#there's background chlonette and kind of alyadrien

[miraculousstorytelling]

Just the Five of Us

Written for @samantha-girlscout for the rarepair flash exchange by @miraculousexchange! You should all definitely check out all of the fics. All of the ones I’ve read so far have been incredible! AO3 link

Marinette had always expected that the first person to learn she was Ladybug would be her partner or possibly her best friend. She never expected it to be Chloe Bourgeois of all people.

When Ladybug stumbled into the quiet corner, her earrings beeping out their final warning, she assumed she was alone. That was until she bumped into Chloe as her transformation fell and knocked both of them over, leaving Marinette sprawled across Chloe’s stomach.

They locked eyes for a moment, and Marinette held her breath, terrified to see Chloe’s reaction to learning that she, of all people, was Ladybug. Chloe shrieked.

“Wait, don’t yell!” Marinette clamped a hand over Chloe’s mouth. “Look, you can’t tell anyone, and you can’t yell.”

Chloe didn’t even scold Marinette for smudging her lip gloss. She just pushed Marinette’s hand away and launched into a breathless series of questions. “You’re Ladybug? Really? You’ve been Ladybug all along? You saved my life!”

Marinette sat back, raising a brow as she eyed Chloe. “Yes, yes, yes, and of course, I did. I’m a hero.”

“I can’t believe I’m friends with Ladybug!” Chloe squealed, as though the past five years of constant belittling and selfish behavior simply hadn’t happened. She even sat up and pulled Marinette into a hug.

“Whoa, hold on.” Marinette pried herself free. “We’re not friends.”

“We’re not?”

Marinette had no idea how to explain to those wide blue eyes why the idea of them being friends was so ridiculous, so instead, she elected to stand and turn around. “We need to get back to class.”

Alya had no idea what Chloe had done, and she didn’t care to find out. All she knew was that Chloe had been all Marinette could talk about lately, and she must have done something awful, because she kept trying to buy Marinette’s forgiveness with nice fabric and tickets to fashion shows. Marinette, however, wouldn’t budge.

Alya was beyond fed up with Chloe by now, but every time Alya tried to corner her and talk about it, Chloe promised it wasn’t what she thought. Frankly, Alya didn’t care about what it was or wasn’t. All she wanted was for Marinette to have the chance to finally relax at school again.

So, it was time for her last resort.

Alya only had a few minutes to catch him before she was supposed to be at the park for an informal press talk with Ladybug and Chat Noir, which meant that she didn’t exactly have time to ask why he was ducking into an alley near school. She was too close to missing him and, as far as she was concerned, this couldn’t wait until tomorrow.

“Adrien! We need to ta…” Alya stared as a green flash lit up the alley and she was left to watch as Adrien Agreste transformed into Chat Noir.

He stared at her, the blood draining from his face. “Did you um…”

She nodded without even waiting for him to finish the question, because she had definitely seen before, during, and after his transformation.

His shoulders sagged. “Please don’t tell anyone.”

In their seven months of friendship, Alya had never seen Adrien look so defeated. He expected her to say no and post the information to her blog, and honestly Alya would have thought the same thing if their roles were reversed. Except Alya knew him. She knew his family. She’d seen his father’s overprotective nature, and if word got out that he was Chat Noir, she knew his world would be over.

She didn’t even hesitate. She just stepped forward and hugged him, whispering a promise, “Never.”

Marinette wasn’t exactly jealous, but the fact was that Alya and Adrien were spending a lot of time together lately. It was cute to watch them fawn over Ladybug merchandise together and swap theories about who she could be, but Marinette missed spending time with Alya. It didn’t help that Chloe just wasn’t taking the hint that they weren’t ever going to be friends. Adrien was sweet enough to try talking to her, but Chloe had only told him she had no plans to give up until Marinette forgave her.

Chloe approached her with a grin. “I have tickets to-”

“Not interested, Chloe.”

Chloe took a deep breath and sat beside her. “Okay, I get it. I’m insufferable, and you don’t want to be friends with me.”

“Look, I-”

“I don’t know how to fix this, and I want to. Just tell me what to do.”

