Reciprocate
Note: Thanks to fullmetalpotterhead for her help with beta on this.
Marinette glanced up as a small brown bag was unexpectedly shoved underneath her nose. "Alya?" She looked up to find her best friend standing in front of her like a cat who had just got the cream. Confusion marred Marinette's expression for only a moment before understanding dawned. There was only one single reason that Alya would be giving Marinette a present today. Her eyes widened, excitement bubbling up within her as she leaned forward and grasped Alya's arm as her joy overflowed. "You picked it up already?"
"Consider it a gift for my very best friend," Alya responded, her hazel eyes sparkling with excitement as Marinette ripped the bag from her hands. "I just really wanted to see your face when you read the article."
Marinette impatiently peeked into the bag to look at the cover of the magazine. She'd been anxiously awaiting it's arrival since the day the article was announced. Inside, the beautiful face of none other than Adrien Agreste stared back at her. She slammed the bag shut, squealing excitedly as she hugged the package tightly against herself. "Alya, you are the bestest best friend ever. Have I told you that?"
"Not today," Alya laughed, sitting down next to Marinette on the bench. "You're supposed to take it out and read it, Marinette."
Paris Teen had conducted an interview with their classmate and professional model, Adrien Agreste and Marinette had been counting down the days in anticipation of the release of the issue. She wanted to read it right now; in fact it was taking every ounce of her self-control to leave it in the bag and not devour every picture and word over and over for the rest of the day –but…
She glanced around the courtyard of the school; kids were slowly making their way into the school grounds to get ready for first period. The last thing she wanted was to be caught obsessing over her handsome classmate by any of her friends—or worse, Adrien himself. "I…I can't, Alya. Not yet."
"You're so predictable," her friend sighed as she tucked a stray strand of her unruly red hair behind her ear. Reaching down into her book bag, Alya pulled out a large textbook and shoved it into Marinette's hands as she yanked the bag with the magazine from her.
"No…" Marinette whined, reaching for the bag as Alya leaned across her to flip open the textbook on her lap while holding the bag out of her reach. "He's so pretty. Give him back!"
"Everyone will just think you are finishing up last night's Biology homework," Alya replied confidently, removing the magazine from its bag and placing it on top of the opened textbook.
Marinette's attention was instantly drawn to the devastatingly beautiful face that graced the cover, anxiety tying knots in her stomach until her friend's idea registered in her brain. "That might actually work. Alya! You're a genius!" Marinette leaned over to wrap her arms around her friend, but the textbook quickly started to slide off her lap. She frantically tried to save it before it hit the ground and damaged the magazine before she'd even had a chance to read it.
Once everything was safe and back where it belonged on her lap, Marinette exhaled gently to ease the beating of her heart from the anxiety she'd experienced. The devastatingly beautiful emerald eyes of Adrien drew her complete attention to the cover and she couldn't help herself but to trail a finger down the side of his face in a smitten daze. "I could stare at this face all day."
"The back of his head will have to do for now," Alya teased, making light of the positioning of Marinette's chair in the classroom. Alya reached over to find where the interview started and rapidly flipped the pages of the magazine to get to it, apparently getting tired of waiting for Mariette. "Just read it!"
"Careful! Don't bend the pages," Marinette shrieked, pulling the textbook and magazine out of her friend's reach until she noticed the brand new picture of Adrien with his hand posed in his hair as he leaned against a giant rock in a park. Instantly she perked up. "Oh! This is a really good picture too!"
"The article, girl. Focus." Alya leaned up against her shoulder to point out the first paragraph on the opposite side of the page. Naturally Alya would be more interested in the writing over of the angelic pictures of Adrien, which was Marinette's focus. "Look, the reporter asked him if he had someone special in his life."
"She did?" Immediately Marinette's attention was drawn to the area of the article that Alya indicated and slowly read it aloud from the magazine. "It's obvious from his expression that the model has someone in mind, but he gives a denial instead. 'Ah. No. There isn't anyone in my life right now.' His answer comes with a sprinkle of a blush across his cheeks as he looks away.
