Chapter 2.
"So after we finished lunch we decided to go on a stroll through the park," Alya tried to contain her excitement as she told Marinette the events of the previous afternoon, "we ended up sitting on a park bench and once we sat down he told me he wanted to ask me something, he finally plucked up the courage and asked if I wanted to make our relationship official and of course I said yes!" Alya squealed, trying her best not to shout for the whole school to find out.
"Oh wow, that sounds so romantic Alya," Marinette said letting out a soft dreamy sigh.
"That's not all," Alya leaned in towards Marinette looking around as she motioned for her friend to get closer, "we kissed!" she whispered into Marinette's ear excitedly, they both held each other's hands as they silently squealed.
"You guys seem very excited this morning," the girls turned to see Nino walking towards them and Marinette noticed a small blush creep onto Alya's cheeks, "good morning ladies," he said as he walked up to Alya and placed a kiss on her cheek.
"Good morning," they both said back, Alya smiling at Nino with a soft look in her eyes unusual for the sassy girl.
"About time you two lovebirds got together," Marinette remarked, making them both look down at the floor to hide their embarrassment.
"I agree, you guys took way too long making it official" Marinette jumped as she heard Adrien's voice from behind her.
"G-Good" was all Marinette managed to muster out, she felt her cheek grow warm and felt a pit in her stomach, "Good morning! Well I have to leave, I mean go. To class!" Marinette dashed away towards her classroom, trying to not to let the embarrassment flood her.
"Miraculous Ladybug!" thousands of ladybugs restored the city and civilians began coming to their senses.
"Pound it" Chat and Ladybug said in unison as they completed their mission of protecting Paris.
"We sure swept that up m'lady" Chat said, trying to make a pun about the akumatized janitor who had fought them with brooms.
"Your puns just keep getting worse," Ladybug shook her head, "we should go before we de-transform" she said, grabbing her yoyo.
"Wait," Chat grabbed her hand, "will you be on guard tonight?" he asked, a beep could be heard from Ladybug's earrings.
"Of course I am, I really have to go, see you kitty", she bopped his nose and swiftly yoyo-ed away before she could de-transform.
The autumn breeze brushed Ladybug's cheeks, as she sat on a ledge of the Eiffel Tower, she enjoyed the indigo shade of the night sky and turned as she heard a familiar pair of footsteps.
"Good evening m'lady, you're beauty seems to be at its peak tonight," Chat Noir said as he approached her and took a seat by her side.
"Well hello kitty," she peered slightly downwards, "if I pushed you from here, would you land on your feet?" she asked, teasing her partner who frowned.
"Very funny but," he rolled his eyes, "I actually came because I wanted to ask you a question" his usual playful voice became stern.
"Oh, well okay. Is something wrong?" she asked, concerned at his sudden seriousness.
"Yeah, I was just wondering if… do I… have a rival?" he avoided eye contact with Ladybug as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"I'm sorry Chat but I don't quite understand your question" she gave him a small smile as he finally looked at her again.
"I want to know if you like anybody," he looked away once more, he felt the tip of his ears burn from embarrassment. Ladybug hesitated, she figured as long as she didn't say any names it couldn't hurt to let him know.
"It's a bit complicated," she pursed her lips, thinking about how to word her answer, "I've had a crush on a boy for almost two years now but lately I've been wondering if it's time to let go. Every time I speak to him I get so nervous that I can't find the right words and end up making a fool of myself." she smiled sheepishly, embarrassed she was confessing this to Chat of all people.
"My feelings are completely one sided, he sees me as a friend, I've decided to move on and make room in my heart for someone else," she looked at Chat who had a small blush across his face, "At the end of the day I'm Ladybug, it's not like love is my first priority." she added the last part quickly, trying not to let Chat jump to any conclusions.
"Ladybug I-" Chat was in disbelief that anyone could NOT like her, she was Ladybug after-all he doubted her civilian persona was far from perfect.
"Don't worry about it Chaton, remember who I am as a civilian and who I am as Ladybug isn't the same" she smiled at him, "now let me pry at you, does anyone hold a spot in Chat Noir's heart?" she half-teased, it would be a lie if she said she didn't want to know if he liked anyone.
"Ouch, you know my heart only belongs to you bugaboo" he grabbed her hand ready to kiss it but she quickly pulled it out of his grip.
"I highly doubt that," she said, making him frown once more, "I'm going to get going, some of us have to be up early tomorrow."
"I'm being honest Ladybug, I only have room for you in my heart," he was still frowning.
"Fine, I'll believe you. Goodnight Chaton," she patted his head and without another word disappeared into the night.
"Class dismissed" Ms. Mendelieve excused the class, the shuffling of books and pencils was heard accompanied by the chatter of students. Marinette waited for Alya to pack, excited for their afternoon boba date.
"Ready for boba?" she asked her friend, a smile on her face. Alya's eyes widened, an awkward smile appearing her face.
"That's today? I'm so sorry I forgot Mari, I made plans with Nino," Alya told her, a guilty expression on her face. Nino turned around to face the girls, clearly having overheard the conversation.
