Chapter Five: Shopping

"Tikki, spots off."

Marinette felt her Ladybug disguise fall, and Tikki flew out of her earrings. She stood on her balcony, her transformation masked by the darkness that had started to fall. The sun had sunk rapidly in the few minutes it took her to travel back home. There were now only a few rays of light in the sky, and the latch on her skylight was covered in shadow. She felt for where she knew it was and opened it so she could climb down into her bedroom. Tikki flew down and turned on the light for her.

"Chat Noir was acting strange today," the red kwami mused.

"I know. I hope everything is okay," Marinette said. She pulled out her script with a sigh. "I'd love to help him out, but that would risk finding out our identities."

Tikki went over to her, sitting on the top of her computer monitor. "Don't worry, Marinette. I think you said the right thing. He seemed better when you left. Kind of like when you were talking to Adrien."

The image of the Agreste Mansion entered Marinette's head. When they'd passed on patrol, she had stopped without thinking. The sight of it had made her heart flutter, making her remember her talk with the young model. Not only had she been able to say coherent sentences to him, but what she said had helped. It had made him smile. He'd looked so sad, but had returned to class happy. And it was all because of Marinette. Even the fact that he had once again called her a friend couldn't bring the girl down. His smile as he walked with her to class was all that she could think about.

"Earth to Marinette," Tikki said.

Marinette let out a startled yelp, falling from her seat. Tikki giggled above her. "Were you thinking about Adrien again?" Tikki asked.

"W-what makes you think that? I was just lost in my thoughts, is all. Just wondering what had Chat Noir acting weird tonight." Marinette picked herself up off the floor and returned to her seat.

Tikki shook her head. "You don't tend to think about Chat Noir with that dreamy expression. Not unless there's something between you two I didn't notice?"

Marinette glared at her. "You know very well that I have no feelings for Chat Noir!" she huffed, crossing her arms.

Tikki laughed again. "So you admit you were thinking about Adrien?"

"M-maybe. I just can't believe I was able to talk to him without sounding like an idiot! He seemed really down, but I was still able to say something. And I even helped cheer him up!" She put her hands on her cheeks and stared at a nearby picture of Adrien on her wall. The dreamy expression returned to her face.

"Of course you did, Marinette. You're always very good at making people feel better. It's like you already had your own superpower!" Tikki said warmly.

They laughed, Marinette once more shaken out of her staring. Tikki floated down, perching on the edge of the computer keyboard. The movement brought the dark-haired girl's attention to the school work and tablet resting on the desk. Ms. Mendeleiev had given even more homework to prepare them for the upcoming test. After the hour of Alya grilling her for information after school, and Marinette's attempts to answer without giving too much away about their friend's despair, there had been very little time to work on it before leaving for patrol with Chat Noir. She was lucky her parents had let her eat in her bedroom again, or she would've missed their meeting altogether.

"How am I ever going to find time to work on everything, Tikki? This homework takes so long figure out, and I only have so many free hours during the day!" Marinette slumped in her seat.

"Maybe you can start a study group during your period in the library," Tikki suggested. "I'm sure other people in your class could use help as well."

Marinette perked up. "That's a great idea, Tikki! Alya and Nino said they were having trouble too, I'm sure I could get them to start a group." It was as if having this plan gave her new strength. She picked up her pen and started busily working.

A while later, she finally went to sleep. The second that her head touched the pillow and her eyes were closed, she was asleep.

The weekend went by uneventfully. There were no akumas and no other pressing issues with any of Marinette's friends. She helped her parents out in the bakery, hung out with Alya who helped her memorize for the play, and spent some time in the park working on her design book. She also spent plenty of time fretting about whether or not she should go see Adrien as he worked on a photoshoot on the Seine.

Monday came and went without incident. Nino and Alya had agreed to the study group before she could even finish the sentence. Nino even said Adrien might come on the days he wasn't in his fencing class. They spent that day in the library studying, collectively struggling to find the answers to their homework.

Marinette went home with all but a few things done, eternally grateful that Tikki had mentioned forming a study group.

Her parents were busy in the bakery when she got home, so she went up to her room with only a wave and a brief hello. She put her backpack down and climbed up to her balcony. She didn't have another patrol with Chat scheduled until later that week, but she was going to do a solo patrol.

"Why are you going without Chat Noir, Marinette?" Tikki asked.