Marinette turned to look at her. Honestly, after the first week, Marinette had assumed she could just wear Chloe down through sheer stubbornness, but obviously that approach was failing, because for some reason, Chloe was still here. So, maybe she was ready for an honest answer. “For five years, all I’ve ever wanted was for you to stop. I wanted you to stop tearing me down. I wanted you to stop insulting my clothes. I wanted you to stop making me hate school. I wanted you to stop seeing me. I just wanted you to stop.” She met Chloe’s eyes, wanted to know that she had her full attention before she reached the most important part. “If you really want to fix this, then do what I’ve wanted you to do all along and just stop.”

Chloe stared. For a moment, she looked devastated, on the verge of tears and ready to beg for Marinette to change her mind, but something must have resonated, because seconds later, the despair turned to resignation and Chloe nodded. “Okay.” Then, she stood and left.

The impact of the moment was somewhat lost when an akuma flew in through the window and turned their teacher into a child while shouting about no more homework. Marinette wished she could throttle Hawkmoth as she ran out of the classroom. The last thing she needed was something else to deal with today.

If she hadn’t been quite so preoccupied, she might have noticed Nino following her, assuming she was on her way to a safe spot.

She had no idea he was with her until after she’d transformed in the empty locker room and turned around to see him watching her.

“Nino?” Ladybug jumped. “H-how long have you-”

“Since the classroom,” he answered softly.

As if her day couldn’t get any worse, now she had two civilians who knew her identity. “I didn’t mean to-”

“I probably should have said something.”

“No, I should have been paying attention.”

Nino shrugged. “You probably have a lot on your mind.” He glanced back at the door. “And you have an akuma to fight, so don’t let me keep you.”

She frowned. “Look, I hate to ask, but-”

He smiled. “I won’t tell anyone. Promise.”

She relaxed. “Thank you.”

Adrien was thrilled to see Marinette and Nino spending more time together. After all, Marinette seemed to be under a lot of stress lately, and Adrien knew better than anyone what a calming effect Nino’s presence could be. Besides, after the whole ordeal with Chloe, which was still confusing him, Marinette could use some of Nino’s famously upbeat playlists.

After another akuma-a-day weeks, Adrien could use one, too. He was running on fumes by now, exhausted and eager for a break. Between school, modeling, patrols, and protecting Paris, he really couldn’t be blamed for not seeing Chloe tucked away in the locker room before he transformed.

“Adrikins?” she asked, her voice so soft he almost didn’t hear it crack.

He turned to look at her. “Chloe?”

She looked down. “You should go. Ladybug needs you.” Almost as though it was an afterthought, she added, “I won’t tell anyone.”

He didn’t have the chance to ask her why she looked so heartbroken, not when the akuma was out in the courtyard, too close to be safe. “Thanks.”

Chloe didn’t plan to do it. In fact, she had no idea what drove her to actually climb a tree, something she hadn’t done since she was five years old, just to retrieve the walking stick some malicious kid had tossed onto the highest branches. Maybe she thought doing something nice would make her feel better after learning that Ladybug wanted nothing to do with her and Adrien, who was distancing himself from her more and more, was Chat Noir. Maybe she thought it would make her feel more like Ladybug.

She carefully made her way to the ground and held out the stick for the man watching her. “Here. It’s not broken or anything, is it?”

He tapped it on the ground a few times and shook his head. “No, it’s perfect. Thank you.”

“Sure,” she answered, still feeling numb and disappointed. Even the smile he sent her way didn’t make her feel better, and now she had twigs in her hair and three broken nails.

When she arrived home, she was more than ready to turn in for the night. That was until she saw a wooden box perched on the back of her couch. She picked it up, assuming it was a trinket her father had left, and looked inside.

Chloe had not been prepared for some creature calling itself Pollen to tell her she was a hero, especially today of all days when she had never felt less like the kind of person who could save anyone. Unfortunately, she didn’t have time to protest, because somehow, there was two akumas outside, and if she could help Ladybug at all, Chloe knew she had to try.

She never expected to actually slow Ladybug and Chat Noir down. When Ladybug had to swoop down and protect her from a stray piece of debris, Chloe understood she wasn’t cut out for this. She was making their job harder, and that wasn’t helping anyone.

“Ladybug, wait.”

Chat Noir had already gone when she reached out to stop Ladybug from flying off. Ladybug looked back at her. “Is everything okay?”

“I just wanted to tell you that I think you’re amazing.” She took a deep breath and let it all out, everything she’d wanted to say to Marinette for weeks now. “I’ve always looked up to you. You made me want to be a hero, but…” She fidgeted with the end of her comb. “I don’t deserve this.”

