Operation Talking Lotus

"So!" Alya barked. "Our first order of business is Operation Talking Lotus!"

"Wait, wait, wait, hang on a minute," Alix frowned, "I thought the operation was called Operation Golden Lotus not Talking Lotus, when did the name change? Did you decided this on a instant chat without me?!"

"Of course not," Alya rolled her eyes, "Operation Talking Lotus is the sub-operation of Operation |Golden Lotus."

"Urgh!" Alix groaned. "I'll say it again – you have way too much time on your hands!"

Alya merely gave Alix a withering glower. "It's the first step in securing Marinette's happiness," she said firmly, "one of Marinette's biggest problems is that she can't talk to Adrien which is hardly conductive for a good relationship."

"Definitely," Mylene agreed quietly as her cheeks flushed bright pink, "sometimes Ivan and I just sit up all night talking to one another. It really strengthens our relationship."

Alix blinked at the small, shy, blonde girl bewilderedly. Both Mylene and Ivan were two of the quietest people in their class. Ivan, because he just seemed to prefer silence (or music) over interacting with other people, and Mylene because she was so shy and nervous. It was really hard to imagine these two actually talking for more than a few seconds, let alone a whole night!

"Communication is key for any successful relationship," Rose added, "we can't have Golden Lotus fail because Marinette can't bring herself to tell Adrien when there's something wrong."

"Nothing will happen if Marinette can't get comfortable to talk to Adrien either," Juleka muttered, "their first kiss would be a violent massacre if Marinette's head exploded the moment Adrien looks her way."

"Juleka!" Rose exclaimed. "That's awful!"

"But true," Alix pointed out dryly, "all right then, so first step is Operation Talking Lotus," she rolled her eyes at the naff codename, "and what does that exactly consist of?"

"Simple really," Alya shrugged, "we all make an effort to contrive situations in which Marinette and Adrien have to talk to one another. Start conversations about things they would be interested in, deliberately pull Marinette in with questions, give Adrien encouragement to speak directly to Marinette, slowly take ourselves out of the equation so we can leave those two to talk to one another alone, and then before you know it – they're talking, and interacting, and flirting, and that's when we'll move onto step two!"

"That's the plan?!" Alix said disgustedly. "Slowly make them talk? Get Marinette to talk to Adrien without the stammering, and stuttering, and nonsensical babbling speak?! But that's going to take months! Maybe even years!"

"It's a delicate situation," Alya sniffed, "do you have any better ideas?"

"Yeah," Alix crossed her arms defiantly, "chuck them both in a cupboard together and don't let them out until they're making out."

"Oh no!" Mylene said horrified. "that would kill Marinette!"

"And we want them to be in a real, true, loving relationship," Rose added scandalised, "they can't do that without really getting to know one another on a deeper, personal, level."

"Yeah," Juleka mumbled.

"If you're going to wait until Marinette forms a coherent sentence round Adrien and be brave enough to ask him out herself," Alix said calmly, "or for her to be able to say something so brilliantly witty that Adrien will fall heads over heels for her and asks her out on the spot, then the day those two idiots will get together will be the day pigs learn to fly."

"Blunt force isn't the way to go," Alya snapped decisively.

"Really?" Alix raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you and Nino get together because Ladybug locked you both in a cage together?"

"That's totally different!" Alya protested. "Nino and I are much more confident and outgoing than Marinette and Adrien are. Lock those two in a cupboard and I'll guarantee it'll take hours just for Marinette to work up the courage to say hi. No, the best way is create scenarios where they'll have to talk to each other so their relationship can grow and develop at a natural speed."

"Urgh," Alya groaned, "that's way too much effort than it's worth."

"We vowed!" Rose hissed. "We vowed we'll do whatever it takes and if it takes months of small talk for Marinette to blossom into the confident, sweet, engaging person we all know her to be in front of Adrien, then that's what we'll do!"

"All right, all right!" Alix held up her hands in a surrendering gesture. "We'll go the slow, boring, route but I reserve the right to do things my way without all the talking."

"Fine!" Alya huffed. "As long as it means Marinette has to talk to Adrien, I don't care how you do it!"

Alix grinned. "Excellent!" She murmured in her best Mr Burns impression.

She had such wicked ideas!

"I don't understand," Mylene said anxiously, "exactly how are you going to get Adrien and Marinette to talk if you're not starting a conversation?"

