Adrien drummed his fingers on his knees as he watched Lucy chatting casually with Alya and Marinette. His palms were sweaty and he felt nauseous. Over the past few months, Adrien had been working on a movie. Sometime after his almost part as Chat Noir in Clara Nightingale's music video, Adrien was approached to play the voice of Chat Noir in an animated film about him and Ladybug. Clara actually sang most if not all of the songs in the movie and Adrien was told it was she who had recommended him for the part. At first, Adrien had been hesitant to accept but figured that using just his voice wouldn't be nearly as easy to put together the pieces than to see in complete costume. He still remembered Lucy's reaction when he told her about his part in the movie.
"You're gonna voice Chat Noir now?" Lucy asked with a bit of a laugh.
Adrien rubbed the back of his neck and looked at her sheepishly through his computer screen.
"Yeah...I don't know...it seemed like it could be fun..."
Lucy nodded and smiled at him. "Well yeah, I mean that's very cool. I didn't know you had voice-acting skills. I guess it's not surprising to find out you do though. Your skillset is pretty all over the place."
"I could say the same for you." Adrien countered. Lucy looked at him in thought before taking a deep breath and closing her eyes.
"Alright. Hit me."
Adrien looked at her through the screen confused. "What do you mean." She peeked at him through one of her eyes.
"Hit me with your best Chat Noir impression. Convince my brain. Go!"
Hesitation coursed through Adrien as he watched Lucy shut both her eyes again, patiently waiting for him to change his voice to sound more like chat. The issue was, he didn't need to. His voice was Chats's voice. Plenty of people had similar voices, it wasn't something Adrien had ever worried about before. But Lucy...she knew his voice. With all the time she had spent with Chat, Adrien didn't doubt that if he spoke to her now, as she tried to picture Chat in her mind, that she would pick up just how the same he sounded without her being in the proximity of his miraculous to confuse her. Now he had to pretend to impersonate Chat...while also trying to not sound like him.
"Uh...eh, I don't know what to say..." Adrien laughed nervously. Lucy shook her head, eyes still closed.
"Just say a line from the movie or something."
Clearing his throat, Adrien thought about something short he could say. The less talking he did while she was trying to picture Chat Noir the better.
"Watch out Ladybug! Cataclysm! Another job well-done m'lady." Adrien spoke. His voice strained slightly as he forced it to be a little deeper, wanting to sound like himself but not too much. He watched Lucy's face carefully as he spoke, gaging her reaction as he did. Her eyebrows knitted together slightly as she tilted her head to the side in thought before opening her eyes to look at him.
"Pretty similar actually. Impressive." She sounded far away, lost in her own thoughts and for a moment it had worried Adrien but whatever dots she was connecting didn't seem to last as she shook herself out of her own head and smiled. "I can't wait to see it."
Ladybug and Chat had both been invited to the premiere of the movie but of course, Adrien was expected to be there as himself and had to decline. He wasn't sure what specific reasons Ladybug had for rejecting the offer, but he supposed the information didn't surprise him. His teammate had a very strict business before pleasure way of working. Now, Adrien sat awkwardly watching Lucy. The premiere of the movie was this weekend and after he had found out that some other person had possibly set their sights on Lucy, Adrien thought it would be the perfect opportunity to ask Lucy to be his date. She knew about the movie, wanted to see it, and he had a VIP pass to see its first showing. It didn't have to be weird.
A causal, hey, I have this thing I have to do, do you perhaps want to join me? She would smile at him, say something along the lines of,
'Of course, is that even a question?
He'd pick her up, hold her hand as he leads her into the theater, the media would ask questions but Adrien would wave off their prying and take Lucy into the view room. She'd rest her head on his shoulder and after he would take her home. She would poke fun at him about the movie and the things he had to say in it. He'd walk her to her door, he'd thank her for coming with him, she'd smile again and say 'anytime.' He would tell he that that will make planning their second date much easier. She'll raise an eyebrow at him and smirk, teasing him.
'Oh, so this was a date huh?' He'd take her hands in his and tell her how much he hoped it was.
She'd bite her lip the way she does when she's tempted and he would lean closer. Before he could reach her lips she would place a finger on his, her eyes glowing up at him as she continued to smirk. She knows the power she has over him, He doesn't care.
'Kissing on the first date? How scandalous.' But then she would lean in herself and bring her lip to his ear. 'Perhaps you'll be luckier on the second.' Her lips will linger against his cheek as she places a feather-like kiss there before retreating inside her apartment.
It would be so different than it had been as Chat. There would be no lingering should they or shouldn't they? No pondering on each other's safety or if he would ever share his real name with her. It could all be real this time. If only he could find it in him to actually ask her.
"Dude are you good?" Nino asked as he saw the far-off, dream-like, look Adrien had plastered on his face as he stared off into the courtyard from the bench he was sitting on. Nino followed his gaze and smirked as he saw the girls huddled up chatting. "Helloooo." He said, waving his hand in front of Adrien's face." Adrien snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Nino startled as heat rushed to his face. "Having fun in la la land?"
Adrien ran his hands over his face and groaned. "Why is love so hard?"
Nino sat down next to his best friend and patted his back. "It's only as hard as you make it dude. What's the problem?"
