"I know she's here Plagg. I just know it," Adrian said though gritted teeth.

"Gee, I wonder which one she is," Plagg rolled his eyes sarcastically.

Plagg knew exactly who Marinette was. He'd always known. He and Tikki were connected, two halves of one whole, they would always find their way back to one another. Tikki, for some reason, trusted Plagg. None of the other kwamis did anymore. He was a tiny condensed power that was made for total destruction. When he accidentally made a mistake, it was a big mistake. The fire of London? Plagg sneezed the ember out of the oven. When rome fell? He fell out of his kitty's bag and scared the guard on watch, distracting him while the barbarians began to attack. The collapse that trapped those Chilean miners? Plagg leaned too heavily on a beam.
But she trusted him.
She was there when no one believed that he was sorry.
she understood.
She was the half that fixed everything, and she was the half that cured everyone, and she was trying to fix him.
Plagg smiled dreamily over at the bag that lay at Marinette's feet. Tikki was smarter than him. more rule abiding than him. you could describe it as – although he didn't understand why – she was the Hufflepuff to his Slytherin. Whatever that meant, it made sure that she stayed low in that bag, so no one would see her. not even him.

"Whatcha sketching dude?"

Nino's voice cut Adrien out of his search for Ladybug. He turned his head to face his friend. Nino was leaning past him, to look over at Ayla across the classroom. Ayla held up her paper. On it was a doodle of Marinette.

"whoa she really captured your eyes Marinette!" Nino beamed.

"yeah, it's really good Ayla, well done," Adrien smiled.

"thanks! I've been getting tips on how to draw her," Ayla said, proudly.

Marinette gave an awkward, flattered, laugh. "why did you draw me?"

"it's a surprise," Ayla winked.

Marinette groaned. Her surprises were never that good. "Ayla."

"FINE!" Ayla was far too excited to keep it in anyway, "you know how your birthday's coming up? Well, I though I'd make you a collage of everyone who got akumatized, and have you in the middle looking scared."

"What?" Marinette frowned.

"Girl you and Adrien are the only two who haven't been akumatized yet! I don't know what makes you so lucky, but I'm gonna exploit it," Ayla grinned.

Adrien frowned. She was right. It was only him and Marinette left. And ladybug was always at his side when someone got akumatized, and ladybug was in this room… the realisation that dawned on him in that moment made Plagg do a backflip. YES! HIS NEW KITTY WASN'T AS DUMB AS THE LAST ONE! The last one never figured it out.

"maybe you can draw Marinette as Ladybug," he declared.

"what?!" Marinette squeaked.

"what?" Ayla laughed.

"what?" Nino looked confused.

"I'm just saying, maybe if everyone else is dressed up, she should be too. Since everyone else is taken, try ladybug," Adrien stared at her, searching for any sign that he was right.

"NO! No, no!" Marinette tried to laugh it off, awkwardly, "I don't look a thing like ladybug!"

Adrien stared at Marinette. He watched her bright blue eyes. Sure, there was less confidence in them now, but they were her eyes. Ladybugs eyes. He could get lost in them. and her hair! She didn't even try to change it when becoming ladybug! How could he have sat in front of his lady day in, day out, and not notice her?

Ayla leaned out from her chair, and called to the boy sitting at the back of the classroom. "hey, Nathaniel?!"

"yeah?" he asked.

"y'know that picture we're doing? For Marinette's birthday?"

Adrien turned his head to look at Nathaniel. His sea blue eyes. His fiery hair that fell in front of them. he'd been the one who took Marinette on that date! Granted, he was the Evillistratior then, but that was the date she'd been describing. he was an artist too! Full of emotions! Right now, he was embarrassed. Adrien knew this because he was flushing pink. Marinette was turning pink too, and was keeping her head down. Adrien's chest knotted. He filled with a red-hot jealousy. So she did like Nathaniel.

"what if we made Marinette ladybug?" Ayla asked.

"Marinette? Ladybug? As if!" chole scoffed.

Adrien frowned at Chole. Of course Marinette was ladybug. She had to be. no matter how much he disagreed with Chole, he didn't have the guts that Ayla did. Ayla might not have believed that Marinette actually was ladybug, but she was damn certain that chole wasn't.

"well if there's one think I know for sure, chole, it's that you're not ladybug, or anything close to her!"

Chole gasped in offence. "ladybug and I are bffs!"

Ayla scoffed, "sure!"

While Chole and Ayla argued, Adrien watched Marinette. She laid her head on the desk and covered it with her arms. Adrien felt a rush of guilt. He'd hate to be relieved at school. No one would leave him alone. But he'd just done exactly that to the girl he loved. When the bell rang, he packed up, and tried to put the finishing touches on the apology he was devising in his head, but when he turned to talk to her, Nathaniel was there.

"Um, hey, I'm really sorry that err, that things got so out of hand. The drawing was supposed to be a nice surprise for you, I – I just wanted to make you smile. If you don't want me to draw it, that's fine," he apologised.

"no, no, Nathaniel, don't worry. Ayla asked you to do it, and I can see why. You're an excellent artist. Draw the picture. you can even make me ladybug if you want," she smiled.

Marinette laid a hand on his arm, reassuringly, which made Nathaniel laugh a little. He was glad she didn't hate the idea of the picture because he was having fun drawing it.

Adrien felt a punch to the gut as Marinette touched Nathaniel's arm. how could she like him?! He was just an artist! Just some quiet kid who drew pictures at the back of the class! He was Adrien Agreste! Model! He was Chat Noir! Her partner! How could she be so blind?!

"hey do you want to sit with us at lunch today?" Nathaniel asked.