"It's been several days since the last akuma, Tikki. Hawk Moth is going to do something soon, I can feel it. I'm not going to be out long, but I want to get a look around just in case," Marinette said.

Tikki scrutinized her for a moment, then nodded. Marinette smiled, checking that there was no one passing by on the sidewalk below before she transformed. The magic spread over her, and Marinette was clad once more in her red and black suit, yo-yo strapped safely at her waist.

She was only moving for a few minutes when she saw someone running. Her eyes darted in the direction they'd come from but didn't see anything. Frowning, Ladybug swung down a ways in front of them, giving them just enough time to stop.

"What are you run… ning… from…" Ladybug felt color rush to her cheeks - an event that happened very rarely as Ladybug.

Adrien struggled to a stop, his eyes wide as he stared back at her. If Ladybug hadn't known better, she would've sworn that his cheeks went red as well. For what seemed like an eternity, but in reality must have lasted only a moment, their eyes met.

"L-Ladybug?" he asked uncertainly, breaking the spell.

"Uh, yeah! You're Adrien Agreste, aren't you?" she asked, trying to hide her nerves. The Ladybug mask helped her keep her cool, but nonetheless, she could tell this would be a difficult conversation for her.

"You know who I am?" Adrien asked in awe. Someone walked past behind him, and he whirled around in worry. He relaxed upon seeing someone that just kept walking.

This intrigued her. "What were you running from? Is somebody after you?" she asked, looking in the direction he'd come, ready to protect him.

"Uh, kind of?" Before he could say more, a silver car drove by on the street. He dived behind her, doing his best to hide behind her slim frame. Ladybug looked in the car and recognized the hulking form of Adrien's bodyguard.

"Is that your bodyguard?" Ladybug asked, turning to face him once the car had gone by. Adrien straightened out, moving to keep Ladybug between himself and the vehicle.

He smiled sheepishly. "Uh, yeah. I kind of slipped away from him after my Chinese lesson… But, uh, you probably don't care about that. Wait. Is there an akuma?" Adrien hurried and looked around the both of them.

"What? Oh, no! I'm just out on patrol." Ladybug placed a reassuring hand on Adrien's shoulder before she could think about what she was doing. They both tensed, looking down at the hand with two pairs of wide eyes. For another moment, it was like they were frozen in space and unable to move. Neither seemed willing to break it, but the sound of a car driving by made them both move. Ladybug pulled her hand back, feeling her cheeks burn.

Adrien's eyes found hers, but both looked away quickly. He looked at the approaching car and his eyes widened. "Crap! I'm sorry, Mi- uh, Ladybug, but I've got to go!" The model turned and started running in the opposite direction of the road.

Ladybug turned and saw what had freaked him out. The car driven by his bodyguard had returned, and apparently, this time he had seen Adrien. He kept looking at the running form, navigating the streets to follow him.

Before she even knew what she was doing, Ladybug started running after Adrien. With her enhanced endurance and strength granted by her powers, she was able to catch up with him easily. "Why are you running from your bodyguard?" she demanded.

He kept running, checking to see if his bodyguard could still see him. He didn't seem phased by the fact that Ladybug was following him. In fact, the two of them seemed to run together rather well. "I'm not allowed to leave the house alone, and I'm trying to get my friends Christmas gifts!" he said, turning a corner sharply to get into an alleyway.

That stunned her, almost stopping her from keeping up with him. His father won't let him buy Christmas gifts? Why's that? The idea made her sad. She knew Adrien's dad had been strict, but she didn't think he would resort to something like this. To prevent his son from buying gifts for his friends. No wonder Adrien had looked so upset after his phone call. His father was a piece of work.

She had only just finished these thoughts when her body started moving without her. It was as if, just for a moment, Ladybug was someone else and Marinette was just a thought process in the back of her head. Her red-covered arm stopped Adrien from running, then tightly wrapped an arm around him, pulling him close. The other hand swung her yo-yo, carrying the model into the sky and onto a roof. This happened several more times, taking them a ways away from where they had been fleeing his bodyguard. Finally, she stopped. She let him go on a deserted sidewalk.

Adrien was clearly stunned. Well, so was Marinette. She slowly realized what she had done, though it still felt as if it had been the actions of another person.

"E-everyone deserves to go Christmas shopping," she said nervously. She took a small step away from him, suddenly very aware of how close they were standing.

