Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug or it's characters
Chapter 13,
At the beautiful Pont des Arts, Andre was singing out for all of Paris to hear.
"My name is Andre, Andre Glacier. The sweetheart matchmaker. With one scoop or two, I'll find love for you, with magical ice cream flavors. My name is Andre, Andre Glacier. The sweetheart matchmaker. With one scoop or two, I'll find love for you, with magical ice scream flavors." Andre sang. If he said it once, he just had to say it a second time. It was one of the things that people loved about Andre. Cat Noir landed on the ground, before they hit the bridge and he gently put Marinette down.
"Thanks for the lift, kitty." Marinette said. she gently scratched Cat Noir's chin, the way she occasionally did when she was Ladybug. She didn't even realize what she did.
"U-uh, it's the least I can do." Cat Noir said with a blush. They smiled at each other and started walking towards Mr. Sweetheart's Ice Cream.
"I don't think I mentioned it earlier, but I really do appreciate you checking up on me." Marinette said.
"Of course, dear. You mean a lot to me." Cat Noir said and Marinette froze.
"What did you call me?" Marinette asked and Cat Noir hesitated when he realized what he said.
"Oh, oops. It slipped out. If you don't like it, I'm sorry." Cat Noir said, just hoping that he didn't offend Marinette again.
"It surprised me, but I guess I don't mind." Marinette said. To be perfectly honest, she liked 'milady' more, but she was just Marinette.
"So, 'dear' is alright?" Cat Noir asked and Marinette kind of shrugged.
"It is. I think I'm just more surprised that you didn't do something more... you." Marinette said, and Cat Noir blinked.
"Oh, then I must be off my game. I'm sure that I'll find something that works." Cat Noir said and they both laughed. They walked over to Andre, but there was some people in front of them, so they had to wait.
"How about something along the lines of 'honey' or 'sugar', since your parents own a bakery?" Cat Noir asked and Marinette shook her head.
"I don't think so." Marinette said.
"Then a dessert maybe? Like 'cupcake' or 'macaroon' or 'cannoli'." Cat Noir suggested and Marinette giggled.
"Cute, Cat Noir. If you do a dessert, then I might get hungry every time I talk to you." Marinette said and Cat Noir smiled.
"Oh! Cat Noir and Marinette! Are you two sharing an ice cream together today?" Andre asked and the two blushed.
"Thank you Andre, but we aren't dating." Marinette said.
"Ah, well, are you ready for my magical ice cream?" Andre asked. Cat Noir gestured for Marinette to go first, but she hesitated.
"Actually, do you mind going first, Cat Noir. I'm, uh... not ready." Marinette said and Cat Noir blinked. Marinette was aware that Andre had a gift of seeing love in your heart and showing you who you loved in ice cream form. so this ice cream really would tell Marinette if she still loved Adrien or not. She was really worried because she didn't know if she wanted to see Adrien in her ice cream, or if she wanted to see someone else. Cat Noir didn't know what was holding Marinette back, but he decided not to push her to answer.
"Ok." Cat Noir said simply and he walked up to Andre.
"Ah, how interesting. I know just what to make you." Andre said and he turned to his cart.
"Strawberry with black chocolate chips, blackberries for her hair, blueberry ice cream- just like her sky-blue stare." Andre said, and he handed this to the hero, but Andre leaned in before he let go.
"I rarely get two customers get the same flavor of ice cream, Cat Noir." Andre said with a wink that made Cat Noir nervous.
"Um, thank you for the ice cream." Cat Noir said and he walked over to Marinette.
"Wow, kitty. That really does represent Ladybug. It's really cool." Marinette said and Cat Noir blushed.
"Are you ready for your ice cream now?" Cat Noir asked, and Marinette took a deep breath.
"As ready as I'll ever be." Marinette said and she went to Andre.
"Pretty Marinette, you look nervous. No matter, I have just the thing for you." Andre said, and Cat Noir stood beside them to hear what ice cream she got.
"Peach pink like his lips, and mint like his eyes." Andre said and he gave the cone to Marinette.
"Are you ok, Marinette?" Cat Noir asked, when he saw that she was staring at her ice cream, in shock.
"Uh, thank you, Andre." Marinette said with a smile.
