A/N: Bakery scene based off of art on tumlbr, but someone told me it was shishitsunari? Idk, but I give all credit to her for inspiring me :3

Also, I altered the songwriters of the songs. It's funny, and I dare you to try to figure it out (it's soooo easy XD)


The four friends reunited at the bakery, Nino and Alya staring at them with flat expressions while Marinette and Adrien struggled to explain over their sheepish laughs.

"We were just really caught up in running, okay?" Marinette said, following Alya down another road.

"It's called runner's high for a reason," Adrien muttered to Nino, who was shaking his head.

"You wasted ten minutes of our lives," Alya said, stopping and turning around to point a disciplinary finger at the two runners, "so now we're all gonna spend the whole day with each other now that auditions are cancelled."

The tenor saxophone player rose a hesitant hand, fearing Alya's death glare. "I'll have to ask my father first," he said. "According to him, I've been spending too much time with friends and that I haven't been focusing on my studies as much."

"I already called," she said, lifting up her phone.

"You're lying. He never answers his phone calls, not even from me," he said, incredulously.

"Nope. Well"—she pursed her lips in thought—"more like, I talked to Nathalie for you."

Adrien stared at her, still doubting the ombre-haired teen.

"Alya," Marinette complained, "I can't just take off whenever. My mom particularly is strict about hanging out and unplanned events."

"Then why did she accept our sudden meetup?" Nino asked. Marinette flushed. "Well?" He urged her by lightly pushing on her shoulder.

"Because Adrien came," she mumbled, feeling her face warm up when the blond looked at her with surprise.

Marinette's mother had a soft spot for him? Someone actually changed their morals for a single day just because he was present? He felt bubbly inside, warm and soft and everything lovely. He felt so . . . important and loved. No one shifted their schedules or changed their personalities because of him; he was only familiar with declines to unexpected events and denying friends because of a private saxophone lesson.

A goofy, silly smile curled on his lips.

I'll make sure to stop by every week, he thought, feeling giddy.

Alya began teasing her. She rubbed shoulders against the half-Chinese, prompting, "Oh? Hmm? Is there something that I want to know?"

Marinette scoffed, pushing her away with her two arms before turning around to the direction of her home. "No. Now if you'll excuse me," she said, slipping through the group, "I have to go help out in the bakery."

The three of them watched her disappear in the growing crowds of Parisians. They looked at each other.

"We're not going after her?" Adrien asked.

"Nah, we are," Alya replied immediately. "We're not gonna hang out in my place today. We'll help out in the bakery! All four of us crammed into the kitchen! Oh, we'll grow closer as a family!" The girl flung her arms around their shoulders and crushed them against her.

:..:

"How did I get myself in this situation?" Marinette sighed to herself, mashing cookie dough and mixing cake mix with her gloved fingers. She heard the racket behind her but she did her best to ignore it.

Tom and Sabine agreed to let the four of them stay in one corner of the large kitchen to make cookies and cakes. Marinette would make the ones for the bakery while Alya, Nino, and Adrien had fun creating their own, some cookies badly molded into a horse and others as giant as a pizza pie. ("Nino, you can't make a cookie that big. You're gonna waste electricity and dough," she groaned.) The cakes were difficulty level two, but the teens had yet to pass level one: the cookie state.

Their tiny corner was covered in sprinkles and chocolate chips in less than five minutes. The baker's daughter's corner, however, was as clean as the other parts of the kitchen, as she was already familiar with the tools and ingredients. With two bowls, a cake mold, and a cookie tray crammed in one corner, it was kempt and tidy.

But Nino, Alya, and Adrien's corner . . .

"You can't put that many sprinkles on a cookie, Nino!" she heard Alya scold.

"Watch me!" The sound of sprinkles falling all over the metal countertops followed after. "See?"

Marinette bit hard into her lip, thinking, It's okay. They're having fun; don't spoil it.

She was carefully rolling some dough between her hands when someone smashed into her, clapping her hands together. And as a result, the tiny ball flattened and glued her hands together momentarily.

She turned around, eyes flashing dangerously at the one and only Adrien Agreste, who was sheepishly smiling at her with his white face. Flour was caked over every inch of his face, and only his lips and very green eyes weren't covered.

