The first thing Marinette noticed was that Adrien looked exhausted. She was pretty tired, but then again she was always tired on weekdays. Adrien looked like it had been a long time since he had slept, which made her frown. He was sitting alone on the steps in front of their school, eyes closed, and his head resting on his hands. She didn't want to disturb him. Oh god, that was the last thing she wanted to do. But he just seemed so... Not okay. He didn't seem okay at all. He seemed tired and hurt and... And she couldn't tell what else. Marinette bit her lip, and strode to him. She mustered up as much confidence as she could as she approached him. She stood in front of him for a minute, before sitting down next to him.

"I'm not really in the mood to talk to anyone, Mari," Adrien grumbled, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

"I'm not here to talk to you. You looked upset and tired, so I thought I would keep you company..." She hesitated. "Nobody should be alone... If you want me to go, I could."

His eyes widened, and he turned to look at her. "Don't go."

She nodded, looking across the street at the city. She tried to think of anything but the boy next to her. She tried to think of being Ladybug and Hawkmoth... Anything but Adrien. If Ladybug couldn't be swayed by boys, why could she? She was pulled from her thoughts when Adrien laid his head on her shoulder. Her eyes widened as she looked at him, heart racing.

"Adrien...? What're you doing?" Marinette asked softly, staying as still as possible.

"I'm tired," he mumbled. "Can I stay like this? Just for a minute?"

"U-um..." She hesitated. "Sure. But until class starts." He mumbled something that she couldn't quite make sense of. She looked at him for a second, before looking back at the city.

"Marinette?" Marinette was pulled from her thoughts once again. Alya sat down besides her. "Marinette, that's Adrien sleeping on your shoulder..."

"Yeah," she nodded once, trying to avoid moving Adrien.

"Oh, girl, what in the world happened?" Alya grinned. "You? And Adrien?"

"I don't know. I just sat down, and then he fell asleep."

"On your shoulder?!" The girl giggled. "Better hope Chloe doesn't see you."

Marinette rolled her eyes. "I can't avoid her. She'll be here soon, and then she'll be the one that Adrien is sleeping on."

"Oh, Mari..." Alya shook her head. "I won't let that happen."

"What's your plan?" She looked at her, eyes wide.

"I don't necessary have one yet, but I think I have a few minutes to think one up." The girl grinned.

"No, Alya. You don't. Chloe's limo is pulling up right now."

"Oh my god," Alya's grin fell from her face. "Oh my god get ready for super angry and jealous Chloe."

Marinette groaned, watching Chloe throw the limo door open and leap out of the car. She stomped towards them, anger contorting her face. As she approached, she crossed her arms and assessed the situation.

"Maritrash, what're you doing with my boyfriend?" Chloe growled.

"Your boyfriend?" Alya laughed. "I don't think so."

"He's tired and he fell asleep on my shoulder. I'm being a good friend and helping him get some rest," Marinette protested. "And my name is Marinette, not Maritrash."

"I don't really care about your name. I can call you whatever the hell I want to call you. You're lucky I'm feeling super nice today, otherwise I would slap your face off in front of everyone. So here's some advice, bitch," Chloe smirked. "Trade me spots and I won't hurt you."

Adrien hated liars. He also hated bullies. He only put up with Chloe because his father had made him, and he had known her for quite a long time... but calling Marinette a bitch and changing her name like that? It had gone too far. Adrien was only have asleep, trying to regain energy. He was listening the entire time, and now he was furious. He gently pulled his head off of Marinette's shoulder, and opened his eyes. He blinked a few times to get used to the light, before looking around. He turned to Chloe, feigning confusion.

"What's going on, Chlo?"

Chloe looked relieved for a brief second, before she put on an almost convincing miserable face. "Oh, Adrien... They were being so mean to me..." She sniffled.

He glanced at Marinette and Alya. "I'm sorry Chlo..."

Chloe sniffed again. "Come with me. You can take a longer nap."

"No, I'm sorry but I can't do that."

She stiffened. She wasn't used to rejection. "What? Why not?"

"Because you're a liar. You lie, you manipulate, you're insensitive... I don't know about you anymore. And I'm not your boyfriend. I never have been. You need to stop telling people that I am."

"B-but Adrien..." Chloe frowned. "I'll... I'll tell my father about this. He's the mayor, you know..."

Adrien rolled his eyes. "He's the mayor and you'll have him make sure that this will happen or that will happen. Blah blah blah. I've heard it all before, Chloe. You need to stop threatening people, or you'll never have friends."

"Whatever," Chloe spun on her heel, but not before giving Marinette one last dirty look. She stomped off, probably to make Sabrina's day a bit worse.

Adrien turned to Marinette, frowning. "I'm so sorry about her. God, she's so pretentious. It's just... She's a lot like you. You like the same music, have some of the same hobbies... But people like you more, and she doesn't think you're very nice to her..."

Marinette looked away from him. "I didn't know she felt like that..."

"You'd be surprised at how sensitive Chloe really is."

Adrien was glad that he didn't have to model after school. He had his own plans; to go see Marinette, to see her blush and her smile... He had offered her a ride home, but she turned him down. He didn't mind though. He would meet with her at her bakery, surprise her with flowers or something... He didn't quite know yet. All he knew was that he wanted to see her, and to make her day better. Chloe had been especially harsh after that morning, but Adrien made sure that he was by Marinette's side all day. Something inside of him was drawn to her. He hadn't noticed it before; she had always been the girl who sat behind him... the girl who had a huge crush on him. He hadn't really seen it before, but now... Now he noticed everything about her.

Something about her was too familiar... It might be those crystal blue eyes, seemingly shy. He had seen eyes exactly like that before, but much more confident and knowing. The eyes of his best friend... the eyes of his lady. Could it be that his lady and shy Marinette are the same person? Could it have been her sitting right behind him this entire time? His heart raced as his limo turned onto the street that Marinette's bakery was located on. How would he approach her? How would he figure out if she really was his Ladybug? Could he reveal his secret to her? Or could he meet her as Chat Noir and figure her out?

He knew for sure that the first thing he had to do was befriend her as Adrien... but that night, Chat would come out to play.