"'But there is someone you are interested in, isn't there?' Adrien's cheeks turn a few shades brighter as he obviously weighs his words to give his answer. 'I guess? There's someone I really respect. No matter how much I try, she's unattainable. I can't seem to catch her attention.' It's impossible to not notice the way his eyes seem to light up when he talks about his Mystery Girl."
Marinette groaned, dramatically dropping her head to the textbook as she cried out. "Ugh. Alya. He likes someone. My life is over!"
"What kind of answer is that? Who would possibly be unattainable for Adrien?" Alya shoved Marinette's head off the magazine to continue to read the article in Marinette's place. "Adrien's modesty is surprising and I can't help but seek the same answer that many of our readers are sure to ask. What sort of person would catch his attention? 'She has to be strong, both in heart and spirit. She stands for what she believes in and isn't afraid to speak her mind. She's charismatic and kind, caring for others before herself.'"
"See? No chance! I can't even speak to him; how can I possibly speak my mind?" Marinette grabbed Alya's shoulders and shook them frantically.
"Actually, I think that sounds a lot like you, Marinette." Alya grinned, letting Marinette shake her until she wears herself out and flopped against her shoulder in exhaustion.
"Thanks, but—"
"Hey guys! The bell is about to ring."
Marinette jumped at the unexpected arrival of Nino's voice, slamming the textbook shut as quickly as she could while holding it tightly against her chest as Nino and Adrien approach the bench. "Woah. Sorry, didn't mean to surprise you, Marinette. You okay?"
"Fine! We're Fine!" she managed to get out as she attempted to hide her evidence by shoving Alya's textbook in her own book bag without crushing her kwami, Tikki.
"We were just reading Adrien's interview in Paris Teen," Alya replied while she gently extracted her textbook from Marinette's hands before she stole it. Taking the magazine out of the textbook, she held it up for the two to see, much to Marinette's horror. Heat rushed up the back of her neck and her face felt as bright as a tomato. Alya just had to show him! Things couldn't get worse.
"Look! You're going to be the biggest heartthrob in years, Adrien!" Nino laughed, slapping Adrien on the back as he looked at the cover.
"Ugh. No," Adrien sighed, shaking his head slightly as he looked at the cover as well. "That was the most uncomfortable interview I've ever had to give. There were so many unnecessary questions. Did it turn out okay? I haven't seen it yet."
"We haven't had a chance to read it all yet," Alya admitted, turning to Marinette. "Right, Marinette?"
Grasping every ounce of determination she could in that moment, Marinette forced herself to say something. To actually get involved in the conversation, even a little. "The pictures were...um. They were nice."
She did it. She actually spoke to him and he smiled at her. There wasn't anything awkward about it and maybe after her heart started working again she could attempt it again. If she survived.
"Good. I'm glad you enjoyed them," Adrien said, glancing at the picture on the cover. "It was much colder than it looked that day. I thought my feet were frozen solid after being outside for that long."
She found that she couldn't do it. His smile and attention in her direction had caused every single one of her brain cells to combust in a spectacular fashion. Her mouth opened and closed several times, but nothing came out. Alya grabbed her by the arm, giving both boys a cheerful wave as she pulled Marinette off the bench. "We'll see you two in class. Don't be late!"
Marinette managed to give them a wave over her shoulder as Alya pulled her toward the school. "I talked to him," she sighed dreamily.
Her red-headed friend just giggled at her plight. "Yes. Yes, you did. Good job, Marinette. Here's your reward for all your hard work." Alya shoved the magazine into her hands, which Marinette gladly accepted.
Within moments, both girls took their places in their usual seats in the classroom. Marinette was content to stare at the back of Adrien's head while Miss Bustier took roll and set things up for the morning lessons. "Marinette? Can you run this paperwork down to Mr. Damocles for me?" The teacher asked after gathering the attendance.
"Sure!" Marinette responded, grabbing her bag from the floor as she headed up to the front of the classroom. As class president she was often asked to assist the teachers in minor administrative assignments, so it was nothing out of the ordinary to be asked.
"You don't need to bring your bag with you," Miss Bustier said, handing her a stack of papers.
Marinette took the papers from her but gave a little shrug, trying to think of an excuse besides not wanting anyone to find out she had a kwami in her bag that transformed her into half of Paris' famous superhero duo. "I just feel more comfortable taking my belongings with me instead of leaving them here. Just in case something happens to them while I'm gone."
