Chapter 2: Doubts
Tikki tugs at Marinette's hair. "Wake up, wake up, wake up!"
Marinette groans and rolls over, "Five more minutes…"
"Marinette! It was five more minutes ten minutes ago!"
Sabine calls from downstairs, "Marinette? Are you almost ready for school?"
Marinette jolts up and looks at the clock. "It's so late Tikki! Why didn't you wake me up sooner!?" She stumbles out of bed and starts getting dressed.
Tikki is used to this comment by now, she just laughs. "Believe me, I tried."
Marinette ties her second pigtail as she runs downstairs. Sabine tosses her an umbrella on her way out the door. "What are we going to do with that girl, Tom?" she teases.
Marinette lands in her seat right as the bell rings. "Good Morning, Students." Miss Bustier begins class. "Let's start with our morning compliments."
At lunch time Marinette joins Alya, Adrien, and Nino.
"Hey Marinette, I don't think I ever thanked you after the banner you made for me in New York." Adrien tries to strike up a conversation.
"Oh well yeah, the whole class did it not just me you know- and it was fun to do for a friend-" She giggles.
Adrien can't figure out why she's stammering again. "Well it was your idea, so thank you."
Marinette doesn't want to risk stuttering again so she just smiles.
Adrien is puzzled by her behavior. Why does he make her so nervous? He never thought of himself as intimidating.
That evening Marinette is working on her homework when she hears a knock on her balcony trapdoor. She gets up and opens the trapdoor, revealing Chat Noir soaked in rain water. She giggles at the sight of him perched awkwardly in the rain. "Come on in Chat Noir."
She leans back on her pillow but Chat Noir looks out of place sitting up at the end of her bed. It's like he's scared to touch anything. For a moment the only noise is rain hitting the trapdoor above them. "Sorry I'm soaked, Marinette."
"It's okay, you can sit back here with me ya know?" She scoots over and pats the space next to her. Chat Noir hesitantly places himself beside Marinette. "I thought the rain might scare you away. I didn't think cats like water," she teases.
Chat Noir plays along. "I thought I could face my fears to come and see how you were holding up."
"How brave." Marinette says sarcastically and flicks his bell. Chat Noir doesn't know what to do with himself. Why is Marinette acting so- Chat Noir like? He laughs, a little flustered.
"Are you this bold at school too?" He plants the question.
Marinette thinks for a moment. She's so comfortable with Chat Noir, they've been through a lot together. She can't tell him that though. "Um- no not really…"
Chat Noir leans close to her face, hoping to fluster an honest answer out of her, "And why is that?"
Marinette laughs and pushes him away. "I guess I don't care what you think of me Chat. I mean- it's not like you know my classmates or anything."
"She's so clueless," he thinks to himself and smiles. Speaking of classmates… "So, any progress on your boyfriends?" he teases.
Marinette scoffs. "No. None at all. What about your girlfriends?"
"I haven't seen either of them since New York actually, but Ladybug and I have patrol tomorrow."
"You don't go to school with the girl you're trying to pursue?" Marinette can't help but be curious.
"No, we're in…" it's hard not to reveal too much about his identity, "...club activities together."
As the conversation progresses, the two become less awkward. It's not long before Chat Noir calls it a night. "I'll be back. Good night, Princess."
"I look forward to it. Bye, Chat."
Adrien is a little disappointed she doesn't use the nickname she used the previous night. She probably didn't think twice about it like he did.
At home he asks Plagg, "Doesn't care what I think!? Is that a good thing?"
The kwami rolls his eyes. "You're reading too much into it. Why do you care anyways?"
Adrien can't answer that question yet. He doesn't understand his own feelings towards Marinette. He cares about what she thinks of him because she deserves a good friend. He wants her to trust him and appreciate him, as he does for her.
Marinette's mind replays Chat Noir's visit before she falls asleep. Princess. It's such a corny name but she kind of likes it. It makes her feel special to him.
The next night Ladybug meets Chat Noir for patrol. "Hey Bugaboo!" Chat Noir calls out as he approaches her waiting for him on a park bench.
"Hey Kitty." After the events in New York, the duo are more bonded than ever. They begin patrolling as usual, making sure the people of Paris are safe from akumas.
At the end of the evening, the two sit on the edge of the eiffel tower. They look over the vast city they were chosen to protect. "Hey Ladybug?"
"Yes?" Ladybug turns to face Chat Noir, worried about what he'll say.
"Do you ever feel stuck? Like you're living through the same story over and over again?'
She looks back to the city lights. "All the time."
