The sun was warming up. The feeling of the water below your feet and the heat of the sun could be sensed from your nose, it kind of tickles. This made Marinette smile to herself while walking down the road.
"Alya!" The girl said, waving her hand to attract the attention of the redhead across the street.
"Marinette! There you are!" Alya had her phone out and was going through the list. "So… shoes, some makeup and… A new hairbrush? Really?" She looked over at the stylist with a mock face.
"Oh, shut up! I stepped on the one I had after Adrien left… I was nervous, remember?" The girl pouted and gave Alya puppy like eyes.
"Oh… ok, we'll buy a new hairbrush." She fidgeted with her phone for a second. "I asked Nino to tell me what color of shoes we should aim, and if they don't answer in time, we'll go with black."
"Thanks Alya, I couldn't find myself asking Adrien… especially now that I understand his surprise is a dress for the gala…" Marinette looked away shyly.
"Well, let's get going! We have some shopping to do!" Alya took Marinette's arms to start barging stores.
"I like these." The bluenette smiled while modeling the shoes. "What do you think?" She looked intently to Alya.
"Well… If the dress can cope with white shoes, I guess we'll be fine… but… why don't we keep watching and wait for the dress intel?"
"Ok… you're right…. Maybe rushing for the shoes first was not the smartest idea."
"Common! Let's go get you that hairbrush of yours first." Alya took Marinette from the arm and dragged her out of the shoe store.
"Wow, you're early today." Adrien greeted his best friend, after an emotionless Nathalie let Nino in. "I still need to finish some piano practice, feel free to listen."
With a bright smile, Nino sat on the chair looking at Adrien. "Sure pote! I always wanted to listen to you play anyway."
Adrien warmed up to Nino's words. Having a different public than Nathalie or his father felt nice for a change, especially now that Nino confessed that he wanted to listen him playing. "This is Mozart Piano Sonata No. 17 Allegro. It's known because it is happy and warm. Please enjoy it."
Nino applauded, ready to listen to it.
After the interpretation finished, Adrien was happy. He didn't think he'd ever seen Nino glowing like that. He was wordless. "Did you like it?"
"Mon pote!" Nino stood up, no, he jumped up. "That! Was! Amazing!" He claimed. "Music is part of me, and you know, I might not be the best for classical music, but this…" He paused to take a deep breath. "This left me breathless. It was funny and leading and I wanted to keep up with every single note!"
Adrien started to blush, this is the first time he's been complimented like this. Someone might have said something while growing up and learning, but it was usually his teacher or his mother. Never someone had been so delighted to listen to him play.
Trying to hide his shyness, he smiled at Nino and thanked him for the compliments. Then he saw Nathalie at the door and she only nodded.
"Nino, the lesson is done, I'm happy you liked it." Adrien said without looking him directly. "It does mean a lot to me for you to be here, you know?" Taking some courage, he looked Nino directly in the eye. That solitude look he gave from time to time.
"I'm happy that I was able to catch at least the end of it." Nino sat back on the couch, proud of his friend. He knew that look and he knew what it meant.
"Adrien." Nathalie interrupted. "They're ready, do you want me to bring them in or are you going to pick them up in my office?"
Nino jumped in. "Are you talking about the dresses? Why don't you bring them over so that we can take a look, maybe get some help, you know?
Adrien understood Nino's gesture, he was talking about Plagg. He turned to the door and thanked Nathalie. "Let me go get them. Can you get us some refreshments after bringing the dresses in? Thank you Nathalie." He smiled politely, that model smile that he has trained for so long. "I'll be right back, Nino!"
"I'll be here mon pote!" Nino waved in acknowledgement. While Adrien closed the door.
"Ok, they're gone for a while, we really need to talk Plagg!" Nino picked into Plagg's "room".
"Finally!" The black kwami floated with a piece of cheese right in front of Nino. "We need to talk!"
"I thought that was my line…" Nino gave Plagg a curious glance.
