Sum: In which Marinette gets a crazy idea

Thank you for responding!
Diablovia: I feel your pain but I'm glad you're here for the journey!
WonderfulWeirdo: I see what you did there *finger guns*

This is the last bit I had drafted, it's a blank slate from here on
Trivia with calli: lead tin yellow, vermillion red and lampblack are coloured pigments

Chapter 4: The birth of a ladybug

/Marinette/

"Okay girl, who are you and what did you do to my sassy best friend?" Alya shook her arm as soon as they were alone. The boys had left and the girls were sitting in Marinette's bedroom. "You barely spoke a word at lunch, is something wrong?" Her friend only sighed in response.

xxxxxxx

The reason she hadn't been able to utter a word then was –how cliché- a boy. When Alya was done greeting Nino's best friend, said boy had turned to her. It was as if time had stopped and the sun had risen a second time when his emerald eyes peered into hers. She had never seen him before, which was weird because almost everyone in town came by the bakery from time to time. He had neatly combed golden hair, soft features and the physique of a boy going into puberty.

The moment shattered when he said her name enthusiastically.

"Y-yeah that's me, h-how do you know my name?" she asked carefully. How did this stranger know her name?

He took a step back in embarrassment -seemingly realizing how weird that had sounded-, apologized and greeted her properly.

Marinette froze when his lips touched her skin, but internally she was screaming. Who was this gorgeous stranger who greeted commoners so formally?

The answer came quickly: "My name is Adrien Agreste."

During lunch, Marinette was constantly spacing out. She didn't hear it when Alya asked her something and she was clumsier than usual. She almost dropped a jar of jelly on Adrien's lap but he caught it in mid-air and smiled at her after handing it back to her. She mumbled a thank you and proceeded to eat in silence, her cheeks an uncommonly bright shade of pink.

The only weird moment was when Nino forced Adrien to tell a story about some mute guy he met. The man was supposedly looking for Marinette. She had no idea who they were talking about and made a mental note to barricade her bedroom window that night. Just to be safe

xxxxxxx

"Don't just sigh at me! Come on girl, give me something to work with."

Marinette realized her friend wouldn't stop asking before she spilled. "Oh Alya, I can't seem to act normal around that boy Nino brought over! His eyes are so dreamy, and the way his hair moves when he turns his head…" Another round of sighing followed. "And he was so kind to me, even though I was nothing but awkward. Did you see him catch that jar?"

"So my best friend has the hots for my boyfriend's best friend? That's just perfect!" Marinette looked at her with caution. It hardly ever ended well for her when Alya was this enthusiastic about something, that much she knew.

"Oh really, what are you cooking up in that big head of yours?"

"Wouldn't it be great if you guys got together and we could go on double dates with the four of us? I'll ask Nino to talk to Adrien, you can thank me on your wedding day." She winked, a devilish smile on her lips.

"Oh no, you're doing exactly nothing! There is no need to play matchmaker," Marinette said while throwing a pillow at her friend's head.

Alya dodged it easily and pouted. "Way to take the fun out of it."

xxxxxxxx

That evening, after everyone had gone home, Marinette sat in her room with a fresh cup of coffee and her sketchbook as only company. Her day had been a wonderful one, shared with her best friend. She really missed Alya when she was out on missions, and those became only more frequent as Alya's reputation built up. She was one of the best messengers in town, and word had it that she would even do the opposite and spy on people if it was important enough.

Her trail of thought was interrupted by muffled sounds of screaming and crying. She looked out of her window to see where they came from. In the alleyway a young girl with a basket full of groceries was being pushed against the wall by a middle aged man with ragged clothes. Wait a minute, she knew that girl! Her name was Mylène, and she often came by the bakery.

"What's a pretty girl like you doing all alone, don't you need some company?" the attacker said while groping the cornered girl. "I will gladly provide that for you!"

Marinette was suddenly reminded of her conversation with Chat Noir the night before.

"Why do you do this?" she suddenly asked him.

"Do what?" he countered.

"Why are you Chat Noir?"

He didn't even have to think about an answer. "To make a difference," he simply stated. She raised one eyebrow at him. "I'm not going to reveal all my secrets to you, Princess, but I can assure you my intentions are pure."

Marinette shook her head, she found that hard to believe.

He ignored her and continued: "I see it like this: if you encounter injustice and you are able to change it, what gives you the right to sit back and do nothing? You should at least try to do something about it, in any way you can. Even if it requires some creativity. Even if it's not an ideal solution. Because if you're not going to do something, nobody will."

