Today, Marinette has to cope with a lot of insanity. Planning the end-of-year dance and Adrien still trying to talk to her. But...
And I mean it, guys! More comments and kudos means more chapters for this story. I'm beginning to think this isn't working and I should pivot to a different one.
About three days later, at school, Marinette was at her desk, writing up a list of ideas. She was wearing the pearl pendant.
"Hey girl," Alya said, coming up to her best friend. "What's that?"
"Just a list of ideas I came up with for the end-of-year dance. Zoé and I are in charge of planning it." Marinette explained.
"That does make sense - you two are class representatives." Alya pointed out as Marinette put her list into her bag and stood up.
Marinette nodded in agreement before saying, "I think Zoé and I are already thinking the same thing: Nino's the DJ."
"That I can get behind without a problem," Alya agreed with a laugh as they walked out of the classroom. "So, any progress on the dress or the plush fox?"
"Plenty. The fabrics arrived a few days ago and I've already finished the fox and a few outfits for it," Marinette said as she pulled up a picture of the finished stuffed animal, and a few outfits on hangers. "I had some leftover apple leather, and I thought, "foxes eat apples," so why not make some accessories out of it?"
"Genius!" Alya said as she looked over the fox and the clothes Marinette made for it. "Oh, this "punk rocker" outfit looks amazing! Is that made from apple leather?"
"Sure is! And I have a princess dress for the fox as well - made of a hemp and organic cotton blend fabric," Marinette laughed. "And since she's your favorite superhero, I'm gonna have a Majestia outfit for the fox, too!"
"OMG, for real?!" Alya squealed. She hugged Marinette. "I am SO ready to model that dress!"
"It's still a work in progress, but I'm excited to see what you look like in it!" Marinette laughed.
"Marinette!" Adrien called as he ran up to her.
"Oh, Adrien." Marinette greeted in a flat tone.
"So, you've made headway on that fox ensemble for the contest?" Adrien questioned, pink in the face.
"I have, yes," Marinette said, her guard up as always. "I hope it wins the contest. I know I'm up against some stiff competition this year."
"There's no way it won't win," Adrien assured. "You're amazing at designing, Marinette. I've been on your website and I can't take my eyes off of you- your work."
Marinette gave him a surprised look and asked, "Seriously? You've looked at my website?"
"Of course I have. Your pieces are incredible." Adrien stated.
Marinette was silent at this, and she blinked in confusion. Adrien looked her over and he saw the pendant on her neck. He said, "Like that beautiful pendant, Marinette. Make it yourself?"
"Oh, no... It was a present." Marinette said, clutching it in her hand and being ambiguous with the answer.
Noticing her BFF was getting nervous, Alya stepped in and said, "Hey girl, shouldn't we get going?"
"Yes, we should. Thanks for the vote of confidence, Adrien!" Marinette said before making a quick exit.
Adrien heaved a sigh before saying, "At least I got a conversation in."
"So did I," Félix said as he walked up to his cousin. "I managed somehow. I got her to smile."
"That's progress," Adrien stated. "Things can only get better from here, right?"
That afternoon, Marinette and Alya were walking out of the school building and down the stairs. They saw Zoé standing near the curb, waving at them.
A limousine pulled up, and Chloé, giving an angry glare at Zoé, got into the back seat. Sitting in shotgun was Audrey.
"Well, here goes nothing. See you tomorrow, Alya." Marinette said as she started walking towards Zoé, waving goodbye to Alya.
Adrien and Félix came out of the building, and they were talking about their plans for the afternoon.
"Hey, there's Kagami over there." Adrien said, pointing out Kagami at the curb of the school. Félix gave a smile, and he made his way down the stairs to talk to her.
Unfortunately, her family's red car pulled up, and she got into the back seat of the car, where an irate Tomoe was waiting for her.
"Kagami, wait!" Félix called, but the door shut and the red car drove off.
Adrien approached Félix to reassure him, but his breath hitched and he choked when he saw Marinette.
