Adrien Agreste was most certainly not pouting. Nor was he sulking or grumbling or any of the many things Luna was sure to accuse him of that Monday morning. Both her and Plagg had been relentless in their needling, and while he only had to deal with the girl for one night (which he was more than a little surprised his father had been okay with him spending, as long as he was up and ready when the Gorilla came to get him), he was unfortunately stuck with the kwami. So for the rest of the weekend, the teen had done his best to drown out any mention of kissing. He was more or less successful in his endeavor and managed to forget all about it.
Which of course meant that the moment he laid eyes on Marinette, he nearly died out of embarrassment.
He couldn't look the poor girl in the eye, let alone talk to her. Every time he tried, he turned into a stuttering, fumbling mess. And, goddammit, Luna would not stop snickering! The others took notice of his odd behavior, too. Nino had spent the majority of their morning classes trying to get his best friend to "stop hiding behind that text book-dude, you're holding it upside-down"! Alya spent her time nudging her very confused BF and casually mentioning that "he's acting just like you do, girl". By the afternoon, Adrien had once again adopted the mentality of ignore everything and everyone. It worked for him before, so it should do the same for him now, right?
The class got a big laugh when Ms. Bustier asked him a question on Shakespeare. He didn't hear it the first time; second time, his answer was a long, drawn out "uuuuuuuhhhhhhh".
Luna was, for lack of a better phrase, losing her shit. She pounded her fist against her desk as she tried to silence her giggles in the crook of her arm. It got to the point where Nathaniel had to check and see if she was still breathing. He wasn't all to convinced when she told him she was alright, mostly because she mimed it. She really shouldn't have been enjoying this so much. Especially with the death glare he was sending her. Oh, there was definitely going to be retaliation.
So worth it.
The bell soon rang for lunch, and Alya had had just about enough. Something was going on, and by God, she was going to get to the bottom of it. So when Luna made her way down to them, the reporter grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the classroom, leaving an even more confused Marinette behind.
"Alya, jeez, can you slow down?!" The actress asked. "I happen to like my arm where it is!"
The redhead ignored her until they had gotten to the lockers and were safely hidden in a corner. She then spun around to give Luna an intense stare.
"Alright, spill it."
Luna put a hand on her hip. "Spill what?"
"Oh, don't even! You know something."
"No idea what you're talking about." The smirk she had said otherwise.
Alya raised a brow. "Oh, really? So you're telling me you had nothing to do with Adrien's sudden imitation of Marinette?"
"Oh no, honey, that was all me."
"Spill!" Alya said with enthusiasm.
Luna put a finger to her lips, telling her friend to keep quiet. "Let's just say I may or may not have made a bet with Paris' golden boy. And it might involve a certain friend of ours who's been crushing hardcore."
"Come on, girl! You gotta give me more than that!"
Luna bit her lip and thought about it. After a quick look around to make sure no one was listening in, she leaned forward to whisper in Alya's ear. Hazel eyes grew wide as the girl's jaw dropped. She pulled away to look at Luna. "You didn't!"
The actress wagged her eyebrows.
"You are gonna give her a freaking heart attack, woman!" Even as Alya said this, she was grinning like a fool. Clearly, she wasn't all that broken up by it.
"That's assuming he can actually do it," Luna said. "And the way he's been acting..."
Alya huffed. "Ugh, you're right. He's more awkward than she is."
"That's not necessarily a bad thing."
The blogger frowned. "I fail to see how it's a good thing."
Luna folded her arms. "What do you think Mari's biggest problem is where Adrien is concerned?"
"Her tendency to overthink everything?"
"The pedestal." When Alya gave her a blank stare, the actress opened her arms. "'Pretty, perfect Adrien Agreste is amazing in every way. A normal girl such as I couldn't possibly stand any sort of chance with him.'" She raised her eyebrows. "The pedestal."
"Ahhhh," the redhead said with a nod.
"The way I see it, either Marinette's wildest fantasy comes true, or she realizes that her perfect man is actually a major dork and quite possibly gets a bit more comfortable with him. It's a win both ways."
"It's devious." Alya let out a small squeal. "Gah, I love it!"
"Love what?"
The girls looked to see Marinette frowning at them. Alya and Luna shared a laugh.
"Hey, Marinette," the reporter said. "We were just, uh..."
"...Talking about the Spades heist!" Luna finished. "Girl, you should've been there. Ladybug was amazing."
The pig-tailed girl blushed, covering it up with a huff. "Really, Alya? Haven't you gushed about that enough?"
