*Author's Note*

I have been in a writing slump for the better part of a month, but I had promised myself I'd have a new piece of fiction completed each month. While trying to figure out what to write about, one of my friends suggested some Ladrien fanfiction, because there isn't nearly enough Ladrien in the world. Another one of my friends suggested Lukanette, since that ship is my jam right now. In the end, I decided to go with my old stand-by: mess with poor Adrien's head.

Slice-of-life style one-shot.

Sequel to the story "I Was Thinking of You"

~ Acting Weird ~

People had been acting weird around Adrien all week, and he couldn't quite pinpoint why. Even when it was practically spelled out for him, he still didn't comprehend why he was being treated differently.

"Oh, sorry, dude. I can't tonight." Nino rubbed the back of his head, bumping his hat and pushing it over his eyes a touch. He gave Adrien an apologetic smile as he shrugged. "Alya and the girls had this whole group date thing figured out since last Saturday. We're hitting up some rom-com the girls picked out, and then an arcade to play some skee-ball. I'd invite you along, but it's sort of this couples-only sort of thing."

Adrien's heart sank. So many of his classmates were paired up, and he was still running solo. If only he could win Ladybug over. If only they could know who each other was. Maybe then he could finally be with his lady, and they could join in with Nino, Alya, and everyone else. Then again, it might be weird for Adrien to explain where he met his mystery lady.

"Hey! What about that Kagami girl?" Nino snapped as the thought came to him. Instantly his posture changed to upright and hopeful. "I'm sure if you two wanted to come, everyone would love for you to join us."

"Thanks, but Kagami and I aren't really a couple, and I don't want her thinking I want us to be."

"What are you talking about? I thought Marinette said you were majorly crushing on Kagami. Even went on an ice skating date, and to a royal wedding, and the Ladybug movie premiere together."

"Nah, I- uh..." He couldn't very well tell Nino that he actually liked someone else without answering a dozen questions about who it was. If he caved and admitted it was Ladybug he'd have a hundred more to answer. "I thought I had feelings for Kagami, and she really is a great girl, but I just don't think of her the same way she thinks of me. I don't want to lead her on."

"Fair enough. Sorry, dude, I would have really liked for you to have come with. We'll have to hit up the movies and arcade ourselves. Bro-night."

"Bro-night." Adrien plastered on a fake smile, and held up his fist for Nino to bump.

"Hey, boys!" Alya called out to Nino and Adrien, waving them down from the top of the school's main entrance.

"Hey, babe." Nino held out his hand for Alya to take as she descended the stairs to them. Marinette followed a few steps behind.

"Hey, Marinette." Adrien smiled. She had always been a great friend to him. She had offered to go with him on his date with Kagami so he wouldn't feel so nervous. Maybe she'd go with him that night, as friends, so that they wouldn't be left out, simply because they were single.

"Hey, Adrien." She smiled back, and Adrien had the same weird sensation he had all week. There was something different about her. Yet it felt familiar somehow. "Do you have any plans this weekend, or is your father keeping you home again?"

It kept Adrien a second to register the question. He was focused on Marinette's stance; her speech patterns; her smile. Something was off, but not necessarily in a bad way.

"Well, I was trying to see if Nino wanted to come over to check out my latest fighter game, but he and Alya have this date night thing."

Alya and Nino turned to each other with uneasy looks on their faces. The same looks people had around Adrien all week. Marinette kept eye contact with Adrien, but her smile also faded slightly. He again wondered what it was he was missing.

"You like fighter games too, right, Marinette?" he continued, trying to be undeterred by the strange heaviness that instantly filled the air around them.

"Y-yes. I do." She started shifting her weight back and forth.

Instantly, Marinette seemed so much more recognizable to Adrien. That was what had been off. She hadn't stuttered or misspoke around him all week. She hadn't tripped, aside from a few stumbles she quickly recovered from. She had an aura of confidence radiating from her. It was very Ladybug-like, and it suited her well.

But now she was back to her old self: awkward and stammering around him; all confidence evaporated. While the abrupt change was a bit alarming, Adrien had gotten used to this version of Marinette. He was comfortable around her.

"Well, while these guys are out enjoying Paris, did you want to come over to play? Or maybe they'll let us invade, even if we're just going as friends?"

"Uh, A-Adrien?" Marinette rubbed her arm and played with the strap of her purse. Her eyes darted to Alya in a silent plea for help that could easily be heard, even without words.

"Ya see," Alya's voice cracked as she turned from Marinette to Adrien, "Marinette, well, she's kinda coming with us tonight."

Adrien blinked a few times and took a step backwards down the stairs. He wasn't expecting Marinette to be joining them on a couples night. He didn't even know she was dating anyone.

"You are?"

"Y-yeah. I'm- Well, Luka and I-" Marinette began to blush, and she couldn't keep eye contact with Adrien.

Luka. Of course it was Luka. Adrien should have already known that. To avoid being the third wheel on Adrien and Kagami's date, Marinette had asked Luka to join her at the ice rink. They had looked so comfortable together as they skated. Marinette was even perfectly trusting of Luka as he did some lifts and spins with her in his arms.