"Wait, why's Marinette going into the Bourgeois family car?" Adrien asked, panic in his tone as he pointed out the scene.
Marinette got inside and she shut the car door. It began driving away.
The cousins looked at each other in concern. Adrien gestured his head and eyes to cue the two of them to skedaddle.
Inside the Bourgeois car...
"Listen up, baker girl, you're only tolerated in here because mom thinks you have talent. The fact that she was even willing to let you dirty this limousine is ridiculous, utterly ridiculous! Otherwise, both you and Zoé would be shipped off to New York, never to be heard from again!" Chloé spat. "Right, mom?"
"Zoé, you've never needed my consent to pick on your sister or Marinette." Spoke Audrey, who was reading a magazine.
"I'm Chloé!" Chloé insisted.
"Ugh, whatever, now stop your squabbling or all of you will go back to New York," Audrey began. "Granted, it wouldn't be worth sending Marinette there."
Marinette took deep breaths. She was about to speak up and put them in their place...
"DON'T YOU DARE TALK DOWN TO HER LIKE THAT!" A voice shouted. All four of the women screamed and looked up.
Up on top of the limousine was Cat Noir, and he was looking through the skylight. To describe his expression in one word: livid.
He used his claw to pop one of the rear tires, causing the limousine to spin out, with the occupants in the car screaming. The vehicle slammed into the curb, activating the airbags. He took out his baton and smashed it against the limo's sunroof, causing the glass to shatter. The car alarm began blaring.
Marinette groaned and rubbed her head. She was shaken up, breathing heavily, and her vision was a bit blurred. But she could hear Chloé and Audrey groaning and griping about the car crashing.
"Zoé, are you okay?" Marinette asked.
"I'm good, Marinette. You?" Zoé responded.
Marinette was about to answer, but she felt someone undo her seatbelt, lift her up from under her shoulders, and take her out of the car from above. While still dizzy, she looked up and saw Cat Noir was holding onto her like a princess.
"HEY!" She shouted as Cat Noir leaped away from the limousine and onto the rooftops.
"Marinette!" Zoé screamed after her.
Marinette kept banging against his chest, shouting, "Let go of me!"
"I'm afraid I can't do that, chérie," He said to her, his voice not betraying a thing. "If I did, you could get injured big time."
"Oh sure, like causing a car wreck wouldn't injure anyone!" Marinette snapped back.
"Touché." He conceded with a chuckle as he kept leaping up the Eiffel Tower.
Marinette saw a flash of bright blue out of her peripheral and looked towards it. There was Argos, also carrying a struggling someone. Marinette's eyes widened when she recognized who it was.
"Kagami?!" Marinette gasped.
Both boys arrived at the top of the tower.
"I see you got your girl, too, Argos," Cat Noir spoke before pointing to the door with his head and clicking his tongue. "Shall we?"
"Let's." Argos agreed as they brought the defiant girls inside.
"LET GO OF US THIS INSTANT!" Both Marinette and Kagami hollered.
The boys put the girls down on the couch. They immediately stood up to retaliate. Kagami lifted up a chair, while Marinette grabbed a nearby book.
Roaring, they tried to bring their weapons of choice down on their abductors. Cat Noir smacked the book out of Marinette's hand before pulling her into his arms and turning her around. Argos had his hands up in surrender to call for Kagami to stop.
"Get your dirty claws OFF of me, you mangy stray!" Marinette screamed.
"Shh. Easy, belle. You're safe." He tried to reassure her, his voice quiet and husky. Marinette got goosebumps and chills went up and down her spine.
"We're not your enemies!" Argos spoke.
"And why should we believe that?!" Kagami asked.
Marinette saw an opening. She slammed her foot on Cat Noir's. He shouted in pain, Marinette broke out of Cat Noir's embrace and ran over to her friend.
Kagami still had the chair in her arms, and Marinette was standing next to her. A few moments of silence, no movement from the boys.
"Are you two okay?" Cat Noir asked, casual.
