A/N: I'm back from the dead! Yes, I have come back to this fandom to rewrite my first ever Miraculous fic. Oh the memories... Also the cringe as I re-read this and thought what the actual hell was I thinking of back then. Ah yes, memories... TwT
Anywho, I'm back to write the whole shebang, yep all three installments of the series. I may be returning to the miraculous fanfic game, I'll see how this goes and how I feel about it all.
So... new or old readers, enjoy this rewrite I guess.
I hope this is better-written than before...
D.L.D
Chapter One: New Recipe
Golden beams of warm sunlight streamed in through perfect paned glass. Soft and gentle, they landed on the pink sheets of the room's lone bed, warming the body nestled beneath them. Each ray highlighted the dark raven hair spread against the baby pink pillowcase, each lock shifting as the body turned away from the offending light with a groan. A pale arm swept across the pillow, attempting to shield the body's face from the rousing morning light. However, the attempt was futile, the owner awakening.
"Good morning, Tikki..." The words sleepily leave Marinette's lips, the young woman stretching as she let out an elongated yawn. Waking up was never easy for her, not when sleep came so rarely for Paris' famed Ladybug, and so she always drew out getting up. But always, always, she greeted her kwami with a warm and somewhat sleep-filled 'good morning'.
Lazily, Marinette's blue eyes fluttered open and scanned the menagerie that was her bedroom. Everything was organised, packed away just right, and yet she couldn't locate Tikki straight away. It took quite a bit of looking, searching, for Marinette to finally spot her kwami settled upon a bookshelf, snacking on some cookies she'd left out the night before. Immediately, the magical creature perks up at her companion's greeting.
"Good morning, Marinette!" Tikki perfectly countered Marinette's sleepiness with complete enthusiasm. Her bright blue eyes were wide and alert, fully charged and prepared for the day ahead. Curiously, she watched as Marinette clambered down from her bed, narrowly avoided a straight face-plant onto the floor. "Did you have a good rest?"
"It was wonderful, Tikki," Marinette grinned, easily navigating the layout of her room. Rubbing her eyes, she rifled through her closet and drawers, pulling out her chosen outfit for the day along with the necessities needed for a fresh, morning shower. "I had the best dream yet!"
As if working on clockwork, Marinette gathered all of her things into her arms and stole a sly cookie from Tikki's stash. Then, taking a bite from said cookie, she hummed in appreciation, making her good mood known and highly evident to anyone around.
In truth, Marinette felt wonderful this morning. Even if the initial action of waking up had been terrible, she still felt great, refreshed. There was this wonderful feeling, this type of feeling that made her nerves feel all fluttery and light, pumping through her system. Many times before Marinette had felt that sort of sensation - experienced the effects of a happy and well-rested mind. But, never before had she felt this...light.
"Well, I'm glad you're feeling great," Tikki giggled at the sight of her companion appearing so happy. It was rare for Marinette to wake up so early, especially with the extra duties of being one of Paris' heroes, and when she did she was often extremely agitated or sleep-deprived; today was different. Today, Marinette was actually awake and alert, ready to tackle whatever came in her way - right head on.
"Did your dream happen to be about..."
Tikki ends up not finishing her question as Marinette had left the room. In all her good humour and splendor, the young woman had completely forgotten about the conversation she had been engaged in. Instead, she had disappeared to take a shower, determined to present herself as nice and clean and ready for the day. That left the kwami alone, causing her to sigh and shake her head as she took another bite from her cookie stash.
Marinette could be such a scatterbrain sometimes.
When Marinette returns from her shower, she still wears a wide grin. Her raven hair is wet and loose, hanging around her shoulders and swaying with her footsteps. Today's chosen ensemble was pretty similar to her usual attire: a nice white t-shirt with a pink floral print, a cute little black skirt she'd recently made, her signature grey jacket, and trusty flats in the chosen shade of white. Simple, stylish but also completely Marinette. It was just how she liked it.
