Chapter One
Statistically speaking, it was only a matter of time before it happened. Ladybug had descended into a deserted alley, slid into an alcove and promptly dropped her transformation. She was about to stride from her hiding place when she heard the slap of shoes hitting the pavement. Jumping back, she peered around the brickwork and spied the familiar black suit of her partner. Before she could look away, Chat Noir's magic dissolved and Adrien Agreste stood in his place.
Slapping a hand over her own open mouth, the dark-haired girl did her best to contain her gasp. Thankfully he'd had his back to her and was oblivious to her presence. He glanced from one end of the alley to the other, then sunk his hands into his jeans pockets. With the appearance of total nonchalance, Adrien began to whistle as he made his exit.
Meanwhile, Marinette's brain was in meltdown. Tikki was at her ear saying something, but the girl was still staring at the space Adrien had occupied minutes before. "I don't believe it," she gasped. "He's Adrien."
Tikki made some soothing noises and eventually Marinette found the motivation to place one foot in front of the other. As she took the last step out of the alley, her kwami dove to the safety of her handbag. With her world in a spin, she was only faintly aware of returning to school.
The moment she stepped into the classroom her eyes locked on the blonde model, sitting in his usual spot. The teacher made some remark about her tardy return, but it fell on deaf ears. Besides a quarter of the class was still missing. Marinette's gaze was fixated on the blonde boy, his head down as he busily scribbled something on his tablet. She was so caught up in watching him that she failed to notice the strap of his bag lying in her path. Her toe caught it and she windmilled her arms before dropping into her own seat. No one paid much notice as her clumsiness was almost infamous.
A deep blush stained her cheeks as she went through the motions of laying out her things. Yet her eyes kept being drawn to Adrien. As if sensing her stare, he turned and gave her a small smile. The corner of her lips automatically lifted in return as her heart leapt into a frenzied beat. His attention was momentary and her chest constricted when he turned away.
With the connection broken she realised that Alya's seat was still empty. Her friend stumbled in a few minutes later, bragging about getting a scoop on the latest akuma attack. Marinette merely nodded with a false grin plastered on her face as she listened.
Any pretence of concentration was broken as Chloe sauntered in and began to rant about her hair being dishevelled during the akuma attack as if that explained her reason for being so late in returning. The teacher gave a bored look and waved her away, seeming exhausted by listening to Chloe's high-pitched wailing. Marinette frowned and shook her head, trust Chloe to get preferential treatment.
The rest of the afternoon dragged and Marinette did her best to keep her attention away from Adrien but as the final bell rang she raced to pack up and followed him out the door. She was a few paces behind him when he stopped to tie up his shoe lace. She took the opportunity to slide into the crowd of students exiting and called out, "Chat."
Adrien's reaction was immediate, his head lifted and his eyes scanned the crowd. Before she could look away his eyes found hers. He studied her for a moment before he continued observing the crowd. It was enough of a response to confirm what she'd seen earlier. Any lingering doubt dissolved. She knew that if Ladybug suddenly appeared, Chat Noir wouldn't take long to follow.
Now she had the dilemma of what to do with her newfound knowledge. Part of her felt obligated to tell him she knew his secret and that she should share her own. But another part of her was terrified, what would Adrien think? It was no secret that Chat Noir adored Ladybug, but would those feelings automatically transfer to their alter egos?
Adrien finished fixing his shoe laces and stood. The flow of students had ebbed and she easily made her way to him. As she reached his side, he glanced her way and gave her his usual warm smile. She noticed it lacked the roguish charm used by Chat Noir to get her attention. It was a simple smile between friends. "See you tomorrow." He said without any hint of suspicion, having no idea that his secret had been exposed.
Sleep evaded Marinette for most of the night. Her brain continued to mull over every memory she had of Adrien and Chat Noir. Then came the realisation that they'd shared a kiss, the one she'd given him when he'd been under the influence of Dark Cupid. Plus, there were the numerous times she had pushed Chat away when they'd ended up too close during battle. Good grief, she'd been rebuffing Adrien. Hell, he'd even tried to kiss her twice when they'd gone against Prime Queen. And all this time it had been Adrien under that mask. Adrien who she adored. Adrien who she'd unknowingly rejected.
