Time for Adrien to start wooing! With his new friends aware of his circumstances, it won't be long until he starts winning Marinette's heart! But when trouble arises and the Miraculous holders have to step in, how will Adrien manage to be a superhero without being able to speak? And more importantly, will he get his kiss?!
This has the long-awaited "Kiss The Girl" scene that I'm sure many of you have been waiting for! Oh, and can I get about 50+ reviews for the story before chapter eight gets posted, please?
Early the next morning, Adrien was still asleep in bed. It was just so comfortable that he did not want to get up. All of a sudden, the covers were yanked off of him.
"Up and at em', Adrien!" Nino shouted, as he gently shook the merboy by the shoulders, startling the blonde. "Marinette's not gonna fall for you and let you kiss her if you sleep all day, dude!"
Hearing that and instantly remembering his situation, Adrien swung his legs out of bed, stood up, and ran over to the closet that he and Nino shared. After briefly looking around, Adrien decided to go with what he wore the night before. It was better than rummaging around for a new outfit and wasting time.
"Great! That should work, since Marinette liked it last night," Nino said, giving Adrien a thumb's up. "Now let's get downstairs for breakfast. Knowing Tom and Sabine, they've probably baked up croissants, made some eggs, and baked up so many other breakfast pastries to eat. Sabine told me that you looked like you need to eat more."
Adrien was curious. He had never had a croissant, eggs, or anything else Nino had mentioned before, and wondered what they were like.
The two boys and their kwamis (Nathalie was hiding inside Adrien's shirt pocket again) dashed through the hallway, down the stairs, and into the dining room.
Marinette and her parents, Tikki, Trixx, and Alya were all waiting for the boys. On the table were plates filled with all sorts of human foods that Adrien had only seen in books. There was a tray that held golden crescents that shined in the sun, a large dish of fluffy, yellow clouds with black and white flecks inside, and it was steaming. There was a smaller dish of something red with a small knife, a plate with all kinds of colorful shapes - red triangle/hearts with green leaves, bright green orbs on brown branches, and a few large, red balls with stems. Finally, there were tall glasses of white liquid.
Just looking at all this human food made Adrien drool and his stomach growl.
"Oh, good morning, boys," Sabine said. "Adrien, come and sit down. You just look like you've gone days without eating."
Accepting the invitation, Adrien immediately took a seat, once again next to his precious Marinette, who had a croissant, some jam, a few strawberries and grapes, some of the scrambled eggs, and a glass of milk. As their shoulders bumped, Marinette made eye contact with him, blushed and giggled a little bit before turning away. She gave Tikki a grape, and the kwami instantly started eating it. Marinette kept stealing glances at Adrien, who kept staring at her with affection.
"This is going to be a great tour," Alya said, as she ate a big bite of egg, chewed and swallowed it. "It's been a while since we've been in town just for the fun of it."
"Yeah, and showing Adrien around will be really entertaining," Nino said, as he took a croissant, broke it, and started spreading some jam on it. "I just hope today is uneventful."
Learning from his mistakes from last time, Adrien just decided to just go with the "watch and learn" approach in order to learn about human table etiquette. He took a croissant, closely watched Alya as she ate hers, and followed her example. He took a bite, and his teeth crushed the crisp crust on the pastry. The flaky texture and buttery flavor of the croissant turned into a two-part harmony on his tastebuds. If Nathalie could compose a song about it, Adrien was certain it would pale in comparison to the real thing.
"Going one day without transforming to stop any trouble in town would be nice," Marinette said, before looking to Adrien. "On the other hand, I'm curious to see Adrien in action."
Adrien smiled, also hoping for an opportunity to impress his princess with his heroics. He did not want anything to interfere with his chances of getting a kiss from Marinette, but that said, he was happy that she was eager to see him do his thing as Cat Noir.
Once they had finished eating, the quartet and their kwamis got into the horse-drawn carriage, with Adrien and Marinette sitting in the front. With the driver gently having the horses ride into town, everyone was looking forward to a day with their new friend.
As the equines were walking, Adrien looked around in curiosity as he saw so many new things. The trees were as high as the eye could see, and the sun's light peeking through the leaves were like the spotlights that would be used in concert in Atlantica, only smaller and more subtle. The birds were smaller and much cuter, and one of them even landed on Adrien's hair. He gave a silent laugh before the bird flew away. Marinette could not help but look at him. Alya and Nino gave each other smiles, knowing that Marinette was growing fonder of the merboy without much help from them. The day was young, though.
"And we're here! The center of town!" Alya said. The carriage had stopped in front of the gates to the village. The group got out of the carriage and started to walk through the town square.
Adrien's eyes widened with awe and surprise as he saw all the humans going about their business. Walking down the cobblestone streets, washing their clothes in the fountain, seeing birds laying their eggs - chickens, he remembered someone saying - children playing with their toys, everything. It was like a dream come true to see all of this.
'This place is beautiful! I've always wondered what the humans' lives were like, but this is even better than I'd hoped!' Adrien thought, as he kept turning around and looking at everything.
"Wow, it's like he's never been in a marketplace before. Like a kid in one of the confectionary stores." Marinette commented, giggling at Adrien's enthusiasm.
