AN: So if you are reading this then you are reading the rewrite of this chapter. I decided to remake the first 13, or as much as I thought needed improving, because well why else would I? I think it is much better than the original. Some stuff has changed but the core is the same!
Mentally Marinette felt like a million euros, and she couldn't wait for school today. Physically she was exhausted and needed even more sleep. She groaned as she laid in her bed, face planted in her pillow and rear end in the air. Tikki decided to climb up her legs and slide down her back, landing in a mess of tangled black hair.
"Tikki, you can't just pull a Flintstones on my back every time I lay like this." The girl said through subtle laughs. The feeling sent a tickling sensation through her body.
"Sorry Marinette, I can't help it. It is too much fun." The Kwami giggled as she crawled through the hair and sat on top of her head. Before Tikki could speak she caught sight of a peanut butter cookie still in its container sitting on Marinette's desk. Ignoring everything, the creature flew to her delicious prize.
Tikki was one of the best friends Marinette could ever ask for. All the sound and wise advice the small goddess had given her was invaluable. The only person who could compare was her partner Cat Noir. One of four people who could bring a smile to her face whenever she was down.
Marinette sat up in her bed and placed a hand on her chin. "I really need to do something as thanks for the Cat. Our hero anniversary is coming up faster than I would like and I need to do something special for him. That cute cat is always doing something for me." She jumped down the steps of her bed and began walking to her dresser, grabbing her hairbrush. She began to hum a tune while brushing when she froze.
Marinette shook her head and slapped her cheeks gently. She had to get the thought of him being cute, although he was, out of her head and all the other ones that came with it. To get her thoughts on track she rushed over to her computer and looked at the custom background of Adrien, staring lovingly at his beach photo. His hair being blown by the wind, the sun beaming down on his gorgeous face. This one picture was a big reminder of the love she felt for him. Not just the fact he was handsome, but the kindest soul she had ever known.
"Marinette you really need to control your dreams," Tikki said as she sat on top of the monitor. Little bits of cookie crumbs dotted her face. "Last night you woke me up when you kept saying Adrien's name and something about needing more grapes and moving a fan faster. Honestly, you need to keep your Adrien harem under wraps, or you mi-"
"ALRIGHT TIKKI, THAT'S ENOUGH!" Marinette pushed her finger to the mouth of the small god. Her face was completely red. To say that she was embarrassed was an understatement. Tikki talking about her "Adrien Dreams" was not something she was fond of. She lucid dreams about Adrien, so what?
"Marinette, are you ok up there?" Sabine called from the bottom of the stairs leading to the trapdoor of her room.
"Um- everything is just peachy mom! Just… talking to my… purse!" She paused for a second, knowing it was clear when she could hear her mom muttering and walking away. She let out a sigh of relief as the Kwami laughed. Marinette groaned as she went to her closet and grabbed a chic, light blue blouse with white pants. She decided on a pair of gray flats to complete the ensemble. Her hair stayed in their signature ponytails.
"Speaking of Adrien, today is finally the day. Today I am going to confess to him how I feel. We have gotten so close to each other this last year. From spending a lot of time at his house, him spending time here, to the way I have been oh so successfully flirting with him without embarrassing myself, mostly. I feel a special connection to him, which unsurprisingly, was the key to this confession. Plus, being able to fake that confidence when I do flirt has done wonders for me."
Marinette ran down to the bathroom, Tikki at her side as she locked the door behind her.
"Plus a certain fencer may have found something with a certain guitar player." Marinette chuckled at her own plan, ignoring the hard stare she received from Tikki.
"You mean when you locked them in a random room at school and had them talk to each other?" Tikki retorted as she flew in front of the girl.
Marinette internally cringed as she grabbed her toothbrush and began to brush her teeth. It wasn't her finest moment, but she didn't regret it. More than once she had caught Luka gazing at Kagami, giving her the same eyes he once gave Marinette. She couldn't be angry at him. They tried to date before. It just didn't feel right. She loved Luka, but couldn't see herself IN LOVE with him. Kagami on the other hand was a beautiful and amazing person. More than once did she catch Kagami taking a peek at the blue-haired boy when she thought no one was looking. She had seen the interactions between the two and how they instantly clicked. When Kagami had shown the tiniest bit of interest in him she jumped at the chance to get them together.
