A NOTE ON THE TEXT: Dialogue that is spoken in { } is to be understood to be in English, whereas everything else, unless otherwise stated, should be understood to be in French. Which is a little funny because I'm obviously WRITING in English, but hey. Mon française est vraiment mauvais. Enjoy!
"Which leads us to just one last thing for the day," Mme. Bustier continued, adjusting her glasses, "this year's class trip."
A hushed silence fell over the room. Not a single shuffle could be heard. The teacher sighed. If only they could be this attentive during the actual lessons...
"Your class' fundraiser at the Dupain-Cheng bakery was surprisingly sucessful, and because of that, plus a generous donation from the Agreste family, it's my pleasure to tell you that this year..." A deep breath of preparation: "We will be flying over to New York City for two wee-"
The end of the sentence was drowned out by an ecstatic yell from the student body. Marinette threw her arms up in the air and turned to Alya.
"We did it! I told you we could!"
Alya faked a bow, "Madame Class President, I never should have doubted your powers."
Marinette puffed out her chest, affecting the haughtiest voice she could muster. "Rome? London? Pfft! We're not like all the other school trips you've been on. When you've got me in charge of fundraising, we take you to all the way to EAGLE Land!"
"Where freedom comes with every burger and fries," Alya mimed a little flag in the air, before laughing. "No, but seriously girl? I'm impressed. Great job."
"Yeah, great work, Marinette," came another voice, from in front of her desk. Marinette snapped to attention, finding herself locked in the bright green gaze of Adrien Agreste. He smiled at her. "I'm really excited. It's been forever since I've been to New York."
"U-uh, I mean-" Alya watched in consternation as Marinette's brain went full Google Translate trying to turn 'Crush' into 'French'. "I- uh... it wasn't j-just me, really! Your family gave men-MONEY, too!"
"Not that much, honestly." Adrien said, bashfully. "It was just a little we had lying around, and I figured the class could use it more than we could."
Marinette swallowed nervously. She knew that the Agreste family had agreed to match whatever she and her family had raised at the bakery, which was no small amount. Clearing her throat, she prepared to engage in an actual conversation with Adrien. This was a big moment for her - she knew she couldn't screw it up.
"W-when was the last time you were born?"
"...pardon?"
Shit.
"AH! I meant 'burning'. 'Boring'. 'Bored'. NO." Marinette's face began to heat up. She swept her arms across the desk in front of her, as if trying to clear her mind to form a real sentence that made big people sense. "I MEANT to say 'When was the last time you were uuuUHHHHH-a-BOARD a metalbird'? Plane. They're called 'planes', wait-"
Alya sighed, face in hands. Marinette was in all likelihood one of the most capable and brilliant women she knew, but the moment she got an Agreste in her sights, the girl was a god damn train wreck. Adrien, for his part, seemed to still be trying to parse out what exactly Marinette was trying to say, which Alya was sure was about as easy as watching a Japanese film without subtitles. Marinette was drowning. Alya offered a life preserver:
"Hey, when was the last time you were in New York, Adrien?" she intoned helpfully, demonstrating rather successfully how a normal functioning human would say the sentence. Marinette was still caught in some strange loop of b-words that she couldn't quite shake herself out of.
Adrien glanced up at the ceiling. "Oh jeez, I dunno. Last year for the Fashion Week, I think? I always forget when that is, to be honest." He shrugged, fixing Marinette and Alya with a smile. "I used to go more, but public school seemed more important."
"Ah, Fashion Week!" Alya smiled, hitting on what she hoped would be a topic that Marinette could form a thought about. She tapped her friend on the shoulder. "My girl here loves fashion week, being an aspiring designer and all. Isn't that right, Mari?"
"B-BARCODES!"
Neither Adrien nor Alya knew exactly how to respond to that.
Unfortunately, before they could get to the bottom of that mystery, Mme. Bustier cleared her throat, trying to impart on her students the importance of filing for visas.
"Yeah, um... I'll talk to you guys later," Adrien said with a bit of a confused glance, before turning back around to give the teacher his full attention.
Marinette sunk deeper into her seat, face in hands.
"...I blacked out for a few seconds there. How exactly did that conversation go?" she whispered to Alya.
"I've said this to you before but: Train. Wreck."
"But why did she scream 'barcodes'?" Nino asked, brow furrowed. The day was ending, and with Adrien having headed out early for some vague 'scheduling reason', Nino had decided to stick with his girlfriend and her best friend.
"I don't know why I said it!" Marinette grabbed angrily at her homework in her locker. She hadn't been able to meet Adrien's eyes for the rest of the school day, and doubt she'd probably have the guts to tomorrow.
Alya patted her shoulder. "She was stuck on b-words."
