Hello everyone and welcome to my new story! This is a small, short idea has been in the works for months and I've finally gotten around to writing and publishing it. I hope that you guys enjoy it. And don't worry, there are no spoilers for the second half of season two in this story. Mainly because I planned this story out before most of the second half of the season came out. So this story is AU in a way, I guess? For the sake of this story, I'm pretending the episode 'Frozer' never happened.
Rated T to be safe.
I do not own Miraculous Ladybug. This is just fanfiction written for fun.
~ Chat Vert ~
Chapter 1: Romantic Master Plan
Today was the day.
Today was the day that Marinette was finally going to tell Adrien how she felt about him.
That was the very first thought that entered Marinette's mind as she twisted around in her bed to reach for her phone and switch her alarm off. As soon as she did this, the nerves began to creep in. It was like someone had reached a hand inside her abdomen and was squeezing her stomach in their vice-like grip. All she wanted to do was hide under her bed covers, her heart fluttering anxiously in her chest as Adrien's face filled her mind.
What on earth was she thinking? She couldn't do this.
Despite the rigid plan that she, Alya and Nino had put in place, there was no doubt in Marinette's mind that something was going to go wrong. It always did. Because despite being blessed with the possession of the ladybug miraculous, the power of creation and good luck, Marinette always found herself to be very much the opposite. She never had good luck, especially where Adrien was concerned. And all she could do was ruin and destroy things.
But she couldn't just not show up. That would look rude and weird. Alya and Nino would never let her live it down, and Marinette would have to live with that eternal embarrassment. She had promised them that this time she wouldn't chicken out. After all, Nino and Alya had been confident that it was Marinette that Adrien had been talking about that day. Heck, even Marinette was sure it was her. Who else could Adrien have been talking about?
However, no matter how much Marinette tried to reassure herself, nothing seemed to be working. Nothing could shift the terrible feeling she felt deep within her gut. Something was bound to go wrong. Maybe she had got it wrong, or maybe she would make a fool of herself, and Adrien would never want to talk to her again because she was such an awkward and embarrassing person to be around. What if she got tongue tied? What if she tripped and accidentally knocked Adrien over, causing him to break his ankle, ruining his modelling career and angering his father, meaning that Adrien would be pulled out of school, and he would blame her for it, and Marinette would never ever see him again?!
Maybe she should call Alya and claim she was sick? Oh, but that would be no use, Alya would see right through her immediately.
"Marinette?" The sweet voice of her kwami, Tikki, called. "Aren't you going to get up? I thought today was the big day?"
In response, Marinette grabbed hold of her pillow and placed it tightly over her head in the small hope that maybe, just maybe, she could suffocate herself. That way, she wouldn't have to face anyone. No such look though, and Marinette could already imagine the smug grin that was appearing on Tikki's face right now. Her little red kwami hadn't exactly been convinced when Marinette vowed that she would not back out this time and actually admit her feelings to Adrien.
"Come on, Marinette," Tikki sighed, her voice growing closer as she floated towards her, "you're supposed to be meeting Alya in the park in around twenty minutes. I thought you said you couldn't risk letting this opportunity pass?"
"I'm not going," Marinette mumbled from under her pillow. Soon enough she could feel Tikki trying to pry the pillow off Marinette's head, but she clung on as tightly as she could, not letting it budge. Her heart was beginning to beat a million miles per hour and she was starting to feel sick. There was no way she could do this. What if she puked all over Adrien out of nervousness? Marinette had never really thought about it before, but there were just so many different things that could go wrong. They obviously hadn't been as thorough in their planning as they had previously thought. Marinette wasn't prepared for every situation.
"What?" Tikki gasped. "You can't chicken out now. You promised."
"I can, and I will," Marinette grumbled.
"But what about the plan? What happened to you saying that this was the best chance you would get to finally admit your feelings for Adrien?"
Marinette sighed and finally came out from under her pillow, sitting up in bed as she hugged it tightly to her chest. The sinking feeling in her stomach still refused to go away, and Marinette took that to be a very bad omen. She usually got nervous, sure, but never this nervous. Her nerves were never accompanied by intense feelings of dread and foreboding. Marinette felt like she was going out into some kind of battle, knowing there was only a small chance that she would come out alive. Which was ironic considering she battled akumas all the time with no issue.