"Eheheh, sorry, Mari," he said, not sounding sorry at all.

He had purposefully bumped into her, trying to get her to laugh and include her in the fun. He thought that she was taking things too seriously, seeing her alone in her unbothered state. She was quiet ever since the three had shown up, keeping focus on her own work while ignoring the squeals from Alya, Adrien's laughter, and the spurts of anger from Nino.

"You asked for it," Marinette said, scooping a handful of cookie dough and smashing it against his forehead. He yelped, chuckling as he was knocked backwards into Alya.

"What the hell?!" Alya screeched, turning around. "You just messed up my cookie!" On the counter was the poor uncooked victim, three finger holes marking its lightly sprinkled and flawless exterior. But when she saw Adrien turn around to face her, she started laughing at the sight of a lump of dough on his head.

"Oh my God, Nino, look at—" She was eagerly nudging Nino's shoulder, her flour hands leaving marks as she shook him hard.

"Hey!" he shouted, his hand slipping into the mixing bowl of raw eggs. He saw Alya's face mid-laugh and growled, "Payback."

He cupped some formed yolk into his palm and slapped it across Alya's cheek. The egg whites splattered over the rims of her glasses, eyes unharmed.

Alya's grin dropped. "You are so getting it," she said in a deep voice.

Alya took a raw egg from a carton and rammed it into his eye, the liquid seeping around his glasses and on his eyelid. Adrien and Marinette clutched onto each other when the two started shoving cracked shells and yolks at each other.

Tom and Sabine watched in the distance, the mother doing her best not to scold the children for wasting food and ruining the kitchen.

"Just relax, we can ask Fu to give us more eggs." Tom rubbed his wife's shoulders and steered her away from the back kitchen where the four teenagers were making a mess.

Nino dodged an incoming egg. It cracked against Marinette's neck, yet Alya had no signs of regret or remorse. She was only cackling loudly, pointing and clutching her stomach.

Marinette coughed, her bulging eyes showing she wasn't expecting the hit. She dramatically fell and yelled, "I've been hit!" Cough, cough. "S-someone," she wheezed, "tell my story."

"No!" Adrien cried, falling onto his knees and pounding against the tile floors with his flour-covered fingers. "You can't leave me here!"

Alya slapped a sticky hand on the back of Adrien's neck; he shot up, howling and moving awkwardly to get her hand off. "It's time to let go, Son," she said solemnly before shoveling a handful of flour from Marinette's unmixed cake batter into his hair.

Adrien gasped, jaw dropping as he felt the tiny flakes of white powder settle in his hair. "You are so paying."

He let out a growl and jumped over Marinette, who was crawling away to steal the container of sprinkles as her weapon. He was clutching a heavy bowl of cookie dough and tore off a chunk. Then, he threw two blobs at the back of Nino's head and into Alya's long hair.

Nino and Alya gasped when Marinette jumped over them and slammed a handful of rainbow bits down their shirts. The sprinkles stuck to the egg liquids, feeling gritty under their shirts.

"Haha!" she tauntingly laughed, leaning her elbow on Adrien's shoulder, but because he was taller than her, she had to reach up. "Eat that," she sneered, pounding fists with Adrien.

That was when everything caught up to her. Her magnificent smile slowly dropped as she took in her surroundings.

Egg shells and liquids were splattered across every appliance and surface she looked at. Flour lightly powdered every shelf, but the floor was blanketed in pure white. Sprinkles peppered all surfaces and caked skin that was visible. Cookie dough was dotted onto the walls and on the counters. And luckily, Marinette's cake batter was mostly unharmed, but a few sprinkles lightly decorated the mix.

Overall, it looked like a murder took place. A murder of an uncooked gingerbread's family and their children.

She fell onto her knees, looking defeated.

"Oh my God."

:..:

The kitchen was sparkling (thanks to Alya, Nino, and Adrien's help), auditions were over, it was almost nine, and to say Marinette was exhausted was an understatement. She flopped on her chair, face down and arms serving as her pillow. The throw pillow was on the floor, but she was too lazy to pick it up.

Her phone vibrated against the floor, making her moan as she blindly searched.

From: Unknown number
To: 1st clairenette
Hi! It's Adrien. Nino told me to text you.
We're having a hangout on the last day of band camp. Do u think u could make it?

