Ms. Bustier paced in front of the classroom with her clipboard in hand. She continuously tucked a stray strand of red hair behind her ear as the remaining students filed into the classroom. Alya and Marinette crowded around the brunette's tablet, reviewing the latest photos of Paris' favorite heroes on the Ladyblog. Alya had managed to get a decent shot of the flirtatious Chat Noir in his latest endeavor. Marinette stifled a giggle as her best friend flipped through more photos. Marinette enjoyed mornings like this. The normal ones. The ones where she came to class on time and talked to Alya without a care in the world. Admittedly, seeing her superhero self on the blog was always a bit embarrassing, but there wasn't much she could do about that.
"Hey there, Alya!" Nino exclaimed, quickly coming to the girl and giving her a squeeze. Marinette felt a sense of pride. She knew it was her fault they got together, but she was glad that she had locked the pair into that cage when Animan was rampaging. That was six months ago and they were still going strong.
Adrien trailed in behind the overly energetic music lover. He waved to the girls. Alya returned the gesture while Marinette shyly hid behind the tablet. Alya kicked Marinette beneath the table. It was a usual routine, but it had to be done. At least, that's how Alya felt about the whole affair. Marinette mentally cursed her friend as she feebly waved to her crush. She liked Adrien. A lot. Ever since he gave her his umbrella at the beginning of the year, she'd been infatuated with him. He was, well, perfect. He was kind and was so hard working with all of his extra lessons and modeling work on top of school. His talent for physics only added to his charm.
Adrien smiled as he sat down. He always thought Marinette was cute, not quite adorable, but she was cute. He liked to be around her and Nino always bugged him about hanging out with her more (especially since she was friends with Alya). Seriously, what was this though? A love square? Adrien always thought it was dumb idea. Why would he date Marinette just because Nino was dating her friend? Even if he started dating the girl behind him, he knew it wouldn't be genuine. His heart had been taken by his spotted partner in crime fighting. He couldn't get Ladybug's triumphant smile or bright blue eyes out of his head. Ever. She was a constant entity. Sure, he's never really had a deep conversation with her or anything, but the connection he felt was undeniable.
The bell rang, making Bustier sigh. She placed the clipboard on the table, leaning on it as the room's speaker whined to life. Principal Damocles coughed into his microphone, making the speakers pop.
"Attention students," he huffed, shuffling papers across his desk. "I am pleased to announce the coming spring festival. I am sure that our returning students remember the success of last year's festivities and it is my hope that we will see the same amazing results this year." The speaker buzzed as Damocles shut off the microphone. Ms. Bustier tapped her table, calling the attention of her chattering students.
The students faced the front, still exchanging an occasional whisper with their seat partners. Marinette didn't know if she should've been excited about or dreading the coming event. Being class representative wasn't that hard most of the time, but this little wrinkle only meant more work. How the hell was she supposed to stay late and work on this while saving Paris from Hawk Moth and his akumatized minions? She remembered how her class did the worst in last year's festival. Chloe's 'fashion show', with her as the only model, flopped with only her father and a few teachers in attendance. Marinette didn't want that to happen this year. She wanted the whole class to come together and create something great. A sigh escaped her lips. Who was she kidding? She'd be lucky if she doesn't collapse during this time.
She thought about poor Chat Noir and how many times she'd most likely be late in the coming weeks. Alya elbowed her friend with a wink. Marinette didn't know what she was planning but the girl's gut told her that she was not going to like it.
Ms. Bustier stepped in front of her table, resting against the black top. "Now, now guys. With this new development, we have some work to do. Now, will our representative and deputy please come to the front of the room?" Alya and Marinette walked to the front of the room while Chloe steamed. The class brat refused to face the front, preferring to mess with her ponytail and fix her lipgloss with the help of a small compact mirror. Ms. Bustier noticed her behavior but ignored her to redirect the class's attention to the class officers.
