A chilly breeze sweeps through the streets of Paris on a gloomy Wednesday morning. The windows of the Dupain-Cheng bakery are covered with frosty patterns that sparkle in the dim light. Marinette's alarm sounds, but she ignores it.

"Five more minutes," the young girl groans, silencing the alarm with a whack of her hand.

"Get up, Marinette," a high-pitched voice comes from across the room. "Today's the big day, remember?"

Bolting upright in bed, Marinette looks confused as she takes in her surroundings. Her gaze falls onto her open calendar, which has a yellow sticky note on it.

"Oh my god! Tikki!" she yells, throwing her blanket off and sliding down the ladder to the rest of her attic bedroom. "Why didn't you wake me up sooner?"

"I did," Tikki retorts, watching Marinette dash around the room. "You kept falling back to sleep."

Grabbing some clean clothes from her wardrobe, Marinette hurriedly puts them on.

"Erm... Marinette?" Tikki questions, looking over to her chosen one. "I think your clothes would fit a lot better if you tried taking your pyjamas off first."

Looking down at her mismatched clothes, Marinette groans loudly and pulls off her top, revealing her spotty pyjamas underneath.

After another ten minutes, Marinette is finally dressed and ready for school.

"Bye Mum, bye Dad," the frazzled girl calls out as she runs past and out the door. "Love you!"

Slamming the door shut after her, Sabine dives over the countertop wrapping a protective arm around the morning shipments. The last thing she needs today is the deliveries getting caught up in the unexpected whirlwind that is Marinette.

Running through the park, Marinette weaves her way past crowds of people, dodging a huge oak tree in the nick of time. Tikki pops her head out of the small pink bag and looks up at Marinette's frantic expression.

"You need to slow down, Marinette. You'll end up tripping over something and falling flat on your face."

"If I slow down, I'll be late for class," Marinette replies.

The bell rings as Marinette runs up the steps, skipping a few to save time.

"Please be the warning bell. Please be the warning bell. Please be the warning bell," she begs, skidding down the hall.

In the classroom, Miss Bustier is currently marking off the students' names on her register.

"Marinette?" she calls out, her eyes flickering to an empty seat. She marks the paper with a red pen and moves to the next name on the list.

The class door bursts open, startling the whole class.

"Sorry, I'm laa-ATE!" Marinette yelps, stumbling over her own feet and nearly falling face first on the ground.

A wave of laughter sweeps through the class, making Marinette wish she could disappear.

"Way to go, Mari-nette Du-Pain-Cheng," Chloe mocks, with a slow clap of the hands. "A grand entrance, as always."

Miss Bustier sighs, shaking her head. "Go sit down, Marinette."

Avoiding eye contact with the class, Marinette quickly dashes to her seat and slides next to her best friend..

"Excited about today?" Alya whispers, her eyes darting to the blond boy sitting in front of them.

Placing her small bag next to her, Marinette leans over.

"Not really. I feel like I'm going to throw up," she confesses.

"That's just your nerves getting the better of you. Take a deep breath, you've got this," Alya reassures her, placing a comforting hand on Marinette's shoulder.

The rest of class goes by in a blur for Marinette.

She barely pays attention to the teacher or the lesson, as her mind is filled with thoughts of Adrien and how he might react after she speaks to him. She hopes everything will go according to plan after all, Alya did come up with this idea.

Marinette feels a jolt of panic race through her body as the bell rings signalling the end of the class. She had been dreading this moment for weeks, ever since Alya had convinced her to confess her feelings to Adrien. She looks around the classroom and sees most of the students have already left, chatting and laughing with their friends. All Marinette could do was watch the teacher pack up and leave.

"You okay Marinette?" Alya asks, grabbing her belongings.

"Y-yeah I'm great," she answers, quickly bolting to her feet. "Sorry, I'll move out of your way."

Marinette hastily follows Alya out of the classroom, clutching her bag nervously. Spotting Adrien and Nino walking ahead chatting casually, she feels her heart skip a beat as she gazes at Adrien's golden locks and emerald orbs. He was so perfect, so kind and so handsome. How could she ever tell him how she really feels?

"Come on girl, this is your chance!" Alya whispers in her ear, giving her a gentle but firm nudge forward in the process. Marinette stumbles a little, catching Adrien's attention.

"Hey, Marinette. Are you okay?" He asks, smiling warmly.

"Uh…yeah. I'm fine. Just…uh…tripped over my own feet." Marinette stammers, nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"You've been doing that a lot today." Adrien chuckles.

"Well, uh… You know me. Clumsy Marinette."