Nino and Alya knew how true that statement actually was, but they did not tell Marinette. They wondered if they even had marketplaces under the sea.
"Hey, Alya, let's go look around! Maybe we can find some new things to show to Adrien." Marinette said.
"Great idea, Marinette!" Tikki said.
"I'm in." Alya agreed, as she and Trixx followed her best friend. But not before stopping and turning to Nino.
"Keep an eye on blondie," Alya said, whispering so Marinette could not hear. "And make sure whenever he gets a chance, help him out to charm Marinette."
Nino gave his fiancé a "perfect" sign and said, "Count on me, babe."
Alya nodded, satisfied, before jogging after the princess.
Meanwhile, Nino kept close to Adrien. The shops had so many things the blonde had never seen before, and one stand even had a beautiful dress. It was pink with a bell skirt that went down to the ground, leg-o-mutton sleeves, and pearls were embroidered on the décolleté neckline.
Adrien ran over to the dress, and could only imagine Marinette wearing it.
'Wow! My lady would look ravishing in this!' Adrien thought.
"You like it?" The stall keeper said, and Adrien nodded. "Well, it's no surprise. This dress was actually designed by Her Highness."
"Really?" Plagg asked. Adrien knew she was into fashion design, but this was something else.
"Indeed," The shop keeper said. "She truly is a talent."
Adrien was so happy that his lady's talent was legitimately recognized, that he decided to get it for Marinette. He reached out to grab it, only for Nino to snag his arm.
Adrien looked over to his friend, only to see Nino shake his head. Adrien gave him a questioning look.
"Dude, you can't just take something from the stall! You need to pay for it!" Nino whispered.
Adrien nodded in understanding. He knew exactly what Nino was talking about. They had a similar system back in Atlantica, but being a prince, he never had to worry about finances. Adrien looked in his pockets and realized that he had no human money.
"Oh, I get it. You're broke," Nino said, remembering Adrien's circumstances. "Don't worry, dude. Alya and I sort of expected this, so we'll pay for you if you want anything."
Adrien nodded as thanks.
"But Marinette is more than capable of designing her own clothes, and she's pretty modest. This probably wouldn't go over well with her." Nino said.
"Yes, she'd probably return it right away." Wayzz agreed.
"Well, there's nothing like a big slab of camembert to show a girl how you feel!" Plagg said, thinking about his cheese again.
Adrien just gave Plagg an unimpressed look. He was fairly certain that his lady would not like it.
Out of his peripheral vision, Adrien saw a flower stand. He remembered seeing pictures in his books of human men giving girls flowers and then getting a kiss in return. Adrien smiled and pointed over to the flower shop.
"Good thinking!" Nino said, as he and Adrien walked over to the flower stand.
"Ah, Monsieur Lahiffe!" The shopkeeper said, as he saw the two young men approach. "What can I do for you today? Are you here for flowers for Mademoiselle Césaire?"
"Well, yes and no. See, my buddy here has the hots for the princess, so I'm his wingman." Nino explained, leaving out the other details.
"I see," The shopkeeper said, a smile growing. "Well, nothing says "je t'aime" better than red roses!"
"Alright, two thornless red roses, my good man." Nino said, as he placed a few gold coins onto the counter, and he was given the specified flowers in return. He handed one of them to Adrien.
The boys then wandered around other parts of the marketplace, trying to find the girls. Adrien kept looking around at other stalls and seeing what else he could give to his lady.
"LOOK! CHEESE!" Plagg shouted, and he immediately pointed to a cheese shop.
Adrien shook his head. He might as well get some camembert for Plagg just in case. Nino gave him a few coins, took the rose Adrien was holding, and the blonde, almost dreading the trip, walked inside the shop, holding his breath.
"How can that kwami stand the smell of that stuff?" Nino asked Wayzz.
"Plagg's always been into cheese." Wayzz replied, resigned.
Within minutes, Adrien dashed out of the shop with a big hunk of camembert, he stuffed it into his bag and shut it before releasing the air he held.
"That ought to sustain Plagg for a while," Nino said, as he handed the rose back to Adrien. "Let's get a move on."
As the boys kept walking around the marketplace, they soon caught up with the girls. Marinette was carrying a blue knit scarf.
Adrien was unsure of how to present the rose to Marinette. Nino nudged him and said, "Follow my lead."
"Alya!" Nino shouted, as he jogged over to the girls, hiding the rose behind his back. "I have something for you."
"What is it, Nino?" Alya asked.
"For you." Nino silkily replied, as he handed Alya the rose.
Alya's smile brightened and she gently took the flower in her hand.
"Oh, you shouldn't have!" Alya said, as she hugged Nino in response.
Adrien decided to take it a step further as he approached Marinette, a blush dusting his cheeks and his heart pounding. The rose was behind his back.
"Adrien, I found this scarf for you." Marinette said, as she wrapped the scarf around Adrien's neck.
The softness of the wool felt great on his skin, and being close to Marinette was also nice. He smiled at Marinette, showing he was grateful for the present.
'Come on, dude, go for it!' Nino thought. He and Alya watched as Adrien made a move.