"Us, okay? How can we be okay?!" Marinette asked, surprise on her face. "You just-"
"Yes, we know. And we know you, we've been following you girls for a while." Argos commented, acting as if he didn't say something inappropriate.
"Excuse me?!" Kagami shouted, while Marinette went pale.
"Let me get this straight - you follow us?" Marinette questioned, listing off the transgressions on her fingers.
"You spy on us." Kagami added, glaring the boys down while setting the chair back on the floor.
"Cause not one, but two car accidents that could've hurt and/or killed someone!" Marinette added.
"You abduct us to get to know us better." Kagami spoke.
"And you expect us to trust you?!" Marinette asked.
"Er... Yes?" Cat Noir confessed, a sheepish expression as he rubbed the back of his head. Argos had his fingers intwined in awkward movements.
"When you put it like that, it sounds pretty bad." Argos confessed.
Kagami and Marinette looked at the boys with wide, gobsmacked eyes, back to each other, and then back to the boys.
"You two are completely half-assed at social skills!" Kagami stated, crossing her arms.
Marinette face-palmed and said, "She's right. This isn't Twilight where you can just do that! Taking people against their will? NOT OKAY."
"The way they were talking to you wasn't okay!" Cat Noir argued back in an ice-cold tone, stone-faced and his arms crossed.
"Wait, what?" Marinette asked, calming down a little. "That's what this is about?"
"Yes." Cat Noir confirmed.
"They have no right, speaking to you like that," Argos added. "You two deserve better."
Marinette and Kagami looked at each other again before looking back at the boys in shock.
"If you wanted to help, there were much healthier methods of doing that." Marinette murmured, hanging her head.
"Agreed." Kagami spoke, turning her face away from the boys.
"I hope Zoé's okay." Marinette began.
"She's the girl with the blue beanie and the black jacket, right? She's probably scared and worried about you. We should've gone back for her." Cat Noir spoke.
His baton started beeping with something, and he picked it up to notice he was getting a phone call.
"Just a second." He said as he slipped out the door and left the others alone.
Cat Noir hid out of plain view and whispered, "Claws in."
He changed back and revealed himself to be Adrien Agreste. He took out a wedge of cheese for his kwami, a black cat-like creature, before taking out his phone.
"Hey Nino, what's going on?" Adrien asked, acting casual.
"You gotta keep your cool when I say this, dude, but Marinette's been abducted!" Nino reported.
Adrien, having honed his acting skills thanks to Félix's mentoring, pretended to be shocked and scared while asking, "What?! Marinette, abducted?!"
"Yeah, dude! It's all over the news! Apparently Cat Noir and Argos attacked the Tsurugi and Bourgeois cars and took Kagami and Marinette! Last I heard, they were heading for the Eiffel Tower!" Nino added.
"What?!" Adrien asked, continuing to act shocked and scared.
"Alya and the others are heading there to demand they let the girls go, or rescue them ourselves if they refuse! I'm going with! What about you and Félix?" Nino said.
"Huh?" Adrien questioned, a chill going down his spine.
"Dude, your crush has been kidnapped by some insane cat, and you're just standing there saying "Huh?!" What the hell, buddy?!" Nino griped.
"Don't get me wrong, Marinette's safety is important to me, but Félix and I are a bit... Tied up right now." Adrien began as he looked behind him.
"With what?" Nino asked. "This is an emergency! Think of it as your opportunity to play "knight in shining armor" and win over your princess!"
Argos popped his head out of the door and asked, "Everything okay out here?"
"Um, sorry Nino, I gotta go! Keep me updated!" Adrien said before hanging up in a panic. "Plagg, claws out!"
Switching back into Cat Noir, he approached the railing of the tower and saw that there was a slew of police cars at the base. Argos followed and looked down. There was a barricade to keep the citizens out. Near the front of the crowd of spectators, as warned, Nino, Alya, and the rest of the girls were shouting for Marinette and Kagami's release. They had protest signs, too. Tom and Sabine were there as well.
"Looks like we've caused quite the commotion," Argos commented. "Should we get the girls back to their friends?"
"Good idea." Cat Noir agreed, his ears flattening.