"You're welcome, dear." Andre said and Cat Noir handed the man some cash before he gently guided Marinette towards the park.
Is there something wrong with your ice cream?" Cat Noir asked and Marinette looked at him.
"No, the ice cream is fine." Marinette said.
"Then what was all that about?" Cat Noir asked and Marinette sighed.
"There's this boy, and..." Marinette bit her lip. And as nervous as Cat Noir was, he wanted to be there for Marinette, even if she didn't love him.
"If it helps, I'm very good at keeping secrets." Cat Noir said as they walked into the park, and Marinette gave him a warm smile.
"Thank you, Cat Noir. It's just, I guess I feel a little weird talking to you about love, after... well... after I told you that I loved you, and my dad got akumatized and all." Marinette said. Cat Noir was silent for a moment. He knew that Ladybug had turned him down plenty of times because she was in love with someone else. So... that whole experience was just an act? But why would she do that to him? He decided to think about his later and focus on what was happening now.
"You did say something about us not being in love with each other. Besides, you have every right to fall in love with whoever you want." Cat Noir said and Marinette smiled.
"To be honest, I probably overreacted then. I've actually been in love with the same boy since the beginning of the school year." Marinette said, and the two found a bench and sat down.
"That long? Does the lucky boy know?" Cat Noir asked.
"HA! Are you kidding me? I can barely speak properly around him. I always stutter or jumble my words or say the wrong thing because he makes me so nervous." Marinette said bashfully as she ate her ice cream.
"You never know, Marinette. He might find it adorable. Have you ever tried telling...? Am I allowed to know his name?" Cat Noir asked. He knew it was kind of a cheap shot, tricking Ladybug to finally tell him who she loved; but after today, nothing will be the same, so he might as well know who she loved. At least then, maybe this boy could stop breaking her heart.
"You mean, Mr. 'peach lips and mint eyes'?" Marinette asked and Cat Noir smiled and rolled his eyes.
"Well, there are several people in Paris with pink lips and green eyes. I mean, even I have pink lips and green eyes." Cat Noir said and Marinette giggled.
"Ok, ok, I'll tell you who I'm in love with. But only because I know that I can trust you with my life. You'd never do anything to hurt me." Marinette said and Cat Noir smiled.
"I'm grateful for your trust, Marinette." Cat Noir said, and Marinette took a deep breath.
"Ok, ok... my ice cream represents this boy in my class... it represents... Adrien." Marinette shyly said, and Cat Noir practically crushed his ice cream to death.
"Adrien? Adrien Agreste?" Cat Noir asked. Did he hear her correctly?
"I know it's silly, since so many other girls are in love with him. But once you get to know him, you learn that he has a passionate heart and he truly cares about his friends." Marinette said, and Cat Noir blushed a little.
"At least... I thought he did." Marinette said and Cat Noir stared at her.
"I... um..." Cat Noir hesitated. Not knowing what to say, he reached over and put his hand on Marinette's shoulder. Marinette smiled and put her hand on Cat Noir's hand.
"Thanks." Marinette whispered.
"You must like him a lot." Cat Noir said.
"You know, the craziest thing is that, when I first met him, I thought he was a big jerk." Marinette said. Cat Noir remembered that. Chloe put gum on Marinette's seat and Marinette caught him when he tried to remove the gum.
"What changed?" Cat Noir asked, though he already knew the answer. She spent a few days getting to know him, and learned that he was a nice guy.
"Heh, it rained." Marinette said.
"That's all?" Cat Noir obviously wasn't expecting to hear that.
"The school day ended, and it was raining outside. I didn't have an umbrella, and I didn't want to walk in the rain, so I was stuck. Adrien walked up, said 'hey', but I was still upset about the gum. I didn't want to talk to him at all. I know how that wasn't fair. I knew he was the son of my favorite fashion designer, and a model, and he was friends with Chloe. She's been mean to me for years, and I thought he would be the same. You must think I'm ridiculous for judging Adrien because he's rich, famous, and Chloe's friend." Marinette ate her ice cream slowly.
"Well, I guess when you say it like that, it wouldn't be ridiculous to think he put the gum on your seat." Cat Noir said, and Marinette smiled.
