Marinette tried to leave the school quickly, but she had no such luck. Someone called out to her from the road.
"See you tonight, Marinette!"
She turned to see Adrien waving at her from his car. His bodyguard was looking at her suspiciously. Marinette raised her arm and tried for a smile.
"Yeah, see you." She quickly spun around to cross the road, trying to slow her heart, which begun to beat wildly. Marinette reminded herself why she was getting ice-cream with Adrien. Just to get answers. Nothing else. She was over Adrien Agreste, and nothing was going to make her fall back in love with him.
MLBMLBMLB
Tikki watched Marinette sadly as the girl tried not to look in the mirror. Adrien was due in five minutes, and Marinette, in a bid to convince herself how little she cared about Adrien's thoughts, was refusing to do anything about her appearance.
Well, sort of. The bluenette kept sneaking glances in the mirror and fixing her hair. It made Tikki incredibly sad to watch Marinette, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything. Telling the girl the truth would only make her angrier.
Because the truth was that no matter how much she denied it, and how much she tried to pretend otherwise, Marinette Dupain-Cheng was still in love with Adrien Agreste, and she always would be. No matter how many girls he kissed, or how many times he rejected Marinette, Adrien was always going to have a place in Marinette's heart. She'd loved him so much for so long that it was impossible to tear herself away. They were soulmates, pure and simple.
It hurt to see Marinette lying to herself like this. Tikki knew that she was doing it because deep down, Marinette knew that she was still in love with the blonde model. But she was too scared, and in too much pain to acknowledge it, and so she didn't.
"It's two minutes to six, Marinette," said Tikki gently.
Marinette's blue eyes flicked to the mirror, then snapped back to Tikki. "I'll head down now." For a moment the girl looked like she was struggling, then blurted out, "Tikki, do I look okay?"
Tikki gave a sorrowful smile. "Of course, Marinette. You look beautiful."
The superheroine was visibly relieved, though she tried to mask it. She opened her purse, fingers trembling slightly, and Tikki zipped in. Marinette closed the clasp, took a deep breath, and headed downstairs.
MLBMLBMLB
Adrien was right on time. As soon as Marinette entered the living room, her mother ran over from the window.
"Marinette, darling, his car just pulled up!" cried Sabine, obviously excited at the prospect of Marinette going on a date with Adrien.
Marinette put on a fake look of happiness. "Thanks, Mama." She felt slightly unwell. Come on, Marinette. You can do this.
The doorbell rang, and Sabine let out a little squeal of excitement. Marinette pushed her shoulders back and opened the door.
Oh, God.
Adrien looked absolutely gorgeous. His clothes were the same, but his her was wet and slightly messy like he'd just taken a shower. He was so cute-
No! Bad Marinette. You don't like him. Uh-uh, no way.
Adrien smiled nervously. "Hey, Marinette."
"Hey, Adrien," said Marinette clearly. She could feel her knees going weak, and forced them to hold, blaming it on nerves. Nothing else. "Would you like to come in?"
"Sure." The blonde followed Marinette into the living room, where Sabine had managed to compose herself.
"Hello, Adrien, dear," chirped the petite woman, leaping up from the sofa. "It's so lovely to see you again."
"Hi, Mrs. Cheng," replied Adrien with a smile. "It's great to see you, too."
"Unfortunately, Tom's busy in the bakery, but he's very glad that you two are spending some time together," chattered Sabine.
Adrien was slightly relieved. Marinette's father was pretty intimidating.
"But I bet you two don't want to listen to me babble on," continued Sabine. "Go and have fun! And, Adrien, please bring her home at a reasonable hour. I'm sure you're a very sensible young man, but you haven't seen what my daughter's like in the mornings!"
Marinette glared. "Mama," she hissed under her breath.
Sabine took the hint, and pecked her daughter's reddening cheek. "Off you go, dears. Have fun!"
The pair said their goodbyes and walked downstairs to the street, where Adrien's shiny silver car was waiting. Adrien's burly bodyguard stood outside vehicle, opening the door when he spotted the two teenagers.
"Thank you," said Marinette, sliding in after Adrien. The man grunted in reply, then got into the driver's seat and took off.
