Someone To Watch Over Me, Chapter 6: Monkey Business and Morning Munchies
Adrien stood staring at his window and at the smiling red-and-black figure just behind it. He couldn't imagine what the expression on his face looked like at that moment... but Ladybug seemed to be enjoying it, whatever it was.
"Hi," she said, in a giggly voice. "Are you busy right now?" I can't believe I'm doing this, she thought, a little bit of nervousness inside her surfacing.
"Not even remotely," he replied. "Please, come inside!"
Adrien opened the window the rest of the way and Ladybug stepped inside, with a warm smile on her face threatening to become an ear-to-ear grin at any moment. "Thank you," she cooed. "Such a gentleman!"
"Well, I'm not in the habit of leaving ladies waiting at my window... though I only know of one who doesn't use the front door." Adrien returned the window to being open just a crack, then turned back to Ladybug. "And only one who can leave little surprises for me without being seen. If you weren't in here already... how did you do that? First in my school bag, now in my room...!"
"Oh... a girl has to have some secrets, doesn't she?" beamed Ladybug, rather proud of herself. "But let's just say that I had a little help."
Adrien looked dumbfounded, unable to connect the dots immediately. For some odd reason, he was a little distracted. My father wouldn't have done that... or Nathalie...
He shook it off. Another time, he thought. Focus, you idiot! She's HERE!
"However you did it, it was just what I needed. I'd just had a fight with Nathalie and my father, I came up here, I was pretty much grounded for the night... and all of a sudden, the most wonderful decorator had been hard at work cheering me up, right under my nose." Adrien gave her a smile that made her toes feel warm inside her costume. "I couldn't believe my eyes! Thank you so much."
"I wouldn't say that I needed to decorate much. I like what you've done with the place," grinned Ladybug, gesturing around her. "There's everything here that a young man could want."
Not everything, thought Adrien. Until right now.
"So... I'm delighted to see you, but what brings you here tonight?" he asked, covering for that last thought. "Something I can help you with? Is there an Akuma?"
"Not that I know of," said Ladybug, sitting down on Adrien's sofa. "At least, I hope not... part of why I'm here is making sure that there isn't. You've been targeted twice this week, you had a really rough day today, and your father has been very hard on you lately. I wanted to try and help avoid a third time, if I could."
"That makes sense," Adrien replied, feeling slightly disappointed. I mean, it's still awesome that she came here and all, but... "What's the other part?" he asked her.
Adrien watched Ladybug as he spoke, and wasn't sure that he believed what he saw. She's looking away a little bit, like she's nervous... is she blushing a little?
"Well... because you had a really rough day today, and I was worried about you. I wanted to see you, Adrien," said Ladybug, in something of a shy voice. "I hope that's all right."
"I..."
He looked at her, and she looked at him.
Her smile crept a little wider... and so did his.
"You're grinning," Adrien said.
"You're grinning," Ladybug replied.
They both laughed a little at that. Adrien answered, "Well... you're here! That's enough reason for me."
"Oh, it's not like I've never been here before," she noted. "I've been in here a few times."
"On a mission, sure. Like, that time my father was Akumatized, or when Volpina first showed up. Or when you dropped me off the other night. But we've never, just, like, you know... hung out together, have we?"
Ladybug thought for a second. "I don't think we have," she agreed. "And I can't stay half the night or anything, or my parents will be wondering. And yours, I'm sure! But if you'd like some company for a while..."
"I would like nothing more," Adrien answered, very quickly. He paused, and laughed to himself briefly.
"What is it?" Ladybug asked.
"It's nothing, really... but, just, hearing you say 'my parents' like that. I mean, of course you have parents! You're about my age, right?" Adrien smiled. "I know, I know, never ask a lady her age... But we look like we're pretty close, maybe in the same year in school."
He walked over and joined her on the sofa, keeping a friendly distance. "I'm so used to seeing you as Ladybug, the Superheroine of Paris, the larger-than-life powerhouse in a tiny package, bravely risking her life to save us all..." he intoned, his voice growing melodramatic to the point where Ladybug raised an eyebrow, playfully.
"Stop, you," she giggled. "I'm just..."
"You're a normal person underneath, I know. I'm reminding myself of that. I'd never want to say 'just' about you," he added.
"Heh. That's not a bad thing, is it?" Ladybug asked, feeling curious. "That I'm not a strange visitor from another planet, I'm just a schoolgirl with a life and problems like anyone else?"
"Not for a second," Adrien replied, without hesitation. "If anything, I'd love to know so much more about that side of you. Though I know you're very limited in what you can tell me, of course."
"And I'll have to be careful," she smiled, shyly. "Because I bet you could pry an awful lot out of me."
"So..." Adrien began, nervously. "Can I get you anything?" He paused, then wondered aloud, "Can I get you anything? I'm not supposed to leave my room..."
