Still don't own MLB...
Le enjoy!
Who does she think she is?!
Lila seethed as she briskly walked through the halls. She couldn't remove Chloe's smug face from her mind. It was taunting her just like how she taunted her earlier!
Why is life so unfair?! She was supposed to be the popular one! Not that air-headed, nail obsessed SLUT! It was supposed to be her who was being surrounded by her peers! They should've been flocking her during lunch and complimenting her and making her feel important!
Lila was so distracted that she didn't see the person in front of her before it was too late. The person she bumped to was at least a head larger than her and she fell on her butt as the other person just staggered back from the impact.
"Oof! Hey! Watch where you're going!" Kim snapped as he dropped the juice box he was drinking on, spilling the liquid on the ground in front of him. His eyes widened when he saw who bumped her. "Lila?!"
Shaking her head frantically, Lila looking up from the floor and her eyes widened when she saw her classmate. Recollecting herself, she tried the damsel-in-distress tactic. If there was one thing that was always effective, it would be that guys, especially boys her age, were suckers when it came to girls crying.
But before she could enact her plans, Kim already crouched down and was checking her over, making her freeze in surprise.
"Are you ok? You're not hurt, are you? How many fingers am I holding up?" Kim fretted over her, looking to see if she was injured, waving two fingers in front of her face.
Alix groaned over Kim's overreacting before pulling the larger teen from being too close to Lila's face. "Kim! She just fell down! It's not like she hit her head or something." Alix shook her head while offering a hand to Lila. "Get up. The last thing we need here is for this idiot to make an even bigger idiot of himself."
"Hey! I'm trying to be helpful!" Kim snapped, crossing his arms and pouting as he stood behind Alix. The fact that he was almost one and a half head taller than made the seem even funnier.
Alix rolled her eyes as Lila just kept staring at her outstretched hand. "Hey! Earth to Rossi! Is anyone in there?Hellooo" She waved her hand in front of Lila's face, snapping the girl from trance, making her look up in surprise. Alix grinned as she once again offered her hand for her to take. "Well? Take my hand."
Lila nodded silently, and accepted Alix's hand as she pulled her up.
"Th-thanks... uhm..." Lila blushed as she didn't even know her classmate's name. Again, she was realizing that if she wanted to be popular then she also needed to know the names of her followers.
Alix shook her head and once again held her hand out. "Alix Kubdel. Nice to meet you! This knucklehead behind me is Kim!"
Kim frowned. "Wait, why are you introducing yourself? Don't tell me you forgot we are classma–oof!" He grunted when Alix elbowed him with her other arm.
Alix shook her head as she remembered the text message she received from Marinette before lunch.
Hey Alix! I know this is sudden but can you and Kim befriend Lila? I know that everyone in class knows she's a liar but I got a feeling that she's just feeling insecure and will someone like you and Kim to help guide her in making friends! Thank you so much!
Alix grinned to herself and mentally shook her head. Of course Marinette would still think of others regardless of what they have done. What she didn't get was why was Kim needed when she could befriend Lila herself?
To be perfectly honest, their encounter was purely coincidental since she was planning on talking to Lila after school but Kim wanted to buy a juice box so they went to the vending machine to buy one and then that's when Lila bumped, more like rammed, into Kim.
"I... uhmm..." Lila cleared her throat as she tentatively hook Alix's hand. "I'm Lila Rossi... I'm sorry if I forgot your names but with everything that happened yesterday and this morning I kinda lost track of everything..." She wasn't even lying. She was so out of her element that at the moment she was grasping at straws at what to do.
Alix waved her hand dismissively and chuckled. "It's cool. I mean, if I was in your shoes I would also probably be forgetting my friends' names"
Lila's eyes widened at that, not able to conceal it like she always could.
...friend?
Kim snorted as he patted Alix head causing her to frown. "Please... It took you a week to remember my name when we first met!" Kim teased, grinning as he saw Alix trying to control her temper.
"Because I was annoyed at you, you idiot!" Alix ground her teeth. "When we first met all you did was boast about your so called 'skills' and making fun of my height!"
Kim raised an eyebrow as the three teens started walking towards their class. "Well duh! I mean, I don't want to brag but even then I was better than you and also you are pretty short."
Lila tuned out Kim and Alix's arguing as a certain word was echoing through her head.
Friend...
What was that word? What did it mean? Was it special? Was it essential? Could she use it for her benefit? Would it actually help her how to get recognition and become popular?
These questions were bouncing in her head. She was so focused that she missed the way Alix was smirking at her direction while Kim was once again in a rant about how better he is at everything compared to her.
Shaking her head, Alix started typing on her phone and sent a message to Marinette.
She's in good hands. No need to worry about her! Kim and I got this! Mostly me of course!