Adrien slowly presented the rose to Marinette, and gave the princess an affectionate smile. Marinette blushed and smiled in response, and made to take the rose. However, Adrien beat her to the punch and gently slid the rose behind one of Marinette's ears. Marinette's cheeks went as red as the rose, and Adrien kept looking at his lady with love.
Tikki grinned in delight, and though it made Plagg want to throw up, he nodded in approval.
Adrien chanced a look at Nino and Alya, and both were aghast at how fast he learned. Nino gave Adrien a thumb's up.
"Nice, he took it to the next level! Pretty clever." Nino whispered to his fiancé. They shared a fist bump.
Marinette gave him a smile, and Adrien's heart melted at the sight. He was about to lean in to kiss her when he heard music coming from the center of the square.
Looking to the source, he saw that there were many pairs of humans dancing along to a few instruments being played. He immediately saw a piano was amongst the group.
He took Marinette's hand and he brought her to the band. Realizing where Adrien was going and what he was planning, Alya and Nino followed suit. A romantic dance was sure to give the two of them a chance to bond and fall in love.
"So, you want to dance?" Marinette asked.
Adrien nodded. He gave a polite bow, and then he took her hand. Realizing it was his first time dancing, he looked around and just decided to mimic the humans. Adrien also saw what Nino and Alya were doing and then he got an idea of what to do.
He placed his hand on her waist, and took her other hand into his own. Following the steps of the others around him, Adrien managed to pick up the movements really fast. He was a quick learner.
He decided to be a bit bolder. Once the piano music's pitch went up, he grabbed Marinette by the waist and lifted her up. Marinette smiled and giggled at this action as she kept looking Adrien in the eyes. The merboy-turned-human spun her around a bit in the air before putting her down and continuing to dance.
Marinette's grin only grew, as she was truly enjoying her time dancing with Adrien.
'Wow... He's certainly something.' Marinette thought, blushing and feeling her heart pound. Looking at Adrien's smile, she grew a bit shy, and then she gently laid her head against his chest.
Delighted that she was willing to get this close to him this early on, Adrien gently rested his cheek on her head, and pulled her a bit closer. At that moment, he was in his own world with Marinette at his side.
Alya and Nino saw this and they were grinning and mentally applauding him.
"Does Adrien even need our help? He's doing great on his own." Nino whispered to Alya, impressed with Adrien.
"I know," Alya said. "For a fish out of water, he's adjusting almost perfectly."
Adrien opened his eyes to gaze at Marinette once more, but out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed the pianist was getting a bit tired. Adrien remembered that he he played the sea piano, and seeing that the ones humans used were near-identical, he got an idea: to win over Marinette, why not show off his music skills?
He gave her a hand signal that said "Wait here," and then he ran over to the pianist.
Adrien tapped the pianist on the shoulder, and pointed to the music sheet stand. The pianist asked, "You want to play a song?"
Adrien nodded with joy. The pianist, needing a break, decided to let the boy have a chance.
Marinette, surprised, walked over to Adrien as he sat at the piano bench, stretched his finger joints and cracked his knuckles.
"You play piano, Adrien?" Marinette said. "You're full of surprises."
Adrien gave her a smile and patted the seat next to him. Marinette shrugged and sat down.
'Okay, m'lady, let's see if I can make you swoon!' Adrien thought, as he took a deep breath to relax. He then started tinkling the ivories.
Adrien played some notes that seemed random and sporadic at first, but then the sound that flowed out turned into a cohesive, beautiful song.
Adrien was playing the very first song he ever learned. He would practice it whenever he had the chance back in Atlantica. It was the same love song that his father performed for his mother during their courting years. If Gabriel was able to woo Emilie with piano music, Adrien thought that he could do the same with Marinette.
Marinette gazed at Adrien in awe. Tikki was surprised to hear the music, too. Everyone else in the crowd started to slow dance. No one else in the orchestra knew the song, so they just let Adrien fly solo.
"Wow. They have pianos under the sea?" Alya asked in a whisper.
"He definitely knows his stuff." Wayzz commented.
Once Adrien finished his song, he turned to face Marinette. He tuned out the applause of everyone else, and he merely gave Marinette a romantic gaze, hoping she liked what she heard. Marinette applauded heavily, very impressed with Adrien's playing.
"That was amazing! It's like you've been playing your whole life!" Marinette said, praising Adrien's work.
Adrien gave a silent chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck, blushing. Ironically, she was right: he had been playing piano since he was a very young child.
Getting confident, he decided to give something a try.
'Maybe this will be my chance to kiss her.' Adrien thought.
He gently placed a hand against Marinette's cheek, just like when he was singing to her after he came to her rescue. Marinette felt some deja vu and kept looking at Adrien in his eyes. Her cheeks reddened a bit, and the rest of the group watched in anticipation.
But just as the merboy was about to lean in to kiss Marinette...
There was a loud crash and several screams coming from nearby.
"STAMPEDE!" Someone shouted.
Then there was... mooing and the thundering of hooves on the ground? Alya, Marinette, and Nino looked up and saw that a large cattle and oxen stampede headed for the center of town. At the sight of the huge number horned bovine, the majority of the citizens were running for cover. Marinette and the others stayed put.
'What? What's going on?' Adrien thought, utterly confused.
He had never seen something like this happen before. He could understand merpeople and other sea life swimming for shelter at the sight of a shark, algal blooms, or anything of that nature, but this was new.
