Chapter 3a
Wait.
What?
He must have misheard.
Did she just ask him to…?
What?
Adrien's mind was racing. Did Marinette just ask him out? Did that mean she had feelings for him? Since when? Where were the signs? Sure, she did act differently around him than she did around any of her other friends. But I always assumed it was because she didn't like me very much, he reasoned weakly. I mean, I suppose a lot of that strange behavior involved startled jumping, beet-red blushing and incoherent stammering, which she doesn't do around her other friends, but…but still...it can't…
Okay fine, there was a very good chance Adrien was an oblivious idiot and so totally screwed right now. Marinette was staring at him expectantly, her posture still and just a bit tense, her face composed, her eyes unclouded and locked onto his, patiently awaiting his answer. How am I supposed to respond to this? She'd caught him completely off guard. This wasn't at all how he expected this day to go.
How long has she been trying to say this to me?
It felt like an eternity went by, but it was probably only about five seconds. The struggle must've been evident on his face, Adrien realized, as he saw Marinette's eyes widen just a fraction. His hand drifted awkwardly to the nape of his neck as he chewed on his lip, struggling to put together the best answer he could.
"I'm… I'm really sorry, Marinette..."
He'd been asked out by various girls a handful of times, all of whom were strangers. In each case, he tried to keep his inevitable rejection as simple, casual, and polite as he could. But Marinette was his friend. She deserved an explanation. "I kind of like somebody else…"
Crap, how do I tell her I'm not rejecting her because I don't like her? he thought. He couldn't allow this moment to ruin their barely budding friendship, it meant too much to him to throw it all away now. Maybe it was naïve, but he had to ask. "But…um…we can still be friends, right?"
There was a long pause.
Many of the girls who'd asked him out in the past burst into tears upon his rejection, regardless of how gentle he was about it. But he'd never known those girls personally. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to handle seeing Marinette in tears.
To his immense relief, her lips turned up into a cheerful smile, and her voice was clear as a bell. "Of course!"
As the lunch period drew to a close, Alya raced to the school. Still bummed she couldn't be there at her best friend's side, she was naturally eager to hear how the conversation went and, with any luck, where they'd be going on their first date. Her sharp eyes spotted Marinette leaning against one of the pillars by the building's main entrance, and with a wide grin she hollered "Marinette!" and dashed up the stairs. It didn't occur to her that Marinette wasn't running to meet her halfway.
"Sorry I wasn't there," she panted as she got to the top. "Little sisters caught a sudden cold. So how did it—" She trailed off as she took in the sight of her friend up close. "—go…?"
Alya took in the slumped shoulders, the withdrawn stance, the way her dark bangs fell forward and concealed her eyes. An awful sinking feeling gripped her gut. No. He didn't. He wouldn't dare… "Marinette?" she prompted, sending up a last-ditch hope that maybe she was only messing with her.
Slowly, the girl looked up. Twin tears streamed down her cheeks, framing a quivering smile as she tried to assure her in a bittersweet voice, "I didn't cry."
Oh… Oh, no…
Alya didn't think, only reacted. Lunging forward, she threw her arms around the girl and pulled her in, letting her face nestle in the crook of her neck. The dam broke, and hot tears ran onto her collarbone as Marinette shook with muffled sobs.
"Oh baby..." Alya murmured.
A quote from that old American author crept into her aching mind. "Love is never lost. If not reciprocated, it will flow back and soften and purify the heart."
The heavens felt their superheroine's heartache that evening as black clouds gathered to block the sky and unleash their torrential rains throughout Paris.
Somewhere in the heart of a city, in the attic of an apartment above a quiet little bakery, the superheroine herself lay, clad in comforting pajamas, flat on her bed with her face smushed into a tear-soaked pillow. Other than the occasional sniffle she was quiet, finally worn out from hours of heavy sobbing. Meanwhile, her thoughts had spent that time spiraling in a cruel cycle of sorrow at the rejection, self-loathing over how blind she'd been, and frustrated attempts to quash her shattered feelings for him. Now, she just felt numb.
And a little afraid. "Tikki?" she ventured, her voice just above a croak.
Perched on the edge of the mattress, the kwami hopped up at her beckoning and floated silently up to sit on the damp pillow by her face.
"Will—will I turn into an akuma?"
Tikki reached out and stroked a lock of hair near her ear. "Are you mad at Adrien for turning you down?"