"Ok, that was super dumb of me. And I let jealousy grip me at that moment. But in my defense, she and Adrien decided to stay only friends which means Kagami was single. I was just...being a wing-woman. Yeah. That's it."
"That's not much better Marinette." Tikki crossed her arms, her eyes conveying the disbelief in them.
"Well, they decided to have a date recently so I call that a win for Kagami."
Marinette rinsed her mouth out with water and quickly checked her face for blemishes. Satisfied with her looks she raced out to her room, eyeing the envelope sitting square in the middle. She picked it up, giving the heart-shaped sticker a big kiss before putting it in her book bag. When she made sure everything was in order she headed to the kitchen, intent on packing an emergency snack for her best friend. As she grabbed a few cereal bars from the cabinet her phone began to ring, the background photo showing Alya and Nino taking a selfie, Nino having a big blush on his face.
"Hello, my best friend~," Marinette said in a singsong tone as she answered the phone.
"Oh, you are awake! That means that you are about to leave from your front door and get to school before the bell rings!" Alya's tone was teasing, and Marinette could tell she was tapping her foot impatiently.
Marinette looked at the time on her phone. 8:50 AM. "Damn it I didn't realize! I'll be there soon!" Marinette hung up the phone and grabbed her purse. She ushered Tikki into the bag and dashed downstairs.
Marinette ran past the bakery counter, yelling a quick goodbye as she left the building. She crossed the street, noticing Alya at the entrance of the school, looking at her phone with a small smile. She wore a Missord frill trim, layered hem, cami dress. Her hair was long and wavy as it reached her lower back, covering most of the skin exposed on her back. True to Alya she wore a white peak of sneakers, though the laces were missing. Marinette approached her best friend, lightly panting as she placed a hand on her shoulder.
"You literally live 2 minutes from the school. You can't always be late." Alya looked up from her phone, pushing her glasses up. "But never mind that now. Adrien is right there~" Alya turned the designer around and made her look at the tall, blonde teenager.
Adrien Agreste, the absolute love of her life. He stood there talking to Chloe and Alix, hair gently being blown by the wind. The God Rays shining on him like an angel. Even his outfit, which was a simple gray t-shirt with black stripes and blue jeans. Even his super casual look was enchanting.
"So you going to go talk to him or do I have to do all the work like always?" Alya asked with a small laugh. She nudged her shoulder against Marienette's, breaking the girl from her trance.
"Actually," The designer suddenly interjected with a smug look on her face. "Yes. Yes, I am. I spent a lot of my free time last night constructing the perfect letter to let Adrien know my true feelings toward him. Signed with my name this time." Marinette crossed her arms, her smile showing just how confident she felt in this moment.
Alya looked at Marinette, eyes wide and filled to the brim with surprise and pride. This was the exact look that Marinette was hoping for.
Alya shook her head and grabbed her friend by the shoulders and shook her, yelling louder than she should have. "OH MY GOSH, YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW LONG WE HAVE BEEN WAITING!"
Marinette had an inquisitive look on her face as she blinked a few times. "Um, who exactly is we?"
"Oh, you know. Nino, Rose, Kim, literally everyone in this school! I have told you for years to go and talk to him and you never have. I mean there was that time at the wax museum but we don't talk about that." Both girls shuddered at the thought of that embarrassing moment. Vowing to bring it up as little as possible.
"Don't exaggerate Alya. Sure the girls have been rooting for me. But not everyone has been wanting this. Right?" She tilted her head as she said this, raising an eyebrow at the question.
"You are kidding me, right? The guys, your parents, my sisters, my parents, and just about anyone who knows you two." Alya explained all this while counting with her fingers the number of people invested in this.
Marinette could feel her face go red. Were this many people wanting Adrien and her to be together? Why did they care so much? Marinette didn't mind seeing people as cute together and wanting them to date if they were compatible, but this seemed a little excessive.
"Alya, you aren't making some kind of game out of my dating life, are you? You know I love you and I would honestly destroy the moon and flood the Earth for you, but this seems kinda…. creepy."
Alya rolled her eyes, shaking her head gently before nudging her friend. "Look, you have to go approach him soon before." The warning bell rang and some students began to hurry inside. "That. come one. Let's get inside."