Deciding to tackle her hair, Marinette then picked up her hairbrush and began to brush through the wet locks. It took little effort to split it into two sections, secure some trusty hairbands and style her hair into two matching buns. Usually, Marinette would go for pigtails - pigtails were her schtick, her life - but today she wanted to reflect her playful, bubbly mood. Buns perfectly reflected a playful, bubbly mood.
"Marinette," Tikki watched as the female grabbed a length of baby pink ribbon and cut two strips from it. A lot of effort was being placed into this - too much effort to be normal if you asked Tikki. Sure, Marinette liked to look nice, but she didn't always try this hard for school. It was school, after all. A basic but chic look was all that was needed. "Was your dream about Adrien?"
Humming, the young woman tied one ribbon strip around a bun and tied it into a pretty bow, "Mhm."
"And did it happen to include a happy confession?" Tikki raised a brow, watching as Marinette perfected the second bow and moved onto applying a light pallet of natural-looking makeup. "Something that's lightened up your spirits?"
"Naturally," Marinette answers, quick, succinct. Yet she was not fully there; she was too focused on perfecting how she looked, reflecting the image of herself she had seen within her dream.
Rolling her eyes, Tikki raised a brow, "Can you tell me the time please, Marinette?"
"Of course!" The young woman grinned, putting down her lip gloss. Beaming, she glanced at the small clock stationed on her desk, her smile soon dropping as pure fear and horror took its place. "Ten thirty! I'm going to be so late! Why didn't I wake up sooner?"
Now panicking, the raven-haired female began to pace around her room. Biting her lip, she folded her arms, conscious of ruining her so carefully chosen hairstyle, and furrowed her brows. Ten thirty. Ten thirty! That left her with basically no time to get to school on time - if anything, she'd probably arrive midway through a lesson and be sent home for such terrible punctuality. Even if she used the usual excuse of late night designing sessions (really secret superhero work), it wouldn't be valid enough to excuse her lateness. In fact, it made her tardiness seem all the more inexcusable as she could make time for everything else but her very vital schoolwork.
Tikki's giggling is what snaps Marinette out of her pacing, the ladybug-themed creature covering her little mouth in amusement. Marinette was always a little forgetful, always cutely clumsy and over-complicated. They weren't bad things, they weren't things that made her terrible; they gave her character, they were what helped her to be such a great Ladybug. But sometimes, those traits were just perfect for amusing situations like these.
"Relax, Marinette," Another giggle escaped Tikki, the creature floating up to her still-distressed owner. "It's Saturday. Remember?"
Blinking, Marinette picked up her phone and checked the date. As Tikki had said, it was Saturday - not a school day.
"Thank god..." Marinette sighed, finding herself sinking into her nearby desk chair. It was Saturday. Saturday! What a relief that was to her, especially because she had been wracking up an embarrassing amount of late detentions and tardy slips in school.
But since it was Saturday, the weekend, that meant Marinette didn't have to worry. Today, she could do whatever she pleased and just take it down a notch (well, aside from homework and the possible akuma attack). That sounded like a good darn thing to her, especially because she was extremely tired from the prior events of the week. Plus, she could catch up on missed sleep, watch some trashy TV, play video games or even work on a few designs. Maybe she could even meet up with Alya...
"Well, you can't entirely relax yet," Tikki added, thoughtfully taking a bite out of her now half-eaten cookie. "You promised Alya that you'd meet her in ten minutes. At least, that's what her angry text implied."
"Ten minutes!"
Marinette nearly fell to the floor again as she jumped up from her desk chair, eyes wide as she grabbed her purse and rushed toward her trapdoor. Within seconds, she was racing down the stairs, taking them two at a time and somehow not tripping, before skidding to a halt before her kitchen counter. But even then, Marinette had only stopped because she'd almost collided with her mother, the collision narrowly avoided due to a little hero's intuition.
"Marinette!" Sabine, her mother, greets her with a smile - quite a surprised one at that. He hair was neatly brushed back, every strand in place, a flower tucked into the dark tresses. "Looks like you're in a rush today."
"Sorry, maman!" Marinette supplies a sheepish smile, her face flooding with a small blush of embarrassment. Chuckling nervously, she gives her mother a fleeting kiss on the cheek. "I'd explain properly, but I really have to go. I'm meeting up with Alya."
