Hey Ya'll, thanks for reading so far, this is more of a flashback to how they met and they start building their friendship


Their first meeting had been an accident. A beautiful accident really, Adrien was eternally grateful that he met Marinette, but some part of him wished it had been on better terms.

On his first day of school, Chloé had declared herself his personal tour guide. She latched herself to his arm and displayed him to the school as she escorted him to class. He was cordial, as always, signing the sheets of paper offered to him, shaking hands and waving to his new classmates. Cholé pointed out his new seat, directly across the aisle from her, but dragged him to her spot so they could gossip before class.

In her opinion, no one in the class, excluding herself and Sabrina, were very good people and Adriekins shouldn't waste his precious time on them. Adriene wanted to judge everyone for himself. He forgot about Chloé´s disregard for personal space, she had moved her face uncomfortably close to his, he panicked and took a step back to put space between them and his back hit something. Make that someone. There was a high pitched squeek and he turned to find he had knocked one of his new classmates up the stairs.

¨Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!¨ He crouched to help her up, his eyes locked on to the tell tale white cane that had bounced down a few steps. ¨O-Oh! I'm so, so sorry, I didn´t realize….¨

¨Don't worry about it.¨ She assured, she turned her head to face him and offered a small smile, her eyes never focusing on anything.

He grabbed under her arm to help her stand and ducked back down to grab her cane. He held it out to her awkwardly, not sure if he should nudge her hand to let her know it was there or simply say something. Lucky for him, she held out her hand expectantly and he passed it off to her.

¨Clumsy as ever, Marinette. You should really be more careful, you could hurt someone.¨ Chloé scoffed.

¨Chloé!¨ Adrien was appalled, how could his friend be this brash?

Marinette held up her hand, silencing Adrien. ¨Good to see you too, Chloé. You sound a little tired, you should take it easy, I know it must be exhausting to maintain your level of insensitivity.¨ The small girl suppressed a smile. Chloé sneered at Marinette and took her seat.

¨The bell hasn't even rung yet and you guys are already at it,¨ Alya laughed.

¨I didn´t start it, Alya.¨ Marinette stated. Alya climbed the steps and took Marinette´s arm, guiding her up the last few steps to her seat, settling her before moving to her spot.

Adrien was about to apologize again, but the bell rang and the teacher sent them all to their seats. His stomach felt like lead. His first interaction with one of his new classmates had been absolutely horrible! He had knocked her over and then Chloé had insulted her! He knew Cholé could be insensitive at times, but he had never really known how bad she could be. To be so rude to someone who was blind! He couldn't process it. And what must this girl think of him now? This was not how he imagined his first day to go.

Determined to apologize properly for everything, he waited for the opportune moment but he kept missing it. Any chance he had to talk to her, he would get stopped by someone else who wanted to get an autograph or Chloé would steer him somewhere to show him something new. By the end of the day, he felt utterly defeated.

To make matters worse, the Akuma that had terrorized the city the day before, Stoneheart, had appeared, stronger than before. He was still fairly new at the whole superhero thing, considering he had only been gifted his powers the day before, but it seemed rather unfair for there to be two attacks in two days.

He and his new partner managed to take down the Akuma flawlessly. As they watched her Miraculous spell repair the extensive damage to the city, his resolve strengthened. He was going to repair the damage he had caused earlier that day. He couldn't forgive himself if he let this go.

After school the next day, he waited for his driver in the school's entryway, taking cover from the rain. He let out a sigh, disappointed once again that he never got to talk to Marinette. From the corner of his eye, he saw a black umbrella pop open, and Marinette took a cautious step out into the rain.

¨Why so glum, chum?¨ Marinette asked trying to lighten the mood.

¨Marinette! I´ve been meaning to talk to you! I really wanted to apologize again for yesterday, I'm really sorry I knocked you over, and I'm especially, sincerely sorry for Chloé´s behavior.¨ Adrien rushed to speak.

¨It´s not a big deal, really.¨

¨Yes it is! She was incredibly rude to you!¨

¨I'm used to Chloé, I can handle myself.¨ She leaned closer, ¨between you and me, it's kinda nice that Chloé treats me the same as she does everyone else. But don't tell her I said that or I´ll kick your butt.¨ For a moment, he took her seriously until he sees the smile tug at the corners of her mouth.

¨I still feel really bad for bumping into you, I really should have been more aware of my surroundings...¨ He mumbled.

¨Tell you what, do me a favor and all will be forgiven. Sound good?¨ He instantly brightened at the idea.

¨Of course! What do you need?¨

¨Would you mind escorting me down the stairs? I'm pretty accident prone, and blind girl plus wet, slippery stairs is just a recipe for disaster. Also, it's hard to hold an umbrella, use my cane, and hold the railing at the same time.¨

¨Of course!¨

She passed him the umbrella and moved her hands up his arm until she could link her arm comfortably with his. She doesn't cling to him like Chloé does, and for once, he doesn´t feel like arm candy. He positioned the umbrella so it covers both of them, she carefully tapped her way down the stairs, they moved slowly so neither of them slip.

