Chapter Nine
All through the morning classes, anxiety had made a home in Marinette's belly. It sat there coiled and tightening, growing steadily worse as she spied Adrien again at lunch break. The boy was busy conversing with Nino, his hand regularly threading through his own hair as he frowned. She was so caught up in staring that she didn't notice Alya falling into step beside her. "Those two seem to be awfully serious."
The girl nearly jumped out of her skin. "Alya! You gave me a fright."
A knowing smirk graced her best friend's face. "You do tend to have tunnel vision when Adrien is involved."
"What do you think they're talking about?"
"Not sure, but Adrien keeps playing with his hair."
"He seems a bit edgy, he keeps looking around. Maybe word is starting to spread that he got ditched by his mystery girl."
Marinette tilted her head slightly as she watched him, Alya was right about his mannerisms. But as far as she was aware, only the four of them knew about Adrien's secret dates with Ladybug. It was then that she noticed his attention only strayed whenever girls with dark hair neared them. The ghost of a smirk threatened to spread across her lips, he was searching for Ladybug. To Alya she replied, "Maybe he's looking for someone."
"Well we can guess all we want, girl, but the best way to find out is to go over there." Before Marinette could respond, Alya hooked her elbow and dragged her to see the boys.
Again, Adrien's head turned as he spied another dark-haired girl but his expression soften with a smile as he recognised his friends. "Hey Alya, Marinette."
Alya grinned as she placed a hand on her hip. "You guys were looking awfully serious, is there a scoop here I need to know about?"
Nino and Adrien glanced at each other and back to Alya. Marinette noticed that the blonde's cheeks were now rather pink as he ducked his head. He appeared uncomfortable as his lips pulled away from his teeth and his nose crinkled, "Ladybug made it clear last night that things weren't going to work between us. So, um, she put an end to meeting up."
"No way!" Alya gasped as she attempted to cover the fact she already knew. This was followed by a subtle elbow of encouragement to the ribs of her best friend, but instead it threw Marinette's balance off.
Recovering with a hand to the brick wall, the girl gave a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry about that."
"It's not your fault, Marinette. Please don't feel like it is. Besides things tend to work out for the best in the long run."
"Dude, you're much more positive than I thought you'd be. I half expected you to be sulking for the rest of the week." Nino added.
The boy shrugged as he peered passed his friends. "I have a feeling that the right girl for me just needs finding."
Alya eyed Marinette with a barely supressed grin. "That girl maybe closer than you think."
Adrien's eyes darted back. "What are you suggesting, Alya?"
She looked at her boyfriend. "Sometimes the circumstances need to be right before you can really see the person you're meant to be with." Her eyes shifted to Marinette as she finished speaking.
The blonde didn't pick up on the subtle hint. Instead he caressed his chin with his fingertips as he looked skyward. "You could be right."
Marinette wanted to poke Adrien's chest with her finger to propel him from his oblivion. As she's assumed, he wasn't even considering her as a candidate of his search. She'd been right in thinking that it was unlikely he'd link Ladybug to her.
Twirling the strand of hair beside her ear, the girl longed to throw him a clue but she really didn't want another ear bashing from Tikki. Her kwami had been rather unimpressed with her decision in prompting Adrien to try and work out her identity. But at the same time, she hadn't exactly forbidden it either. The more Marinette thought about it, the stranger Tikki's behaviour had been. One minute she'd been warning her of the peril of letting someone know her identity, the next she seemed almost okay with it. Weird.
Over the next four days Marinette watched as Adrien singled out various dark-haired girls and showered them with attention. The boy was relentless in his questioning which didn't seem to bother many of the recipients of said attention. One by one he gently cast them away, with a tick of frustration growing more prominent in his cheek. It was kind of endearing to see him so worked up but at the same time she was despondent that he hadn't considered her as a possibility.
After lunch the niggle to give him a clue was festering away. Marinette glanced into her open handbag to see Tikki's eyes watching her. Nope, no clues, not if she wanted to avoid another lecture. So, what could she do? Twice Adrien had seemed convinced he'd found the right girl, hanging off their every word until something made him realise he was wrong.
It was like a dark cloud was looming over his blonde head. As he sat at a table in the library his fingers drummed a rhythm that was steadily getting faster as if reflecting his irritation. With a mood like that he was sure to attract an akuma. What could she do to drag him out of his funk?
She pulled a hardcover book from a shelf, trying to look busy while she considered the possibilities. What made Adrien happy? A number of options flittered through her mind, and then it happened, a purple butterfly headed towards her crush. His head was down as he stared blankly at his book and she had an idea. The boy had his back to her and she quickly snuck behind him to place her hands over his eyes.
"Guess who," she whispered seductively in his ear while allowing her lips to brush against his skin.
"Ladybug?" he gasped as his shoulders straightened.
"There's an akuma in the room and I think it's after you. Shake off that funk, Agreste." She pressed a gentle kiss at his temple and he sucked in a sharp breath.
"My mood has improved drastically."
Her eyebrow quirked at that comment. "Good to hear."
Adrien's hands lifted to cover hers, his fingers working between hers and she realised he was prying them apart so he could see. She remained directly behind him. "The akuma is retreating. I need to follow it, so close your eyes."
Under her palm she felt a muscle tighten in his cheek. "Okay."
As soon as his hands dropped from hers she pulled away, backing up slowly to make sure he didn't turn. As soon as she was parallel to the closest bookcase she ducked behind it and quickened her pace, winding her way through the rows before making her way to the exit. As she got to the door she glanced back at the table where Adrien was sitting and their eyes met. "Act natural," she muttered to herself with stiff lips. She gave him a quick wave and stepped outside.
Is Adrien still oblivious or is he starting to put the pieces together? Find out more next chapter.
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