"Oh, so that is my gift? Talk?" The kwami didn't miss one, he remembered that Nino has said that he had something for him. "Shoot, mine is probably longer."
Nino was getting to know the little cat pretty well, he took the bread he had in his bag. "Here, this is cheesy bread. I passed by a store that sells it, I thought you might like it."
Plagg took a bite as soon as Nino put it on the desk. "Go on! We don't have all day." He mumbled in between chews.
"Ok, the thing is that Alya, you know? My girl… She's got these Ladybug and Chat Noir theories…" Nino sat back on the couch and took his cap off to trace his hands against his hair. "The thing is that she's very near to get to their identities."
Plagg stopped eating, he stared at the boy in front of him, and realized that this, indeed, is as urgent as his own Ladybug/Chat's concerns… "Ok, ok… so, your girlfriend IS behind a theory that can get to Ladybug and Chat Noir's identities."
"Yes!" Nino stated seriously.
Plagg was floating right in front of Nino now. "So, why are you telling me and not Adrien?" The curiosity was winning, but even though, he found new value for this kid.
"Well, I know how much Adrien has struggled about Ladybug's identity and he's finally getting over his crush. And Alya would kill me if I get Adrien off Marinette now too… But anyway, the thing is that I don't want Adrien to have hopes about finding LB's identity, you know?" The boy started whispering, looking at the door. "So, I decided that I better tell you. I wish I could tell Wayzz too, but he's not nearby for it…"
Plagg scratched his head and sat down on the air. "Hum… You seem smarter than I thought. You even brought some cheesy bread…" Plagg mischief always flourished even in dark times. "I guess that the storm is brewing…" He said more to himself than anything. "So kid, tell me this theory."
Nino glanced at the door once more, worried that Adrien would come in any moment. "Ok…" He whispered. "The thing is that Alya wants to know the turtle and the fox' identities. She figured that Ladybug chose the fox and Chat chose the turtle, it could mean that they trust the other and probably know them in real life. She said that it could only be proven IF she knows the identities of the partners… And I'm almost sure that she figured out that I am the turtle…"
Plagg remained pensive… It doesn't seem that the kid has told her anything, and he knew that the ladyblogger was cunning, Tikki has told him that before… Taking his paw to his chin, he shared his thoughts. "So… she's into knowing Rena Rouge's identity that could lead to the Bug and Carapace' identity that will lead to the Chat… I knew she was clever, but this is getting dangerous…"
"I know!" Nino step up and started pacing. "I've been trying to divert her attention and tried to poke in a different direction, but she's been sending these signals, you know? As if trying to figure me out and the battle against the roots akuma did not help… She was too near me, and she saw the interaction that Chat and Carapace have, so I think that she got the 'trust' from there… I mean, I know that she knows something about the fox but she won't tell me, which is good, and bad, because if she tells me, then I would probably know why her theory is so close and then she would figure me out and she would be too close to Adrien and then it would be easier to find LB but I would know how close she is and maybe can advert them?" The boy stopped with a sigh. He put the cap on and started pacing again…
"Finally!" Plagg went back to his cheesy bread. "I thought you were gonna keep going until the kid came back…" He took a big bite of the bread. "Look." He finished chewing before continuing. "Keep her diverted as much as you can, if she figures it out, there's not much we can do. Maybe I can talk to Tikki so that Ladybug can be aware…" He shrugged it off. "It's adding one more to the note anyway."
Nino stopped on a halt and stare at Plagg this time. "Adding to the note? What do you mean?"
This time was the cat kwami's turn to look at the door. "Well, as you know, Ladybug's been acting a little weird, and so is your friend here. I don't buy that she cried clinging on Chat Noir just because she was worried or hurt…"
"Wait." Nino opened his eyes wide in realization. "You think she likes Chat?" He whispered very low, hoping that Adrien wouldn't be nearby.
