The Ladybugs were all sitting around Marinettes table doing their usual Saturday morning Love letter writing.
"Man we are pathetic doing this every Saturday," Alya said as she looking at her paper and its many corrections like it was homework.
"Yeah, well..." Tikki said biting her eraser trying to concentrate and think of a certain word.
"AaAat least we don't actually give them to the guys," Marinette said as she looked at her doodles of cats and ladybugs on her special Ladybug stationary while giving slight giggles.
"Well anyway we need to finish up soon so we can help Dad unpack the dining room," Marinette said as she finished her final draft and sealed it in the special envelope with a kiss and a Ladybug sticker.
Tikki was putting her letter in her school bag just as Marinette and Alya both stood up to stash their letters as well.
"Alright, ladies let's get to work," Tikki said clapping her hands.
Ladybugs were all walking to school together on Monday.
"Remeber ladies no matter what happens, we are still Ladybugs," Tikki said making her friend hum in agreement.
They all walked into the school grounds and immediately felt everyone's eyes on them but they kept their cool.
"Alya I want you to check all social media for the school and if you find any photos take care of them," Tikki said in a low serious tone.
"Will do," Alya replied as they walked through the halls and into their first class.
"Marinette, keep your eyes and ears open for anything." Tikki also said knowing the girl's clumsiness but has the instincts and sense of a wild animal.
"Already on it." She replied listening and watching.
"From what I can tell so far there is something on the bulletin board." She continued in a whisper while taking a bite of croissant she brought from home.
"Then we will go check it out during first break," Tikki said eating her own Dupien-Cheng croissant
"I wonder why exactly everyone is flipping out though you'd think it would just cause gossip but everyone keeps looking at us like they're afraid of us," Marinette said looking around at the fearful looking gossiping students.
"Yeah your right, this doesn't feel like spite, it feels like fearful respect," Alya said in realization.
"I wonder why?" Tikki asked looking down while sipping her juice.
"I think I can help." They heard making them look up to find a familiar orange haired mousy girl.
"Sabrina?" Marinette rhetorically asked in surprise at her sudden appearance, her uniform was decorated with an argyle tie, argyle tights, and heeled spats.
"Are the pictures bad?" Alya asked with a scrunched look.
"Pictures?" Sabrina asked with surprise.
"No, there aren't any pictures. The school board has decided to post a ranking of the top students. It's on the school bulletin board showing the top smartest students in the school," Sabrina explained looking down in submission to her betters.
The girls stood on the second-floor balcony looking down at the lobby as the student were all gathered around and gossiping a lot of them kept peaking up at them also in fearful respect.
Alya was leaning against the railing with her back and her arms crossed and looking down at the crowd and bulletin board, Marinette held a hand on the railing and the other on her hip as she too looked down at the bulletin board, while Tikki was leaning on her elbows on the railing while looking through her red and black spotted binoculars.
"What does it say?" Alya asked.
"Top student #4 Alya Cesaire, Top student #3 Tikki Coccinelle, and Top student #1 Marienette Dupein-Cheng." Tikki read aloud still looking through her binoculars.
"And the guys?" Marinette asked.
"Top Student #6 Nino Lahiffe, Top student #5 Plagg Cataclysm and Top student #2 Adrien Agreste." She read before standing up straight and lowering her binoculars.
Alya turned around to fully look around "Well now everyone knows." She said.
"Yeah." Marinette agreed and looked around again catching evil green eyes.
"They're here," Marinette said making both girls look.
Adrien, Nino, and Plagg all were looking up at them as they stood next to each other with their arms crossed and giving them blank stares believing they are here to watch them post their pictures publicly, Adrien waved the photos with a wicked smile and sauntered over to the bulletin board.
"Here we go," Alya said as they watched, the boys held the photos up for a moment but then they're body language told them they see the grade posting, they paused, lowered the photos in shock then abruptly turned around to look up at them with wide-eyes and shocks expression while the girls held their blank faces.
"Let's go," Tikki said turning around and walking away with Marinette and Alya following.
"Justice is served deliciously," Tikki said making her friends hum in agreement.
"They can still post the pictures though," Marinette said.
"True but there isn't anything anyone else can do. They can't make fun of us for it. Were to senior now." Alya said smiling as they walked past students that gave them respectful bows.
"And..." Tikki said turning around making ALya and Marinette jump and stop in their tracks.
"We're still?" Tikki said with a smile and motioning to their group.
"Ladybugs." They sang together in unison.
"MARINETTE." A loud male voice shouted throughout the school making everyone look but a certain noirette dropped her head in her hand and groaned as the running of feet came nearer and nearer.
"Not Today Nathan come on," Alya said as the redheaded boy came running in their shared class and sat down in front of Marinette.
"Marinette? Is it true? Are you really one of the top minds of the school while I'm one of the lowest?" Nathan exclaimed in shock.
"Yes, it's true."She said leaning back to get a little away from him and his intense glare.
"Why didn't you say something? I could have asked you to study with me." Nathan said dropping his head on her desk.