"Okay, just hurry back," her teacher responded; turning back to the classroom as Marinette headed out of the room.
Tikki flew out of the bag the moment Marinette had taken just a few steps out of the classroom. The kwami hovered near Marinette's head as she spoke. "I agree with Alya. He described you."
Marinette was grateful to the tiny ladybug for the encouragement, but it didn't do much good right now. "Adrien barely knows I exist and he certainly doesn't ever get to see that side of me. No one knows I'm Ladybug, not even Alya." Taking the stairs down to the bottom floor of the school Marinette crossed the courtyard to the Principal's office. "I still don't know see why Alya thinks Adrien was describing me though."
"I think Alya knows you better than you think she does. Even if she doesn't know you as Ladybug."
"Thanks Tikki," she replied, grateful for the friendship. "We're almost at the office. You'll want to hide again."
Tikki quickly flew back into her bag as Marinette entered the office. Handing off the paperwork to the secretary, she quickly turned around to head back to the classroom. Just as she stepped outside the office, a strong gust of wind whipped through the courtyard and almost knocked her over. The sound of bending metal pierced the air around her. Ducking her head, Marinette clamped her hands over her ears and watched as one of the backboards of the basketball court snapped and fell to the ground from the force of the wind.
Marinette stared at the mess of destruction, bracing herself as the wind whipped around her with a hurricane force. Suddenly the air stilled just as quickly as it had started, leaving the courtyard motionless and quiet except for the sound of a pair of footsteps that echoed within the empty space.
She looked to be similar in age to Marinette, half of her blonde hair pinned back in a barrette, she was decked out in a green and yellow cheerleading uniform with the word "Adrien" scrawled across the front. In her hands, she held two large Chinese fans at her side. She moved assertively across the courtyard. Marinette stood frozen in place, hoping to go undetected until the girl was out of sight so she could transform and go after her. She's not that lucky.
"Where is Adrien Agreste?" Green eyes locked on Marinette, a flash of pink reflected off the green of the mask on the girl, leaving no doubt that this girl had been possessed by an akuma.
"You're wearing the wrong colors. I don't think this is your school," Marinette answered, ignoring the girl's question as she tried to casually glance around for someplace to transform.
"I am 'The Fan'. Adrian's number one fan! I won't give him to you!" Lifting one of her fans into the air, the girl glared at Marinette as she gracefully slid her fan through the air, sending a blast of air against Marinette that picked her up off her feet before she smashed against the wall of the administration building. Marinette struggled to breathe; the impact had knocked the breath out of her. The Fan just ignored Marinette from that point on, intent on her search for Adrien.
Using the air from her fans, she levitated until she level to the second floor. With a second flick of her wrists, the stairwell that lead to the second floor exploded in a mangled mess of steel and concrete under the onslaught of wind. She had effectively isolated the first from the second floor.
"She's going after Adrien," Tikki warned.
"I'm not going to let some airhead have him," Marinette's eyes narrowed in anger as she called her kwami into her miraculous. "Spots on, Tikki!"
The Fan continued to blast away at tables and blew down walls, making a racket as she searched for her idol in the classrooms. Within moments the entire school was aware of her presence as she continually demanded everyone turn over Adrien Agreste to her.
The moment Marinette returned as Ladybug, some of the classrooms had begun to attempt to block against her entry into their room. They likely hoped to prevent the same destruction she wreaked everywhere else she went. Ladybug had a leg up on the girl, with first-hand knowledge of the location of the coveted model. Knowing her classroom had likely already blocked the door, Marinette decided she was going to have to go in through the window to extract the model and lure The Fan away from the school.
Marinette unhooked her yo-yo from her waist and sent it sailing through the air. She connected with the edge of the building and yanked herself to the roof of the school, sliding across the shingles until she reached the portion of the roof that was directly above the window to her classroom. Bending over backwards, she gripped the edge of the roof and flipped herself down onto the window ledge below her. Everyone in the classroom was distracted with their complete attention directed on the door as they prepared to prevent the intruder from entering.
Marinette grinned, sliding the window open with a dramatic flair as she announced her arrival. "Good Morning! Just your friendly neighborhood Ladybug here to pay you a visit today. I heard there is an over-zel-" Her words trailed off as her gaze connected with none other than the person she came here to ensure the safety of.