Marinette was too tired to react to the fact that she had Adrien's phone number! She forced herself up into a sitting position to glance at her large, projector screen-size calendar. Nothing big and occupying was planned. As usual. Only a few summer hangouts with the Woos.

From: 1st clairenette
To: golden child
hey adrein
ya i can make it. did ninio tell u the time?

From: golden child
To: 1st clairenette
its easier to makea group chat, hold on

From: golden child
To: 1st clairenette, best clarinet bud, sexamaphone bro
there.

From: best clarinet bud
To: 1st clairenette, golden child, sexamaphone bro
why

Marinette locked her phone and closed her eyes, snuggling into her chair and letting everything catch up to her. She instantly became tired from today's events, but the buzzing of new text messages kept her awake and alert.

Grumbling incoherent words, she let her slight anger wash over her as she rapidly typed, eyes barely registering the words.

From: sexamaphone bro
To: 1st clairenette, best clarinet bud, golden child
u think u cuold maek it at 10?

From: best clarinet bud
To: 1st clairenette, golden child, sexamaphone bro
ya

From: golden child
To: 1st clairenette, best clarinet bud, sexamaphone bro
I'll have to miss sax practice , but ye i think i can

From: best clarinet bud
To: 1st clairenette, golden child, sexamaphone bro
mari ?
MARI, CLAIRE IS GONNA DIE

From: sexamaphone bro
To: 1st clairenette, best clarinet bud, sexamaphone bro
I dont think shes responding

Marinette felt a vein throb painfully on her forehead.

From: 1st clairenette
To: best clarinet bud, golden child, sexamaphone bro
U all need to shut up, I'm trying to slepe
bye you annoying shits

From: sexamaphone bro
To: 1st clairenette, best clarinet bud, golden child
woah chill

Marinette threw her phone onto the floor and curled into herself.

:..:

Adrien let out a full laugh, falling onto his bed and keeping his phone above his face. He reread the words, over and over again, trying to picture Marinette saying those words at his face.

From: 1st clairenette
To: best clarinet bud, golden child, sexamaphone bro
U all need to shut up, I'm trying to slepe
bye you annoying shits

Who knew Marinette could have that kind of side? Well, at least he unlocked two of her many personalities.

"Shy and sassy, huh?" he mumbled, hands lightly grasping the phone. "What else are you hiding, Mari?"

:..:

Adrien felt his pillow vibrate against his cheek as messages filled his inbox. He scrubbed his face with the heel of his hand and brushed the hair out of his eyes, pulling out the phone from under the pillow.

From: 1st clairenette
To: best clarinet bud, golden child, sexamaphone bro
WAKE UP AKE UO WAKE UPL!'!
today's band camp !'!,,!

He grinned sleepily, momentarily burying his face deeper in his pillow before he climbed out of bed with a grunt, pulling out a shirt corresponding to the assigned colors.

It was part of band camp rules that each section had to have a color so that the newbies had an easier time finding their group. This year, the saxophones upheld their streak of green, so Adrien pulled on a lime-green shirt with cat eyes imprinted on it. Clarinets were red, trumpets blue, low brass gray, percussion purple, flutes white, and color guard was yellow.

Adrien sat at the dining table, fiddling with his bland peas as he opened up the texts.

From: golden child
To: 1st clairenette, best clarinet bud, sexamaphone bro
Someone's excited

From: best clarinet bud
To: 1st clairenette, golden child, sexamaphone bro
Obvi, we get to hang out all together again.
moms been separated from her children for a few weeks i miss yall

Nathalie came in, high heels clicking and tablet clutched to her chest. She was informing him about his private lessons that were crammed between 4PM and 6PM.

"No," he said, eyes trained on his phone, "I'm skipping today because I get home at four from band camp. I have to go back at six, too."

"But Adrien," Nathalie protested, approaching him with her steel face, "your father—"

"I'm sorry, Nathalie, I really am," he interrupted, walking towards the exit, "but I can't have any private lessons today. I'll be dead by the end of the day. I'm skipping." He jumped into his shoes and kicked the tip against the tiles.

"Adrien, you cannot abandon your studies," she said, heading towards him to give him her infamous glare that matched his father's.