As the car drove along, Marinette spoke. "So, Adrien, do you know where Andre is today?"
Adrien's green eyes widened. "What? No, I thought you did!"
Marinette felt a wave of panic crash over her and began to stutter. "I-uh, no, I mean-"
Adrien started to laugh. "I'm just messing with you, Marinette," he said lightly. "Yes, I do know where Andre is. He's in the Jardin du Luxembourg, in front of the palace."
"Oh. That's nice," responded Marinette. "Do you have a favourite flavour?"
Adrien expression turned sad. "Actually, this is only the second time I've had ice-cream. My diet doesn't really allow sweets."
Marinette pitied him. She couldn't imagine being on a constant diet like Adrien was. It was sad how controlled he was by his father. "Well, you're always welcome to come to the bakery and try out some pastries." Surprisingly, Marinette's invitation was sincere. Only because you feel sorry for him, Marinette told herself sternly.
Adrien beamed. "Thanks, Marinette."
The car came to a halt in front of the lush green gardens. As she climbed out, Marinette breathed in an aroma of freshly cut grass and the perfumes of dozens of different flowers. She sighed happily. Adrien looked at her with a grin.
"It smells great, doesn't it?"
Marinette nodded in reply. Behind her, the sleek car pulled away from the curve, and disappeared down the road. Adrien nudged her gently.
"Earth to Marinette? You want to go find Andre? I don't know about you, but I'm dying for some ice-cream."
Marinette tried to compose herself. "Uh, sure," she replied, stammering slightly and hating herself for it.
Adrien and Marinette strolled through the garden, chatting. Their conversation was mainly Adrien asking questions and Marinette answering them. The bluenette was too busy concentrating on keeping her demeanor cool to think of any good conversation starters. She was having a difficult time, constantly having to remind herself that she was only here for answers.
The sound of Andre's bell rang through the gardens. Adrien heard it and gave Marinette a huge, excited grin. "There he is, Marinette! It's Andre!"
Despite her feelings towards Adrien, Marinette couldn't help but smile. It was kind of cute, the way he was so excited.
Adrien grabbed her hand and began to gently pull her towards Andre. "Come on, Marinette!"
The superheroine flushed a pink that would rival the brightness of the flowers around her. She let herself be dragged along by the enthusiastic boy, heart pounding against her will.
They stopped at the ice-cream stand, Marinette slightly out of breath, not just from the running. Adrien released her hand, and beamed charmingly at Andre.
Andre looked them both over carefully. His large face lit up when he saw Marinette. "Ah, the beautiful Marinette! How are you, my dear?"
Marinette smiled back. "Hi, Andre. I'm good, thank you very much."
Andre winked at her, then leaned in close. "I see you are with your love," he whispered.
Marinette blushed, and didn't reply. Adrien wasn't her love, but she wasn't going to tell the ice-cream man that- not with Adrien right beside her.
Andre turned to Adrien. "I think we have met, my boy," he said thoughtfully. "But I did not get your name."
"It's Adrien," replied the model.
Andre nodded. "Well, Adrien, you are a very lucky young man. You are on a date with the most beautiful girl in Paris!"
Marinette went red, both at the compliment and the 'date'. "Well, ah, it's not really a date. We're friends," she told Andre, who widened his eyes.
"I see," he said. "Will you be sharing an ice-cream, then?"
Adrien looked to Marinette for confirmation. "I'm happy to share, Marinette."
Alarms were going off inside Marinette's head. Paris legend said that these ice-creams were magic, and if you shared one, you would fall in love with them. There was no way she was sharing an ice-cream with Adrien. A few weeks ago, and she would have been over the moon with joy. But not now.
"I, uh, haven't been too well lately," lied the bluenette. "I don't want to to get sick, too."
Adrien shrugged. "I don't mind." He faced Andre again. "Yes, we'll share."
Andre beamed. "Wonderful! Choc-chip strawberry, mint, and blueberry for you two!" He handed over the ice-cream, and Marinette began to rummage in her purse for cash, careful not to disturb Tikki. Adrien stopped her.
"It's my treat, Marinette."
"Oh, no. I'll pay."
Adrien passed Andre a few notes and smirked at the blue-eyed girl. "Too late."