They went back inside. Cat Noir held his left hand out to Marinette, telling her, "Your family and friends are waiting for you."
Marinette, still cautious, put her hand into his, and he wrapped his fingers around her hand. Her heart pounded.
"And my mother?" Kagami asked.
"I didn't see her down there." Argos reported as he took her hand into his. Kagami gave a light gasp in surprise before looking up at him.
At the base, Officer Roger was trying to placate the crowd.
"What are you doing, Roger?!" Tom roared. "What's stopping you from going up there and getting my little girl back?!"
"I'm on it!" Roger said as he took out the megaphone. "Argos! Cat Noir! Release-"
The boys cut him off by landing on the ground, the girls in their arms. They set their respective "captives" down.
"Thanks." Marinette said to Cat Noir.
"You're welcome. And again, I'm sorry for the confusion," Cat Noir responded. "You're right: we could've gone about helping you two in a better way."
"Nice to see you understand where you went wrong here," Kagami commented, looking at Argos with a smile. "Now, if that's all, we should be going."
Cat Noir took Marinette's hand into his own and planted a kiss onto it. Her eyes snapped up to look at him, to see he was smiling at her with the look he'd given her in the past - the same grin from when he defended the bakery, and when the goons were pursuing her.
"I hope to see you again soon," Cat Noir said, loud enough for only Marinette to hear. "But under less confusing circumstances."
Marinette's eyes went back to the hand that was encapsulated into his. After her heart fluttered a few beats, she blushed and took her hand away, stammering in surprise. The crowd was watching in sheer confusion, like they were watching a soap opera unfolding.
"Ah, um... Bye!" Marinette said as she dashed over to her parents. Meanwhile, Kagami walked past the barricade and used her phone to let her mother know she was safe. Argos was staring after her, his face becoming a smile.
"Marinette, are you okay? Did they hurt you?!" Tom asked, frantic. The rest of the group was surrounding her in worry, too.
"I-I'm good. They didn't mean any harm," Marinette said as she refused to look back at Cat Noir. She was still pink-faced. "As you can see, not a scratch on me."
Her parents, while confused, breathed sighs of relief. Sabine responded, "Are you sure?"
Marinette gave a nod and said, "Yep. We're fine."
She faced Zoé and asked, "Shall we go? The dance isn't going to organize itself. Maybe we should take it to my room at home instead?"
"That's a good idea." Zoé agreed, though she was still perplexed by Marinette's nonchalance.
Marinette, her parents, and Zoé started walking away to head back to the bakery.
"Well, that was anticlimactic," Nino commented to Alya with a shrug. "Looks like Adrien didn't miss anything, dude."
Alya said, "Nino, the important thing is that Marinette and Kagami are safe."
"Yeah, but still. If they weren't going to hurt the girls, what was their goal?" Nino asked aloud.
"Good question." Alya agreed.
In Marinette's room at the bakery, she was being subjected to a near-interrogation by Zoé.
"Are you sure you're okay, Marinette?! You don't have to act like you're fine in front of me," Zoé spoke while looking over a catalogue. "What happened was scary."
"I've told you, Zoé, I am okay." Marinette responded, a patient smile on her face.
"But he crashed the limousine and took you hostage!" Zoé insisted. "We were so scared."
"What Cat Noir did was not acceptable, don't get me wrong, but he and Argos only meant well." Marinette promised.
"For real?" Zoé asked, unconvinced.
"I promise," Marinette said. "They said it themselves: they just wanted to get us away from your mom and Mme. Tsurugi."
"Well, Cat Noir did shout at my mom about that." Zoé commented, the information sinking in.
Marinette gave a nod before growing a smitten expression on her face. Wistful, she said, "Yep. Cat Noir called me belle and you saw how he kissed my hand earlier..."
"Marinette, you're starting to sound like you're in love with him." Zoé spoke, baffled.