"I only study with the Ladybugs Nathan you know that." She said looking a the pitiful lovesick boy.
"Yeah, but we could be closer in academics if you'd help me how am I suppose to take of you after we're married when you're smarter then me," Nathan said with tears running down his face.
"No one said anything about us getting married," Marinette said standing up to walk away making Tikki and Alya follow her as well as Nathan.
"But we're meant to be. I'm the only one who loves you Princess Marinette." Nathan said grasping her hand making her jerk forward as he knelt down before her.
Marinette sighed but then a snickering made her look over to see the black cats all chuckling.
"Nathan you're embarrassing me," She exclaimed jerking her hand away then running away and into the girl's room.
At the end of the school day, Nathan and his cronies were all passed out on their desks while everyone else went home except for The Ladybugs.
"And this formula," Marinette said helping Alya with her Math, as a fashion designer math was essential for proper measurements of models.
"Alya can you help me with this?" Tikki asked after they finished needing help with her literature studies.
"Sure if you can help me with this," Alya asked showing Tikki her History worksheet.
Though they were all top students they still had their strengths and weaknesses, Marinette is great with Math, Science, and Home ec, but is bad at History and Literature, Tikki is great at History and Literature but has a Math disability and can't cook to save her life, Alya is amazing with Literature, Computer science, and language studies but can barely cook a grilled cheese sandwich or canned soup. With these three girls helping each other out they are a force to be reckoned with.
"Ms. Coccinelle, Ms. Dupein-Cheng, and Ms. Cesaire." They heard making them all turn to find the principal wagging his finger for them to follow.
"Bring your things please." He said as the girls got up.
"Have we done something wrong, Master Fu?" Tikki asked as they followed the Elderly Man.
"Not at all. Considering the new system of publicising the top student's grade point average there is something else that is also new. A special study room just for the top students." He said showing them to the double doors and when the girls looked inside every other student below them was in that room studying, even the Black Cats, each boy sat at separate desks not studying together at all, Tikki led the way in and towards the back where 3 desks were empty.
Students looked back at the sharp sound of a desk being moved against the tile floor to find the Ladybugs moving the 3 empty desks around each other, the girls sat down and got their books back out to return to studying.
"Hey look they need each other to help study. Can't do it by yourselves huh girls?" Adrien joked making his friends laugh with him.
"Aw, well maybe if you studied with your friends Agreste then maybe you 3 MIGHT have a chance at beating our top scores that are, ABOVE YOU," Tikki said mockingly making all three of them blush and glare at her with large eyes while all of the other students laughed and the girls returned to their studies.
The rest of the week went by as normal but the Ladybugs were getting more respect, no more did other students just look at them and chuckle at some unspoken joke, now this school was ruled by Ladybugs instead of Black cats, though the guys still had their domain but now the Ladybugs had theirs as well.
But then Friday things changed as fate decided to be funny.
"OH, Marinette are you ok?" Tikki asked while she and Alya set down their bags to help up their clumsy friend.
"Yeah I'm ok," Marinette said as she stayed kneeling to pick up the papers she dropped from her bag as the wind began to fly everywhere.
"I hate being clumsy I trip over flat surfaces." She said putting her things back in her bag then standing and walking off her sore knees.
"Yeah, your clumsiness is world renowned." Alya joked making the girl blush, cry, and laugh all in one.
"But someday you will find a man that will catch you every time," Tikki said hugging her friend around the shoulders then holding her elbow to help her walk while Alya did the same.
Unbeknownst to the girls a single envelope with perfect Ladybug stationary and handwriting was forgotten after the fall but picked up by a pale hand with black nail polish.
Later on that day during lunch the beeping for an announcement came on, and the voice was not Master Fu.
"Attention students are you ready for a laugh but my man Agreste has one for you," Nino said over the speaker then Adrien came on.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Tikki said turning forward in her seat away from Marinette.
"Agreed." Marinette and Alya said at the same time.
"Dear Adrien, My blonde kitty, I can only try to tell you what I think about you..." Adrien began reading in an overdone lovesick girl tone.
"OH MY GOSH," Marinette said going bug eyes.
"Please understand that I think your amazing, I don't even call you Adrien, I call you Chat Noir..." Adrien continued.
"What is it?" Tikki asked.
"I never care that you're mean to me because I am always happy you're talking to me anyway. You are the most handsome guy I have ever seen and your intelligence makes me swoon..." He said while trying not to laugh along with other manly chuckles in the background.
"That's the love letter I wrote to Adrien last Saturday," Marinette said whispering to her friends in a shocked and scared tone, Tikki jumped up and ran out of the room making Marinette and Alya follow.
"I know you may not ever read this but I don't care, I am in love with you and I have been for many years now, the idea of me being a Ladybug and you a Black cat making us natural enemies is very romantic in my mind. I can only hope that things turn out differently for us in the future. Love~Marinette Dupein-Cheng." Adrien finished off the letter with laughter as the Marinette stopped running just as he said her name Alya stopped with her and hugged her just the tears started flowing, Tikki didn't stop though, it was heard over the loudspeaker of a door being busted in a few shouts, a rummage then it got turned off.