"Ah. Well, better than some other letters, I guess," Nino said, looking up thoughtfully.
Marinette sighed, pushing her forehead gently against the side of the metal. "I just don't get it. I just don't get why I'm such a spaz around him."
Alya shrugged, face in her phone. "You got it bad. As in, 'sometimes it's hard to tell if you're having a stroke or not' bad." Alya clicked her phone off and looked at her raven-haired friend sympathetically. "I set you up good on that one, too."
Marinette pointed, not looking, "Oh, your wingman-ing was great. That wasn't the issue, I just... I don't know. It's just every time..."
Nino glanced at his watch. "Maybe it would help if you thought of him as someone else?"
Marinette looked over at her friend, curiously.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, you don't have a problem talking to anyone else in class. Hell, the only person I've ever seen you tongue-tied around is Adrien. And I get it - you're crushing hard, but maybe it would help if he wasn't Adrien for five minutes? Like you know how people say if you're nervous talking in front of a class, you should just imagine everyone in their underwear? What if you do that, but just like... with his face?"
Marinette closed her locker, thoughtfully. "I guess it's worth a shot."
"Girl, anything is worth a shot at this point. At the rate you're going, you won't be able to introduce yourself to him before university."
"Yeah..." Marinette looked down at the ground, shouldering her bag. The trio started to head out into the Parisian streets. It was warm out today. Marinette wondered idly if New York would be warmer or colder.
"Maybe it'll be easier if you think of someone who kinda looks the same?" Nino slipped his arm around Alya. "You have any other blonde friends?"
After a beat, a small smirk played at the edge of Marinette's mouth. "Yeah, I think I've got someone in mind."
She had to talk to that dumb alley cat soon, anyway.
It had been a quiet night - no activity to speak of. Paris' most famous icon was lit up like a lighthouse, shining out silently across the streets and their arrondissements. It was a beacon of hope, and momentary peace. In her moments of doubt, Ladybug liked to think that maybe - just maybe - she brought a similar kind of warmth to the people of her city. Plain, boring Marinette could never be compared to a monument, but perhaps Ladybug could.
"Say, Chat," she began, swinging her legs off the side of the metal girding.
"Yes, milady?" Chat Noir twirled his tail idly. He didn't mind the down nights. It meant conversations like this could happen.
"Well," Ladybug wet her lips, "you know I don't like to discuss... personal stuff."
"Yes, a well-documented facet of our paw-tnership."
"Right, um," she looked up at the sky. "So, I've got to go away for a few weeks starting next Monday. It's really not a big deal or anything - like I said, it's just personal stuff, but I wanted to let you know. Make sure you'd be okay with it."
Chat stopped spinning his tail for a moment, curious and a little concerned. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, it's just..." she sighed, "it's just this... thing, and I've been looking forward to it for a while, so. Yeah. If... that's alright?"
After a moment, he laughed softly. "Well, it's been a dry spell lately for akuma activity - a very long dry spell - so we'll probably be fine. I have to say though: not the best timing, milady. I actually have to leave soon, too."
Ladybug glanced up at her partner, curiously. "What do you mean?"
"It's a similar thing," he intoned, sighing. "It's... it's actually a class trip, to be dead honest."
Ladybug smirked. 'tis the season, she thought. "You go to lycée?"
"Don't you?"
"Well, yeah, but..."
But I'm just boring Marinette. You, Chat Noir? You could be damn near anyone. Chat caught her eyes, waiting earnestly on her next words. She frowned. "Too personal."
Chat mimed an arrow wound to the heart. "Ah! My lady wounds me again! When will I earn her truest trust?!"
Ladybug stood, laughing good-naturedly. "Too dramatic by half, chaton. You should have been an actor, not a superhero." She punched his shoulder playfully. A moment of silence fell between the two friends. After a moment, she looked at him. "You have my trust, you know that, right?"
Chat's breath caught a little in his throat. No matter how many times he saw it, he could never quite get over that shade of blue. He nodded. "Yeah, I know. I apologize for my im-purr-tinance." The bow he affected afterwards garnered him an eye-roll, but another smile.
Not that the crimson-clad superhero would know this, but the boy behind Chat's mask collected Ladybug's smiles. At his weakest moments in his father's palatial mansion, that boy would live off the memory of their warmth.
"Right, right." Ladybug sighed, looking out over the water. Chat stood beside her and joined in the appreciation of the view. Ladybug started to speak, and then thought better of it, closing her mouth softly.
"What's up, bug?" he prompted.
"No, it's stupid."
"I promise I will do everything in my power not to mock or pun."
Ladybug cocked an eyebrow at him. "A rare moment of quiet from you? Wow, what did I do to get so lucky?"
"You're Ladybug. I hear you're good with luck."
