Miraculous:
Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir
Chapter One: The Ones Behind the Mask
Cat Noir leapt high over the rooftops of Paris, hot on the trail of Hawk Moth's newest supervillain: Wildfire. Just after they had had the opportunity to get enough snow to last the afternoon, Adrien's snowball fight with his friends had been rudely interrupted when nearby trees, followed by a passing car, suddenly caught fire. He'd waited until everyone got to safety before he'd slipped away to engage. He was mere seconds behind the ever beautiful, ever perfect Miraculous Ladybug.
"Things are heating up rather quickly, don't you think?" Cat Noir's puns came so easily as soon as Adrien Agreste was hidden behind a mask. He never had the bravado to speak his mind so freely when he was trying to upkeep the image of his family. He simply didn't have the luxury. That's why he was always so grateful Plagg had chosen him and why he'd jumped at the chance to take up the mantle of Cat Noir.
"Ha ha, but we'd better start cooling things down before he starts setting people on fire," Ladybug rained on his parade.
The two broke to a stop at the top of a billboard. "As you say, Milady, but your seriousness only adds fuel to my fire." Down below Wildfire, his hair the same fiery blaze as the element he wielded, was setting everything he could on fire: trees, vehicles, even buildings. Cat Noir could hear the sound of Paris' fire department coming closer in response to the call.
"There!" Ladybug spun her yoyo and leapt off the sign without even explaining her plan to him. She didn't have to. He could read her like an open book. He'd always trust her no matter what. He leapt off after her as she landed in a nearby alleyway directly next to Wildfire who was coming down the street. "Cat Noir, the fire hydrant!"
"As you wish, Milady!" He spun his bo stick and broke the top half of the fire hydrant, spraying water everywhere. Ladybug reacted instantly and jumped forward near the stream, using her yoyo to redirect the water right into Wildfire.
The supervillain was hit center mass and went flying into a nearby building. When she stopped the stream, Wildfire was left sizzling and puffing for air. Even his hair had disappeared. Ladybug put her yoyo away and approached him carefully. "Hey, look, whatever happened, we can fix it. Just tell us why you were akumatized? Let us help you."
Instead of answering, Wildfire roared even more angrily and his fire reignited, burning a hotter blue-white. "She didn't care! She didn't even read it! Ahhh!" He threw a fireball at Ladybug and Cat Noir's body reacted before he even registered the attack.
"Look out!" He jumped in front of her and spun his staff, deflecting the blast. Even while he had deflected it, he could feel the fire heat up his stick through his gloves. "Ouch! That's hot!"
"That's why cats should ne-furr play with fire!" Ladybug leapt to the right while he jumped to the left as another wave of fireballs came their way.
Unperturbed at their enemy's power-up, Cat Noir looked over at the embodiment of his affections. "Milady, was that a cat pun I just heard fall from your lips?"
"Consider it my Christmas gift to you!" Ladybug spun her yoyo and entangled Wildfire's arms, pinning them to the sides of his body. "He said something about someone not reading it. Check his pockets for a letter!"
"You got it!" He rushed forward and sure enough, in the man's front pocket was a partially burned piece of paper. Before he could tear it, however, the man headbutted him away and yanked on the string, throwing Ladybug directly on top of Cat Noir. The two tumbled and rolled across the ground and Wildfire got free. "Not that I'm against it but puurr-haps we should cuddle later?"
"More like never," she pushed herself off of him, her warmth leaving him all too quickly. "Looks like we're gonna need a little bit of help." She spun her yoyo into the air and it stopped, spinning in place. "Lucky Charm!" Power emanated from the weapon until an object came into reality. As many times as he saw it, he never tired of its beauty. Scientifically, one of the first laws of Physics is matter can neither be created nor destroyed and yet Ladybug and Cat Noir existed in direct opposition to that. She could create out of nothing while he could destroy what he wished upon contact. It was nothing short of miraculous.
An empty tin can fell into her lap, confusing the super heroine. She may be confused, but he knew she'd figure it out. She always did. "You work on that and I'll buy you time!"
"Be careful, Kitty!" He loved when she called him that. It always gave him the vision of him lying across her lap while she scratched the bottom of his chin.
He came in hot and went low when the fireballs came. They whizzed over his head and he was once again thankful of his near perfect imperviousness to the attacks of supervillains. His father would have his head if anything happened to his hair. He had a photoshoot tomorrow and a gala later that week. He spun his legs and used his stick for good measure, bringing Wildfire down onto his back.