Marinette smiled down on her phone as she read Alix's reply to her last message. Marinette mentally laughed as knew that Alix was confused why she included Kim in her plan in reforming Lila.
It was too simple. Kim was blunt, plain and simple. He didn't mince his words. If he wanted to tell you something, embarrassing or not, he would tell you directly with no hesitation whatsoever. Not to mention too stubborn to understand when someone says no to him. In fact, if he wasn't too blunt, Marinette would've just sent him alone to help with Lila.
Hence why Alix was there. She was going to act as like a mediator between the athlete and the lying-obsessed girl. Alix knew when Kim was going too far and she would stop him before things escalate. She was also didn't tolerate liars and, like Kim, would be blunt about to call it out.
She just hoped that Lila won't be traumatized by this and will get Akumatized again.
"Don't worry Marinette. I'm sure that that won't happen." Adrien reassured her as they made their way back to their classroom.
"Dude... You're doing it again." Nino shook his head. He knew that he should be panicking about this. He knew that people reading minds is not normal. But then again, what is normal? In a world where people are regularly being turned into monsters and would destroy part of Paris only to be defeated by teens of all things and then everything magically gets fixed... Yeah... In this city, normal is overrated.
Adrien looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. "Doing what?"
Marinette grinned as she lightly elbowed Adrien. "You know Adrien, it is considered rude reading a girl's mind." She whispered, not wanting to draw attention to them.
Adrien just blinked at her before his eyes widened when he realized what he has done again. After the second incident, he had tried reading Marinette's mind again but he couldn't hear anything anymore. After he told them about it, they came to the conclusion that it was probably just a fluke.
But as he had done just now, it was definitely not a fluke.
Adrien groaned while running a hand through his hear, subconsciously wrapping an arm around Marinette's waist. "This... power... is cool and all but I for one know that Marinette needs her peace of mind considering how hectic her life already is."
Marinette giggled as she leaned on Adrien. "Well... I don't mind. I mean, you already know that I think of you as a dork so there's embarrassing to hide from you."
Adrien's eyes glinted as he smirked down at her. "Oh really?" He then turned to Alya with a cheeky grin. "Hey Alya, did you know that Marinette owns a pair of Chat Noir themed paja–"
Marinette blushed and shouted in a squeaky voice "Adrien!"
Alya's eyes widened as a huge grin split her face. "No Agreste, I didn't know that Mari here has Chat Noir PJs!"
Marinette groaned as she covered her face with her hands. "How did you know about that?"
Adrien grinned and winked at her. "I didn't. You told me just now."
Marinette gaped as she stared at her boyfriend disbelievingly. "I...but...you just sa–ADRIEN!" Marinette sputtered as she glared at Adrien and started walking faster.
"Mari! I'm sorry!" Adrien laughed as he ran after Marinette.
"Wait, seriously?!" Adrien asked incredulously, looking back and forth between Tikki and Plagg as the latter two was floating in the middle of Marinette's room. The four teens decided to ask the kwamis about Adrien's weird skill after Adrien once again started hearing Marinette's thoughts during class.
It was quite troublesome for Adrien during class because he was trying to listen to their teacher talk about their lesson but he was also hearing Marinette's thoughts during that time. It wouldn't have been that bad but the fact that Marinette was actually thinking about creating a new dress made only listening to their teacher almost impossible.
Of course Marinette apologized profusely when Adrien explained what happened but told her that it was okay and it wasn't her fault.
"Yeah..." Tikki nodded happily as she then turned to Marinette. "I'm actually surprised that it only manifested with you! Marinette was supposed to be able to read your mind too!"
Marinette sputtered and her eyes widened. "Wait what?!"
Tikki nodded as she moved her gaze to each teenager in the room. "Yes! You see, when the bond between Ladybug and Chat Noir is strong enough, additional powers and abilities will appear depending on how deep the bond between you are."
"The thing is," Plagg continued. "These powers usually only manifest years after a Ladybug and Chat Noir chosen teamed up. The fact that you two are showing these powers only months after being partnered is new to us too! And we have already existed for more than a thousand years!" Plagg said as he was munching on some cheese.
"That means that your bond with each other is deeper and more special compared to the past Ladybugs and Chat Noirs." Tikki continued, pride evident on her face. "Like I told you before Marinette, you are one of the best Ladybugs I have ever got and you are still young!"
"Woah..." Alya gaped in awe towards the two kwami. "So are you telling me that Adrien and Marinette can now read minds?" She then gasped, drawing the attention of everyone. "Does that mean that they can also read Hawk Moth's mind too?!"
Tikki shook her head. "Unfortunately, no. In fact the only minds Ladybug and Chat Noir can read are each others. The past Ladybugs and Chat Noirs actually use this skill to communicate with each other during a battle so that they can strategize on the spot without giving it away to the enemy."