Nimbly, the young woman then dodged past her mother, barely uttering a passable goodbye as she threw open the front door and practically leaped down the stairs towards the bakery below. Yet another tell-tale indication of her hurry-filled state of mind. That girl was always in a rush. She never let her mind nor body cool down from all the rushing about and fast-paced thinking she put it through.
Calling out after Marinette, Sabine's voice followed her rush, "Your father made you some treats!"
Marinette just about heard her mother's call as she finished rushing down the stairs, wearing a knowing smile. Her parents were always baking things and trying out new potential products on Marinette and her friends. In all honesty, it was a good marketing tactic. Through her parents' honest generosity, they gained free test-tasters and very satisfied ones at that. And with such giving parents as role models, it was no wonder why Marinette herself was so friendly and kind.
Many of Marinette's traits had come from her parents, both of them being very good influences on their one and only child. Creativity, kindness and empathy had been reared within the Dupain-Cheng household, especially when a younger Marinette began to explore the realm of fashion and its industry. Countless sacrifices had been made - so had a lot of shared moments of understanding and joint-happiness. One particular moment was when Marinette made her mother a dress for mother's day, the piece being one of her more early creations. It was very difficult to avoid ruing that nice day.
"Just in time, Marinette," Marinette's father, Tom, greets her with a wide smile and flour-covered hands. He had been busy prepping some dough, the counter spread with powdery flour and ball of dough left to proof to the side. "I was just wondering where you were!"
Marinette can't help but crack a smile at her father's good mood, especially since he got up at the crack of dawn every morning to prep the bakery's ovens. Most people would be just waking up at this hour - probably even asleep if they had the day off - and would definitely loath the idea of waking up before the sun even rises; Tom was different. He enjoyed getting up when the city was dark and the streets were quiet, peacefully prepping his workspace for the busy workday ahead.
That skill, that love of his work, was something Marinette admired in her father. It was something she hoped to emulate fully within herself one day.
"Good morning, papa," Marinette easily walks into the warm atmosphere of the bakery's kitchen, allowing the warm air from the ovens to sweep past her. "Mom said that you were had a new recipe that needed testing."
"I do," Tom nods, dusting off his flour-covered hands. Picking up a box from the counter opposite his bread-making station, he passed it to Marinette, speckling her own hands with a little flour. "Make sure to tell me your thoughts on it. I want to get it just right."
"Of course," Marinette grinned, accepting the box. She then placed a kiss on her father's cheek. "Thank you, papa."
With the collection complete, Marinette swiftly turned and walked out of the bakery's kitchen. Soon enough, she was out in the open air, hearing the fading ding of the bakery's door bell grow quiet in the face of early Parisian hustle and bustle. Even though the day was early, people were milling about, some heading to work and others heading back from the early morning school run. Growing steadily, a queue waited outside of the Dupain-Cheng bakery, all participants awaiting the goodies inside.
"You got a whole box!" Someone eyed Marinette's catch with a pretty envious yet awestruck expression. "Lucky!"
Usually, Marinette would gift such an onlooker a freebie, but today she had no time. She had to get to that meeting spot as soon as possible.
Ignoring the envious yet awestruck onlooker, Marinette began to sprint-walk down the street, carefully balancing the prized box of goodies. She was hoping to make it in time, to surprise Alya for once with perfect punctuality, because Alya was always waiting for her to arrive. Almost never, Marinette made it on time. Time was always against her. But today, Marinette wanted it to be different. Today she wanted to be on time, be there early even, and surprise Alya with some tasty treats certified to make her grin.
As Marinette hurriedly speed-walked along the path leading through the park's gate, she caught a glimpse of her friend. Naturally, Alya waved back, a smile painted on her features as she glanced up from her phone.
Being an enthusiast of ombres, Alya had dark brown hair that gradually bled into bright auburn curls towards the tips. She was copper-skinned, owned piercing hazel eyes and had a beauty mark that lay just above her well-kept eyebrows. Usually, she could be spotted with her go-to specs, plaid shirt and white undershirt, always pairing it with her trusty jeans and sneakers. However, today she'd gone for a lazy hoodie and jeans, the hoodie being bright orange and her jeans black.