They had looked like a couple already. Adrien couldn't figure out why the news of Marinette and Luka dating somehow surprised him.

"Oh." Adrien cleared his throat and tried again. "Sorry, I didn't realize you two made it official after that ice skating double date. Congratulations."

Marinette blushed and dug the toes of her right foot into the step. Nino gawked as he whipped his head between Adrien and Marinette.

"Thank you, but we, uh-" Marinette shook her head, but refused to look at Adrien. "Luka and I- We didn't- we weren't dating after we skated together."

"So, after the two weeks you spent making Kitty Section's costumes then? Either way, I'm happy for you."

"Actually, we didn't start dating until this past Saturday." Marinette sounded sheepish, almost embarrassed to admit when she started dating Luka. "Wait a minute!" She perked up, bouncing on her toes a second as she whipped her body to face Alya and Nino. "Have we really looked like a couple this whole time?"

Both Nino and Alya laughed, nodded, and muttered a list of other reasons why it was 'so obvious' that Marinette and Luka liked each other.

Adrien didn't chime in. Instead he rested against the cement banister lining the large entrance steps to his school. He glanced down to the street, and was relieved to see his bodyguard pulling up to the sidewalk; a free space finally opening up.

"That's my ride. I gotta go." Adrien focused on making his voice as even and cheerful as possible. "Have fun on your group date tonight. I'll have to catch you all later."

"Did you want me to cancel so you're not alone?" Marinette took a step towards him, but Adrien put his hand up to stop her.

"Girl, are you kidding?" Alya barked. "The whole reason we're going out tonight is to celebrate you and Luka. You can't bail!"

Adrien gulped, and prayed no one saw his Adam's Apple bob. Taking another step towards the sidewalk, he shooed Marinette back up to their friends. "No, no. You go. Have fun. Enjoy spending time with your new boyfriend. Congratulations, again. Luka's a great guy. You two look good together."

"Oh. Uh, th-thank you, Adrien." Marinette froze on the steps. Behind her, Nino wrapped his arm around Alya's shoulders, and pulled her into his side so he could whisper in her ear. She responded with a shrug and a soft shake of her head.

There it was again. People acting weird around Adrien. Without another word, Adrien turned and jogged the rest of the way to the waiting town car. Despite being healthy, and his endurance at its peak outside of his superhero costume, Adrien's heart was racing as he rode home. His skin was clammy, and a chill ran down his arms.

"I think I'm getting a cold," Adrien informed Nathalie as she greeted him at the door of his father's mansion. "I'm going to go rest up before it becomes anything serious."

"Alright, Adrien. Let me know if you need anything."

"I will, thank you." Adrien then jogged up the stairs, and dashed into his bedroom. His heart wasn't beating quite as fast that time, and his skin didn't feel clammy. He still had a slight chill in his arms, and he still felt ill, but it wasn't as bad as when he had left his friends.

"You okay?" Plagg drifted out from behind Adrien's cover shirt. He didn't wait for an answer before phasing through the cupboard Adrien kept the Camembert in. A second later the door unlatched, and Plagg floated out with a wheel of cheese balancing on his bulbous head.

"I don't know." Adrien sat on the foot of his bed and stared at his hands. They were shaking slightly. Not enough to really be noticeable, but enough that he could feel them quake.

"Tough break about that date night thing. I could have gone for some popcorn." Plagg rested his snack on Adrien's desk, and then quickly chomped into it.

Adrien clenched his fists closed, hoping to stop the small tremors. His heart picked up pace a couple of beats as Plagg commented on the date night. Adrien wondered what was wrong with him, but figured talking about his friends could be the distraction he needed from his symptoms as he tried to drift off to sleep. He'd talk to Nathalie if he was still shaking after he awoke for dinner.

He kicked his shoes off and scooted back on his bed.

"Yeah. If only I could have gone with Ladybug."

Plagg cocked an eyebrow. "Yup. Quite the shame." He then took another bite of Camembert.

"I know, I know. You're not a fan of listening to me pine after Ladybug, and she doesn't like me pressing to know her identity. Still, it would have been nice to go on a date with her, especially with all of my friends. Although, I don't know how I would have kept a straight face knowing Alya was hanging out with Ladybug all night without realizing it."

Plagg snorted.

"Exactly." Adrien lied down. He stared at the ceiling for a couple of seconds before rolling onto his side and curling into a ball. "I don't know how welcome I'd be tonight anyway, even if I did have a date."

"That Nino kid seemed to want you there, and Marinette as well."

"Yeah, but they were also acting weird. Everyone has been so weird lately."

It had started on Monday. Mylène had greeted Marinette with a playful punch in the arm, and Ivan followed up by scooping her into a hug. He then told Mylène "called it," which granted him a placating pat on his back before the two squeezed hands and parted ways to take their seats. Alya's greeting for Marinette was fairly similar, with an elbowing of Marinette's arm, and a quick side-hug. At the back of the room, Rose and Juleka kept watching Marinette and whispering back and forth. Adrien felt concerned for Marinette at first, afraid that Lila had started something up again, but his friend seemed to be happy about all the attention, so Adrien left it be.