"No..." Marinette propped herself up on one elbow, not quite meeting Tikki's eyes. "If anything, I'm just mad at myself. I'm so stupid! I bet he wanted to make that brooch so he could give it to the girl he likes." She sighed in resignation. "Whoever it is...she's really lucky."
At that last part, Tikki's drooping antennae perked back up, and she smiled warmly. "As long as you're not hateful, Marinette, that's what matters. He only comes when you want revenge."
"Mm." That makes sense, she thought. Every victim Hawkmoth akumatized has always targeted someone in their hate. Like how the Bubbler wanted to punish all adults, or how Copycat went after Chat Noir, or how Mr. Pigeon captured all the police officers. But even now, she didn't blame Adrien or the girl he liked for what happened today. No, the only person she had to blame—the only person she could feel any ounce of hatred for—was herself. "What kind of dumb girl plans her future around a boy who doesn't even like her back?" she muttered.
"You're still young, Marinette," Tikki reminded her, hovering up to her eye level. "It's normal to have dreams. Your dedication to others is a gift, never lose sight of that. It's one of the many reasons I knew you'd make a wonderful Ladybug."
Marinette squeezed her eyes shut and reopened them. The kwami had a point, always did. Still… "I don't feel like such a great Ladybug right now," she said under her breath.
Tikki chuckled and lovingly pressed a tiny paw to the girl's freckled cheek. "Then you'll just have to take my word for it! Don't worry, you'll find love again. And this time, he'll love you back, because that's what you deserve." She leaned in and delicately pressed a kiss on the spot just below her eye.
Marinette didn't quite smile, but she knew Tikki knew she was grateful for the kind words and gesture. "Thanks," she said, letting her eyes droop closed again. "Thanks for everything, Tikki."
"I'll always be here for you."
It was still downpouring the next morning.
At school, Adrien stood at his locker and held up the brooch, his fingers fiddling with the smooth metal. Ladybug wasn't out last night, he mused, his memories of making the jewelry soured by the events of yesterday. I want to give this to her...but...now it feels wrong…
"Hey, dude."
It was Nino. Adrien tucked the brooch in his backpack and shut his locker door. "Hey," he said back, turning to face him. "What's up?"
Nino didn't answer right away, though. Or rather, he started to say something, stopped, and seemed to reconsider. After doing this three times, Adrien was about to ask him to spit it out when he finally blurted, "You know, I always had a feeling you liked someone."
Adrien tensed. Uh-oh.
"Sometimes you daydream in class and it shows so clear on your face." Then the playful light left his eyes and he frowned. "It's too bad about Marinette, though."
Wait, how did he know about that? Does anyone else know? A movement caught his wary eye as someone hurried past, but it was only Sabrina. "You—you heard about that?"
Nino shrugged and held up his phone. "Alya."
"Oh." Duh. Of course she'd tell her best friend, who would of course tell her boyfriend. Adrien rubbed his neck and looked away. "I mean, it's not like it's the first time a girl's asked me out," he explained awkwardly. "It's just...it was the first time it was one of my friends. I felt really bad telling her no. I didn't think I was leading her on with that—er, when I asked her to help me."
"It's not your fault, man," Nino countered, folding his arms. "Marinette's been crushing on you since day one. She would've been led on no matter what you did or didn't do with her." He pressed his lips together for a moment. "I mean, it's probably better it happened this way. The blow will be less crushing now than later on."
He had a point. "Yeah, you're right," he agreed. "She seemed to take it really well, too."
But the look on Nino's face seemed to suggest otherwise. "Um...you sure?" he cringed.
"Yeah, she didn't look upset at all," he said, puzzled. For a moment he considered asking Nino if something was up, but he was certain he'd read Marinette's face right the previous day.
And anyhow, Nino seemed to want to change the subject. "So who is the girl you like?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows.
Adrien chuckled and turned away, hoisting his backpack strap higher on his shoulder. "If I told you, I'd have to kill you."
Nino snorted and bumped a brofist on the hand clutching his strap. "You're a dork. Can't you give your best friend any hints?"
"That still counts as making me kill you."
"Nah dude! See, because..." And on went the playful argument over what exactly constituted telling enough of a secret to murder its recipient as they walked up the stairs to their first period class and took their seats. Wrapped up in making sure his best friend didn't end up wheedling out any information indicating his crush on Ladybug, Adrien almost didn't notice the two girls come in through the classroom door.
Instantly he forgot about Nino as he sized them up. Marinette still didn't look particularly upset, and Alya had her arms folded in what looked like annoyance, but Alya tended to be annoyed at anything that didn't make her fangirl. As they passed by, Adrien did a slight wave at the former. "Er...good morning, Marinette," he made himself say.