Wherever Alya went her phone would follow, ready to blog any weird sightings during the day. Today was no exception, the brunette already having taken several pictures of a few weird things she'd noted in her surroundings. She'd only stopped once her camera had focused on the rushing Marinette.
"Hey, Marinette!" Alya's voice rang loud and clear across the near-empty park.
"Hey, Alya!" Marinette called back, hurrying up a little more. A dire mistake. Just as she nearly reached the bench Alya stationed at, Marinette's leg caught on her ankle, sending the female sprawling towards the hard concrete ground. The box of baked treats followed, the lid flying open and sending the box's contents into the open air.
"Gah!"
Marinette landed to the ground with a terrible puff of air, her knees scraping against the concrete. Expecting the box of treats to land on her, the female braced herself for the impact, but it didn't come. Instead, Alya had caught it, well-used to Marinette's clumsy nature and awful timing. As a result, she managed to catch most of the escaped treats with only a few becoming spoiled and therefore pigeon food.
"You are so clumsy, Mari," Alya shook her head, chuckling. She then held the box in the crook of her arm, securing them from anymore of Marinette's clumsy mishaps. "You're lucky I caught most of these."
"I know," Marinette laughed with her, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. Getting up, she dusted herself off. Her legs stung a little but she was used to it; her clumsiness always kicked in at the worst possible moments. "Thanks for that, Alya."
"No problem," The brunette grinned, flashing her pearly whites. "That's what I'm for, right? Making sure you keep in line."
It was now Marinette's turn to grin, her brow raising, "Is that why you wanted to meet up today?"
"Well," Alya begins, growing sheepish as she shifts a little. Instinctively, she begins to scroll through her phone. The ladybug charm on the side dangles against her fingers, distinct against her caramel skin. "I was going to ask for help with the Ladyblog, but Nino asked if you and I wanted to hang with him and Adrien. So naturally I agreed for both of us."
Knowing that Alya was always scheming away at getting her and Adrien alone, Marinette could only smile and roll her eyes. It was just standard Alya behaviour. This was something Marinette had learned to accept from early on, even if the thought of being alone with Adrien was summoning a thousand butterflies into her stomach.
"That's great!" Marinette smiles, trying to hide the tension within it. Her jaw locks, her teeth grit. "What are we doing?"
"We're getting Andre's famous ice-cream," Alya casually announces, her tone teasing as the words escape her in a sing-song fashion. "Nino and I thought it would be the perfect way to spend the afternoon, especially to get an interview after the whole Glaciator event."
Ice-cream? Andre's ice-cream? Marinette could feel her face heating up from Alya's announcement, the butterflies in her stomach dying and morphing into churning stomach acid as her heart races and heated blood rushes to her cheeks. Suddenly, her muscles feel as if they don't work and her throat feels hoarse and dry like a totally dried up desert. Getting ice-cream - from Andre - with Adrien. With Adrien! Marinette could already feel her brain panicking.
Even if she wanted to protest against this idea, Marinette couldn't because a part of her really liked the idea of getting ice-cream with Adrien. Yes, she wanted to go. She really did. Plus Andre's ice-cream wasn't just any other ice-cream, it was magical, amazing. It was said to determine soulmates. If she got ice-cream with Adrien and they just so happened to be soulmates that would be amazing! Wonderful!
But even if that would be amazing, another part of Marinette dreaded the idea for that very reason. Getting ice-cream with Adrien would mean she has ample time to screw up - which wasn't hard to do with Marinette's clumsy tendencies and tongue-tied voice box. She was still trying to get over the voicemail incident that happened ages ago, the memory being a permanent cringe-trigger in her brain. To this day. Therefore, it would be wiser to just go home. Avoid Adrien.
Plus did she really want to see if he was her soulmate? Or was she just being a little too eager?
Either way, Marinette wasn't too sure and thought it best to just head back home. But then, like a dutiful mother, Alya would just drag her back out again...