"Don't worry about that, I'm fine," Ladybug reassured him. "I ate before I came over, and I didn't exactly give you a lot of warning."
"Still, I hate to be an ungracious host..." worried Adrien.
"So what was it that got you confined here? I know your father's been a pain lately, but this is new, isn't it?" she asked him, to distract him away from that.
"Yeah, it is. I got detention at school today... I took my time after we, uh, met to gather my thoughts, and I skipped a couple of classes," he explained. "Nathalie got snippy with me about it, and was going to run straight to my father to tell him. I got sarcastic with her, then Dad walked in and got on my case, and I snapped at him, too. He did not like that."
"I bet. Was it worth it?" asked Ladybug.
"You know what? I think it was," Adrien replied, after thinking about it for a second. "I mean, I'd always rather avoid a fight than start one. But as far as I'm concerned, they started this one, and I defended myself for once. Maybe I did go a little too far."
"I wasn't there, so I can't say that for sure... but you weren't getting nasty, were you? You don't seem the type to hit below the belt deliberately."
"No, nothing personal. But I was defiant, and Dad's really not used to anyone not just accepting his authority. Especially me," mused Adrien. "I mean, I do it sometimes, like when I sneak out because I need some time on my own... but almost never to his face."
"I can kind of relate to that. Like, my parents and I get along great, almost always... but there are times that I have to go behind their backs because of this," Ladybug replied, gesturing to her costume. "And that's gotten me in trouble. They get that look on their faces where they're not so much angry as... disappointed. And that hurts worse."
"I kind of miss those days. My father used to be a lot like that. Now he seems like he prefers to do both at once," Adrien sighed. He looked up at Ladybug with a small smile and added, "I was almost ready to go too far on purpose, afterwards; I was thinking of skipping school tomorrow entirely. 'You don't like me in detention, Father? Fine, I won't be in it.' But I talked with a friend of mine and she helped me realize how bad of an idea that was."
Ladybug gauged her words carefully. "Yeah, I don't know if I would go that far. That's a good way to get suspended instead, and you don't want to give your father an excuse to yank you out of public school, do you?"
"Definitely not!" he agreed. "That'd put an end to my feeling like a normal person."
Ladybug looked thoughtful. "Though, in another way, I do feel good about you pushing back some against your father and Nathalie," she continued. "They've been going way over the line lately, right?"
"You know it," Adrien said.
"Then this is a way of letting them know that," Ladybug argued. "You don't express a lot of anger, from what I know of you; you tend to bottle it up. This is your way of telling your father, 'Hey, you're being unreasonable,' and that's unusual enough for you that maybe they'll think, 'Wow, if Adrien's angry and pushing back, maybe I am going too far. That's not like him.'"
Adrien nodded, seeing her logic.
"Or he may just say, 'Wow, Adrien's being defiant, I need to double down on discipline,'" shrugged Ladybug. "That all depends on him, which is why I'd take it slow for now. A little rebellion goes a long way sometimes."
She fought the impulse to ask another question, and the impulse won. "...Who was the friend who talked you out of it, by the way?" she asked him.
"Who else?" smiled Adrien, sheepishly. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng again. You and she have been my lifelines through all of this."
"Good," Ladybug said, feeling very pleased. "She's a good friend."
"She's more than that," replied Adrien, in a tone of voice that she couldn't quite place.
She... is?
Ladybug tried not to let her face betray what four little words had just done to her brain.
Marinette, you came here to make him feel better, not to stir things up! she ordered herself. Change the subject!
"So... I didn't mean to pry," she said, a bit nervously.
"No, it's fine! I needed to talk things out," Adrien said. "You're right; I do bottle things up. Sometimes far too much."
"Let's get your mind off of that, then, and do something fun," Ladybug smiled. "Just how grounded are you, anyway?"
"Nathalie took my phone, and said to keep my computer off, too," shrugged Adrien. "Beyond that, she didn't say anything else was off-limits." He gestured around the room, and added, mockingly, "Poor boy's got nothing else to play with," making Ladybug giggle. "I could put in a movie, or something like that. What kinds do you like to watch?"
"Well... I'm not into horror movies," Ladybug began.
"Hold on. Ladybug, the fearless protector of Paris, gets scared by ghosts and boogeymen?" laughed Adrien. "After some of the things you fight?"
"Hey!" replied Ladybug, also laughing. "I know they can't come out of the screen and get me, or anything like that! That's just... not my kind of movie."
"All right, then, what would you rather?" He gestured to his shelves on the second floor and said, "Between what's up there and streaming services, I bet I can find just about anything."
"A good comedy, maybe? We could both use one of those."
"Hmmm," answered Adrien, with a calculating smile. "I could go old-school with that. Do you know your Marx Brothers movies?"
"I know of them, but I've never watched any of them," admitted Ladybug.