Adrien sighed and rested his forearms on the top of his thighs., clasping his hands together as he hung his head. He hadn't shared with anyone about his movie role. Much like Lucy had, Adrien didn't want anyone else trying to get him to sound like Chat over and over again. He knew after the movie came out that it was possible it would happen from time to time but he hoped that after they saw the movie it wouldn't be necessary.
"I'm going to a movie premiere this weekend and I wanted to invite Lucy as my date."
Nino let out a small laugh. "Dude! That's it?!" Adrien turned his head and shot Nino a small glare for his mockery. Nino shook his head at Adrien. "You've seen movies with Lucy before man, it can't be that hard to do again."
"Yeah but this time I want to ask her to be my date, not just to go as friends. I just don't know how to approach her."
"Just pretend you're asking for not a date."
"But then she won't know-"
"I'm not saying to not ask as a date," Nino clarified. "But in your head. Pretend you are inviting her as you would normally. Lucy likes you, she likes movies, she has never said no to one before. Use knowing that as your confidence. Just add the word date in there."
Adrien sat up and raised an eyebrow at Nino who sat there smirking at him.
"That's not a terrible idea." He looked from Nino to the girls and then back again. "Since when are you so good at relationship advice?" Nino crossed his arms and nodded his head towards the girls.
"In case you forgot I have had a girlfriend for some time now. Besides, Alya's always trying to plot ways to get-" He paused as he looked at Adrien who intently waited for him to continue. "People together...she likes to plot ways to get people together. Huge romantic. Loves to see people...any people...no specific people...realize their feelings."
Adrien nodded, accepting Nino's answer. "Huh, maybe I should talk to her then." Nino's face scrunched as he placed a firm hand on Adrien's shoulder.
"Hm, uh, you know. I don't think you need to do that. You don't need a plot dude, you just need to talk to Lucy. Like you always do. Just ask her man, she'll say yes, trust me."
Exhaling deeply, Adrien stood, determination free-flowing through his veins. Nino stood with him and the two boys watched as Alya and Marinette departed from Lucy. "She's alone! Now's your chance!" Nino said shoving the model boy in Lucy's direction. As he stumbled toward her, Adrien felt like the way you get nervous right before something exciting happens-the moment when you're balanced on the top of the roller coaster, the hush before the surprise party, the second after the diving board but before the water, when you can close your eyes and imagine, for just a second, that you're flying. The feeling that good things were coming, almost here, any moment now.
"Lucy." He spoke. She shot him a smile, one that faltered slightly at the sight of his anxiousness.
"Adrien..hey...everything alright?" Adrien nodded and wiped his sweaty palms on his pants, trying to calm his nerves. It's just Lucy, It's just Lucy, it's just Lucy.
"Everything is fine. I just wanted to talk to you."
"Okay," She chuckled. "Shoot."
"So you know about the movie I have been voice acting in right?" Lucy's eyes widened in remembrance as she nodded at him. "Well, it's premiering this weekend."
"I almost forgot about that! I saw a commercial the other day. That is so awesome! Finally gonna be able to see...well, hear yourself on the big screen huh?"
Adrien flushed slightly. "Yeah, yeah it's really cool, but anyway, you are one of the only people I told about my role-"
"Well aren't I special." Lucy joked, batting her eyes at him. Adrien forced himself not to buckle under her gaze and stood straight, trying to let off the confidence he was trying desperately to muster.
"You are," he agreed with a smile. "Which is why I wanted to invite you to accompany me to the premiere this weekend."
Lucy's playful expression turned to that of a surprised one. Adrien wanted her to go to his movie premiere with him? Was he asking her as a friend or was this...?
"Are you asking me on a date?" She asked dumbstruck. Adrien's eyes widened in panic at her reaction.
Yes!
"Pffff, whaaaat? No!" He spoke.
Idiot!
"Oh...?" Lucy said, looking him over, suddenly feeling embarrassed for making the assumption. Adrien's eye twitched as he internally fought himself, unable to properly read Lucy's emotions. Was she relieved to hear him say no or disappointed?! Should he correct himself? He wanted it to be a date. It's a date! Will you go on a date!?
"Not that I wouldn't mind it to be a date!? I mean, you're lovely and I don't want you to think-! I would be so lucky if you-!"
"Adrien." Lucy interrupted, holding her hands up to stop him, sending him a gentle smile. "Take a breath. I'm not offended that you're not asking me on a date. I just wanted to be on the same page."
BUT I DO WANT IT TO BE A DATE!
"Of course! Yeah! Totally...totally on the same page...hey, you know out of pure curiosity," Adrien then said bringing his right hand under his elbow as his left hand went under his chin. "What uh, what would you have said, if I had been asking...for a date that is?"
Lucy blinked at him and chewed the inside of her cheek in thought. What would she have said to him? No? Sorry I can't go on a date with you because my friend has a huge crush on you and well you know the saying...chicks before dicks. There had only been a small handful of times when Lucy had herself even briefly think about Adrien in a romantic sense. He was handsome and kind, and funny, and Lucy thought, that perhaps in a different time...in a different life, maybe that could be something to explore. But they were in this life. Adrien was one of the most important people in Lucy's life, but so was Marinette. If she ever even for a second considered dating Adrien, she would need Marinette to be okay with it first. Marinette was not her keeper or her mother. Lucy didn't need her blessing, but she would want it. After all, how could she try and be happy with someone, while that happiness meanwhile made someone else she cared about so sad? No, it was good Adrien didn't have romantic feelings for her. If he did, Lucy would be forced to reject him, and due to her sworn secrecy, she wouldn't have even been able to tell him why. If it had been someone else, Lucy could support it. She could tell him to do what makes him happy. A girl who had no attachment to Marinette and who had no reason to hold back her affections for him due to it would be ideal. Lucy couldn't be that girl. She couldn't even allow herself to imagine a life where she could. It would only hurt her.