The earth shifted beneath her feet. It was an entirely clichéd way to think about it, but Marinette honestly couldn't explain it any other way. If she hadn't already been completely and utterly head over heels in love with him in the first place, she'd swear this is exactly what "Love at First Sight" would feel like. The world could fall apart around her and even if she tried, taking her eyes off of Adrien Agreste at that moment would have been impossible.
Adrien, with his back pressed to the door as hard as he possibly could in an effort to keep the possessed girl out of the classroom, was directing his classmates to drag tables and chairs to barricade the doorway. As his gaze locked with hers, his determination softened immediately, as if entering a trance. He mouthed a single word, her name. Ladybug.
Not Marinette. In that moment she didn't even care because it was still her.
Marinette had never seen that expression on his face before and it sent flutters alight in her stomach. She barely had a moment to analyze it when the wind howled against the door, busting it open with a hurricane force before the first table could replace Adrien's body. The impact pitched Adrien forward in her direction. Instinctively, Marinette reacted and wrapped her arm around the boy's waist, catching him in mid-flight, as the wind died down.
"Hi. Um. Hel-er...ah." Marinette fumbles over her words, heat rushed along the back of her neck as Adrien Agreste's body pressed up against her. She started to feel a little faint from the warmth that radiated off of him. 'This has to be a dream,' she thought dizzily. She had just saved Adrien Agreste and he stared at her as if he believed she could rope the moon.
"Ladybug," he sighed, as if the very name was a prayer. Marinette felt the world around her begin to fade even more as she fell into his gorgeous green eyes.
"Cute-you. I mean. I think. Green. So much green. I-I-I-so good," she stuttered, unable to put her thoughts into words because they jumped around so much. It's just. Adrien Agreste. She couldn't even talk to him as Marinette but right here, at this moment, he was in her arms. Though she struggled to maintain her composure, she took advantage of an opportunity she couldn't pass up. "I'm fan. Huge fan. Not like...I mean. I'm a huge fan."
And he blushed. He actually blushed.
A massive gust of wind, accompanied by a high pitched, yet powerful, voice roared, "I am Adrien Agreste's number one fan!" Still clinging to Adrien, Marinette tightened her grip to prevent either of them from get blown away from the force of the attack. Both of them pushed against the wind and held on to each other with everything they had.
"Apparently you have competition, Ladybug."
The air around them halted, Marinette was too shocked by the words Adrien muttered under his breath to react to the sudden loss of wind. Adrien fell on top of her because she hadn't quite let him go yet when her knees turned to jelly and gave out. "Sorry," she mumbled as he grinned at her.
"I'm not," he replied, grabbing her hand as he helped them both to their feet with a smirk. Again, Marinette blinked in shock, staring at the smile on his face. There was a familiarity there that she couldn't quite place, nor was she allowed any time to think about it because the possessed girl had lifted one of her fans to attack the classroom again. "We need to get her out of here."
Marinette nodded, she agreed with his assessment but had trouble putting her thoughts together. She just knew she needed to get Adrien out of there and get The Fan away from their school. "She's after you. I think we can get her into a safer place if we use you to lure her away."
The force of the wind that whipped through the classroom was directed at the two of them. Adrien slipped through her fingers as the air pushed him away. "I said he belongs to me! Don't touch him!" The girl's voice was shrill and angry as she attacked. Marinette fell to the floor again as she watched Adrien slide across the room to hit the wall with a bone crushing groan. The Fan advanced on him the moment the air stilled. But Ladybug was faster, diving across the room to slip her arms around his chest before she quickly leapt to the window with him in her arms.
"He said he wanted to be with me," Ladybug announced proudly, holding the model princess style in her arms as she spoke to The Fan. It was a lie, but it worked. The Fan let out an inhuman scream as she charged across the room after them.
"I have to let you go to get us out of here. If you don't want to fall, you need to hold onto me with your life." As soon as she said she had to let him go, Adrien wrapped his arms around her neck to hold on. Ladybug didn't waste any time sending her yoyo sailing and jumped from the window as the man of her dreams clung to her and a gust of wind followed at her back.