*internal screaming*

I know I have some explaining to do about why this is so late, so here you go: My motivation for writing is slipping away at a rapid pace without my laptop... Basically, this was my little side project that I would work on whenever I got bored of writing my bigger project, and since I can't write my bigger thingie without my laptop, I've been procrastinating on this. Sue me.

But because I love the attention, I will power through the pain to read more of your reviews and stuff. I live for that shit, so once you're done reading this, I command you to take the time to write a review. LOVE ME!!!

One of the things Marinette loved the most about Alya was her taste in coffee.

It used to be that she and Alya would get coffee on the weekends or after school and talk about important things, like Adrien or upcoming events. They'd spend an hour or so milking the same cups of coffee, and maybe Alya would work on her blog, or Marinette would draw in her sketchbook, and they'd bounce ideas off of each other about their separate projects. When they weren't doing homework, that is.

But that before Alya and Nino started becoming... whatever they were now. Now, every time Alya would ask Marinette out for coffee, she could assume that Nino would be there, too--which, of course, meant Adrien would be as well.

Not that she minded. Like, drinking coffee with her soulmate? Sign her up. But still, she missed the time she and Alya used to spend alone, and with everything going on, she figured a little TLC with her bestie was exactly what she needed. She still hadn't told Alya about Chat Noir paying her a visit, and now she wasn't sure if she even should. After all, what if she decided to put it on her blog?!

Marinette could already feel the embarrassment! Plus, what would her parents think? She imagined getting called into the living room, and the look of outrage on her parents' faces when they asked her why the hell a boy in a leather catsuit came in through her bedroom window in the middle of the night. She'd be grounded for years!

"Marinette, are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Huh?" Marinette blinked, her face heating up as she realized she'd been gaping in horror at a barista across the cafe for an embarrassing amount of time, who was now staring at her like she was insane. "Um, what?"

Alya laughed. The four of them sat at a round table in Marinette's favorite cafe, with Nino and Alya next to her and Adrien across from her (so she had a perfect view of his glory). She must've been spacing out for a while, because all eyes were on her. Nino and Alya looked amused, but Adrien was looking at her with something akin to suspicion. She sunk into her chair uncomfortably under his intense gaze, her face heating up further. Now you've done it!

"Girl, you are so spacey lately! Are you feeling okay?" Alya asked, though she didn't sound particularly concerned.

Marinette nodded, grinning nervously. "O-of course! What were we talking about?"

"Duh, the upcoming festival! I'm so psyched!" She pulled her phone out and showed her a link posted on the Ladyblog, evidently about a Ladybug festival coming up after school ends. "Y'know, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you don't even read my blog!"

Marinette internally snorted. I'm not that vain. "I must've accidentally missed that post," she said instead. "What's this festival about? Are Ladybug and Chat supposed to be there?"

"Uh, yeah! It's Ladybug themed; of course they're gonna be there." Alya grinned at Nino. "There's supposed to be all kinds of activities. A costume contest, a puppet show, a scavenger hunt, and a romantic ball at midnight! Plus, Ladybug themed art from all across France is gonna be featured, and let's not forget the most important part: the food vendors! And I'm gonna get it all on camera!"

"That's pretty ambitious, Alya," said Nino uneasily. "How are you gonna enjoy the festival if you're recording it the whole time?"

"Who cares? And here's the best part!" She squealed, hitting Marinette on the shoulder to make sure she was listening before saying, "Ladybug and Chat Noir are rumored to be dancing at the ball!"

Marinette stood up abruptly. "Um, bathroom," she said simply before excusing herself to the girl's restroom.

As soon as she was sure there was no one else in the bathroom stalls, Marinette opened her bag up to free Tikki. "Did you hear that, Tikki?" she asked the sprite. "A festival! How did I not know about this earlier?"

Tikki shrugged. "You had bigger things to worry about, Marinette. And you still do."

"Yeah, but how am I supposed to be there as Ladybug and Marinette? Alya will kill me if I don't go!"

"You'll figure something out. I'm sure you will! But right now, why don't you focus on studying for your finals?"

The raven-haired girl nodded slowly. Tikki was right, as usual. She had bigger fish to fry. "You're right. I can't keep getting distracted. From now on, it's school and akumas until the festival!" she said determinedly. "In that case, I should go straight home. We'll have all summer long to hang out with friends. Right now is study time!"