Nino was waiting at the stairs leading to the second floor, headphones on and playing with his phone. Missing his signature hat for once and wearing his eye-conic, shirt and cargo shorts. Marinette mentally groaned at the pun she made. Cat Noir would even hate that one, probably.
Nino glanced up from his phones and spotted the girls. He pocketed the device and lowered his headphones around his neck. He leaned in, giving his girlfriend a quick kiss before turning to the shorter girl.
"Sup dudette. You're looking pretty happy right now. Got some good news or something?" Nino wrapped his arm around Alya's shoulder, slightly leaning against her.
"Little Miss Confidence here is gonna confess to lover boy over there." Alya pointed to Adrien, who was still engaged in conversation with Chloe.
"About time you did it. The dude won't shut up about you. Swear he has it bad for you girl."
"Wait, Adrien talks about me? In….in what context?" Marinette's interest was particularly piqued now. She had lost count of the number of times she had talked to Alya about Adrien, but to hear about him talking about her? This was a reality she had never perceived.
"In like every context imaginable. 'Marinette is so reliable.' 'Marinette and I did this.' 'This reminds me of this one time Marinette…' I know you two have become, like, super close but from the way he speaks it sounds like he is in love with you.
Those last words hit Marinette harder than the couple in front of her could think. Her mind went into overdrive of Adrien talking about her, saying sweet things about her behavior and quirks. She stifled back a squeal. Now was not the time to go into freak-out mode. She needed to focus.
Marinette took a deep breath. She needed to do this before class started. She either did this now, with all the confidence she built up for the week, or she wouldn't do it all. She reached into her bag and grabbed the letter. She clutched the envelope to her chest, her heart beating at a rapid pace. She walked over to Adrien, her eyes never leaving him as she advanced toward him. Adrien then turned around, looking to where Chloe was pointing.
This caused Marinette to have a fleeting moment of panic. Chloe was very unpredictable nowadays. They had buried the hatchet last fall, a moment she never thought would happen. Chloe was now nicer, but still kinda bitchy at times.
Chloe had walked away, giving some half-baked excuse before heading to the locker room. Marinette looked at Adrien, his smiling face making her knees a little weak. But this wasn't the time to be swooned by his looks. This was the time to get the man of her dreams.
"Adrien, I have something..."
"Marinette, I have something..."
The ground began to shake violently as they spoke at the same time. Some people began to scream and run away from the area. Someone had bumped into Adrien, causing him to fall on Marinette and take her to the ground with him. All her confidence was washed away and had turned into embarrassment. Marinette had opened her eyes, seeing the model hover on top of her. She could feel her face get flushed for a moment, then she saw his hand on her chest. Her face got an even darker shade of red as Adrien unintentionally squeezed as he lifted himself.
Adrien looked down at her, and she wished at that moment she could just disappear. Adrien looked down at his hand, jumping backward and scrambling away from her, his face just as red as hers.
"I'm so sorry Marinette! I didn't mean to do that!" Adrien's voice cracked as he pleaded with her, his tone nothing but apologetic. He got to his feet, helping the girl to stand.
"It's ok Adrien. It was an accident. I know that.."
"LADYBUG AND CAT NOIR! SHOW YOURSELVES!" A loud and scratchy voice yelled out. It could have only been one thing.
Marinette looked at Adrien, a stern look on her face."If you really want forgiveness, then you'll get somewhere safe and stay there!"
Marinette didn't wait for Adrien's response before she dashed out of his sight. She found an empty classroom and shut herself inside. She made sure the close was clear before grabbing her purse.
"That….that was awkward, to say the least." Tikki giggled as she floated in front of Marinette's face.
"Tikki. Adrien touched my… my….you know!"
"It's called a boob."
"I know what it's called!" Marinette yelled out, slightly flustered.
"Well, at least you didn't slap him and call him a pervert for a complete accident he had no control over." Tikki winked at her chosen who just scoffed and looked down.
"Oh cheer up Marinette. It could be a lot worse. Adrien could have fallen face first!" Tikki couldn't contain her laughter as she wrapped her small arms around her stomach.
"GAH! TIKKI I SAID NO TAINTING YOU." Marinette shook her head rapidly and looked at her. She heard the same yell once more, this time a bit further away. "Tikki we have an Akuma to stop. Now if you would be so kind. Spots on!"