Ladybug reached out and caught her hand. “Look, I know this was a rough start, but we’ll get you up to speed, okay? Don’t worry about it.” She smiled. “And I’m really honored you look up to me, but I’m just a normal person like you without the suit. I didn’t think I deserved my miraculous at first either, but I was wrong. So are you.”

“You don’t understand.” She took a step back and tugged it off, watching Ladybug’s eyes widen as her transformation fell. She held the comb out to Ladybug. “Take it and find someone better.”

Ladybug reached out, fingers brushing over the comb, but instead of taking it, she curled Chloe’s fingers around it. “I think I already did.”

Adrien couldn’t quite put into words what had changed in Chloe. She’d been so upset the other day, and she avoided him when he tried to ask why. He was starting to wonder if maybe he’d done something to offend her as Chat Noir, but every time he thought through their interactions, he was coming up empty on what might have caused it.

“I don’t get it, Alya, she won’t talk to me anymore.”

Alya shrugged, scanning through articles to see if there was any new information about Ladybug. “I think you’re better off, honestly. At least she’s finally left Marinette alone.”

“I know you don’t like her, but Chloe’s not all bad.” He sighed and glanced over the door, hoping she’d walk in so he could try talking to her again. “We were friends for a while, and sure she can be a lot sometimes, but she’s a good person deep down.”

“Really deep down,” Alya shot back, a small smile lifting the corners of her lips.

Adrien perked up when Chloe walked in. “Hey, Chloe!”

She grinned, her expression brighter than he’d seen in days, and walked over to sit on the side of his desk. “Good morning, Adrien.”

Alya raised a brow. “You’re in a good mood.”

“Good morning to you, too,” Chloe replied, undeterred by Alya’s tone.

“Is…” Adrien lowered his voice and leaned in. “Are you okay?”

Chloe smirked. “I’m fantastic, actually. Okay doesn’t do me justice.”

Adrien relaxed. “Glad to have you back, Chloe.”

Alya grumbled. “Yeah, it’s super.”

Chloe waved at Marinette as she entered the room, and Alya almost scolded her for it, but then Marinette was waving back, a genuine smile on her lips. Alya almost dropped her phone.

"Morning, Chloe," Marinette greeted as she walked to her seat.

Alya stared at her. "Since when are you and Chloe talking?"

Marinette shrugged. "Since she gave me a reason to give her another chance."

Adrien sent Chloe a warm smile, proud that she'd apparently done something impressive enough to change Marinette’s mind. He didn't expect an akuma to interrupt them before he could ask what it was, but he might have expected it more than Chloe grabbing his wrist and leading him down the hall to a quiet corner and shouting a phrase that transformed her into Queen Bee.

His jaw dropped. "Chloe? You have a miraculous?"

She nodded. "I figured since I already know your identity, I should tell you."

He grinned. "That's amazing! I can't believe you're the new hero!"

She smiled, thrilled by the praise. "You should transform, too. Ladybug's going to need both of us."

Alya wasn't sure when it happened. The change was so gradual, she almost didn't notice. Marinette started talking about Adrien less and less while Alya found herself bringing him up more and more. It wasn't an attempt to compensate either, although Alya did tend to mention him when Marinette started talking too much about Chloe. Alya just enjoyed spending time with Adrien and with Marinette spending more time with Nino and Chloe, Alya had more chances to visit him and take advantage of his fancy computer setup to work on the Ladyblog.

It didn't help that Adrien was sweet and doled out little bits of physical affection almost constantly. She was entirely too comfortable with him, easily pouring her heart out when she was upset and settling closer and closer beside him when they watched their favorite shows together. The moment she figured it out was annoyingly mundane. They were watching one of many cute cat videos she'd found online, and he was almost doubled over with laughter. The sight and sound of it made her heart flip like some cliche romantic movie moment, and she immediately jumped up.

"I have to go."

Adrien frowned. "Wait, already?"

"Yeah, I don't..." She grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder. "I don't feel great. I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"Oh. Okay." He held out her phone for her. "Sorry."

"No, it's fine."

She ignored his texts for the rest of the afternoon, sick with guilt over the fact that she was falling for her best friend's crush. She never meant for it to happen, and she had no idea how Marinette would take it. After ten minutes of staring at her phone, afraid to call and admit her mistake, Alya finally stepped outside for a quick walk to clear her head.

