The rest of the school week sped by. It was actually kindda nice to be back into the regular routine. Marinette felt amazing! She finally submitted her fashion portfolio, she passed her history test, she beat her Dad in Mega Strike III, went shopping with her mom, and had a great video chat with Kagami, who had moved back to Japan last summer with her mom. Plus...she had enjoyed weekly patrol with a certain kitty even more than usual. Her heart sped up hearing the familiar thump of his boots on her balcony Thursday night.
"Mi'Lady," he greeted her with a bow, when she opened the hatch from her room.
"I was hoping you'd come by tonight," she smiled.
"What did you have in mind?" Chat Noir smiled deviously landing a trail of light kisses against her hand.
"You're such a tease! I know you're only here for more sweets!" Marinette rolled her eyes, passing him a plate of cookies she had made earlier.
Chat Noir smoothly took the plate and set it on the ledge, instead grabbing Marinette into his arms, and pressing a lingering kiss on her lips. "You're right...so sweet!" Chat Noir purred in her ear.
Marinette giggled happily, and kissed him again, before popping a sugar cookie into his mouth.
"I wanted to check that you were still okay with me going out of town this weekend," Marinette glanced at him sitting down on her patio chair. "I could still cancel you know..." she rushed.
"I think you'll have lots of fun! You've got great friends, and with all our travelling you all haven't hung out together in a while. I thought you were looking forward to it?!" Chat Noir joined her on the chair, wrapping a arm around her waist.
"Oh I am...it's just I wish you could come and meet them. It's probably the only way my friends will finally stop trying to set up Adrien and I..Now I don't know if things are just going to be awkward between me and Adrien...or if I really hurt him and he's just trying to be gracious about the whole thing," Marinette put her face in her hands. "Why do I have to make a mess of everything?!"
Chat Noir gently took her hands in his, and waited for her to look up at him. "How do you have no idea how much you mean to everyone around you?! You've got to stop being so hard on yourself! Your friends...all of them...they care about you. Just enjoy the moments together. I'm sure Adrien just wants you to feel comfortable around him again too," Chat Noir reassured.
"I don't want him to feel like I just brushed him off," Marinette bit her lip. "You're not um...worried?" she asked cautiously.
"About you and Adrien?!" Chat Noir chuckled. "Naw...although how could I blame him for falling in love with my beautiful princess!"
"Chat!" Marinette crossed her arms
"Who could resist the fair lady," Chat Noir put his hand over his heart. When she pouted, the cutest pout in the history of pouts he laughed outright, and he couldn't help put plant another kiss against those soft lips. "Just go have fun okay, and don't worry so much!"
Marinette snuggled into him, and sighed, "this is the only place I want to be."
"Sounds purrrfect to me Bugaboo," Chat Noir snuzzled her neck affectionately, and wrapped his arms around her pulling her in tight.
000
After school the next day Adrien and Nino waited for the girls to meet them at the train station. As soon as Adrien saw Marinette he could already tell she was still a little nervous. He was absolutely determined to put Marinette at ease. He was going to show just how totally super cool he could be...
In the end he managed pretty well on the train ride there, but things quickly seemed to go downhill once they arrived in Nice.
Adrien had offered to get Marinette's bag for her, but when it was heavier than he expected, he had dropped it. The bag split open, scattering her clothing over the heads of the other passengers. It was not only Marinette's face that was beet red, by the time she and Adrien had retrieved all of her personal items with multiple apologies.
Then grabbing a late dinner, Marinette had politely commented that Adrien's meal looked wonderful. He generously had offered her a piece of the rich sause covered pasta...but when he passed it across the table it had dropped straight off his fork onto her lap. Marinette had of course been as gracious as always, and assured him it was fine, but Adrien was kicking himself each time he glanced at the stain across her shirt.
Once they had all checked into the hotel, and after an awkward goodnight, Adrien had retreated to the shower to wash away the day.
"Real smooth!"'Plagg hissed sarcastically from Adrien's bag.
"Ahh!" Adrien frustratedly ran his hands through his hair. "What's the matter with me?! I've got to pull myself together! Tomorrow!" He said encouragingly to himself, "tomorrow Marinette will see a whole new me!"