"Yeah I can," he said in an even voice even though his heart pounded in his ears and adrenaline coursed through his veins. "I'm gonna skip lessons today. Oh, and cancel for the rest of the week, too. Nino and I are gonna hang out on the last day of band camp."

He closed the front door with his sax in his grip, exhaling deeply as he ran down the sidewalk towards the small park beside the bakery. He had to escape his "golden child" duties for just one week, so when he arrived at the park and saw a huge mob of people in a flurry of colors, all remnants of his busy life were forgotten.

He focused on his friends in the distance, centered in front of him.

"Adrien!"

Marinette waved him over, a brilliant grin on her face as she clung to Alya's arm. He reflected it, snickering when he saw her shirt. The words Thing 1 were typed across her bosom, and he guessed that Alya had Thing 2.

She pointed to the fence bordering the park, mouthing something to him, but when he leaned his head in confusion, she handed her clarinet to Alya (who, like he guessed, wore Thing 2), detached herself from her, and ran to him.

"We put our instrument cases by the fence, then you get to do whatever for a few more minutes. Remember last year?" she explained, running back to the group after he nodded.

He joined the trio, his tenor dangling from his neck. "Adrien, I haven't seen you in a while," Nino said, shaking hands and bumping shoulders with him. The blond laughed.

"Yeah. All week I was playing with Father's band. It was pretty cool," he said, rubbing the hair on the back of his neck.

"Hmm, 's that so?" Alya hummed, flipping through her phone.

"Alya, that's rude. Look at people in the eyes when you talk to them," Marinette scolded, slapping a hand over the screen. "Why are you always on your phone?" she asked, trying to catch her eyes.

Alya screeched, turning away to tear the ravenette's hand from her device. "Shh, shh, shut up," she murmured, "I'm reading this really heated debate on tumblr."

Nino peeked over her shoulder. "What's it about?"

"Theft and reposting people's art," she answered.

"Okay!" Marinette declared, grabbing the phone from Alya's grasp and dropping it into Nino's sax. Alya gasped, then glared at her. She shrugged, unbothered. "It's time to bond as friends. Forget technology! We have each other!" At this, she half-hugged a reluctant Alya and a blank-faced Adrien. She smiled cheekily.

The (re)blogger of tumblr ducked under Marinette's arms, leaving her hanging onto Adrien, who tried to act subtle when she spluttered for Alya to come back after dropping her arm.

"My phone will overheat and die if I leave it in there," Alya said, pointing to the bell of the bari.

She reached into Nino's instrument, grabbing his shoulder and hissing at him to remain still, but Marinette dragged her away. She and Adrien kept swiping at her hands whenever she reached into it.

"Alya," Adrien said in a warning tone.

"Let me just get it and then I'll throw it in my case," she sighed, making Nino flip the bari upside down, ignoring his snaps of being careful. It plopped onto the thick, green grass. Then she threw it onto her case, shrugging nonchalantly when it fell into a flower bed.

She was about to mull over the loss of her technology before the famous "Band, Ten'hut!" drew their attention. Immediately, marchers reacted like a dog being told to sit, holding up their instruments parallel to their body and keeping their bad straight. The color guard connected their heels in a 45 degree angle and balled their fists by their hips, looking forward.

The new members awkwardly followed, which was endearing to Marinette. She smiled, risking the consequences when she relaxed her body and assisted an underclassman.

"There you go," she whispered before surreptitiously going back to attention. Even with her eyes and body forward, she heard the taciturn girl mumble a thank you from behind her. (Not to mention, she also felt Adrien's eyes bore into the back of her head. She tried not to fall over.)

M Theo Barbeau, M Armand D'Argencourt, Mme Mendeleiev, and Mlle Bustier were all lined up in the front of the park. Armand had his hands clapped together, for he was the one who just gave the command in a clipped, loud voice.

His eyes scanned over the crowd, feeling quite proud of the quantity of members. "Get in your groups. Then make a big circle after you've introduced yourselves to your sections," he barked, turning around and leaving the section leaders in command of the subunits.

"Bye guys," Marinette and Alya said to Nino and Adrien, forming a group with the other clarinet players. The one who stood in the middle, though, was a senior named Tikki.