Marinette gave a small glance to her friend, unsure what to do. Alya returned the look with a small shrug. Marinette glanced around the room, searching for a good segue. Her eyes met with Adrien's and she soon ran to the board. With blushed cheeks she grabbed the chalk from the board's tray. "A-alright." she said, writing 'ideas' in rounded letters at the top of the board. "Anyone have a suggestion for what our class should do for the festival?" She hoped for anything. A play? Show? Shop?
Chloe raised her hand first. Alya and Marinette shared a groan as the brunette called on the over enthusiastic blonde. She offered the same idea she had every year. A fashion show featuring designs from all of her father's opulent friends. The whole class rolled their eyes, but Marinette still wrote 'fashion show' onto the board. Ms. Bustier pasted on a smile as she played with her clipboard's clip.
"Anyone else?" piped in the teacher.
Adrien spun his pencil around as crickets filled the room. Nino laid his head down grumbling about doing ANOTHER one of Chloe's fashion shows. Adrien had never been to one of these festivals, but he had to admit that a single model fashion show was probably not the best pick. The class' activity had to be something that everyone could participate in. From shy Nathaniel to friendly Rose and even Chloe and Sabrina. Adrien laced his fingers beneath his chin. Thinking past the crickets that occupied the air. Alya and Marinette glanced at each other then to the class. Marinette was frantic for another idea, anything really. She didn't want to design clothes for Chloe to prance around in. She didn't want her class to become a laughing stock again.
Adrien thought some more. He thought about the fun he had at the bakery with Marinette when they played games and the time he came as Chat Noir. He enjoyed that place with its warm atmosphere and delicious food. His mind wandered to that visit where he and Ladybug had visited the cafe on business. Costumes and cafes….
Adrien raised his hand. Marinette's cheeks turned rosy as Alya called on him. Adrien cleared his throat. "How about a costume cafe?"
The students milled around, whispering to one another. Their excitement slowly built before Ms. Bustier clapped her hands. Marinette quickly scrawled the idea onto the board, her ears and cheeks still full of color. Alya smiled at her bashful friend as Alya leaned against the table. She asked for more suggestions but the room went silent.
"Well, looks like those are our options," Ms. Bustier said with her clipboard back in her hand. "Alright, who would like to do the fashion show?" Chloe and Sabrina raised their hands with triumphant smiles. Their confidence quickly dwindled when the rest of the class kept their hands on their laps. "Ok… who wants to do the cafe?"
The decision was nearly unanimous.
Alya and Marinette smiled at each other, prideful over the fact that they finally defeated the annual disaster known as their class' 'fashion show'. Chloe piped in, saying it was unfair since everyone else had no idea what they were doing. She said that having top designers at the school would improve the school and that only her and Adrien were worthy of being displayed before the student body.
Ms. Bustier stood up straight, her lips stretched into a line. "I'm sorry, Chloe, but the class has spoken. We will be doing a costume cafe this year." Chloe pouted and began to open her mouth, "And calling your father will not help you in this matter. That is final." Bustier snapped. Chloe fumed with her arms crossed in front of her chest. Bustier sighed, knowing the headache that was going to ensue for the coming weeks. She pasted on a fresh smile as she turned to the class officers. "Now, the coming homerooms will be dedicated to organizing this event. Please plan carefully and have jobs delegated by next session."
The bell went off, signaling the end of homeroom and the beginning of normal classes.
Marinette sketched in her notebook for the remainder of her classes. During breaks (and even in class) Marinette and Alya exchanged ideas for the exhibit. By the end of the day, Marinette had half a notebook of costume and decor ideas as well as a tentative list of jobs and the classmates assigned to them. The final bell rang and Alya took the jobs list from Marinette.
Alya gave her friend a wink. "Don't worry about it girl, I'll email this to Ms. Bustier."
"Are you sure? I don't mind doing it."
Alya patted her friend on the shoulder. "Don't worry, don't worry. Just go home and rest. We're going to get busy," she finished with a grin. Marinette had a bad feeling about this but relented to her best friend. What was the worst that could happen, right?