Marinette shrugged, "oh, sure."

Nathaniel grinned and began to head to the door so they could walk together. His hand kept nearly brushing against hers as they went, and Adrien feared that he would try holding it.

"Marinette wait!" he cried.

Marinette swung around and almost immediately turned a pretty shade of pink when she realised it was Adrien calling her.

"a-a-Adrien! Hi! Err… what's up?"

Adrien was distracted by how beautiful her eyes were for a moment, and forgot how to speak.

"I just – err – wanted to – err – say – err… that I'm… err… I'm sorry. I'm sorry I said you were Ladybug in front of everyone, I know that's not something a superhero wants blurted out-"

Marinette tilted her head. "superhero? Adrien, are you ok? I'm not a superhero."

"but-"

Adrien was about to blurt out that he knew she had to be Ladybug because he was Chat Noir. He had momentarily forgotten that Nathaniel was leaning against the doorway of the class.

"Marinette?" he called.

"coming," she said.

Marinette's eyes lingered on Adrien in concern as she turned away from this conversation. Adrien watched her go, unable to find the words to stop her until it was too late.

"but you are to me," he whispered.

His shoulders dropped. Plagg rose from the bag to hover need Adrien's shoulder. He didn't know what to say, so he just patted Adrien's head.

"That could have gone worse," Plagg said.

"how?" Adrien challenged.

Plagg put his hand to his chin for a moment to think. Then, he declared, "she could have kissed him!"

Adrien's eyes widened with horror at the idea of her kissing anyone but him. Plagg was beginning to regret opening his mouth.

"Maybe ask her if you can hang out with her tonight, outside of school," Plagg suggested.

With no other plan, Adrien agreed. Marinette was sitting between Nathaniel and Ayla on one of those picnic benches, with Rose and Juleka opposite them. Everyone knew Rose and Juleka had been dating for months now. Adrien watched them from a distance for a moment.

The two girls were pushed up close together, so their legs were touching. Every now and then rose would glance out at Juleka for no other reason than to see how beautiful she was. Juleka didn't like the pickle in her sandwich, so she gave it to rose without a second thought. When they weren't eating, their hands were close enough on the table to hold. They were comfortable being close and touching.
Adrien flicked his gaze to Marinette and Nathaniel. They were pressed against each other, and didn't seem to mind that their legs were touching. He kept leaning across her, and pointing to things on the paper in front of them, even though it made them touch even more. She smiled and laughed when he did. Both kept glancing at one another, then back at the paper, then back at each other, constantly. Then he bent down to grab an apple from his bag to give to her. she took it, gratefully, without a second thought. Full of jealously that made Plagg feel nervous, he stormed over to the table.

As much as Marinette loved her friends, she was sure they could have found a bigger table. She was squished in here next to Nathaniel and Ayla. Ayla had spread the initial sketch idea across the table to show Marinette. She kept leaning across, pushing Marinette into Nathaniel so often she might as well have been in his lap. He kept gesturing to things and telling her how he was going to perfect them, so she smiled and nodded encouragingly. Every time he saw her nod, he grinned, so he kept checking, and she kept smiling. Then Ayla got over excited and threw her arms out wide, knocking Marinette's food onto the floor. Marinette cried in alarm. Quick as a flash Nathaniel drew an apple out of his bag.

"I can't have my star model going hungry," he chuckled.

She smiled, gratefully, and took the apple. "thanks."

"I'd like to try sketching you. I mean, I know you've seen my comic book so you know I already can, but I'd like to actually do it in detail. Not from memory," Nathaniel explained.

"That sounds…" Marinette glanced at Ayla. Ayla was desperate to make this picture, probably just to tease her, but she was her best friend. She was supposed to tease her. "great."

"great! So I'll meet you tonight? By the louvre? Around six?" Nathaniel asked, hopefully.

"on one condition," Marinette countered.

"oh?" Nathaniel seemed anxious by this.

"you have to model this new jacket I designed. It'd be perfect for you and I need a model," she insisted.

Nathaniel tilted his head thoughtfully. A smile crept over his face. "so we'd be modelling together?"

"yeah, but tomorrow so I can finish the jacket after you finish sketching me," she smiled.

"sounds perfect!" Nathaniel beamed.

Marinette grinned back. Ayla elbowed her. "girl talking of models…"

It was then that Adrien reached the table, and forced a smile, even though he only wanted to scowl at Nathaniel.

"Hey Marinette!" he beamed.

"H-e-ey Adrien…" she stammered.

The girls welcomed him, and he smiled, politely, but ignored them.

"do you want to go to the err – park, with me tonight? To, err, study?" he asked.

Ayla gave Marinette a smug smirk. She knew that's what her best friend wanted more than anything else in the world. Marinette beamed for a moment, then glanced at Nathaniel, and her smile drooped.

"I'd love to Adrien, but I promised I'd hang with Nathaniel tonight," she said.

It ached to say, and it ached to hear. Adrien kept that smile anyway.

"oh, no problem. Maybe tomorrow then?"

"tomorrow too. We're working on an art piece," Nathaniel smiled at Marinette.

He didn't know what the jacket looked like, but if she made it, it must be art. Adrien growled under his breath.

"no problem… some other time then… maybe," he muttered.

"Yeah, any other time, I promise!" Marinette insisted.

Adrien nodded, and slunk away. Ayla sighed. she loved her friend, and she knew why she was refusing the one thing she wanted more than anything else, but she was frustrated about it too. They had worked so long for this, and it was HER FAULT they failed! Ayla gave her an apologetic look. Marinette shrugged.

"It's ok. they'll be another chance," she whispered.