"You planned this," Marinette glances at Alya, her blue eyes filled with silent pleading. There was no point fighting, getting agitated. Alya was only trying to do a good deed. "Didn't you?"
There was no point asking. It was obvious. This is exactly what Alya would do - it is exactly what she has done in past circumstances.
"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't," Alya shrugs, an innocent smile tugging on her full lips. However, it soon falls at Marinette's paling face and chewed lip. Alya sighs. "Fine, I did. But in my defense, I did it for your own good. You and Adrien are made for each other. You just need a little pushing to get things started."
"I don't think so," Marinette mumbles, gently taking a macaroon from the box. She takes a dejected bite from it. "Even though I like him, I don't think so. Every time I get close to reaching my goal, I plummet right back down to the beginning. Plus he's so...oblivious."
A knowing sigh leaves Alya at the sight of her friend, the brunette pushing her glasses back up her nose. Shaking her head, she gestures for Marinette to follow her toward the still vacant bench. They both sit facing one another, the box set in between them, as Alya prepares her little speech.
"I tell you this all the time, Mari, and I'll always tell you this: you need to have more confidence in yourself," A comforting hand rests on Marinette's shoulder, Alya looking her directly in the eye. "Progress takes time, and even though it seems tough right now, in the end it'll be worth it. Hard work always pays off." A small grin then grows on Alya's face, her tone growing teasing once more. "Plus, Nino did say that Adrien sees you differently from other girls."
"Yeah, as a 'good friend'," Marinette rolls her eyes, giggling a little at the blonde's clear obliviousness. Even though Adrien didn't live up to the dumb blonde stereotype, he did have his dense moments. His obliviousness was one to rival that of a toddler at times.
Alya, on the other hand, wiggles her brows suggestively, pulling a silly face. Marinette only laughs more, shaking her head. Of course it would be her best friend to think in the gutter...
"Anyway," Marinette changes the topic, still smiling. "We should start working on these macaroons before the boys get here. You know once they're here we won't get much. Plus I think there's even some pain au chocolat in there."
"You don't have to tell me twice!" Alya grins, already possessing a handful from the box. Humming in satisfaction, she pops a macaroon into her mouth, closing her eyes in bliss. "These are so good! Your parents make the best macaroons, Mari!"
"Thank you," Marinette blushes a little, aware of her parents' baking skills. They did own a bakery, after all.
"They do taste a bit different, though," Alya says, popping a second one into her mouth. "Is your dad trying out a new recipe?"
"As he always is," Marinette grins fondly, taking a bite from a pain au chocolate. Buttery pastry fills her senses melded with the rich cocoa of the chocolate. Winking, a secretive finger was held to her smiling lips. "I'll let him know that you approve."
Both girls burst into laughter at Marinette's expression, unable to take each other seriously. It seemed that today was on course to be a good one.
Punctual as always, Adrien met Nino at the entrance to the park. He was never one to be late - well, in matters concerning his father's knowledge and influence - and so he wasn't surprised when he arrived early. Typical. Gabriel Agreste never liked his son being late, especially because everything Adrien did reflected upon the entire brand and business. At times, the blonde wondered if he and the brand were separate or just a two-package deal.
Shaking his head, Adrien tried to straighten out his thoughts. He couldn't dwell on that today; today was going to be good and fun. Apparently, he was going to grab some ice-cream with some friends, which he didn't entirely mind. Anything was better than being alone and practicing an array of extra-curricular activities that he didn't particularly enjoy. Still, going out in public with friends was also pretty taxing too.
Fan girls were a constant problem for Adrien Agreste. Being the well-known face and representative of his father's company meant that he attracted a lot of unwanted attention. Usually, he would avoid the masses of fans he attracted and any areas they were known to frequent, but he felt that he'd be fine today. Since he was going out with friends, and Marinette and Alya weren't like most in their reactions to him, Adrien felt comfortable venturing around Paris. Plus Alya was more or less Nino's female counterpart and Marinette was more obsessed with the Gabriel brand than Adrien himself to be a problem. So it would all be fine.
But speaking of their outing, why exactly were they getting ice-cream? Wasn't it meant to rain today?
