Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug.

Chapter 1

The bell's ringing echoed across the schoolyard and the rays of sunlight refracted on the rooftops of Paris. Only a few more meters left to run, then would make it it. Tightly clutching the book bag to her side and holding onto her little pink purse, Marinette ran up the stairs to the imposing school building. The last students scrimmaged around the foyer before moving towards their classrooms. In front of her own class, Marinette came to an almost sliding halt, deflating a little as she exhaled deeply. Her knees bent when she leaned onto them, trying to catch her breath.

Was she too late? The door to her classroom was left ajar and she carefully peeked inside. Voices reached her ears and she noticed that the teacher's desk was still unoccupied. Good, Madame Bustier wasn't there yet then. Her good luck must have saved her after all. Why did an akuma have to appear so early in the morning in the first place, so early in fact, that Marinette had only heard about it because Alya had called her phone while she slept? She had just dreamt so sweetly of the upcoming Spring Ball, seeing herself in a lovely gown made of red silk, held in the strong arms of Adrien, his captivating, emerald-green eyes staring into hers as they both twirled over the dance floor…

A dreamy sigh escaped her and she opened the door to her classroom, the remains of her dream once more sneaking into her memories. The students were already seated at their desks. Way in the back, Rose giggled about something Juleka has whispered to her, Kim and Alix argued over some dares that were supposed to prove who of the two was the best, with the occasional comment of Max in between, and Nathanael, who was devoutly drawing into his sketchbook. For a second, Marinette's gaze hung onto the seat beside Nino in the first row and found it empty to her disappointment. Was Adrien late too?

Lost in thought, Marinette climbed the wooden stairs to her seat to sit beside her friend Alya. "Hey, Marinette", a derisive voice spoke to her from the side. "What happened, did you fall out of bed this morning? Because that's just what you look like." Chloé shot her a nasty grin and snickered, Sabrina besides her joining in, as if the blond girl had just told the best joke ever.

Marinette didn't mind though and just shrugged, before she rested beside Alya, who had just been busy showing Nino her new video of Ladybug. Totally up to date of course, taken just this morning; Marinette knew that first-hand.

"Look, Marinette", Alya exclaimed with an exhilarated smile as she held her cellphone under Marinettes nose. "Isn't she fantastic? See, I even got her signature fist-bump with Chat Noir on tape this time!" As if by command, the two heroes on screen called out "Pound it!" as they bumped their fists, smiling proudly. In the background, the girl who had been possessed by an akuma returned to her real appearance.

With a happy smile, Marinette finished watching the video, even though she knew exactly how everything had happened. She had been there herself after all, in the first row so to speak. "That's really great. Did you already upload it to your blog?"

"Of course! I always keep my blog fresh and up to date." Alya winked and took her time to carefully examine Marinette now. Her excited smile was replaced by a worried expression. "Tell me, did you do some early morning exercise or something? You look pretty rough."

Marinette chuckled nervously as her head hastily looked for some kind of excuse. "Uh, I dozed off again after your call and almost overslept. I had to run to school to be on time."

Alyas fingers went through her long, russet hair, visibly embarrassed. "Guess that's my fault, right? I'm sorry that I called you while you slept, I thought you were already up. But every time I see an akuma or Ladybug, I get all excited and stop thinking."

"It's no problem, really", Marinette replied, waving her hand dismissively. Her hair was still quite the mess after having run so fast, so she loosened the red ribbons that held her pigtails to tie her hair neatly again. "I know how much the blog means to you, it's something very special after all."

Alya shot her an astonished glance. "Do you honestly think so?"

"Of course. No other place has as much info about Ladybug as your blog does", Marinette explained as she finished tying her pigtails. "You're as close to the events as no one else." Sometimes maybe even a bit too close for Marinette's taste.

Alya was flattered and raised a thumb in agreement. "That's exactly what I want to accomplish. Still, reminder to myself; don't wake up your best friend from her well-deserved sleep." The two laughed in amusement. Suddenly the door opened once again and Marinette felt her heart starting to flutter.

There he was, the most handsome, kind and perfect boy in the world. His golden, slightly disheveled hair framed his flawless face, a few strands sticking out. He seemed out of breath, as if he had run. His gaze turned to the teacher's desk and he exhaled in relief. Were those drops of sweat glittering on his forehead, before he wiped them off with the back of his hand? They shimmered like diamonds… How did he manage to constantly look so incredibly handsome? And how his eyes sparkled. Those beautiful green eyes that hid an excited flicker, as if he was really looking forward to something…

"Hello? Earth to Marinette!" Only now did Marinette realize that Alya had flipped her fingers in front her face in an attempt to get her out of her trance.

