this fic i'm hoping will be 10+ chapters at the very least :) i have so much planned out for this. and god, i've started so many fics i haven't finished, it's like a curse ;;

i'm very familiar with people in the maid sama archive and have great friends, however i really want to get to know some of you guys, too! if you want to chat (i'm purr-ity hilarious) then PM me and i'll 100% respond :')

now onto the first chapter!

-o-

"Alya, do you have an extra white tee-shirt?"

The teenage girl slid on a pair of athletic shorts, turning to Alya and giving her a sheepish grin. The redhead closer her locker and gave her a sideways glance.

"You forgot yours again, huh?" she asked, clicking her tongue in disapproval playfully. This wasn't a very unusual situation they'd run into. Yesterday her friend had forgotten to bring gym shorts, the day before that she lost a sock, and the day before that day she somehow managed to lose shoelace.

Marinette laughed awkwardly. "Yeah…"

Alya smiled good-naturedly, reopening her locker and pulling out a white shirt. Marinette knew it would be a little big on her as she was a little smaller than her friend, but she was exceptionally grateful nonetheless. "Well, girl, you're in luck today. I happened to leave my shirt for tennis here yesterday, but they called off practice due to the heavy rain," she explained.

Taking the clothing from her awaiting hands, Marinette tucked it under her arm before glomping her friend in a bone crushing hug. "Thank you! You're the best."

Alya gingerly patted her back. "It's no problem. Now get dressed before we get chewed out for being late."

-o-

The girls made it to class on time, taking a seat on the bleachers beside Adrien and Nino. Marinette didn't miss the fact that Alya took a seat at the very end beside Nino, so there would be no more space anywhere for her to sit except beside the blonde. Not sure whether to feel grateful or betrayed by this, she in the end decided to just focus on keeping her composure beside him.

Just as she sat down, Adrien waved at her, and she nervously returned the gesture. Luckily for her, the teacher walked in right at that moment. She wasn't sure that any more awkward situations would be help her relationship out at this point.

"Today, we'll be playing a good old-fashioned game of dodgeball," the gym instructor announced, standing assertively with her hands on her hips.

A few groans were heard, and some cheers. Marinette just silently prayed that she would be teamed with people she knew. Although, preferably not Chloe.

"But," she spoke once again, "there will be a twist. As you know, there have been many disagreements about which one of Paris's beloved heroes is the better of the two."

Some murmurs of agreements were heard. Marinette tensed, not really liking where this one going one bit. She assumed it was because she was Ladybug and everyone was so openly debating about her.

"I think Ladybug is better," she heard a low voice speak from beside her. Jumping at the sudden noise, she turned to face...Adrien?!

A bit flattered but surprised that he preferred her alter ego, however didn't exactly agree with his point.

"Well," she said, thoughtfully, "Ladybug is pretty cool and all, but she'd be nothing without Chat Noir. Contrary to popular belief, he's not a sidekick at all. The two are a team—just as much as Paris needs Ladybug, they also need Chat Noir. Everything ends up balanced out," Marinette concluded. Then she froze, realizing she just rambled to Adrien and didn't stutter or get flustered once!

Then again, she did just blab about how amazing some other guy was to her crush…

She looked over at the blonde, finding him bashfully scratching his neck. A habit of his whenever he felt nervous, she noticed. Adrien was feeling rather prideful at the moment—it's not everyday some cute girl sticks up for you.

Not cute as if he were into her, of course! She's just a great friend and wasn't necessarily bad looking. That's all…

"Well, I suppose I see where you're coming from. Thanks for showing me a new perspective," he said gratefully, although he was actually thanking her for the confidence boost. Not that his ego wasn't already massive enough.

"Settle down," the instructor hushed the debating teens. "The twist is that everyone will be broken off into two teams—Team Ladybug, and Team Chat Noir. Whichever side wins this game of dodgeball will be named the best hero in Paris."

Marinette could only sigh and bury her head in her hands. This is going to be a mess.

-o-

Somehow, Marinette ended up on the Ladybug team, which was the opposite team of Alya, Adrien, Kim, Juleka, Sabrina, and Max, which totally sucked, but miraculously, also Chloe. Plus, she had a few kids she knew on her side.

Well, she thought, at least the gods aren't completely against me today.

A row of balls were set up in the middle of court, and everyone was standing on their respective sides, ready to grab some balls, until a loud whine echoed throughout the gymnasium.

"God, why am I on the Chat Noir side?" Chloe complained, rolling her eyes dramatically and pouring her lips.

"I'd rather be on the other team, as well," Alya agreed, "but you should quit being a poor sport and put up with it."

The blonde female crossed her arms. "I'm not defending a hero I don't even care about."

Somehow, hearing those words, something within Marinette snapped. How dare they insult my partner like that? He's saved me from so many near-death experiences I've lost count. I owe all my next lives to him, and some people who know absolutely nothing about him can so easily stand here, insulting him like he's done nothing for Paris?!

"Settle down, girls. We're starting now," the teacher silenced them, before hovering her whistle in front of her mouth. "Three," she began to count down.

"Two." Marinette gritted her teeth and clenched her fist. She was not going down without a fight. She would protect her kitty's name no matter what.

"One." She got into running position. When did I even start thinking of him as my kitty?

"...Go!"

The blue haired female sprinted quickly across the line at an astounding speed. She felt the adrenaline rushing through her veins as she scooped up a ball in her arms, before crossing the half-point into the other team's territory.

"Uh, Marinette? You're on the wrong side," Adrien pointed out, taking a ball for himself and giving her a quizzical look. She only smirked.

"I know what I'm doing."

And with that, Marinette hurled her ball straight at Nathanael, feeling a tad bit guilty when she'd realized it was thrown much harder than she'd anticipated, smacking him right in the chest and startling the boy, causing him to stumble backwards.

She watched as he walked to the wall. Marinette smirked in victory, before bending down and grabbing another round weapon. She didn't even notice the odd looks Adrien was giving her.

This continued on for a while longer, and before they knew it, everyone on the Ladybug team was out. Just before the gym teacher could say anything yet, the rampaging teen spun around and hit Chloe square in the gut with her remaining ball.

"I will not have anyone besmirching Chat Noir's name so casually," she warned, shooting everyone a glare. The bell rang, and she indignantly turned on her heel to the locker rooms.

There was a moment of awkward silence in the room, where even their coach was left speechless.

"...What just happened?"

-o-

To say Adrien was surprised would be the understatement of the year. The moment that Marinette proudly announced that Chat's—no, his name would not be ruined by anyone, he couldn't do anything but stare at her in disbelief.

"Dude, I've never seen Marinette get that worked up before. Not even over her designs," Nino commented, tapping his pencil against the desk. Usually, Marinette would be seated behind them on a normal day, but it appeared she'd already went home.

Of course, he did feel a twinge of pride upon hearing such a statement come from her, a girl who usually never spoke up so disrespectfully like that against anyone. But she did today. And it was for him.

"Me neither," he responded, shrugging casually as if it had slipped his mind. But it never had.

Even when he returned home that night, he couldn't get his mind off it. The big question he was having trouble answering was why did she care so deeply for Chat Noir? The only time he could recall meeting her was when he needed her assistance to defeat the Evillustrator, but even then she didn't seem to have any strong emotions towards him, even if he did flirt a little more than intended…

That's when it hit him. Adrien gasped, knowing what the mistake he made was a big one. He knew he should've listened to Ladybug's advice and stop flirting nonchalantly with girls! Of all times to not listen to her…

"Plagg, I think Marinette likes Chat Noir."