"I think so, but there's Adrien…" The cat kwami took another big bite of the bread while getting his ideas clear. "Look… There is something you should know, as the other kid is going to enter a rollercoaster. I'm telling you this because I've seen it before…" Plagg stood there in front of Nino, the boy has never seen the cat kwami so somber before. "You must not leave his side. He will be vulnerable and he will need your trust more than anything…"
Nino gulped at the kwami's words. "Ok, I told you that I am trustworthy and I will stay by his side. He's my best friend too."
"Good." Was the only reply Plagg gave Nino, as he diligently went back to his cheese stack to get some camembert to put on the cheesy bread.
At that moment, someone stumbled against the door. "Nino!" Adrien called his friend. "I should have asked you to come, help me out!" The blond came in with 4 dresses hanging on him, and a fifth one over his head.
"Pote! Let me help you!" Nino rushed to take a couple of dresses off Adrien, while the model hanged them on a pole hanger he left next to his bed.
"Ok, we're ready… Let's choose my princess' dress." The blond smiled fondly thinking of Marinette.
"So, which one do you like best?" Nino asked while placing the other two dresses on the pole hanger.
"Well, all of them are gorgeous and I can imagine her wearing all of them… Would it be too much to give her all 5 of them Nino?" The boy looked at his friend with puppy eyes.
"I don't think so pote, you know Marinette… She would probably freak out, step on something and trash the dresses. Besides, she would refuse them all. That's the way she is." Nino stepped back to take a better look. "Now, focus, we have 3 colors, which one would be better for her?"
Adrien took a step back too, he started to picture Marinette and remembered that her favorite color is pink. "If she were to choose, I think it would be between one of these two: light pink and creamy red."
Nino looked surprised that those were even colors, he then remembered that Adrien is in the fashion industry, he must know other colors than blue, red, yellow and green. "Those are very Marinette. And you know? You do call her princess, which one is more of a princess to you?"
Adrien went back to his thinking face. He knew that the creamy red would look amazing on Marinette, but he knew also that she's shy and probably wouldn't like to stand out that much, and the light pink looked more like a cute princess. "This one!" He took the light pink dress from the pole. "This is the one for a princess gala, I'll keep the other one for our first romantic date."
"You. Are. Such. A. dork." Nino patted his friend in the back.
"Hey!" Adrien claimed. "I'm just being romantic!"
"Yes I know!" Nino glinted with amusement. "Just like a very big dork!"
The boys started laughing at the comment when Nathalie arrived with some refreshments.
"Nathalie! Good timing! This is the one, please have it ready for tomorrow afternoon." Adrien gave the dress to Nathalie and she nodded.
Nino took advantage of the pause and opened his phone's last message.
[Alya babe]: And she picked white shoes…
[Alya babe]: please tell me she can keep them…
[Alya babe]: If not I'll be the evil one and put some black shoes on her face .
Nino laughed at Alya's message. It seems that the shopping is doing well.
[Nino]: Go with the shoes.
[Nino]: white rules!
[Alya babe]: thank god!
[Alya babe]: I'm exhausted…
[Nino]: Any plans for lunch?
[Alya babe]: Maybe a bistrot around here.
[Alya babe]: You guys wanna come?
[Nino]: you have to ask?
[Nino]: I'll let Adrien know.
[Nino]: text me the place
[Nino]: we'll be there in a couple of hours.
[Alya babe]: Nice!
[Alya babe]: See you there!
"So Adrien! Mon pote… What are you gonna wear?" Nino went back to the conversation.
After having Adrien trying like 3 suits, he settled with one.
"Any accessories?" Nino teased. "Maybe a bell by any chance?" He really liked how much Adrien has opened up to him.
"Maybe I'll give you a bell!" The blond, armed with a pillow and started a war.
"Hey! That's unfair! You have the bigger pillow!" Nino grunted.
"Ok… ok…" Adrien stopped pestering Nino and realized that it was almost lunch time. "Look at the time! Want something to eat?"
"About that…" Nino paused. "Let's surprise the girls, they're not far from here."
"Sounds like a plan." Adrien grinned as they left the room.