"What? Me, in love with Cat Noir?! No way! Why would I be in love with that unpredictable, rogue, handsome..." Marinette began, but she blushed when she heard herself. "A-Anyway, even if they meant no harm, there's no excuse for-"
Rhythmic knocking on the trap door above the bed. Marinette looked up at it.
"You don't think...?" Zoé began, sounding a bit anxious.
Marinette climbed her bed stairs again. She counted to fifteen before opening the trap door. Like last time, the balcony itself was deserted, and there was another bouquet of flowers in front of the door. This time the flowers were azaleas, aster, and white carnations. Same as before, it was wrapped in the same color floral paper, ribbon, and had the card.
Marinette giggled as she took the bouquet up before shutting the trap door and going back down.
"More flowers?" Zoé asked.
"Yep," Marinette said as she looked over the flowers. "And they're just as pretty as the first ones."
"And look, another card." Zoé pointed out.
"So there is," Marinette giggled as she opened it and read it over. She blushed as she reread the words over and over. "Whoever this guy is, they really care about me."
Zoé looked at the message on the card and said, "Wow, they sure do."
Marinette looked at the flowers again and smiled at the sight.
The following day at school, Marinette was bombarded with questions and pleading from her friends. They were heading to the locker area.
"Girls, I promise, I'm fine," Marinette assured as she put her hands out to call for some space. "You have nothing to worry about."
"You're kidding, right?" Alix asked, a deadpan expression on her face. "After all of that chaos, they didn't hurt you?"
"No," Marinette stated. The girls got to their lockers and started getting their materials out. "It was a case of good intentions, but crappy methods."
When Marinette opened hers, she saw a small, wrapped present. Like the past gifts, it had a ribbon and a card on it.
"Hey girls, another present!" Marinette called, and her friends walked over to see the item. Marinette took it out and started unwrapping it. "Huh? A jack-in-the-box?"
"That's a weird present," Alya said. "At least we know it's not one of Chloé's pranks."
"The card and ribbon are certainly a dead giveaway." Marinette giggled.
"So, what are you waiting for?! Crank it open!" Rose encouraged, jumping up and down.
"Okay..." Marinette said, cautious.
She took the handle and began cranking it. "Pop Goes the Weasel" was playing as she kept cranking. Out popped the traditional clown, only it was designed to be cute and it was holding a small, heart-shaped envelope in its hands.
"Hm..." Marinette murmured as she took the envelope out of its hands and opened it. "Check it out! A €50 gift card for that chocolaterie! I've been dying to get some of their bonbons!"
"The card says "Sweets for the sweetheart." This guy's not messing around." Alya said as she read the card.
"I can get a variety box with this money and I can share it with you girls!" Marinette spoke as she looked up the chocolaterie's information.
"That would be great!" Myléne agreed.
When they got to the classroom, they all sat down and started minding their own business.
"So, what types of chocolates do you think you'll get from there?" Alya asked.
"Maybe a salted caramel? Or chocolate and mint? Who knows, this place has such a wide selection!" Marinette spoke as she looked over the menu on the website.
"Marinette!" Adrien shouted. Marinette looked up and saw him dash over to her, sounding frantic. Nino was right behind him.
He put his hands on Marinette's desk and leaned in close to her before asking, "Nino told me everything! Are you okay?! Did they do anything to you?!"
"No, they didn't," Marinette assured, leaning back. "...You were really that worried about me?"
"Of course I was!" He said as he grabbed her hands. "I care about you a lot!"
Marinette gave him a puzzled look and she asked, "Y... You do?"
Adrien gave a nod, smiling at her with affection. Nino and the rest of the boys were watching the scene with the male equivalent of a "squee" expression. Alya could see the gears turning in her boyfriend's head.
"Oh-kay, that's enough," Alya said as she pulled Marinette's hands away from Adrien. "Mlle. Bustier is supposed to be coming in soon, so let's just get to our seats for now."
Adrien nodded with a bit of hurt in his eyes before he and Nino sat down in front of the girls. Marinette nodded to Alya in thanks.
Between classes, the Clone Cousins were walking the halls, talking.