"The plan is stupid and isn't going to work," Marinette groaned, gripping her dark hair.
"But…"
"But nothing Tikki." Marinette could feel herself beginning to panic more and more. "It probably wasn't even me he was talking about."
That stupid conversation she had overheard between Adrien and Nino had been what started this whole thing. Marinette was so confident at first, but now doubt was creeping in and wrapping its dreaded claws around her throat, preventing her from moving or doing anything. All three of them had been convinced that it was Marinette that he had been talking about, but what if it wasn't? What if they had been wrong?
Marinette was starting to wish she had never even overheard the conversation. Why did she have to go into the library at that very moment? Why had she and Alya idiotically hid behind the bookshelf and purposefully listened in? She had only gone and got her hopes up and was probably just going to end up disappointed.
But at the time, Marinette stupidly couldn't resist…
Her heart had fluttered in her chest as she caught sight of Adrien, sitting alone in front of a pile of textbooks in the library. He looked like he wasn't even concentrating on his work as he stared off into space with an almost dreamy expression on his face. That had caught Marinette off guard. Seen as an akuma had just finished attacking, it came as a bit of a shock to see Adrien looking such a way. Had he hit his head or something during the ensuing chaos?
Marinette sincerely hoped not. If that was the case, then she wouldn't be able to stop blaming herself. She should have kept a better eye on things and made sure that no one got hurt. She wanted to approach him, to sit with him, to go over and ask if he was okay. But as always, it was like an invisible wall kept stopping her. As much as she wanted to, her anxiety and shyness always won the battle, and all Marinette could do was remain awkwardly standing by the bookshelves, occasionally peering at Adrien through a small gap, watching as he continued to stare into space.
"Hey, dude, what's got you looking so dreamy?" Nino's sudden appearance made both Adrien and Marinette jump.
Nino gave Adrien a light tap on the shoulder before sitting down next to him and smirking.
"W-what?" Adrien stuttered.
"You were totally in your own little world there, dude," Nino chuckled. "Daydreaming about something or someone in particular?"
"No!" Adrien answered a little too quickly and defensively.
"Hey, girl, what are you doing hanging out back here?" Alya's voice and sudden appearance caused Marinette to jump again. She whipped around quickly to pull Alya towards her and out of sight, making sure that they were both hidden from Adrien and Nino.
"Whoa! Hey! What are you doing?" Alya demanded in shock and confusion, but Marinette quickly pressed her finger against her best friend's lips.
"Ssssh!" Marinette begged, cursing that she had probably missed a good chunk of the conversation now.
"Oh, I see," Alya whispered, smirking, "spying on Adrien again?"
"I do not spy on Adrien!" Marinette hissed in protest.
"Uh huh, and just what exactly do you call what you're doing right now?"
Marinette glared at Alya in response before leaning forward to listen better, peeking through the tiny gap in the bookshelves. Whatever was going on, Nino was looking increasingly smug while Adrien was beginning to look more and more uncomfortable.
"Oh, you can't deny it now, man, you totally have a crush on someone; it's obvious!" Nino teased, poking his best friend in the arm.
Marinette's eyes widened and she instantly turned back around to stare at Alya in shock and fear. Alya too looked just as shocked before shrugging to let Marinette know that she was just as confused. They both leaned closer, fighting to look at what was going on through the small gap. Adrien was rubbing the back of his head awkwardly while Nino seemed to be growing increasingly excited.
"So come on then!" Nino nudged him. "Who is it?"
"No one!" Adrien protested.
"You're a terrible liar, Adrien."
Adrien's face grew increasingly red as he looked down at the table, balling his hands into fists on his lap. The whole time, Marinette could feel her heart trying to escape from her chest, and a tight knot had formed in her throat, making it difficult for her to breathe. Adrien had a crush on someone? Who? Chloé? Someone else? Someone that Marinette didn't know?
At those thoughts, Marinette could feel her heart beginning to crack, as if one more mere whisper would shatter it into a million tiny pieces. Marinette should have known. Why would Adrien ever pay attention to someone like her anyway? Why go with clumsy, unextraordinary Marinette, when he probably had a huge selection of supermodels to choose from? Adrien had always been way out of her league, yet she tried to chase him anyway and allowed herself to have all of these feelings for him.