"Perfect! Sit tight for a second, I'll be right back," grinned Adrien, rushing up the stairs to where his DVDs were shelved.
A short while later, Nathalie stood outside the door of Adrien's room, listening intently.
If I didn't know better, I'd swear that he was talking to someone just now, she thought. But I took his phone, and if his computer's off, he can't video-chat anybody.
Quietly, she opened the door just a crack, to see if Adrien had turned his computer on after all. He hadn't. Scanning the rest of the room, she saw the television on, and reasoned for a moment that it was where the voice had come from... then gasped with surprise, covering her mouth, when she saw a girl's head sitting next to him on the sofa.
That little SCAMP! she thought. He's grounded and he thinks that he can have company? Alone with a girl in his room, no less?
Nathalie closed the door again, to gather her thoughts and plan her attack. The first question that jumped into her mind, of course, was How did he MANAGE that?
"There's no way that whoever that is could've come in through the front door. I'd have seen her; I was right by there for the last hour," she mumbled to herself. "He didn't come downstairs to let her in through either of the back doors; we would've heard the garage door open..."
She edged the door open again, a little wider, to get a better look. Dark hair, pigtails. That may well be the baker girl. If it is, we may have to include her in our plans after all. But how did she - WHAT?
The girl adjusted her position slightly, lifting up a little bit and turning towards Adrien to say something... and Nathalie swore that she saw a domino mask on the girl's face and a red-and-black neck and shoulders coming into view.
Am I hallucinating?
Is Adrien watching a movie with LADYBUG?
The door closed once more, as silently as Nathalie could manage. She stepped away from Adrien's room and sent a frantic text message:
[Nathalie] We have an EMERGENCY. Come meet me outside of Adrien's room at once.
His response was immediate:
[Gabriel] What is going on? Is he all right? Has something happened?
[Nathalie] He's fine. Actually, he's quite happy at the moment.
[Nathalie] But you're _really_ going to want to see this.
"Bahahahahaha!" cackled Ladybug, as Harpo Marx made a shambles of a passport-inspection station with a stamper and a manic grin.
Adrien stole a glance at her, and felt very warm inside. Ladybug had her feet tucked underneath her and her hands in her lap, sitting half-sideways so as to see either the screen or himself with ease. She was clearly loving the movie, and seemed completely relaxed being there with him.
I can't get over how natural this feels, he smiled to himself. It's the first time we've done this together, and it feels as if we've been close friends all year.
She turned and grinned at him, then busted up laughing again as Groucho approached an unconscious woman and quipped, "Sure, I'm a doctor - where's the horse?"
Even if we just stay friends like this... it's delightful to see her this happy.
Behind them, silently, the door cracked open once more. This time, a male head poked in and inspected the proceedings.
He retreated, just as quietly, with a startled expression on his face.
"Well?" asked Nathalie, impatient to find out if things were still as she'd left them.
"I can say only one thing for sure..." said Gabriel. "My son has excellent taste in movies."
Ladybug giggled her way through watching Groucho impersonate a cat in his own inimitable style.
Oh, this is exactly what I needed! After all the stress we had today, something silly and hilarious like this can make us both forget our troubles.
She peeked at Adrien, who had a huge grin on his face watching the brothers' antics. Adrien turned and looked at her, as if sensing her gaze, and smiled even a little wider. As he turned back to the TV, he reached his arm behind him for a moment, as if scratching the back of his head nervously.
He is SO cute when he's feeling better, she thought. No wonder I'm working so hard to keep him that way...
"Gabriel, what should we do?" hissed Nathalie, waving Gabriel farther away from the door, lest they be overheard.
"Do? I would say, at this moment, we will do nothing," whispered Gabriel. "You saw the two of them. Assuming that she is the real Ladybug - and I cannot imagine how anyone else could have entered via the window - does she have the slightest inclination at the moment to hunt anyone down?"
"Well... no," Nathalie admitted.
"On the contrary, she appears to be here for a different reason entirely; to spend time with my son," Gabriel smiled. "Not that I can blame her, of course; Adrien is quite the charmer when he wishes to be."
"You are remarkably calm about this, Gabriel," marveled Nathalie. "Your arch-nemesis is in your own house - this close to your hidden lair, and to Emilie - and making time with your son. Isn't that a whole set of disasters waiting to happen?"
"Perhaps," he nodded. "Or, let us consider another possibility. My arch-nemesis is in my own house, making time with my son, as you put it. Building up a closer friendship, perhaps into something considerably more charged... Nathalie, we needed Adrien to be in a fragile emotional state. This could be the answer to our dilemma! We should not only ease our emotional manipulation of Adrien for now, but subtly encourage this."
His grin widened. "Imagine it with me. Ladybug feeling secure and comfortable in this house. Our knowing precisely where and when Ladybug will be at certain times, and with whom. A growing bond between them, leaving Ladybug vulnerable when Adrien is in peril... or Adrien in despair when Ladybug is. A perfect target for the Akuma for which we've been preparing him!"