"I got to hold her hands," Adrien said, pink in the face. "I think she's starting to warm up to me. What about you, Félix?"
"Wish I was that lucky," Félix sighed. "Maybe we could ask the boys if-"
"I'm serious, Alya!" Marinette's voice called from around the corner. The boys looked at each other before approaching the scene. Marinette was talking to the girls, and she seemed a bit upset.
Adrien put a finger to his lips to hush Félix, and the two cousins hid behind the corner to listen in.
"I am not crushing on Adrien!" Marinette insisted, sounding frustrated.
Adrien turned to Félix and he mouthed out, "She's talking about me."
He went beet red, and a goofy smile came upon his face.
"But you didn't pull away when he held your hands in homeroom!" Rose spoke, smiling.
"And you danced with Adrien at the party." Alya stated, teasing.
"Only because Marc accidentally-on-purpose bumped into me and sent me tumbling into his space!" Marinette spoke back.
"Didn't you enjoy dancing with him, though?" Myléne asked.
"I admit it was nice, but..." Marinette said as Cat Noir's purring voice rang through her mind.
Adrien's heart fluttered, remembering how Marinette felt in his arms that night.
"I'm sure your secret admirer would've loved to dance with you if he were there, but he wasn't, so Adrien-" Alya began.
"Girls, for real!" Marinette interrupted, her last nerve being touched. "I know you think Adrien and I would be a cute couple, but I've said this a thousand times: I am not interested in him!"
"But why? I mean, I get it, your instincts are telling you that there's something off about the guy," Alix responded. "That should be enough!"
"Then why are you girls pressing the issue?" Marinette asked. "Listen, he's a nice enough guy, but he's not for me. I don't know why, but I just cannot bring myself to like him that way! So, me and Adrien becoming a couple is not happening!"
Adrien's mind went blank and his soul left his body for a second. His heart clenched. Félix looked to the side and saw Adrien was silent, only his breathing could be heard.
'Rock plus glass window equals Adrien's heart...' Félix thought before asking, "You okay?"
"No. How did Shakespeare write it? "Out of her favor, where I am in love," right?" Adrien said as he closed his eyes, holding back tears. He sighed before turning on his heel and walking away.
Félix took a glance back at the girls before following Adrien.
Adrien's phone started ringing in his pocket. His cousin pulled it out of the pocket and saw it was Nino.
"Nino's calling." Félix said.
"Not in the mood to talk..." Adrien murmured. Seeing his cousin's state of mind, Félix answered the call.
"Hey dude! Great moment with you and Marinette in homeroom back there, huh?" Nino said, ever the chipper one. "Things are moving along, aren't they?"
"It's Félix," Félix answered. "We just overheard the girls talking. Adrien got a big sucker-punch to the stomach."
"Wait, what?" Nino asked, confused. "Okay, I'm rounding up the boys!"
He hung up and Félix looked at his despairing cousin.
With the girls...
"Isn't there anything that could change your mind about him?" Myléne asked.
"I'm not sure." Marinette spoke, honest.
"That's your right. But Nino ships you and Adrien like there's no tomorrow. He goes on and on about double-dates." Alya mentioned, sounding annoyed.
"Not him, too." Marinette moaned, face-palming.
"Truth is, all of the boys in our group think you and Adrien should start going out." Rose admitted, upbeat.
"They want Félix and Kagami to date, too." Myléne added.
"Really?! Is everyone in school trying to pair us up with the Clone Cousins?!" Marinette asked, exasperated.
"Apparently." Zoé said with a shrug.
Juleka, a frustrated look on her face, mumbled out, "Would you and Adrien getting together be such a tragedy? At least Adrien's not a kidnapper."
"Yeah, we can count on him not to abduct you from a moving vehicle and cause a car accident." Alix agreed with her arms crossed.
"I understand you girls were scared and worried about me and Kagami. But we weren't prisoners in the first place. Besides, you saw that they released us without a fight." Marinette said, trying to reason with her friends.
"Which was weird." Alya insisted.
"But we can't forget about that mystery suitor that's been leaving presents for you." Rose added.