Marinette and Alya ran into the Ladybug secret room, a classroom no longer in use in an older part of the school that only clubs frequent.
Both of them are slumped on the floor Marinette had her legs pulled to her chest hugging her Adrien plush doll as a semi-permanent blush stayed on her swollen cheeks, her eyes red and puffy from crying.
Tikki opened the door making both girls look up to find her disheveled hair, a few scrapes and bruising, Alya and Marinette stood and rushed over to her.
"Tikki what happened?" Alya asked she took a water bottle and tissue and began to dab at her scrapes.
"Are you ok?" Marinette asked in concern while she began to pet her friend's hair getting in back in shape.
Tikki didn't say anything but just smiled took Marinettes hands in hers then smiled before handing her the crumpled letter with a footprint on the envelope.
Marinette grasped the letter then held it to her chest with tears in her eyes then jumped into a hug with Tikki.
"Thank you." Marinette cried into her ear.
"I could only get your letter back but that doesn't make the school forget what they heard," Tikki said pushing her away to look at her with an endearing smile.
"That's ok. At least I got my letter back. But what happened? You look like you've been in a hurricane." She said pulling Tikki to have a seat.
"If you think this is bad. You should see the guys." Tikki said sitting down letting Alya give her first aid while Marinette fixes her hair and they all laugh out loud.
After school, Tikki had a band-aid on her left cheekbone, and in a few places on her legs, while her hair was done up beautifully in twin tails just 2 inches behind her ear hanging at the back of her head and in delicate curls with bangs framing her face, she walked with a stagger pride and a smile as she had looped arms with smiling but sullen Marinette who also had looped arms with Alya.
Marinette had her head hung as once again students were laughing in their direction.
"Once again were the laughing stock of the school," Alya said as Marinette laid her head on Alya's shoulders.
"I'm sorry," Marinette said making Tikki also rub her head.
"It's not your fault, so don't beat yourself up about it," Tikki said giving her friend a large smile.
"OH MY GOSH LOOK," Alya said making them all stop dead in their tracks and look at what she was pointing at and then they all laughed.
"Oh shut up," Adrien shouted as he held the icepack to his head with his disheveled blonde hair that was dingy with a little blood and sweat, while a swollen and bruised eye was evident as well as a limp in his left leg, he was standing in front of his sitting friends around the large school fountain, Plagg had a split lip a bruised nose and a bandaged hand he was sitting down on the fountain's rim and leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and giving a glare at the girls then leaning up to turn around and stupidly put his feet in the water by accident just wanting to look away from them, Nino was sitting on the ground having one leg bent and he leaned on it nursing a sprained ankle, a bruised elbow, and a swollen bruised cheek and broken glasses.
The girls just laughed and kept walking.
"Oh Marinette?" a familiar male voice sang out making them look back and see Adrien looking at the said noirette as she looked at him.
"Come nurse me back to health baby, Please?" Adrien said with baby eyes and a sweet smile while reaching out to her but Alya and Tikki both just pulled her along while the guys laughed as they walked away.
The next Saturday morning Marinette was in her room as she was doing her final unpacking and was sullen while doing so.
"Marinette! Visitors." Her father called out making her snap out of it and get up.
Coming down the stairs she brightened when she saw her friends.
"Hey, girl we have come to help finish moving you in," Alya said waving at her.
"Oh thanks guys." She said waving them up to her room.
"I love your new house Marinette," Tikki said as she was finishing up putting away her friend's books.
"Thanks. Even though we've been here for almost a month now its still feels new," Marinette said as she was pouring her friends their tea that her father brought up with a snack.
"Yeah, and your room is much more spacious than your previous room," Alya said as she was setting up Marinette's antique computer while looking around the white room the size of a college dorm.
"At least I have enough room for a futon on my floor for you guys." She commented with a smile as the girls came around and all gathered around the table.
"I'm glad about that," Tikki said grasping a teacup and taking a sip.
"Yeah but a bigger room would be better, maybe with pink walls and black lining, oh and a loft or a balcony," Alya said excitedly while eating a cookie.
"That sounds like a Princess' room," Marinette replied dipping her cookie in her tea before taking a bite.
"If only..." Tikki began before a loud smoke alarm sounded making them jump.
"What is going on?" Alya asked as Marinette jumped up and ran to her door to open it and found the hallway covered in smoke.
"Something's wrong we have to go," Marinette shouted making her friends jump up as well and follow their friend.
"Let's go." Tikki said grabbing their hands and making a line and they all slowly ran down the stairs and into the bakery to find the place covered in flames but a straight shot to the door and seeing her father outside jumping and motioning for them to come out.
"Come on." Tikki said pulling them along, and right out the door to turn and find the house blaring up in a large flame.
"Our new house," Marinette said as she saw her bedroom window showing the flames catching her room on fire, then a small explosion sounded making them jump and grab each other steeping away as sirens sounded heading there way.