The girl snickered. "I still don't get how running around with a cape and a mask solves injustice, but you do you."

She hated to admit it, but Marinette felt the same way. She looked out of her window again and the scene before her eyes confirmed her thoughts. A royal guard who was patrolling on the main road walked past the alley and pretended not to hear the girl scream. Marinette was the only witness. She had to do something, anything!

"Hey pignut!" she yelled as she threw her wooden cup at his head.

He looked up, surprized to be interrupted in his assault. As the cup hit its target, hot coffee spilled out and soaked the criminal's face. The targeted girl looked up in gratitude and was able to run away while her attacker screamed in agony.

"You will pay for this, missy, I'm coming after you next! And I won't be alone when I do!" He waddled away while running into several buildings, still blinded by the boiling liquid.

For the first time, Marinette felt powerful. Maybe she could make a difference. Maybe she could stop counting on others and stand up for what she believed was right. As she laid her head to rest that night, an idea started forming in her half-sleeping mind. A ridiculous idea, inspired by recent events. So ridiculous in fact that it might even work.

/Nathanaël/

It was a boring day on the job, a day like any other, but the Nathanaël boy didn't mind.

He was a royal knight, but not by his own choice. His father had insisted on him enlisting for the army because his art wouldn't pay the bills. However, he never lost the urge to create. He reluctantly went through the harsh training and after a few years in military school the 'perfect job for him' became vacant, as his teacher so sarcastically put it. They had to guard one of the city's less used gates, nicknamed 'the backdoor'. It wasn't much more than that, even a small carriage wouldn't fit. The road the gate led to was poorly maintained and overgrown with weeds.

It was a job for two, but his colleague ditched him every other day for the tavern. Their superiors wouldn't find out anyway because of the lack of supervision.

Nathanaël was happy to be around nature all day. He had his drawing utensils near and the ever changing landscape was always willing to model for the young artist. At the moment he was trying to capture the cheerful colours of a dandelion that had just been awakened by the early spring sun.

"There you are, I was looking for you!" A sudden voice sliced through the morning and caused the boy to leave a lead tin yellow streak where it didn't belong. He turned around angrily to see who had startled him but his expression softened when he recognized the owner of the voice. She looked over his shoulder. "Oh no, I ruined your artwork! I really didn't mean to scare you, I thought you'd heard me coming," the girl apologized.

"Marinette, it's great to see you again! Don't worry about the drawing, I was just warming up. What brings you so far from home?"

His childhood friend had been smiling, a smile that could summon the sun on even the darkest of days, but now she looked uneasy. "Well," she started quietly, "can I ask you a favour?"

Nathanaël laid a hand upon her shoulder. "Of course you can! What is it, do you want another private art class? I just bought some new pigments that you'll lo-"

She shook her head to cut him off. "I want you to teach me how to fight," the short girl stated with the confidence of a giant.

He was baffled, not because a girl wanted to learn how to fight, but because she wanted him as a tutor. "Are you sure you want me to teach you? I know the theory but I'm not a great fighter. I think Alya could teach you a lot more. Or maybe I could introduce you to my teachers from military school."

Marinette shook her head again. "Alya already thought me the basics of self-defence, but it's not enough. Please, Nath, you are the only one I can trust with this!"

He gave in when he saw how serious the girl was about the matter and resisted the urge to ask why she needed these classes. "If you're sure about this, I'd love to teach you everything I kno-"

Once again he was cut off, this time by a pair of arms that wrapped themselves around him. He trembled when he realized Marinette was hugging him. He dropped his paintbrush and quickly hugged her back. Her body felt warm against his, as if she had just gotten out of bed, and smelled as sweet as pastry.

"Thank you," she whispered softly against his chest, "it means a lot to me."
And then louder: "So let's get started, shall we?"

/Marinette/

That evening, she happily looked back to another day spent with a good friend. She had been so happy to see Nathanaël again, and it was only the first visit of many more to come. In a few hours she had learned so much about different weapons and not once did he ask why she wanted to know all of this. He was willing to help her even though she ruined his drawing, which she knew meant a lot to him. She couldn't have asked for a better friend.

"That's enough daydreaming for now, time to get back to work," she thought while taking her sketchbook and her box of pigments. Still smiling, she selected a rich vermillion and some lampblack and started to pour her ideas into a single design.