Day 4 Prompt:

"Sometimes," they said, very quietly, "I think you break my heart a little bit."

"Sometimes," came the reply, "I almost believe you actually have one."

It was when she actually took the time to look at herself full-on in the mirror that Marinette really knew she was in trouble. Sure, she was a little distracted this morning, but…no aspiring designer should even have these things in her closet. As atrocious as this mishmash of "slob" hanging on her frame was, though, it wasn't what was bothering her most. Nor, surprisingly, was it the fact that Adrien had seen her like this, and even told her she looked like crap. It wasn't even that Chat Noir had seen her in anyway other than completely put together, although that was a close second. What really was causing her distress was realizing that it mattered.

It mattered to her what Chat Noir thought of her.

Sure, Adrien and Chat were the same person – a fact Marinette was still fighting in her head about. But Adrien she knew would accept her no matter what. But Chat? Chat always expected more of her. He was, in fact, the only person in Paris who would "stand up" to Ladybug and all her bullheadedness. The only person who knew she was human and treated her as such. Even then, even knowing all this, Marinette told herself it still shouldn't matter…but…she wanted to be that person for him. He was a jerk sometimes, but part of her always stood taller when he was around. And maybe, she could finally admit to herself now that it had (almost literally) slapped her in the face, it wasn't just because she wanted to prove him wrong, but maybe she wanted him to like her. Maybe as much as she liked him.

The Marinette reflected in the mirror suddenly went red from the tips of her ears to just below her shoulders.

Complete embarrassment couldn't accurately describe what she was currently feeling.

She had just thrown Adrien Agreste around her room.

She had bitten Chat Noir's cheek in lieu of a promised kiss.

And…she wished she had the opportunity to kiss him again.

Stupid cat.

Well…

Maybe it wasn't too late to make a good impression…

Marinette dug into her closet, looking for a perfect – yes!

There was more than one way to catch a kitten.

Ladybug's – Marinette's – Kwami, Tikki, had, thankfully, given them plenty of time to get to school. Apparently the little red bug's concept of time was a bit better than her human counterpart. Adrien still had about five minutes until the bell for class rang, even after messing with his hair in the bathroom.

Of course, he could have done with being late, seeing as how Nino – and 110% Alya – would be all over him with questions as soon as he stepped into the classroom.

Adrien sighed as he walked up the steps, trying to think of another excuse for the purply mark not doing a good job of blending in on his cheek. He couldn't call it a "bug bite" anymore – Alya was there last night, and Adrien did not want the nosey (but fun) blogger connecting any more dots about his secret identity. And, unfortunately, he couldn't accuse Marinette of being the cause either, for the same reason. A snort of laughter burst out of Adrien at the thought of how red Marinette would turn if he claimed the "love bite" was from her.

Adrien was about to enter their classroom when a slight crash sounded from downstairs, followed by an exasperated groan.

Speak of the bug.

Chat Noir – and Adrien, for that matter – would recognize that sound anywhere. Smiling to himself, Adrien debated briefly whether to wait for Marinette here or not before going into the room. Then, his smile faltered…he had probably already hit his embarrassment quota for the day, and did not feel like running over his blush limit. Seeing Marinette again, so soon after their…tousle? The cost would be astronomical. With this thought, he walked as calmly as he could into the classroom.

As usual, the class was already buzzing in conversation. A set of paper airplanes soared over his head, a cheer and a groan from the corner where Alix and Kim were when they landed. Alya was leaning over her desk, chatting excitedly to Nino. Rose, Juleka, Ivan, and Myléne were around her, and they were all watching footage of Alya herself being Akumatized. Lady Wifi. Honestly…that was probably the best Akuma name for the blogger. Adrien smiled, shaking his head, and was about to move to his seat when a sudden yelp made him jump.

The group hovering over Alya's phone burst into laughter.