Startled, Marinette winched. "Who, what, where?"

Alya groaned and slapped her forehead. Meanwhile, Adrien sat down beside Nino and got out his school stuff, clearly in a good mood. "You are so hopeless", Alya sighed and leaned over to Marinette. Her voice lowered, so that the two boys in front of them wouldn't overhear anything. "When were you going to ask your prince charming to go to the Spring Formal with you?"

Completely shocked, Marinette gasped for air, causing both Adrien and Nino to turn around to her, bemused. Promptly her cheeks flashed in bright red and she hectically gesticulated with her hands. "I-It's nothing, Alya just jold me a toke, uh, bolt me a moke-"

Quickly Alya pressed her mouth shut before she completely disgraced herself. "It was about Ladybug, nothing important."

Adrien furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and smiled while Nino chuckled. "That's fine", Nino said and went back to his chat with Adrien. Chloé and Sabrina laughed again, obviously finding the situation hilarious.

Marinette groaned as she let her head sink to the tabletop, her bangs hiding her flustered face. "Could you please bury me?"

Alya stroked her back in an attempt to comfort her. "Oh, come on, you have been worse."

"That doesn't make anything better", Marinette mumbled vaguely and Alya let out a nervous laugh.

"Yeah, that's true." Once more she lowered her voice. "Still, you should try! The dance is only in three weeks, who knows when another girl asks him out! Or how many have already asked him."

The image of Adrien dancing with a different girl, staring gently into her eyes and smiling as Marinette stood by idly and sad was unbearable. "But I can't even get out a coherent sentence in front of him without making a total fool of myself…"

"We'll find a solution", Alya soothed her. At this moment the door opened one last time and Madame Bustier entered the classroom, the lesson began. But Marinette didn't pay much attention, her thoughts drifting off to the boy with the golden hair in the seat before her. She wouldn't admit it to herself, but Alya was right. Adrien was so perfect, it wouldn't take long until he had a partner for the dance, if he hadn't already gotten one.

She wrote down the notes absent-mindedly that Madame Bustier wrote on the board, so that she would at least not miss the entire purpose of the lesson. It was really time to act. She was afraid, even terrified… but she wanted to dance with him so badly, that would be a dream. Wait, no, at the moment it was truly nothing more than a dream. What mattered was to make this dream a reality. That was all that was important right now.

But how would she manage to do that? She would have to be very brave. Maybe she should even tell him how she felt… Her cheeks turned a soft shade of red as her mind created the picture of a kindly smiling Adrien, whom she nervously confessed her feelings to. She would look down on her feet, not quite daring to say the words, he would cup her chin and raise it, encouraging her to continue. Gently he would take her hands and whisper that he would gladly accompany her to the dance. He would lean forward, their lips would collide-

The school bell rang and ripped Marinette out of her daydream. She had barely noticed how everyone had started to pack their bags around her. "And don't forget", Madame Bustier called over the rustling of paper and closing zippers. "The Spring formal takes place on Friday night in three weeks. As you know, all Parisian schools are welcome to attend for free, all you have to do is show is your student identification card. So don't forget to purchase some fitting formal attire."

Engaged in keen chatter, the students left the classroom. Adrien just packed his last notes into his bag, Nino waited for him. Should she maybe..?

Just a second later her opportunity was destroyed by none other than Chloé, who came bounding over to Adrien, giggling and with a wide smirk, wrapping her arms around him as if he were a lifesaver. As she chattered about some nonsense about herself, she pulled the boy who was completely thrown off guard with her outside. Marinette just heard how she bragged in front of him how absolutely stunning her gown would be at the ball.

Afflicted, she groaned and dropped her shoulders. Alya handed her friend her school bag and patted her shoulder to cheer her up. "It will be fine. Chloé can talk big, but I doubt that Adrien will really ask her to the ball. Don't let her get you down." Marinette managed a sad nod and followed Alya into break.

The next lessons passed without Marinette getting another chance. Either Adrien quickly disappeared from the classroom with Nino, Chloé kidnapped him again under fake tittering or Marinette panicked so hard that she couldn't get out a single word. He was so close, but every time she actually reached out to him he was gone with the wind. It was exasperating. At least Alya realized how hard Marinette tried to talk to him, or at least showed signs of wanting to try. And Alya stood by Marinette and comforted her.