"I don't know..." She said. Adrien frowned. It was an answer to crack his confidence. Noticing his face Lucy took his hands in hers and smiled. "Not that you aren't...wonderful.." She said, using his own description against him. "Any girl would be lucky to be at the receiving end of your affections, Adrien. Including myself."
"But..." He said slowly. Lucy gave him a small smile.
"But nothing. You are a very important person in my life Adrien and I don't know how I would feel or respond to the idea of you ever wanting to risk that to be something more. Besides," She said with a shrug. "You just told me you're not asking me on a date anyway, so we don't point to think on what-ifs. That's not what you're interested in, and I am okay with that. What more is there to worry about?"
"Right." Adrien agreed. A smile that didn't quite reach his eyes plastered itself on his face. He didn't understand. You're not interested and I am okay with that. She thought he wasn't interested. She accepted his 'disinterest' but then also gave no indication that she too was disinterested. Did that mean she was interested but simply thought he wasn't and didn't want to make it weird? After all, why would she admit to having feelings for him after he so bluntly rejected her assumption that he was asking her out? He was such a moron and he didn't know what to do about it. Should he change his story and just confess his true intentions? What if he was wrong? What if she was just trying to reject him in the nicest way possible?
"You still want me to be your plus one?" Lucy asked, her face riddled with uncertainty.
"Of course I do." He answers honestly. "I couldn't imagine going with anyone else." Maybe this could still be an opportunity. Maybe Lucy was interested but didn't want to ruin their friendship thinking he would reject her. A ridiculous notion in his mind. As if he could ever...Or maybe she hadn't given the idea of them being more than friends any thought. This was a perfect chance to subtly...well...perhaps seduce wasn't the right word, but...enlighten Lucy with what could be.
OoOoOoOoO
When Saturday afternoon came, Lucy looked at herself in the mirror, feeling slightly self-conscious. It wasn't a date, but it was a movie premiere. She felt as though she was supposed to dress up at least a little. Especially if she was going with Adrien. He played a part in the film after all. If he wasn't going to have his photo taken for being famous already, he definitely would for being a co-star. The girl who played Ladybug's voice was unable to attend due to being on another project, so most of the attention she assumed would fall on Adrien. Lucy thought about Marinette. She had contemplated hiding Adrien's request for her to join him from Marinette, simply so the girl wouldn't get worked up over it, but instead decided to be forthcoming. She had nothing to hide. Lucy was going with Adrien to the movie as a friend as she had done a handful of other times before. This was nothing new. Yet, something still felt different about it.
"What did Adrien want?" Alaya asked Lucy after school ended as she, Marinette, and Lucy all walked home.
"He asked me to go to a movie with him," Lucy said casually, not looking at either of her friends. Alya eyed her and nodded.
"Right...right, except we couldn't help but notice the hand-holding and googly eyes in between."
Marinette remained quiet, analyzing Lucy who remained mostly impassive. She shrugged.
"Oh, that was nothin'. I asked him if he was asking me on a date to which he laughed and told me no. He proceeds to ask me what I would have said if he was. I guess since I didn't respond with a simple yes, his ego got a little hurt. I just told him that any girl would be lucky to be on the receiving end of his affections. Myself included. He already said it wasn't a date, so it's not like he's interested in me anyway. I think he forgets what a catch he is sometimes. Took my theoretical rejection a little personally."
"So it's definitely not a date?" Alya asked skeptically.
"Of course not." Lucy Laughed. "Besides, even if he had been, it's not like I would have said yes. Chicks before dicks."
Unknown to Lucy, Marinette knew differently. So, Adrien had tried to ask Lucy on a date. Clearly, there had been a miscommunication between the two of them. Adrien had already confessed his feelings to Marinette about Lucy, so she wasn't taken by much surprise by this new information. That of course didn't mean it didn't sting to hear that Adrien had at least attempted to make his move. Lucy seemed to be as oblivious to Adrien's feelings, as Adrien was to her own. Marinette still didn't know if that was a good thing or not. Then Lucy had said the thing Marinette had dreaded since Adrien's confession. If he had successfully asked Lucy on a date, she would have rejected him to spare Marinette's own feelings. Marinette wanted to ask if Lucy would be interested in Adrien if she herself wasn't, or at the least Lucy didn't know, but refrained. She worried Lucy might lie to her, once again to spare her of guilt for being the reason the two couldn't be together. She also worried Lucy would say the opposite, and causally say that had it not been for Marinette she would have gladly accepted a date from Adrien, only affirming her guilt. Chicks before dicks. A rather vulgar and yet endearing term that was so Lucy to say. She didn't want a boy to come between them, and neither did Marinette but the dark-haired girl couldn't seem to just let go.