"Hey, the home team won! I am totally allowed to gush all I want!"
Marinette rolled her eyes but couldn't help a small pout. 'We didn't win, though,' she thought. Unfortunately, her expression didn't go unnoticed. Luna leaned towards her with a smirk.
"Hey, what's with the look?" She asked. "You're not upset Ladybug won, are you?"
The designer blinked. "What?"
Alya was quick to jump in as well. "Whoa, wait a minute! I thought you hated Spades! Are you telling me you're actually a fan?!"
"No! Stop being ridiculous!" Even though she meant it, the words came out too fast to be believable.
"Oh my god, you totally are!" Alya snickered.
"I am not! Seriously, why would I be a fan of a criminal? Especially a thief?!" Marinette huffed.
Luna laughed. "Relax, Mari. No one's judging you."
The blackette folded her arms. "Well, for the record, Ladybug and Chat Noir will always be number one in my book."
"Oh, please! Ladybug is so overrated!"
All three of them turned to the newcomer. Luna frowned at the sight of a girl she never saw before. Her long brown hair was tied back in an odd fashion towards the end with two ties framing her face. She was well dressed in a black shirt and red coat with stylish brown boots. Her grass green eyes were focused on the contents of her locker, but her expression screamed distaste. For some reason, Luna really didn't like this chick. Sure, she was attractive, but in the same way Chloé was attractive. Good enough for a hotel room, but not one to take home to the folks.
Marinette grimaced at the sight of the girl. "Uh, hi Lila." Guilt gnawed away at her. Ever since the Volpina incident, she hadn't known how to act around her former love rival. On the plus side, Lila seemed to not be as interested in Adrien, anymore. She still had the nasty habit of lying through her teeth, but most of the school saw right through her stories, now. The real problem was her active hatred of Ladybug. Marinette couldn't blame her for it; she pretty much deserved it. But she wished she could make up for her actions.
Luna looked between her friend and the now-named Lila. Despite every fiber of her being telling her to ignore her, the actress offered the brunette her hand with a smile. "I don't think we've had the pleasure, yet."
Lila blinked at the outstretched hand before taking it. "I guess not," she said with a laugh. "I'm Lila. You're Luna, right?"
"You got it. I take it you're not a fan of the bug?"
The brunette rolled her eyes. "Ugh, not in the least. She's, like, the most selfish superhero out there."
Luna folded her arms. "Well, I've gotta say, this is the first time I've heard anyone actually diss Ladybug."
"That's because she's tricked everyone into believing she's a saint."
Alya snorted as she crossed her arms. "Says the girl who tried telling me Ladybug once saved her life."
Lila glared at her. "See what I mean? Everyone's always so quick to defend her."
"And why shouldn't we, Lie-la? Why should anyone believe anything you say?"
"Alya, no," Marinette whispered, trying to calm her friend's rage.
"Fine, don't believe me," Lila huffed, turning up her nose. "Sooner or later, though, everyone's going to realize she's not as perfect as they think."
"Well, I would certainly hope she's not," Luna laughed. The others frowned at her. She shrugged. "I'd like to believe even superheroes can make mistakes."
Lila sneered. "Ugh, don't tell me you like her."
"Define like. Honestly, I don't think I know enough about her to form an opinion on her personality. I can, however, appreciate a beautiful figure in skin-tight spandex."
Marinette thanked her luck that no one saw the bright red blush she now had. She suddenly found her shoes to be pretty fascinating. Lila, on the other hand, raised a brow.
"Huh. I wouldn't have guessed you swung that way."
Luna shrugged, again. "I play the field."
Those green eyes swept over her form before a smile graced the brunette's face. "Good to know. I'll see you around."
"Likewise."
Lila flashed a dirty look at Alya before sauntering off. Once she was out of sight, the blogger gawked at her friend. "You were not just flirting with that bitch."
Luna smirked. "And if I was?"
"Girl, just don't. Lila's a freaking snake. I can't believe I ever liked her."
"She's not that bad, Alya," Marinette said.
"What exactly did she do?" Luna asked.
"She lied her ass off is what she did!" Alya huffed. "She told the whole school anything and everything she could to make herself popular. She even did an interview for the Ladyblog and lied her ass off there. Nearly killed my credibility, too."
"No wonder you hate her," the actress chuckled.
"She wasn't doing it to be mean. I think she just wanted people to like her."
The blogger all but glared at her bestie. "Marinette, how can you defend her? You hate lies more than I do."
"I... I just feel bad for her, you know?" The designer rubbed her neck. "She doesn't have many friends, here."