Nathalie stared at Gabriel with a bit of awe. "You, sir... are diabolical."
"You disapprove?" he asked, mildly surprised.
"No, that's meant as a compliment," she assured him. "And once your plan succeeds..."
"...Then my son will have both his mother, restored to him by his father's brilliant master plan, and the love of the young lady beneath Ladybug's costume. Should he still feel so inclined, of course... I would imagine she might need considerable consoling from him in those circumstances, and would fall straight into his arms. Who knows? At that point, with Emilie restored, I might even feel benevolent enough to return her Miraculous to her!"
Gabriel smiled at Nathalie's look of disbelief. "All right. That is not very likely," he conceded. He then walked down the hallway quietly, motioning for Nathalie to follow. "Come. I have much to consider... and many plans to weave."
As the movie ended, Adrien looked over at Ladybug, who appeared to be delighted. "If I didn't know better, I'd say the Marxes have a new fan," he noted.
"Absolutely!" beamed Ladybug. "That movie's older than my parents, but it was hysterical! I loved it."
"Well... not to try and tempt you into a return visit, or anything... but I do happen to have their whole collection on DVD. There are about a dozen movies in all, but they had a run of six in a row that are all just incredible. That one was the second of those," smiled Adrien.
"M-maybe we should make this a regular thing, then. I mean, if you'd want to..." suggested Ladybug, saying it out loud before her nerves could overcome her.
"Could we? I mean, I'd love to," Adrien blurted out, a little more quickly than he'd intended.
They engaged in another impromptu grinning contest, this time adding a trying-not-to-blush category to the scorecard, but once again it ended in a draw.
"I probably should be getting home... I don't want my parents noticing that I've disappeared. But I had a wonderful time tonight, Adrien," Ladybug told him. "I really needed this."
"You have no idea how much I needed this. Or, maybe you do... since you made it happen," beamed Adrien, as he walked her towards the window. "Thank you so much; for the surprises, for staying with me tonight, for this morning, for all week! For so many things. I can't even name them all."
"Believe me, Adrien... I'm happy to do all those things. Let me know when you want to do another movie night, or whatever else, and we'll get together again. But I need two favors from you, okay?"
"Just name them," Adrien replied.
"Number one should be easy; just keep in touch. Especially if you feel like you're slipping again, like this morning," said Ladybug...
...and Adrien's eyes widened. This time she IS blushing! he thought, with some amazement. I'm sure of it!
"...But any time you want to reach out to me is fine," she finished her sentence, a little shyly.
"That... um... goes for me, too," replied Adrien. "You've got my number and my email, and I'll keep my window unlocked just in case."
That got Ladybug giggling again. "Well, I will try to give you some warning next time! If your dad caught me sneaking into your room at night, I can only imagine the security system he'd buy."
I can only imagine how fast I'd learn to disable it, thought Adrien, trying not to turn crimson from the mental picture alone. "What's the second favor?" he asked.
"This one you can do for me tonight," grinned Ladybug. "You found the note on your pillow, right?"
He nodded.
"The pleasant dreams that I mentioned? Have one of those," she winked.
Before she could offer to tuck him in to make sure of it... she tossed her yo-yo, gave him a happy wave, and she was gone.
"That's not going to be a problem," mumbled Adrien, mostly to himself. "I won't be dreaming of anything else for a month. If ever."
Plagg floated out of hiding, marveling at Adrien's half-stunned expression. "You look like you might not sleep for a month. Just lying in your bed, wide awake, night after night, moaning Laaaaadybuuuuug..."
That snapped Adrien out of his trance. "Hey!" he said, coming to a realization. "You have some explaining to do, Plagg. Remember how Ladybug said she had 'a little help' redecorating the room?"
"Yeah?" replied Plagg. "I didn't have anything to do with that, until I was asked to distract you."
"So Ladybug was in here...!"
"Not exactly," Plagg said. "Aren't you forgetting something?"
"Which is?" asked Adrien, looking confused.
"Who are you talking to right now? Your Kwami! Just like how Ladybug has one. She floated right through the wall when you weren't looking," grinned Plagg.
Adried nodded. "Okay, that makes more sense," he replied, but then looked stunned again. "Plagg... are you telling me that Ladybug was standing under my window for a while, without her costume, while her Kwami was leaving surprises for me?"
"Yup."
So I was _that_ close to finding out, if I'd only known...!
"I've said it before, but I don't know if I've ever meant it more... it's a good thing that my father doesn't have security cameras outside my room."
Ladybug popped the hatch to her room, made sure that the room was unoccupied, then slipped inside silently and transformed back. Better safe than sorry; I don't want the neighbors seeing a white flash at night and wondering what it is, she thought.