"Th-thank you, Ladybug," Adrien said. He gave her an admiration filled smile, then slowly started walking away. She followed his lead, going in the other direction. They were only a few paces from where they'd landed when he called her name.

"Ladybug, wait!" Ladybug turned to see him with his hand slightly outstretched. This time she couldn't not notice the color that filled his cheeks. However, his next words drove that swiftly from her mind. "Wh-what if you come with me? If my bodyguard finds me, I may need saving again."

Christmas shopping with Adrien? she internally squealed. Adrien just asked me to go Christmas shopping with him!

"Sure, why not?" Ladybug smiled broadly, then went to walk alongside him.

At first, they drew a few stares. After all, since when did Paris's bug-themed superhero wander the streets with a famous model? Several times on their trip, Ladybug took them to a different street to avoid photos. Each time, they pulled away with their faces tomato red.

The first place they eventually stopped at was a music store. Ladybug felt strange walking in and following Adrien throughout. He walked slowly towards where they kept their electronic equipment, but his gaze lingered as they passed by the pianos on display.

"Do you play?" Ladybug asked. She already knew the answer, but knew that she had to keep up appearances. Besides, Adrien never talked about his piano playing. For all she knew, it could be something that he hated doing. Or something that he loved. She was starting to realize that there was a lot about Adrien she didn't actually know.

Adrien nodded. "Ever since I was a kid. My parents made me at first, but I love the sound and the feeling of playing now. The piano is such a unique instrument, there's nothing that sounds quite like it. Do you know how to play at all?"

Ladybug shook her head. "I, uh, I never really thought about learning. S-so, what are you here to buy?"

"My friend Nino needs a new pair of headphones. He's a DJ, so I was going to get him the best pair I can find. Apparently, there's a really nice pair here." After a few minutes of searching, Adrien found the item he wanted. He grabbed the nicest pair of headphones in the entire store, then went to find a few CDs to go along with it. Ladybug gave him some advice on what to get, her heart rate increased tenfold when their fingers touched to grab the same CD case. Then they went to the counter. The cashier was so enthralled by the presence of Ladybug that he had to ring it up twice, having gotten it wrong the first time.

Next, they went to a jewelry store, where Ladybug stood out even more. It wasn't a store where the workers wore suits and dresses, but they were still dressed much nicer than you would see at another store. Everyone watched them as they looked around the store. Adrien didn't seem fazed, but Ladybug couldn't help but feel strange. She was used to stares as Ladybug, but not normally in enclosed spaces like this. The only distraction she found was looking at the kinds of things Adrien looked at.

He seemed drawn to looking at the nicest jewelry he could find shy of looking at things with actual diamonds in them. Ladybug seemed speechless as they looked, her eyes drawn to every piece they passed. Adrien didn't say much, but every once in a while he glanced up at Ladybug. When he did, she would look back at him, then they would both hurriedly look away.

"What do you think of these earrings?" Adrien asked, holding up a pair of pearl earrings.

"They're cute. Any girl would be lucky to get something like that," she said. "Who- uh, who are they for, anyway?"

Adrien nodded, apparently settled on the earrings. "They're for my friend, Chloe. I normally get her jewelry of some sort for gifts. She's really into fashion, so everything else is too risky. I got her a pair of shoes once, and felt bad when I overheard her saying they didn't match any of her clothes."

Ladybug's jaw clenched. I should've known. They've been friends since they were kids, of course he's going to get her a Christmas present! And something so nice too! Adrien led the way to the counter. As they walked, Ladybug was too caught up in trying to calm herself that she failed to notice when he grabbed a silver pendant necklace as well.

After that, they went to a few other places. They had light conversation, mostly about those Adrien was getting gifts for, but it wasn't quite like talking with a friend. Ladybug still had trouble keeping her voice even as she spoke to him. She was glad for the mask, or she would never have gotten a word out. Even he seemed to be thinking very carefully about the things he was saying.

"I should be going," Ladybug said once they'd left the fourth store. Adrien looked disappointed but nodded.

"Can you…" Adrien paused, taking a deep breath. Then he pulled out a pen and paper, which turned out to be a photo of Ladybug. "Can you sign my photo?"

Ladybug's eyes widened. This is a moment that she would never have expected. Adrien Agreste wanted her autograph as Ladybug. Well, he wanted it as Marinette, why not Ladybug? "I, uh, sure!" She took the picture and pen from him and signed it with the signature she had designed for when she was Ladybug. She handed it back, and he held it almost reverently.