Thursday morning Marinette wakes up on time. She's startled on her way out the door. "Hey Marinette." Luka greets her with an orange tulip in hand. "I know it's not very far, but I thought I could walk you to school today."
Marinette's cheeks burn red as she accepts the flower. "Wow. Thank you."
They chat all the way to school without Adrien being mentioned. She gives him a kiss on the cheek before going into her classroom. Marinette takes her seat next to Alya who's busy talking to Nino.
"Good morning Marinette!" Adrien greets her with enthusiasm.
"Oh um- good morning."
Adrien reaches into his bag and pulls out a pink rose. He holds it out to her with his kind smile. "I saw this rose on the way to school and I know they're your favorite so- here."
Marinette's face matches the color of the rose. "Oh- thanks boo- you! Thank you!" She takes the rose and gazes into its petals, daydreaming about Adrien.
Class begins and Alya sees the flower in Marinette's hand. "Did THE Adrien Agreste just give Marinette a rose?" She shout whispers.
Marinette doesn't look up from her flower. "Adriennnnn," she sighs.
"You know pink roses represent admiration and appreciation." She holds up her phone to show Marinette her Ladyblog. "I posted about rose meanings on the Ladyblog cause Chat Noir's been seen giving Ladybug roses on multiple occasions."
Marinette isn't listening. She's twirling the flower in her fingers and thinking about what to name her second child with Adrien. Meanwhile, the orange tulip rests in her bag unnoticed.
Miss Bustier claps her hands to get their attention. "Alya. Marinette. Phones and flowers away please."
That evening Luka calls Marinette. They talk on the phone for thirty minutes or so before he has to go.
"Ugh Tikki!" Marinette groans, "Why is it when I'm trying to get over Adrien he gives me a rose in the middle of class!?"
"I don't know, Marinette. Maybe you should just be direct with him."
"I can't even get two words out around him! How am I supposed to confess my love!?" Marinette puts earbuds in and listens to music.
Tikki knows she can't hear her over the music, "You seem to talk to Chat Noir just fine."
After chinese lessons, Adrien finally has time to see Marinette again. He transforms and leaps out of his window onto the streets of Paris. He lands on her balcony and knocks. No answer. "Marinette?" He puts his ear against the trapdoor and hears faint humming. Respectfully, he opens the trapdoor and looks into her room. She's not in her bed. He's about to call out for her again when he's interrupted.
"Should I give up, or should I just keep chasing pavements!? Even if it leads nowhereeeeee…" Marinette is singing. It's emotional but she still has an amazing voice.
"How is this girl good at everything?" Chat Noir asks himself. He leans his head down into the trapdoor to see the girl. She's using a hairbrush as a microphone and bobbing her head to the beat of her song. Chat Noir can't help but smile when she's so cute.
Marinette turns around and spots the boy looking down from her balcony door. She rips her earbuds out and turns her usual shade of pink. "Chat Noir! You scared me!"
"I'm sorry. I knocked but you didn't answer."
Marinette collects herself and sets her phone on her desk. "You can come in Chat. I was about to get ready for bed, one moment." She grabs some clothes and leaves to go to the bathroom.
Chat Noir jumps down onto her bed. He doesn't know what to do so he looks around her pink room. She took down most of her photos of Adrien and replaced them with pictures of friends instead. Chat Noir doesn't think too much about it. He admires all the photos of Marinette and her friends trying on funky hats.
After a few minutes Marinette comes back into the room. "Sorry to leave you waiting." She's wearing a spotted tank top and pink sweatpants. Her hair is down and falls nicely over her shoulders.
"Wow, Marinette." Chat Noir has seen her hair down once before but only complimented her as Adrien. "Your hair is really beautiful."
Marinette blushes a little pink but moves past the compliment quickly. She climbs up and sits next to him on the bed.
"So what was that song you were singing?"
"Oh um- Chasing Pavements by Adele…" She looks away embarrassed, "Sorry you had to hear that."
Chat Noir rests his hand on her shoulder. "Don't be. You're a good singer!"
"Thanks, I guess I was singing that song cause I relate to it."
"It's okay, Princess. Tell me about it." Chat Noir likes listening to and helping Marinette like she does for him.
"It's just that every time I feel like I'm making progress getting over him, he does something to change my mind." Marinette looks to the pink rose on the shelf above her bed.
"I feel the same way sometimes. I think Ladybug and I are meant to be but then she'll remind me that her heart belongs to someone else."
They speak in unison, "Should I keep chasing after-" They laugh at their similarities.
They sit in silence for a moment just thinking about who they love. Marinette is the first to speak, "I think we both need to move on."
"As painful as it is, I think you're right."