"Looks like Mr. Ramier's cows got loose again," Alya sighed. "But it seems even worse this time. The oxen are running wild, too."
"Ready?" Marinette said, with a playful shake of her head.
Considering how calm his lady and her friends were, and what they were saying, Adrien inferred that this was a frequent occurrence.
"Tikki, spots on!"
"Trixx, let's pounce!"
"Wayzz, shell on!"
After transforming, Ladybug took charge of her team.
"Let's try herding the cows and oxen and rounding them up so they don't scatter and go in different directions!" Ladybug hollered, as she and her friends started running alongside the rampaging animals. They were able to keep pace with the quadrupeds.
Ladybug was readying her yo-yo, ready to lasso any oxen or cattle that managed to break free from the herd. Carapace and Rena Rouge were pushing any straying members of the herd back inside. Ladybug was ahead of the group, keeping an eye on the leader.
Adrien, on the other hand, did not move. Rather, he just sat on the bench, perplexed. What was he supposed to do?
'How can I transform if I can't talk?!' Adrien thought, about to panic.
"Just say it! It's the lip motions that activate the Miraculous, not the actual words." Plagg stated to Adrien.
"And how do you know this?!" Nathalie hissed from her hiding spot. She leaped out of the pocket. "Have you ever had a mute holder before?!"
"Actually, yes." Plagg flatly stated.
Adrien breathed a sigh of relief before silently calling out, "Plagg, claws out!"
After transforming into Cat Noir, he smiled and thought, 'Nice! Now I can try out my legs as a superhero!'
Before he could take off, Nathalie jumped back into one of his pockets. Cat Noir started running after his friends, covering the rear of the stampede.
"Cat Noir, good for you to show up, dude!" Carapace shouted from his left. "We could use your help!"
"We've dealt with Mr. Ramier's livestock stampeding in the past, but not like this!" Rena Rouge commented.
While trying to keep pace, Cat Noir tried his best to think of an idea. He had to work without Ladybug in the past, so he had a lot of practice with thinking on his feet. Or rather, fins at the time.
'Okay, gotta think!' Cat Noir thought.
He noticed a clearing up ahead and noticed that they were heading for it. It was wide and it was enough room for all the cattle. He came out from behind the herd, ran on all fours to catch up to Ladybug, and then he stood back on his legs before pointing out to the clearing.
"Good idea!" Ladybug said, smiling at Cat Noir.
She made ready to stop the cattle, and thanks to Cat Noir's cue, she knew what to do. She jumped onto one of the cattle.
"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug shouted and then shot her yo-yo into the air. In a flurry of ladybugs, a giant red and black-spotted sack of alfalfa landed in her hands.
"Alfalfa?" Ladybug questioned, staying on top of the lead steer. She then had an idea. "Rena Rouge! Use your Mirage to conjure up an illusion of a grassy field!"
"Got it!" Rena Rouge shouted back.
Ladybug used her yo-yo to throw the alfalfa sack into the clearing. Rena Rouge took this as her cue.
She took out her flute, blew a few notes, and then shouted, "Mirage!"
A ball of yellow light shot out of the flute and landed near the alfalfa. An image of a grassy field was soon created, and the oxen and cattle made a beeline for it.
"Nice work, Rena Rouge!" Carapace said, as he and Rena Rouge shared a high-five.
The cattle ran to the alfalfa and started eating it up. The illusion started to fade away, but the bovines were none the wiser.
"Now we just got to find a way to secure them." Ladybug said.
Meanwhile, Cat Noir kept looking around to see what he could do to help. He saw a gargantuan boulder nearby. Looking at his claws, he realized that if he could break the boulder, it could keep the cattle from moving around.
'Bingo!' He thought.
He jumped onto the boulder and then mouthed out, "Cataclysm!"
He used his ring hand and touched the boulder. It turned black and then it crumbled into large, huge hunks of rock. They all fell down to create a small makeshift stone wall, barring the cows from going anywhere.
Proud of himself, Cat Noir walked back to the team and came face-to-face with Ladybug.
"Great job, Cat Noir!" Ladybug said.
"Impressive, kitty," Rena Rouge said. "No humor intended, but this definitely wasn't your first rodeo."
Cat Noir silently laughed out loud at this unintended joke. Unable to contain herself, Ladybug started laughing, too. Once they calmed down, Cat Noir took hold of Ladybug's hand, brought it to his lips and kissed the back of it.
Ladybug's face as red as her mask at that moment, but Carapace and Rena Rouge were watching in delight.
Cat Noir looked up at Ladybug underneath his eyelids. His cat-like eyes were just gorgeous, and Ladybug was lost in them for a second. Realizing she was gawking, she pulled her hand away and shyly shuffled around on the balls of her feet.
"S-S-Spots off." Ladybug stuttered, breaking her transformation. She gave Tikki a cookie that she had bought for her earlier.
The others called their transformations off and fed their kwamis, too.
"Oh, my cows!" A lanky man with spiky hair, wearing a fedora, and had a few birds on his shoulder came running up to the group. "Merci, Your Highness."
"It's no trouble at all," Marinette giggled. "Just be more careful with your oxen and cattle. How many times this month have they broken out?"