Unfortunately for her, a peaceful stroll was out of the question. An akuma was destroying buildings across the way, and Alya was already pulling out her phone to film it. Just as she was lining up the perfect angle for a video, she saw an old man in the akuma's path. Before he could put himself in harm's way, Alya ran to his side and helped him to safety.

"Careful! There's been a lot of akuma attacks lately."

"Thank you." He brushed off some of the dust filling the air. "It's good we have Ladybug to protect us."

Alya grinned. "Yeah, definitely."

By the time, she made it back to the site of the battle, the akuma was already cleansed, and Alya was no less conflicted. She caught a glimpse of Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Queen Bee flying off, which only further soured her mood. There wasn’t much point in a walk now. Truth be told, she was only delaying the inevitable.

So, instead, Alya headed to Marinette's house. This needed to be settled in person or Alya would spend all day second-guessing herself.

"Hey, Mrs. Cheng!" Alya waved as she darted through the bakery. Sabine managed a wave back between customers, and Alya caught sight of Tom in the back, but she didn't want to break his focus, so she simply hurried up to their apartment.

She raced up the stairs to Marinette's room and threw open the trapdoor. "Marinette! We need to talk!"

Marinette sprang away from Chloe, who Alya hadn't even realized was visiting, a sudden blush spreading over her cheeks. "Alya! I didn't realize you were coming over."

Alya glanced between the two of them, Chloe deliberately avoiding Alya's eyes and Marinette biting her lip, and she understood exactly what she'd interrupted.

"Oh, were you two-"

Chloe snatched up her purse. "I was just leaving." She slipped past Alya, and Marinette watched her leave, visibly torn between stopping her and staying for whatever it was Alya wanted to say.

"Go." Alya smiled. "We can talk later."

"Thanks." Marinette ran after Chloe, and Alya went home, still a bit guilty, but significantly more relieved now that she knew something was happening between Marinette and Chloe. She'd get the details later. For now, it was enough to know that she probably wouldn't lose Marinette's friendship over a new crush. Of course, she’d probably need to check that Marinette hadn’t hit her head or something first, but still...

Alya didn't think anything could surprise her more than finding she'd interrupted a kiss between Chloe and Marinette, but the wooden box on her desk when she arrived home managed to do the trick, and all too soon, she was trying out her own transformation and bonding with her kwami. While Alya talked things out with Marinette, Trixx feasted on some macarons Sabine had given Alya on her way out the door. Apparently, it was the only food Trixx would eat, which made Alya even more grateful for her friendship with Marinette.

"So, everything's fine with you and Chloe?"

Marinette chuckled. "Yeah, we're fine."

Alya raised a brow. "You two are...what, dating now?"

Marinette was quiet long enough that Alya had to double check that she hadn't accidentally hung up. "I'm not really sure what we're doing. It just kind of happened."

"I..." Alya looked down. "I get that."

"What did you come over to talk about earlier?"

Alya sighed. "Well, you know how me and Adrien have been spending more time together lately?"

"Yeah?" Marinette asked, hesitant.

"Listen, just say the word, and I'll drop this in a second." Alya took a deep breath, her heart racing. "I kind of think I have a crush on Adrien. I didn't mean to, and trust me your friendship is way more important, but I had to tell you."

"You know..." Marinette quietly considered her answer for a moment. "I'm happy for you. I think you two would make a cute couple."

"You're not just saying that, are you?"

Marinette chuckled. "No, I mean it. You two are good for each other."

"It's just a crush,” Alya admitted, slowly relaxing now that she’d said the words out loud.

"Still, I support it if it happens."

Alya flopped back on her bed. "What did I do to deserve you?"

Marinette laughed. "I could ask you the same thing."

After they finished chatting about school, the Ladyblog, and Marinette's latest design ideas, Alya finally hung up and glanced over at her kwami. "So, I shouldn't tell anyone about you?"

Trixx shook her head as she rummaged for macaron crumbs.

"What about Chat Noir? I already know who he is."

Trixx shrugged. "It's your decision who you tell, but I always say the best person to keep a secret is yourself."

"I guess I'll think about it." Alya sighed. "It's going to be tough keeping this from Marinette, though."

Trixx snickered. "Well, we'll see."

Alya should have known then that Trixx was hinting at something. She should have pressed for answers. Maybe if she had, she wouldn't have been so shocked when she ducked into a closet to transform and saw Marinette suddenly turn into Ladybug before her eyes.

Ladybug turned and froze when she saw Alya staring at her.

