Author's Note: Hi friends, so sorry this is later than I intended it to be! I've got a full time job and I'm a freelance writer, and all those things have been taking up all my free time. But Chapter 3 is finally here (after a lot of struggle lol) and this story is definitely going in a different direction than how I thought it would, lol. I'm having fun letting them lead me where they will! Will Adrien soon learn the truth? Who knows? Enjoy :D
The next morning, Marinette doesn't have time to plan out how she's going to talk to Chat Noir about the play, thanks to the latest akuma attacking the city. The victim is Chloe's limo driver, who was incensed by her disrespectful attitude towards him. Hawk Moth's akuma has transformed him into Le Chauffeur, and he is locking everyone inside the nearest cars and forcing them to drive in circles around the city.
Marinette watches the insanity at her school from her rooftop balcony and sighs as she turns to her kwami. "Looks like now isn't a good time, is it, Tikki?"
Tikki shakes her head. "Sorry, Marinette. I know you wanted to talk to him!"
Marinette shakes her head. "Paris will always come first. Let's go, Tikki—transforme moi!"
She leaps across the building tops as the early morning sun shines brightly in her face and tries not to think too much about what she's going to say to her partner when he arrives on the scene. She hopes that they won't have too much time to think, though that's unlikely. She and Chat always discuss the game plan before tackling their akumas. She crosses her fingers and hopes that she can act normal around him.
Ladybug arrives at the school within a few minutes and scopes out the scene. It appears that the Chauffeur's rage seems to be primarily targeted at Chloe (what else is new), so the best way to get him to focus on Ladybug and Chat will be to get her out of the way. Which might be hard, given the fact that she is zig-zagging around the grounds like a startled pigeon.
"Bonjour, my lady," says Chat as he swoops down from the top of the building to the balcony and joins Ladybug. He loses his balance as he lands on the ground, grabbing her shoulder to steady himself, gently pressing the tips of his fingers against the edges of her collarbone. Until yesterday, she wouldn't have thought twice about it—she and Chat are a team. But now, she can't stop thinking about how it feels to be standing so close to him.
"Ah, Chat, you're here," she says, finding herself looking a little longer into his eyes than usual, which he immediately notices. It reminds him of the way Marinette was staring at him yesterday, but surely that can't be more than a coincidence. He's just got rehearsal on his mind.
"Am I looking that chat-mant today?" he asks with his trademark feline grin.
"Don't be silly, petit minou," says Ladybug, rolling her eyes, though she does it more half-heartedly than usual. She wonders what it would be like to kiss him for real.
They fall into an awkward silence before she clears her throat and points to the Chauffeur.
"So, kitty—that's our target today."
"Isn't that—"
"Yes, it's Chloe's driver."
"How many akumas has that girl caused?" says Chat, rolling his eyes as Chloe runs around, screaming like a banshee while trying to escape from the Chauffeur.
"She might be the worst person in Paris, but we still have to save her. Again."
"Ugh, j'en ai ras le bol !" says Chat Noir. "But fine—jump on, I can swing us down." He perches on his baton and gestures at his legs.
Ladybug blushes. "Ah, that's not necessary, I can use my yo-yo!"
"Buginette, is everything okay? You seem a little distracted today."
"I'm fine, Chat—it's just that…there's something I need to talk to you about."
"What is it?"
Ladybug jerks her head as Chloe screams again, finally caught by the Chauffeur and shoved into a car.
"I'll tell you later—we've got to go now!"
Together, they swoop down, rescuing Chloe and confronting the Chauffeur. In the middle of battle, Ladybug and Chat Noir fall into their regular patterns—noticing the enemy's weaknesses at the same time, launching attacks in sync, following the beat and rhythm that they've developed over a year of working together. It's fun, it's breezy, and they both love it.
But in a matter of minutes, Ladybug captures the akuma and purifies it, bidding adieu to the little white butterfly as it flies away into the distance. As she watches Chat pat the disoriented limo driver on the back and sends the man on his way, the dark, cold pit of reality sets into her stomach once more. Now that they're done fighting, it's time for her to have the conversation with Chat that she's been trying so hard to avoid.