"Too many," Mr. Ramier said. "Can you please help me get these creatures back to my pasture?"
"Don't worry, Alya and I can handle it," Nino said, as he stepped up to help. "This will be no problem."
"You two should keep spending time together," Alya said, speaking up to ensure Marinette and Adrien got closer. "Nino and I can take care of this."
"Are you sure?" Marinette asked.
"Positive." Alya said with a smile and a shrug.
"Come on, let's get these livestock back where they belong." Trixx began. She and Wayzz started to fly after their holders, but Alya and Nino gently pulled their kwamis aside.
"Oh, no! You two need to go along with Marinette and Adrien to make sure that they kiss!" Nino stated.
"But we need to be with you 24/7. Master Fu's orders." Wayzz complained.
"Not this time," Alya insisted with a shake of her head. "Anything to help those two hurry up and begin making out!"
Trixx and Wayzz looked at each other before turning back to their holders and giving them a firm nod.
"Count on us!" Trixx stated, as the two kwamis started to go after the princess and the merboy.
The carriage brought the two teenagers to a nearby lagoon. By then, the sun had already set and the stars were beginning to come out.
The pair got out of the carriage and made their way to a nearby rowboat. Adrien stepped in first, and like a true gentleman, he helped Marinette get in. They sat down, and the kwamis took the oars and started to row.
Kim had been following them all day, and he had landed nearby. He was also getting worried for his friend.
"Nothing's happened at all, and there's only one day left! I can't believe that girl hasn't puckered up even once!" Kim muttered, nervous and wringing his hands.
Adrien, instead of looking at his surroundings, kept gazing at Marinette. He rested his face on his fisted hand and was staring at her with smitten eyes. Everything else seemed to fade out of sight.
'She's so beautiful...' Adrien thought. Marinette was looking around at the lagoon, taking in the scenery. Adrien could hear her muttering something about fashion designs in the future.
She caught him staring and gave a shy grin and a blush on her face. Adrien's expression did not change at all.
"Okay, desperate times call for desperate measures!" Kim declared, realizing the current atmosphere was getting the romance nowhere.
He flew to a branch that was near Adrien and Marinette, but it was occupied.
"Move aside, ladies!" Kim said, as he shoved some bluebirds off the branch and stood up. "Time for the best tenor in town to take the stage."
He cleared his throat, and then once he opened his beak... What came out was a noise equitable to fingernails on a blackboard, plus violins that were improperly tuned, being poorly played and had broken strings, combined with a hunted animal's dying moans and screams.
"Ugh, someone should put that poor thing out of its misery!" Marinette said, wincing and covering her ears with her hands.
Adrien grimaced with a weak, pained smile as he looked up to the tree branch. Kim gave him a wink and a "perfect" sign with his feathers.
The merboy face-palmed while thinking, 'Kim, you're HORRIBLE! You have the right idea, but you're being as helpful as leeches on a dead merman!'
It went without saying that the kwamis were not enjoying Kim's "singing" either. It was so bad that they stopped rowing. Plagg and Trixx had to fold their ears down to drown the seagull out. The sound was grinding against their eardrums and it made them shudder with disgust.
Nathalie, also blocking out Kim's racket, complained, "Mon dieu, I'm surrounded by incompetents."
"I'll go shut him up." Plagg volunteered. Adrien nodded to his kwami furiously as he flew to the branch to stop Kim from "singing."
Sneaking up from behind the gull, Plagg gave a hard shove and knocked Kim onto a rock below, silencing him.
"Good..." Nathalie said, before diving into the water. "You know what they say: "If you want something done right, do it yourself.""
She saw a few thick pieces of seagrass and cut them with her claw to make batons. She swam back up to the surface, and then she rendezvoused with the other kwamis, some ducks, and a few turtles. She passed the three smaller batons out to the kwamis, keeping the larger one for herself.
"Okay, team, now we have to create... the ambiance." Nathalie began, and then she started to give instructions.
"Percussions!" Wayzz stated, as he began leading the ducks and turtles. The turtles turned over on their backs and let the ducks drum them.
"Strings!" Tikki asked, as she directed a few crickets. They started playing music by rubbing their legs together.
"Winds!" Trixx spoke. She broke some of the reeds in the grass and the wind blew, playing music. Trixx added to the song by taking up a small piece of reed and started playing it like a flute.
"Words." Nathalie began, climbing onto a cattail. She started singing while leaning in closer to Marinette. Plagg had returned to Adrien's side and sat next to him again.
"There you see him, sitting there across the way," Nathalie began, as Marinette kept staring at Adrien, who took the time to look around at a water environment from above the surface. "He don't got a lot to say, but there's something about him."
Adrien saw what Nathalie was up to, but made sure his attention was still on the princess. Marinette started to wonder if she was hearing things because she could have sworn music was playing.
"And you don't know why, but you're dying to try, you wanna kiss him, girl." Nathalie sang, singing the last part closer to Marinette's ear before leaning away.
"Um... Do you hear music or something?" Marinette asked, as she looked around.
Adrien shook his head with a smile while Nathalie continued with her plan.
"Yes, you want him. Look at him, you know you do." The crab sang along with the ducks, turtles, and kwamis.