After morning roll-call though, everyone started acting weird around Adrien. Nino and Alya whispered around him. Marinette was more withdrawn from him than usual, as if she had felt guilty about something. Mylène kept checking in that he was alright. Alix kept laughing at how 'slow' Adrien was. He had just assumed she was trying to egg him into racing her like Kim had, but it came out of nowhere, and she never once actually tried to challenge him.

Tuesday things got weirder. Marinette never seemed so happy, practically floating throughout school. It was the first day Adrien saw her so consistently confident, and the first time the two of them held any sort of lengthy conversation without Marinette tripping – either physically or over her own tongue. Lila had pulled back from Adrien a bit, barely talking to him all week, but constantly studying him, as if she were appraising him. Chloé, on the other hand, was more clingy than usual. She kept telling him how perfect he was, and that any woman who would want any man other than him must be insane.

The whole week, people were treating him with kid gloves, like a major secret they all shared could break him. Just remembering how odd everyone had been acting gave Adrien another chill, so he tucked himself into bed, pulling the sheets tight around him.

Actually, we didn't start dating until this past Saturday. Marinette's voice popped into Adrien's head. His skin started feeling clammy again.

"Was that the big secret? Was that why everyone was acting differently around me all of a sudden?"

"Huh?" Plagg finished his cheese, and floated over to Adrien's bed.

"Marinette starting to date Luka. The first people to act weird were either members of Luka's band Kitty Section, or Marinette's closest friends like Alya and Alix. Alya even said today that the big group date thing was to celebrate Marinette and Luka finally dating. That has to be what everyone was talking about all week, right?" Adrien couldn't stop shivering, despite how tightly he wrapped the sheets around himself.

"Why act weird around me, though? Why didn't anyone want to tell me? Even today, Marinette didn't seem like she wanted to tell me. I know she likes Luka a lot-" Adrien ignored his heart beating hard enough that he could feel it. "She looked so happy all week, and it was probably because she's finally with the guy she likes. Why wouldn't she be more excited about telling me about it? If I could actually be with Ladybug I know I wouldn't want to shut up about it."

"I dunno." Plagg drifted to the pillow on the other side of Adrien's head, snuggling himself into the down. His voice was sleepy and disinterested. "Maybe they were worried about how you'd react."

"I'm Marinette's friend. I'm Luka's friend. Why wouldn't I be happy for them?"

"'Cuz they think you like Marinette?" Plagg yawned.

Adrien's eyes shot open wide. He couldn't believe that was the reason. There was no way! How could anyone think Adrien had a crush on Marinette? Just that afternoon Nino thought Adrien liked Kagami. Clearly Marinette was just a friend. A friend he would have been happy for, as long as she was in a good place. And she was with Luka. They were good together. Luka was a great guy. He'd treat Marinette well, like she deserved.

Adrien couldn't understand why anyone would think he'd be heartbroken to find out that Marinette was dating someone. It wasn't like he wanted to date her. It was silly that his friends seemed to think he did.

Totally insane.

She was a friend.

Just a friend.

He didn't have a crush on her.

Did he?

Thank you for reading

*Closing Notes*

As wonderful and fluffy as my conclusion to "I Was Thinking Of You" was, I wondered how Adrien would react to Marinette giving up on him, even if he didn't quite realize that was what was going on. The girls - Alya, Juleka, Rose, Mylene, and Alix - all knew about Marinette's love for Adrien, and, based on their pow-wow in Frozer, they seemed to believe Adrien liked Marinette back, at least at some level. So I thought they would be the main ones trying to "protect" Adrien from the news of Marinette and Luka finally getting together. By extension, while I don't think Ivan ever found out about Marinette's crush, I do suspect Mylene did let him know about the chaos surrounding Marinette's unrequited love, so I'm sure Ivan is happy Mari doesn't have to deal with that mess anymore.

I am a strong believer that Lila doesn't truly have romantic feelings for Adrien. She just finds him attractive, and wants to date him for the status symbol of it: something everyone would envy her for; something to make people jealous with. After finding out that Marinette, someone almost obsessively in love with Adrien, was dating someone else, and was incredibly happy about it, probably messed a bit with Lila's head as well. She probably wondered if Adrien wasn't as much of the "most eligible bachelor" as she thought. Maybe he isn't worth pursuing after all, which is why she spent the week studying him.

Chloe, on the other hand, got super defensive when she discovered Marinette's relationship. She may have been one of the last people to discover Marinette's crush, but after doing so, Chloe was just as shocked as Lila to find out that Marinette had moved on and was happy with someone other than Adrien. Clearly Marinette Dupain-Cheng was insane, and Chloe was going to make sure Adrien knew he was still worthy of love.

And Plagg, poor, sweet, exhausted Plagg. It killed him to not just burst out with "YOU COULD HAVE GONE ON A DATE WITH LADYBUG IF YOU HAD EVER ACTUALLY ASKED MARINETTE OUT, YOU DING-DONG!"

Anyway, thank you so much for reading. It means so much to me that you'd spend some of your time with my stories.

~LycoRogue~