Once they're alone again, they fall into an awkward silence as the tension rises.
Chat's not sure what to do. Ladybug isn't usually this nervous. Even though he's the one that flirts and jokes around with her, their dynamic works because she always has a response at the tip of her tongue, or a roll of the eyes.
He coughs.
"My lady, you said you wanted to tell me something?"
"Oui, I did…It's about something I'm doing at school that involves you—" she begins to say as the bell tower starts ringing loudly. "Wait, what time is it? "
"Slightly past 9! –Oh no," says Chat, the color draining from his face. "I've got to go right now. I'm late for school."
"Me too!" says Ladybug. "Can we continue this conversation later? It's really important."
"Anytime you want, Buginette, you know I'm just a message away."
"Merci, petit minou. I'm sorry that I have to keep you hanging like this."
They bound away in opposite directions, Ladybug cursing herself for not being able to just spit it out, and Chat wondering what it could possibly be that she wants to talk about.
Marinette arrives at school a mere thirty seconds before Adrien and manages to sneak into class without being noticed by the teacher, but Adrien himself notes that her cheeks are more flushed and her hair looks more disheveled than usual, and he wonders why that is.
It occurs to him that he's been wondering a lot about Marinette since being cast in the play, and if it has to do with the fact that she's reminding him in many ways of Ladybug these days. But then again, that's part of the charm of Ladybug. In many ways, she reminds him of a regular school girl, even though she's so much more.
As Adrien sneaks another glance at Marinette, he realizes to his surprise that her eyes are the exact shade of cerulean blue as Ladybug's.
After the end of the first period, Marinette suddenly remembers that Alya never actually told her why Mylene had recommended her for the role that is turning her life even more topsy-turvy than it already is, which she would never have thought was possible, given the fact that she's already living a double life and her best friend is obsessed with her superhero alter ego.
She pokes Alya in the shoulder. "Hey, Mademoiselle Playwright, I've got a bone to pick with you."
Alya sticks her tongue out at her. "What is it, Ladybug?"
"You never actually told me why Mylene suggested me for the lead role in your play."
"Oh! I didn't, did I? Well, it's because she said that you remind her a little bit of Ladybug."
Marinette feels her heart start to beat faster. Does Mylene know her secret?
"I…remind her of Ladybug? In what way?"
Adrien tries not to eavesdrop on the conversation, but he can't help it. He's starting to form his own suspicions, but they're all based on observations that nobody else could possibly make. What has Mylene noticed?
"She told me that the way you were standing up for her during the film shoot and the way you were rallying everyone was very much like Ladybug, and you know, when she mentioned it, I could see it! You've really been a great leader this year, Marinette."
Marinette sighs with relief. So it has nothing to do with something Mylene has noticed. Unconsciously, she touches her fingers to her earrings and absently rubs them.
Adrien sees. And for the first time, he realizes that the design on her earrings are—
"Dude, what's up? You've been staring at Marinette a lot lately," says Nino, interrupting his thoughts.
Adrien turns to look at his friend and laughs nervously. "Have I? I guess it might be because of what happened at rehearsal."
Nino grins. "Yeah, those were some kisses yesterday. I didn't know you had that in you!"
Adrien smiles and shrugs at his friend. He wants to look back again at Marinette and take a second glance at her earrings, but he can't do it now, or he knows that Nino will notice again. He's going to have to wait until rehearsal. He sighs and impatiently taps his pencil on the desk as he watches the seconds slowly tick by on the clock.
He wishes the school day was over already—he's burning with the desire to look behind him again, to see if there's anything else he's never noticed before in the way Marinette moves, in the way she talks—in the way she smiles.
This must be how Plagg feels whenever he's craving Camembert, the endless desire for more—though in this case, it's information that he wants. At any rate, Adrien is convinced that the girl with the pigtails and the bright smile is far more interesting than any kind of cheese.