"That's the spirit!"

Marinette shut her purse again with Tikki inside and went back out to say goodbye to her classmates, but just as she rounded the corner, she slammed straight into someone.

"Oh!" she exclaimed and took a step back. She looked up, her eyes catching on uncertain green orbs as she stuttered out an apology. "I-I'm sorry--"

"S'okay," Adrien said, rubbing the back of his neck and avoiding her gaze. "I was just going to the bathroom."

"Oh..." Marinette blinked, her face burning. "B-but this is the girl's bathroom..."

"Oh... Right. That makes sense." He cleared his throat, and for the first time, she realized just how close they were. Their faces were just inches apart--or rather, her face was inches from his chest--and he was looking down at her with his eyes narrowed in concentration. "So, listen, I wanted to apologize about the way I've been acting."

"Um... I-it's okay, Adrien. Really," she said calmly, but inside her head, she was screaming. What is happening?! Why is Adrien apologizing to me outside the girl's bathroom?! Oh, jeez, what if I took too long in the bathroom and he thinks I was--

"No, it's not. And I want to make it up to you. Um, what are you doing on Saturday?"

"Uhhhh..." She blinked rapidly, gazing into his usually-bright eyes. There was something off about him. He was acting too serious. Regardless, she knew she should spend her free time studying, but this was Adrien. When would she ever get a chance like this again? "Nothing," she said decisively.

He smiled softly. "Good. I'll pick you up at three. Wear something nice." He blanched suddenly. "Not that what you wear normally isn't nice! I just meant--"

"I-I get it." Marinette smiled rereassuringly (at least she hoped she did) and gripped the strap of her purse as she stepped past him. "Um, I've go gotta study. Er, gotta go study. Bye!"

She sped past him without waiting for him to respond and dashed through the cafe, stopping at the table where Alya and Nino sat to say goodbye before making her way back to the bakery.

--

Alya had finished her second cup of iced coffee and was getting started on her third by the time her friend returned from the bathroom, appearing as if from nowhere and saying a curt goodbye, then promptly speeding out the door before Alya could remind her that she hadn't finished her frappe.

Adrien emerged only seconds later, sporting the grim expression that he'd worn all day. Alya had asked Nino what was wrong with him earlier, but all he'd said was, "We'll talk later." As if she didn't have better things to do than wait for an answer.

He sat down between Alya and Nino and stirred his cappuccino thoughtfully, completely oblivious to her stare. The news reporter within her was dying to ask questions, but as his friend, Alya knew she shouldn't. Adrien was a private person, from what she could tell, and even if she did ask, she probably wouldn't get any answers. So she sipped her coffee and shifted her gaze down to her phone while Nino and Adrien started a conversation about... something not important.

She scrolled through the comment section of her latest post, most of which were positive remarks about the various activities rumored to occur at the festival, particularly the midnight ball. People were already raving about what they hoped would be a romantic dance between Ladybug and Chat Noir, but Alya figured it was too much to ask for. They were professionals, after all.

Just as she was about to reply to a comment about the location of the festival, a notification popped up saying that she'd gotten a message from one of her subscribers. She opened it up and saw a link to a video, along with a message saying, "I was at the sight of the latest Akuma and managed to get this on camera. Thoughts?"

She was hesitant to click on the link at first in fear of hackers, but her curiosity won out. When the video loaded, what Alya saw made her do a double take.

The video, which must've taken place just after the news feed ended, started on a shot of a limp Chat Noir, before a familiar figure sprinted into the shot and knelt at the fallen hero's side. After a moment, Chat Noir seemed to wake up, and camera followed them as the girl led him out of view, and then the footage ended. It was only seconds long, but it was enough to make Alya's jaw drop.

Because no doubt about it, that was Marinette.

"Oh. My. God."

Fun fact: I can't stand coffee.

Anyway, I know there are a lot of fan fics about balls (haha), so I probably won't delve into that too much unless you guys want me to. Instead, I'll probably focus on the festival itself, and if you guys have any suggestions for what you want to see in the festival, I will gladly take them. I need all the inspiration I can get.

Also, sorry in advance if the next update takes awhile. I've been in the writing mood lately, so hopefully it won't, but you never know. Thanks for being patient with me!