Chapter 15: Words

As it would be expected, Marinette and Chloe were the last ones to arrive, and when they did, Miss Bustier was already wondering what had happened to them. The two of them apologized to her, and lied about having ended up stuck in traffic. Most teachers at Françoise Dupont would give them detention for arriving nearly 20 minutes late. But Caline Bustier was not like most teachers. And because of it, she let the girls go with a warning, while telling them that if that happened again, she would have to notify their parents regarding the matter.

"It won't happen again, Miss Bustier." -Marinette said.

"Yes, what, Marinette said. It won't happen, I promise." -Chloe promised her.

"Very well. Now, if you can take your seats, maybe we can go back to our class." -Miss Bustier smiled, as the two of them made their way to their respective seats.

Once they were in their respective seats, Miss Bustier continued what she was talking about. On that day, she had decided to continue with the teaching of Arithmetic, while reserving the second part of her class to the teaching of French literature, and the last part, after lunch, to talk to her students regarding the chocolate and the friendship letter exchange that was going to happen the following day. She wanted to know if they had already written the letters and made or bought the chocolates; and if that was not the case, to remind them not to forget about it.

"What happened, Chloe? For real…" -Sabrina asked her, by writing it on her notebook. She knew something had happened, but could not tell exactly what.

"I'll explain later, during the break." -Chloe answer her, writing the answer on the notebook.

And Sabrina was not the only one who noticed something had happened. When Marinette sat by her side, Alya noticed that her eyes were slightly red and the make-up she was wearing was not the brand she usually wore. Most people would not notice it, but Alya being a girl, and someone who had a keen eye for details, noticed it. This prompted to ask her best friend, what had happened.

"Girl, what happened? Were you crying? Did Chloe go back to her old ways?" -Alya asked her, writing it on her notebook. She did not want to assume Chloe had turned evil again, but having Marinette and Chloe arriving at the same time, and seeing Marinette with her eyes red, just as if she had been crying, made her assume the worst.

"No, everything is fine. I'll tell you later. And before you ask me, no, Chloe did nothing wrong." –Marinette answered her, by writing the answer. –"If anything, she helped me." -she added.

And like she had promised her, once it was break time, Marinette dragged Alya to a place, where she knew they could talk without being interrupted. And this place was the school's rooftop. Up there, they had all the privacy they could ask for, and they were free to talk about anything, without having to worry about being interrupted or heard by the wrong people.

"Okay, girl, spill the beans. Were you crying? How did Chloe help you?" -Alya asked Marinette. From the tone of her voice, the blue-haired girl knew she was worried about her.

To make her calm down, Marinette quickly told Alya what happened the day before, when she followed Adrien. She told her what she saw and what happened afterwards. Reliving the whole thing in her mind, as she told it was not easy, but Marinette owed Alya every last detail of it. Upon hearing all Marinette told her, Alya felt bad about herself. And not just herself, she felt bad about Marinette as well. When she needed her the most, she was busy having dinner with her family and Nino, and later spending time with Nino. None of it was her fault, but she could not help but to feel like it was hers.

"Oh, girl, why didn't you call me? Or better yet, why didn't I call you to check up on you?! I knew I should have called you last night… I told Nino that lately I hadn't been talking to you very much, and… I can't even believe what you had to go through last night. I'm sorry. I knew I should have called you." -Alya sighed, as she apologized

"It's okay, Alya. To be honest, I don't think you could have helped me last night. Not even Tikki was able to help me, other than to convince me to go to bed earlier." -Marinette declared. –"My mind was in a really dark place last night, Alya." -she admitted.

"A really dark place indeed. I hope you never end up in that place again, Marinette." -Tikki said, as she remembered the whole thing and what Marinette told her in a fit of anger.

"I'll try my best so that never happens again, Tikki, I promise you." -Marinette smiled at the little kwami, who smiled back at her.

"But who was that girl you saw with Adrien, anyway?" -Alya asked Marinette. She did not tell her if she had found out about who she was.

"I have no idea, Alya. The only thing I know is that because of what I saw, my brain began to obsess with the idea that Adrien was secretly dating her and that I had lost any chance of being happy with him." -Marinette answered her, while doing her best to not relive the scene inside her head again. She had relived it more times than she would have wanted.