She smiled back at him, looking like her normal chipper self. "Good morning!"
Adrien was just about to relax when—
Bam!
A hand slammed on his desk, hard, and Adrien jerked back in shock.
"GOOD MORNING."
Alya grinned at him maniacally, surrounded by flames with lasers boring out of her eyes straight through him. If looks could kill, this one would've flattened the Notre Dame cathedral into crêpes suzette. Adrien felt himself shrinking back, curling up into himself like a tiny kitten.
I'm guessing that can't be good…
Rrriiiinnnggg!
"You sure you're okay?" Alya asked with concern, just before they parted ways outside the school. "There's still a chance you could become an akuma, you know."
"I know," Marinette reminded her with a crooked smile. "I'm fine, really. Go take care of your sisters."
Alya still looked uneasy. "Okay...but I'm still going to call you over and over and over to make sure you're okay."
Marinette shrugged, feigning indifference. "Sure."
In truth, she was grateful to have a best friend who would go out of her way to look after her. As they waved goodbye, Marinette felt the emotional onslaught pressing at the edges of her mind, and it took all her willpower to keep it at bay. She didn't want to cry, not again. Though the sun was out, the air still felt damp and heavy from the recent storm as she huffed and marched herself towards home, avoiding puddles blotting out the sidewalk here and there.
"Well, well, well. Look who's the loser now."
Marinette froze.
"Turned down flat after asking Adrien out. I can't imagine the embarrassment you must feel."
No, Chloé, I'm sure you can't, she thought snarkily, glancing over her shoulder at the honey-blonde brat's smug sneer. "Give it a rest, Chloé," she said flatly, wishing Alya were still here. "He likes someone else. We both lose."
But of course Chloé wasn't done. "Hah! That's what you think," she scoffed. "Just who do you think that girl he likes is?"
Oh no.
Marinette closed her eyes and tried to block out the words she knew were coming.
Sure enough, Chloé was quick to triumphantly showcase her evidence. "You know," she began, laying a manicured hand on her tailored chest pointedly, "I've known Adrien much longer than you. We're true childhood sweethearts. In fact, before he started going to this school, he confessed his love for me."
An all-too-vivid image of Adrien down on one knee, striking a model pose as he all but thrusted an artful bouquet of scarlet roses peppered with baby's breath into the waiting arms of Chloé, glued itself on Marinette's eyelids. Her eyes shot open and she gasped.
"So, no. I don't lose."
It's not true it's not true it's not true it's not—
"Only YOU lose."
Suddenly she lunged forward, the anger in her grotesque features blocking out all else until it was all Marinette could see. "And how you thought you could ever win against me is the lamest thing ever," the blonde hissed, eyes narrowed. "It's utterly pathetic. You may have everyone convinced you're all innocent and nice, but you'll never be as pretty or as rich as I am. And that's all people really care about." Their noses were nearly touching by now. "You're never going to win against me. Never. In fact, you should just give up while you're down!"
As if cued by Chloé's last word, Marinette lost her balance and stumbled backward, her foot slipping on the curb.
Splash!
"Agh!" she cried, landing bottom-first in a giant puddle on the hard pavement of the side of the road, instantly soaked in dirty street water. Chloé was cackling at her fortunate turn of events, of course, but Sabrina, standing a little further back, looked aghast.
Naturally Chloé didn't care. "Oh, this is too good!" she gleefully chortled, whipping out her iPhone to snap a photo. "I'm going to send this to everybody! Except Adrien, of course. He shouldn't look at you more than he has to."
As mortifying as it was, a tiny part of her felt relieved he wouldn't see her like this.
"Now go turn into an akuma," Chloé said dismissively as she flounced off. "I can't wait to see what kind of ugly monster you become. Have fun getting defeated by Ladybug!"
Sabrina started to trot after her, then stopped and cast a forlorn glance back at Marinette. Mouthing the words "I'm sorry!" she scurried away.
Drained and emotionally numb, Marinette watched them go. So Sabrina somehow found out about yesterday and told Chloé, she slowly pieced together, eyes stinging but too cried out to dredge up any more tears. If only her life didn't revolve around pleasing that brat, maybe this wouldn't have happened.
A trickle of muddy water ran down her chin, and she looked down mutely at her ruined clothes and hair.
Adrien didn't like her back, her social tormentor got to run off with the guy, and she was now officially the laughingstock of the school.