"You don't understand! I loved her and she betrayed me!" Wildfire spun like a top, knocking Cat Noir back into a sidewalk bench. Pain exploded across his back even while he knew his suit was absorbing most of the impact.
As Wildfire got to his feet, Cat Noir heard his muse say, "Okay, I got it!" He looked over and she had strung her yoyo around the empty can which now had a tennis ball wedged inside with a box of matches sticking out of it. She spun her yoyo and threw it at Wildfire. When he attacked it with fire, it ignited the book of matches, created a self-propelled rocket. It flew faster, catching him in the chin and it was TKO from there. "Cat Noir, the letter!"
He recovered and took advantage of the opportunity she'd given him. He ran on all fours and quickly dug into the pocket, pulling out the letter. He tore it in half, releasing the akuma from its hiding place and into the air.
Wildfire reverted to his original form, a middle-aged man in a suit. He looked around confused while Ladybug did what she always did. She captured the akuma, her powers purifying the butterfly before she released it back into the world. "Bye bye, little butterfly."
"W-what happened?" The man held a hand to his head.
Cat Noir helped him to his feet. "You were akumatized but everything's back to normal now." He noticed the nearby fires still burning. "Well, mostly normal." He half-turned to his partner. "Would you do the honors, bugaboo?"
Her flat look said it all, but it still sent shivers down his spine. "Miraculous Ladybug!" She threw the tin can high up into the air. It spun and became an entire swarm of ladybugs that spread through the streets, returning everything that had been damaged back to normal.
"Kenny! Oh Kenny!" A woman came running up, throwing her arms around the man. "I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have reacted the way I did!"
"So, what happened?" Ladybug asked.
"I wanted to surprise Dianne with a special present for Christmas, but I ended up working late in the office that night so to make it up to her, I made a romantic dinner at my apartment," Ken explained.
The women looked down shamefully. "With all the effort he put into everything, I thought for certain he'd propose. When he presented me with a letter, I felt embarrassed, frustrated, and angry and in my haste, I threw it in the fireplace."
"What was in the letter?" Cat Noir asked before he could help himself. Adrien was terrible with girls and sometimes looked for tips in the wrong places.
"Cat Noir, that's none of your business!" Ladybug chastised.
"No no, it's okay." Ken held onto his girlfriend's hands. "It's silly, but I purchased a star that shines in the eastern sky and named it Dianne after you. You are the light of my sky during the day and during the night. I always know where I'm supposed to be if I can see you."
"Oh Ken!" She cried and kissed him lovingly.
"I think it's safe to assume our work here is done." Cat Noir confidently leaned forward against his stick. "May I treat My Lady out to some hot chocolate while we float in a gondola down the Seine River?"
Ladybug's earrings beeped and she patted him playfully on the head. "Maybe next time." She went into her purse and handed him a small square giftbox. "I know it's a little late, but Merry Christmas Kitty."
He took the present and before he could properly thank her, she was off flying away. He'd given her a snow globe of the Eiffel Tower, which was cheesy, but instead of snowflakes inside it had glitter and little black pawprint confetti. He'd seen it in a store window and knew it was perfect.
Leaving the couple alone to reconcile and not having to rush back to transform since he hadn't been forced to use his Cataclysm, Cat Noir retreated and found a nice quiet spot under a bridge next to the river's edge.
He stared at the box for long moments, equally wanting to open it as he was to hold onto it forever without knowing what was inside. He was curious but also afraid. She was kind to him but had already mentioned several times that her heart belonged to another. Cat Noir knew this, but his heart refused to love anyone else.
He'd tried with Kagami but she struggled expressing her emotions even more than he did. He was close to her but something was missing. He sniffed the box and with his heightened senses it smelled of fresh strawberries and powdered sugar. Heh, maybe she works in a bakery. He teased himself. He had theories of who she might be but as Plagg had once said, he couldn't dive too deep because should he discover her identity, she wouldn't be able to continue as Ladybug anymore. He wouldn't risk that. Paris needed her. Cat Noir needed her. Even if another Ladybug were to succeed her, it wouldn't be the same.