"And is he?" -Alya asked her.

"I don't really know anymore. But, after Chloe talked to me, I believe that everything that I've seen was not what it seemed." -Marinette answered her.

"Which leads us to what happened early this morning, with you and her arriving at the same time." -Alya pointed out. –"What exactly happened that made you two arrive that late, and at the same time?" -she asked her.

The first thing she told Alya, was reassuring her that Chloe was not back to her old ways. She felt that she did not need to tell that to Alya, but figured that it would not hurt repeating what she said earlier. She told her that Chloe had showed up at the bakery and had given her a ride. But seeing that she looked so gloom, the heiress and her got out of the car and looked for a place, where Marinette told her everything that happened the afternoon before.

"Chloe Bourgeois gave you a pep talk?!" -Alya asked, surprised by Marinette's words.

"I know, right? She herself believed that she was not the right person to do it, but in the end, she was. I don't know if it's because she knows Adrien longer than we all do, or whatever, but she helped me to see the light, so to speak." -Marinette declared. –"She did what you always do, whenever I'm feeling as low as a Beagle's belly." -she said.

"Then, the make-up you're wearing…" -Alya said.

"It's Chloe's. She was afraid that if we both showed up together, and I looked like I had been crying, that everyone would think that she had been mean to me." -Marinette told her. –"I told her there was no need, that all I needed was to wash my face and I would be good to go. But she insisted, and… well, you can see it for yourself." -she said.

"That Chloe never ceases to surprise me…" -Alya sighed. –"Now I'm feeling a little bad for thinking she had hurt you. I know it's stupid, but…"

"It's okay. You were just worried about me. And I don't think she would" -Marinette said. –"I'm just happy that I feel a bit more like my usual self." -she smiled.

"Pollen must be really proud of Chloe, right about now." -Trixx said. The fox kwami had been silent the whole time, but could not help but to make that comment.

"She was. I know, I was there." -Tikki told her.

"But there's still one question that needs to be asked." -Alya declared, as she looked Marinette in the eyes. –"What are you going to do regarding Adrien? What's your plan for tomorrow, girl?" -she asked her.

Marinette had not thought about it yet. With the mess her mind had been, she had not even thought about what she was going to do. But thinking a little, she knew what she was going to do.

"I'm going to do what I was thinking of doing, before all this mess happened." -Marinette answered her. –"After school, I'm going straight home and I'm going to make the cake I was planning to do, along with some chocolates. And tomorrow, I'm going to give it to Adrien, and tell him that I love him." -she said.

"That sounds like a plan. You need any help with it? It's the least I can do, for not having been around when you me needed the most." -Alya volunteered. She really felt awful for not having been there for her best-friend.

"Thanks, but Tikki and I got this covered." -Marinette thanked her. –"You probably need the time to also make some chocolates or buy them, for Nino." -she giggled.

"God, I completely forgot about it!" -Alya said, as she remembered she had not bought any chocolates for Nino. When it came to her mind, that she had the perfect solution for it. –"But no worries. It's my mom's day off, so I'll ask her to help me with it." -she said.

"Perks of having one of the best chefs in Paris as your mom." -Marinette joked.

"Got that right, girl. But truth be told, my mom's pastries will never beat your parents'. There's something about them, that make them one of a kind." -Alya told her.

"It's the love they put in them… that, and a few secret spices." -Marinette smirked at her best friend.

At the same time, in the library, Chloe was talking to Sabrina about what had happened. Just like it happened with Marinette and Alya, the two of them chose a place where they knew their kwamis did not need to be hidden, and risk having themselves seen by one of the other students.

"Whoa… you really did a great job, Chloe." -Sabrina smiled at the blonde.

"She did indeed." -Pollen agreed.

"I learned from the best. And I'm being honest. If it wasn't for all the times that you did it for me, I wouldn't have been able to help Marinette this time." -Chloe smiled at Sabrina.

"Oh, don't say that, you're going to make me blush." –Sabrina said, while trying not to blush.

"More than you already are, kiddo?!" -Mika laughed at Sabrina. –"You become as red as tomato, whenever someone tells you something nice! If you had a boyfriend, you would remain absolutely blushed, whenever he was around!" -he laughed.

