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Two weeks. Two long weeks since the inadvertent revelation of exactly who their partner was. The Akuma had been harder to handle than any other before it and there just hadn't been enough time for either of them to hide. Ladybug's good luck had ensured that they had been the only two on the roof when their Miraculous had simultaneously run out.
There had been gaping, stuttering remarks and an extremely awkward silence between the two.
Adrien just couldn't wrap his head around the fact that his brave, confident Ladybug was the shy, stammering girl who sat behind him in class.
Similarly, Marinette had almost started hyperventilating when she realised that sweet polite Adrien was the flirtatious cocky Chat Noir.
The two avoided each other the best they could at school, sneaking looks at the other when they weren't looking. Alya had tried to interrogate Marinette but she had clammed up. Nino had tried as well but Adrien wasn't saying a word either. Both Tikki and Plagg had tried their hardest to get their wielders to talk to the other but neither wanted to take the leap of faith, too afraid of the disappointment they were sure was to come from the other.
Ladybug and Chat Noir suffered as well. While the duo worked in tandem effortlessly, it was silent where there used to be banter, a hesitation to the friendly touches shared post-battle. All of Paris knew something was wrong with their beloved Lucky Duo.
Finally, it was Adrien who cracked first. He couldn't take it. He wanted his partner back. He wanted Marinette, Ladybug, whoever she was back. He missed their banter. He missed their congratulatory post-battle fist bumps. He missed her smiles and witty remarks. Hell, he missed her blush and stammering words. At this point, Adrien was willing to take whatever she would give him.
Adrien stood in his room and face Plagg, "Plagg, transform!"
Chat raced over the rooftops of Paris, his mind running over thoughts of what to say to her.
'I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner.'
'Chat Noir is my real personality and that's that.'
'I'm glad it's you.'
'Why did you never want us to know each other?'
'Are you disappointed it's me?'
So consumed by his thoughts, he didn't notice he was at the Dupain-Cheng Bakery and had been standing on the balcony for the past minutes. Chat shook himself out of it and slipped in through the window. He dropped into Marinette's bedroom and noticed it was absent of the girl in question. It was late enough that she should of had dinner already but not late enough for a late night patrol or for bed. Adrien scratched his head as the thought as to where Marinette could be when the trapdoor on floor opened and the aspiring fashion designer walked up, ignorant of her audience.
Chat let loose a strangled sound as he realised Marinette was wet. As in just got out of the shower wet. Her loose hair clung alluringly to her slim neck and trailed down her shoulders. With only a short towel that stopped just above mid-thigh between her and the rest of the world, Chat couldn't stop his eyes running up her long smooth legs and across her pale freckled shoulders. He felt his face burn as he noted in that absent-minded way everyone does when not thinking with the upstairs brain, that Marinette was obviously not wearing any underwear either.
So captivated by the scene before him, Chat didn't notice that Marinette, at the sound of the choke, had grabbed the closest object at hand, spin and fling it at the perceived intruder.
"OH MY GOD! CHAT?!"
Of course, by the time Marinette was aware of who it was, the object had already collided with Chat and he was on the floor groaning.
One extremely awkward talk, an ice pack, two howling-in-laughter Kwamis, four friends and family members brought into the secret, the start of a relationship, high school graduation and several happy years later, Adrien would always cheekily maintain that seeing Marinette in nothing but a short towel had been worth the lamp to the head.