Marinette fought back tears as she could feel Alya gently placing a hand on her shoulder.
"It's…it's…embarrassing…" Adrien admitted at last.
"Embarrassing?" Nino repeated in confusion. "There's nothing embarrassing about having a crush on someone."
"It's more than that though, Nino," Adrien sighed, leaning back in his chair.
"What? Oooooh." Nino quickly realised. "You're in loooove!"
"Ssssh!" Adrien begged, clamping a hand over Nino's mouth before looking around. Marinette quickly ducked behind the bookcase again. She wanted to run away right now. To run away back home, lock herself in her room and cry all night. Adrien was in love with someone. And that someone probably wasn't her. It couldn't be.
"Dude, this is big news!" Nino exclaimed once Adrien had released his hold on his mouth. "Who is she?"
Realising that Marinette might finally be able to hear a name, she peered at them through the gap again, her nails digging into the wood of the bookcase. She could feel that Alya was just as tense next to her, her hand still gripping Marinette's shoulder as she too tried to get a better look at what was going on.
"I…I've said too much already," Adrien mumbled, his face turning bright red again.
"Just tell me, man," Nino begged, "I promise not to tell anyone."
"I…I can't…"
Nino thought for a moment. "Is it someone I know?"
Adrien remained silent, and Marinette could see him cringing in on himself.
"It is, isn't it?" Nino gasped.
Again, Adrien didn't say a word.
"No way! At least give me some sort of clue!"
"Well…" Adrien suddenly sounded as dreamy as he looked earlier, "she's very beautiful, both inside and out. She's very smart, and she always puts others before herself. Her hair is all shiny and black, and –" Adrien quickly cut himself off once he realised he was rambling and saying too much.
Marinette felt her heart stop. Black hair? But…the only girl Marinette knew that Adrien knew who had black hair was…herself.
"He's talking about you, girl!" Alya squealed excitedly in Marinette's ear.
"Really?! I mean…he couldn't be…could he?" Marinette gasped out, losing control of her breathing.
"Yes!" Alya squealed again. "What other girls do we know who have black hair?"
"Errrr…Juleka?"
Alya rolled her eyes. "Her hair is black and purple. Besides, she's with Rose."
"L-Ladybug?" Marinette squeaked.
"Now you're just being silly," Alya sighed before getting excited again, "he was totally talking about you. Adrien Agreste is in love with you!"
Marinette had never felt her heart leap for joy as much as she did in that moment. Could…could this be true? Marinette couldn't help but be in denial, but…she had indeed heard it herself. Adrien Agreste had let slip that he was in love with a girl with black hair. It still could be anyone, but Adrien had pretty much confirmed that it was someone that both he and Nino knew. And the only black haired friend they had in common was…was Marinette.
Adrien Agreste was in love with her?!
"Oh my god," Marinette choked as she turned to look up at Alya in horror, "Alya, what do I do?" Marinette began bouncing on the spot in panic.
"Tell him how you feel?" Alya stated as if it was obvious.
"Are you nuts?!" Marinette shrieked. "I can't do that! I'll get all tongue tied, I'll make a fool of myself and then maybe he won't love me anymore because he realised how much of an awkward, clumsy person I am and –"
Alya rolled her eyes and placed her hands on Marinette's shoulders to stop her from bouncing around.
"Chillax girl, I'll workshop it with you," Alya offered, "we can plan everything down to the last detail. That way we can make sure that nothing goes wrong and that you and Adrien will be together by the end of it. Nino and I will be there to help you every step of the way."
"Really?" Marinette whispered.
Alya nodded.
"Alya, you're the best!" Marinette pulled her best friend into a tight hug, kissing her cheek before squeezing her even tighter.
"N-no problem." Alya gasped for air, finally managing to pull herself free from Marinette's grip to stare at her seriously.
"But seriously, Marinette," Alya said, "you're going to have to commit to this. No chickening out this time. Love is at stake here!"
"Right," Marinette squeaked nervously. "I can do this."
"You can do this," Alya repeated in agreement, smiling proudly at her.
