This was huge! Massive even! For once, Alya was the one to show up late for class, but could anyone really blame her? The biggest Ladybug scoop of her life had just landed right in her lap! Hers! The young blogger had found the odd note left for her in the middle of the night and had spent a good chunk of her morning reading and rereading it over and over. At first, it didn't make much sense. Whoever had left the note clearly wanted her to deliver a message for whatever reason. Alya remembered frowning at the words printed on elegant floral paper. It wasn't until she'd checked out her rival Ladybug fan bloggers that it all made sense. How she had missed the news about Chat Noir's encounter with a certain thief was beyond her. The fact that said thief had contacted her of all people was even more baffling. But Alya was not one to squander a good thing.
So, instead of heading to class like a responsible teen, the reporter set to work on her newest story on the Ladyblog. It was only after she had put the finishing touches on it and uploaded it to her blog that Alya actually headed to the school that day.
Class had already begun when she snuck her way inside. She managed to get to her seat without being noticed. Well, except by her friends. Nino had raised a questioning brow at her as she passed, one which she answered with a grin and a wink. She would fill him in later. Marinette had given her a similar look as she slid into her seat, but Alya was more concerned with the small box her BFF was clutching on the desk. When she gestured to it, the pigtailed girl simply blushed, pulling the container closer to her chest. A knowing smile passed Alya's lips. They were so for Adrien.
She glanced down at the young model, who seemed to be in better spirits than he was the day before. Like Marinette, she too had noticed his odd gloominess that seemed to come out of nowhere. She'd questioned Nino about it, but he was just as clueless. Adrien didn't seem willing to share with anyone why he was suddenly so down, but if he wasn't out of his funk by now, Alya was sure whatever treats Marinette had acquired for him would do the trick. She gave her friend a light ribbing before actually paying attention to their lecture.
When class was over, three sets of eyes looked at the blogger, expectantly.
"Dude, where were you this morning?" Nino asked. "You're like hardly ever late to class."
Alya beamed as she pulled out her trusty phone. "You guys are never going to believe this! Apparently, a couple nights ago, Chat Noir had a run in with a very interesting thief."
Both Adrien and Marinette perked up at the mention of the thief, though thankfully, no one noticed.
"A thief?" Marinette asked with a frown, acting as if she didn't already know.
"I know, first I heard of it, too," Alya said. "But get this! That thief was in my room last night!"
"WHAT?!" The three yelled in unison. Alya gave them a smug grin.
"Seriously?" Adrien asked.
"Are you okay? Did they take anything?" Marinette said next.
The blogger shook her head. "No, nothing was taken."
"Then, how do you even know it's the thief?" Nino said with a squint.
Alya dove into her bag and pulled out her evidence. Adrien's gaze went immediately to the all too familiar playing card that she set out. He picked it up and studied it, knowing all too well where it came from. Marinette, on the other hand, was more interested by the note than anything else.
"'Dear Miss Césaire'," she read aloud. "'Please forgive my intrusion into your home, but I have a message I need delivered to a very curious kitten of mine. I am well aware of your blog and hope you would do me the honor of a small feature on it. I would like to issue a challenge to the great Ladybug and Chat Noir. In four days time, I will return to the Louvre to steal the painting, Forest of Emerald Leaves. It would please me to no end if the heroes of Paris would come to try and best me in this little game, and I certainly look forward to dancing with my favorite kitten, again. I promise not to be too much of a tease this time around. I look forward to seeing them both, and I'm counting on you, Miss Césaire, to get my message out to them. Sincerely yours, a faithful thief'."
Alya looked at them all, brown eyes shining. "Totally wild, right?"
Marinette set the note down and practically glared at it. Something about the way it was written just rubbed her wrong. Her kitten? What made this woman think Chat was hers? If he belonged to anyone, it was Ladybug. She realized the jealous thought and shook it away. Where did that come from?
Adrien was doing his best to fight a blush. Even if the note was addressed to both of them, it was obvious that Spades was calling Chat out in particular. Memories of their brief grapple ran through his head as he couldn't help but wonder if she would be as sensual with her taunts as before. Suddenly, the idea of being alone with the thief had him on edge.
"Whatcha guys talking about?"
The four of them looked up to find Luna standing beside Marinette, one hand holding a bag draped over her shoulder. She glanced at the note sprawled out on the table.
"Hey, Luna. Oh your from the Americas, right? Have you ever heard of the Thief of Spades?" Alya asked.
Luna cocked her head. "Yeah, of course I have. Why do you ask?"
"The Thief of Spades?" Marinette asked, looking between the two.