"Anyways, it's raining and Adrien opens up his umbrella and he talks to me. First he explained that he was taking the gum off of my seat, then he went on to say that he's never been to school, and how he didn't have many friends. It was very honest, and it got my attention. And then he..." Marinette trailed off and Cat Noir was surprised to see a fond smile on Marinette's face.
"And then what?" Cat Noir asked, on the edge of his seat.
"He smiled. And for the first time I looked into his eyes. They took my breath away. And if that wasn't enough, he stood in the rain and gave me his umbrella. I also made him laugh by accident, but it was such an adorable laugh. I've been in love with him ever since." Marinette said and Cat Noir stared at him. She loved him for THAT long?
"His smile and his eyes? Maybe that's why your ice cream is 'peach pink like his lips and mint like his eyes'." Cat Noir thought out loud and Marinette blinked at the dessert.
"Maybe you're right. Andre is really good at his art. I mean peach and mint? Wow." Marinette said and Cat Noir chuckled.
"You know, I don't think I've ever had peach ice cream. Is it good?" Cat Noir asked and Marinette smiled.
"Wanna try it?" Marinette asked, holding her ice cream out to Cat Noir.
"Oh? Well, only if you try mine." Cat Noir said, and they traded cones.
"The dark chocolate chips really work with this strawberry ice cream." Marinette said and Cat Noir smiled.
"And the peach is nice. Fruity but not overpowering." Cat Noir said and they both chuckled and handed the cones back to each other.
"So, now you know who I'm in love with. So now we're, what, even for that day Andre got akumatized." Marinette said, though it was more of a half-joke.
"Well, yeah, sorta. you said someone broke your heart that day. Was that caused by Adrien too?" Cat Noir was almost afraid to ask.
"Yes, and no. See a group of us decided to go to Andre's together. I really wanted to get an ice cream with him. People say couples who eat at Andre's are together forever. But Adrien wasn't allowed to go out for ice cream with us. I guess I was really hurt since he cancels so frequently. So I didn't want to eat Andre's ice cream anymore. And I told him that I didn't think his ice cream was magical. That's why Andre got akumatized." Marinette said and Cat Noir bit his lip. He wanted to say that he was sorry for not showing up, but he couldn't.
"And today?" Cat Noir asked.
"Adrien was weird. He was late to fencing class, and I think he got in some sort of fight with Chloe. He looked upset, and knocked me down. He... said harsh things and squeezed, my hand. It really hurt. I went home and cried my eyes out, leaving me too weak to fight the akuma." Marinette said and Cat Noir reached over and touched her hand.
"Listen, I-"
"Ow." Marinette pulled her hand away from Cat Noir who held his hands up to keep it away from her.
"What happened?" Cat Noir asked and Marinette sighed.
"Hold my cone for a moment." Marinette said, and Cat Noir did. Then Marinette removed her glove and revealed all of her bruises. Cat Noir stared at her hand in shock, he just couldn't believe it.
"D... Did Adrien do that?" Cat Noir asked and Marinette nodded.
"He did, but I doubt he know that." Marinette said.
He does now
Cat Noir thought.
"You didn't deserve that." Cat Noir said, feeling more guilty then ever.
"Thank you." Marinette said. putting her glove back on her hand.
"Is that why you were surprised at getting this ice cream cone from Andre?" Cat Noir asked and Marinette nodded.
"Yes. I wasn't sure if I still loved him. I know that he apologized, but... I wasn't sure how my heart felt." Marinette said and Cat Noir nodded.
"Yeah." Cat Noir said softly.
"I mean, I always get so flustered around him; and I've tried to tell him how I felt a few times, and they all failed; and he told me that he was in love with someone else." Marinette said and Cat NOir was starting to understand this never ending circle of romance that they had. Somehow they managed to love each other AND only think of each other as friends. How frustrating.
"You never seem to get flustered around Ladybug. I guess I'm a little jealous in that regard." Marinette said, taking her cone back from him.
"Don't be. I still have my nervous ticks, just like everyone else." Cat Noir said.
"You know... speaking of Ladybug... can you tell me why she didn't fight today?" Marinette asked. She shouldn't be asking this. When Tikki returned to her with the Ladybug earrings, she was informed that they lied to Cat Noir. Apparently they told him that Ladybug was too ill to fight.