Marinette shyly kept her eyes on Adrien. It was as if the music was guiding her and trying to tell her to give in to her budding feelings for the mute blonde.
Adrien, who was nervously rubbing the back of his neck, quickly noticed Marinette was looking at him and he returned her gaze. The adorable rosiness on her cheeks was so endearing.
"Possible he wants you, too. There is one way to ask him," Nathalie sang, being joined by a flamingo. "It don't take a word, not a single word. Go on and kiss him, girl."
Adrien started to lean in and pucker his lips, but Marinette drew back, a little timid. She took the oars of the boat and started rowing, since the kwamis were elsewhere. Adrien's face fell in frustration.
Seeing this, Nathalie poked her head under the water and said, "Sing with me now."
As the boat moved across the water, a few frogs poked their heads out and began singing, "Sha-la-la-la-la-la, my oh my! Looks like she's way too shy. Ya ain't gonna kiss him, girl!"
Adrien rested his cheek against his hand again, impatiently thinking, 'Come on, kiss me! I can't stay with you forever if you don't!'
"Sha-la-la-la-la-la, ain't that sad? Ain't it a shame? Too bad. You're gonna miss him, girl." Nathalie sang. Tikki, Trixx, and Wayzz, while still maintaining the music, were getting weary of this situation. Even Plagg was wanting the two of them to hurry up and kiss, and he found romance disgusting.
As the two Miraculous holders were still sitting in the boat, Marinette had stopped rowing and decided to just let the boat go where it would. She was starting to feel a bit braver, so she began to talk to Adrien.
"Adrien... Today has been a lot of fun," Marinette began, fiddling with the rose that she kept behind her ear. "You giving me this rose, playing the piano, everything... You're a very sweet guy."
Adrien blushed and smiled shyly.
"And you definitely proved that you don't have the Cat Miraculous for nothing. I was having some trouble thinking of an idea to stop that stampede, and thanks to you, not only did we corral those cows, but no one got hurt," Marinette admitted to him. "No matter how you got it, you have it for a reason."
Adrien gave his Princess a grin in response before gently taking one of her hands. Like when they were on the beach when he saved her, Adrien interlaced their fingers and brought her hand to his face. He touched the back of her hand to his cheek, and then he turned his face to kiss it before looking at Marinette.
Marinette's heart skipped a beat in nostalgia. She felt a sense of déjà vu, but strangely, it was a pleasant sensation.
'There's something familiar about this... I don't know what or why, but... But I like it.' Marinette thought. Her cheeks deepened a bit before her mouth curled up into a smile.
"Now's your moment. Floating in a blue lagoon." Nathalie crooned. Two herons had flanked the boat and they parted a willow tree's leaves and branches using their beaks. The lagoon currents led the boat underneath it.
Once they were under the canopy of the willow tree, Adrien held Marinette's hands in his own, making sure to maintain eye contact.
"Hurry up and do it soon, no time will be better." Nathalie sang, as she peeked her head out of the water and continued to croon.
Nathalie noticed that Marinette seemed more comfortable and almost eager to kiss Adrien. Granted, she seemed a bit shy still, but there was still progress being made.
"He don't say a word, and he won't say a word until you kiss him, girl!" Nathalie sang. She dove underneath the waters and gathered up some more marine life to help guide the duo along.
The sea animals circled the boat from underneath, creating a current that kept the boat in place and gently spun it around.
"Sha-la-la-la-la-la, don't be scared! The mood is all prepared! Go on and kiss him, girl! (Whoa, whoa!)" They sang, alongside the kwamis.
A few fireflies joined in and started circling around the pair. The smaller lights did nothing to distract the young humans from each other, and Adrien kept staring at Marinette with romantic, seductive eyes.
"Sha-la-la-la-la-la, don't stop now! Don't try to hide it how! You wanna kiss him, girl! (Whoa, whoa!)" The chorus sang.
Marinette kept looking at Adrien with the same expression and was failing to focus on anything else. Adrien noticed this, and was feeling good about his prospects for a kiss.
"Sha-la-la-la-la-la, float along, and listen to the song," The flamingos began, but Kim tried to join in. Luckily, the flamingos shut him up before he could do anything. "Song say kiss him, girl! (Whoa, whoa!)"
Marinette scooted a bit closer to Adrien, feeling comfortable. The scene was perfect. The fireflies dancing around them, the boat slowly spinning, the water jets that the fish were spitting out, the music, everything. Adrien could not imagine a better moment to share his first kiss with Marinette.
"Sha-la-la-la-la-la, music play, do what the music say, you gotta kiss him, girl!" The chorus continued.
Adrien maintained an amorous gaze on Marinette while thinking, 'I love you, Marinette!'
As if she could tell what he was trying to tell her, Marinette's eyes widened and her cheeks began to match her Ladybug suit. She smiled a bit. Adrien took one of his hands and cupped Marinette's cheek. He gently ran his thumb over her lips. Marinette immediately knew that he wanted to kiss her, and oddly enough, she was okay with this. She gave a small nod and Adrien's heart pounded against his ribcage. The two Miraculous holders kept eye contact, and they slowly started to lean in.