"It's an urban legend over in the states," Luna explained. "Apparently, there's this master thief that goes around stealing artwork and jewelry and stuff, then leaves a playing card in the suit of Spades. There are stories of him all over the world, but most of them are in the US."
"Well, it just so happens that our friend, the thief, left me a message last night."
"Get out, no way!" Luna snatched up the note and read it over.
"I don't know, Alya. It seems kinda fishy if you ask me," Nino said.
"Well, it's a good thing no one asked you," Alya quipped.
"He may have a point," Luna said. "Like I was saying, Spades is an urban legend. It could be just an elaborate prank."
"No way! The facts all add up. Chat Noir was reported to have actually fought with the thief!"
Luna frowned. "Chat Noir?"
"He's Ladybug's partner," Adrien offered.
"He's more than that!" Alya said. "Chat Noir is the yin to Ladybug's yang. He can destroy anything he wants to with a single touch. More often than not, he plays distraction while Ladybug works behind the scenes, but he's totally her balance. She couldn't do half the things she does without him."
Unbeknownst to her, the two teens in question were secretly beaming. Adrien was happy for the praise. With all the hubbub around his Lady, Chat sometimes felt as though he was being swept under the rug. Marinette was filled with pride for her partner. It was nice to know someone else cherished him as much as she did.
"Funny you didn't mention him yesterday, Aly," Luna said with a laugh. The girl in glasses scratched her head.
"Yeah, sorry. I kind of forget when I'm fangirling it out."
Luna shook her head and looked back at the desk. "Hey, what's this?" She asked, pointing to the box in front of Marinette. Said girl soon turned a bright pink as her fingers played with the edges of the package.
"O-Oh this? I-it's nothing..." She stole a couple glances at Adrien. A squeak came out of her as Alya bumped her with an elbow.
"I bet those are some sweets from your family's bakery, right?" The dark-skinned girl snickered.
"Ooo, sweets? You totally have to share!" Luna said. She quickly opened the box and marveled at the scrumptious looking tarts inside. "Oh wow, they look amazing!"
"Thanks," Marinette said, sheepishly. She once again looked at Adrien, still red-faced. "Y-You guys can h-have some want you if. I mean, you if want. I mean-"
"Hell yes, I want!" Luna stole a tart and popped it in her mouth. She hummed her pleasure as she savored it. Adrien was quick to take one next, giving Marinette a smile.
"Thanks, Marinette. Your family makes the best stuff." He took a bite, grinning at the sweetness. The pigtailed girl couldn't help her giggle.
Class soon resumed, and the teens made their way back to their desks. When it was finally over for the day, Luna began packing her bag, ready to head out. She'd almost made it to the door when a fellow classmate stopped her.
"Luna, hey, are you doing anything tonight?" Adrien asked, rubbing his neck. The girl frowned at him, clearly not expecting this.
"Um, no, not really. Why? You planning on asking me out?"
Adrien blushed. "Uh, well, no. My dad found out that you were going to school here, and I guess he's pretty good friends with your dad. So he was wondering if you and your family wanted to have dinner tonight?"
Luna pulled a face as she toyed with a red-streaked lock. "Uh, yeah, I would but my family's still in the states."
The model frowned. "You live by yourself?"
"Well, besides my nanny, pretty much. My dad's shooting a new movie, and Mom and Sis are pretty much glued to their offices."
"Oh... well, I mean, if you still want to-"
"Aaaand this is where I stop you," Luna said, holding up a hand. "As nice a gesture as it is, A) I am literally on vacation, and your dad's only interested in me would be a publicity stunt, B) I'm don't think either of us is interested in dating, and we don't need the tabloids spreading rumors, and C) I really just don't want to."
Adrien blinked. "Wow. Uh, okay."
Luna grimaced. "That came out too harsh, didn't it?"
"No, it's just... yeah. Yeah, it did."
"Sorry," Luna said with a chuckle.
He shook his head. "It's fine. I'm actually pretty used to rejection."
"What, those modeling good looks aren't good enough to land you a girlfriend?"
"Not the one I want, anyway," Adrien said with a shrug. Luna looked passed his shoulder and noticed a familiar set of bluebell eyes watching from around the corner. She smirked to herself. The girl couldn't be more obvious if she tried.
"Well, Agreste, you seem like a good guy. If this chick's not giving you the time of day, it might be better to move on. Who knows, you might find someone better." With that, she gave the boy a wave and headed out. As soon as they parted, Luna discovered the shy girl in pigtails was nowhere in sight. She smiled to herself. Maybe a bit of matchmaking was in order.