Lucy smoothed out her dress as she looked at her reflection in the body mirror she had mounted on the wall. It was a seafoam green color that almost matched her eyes. The sleeves were short, almost sleeveless actually. The dress as a whole was on the short side as a matter of fact with the hem reaching just past the middle of her thighs. Her long legs were made visible, looking longer with the black heels she had decided to wear with her dress. Personally, Lucy didn't care for heels. She loved looking at them. Shoes, especially heels for some reason always pleased her in an aesthetic sense, but when it came time to actually wear them the blonde girl dreaded the way her feet would end up aching. Her combat boots, that, she was was pretty positive were called that more so due to the way they were styled than anything, had a small heel to them, but nothing that seemed to make a difference to her at the end of the day. In most cases, heels simply were not worth the trouble. Tonight she would be somewhere important though. People would be looking at her, mainly due to the boy she was with. The thought filled her with anxiety and Lucy almost regretted accepting his invitation now that it was setting in. A buzz from the front door rang in her ears and Lucy did her best to shake her nerves. Adrien had arrived to pick her up. There was no turning back now.
OoOoOoOOoOOo
Marinette adjusted her server outfit one last time before going to her parents and holding out her hands to take a tray of treats. Both Tom and Sabine looked at their daughter, a little nervous about having her there in the first place. Marinette meant well but she had a habit of being a wee bit clumsy. The was a rather big even for their business and it really wouldn't be good if Marinette went and dumped macarons all over the place.
"So put your thumbs here and look straight ahead," Tom told her, handing a try to his daughter.
"Uh, shouldn't there be macarons on the tray?" Marinette asked as she looked down at the empty tray.
Her mother smiled. "Yes, yes. We'll put them on as soon as you're ready."
"Dad, Mom! I am totally ready. Trust me, I'll be super-duper careful." Marinette promised and with one last look, Tom exchanged the empty tray for a full one. It wasn't a perfect start, as Marinette did lose her footing rather quickly, but she didn't quite crash into anyone and managed to hand out a majority of the macarons before it got out of hand. Jagged Stone grabbed Marinette before she could tumble past him, introducing her to the director of the movie. She offered him a macaron only for the last few on the tray to be snagged before he had the chance. (Or at least I guess she did. You see her falling all over the place and then when she ends up next to jagged Stone she has like...6, but when she gets more from her parents they look relieved like she was doing a great job so your guess is as good as mine.) Marinette grabbed another tray from her parents and went to continue passing out the treat when suddenly her breath got caught in her throat. In came Adrien in all his glory, but it wasn't just Adrien, it was him and a very nervous-looking Lucy. This?! This was the movie he had invited her to?! Marinette didn't know what to think. Lucy had told her about going to the movies with Adrien, but she at no point mentioned it was to be his plus one at the premiere of the movie her voiced in. Up until a few hours ago, Marinette wasn't even aware Adrien was in the movie and now he had shown up and was having his photo taken with Lucy on his arm. People were bound to think the two were a couple.
Taking a deep breath, Marinette tried to calm herself. Lucy said they were attending as friends. Believing those words was the only thing that would be able to keep Marinette from panicking anymore than she already was. The two teens spotted her from across the room. Adrien sent her a friendly smile and wave, while Lucy tried to do the same. It was clear she had not been expecting Marinette to be there but also didn't want to give the impression she had been hiding something. Marinette pulled out the tiny macaron she had made especially for Adrien. It was passion fruit, his favorite. She had been making a special treat for him once every week in hopes to find an opportunity to give it to him and this seemed like more than a good one. Unfortunately, The macaron fell from the top of the tower and rolled away in its bag onto the floor.
"You alright?" Adrien asked Lucy while bringing his hand to the small of her back. Lucy squinted her eyes at Marinette, seeing her friend scrabbling on the floor for something. Looking up another familiar face caught her eye and surprise washed over her.
"Uh, yeah-"
"Adrien," Nathalie called out. "you're expected to welcome the Tsurugis." In came Kagami and her mother as cameras flashed on the two of them. Lucy placed a hand on Adrien's chest as she looked from the two women and back to him.
"You go get them, I'll be right back." She told him, easily slipping out of his gentle grasp and heading towards the food tables. Adrien shot her a short look of confusion before quickly bringing his attention back to Kagami and her mother, making his way over to escort them inside the rest of the way.
"Well, well, well, look what we have here," Lucy said with a smirk. "Nikolas the baker."
Nikolas stood behind a table, replacing a number of small cakes that had been distributed by the servers that had been hired for the event. His look was very business casual as he stood dressed in a dark blue dress shirt and black tie, accompanied by some dark jeans. His brown hair brushed back neatly and his face clean-shaven. He looked handsome. Then again, he usually did. His eyes widened slightly in surprise as he looked at his ex-girlfriend up and down. It had been a long time since he had seen her dressed up.
"Lucy! Hey, you look great. What are you doing here?" Lucy blew her hair out of her face and hitched her thumb behind her.
"I'm here with Adrien." Nikolas looked past Lucy and raised an eyebrow.
"Really? Because-"
"Lucy!" Chloe's voice called out as she stomped over to the pair, oddly enough with Marinette trailing behind her.
"Hey, Chlo." Lucy greeted only for the blue-eyed girl to place her hands on her hip and shoot Lucy a mild glare.
"Don't you hey Chlo me, missy! You're on a date with Adrien!?" Lucy rolled her eyes.
"I tried to tell her your here as friends but-" Marinette tried to explain only for Chloe to cut her off.