Plus, I don't want them to hear me when I squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeal!
Marinette let loose a happy shriek into her pillow, getting an amused reaction from Tikki. "I take it that you enjoyed your evening," the Kwami deadpanned.
"That was absolutely magical!" she bubbled. "You and I did what we went there to do, and it worked so well, thanks to your help... and then - it was just - I mean - the way he looked at me, Tikki! Did you see how he looked at me? That smile? How we both kept going back and forth between being so comfortable together, and being so shy and nervous?"
"I think Nino was right about that crush," Tikki agreed. "And now you've seen it yourself, up close. Was it that surprising to you, really?"
"Tikki, I... let me explain it this way, okay?" answered Marinette. "This is all so new to me, and I'm trying to make sense of it. I've never had feelings for someone before who's had them back for me! And unless I completely misread tonight... and I don't think that I did... it's finally happening!"
"You need to be careful with this, Marinette," warned Tikki. "You're high as a kite right now, and I'm not saying that's wrong... if it's how you want it to happen. But would you rather have him fall for Ladybug... or for Marinette? Because I think you're seeing signs that he's falling for both of you."
All of a sudden, Marinette's eyes got so big that Tikki briefly worried whether they might fall out of her head.
"Plagg... I think she really likes me," Adrien half-whispered, trying to make himself truly believe it.
"Of course she likes you," sighed Plagg. "I didn't think that was ever in doubt."
"I think she likes likes me. That's different."
Plagg mumbled something under his breath about humans and dictionaries and goofy teenagers until he had to fly out of Adrien's reach, cackling at him.
"I'm serious!" Adrien wailed up at his tiny friend. "The way I get all tongue-tied around her... how she can make me nervous or make me blush without even trying... all those times that I can't do anything but just grin and admire her, and wonder how I'm worthy to even be near her... you didn't see that tonight? Ladybug was doing those things, too! I'm sure she was!"
"Now, let's assume that I agree with you. Mostly because I do," parried Plagg. "That's what you want, right? You look like you feel happy, but... something else, too."
"I feel happy, and excited, and worried, and scared out of my wits! It's like I'm being electrocuted a little at a time," babbled Adrien. "So help me, already!"
"I've... been feeling that, Tikki. I thought that I was just reading into it what I wanted to see. But if you're seeing it, too...?"
This is a very delicate moment, reasoned Tikki. I need to guide her carefully here.
"Marinette, take a breath. I don't want you passed out on the floor, okay?" she guided her young charge. She waited until Marinette composed herself somewhat before continuing. "I do think Adrien's crushing on Ladybug. I think that's obvious, and you two are so cute together! You giggle and you blush and you flirt and you just keep grinning at each other. That could be just a matter of time, don't you agree?"
Marinette nodded her head yes, repeatedly, but with something of a mix of emotions now visible.
"Now, think about how this week has gone, okay? How touched Adrien was when you met with him in the library. All the text messages, the look on his face when you walked into the bakery this morning, how much he needed to comfort you today!" continued Tikki. "You were there reaching out to him, but the only thing he could do was make sure that you were all right, that you understood why he couldn't respond well when you told him how you feel. And that's because he's not sure how he wants to respond yet... but he is thinking about it. I've never been surer of that. You two have never been closer."
Tikki flew up close. "He said these words himself today, when you mentioned how Marinette was a good friend... 'She's more than that.'"
"You're right. And it's scaring me a little," admitted Marinette. "Or maybe a whole lot."
"Explain that to me," said Plagg. "What's got you so nervous?"
"Okay... I'll try," Adrien replied, speaking rapidly. "I told Marinette this morning that I felt numb and overwhelmed, and I didn't trust my own instincts right now. That hasn't changed, and that was before Ladybug was in my room tonight, blushing at me! That is AWESOME, but it's not exactly a calming influence."
He sat down, gathering what wits he had left. "And I have to tell Ladybug that. I don't want to, but I do. It feels like something's starting here, and it's not fair to her if she doesn't know what she'd be getting into with me."
"Oh, I think she knows just where your head is at right now. You've opened up to her a couple of times this week," Plagg ventured. Plus, she kind of heard you this morning, but I won't mention that... "And she knows you've nearly eaten an Akuma a couple of times."
Adrien's face fell, making Plagg backpedal quickly. "And that turns her off so much that now she's setting up movie nights with you, right? She knows you're having a hard time, and she doesn't think any less of you because of it. Obviously."
"Which is nice to know," Adrien conceded. "But there is one thing Ladybug doesn't know, and that I can't tell her about. You. And that's still worrying me a lot, because if Ladybug does want to be more than close friends, I'm tricking her into dating someone she's already rejected twice."
"Oh, boy. Um..." Plagg circled around, wondering how to handle that issue. "Adrien, listen..."