"Don't worry," Alix smirked, "I have my ways."

MLBMLBMLBMLBMLBMLB

Alya instantly regretted allowing Alix to go her own way on Operation Talking Lotus the very next morning.

She, herself, was valiantly struggling to get through the morning pleasantries between Adrien and Marinette. She started it by warmly greeting Adrien herself when she entered the classroom, and then nudged Marinette to do the same.

Of course, Marinette screwed that up straight away but stuttering out a good night but Alya managed to salvage the conversation by asking if Adrien slept all right, and then pulled Marinette in by asking her about her dream.

Poor Marinette's face was bright pink as she stammered and stuttered her way through a sentence about Chat Noir turning up to help her with her physics homework.

But it was working!

Adrien had leaned in to listen as his eyes sparkled with interest while they were focused on Marinette's pretty face. If all their conversations went like this then maybe Adrien will fall for Marinette in a matter of weeks, and ask her out regardless of the stutter!

And then Alix walked past.

"Oops!" she said loudly.

As her hand pressed against Marinette's back and suddenly pushed the poor girl right into Adrien. Marinette, who was never the most graceful person around, flailed about comically before she lost her footing completely and crashed landed right into Adrien's lap.

Adrien reacted instantly as his arms wrapped round Marinette and cradled her close before she fell off his lap completely and bashed her head against his desk. "Are you all right?!" Adrien cried out worriedly.

"I...you...ah...we...guh!"

Alya face palmed.

And then immediately turned round to glare at Alix who merely replied with a wicked grin and a thumbs up.

"Just what the hell were you thinking?!" Alya hissed to Alix after class. "I just got Marinette to talk an actual sentence to Adrien without too much of a stammer when you just sent her back months with that shove!"

"Oh chill," Alix rolled her eyes, "my way is no more damaging than yours. I mean look at them," she nodded to Rose, Juleka, Marinette, and Adrien who were all huddled up awkwardly as they made painful small talk, "you know Adrien doesn't actually talk to most of us that often, right? It's going to be painfully awkward for a long time going your way, at least my way Marinette ends up in Adrien's arms."

"Hmm..." Alya pressed her lips together disapprovingly, "You have a point."

Alix grinned. "And don't you just hate that?" she teased. "We'll do both ways, and when Adrien and Marinette are hooking up within the month and Marinette says it's because of me, you can totally buy me an ice cream."

"Oh you're on!" Alya grinned back. "It'll be a nice change to be treated to an ice cream for once."

"Keep dreaming," Alix snorted.

And then they were both cruelly reminded of a crucial, significant, evil thing they had both forgotten when they made their plans.

For a moment, Adrien smiled and started to loosen up round all three girls. And whatever he said had made Marinette giggle which only served to make Adrien smile even more radiantly as he focused more on her than Rose and Juleka.

And then it happened.

And it was pure, unadulterated, evil.

A blonde hurricane appeared out of nowhere as Chloe Bourgeois suddenly shoved Marinette out of the way, which caused the poor black-blue haired girl to crash into Rose and Juleka, and flung herself at Adrien.

"ADRI-KINS!" she squealed. "What are you doing with these losers when you could be with me instead?"

And before Adrien could even register what Chloe had said, the conniving blonde dragged him down the corridor towards their next class.

"That cow," Alix growled, "that utter, evil, cow..."

"Oh!" Alya fumed. "If I could just get my hands on her!"

And, of course this becomes a regular occurrence.

Alya, Mylene, Juleka, and Rose will managed to strike up a conversation and just as Marinette is beginning to get comfortable enough for her words to come out in the right order, Chloe would push her away or shove herself between them and Adrien as she all but rubbed herself on him and dragged him away to their next class, or to have lunch with her, or some time alone after school.

Poor Adrien always looked pained and apologetic as he tried to subtly (and failed epically as Chloe clung onto him tighter) to pull away.

It was the same whenever Alix shoved Marinette into Adrien's arms. The two would all be wrapped up in one another, stammering and blushing, and gazing at one another in such a sickening way (Alya had to physically restrain Alix from shouting "SNOG ALREADY" at least five times now) when suddenly the mood shatters as Chloe squeezes herself between the pair. Chloe would viciously elbow Marinette out of the way, sometimes even knocking her into a wall or onto the floor, before she plastered herself against Adrien possessively while the poor boy started to look a bit like a wild, cornered, animal on the verge of chewing his own leg off to escape.

