The longer he stared at the article on his phone, the worse Adrien felt. As much as he wanted to believe Luna, he knew his partner better than anyone. Ladybug may not be furious per se, but she certainly wouldn't be happy with him, either. He should've been paying more attention to their surroundings. He shouldn't have let himself get so caught up in trying to beat Spades. He should've-
"Adrikins! You've barely touched your food!"
Adrien glanced across the table at Chloé. Her pretty face was pulled into a frown, genuine concern shining in her eyes. The boy sighed. He had agreed to spend his lunch with her in exchange for her "making nice" with Luna and the others the day before. Of course, he'd made it perfectly clear it was in no way, shape, or form a date, but he highly doubted she heard anything he said other than "date". At least she didn't go too over the top. They sat outside a small café under the shade of a parasol. The establishment wasn't very well known just yet, but considering the Bourgeois name was attached to it, it was only a matter of time before it made a name for itself.
"Sorry, Chlo. I've kinda just lost my appetite." He picked up his fork and began to play with the salad in front of him.
Pouting, Chloé reached over and plucked Adrien's phone away from him, ignoring his protests. She huffed at the screen's contents. "Eww, what are you reading this trash for?"
Adrien folded his arms. "Luna sent it to me. Can I have my phone back, please?"
The heiress ignored him as she scrolled through the article. "Don't tell me you actually buy into this garbage. Adrikins, this drivel is beneath you."
"Seriously, Chlo, give it back." He made a grab for the device, only to miss as she pulled it away.
"Hold on. Let me read it, first."
"I thought you said it was utter trash and beneath us?" the model said in a monotone.
"The article? Absolutely! Who'd actually believe sweet, lovable Chat Noir would try and kill someone? Even if it was that horrid little miss thief."
Adrien quirked a brow. "Sweet and lovable, huh? Since when are you a Chat Noir fan?"
Chloé rolled her eyes. "It's not like I have a crush on him or anything. He's just helped me out a few times. He even offered to do my physics homework, once."
Yeah, offered, Adrien thought. He remembered things differently. Chloé rested her chin on her palm and smiled as she thumbed through his phone.
"He's not half bad to look at, either. Not that he's anywhere near your level, Adrikins." She flashed him a wink. Adrien suppressed an eyeroll.
"Well, if you're not interested in the article, then why are you reading it?" the boy asked.
"I'm not. I'm much more interested in this supposed kiss you were texting abo-"
That phone was yanked out of Chloé's hands faster than she could blink. Adrien's ears burned, both from anger and embarrassment. A spark of dread also settled into his stomach. Just how much did she read?
"What the hell, Chloé! You can't just go through my phone like that!"
The heiress jutted out her bottom lip, childishly. "I was just curious, Adrikins. Besides, I'm not the one chatting up another girl while clearly on a date."
"Chloé, I told you. This isn't a date."
"Tomato, potato," the heiress said, waving him off. "So, who are you kissing behind my back?"
Adrien sank into his chair. Was it too much to ask to shrink out of existence? "It's... Can we just drop this?"
"I have a right to know, don't I?"
"I..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "It's hard to explain..."
Chloé folded her arms and leaned forward. "Try me."
Adrien sighed as he went back to playing with his food. "...Luna and I have this bet going on. We both have to get a kiss from someone by the end of the week. Whoever does gets to make the other do one thing for them, no questions asked."
"A bet, huh? That doesn't sound like you."
"Yeah, well, Luna came up with it."
"So, according to the bet, you have to steal a kiss from Marinette, right?"
Adrien looked at her like a deer in headlights. "I... Wait! Whoa! Who said anything about Marinette?"
"Well, it wouldn't make sense if you got to pick your own target. And Miss Movie Star would obviously pick Maritra- I mean, Marinette for you." She stuck a fork-full of salad into her mouth.
"H-how'd you come up with that?"
She pointed her fork at him as she swallowed. "Adrikins, if there's one thing I know, it's how to read people. Of course, you can tell me if I'm wrong."
"No, you pretty much hit the nail on the head," Adrien muttered.
"Thought so."
Adrien tried to wrap his head around it. For as long as he'd known her, he'd never seen Chloé be insightful about... well, anything! It was a nice surprise, albeit a little creepy.
"So... you're not mad?" he asked, gingerly.
Chloé pulled a face. "Mad? Why would I ever be mad at you, Adrikins?"
He gave her a playful smirk. "Because your precious Adrikins has to kiss another girl."
The heiress blinked. "Wait, you're actually going through with this?!"