"Adrien, my man," Nino, enthusiastic as ever, grinned as he high-fived his best friend, breaking the model from his thoughts. Unlike Adrien, Nino was pumped for the day ahead and was actually looking forward to grabbing some darn good ice-cream that was rumoured to be magical. "What's up? You look confused."
"Not much," Adrien shrugs, still trying to brush aside the lingering shadows of swarming fans. Instead, he tries to focus on the mystery of just why ice-cream was on the agenda for today. "I was just wondering why exactly we're getting ice-cream today? It's forecast to rain later."
"So?" Nino pulls a face, raising a brow. Of course Nino was the child for the both of them, especially because Adrien had lost that privilege what felt like eons ago. "Who says ice-cream's only for sunny weather?"
"Nino," Adrien deadpans. He is serious, somewhat mature, it completely throws Nino off.
"Come on, dude!" Nino's eyes were wide with shock, incredulity, as he stared at his friend. "You can't pass up Andre's ice-cream because of rain. It's the best in Paris - hell, the entire world - and it's said that you can get more than just a good treat from his ice-cream."
From the way that Nino nudged and winked at him, Adrien didn't need a hint to tell that Nino was excited. It didn't always take much to pump up the ever-excitable Nino, but when it came to hanging out he could be a hard one to impress. Nino was someone who had seen a lot, many, many things, and so it was rare for him to be so psyched about something as trivial as ice-cream. Plus, if Alya was tagging along, there was bound to be more than 'just a treat' making Nino happy.
"So, we're going for more than ice-cream?" Adrien asks, frowning a little in confusion. Months had passed since his original integration into a normal school and he still had no idea how to sense hidden meanings. "What's the 'more than just a treat' bit mean?"
"That'll spoil the surprise, dude," Nino grins, clicking his tongue in a very knowing manner. As if he were a mentor, he placed a wise hand on Adrien's shoulder, steering him towards the park. "You'll learn it all in time. But for now, let's go meet Alya and Marinette."
Nodding, Adrien followed Nino's instruction, still puzzling over the whole 'more than just a treat' thing. It had to be something good because Nino wasn't willing to risk ruining the surprise and, from his experience, Adrien knew that surprises were rarely bad things. In fact, they were often good things and that was why people often used surprises to cheer people up. But then, what surprise could Nino possibly have planned for today?
Adrien frowned. He just didn't know.
It didn't take long to find Alya and Marinette, the pair laughing as they indulged in a box of baked goods. When they spotted the approaching guys, both females easily supplied smiles, brandishing the baked goodies they'd been gorging on. Naturally, the presence of Dupain baked goods made Nino speed up.
"No fair!" Nino whined, already trying to nab some macaroons from the box. Alya intercepts him, skillfully picking up the box and stowing it away from him. "You guys saved some for us, right? Adrien needs to bulk up."
"I do not- "
"He hasn't had a croissant in two weeks!" Nino continues, dramatically throwing a hand over his his face. Then, he drags the blonde before Alya, prodding his face and displaying it all to Alya. "The horror! The cruelty! The poor boy doesn't even know what it's like to have those buttery, flakey pastries for breakfast!"
"Calm down, Nino," Marinette giggled, shaking her head as she carefully took the box from a disappointed Alya. Offering the box to Adrien, she smiled. "H-here. Since what Nino's saying is probably somewhat true..."
"Thanks, Marinette," Adrien smiles, gratefully taking first pick.
"Your problem!" She grins before her eyes widen and she shakes her head. "I mean - no problem! It's no problem at all, Adrien!"
Alya and Nino end up laughing at Marinette's blunder, well-used to her verbal slip ups around Mr Agreste. At any given time of day, Marinette could be predicted to mess up even the most simple of phrases. 'Hello' can turn into 'Hen-low' and 'goodbye' could turn into 'god bye'. With Marinette it was entirely impossible to tell if she'd be able to string a comprehensible sentence together in front of Adrien Agreste; it was impossible to tell what she'd say next.
Adrien's laughter is different though, more used to Marinette's verbal blunders but also friendly, light. It's different from Alya and Nino's knowing laughter, more oblivious, innocent. And it makes Marinette blink, her cheeks still pink with embarrassment.