Plagg just rolled his eyes. Adrien tossed and turned all night.
The next morning was not quite the suave start Adrien had put together in his head. As soon has Adrien pulled himself out from under the covers he wandered to the bathroom, only to bump into Marinette...who happened to have nothing but a fluffy white towel knotted around her after her shower. The whole bathroom was steamy with the faint smell of vanilla and coconut. Of all the things sprinting through Adrien's brain, all his foggy mind transferred into speech was one word..."coconuts!"
Marinette giggled, "coconuts?"
"Uh...ya..well...usually you...um smell more like vanilla and cinnamon," Adrien tried desperately to explain, but his sleep deprived mind was slow to stop him from revealing too much.
"Oh...um...yeah...they just have this coconut shampoo here at the hotel I thought I'd try," Marrinette shifted on her feet, and played with the edge of her towel.
It was Nino who saved his best bud in the nick of time. he interviewed and dragged Adrien off, insisting that they snag the best spot on the each while the girls finished getting ready.
As soon as they left Marinette frantically searched in her bag for her pale pink swim suit she was sure she had packed. "Alya! Have you seen my suit?! The guys are already headed down to the beach!" she called.
"You mean this suit?!" Alya popped her head around the door and twirled a red bikini around her finger.
"Eeek! How did that get there?!" Marinette shrieked, grabbing the bikini from Alya, and stuffing it back in her bag. "No, not that! The other one I usually wear to the pool," she rooted around.
Alya nimbly fished the bikini out of Marinette's bag again. "Girl, Just wear this one!"
"I'm not wearing that one!" Marinette insisted.
"Well then your other choice is wearing nothing at all! But I feel that is pretty bold first move!" Alya grinned slyly.
Marinette narrowed her eyes at her smug best friend. "What did you do?!"
"Your other suit may or may not have slipped out of your bag in your closet in Paris while you were busy getting ready," Alya admitted without remorse. "But luckily for you, I threw this one in for you! You haven't even worn it! I found it way in the back of your closet!"
"Alya!" Marinette squeaked. "There is no way! I couldn't possibly!" she started going as red as the suit in question.
"Oh just relax! We're going to the beach! It's a swim suit, not lingerie!" Alya pressed the suit into Marinette's hands and went to change into her own little number she had been dying to wear.
Marinette held up the swimsuit in front of the mirror, and bit her lip.
"Come on! The boys are waiting!" Alya sang from the other room, and Marinette hastily changed, and then threw on a pair of flip flops and a over-sized black t-shirt over top. She realized too late that it happened to be the shirt Chat Noir had given her as a joke about a year ago. In bold green letters on the back it read: "Feline Good" with little green paw prints.
Alya glared at the shirt draped over Marinette. Normally she was all for Ladybug and Chat Noir merch., but this time it was totally derailing her attempts to highlight some of her bffs best assets around a certain oblivious blonde!
"Well let's go!" Marinette said cheerfully, ignoring Alya's slight scowl, and grabbing her beach bag on the way out the door.
Alya lightened up as they walked along the beach. No one could be down on such a perfectly gorgeous sunny day on the shores of Nice!
Alya spotted three boys who had set up towels further down the beach. Nino already had some tunes going on his portable phone speakers. As soon as Nino caught a glimpse of Alya he jogged up through the sand towards them.
"Whoah Als!" Nino exclaimed "you're the hottest thing on the beach!"
Alya gave a pleased little pose in her skimpy suit that hugged each curve perfectly in vivid orange.
"You're such a fox!" Nino whispered in her ear, which earned him a playful shove and giggle from Alya.
"Hey Adrien! Isn't my girl a total fox!" Nino yelled back to his bud, who was still kneeling motionless on the beach towels gaping at Marinette.
Adrien was not available for comment in that moment. He did not hear Nino or even notice when Alya started chasing her boyfriend around nearby beach umbrellas for too many "fox" references. All Adrien Agreste saw was Marinette. There she stood in barely anything but his Chat Noir t-shirt!
"Hellooo!" Earth to Adrien," Alya finally gave up on catching Nino and dropped her bag by their towels. "I said, doesn't Marinette look great?!"