Adrien frowned. "Well, I'd rather not lose. She's gonna put me in a dress if I do."
Chloé opened her mouth to speak, but only managed to make a strangled noise. She sank back into her chair, her blue eyes trained onto a spot on the table. Adrien waited with a furrowed brow for her to say something. When she kept quiet, he sighed.
"Chloé, I know you don't like her-"
"Do you?"
The question threw him off. "...huh?"
"Do you like Marinette? I mean, like like her?"
"I... yeah, I like her, but..." Adrien shook his head. Of course he liked her. Marinette was kind, talented, maybe a little quirky, but he knew she had a good heart. But she wasn't Ladybug. He didn't have the same connection with her that he felt with his lady. Not to mention, he wasn't even sure if Marinette liked him, considering how very little she actually spoke to him. Sighing, the model rested a hand against his temple. "She's just a friend, Chloé. That's all."
"Hmm." The blonde-haired girl went quiet again as she rolled a cherry tomato around her plate. Her well sculpted brows were knitted together in a concentration she rarely ever showed. After a moment, she let out a long groan.
"Okay, I don't even know why I'm saying this, but you totally need to call it off."
Adrien smirked. "Chlo-"
"If you don't like her like that, then you need to call it off. And no, I'm not being jealous. As if I'd be jealous of a nobody like Marinette."
With how huffy she was, Adrien highly doubted that. "It'll be fine, Chlo. I can explain the bet afterwards. Marinette will understand." He was hoping she would, anyway.
"Except she won't," Chloé said. "She'll be humiliated and hurt that her crush kissed her because of a bet and doesn't actually like her. Not to mention her friendship with Luna would be over because that bitch knew better. And I'm still trying to figure out why this is a bad thing for me."
Adrien blinked, trying to process what was said. Crush? Marinette had a crush on him? Luna knew?
The sound of screams caught their attention. Adrien was on his feet in a heartbeat. He looked about for the cause and paled when he found it. A giant blob towered over the street. Of what, the teen had no clue, but for some reason, it smelled of garlic and-
They needed to move! Fast!
Chloé must've realized it, too, because she let out a high-pitched screech the likes of which Adrien never heard a human utter before. He quickly grabbed her arm and dragged her away from their table as the blob hurdled towards them. The teen dared a peek over his shoulder and saw the blob was trapping any and all poor Parisians that were unfortunate enough to get caught in its path. Not only that, but anything that wasn't nailed down also sank into the ever-growing mass. Adrien sped up.
Talk about a crushing realization!
Of the three girls heading back to school, Marinette was the first to react to the screams. Her hair stood on end as her bluebell eyes darted about. A frown formed on her lips. "What was that?"
"Hey, is it just me, or is it getting darker?" Luna asked.
"Uh, guys?" Alya said. "I think we should start running!"
The others followed her line of sight. Marinette's eyes went wide. She knew a ball of dough when she saw one. And this thing had to be the biggest ball of dough she'd ever seen! And it was barreling right for them!
All three girls dropped their bags and booked it as fast as they could. Fear ran through Marinette's veins. It was an akuma; it had to be. But why? What was the point of terrorizing the city with an oversized pastry puff?!
"Over there!"
Alya pointed at a nearby alleyway before picking up the pace to reach it. Luna and Marinette followed suit, but just as they came up to the turn, Marinette tripped and hit the ground. She tried to push herself up on her hands and knees and made the mistake of looking behind her. The dough ball was just feet away from her, the sight freezing her in place.
All she could do was watch in terror as it came down over her head.
Hands grabbed at her arm and yanked her to her feet. "Move!" Luna screamed. Marinette barely had time to think before her friend shoved a shoulder into her back, knocking her into the alleyway and safety. The dough ball rushed passed, leaving behind a layer of potent smelling powder and, much to Marinette's dismay, taking Luna with it.
Hey all! Back with another chapter. And another Akuma to boot! I had to fight with my muse quite a bit in order to get this one out, but I'm hoping a slower pace will lead to a great ending. A couple of quick things, I've posted a few sketches inspired by this fanfic over on deviantART under the username Artemissilverbane. Also, I wanna start reaponding to some of the comments you guys leave for me, starting with a few of my favorites:
Just Anonymous: You have my permission to keep your mind firmly in the gutter.
PSYCH0xSEXY: Cliché but funny. But you have a point.
MadelVer: You have no idea!
Dutchman75: I like that idea. I may very well do that!
That's all for now, guys! See ya next time!