"Well..." Alya smirked. "Looks like kissing Chloe wasn't your only secret, huh?”

“Alya!” Ladybug winced. “I-”

“Lucky for you,” Alya interrupted, “I have a pretty big one of my own."

Alya and Marinette spent that night talking about being heroes and their increasingly ridiculous plans for what they'd do when they found out who Hawkmoth was. Alya was thrilled Marinette and Ladybug were one and the same, and now that they both had a secret identity to protect, they were on a level playing field as far as keeping things quiet.

Now she just needed to find a way to tell Adrien and keep things fair for everyone.

"Do you think it's possible to love more than one person at a time?" Adrien asked, despite knowing exactly how Plagg would answer.

"Sure. I love all kinds of cheese." Plagg swallowed a piece of Camembert.

Adrien sighed. "It's not the same."

Plagg scoffed. "Well, there’s your problem. Switch to cheese."

"I knew I should have asked someone else," Adrien grumbled, scrolling through his contacts, despite knowing he wouldn’t actually be able to talk to anyone about his dilemma.

"You could call that blog girl," Plagg suggested with a chuckle, "Unless she's part of the problem."

Adrien shot him a glare.

"Is she coming over today?"

Adrien shook his head and sat at his computer, seriously contemplating a quick Google search. "She babysits on Tuesdays."

"Well, she's texting you. Looks like she's on her way."

"She is?" Adrien scooped up his phone and confirmed that Alya was indeed on her way to his house. "Oh, no!" She'd sent the text three minutes ago, which meant he had about seven minutes or so before she'd arrive. He still had no idea what to do with the fact that he'd been thinking of her almost as much as he'd been thinking about Ladybug lately, even imagined kissing her and taking her to dinner. He barely had time for a quick google search, but maybe he'd be lucky and that would be enough.

The first result was promising, but it told him he'd need to make a choice between the two, and he had four minutes until Alya was walking through his front door, which was not enough time for such an important decision. He closed everything down and paced until she knocked on his door.

"Hey, Alya." Adrien smiled and let her in. "I thought you were watching your sisters today."

"Marinette said she'd watch them for me for a bit. I need to tell you something, and it's really important." She closed the door and waved at Plagg when he peeked out at her.

"Oh?" Adrien asked, schooling his expression into something a little more neutral.

"Yeah, since I know you're Chat Noir, I figured it was only fair to tell you I'm a hero, too!" She showed him her newly acquired miraculous and grinned. "See?"

Trixx flew out of her bag to inspect Adrien. "So, this is Adrien?"

Alya flinched. "Yeah, this is Chat Noir, like I told you."

Trixx smirked. "You're right. He is cute."

Adrien's brows raised, a light pink coloring his cheeks.

Alya swatted at Trixx who flew away, giggling. "I did not say that!"

Plagg grinned and flew over to Trixx, eager to join in on the fun. "So, you think he's not cute?"

Alya blushed. "I didn't say that either. Cut it out!"

Adrien chuckled. "So, your kwami messes with you, too?"

Alya sighed. "You wouldn't believe how much."

"I think I might," Adrien murmured.

Nino was happy for all of them, really. Marinette and Chloe were getting along, and he was pretty sure Alya and Adrien were dating without realizing that was what they were actually doing. They still made time for him, but he was starting to feel a bit like a fifth wheel, which wasn't the best feeling in the world.

He could understand why Marinette was spending less time with him. Hawkmoth was sending out more and more akumas by the day, even managing two at a time, and Marinette was probably exhausted from trying to keep up. He reminded himself of that when he was feeling lonely or when his phone stayed silent when he wanted someone to reply to a text.

After the fifth akuma attack of the week, Nino was lucky to duck out of the fight early and hide in a closet away from the action. He could still hear the akuma tearing through the school, but at least he knew Ladybug was out there taking care of it. Once the noise died down, he was ready to peek his head out and see if it was safe to leave, but he didn't have the chance, because Ladybug and Queen Bee threw the door open before he could.

"-been doing this longer than you have. Don't yell at me."

Nino opened his mouth to let them know he was there, but he was cut off by Queen Bee shouting at Ladybug. "Don't talk to me like that! I know what I'm doing, and that was a stupid, dangerous move!"

Ladybug scowled, too focused on her argument to notice Nino. "I don't need you doubting me, Chloe."

