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Marinette blinked, staring at the three startled teens in the locker room. She immediately recognized Nino and Alix. Then, bluebell eyes locked onto emerald. Marinette took a whole moment analyzing the face and tried to figure out who the third person is. Yet, she didn't recognize the blonde under the black mask and wearing...
"Are those cat ears?" Marinette thought. She didn't have time to process when Alix spoke up, "Well, there she is."
Marinette closed the door and wandered over to the locker room trio, curiously asking, "What are you guys doing in here?"
"We could ask you the same thing, dudette," Nino argued back, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at Marinette and earning a facepalm from Alix. Marinette lifted her clothes in her arms, presenting them to the three.
"I was just putting my clothes back into my locker," she answered.
"Likely story," Nino said before Alix sighed, placing her hand on his face and pushing him back.
"We're just letting blondie over here borrow Nino's blazer because he idiotically stained his with juice," Alix explained, covering half of the truth. Marinette hummed in understanding before turning her gaze over at the said blonde, who stood stiff and staring at her. Marinette gave him a warm smile, easing the tension in his shoulders just a little.
"Sorry, what's your name? I'm having a hard time trying to recognize you with the cat...get-up..." Marinette trailed off, dawning on her before it finally hit like a truck. Her mouth left slightly agape with no words being produced and her shoes felt like cement, holding her feet in place.
Her arms ceased holding the clothes, going nearly limp from shock and heart booming harder than the music in the gym area. The clothes fell to the floor, going unnoticed by the bluenette.
The blonde's breathe caught in his throat, forgetting the ease he felt a minute ago.
Marinette took a step toward the blonde teen as if she needed a closer look at his face, quietly saying in disbelief, "...Chat Noir..."
"I guess, he does kind of look like a black cat, now that you mention it, and you look like a ladybug-" the oblivious DJ held his stomach in pain after Alix elbowed him in the stomach. She grabbed Nino's earlobe, pulling him toward the doors and left the locker room.
Marinette and Adrien didn't notice the commotion.
"I-I can't believe it..." Marinette said, taking another step forward, "It's really yo-"
Her clumsiness caught up to her, the forgotten clothes on the floor catching her foot and tripped the poor bluenette. Adrien instinctively wrapped his arms around who he now deemed as "Ladybug," and caught her in mid-fall.
"Are you okay?" he asked, helping her find her balance.
"Yeah, thank you," she said, mentally cursing her clumsiness for its bad timing before looking down at the discarded clothes, "I should...probably pick these up."
She nervously laughed, feeling squeamish and shy. Butterflies no longer fluttered, turning into a full tornado of rampaging animals. Marinette knelt, quickly grabbing her pants and about to reach for her shirt. Until the shirt appeared being handed over to her. The bluenette blinked before looking up.
Chat had knelt as well, holding out her shirt for her to grab and a bashful smile displayed on his face. Marinette felt her cheeks warm up a bit, slowly taking the offered shirt from Chat's grasp. She looked away and stood back up on her feet, clearing her throat.
"Thank you," she shyly spoke, "I...um...can you give me a second to put these away?"
"Go ahead," Chat said, nudging his head over to the lockers. Marinette walked over to her locker and placed her clothes inside. She wasn't expecting an offered rose to appear once she turned back to Chat Noir. The blonde's smile turned into a small grin, "One rose for milady."
Marinette accepted the rose and brought it up to her nose to smell. She felt the edges of her lips crease up, spreading cheek to cheek.
"Thank you...again. This is very sweet. You didn't have to get me a rose, tomcat," the bluenette teased, heart thrumming with joy at the Chat-like gesture.
She's moved.
Chat not needing a whole bouquet or a giant speech (probably would've been filled with cat puns) to tell her he cares. This rose is enough for her to understand that she is enough for him.
"Of course, I had to. You're someone special to me, even if this is our first time meeting. You could say this is a token of my appreciation and your kindness," he said, earning a stunned look from the bluenette.
"I hope my theory of your kindness is correct. I know all too well about being easily deceived," he thought, keeping up a facade to hide his sadness and extending an arm out to Ladybug.
"Would you do me the honor of being my date for tonight, Bugaboo?" Chat teased, grinning. Ladybug merely smirked, wrapping her arm around the blonde's.
"It would be my pleasure, Kitty."
The two teens walked out of the locker room together just as a new song began to play.
"A dangerous plan, just this time...a stranger's hand clutched in mine..."