"She dug her own grave for that."
Luna chuckled, again. "Alright, guys, let's save the debate for later. I'm starv-"
"Hello, ladies."
For the third time, Luna turned her attention to the latest intruder on her conversation. As soon as she did, though she had to suppress a groan. Adrien smiled down at her with his hands folded behind his back. The look seemed innocent enough, but Luna knew a shit-eating grin when she saw one. She could only guess what he had done to piss her off.
"Uh, h-hey! How is... are... hi!" Marinette gave him her usual greeting which did draw his attention to her. The boy blushed a bit, rubbing his neck.
Luna smirked as she looked between the pair. "Would you guys like a room?"
The comment earned her an embarrassed squeak, an amused snort, and a death glare. Luna beamed. Perfect.
"I don't think that'll be necessary, Luna," Adrien said. His overly kind smile returned, and though she'd never admit it, it made Luna's skin crawl. "I'm actually here for a friend of mine."
The actress cocked her head to the side. "Oh?"
Adrien stepped aside to reveal a rather nervous-looking Chloé. Sabrina was just a few steps behind her, looking a bit nervous, herself. The heiress couldn't seem to bring herself to make eye contact with any of the girls before her. Instead, her icy-blue eyes wandered about, not really focusing on anything in particular. Luna felt her face tighten in what she hoped was an unreadable mask. She gave the girl as pleasant a smile as she could.
"Chloé," she said. "Surprised to see you here."
The heiress tossed her golden hair. "Yeah, well... I don't typically make a habit out of meeting commoners at their lockers, but I thought I'd try something new."
"Chloé has a question for you guys. Right, Chlo?" Adrien asked. He was still smiling, and Luna was not liking where this was going.
The blonde girl shifted on her feet before glancing back at Sabrina. The redhead gave her a thumbs up. Taking a deep breath, Chloé cleared her throat. "You can cancel whatever plans you made for lunch. Daddy's chefs at the hotel have made a picnic in the park near school. They were foolish and made way too much for Sabrina and me to eat alone, so I figured I'd be charitable and offer some unfortunates an actual decent meal."
Alya and Marinette shared a disbelieving look. They couldn't tell if Chloé was being sincere or trying out a new form of insults on them. If it was the latter, they were working. Luna, on the other hand, glowered. It was painfully obvious what was going on. For some reason or another, the heiress was, in her own way, trying to be nice to them. She was failing at it pretty royally, too. Luna glanced at the boy beside her. Oh, there was no doubt in her mind the bastard had suggested the whole ordeal under the guise of helping out a friend. Worst yet was she couldn't say no. If she wanted to win this bet, she had to cover a lot of ground over the week, and this lunch date was the perfect opportunity for that. Damn his smug little ass!
"Uh, that's... nice of you, Chloé," Marinette began.
"Yes, I know it is," the heiress said as she checked her nails. "Now, I'd like to get there while the food's still hot-"
"Yeah, uh, thanks but no thanks, Chloé," Alya said. "I think I'm gonna pass on your 'picnic'."
"Same here. Considering you don't exactly like us, it's better if we steer clear," Marinette said.
The blonde didn't look all too surprised at the refusal, but gods be damned if Luna didn't see the dejection on her face. The thief sighed before painting on a plastic smile.
"Well, I'm no charity case, but I'm sure as hell not turning down free food," Luna said.
Four sets of eyes blinked at her, while a remaining green pair danced with glee. Chloé was quick to recover and folded her arms in her typical, nonchalant fashion. "Good! At least one of you isn't completely brainless."
Luna twitched. This sucked. This royally sucked. She turned to a still grinning Adrien and folded her arms. The answer was obvious, but she still had to ask.
"So, Agreste, will you be joining us?"
"Actually, my father's taking me out for lunch today. He should be here any minute." He heaved a sigh. "You guys will just have to have fun without me."
"Oh, well that's something. Shame you'll be missing out, then." Luna frowned as she studied him. "Is that...?"
Adrien mirrored her frown. "Is what?"
Before he could stop her, Luna's hand shot up and swiped the model's nose. He quickly covered it with one hand, eyes wide. Luna grinned as she studied the makeup smeared on her hand.
"Got it! You had some weird stuff on your nose. Wouldn't want to go out in public not looking your best." Wiping her hand on her shirt, she gave him a wink. "Have fun with your dad!"
Adrien turned beet red as she walked away with Chloé, giving her friends a wave goodbye. He kept his hand firmly over his nose, praying no one could see the fading bruise underneath. It took every fiber of his being not to scream.