"Not at all." his smile reaches his eyes. "You're amazing."

Watching her two friends interact well, Alya takes this opportunity to grab Nino by the arm.

"Hey Nino, can I talk to you for a sec? It's important." She says, dragging him away from Adrien and Marinette.

"Sure babe. What's up?" Nino asks, confused.

Alya gives a wink to Marinette and mouths 'good luck' before disappearing around the corner with her boyfriend.

Marinette takes a deep breath and looks into Adrien's eyes. She knows she has to tell him the truth, even if it means risking their friendship. She has been hiding her feelings for too long, she can't take it anymore.

"Adrien, I need to tell you something." Marinette blurts out, her heart beating faster than ever. Alya told her to be confident, to be herself, but right now that (felt?) impossible.

Adrien raises an eyebrow, a curious expression on his face. "Sure, what's up?"

Marinette swallows, her throat suddenly feeling dry. She had rehearsed this conversation over and over in her head, but now that the moment was finally here, the words wouldn't come.

"Come on Marinette, you can do this," she scolds herself, taking a deep breath.

"I...I just wanted to tell you that…" Marinette trails off, her cheeks turning bright red. She can feel Adrien's eyes on her, waiting for her to continue.

"That…?" Adrien prompts, a gentle smile on his face.

"That I really admire you." Marinette blurts out, her words tumbling over each other in a rush. "I think you're amazing, and kind, and funny, and talented, and...and...I really like you."

Marinette holds her breath, waiting for Adrien's reaction. Will he be happy? Will he feel the same way? Or will he be horrified?

Adrien's expression softens, and he reaches out and takes her hand. "Marinette, I had no idea. I'm really flattered. .and...I like you too."

Marinette's heart soars and she can't believe what she is hearing. Adrien likes her back!

"But…" Adrien continues, his expression pained.

Marinette feels a pang of dread in her chest. She knows what he is going to say next.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"You're a great friend, Marinette. One of the best friends I've ever had. But I just don't feel the same way about you. I'm truly sorry." He admits, avoiding eye contact.

Crestfallen, Marinette blinks back the tears that threaten to spill over, she tries to smile but it comes out as a grimace.

"It's okay Adrien, I understand." She lies, her voice breaking. "You don't have to apologise."

She turns abruptly on her heel, clutching her bag to her chest, desperate to hide her tears from him. She doesn't want him to witness the depth of her hurt.

Adrien's guilt gnaws at him as he watches Marinette run away, tears shimmering in her eyes. He realises that he has just rejected her heartfelt confession, breaking her heart in the process. He wished that he could explain to her the reasons behind his inability to reciprocate her feelings, but he's bound by a secret he can't share with anyone. As he sighs and turns toward his locker he spots his Kwami, Plagg hiding inside. Plagg, a small black cat-like creature, grants him the power to transform into Chat Noir, his superhero persona and is also his only confidant and friend.

"Hey kid, that was rough," Plagg sympathetically remarks, popping out of the locker.

Adrien responds bitterly, grabbing his backpack. "Yeah, tell me about it."

"You know, you could've given her a chance. She's a nice girl and she really likes you," Plagg suggests.

Adrien's gaze turns distant as he explains, closing his locker door, "I know Plagg but I can't lead Marinette on knowing that I love Ladybug; she's the one for me."

Plagg rolls his eyes, having heard this reasoning countless times before. "You're so clueless kid; you don't see the real Marinette. She's more than what you think she is. She's amazing, talented, kind and beautiful. And guess what? She's a hero too, always helping people even when she's scared, just like Ladybug."

Adrien frowns, perplexed. "How do you know all that?" he asks, curious about Plagg's insights.

Plagg smirks, a mysterious glint in his eyes. "I have my ways. I've been watching her for a while; she's quite the interesting girl. And she has a lot of cheese in her house," he teases, reminding Adrien of his insatiable love for cheese.

Adrien raises an eyebrow, bemused by Plagg's admission. "Plagg, you can't just spy on people like that. It's creepy," he scolds.

Plagg shrugs nonchalantly. "Hey, I'm bored, curious and hungry. Besides, I'm not the only one curious about her," he hints.

"What do you mean?" Adrien inquires, his curiosity piqued.

Grinning mischievously, Plagg offers a cryptic response. "I mean, you're curious too, aren't you? Admit it; you want to know more about Marinette. Why she likes you? What she sees in you? Not knowing will just drive you mad."

Adrien's cheeks flush with embarrassment. He hesitates but eventually concedes. Plagg is right; he is indeed curious about Marinette. He desires to understand her better, to discover facets of her personality that he may have overlooked.