Or maybe that was just Alya's imagination?

It's certainly how she would feel if she had Chloe's overpowering perfume clogged up in her nostrils and the blonde's octopus like hands all over her.

Urgh!

In the end weeks and weeks and weeks drag on by with very little progress actually being made thanks to one, Chloe Bourgeois.

"Argh!" Alix threw her arms up in frustration.

It wasn't long after school and Chloe had once again thwarted one of their attempts to contrive a conversation between Adrien and Marinette by loudly 'reminding' Adrien that he promised to spend the afternoon with her before she dragged him away. Marinette tried her best to not look so bothered she muttered something about having to help her parents anyway but you had to be blind (or Adrien) to not see how her shoulders were slumped or that she wrapped her arms round herself as if to protect herself from further hurt.

"That girl is the biggest pain in the arse I have ever seen!" Alix snarled furiously. "How has Marinette not snapped and strangled her yet?!"

"Trust me," Alya said grimly, "it's been a close call."

Along with her own frustrations, Alya had to listen to Marinette rant and rave furiously about Chloe on a near daily basis now. It did nothing to help Alya keep her own patience. With her plans constantly going awry thanks to Chloe, her little sisters being major pests, and Marinette mysteriously not being free after school these last couple weeks, Alya had found she had become an extremely irritable person.

"Should just murder her," Juleka muttered darkly, "nobody would miss her."

"Juleka!" Rose gasped. "That's not very nice! Though..." she smiled sheepishly, "you do make a very good point."

"Erm...ah...maybe, we should try outside of school?" Mylene suggested meekly. "I mean," she flushed bright pink as everyone turned to stare at her, "if we arranged a group outing without Chloe then that would finally give Marinette and Adrien a chance to talk without interruptions?"

"That's a great idea, Mylene!" Rose beamed.

"Yeah," Juleka nodded.

"Sure," Alix agreed, "but how do we keep Chloe's big fat nose out of it? As soon as she gets a mere whiff of a group outing, she'll barge in like the uninvited loser she is and Marinette will be sidelined again."

"Well, you see," Mylene mumbled as her cheeks turned a deeper pink, "If we kept the group really small, say just me, Ivan, Alya, Nino, Adrien, and Marinette. Then Chloe isn't likely to notice and then Ivan and I, and Alya and Nino could, erm, slip away, to, ah, snuggle and leave Marinette and Adrien no choice but to really talk to one another."

"Snuggle?" Alix grinned wickedly. "Is that what you kids call it nowadays?"

Mylene merely covered her face with her hands.

"Mylene!" Alya cried out gleefully. "That's sheer genius!"

"It is?!" Mylene squeaked hopefully.

"It is!" Alya said reassuringly. "Let's grab Nino and get him to ask Adrien now. The sooner we get this date booked, the sooner we get Golden Lotus out to sail!"

It didn't take much effort from that point onwards.

All Alya had to do was flutter her eyelashes at Nino and drop a few endearments to get him to agree to a secret triple date.

"All right, babe," Nino shrugged, "but Adrien's been weirdly busy these last couple weeks. I've only just got to spend some time gaming with him yesterday. I can't guarantee it'll happen anytime soon, you have anything in mind for what we're doing?"

She chose hunting down Andre for ice cream because it was one of the few things she knew Marinette desperately wanted to do with Adrien. Also the allure of forbidden frozen sweets would be too much for poor, skinny, on-a-strict-diet, Adrien Agreste to resist.

He said yes almost immediately as the words ice cream left Nino's lips. It unfortunately took some time actually picking a date as Adrien's schedule was – as Nino predicted – jam-packed, but they eventually got a rare Friday evening booked.

And then telling Marinette had been a great joy, and really cheered Alya up herself, as the pig-tailed girl twittered excitedly and nervously about it for days.

"Oh God what should I even wear Alya?!" Marinette despaired. "Should I put on a dress? Or would that look like I'm trying too hard, and Adrien will think I'm desperate and run away? Should I wear something more casual? Or would that look like I'm not trying at all, and Adrien will think I'm a slob, and run away? What if I drip ice cream down myself?!"

"Girl, just come the way you are," Alya said soothingly, "which is perfect and don't worry about the ice cream. In fact you should get it all smeared round your lips, I'm sure Adrien would love the excuse to lick-"

"ALYA!"

