It truly was amazing how quickly you could fall out of love with someone.
At least, that's what Marinette thought. She was truly convinced that she was completely and fully over Adrien.
How could she love a boy who could reject someone so harshly? Oh sure, Adrien hadn't known that he was rejecting his classmate, but that didn't matter. His actions and words had broken her heart, and she had no idea if it would mend.
But despite her shattered emotions, Marinette was determined to focus on her lessons, and most definitely not the blonde boy seated directly in front of her.
And by the time the lunch bell had rung, her efforts had paid off. As she left the room, toting her books, Ms. Bustier put a hand on her shoulder.
"Excellent work today, Marinette. I don't think I've ever seen you so focused," praised the auburn-haired teacher.
Marinette smiled. "Thank you, miss." She continued on her way, Alya falling into step beside her. The blogger began chattering about some new website about Chat Noir, and how she was considering a collaboration.
Marinette let the chatter wash over her, soothing because it was so familiar. And in this strange new world, when Chat Noir was sensitive and Adrien was cold-hearted, Marinette could use a bit of familiarity. It was like the classic bread roll taken before meals, no matter how unusual the main course was- a spark of the ordinary in a bonfire of unfamiliar.
The pair parted at the front steps, Marinette crossing over to the bakery, where she would eat her lunch. The superheroine shoved open the door and marched inside, eager for a good meal and a chat with Tikki, who had been encouraging her all day, and therefore Marinette's saving grace. Marinette had no wish to cry at school and was relying on Tikki to stop that from happening.
"Marinette, darling, how was your morning?" greeted Sabine, turning from the sink, where she had been washing dishes. "Your lunch is on the bench," she continued, flicking a tea towel towards the said food. "Your father and I have already eaten. We'll be extremely busy, as there's an order for two wedding cakes by tonight. I'm heading back down to help your father now. We'll see you this evening. Have a good day, sweetheart." The petite woman reached up to kiss Marinette's cheek.
"Thanks, Mom," smiled Marinette, hugging her.
Sabine smiled, and hurried off, muttering something about glace cherries. Chuckling, Marinette sat down to devour her chicken pasta. Once she was sure her mother had gone, the bluenette opened her purse to let Tikki out.
"How are you faring, Marinette?" asked the pink kwami.
"Pretty well, thanks, Tikki," replied Marinette, taking a bite of pasta. "If I can keep this up, then I'll be really happy."
"You're already over halfway. I think you'll be fine!" said Tikki happily. She watched as Marinette finished off her lunch, then checked the clock. "We've still got half an hour before you're due back at school. We could head back now, or you could stay here. Perhaps do homework, or work on your dress, or help your parents out," suggested Tikki.
Marinette hummed as she thought over her options. "I might head back to school and go to the library. I've got a study period next anyway, and I really do need to get up to date on my work." She remembered her full-to-the-brim homework folder and sighed.
"Sounds like a plan!" chirped Tikki. "Let's go!"
Marinette washed her bowl and fork, then headed off. She chose not to stick her head into the bakery, as her parents would be run off their feet, and she would only get in their way. Marinette was a very skilled baker for her age, but she wasn't quite good enough to help with wedding cakes.
Back at school, Marinette hurried past a group of chattering juniors and into the library. The heavy wooden door creaked as she opened it. The blue-eyed girl made her way towards one of the tables, pulled out a chair and sat.
The library was completely empty. The rest of the school was outside, trying to make the most of the brief sunshine; the first warmth of the day. Marinette pulled out her laptop, plugged in her headphones, and retrieved her note from her bag. With her favourite playlist sounding in her ears, Marinette began to work on her essay about Elizabeth I of Britain.
Adrien pushed open the door, whistling softly. He scanned the library quickly. It seemed mostly empty. His class had a study session this period, but apparently, most of them were still enjoying their lunch break.
The model spotted a familiar figure, seated at one of the tables. He quietly approached her and placed his belongings at the place beside her. Adrien gently tapped her on the shoulder. "Mind if I sit here?"