"And speaking of that... Ladybug has someone in her life already! She's told me that," worried Adrien. "I mean, it kind of sounded like he was her crush, not her boyfriend, so maybe she isn't really off the market after all, but if I'm getting in between her and who she really wants -"
"Adrien. Breathe," instructed Plagg. "Seriously. There is something big that you don't know yet. And I'll bet that she doesn't know yet."
"What's that?"
Plagg tried his best to show a soothing smile. "What she wants."
"I am just not ready for this," worried Marinette. "I thought that I was. I was sure that I was. I had it all figured out, right down to our future and our house and our white picket fence and our hamster! And now..."
"...Things got complicated," Tikki finished. "Talk it out for me."
"Adrien and I never have been this close before. We're talking! We're really talking! We're sharing our thoughts and feelings! I'm not stuttering and babbling around him. He's looking at me lately like he's really seeing me for the first time," Marinette stammered. "And every time he gives me that sweet look of his, I feel it all the way down to my feet. It's not pink-clouding! It feels kind of... deeper."
"Feels good, doesn't it?" Tikki smiled. "I know that I'd want more of that."
"I do. I do, I do, I do! But... then there was tonight. That felt so right, too, but so different! Like... flirty and giggly and a little more romantic, you know? And I've been wanting that so much, too! It's like... like I'm becoming his best friend one way, and maybe his girlfriend the other way."
She thought hard for a moment. "If he's ready for a girlfriend, that is. And I don't know that he is... but he was responding like he wants to be."
"And do you want to be?" asked Tikki. "If it means doing it as Ladybug?"
"Like I said... I thought that I was sure."
"There is one more thing that you need to think about, Adrien," insisted Plagg. "And I hate to make things more complicated, but I can stop you in your tracks with one word."
"And what word is that?" asked Adrien, with an eyebrow raised.
"Marinette."
Adrien started to respond, and stopped in mid-thought... then just smiled, softly. "Yeah," he agreed. "I was hoping to do some serious thinking about her tonight... and then everything else happened. "
He looked at Plagg with a curious expression. "Plagg... do you think she was trying to tell me what I think she was this morning?"
"Let me put it this way," Plagg grinned. "Tonight was great, and yeah, it felt to me like Ladybug was being kind of flirty and bashful with you... but is she the one who kissed your cheek last week?"
And we now pause for a little more dreamy reminiscing, grinned Plagg, internally. He wasn't wrong.
"I think you need to ask Marinette what she was trying to say, not me," deflected Plagg. "But not tonight, not tomorrow. Not yet. You don't need to decide anything about either one of them right now; get your head straight first. It's a nice problem to have, two pretty girls who both seem to be into you, and you don't want to rush anything if you're not sure. It's not like they'll be fighting to the death over you; they can both have a big place in your life."
"That does make sense," agreed Adrien. "And not worrying about that all night means that maybe I will have that pleasant dream."
He glanced over to the closed door and saw something lying just inside it. Curious, he walked over and found his phone sitting there, with a little note attached to it on his father's personal stationery:
I believe that I made my point tonight... but so did you. Let's not make a bigger deal of this than it should be, all right?
"Huh," Adrien smiled. "I didn't see that coming."
"Don't overstress yourself, Marinette. I promise you that time will make all of this clearer. The more that the two of you spend time together - in both combinations - the more each of you will know what you want it to be. Just enjoy where you are now with him."
Tikki's gentle wisdom seemed to make Marinette feel a little better. So, too, did a gentle *bleep* from her phone.
[Adrien] Hey... are you still up?
[Marinette] I am. Your father didn't take your phone after all?
[Adrien] He did, but he returned it just now. It seems that he still has some humanity left.
[Marinette] Good, I'm happy to see that. How are you feeling?
[Adrien] Much better, thank you. I had a very good evening.
[Adrien] I was wondering... may I walk with you to school tomorrow?
That got Marinette's full attention.
[Marinette] Oh, you are joining us tomorrow after all? :)
[Adrien] Yeah. And joining you, if you'd like.
[Adrien] Not an early go-off-and-talk like today... though thank you so much again for that... just as company.
[Marinette] I'd never say no to that. Any special occasion?
His reply made her emit yet another unidentifiable happy noise...
[Adrien] I'm trying to do things that I know will make me feel better. I know being around you is one of those.
"Tikki... look at this, Tikki... How do I even?" Marinette stammered.
"Gently," Tikki smiled.
[Marinette] I'll see you then. :)
Morning came, and with it a whole new set of important choices to be made.
"Tikki... which blouse do I wear?" begged Marinette, earnestly. "And do I go with my normal eyeshadow, or this one?"
The response came amidst a giggling fit from her tiny friend. "Marinette, take a breath. Adrien's not falling for your eyeshadow; he's falling for who's underneath it. Besides, you're not spending the day on a beach in Bermuda with him; you're spending an hour in detention after school. Go with whatever you're most comfortable in!"