He took a deep breath and opened the box. Inside was a note: I know you already have one so this might seem silly but you're always there when I call so I wanted to give you an upgrade of sorts. He looked at the object in the box and it was a cat bell almost identical to the one he wore at his throat. It's been spelled with the horse miraculous' power and can be used to teleport you one time to a place of your choosing. Use it as a last resort if your life is ever in danger. The inside of the bell is a little different too. For some reason, there was a pebble left behind when we defeat Stoneheart. I picked it up and had as a keepsake until now. Whenever I'm discouraged, I remembered that's when you encouraged me to be Ladybug when I thought it would have been better if I'd just given up. There wouldn't be a Ladybug without you. So, Merry Christmas Cat Noir. -Ladybug
He turned the cat bell around in his hand and there was an engraving on the back. "Couldn't have done it without you." It wasn't a love confession, but he would cherish it all the same. He replaced his cat bell and decided he'd head home. He wasn't looking forward to it, but his father couldn't discover that he'd snuck out again. He'd put bars on his windows again.
Once he was safely inside his room, he closed his eyes. "Plagg, claws in." When his kwami reappeared, Adrien looked at his little friend. "Hey Plagg, if I change the bell on my suit, will it still be there the next time I transform?"
"Oh sure, items like that have a mysterious power all their own. If it has a sentimental value to the owner, then the suit will acclimate the change and make it permanent." Plagg flew over to his stash of cheese and decided to start pigging out.
Adrien fell back onto his bed and grinned. This way I'll have a piece of her forever with me. Exhausted from the day's activities, Adrien quickly fell asleep.
In his dream, he and Marinette were running from something chasing them. They were in a large office building, the Montparnasse Tower from the looks of it, and Ladybug's kwami, Tikki, was at their side. Plagg was no one to be found. When the coast seemed clear, he grabbed hold of Marinette's hand and dashed towards the emergency stairs. Tikki went with them and created a diversion to draw the monster away.
"Come on," Adrien heard himself say. "Let's head back to where we were. That's the last place he'd think to look for us." Still holding Marinette's hand, he led them back into the large office where the three of them took a moment to rest.
Marinette handed Adrien's phone back to him. "Sorry, your phone's out of juice."
"No biggie." When Adrien took it back, he smiled at her. "We're doing pretty well even without our powers." Wait, why would I say that!? Our powers?
Tikki flew up and spun in between them. "It's true, you two make a very effective couple!"
Adrien didn't remember this ever happening. Marinette came up with the idea to look at new coverage to figure out how they ended up there. Come to think of it, Adrien couldn't remember anything before he'd awakened in the elevator with Marinette. The news footage showed him as Cat Noir taking a hit from Oblivio right before Ladybug pulled him out of danger, into an elevator. To his dismay, she was struck next and the elevator closed.
That was me but does that mean Marinette is Ladybug!? But I've seen them standing next to each other, it can't have been her. This has to be a dream.
The dream continued and in his mind's eye he saw Marinette transform into Ladybug. While she looked the part, the Marinette in her that he'd concocted didn't exude the self confidence his Ladybug always did. She was unsure and not ready to face Oblivio by herself.
"I don't feel like a superhero," she admitted.
"You've already proven that you are one, with or without a costume," he heard himself say to encourage her.
She took off ready to fight after that and he eagerly chased after her, wanting to fight too. Without my kwami, I can't transform… Marinette, now Ladybug, shook her head and stated just that back to him. "But most of all, I wouldn't want anything to happen to you. I'm starting to understand how much you mean to me, Adrien." She kissed him and took off towards the roof.
When she was gone, Adrien stood there in a daze, her kiss still warm on his cheek. "Wow, I don't need any memory to know that I love that girl." My memory! This must be the part of time I was missing from when we fought Oblivio!
Plagg would later arrive and he would gratefully be able to transform. As Cat Noir, he and Ladybug came together and defeated Oblivio. However, for some reason his heart hurt at the idea of her casting Miraculous Ladybug to fix everything. It meant he would forget their time together…
"All right then…with your permission, Milady." He turned to stand before her and silently looked down at her. In his dream, he could clearly see Marinette's eyes looking back at him from behind Ladybug's mask. She nodded and closed her eyes. Then he bent down and kissed her…
Adrien awoke, the details of the dream hazy and fading quickly. He somehow knew it was from his missing time from Oblivio. That image from Alya's Ladyblog, the image of Cat Noir kissing Ladybug…for some reason it hadn't been deleted when everything else had been returned to normal. His memory had been restored but without the chunk of time when they'd actually defeated Oblivio. Those memories somehow survived and he'd just dreamt them! Too bad I didn't remember enough… It's just there, out of reach.