"Nobody takes someone to be their plus one at a movie premiere as just friends," Chloe argued with air quotes. "Things didn't work out with Chat Noir and now you have to go after Adrikins! Are you kidding me?!"
"You dated Chat Noir?" Nikolas piped in grabbing Chloe's attention.
"Excuse me? Who are you? Who is this? Do you know this server guy?" Chloe asked looking between him and Lucy with distaste.
"I'll have you know I'm no server guy, I'm a baker guy, sweetcheeks. The same baker guy responsible for the last 3 dark chocolate macarons you keep sending different people over to get for you as a matter of fact." Nikolas retorted, crossing his arms over his chest as he peered down at Chloe with a smirk Lucy was all too familiar with.
"Sweetcheeks!?" Chloe sneered with an eye twitch.
"Okay!" Lucy shouted, grabbing the two girls by the arm and dragging them away from Nikolas while sending him a warning look. Nikolas only chuckled lightly before getting back to work.
"I'm not here on a date. We are here as friends." Lucy explained as stopped with them on the other side of the room.
"I don't buy it, but regardless of the truth, I am going to need you to get your butt back over there and away from that awful Tsurugis girl!" Chloe said pointing to where Adrien and Kagami stood talking. Lucy let out an agitated sigh and put her hands on her hips as she looked at the two girls like a mother would after hearing her children biker over something silly.
"You know what, I will go back over there, but not to rip Adrien away from Kagami."
"But Lucy!" Marinette and Chloe said in unison, only for Lucy to scrunch her lips and point her finger at them strictly.
"Ah ah. No. Neither of you has the right to dictate who Adrien can or cannot talk to. Kagami is his friend and you need to swallow your jealousy and get over it. If I see you trying to fuck with her, we are going to have a problem, do you understand me? Lucy asked firmly, her words seeming to be more specifically directed to Chloe, knowing her track record when things don't go her way.
Chloe crossed her arms and scoffed muttering a whatever under her breath while looking away. Lucy brought her gaze to Marinette who shrunk a little under it. "Don't let your emotions allow you to get dragged into a mean girl rabbit hole by this one," Lucy told Marinette while pointing at Chloe. Marinette nodded while clutching her server tray, practically hiding behind it. Lucy took her fingers and pointed to her eyes and then back at the two girls as if to say 'I'm watching you' as she backed up and began making her way over to where Adrien and Kagami chatted.
OoOoOoO
"So have you finally made your move huh," Kagami commented to Adrien as she referred to Lucy being his plus one. Adrien flushed and rubbed the back of his head while looking down.
"Eh, not exactly. I kinda...panicked and told her this wasn't a date." Kagami gave him an unimpressed look.
"Do you think there perhaps is a reason for your hesitance in making your feelings clear? Maybe you don't like her as much as you say you do..." She said absently but Adrien quickly stopped her open thoughts.
"No, no! I do! I just..." He glanced over to see Lucy talking with Chloe and Marinette. "I don't want to ruin our friendship if she doesn't feel the same way you know?" Kagami followed his eyes briefly before looking to the floor with a sigh.
"I do."
Adrien's eyes widen slightly as he sees Lucy starting to make her way back over to them.
"Oh! She's coming back! Act natural!" He said, turning to face Kagami with a slight fake laugh as if they had been joking about something. Kagami rolled her eyes and looked toward Lucy as she approached with a smile.
"Hey, Kagami. You look lovely." Kagami was not the most social of butterflies and in most cases, she found making friends to be a little difficult. However, much like Adrien did, Lucy had a way of making it easy for her to be comfortable around. There was no look of insincerity or passive-aggressiveness in her tone. Lucy always seemed genuinely happy to see her unlike so many others and that made their relationship easier. Although Kagami couldn't help but be a little jealous of the affection Adrien seemed to carry for the American girl, much like Adrien, Kagami wouldn't ruin the bond she had created with him over it. In a way, she still kept hope that Adrien would come to his senses and see that she had much more in common with him than Lucy but continued on with the standard that she would be no man's second choice. He would see it, or he wouldn't. That was that.
Kagami sent Lucy a small bow in acknowledgment. "The same could be said to you, Lucy. You look very...tall." Lucy smiled at the compliment.
"Ditto girlfriend, those pants and shoes give you legs for days. So, you excited about the movie?"
OoOoOoOo
Across the room, Chloe fumed as she watched Adrien and the two girls smile at one another. Marinette stood beside her feeling internally conflicted with her own emotions, knowing good and well that Lucy was right about what she had said, while also not being able to ignore the green-eyed monster that lived inside her.
"Okay. We need a plan." Chloe suddenly said, making Marinette look at her confused.
"What do you mean, a plan?"
Chloe dashes to the door and snags a seating chart and scans it over.
"A plan! You know, a seating chart of the theater! I don't believe this! Adrien, Lucy, and Kagami are going to be sitting next to each other while I'm two rows behind!? Utterly ridiculous!" Marinette rolls her eyes.
"Yeah, well, I don't even have a seat so—"
"If we get rid of Kagami before the movie starts, there'll be an extra seat for you," Chloe told her only for Marinette to instinctively rejects the idea.