"I'm not! I'm worried about you!" Queen Bee, Chloe apparently, yelled. "Excuse me if I don't want my girlfriend to die in front of me!"

Ladybug stilled. “Are we… girlfriends?”

Queen Bee paused, then shrugged. “If you want to be.”

“Of course I-”

Nino cleared his throat. "Um, I'm sorry to interrupt, but-"

The two girls turned to stare at him as their miraculouses beeped in unison and their transformations fell. Chloe groaned. "Perfect."

Marinette sighed. "Sorry, Nino. I didn't see you... Again."

"Wait, he knew?" Chloe asked.

"I won't tell anyone," Nino assured her.

“I know you won’t,” Chloe snapped before turning to Marinette. “How many people know your identity?”

“Just you two and one more person.”

“Who?” Chloe frowned. “Is it Chat Noir?”

“Oh, no. We don’t know each other’s identities.” Marinette waved a hand in dismissal.

“Why not?” Nino asked.

“Well, it’s safer this way. If one of us gets akumatized-”

Chloe cut her off. “Well, yeah, that made sense when no one else knew, but now both of you have someone who knows, and it’s stupid to keep hiding it.”

“Look, I’m just trying to think this through,” Marinette said. “Every extra person that knows is putting me and them at risk.”

“He’s a superhero, too, you know,” Nino pointed out.

Marinette paused and looked at Chloe. “Wait, how do you know someone knows who Chat Noir is?”

“Obviously because I know,” Chloe answered as though it was the most obvious answer in the world.

“You do?” Marinette and Nino asked at the same time.

“Yeah, I’ve known for a while.” Chloe examined her nails. “I think you two should tell each other.”

It took two patrols for Ladybug to finally admit Chloe was right.

“Hey, Chat Noir, can we talk for a second?”

“Sure.” He smiled. “Is something wrong?”

She shook her head. “No. I just need to tell you something.” She took a deep breath. “Three people know my identity. I guess I was a little careless.”

He shrugged. “A couple people know mine, too, milady. That’s okay.”

“Well, if anyone should know, it really should be my partner.” She gently touched his shoulder. “So, if you’re okay with it, I think we should say who we are.”

He brightened. “Absolutely!”

She nodded. “Okay. On three. One.”

“Two,” he continued.

“Three,” she said as twin pink and green flashes lit the night air around them. Marinette blinked through the light and gasped when she saw who was standing in front of her. “Adrien?”

“Marinette!” He grinned. “I knew it! We do go to the same class.”

She laughed, relieved beyond words that they already knew each other. “Yes, you did say that.” She shook her head. “I should have listened to you.”

He chuckled. “I’m...actually really glad it’s you.”

“Me, too.” She stepped forward and hugged him. That would make things with Chloe easier, even though part of her was reeling from the fact that not too long ago, she and Adrien had apparently liked each other and hadn’t realized it.

Nino wasn’t quite sure what changed overnight, but Marinette and Adrien walked in together, laughing and talking as they approached their seats. He was glad they were close now, too, but he couldn’t help a small flash of disappointment when he saw it. He couldn’t help but feel like he was slowly being left behind.

In fact, he might have spent the whole night afterwards wallowing in self-pity, except Chat Noir landed on his balcony and interrupted him.

Nino opened it and raised a brow. “Uh, Chat Noir? Is everything okay?”

Chat Noir grinned. “Yeah. Mind if I pick you up?”

“Pick me up?” Nino repeated, confused by the question.

“Ladybug wants everyone at the meeting.”

“What meeting?”

“We’re talking about our identities.”

“Oh.” Nino frowned. “Why do you need me there?”

Chat Noir raised a brow. “You’re one of us.”

Nino stared. “I...am?”

“Well, I mean, we want you to be.” Chat Noir shrugged. “We all talked about it. Everyone thought it was only fair if you were there when everyone told each other.”

“Oh,” he said again, for lack of a better response. “Yeah, let’s go, then.”

He barely registered the path they took or recognized the building they landed on. He was simply dealing with the fact that he was apparently not as left behind as he’d thought.

“Hey, Nino!” The newest hero greeted him with a smile. “Glad you could join us.”

“Took you long enough,” Queen Bee mumbled.

“What’s put you in such a sour mood, honey?” she teased, nudging Queen Bee’s side, “Weren’t you the one bragging about how gorgeous you are under that mask? You finally get to show all of us.”