Marinette felt Chat tug her over to the middle of the floor with all other slowly swaying dancers. The bluenette isn't sure if this is a good idea, with her clumsiness and everything. She could bump into another person or step on Chat's feet or—oh gosh, she didn't think to check her dress to make sure it will stay together! Or, maybe-
"Wanna dance?"
Marinette snapped out of her sporadic thoughts, nearly forgetting her worries as Chat Noir smiled down at her. She let out a breath, wondering how such a smile could reassure her that it will be okay.
Marinette's spirit uplifted, soaring through the air like a kite being securely held by Chat's hand. The breeze carried her worries away while being guided into, what she hopes, a new beginning.
No clouds of doubt are blocking her judgment. No heavy storms looming over her shoulders. No raindrops are sliding down her face. There is only a clear sky. A clear view. A clear, colorful future ahead and waiting for her with open arms.
A rainbow of decisions and possibilities.
"I'll take this chance, so call me blind..."
Now, all she has to do is take that step forward and grasp that chance in the palm of her hand.
Yes.
"Oh...u-uh, sure," she answered, a bit hesitant but somehow sure of herself. If Chat noticed, he didn't say anything and merely pulled her along.
"I've been waiting all my life..."
The two stood on the outskirts of the dance floor. Marinette placed her hands on Chat's shoulders while he placed his on her sides. The bluenette tried not to squirm when Chat accidentally brushed her side, making it tickle. Luckily, she managed not to jump or anything to start some sort of klutzy cataclysm.
"I was made for loving you. Even though we may be hopeless hearts just passing through. Every bone screaming, I don't know what we should do..." the music continued to play.
At first, it was awkward but the two teens slowly fell into the rhythm, blocking out the space around them. As cheesy as it sounds, it's like they are in their own little world.
"All I know is, I was made for loving you."
Marinette is so focused on the blonde, she accidentally stepped on his foot. Adrien winced, making Marinette take a step back.
"Sorry about that," she apologized, feeling bad for hurting him.
"It's alright. Even if you accidentally hurt me or have two left feet, I still want to dance with you for all nine of my lives," Chat snickered, widely grinning. Ladybug snorted, taking a step forward and boldly wrapping her arms around the blonde's neck.
"You're terrible," she giggled as they returned to gently swaying.
"No, I'm paw-some," Chat replied, earning a groan from Ladybug.
"Why did I agree to be your date again?" Ladybug questioned, only getting laughter as a response. Ladybug couldn't help the big smile forming, seeing the joy on her pen pal's face blew her away. This whole circumstance astonishes her, getting to talk and look at Chat Noir in person. It is definitely the wake-up call she needed after everything that happened.
"I'm glad you came, Kitty," she fondly spoke. The blonde grinned, teasingly, "Puns and all?"
Ladybug paused for a moment to think, though she already knew her answer. She let out a sigh, the words spilling out with the exhaled air, "I guess."
Her pen pal stoically looked down at her, making the bluenette worriedly wonder if she said the wrong thing.
"Maybe, I went too far with the banter and he took it the wrong way?" Marinette thought until his facial expression softened.
"You know what, Mildly..." he began, gaining Ladybug's curiosity as the cat-themed boy continued, "...I'm glad I came too."
Ladybug let out a breath she didn't realize she held, "For a minute, I thought I hurt you."
"I mean, you kind of did when you stepped on my foot," he responded. Ladybug childishly stuck out her tongue before correcting Chat, "I meant with my words, not physically."
"I know, I'm just messing with you," Chat said, "I know you mean no harm."
"Really? How do you know that?" the bluenette questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"I know this is our first time meeting in person, but I feel like I've known you for a lot longer. It's all thanks to our pen pal system. If you were really out to do me harm, I would've noticed in your writing," Adrien explained, "You've become a big part of my life, a friend I've never really had before. I can't thank you enough for it too. It means more to me than you know."
Marinette is left in awe, her heart about to break free from her rib cage and mouth dry of words. She could practically feel the blonde's gratitude radiating off himself. Marinette never gave much thought on how she affected Chat's life.
For obvious reasons, she didn't ask much about his personal life and he didn't ask much of hers. It was like some unspoken (or, in this case, unwritten) rule they agreed on. Now that they've taken the next step, would it be okay to a bit more?
Marinette couldn't help but think back to the one time Chat Noir didn't reply. Ever since they started being pen-pals, there was always a reply every Friday. The bluenette knew something big must have happened in Chat's life to make him forget and write what he wrote the very next week. She felt like she needed to do something.