That wasn't…that wasn't him was it? No, they must be watching another video…surely Chat Noir wouldn't make a sound like a –

"He really is a cat, isn't he?" Nino laughed heartily.

No. No, no, no, no –

Alya replayed the little video. The laughter compounded.

"He's so cute!" Rose cooed, jumping up and down excitedly. "Look at his blush!"

"Yeah, I don't think he really thought Ladybug would do it!" Alya added in.

Adrien agreed. He didn't think Ladybug would bite him.

He was about to say something – anything – in defense of his alter-ego, when someone much smaller than him came barreling into the doorway, successfully ramming into him. Adrien stumbled forward a step, but turned quickly enough to catch the lithe form before she hit the ground.

"Hey, Mar," he said quickly, when he realized who it was. "Funny running into you…heeerre…"

Adrien faltered.

Marinette was modest, sure, but she was also quite reserved. Most often, several layers seemed to be required before the girl left the house. She certainly didn't show that much, um, skin. It was a simple sundress, short-sleeved with a flowy a-line flair that hit her knees. Pretty, practical, and definitely eye-catching. And her knees.

Her. Knees.

All behold as supermodel Adrien Agreste, who is anything but body shy, dies at the sight of a girl's knees.

To be fair…they were very cute knees.

Adrien, who finally realized that he might have been staring a little too long (yes, at her knees), cleared his throat and pulled the girl up from her crouch. When he finally caught sight of Marinette's face, he tried not to scowl. She was, of course, pink across her cheeks (he was used to that sight), but she was also wearing a smile that told him she knew what was running through his mind at the moment. And he did not care for her to be reading his thoughts.

He promptly gave her a slightly impassive face, a calm smile, and a pointed look that plainly said, shut up.

"You guys finished with your doorway scene over there?"

The voice was Alya's, but it was followed by giggles from all over. Apparently their little "doorway scene" had drawn the attention of the entire classroom.

Chloé scoffed, rolling her eyes and going back to playing with her phone. For some reason, ever since Adrien had told his friend about his feelings for Marinette – the only person in the classroom to know about them at all – Chloé had given him the cold shoulder. He wasn't sure if it was a blessing or not, but, either way, Adrien was going to address her sound of derision. Before he even got a word out, however, Alya let out a long, loud gasp.

"Adrien Agreste!" she squealed, snapping his attention to her. "Is that a hickey on your cheek!?"

What?

Oh, yeah. That.

Without meaning to, Adrien's eyes flicked to Marinette's. It was a knee-jerk reaction. Marinette, however, only looked up at him innocently, blinking bright doe eyes at him.

"Ha! Adrien, I didn't take you for someone who would be into literally sucking face!"

That voice was Kim's, and, like Alya's statement before, drew laughter from everyone in the room.

Adrien had to think of something. And fast. He would not lose a round of anything to this small, annoying, beautiful –

NO, DO NOT COMPLIMENT THE ENEMY!

Adrien looked at Alya bashfully, laughing lightly though one of his model smiles.

(He didn't miss the way Alya's eyes also snuck a glance at Marinette, grin growing to a Cheshire-like state. Nor did he miss how the forever-blogging blogger now had her phone pointed at him.)

Adrien pulled out all the stops.

Kitten eyes. Timid look. Toe the ground.

"It's, uh, not a hickey, Alya," Adrien said in decidedly reserved voice. "Just a bruise, I promise. I, uh…" he glanced purposefully over to Marinette, putting a hand on the nape of his neck for effect. "I've never even kissed a girl before."

The effect was immediate. All the girls in the class let out a collective, "awwwwww!", while all the guys exclaimed at the admission.

Nino was first to talk.

"Dude, if you haven't even kissed a girl and have all the ladies swooning over you already, the rest of us are doomed, yo."

There was a collective acquiescence to this statement. Adrien tried not to look too smug when he looked back at Marinette. Marinette, the blushing blue-nette, though, only patted him on the arm, looking at the class before turning her eyes back to his own.