Marinette glared at him. "You don't have to pay for me, Adrien."
Adrien shrugged, a mischievous glitter in his green eyes. "I asked you here in the first place, and my father would have been furious if I let you pay."
Marinette sighed, defeated. "Fine. I owe you."
Adrien grinned. "FIne with me. Thanks, Andre," he said to the ice-cream man, who had been watching their exchange with an amused expression.
"No problem, Marinette, Adrien. Enjoy."
The pair walked away, Adrien clutching the ice-cream. He led Marinette over to an empty park bench and motioned for her to sit. Marinette did so and took a spoon.
"It looks delicious," she said, trying to start a conversation. Maybe she didn't like Adrien, but she had to act natural.
"Yeah," said Adrien dreamily. He tapped his spoon against hers. "Cheers, Marinette."
They both took a spoonful of the treat and placed it in their mouths.
"Mmmmm," sighed Adrien.
Marinette nearly laughed, but then reminded herself why she was here. It was time to start digging- subtly, of course.
The secret superhero scanned her surroundings, trying to find something that might help her, just like she did when she was Ladybug and had just used her Lucky Charm. Her eyes fell upon the ice-cream Adrien was holding.
Bingo.
"You know what the strawberry choc-chip reminds me of?" she asked.
Adrien swallowed his latest mouthful of the treat. "No, what?"
"Ladybug," replied Marinette, carefully watching for his reaction.
The blonde nodded furiously. "Yeah, you're right!" he exclaimed.
"What do you think of Ladybug, Adrien?" asked Marinette innocently.
The boy's expression turned dreamy. "I think she's amazing," he sighed, looking like he was a million miles away.
Marinette, who had just taken another mouthful, nearly spat blueberry ice-cream on Adrien. "You- you do?" she choked.
Adrien still had his head in the clouds. "Yeah…. She's so brave and smart and beautiful, and she saves everyone all the time… She's perfect."
Marinette felt dizzy. What the actual hell was going on?
Act natural, Marinette.
"Um, yeah, she is pretty cool." Marinette took a deep breath. "Adrien, can I ask you something?"
His head snapped back to her. "Sure."
"Are, um, are you and Chloe d-d-dating?"
Adrien bit his lip and sighed heavily. "I trust you, Marinette, so I'm going to be honest with you. I didn't mean to kiss Chloe. It was an accident, and now I have no idea what to do. We're not in a relationship, so I can't exactly break up with her. My father forced me into going to the dance with her, because she was 'suitable'. So she tried to manipulate me into a relationship by kissing me in front of everyone, and I don't want to go to the dance with her, and...ughhh." Adrien put his head in his hands.
Marinette tried to ignore the emotion blooming in her heart. It had no business being there. She didn't want it to be there. But it was impossible to ignore- hope and relief mixed together.
Marinette hesitated, then spoke carefully. "Just talk to your father, and to Chloe. You'll work something out."
"Yeah, I guess. I want to ask someone else…..but I don't know if she'll say yes." He shook his head suddenly. "Don't mind me, Marinette. Just stupid concerns." He smiled slightly, then offered her the almost- finished ice-cream. "Here, you finish it."
Marinette pushed it back to Adrien. "No, you take it. It sounds like you could do with some ice-cream."
He grinned at her, then wolfed it down. "Thanks, Marinette. Now, I think we'd better get you home. Don't want to be in your parent's bad books."
Marinette nodded gratefully and stood. She had some things to discuss with Tikki.
Hi! Yeah, I know I haven't updated for quite a bit, but my parents took my family on a surprise Easter camping trip. Therefore I couldn't warn you guys, and being the skilled person that I am, I forgot to charge my laptop. So yeah. Anyway, thanks for tolerating me. I'm honestly so excited for the next episode of MLB, because Luka! I really, really want to see how the whole Marinette/ Luka/ Adrien love triangle pans out. I kind of ship Lukanette against my will, but no hate, please. Spoiler- Adrienette is going to be endgame anyway (confirmed by Thomas Astruc, the director of Miraculous), so I don't see the harm in shipping Lukanette.
But you're probably sick of me going on, so bye!
~Miss Eucalypt Writes.