with Adrien?! I don't think I should tell you. Now is your big chance, go for it!" came the quick reply.

Marinette showed it to Adrien and got a laugh. "Can't argue with that!"

It was a Friday afternoon, so they had a few hours left at the zoo. They'd made their way almost back to the entrance when Adrien stopped. "So Marinette, does this mean you'll be my girlfriend?"

Marinette quit walking and just stood processing the statement, but it didn't take her very long. "Yes!" She threw her arms around him, and was about to kiss him, but pulled back; their relationship had advanced plenty far for twenty-four hours.

They stepped apart just in time not to be noticed by a nosy friend, who hailed them from the exit. "Hey you two, over here!"

The other four teens they had come to the zoo with were there at the gate waiting for them. Ivan and Mylene each had an arm around the other - awkwardly so, due to height difference.

"Those two are finally official!" Alya indicated the gentle giant boy and the small girl. "I'm a believer in what a day alone at the zoo can do for a couple!"

For good reason, Adrien and Marinette believed in it too, but they weren't going to say anything. Today was Ivan's and Mylene's day. They didn't want to take away from that, and it was safest they didn't reveal their relationship suspiciously soon after Alya's observations of their other sides. Their relationship would develop further soon enough.

A/n - I think my dad is a general fanboy, and that is where I get my fangirl side. My mom was editing my fan-fiction for me and I mentioned the part where "they almost kiss but think better of it". My dad joined the conversation with "What's better than a kiss?" "It would have been their first." I told him. "They have to start somewhere." He didn't even know any context for the story, I find this so cute and funny.