All the animals around them were getting excited. The birds were jumping from side to side on the branches, the fish and ducks were smiling in anticipation, and everyone was silently cheering them on. The kwamis were watching with wide, hopeful eyes and Tikki was saying, "Do it, do it, do it!"
Marinette's eyes started to slowly close as Adrien leaned in closer, his lips beginning to pucker up. Marinette unconsciously started to mirror his movements, feeling safe, her heart fluttering.
"Go on and kiss him, girl!" Nathalie sang, as she gripped Kim's neck and shook him as she watched with hope.
Marinette and Adrien's lips were only about a centimeter apart. Adrien's heart was on a high at the thought of finally getting to kiss his lady. To Marinette, everything about this situation felt right.
But just as Adrien was about to plant his lips against hers, something shoved the boat from the side. It flipped over and it sent Marinette and Adrien into the water.
Everyone moaned and complained, Nathalie face-clawed and the kwamis shouted in frustration. All that work, they were only a second away from a smooch, and the notorious bad luck of the black cat just had to strike and ruin everything!
Adrien immediately stood up and grabbed Marinette to help her stand, too.
"Marinette!" Tikki shouted, as she and Plagg flew over to their holders were okay. "Are you alright?"
"I... I'm okay, other than wet," Marinette said, catching her breath, before turning to Adrien. "Thank you."
"Come on, we'd better get back to the castle. Alya and Nino are not going to be happy to hear about this." Trixx said to her fellow kwami. She and Wayzz flew over to the teenagers.
Nathalie dove into the water to go hide in Adrien's pocket again. They then made their way back to the carriage to go back to Marinette's palace.
However, no one noticed something vital: Chloé and Lila were the ones who tipped the boat. Smirking at each other, they gave each other a high-five with their tails and held them in triumph. They laughed mischievously.
"Well done, girls!" Hawkmoth praised. He had seen everything from his lair and was not happy. "That was way too close. That little...! Urgh, I underestimated him."
He immediately swam up to his cabinet and opened it up. Hawkmoth shoved some ingredients around, saying, "If this keeps up, those two will be making love before noon, let alone kissing by sunset! Time for this warlock to take matters into his own tentacles!"
The warlock took out a small orb that held two land butterflies, a monarch and a blue morpho specifically, and a pair of bottles.
Swimming to the cauldron, Hawkmoth threw the bottles into it, causing a small explosion of smoke. He tossed the butterflies inside the cauldron and the brew turned bright purple.
"I will get Gabriel's son! Then I'll make him cringe, and he'll be sea clay in my hands!" Hawkmoth declared, as he gripped his brooch.
The bluish-purple fumes and akumas from the cauldron surrounded him. As this went on, he started laughing like a triumphant maniac. His body started to magically alter itself, from his age being reversed to hair growing on his head. His cane started to shift and transform. But most importantly, his voice started to change, and it sounded a lot like Adrien's...
Back at the castle, the moon had risen to its peak. The pair and the kwamis arrived inside the main hallway, where they were greeted by Alya and Nino.
"Hey, glad you're back!" Nino said, as he arrived. "You're soaked... What happened?"
"A lot," Marinette said. Adrien took a towel from one of the maids and started to rub Marinette's head with it. "Thank you, Adrien."
Adrien smiled in response. Since he had lived in the ocean most of his life, he was used to being wet, so all the water on his skin and clothes did nothing to bother him.
Nino noticed that Marinette was blushing and being shy with Adrien. There was clear affection and love in her expression.
Trixx floated over to Alya, with a disappointed, frustrated, and annoyed look on her face.
"Judging by the looks on your faces, I assume things hit the fan?" Alya asked her kwami, her voice quiet.
Trixx sighed and said, "You're right. And after all that work."
"Don't worry, there's still tomorrow. And considering how much chemistry those two are having, I'd say a kiss isn't too far off." Alya whispered, optimistic.
"It's late," Plagg said, speaking up. "Maybe we should get cleaned up and get some rest."
"Good idea, Plagg," Tikki said. "See you two tomorrow."
Before parting ways for the night, Adrien once again took Marinette's hand into his own and kissed the back of it. Marinette looked at Adrien with a smile, not bothered by the hand kisses anymore.
Adrien slowly pulled his hand away from the princess. With some sadness in his face, Adrien started to walk to the washroom to get himself cleaned up.
Marinette merely watched as Adrien left, loosing a wistful sigh. She started to hum a bit as she walked up the stairs to go to her bathroom and get ready for bed, Tikki following behind.
Alya and Nino saw that look on her face, and then the pair shared a high-five.
"This is great! They'll definitely kiss before dark tomorrow!" Nino said, with Wayzz smiling in agreement.
"Just so long as nothing else goes wrong or interferes." Alya said, unaware that she had jinxed it. Unbeknownst to anyone, interference was about to occur.
About half an hour later, Adrien was in his room, wearing his night clothes, and sighing silently. He was nearing the end of his rope. He was so close to kissing Marinette, but his luck was as bad as always. He was getting a bit anxious. He only had until sundown the next day, otherwise he and Plagg would be stuck under the rule of Hawkmoth. If the stories that he had heard were true, then that would have been a fate worse than death. Adrien would be a merboy once more, he would never see Nino or the others again, and worst of all, he would never get to taste and feel the touch of Marinette's sweet, pink lips.