The lead up to the triple ice cream date had been filled with teasing and giggling as everyone really began to look forwards to it. Alya especially could use the time to relax and cuddle up with her very much neglected boyfriend (poor Nino was beginning to develop a bit of a pout every time Alya said she was busy) as she watched Adrien and Marinette take the next, very important, step towards a relationship...

But, of course, Adrien Agreste ruined it all entirely.

By not showing up at all.

MLBMLBMLBMLBMLBMLB

Mylene found Marinette first after the ice cream disaster.

It had been purely by accident as she was on her way to Rose's for an emergency Operation Golden Lotus meeting. Their shared instant chat really blew up last night when Mylene and Alya informed the other girls what happened and they were going to all meet up in person to re-group and decide their next step.

Mylene just happened to be passing when she spotted Marinette on the steps of a nearby bridge as she twirled the little plastic spoon in the elegant tub that only Andre would use. While Marinette didn't look as upset as last night there was still an aura of sadness about her as the pig-tailed girl kept her eyes downcast.

Mylene felt a pang of regret and sorrow that she had ever suggested this whole triple date thing.

"Marinette?"

Marinette jumped slightly, as Mylene had blatantly just pulled her out of her train of thought, and looked temporarily alarmed before her eyes rested on Mylene and she instantly relaxed. "Oh," she said quietly, "hey Mylene."

"Hey," Mylene murmured back as she moved to sit beside Marinette, "what are you doing out here?"

"Well," Marinette smiled sheepishly, "I didn't get my ice cream last night so I thought today was a good day for ice cream..."

"Was it nice?" Mylene asked.

"Uh-huh," Marinette nodded, "and, well, I got to apologise to Andre as well for last night."

"Oh Marinette!" Mylene cried out. "That wasn't your fault!"

If anything it was Adrien's fault.

Well, Adrien's father's fault.

If he would just let Adrien have some fun and come out with them then the whole night would have gone differently. Andre wouldn't have been Akumatised, Mylene wouldn't have spent all night tossing and turning and worrying over Marinette, and perhaps this morning Marinette would be giggling and squealing with delight rather than just trying to look like she's holding it altogether.

"It kinda was," Marinette mumbled, "if I handled my disappointment better then perhaps Andre wouldn't have been so hurt."

"No way!" Mylene shook her head so hard that she felt her own dreadlocks slap her cheeks. "Andre was more heartbroken that his own prediction didn't come true than with the way you reacted. He just wanted you to be happy. He's nice like that. It hurts him to see his customers so sad."

"Yeah," Marinette smiled, "he is nice."

There was a long, stretched out, silence and Mylene felt her usual low-level anxiety bubbling to the surface and she struggled to figure out what to say or do next that could make Marinette feel better. Oh, why wasn't Alya here?! Alya always knew the right thing to say! And Alix! Alix always knew how to make people laugh, and Rose was so good with the hugs, and Juleka handled silence far better than Mylene did.

Had she let the silence go too long? Maybe Marinette wanted her to leave? Should Mylene offer to leave?

She wished Ivan was here. He had this amazing ability to soothe Mylene's frazzled nerves and boost her confidence. If he was here his big, warm, comforting hand would be on her back and she might actually be able to say something to Marinette.

"Mylene!" Marinette blurted out. It was so sudden that the blonde almost jumped out of her skin from the shock of it all."Do you think I'm fooling myself with this whole Adrien thing?"

"W-w-w-what do you mean?" Mylene stammered out nervously. "What do you mean by fooling yourself?"

"Well, just that, I try so hard all the time and he barely notices me as a friend," Marinette said quietly. Her big blue eyes were focused on the floor so one of her glossy pig-tails hide her face from Mylene. It was difficult to read Marinette's expression but Mylene had a sickening feeling that Marinette was trying her very best to not let her negative feelings get to her. "What if I'm missing someone else because I'm too focused on Adrien? What if there is someone just as a beautiful, and kind, and so very sweet, and he likes me. He really likes me. Enough for roses and candles and starry nights on the rooftop...and I'm missing my chance with him because I'm too hung up on Adrien?"

"Is there someone else?" Mylene asked curiously.

"...No," Marinette mumbled, "no there isn't."

But there had been a beat of silence that dragged on a little too long there and a vague note of falseness in Marinette's voice when she finally did speak.