"So hot!" Adrien blurted out weakly.
Alya glanced gleefully to a very blushing Marinette, shifting the strap of her bag awkwardly onto her shoulder. Then Alya leaned in devilishly and laughed, "if you think that's something, you're going to flip when you see what she's wearing underneath!"
"Alya!" Marinette scolded, half hiding behind her bag as she sunk down to the towels. This time it was Adrien whose face went lobster red.
"Mari...uh...what I meant to say is that it is hot...um...today, that is. You look great...beautiful...pretty as always," Adrien's face continued to burn. "I like...I like...your shirt!" Adrien mentally slapped himself for letting himself get so flustered in front of Marinette. But geez how has he supposed to put words together in any coherent order when she looked like that!
"Uh thanks Adrien," Marinette responded,a little confused why he was suddenly staring at her like that.
"Why don't you girls get settled. Me and my boy are going to go for a quick dip," Nino announced.
"I'm fine here," Adrien smiled dreamily at Marinette.
"No, we were going to go for a swim remember Adrien!" Insisted Nino hauled his friend away.
Alya smirked at Marinette as the boys headed for the crystal waves that brushed up against the sand. "He is so into you!" Alya chirped happily.
"Come on, Alya, it's Adrien! He's always nice to everyone!"
"Um hum," Alya's smirked widened. "Real nice!"
Meanwhile Nino had practically dragged Adrien into the surf.
"Okay,okay, you wanted to like have a race or something?!" Adrien glanced back over his shoulder to where the girls were lounging on the towels.
"Dude!" Nino whisper-shouted.
"Dude?" Adrien looked back at Nino.
"Dude!" Nino emphasized, receiving a blank stare from Adrien. Nino rolled his eyes, and went on, "what is it with you and Mari?! I thought you were going to ask her out already...then she's been saying you two decided to be "friends" again, and now you're looking at her like she's your whole world!"
"I Uh..."Adrien froze.
"Oh man! Alya is gonna flip! You're totally crushing on Marinette!"Nino announced excitedly. "Dude this is awesome!"
"Shhh," come on man, I think that seagull didn't hear you! Adrien clamped his hand over Ninos mouth, which still did nothing to prevent Nino from humming Mari and Adrien sitting in a tree and other little compilations accompanied by teasing kissing noises.
"Nino! Come on! Quit it!" Adrien swatted at him, leading to the most pathetic excuses for a slap fight in the history of forever.
"No way!" Nino declared, putting Adrien in a head lock. "Do you know how long I've had to keep my mouth shut around you two! Dude you've got to put me out of my misery and tell Mari you like her!"
"It's not that simple," Adrien pried his head free, and splashed backward into near deep water. He sat there looking up at Nino, whose face brightened with a sudden realization.
"Oh no way! You LOVE her!" Nino gasped.
"I didn't even..." Adrien tried to get up, slipping back in ungracefully.
"Oh man! I got your back! I know just the thing!" Suddenly Nino grabbed Adrien and pushed him backward into the water.
"What the heck! Nino what are you doing!" Adrien sputtered trying to push him off.
"Trust me! This is so gonna work! There is nothing Marinette likes more than coming to someone's rescue!"
"What?!" Adrien gurgled as Nino pushed him back again.
"Marinette! Quick! Adrien's gone under! He needs your help!" Nino called out urgently back to shore.
Marinette's shot up, and in a flash she had tossed her t-shirt to the side and dove straight into the water towards them. Alya rushed to the shore, and noticed Nino waving a little to pleased with himself. (Oh no what has that boy got up to?! Alya wondered)
"Nino!" Adrien protested against his firm hold, but Nino had built up a lot more strength over the last couple years, and kept him thrashing in the water.
"That's great Adrien! Nino encouraged "keep kicking your legs like that! Really sell it!"
"I'm not faking you're really gonna drown me man!" Adrien fought back. Nino tossed him backwards.
All of a sudden Marinette came up out of the water beside them, grabbing Adrien up on her arms.
"Are you okay?!" She asked breathlessly, eyes wide with concern.
Adrien gaped wordlessly at her, opening and closing his mouth. Being caught up in her arms, pressed up against her body, as she clung to him tightly rendered him speechless.
