Chapter 11 – Gleaning Fragments

The low-level hum of creative chatter within the art room was always a welcomed sound to Marinette. It was the last class of the afternoon and one she always relished. The class itself was small, comprised of only a few of her regular classmates. Alix was busy with her mural. Rose and Juleka were painting flowers on the front of an old acoustic guitar in tandem. But it was Nathanial and Marc's giggles that had the would-be designer turning her head.

"What trouble are you two concocting?" she asked with a lopsided smirk.

The boys glanced at each other and grinned. "Nothing really," Nathaniel stated as he adjusted his grip on his pencil.

"Come on, I can tell you're up to something."

Marc shook his head. "Honestly, we're not. We were just discussing…"

Again the pair looked to each other, their eyes shining with a shared question before they both shrugged. Nathaniel gave her an appraising look. "Adrien asked us something at lunch today that was, well, endearing."

Marinette's delicate eyebrows lowered in confusion. "Uh, okay." Clearly, they were unsure if it was alright to talk about Adrien in front of her. "What did he say?"

A faint blush touched Marc's cheeks as he tugged the strings on his hoodie. "He was asking about an unexpected reaction he had to a close female friend of his."

"Oh," Marinette uttered as she tried to ignore the tightening of her throat.

Nathaniel smirked at Marc, missing the strain in Marinette's expression. "Apparently she blew in his ear by accident and he found it very appealing. Then he couldn't understand why his reaction was the complete opposite when Chloe did the same thing."

A snort escaped Marinette. The idea of Chloe being close enough to breath on anyone was enough to make a person cringe.

"My thoughts exactly," Marc nodded.

"So, um, who was this friend?"

"He wouldn't say."

Marinette stared at Marc, the wheels turning in her head as she deduced that it had to be Kagami. There was no one else that came even close as a possible second guess. Her chances of ever being with Adrien had always been remote, only now did she see how obvious that was.

"What did you tell him?"

Marc looked to his book but Nathaniel met her gaze. "That his reaction to the first girl is a fair indicator that he's attracted to her. The guy practically blushed to the roots of his hair and began denying the possibility with far too much conviction."

"It was adorable," Marc mumbled at the page before him.

Marinette didn't know how to feel. If anything, it cemented the truth that Adrien had never seen her in a romantic light even further. She just wished her eyes had been opened before she'd fallen so hard for the model. Pushing away the echoing hurt, she smiled back at her friends. "He really is oblivious."

"Totally," Nathaniel smirked with a shake of his head. "At times he's the living embodiment of a dumb blonde."

Marc reached forward to place his hand over hers. "You deserve someone who sees just how wonderful you are, Marinette. Never doubt yourself. You are an amazing person and one day you'll be swept off your feet by someone who really appreciates and reciprocates your feelings."

At his kind words, Marinette felt tears prick at her eyes but forced them away as she smiled warmly at Marc. "You really are a marvel when it comes to spinning a line."

"It's the truth and that's why it comes so easily. Your Prince Charming is out there somewhere and when he finds you, I bet he never lets you go."

The idea was a pleasant one. Yet the image of Chat Noir flashed into her mind at the concept. Inwardly she smiled at the absurdity. Was it really a surprise? Chat Noir had been trying to woo her as Ladybug for years. He was also her closest male friend as Marinette. Her mind was merely overlapping the two versions of Chat in her experience: the one who wanted to be her sweetheart and the one who wanted to be her friend. Never would the two become one because Chat Noir could never know Ladybug's true identity.

For the first time, Marinette found herself strangely disappointed by that fact.

And look, two chapters within days! And this one wasn't where I initially envisioned, but I thought it a cute exchange.

As always thanks for your support and please feed the review box, it's always hungry. Cheers :)