Author's note: And here is the updated chapter two! Reminder – no updated have been made to the story, just some grammar and spelling fixes. Enjoy! x
Marinette sat down at her desk. She was definitely more excited to spend one and a half hours in detention ever since Alya reminded her about the fact that this was one and a half hours of detention with Adrian, and Marinette didn't mind the sound of that. Adrian made his way into the classroom slightly after her, taking his seat in front of Marinette.
Adrian turned around to look at Marinette and said: "This is pretty annoying huh? I'm sure you have much better things to be doing with your Friday night than spending it stuck in detention."
"Me? Oh I don't know, it's not so bad. There are worse things right? Like getting eaten by a lion or getting stuck babysitting. Or you know. Whatever." Marinette was internally kicking herself. Why could she not say logical things around this boy?!
"Uh... right. Guess that's true enough," Adrian said as he turned himself back around.
"Nice one. Good going Marinette," she chastised herself in her mind. "Great start."
Just as she was about to try to make up for this complete failure of a conversation starter, Madame Bustier entered. She took a look at the two of them, and then leaned against the front of her desk to address them.
"Marinette, Adrian, glad to see that you both decided to grace me with your presence, on time at that. Now, let's see if we can keep this up, shall we? Since you two seem to always have something better to do than be punctual, I figured we might spend this time learning how to organize and prioritize!" With that, Madame Bustier gave the two students a planner each, and some lined paper along with it. "After you've finished scheduling out your week, you'll each write three pages singled spaced explaining how this should improve your punctuality! I look forward to hearing what has kept you two so enraptured."
Marinette and Adrian looked down at these planners, dumbfounded. How on earth were they to explain what kept them so busy? The bakery and the fashion industry only went so far as excuses. Just as Adrian was about to raise his hand and come up with some way out of this, the P.A. system buzzed.
"Uhh Madame Bustier, you have a telephone call line one."
Madame Bustier went to the grated speaker on the wall and pressed the intercom. "Thank you, Linette," she replied, "I'll be down there in a moment." She returned her attention to her two students, waiting patiently for further instructions, using any excuse they could not to start this overwhelming assignment. "Now you two, I expect you will behave while I'm gone? I won't be out long. Get working on those planners, I expect some real progress by the time I get back." With that, she left the room, her heels click-clacking on her way down the hall, getting quieter and quieter until eventually the only sound that could be heard was the buzzing of the florescent lights above Marinette and Adrian's heads, and the faint sound of their breath as they both sat there, unable to begin.
"So…" Adrian said, "Ever made a schedule before?"
"Uh, of course not!" Marinette replied, thinking back to her Adrian schedule hanging from her ceiling. "I mean I've never written down my OWN schedule anyway. Copying down yours doesn't really count. Right?" "Never really bothered making a schedule," she said out loud.
Adrian laughed at that, stunning Marinette a little. "Yea, quite a pair we are, aren't we? Maybe this actually isn't such a bad idea. A little scheduling probably wouldn't hurt either of us."
Marinette also chuckled at that thought. Maybe she would benefit from a bit of a schedule. At that, Adrian collected his things and set them down beside Marinette, where Alya would normally sit.
"What are you doing?" Marinette asked, a little flustered.
"Well I know you said you'd never done this before, but you still seem like you'd be good at it. I'm sitting beside you so I can get some help. That is, if you'd be willing to give me any." Marinette stared at Adrian, blinking her eyes, unable to answer him for a couple of seconds. "Is that a yes or…?"
"Yes, of course! I mean, yea, sure, whatever, totally cool." "Smooth," she thought, "Real smooth." With that, Adrian slipped out of his seat and moved up next to Marinette, causing her to catch her breath a little. "This definitely would not be too bad," she mused.
Adrian was thinking something along the same lines. After that remark from Marinette today about the whole relationship thing, he couldn't help but try to figure her out. She was a strange one, always a little nervous around him, but never overbearing. He found it endearing. With most of the people in his life, it always felt like they wanted something from him, but not Marinette. She was genuine. A good friend, that's for sure. In a strange way, she reminded him a bit of Ladybug. They were nothing alike really, with Ladybug being daring and elegant while Marinette was nervous and kind of a klutz, but they both had that leadership air about them. He felt calmer whenever he was around either of them, in a strange way, like they knew what they were doing and he didn't have to worry. He knew this was a bit silly of course, but he couldn't help it. He wanted to be friends with Marinette just as much as he wanted to be with Ladybug. He also couldn't help but think how Ladybug and Marinette would be good friends if they ever got the chance. Wouldn't that be a pair.