"Remember what you said to me once, Marinette? All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing. Well, today, the evil is her and the good people are us!" Marinette gasped in suppose at Chloe's words. She never thought Chloe listened to anything she ever had to say, and yet the blonde girl had remembered a phrase she had spewed out months ago. It was times like these Marinette didn't know how to feel about Chloe. She had shown such personal growth over the past few months, but then she also stood here trying to rope Marinette into some scheme to get Kagami out of the picture.
"I'm not too sure about this," Marinette said knowing Chloe's plans could be...overzealous.
"Fine! Keep on not being sure about it and tomorrow, Adrien and Kagami will be on a plane headed for Japan!"
"Adrien? Japan? There's no way!" Marinette argued but Chloe only scoffed at her.
"You think? They're already going to the movies together, their parents are signing papers together." She points out and Marinette can feel the panic rise in her chest as she sees Kagami's mom and Nathalie signing paperwork.
"We can't let her do that!" The two girls come up with a plan and make their way to get things in motion, well, more like Chloe made up the plan and Marinette hesitantly follows, gathering the supplies Chloe told her they would need.
"Alright," Chloe says looking over the items. "Garbage bag, ladle and what? I asked you to get some rope!" She says holding up thin twine. Marinette shrugged and gave an innocent smile.
"All I could find was this cooking string. You know, for tying up roasts."
"Do I look like someone who knows anything about cooking roasts?" Chloe asks annoyed before grabbing Marinette by the arm and dragging her along. At a counter, Chloe shoves a bunch of macarons in the garbage bag and smashes them into pieces.
"Chloe! We can't do this!" Marinette says, once again trying to convince herself more than she is Chloe. "What if Lucy sees us!?"
"Listen, Marinette! If we don't sacrifice a few macarons now Adrien is going to be eating sushi for the rest of his life! Lucy will understand in time. That girl is lucky I at least kind of like her or she would be just as much a pawn in this! Besides, she said if she sees us there will be a problem, but she didn't say anything about what she doesn't see." Chloe says mischievously . She then chews up a piece of gum, blowing a bubble with it before spitting it into the ladle. "You better not screw this up, Dupain-Cheng."
Warily, Marinette picks up the small piece of gum. "I'm doing this for you, Adrien."
OoOoOoO
Lucy, Adrien, and Kagami are having a pleasant and causal conversation when Marinette literally comes crashing in spilling macarons all over the place while falling to the floor.
"Jesus Christ Mari!" Lucy shouts, startled by her friend's abrupt arrival. Adrien quickly goes to help the clumsy girl from the floor while Kagami crosses her arms and turns in a slight huff.
"Play nice," Lucy mutters, tapping Kagami on the arm as Marinette gabs out the special macaron she had made for Adrien. It wasn't part of the plan but it seemed like the perfect chance to hand it to him.
"Here, Adrien. This is, uh, your favorite flavored macaron. Er, of course, I'm just guessing. I mean, how would I know, right?" Marinette says with a nervous giggle. "But people do sometimes prefer some things to other things so... Here!"
"Smooth as butter Mari." Lucy pokes as Adrien thanks her for the treat, unsure of where it came from or why she had decided to give it to him now. Chloe quickly pulled Marinette away from the trio of teens causing Lucy to narrow her eyes at them. The fact that Marinette was still hanging around Chloe couldn't mean anything but trouble. Her attention was stolen by Kagami who lifted her foot and frowned at the sight of gum stuck to the bottom of her shoe.
"These shoes belonged to my grandmother," Kagami complained. Lucy cursed under her breath and took a hold of Kagami from the side.
"Here, lean on me so you don't flatten it on there more. Adrien, grab a chair would you?" Adrien nodded and sent Kagami a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, we'll help you."
Adrien was astounded by the fact that nearly all the chairs were covered in crumbs but soon found one that wasn't and brought it over to the girls. It was almost too smooth to notice. The chair being yanked away and replaced with another. But Lucy did notice. Her eyes followed the chair to see it slide next to Chloe who watched with anticipation. Lucy turned back around to see a new chair in its place, one with cake on it for Kagami to sit on. Lucy went to warn Kagami only for her mother to call out her name first. Kagami quickly stood and Adrien helped her hop over to her mother. Lucy let go of Kagami as she did so making her two friends look back at her.
"I'm gonna grab a tissue or something. I'll be right there." She told them before whipping around back towards Chloe and Marinette who looked distraught over their failed plan. Lucy quickly came up behind the two hidden girls and swiftly smacked them both up the back of their heads. Not seeing the man behind her with Marinette's special macaron, nor as he sat down on the cake that remained on the seat that was left behind.
"Ow!" The two girls moaned in pain, turning to see a very angry-looking Lucy peering down at them.
Did you just hit me!?" Chloe shouted only for her brave ego to falter at Lucy's current demeanor. Neither Marinette nor Chloe saw Lucy angry very often. Annoyed sure, disappointed plenty of times, but the girl was typically a very level-headed individual who wasn't one to lash out.
"What did I tell you?" Lucy asked, her tone sharp and humorless. She hated this. She hated how she now felt the need to talk to these two girls as if they were two toddlers. "I told you if tried to mess with her we would have a problem. So what do we have now ladies?"
"A problem." The girls muttered in unison. One seemingly more guilty than the other.
"Good, so glad we have our listening ears on now, it's too bad they weren't ten minutes ago."
"Listen, Lucy, I can see that you're mad but-" Chloe tried to speak but Lucy cut her off.
"But nothing!"