"Stop it!" -Sabrina exclaimed, when she remembered they were in a library. –"Oops… I think we better speak a little quieter, before we get expelled from here." -she said, while looking around to see if anyone had heard and had come to warn them to keep quiet.

"Sorry about that. I think I may have exaggerated a little bit." -Mika apologized.

"Just a little, you furry little wolf?" -Sabrina asked him, as she playfully petted Mika on the head. -"Either way, I may have taught you a thing or two, but I'm sure your heart did the rest." -she told Chloe, with a tearful smile on her face. –"I know that this is going to sound super cheesy and lame, but… more and more, when I look at you, I see the Chloe that I met so many years ago."

"To tell you the truth, I feel a lot like my old self. I can't believe how blind I was to the fact that over the years, I was turning into someone who was the polar opposite of who I really am." -Chloe told her. –"And I can only thank you and the rest of our friends." -she said.

"More importantly than that, you must thank yourself for realizing that you were going down that path, and decided that you didn't want to, anymore." -Sabrina said.

"Now, you're sounding a lot like Master Fu. Are you sure you haven't been hanging out with him, when you're not hanging around with me?" –Chloe asked her, while raising an eyebrow, which made Sabrina giggle.

Adrien's plan was to ask his father for some advice on how to tell Marinette he loved her, while also announcing him that he intended to begin dating her. To say that he was a little nervous about telling Gabriel about it was a bit of an understatement. He knew his father was not the kind to show emotion; and he was also the kind of person who thinks that there are people whom to his eyes, were not right for Adrien. But Adrien believed that Marinette would be one person his father would approve to be his girlfriend. He had sympathized with her, on the occasions they met, and he knew that she was a sweet, caring person, who would never take advantage of anyone; not to mention, she was also an aspiring fashion designer and seamstress. In sum, Adrien believed Marinette was the kind of girl, Gabriel would be happy to see him dating, even if she was not of the same social status as the Agrestes were.

The pendant he had bought for Marinette was incredibly beautiful. It had been a little more expensive than he thought it was going to be, but he did not care. Marinette was worth a million of those pendants. But if he knew just how Marinette felt after seeing him and Kagami coming out of the jewellery store, Adrien would have never gone and buy it. Never in his wildest dreams, would he ever hurt the girl he loved most in the world. But without meaning it, he did. Still, he would remain absolutely ignorant to that fact, and not even think of the possibility that someone who was not supposed to see him at Cartier's did that. As he was driven home by Gorilla, Adrien kept thinking about what he had talked with Nino, during lunch.

(Flashback)

Adrien had not told much about what he was planning for Marinette on Valentine's to Nino. The model had decided to keep most of what he was planning a secret from everyone, including his best friend. Other than Kagami, the only one who knew about his plans was Plagg, who had accidentally told Tikki about them, who in turn promised the black cat kwami, that she would not say a word about it. But with less than 24 hours to go, he felt that he needed another opinion. So, he decided to tell Nino what was his plan. Sitting into one of the benches in the courtyard, Adrien showed Nino an image of the pendant he had bought. When seeing it, Nino was surprised by what he saw.

"That's pretty." -Nino said.

"Thanks. Do you think she's going to like it?" -Adrien asked Nino.

"Bro, you went to one of the most expensive jewellery stores in Paris to buy her that. Of course, she's going to love it. And it's not because it's super expensive, it's because it's both beautiful and it's a gift from you to her."

"The way you say that, it's like you're saying that she's mad in love with me." -Adrien said.

"Oh, Adrien, how can you be so blind to the fact that the girl loves you?" -Nino thought to himself. He just wanted to slap him silly and tell him that Marinette loved him, just as much as he loved her. But, then, he remembered that in 24 hours, he would find out about that, and so, he decided to let that slip. –"Maybe, maybe not… you know that she digs you, Adrien. You two are good friends and you are partners in crime, so to speak." -he said.

"Yeah, but I don't want her to be just a good friend of mine, or just my partner in crime, as you call it. I want her to be more than just that. I want her to be my girlfriend. I want her to be the girl who I tell my most intimate secrets, passions and dreams…" -Adrien sighed.