"So," Adrian started, trying to make conversation, "any chance I could get a sneak peek at those designs I'll be wearing on the runway this month?"
Marinette turned away from him when he said this, to hide the blush that was crawling up her neck. "You know, it's possible that you won't ever see them. It's very possible that I might not win!"
"Ha!" Adrian interjected, "like that could happen. I've seen your designs before remember? I know you're talented." With that, Marinette turned a deep red that she could no longer hide, making Adrian beam with pride. He liked that he could make her blush, and he wasn't quite sure why. Friends make each other blush with compliments, right? That must be normal. Adrian had to admit, he wouldn't exactly know; he didn't have a lot of friends. The perks of being homeschooled. Not.
"Well, t-thanks. That's very sweet of you to say. Or think. Or think and said I guess." Marinette hated how much she rambled around Adrian. Would she never be able to speak to the boy normally? God, she could fight villains all day and night and STILL manage to get her homework done with nobody the wiser, but she couldn't manage to talk to one silly boy. Pathetic.
"Well I wouldn't say it if it weren't true. So, you never answered my question. Can I see them or what?"
"Uh, yea, sure, as long as it wouldn't be a conflict of interest for the contest or anything?"
"No, it couldn't be, I don't get any say in who wins these contests my dad holds. He's the expert after all, I'm just the model."
"Well okay then." Marinette went into her backpack to dig out her designs, tucking her hair behind her ear so it wouldn't fall into her face.
"Nice earrings," Adrian said as he noticed the two black dots in either of her ears. He didn't quite know why he said it really, they weren't anything special, but for some reason, they stood out to him. Maybe it was the way they matched her hair? Either way, special or not, he liked them on her.
"What?!" Marinette bolted up at this, designs in one hand, and her other hand covering the ear closest to Adrian. These were her Ladybug earing after all. Why would he notice these?
"I said nice earrings, they're very pretty." Adrian replied, taking the designs out of Marinette's hand while she was frozen, petrified by his comment.
"Oh uh thanks. They were… a gift. Wait no don't just look at anything in ther-"
"Hey, these are all really good," Adrian said, while flipping through her design book, "You really have a talent for – wait, is that Chat Noir?"
"NO! Of course not, why would I have drawing of Chat Noir in my book? That's ridiculous," Marinette said as she tried desperately to get a hold of her design book again, but Adrian was having none of it.
"Yes, it is! It's definitely him! Wow… it looks just like him."
"Just like me," Adrian thought. She had gotten everything exactly right, from the way his suit folded to the way his ears sat on his head. How would she know any of this?
"Uh yea, you know, he comes up a lot on Alya's Ladyblog, and I have to look at that obviously to support Alya so I've seen him a lot, that's all, okay?" Marinette continued to try to grab at her design book, to no avail.
"No way would that be enough. Alya has never gotten close enough to him on the blog."
"I'd know," he thought to himself.
"Um, okay well obviously she did because how else would I be able to draw this huh? Now give it back."
"Good question," Adrian pondered, still holding onto Marinette's book. "Now here! This is what I was looking for. At least I hope so. Please tell me you submitted this suit to the contest."
Marinette looked down to the open page to see the suit that Adrian was referring to. It was in fact the one she had submitted. Looking at Adrian holding her designs, it felt all the more real, and all the more right. This suit was designed just for him after all, and seeing his face looking down at it, she could imagine him in this suit so vividly. She looked back and forth, from Adrian to her design, but then her eyes caught on the drawing on the other page, beside the suit. That drawing of Chat Noir. She couldn't help but think that Adrian wouldn't look half bad in that suit either. Marinette giggled to herself at that thought. But no, Adrian was way better than Chat Noir, that she knew for a fact, and would look way better in that suit on his dad's runway than Chat Noir would look any day. This tailored suit was definitely meant for Adrian, and no one else. She really hoped that it would be the winning design; it meant more to her now that Adrian had seen it, and the fact that he liked it made her realize just how much she needed Adrian to have this suit, regardless of whether it won the contest.
"Yea," Marinette eventually replied, "that's the one."
"If this doesn't win I will talk to my father personally and complain, I swear."
"Oh my gosh you need to stop it. You're getting my hopes up far too much."
"Well you should feel confident! If I had your talent, I definitely would." Marinette scoffed at this.
"You do have talent! I've seen your photoshoots; I would never be able to model like that."