"Speaking of which, I found another bouquet on my balcony yesterday." Marinette said as she pulled up a picture of the flowers.
"You found more flowers?" Kagami asked as she approached the girls. "I did, too."
She pulled out her own phone and photo app, showing another bouquet of red camellias, only this time white lilies were part of it, too.
"Was there a card?" Marinette asked.
"Yes." Kagami responded.
"There was a card with mine, too," Marinette responded. "Did you find any presents in your locker?"
"A jack-in-the-box with a €50 gift card for an art supply store." Kagami reported.
"I got one for a chocolaterie." Marinette responded.
"I don't know who's putting these things there, but I can't decide whether you two should be flattered or scared." Alya said, hands on her hips in confusion.
"Neither can I," Marinette agreed. "Maybe if I knew who my secret admirer is, I'd be able to sort my feelings out."
"That applies to me as well." Kagami added.
Alya got a text on her phone and she picked it up out of her pocket.
"It's Nino," She said. Her face became puzzled and she spoke, "Huh? "Urgent. Meet me in the art room, but come alone!" I wonder what's going on."
"Maybe he wants to play a round of Super Penguino with you?" Marinette teased. The rest of the girls laughed.
"I hope that's all it is." Alya laughed before making her way to the art room.
In an empty classroom, Adrien had his upper body lying on a bench and his phone in his hands. He was scrolling through his photo stream on his phone, and almost every picture was of Marinette in some way.
""Out of her favor, where I am in love," indeed..." He muttered, a tear streaming down his face. His kwami, Plagg, was sitting on the bench, gobbling up camembert cheese.
Félix was sitting at another bench across the aisle, looking at his cousin in worry. Duusu was watching, and said, "This is so sad..."
Adrien kept scrolling when he landed on something: a screenshot of Marinette when she was defending the bakery.
The look in her eyes and face when Cat Noir was flirting with her made his gut twist.
"She looks at me as Cat Noir the way I wish she'd look at me as Adrien," He grumbled. "What is it about Cat Noir that makes Adrien Agreste so undesirable?"
No response from his cousin.
"Come on, Félix, you're in the same situation as me! Kagami won't give you the time of day, but she's more open and friendly with Argos!" Adrien insisted. "Doesn't it hurt?"
"...It does." Félix admitted, with Duusu looking at him.
"So, what am I gonna do? How can I win her heart?" Adrien asked as he pulled up another picture of Marinette in a heart-shaped iris-out.
When Alya got inside the art room, she was expecting to see Nino with his tablet huddled in a corner. But instead, she saw all the boys in their friend group (Luka notwithstanding, as he attended a different school). They were looking pretty serious. The group was sitting at the table with Nino at the head of it, meanwhile Nate and Marc were standing in front of a planning board behind Nino's seat. There was a picture of Marinette on one side, while Adrien's photo was on the other.
"Um... What's going on?" Alya asked, confused at the scene.
"Alya! Perfect timing, babe! Welcome to this emergency meeting of The Adrinette Planning Committee!" Nino said as he ran over to his girlfriend and showed her what he'd set up.
"The... Adrinette Planning Committee?" Alya asked, trying not to laugh.
"Yep! A committee of us boys who wanna see Adrien get his fairytale with Marinette! And with you as Marinette's BFF, you're the perfect person to give us first-hand insight on Marinette so we can get them together!" Nino said as he pulled Alya to the head of the table.
"Wait, Nino!" Alya began, but he was on a roll without any intention of stopping.
"We should've brought you into the fold ages ago!" Nino spoke in delight.
"Genius idea, having Marinette's best friend as a resource, Nino." Max agreed.
"Thanks, dude," Nino said, before slamming his hands on the table. "Okay! To brief: Adrien's down in the dumps and he's sulking who-knows-where!"
"Let's put our heads together and figure out a plan to keep their love from dying! Does anyone have anything in mind?" Nathaniel asked.
Nothing but crickets, as well as sad and confused expressions from the crowd of boys. Alya looked a bit pensive.