Marinette drew closer, pulling the blonde into an embrace and resting her head on his chest.
"Not that I'm complaining, but what's the hug for?" Chat asked, genuine curious with a tab bit of worry mixed in his tone.
"I don't really know myself..." Ladybug replied, honestly, "For some reason, I just feel like...I need to give you a hug. Call me crazy, but I have a theory that something happened to you and...you know."
Marinette awkwardly thinned her lips, hoping the blonde did understand. She hoped she didn't just ruin a friendship that barely had a chance to start. Marinette is planning to pull back and profusely apologize for being weird. Yet, she received her answer when Chat pulled her in closer, resting his head on top of hers. Their swaying slows down.
"Yeah, crazy..." Chat spoke, wistfully and a little bit of teasing weaved in, "...I know what you mean."
"All I know is, darling, I was made for loving you."
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"Who's dancing with Marinette?"
Alix turned to see Alya and Nino standing nearby, both nursing a bottle of water and snacks. Alix sipped on her water before looking over at Marinette and Adrien slowly dancing.
"Oh, Adrien Agreste," Alix simply answered as if it weren't a big deal. The skater nearly jumped when hearing something drop on the floor. She looked back at Alya, who gaped like a fish out of water and a water bottle lying by her feet.
"You're joking...right?" The ombré girl said, hoping it is a joke. Alix raised an eyebrow, "I swear on my skateboard and pocket watch, it is not a joke." Alix may do some tomfoolery all the time but swearing on her precious items is how anyone knows she is being serious.
Alya let the words process, unsure how to feel about this scene playing out before her. On one hand, it's the Adrien Agreste! On the other hand, her best friend is dancing with Lila's boyfriend. Alya would assume that Lila told Adrien she wouldn't be able to make it to the dance. So, Adrien decided to "get around" with other girls and Marinette is the next victim.
The only thing holding Alya and her theory back is one question.
"Why didn't you stop him? Do you not know Lila is dating Adrien Agreste and about to have his kid?" Alya questioned Alix. Nino began to feel nervous, taking a long sip of water once realizing he also helped in Adrien dancing with Marinette. Alya would kill him if she found out and prayed Alix didn't mention anything.
"Nino helped me-"
"Uh oh," Nino thought, gulping when Alya shot a sharp glare his way, "...if looks could kill...I'd be six feet under by now."
"-before you start murdering your boyfriend, let me at least explain," Alix cut off Alya's dagger-eyed expression and turned back to her friend to listen.
Alix looked out, spotting Chloe angrily stomping away with a mask in hand from a now maskless blonde boy a grade above them, who was left confused along with his date. Sabrina followed her "best friend" not too far behind.
"You see, I wasn't sure myself when Adrien asked me for help. He told me he was looking for a girl in a ladybug dress but never gave me her name or why he was looking for her specifically. I was skeptical of him, not knowing or recognizing who was under the mask. He seemed like a genuine guy but even that can be half-baked sometimes," Alix explained.
"So, you didn't know anything about this guy and you just let him waltz over to Marinette?" Alya questioned, anger rising.
"Alya, if you really want to be a reporter when you grow up, you've got to stop this habit of jumping to conclusions and listen to the whole story," Alix argued, clearing her throat, "Anyway, I began to interrogate him and was very close to just ripping off that mask of his. Then, Luka and his date came over and defended Adrien. I learned blondie's name and helped him out."
"Alright, but what about the fact that blondie has a girlfriend?" Alya asked.
"It got me thinking...something is fishy about all of that stuff with Adrien and Lila," Alix began, grabbing Alya's full attention.
"How so?" Alya questioned. Alix grabbed her phone and opened up the SPP app. The ombré-haired girl quizzically watched the skater scroll through Lila's page.
"The day she posted this," Alix began, showing a picture of Lila and the caption below "Sorry, I'm taken. Not sorry, for any hearts that I'm break'n."
"What's so fishy about it?" Nino asked.
"Lila's the only one in the photo and doesn't mention who her new bf is," Alix said.
"She probably didn't want to reveal that her boyfriend is Adrien Agreste. She was probably afraid she'd be flocked by reporters and angry fans," Alya replied.
"I thought that at first too, until she announced to the whole class that her baby's father is Adrien. If she didn't want everyone to find out she's dating model boy, she would have made up an excuse or hid her pregnancy or something. She wouldn't have proudly announced that she is pregnant and reveal that Adrien is the father," Alix continued to explain, "You can't just publicly say something like that in a classroom full of teenagers and expect them not to post something about it. Honestly, this sounds more like an excuse for attention and popularity."