How could this have happened?
Tikki was just hanging the hip purse out to dry on the balcony when she heard someone enter the room below. Darting back inside through the window, she watched as Marinette paced around the room in her pajamas, still towel-drying her wet hair. With a pang, she pictured the girl's parents downstairs, sitting on the couch together as they worried over their daughter, with no idea she was recovering from what was shaping up to be a brutal rejection. Marinette hadn't said much over the past couple days, and Tikki wished she could do something to let know what had happened instead of leaving them in the dark, but of course that was impossible.
And anyhow, her more immediate concern was for the holder herself. Those awful comments must have smarted, and the puddle incident didn't help. They weren't quite out of danger from an akuma yet. "Marinette, are you mad at Chloé?" she asked, hovering closer.
"No," Marinette mumbled, turning around but not quite meeting Tikki's eyes. "I mean, she's right, isn't she? She'll always be better than me where it counts."
"That's not true!" Tikki insisted, hoping her holder didn't actually believe that. "That's not at all what counts. As long as you're kind and people love you for who you are, that's what really matters!"
"Not Adrien, though."
"Not..." She faltered, watching as Marinette's gaze lingered on the magazine cutouts taped to the bedroom wall. There was nothing she could say to make that better.
The girl stood there for awhile with the towel around her neck, dry-eyed, not saying anything, not appearing to feel anything, either. Then she went over to her desk and sat down, staring at the pile of homework waiting for her. Abruptly shaking her head, she stood up and paced a bit more. Finally she spoke. "I'd like to get some air."
Tikki nodded, glad her Ladybug was putting her own well-being first. "Okay. I think that will be good for you."
A few minutes later, Ladybug swung herself up to her favorite rooftop haunt, the one overlooking the Eiffel tower. For a moment she stood there motionless, her gaze fixed on the architectural beauty before her.
But the moment didn't last.
"Ladybug!" Completely oblivious to His Lady's less-than-inviting mood, Chat Noir hopped onto the rooftop behind her. "Hey, hi!" Her hair is down, he noticed. Wow! She should wear it like that more often, it's gorgeous! "Hello!" he called again, in case she hadn't heard.
"...Hi."
"I wasn't sure you'd be out today," he charged on, the eagerness in his voice completely indiscrete as he once again completely missed the monotone to her voice. "Since you weren't out yesterday, I mean."
She still kept her back to him. "Sorry."
"Nonono, it's okay!" he assured her quickly, stepping closer. "After all, there've been no akuma attacks all week. It's been a nice break, eh?"
"Sure..."
Okay, enough with the small talk, Chat told himself, taking a deep breath. Time to do what you came here to do. He reached a hand into his left pocket, claws closing around the brooch he'd tucked in there earlier. "Um...L-Ladybug, can I...can I ask you some—"
"I'm not really in the mood to do a patrol today. Sorry."
Before he knew it, she was swinging away on her yo-yo. "Ah, wait!" Chat called after her, just a second too late.
She was gone.
The hand he'd reached out for her faltered, dropped back to his side. Something was wrong, and she didn't want to talk about it with him. Feline felt ears drooping, Chat Noir brought the other hand out of his pocket and bit his lip as he looked at the brooch.
All this brooch has brought so far is unhappiness. Maybe I never should've had it made in the first place…
The next day, Adrien was still sulking as he left the school building to meet Nathalie and the Gorilla.
What could've happened to her? he thought for the two-dozenth time that day. Ladybug seemed really upset last night...but she was so happy the week before… Did I miss my chance to give it to her?
Or was I right about it feeling wrong to give this to her at all?
Any more ruminations were cut off, however, when a yellow-and-white blur darted over out of nowhere and tackled him nearly to the ground. "ADRIKINS!"
Chloé?
But already she'd hopped off him and was blowing kisses as she turned to leave. "Sorry we can't do anything together right now," she purred, her voice like rich honey with clumps of added brown sugar and vanilla extract—that is, unnecessarily sweet. "I'd stick around, but I have to get out of here before that little pest finds me."
Adrien blinked. Pest? "What—?"
"Bye-bye, see you later, sweetie!" And just as quickly as she had come, Chloé was gone.
She's being more clingy than usual, Adrien noted, reaching up to rub his neck out of habit. At least someone around here is happy—
"THAT WITCH!"
Suddenly it was Alya rushing in, and she looked hella angry. "Where did she go?!" she demanded to no one in particular.