She had blue eyes just like Marinette and the richest, blackest hair they had ever seen. (Alya whispered, "You sure she ain't your cousin or something?") She was tan and tall, a welcoming grin on her lips.

"Hi everyone. I'm a senior. My name is Tikki!" she chirped at the newcomers. "Good to see you, Marinette, Alya, Ali." She nodded in acknowledgement. Then she turned to the lowerclassmen. "And what are your names?"

After they all recited their names, Tikki nodded and explained all the rules, like staying in a single line—one behind the other—as they do warm-ups and basics. She answered all questions thrown at her, relieved some nerves of the new marchers, and cheered whenever someone got psyched.

Alya nudged Marinette, jerking her chin towards the saxes, whispering, "Plagg didn't changed, it seems."

They laughed, seeing Nino and Adrien's frustration when Plagg got comfortable and yawned.

"I'm Plagg. Senior. The blond kid and the guy with the hat will explain everything to you," he drawled, sighing as he scratched his hair.

Adrien glared at him. "Plagg, stop that. You're giving off the wrong vibes."

"Not cool, dude. You're the section leader; you have to teach them everything."

Plagg snorted, staring at the marchers. "You stand in a line and follow orders. That's it."

Adrien groaned, throwing his head back.

:..:

All high school students were sitting in a large circle, awaiting Armand's next orders. The director was standing in the middle.

"We're gonna introduce ourselves to everybody. Say your name, what year you're going in, the instrument you play, and your favorite song. Tikki, you start." With that, the head director climbed over someone and watched from the outside.

The girl grinned. "Hi, my name is Tikki. I'm a senior and the section leader of the clarinets." She paused, placing a finger on her lips. "Um, my favorite song is Counting Stars by Two Rebellions."

"I'm Plagg, Tikki's boyfriend, ya hear? She's taken." Tikki elbowed him hard while maintaining her bright smile. "I'm also a senior and the section leader of the saxes. I like the band Pots and Pans." Leaning into the clarinet player and slinging an arm around her, he said in a much quieter voice, "Ow."

"Hi, um, my name is Amelia. I'm going to be a sophomore this year, and I'm a percussionist. I like Sorry by PB." She patted the knee of a tanner person who looked like a native with his wavy brown hair and his olive-toned skin.

"I'm Julian, a junior, and I play the trumpet. Hello by Acer." Everyone noticed how Amelia and Julian were sitting with their shoulders connected, Julian subtly trying to touch her in some sort of way, whether it be leaning in or keeping a hand on her outer thigh.

"My name is Mylene. Mylene Haprele. I'm a junior now and I play the piccolo. I like The Piano Man by Bobby Noel." The short girl with dreadlocks bounced in her spot, beaming excitedly. Mylene hugged Ivan's forearm, looking up for him as he spoke.

"Ivan. Junior. Sousaphone. Comatose by Pots and Pans."

Silence dawned on them as they waited for the next person to speak. Armand coughed his throat. "Juleka, you're up," he said in his strict voice. She flinched, grinning at Rose's attempts to cheer her up with her blinding smile and quiet cheers.

"Juleka. Going to be a junior. I play the flute. Umm," her confidence was dwindling as she spoke quieter, "My favorite song is Worn by Ninth Road South."

Rose patted her shoulder, speaking as soon as she finished in a chipper voice. "I'm Rose! Like Jules here, I'm gonna be a junior. I play the flute, and my favorite song is Sugar by Purple 4." She nudged the boy next to her.

"I am Jean Duparc, please call me Ali." Habitually, he nodded his head in respect as a greeting. "I'm also a junior and I play the clarinet. I like to listen to classical music."

"Then what's your favorite?" Rose asked.

Ali grinned, happy that someone showed interest in his style of music. "Oh," he said in a light tone, "my favorite is Unaccompanied Cello Suite No. 1 by Fronte."

"Noice," Alya said, nodding her head. Then she harshly nudged Nino when he was dozing off and held up the line. "Nino, your turn," she hissed.

He jolted awake. "Oh! Okay, um, hi, my name is Nino, the one and only bari sax player." He got up to his feet and bowed dramatically, people applauding him with grins while Ali looked insulted. "I'm a junior, and I mostly like hip-hop songs. My favorite is Where Ya At by Past."