Queen Bee smirked. “I’m gorgeous with or without the mask, thank you.” She looked the new hero over. “I’m hoping you’re just as foxy without yours, though.”

She winked. “Even foxier.”

Nino frowned, glancing over at Ladybug. “Uhh…” Now that he knew about her and Chloe, part of him wondered how well she was taking the fact that her girlfriend was openly flirting with someone else.

To his surprise, Ladybug just chuckled. “Save the flirting for later, you two.” She smiled. “So, we’re all going to detransform together. You all know who I am, so no surprises there, but that way everyone knows everyone. Ready?”

Chat Noir grinned. “Ready to let the cat out of the bag, milady.”

Queen Bee rolled her eyes, but her expression softened when Ladybug snickered at the pun. “It wasn’t even that funny,” Queen Bee pointed out.

“I know.” Ladybug shook her head. “But can you imagine how long he’s been waiting to use that line?”

Everyone, Nino included, laughed. “You’ve got me there,” Chat Noir admitted. “I’ve just been waiting for the purrfect moment.”

“If someone doesn’t stop him, he’ll keep this up all night,” Queen Bee said.

“Alright, let’s detransform, then.”

Bright flashes of light, pink, green, orange, and yellow, lit up the rooftop.

Alya and Chloe stared at each other in horror when the lights died down. Alya was first to scream, but Chloe quickly followed suit.

Marinette rushed over to shush them while Nino shook his head at Adrien. “I probably should have figured out it was you.” He grinned. “I guess all my friends really are superheroes.”

“I can’t believe I’ve been flirting with Chloe freaking Bourgeois!” Alya shouted. “Adrien, did you know?”

Marinette nodded. “We both knew.”

“Why didn’t you stop me?”

Trixx was doubled over beside them, cackling to herself. “I’ve been waiting for this since the day you got your miraculous.”

“I can’t believe this!”

“Well, how do you think I feel?” Chloe snapped.

“Look, there’s another reason we wanted to talk tonight,” Marinette explained, slipping between the two of them to prevent their argument from escalating. “Remember?”

Chloe scowled at Marinette. “You and I are talking about this later.”

“Okay, but can we discuss this first?”

Chloe huffed out an irritated sigh, but she gestured for Marinette to continue anyway.

Marinette turned to look at Nino and Alya. “Okay, Adrien and I talked after we shared our identities. I’m very happy with Chloe, and she’s happy with me, but all of us kind of agreed we want a little something...more.”

“More?” Nino asked.

“Like what?” Alya added on.

“Well, maybe the five of us being in kind of an...open relationship?” Adrien glanced over at Marinette. “If all of you are interested, anyway.”

“Like all of us dating each other?” Alya frowned.

“It can look however we want,” Marinette explained. “We did a little research just to figure all of this out, and really there isn’t only one way to do this. We can just agree that if we want to date anyone in this group, it’s fine.”

“How would that work, though?” Nino asked softly. “You and Chloe are dating, and Alya and Adrien are dating.”

Adrien frowned. “No, we’re not.”

Chloe scoffed. “Yes, you are. You spend all your time together, you have no personal space with each other, and I’m pretty sure she knows more about you than I do by now.”

“We…” Alya nodded slowly once she had a second to think about it. “Yeah, we kind of are dating, aren’t we?”

“So, you guys are good,” Nino explained. “You don’t need-”

“But, I want to date you, too,” Adrien said, blushing slightly. “I like you a lot.”

“I do, too,” Marinette confessed. “That’s part of why we insisted on you being here.”

“Oh,” Nino murmured.

Everyone looked at each other, considering their options. Nino weighed the risks against the potential benefits, because if he was being honest with himself, the idea of dating any of his friends was appealing. Even after his crush on Marinette had dwindled, it was still there, and after his afternoon in the panther cage with Alya, he’d grown fond of her, too. Not to mention, Adrien, who was not only gorgeous but also one of the kindest people he’d known, apparently liked him back. Even Chloe could be fun to take to dinner, although he had to admit he wasn’t as fond of her as he was the others. Of course, who knew? That could change.

Finally, Alya broke the silence. “Fine. I’m in, but I’m not dating Chloe.”

“Has it occurred to you I don’t want to date you either?” Chloe snapped.

“That’s a shame.” Marinette grinned. “Cause Chloe is a fantastic kisser. Maybe you two could channel some of that rage.”

Adrien smiled at Nino. “What about you?”

Nino nodded. “Sounds great to me.”