"Oh, don't worry guys. I'm sure you all are just fine," she spoke with a sweet voice, but Adrien was scowling suspiciously at her. "Wittle Agweste here is just a little…sheltered."

Giggles. Alya's shoulders shook. Nino was covering his face with his hands, laughing, but unable to handle the embarrassment rolling off Adrien's shoulders.

It was surprising, hearing this coming from Marinette's lips. It stopped him for half a second, but this was Adrien's game. Marinette, unwittingly, had moved into his playing field. Into Chat Noir's expertise. Chat Noir: Flirt Master Extraordinaire.

"You're right, Mar," Adrien purred, looking at her with lidded eyes, leaning closer to her. "And I could use a teacher." Her hand left his arm like she was suddenly stung, eyes widening. "Or…a private tutor."

"Oooooooo!"

Marinette's brow furrowed just enough for Adrien to see that she was, in fact, affected, but then Ladybug did something she had never done with Chat Noir: she flirted back.

"Sorry, Adrien," she almost whined, stepping into his space a little more. A finger poked his chest lightly before she dragged it down. At the same moment, her bottom lip jutted out in the cutest pout Adrien had ever seen. "But my schedule is pretty full."

Adrien was not affected. He was NOT.

"I'll take the liberty of putting my name on the waiting list. I'm only interested in learning your technique." He bit his bottom lip. "Specifically."

Despite her now raging blush, Marinette still managed to look unmoved.

"Ah, but I only take the most promising students. And you're a little out of luck in that department, Agreste."

She had clicked her tongue at the end of the word "luck"; Adrien had been so drawn into her that he jumped at the sound. This was not going as planned. How was Marinette – Ladybug – beating him at his game?

Obviously this banter in front of everyone wasn't working out.

Adrien needed…a more direct approach.

With a sneaky smile that made Marinette look at him questioningly, Adrien gently grabbed onto her shoulder and leaned forward until he could whisper into her ear.

"Sometimes," he ghosted into her ear, not even bothering to hide his smile when she tensed up under his touch, "I think you break my heart a little."

"Sometimes," she whispered back immediately, albeit a little breathlessly, "I almost believe you have one."

A silent second, and then Adrien burst into silent laughter, pulling Marinette close enough for the chuckles to land in her hair.

It only took a second for the two secret superheroes to feel the stares burning into them, the silent audience to their sudden, somehow intimate situation.

The two teens went silently back to seats, both red-faced, both trying to appear as if whatever just happened did not just affect them as much as it seemed. Everyone else, though, was watching every move the two made with maddening acuteness. Well, everyone except for Nino, who was lost in the confines of his hat, blushing wildly.

Adrien had never been more thankful for the school bell to ring. And not just for the fact that everyone's eyes were suddenly focused on their teacher. The model had some things to contemplate.

"Sometimes, I think you break my heart a little."

"Sometimes, I almost believe you have one."

Somehow, out of everything, thinking back to this part of their banter was what was really making his heart race.

Also…

Knees.

[[ So, since this thing is already terribly off schedule, I want to just do some fun stuff with it. And…maybe make the next chapter the last chapter? Maybe. ANYWAY! I have a few prompts that I picked from my growing Pinterest board and I want y'all to choose one for tomorrow! There's only one rule to voting…have fun. ;3

Option 1:

"She never spoke, never made a sound, but the look in her eyes told me exactly what was about to happen."

Option 2:

"Right now, I don't know if I want to kiss you or shove you off a bridge."

"Can I pick?"

Option 3:

"The Hesitant Kiss – The type of kiss where their lips touch a brush against each other's a few times, breath fanning across each other's faces as one waits for the other to make a move."

Aaaaand a bonus Option 4:

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

"Then stop looking." ]]

[[ *accidentally just spent the last 30+ minutes looking at all kinds of writing prompts* ]]

[[ HEY THANKS FOR READING :DDDD ]]