Marinette jumped. She shook off her headphones, and Adrien heard the catchy beat of the latest Jagged Stone single.
"Um, no, I don't mind," squeaked the bluenette, shuffling her pencil case to the side. Her face was slightly pink.
Adrien frowned. "Sorry to startle you, Marinette," he apologized, sitting down.
She shrugged. "It's fine." Without another word, she slid her headphones back on and started typing furiously, like the keyboard of her laptop had done her a grave offense.
Adrien was surprised. He'd been anticipating a quiet chat with his classmate, but apparently, Marinette hadn't felt like talking. He brushed away his surprise. She probably had a lot of work to do, that was all.
Adrien set up his computer and began typing, slower than usual in forming words. He was thinking about the next phase of his plan to seduce Ladybug, not his English assignment.
Slowly, Adrien's fellow classmates began to trickle in. Some opted for private desks, but most chose places at tables, where they could study and socialize at the same time. The previously silent library now buzzed quietly with whispers.
A few minutes after everyone had got to work, the doors to the library creaked behind Adrien. He turned to see Nino and Alya tiptoe in, arms full of books. Nino dumped his stuff on the seat next to Adrien's, and Alya sat beside her boyfriend.
"Hey, bro," whispered Nino. Adrien nodded in reply.
From beside him, there came a sudden snicker. Nino, Adrien, and Alya all turned to look at the source of the noise.
Marinette was staring at Nino and Alya, giggling to herself. Her best friend frowned in confusion.
"What?"
Marinette tried to suppress a smile. "You two could be more discreet," she muttered.
"What do you mean, girl?" asked Alya.
Marinette pointed at her own lips, then touched several other places on her face, still laughing softly. Suddenly, Adrien picked up what Marinette's keen eyes had.
Nino's face was smudged slightly in several places, the marks a deep plum colour. Alya's lipstick, which was suspiciously the same colour as the marks, was slightly smudged.
Adrien began to laugh too. Now he knew why his two friends had arrived late to the study session.
Glaring at the two, Alya whipped out her mobile phone, checking her face in the camera application. She then glanced at her boyfriend's face and went a deep shade of red. Nino, too, flushed when he understood what Marinette had been laughing at.
"Oh, come on!" he protested in a hushed tone. "You two wouldn't understand what it's like to have a girlfriend and want to kiss her senseless. Or a boyfriend," he added.
Marinette just sighed, her gleeful expression flickering into a downcast one.
"Well, Adrien might," continued Nino cheekily, completely oblivious to Marinette's sudden change in mood.
"What do you mean?" asked Alya quickly, shooting a concerned look at Marinette.
Nino winked and nudged his friend playfully. "Don't you have a major crush on a particular girl?"
Adrien flushed red and instantly put his head down. "Nino, shut up," he hissed through gritted teeth.
Nino cackled softly, reveling in his revenge. "No way, dude. If you get to tease me about Alya, then I get to tease you about your sweetheart."
"Adrien has a girlfriend?" asked Alya curiously, always keen for a scoop. "Who is it?"
Nino shrugged, flicking a glance at his friend, who had his fingers jammed in his ears. Despite his actions saying that he didn't want to hear the rest of the conversation, it was quite obvious that he was still listening intently.
"Well, that's just the thing," said the DJ crossly. "Mr. Model here won't tell me who it is, and no, it's not a girlfriend. But he let slip that she's pretty well-known, so I'm guessing it's one of his model friends or some such- OW!"
Nino's sudden yell of pain attracted the attention of the rest of their classmates, most of whom had been listening to music through their headphones. A dozen pairs of eyes turned to look at them- some curious, others slightly annoyed.
"Uh, sorry," said Nino, addressing his classmates. "Banged my elbow on the desk."
The students turned back to their work.
Nino glared at his girlfriend, who was glaring right back at him. "What was that for?" he hissed.
Alya scowled and whispered something in his ear. Marinette just caught her name, Adrien's and the words crush and hurt.
Oh, yeah. Alya didn't know that Marinette was no longer hopelessly in love with Adrien. Marinette made a mental note to tell her later.