"And you're leaving your best friend out of that department? That's cold, bro!" -Nino joked.

"Tell me about it. If she becomes his girlfriend, he'll never tell us anything, ever again." -Plagg, who was inside Adrien's jacket. Said with a sarcastic tone.

"Would you two grow-up?! Do you really think that is really going to happen? That just because he might start dating Marinette, that he'll never share anything with either one of you again?" -Wayzz asked them, as his head popped out from the pocket in Nino's jeans.

"Yes!" -Plagg exclaimed.

"Maybe…" -Nino joked.

"I'm with Wayzz on this one. You two really need to grow-up a little." -Adrien said, which made them all chuckle. –"But seriously, what do you think about the plan?"

"Going up to the school's rooftop, tell her how you really feel about her, then ask her to be your girlfriend, by presenting her with that sweet pendant you bought for her? That plan? I think it will work." -Nino smirked. –"Do you need some music? Because I can totally find you the perfect song to be played for when you tell Marinette you love her." -he suggested to Adrien, offering his musical talents.

"I appreciate the offer, but I think I'll just keep things simple." -Adrien told him. –"All I need now it to come up with the right words for the speech." -he said.

"You're telling me that you still don't know what you're going to tell her? Next, you're going to tell me you haven't bought her a box of chocolates for tomorrow. You have bought one, haven't you?" -Nino asked him, a little worried.

"I already bought her one. As for the speech, I'm going to ask my dad for a little help on that department." -Adrien said

"You think that's a good idea? I don't think your dad's the most romantic guy in the world, bro." –Nino said. To say that he thought Gabriel Agreste was one of the stiffest people he knew, was to say little. In his mind, he could not imagine him helping Adrien with that little detail. –"By the way, have you told him that you plan to ask Marinette to date you?"

"I was going to take the opportunity to tell him about it. I think, from all the girls I could want to date with, Marinette is a girl I think he'll approve. I mean, at least. she's not one of my stalker fans…" -Adrien chuckled, as he imagined Marinette as one of his stalker fans.

"I admit that from all of the girls you could have picked to start dating, Marinette is the best choice." -Nino said. –"Still, your dad's not known for being someone who thinks with his heart, but rather with his head, and he's quite stubborn." -he pointed out.

"I'm a little worried, I admit it. He's my dad, and I know he wants what's best for me. But I hope that he understands that he raised me to also know what's best for me as well." -Adrien told him. –"And if he doesn't agree, I've got a back-up plan. I'll ask Nathalie to help me out. He usually hears her out… and if that doesn't work, I'll ask my aunt Elodie to help me convince him." -he said.

"Well, let me know how it went, after you talk with your old man, bro." -Nino said. –"Hope he does approve of the idea." -he said.

(End of flashback)

Adrien truly hoped his father would approve of Marinette, and that he would help him find the right words to profess his love to her. But when he arrived home, after school, he found out, through Nathalie, that Gabriel had to leave on an unexpected business trip to Dubai, and would only be back in a week. When she told him that, Adrien could not help but to feel that once again, when he needed him the most, his father had left him hanging, He knew that it was not his fault; after all, running a financial empire as the Agreste fashion line was not easy. But, even so, it made him sad.

"Is everything alright, Adrien?" -Nathalie asked him, seeing him so down.

"N-No, it's just that… I wanted to talk to him about something…" -Adrien answered her.

"Maybe I can help?" -Nathalie asked him.

"Well, I guess it's worth a shot. Gorilla won't open his mouth, no matter what I ask him." -Adrien thought to himself. –"I could call Aunt Elodie, and ask her for advice, but she's probably already asleep by now." -he thought, remembering that she had texted him a few days before, saying that she would be in Singapore for the next couple of weeks. –"I guess you can try."

"Then, what's it about? Tell me." -Nathalie smiled.

"It's about… well…" -Adrien said, being a little shy about it. –"… you see, there's this girl and…" -Adrien told her.

"Oh, I see." -Nathalie smiled. –"And let me guess, the girl you wanted to talk about with your father, if the same one you bought something at Cartier's yesterday?" -she asked.