He looked at the time and sighed. "Guess I may as well get ready for school."
Marinette let the hot water flow down her face, the dream she'd had just before waking up still there in a mysterious fog, evaporating as soon as it was remembered. It had something to do with that picture of her kissing Cat Noir that Alya had somehow taken. Oblivio had erased their memories and, when she assumed she'd use Miraculous Ladybug to repair everything, then her memory had been restored while at the same time erasing that short span of her life.
She hadn't had a chance to linger on that at the time but later chastised herself for being so fickle. She loved Adrien. She'd tried to love Luka, to give whatever it was that they had a chance, but it didn't feel right. The moments she was with Adrien always seemed so magical even with her being a complete klutz all the time. She tripped over her words with a seriously bad case of dyslexia whenever she was around him and suddenly had two left feet. How could she cast all that aside in a matter of minutes for a person like Cat Noir? The way he spoke, women were numerous and she was just another fish in the sea.
But if that photo somehow survived despite me using Miraculous Ladybug, what if there is other media evidence? Security cameras to help fill in my missing gap of time?
She finished her shower and moved on to brushing her teeth. Last night she'd given Cat Noir a Christmas present. As much as his advances were annoying, he was someone she trusted with her life almost on a daily basis. She knew when she moved, he would follow. If she had a plan, he instinctually knew how to go with the flow and was always on point.
I hope he likes his gift. She was concerned he'd find it boring or stupid. She'd held onto the pebble from the first supervillain they'd defeated together and after their little escapade in New York when he'd almost left her, she'd decided she wanted to inspire him and give him encouragement when he was feeling low. She knew how much of a burden that could be.
When she was Marinette, she was clumsy and unsure. When she donned the costume of the Miraculous Ladybug, all of a sudden she was confident in her abilities and knew they would always succeed. Cat Noir's coy behavior was child's play and she easily put him in his place. She wasn't sure she could do that as Marinette.
Ugh, I'm thinking too much about Cat Noir. I need to focus on getting through today without making myself out to be an idiot in front of Adrien! She finished in the bathroom, got dressed, and took a look at the time. "Oh no, all that daydreaming and now I'm gonna be late!" She quickly grabbed her purse and took off down the stairs. It was winter break so there was no school but she had cooked up a plan to casually be passing by so she could ask Adrien out to the movies the following day. She made plans to go see Alya to go over the details before she attempted. As great as her plans were as Ladybug, Marinette just couldn't get her plans to work.
Gabriel Agreste worked on his newest fashion ideas, but his mind was always calculating. He'd been close so many times in acquiring Ladybug and Cat Noir's miraculous and yet victory continued to elude him. Looking at the time, he saw that his son would be leaving for fencing practice shortly. His bodyguard would then escort him to his scheduled photoshoot.
Pulling up his calendar, Gabriel saw that he had the upcoming New Year's Gala. Nothing could be a more waste of my time. His wife Emily always looked forward to such things and when she had been with him, those social events were at least tolerable. His son also attended to keep the family name up with current events. Of course, as often as Adrien attended them by himself his bodyguard always had such a terrible time keeping his son isolated and safe.
"Nathalie, when Adrien returns from school tell him he may invite one girl to accompany him to the New Year's Gala. To ensure he does not embarrass the family, make arrangements for the chosen girl to be made…acceptable by the highest standards." Even though he couldn't see Nathalie, he knew she was always nearby and that she could hear him.
"Yes, sir," she replied.
"With any luck, the other fan girls will give us a proper foundation for my little akumas later."
"Yes, sir."
Adrien waited for his bodyguard to come and open his door before walking up the stairs into his home. Photo shoots were something he was used to but the older he got, the longer he had to stand there while people took pictures. He remembered watching his mother work for hours and he just stared at her with nothing but wonder in his eyes. She looked like an angel floating there with her golden hair, hair he had inherited. Nathalie was there to greet him with her ever present tablet. She didn't even raise her eyes to greet him.
"Your father has decided that you need a date for the upcoming gala."
He gasped, certain he'd misheard. "Wait, what?"
"You may choose whom you wish but the day of the gala she will be prepared appropriately to properly represent the Agreste name."