"He'll be fine now that you're here!" Nino grinned victoriously.
"You sure you're okay?!" Marinette asked.
"Fine!" Adrien managed. "Thanks for uh..the rescue!"
Suddenly Marinette realized that she was still holding Adrien in her arms, and she swiftly lowered him to his feet. "Are you able to swim back?" She asked.
"Oh yeah...I think coming in is a great idea! Then Adrien glared at Nino, "the water was getting a little too rough!"
"Yeah those rouge waves will get ya!" Nino smirked, and dared to give Adrien two thumbs up when Marinette turned to head back into shore. Adrien swotted at him, and followed closely behind Marinette.
"What happened?!" Alya demanded, as they reached the shore.
"Marinette just saved Adrien! It was amazing!" Nino replied chippily, and Alya eyed him suspiciously.
While Marinette put a towel around Adrien's shoulders, Alya took Nino aside, and whispered, "What are you up to?"
"I may have given my boy a push in her direction! Looks like it worked right?!" Nino whispered back proudly.
"You can't pretend someone's drowning! Alya argued under her breath. "Marinette seriously thought you guys were in trouble! Not cool Nino!"
Nino ducked his head, "you're right! I know you're right! I just thought it'd bring them together finally...like you and me!"
The couple looked over to see Adrien fawning over Marinette, and her dutifully checking to make sure he was feeling better.
"Okay it kindda worked," Alya admitted, "but no more crying wolf to freak everybody out! Promise?"
"Okay...promise," Nino agreed. Then the two of them looked over at Adrien who had shifted over to share Marinette's blue striped towel draped over both their shoulders.
"Why can't they just stop being so clueless and difficult and get together already?!" Alya sighed under her breath.
Throughout the rest of the day the sun warmed the sand. It was one of those days where you could tell spring had finally given up to summer.
Adrien had been on beach photo shots countless times, but he'd seldom got to just relax at a beach. What could be a better location to impress Marinette...but somehow all of the endearing clumsy antics of Marinette, had somehow latched onto him...or maybe the black cat misfortune had rubbed off on him! Marinette reclined in the beach like the goddess Aphrodite, and Adrien was reduced to a stuttering mess.
He tossed a frisbee with Nino in front of her trying to capitalize on his acrobatic leaps, but stepped into a hole that a little boy with a plastic yellow pail and shovel had been busy digging all morning, and ended up with a mouth full of sand. And it did not help when Marinette offered him another "sand-wich."
He even went so far as to smoothly offer Marinette he could help her put sunscreen on her back, but when she had looked over her shoulder and drew her gleaming soft hair over her ivory shoulder, he had gripped the tube of sunscreen so hard it spilled out like toothpaste being run over by a dump truck!
While they were all cooling off in the waves, Adrien had playfully splashed Marinette. This seemed to be working, as she laughed lightheartedly, and competitively splashed him back. It all took a less romantic turn when he had tried to splash her back again, but he ended up catching a big fishy smelling gob of seaweed on his had, which plastered itself across her face. She had taken it well, and just laughed harder, picking it off with her finger tips. Adrien however was mortified, and apologized profusely.
Later on in the afternoon Nino suggested grabbing the girls ice cream. Adrien knew Marinette loved ice cream. He had even memorized the flavor she always seemed to get at Andre's. It would be perfect! Nino tried to take the opportunity to give Adrien a pep talk, but it evaporated into smoke as soon as Adrien saw Marinette again. Proudly returning with the mint green and peach pink ice cream to the girls, he found them lying on their stomachs, kicking their feet lazily while they chatted. He was so distracted that he did not see the aggressive seagull that swooped down at him, demanding a share in the ice cream. Reacting quickly he avoided the greedy bird, but Marinette's ice cream had smooched against his white t-shirt leaving a melted peachy-green smir across his chest. Marinette had lightly hopped up with a smile. Again Adrien was full of apologies, but Marinette smiled brightly and had told him not to worry at all. "It's still good!" she cheered, and quickly dabbed her finger into the melted ice cream and popped her finger into her mouth. At that point Adrien melted faster than the ice cream.
