Hey guys! So I am terrible because I have completely lost muse for my Lorcisse fic now that everything that all this stuff has gone down on Reign. I promise to try and find it soon, and in the meantime I have a new fic - and fandom - to obsess over for a while. I absolutely adore Miraculous Ladybug (because I am a sucker for anything super hero and romance and secret identity) and have had this idea rattling around in my head for a while. Reviews would be hugely appreciated. Honest to goodness, guys, they mean the world to me and they motivate me to keep writing. But anywho, without further delay, here it is! I hope you guys enjoy!
When we were younger we thought
Everyone was on our side
Then we grew a little bit
And romanticized the time I saw
Flowers in your hair
Mrs. Tremblay was going to be furious.
Or at least, as furious as Mrs. Tremblay was capable of being. Marinette chewed on the inside of her cheek guiltily as she practically flew through the halls, her backpack jostling against her spine and textbook clutched tightly against her chest. Perhaps if it were any other teacher she would be truly terrified, but at the moment Marinette was more worried about embarrassing her teacher than herself.
"I'm the worst student," she muttered.
From a pocket in her backpack she heard Tiki's upbeat voice, though it was somewhat muffled. "Cheer up, Marinette. If it weren't for you, all of Paris would be underwater by now."
"But she doesn't know that." Marinette heaved a sigh. "I shouldn't have stayed so long to help the police. Maybe if that stupid cat hadn't left so early, I would have been able to make it back before - "
Her words cut off into a yelp as she rounded a corner and ran smack into something, her book dropping to the floor and narrowly missing her foot. Marinette stumbled back, cringing and rubbing her nose.
"I am so sorry. I'm late for class, I wasn't looking where I was going."
Marinette froze halfway down to picking up her book. Her eyes flickered upward and her heart leaped into her throat as she recognized perfectly swooping blonde hair and big green eyes. She swore the temperature in the hall rose ten degrees and she nearly fell over again just trying to pick up her book and keep her gaze locked on him at the same time.
"A-Adrien!" she stammered, offering him a too-wide grin. She straightened abruptly and held up her hand in a stiff wave. "H-history, right? That's where I'm going, too!"
His face lit up with a smile that nearly made her melt. "Perfect! We can be late together."
The idea of walking with Adrien, even the short distance to their classroom, made Marinette feel simultaneously ecstatic and nauseous. She nodded quickly, though, keeping that grin glued to her face as they both resumed their previous speed. Feeling bold, she glanced at him and managed to squeak out, "Why are you late?"
He hesitated for a moment and she briefly wondered if she was prying too much. His face relaxed back into it's smile quickly, though. "Photoshoot ran late. I swear, sometimes I feel like an absolutely terrible student for missing so much school. The teachers must all hate me."
"Hate you?" she laughed, though it sounded forced even to her. "How could anyone hate you? You're amazing." A pause, and she felt her face burn when she realized what she'd said. "At school! That's what I meant. You're amazing at school. And besides, at least you have a legitimate excuse."
"What's yours, then?"
She blinked at him blankly as they rounded another corner. "W-What's my what?"
"Your excuse?"
"Oh!" Marinette's heart jumped into her throat as she desperately racked her brain for something, anything. "My excuse! I do have one. It's, um - I overslept!"
Adrien looked at her incredulously. "It's the afternoon."
Her face grew impossibly hotter. "I meant to say that I, um. I fell asleep! During lunch, I fell asleep. It must have been that, er, that physics homework last night."
He seemed willing enough to accept her story, returning his attention forward as they neared the door to their classroom. "I don't blame you. It took me hours."
They entered the classroom at the same time, seemingly right in the middle of something. All eyes turned toward them. Marinette guessed that her face was as red as a tomato and she practically hid behind Adrien when Mrs. Tremblay glanced over at them.
Their history teacher was a petite, thin woman with glasses that were so big they practically covered her whole face. Her hair was a frizzy, springy mess that she combed back tightly into her bun, and she always seemed to be fidgeting with something. As her gaze met theirs, her face turned almost as red as Marinette's. "I - I hope you two have e-excellent excuses as to why you are late for m-my class?"
She always stuttered when she was trying to act strict.
"My photoshoot ran late because of the akuma attack, Mrs. Tremblay," Adrien explained sheepishly, moving toward his seat and leaving Marinette exposed. "You can call my father if you'd like to confirm."
"That won't b-be necessary." Mrs. Tremblay waved her hand dismissively, turning back toward Marinette. "And you?"