Alya tugged him back on his butt while Adrien began. "I'm Adrien." Someone whooped, which made him smile. "I play the tenor and gonna be a junior. My favorite song is Unravel by FatiiGue."

Nino face-palmed.

"What?" Alya whispered.

"That's his weeb music," he said, rubbing his temple in disappointment. Nino glared at Adrien over Alya's shoulders; the blond gave an unapologetic smile.

"Hi, I'm Marinette—"

"Yeah, Mari!" someone shouted. She flinched away, rubbing her ears.

"—yes, hi Michael. I can hear you loud and clear. No need to scream," she said to the boy next to her, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, I'm a junior and I play the clarinet. My favorite song is Viva la Vida by Hotwork."

Then the boy began, addressing the crowd with a smile. "I'm Michael Woo, from South Korea. I'm a trombone player and a senior. I mostly listen to instrumentals."

"Favorite?" Marinette prompted with a smirk, elbowing him knowingly.

"Never Forget from the Halo series by Luther O'Donald and Martin Salvatori," he said, ruffling her hair.

She swatted at his hand, muttering, "Stop treating me like a kid."

Michael only grinned wider. "Maybe if you'll stop acting like one, Little Sissy."

"Next!" Armand shouted over them, cutting their argument to a stop.

"Le Chien Kim; don't bother trying to pronounce my last name. I'm a junior and section leader of the low brass section. I'm a trombone player." His cheeks suddenly warming up. "My favorite song—"

Marinette leaned into Adrien, whispering behind her hand, "Watch it be a Korean song."

"—is Lion Heart by Ladies' Era."

Marinette burst out laughing, covering her hand over her nose as she snorted. Kim glared at her. She didn't stop or make any signs of stopping.

"Marinette," Theo warned. She blushed and subsided into giggles.

Max took over. "I'm Max. I'm a trumpet player and a junior. My favorite song is SAVE the World from Abovestory."

Many gamers within the circle nodded, approving of him.

"I'm Chloe Bourgeois, which makes me the daughter of the mayor, for your information," she said, flipping her high ponytail over her shoulder. Her large shades took up half of her face. "I'm a junior. I'm in the color guard, and I love Stay With Me by Max Mason."

"Ooh, good choice, Chlo," Aurore said. Chloe shot her a smirk. "I'm Aurore Beaureal, also in the color guard. I'm a sophomore, and my absolute favorite song is Uptown Funk by Bruno Pluto. You all should listen to it."

"My name is Sabrina Raincomprix," she said with a gentle and welcoming smile. "I'm a junior and in the color guard. I also like Bruno Pluto. My favorite song is Grenade."

Nooroo ran a hand through his purple-dyed hair sitting atop his head after Sabrina finished. "I'm Nooroo. Unfortunately I'm the captain of the color guard, which makes me stuck with these brats." He pointed his thumb at Chloe and Aurore. "I'm a senior, and my favorite song is How to Save a Life by The Loose Stitches."

He nudged his younger cousin, who looked up with scared eyes. The younger boy mumbled something.

"Louder," encouraged Nooroo with a soft smile.

"I-I'm Pierre!" he announced, the speed of his twiddling fingers increasing. "I-I'm a freshman. Ummm, I'm also in the color guard."

"That's it," Nooroo mumbled, giving him a grin. "You got it."

"I try to listen to s-screamo, but it hurts my feelings," he said, emitting coos from Marinette. "I end up listening to classical music."

"So cute!" Alya squealed. "What's your favorite?"

"Waltz in E Minor by Chopin."

Marinette whisper-screamed, her knees spasming. But Adrien thought she was having a seizure. So he leaned his head towards her, peering up at her as she faced down, hands over her cheeks. His hair tickled the sides of her thighs.

"Marinette? What's wrong?"

"He's too cute," she said, fighting for a breath as she lifted her face. She didn't register their close proximity; her eyes were on Pierre. "Aw, I just want to cuddle with him," she added in baby-talk, puckering her lips and pretending to give Pierre kisses. Adrien backed up, Faux Grin™ on his face.

Michael gave her a weird look, telling her to shut up so I can hear Iyonna.