By the time the sun started to sink into the water the four friends finally followed their growling stomachs to a beach-side restaurant to grab dinner. They talked cheerfully, but Adrien could barely look Marinette in the eye. Surely she thought he was a total disaster. This was not how he thought the day would go!
Ooo
Marinette ducked into the washroom to clean up, and quickly flicked the lock closed. Then she stared into the mirror, with either hand gripping the sides of the sink.
"You can do this Marinette! You're friends now! So what if Adrien is being super endearing and cute. Chat Noir is the one you love...he is THE one!" Marinette coached herself.
"Marinette? Are you okay?" Tiki peaked her little antennas out of Marinette's purse. "I thought you were having a great day?!"
"Uhh...that's the problem!" Marinette groaned. "I know Chat Noir is the one for me, and I would never in a million years betray his trust. I love him...I love him so much! I guess that's why it is so frustrating that Adrien is being so...so..."
Adrien?!" Tiki suggested.
"Yes, he's being much too Adrien! And what's worse! He's being too much like I was around him before...when I had that painful all encompassing crush. He keeps falling, dropping things, not knowing what to say, or just ends up making a mess!"
"...um...and you find those things endearing?" Tiki asked.
Marinette looked at Tiki with a pained expression on her face. "Will this "friends" thing ever get easier?"
"You care about Adrien, and you admire and appreciate him. These are solid building blocks for friendship." Tiki pondered out loud. "I'm sure Adrien is just trying to figure out how to act around you too after everything that has happened," the little red kwami said carefully. "Maybe talk with him. Maybe it would make it easier on him too!" she advised.
Taking what Tiki said to heart, as soon as the four arrived back at the hotel, Marinette quietly asked Adrien if he'd like to slip away to talk. Adrien nodded, and they stealthily slipped out without their friends noticing (just leaving a note that they went for quick a walk together). Marinette had no doubt Alya would consider framing that note and jump to all kinds of conclusions no matter how circumstantial the evidence was. But she didn't want to explain...she just wanted to make sure Adrien was okay.
Marinette and Adrien walked silently next to each other, but the foot of space between them seemed more like the continental divide. They eventually found themselves along the boardwalk and Adrien perched on the back of a bench facing the water. Fidgeting, he glanced up at her, and then finally blurted out, "I'm so sorry about today! I don't know what's going on! I usually am not like this!"
"Adrien!" Marinette soothed, jumping up beside him. "What do you mean?! You don't have anything to apologize for. It was so fun hanging out together today...just like every day I'm around you! To be honest I've always been unsure how to act around you...and now more than ever!"
Adrien looked over at her through the bangs of his blonde hair falling across his eyes. "Really?!" he asked.
Marinette nodded. "I probably shouldn't tell you this, but I used to be quite the stuttering klutz around you," she said in deadpan voice, looking straight at him.
"You don't say," Adrien smiled back at her, with his voice trembling on the edge of a laugh.
"Oh yes!" she replied in mock seriousness. "Of course you may not have noticed, seeing how many love-crazed fans you have."
"I might have suspected that you liked me the teeniest bit when I found all those photos of me around your room," Adrien teased.
"You found..? Marinette asked in a startled voice, breaking out of the teasing bit they had going.
"Er...I mean..when I saw them...on t.v. when Jagged Stone did that special day in the life of a baker at your place...that time Troublemaker showed up...when I asked you about it then, you just said you were really in to fashion!" Adrien scrambled.
"Well I am interested in fashion..." Marinette stalled, but then took a deep breath and admitted," ...but I was also interested in you."
"What changed?"Adrien said quietly.
"Changed?" Marinette asked.
"Yeah..you said "was," Adrien said, looking at the tops of his white sneakers.
"Can I tell you something just between us?" Marinette asked. "I'm not ready to tell people...actually I'm not sure how to tell people.."
"Mari, I'm a locked box, you can tell me anything," Adrien looked up into her wide blue eyes earnestly.
"I don't want to hurt you...I care about you. You're one of my best friends and I couldn't bear loosing you...I can't lie to you either," Marinette's words spilled out. "There is someone in my life who I've known for a long time...who has shared the highs and lows of my life...someone who has saved me in more ways than I can count...I finally realized last week that I love him."
