Disclaimer: I don't own Miraculous Ladybug.

A/N: I am amazed how many views this fic got within a few days. Thank you so much, guys! :D I hope you guys continue reading on. Thanks to all who faved and alerted, as well as those who reviewed (Lady Apriley, FutureMageOtaku99, BlackCatNeko999, a person d, and peste21)! I've only realized last night how super slice-of-life-ish this fic will be, since I like the idea of developing the relationship of Marinette and Adrien with each other, as well as with their classmates. Anyway, I'll stop rambling and let you guys read the chapter now.

Dearest Marinette

Chapter 2

"Silver lining? Should I whack this guy with the creativity bat or something?"

The square yellow sticky held up by Marinette's fingertips was quickly snatched by a half-disappointed and half-intrigued Alya. She didn't expect, firstly, another love note for her best friend today and, secondly, for today's love note to be quite emotional. She elbowed Marinette's arm lightly, snapping the girl out of her pondering trance. It must be that overwhelming for her, Alya thought, since Marinette's spaced out moments were mostly caused by Adrien.

"You okay?"

"Yes, I am. Don't worry about me," she squeaked. "I'm just really… well, surprised. How do secret admirers work in love stories, again?"

"They–um!"

Alya quickly stuffed the note in her pockets and frowned. Before Marinette could even ask, a shrilly laugh pulled her attention away.

"Well, well, isn't it sad that the both of you eat lunch at the bleachers? Afraid you'll look like loners in the cafeteria or something?"

Chloé and Sabrina haughtily sneered at them and sauntered away before Alya could snap at them with a clenched fist. Marinette tugged the sleeve of Alya's shirt.

"I'd give her a piece of my mind and all of my fist if I could," Alya grunted as she sat down.

"Don't mind her. We're done eating anyway," Marinette said. "And good call on the note. I don't want word about this to get out."

"Word about what?"

The two girls shrieked in surprise, with Marinette almost toppling off the bleachers while Alya stood up and hid her hands behind her back. The latter's shock turned into rage when she saw Nino with curious wide eyes.

"Nino, you nosy nerd! You almost gave us heart attacks," Alya barked. The boy backed away from the bleachers, hands raised like a criminal. He ran towards Marinette and helped her stand up, sheepishly rubbing the nape of his neck.

"I'm sorry. I won't do it again," he said. Marinette gave an appreciative smile, but Alya rolled her eyes.

"What are you doing snooping around anyway?" the girl asked. Marinette looked at her and narrowed her eyes to break Alya's hostility.

"I was looking for Adrien and I didn't want to face Chloé since she's hot on his trail too. Have you seen him, Marinette?"

She laughed immediately, tucking loose strands of her hair behind her ear, and turned away from Nino. She could feel Alya drilling stares at her back, finding her obviousness both cute and distressing. "I haven't! Maybe Alya did!"

Nino snorted. "I doubt she'd see Adrien even with her glasses on."

Alya hopped off the bleachers and poked Nino on the chest. "Says the four-eyes who can't find Adrien even with his glasses on," she snarled.

It didn't take long for the both of them to spiral into a petty argument. It was quite a sight for Marinette, considering how cool-headed the two were often. Maybe she was onto something when she paired Alya with Nino yesterday.

The idea of her being paired with Adrien and their best friends paired with each other was amusing.

Thinking about it was tempting, but she couldn't stand having her friends argue with each other anymore. She jumped in between them and glanced at both of them warily.

"Nino, fighting with Alya won't help you find Adrien," she huffed.

"But it helped me find Nino," a voice said from behind them. The only voice that could shake Marinette's knees.

"Where have you been, man?" Nino asked, maneuvering his way around the girls to drape an arm around his best friend's shoulders. Adrien chuckled, unaware of the hearts forming in Marinette's eyes.

"Locker room. I, uh, had to call my driver privately," he replied. "Why have you been looking for me?"

Nino grinned widely. "Max is inviting all the guys in our class to his house this Saturday to play videogames. You have to come with! Max owns almost every console ever made!"

The hopeful smile on Adrien's face made Marinette swoon and sigh internally. According to her reliable source (cough, cough, herself), Adrien's father considered videogames a waste of his son's time and didn't allow him to buy videogames. She also remembered Nino giving Adrien a speech about how sorry he felt for him because the only games he played were board games, outdated brick games, and Catty Crush on his smartphone.