The clarinet player calmed down, nostrils flaring and breathing still labored but mouth remaining shut.

"I'm Iyonna, and I play the alto sax. My favorite song is Adore U by THIRTEEN. Did I forget anything?" The ginger smiled.

"Yes," Mlle Bustier replied, "what year you are going to be."

"Oh!" she said, quickly recovering from her oblivious state. "I'm gonna be a sophomore!"

Mlle Bustier smiled.

"I'm Nathanael," the redhead said, keeping his eyes on the grass. He tugged at the blades, saying, "I'm a junior and play the flute. My favorite song is You by Corrin Stjernburg."

A gorgeously tanned girl stood up, making sure to stoop over so her loose white shirt sagged. She eyed Adrien as she said slowly, "I'm Lila Rossi. I'm a sophomore and the leader of the flutes. My favorite song is I Love You by April Ravine."

Lila shot a wink at the tenor sax player, and Marinette did not fail to notice it. Adrien, on the other hand, felt a bit disgusted. He silently-begged for Marinette, Alya, even Nino to do something.

The half-Asian snarled silently, confidently reaching a hand out and grabbing Adrien's fingers. He got her message, twining them immediately. But Lila wasn't affected as she sat down, keeping her green irises on him.

No one noticed the episode, so an energetic but small boy bolted to his feet, saying loudly, "The name's Prewitt. I'm a freshman, a trumpet player, and the best song in the whole wide world is Demons by Realistic Lizards."

Alya shrugged her shoulder. "Meh, he's cute, too."

Marinette heard her and leaned forward, catching her eye. "Pierre is cuter." She stuck out her tongue at her.

Nino rolled his eyes. "You all are so rude and disrespectful."

"Yeah, we know," Alya said blatantly.

"I'm Manon! I'm Marinette's ultimate best friend, and no one can beat that!" she declared, making Alya's eyebrow twitch. "I'm a freshman, and I play the drums. My favorite song is Viva la Vida!"

Alya growled, hissing to Marinette. "Girl, you gotta speak to her. I'm your best friend! And she chose the same exact song as you! Control that demon!" Nino and Adrien leaned back, careful to get out of the way of an angry Alya.

Marinette pretended to think, placing a hand on her lips and leaning her head to the left and right. "Hmm, I dunno. She's kinda adorable."

"Oh you are so gonna get it later." Alya backed up, shaking her head with a crazy grin. She pointed to her eyes, then stabbed the two fingers at Marinette, saying I'm watching you. Marinette chose to act like she had never seen it.

"I'm Wayzz. It's spelled funny, but whatever," a boy with brown hair and large glasses said. "I'm the section leader of the percussion. I'm a sophomore. I don't really have a favorite song."

"Oh come on!" Chloe yelled, making everyone turn to her. She ignored the looks and said, "You have to have a favorite song. It's part of the rules."

"Uhh, fine," he replied, a bit surprised but unafraid of Chloe's outburst. "I guess I like Pots and Pans," he concluded, leaning his chin on his hand.

Then a boy with purple-tinted hair spoke up. "Takkar. Also a sophomore and a drummer. I like Europe's Skies by Alex Arbok."

No one questioned him as they moved on. All stares landed on—

Alix stood up and kept her lips twisted in a smirk. "I'm Alix, the section leader of the amazing trumpets." With every accentuated word, she leaned forward and pointed a finger at Kim, making him glare harder at her. "I'm a junior, and I adore the song Get Me Out by Bountiful Problems."

"Edgy," Kim snarked.

"Hey," she barked, crossing her legs as she sat back down, "you're the one obsessed with Korean girls dancing with stick-thin legs."

Kim rolled his eyes, keeping his lips sealed.

"I'm Kimiko from Japan. I'm a senior. I play the sousaphone—"

"Yeah, low brass!" an obvious voice—Kim—shouted. Alix grumbled, a stare fixated on him. He laughed at her with his tongue flopping out and a smug glint twinkling in his eyes.

"—and my favorite song is Best Friend by M Squared."

A blond girl spoke up. "I'm Solana, and no, I'm not her twin. I'm also a senior, and I play the alto sax with Yumiko. I like Korean songs." She pointed a finger at Kim and nodded in understanding. Kim tried to bite back a wide smile, but Alix's eyes were on him, so he had to remain straight-faced. "My favorite is Cheer Up by Once."

