"Hey, Marinette." I said, waving at the shy girl.
"H-hi A-adrien." Marinette said. Alya nudged her shoulder from behind. "W-would you, maybe, wanttohangoutsometime."
"Uhm, what kind of hang out?" I asked.
"Physics!" She blurted. "I need help with physics."
"Oh, well, I'm free after school today if you want me to come over then." I said. She squeaked in affirmation. I headed to class, hearing Alya tease the poor girl.
"Hey, dude." Nino said, as I walked in the door.
"Hey, Nino." I said, sitting next to him.
"Are you free after school today? Alya and I are going to the zoo." Nino said.
"Sorry, can't. I'm going over to Marinette's." I said. Nino's eyes went wide.
"You mean, she finally asked you out!" Nino exclaimed. "I knew my little girl could do it! You guys are going to be such a cute couple!"
"What are you talking about, Nino? I'm going over to Marinette's to help her with physics." I said. Dating, why would Nino think- oh. Marinette has a crush on me. My eyes went wide.
"I'm guessing you figured it out, then." Nino said, a grimace on his face.
"Sh-she likes me." I stuttered.
"Congrats, dude. You're officially the last person to know." Nino said, patting me on my back.
"Is that why she's so nervous around me?" I asked.
"Definitely. She's probably even more worried now. She and Alya will probably run all the way to her house after school to take all the posters of you off her walls. Oh, and she has to change her computer background." Nino explained.
"Let me guess. She just likes me for my pretty face." I said, crestfallen. Nino laughed.
"No, dude. Marinette's not like that. In her mind, your pretty face is just an added plus to your winning personality, and kind heart. You two really compliment one another. I mean, she made you a scarf for your birthday, and let you believe that it was from your dad because it made you happy." Nino laughed. He stopped abruptly and turned towards me. "I wasn't supposed to tell you that, and you can never let them know that I did otherwise we'll both face Alya's wrath."
"I promise that I won't tell a soul." I said, fearing for my life.
After all of Nino's revelations, I couldn't wait to get to Marinette's and see if everything he said was true. After school was over, I procrastinated a little bit, giving Alya and Marinette a chance to take down all her pictures of me. After fifteen minutes, I figured it was safe to go over there.
"Marinette," I called, lifting up the trap door.
"Adrien, hi." She said, sitting casually on her chaise, a book in hand.
"You're parents sent me up." I said, climbing into her room.
"I figured. Th-they do that a lot." She explained.
"Well, why don't we get started." I said, taking a seat in the extra chair at her desk.
"Okay, I was hoping that we could do book work first." Marinette said, sitting down next to me.
"Well, I was thinking that taking an online placement test would be better to start out with." I said. "That way I know what you need help with."
"Okay." She said. She grabbed her cursor, and the screen came to life. Rather than the background of me, it was her and a small little creature that looked a lot like Plagg.
"Marinette, what's that?" I asked, pointing at the creature.
"Huh, oh. That's a doll from my Grandmother. It's imported from Japan." She explained.
"So, I'm trying to move on from that guy I like. I'm going to ask him out, so it's better to be prepared than heartbroken." Ladybug said.
"How are you moving on?" I asked, hoping to pick up some tips to get my mind off her.
"Well, I took all the pictures of him off my wall, and I changed my computer's background." Ladybug explained.
"What did you change it to?" I asked.
"It's a picture of me and my kwami, Tikki." Ladybug said.
"What!" I exclaimed. "Won't that give away your identity!"
"No, you see, the way I'm 'holding' her makes her look unreal. That way, if anyone asks what she is, I can just say that she's a doll my Grandmother gave me, imported from Japan." Ladybug said. "It was the only way I could get Tikki to agree to let me put the picture up as my background."
"O-oh." I stuttered.
"Cute, right." Marinette said.
"Yeah, Tikki's adorable. Way cuter than Plagg." I said, too focused on the doll to realize what had come out of my mouth.
"How did you know her name is Tikki." Marinette said. I froze.
"Uhm." i said.
"Who's Plagg?" She asked.
"I have to go." I said, running to the trap door. "See you at patrol!"
"Adrien." I heard Ladybug say behind me. I turned around to see the spotted heroine with Marinette's pink book bag.
"Princess." I said. She took a seat next to me, and pulled the bag off her back. Reaching into it, she grabbed out our physics textbook, and a notebook.
"Just because I'm Ladybug doesn't mean I don't need help with physics." Ladybug said.
"Did you take the online placement test?" I asked. She nodded, and handed me her notebook. It had a list of all the areas she needed to work on. After a couple of hours, we decided it was time to head home.
"I'll see you at school, tomorrow, My Lady." I said. I was about to jump off when I felt her hand on my shoulder.
"This won't change anything between us, right?" she asked.
"Well, I'm hoping it will." I said. She looked shocked. "Maybe knowing that I'm Chat Noir and Adrien will get you to fall in love with me."
"Why do you need me to fall in love with you?" She asked.
"Because I'm desperately in love with you." I said. Before she could respond, I jumped and made my way home.
"Why did I say that, Plagg. Now I have to face her at school, knowing that she knows that I'm in love with her." I whined.
"Kid, stop whining and get out of the car. She already knew Chat was in love with her. Besides, didn't Nino tell you that your little Princess is in love with you yesterday?" Plagg asked.
"You're right!" I exclaimed. I ran out of the car and up the stairs into the school. My plan to get to class quickly was thwarted when I ran into a petite girl.
"Sorry." I said, helping the girl up.
"It's alright." She said. She stood up and I realized that it was Marinette. "I guess this means that you're falling for me, doesn't it."
I couldn't take it anymore. She was smirking at me, a hint of teasing in her eyes, and she looked so cute in her outfit that seemed to have the theme of black and green. Wait, aren't those my colors as- Oh, she was wearing a Chat Noir themed outfit.
"You know it does." I said. I pulled her into my arms and placed a short, chaste kiss on her lips. Behind me, I could hear the inhumane screeching that was coming from Alya.
"I love you." Marinette said.
"I know." I said, kissing her again, and again, and again. I stopped when Marinette let out a giggle.
"Just think. This all happened because I was trying to get over you." She laughed.
"Well, that's fine, so long as you promise to stop, and fall even more in love." I teased. She laughed and kissed my nose.
"I purromise, kitty." She said, hugging me and burying her face in my chest. I smiled at the small girl in my arms, and melted into her embrace.