Alya breaks the moment, clapping her hands as she hops up from the bench, "Well, we should get started on finding Andre."
"Finding Andre?" Marinette asks, following Alya's sudden hop from the bench. Awkwardly, she scrambles to balance the box of baked treats, gaining a little assistance from Nino. He proceeded to steal a macaroon, popping it into his mouth with a satisfied grin. "What do you mean 'finding Andre'?"
"It's all part of the fun," Alya answers, grinning innocently. "We follow the latest posts and find out where he's set up for the day. The guy changes where he sets up shop every day."
"And how long does it usually take to find him?" Adrien asks, very aware of time. Being a model, superhero and son of a very overprotective fashion designer, Adrien was always thinking about time, place and actions. The only time he didn't was when he was Chat Noir, but even then he had to focus on taking down akumas and assisting Ladybug. So, in all, Adrien was always time-sensitive. Marinette appeared to be similar as she chewed on her bottom lip, seemingly deliberating the timings in her mind.
"About three hours," Alya shrugs, as if it's nothing major. "Last time, Mylene and I spent a whole day looking for him. The ice-cream is totally worth it though."
"It must be really good if people are willing to go all over Paris for it," Adrien says.
"You have no idea," Nino shakes his head. Slinging an arm over Adrien's shoulder, he adjusts his red cap. "It's like meeting a god."
Adrien laughs at Nino's comparison, doubting that ice-cream could really be that good. It was just ice-cream, after all. Ice-cream wasn't the be all and end all of life, nor was it something that could dictate time and space itself. Ice-cream was just a treat, something sweet and cool to enjoy on the hotter days of the year. Ice-cream was not something that could control fate, nor display anything about the future to its eater.
"Well? What are we waiting for?" Alya grinned, dragging Marinette along with her. Speedily, she shot down the path, forcing poor Marinette along with her. "We haven't got all day!"
Following behind, Adrien and Nino ambled along, laughing at Alya's sudden bullish actions. The laughter only made Marinette's ears pink, her easily bashful nature causing a blush to rise on her skin.
"Why did you want to drag me along, Alya?" Marinette sighs, tiredly glancing at her best friend. There was something she was leaving out, something important. Alya was just too happy about this to not have some major ace tucked up her crafty sleeve.
"Because I'm your best friend and I want you to be happy," Alya says, smugly puffing out her chest. "Plus, you're so clumsy that you might drop the box again. I'm not sacrificing the good stuff!" With that, the brunette then took a macaroon and tossed it into her mouth.
"Of course you care about the macaroons..." Marinette shakes her head, giggling a little. However, she nearly stumbles and only stays upright because of Alya's support. "Can you please let go of me, Alya?!"
Alya didn't hear her. So Marinette then proceeded to struggle against her best friend's grip, straining her arm. Behind her, Nino and Adrien were laughing - not out of meanness but rather fondness. It wasn't unusual for Alya to cope with Marinette's clumsiness with forceful and often very overbearing methods. There had been times when Alya had just swept Marinette off her feet, carrying her princess-style through a crowd of bewildered Parisians.
"Alya, you're like a babysitter!" Nino laughed, shaking his head at the sight.
"Maybe you should just let her walk normally," Adrien suggested, slightly concerned from how much effort Marinette was putting into escaping.
"And let her drop the treats?" Alya hissed, protectively yanking Marinette back to her side. "No way!"
"Just take them!" Marinette cried out, passing the box to a very happy Alya.
Grinning, the brunette took out a pain au chocolat and took a solid bite from it, "Score!"
"Wow, you really like those..."
Adrien and Marinette both said it in unison, both laughing at the other as they spotted the beginnings of blushes.
"It's working," Nino whispered to Alya, smiling.
"I know it is," Alya whispered back, grinning. "They just need to realise it themselves."
Both teens looked at each other, sharing a very knowing glance with each other. Oblivious Adrien and overthinking Marinette realising something about themselves? That was going to be a very hard job to accomplish.
"Hopefully Andre's ice-cream will help."
"Yeah, hopefully."