Chapter Two

The blood was pounding in Adrien's ears as Marinette walked away. Nino began to chatter about something but the model's attention was firmly riveted on the girl he'd been speaking to. Never before had he noticed her earrings, secreted away behind the cute locks that hung in front of her ears. The studded earrings were grey and subtle, so similar to his own inactive miraculous.

Could it be, was Marinette actually Ladybug? To be honest it wasn't the first time he'd considered it, but that said he'd often discounted the idea because of how clumsy and shy the girl could be. No doubt Marinette had nous and a strong moral compass, yet he doubted the concept of her being Ladybug as he'd seen her during the fight with Timebreaker.

Scratching his chin, Adrien fondly recalled having a second Ladybug appear on the scene towards the end of that fight. Could that have been the Marinette who'd been beside him when they'd first spotted his lady? Being an anime fan, the weird and out there wasn't too much of a stretch for him to imagine.

Alya had found a history text book that Ladybug left behind, the same textbook he had. Ladybug had appeared remarkably quickly during both the Horrificator and Evillustrator attacks. Plus, she'd had a 'secret mission' and left him in charge of defending Marinette for that last one. Then there was her appearance, good lord it had to be her.

"Hey dude, are you listening?"

Adrien blinked. "Sorry Nino, what did you say?"

"I said that Jagged Stone is signing autographs this afternoon. Did you want to check it out?"

A smirk crept upon the model's face. He knew that Marinette was a fan, heck she'd even designed one of Jagged Stone's album covers. It was the perfect excuse to see her outside of school and maybe get a chance to talk to her alone. "Sounds awesome. I'd love to go."

Nino laid out the details, explaining that the session would be held at Le Grand Paris after school.

Knowing Nino's girlfriend was tight with Marinette he couldn't stop from asking, "Will Alya be coming?"

"Yeah, she said she'll come." Nino brushed at something on his chest. "She was going to see if Marinette would come too."

"That sounds great." Adrien smirked, oblivious to the fact his friends were secretly plotting too.

As class began, Adrien stood at his desk pulling his tablet from his bag. Normally he would have sat to do the task but he remembered Marinette's less than graceful entry the day before. The idea of reaching out to catch her if another clumsy attack struck had more appeal than he could resist. The concept of his friend being his partner was really growing on him. To think the love of his life might have been within reach for so long had his heart thundering.

Then came the cold wash of reality. Ladybug had told him she was interested in someone else. His eyes cut to the empty space where Marinette sat. She had no boyfriend that he was aware of, was she crushing on someone he knew? Before he could ask Nino the object of his musings entered the room and his breath caught in his throat.

Alya was busy showing her something on her phone, but regardless Marinette lifted her head and looked directly at him. She greeted him with a warm smile and a lingering blush on her cheeks. Adrien cleared his throat, all too aware of how often the dark-haired girl flushed in his presence. He'd put it down to nerves, but was it possible that she was crushing on him? His heart soared at the idea but he quickly supressed the feeling, not wanting to get his hopes up over nothing.

Nino asked out loud what Adrien was thinking. "Hey lovely ladies, are you both joining us for our date with Jagged Stone?" The blonde shot a curious look at his friend as he drawled emphatically on the 'date' part of his sentence. Then the DJ threw a wink at Marinette and added, "Adrien is coming."

The girl's face managed to redden further. His attention was drawn to the bright pink tops of her ears and he couldn't help seeking out her earrings. Again, they were mostly concealed by her hair. Realising that he'd been staring, the model bestowed a megawatt smile. "I hope you can come too, Marinette."

The recipient of said smile teetered on her feet, snagging her best friend's sleeve to stop from tumbling over. Adrien wasn't close enough to assist but a strange thought entered his head. Had he actually made Marinette swoon? Nah, surely not. Still he liked the idea.

There was a rasp to the girl's voice as she replied. "Be there I will. I-I mean, I will be there."

Adrien didn't get much of a chance to talk to her for the rest of the day. He'd been instructed to return home during his lunchbreak so Nathalie could update him on his schedule. By the time he got back class resumed. Focussing on the tasks at hand had been difficult. His mind continually wandered, filtering more information that made it likely that Marinette was indeed his lady.