"Yea, whatever," Adrian replied half-heartedly, "modeling's not that hard; you just kind of stand there and do whatever the photographer says. Following direction, that's all it is."
"Yea, easier said than done," replied Marinette.
"Why am I not surprised that Marinette Dupain-Cheng has difficulty following orders?"
"Wait. That was teasing," Marinette panicked internally, "he was definitely teasing me. Should I tease back? Is he… flirting with me?" Just as Marinette was about to say a reply, Madame Bustier entered back into the classroom.
"Being productive I take it?" she asked the two, noticing the somewhat filled in planners and very empty essay pages. She sighed. "Well, it's just about time for you two to head home, so I expect those essays on my desk first thing Monday morning, understood?"
"Yes, of course Madame Bustier," Adrian replied, as he leaped to his feet, collecting his things from his desk.
"So close, and yet so far," Marinette thought, collecting her own things. She couldn't think clearly, their conversation reeling through her head as she tried to process everything that had happened.
"Goodnight you two, stay out of trouble." Madame Bustier called as Marinette exited the classroom, with Adrian at her heels.
"Trouble seems to follow me, Miss," Marinette thought to herself, sighing at the concept. How much easier would it be if she didn't have to deal with any more trouble. Oh well, such is the price for being Ladybug.
"So," Adrian asked, stopping before he reached the town car ready to take him home, "any big plans for tonight?"
"Uh, why do you ask?" Marinette replied, her heart pounding in anticipation.
"No reason, just curious," Adrian answered.
"Rats," thought Marinette. "Um, well, no, not really, probably going to get cracking on this essay."
"Oh, yea, me too." Did he sound… disappointed? "Okay, well, goodnight."
"Goodnight Adrian," Marinette said, more to herself than to her peer, as he climbed into the car. His father's assistant, Natalie, was waiting inside, probably with a stern lecture for him given his coming from detention and all. Marinette watched the car pull away, seeing the tail lights pull around the corner in the opposite direction before she turned around and headed towards her own home.
The doors to her parents' bakery chimed as Marinette walked through them, taking her into the cool storefront that had obviously closed for the day. Marinette ran up the stairs into her family's cozy two-bedroom home above their bakery, smelling her dinner all the way up.
"Mum, Dad, I'm home!" Marinette called as she continued the run up to her attic bedroom, slinging her bag onto her chair, and changing into something a bit more comfortable as she was up there. She knew that as soon as her parents got a word in with her about why she was so late coming home, there would be no leaving the house for Marinette. She wandered back downstairs to see her parents waiting for her in their small living room.
"Marinette," her father started, looking displeased.
"Uh oh, here it comes," Marinette thought, looking on at her parents in fear.
"Why is it," her father continued, "that you had detention today?"
Marinette sighed and collapsed into the couch, explaining the whole situation to her parents. Or rather, as much of the situation as she could without revealing her double life. Even her parents couldn't know about that.
"Oh honey, I swear, you'd be late to your own funeral," Marinette's mother chimed in, more amused than angry, "Let's get you a good alarm clock and get better at making it to school on time next week, shall we?
"Yes Mum," replied Marinette, grateful for her loving parents, and how understanding they were with her.
"I don't know what I would do without them," she thought, "I definitely wouldn't be able to be a super hero, that's for certain." She snuggled down into the couch, between her parents, and sat watching the television as they ate their dinner of rice, chicken, and steamed broccoli.
However, back at the Agreste household, Adrian's father was slightly less involved. In fact, he didn't even acknowledge his son's late arrival home from school. Adrian had simply gotten a vague warning from his father's assistant in the car, and wandered up to his room like usual, with only Plagg to keep him company, and a lonely dinner of one to look forward to when his father wouldn't make it on time. His father was rarely around, only making appearances to further shelter him and make his life miserable, so really, Adrian was grateful not to see him this evening. Still, he couldn't help feeling alone, even with his buddy to keep him company.
"What are we doing tonight then?" Plagg asked, flying out from underneath Adrian's shirt the minute they got into the privacy of his bedroom. "Video games and camembert? Because that sounds like a plan if I've ever heard one." With that, Adrian realized that he definitely didn't want to stay in that evening.
"I had something else in mind," Adrian replied, a plan forming in his mind. It's true, Adrian didn't have a lot of freedom, but Chat Noir certainly did, and it's not like his father or Natalie would come up to check on him anyway. "Come on Plagg, we've got plans tonight. Claws Out!"
Author's note: and that's Chapter 2! Hope you enjoyed!