"Uh... s-sick. I was told that she was sick." Cat Noir said and Marinette relaxed.
"It happens to the best of us." Marinette said.
"It does..." Cat Noir said, and Marinette remembered something, and looked down at her ice cream.
"Is something wrong?" Cat Noir asked and Marinette shrugged.
"Just... thinking about Adrien some more. You must be tired of hearing about him, though." Marinette said and Cat Noir smiled.
"I enjoy talking to you. About anything. So, please continue." Cat Noir said.
"One of the things I love about Adrien is his ability to see the good in anyone. I told you that Chloe's been mean to me for years, but with his help, I actually started to see a sensitive side of Chloe I never saw before. Even though she still drives me crazy, it's nice to know that she can be a good person at times." Marinette said with a smile.
"I hope that helps." Cat Noir said.
"I think it does. I think that's the only reason why Chloe didn't expose me when she found out that I liked Adrien." Marinette said, and Cat Noir blinked.
"Chloe knows?" Cat Noir asked.
"Yeah. I tried to give him this passion fruit flavored macaroon I made for him, at the premiere of the animated Ladybug and Cat Noir movie. But she knows he loves passion fruit and figured out that I had a major crush on him." Marinette said.
"Oh." Cat Noir said.
"Yeah, but then I started thinking about it. Chloe is mean, but she can be nice. So I guess..." Her voice trailed off a bit.
"Yeah?" Cat Noir asked.
"So, I guess it's only natural that Adrien can be mean every once in a while and still be nice." Marinette said and she finished her ice cream.
"That's a logical way of thinking about it." Cat Noir said, and he finished his ice cream.
"You know, a while back I gave him this little charm." Marinette reached into her purse and retrieved the familiar thing. Cat Noir froze a moment when she saw it. He wondered if there was a chance that Marinette will give the charm to Cat Noir instead of Adrien.
"So when he apologized, he returned it back to me. Claiming that I should keep it until he's properly earned it back?" Cat Noir asked.
"And... how will he earn it back?" Cat Noir asked.
"I have no idea. On one hand, Adrien is human, and there will be times where he gets angry; but he hurt me physically, which I never thought he would do. Although I'm hardly perfect so I shouldn't be so harsh on him just because I haven't really seen him mad before. And to top it all off, I have no idea why he was so worked up. He said that he was sick of being a pawn in everyone's games. I wonder what that means." Marinette said and Cat Noir blinked.
"Does it really matter why he was mad?" Cat Noir asked, putting the charm back in her purse.
"I think it does. At least a little. I mean, he called himself a pawn, so that means he feels used. It might have something to do with his dad ordering him around. I mean it's clear that he keeps Adrien locked up in his house, because he's afraid, but Adrien may not see it that way." Marinette said.
"I... suppose you're right." Cat Noir said.
"And Adrien's a model. So he is automatically told what to wear and how to behave. It's sad since fashion is about expression, yet they just want him because he's an attractive guy with a famous dad." Marinette said.
"Yeah." Cat Noir muttered sadly.
"But those pictures don't show how kind he is, or how sweet he is, or how smart he is, There is so much to Adrien, and people don't get to see that." Marinette said.
"True. But he still gets chased by crazed fans. I'm not sure that they care about who he really is." Cat Noir said.
"Well, that's a shame, because Adrien has the biggest heart in the whole school. I mean he would have done this fashion show that Chloe organized with just him and- Wow, people do take him for granted... poor Adrien." Marinette said and Cat Noir stared at her. He wasn't expecting Marinette to feel sorry for him, not after what he did.
"Now I think you have the biggest heart in your school." Cat Noir said and Marinette blushed and tucked some hair behind her ear.
"You're welcome, um... bluebell?" Cat Noir said.
"Bluebell?" Marinette asked and Cat Noir rubbed the back of his neck.
"After your eyes. They are as blue as bluebell flower. It might be a good nickname." Cat Noir said and Marinette blushed.
"That's sweet. I think bluebell could work." Marinette said slowly.
"Is it purrfect?" Cat Noir asked and Marinette rolled her eyes, but still laughed a little.
"You are such a dork." Marinette said and they laughed together.