To her relief, Marinette appeared to ease up somewhat. "You're right," Marinette conceded. "I'm a little keyed up, for some odd reason..."
"C'mere," called Tikki, summoning Marinette over to her. "Let me remind you of something. Do you know what the difference is between this week and, say, the beginning of the year as far as Adrien is concerned? Right now... you're learning to relax around him. To be yourself. When you do that, it works. So just do that and don't worry about figuring out the perfect everything."
Marinette gave her a warm and sincere smile in return. "Thank you, Tikki. I don't know what I'd do without you," she said.
"Probably a lot of blah-bla-blah-bla-blah," Tikki giggled, imitating Alix's impression of tongue-tied Marinette. Even Marinette couldn't resist laughing at that.
Marinette tiptoed down the stairs to the bakery, hoping for a pleasant surprise...
"Hi!" called Adrien, standing by the front door near her mother. She was moderately relieved to see that he was in his normal school attire as well... not that she had any complaints about his everyday appearance.
"Good morning!" she replied, with a broad smile. "I wasn't sure if I'd be meeting you here, or over on the steps..."
"I figured that if I came here, we could walk a little longer," said Adrien.
"Plus, there's that Preferred Customer plan I told you about yesterday," interjected Sabine, slipping a small white bag his way. "On the house."
Adrien looked visibly surprised, but happy. "Oh! Thank you so much, Mrs. Cheng!" he replied. "You really didn't have to..."
"Ohhhh, I see how it is," grinned Marinette to her mother, with her hand on her hip. "He's using me to get to you for free pastries."
"Not even close, dear. I'm using you to get to him," she smirked back, trying to keep a straight face. "I love your father, but you know how it is... maybe I can trade him in on a newer model like this?"
That got all three of them laughing, with only a touch of She's kidding, right? visible in Adrien's facial expression.
As they crossed the street together, Marinette asked him, "Ready for our big afternoon together, Adrien?"
"Oh, yes," Adrien said, with a humorous roll-of-the-eyes. "Detention's another new school experience I've been waiting to try. How does it work, again?"
"There's really not much to it. I've only gotten it twice, myself... You pretty much just sit there. Some monitors will let you talk quietly; others get fussy about that. You're supposed to just do some homework, or read, or agonize over your terrible behavior that got you there."
"Twice? You?" gasped Adrien, as they reached the bottom of the school's steps. "I find that hard to believe."
"What, that I'm so goody-two-shoes that I've rarely gotten in trouble?" she asked him, raising an eyebrow.
"Just the opposite! Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the terror of Françoise Dupont, baddest of the bad girls, and you've only been caught twice?"
"They fear me too much to lock me up," she mock-growled, suppressing a giggle. "At least until a new criminal mastermind came into our class, even more devious and twisted than I am, too clever for them to make anything stick on him - until now..."
"Watch out, world! She's got a cake-frosting gun, and she's not afraid to use it..." Adrien laughed.
"They found his victims dazed and helpless... but so fashionably attired, in the newest Agreste casual line," she retorted, cracking up as she finished her sentence.
The pair traded one-liners and helpless laughter all the way to their classroom... Adrien found himself grinning uncontrollably again, the same way that he had the night before. Now, _this_ is the Marinette who makes me laugh and smile so much when I'm Chat Noir! he thought. I was wondering if she'd ever get that comfortable with me this way... and it seems like she has.
Good.
As they walked, more than a few people noticed not just their keeping company again... but how natural it now appeared.
As Nino chatted with Alya, he saw her face brighten as he heard footsteps behind him, from someone entering the classroom; rather quickly, it was joined by a look of surprise.
He turned around and saw Marinette and Adrien walking in... together? he wondered. That's kind of new...
"Hey! Good to see you, Nino," said Adrien, his trademarked smile back on his face as he rounded the corner of the desk they shared. "How are you today?"
"Pretty good. How about you?" He watched Marinette pass by on the way to her seat, with her smile as prominent as Adrien's, then focused on Adrien again. "You're looking more like yourself today."
"I'm getting there. Things are starting to make some sense again," replied Adrien. He and Nino started their conversation as Alya looked Marinette up and down, intensely curious about what she just saw.
"Well?" Alya whispered, as Marinette reached for her notepad.
"Well, what?" grinned Marinette, enjoying this.
"You're sparkling," noted Alya, quietly. "Are you..." she hinted, with a tiny head nudge in Adrien's direction.
"Not quite," Marinette whispered back. "Long story."
"Good story? A story you can tell? Happy ending? Is there an ending yet?" bubbled Alya, trying not to be overheard.
"Later!" insisted Marinette, happily.
Meanwhile, Nino and Adrien kept busy catching up on things they hadn't had a chance to talk about lately.