"Oh," was all that Adrien said, but his his heart thumped wildly against his chest.
"...not that it means I still don't care about you!" Marinette rushed. "I...I..understand if you don't...if you don't want..." but She could not even bare to finish the words.
Adrien threaded his fingers through hers that were clasped tightly on her knees. "Thank you for being honest with me. He's one lucky guy to have you in his life...so am I," Adrien looked adoringly at her. "I have no doubt we are just going to get closer from here on out!" Adrien squeezed her hand comfortingly.
"Why do you have to be so wonderful?" Marinette shook her head with a smile.
"I think the term is "hot stuff!" Adrien smirked with a deviant flash across his face.
"How did you?! When did you?! Alya didn't!...you know...oh I knew that would come back to haunt me!" Marinette groaned, covering her face.
"I for one am VERY disappointed that I somehow missed that message!" Adrien teased, nudging her shoulder playfully with his. "How was that again?"
"You don't want to know!" Marinette said through tented fingers.
"Oh I think I want to hear all about it!" Adrien laughed. "...just between 'friends?!"
"Okay," Marinette dropped her hands, and sat up toward him. "Just between friends..."
Adrien and Marinette laughed together over stupid things they had done in the name of love over the years (of course leaving out certain 'masked' details). They were still laughing when they returned to a very smug-looking Nino, who answered the door of the hotel room.
"You two were gone a while," he winked at Adrien.
"I thought Alya would be tracking us down hours ago," Marinette looked around Nino's shoulder for her friend.
"Don't think she didn't try," Nino laughed, "but something happened that got her a bit distracted."
Hey guys no way come check this out screeched Alya from around the corner, excitedly glued to her phone
They walked over to the edge of the bed she was cross-legged on, and craned their necks over Alya's shoulder. They saw right away that she was watching a breaking news report. Apparently a man...or more specifically akuma victim...in Roman military armor was bandaging a sword violently shouting out that he was Gladiator "do I not entertain!" he hollered.
"Is this old footage? Nino asked. There is no way that could be another akuma victim right?!"
"No, no, this just happened tonight," Alya replied, not breaking her gaze from the screen.
"Maybe we should get back to Paris," Nino said in a hushed tone to Alya, but Adrien hearing him, glanced over at Marinette.
"No, it's not even happening in Paris. He is in Rome, Italy...and ya total akuma action happening," Alya informed them
"Wait! Who is that?" Adrien said pressing his face closer to the screen.
"Here, get your head out of the way and I can take a screen shot, so we can zoom in," Alya brushed him out of the way.
"Is that...?" Nino asked
"It's not my father," Adrien replied flatly, and a tense silence followed.
The screen shot showed that Gladiator was not putting on his slow alone. A dark purple figure high in the stands where the Roman Cesar would have judged the gladiator matches watched silently. The mysteriously cloaked figure was indispensable...just watching its creation.
Alya clicked back onto the video.
Lunging and kicking the gladiator magically recreated the floor of the coliseum. Then he laughed and summoned ghosts of warriors, beasts, and monsters to fight. Prancing around the stage, one after another he struck them down.
Suddenly the cloaked viewer in the stands held out a arm, and turned their thumb down. Immediately gladiator dissolved leaving a skinny man in a cheap Roman military costume who must have been doing photos with tourists before being possessed. A white butterfly flew to the sky.
"Wait I didn't see it!" Nino scanned the screen. "Where was Ladybug...how did she...?!"
Adrien looked over at Marinette, also puzzled.
"Ladybug wasn't there!" Alya pointed to the screen. "It's like that loveeater akuma...it's like the akuma just abandoned him on its own."
Gladiator was just running around kicking, punching, and hitting his sword on stuff. He wasn't even destroying anything...isn't a akumatized person...I don't know...usually out to destroy the city or something?!" Nino asked.
"He's training," Marinette suddenly spoke up
"Training?! Why would a akumatized guy train?!" Nino asked. Looked more like he was putting on a weird performance!
"No not him," Marinette pointed back to the cloaked figure. "the new Hawkmoth ...he is the one training. Guys this is just the rehearsal...he's setting up for opening night!"