While he wasn't opposed to having a friend come with him, he didn't want to subject any of them to the treatment he was certain his father would arrange. "That's not fair! If he trusts me with their selection, why can't he trust how they'll attend?"
Unphased, she continued. "That was your father's instructions. Now please get changed and prepare for dinner."
He sighed and clenched a fist, but like every other time before, Adrien withheld further comment and went up the stairs to his room. Once inside, he dropped his gym bag and fell onto his belly onto his bed, his arms limp at his sides. Plagg came out of hiding and flew over to him. "What's going on with you? Can't even bother to say hello?" Adrien sighed again and turned his head away. "What's up? Cat got your tongue?"
"I only wish." He rolled over and draped an arm across his eyes. "If I was Cat Noir, I'd stand up for myself when it came to my father. I wouldn't be such a pushover. Not to mention…"
"Not to mention…?"
"My father says I'm to invite a girl to the upcoming New Year's Gala. If I was Cat Noir, I'd be able to pick anyone and flawlessly ask them out. But as Adrien Agreste, I just…"
Plagg threw up a piece of Camembert and caught it in his mouth midair. "Why not ask Marinette?"
"Marinette!?" Adrien coughed, sitting straight up. "I can't do that to her! My father wants to prepare them before he'll allow them to go with me. There will be hair appointments, nail appointments, not to mention her clothes will be picked out for her and he'll even probably throw in lessons on how to walk and talk like a lady. It's demeaning. Besides, Marinette's just fine the way she is."
Plagg shrugged. "Well, who else can you pick from? All of your other friends have a special someone right? There's Alya and Nico, Rose and Juleka, Ivan and Mylene. You could ask Chloe but yech! You could ask Kagami but she seems too stiff to be a good dancer."
"I don't know, Plagg, but I guess I'm gonna have to ask someone since my father told me to." Adrien glared at the ceiling. I wonder if I asked Alya to use her blog to invite Ladybug if she'd actually let me do it. He laughed at the image of dancing with Ladybug while she was in her suit. That definitely wouldn't meet Father's standards. Besides that, Ladybug would probably stand me up since that would be a misuse of her powers. Then again, I technically did that when I went to Marinette's house for dinner. There was also the issue that should Ladybug be out, it would probably tempt Hawk Moth to send a supervillain to the gala, endangering everyone. Since I can't go with whom I truly with to go with, I guess I'll have to come up with a Plan B.
The following day, Adrien went through the day going through his options. He immediately disregarded Lila as an option because he didn't think he could put up with her constant lying for that long of a time. Chloe could put up with his father's process easily enough but then he wouldn't hear the end of her gloating to all the other girls. With his luck, she'd make ten more supervillains with all her showboating. Couldn't risk that either.
"So, I looked up that zodiac sign thing that you mentioned earlier and it said this morning that I was gonna be really lucky today!" he overheard Marinette speaking to Kagami after fencing practice one day. She must have been nearby by coincidence. He was happy those two had become such good friends during that event earlier in the year.
"Since it is 2021 this coming year, it will be the year of the Ox." Kagami smiled, something that had become easier for her the more time she spent around Marinette. That girl always brings out the best in everyone, he thought fondly. "It is also my mother's year so we will be traveling back home to Japan so that we may pay proper homage in our family's shrine."
Adrien saddened upon hearing this. I guess that means Kagami is out as an option. It really comes down to Marinette…I don't mind but I just don't want her hurt.
"Aw, we'll miss you but I'm sure it'll be great to see your family again, right?" Marinette gave the girl a hug and waved goodbye as Kagami had to leave.
"There's your chance!" Plagg said from his pocket. "Offer to give her a ride home!"
Marinette started to walk away when Adrien called out to her, "Um, hey Marinette!" She turned and when she saw it was him, her right toe caught behind her left ankle and she went down. Adrien rushed up to her and smiled, offering her a hand up. "True to form. That's our Marinette."
"Adrien, I'm so sorry. I always have issues with the ground, even when it's round—I mean flat!" she stuttered.
He laughed and her cheeks flushed a darker hue. "Can I offer you a ride home? I needed to ask you something anyway." While she tried to get her words out, he took her by the hand and started steering her towards where he knew his bodyguard would be waiting.
His bodyguard gave him a look and when Adrien winked at him, he nodded and opened the door. Adrien got Marinette inside and closed the door before he said to the big guy, "We're gonna take her home but take the long way, okay? Buy me some time to ask her." When his bodyguard nodded, they went around and he opened the door to let Adrien inside. "So, are you sure you're okay after that fall?"