"It's fine, don't worry," Marinette giggled, trying not to sound upset. She was happy her best friend was enjoying her new relationship.
"I'm sorry dudette, Alya if you want you can go with Marinette," Nino offered.
"No, I couldn't do that. We can just go another day," Marinette tried reassuring the couple, she didn't want to ruin one of their first dates over boba.
"If you want I'll go with Mari," the three turned to see Adrien still standing there. Marinette felt her legs buckle at his offer but tried to maintain her composure.
"That would be great!" Alya said before Marinette could even fully comprehend the situation. "That way me and Nino can go guilt free, we owe you one Agreste, see you two tomorrow!"Alya rushed out of the classroom, pulling Nino by his bag before Marintte could even let a word out.
Marinette tried to comprehend the situation but it had happened in the span of 30 seconds. Was this a date? Was she going on a date with Adrien?! Why now? She had just decided to give up on him and now this was happening? It felt like the universe was playing a big trick on her, perhaps it was a joke and she was meant to be the butt of it.
"Marinette?" Adrien's voice pulled Marinette out of her thoughts, this was actually happening. She couldn't tell if her desire to groan was larger than her desire to squeal.
"Y-yes? Um… you don't do this, I mean you don't have to do this. You're a model, a busy one. It's just boba, I bet you have stuff to do" she tried to make her sentences coherent enough for him to understand.
"It's okay Marinette, I actually have a spare hour before my shoot, so we're good" he gave her a thumbs up as if to reassure her.
"Ok! Then we shall? I mean, shall we?" she asked as she motioned at the door.
The boba shop was only a couple blocks away and thankfully for Marinette the walk was mostly occupied with silence while Adrien texted on his phone. She tried calming herself down; Adrien was just her friend and friends can get boba! There was no reason for her to be nervous.
"Do you know what you're going to get?" Adrien asked as they waited to cross the street.
"Um yeah, just a milk tea." she replied, the light turned green and they began crossing the street.
"What about you?" Marinette asked, a small smile on her face as she tried to remain calm. 'We're just friends, just act as if he were Nino or Alya or Kim or anybody EXCEPT Adrien' she thought to herself. She glanced at him and saw he was deep in thought, his lips were pursed and his eyebrows furrowed.
"Maybe a honeydew or brown sugar milk tea! I think if I hurry, Natalie won't notice that I drank something so high in sugar," he finally answered, Marinette left a small puff of air leave through her nose as she held in a small laugh.
"You seem to have a sweet tooth if those are your picks," she said, his model diet probably didn't allow for many sweet treats.
They finally arrived at the boba shop which had vibrant teal walls and an almost completely electronic menu behind the counter, a variety of board games were placed on a shelf on the wall and a few guests littered the tables drinking tea. Marinette and Adrien both ordered their drinks and paid for them respectively, standing to the side while they waited for their boba.
"We should sit outside, the weather is nice," Adrien suggested, "I mean if you want to! We don't have to" he quickly added, feeling slightly embarrassed. He didn't want Marinette to think he was being pushy.
"Y-yeah, that's fine. It is nice," Marinette offered him a smile as if to reassure him. Her sudden calmness made him feel more at ease, perhaps Marinette was finally opening up to the idea of him being her friend.
They soon got their drinks and got a small table from outside. They took a few sips in silence, neither really knowing what to say. It wasn't exactly awkward but neither could say it was the most ideal experience. Adrien looked down at his watch and saw that they still had 45 minutes before his Gorilla came to pick him up for his shoot. He glanced at Marinette who's eyes seemed to be glued to the cement floor, her drink mere centimeters away from her next sip.
"So how is the design for Jagged Stone going?" Adrien asked, breaking the silence.
"Oh, um well… good. We had a fitting this weekend, there are some minor alterations and I have some details to finish like embroidering the sequins and such" her voice was shaky but she managed to speak without mixing up her words. She was circling the tip of her straw with her finger placing her attention to that while she spoke.
"That's amazing Marinette, do you plan on being a fashion designer in the future?" he asked, a genuine curiosity in his voice that made Marinette's heartbeat accelerate.
"Y-yes, I started designing my own clothes a while back, hoping someday I'd get good enough to study fashion design in school and eventually work for Gabriel Agreste" she rambled before remembering Gabriel Agreste was Adrien's father. She shut her eyes trying to calm her sudden embarrassment.
"Seems like you have it all planned out Marinette. You're really good at what you do so I'm sure my father will hire you some day" Adrien said, making Marinette blush a deep crimson color.
"Thank you Adrien, that means a lot... coming from you," Marinette managed to say, her eyes refusing to meet his but a small smile gracing her face. Adrien felt his own cheeks warm a bit as he looked at the girl.
"Marinette?" a timid voice asked, making the pair look up to see Nathaniel who was holding a milk tea in one hand and a sketchbook in the other.
"Nathaniel, hi! What coincidence," Marinette said, smiling widely at the red-headed boy. Adrien couldn't help but notice the contrast in the way Martinette spoke to him versus Nathaniel.
"Yeah, I've been wanting to try this place out for a while," he shyly replied, his face was dusted pink as he spoke to her.