In the last lesson Marinette had her sketchbook open on her desk and distracted herself from her boy-problem by sketching ball gowns. If she was going to go to the Spring Formal, she definitely wanted to wear her own creation and it was supposed to be something very special. Even if she wasn't going with Adrien she still wanted to look her best. Although most of the time she didn't feel beautiful at all, more boring and plain. She felt especially like an ugly duckling besides Adrien and kept on wondering whether or not she was good enough for him, which was one of the reasons why she hadn't dared to confess her feelings to him yet.

Was she, the boring, clumsy, insecure Marinette, good enough for such a radiant boy? She wasn't so sure… But she shouldn't let that unsettle her! Only that wasn't so easy when she tried.

The pencil drove over paper and gradually, drawings began to form. But none of them she really liked… she wanted to be perfect for Adrien! Just how could she do that? No matter which fabric she picked or what dress shape, if she imagined herself in the gown and placed Adrien beside herself, she still felt dull and plain.

At last she gave up on trying and closed the sketchbook. Alya had noticed that she wasn't feeling so well and pushed a little piece of paper with a note towards her; 'It's alright if you don't manage to speak to him today, I can see that you are not feeling well. Don't stress yourself, you are amazing just the way you are and he will see that too, some day. Have some faith in yourself.'

Just one more try, today. Class ended, everyone packed their things and left. Marinette got to her feet and rallied all of her courage, just as the beautiful blonde boy vanished through the door after his friend. Her heart beat fast in excitement, but she was determined. For once she would be brave and confess her feelings to him! Okay, maybe not yet, but she would ask him out to the ball! And she could do it. She had to believe in herself!

He was talking to Nino, his laughter in her ears made her heart soar. She wanted to hear it more, this laughter… Before she could stop herself, she stood behind him. "A-Adrien?"

Both boys stopped and turned to her, stunned. Nino took a glance at Marinette, then to Adrien, and grinned. "I'll go on ahead, you just come after me." With that, Nino was already gone… and Marinette alone. With Adrien.

Her neck corded up. She wanted to say something, but only managed a squeal.

Adrien tilted his head, blinking in confusion. "Is everything okay?"

"Y-Yeah, sure, of course!", she stammered and swallowed the lump in her throat. She could feel how Tikki inside of her pink purse patted her encouragingly on the side. Go, Marinette, it was now or never!

"I… I just wanted to… t-to ask if…" He waited patiently and smiled at her. Marinette thought she was melting into a puddle, the butterflies soared wildly in her stomach. "…if you m-maybe… maybe wanted to go to the ball… w-with me."

Oh no. Oh no, she had said it. She had said it! Could the ground please just open up and swallow her right now? Probably her face looked like an overripe tomato at this point.

Slowly his glowing smile turned into an expression of grief. He didn't even need to say a word and Marinette already felt her heart sinking. The happiness faded from her gaze, even before he raised his voice. "I'm… I'm sorry, Marinette", he whispered apologetically and lowered his eyes. "But I… I was actually going to ask another girl."

Another girl. Adrien wanted to take another girl to the ball. Marinette could swear she heard the clangor as her heart shattered on the cold stone floor. Adrien loved another girl… She felt her tears welling up, her sight blurring slightly, and she blinked in a hurry, so that he wouldn't see that. She had to be brave… Of course he loved another girl, how else could it have been! Marinette was by far not good enough for him…

Worry and a little bit of fear snuck into his face and he shortly ran his hand over her shoulder. A touch so soft, and yet, it hurt her so much. "I'm so terribly sorry, I-"

"No, no, it's okay! It's fine." Nothing was fine. But Marinette wanted to be brave. She should be happy, surely Adrien's loved one was a truly wonderful girl. "I-I just wanted t-to ask… it's fine."

He didn't seem convinced, but he tried a comforting smile and nodded slightly. "If you say so. Listen, I-" Outside, the two could make out a loud honking and Adrien sighed. "That's my driver, I have a photoshoot soon. I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"

"Y-Yeah, sure… see you tomorrow…" Her voice sounded much more brittle than usual. Her dream of the beautiful love confession shattered into a thousand pieces, the kiss nothing more than a daydream. Adrien turned around, waved as goodbye and then he was gone. And she… she stayed behind, alone. With nothing left but her shards of dreams and the tears streaming down her cheeks.

Chat Noir jumped over the rooftops of his city as the evening had heralded and the sky was tinted a romantic gold with a hint of purple. The excitement tickled inside his whole body and his jumps were far higher than usual, the wind whirling threw his hair as he howled agitatedly.