Then she whirled on him.
Adrien gulped, instantly wishing he had a last will and testament to leave behind in this world. Lord, into thy hands I commend my spirit...
"This is all your fault!" Alya screamed, jabbing a finger squarely in the center of his chest.
His fault? Huh? Things were happening too fast. "Wh-what—?"
"All Marinette ever wanted was for you to notice her! She's done so much—SO MUCH—for you, and this is how you repay her?!"
"Alya!" From somewhere behind Adrien came Nino, gently taking her shoulders, face full of pity. "Alya, please calm down."
To her credit, Alya did lower her voice, but it only made her even more terrifying. "Do you," she growled, her clenched fists trembling, "have any idea, how much she CRIED over you?"
Wait, what? "She...she wasn't crying..." Adrien began, feeling stupider the more he tried to convince himself that was true.
"Of course she wasn't crying in front of you!" Alya cut him off, her voice rising again. "She didn't want you to be upset! She's always putting your feelings over her own!" There was a pause, as if undecided about whether to continue, then the moment passed and she charged forward even louder. "You know that scarf? The stupid blue scarf you love so much? The one you think your dad gave you? Well, he didn't—Marinette just let you believe that because it made you happy. Just look at it! I'm sure her name is on there somewhere!"
Alya squeezed her eyes shut, her whole body trembling now, and the lenses on her glasses looked misty. "Marinette does so much for everyone," she choked out, her voice barely above a broken whisper. "She deserves so much more than the crap people put her through...so much more...so much..."
Seeing her break down crying, Nino put his arm around her and began leading her away. "Come on," he said softly, glancing sadly back at Adrien. "See you tomorrow..."
Adrien was stunned. Utterly stunned.
Crying...me...the scarf...Marinette?
He stood there for a long time.
Evening fell, and Adrien was still sulking.
Plagg, going to town on a hunk of Camembert while his holder was flopped on the bed in classic Disney Princess form, had no trouble noticing. Upon arriving home earlier, the first thing the boy did was march straight up to his bedroom and make a beeline for his closet, where he'd pulled out his scarf rack and silently fingered the tiny stitching on the hem of the blue scarf which, sure enough, spelled out Marinette's name. Then of course he'd tossed it aside and flopped on the bed, and hadn't made a peep since. Classic, overly dramatic model Adrien Agreste. "Gonna assume you're too busy feeling sorry for yourself to go out tonight," he smirked between munches, pointedly eyeing the blue scarf crumpled on the floor in a carelessly discarded heap.
Just like that, Adrien launched himself up into a sitting position. "That's what you think," he retorted, hiding a grimace as he checked the time on his phone. "I still have to give Ladybug her gift."
Plagg swallowed and raised an eyebrow—or rather, did whatever the kwami equivalent of raising an eyebrow was—at him. "You really still gonna give that thing to her after all that drama?"
"Of course I am!" He knows me well, though, Adrien had to admit, a little unnervingly. I guess part of it will still feel wrong no matter what I tell myself. Still, my mind is made up. "I know how difficult it is to muster up the courage to confess your feelings to someone," he said aloud, justifying his reasoning. "The least I can do is be as brave as Marinette was."
"Yeah, and then get your heart broken just like you broke that girl's heart!" Plagg snickered.
A chill of apprehension ran down his spine, but trying to hide it, Adrien rolled his eyes and stuck his right fist out. "Claws out, Plagg."
"Eeep!"
The hunk of Camembert lay cast aside on the side table as Adrien, now Chat Noir, keyed open the usual windowpane and leapt out into the Parisian dusk. He started off in the direction of the nearby Eiffel Tower, then skidded to a halt as it occurred to him that Ladybug might not have wanted to go back there after he interrupted her alone time last night. Quickly he ran through the mental list of his partner's favorite rooftop haunts, decided to try the Musée Picasso on gut instinct, and took off in the opposite direction.
His gut was right. Pole-vaulting up onto the museum roof, Chat spied her perched on the far end of the building. There she is, he thought, pointing out the obvious to himself in his nervousness. Quietly, but not so quietly that she wouldn't sense his approach at all, the superhero leapt to a spot behind her. "Er, good evening, My Lady!" he coughed. "Sorry I'm a bit late."
She didn't say anything for awhile. Then she made an irritated noise and started to stand up. "I'm still not up to do a patrol right now—"
"Wait! Please tell me what's bothering you?"