Marinette opened her mouth to spout out her own terrible excuse when Adrien cut her off. "Marinette was helping with the photoshoot. The seamstress we normally keep on hand for emergencies wasn't able to make it, and we needed someone with experience. I dragged Marinette into the shoot when she was walking by… probably on her way here, actually."
Marinette blinked, her heart hammering. Had Adrien just lied? For her? She wasn't sure which surprised her more - the fact that he'd done it or the fact that he'd done it so well. But then he flashed her a quick smile and Mrs. Tremblay was once again nodding compliantly and she found that she couldn't care as she sank into her chair beside Alya, who was shooting her a look that said she would be demanding an explanation later.
Mrs. Tremblay clasped her hands together, looking momentarily disoriented. "Where was I?" Her face lit up for a moment. "Ah, yes. I was about to make a wonderful announcement. This class seemed so enthusiastic about the Renaissance period, so I spoke with our principle. He agreed that our upcoming dance should have a historical masquerade theme!"
Marinette was certain she'd never seen their teacher look so delighted. She, too, felt a smile spread across her face. A historical masquerade was certainly different than anything they'd had before, and it beat the typical themes that the school usually came up with. She could design a dress that gave Renaissance fashion a modern twist. And besides, she always seemed for feel more comfortable behind a mask, anyway.
A high pitched keen startled her out of her thoughts and her head whipped toward where Chloe sat, one arm draped over her forehead in distress. "That is completely and totally unfair," she complained, dropping her arm and leaning forward onto her desk. "I had the perfect Under the Sea theme planned. I already bought my dress!"
Mrs. Tremblay's face began to turn pink again. "P-perhaps you can have alterations done, Chloe. After all, the theme has already b-been decided - "
Chloe narrowed her eyes and Marinette's heart sank as she saw her whip out her phone just as the bell rang. "We'll see about that," the blonde muttered, and Marinette knew that was the end of the masquerade dance.
It only took a single conversation for the mayor to persuade the principal to change their theme, and an hour after that for the entire student body to find out. At the moment, though, Alya seemed much more concerned about Marinette and Adrien's late appearance than the fate of their school dance.
"Girl, he totally covered for you!" she exclaimed, grinning as they made their way down the hall.
Marinette blushed, glancing down at the notebooks in her arms. "He probably just didn't want a repeat of my horrible performance in the hall. I sounded like such an idiot!"
"Oh no, don't you go trying to brush this off as nothing." Alya waved her finger scoldingly. "That was a big deal. It shows you he at least cares about you getting in trouble with the teacher. And he knows that you sew!"
"Of course he knows. I won his dad's competition, remember?"
"Still. That's a good sign if I ever saw one."
Marinette felt a glimmer of hope and lifted her gaze to glance at her friend. "You think?"
"Absolutely!" Alya's eyes lit up suddenly. "You should totally use this momentum. Ask him to the dance!"
"What?" Marinette nearly scattered her notebooks all over the floor. "Are you crazy? I can't even ask him to the movies!"
"Oh, come on, Marinette." Her friend nudged her encouragingly. "You can do it! This is the perfect opportunity."
Marinette's heart felt like it was in her throat, but the idea of Adrien agreeing to accompany her to the dance was enough for her to ignore it. "It… it really is, isn't it?"
"That a girl." Alya jutted her chin across the hall, where Adrien stood talking with Nino. The very sight of him made Marinette feel as if her tongue were too big for her mouth. "He's right there. You can do it!"
"I can do it," she agreed faintly as she felt her feet begin to lead her toward him.
It was a miracle she didn't faint before she got there. When she was within a few feet she raised her hand in greeting and Adrien turned his attention toward her, still chuckling at something Nino had just said. Her face was on fire and her palms were sweating and her knees felt like they were going to give out at any moment, but she soldiered on. "Um… h-hey, Adrien. I, er, was just…" She paused, gathered her courage, and took a breath. "I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to - "
She was cut off by what sounded like an explosion. The entire building shook and she was thrown onto her back, the impact knocking the breath out of her lungs. She heard distant shouts, someone laughing in the background. Somewhat dazed, she sat up and blinked.
"Marinette!" Tiki squeaked from her backpack. "Marinette, what's happening?"
"I don't - "
There was another loud boom, and this time a flash of gold light accompanied it. Marinette heard screams, saw Tiki fly from her backpack in front of her. There was a flash of gold, then red, before darkness quickly and suddenly consumed her.