"I'd love to," Adrien replied, still grinning. "I'd have to talk to Nathalie about it, so cross your fingers that I won't have any photoshoots."

Nino jumped backwards and flailed his arms around in excitement. "Great! And, you know, Max is willing to lend you his 3DS if you want," he added. "You'll have a blast this Saturday, man. And it's your chance to meet the guys more."

He turned to Marinette. "Oh, and Max was wondering if he could order two boxes of chocolate macarons for our snacks on Saturday."

"Of course! Tell Max to talk to me about the specifics of the order," she said.

Nino nodded. "Alright. Although… he's wondering if you guys make deliveries?"

Marinette shook her head. "Um, we don't, but I could bring it over if no one can stop by to pick them up."

"I could pick them up," Adrien chimed in. "I have a car anyway. I wouldn't want you to get tired just because no one would pick them up."

"Great! It's all settled then," Nino exclaimed, clapping his hands. He and Adrien started walking away, with the former saluting at them. Adrien simply nodded and waved, grinning when Marinette waved back shyly.

"Alya, is it normal to hear your heartbeats?"

The girl smiled and patted Marinette's head. "You're really cute, you know that? Looks like you have something to look forward to this Saturday."

"Yeah…"

Marinette smiled fondly as she watched the two boys enter their classroom, and the thought of having a secret admirer was momentarily erased from her mind.

At first, Marinette thought she was hearing things when two knocks audibly came from her bedroom window. She ignored it completely, immersing herself to drawing her latest dress design as a reward for finishing her homework early. Adrien's potential visit was a very effective incentive for her to help her become productive. Thank you, Max, she thought happily, knowing that his plan did both her and Adrien a favor. She had never seen Adrien as excited as he was earlier, and although she wouldn't be able to… er, spectate one of his photoshoots, she would get the chance to interact with him.

Her father agreed to make the order, as long as Marinette helped him the night before in making them. Two boxes of macarons meant 48 pieces, after all. It would be worth it, especially since it would help their business and Marinette would learn a new confection.

She was almost finished designing the skirt of a formal ensemble when she heard another knock again. It was definitely not from her door, but she checked just in case.

The knock came again.

She glanced at her window and saw a pair of familiar green eyes and a shiny golden bell. Oh, it was him.

She raised the blinds of her window and opened it, and a black-cladded figure jumped inside.

"My, my, I didn't know your room was this pink, My Princess," he said. Marinette groaned and turned around, switching her frustrated grimace into a faux smile.

"Oh, what have I done to be honored by Chat Noir's presence?" she said. The boy in black showed off his flawless grin before taking her hand and giving it a light kiss.

"Just making sure you're safe, My Princess," he assured, leaning against the railing of her indoor stairway.

Oh, wait until she turns to Ladybug later. She would lecture him about patrolling too early just to enter other people's houses after getting him to squeal that he visited a civilian.

"Why isn't Ladybug around?" she asked, pouting. Chat shrugged his shoulders.

"I had to catch a robber stealing from an old lady half an hour ago. Might as well start patrolling early," he explained. "And since patrolling without Ladybug can be quite a bore, I guess I wanted to talk to a friend."

She fiddled with her thumbs, wondering if Chat Noir was able to put two and two together. He might as well be teasing her if he knew about her identity already, but she was determined to keep it a secret. She trusted Chat, and she held onto the belief that he didn't spy on her transforming or anything.

"Friend?" she asked.

Chat nodded. "You helped me defeat a villain before. Your bravery and cooperation earned my respect. And it's not every day you meet a pretty girl with those two qualities," he answered, winking afterwards.

"You probably say that to all girls you encounter, Chat," she replied, sitting down on her rotating chair.

Chat clutched his chest. "You wound me, My Princess. I don't flirt with just any girl."

She smirked. "So you're flirting with me now, huh?"

"Why not? You put up with it quite well," he chuckled. "I have to go now, though. Ladybug would kill me if she finds out I'm hanging out with civilians nonchalantly."

She mentally laughed, noting that he knew her Ladybug persona well enough to say that. The boy stood up straight and dusted his outfit before stepping onto her windowsill.

"You have a hatch leading to your roof, right?"

Marinette nodded. "Care to have some chats with your charming Chat sometime?"

She laughed at the wordplay. "It's your call, Chat."

He gave her one last look and a salute before disappearing into the night. Marinette walked up to the window and pressed her nose against the glass, trying to check for any visuals on Chat. Unfortunately, the night sky was as pitch black as his getup tonight.