"Be safe, and don't forget to call your bodyguard," she said. "Bug out!"

Before she could talk herself out of it and ended up staying to hang out with Adrien longer, Ladybug left.

Marinette transformed and climbed down into her room just in time for her mom to call her down for dinner. She sighed in relief. "I'll grab you something at dessert, Tikki. I'm just glad that I made it back in time!"

"You should've spent less time with Adrien," Tikki scolded. "I thought you were supposed to be patrolling."

"I- I was! Just, from below instead of above. Plus, I was protecting Adrien!"

"From his bodyguard?" Tikki asked.

This left Marinette at a loss for words. "Just… just get in my jacket. Unless you want my parents to see you." Tikki obeyed, flying into Marinette's jacket. She went downstairs and joined her parents for dinner.

When it was all done, she snuck a few cookies into her jacket from the counter. She played a few games with her father, all the while being careful to hide the quiet munches coming from her jacket. It wasn't so hard, as both she and her father got far too into their game for there to be any silent moments.

At the end of it all, Marinette returned to her bedroom. Tikki immediately left her hiding place. Marinette sat down on her lounge, thoughts about her day finally taking over. "Tikki… do you realize what happened today?"

"You hung out with Adrien?" she asked.

"Exactly! I hung out with Adrien!" Marinette said, her voice gaining in pitch as she spread her arms in excitement. "I may have been Ladybug, but I still hung out with Adrien! He actually valued my opinion about the things he was buying!"

"He was getting some really nice things," Tikki said. "Those headphones for Nino were top of the line. And the earrings for Chloe were expensive!"

Marinette nodded in agreement "They really were. I wonder why he was spending so much money on these things. I'm sure Nino will be ecstatic, though. I know he's been wanting new headphones."

"I wonder if he got something for you after you left," Tikki said idly.

"W-what? M-me? Why would he get something for me?" Marinette stammered.

Tikki chuckled. "Because even though you struggle to talk to him, you and Alya hang out with him and Nino a lot. He said he was getting gifts for his friends. Well, you definitely fit under that category."

The word 'friend' didn't even register in her mind. "You really think that Adrien might get me something for Christmas?" she said dreamily.

Adrien got home not long after he parted ways with Ladybug. His bodyguard had found him and forced him to go home. He sat in the back of the car, his gifts next to him. He propped his elbow on the window, resting his head on his hand. As normally happened after spending time with Ladybug, he couldn't get her out of his head.

The way she laughed, or rolled her eyes, at his jokes. The strength with which she held him as they soared through the air. The kindness in her eyes as she helped him escape his bodyguard. Even the feeling of their fists touching at the end of their last akuma fight. And after today… he couldn't believe that he had actually spent time with Ladybug outside of the mask. She had seemed to enjoy it, too.

A clang signified the opening of the gates in front of his house. He looked forward, pushing his daydreams about Ladybug into the back of his mind. He steeled himself for what was coming.

The entrance to the house was large and echoey. Normally, it was empty except for the large painting of him and his father. Today, however, Gabriel Agreste stood at the top of the stairs. His gaze pierced the shield Adrien had attempted to put up. He looked downward, closing his eyes in defeat.

"Why did you run from your bodyguard, Adrien?" he asked firmly.

"I'm sorry, Father. I just wanted to buy my friend's gifts for Christmas," he said, still not meeting his father's eyes. He motioned to the bags his bodyguard had insisted on holding.

"I thought I told you that you were not allowed to go out shopping. Christmas is a busy time, and that means you are more likely to wind up hurt. I will not have you disobeying me again, do you understand?" his father said angrily.

Adrien sighed, hanging his head. "I understand, Father."

"Good. For your disobedience you are grounded. You are permitted to leave the house for schooling and photo shoots only. Tomorrow you will come directly home and practice your piano." He turned to go to his office.

"Wait!" Adrien called, finally looking upwards. "I have practice for the play tomorrow after school."

His father paused and looked back at him. "You should have thought of that before you ran away."

"But- but it's a school assignment, not just something we're doing. I'm being graded on this," Adrien begged.

"Fine. You can attend your practice, but you will not be staying afterwards for any reason. Is that clear?" his father said, clearly not happy.

"Yes, Father. Thank you," Adrien said.