She snorted a laugh before turning back to the city. "No, it's just that where I'm going on the trip? They mostly speak English, and I... I mean, well I can't."
Truth be told, even with all her unexplained absences, Marinette was a reasonably ace student in lycée. Except for one glaring class just chock full of failure. English had managed to drag down her GPA just severely and often for Marinette to dread its looming application in the states.
Stupid nonsense language... she thought darkly to herself.
Chat stifled a laugh, prompting Ladybug to shoot a glare.
"Hey."
"My apologies! Your intellect is sharp as your beauty: it's a bit of a shock to discover milady is not bilingual."
"Oh, no I am."
"Really?"
"Yes, in addition to French, I'm also fluent in 'idiot cat'."
Chat glanced down to find her smirking up at him, a joke in her eyes. After a moment he burst into laughter. "Ah, but that's really too bad your voyage is so soon!" Chat continued. "I'm actually reasonably good with English. I could have given you lessons. Helped to train your tongue." He winked.
Bold.
Ladybug's brows arched. She crossed her arms. "Oh, really?"
Chat Noir nodded, "No, seriously though. I watch a lot of American movies."
She drummed her fingers on her arm. "I don't believe you."
"{Well, what do you want me to say, then?}" Chat Noir rattled off, in nearly perfect accent-less English. "{I love movies, sure, but I could also just go on and on about the NBA. LeBron James? A national hero, no matter what side of the pond you're on.}" Chat pretended to throw a basketball into an imaginary hoop. "{Three points!}"
Chat relished the look of genuine shock on his Lady's face. She very quickly fought to wipe it from her features, but the damage was done. He took the opportunity to grab her fingers in his and kiss the back of her hand. "{It's an older quote, but it's one I've always wanted to use on you: You had me at hello.}"
"Okay, now you're just showing off."
Chat laughed, shrugging. "Guilty as charged."
Ladybug leaned back, exasperated. "Buuuugggghhh! I get enough crap from my parents for being so bad at English, but you're also, like, a fluent speaker? What the hell, Chat Noir?! How do you know it so well?!" When she looked back at Chat, there was a regretful smile in his eyes.
"Too personal, Buginette," was all he said, before his miraculous began to beep. Ladybug's joined him in chorus a moment later.
She sighed. "We'd better get going. Nothing's going to happen tonight. And hopefully for the next two weeks."
"Hey," Chat Noir touched her arm softly, just enough to get her to turn back. "I know that next Monday isn't a lot of time to prepare, but if I may make a suggestion? Listen to American pop music. When I was studying, it really helped cement things like pronunciation and cadence. Heck, even just useful phrases that you can pop out from time to time. In my experience, there's no faster way to learn a language than through music."
There were no puns attached and no overly dramatic flourishes to downplay emotions. Chat Noir was just being... nice. Genuine. Ladybug felt a small warmth spread in her chest, in a place that usually only Adrien was allowed.
She smiled at him.
"That's... really sweet, Chaton. Thank you, I'll keep that in mind."
She tossed up her yo-yo and prepared to swing.
"I..."
Ladybug paused, looking back.
"Hm?"
Chat Noir looked unsure of what exactly he was about to say. After a moment, he gathered himself and bowed. "I hope you have an im-paw-sibly relaxing vacation, milady. I'm sure it will be the cat's meow."
Chat Noir's eyes went wide as he felt the soft push of Ladybug's hand on the top of his head. After a quick pat, she leaned near his ears - his real ear. He felt the heat of her breath when she whispered:
"I'm gonna miss you too, kitty."
And with that she was away.
Upon returning home, Tikki had retired to her cookies and a nap, but Marinette wasn't yet tired. She took her second shower for the day, moreso to feel the water run over her skin than for any desire to actually be clean. Showers helped her think, and she couldn't sleep yet.
She wondered, and not for the first time, at her incredible luck. That the girl who was her and yet was nothing like her had not one but two best friends. She knew that she was blessed, somehow. Ladybug allowed her to do to what she was born to do, what so many people could only dream of - hell, when she had the spots on, she could practically fly. But there was always the disconnect as well.
She was two girls with the same face. One of them had a mask, but with the mask came a whole different part of herself. Marinette liked the compartmentalization, to a degree; Ladybug wouldn't spaz out around her crush the way Marinette might. Marinette was just a girl, after all. Marinette was just...
...a train wreck.
She turned off the water and started to dry herself off. Marinette had never been the biggest fan of her own body. She knew that her suit left little to the imagination, but the spots dazzled. Near anyone would look good in them. She could only imagine that mystique and excitement was most of what Chat Noir was actually attracted to. The cat was a shameless flirt, but she knew that deep down most of it was harmless.
They were friends. Partners. Closeness came with the territory.