"Maybe...it was supposed to be...a surprise?" Nino winced at his lowly statement while the gears in Alya's head turned.
"Excuse," Alix bluntly said before Alya began, "I suppose that is kind of strange but you're going to need some more proof to back it up."
"Alright, I think I know just how to get that information," Alix said, slyly smirking.
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"Wow, you really like sweets," Marinette commented, watching Chat Noir gobble down ten macaroons in a minute. The two decided to take a break from dancing and sit at a table to talk. Of course, Chat brought some snacks with him.
Chat swallowed down the food before responding, "Sorry, these are just really good. It's made by my favorite baker—er, well, the only baker I know of."
Marinette perked up at that little tidbit of information, more interested in the topic at hand.
"Really? You know my da—uh, Mr. Dupain?" Ladybug questioned, quickly correcting herself.
"Yeah," Chat confirmed, nodding, "I have recently visited his bakery about two times and helped him make snacks for the dance with my fencing teammates."
"Wait," Ladybug said, making Chat pause in wonder and cocked his head to the side, "So, you've been to that bakery two times and are a part of my school's fencing team?"
"Yep!" The blonde chirped.
"Wow, now I'm really itching to know who's under that mask," Ladybug said. Chat Noir paused in stuffing another macaroon into his mouth before setting the cookie down. Ladybug noticed the sudden change of moods, eyebrows scrunching in worry seeing Chat in deep thought. If those cat ears were real, they'd be drooping.
"Is there something wrong?" Marinette asked, concern laced in her voice.
"Oh, it's nothing," Chat said, waving it off and returning to eating but with much less enthusiasm. This irked Ladybug, unsure of what to do until the DJ spoke.
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen! It's time to reveal our identities! Please come and stand out on the dance floor," the DJ announced. Many teens scrambled onto the dance floor, joining with groups of friends, staying with their dates or awkwardly standing somewhere to wait.
Ladybug stood up from her chair with a smile before frowning at Chat Noir's ghostly pale face.
"Chat, are you okay? Are you sick? You're looking a little pale," Ladybug questioned, wanting to soothe away her pen pal's dilemma.
"I...I just..." Chat began, twiddling his thumbs, "...I don't think...you'll like me after seeing who I am."
Marinette felt her heart sink into the pits of her stomach, aching at the thought of Chat thinking such a thing. She couldn't imagine herself even disliking Chat (besides annoying her to the ends of the Earth with cat puns or jokes). The bluenette probably would have never come to the dance if it weren't for Chat coming.
Yet, she didn't want to force him to reveal himself if he isn't comfortable. Ladybug sat back down in her chair, making Char Noir perk up in astonishment. He confusingly glanced to the dance floor then returned his green gaze on the girl in a ladybug dress.
"I don't know what gave you the silly idea to think I wouldn't like you after seeing your face, but I'm not going to push you to reveal yourself either. I don't need to know your face to know that you're my friend, with or without that mask," she said, a smile appearing on her lips to show her words are genuine, "That's why I'm going to stay right here with you."
Adrien is once again blown away by this kind and selfless girl. He couldn't help but happily laugh, stupefying the girl at the sudden reaction. The blonde stood up and extended a hand towards Ladybug.
"You're right," Chat Noir said, "It shouldn't matter as long as we're still in this together in the end. I'm willing to take that risk."
"Chat-"
"Ladybug," Chat cut her off, "I promise you, I want to do this."
Ladybug stared into those serene green orbs filled with many different emotions. Yet, he seemed sure of himself and reassured her with a simple nod. The edge of her lip twitched up a little, standing up from her seat and walking hand in hand towards the dance floor.
"Alright, on the count of three, take off your masks," the DJ said before starting the count down.
"Three..."
Chat Noir slowly reached up hesitatingly toward his black mask while Ladybug did the same with her red one.
"Two..."
Chat could feel himself start to doubt, close to backing out of this while he still could. Nerves ate away at the poor teen, wondering how the girl in front will react to him being Adrien Agreste.
He just hoped Ladybug is different from other girls and doesn't care about his money or looks. He just wants her to be herself no matter what happens.
Once the clam has been pried open, the truth will be revealed. There will either be a precious, valuable pearl...
"One..."
...or there will be nothing.
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