He had prepared for this day for so long and he knew exactly how he would do everything. No more hiding, no more fear, only the honest truth. He would tell her the truth about his feelings. That he loved her.

I love you, Ladybug. With all my heart.

Though, there was one thing clouding his good mood. Sweet Marinette, who had asked him if he would accompany her to the ball… she had seemed so sad, as if he had punched her right in the stomach. Somehow, he would make it up to her. Maybe when he saw her at the ball, he would ask her to a dance as an apology. He felt pretty bad for having just left her behind and he wanted to make her happy.

But now it was time to make his dream a reality. Ladybug in his arms, her bluebell eyes shimmering as they both twirled across the dance floor at the Spring Formal… he was a hopeless romantic and Plagg missed no moment to banter him with that. But he couldn't help it, the red clad heroine just turned his head.

He came ever closer to the Eiffel Tower, the most beautiful place in Paris. The tower of lovers, so to speak. Up there he would meet her tonight, just before their patrol would begin. Chat smiled widely and landed on a tiled roof, hopped up to the stone chimney and held onto it. Slowly he raised the enchanting, red rose in his hand to his nose. Red suited Ladybug, the color of the passion that he loved her with.

Hopefully she said yes. Even with all the self-confidence that he gained from wearing the mask and black leather suit, he still felt an uncomfortable fear in his stomach. The fear of rejection. Ladybug was so wonderful, so brave and heroic. Sometimes she seemed unreachable to him, like a goddess soaring in the sky, her mighty wings unfolded, while he was nothing more than a mere mortal looking up to her mesmerizing beauty and courage and wishing he could be by her side.

As Chat he could be whatever he wanted to be. Free, nonchalant and capable of doing anything he wanted, no longer squished into the shell that was Adrien Agreste, the show puppet of his father. And he could be with her, with his Ladybug. As Chat Noir, he was infinitely happy.

If only she could love him as he loved her, then everything would be perfect.

It wasn't that far to get to his destination now and he wouldn't want to keep his Lady waiting. He vaulted over streetlamps and waved impishly at a few pedestrians, who stared at him with wide eyes and quickly took pictures with their cellphones. At the foot of the Eiffel Tower he put the rose between his teeth, so it wouldn't be damaged, and started climbing. They would meet up all the way at the top, he had already put together the perfect words to say to her, practiced in front of the mirror for weeks by now. He would not fail this.

Soon he had reached the top of the tower, the excitement and anticipation having almost quickened him. And there she sat, her jet-black hair tied into two adorable pigtails that blew in the wind. She sat at the edge of the platform and stared into the distance, her back turned to him, dangling her legs. For a moment he stood still and just watched her, enjoying the pure sight of her. The perfect girl, so pure and selfless. Never would he want anyone else but her. His heart belonged to Ladybug alone.

"My Lady", he greeted her. Carefully he held the rose hidden behind his back, wanting to pull it out as a surprise. He came closer, but she didn't react. It was a little odd to him for her to be so motionless, for it was usually more like her to jump up instantly and pull him along with her to begin the patrol as soon as possible. He had even thought up what he would say to her when she did exactly that, to stop her.

But tonight, it seemed like she wasn't that anxious to start the patrol. "Are you alright? You're so quiet."

"Leave me alone." That was everything she said, but it still hurt. Did he do something wrong? In a hurry he went through the events of his last meeting with her… no, everything should be fine. Just this morning in the battle against the akuma she had seemed sassy and at ease like always. Maybe there was something in her private life that bothered her?

Even though her abrasive words unsettled him, he pulled himself together and came closer, sitting down beside her. She turned her head away from him and he frowned sadly. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's nothing", she replied, but he knew that something was off. Something he didn't know and shouldn't know. But how could he help his sad Lady, if they were both separated from each other through their masks? He felt like they were parted from one another through a glass window, able to see and talk to her, but unable to ever really touch her.

Maybe it would make her happy if he asked her out to the ball. Of course only if she didn't already have a date, which was definitely a possibility. As wonderful and stunning as she was, he would not be surprised. She had never mentioned having a boyfriend though and it didn't seem to him like she did, but he had to know for sure.

Was this even the right time, now that she was so afflicted? Come on, now or never. He would show her that she wasn't alone, that there was someone out there who loved her just the way she was. Who wanted to know her better, the girl behind the mask.

"Ladybug?", Chat whispered. Suddenly she got up, as if his voice had torn her out of a deep sleep, standing upright, but he could swear her eyes were reddened. Had she cried? Or was that just the light of the evening sky reflecting in her eyes that played tricks on his mind?