"Lucy we just-" Lucy pointed her finger at Marinette and shot her a warning look.
"No, I don't want a peep out of you either." Lucy looked at both the girls, clasping her hand together and bringing them under her chin as she tried to calm herself down. "Please. What was the outcome you were looking for? I'm dying to know. Kagami sits on some cake, gets embarrassed, and then what exactly? Everyone including Adrien laughs at her? Adrien shoves her aside and tells her how ridiculous she looks? Does that sound like Adrien to either of you?"
Neither of the girls spoke, Marinette keeping her head down while Chloe stood with her arms crossed as she looked anywhere but at Lucy.
"Do you really think Adrien wouldn't do everything in his power to assure her that it would be okay? That he wouldn't find out how that cake got there? Let me tell you he would. And do you think, for even a second, that once he found out what happened, that he would speak to either of you, ever again?"
"Adrikins would never! He promised-"
"Anyone who is willing to go out of their way to elaborately plan to publicly embarrass someone due to their own childish jealousy is not worth keeping a promise to." Lucy's words cut Chloe as the guilty girl knew that more than one promise was being talked about.
"We just thought-" Marinette quietly tried to speak.
"No, you didn't think. If you did I wouldn't be here having this fucking conversation." Lucy let out another deep sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers. "Your goal was to embarrass Kagami, but the only person you have embarrassed is me. It embarrassing to know I associate with two people who would feel they have the right to plot against someone, especially someone who is practically a stranger. Kagami has done nothing to either of you that would even slightly dignify what you were trying to do." As Lucy pulled her hand from her face and brought them both to her hips, her face shifted from the hard, cold stare she had been giving them to one they were more familiar with. Disappointment.
"You were doing so good Chloe. For a moment there I really thought that maybe..." Her eyes shifted from the blue-eyed blonde to Marinette. "And you know better Marinette. Or at least I thought you did. Perhaps that's my mistake." She shook her head. "I don't want to see either of you anywhere near Kagami or Adrien again tonight. I mean it, I am so done with you two right now." Lucy turned to walk away when Marinette quickly went to reach out and grab her arm sending her a pleading look.
"Lucy wait, no!" Lucy yanked her arm away from the baker girl and pursed her lips.
"Don't" She said. "I know you feel bad now. I do, but honestly, I am too upset to care. I can't...I can't even look at you right now." She sounded defeated as she walked away and the remorse Marinette felt was eating away at her. She turned her head to Chloe who still stood pouting and shot her a glare.
"Why did I listen to you!?" Chloe shot a glare back and brought her hands to her hips.
"Oh shut it Dupain-Cheng! You ruin everything! What was with that macaron anyway? That weird little encounter was probably what had Lucy suspicious in the first place!"
Marinette froze and awkwardly tried to tell her it was just a simple passion fruit treat, but Chloe was no fool. She knew Adrien's favorite flavors and it was that that made her connect the dots.
"You've got a crush on ADRIEN!" Chloe laughs at the revelation. "That is ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous. You're a nobody in his eyes and you'll always be a nobody. Watch, I'll prove it."
"Did you not hear what Lucy just said!" Marinette argued, trying to prevent the blonde girl from revealing to Adrien about her secret crush. Chloe scoffed.
"Lucy can play mother hen all she wants Dupain-Cheng, but she's not my mother and I do not need to do what she says!"
As Chloe makes her way over to Adrien an Akumatized villain makes his way back onto the building. The director of the movie had been akumatized due to his lack of recognition as well as the embarrassment he had endured just a few minutes prior. He turns himself into a cartoon Dinosaur and everyone begins to turn away. Marinette, crouched away in a hiding spot looks to Tikki.
"I promise I'll never take Chloe's advice again!" She says before turning into Ladybug.
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After the Akuma had been dealt with, Adrien took Lucy's hand as he leads her into the movie showing room, with Kagami and her mother close behind. After finding a seat Adrien fidgeted in his. Lucy sat on his right, Kagami and her mother on his left. He didn't know what he should do. The night had taken a turn with the Akuma, and with Kagami needing to remain with him and Lucy, the majority of the time before and after, the occasion felt like less and less of a date. Of course, technically it wasn't...not for Lucy anyway, but Adrien had really hoped he would be able to charm her a little and maybe pique her interest. He had gotten to hold her hand quite a bit today, but if he was honest, that type of physical affection was one Lucy gave out pretty regularly. He had come to the conclusion that physical touch might even be a form of Lucy's love language, even platonically.
It was one of the things that confused Adrien about Lucy. She wasn't like Rose, who constantly felt the need to hug people all the time, but he had seen it countless times over the span of their relationship. A hand to hold, a gentle shoulder touch, a warm embrace, a ruffling of hair, a pat on the leg. These were all examples of the physical comfort Lucy often offered those who seemed to need it. She did it with all her friends but she also did it with Chat. When they were friends, but even more so when they were...in a way, more than that. Distinguishing the gesture as romantic vs platonic was almost impossible in some cases. It was a big part of the reason he could feel himself get so worked up when she had been around Luka or Nikolas. Those affectionate touches, he didn't know what they meant.