"I'm going to tell Adrien how I feel!" Marinette proclaimed excitedly, starting to giggle in anticipation. "We're finally going to be together!"
And it was from then that Nino and Alya came back to her house every night that week. They spent hours together, trying to formulate the perfect plan. Alya coached her through what she was going to say, giving her a script to memorise while also telling Marinette that she also needed to try and speak from the heart. Nino had often acted as Adrien's stand in which Marinette found a bit weird at times. Nino also promised to try and work on Adrien to get him to confess his feelings as well, but after revealing what he did in the library, Adrien pretty much clamped up after that, refusing to talk about it with Nino.
After the hours and hours of planning, Marinette had gone to bed last night feeling pretty confident. She had memorised everything she was going to say, and this time, she would not stutter…she hoped. She was going to tell him how she felt, and then he was going to admit that he felt the same. Then they would get married, have three children and cute little pet hamster.
But as Marinette laid in bed that night, the doubtful thoughts began to seep in. Its shadow had been leering over her the entire time, but it was only now that Marinette was finally starting to notice it. There were indeed so many things that could go wrong. It was likely going to end in disaster, and Marinette had just been kidding herself this whole time.
"Marinette, I'm sure that it was you," Tikki tried to reassure her. "Remember that poem you found? He was talking about a girl with dark hair and blue eyes then. It has to be you."
"But what if I make a total fool of myself?" Marinette whimpered.
"Adrien loves you for who you are, Marinette. Your clumsiness is what makes you unique and special. No matter what happens, Adrien will still love you, especially if it's true love."
Marinette looked down deep in thought.
"And even if the worst does happen," Tikki continued, "if Adrien says no, at least then you know where you stand with him and you don't have to spend all of this time wondering."
"Adrien could say no?" Marinette squeaked in fear.
Tikki groaned and rolled her eyes. "It would be delusional to say that there isn't at least a small chance that could happen, but I'm confident that it was you that he was talking about, Marinette. A girl both he and Nino knew with black hair. I know that you can do this Marinette. This is something that you have wanted to do for almost as long as I've known you."
Marinette sighed before looking up in determination. "You're right, Tikki. This is something I need to get off my chest. And it could lead to us finally being together. I promised myself that I would do this."
"That's the spirit, Marinette!" Tikki cheered. "But – ummm – you might want to get going."
Marinette picked up her phone and glanced at the time. "Oh no! I'm running late!" She shrieked. At that, Marinette leapt out of bed as fast as she possibly could. She began brushing her teeth as she attempted to get dressed, unknowingly spilling toothpaste down her shirt as she pulled it over her head. She brushed her hair as she tried to pull on her jacket, while all Tikki could do was watch hopelessly. The whole time, Marinette kept trying to go over what she was going to say in her head, her mind suddenly going completely blank like it would often do before an important test.
Adrien, I've been watching you for a while and…no, too creepy.
Every time I see you, my heart skips a beat…too cheesy.
What were those perfect words that Marinette had come up with?
Oh no.
This was already a total disaster. She had already forgotten everything. She didn't even have time to get ready properly, and Marinette began to freak out even more, her hand shaking as she tried to do her eyeliner, creating ugly squiggly lines that were not even, nor match the other eye. Marinette groaned to herself and tried in vain to even them out as best as she could, finally giving up as Alya sent her a text to ask her where she was.
Panicking, Marinette forgot about trying to properly get ready, and instead just grabbed her phone, shoved it in her purse and began running out the door. Tikki quickly followed, hiding inside Marinette's purse just in time before she made it downstairs. Her parents were eating breakfast in the kitchen and looked startled by how terror-stricken their daughter looked in that moment.
"I'm meeting Alya in the park, I'll see you later," Marinette said breathlessly, giving her startled and confused parents quick kisses on the cheeks before she ran out the front door. In her haste, Marinette nearly tripped and fell down the stairs, but luckily she caught herself just in time.
Today was supposed to be the day she told Adrien how she felt. And she was already off to a great start.
Marinette just hoped that nothing else would go wrong.
Hmmmm. Way to jinx yourself, Marinette. Well, that was the first chapter. Please feel free to me know your thoughts and opinions in a review. It always really helps me out. See you all again soon.