The words ripped their way out of him like a dull but desperate knife through a particularly durable shower curtain. But it was enough to halt Ladybug from taking her leave on him. "Nothing is bothering me," she answered tonelessly.
Beyond relieved she was still here, Chat felt some of his old flirtatious self resurfacing. "My sixth sense says otherwise," he countered, his own tone coy.
She shot him a look over her shoulder. "...You don't have a sixth sense."
"I don't need one to see you've been rather down since yesterday."
"I don't want to talk about it."
Chat's smile faded. So there is something wrong, he thought, and she refuses to tell me what… "Thennn...we don't have to talk about it!" he decided, spreading out his palms innocently. "In fact, we don't have to talk at all! Let's play a game instead!"
At last she turned to face him, bemused. "...What."
"I know just the game!" he went on with a snap of his fingers. "It's called 'Cat and Mouse'. Whoever's the cat has to catch the mouse! I'll start, of course, since I am in all actuality a cat—"
"That game already exists," she said dryly. "It's called 'Tag'."
Keep the act up, Chat, keep it up. "What!" he exclaimed in mock outrage, putting his hands to his hips. "Why, that's plagiarism of the first degree! I need to call my lawyer about this!"
Ladybug wasn't amused. "This is dumb. I'm not in the mood for this."
Uh-oh, red alert, I'm losing her! "Aah—alright, alright, fine!" Folding his arms and assuming an air of placation, he tried a different tactic. "If you're really afraid to lose to me, you're welcome to forfeit."
That was all the bait he needed to hook her. "I'm not afraid to lose..."
"No no, it's okay, I totally understand," he continued, holding up his hands in a stop gesture. "I make an impeccable cat, clearly. It's completely normal to be intimidated by my amazing sk—"
Fwoom!
Caught off guard, Chat barely caught his balance as a red blur streaked past him, and he swiveled around to find Ladybug skipping behind him.
"I'll play your stupid game," she called, finally cracking a grin, "but only to wipe that smug look off your face!"
Chat grinned back. "Deal!" And lunged toward her.
Over the rooftops they flew, the full moon shining down to light their way as the nimble mouse kept herself one step ahead of the mischievous cat. At one point as she ran along one of the flatter roofs, Chat made a wild leap toward her and stretched out his claws, only to land hard on his stomach and get the wind knocked out of him—"Oomph!"—as Ladybug hopped out of the way like a fencer hops over a sword aimed at his legs. But soon enough he was up and at 'em again, determined to keep His Lady in his sights. It wasn't long before she was laughing with exhilaration, and Chat knew he'd succeeded in cheering her up.
Now it's time to end the game.
Chat bided his time until they landed on a building with a chimney at the other end, then he made his move. While Ladybug charged forward he slipped down one side, then doubled around and stealthily climbed up the other side of the chimney. His gamble working, Ladybug came to a rest as she perched atop the chimney, panting and scanning the horizon for her partner.
Who crept up behind her and…
"Gotcha!"
"Aaagh!" Knocked off the chimney, Ladybug and Chat Noir tumbled to the roof below, barrel-rolling down the side and across the tops of the tightly-packed buildings until the latter could pin the former below him. "Say it," he meowed.
Ladybug was still laughing. "Say what?" she managed.
"What?!" he cried mock-indignantly, claws aggressively tickling her midriff. "I swear I'll torture it out of you!"
That got her. "Aah! Okay, okay!" With one last hiccup of laughter, she beamed at him. "You win."
Her bluebell eyes were twinkling.
Suddenly very aware of how close they were, Chat felt his cheeks turn pink and he scooted off of her self-consciously. "Ah...um...Ladybug..." he stammered, scratching the back of his neck with one hand and slipping the other into his pocket. "There's...ah...something I...er...want to give you… That is, um..."
Ladybug was watching him with mild interest. Then with a start, her face unexpectedly changed to a look of alarm. "Wha—?"
Boooom…!
The explosion was distant, but there. A sickening feeling in his stomach, Chat whirled around to watch the cloud of smoke and debris billow up into the night sky. Behind him, Ladybug was already up on her feet, and when next he looked back to her, she was swinging away.
Chat hesitated only long enough to bite his lip dejectedly before following her. Of course. I try to confess, and an akuma attacks. Right damn on time.
Something told him His Lady was never gonna wear that brooch.
A/N At 19 followers, this narrative adaptation of SleepySundae's comic has officially become my most followed fanfic ever on this website! Thanks for all the support, guys! (And of course, a big thank-you to SS herself for the recent shoutout on her deviantArt ^.^)