When Nathalie said those last words, Adrien felt his heart being squeezed, as if someone had placed its hand around it and slowly squeezed it. The same kind of feeling he had, whenever he knew he was in trouble.

"Surprised that I know that?" -Nathalie asked him with a serious voice. The smile on her face had disappeared, and she was looking at him with a stone-serious expression on her face.

"H-How…" -Adrien said.

"Let's just say that your driver let it slip that he had taken you and Miss Tsurugi there, yesterday afternoon." –Nathalie told him, while keeping the same expression.

"Great… thanks to Gorilla, I'm in trouble now." -Adrien thought, truly believing that he was in trouble.

But the seriousness on Nathalie's disappeared as quickly, as it had appeared, and her smile returned. But this time, it was not her usual smile; the smile she made whenever she was around Gabriel. It was a kind hearted one. The kind of smile that a mother would put on, upon realizing her son was slowly turning into a man.

"Why did you keep it a secret?" -Nathalie asked him.

"Well… I was afraid that my father would not agree with the idea of buying something for the girl… I mean…" -Adrien said, trying to explain the situation, while the words felt like they were gone from his mind.

"I understand. But why didn't you tell me?" -Nathalie asked him.

"Because you might tell him, and… I'm sorry, Nathalie. I didn't want to keep this a secret from you, but I feared…" -Adrien apologized.

"You feared that I would tell your father? I understand what you are saying, Adrien. But first of all, I am not your father. I know that you are usually afraid that he might not accept some things, because he has established a few goals for you, that he would like you to achieve with your education. But believe me, when I tell you that he would never oppose you dating someone you truly like. It's only normal for you to start dating a girl. You are not a little boy anymore, but a young man, and he wishes for your happiness, just like I do, more than anything. In fact, I think he will be very happy for you, once you tell him that you are dating Miss Tsurugi." -Nathalie smiled at him. –"Still, I hope whatever you bought for her at Cartier's wasn't incredibly expensive. Though I think that Miss Tsurugi's taste and discipline would never allow you to do such a thing." -she said, knowing that Kagami was not a girl who liked exuberant jewellery.

"Uh, it wasn't very expensive, don't worry… but, I'm not dating Kagami, Nathalie." -Adrien told her, which made the personal assistant of Gabriel Agreste become slightly shocked.

"You're not?" -Nathalie asked him.

"No. She just came along with me, to help me choose the gift I'm going to offer to the girl I truly love." -Adrien admitted.

"Then, who is the girl you are in love with?" -Nathalie asked him. –"Could it be one of his classmates? Perhaps the mayor's daughter?" -she thought to herself, as she imagined Adrien dating Chloe.

"It's… It's Marinette…" -Adrien answered, with an uneasy voice.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng? That Marinette?" -Nathalie said, a bit surprised, as Adrien nodded his head. She knew they were good friends, but never imagined Adrien with her. –"I see. Well, you certainly have good taste." -she said, not being able to come up with anything else to say.

The way she said it, it made Adrien think that she did not approve of Marinette, just like he thought it might happen when telling his father. But that was not the case. Nathalie was just surprised by it. From what she knew of Marinette, Adrien had done a sensible choice. Fearing that she might have given him the wrong impression regarding the matter, Nathalie quickly tried to assure him that she was in no way against his choice for a girlfriend.

"Don't take this wrong way, Adrien. I'm merely surprised that you would choose Miss Dupain-Cheng to be your girlfriend. She's a nice, sweet and hard-working girl, and she's clearly talented. You're afraid your father won't approve of her, am I right?" -Nathalie asked him.

Adrien did not have to answer that question, for Nathalie to know it. Just from looking at his face, she could see the signs of anxiety in him, as well as a glimpse of fear in his eyes.

"I don't think you need to be afraid of telling your father about Miss Dupain-Cheng. He does have her in high-esteem, like every last one of your friends." –Nathalie told him.

"Well, it sure doesn't look like it…" -Adrien said, remembering some of the times when his father told him that he was not allowed to go someplace with one of his friends.