"Then let's review the basics," Marc began as he held up a ruler to act as a teacher's pointing baton - Nathaniel had one, too - and pointed towards Adrien's photo. "Adrien's in love with Marinette, and has been ever since he and Félix started attending school."
"Classic case of un coup de foudre," Nino responded. "Continue, gentlemen."
"Now, as for Marinette, she's always trying to avoid him and keeps her conversations with him to a minimum. It could easily be a case of playing hard-to-get, but we're sure she reciprocates-" Nathaniel added.
"Does she reciprocate, though?" Alya asked aloud, interrupting the conversation. Everyone looked at Alya, who seemed a bit sad/uncomfortable.
"Come on, Alya. What do you mean, "does she reciprocate?" Of course she feels the same way! Why wouldn't she?" Nino asked, laughing at the notion.
"She doesn't. She honest-to-god doesn't!" Alya stated.
Everyone was stunned silent - so quiet that someone could hear a pin drop. Marc, stiff as a board, dropped the ruler in shock.
"She doesn't love him?!" All the boys in the room shouted, dumbfounded.
"But how is that possible?! They're made for each other!" Nathaniel insisted. "I know that if it were me, dating Marinette would be a privilege."
"Well, that's not how she feels," Alya sighed. "She's made it clear to us several times that she's not interested in Adrien! Something about her gut telling her to stay away for whatever reasons. And Marinette has a good track record when it comes to trusting her instincts."
"So... Marinette truly doesn't feel that way, dude?" Nino asked, disbelieving.
"Right," Alya said with a firm nod. "And even if she did feel that way, someone else has their eyes on her."
Everyone stood at attention.
"What? Adrien's got a rival? Who? Luka?" Kim questioned.
"I can see that, dude," Nino admitted. "It's one of the reasons he's not on the committee."
"I wish," Alya spoke, crossing her arms. "Trust me, none of us girls would object to Luka and Marinette dating - even Juleka's put her stamp of approval on that."
"Then if it's not Luka, then who's Adrien's competition?" Nathaniel asked.
"That's the strange part about this. She's been getting odd presents lately. Like that teddy bear in her locker? The night before, she found a bouquet of flowers on her balcony. And it's likely to be from the same person, since they both came with cards that had identical calligraphy and stationary." Alya reported.
"Flowers on her balcony?" Markov asked, his facial screen turning into a question mark. "The only way to get to Marinette's balcony is to come into the bakery, go up to her room, climb up onto her bed and go out through the trap door above. The probability of one getting her balcony from the outside without causing a scene or getting caught is quite low, if not zero."
"But the chances of this person knowing which locker is Marinette's and putting the teddy bear in there are much higher." Max added.
"Yeah, those details didn't go unnoticed." Alya mentioned.
"Have there been any more presents?" Nathaniel questioned.
"Yes. There was a spa bath gift box delivered to the bakery, a pearl and rose gold pendant, and a second bouquet on her balcony after Cat Noir tried to abscond with her. This morning there was a jack-in-the-box in her locker that had a gift card for a chocolaterie." Alya explained.
"And the person hasn't come forward?" Marc questioned.
"Right." Alya confirmed.
"But without any clues of the sender's identity, doesn't that just make them a complete stranger to her?" Nino posed.
"Also true." Alya conceded.
"Then wouldn't it be better to get Marinette to date someone she knows in real life?" Ivan asked.
"It would, Ivan," Nino said before putting his hands on Alya's shoulders. "Alya, can't you at least try to get Marinette to give Adrien a chance? Please?! Your persuasion skills are killer! She may not love Adrien right now, but that can change!"
Alya hung her head in frustration, thinking, 'The boys are REALLY stuck on this...'
Coming up, fed up with her heart getting the runaround, Marinette decides enough is enough. She's gonna find out who her secret admirer is and finally get some closure.
And the boys aren't giving up on trying to get Marinette and Adrien together, nor is Adrien going to give up on winning Marinette over!
And yes, this chapter was an Easter Egg for "Pretension"