On second thoughts, that might not be such a good idea. Knowing Alya, she would demand a detailed explanation, and Marinette really couldn't provide her with one- not without revealing her identity, of course, and that was never going to happen. Yes, Marinette supposed she could make up some lie, but nowadays she had to lie so much to cover up the whole Ladybug thing that it was getting difficult to keep track of them all.
No, it was probably best to just keep things under wraps for now. After all, Marinette was a pro at keeping secrets from her loved ones by now.
Losing interest in the conversation, Marinette turned back to her work. She had wasted enough time already, and she needed to get this done if she was going to sleep at all tonight.
Marinette had never been so relieved to hear the bell that signified that she was free to leave the college. Although a pile of homework, several projects, and a long meditation session awaited her at home, it would most likely be far easier than dealing with her broken heart and having to see the person who broke it all day.
"Marinette?" A hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump. A familiar gentle voice. Marinette turned and sighed. Speak of the devil. She quickly plastered a smile on her face. She'd caught Adrien studying her several times while they'd been in the library. Yes, she had been pretty brisk with him and certainly hadn't acted as she usually would with him, but that was no reason to stare. One might even call it indecent, and now that Marinette had seen what she deemed to be Adrien's true colours, perhaps it was. She felt a hot, angry red rash creep up her neck at the very idea.
"Hi, Adrien," she said, determined to keep the anger and contempt out of her voice. The result was a flat, tired tone- the kind Marinette's history teacher used while lecturing the class on a, particularly boring subject.
"Hi," he replied, suddenly looking nervous. "Forgive me for asking, but are you alright?"
Taking in Marinette's wide-eyed expression, he hurried on, "It's just that you looked a bit upset."
Ordinarily, Marinette would have been swooning and stuttering all over the place. But she was no longer infatuated with Adrien and managed to keep her body and voice steady.
"I'm fine, thank you for asking," she said coolly, turning to walk away.
Adrien stopped her. "Wait!" An idea had flashed into her mind- a way to cheer her up. When he'd visited the bluenette as Chat Noir, she'd mentioned being disappointed about not getting ice-cream with some guy. "If you're not busy tonight, would you like to get an ice-cream from Andre's with me?"
Marinette's mouth fell open. She looked like someone had just socked her in the stomach, leaving her winded. Then she seemed to snap out of it, and shut her mouth, shaking her head gently. "I'm terribly sorry, Adrien, but I'm extremely busy tonight. There's some work I need to catch up on, and I…. have to help my parents in the bakery." The fib slipped easily out of her mouth.
Adrien looked slightly disappointed, then cheered up. "No worries, Marinette. What about Friday?"
Marinette's eyes widened. She hadn't been expecting him to persist. How was she going to answer him now? She didn't want to get an ice-cream with him, especially not from Andre, the ice-cream man of lovers. She didn't love Adrien.
"Um, I'm not sure," she said quickly. "I'll, um, call you when I know. Thanks for the invitation, Adrien. I'll talk to you later." The secret superheroine turned and quickly marched away, heart pounding and head ringing.
God, could her life get any more complicated?
Hi, readers! The new chapter is here! I hope you enjoy it. And, in case you didn't know, the next episode of Miraculous has been released. It aired yesterday, is called Gorizilla, and is pure gold! SPOILER ALERT ( but not a big one): we see a bit of Adrien's mom, and the episode has heaps of Adrienette and Ladrien! While Ladrien is not my favourite ship (don't get me wrong, I love all the love square ships, and yes, I KNOW that they're all the same person so it doesn't really matter, but my heart will always belong to LadyNoir and MariChat), it is definitely a great episode. And yeah, my two favourite ships both involve Chat Noir, and yeah, I might just have a bit of a crush on him (don't judge, he's better than a lot of the guys in my life) but PLEASE don't hate on me because my favourites are not yours. In my opinion, we Miraculers are all in this together! Thanks for the reads, follows, favourites, and reviews. Until next time!
~xoxo Miss Eucalypt Writes