"Oh yeah, I'm perfectly fine! Happens all the time!" Marinette replied quickly. "I'm like the queen of the klutzes!"
He shrugged. "I don't think so. Everyone has the thing their known for. For Chloe, it's her personal upkeep standards, for Juleka her hair, for Ivan it's his size. But I like to think there's other traits we can be known for if we try. For you, for example," he turned to her. "You may think you're known only as a kultz, but your friends know that if they're ever in need, you're always there for them. You may mess up sometimes, but you have a level of dedication I envy."
"Y-yeah? Oh, I don't know about all that." She scratched the back of her hair and looked away shyly.
With Ladybug on his mind constantly, he thought of something. "You know Ladybug, right?"
"What!? No, I don't know Ladybug, how would I know Ladybug!?" she exclaimed.
Adrien laughed, "Not on a personal level, you know. I mean you know of her."
"Oh that, yeah, sure." She let out a sign of relief.
"Ladybug has this spell, her Lucky Charm. It's imperative to win the fight but the thing she creates isn't always what she expects."
"Haha, yeah that's for sure!"
"Instead of feeling let down or discouraged, Ladybug always succeeds in using it to defeat the supervillain. She's really brilliant and always comes through!" he stopped himself when Marinette gave him a weird look. "Sorry…"
"You really like Ladybug, huh?" Marinette's voice wasn't accusing or teasing. It was filled with a gentleness Adrien knew was genuine from her.
"Oh, no uh, not really. I mean, she's inspiring, don't you think?" he tried to cover up, laughing nervously.
"Heh, yeah I guess." Marinette looked out the window. "She's so confident and self-assured. Nothing like me at all." Gasping, she shook her head. "Anyway, didn't you say you wanted to ask me something?"
"Yeah so…" he struggled to find the right words. "So, my dad is having me go to the New Year's Gala and he said I could bring someone with me." He didn't want to say his father had told him he had to bring someone, that would just make Marinette feel bad. "I started thinking about it and we make a pretty good team."
She smiled, her eyes widening. "Yeah?"
"There was that time when the paparazzi wouldn't leave me alone and you came up with some great places to hide. Then there was the time when you designed that hat for the show, you really showed off your talent. Of course, there was the time when we got to play Ladybug and Cat Noir – well when we auditioned together. Clara Nightingale said we looked good together." He was rambling again, so he forced himself to stop and cleared his throat. Looking seriously at Marinette he wanted to make sure he was clear. "I wanted to ask if you go with me—"
"Oh, Adrien of c—"
He lifted a finger to her lips, cutting her off. "Don't answer just yet. I have to let you know that one of my father's stipulations was that the girl I asked would have to be groomed that day to look and act the part. Hair, dress, it'll all be decided by the top minds of the city. I would never dream of subjecting you to that if it were me. I think you're fine just the way you are."
"Oh, I see…" Marinette stopped and stared into her hands. She didn't say anything for long moments and Adrien gave her time. Finally, she squared her shoulders and nodded. "I'll do it."
"Really?" he smiled.
"Yes, no matter what your father puts me through, if you need my help, then I'll be there!"
His shoulders dropped slightly as he physically relaxed. "Thanks Marinette. I'm really glad it's you. For some reason, I'm always comfortable around you."
They came upon her house and he came around to open the door for her to let her out. "My father will send a limo for you Thursday morning 8am sharp. We'll take care of everything after that. I won't be able to see you until the party at 7pm but I'm looking forward to it."
"Yeah, me too." Marinette sort of wobbled away, her legs looking a little weak. He watched her go and walk straight into her parents' bakery's front door. He smirked to himself and went back into his car. Now all he had to do was wait.
"What do you mean you didn't ask him out to the movies!?" Alya reprimanded her over the phone.
"Well, Kagami saw me and I started talking to her and one thing led to another, Adrien offered me a ride home, then he asked me out!" She prattled off at lightning speed.
"Wait, he did what!?"
"I know! He dad said he could bring someone to the New Year's Gala and he chose me!" Marinette squealed. "I have to have my hair done and nails and everything but he said his father will handle all the details but I don't even care 'cause I get to be with Adrien at a super high end, fancy dance party! My horoscope was right, it really was my lucky day!"