"Do you want to sit with us?" she asked, as she motioned at the empty chair between them.
"Oh no, I wouldn't want to intrude on you two" Nathaniel said.
"Nonsense, right Adrien?" she looked over at Adrien who had been silent the whole conversation. Adrien couldn't help but feel a bit upset, they had just began having a normal conversation but he couldn't say no.
"Not a bother at all," he motioned at the chair and gave them both a smile. He began sipping on his boba, his brows furrowing a bit without him noticing.
"Is that a new coat? Did you make it yourself?" Nathaniel asked, he pointed at Marinette who was wearing a black coat with small pink flowers embroidered on the collar.
"Ah yes, I did, thank you for noticing. Now that the days have begun getting colder my blazer wasn't really cutting it for me," her voice was sweet as she replied, a soft smile on her face. She was happy that someone had noticed her coat, she had spent a couple days working on it back in September hoping that a certain blonde might notice it once the cold weather began.
"You're so talented Marinette, I've always admired that" Nathaniel said, she put a strand of her hair behind her ear as she timidly smiled at the compliment.
"T-thanks, you're really talented as well Nathaniel, your drawings are all so wonderful," she complimented back. Adrien sat silently as the conversation was going on, he had no reason to but he found himself feeling irritated.
He had just began getting Marinette to talk to him, yet here Nathaniel was effortlessly making conversation. Marinette rarely spoke to Adrien, she could barely form sentences when he was around. It baffled Adrien. He didn't think he had done anything bad to her. There had been times where he thought they were getting closer to being friends but she never seemed to be comfortable around him.
"Don't you think Adrien?" the blonde was pulled out of his thoughts by Nathaniel's voice.
"Come again?" he asked, he hadn't been paying attention to the conversation, he felt the tips of his ears begin to burn from embarrassment.
"I was just telling Marinette that she would be the perfect model for a portrait, I've been working on realism and I think she would make a perfect muse, don't you think?" Nathaniel asked, he looked at Marinette whose cheeks were tinted pink, she looked at him expectantly.
"Y-yeah, Marinette is very pretty I'm sure she would look nice in a portrait," Adrien's eyes shifted away from Marinette, the burning in his ears continued. Marinette was a very pretty girl, it wasn't surprising that a boy like Nathaniel would have a liking for her. There it was again, the irritability Adrien was feeling.
"Th-thank…" Marinette began stuttering unnoticed by Adrien who was avoiding her gaze. He abruptly stood up startling the pair.
"I have to get going, I have a photoshoot soon," Adrien said, grabbing his bag and taking a large sip from his boba tea making the last of it disappear from the cup.
"Oh, do you want me to walk with you?" Marinette asked, confused by the suddenness of his departure.
"No it's fine you two can stay here, see you tomorrow." he smiled at the pair who waved bye in confusion. Marinette frowned, upset that her one chance to be alone with Adrien had turned out this way. They sat in silence for a bit, before Nathaniel also stood up.
"Sorry Marinette, I should get going as well, I'll see you tomorrow," he said, picking his sketchbook up from the table.
"Oh, okay. Bye Nathaniel" Marinette said, her voice was soft, she seemed a little hurt and confused but gave him a smile as she waved bye.
The redhead walked back towards the school, quickly catching up to Adrien before stopping him in the middle of the sidewalk.
"Adrien," his voice was stern, unusual for the shy boy, "do you like Marintte?" he asked, it was sudden and seemingly out of nowhere to Adrien.
"What? No, we're just friends," he replied honestly making Nathaniel frown.
"Then don't lead her on." Nathaniel said, he was looking Adrien in the eyes as he said it, and before anything else could be exchanged he walked away.
Leading Marinette on? Adrien had never thought of Marinette as more than a friend, she didn't even seem to like Adrien, so how could he possibly lead her on? The blonde was confused but decided not to dwell on it as he continued walking towards the school. 'My heart belongs to Ladybug,' he thought to himself.
"Marinette you're hurt!" Tikki exclaimed, an akumatized victim had appeared and before Marinette could escape the were-man had managed to scratch her face.
"I know Tikki but there's no time to worry about it, I need to transform!" before the kwami could protest Marinette had already yelled "Spots on".
"Miraculous Ladybug!" thousands of ladybugs appeared, repairing the city once more. Marinette shut her eyes, hoping the scratch on her face would disappear with the rest of the chaos.
"Ladybug are you okay?" Chat asked, he was distraught and his reaction told her the scar had remained on her face.
"I'm okay Chaton, it'll go away next time it doesn't even hurt, " she gave him a smile, his worry was not dismissed however.
"It looks like it hurts though, how dare he touch your beautiful face," his frown deepened, forming creases on his forehead, her earrings beeped reminding her it was time for her to go.
"Don't worry about it, I'm Ladybug after all, it'll go away next time I promise," she caressed his cheek hoping to make his frown disappear, "I have to go before I de-transform, don't worry Chaton," she gave him a small peck on his cheek, making them both blush. She smiled one last time before grabbing her yoyo and quickly disappearing from sight.