A sense of dread settle in the pit of her stomach. Chat Noir had tried to set up a date with her, a magnificently romantic date that she'd blown off because she thought she'd be getting ice cream with Adrien. Yet by some coincidence Chat Noir had found her as Marinette, as if on some unconscious level he'd sniffed out the girl he'd wanted to see. Guilt settle in when she thought of the sad look on his face at being stood up. They'd both unknowingly pined for the other, and they'd been together.
Marinette pulled her pillow over her face. Why did things have to be so complicated? Why did Chat Noir have to be Adrien? It would have been so much simpler if Chat Noir had been a stranger. Even now her mind was having trouble merging the two into a single person. One guy she adored and the other annoyed her to pieces, how could it be that they were one and the same?
By morning Marinette was a mess. Heavy bags sat below her dull eyes as she dragged her brush through her dark tresses. She stared blankly at her mirror as she automatically tied her pigtails, and her throat was tight as she descended her stairs, snatching up her breakfast in her usual rush as she headed for school.
As she stood at the crossing munching absently on her food, her spine straightened as a familiar dark car pulled up and its blonde occupant disembarked. "Adrien," she attempted to say while her mouth was still full. She was too far away for him to possibly hear and part of her was thankful for that.
Shadowing Adrien was nothing new for Marinette, but as she followed him into the school grounds she didn't focus on the attraction. Instead anxiety knotted in her belly as she watched her handsome partner. He waved to those who greeted him with his usual ease, while her fingernails dug into her palms.
In her haste to leave she'd failed to look at the clock and for once she was early. Alya was yet to appear and she realised that if she was going to talk to Adrien, now was the time. Blowing out an unsteady breath through her teeth, the dark-haired girl approached the blonde boy. With a tentative tap on his shoulder, Adrien turned and flashed her a friendly smile.
"Hi Marinette."
"Hi Cha-Adrien," she grimaced at her own error and tried to ignore the way Adrien's head cocked in curiosity. "Got time for a chat?"
The suspicion eased from his features and she thanked her lucky stars that he was used to her butchered sentences. "Sure, what's up?"
"Uh," she swallowed as her mind emptied of all previous notions. The full weight of Adrien's attention did its usual trick of turning her sharp mind to mush. She mentally kicked herself and she shifted her thinking, she needed to treat him like Chat. Taking a deep breath, she straightened her posture and placed a hand on her hip. "I noticed your ring the other day. I was wondering where you got it?"
A flash of panic shone in Adrien's eyes and he quickly tried to disguise it with an overly wide smile. "Oh this, it was a gift."
Marinette reached for his hand, observing the way his fingers curled under protectively as she touched the silver. This reflex intensified to a fist as she gently twisted the ring, shifting it neatly in place. "It's simple but elegant," she told as she continued to hold his hand, hoping he wouldn't notice her slight tremor.
"You like it? Most people don't even notice it."
"Given how striking you are, I'm not surprised." Her eyes bulged as she realised what she just said. Adrien ducked his head as his cheeks darked, he hadn't missed her compliment. "Sorry I didn't mean to embarrass you."
"It's okay. I guess I'm not used to you being so… bold."
"No, you probably aren't." She smiled to herself and he raised an eyebrow. Marinette quashed her smirk. For him, she was acting out of character.
Looking perplexed, Adrien toed the ground with his designer shoe. "So why the sudden interest in my ring?"
Marinette tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and watched Adrien track the movement. Green irises enlarged and his mouth dropped open. But his attention was suddenly disrupted as Nino's hand slapped on his shoulder.
"There you are dude. Oh, hey Marinette."
"Hi Nino. Well, I guess I better go. Catch you around Adrien." She made sure to emphasis the 'cat' in catch as she left and watched as his eyes grew even wider.
Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying the story so far. This idea came to me when I decided to toy with the "she saw it happen in the alleyway" angle - even though I had intended on writing more of 'Trapped in the Friend Zone' - oops. So what do you think will happen next? Stay tuned.