"I know that your father doesn't show it, but he does see your friends as a good influence on you, every last one of them." -Nathalie assured him. –"If he did not, he would have transferred you to a different school, a long time ago." -she said. –"I know I'm not supposed to say this, since your father is my employer, but, I feel the need to say this. After your mother passed away, your father started to have trouble expressing his feelings towards others, including you. And because of it, most of the time he comes out as someone cold, insensible, uncaring and even heartless. But he's actually the polar opposite of it. He cares a lot about those that surround him, and the who mean the world to them… and with that said, I think that he will be very happy to see you dating Miss Dupain-Cheng. After all, like I said before, he wishes for you to be happy. And if your love for her makes you, he will be happy for you and her."

"You really think so?" -Adrien asked her.

"I know so." -Nathalie smiled. –"And if you allow me the boldness, may I ask how did it go, when you asked Miss Dupain-Cheng to be your girlfriend?" -she asked him. –"How did she react?"

"Actually, I still haven't asked her yet. That's why I went to Cartier's yesterday; to buy her something pretty for when I ask her tomorrow, after lunch." -Adrien admitted.

"Oh, I see. And, if I may ask, what did you bought her?" -Nathalie asked Adrien, who pulled out his cell phone and showed her the photo he had taken of the pendant. -"It's a beautiful pendant. I'm sure she will love it." -she declared.

"I hope so. She has a fondness for ladybugs." -Adrien said, as he placed the cell phone back into his pocket. –"Now, all I need is the courage and the right words to tell her I love her. Got the courage part… now for the rest." -he sighed.

"You don't know what to tell her?" -Nathalie asked him, which he nodded. –"Well, perhaps I can assist you with that." -she said. –"I may not be a poetess, but I might be able to help you find the right words to tell her you love her."

While Adrien, with a little help from Nathalie, tried to find the right words to tell Marinette, how he truly felt about her, Marinette herself was already busy with her Valentine's Day project for Adrien. Locking herself in the kitchen with Tikki to lend her a hand, the blue-haired girl wasted no time in cooking up the chocolate cake her grandmother had given her the recipe for. To make sure it was as good as grandma Gina claimed to be, Marinette did one that was just a little larger than a cupcake, to test the recipe.

"This will definitely work, Tikki." -Marinette said, as she placed the cake batter into the pan.

"Well, the batter looks good and smells really good too. I think your grandma's recipe is going to taste extra-special." -Tikki said, as she licked the spatula. –"Mmm… delicious!" -she giggled.

"Mmm… you're right, it really is good." -Marinette said, as she also licked a little bit of the cake batter from the spatula. –"But now comes to final test… cooking it. If it comes out as delicious as it is now, we're making the real one, and then we're going to shape it like a large bonbon and covering it with powdered sugar, surrounded by little chocolates." -she declared.

"Which we're going to make right now, right?" -Tikki asked Marinette.

"You bet." -Marinette smiled, as she went to the cupboard and grabbed a large bowl and a few more things from inside it. –"We only need to decide which flavour will the chocolates truffles be. Do you have any suggestions?" -she asked her.

"Well, if these were for Plagg, then cheese would be the best flavour." -Tikki joked, making Marinette laugh a little. –"But in this case, maybe we should make the chocolates truffles with a flavour that Adrien likes." -she said.

"That would be orange. He told me that once." -Marinette said. –"So, we're going to chocolate truffles with an orange filling. We're going to need orange zest, lots and lots of it, Tikki." –she said, as she grabbed an orange.

There's not much to talk about this chapter, other than it marks the middle of this fanfic... that's right, people, we're halfway through this story. From here on out, the chapters will be more action-packed, and starting with the next chapter, we're finally going to see the guest Akuma that LaViolaViolaRosa has created, and that I will be using as the main Akuma for this story. I'm really excited, because this is the first time I'm using a guest Akuma in one of my stories, and I hope to use it the way it totally deserves. Oh, and before I forget, the chapter's title for this one is pretty basic, because I couldn't come up with anything better. For those of you who keep asking me for something like "Chat Blanc" to happen in these stories of mine, allow me to remind you all that a miraculous holder cannot be akumatized in this AU... but fear not, I will find a way to reference "Chat Blanc" in this story, sooner or later. You just need to be a little patient. Anyways, without anything else to say, feel free to comment, fav and leave your suggestions to improve this or following fanfics, alright? See ya, later!