Or maybe Mylene was imagining it, and there wasn't someone else.

"Then I wouldn't worry about it," Mylene said reassuringly, "because you're not going to miss the someone who will do roses and candles and starry nights on the rooftop. I know you won't because Adrien will do it all with you one day. I've seen the way he looks at you sometimes and he's always reaching out to touch you. He doesn't do that to anyone else, not Nino his best friend, not Chloe is supposedly best friend, no one, but you? He's always trying to touch your shoulder, and lean into your personal space, brushes his hand against yours, and he gives you those winks!"

"Does he?" Marinette flushed. "I, erm, hadn't noticed."

"He does!" Mylene asserted. "Ask Alya, I think she has a spreadsheet or something documenting every single touch. Adrien might not realise it right now – he's a boy, they're kinda thick like that, but he does like you Marinette. Very much so, and one day you will get your ice cream date with him. So you see, you're not being foolish at all! You're just being patient and romantic."

Marinette smiled at that.

And this time it was her real smile. The radiant one that lights up her whole face and makes her eyes sparkle with true joy.

Mylene couldn't help but smile back at the sight of it.

"Thanks Mylene!" Marinette quickly hugged her. "I really needed to hear that."

"Anytime, Marinette," Mylene hugged her back.

"You got anything planned?" Marinette asked as she pulled away. "We could hang out today if you like, get another ice cream?"

"Oh, erm," Mylene's cheeks burned brightly. She couldn't exactly tell Marinette that she did have plans and they involved talking about Marinette behind her back! That would be terribly awkward and embarrassing. "Ivan and I..." she lied feebly.

"Oh, that's okay," Marinette smiled understandingly, "I probably should go home anyway and start in on my homework. I'll see you Monday."

"See you on Monday!"

And with another quick hug, the two parted ways.

Mylene then hurried over to Rose's quickly.

There had been a time in Mylene's life where she believed no one's bedroom could be more pink than Marinette's, and then she saw Rose's room and found out that there was a totally new level of pink. The carpet was a deep fuchsia, the walls were virtually neon pink with rose stencils and oddly out of place glam rock posters that undoubtedly Juleka helped pick out, and the bedding, curtains, and furniture were all various shades of pink.

Even Rose's teddy that sat in prime position on her bed was a pale, faded, pink.

It almost hurt Mylene's eyes.

"Finally!" Alix cried out. "We were going to eat these snacks without you if you were another five minutes late."

Mylene smiled in amusement. Rose even had pink cups filled with orange juice and biscuits all laid out on a matching pink plate. She wondered how Rose managed to persuade her parents to purchase pink kitchenware to match her room.

"Sorry," she apologised quietly, "I bumped into Marinette on my way."

"How is she?" Alya asked worriedly. "Girl hasn't been answering my texts all morning."

"She's dealing," Mylene said, "she had some doubts but I manage to reassure her that she isn't pursuing a lost cause."

"Good," Alya nodded satisfied, "I love Marinette, but I swear to God she let's her own insecurities get the better of her at times."

"So last night was a total wash out, then?" Alix asked.

"Adrien was a no-show," Alya confirmed, "but that isn't too unusual, his father prevents Adrien from doing anything fun at the most random times. Nino did warn us this might happen."

"So what now?" Rose demanded. "Are we going to try and arrange another after school meet up?"

"No," Alya shook her head firmly, "if Adrien's Dad is anything like Nino described then they might get brutally cancelled over and over again until Marinette's self-esteem gets completely crushed and she's the next Akuma."

Everyone shuddered at the thought.

They've all been through that experience themselves and wouldn't wish it on anyone, even Chloe, but the thought of creative, determined, and down-right crazy brave Marinette being an Akuma was a truly extra terrifying thought.

"So..." Juleka mumbled. "What then?"

"We'll go back to focusing on getting Marinette and Adrien to interact more in school," Alya said confidently, "she's less likely to get burned that way, and we can continue to build her confidence back up."

"But I thought the whole point of the ice cream date was because Chloe kept interrupting Marinette and Adrien's conversations at school," Alix frowned, "how is any of that is going to change now?"

"Well," Alya grinned, "that's where the next operation comes in."

"Another one?!" Alix complained.

"Yep," Alya's grin turned a smug shade, "I call it Operation Get Rid of Queen B-"

"Alya!" Rose exclaimed, scandalised.