¨One more step.¨ He warned.

¨You're a pro at this¨ She laughed when they reach the bottom.

¨Thanks.¨ He blushed, not used to receiving praise from others.

¨Marinette!¨ A large man approaching from down the street called out.

¨That´s my dad, he´s here to walk me home so I don't accidentally drown in a puddle.¨ Adrien chuckled.

¨Here´s your umbrella back.¨ He carefully brushed it against the hand that held onto his arm so she could easily take it from him.

¨Why don't you hold on to it? You're ride´s not here yet, right?¨

¨I´ll be fine¨

¨Keep it, I insist.¨ She offered another smile and squeezed his arm reassuringly. Adrien´s heart skipped a beat.

Thunder rumbled in the distance.

She moved from the cover of the umbrella. Her father reached her quickly, and once she had placed her hand on his forearm, they started walking home. ¨Bring it back tomorrow! See you!¨ She called over he shoulder.

¨Y-yeah. See you¨ He raised a hand to wave and it hangs in midair.

¨Looks like you got yourself a girl friend.¨ Plagg popped out of his collar.

¨She´s not my girlfriend, she's just a friend.¨ Adrien stopped and the impact of the word hit him.

¨A friend.¨


Adrien watched as Alya guided Marinette´s fingers across the page, following the lines of dresses from Gabriel Agreste´s new collection, tracing the subtle curves of the fabric on the page. It was fascinating watching the two of them interact, it was so relaxed and casual. Alya was Marinette´s eyes, and Marinette was Alya´s ears. Alya loved to talk and describe everything and great detail, and Marnette would patiently listen to her friend babble about anything and everything. Adrien was a little jealous.

¨It´s short, sleeveless with a wide boatneck top. the skirt bubbles out with wide pleats. It's the same shape as if you held a tulip upside down. There's a dainty bow at the waist with a belt, it's a great contrast to the bold metallic vines that explode from the waist and stretch out across the top and skirt. It fans out like the indents in a sea shell.¨ Alya described, tracing the shape of leafy design in the bodice and skirt.

¨What color is it?¨ Marinette inquired.

¨Pink.¨

¨Ooo, I love pink. Which shade?¨

Alya closed her eyes, pausing a moment to gather her thoughts.¨Light comfy pink. It's Sunday morning in the middle of summer where you've slept in. You can feel the sun hit your face through the window. It's not unbearably hot, it's comfortably warm. You get to stay in bed for a few more moments and just bask in the warmth with no commitments and no pressure.¨

¨That´s a pretty pink.¨ Marinette sighed.

¨Wow.¨ Adrien breathed, amazed. ¨ You're really good at this.¨

¨I have a writer's mind.¨ Alya leaned back and put her arms behind her head. ¨I don't really do much creative writing anymore, running the Ladyblog takes up most of my free time, but I still get to flex my creative muscles with Marinette."

¨I keep telling her she should just stick with writing stories. It would be much safer than running after Ladybug and Chat Noir everyday.¨ Marinette pouted.

¨I´d much rather live the action than write it.¨ Alya leaned forward and flipped the page to the next design. ¨Hey, Adrien, why don't you give this a try?¨

¨W-what?¨

¨Yeah! I'm curious to see how you would describe your dad´s designs.¨ Alya stood from her seat and tugged Adrien to the spot next to Marinette.

¨I don't think I´ll be very good at this.¨ Adrien mumbled.

Marinette nudged his shoulder with hers playfully. ¨Don't worry, even if you're awful at it, we can still be friends."

¨Oh jeez, thanks.¨ Adrien rolled his eyes, Marinette laughed at his tone. She laid her hand on the table and he hesitantly guided it to the page. ¨Umm….¨

¨Why don't you start with the structure?¨ Marinette suggested.

¨Right. So, it's a long evening gown. Halter style top. Chunky belt at the middle to cinch it, the skirt is gathered and flows,there's a slit on one side up to the thigh.¨ He carefully runs her finger along outline of the dress.

¨oh c´mon, you can be a little more creative than that.¨ Alya groaned. ¨At least compare the skirt to something so she can imagine how it flows.¨

Adrien stared at the page. ¨It looks like water.¨ He decided.

¨Water can be tricky.¨ Marinette raised an eyebrow. ¨Is it moving water or still?¨

¨It´s moving water. It kinda looks like falling water. Not like water from a faucet, more like a waterfall.¨

¨That´s a little better¨ Alya crossed her arms and nodded. ¨Talk about the color next.¨

¨It's ombré. It goes from navy blue to a kind of magenta color.¨

Alya smacked her hand to her forehead. ¨oh for the love of… you gotta find a way to describe the color.¨

¨Oh, right!¨ Adrien hummed in concentration.