Not for the first time, Marinette wondered if she ever could be attracted to Chat Noir. He was a little handsome, in his own roguish kinda way, but she felt like the partnership would always be more important than that. First and foremost they had to work together. What if they were a couple and they fought? How would that clog up the gears of their partnership? Would he still be on the same page with her in a fight, like he always was?
And besides, if they did attempt to start something, what would he do if he ever found out that she was just... well, she was...
Marinette's hand glided over the fog on her mirror, revealing her face.
She attempted a smile.
Those spots really could dazzle a boy.
Tikki was still snoozing when Marinette walked in and laid down. She still didn't feel tired. She found her thoughts drifting at first to Adrien, and then to Chat Noir. Lazily she tried to push their faces together in their head.
Impossible. She was fond of Chat, and Adrien was of course perfect, but they were too separate for words.
Well, it was a good thought, Nino.
Giving up, she opened her phone again and slipped in her headphones. She started browsing through music on the iTunes store.
Lorde was from New Zealand. They spoke English. Was Lorde any good?
The plane ride was long, and Alya was restless. Her foot kept tapping on the aisle, prompting Marinette to turn up her music again and again. Movies were unfortunately out of the question, at least in terms of improving in any measure - the plane only had the dubs.
"I can't take this," Alya grumbled, throwing her hands in the air. "This is the longest thing ever."
"You could try to sleep," Marinette offered.
"I'm not tired. I went to bed early last night." Alya's head perked up. "Is that what you're supposed to do for jet lag, of is that the opposite of what you're supposed to do?"
Marinette took out an earphone, shrugging. She typed a phrase into the Google Translate app on her phone. Looking over her shoulder, Alya nudged her.
"Whatcha doing?"
"Nothing really. I heard somewhere that listening to music in English might help me practice, so I bought some music recently and I've been typing out some phrases. Hey, how do you spell {liability}?"
"It's the song title," Alya pointed. "It's spelled right there on your phone."
Marinette slumped forward. "Man, I am bad at this."
She felt a small tap on her shoulder, and followed Alya's eyes up to the aisle. Adrien was in the middle of removing something from his bag. He had flown first class, at his father's insistence (and in his father's company), and the girls could just make him out beyond the divider.
Alya leaned over and whispered in Marinette's ear, "I've done you a favor, by the way."
"Oh?"
Alya nodded proudly. "Wingman of the year." Marinette giggled.
"I mean, I don't doubt that. I just hope I'll be able to do anything with the opportunities."
"Oh, you won't have a choice. You'll have to interact with him."
"What? Why?"
"Because Adrien and Nino are staying in our suite."
Everything in Marinette's brain came to a screeching halt.
She couldn't make words for several moments - her mouth had stopped working altogether, in any language. Grabbing Alya by the shoulders, Marinette spun the other girl so she could look into her eyes, and make sure that this wasn't some cruel joke.
"You wh-WHAT?"
"I pulled some strings," Alya shrugged, clearly very pleased with herself. "The class had to be four to a room. I figured that if the setup was like that, we could say we'd crash boy/boy, girl/girl, but when the chaperones went to bed for the night, Nino and I could crash together in one of the rooms, and you and Adrien could, well, y'know-"
Marinette's heart exploded. She was dead now.
Blood rushing to her face, she started waving her hands in front of her. "No no no no no no no no no NO, Alya, are you insane?!"
Alya shot some finger guns her friend's way. "The best kind of insane!"
"But a million things could go wrong! It's probably illegal somehow! I'm not going to American jail! Or, like, wh-what if he walks in when my suitcase is open and he sees l-like, my u-u-un-" Marinette couldn't even force the word out. She swallowed. "Something private?"
"Well then, I hope ya brought cute panties, girl. Because this shit is happening." There was a scary kind of triumph on the face of Alya Césaire, a finality in her voice that insisted there were no other rooming options left available.
Marinette leaned back in her seat, forcing shallow breaths. There was no way. There was no way this was going to go well or happen easily. She still couldn't speak full sentences to the boy, and now they were going to be in the same room for two weeks? They were going to be sleeping only a few feet away from each other? For TWO weeks?
Glancing back up towards first class, she caught sight of Adrien again, who returned her gaze with a smile. He let out a small, friendly wave.
Marinette's hand drifted up in response.
"Oh my god, Alya, I'm not going to survive. I'm going to literally die in New York City."
"Well, I hear it's the 'greatest city on earth', so at least you've got that to look forward to."
"Alya, I think I'm going to throw up."
"New York is gonna be wild, girl."
Not that Marinette would have understood it even if she had still been listening, but from the long forgotten speakers leading to her phone, Lorde said
{I'm waiting for it. That green light. I want it.}