Plagg had noticed that Adrien was concerned, and said, "Kid, you've got until dusk tomorrow. And if today's nauseating results are any indication, you two are sure to kiss by then without a doubt!"
Nathalie was still pacing, grumbling about how her musical artistry was once again given the brush off, and it would have worked if the boat had not capsized.
Adrien quirked a smile for the briefest of moments before walking out to the balcony and looked at the moon. It was certainly beautiful out and it reminded him of Marinette's smile.
Speaking of the princess, Adrien saw Marinette out on the terrace near one of the towers. She was humming along to the tune that was played at the lagoon earlier. Just hearing it made him feel more frustrated. He appreciated Nathalie's help, but no thanks to the boat flipping over, he missed his chance to kiss her.
Now that he thinking of it, if he could tell Marinette the truth, he would have done so by now and that would have solved everything. On the other side of that coin, he wondered if the kiss would be that of true love if she knew. That was a point Tikki had made earlier.
Adrien remembered that the only thing stopping him from coming clean was the fact that he was without a voice. However, like the sea warlock told him, he was doing fine without it. Seemed like he took to being a human easily, thanks to the help of the others.
Deciding not to overthink anything, he left the balcony and went back into his room.
Marinette had caught Adrien going inside, gave a dreamy smile and yearning sigh. She then went back to humming the song from earlier.
"Marinette..." Tikki began, delighted that Marinette was clearly infatuated with Adrien.
"Yes, Tikki?" Marinette asked, a bit absentmindedly.
"About that boy..." Tikki said, trying to broach the subject.
"Adrien? He's amazing, isn't he?" Marinette said, sighing once more.
"Not Adrien. I was referring to the one who saved you." Tikki said, trying to get Marinette's attention.
"Again, Tikki?" Marinette asked, exasperated. "I'm tired of hearing about him. He hasn't come to claim responsibility, so I don't see why I should think he's real."
"And I agree with you," Tikki said, catching Marinette by surprise. "What I'm trying to say is that maybe you're right and we should forget about finding him. Especially since I can tell you're happy with Adrien. He's made you smile, laugh, and more. The two of you almost kissed tonight, too!"
"You've been insisting that a boy came to my rescue, and now you're changing your tune? What's going on, Tikki?" Marinette asked, a little suspicious.
Tikki wanted to tell Marinette the truth. That it was Adrien who saved her, that he was a merboy, the deal with Hawkmoth, everything. But she also did not want to chance the possibility that any kisses would not be those of true love, but of gratitude. She decided to be honest about it after the situation was resolved. She knew Marinette would not be happy about it at first, but it would hopefully work itself out in the end.
"I've been thinking over today's events, and what you've been saying," Tikki continued. "It's pointless to wait around and look for someone who was probably a figment of your imagination. Adrien's real, and it's clear to me that you like him."
"You're right, Tikki," Marinette said with a smile. "Adrien's flesh and blood... Chivalrous, a gentleman, talented in so many fields, a hero, romantic... And so charming. I can't help but love him."
"Then what are you waiting for?" Tikki encouraged. "Go and talk to him!"
The princess stood up and started to walk to Adrien's room, with Tikki following behind. But then out of nowhere, the sound of a guitar and a boy's voice rang out from below.
Curious, Marinette looked down to the beach. She could not discern why, but the voice sounded familiar to her. In the fog, she could see the figure of a boy about two years older than her sitting on a rock, and he had a guitar in his hands. The young man was vocalizing and playing the instrument at the same time.
Marinette squinted her eyes, not sure of what was going on.
'Wait a second! That's Adrien's voice! But he gave it to the sea warlock, so why...?' Tikki thought, noticing that the voice belonged to Adrien and detecting a few red flags that gave her chills.
Marinette took a closer look at the boy. From what she could see, his hair seemed to be in two colors and his eyes were green. He was wearing some kind of accessory around his neck, and it was glowing bright purple. There was some sort of mist coming out of the object and it was heading for Marinette. The sound of the voice kept echoing. There was an ethereal, almost mystical tone about it.
"Marinette, don't listen!" Tikki said, realizing something was wrong.
As the mist reached Marinette, she grew nervous and was about to run, but it invaded her eyes. Her pupils turned from black to lavender. She placed her hands on her head and began stumbling around in pain.
"No... No! This isn't real! That boy was never real! I was only dreaming! Adrien is the one I love, I..." Marinette began, trying to resist the magic. Her pupils kept flashing from purple to black.
Apparently, the boy below noticed this and kept vocalizing and strumming the guitar. The magic got stronger, and while Marinette continued to try to defy its call, Tikki looked at her holder with worry.
"Marinette, you have to fight it!" Tikki shouted, flying around her holder. "Focus on Adrien! Adrien! Keep thinking about him!"
Marinette tried to fill her mind with thoughts of the blonde boy who had stolen her heart, but at some point, Marinette grew still, her arms fell to her sides, a blank facial expression and a butterfly shape appeared in front of her face, and her pupils turned fully purple.
"No..." Tikki whispered, scared...
And that's a wrap for chapter seven! Looks like carp is getting real now that there's interference from the sea warlock. Now remember: 50+ reviews for the story before chapter eight gets up!