Despair Bear was one of the most fitting. He'd danced with Marinette prior to the chaos and thoroughly enjoyed it. When the akuma had arrived on the scene, the pair had both made a hasty departure. He hadn't thought much of it at the time, but recalling the moment he discerned that Ladybug had arrived only moments before he did as Chat Noir. As he glanced at the whiteboard another discovery slipped into place, Marinette had never been akumatised. Out of their entire class only she and him remained untouched.

Unable to resist, Adrien turned in his seat to stare at Marinette. Suddenly positive that she was Ladybug. His lady, his bug-a-boo, his love. Soulful blue eyes locked with his and he found himself leaning towards her. Thrilled when she mirrored his movement, his breathing actually stopped when her eyes lowered to his lips. Swiftly she looked away, over his head and he swung back around to receive a filthy look from their teacher. That glare was enough to chastise him and he made sure he kept his back to the girl sitting behind him.

When the school day finally drew to an end, Adrien practically leapt from his seat, ready to test his theory. He turned to Nino, "I checked with Nathalie and we can all get a ride with my bodyguard this afternoon."

"Sounds good to me." Nino said as he gave a thumbs-up.

Adrien quickly relayed the offer to the girls and they eagerly agreed. Alya snagged Nino's arm and the pair took the lead to the exit. Marinette glanced at him shyly and fell into step beside him. He watched as her hands gripped her backpack straps so fiercely her knuckles were white. What made her so nervous, was it him? Needing to break the silence he brought up what was eating at him. "Hey, we didn't get to finish our conversation earlier."

Wide eyes turned to his. "No, I suppose we didn't."

He lifted his right hand, forming a loose fist as he displayed his silver ring. "What made you ask about this?"

Marinette's gaze shifted to the ground. "I guess I hadn't noticed it before."

Adrien studied her. Colour sat high on her cheekbones and his eyes followed the line to her ears. "Your earrings, did you make them?"

The girl's hands touched her lobes as she shot him a cautious glance. "No, they were given to me."

"I thought as much." Her eyes locked onto his and he saw a look of panic. "I don't see the Marinette signature flair."

A sigh escaped her lips. "They are plain, but they go with everything."

Descending the stairs, he purposefully brushed his arm against her shoulder. "They're simple. Like my ring." Marinette's hands dropped to her sides as she stopped to stare at him. Their knuckles brushed as he came to a halt beside her. "I bet they pair well together."

"Come on you two, we're going to be late!" Alya shouted as she pointed at the waiting car.

Adrien smiled and scooped up Marinette's hand, lacing his fingers through hers as he led her down the stairs. "We're coming." His grin grew wider as her fingers squeezed his in return.

Marinette couldn't believe it, not only was Adrien holding her hand but he was holding it like a boyfriend would. Their fingers were intertwined and stayed that way until they had to climb into the car. Nino volunteered to sit up front, no doubt coaxed into doing so by Alya. Forever the gentleman, Adrien had insisted the girls slide into the backseat first. The budding reporter dove in to ensure her best friend was seated beside her crush.

Settling into the middle seat, Marinette reached for the seatbelt as Adrien sat down. It was then that she realised the buckle she needed to clip into was under his butt. "Uh, Adrien. I um, uh…" she pointed to what she was trying to say.

The model looked confused. "What is it?"

"My seatbelt."

"Oh," he said as he wiggled to the side, his knee pressing firmly against hers as he sat diagonally. Marinette grasped for the buckle, but it was still partly lodged under her crush. Nervous fingers pried it free as Adrien laughed. "Go on admit it, you just wanted to play with my butt."

She was about to protest when he wiggled his eyebrows at her. All words died on her tongue as he sunk back in the seat with the side of his thigh resting along hers. Seemingly unaffected, Adrien told the driver where they needed to go and they were off.

With a few brief stops, the group collected the items they wanted signed from their homes and arrived at the venue. Marinette had no doubt that Chloe would be there, it was her father's hotel after all. But that wasn't the first person she recognised. Instead a tall boy with blue frosted tips walked their way. "Hey!" Luka grinned as he spotted them. "I should have known I'd see you here."

A girl caught between two spunky guys, what could possibly happen... jealously perhaps? Stay tuned. Thanks for the reviews, favourites and follows. Most importantly thanks for reading so far!