"We should go, or we won't be able to cover the entire city in time", she muttered absent-mindedly and got out her yoyo to swing away. He had to act now.

A black clad hand grabbed her wrist and she turned to him in surprise. "Wait! Just one moment."

He knelt before her, holding her hand gently and kissing its back. As expected she rolled her eyes, but not in amusement like usually, but with an annoyed groan. "Chat, this really is not the right time for-"

"This is the purrfect time", he purred and she hit her forehead in irritation. Still he pulled out the red rose and held it up to her. "My Lady… you are the brightest star in Paris and each second I spend with you makes me eternally happy. Would you-"

"Stop it, Chat." The sternness in her voice caused him to stop and he realized the nearly burning anger in her gaze. What was wrong, did he say something that had upset her? "Just stop it. It's really not funny."

"W-What?" Befuddled he got up on his feet and carefully held the rose to his chest, the claws on his fingers gently caressing the petals. "What is not funny?"

"This! All of this!" Gesticulating wildly, Ladybug pointed at him. "You really think this is a game?", she shouted. "That you can just flirt with every girl that falls before your feet?"

Chat was at a loss of words. He just stood there, his mouth open in horror. Desperately he tried to somehow understand how she could get such an idea. Did she really think he would just flirt with any girl that somehow got close to him? "But… my Lady-"

"I don't want to hear this now. You go your route, you know the way. If there are any problems, call me." Her words were so cold and harsh. And just a moment later she was gone. Maybe she didn't even take him seriously, since she thought his feelings were just a game… His dream shattered and the rose slipped from his fingers, falling onto the metal platform below. The pain ate away at his heart, breaking him in two.

Slowly he sank to the ground and buried his face in his knees, allowing the sadness to overwhelm him, at least for a few minutes. He had a task, a duty. Maybe that would distract him from the pain inside.

The stars stood high in the sky as Ladybug swung back into her room and became Marinette after a bright flash of pink light. Tikki flew beside her, gazing at her in worry. "Marinette? You look so angry."

"How could he?" Marinette ruffled her hair in frustration and closed the window behind her, climbed up to her bed and let herself fall backwards onto the mattress. Blankly she stared at the ceiling in annoyance, her eyes tracing the frame of the trapdoor above. "He's got nerves to come with his stupid flirting, today of all days! That seriously was the most inappropriate time in history for such silliness! And the rose, I mean, honestly! No one would buy that." She grabbed a pillow and hugged it tightly, grumbling something under her breath.

Tikki flew over to her and rested on her shoulder, eyeing Marinette. "He didn't know that you have been rejected and were sad today. You shouldn't have taken your feelings out on him."

Marinette frowned slightly, feelings of guilt crawling up inside of her. She sighed dejected. "Maybe you're right… I was really mean to him. He didn't deserve that. But still, what was that rose about?"

"Maybe he meant it", Tikki offered.

Marinette just rolled her eyes at that. "Oh please, as if Chat Noir has ever meant any of his flirting seriously. You don't even believe that yourself."

That moment, she heard a loud noise outside, on the roof above her head. Marinette rose and lifted her jacket, allowing Tikki to hide underneath. There, another sound, that certainly came from her balcony. Careful not to be too loud herself, she got out of bed and opened the trap door, peeking outside.

The darkness of night embraced her, this time as Marinette, and it took her eyes a few seconds to adjust. The moon shone in a silvery light and the stars glimmered, but neither brought her any real joy. She turned her head, searching for the source of the odd noise, at first not seeing anything. Until she was able to make out a figure on the balustrade of her balcony, clad in black. If it weren't for the blonde, disheveled hair, she would have easily missed the familiar silhouette.

Was that…? Marinette climbed out of her room and inched closer, soon she could make out quiet noises coming from him. It sounded like he was sniffling.

"Chat Noir?" The hero turned his head to her, the green eyes behind the mask staring at her, grief hidden within. In one hand he held the red rose from just a few hours ago. With the other, he slowly plucked the petals from the flower and let them drop into the depths beyond the balcony, red spots in the shadows, falling to the ground below.

Author's Note:

This is the start of a story inspired by a sweet little comic by Spatziline. I don't know, I just saw these pictures and this story idea came into my head and I just had to write it xD I'm Ladybug trash and I know it.

Since I'm German, I have to write the chapters in German first and then translate them into English, because it's easier for me than to just write them straight in English. It will take me longer to update because of this though and I hope you understand. I'll try to keep the updates frequent, but it depends on how well this story is recieved.

Hope you enjoyed chapter 1 :D See you next time!