"What are you doing this weekend?" asked Adrien. "I'm going to try to get out for a while, and if you're free, maybe we can do something?"
"That'd be awesome!" said Nino. "It's been too long since we've had the chance."
As they chattered, Adrien checked the clock on the wall. "We still have a few minutes before class starts, right?" he noted, and pulled a little white bag out of his messenger bag.
Nino came up with a couple of weekend options, then stopped short in mid-sentence, watching his friend. "Are... you all right, Adrien?" he asked.
"Um... yeah?" Adrien replied, puzzled. "Why?"
"You're eating a snack."
"...Uh-huh? I do that sometimes when I'm hungry," continued Adrien. "And this apple turnover was calling to me."
Nino was still processing all of this. "You brought a snack to class? I don't think I've ever seen you do that before. Isn't your dad on you all the time about counting every calorie?"
By this time, a few people on the other side of the room were also starting to take notice. Marinette making goo-goo eyes at Adrien... that was normal operating procedure. Adrien showing his own interest back in her... that was still pretty new, but at least within believable parameters. But Adrien the model, scarfing down pastries at his school desk? THAT was different.
"Let me put it this way, Nino... right now, as far as what my dad's on me about? I don't really care," Adrien grinned, taking another bite.
Kim couldn't resist piping up, watching the scene. "Did you bring enough for the rest of the class?" he called over to Adrien.
"Nope! Just this one," came the reply.
"Then what am I supposed to do if I'm hungry, too?" teased Kim.
"Get in good with Marinette's mother? That's what worked for me," smiled Adrien, as he made the last bite of the apple pastry disappear.
That got a small round of laughter and an unmistakable What? look from Alya, though the latter faded quickly.
On the way out, Marinette got about ten steps towards her next class before Alya pulled her aside, with an overly excited expression on her face.
"C'mere!" Alya insisted, and pulled Marinette by the hand a short distance away from everyone else. Marinette was a little bit startled, but played along.
"All right, you... You and Adrien came strolling in together two mornings in a row. Yesterday, he looked like he'd been whacked by a hockey stick when you two walked in; today, he's all smiles and sunshine, much more like his old self. And you're still sparkling. He said he'd 'gotten in good with your mother' and you didn't even blink. You look perfectly relaxed. Around him!"
Alya held her skull in simulated agony. "This is where I either get a status update, or my head falls off. What is going on, Marinette? It has to be good news, right?"
"Nino hasn't been filling you in on the details?" whistled Marinette, innocently.
"Nino is just as startled by all of this as I am, trust me. Come on, girl! What's happened?" begged Alya.
"I'll tell you what I can, but not here; we don't have enough time. Pull me aside at lunch," Marinette replied. "I need to get to Physics before the bell rings!"
As Marinette hurried away, Alya yelled to her with a grin, "Just remember, the longer I have to wait, the larger the audience'll be!"
Nino caught up with Adrien again on their way to the locker room, after gym class. "Hey," Nino said, falling into step with him. "You're really feeling better, Adrien?"
Adrien shrugged. "Dad's still being... Dad. But I'm finding ways to cope with it better, and getting some help."
"Dark-haired help?" hinted Nino. "With twin pigtails?"
Adrien looked at him, a little surprised, then settled into a sheepish smile. "Yeah, dark-haired help. She's been just wonderful to me," he replied.
"Good. I know how much she wanted to help you," Nino said. "Are you two... considering..."
Adrien laughed, a bit nervously. "I'm not sure yet," he begged off. "We're not sure yet. We agreed to wait and figure that out once my head's in a better place. But I'll tell you one thing... I'm really tempted to ask her. She's amazing."
He looked at his friend's face, saw both happiness and relief there, and his mind kicked into gear. "You... seem pretty happy about that, Nino," Adrien noted. "Why is that?"
"Um..." Nino stalled. I don't want to just say it out loud if Marinette hasn't yet... "I think you two would be great together, that's all."
"I think you're right. I really do. But there is... one potential complication," Adrien said, slowly.
"What's that?" asked Nino.
All of a sudden, Adrien's whole demeanor changed. "Nino," he half-whispered, "if I tell you a secret, can I trust you not to tell anyone? Not Marinette, not your other friends, not even Alya?"
"Um... sure?" Nino replied, looking confused. What secret could be that important?
"There's one potential complication who visited me last night... and she wears red and black."
Nino wasn't sure what his own face looked like at that moment; he didn't think he'd want to, all things considered. "Slack-jawed astonishment" only covered the surface of it, he figured.
But the look on Adrien's face was much less complicated, and said one thing quite clearly:
"Please help me."
Next time:
* Alya tries to keep her brain from escaping out through her ear canal.
* Nino swears himself to secrecy about something that no one else would believe, anyway.
* A meeting of tiny minds.
* "Romantic, isn't it?"
* How do you bare your soul to someone... when you can't speak out loud?
And more!