Adrien and Marinette's eyes widened and looked at each other.
"That's actually a brilliant idea!" Marinette exclaimed to Adrien, not realizing that she was not talking.
"I know, right?! Imagine how efficient we would be during an Akuma attack! We won't waste our time shouting at each other to talk about our strategy anymore!" Adrien grinned widely at her, also not realizing that they were talking mentally.
"Not only that but we can also help each other during a test! And since this is technically our own powers, we aren't actually abusing the powers of our kwamis! I will finally be able to pass some of the tests we aren't able to study because of the akuma attacks!" Marinette mentally cheered as all the possibilities were running through her head.
"More importantly..." Adrien grinned a Cheshire grin, mischief dancing in his eyes. "I can finally share my puns with you in school without everyone being suspicious! Oh my god, Marinette! Think of all the jokes and puns I am finally going to be able to share with you during classes! In fact, I think this is mind-blowing! I just can't wrap my mind around the fact that we can finally share our thoughts with each other!"
Marinette groaned as she dragged a hand over her face while Adrien laughed loudly at her.
"Did they just..." Nino asked, eyes wide in disbelief.
"Yep..." Alya sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "They're already starting... Instead of hearing them flirt, the only hint we'll get would be the blushes on their faces."
Adrien and Marinette were now waving their arms around animatedly like they were telling each other stories. If they didn't know any better, both Nino and Alya would've thought that their friends were trying to act like mimes.
Tikki giggled as she floated next to Alya. "Let them have their fun, it's not everyday that they get new powers, you know?" Her eyes widened when she suddenly zoomed next to Marinette's face, scaring the girl because of how sudden the kwami was. "Marinette! There is another thing you should know about! Aside from powers, you would also start acting differently while in civilian form."
"Really? Like what?"
Adrien pouted as Marinette stuck her tongue out at him. Clearly they were now teasing each other.
"Well... If you haven't noticed yet but you will start acting motherly towards your classmates and that goes triple towards your partner. If one of your friends feel sad, you can't help but want to help them get better."
Marinette's eyes widened in recognition. "Oh! Is that why I was adamant in helping Lila earlier? Is that also why I was bothering Adrien earlier because I was worried about him?"
Adrien mentally chuckled as he remembered what happened during lunch.
"Are you sure this is going to be enough?" Marinette asked worriedly as she watched Adrien just ate some fruits for lunch. "I know you are on a diet but we also both know that you need to eat more since you are also running and jumping on top of roofs!"
Marinette gasped as she grabbed Adriens arm and started shaking it. "What if you get hurt during an Akuma attack and Miraculous Ladybug would not help fix it? What if it doesn't really hurt if you're Chat Noir but once you detransform all the pain will then appear?! Adrien! I can't stand you getting hurt! What if you pass out during one your photo shoots and your father will then ban you from going to school because he will think that you were wasting your energy here and just get you home schooled again?!"
Adrien, Nino, and Alya shared confused looks. How long has it been since Marinette's last freak-out?
Plagg snorted as he hovered over Adrien's head. "Let's not forget Chat Noir's over-protectiveness over his mate."
Adrien looked blankly at the black kwami. "My what?"
Plagg shrugged as he once again was eating a block of cheese. "Your instincts are telling you that every male that comes close to your mate is considered a rival, a threat if you will. Even your friend here is not safe from your weariness."
Nino then remembered what happened earlier. "Oh yeah! Hey Alya, remember earlier when Nathaniel came to us and thanked Marinette for yesterday?"
Alya smirked as Adrien looked at them in confusion. "Oh you mean when poor Nathaniel had to get away from Marinette quickly because Adrien was literally growling at him? I mean, if it happened to Kim or Max it would've been hilarious but the fact that he was growling at innocent Nathaniel made me worried for a second."
Marinette's eyes widened as she turned to a sheepish looking Adrien. "Really?" She then crossed her arms and glared at Adrien. "That's not nice, you know? He was just thanking me for clearing up a misunderstanding yesterday and you know that!" Marinette scolded.
Adrien winced as if he was being punched. "I-I know that! I-it's just that he was getting to close to you for comfort and–"
"And what? Are you going to be like that to any boy that comes near me from now on?"
Adrien touched his fingers sheepishly. "Uhmm... No?"
Marinette sighed. "I'm sorry... I'm just worried, you know? Like Tikki said, my instincts are telling me to comfort my friends when they feel sad or worried."
Adrien smiled gently at her and held her hand. "Don't worry. We'll work on this. I'm sure we can control our instincts later on." He then grinned again. "Look on the bright side! At least we now know that we are getting new powers!"
Marinette giggled as she looked at her partner lovingly. Yes, he was right. It's always better to look on the bright side.
Hope you guys enjoyed!