¨If it helps, I already have an idea of what ombré looks like.¨ Marinette said. ¨Alya described it once. She said it's like standing in the shade and slowly moving your arm out into the sun. You can feel the warmth moving down from the tips of your fingers up to your elbow but your shoulder still feels the chill of the shade.¨

Adrien gaped at Alya. ¨Man, you are really good at this.¨ Alya merely shrugged at the compliment.

¨Why don't you tell me which part is in the shade?¨ Marinette suggested.

¨The bodice of the dress is the shade, it's the darkest part. It's… a lonely sort of blue. It's only really there to make the magenta in the skirt more prominent. The magenta is the center of attention, it's confident, it's the sun, and it draws attention away from the blue. But there's a point where they meet, it's purple and it's exciting cause that when the lonely blue decides to become more brave. But all the colors blend together seamlessly cause you realized you need all of it to make it work. You need the lonely blue just as much as you need the confident magenta otherwise the dress isn't as beautiful.¨ He let out a sad sigh when he finished.

He´s fairly confident that his father never put nearly as much thought into picking colors for his designs. Gabriel´s only concern was that everything looked beautiful and perfect, he didn't think twice about lonely blues. He hadn´t discussed much of his family life with his new friends yet but they could sense that something was wrong.

Marinette held his hand between both of hers, stroking her thumb across his skin lightly. ¨I always thought blue was a nice color.¨

Adrien smiled at their entwined hands, giving a quick squeeze as a silent thanks.

¨Me too.¨


¨Oh, Chat! I'm so sorry!¨

Her yoyo had a habit of falling onto Chat´s head. Whenever the string would go slack she had a difficult time predicting where the yoyo would land until it knocked into the top of Chat´s head. It was easiest for her to see with the vibrations from the string, she had still been learning how to fully utilize her enhanced sense of smell and hearing, but she didn't have many opportunities to practice outside of Akuma battles.

¨My Lady, I'm starting to think you're doing this on purpose.¨ He rubbed the top of his head and winced.

¨Sorry, I'm still getting used to this.¨ Her earring beeped.

¨Yeah, me too. Hey, maybe we could start meeting up to practice?¨ Chat suggested.

Definitely not. Arranging practices would mean they would have to reveal their identities. Chat couldn´t know. She didn't even want to think about what would happen if he found out. Their partnership had just started and if Chat knew about her secret it would effectively end things.

¨Don't think that'll work, Kitty. You and are supposed to be strangers without the masks.¨

¨Maybe we could arrange something while still in uniform?¨

¨Not to sound rude, but it'll probably be easier for me to practice on my own.¨ It was true, really. She didn't need help learning to battle, that skill came naturally with the suit. She just needed to learn to see. ¨Besides, if we were gonna start arranging to meet up, I would much rather it be for movies and dinner.¨ She winked at him. She had never understood the purpose of winking when Alya explained it to her, but she realizes it must have some practical use by the way it makes Chat get all flustered.

¨M-my Lady, that would be rather difficult, given our not-so-subtle costumes. We´d stand out wherever we go.¨ Chat stuttered.

¨Well then,¨ she shifted closer to him, reached up and flicked the bell on his neck, ¨We'll just have to plan something a little more… intimate then, won't we?¨

She could feel the heat radiating off his body with his embarrassment. Her own face warming at her boldness, she made her way towards the edge of the building, her earring beeping again.

¨L-L-Ladybug!¨ Chat spluttered.

¨Au revoir, Chaton!¨ She called over her shoulder before letting her yoyo fly.

Later in her room, she hugged a pillow to her chest, her face heated up to volcanic levels.

¨My my, someone is getting rather bold.¨ Tikki tittered.

¨Oh Tikki, I don't know what's gotten into me! I´ve never done anything like that in my life!¨ Marinette groaned into the pillow.

¨Isn't it obvious?¨ Tikki, ever the hopeless romantic, giggled at her chosen´s naivety. ¨You have feelings for him!¨

¨WHAT?!¨ Marinette shot up from the bed, pulling at the pillow, the stitches straining to keep it from tearing. ¨I do not have a crush on Chat Noir!¨

¨What's so bad about having a crush on him?¨

¨He´s my partner, it would make things awkwards. Plus, there's the fact that I'm…." She slunk back onto the bed, falling onto her side, and curling in on herself. ¨It just isn't an option for me.¨ Tears welled up in her eyes.

Tikki flew over to the girl and placed a paw on her cheek. ¨Marinette, you doubt yourself too much. I picked you to be Ladybug because you're brave and strong and wonderful. With and without the mask, you are miraculous. You just need to remind yourself of that.¨

Marinette opened her hand and the little creature landed in her palm. She brought her hand towards her face and pressed her forehead to Tikki´s.

¨Thanks Tikki.¨

Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad for her to indulge in a small crush on her partner. Maybe it wouldn't even be so bad to admit that she felt confident and unstoppable as Ladybug. She just needed to remind herself she was worth it.