Adrien didn't want to be cliché but without knowing what else to do he lifted his arms in a slight yawn before placing one of those arms behind Lucy, draping his hand over her shoulder. He could feel her looking at him with a raised eyebrow and all he could think to do was look back and smile, scratching her shoulder a little with his fingertips. She turned her head and looked at his hand and suddenly Adrien almost pulled away as he felt a set of teeth on his thumb. It wasn't painful in any way really. Lucy lightly took the length of his thumb between her front teeth and applied three-light and quick noms on it before releasing it and turning back to smile at him. That was new. He once again didn't know what to make of it. Should he bite her now? He could. Just lean in and do the same thing to her shoulder. Was this what love bites were? As Lucy's head went back to the screen he considered it, looking down at her shoulder. The fabric that hid the skin from him was loose enough, all he had to do was take his other hand and tug it down just a little. His hand twitched at the idea, slowly moving upward as his face began to lean down, but the sight of Marinette coming down the aisle stopped him.
OoOoO
A few rows behind Chloe sat in her seat with her arms crossed and an agitated look on her face at she watched Adrien and Lucy. Marinette's little secret wasn't worth spilling at the moment. Maybe it would later down the line. Right now, the more interesting information was she might have been wrong about her assumption in Adrien's interest in the Asian girl on the other side of him. As she watched the boy bring his arm over Lucy, Chloe came to the irritating conclusion that the girl he might have his sites on was the blonde girl at his other side. Chloe jumped a little as someone roughly sat down in the seat beside her. She scoffed in distaste as the brunette boy Lucy had been talking to earlier shot her a grin.
"Shouldn't you be washing dishes somewhere?" She said as she glared at him. The boy remained unfazed as he leaned back in his seat.
"I might have made a little deal to get to it after the movie. After all, how could I miss the movie based on the superhero my ex-girlfriend apparently dated?" He said, bringing his arms up and clasping his hands behind his head. Chloe looked the boy up and down.
"You dated Lucy?"
"That I did."
"Well, then I guess it's safe to say she upgraded." Chloe shot, turning away from him. The boy shrugged.
"That's fair. Nikolas by the way." He said holding out his hand for her to shake. Chloe rolled her eyes and ignored it but Nikolas didn't seem to mind as he pulled his hand away and placed it back behind his head. The room darkened a little more as the movie began to play and suddenly Chloe could feel Nikolas leaning toward her.
"So, Chlo," He said quietly, using the nickname he had heard Lucy refer to her as. "Wanna make out?" The blonde girl practically jumped out of her seat to get away from him.
"Ew! As if! Not even in your dream baker boy!" Nikolas smirked down at her.
"Well, that just seems like a challenge for the imagination then doesn't it?" He said, leaning away from Chloe and shooting her a wink. Chloe felt her face flush slightly at the notion and proceeded to turn her body away from Nikolas, attempting to scoot as far away from him as possible.
"Ridiculous." She muttered. Utterly ridiculous.
OoOo
Lucy glanced at Marinette who took the seat on the other side of her. The dark-haired girl had been so focused on the stern stare Lucy had been giving her, that the placement of Adrien's arm almost went unnoticed. Marinette's jealously only peeks out for a sliver of a moment before her heart reminded her of what happened the last time she let the monster out. Suddenly Adrien's existence, and the existence of his limbs, fell the farthest part of her mind as Marinette looked at Lucy with as much remorse as she could muster in the darkroom. She leaned against the armrest, clenching the edge of it slightly. She hated this. She hated that she had let Chloe talk her into her scheme. She hated the look Lucy had given her. She hated the idea of Lucy no longer wanting to be her friend because she was stupid enough to let her jealousy turn her into someone she didn't want to be. Lucy looked away from her and Marinette felt herself be crushed at her dismissal. That was until she felt a gentle hand place itself on top of her own. Marinette's eyes cast down to Lucy's hand, her thumb giving two small taps on her own. Carefully, Marinette brings her other hand and places it on top of Lucy's, squeezing it just a little. Sometimes, the most significant conversations occurred in silence.
Adrien peeks around Lucy and smiles a little at her and Marinette's clasped hands. That was exactly what he was talking about. Love language. An occurrence came to Adrien's mind as he greeted Marinette.
"Awesome you could get in, Marinette. And I'm really sorry I didn't get to taste your macaron. It looked delicious."
The dark-haired girl had almost forgotten about the macaron and that finding a way to get it to him had been the main purpose behind her even trying to attend this whole thing. It seemed so unimportant now. She had almost lost her friend and she was supposed to dwell over a lost cookie? No, it was unimportant now. A nudge brought Marinette's attention to Lucy who was looking at her in a way that was an attempt to signal that Adrien was talking to her, the lack of response from Marinette being odd and overall a bit rude.
"Oh! Uh, right! It's no biggie. There will be tons of other macarons, I mean, occasions." She assured him as she brought her attention back to the screen, the movie about to start. Although a little disappointed, Adrien couldn't help but give a small smile as Lucy casually tilted her head, resting it against Marinette's shoulder. Marinette smiled softly and placed her head on top of her friends. Yes, this was what mattered.
9000 words. Wow how did this get so long? I really enjoyed making this chapter and it took me daaaayyss to finish so I really hope you enjoyed it. It seems like it was a lot to take in so hopefully your not too over whelmed haha. Remember to like and heart and all that jazz but more importantly comment and tell me what you think! I love reading your guys's comments and I do my best to reply to them when I can! This season has a lot of good episodes in it and I can't wait to continue! As always I will see you in the next chapter!