The last person to speak in the circle said, "I'm Kimiko's twin, Yumiko. I play the alto sax. I'm a senior and I love Just Right by Give6."

Everyone started to clap and stand up, relieved that their time sitting and conversing with each other was over. Adrien and Marinette were still holding hands, but they made no move to part from each other. They stood side-by-side, the tenor player looking at the directors for further instructions and the baker glaring at Lila.

"Nononono, I refuse to let you have Adrien," Marinette said under her breath, narrowing her eyes as Lili winked and wiggled her fingers at him with a flirty pose. Adrien didn't notice.

"Okay, now that we've introduced everyone, grab your instruments and line up in a block!" Armand said.

And so they did.

(Adrien and Marinette walked hand-in-hand all the way back to their instruments.)

:..:

After sweating through tough weather and four hours of basics under Armand's strict commands, it was finally time for lunch. But before anyone took off, instructions needed to be addressed.

Theo stood on the podium, yelling, "Iyonna, raise your hand. If you're behind Iyonna, wrap around the other side." A huge portion of the large blob slowly scooted over to make more space. "Thanks." Now directing the whole band, he announced, "You'll have lunch with whomever you want, but it has to include at least one different instrument. In addition," he said in a louder voice, "those who tried out for drum majors, stay. Otherwise, you're all dismissed."

The crowd dissipated in seconds due to the eagerness of the younger marchers, who dropped off their instruments and bolted to a shady spot with lunches in arms. Small groups formed in patches, loud laughter echoing.

Kim, Alix, Adrien, and Marinette waited by the legs of the elevated stage, the boys greeting each other with shoulder bumps and the girls getting into an animated talk about their summer.

"Alix, I saw you on the news!" Marinette squealed.

Alix's face lightened as she jumped, keeping her trumpet close in her arms. "Really? That's so cool! Man, I've been dying to get on the news for skating." She chuckled, rolling her eyes tiredly. Then she lowered her voice, smiling slyly. "I heard you've been rubbing elbows with Agreste over there."

Marinette blushed, sneaking a look in their direction. Kim was facing down with his trombone bell pressed against Adrien's sax bell. With both openings closed, they tried to play. Nothing came out except for their breathy chuckles. She stared at them blankly.

"Idiots," they muttered, giggling.

"Attention!" Armand said shortly, holding out a paper in his arms. They turned front and wished each other good luck, Adrien moving behind Marinette to place a comforting hand on her shoulder.

She grinned at him, anxiety shown through her eyes and jittery hands.

"You've all done well, now, so I don't want any negative feelings, alright?"

They tsked, shooting each other knowing smirks. They were already on good terms, so they can jokingly yell and throw tantrums at each other. Except Alix and Kim; those two were enemies.

"Okay, the results are . . ."

They all waited with bated breath.

"Congratulations, M Adrien and Mlle Marinette. You are the drum majors of this year's marching band!" One of Armand's rare grins were on his face as he clapped with his fingertips.

Kim roared with a beat smile, shoving Adrien good-naturedly in the shoulder while Alix blasted her horn in Marinette's ear. The clarinet player giggled, squeaking her clarinet in turn. Kim prodded the blond with his slide whenever Adrien began playing the sexy saxophone song as a joke, Alix scrubbing the top of Marinette's head with her knuckles as she held the new female drum major hostage.

Theo stood to at the base, whispering to Mlle Bustier, "This year's marching band season will be great. I can feel it."

She nodded with her eyes on the four teenagers and a smile on her lips. "I know. If only I could say the same about our color guard."

In the distance, Chloe and Aurore dumped their drinking water on Nooroo and Pierre, in turn getting some lettuce thrown in their hair. They all laughed with and at each other.

Mlle Bustier sighed in disdain, shaking her head in disappointment.

Little did she know, the color guard was one of the most united groups they've had in awhile.


A/N: Pierre is the peacock kwami. And he's adorable. He's sensitive. He's cute. I love him already.

** Unwanted end note* I just occurred to me that "till" is the gardening term, yet I've been using it as a shorter version of "until." Thanks, sis, for pointing that out to me :P **

Okay, bye now c: