A/N: Ivan has a bit of a conundrum to be solved, and Kim certainly isn't helping his nerves.
As you might have guessed by now, I wanted to do the series in order - but unfortunately for me the timeline is very, VERY messy. So I decided, "Screw it! I'm putting events in my own order as I see fit". So if you get kind of confused because I'm not going in the order of episodes, or in the official timeline, just know that's why.
From the minute she walked into school, the hallway was abuzz with activity. Students, tall and short, walked briskly from the locker rooms to their classes, some even pausing to wave at her with polite smiles.
After the somewhat eventful day yesterday, she was refreshed and ready to start.
"Marinette, hey!" Alya greeted as she walked in from outside.
"Hey!" She greeted the girl with a hug and a smile. "Think you can make your way around today?"
The bespectacled girl shrugged, following her to the locker room. "I'm not so sure. You'll help, right?"
"Of course!" Marinette's eyes lit up when Rose walked into the room, and she paused in their conversation to call out to her.
Rose beamed at her friend and hugged her tight, Juleka not far behind with a shy nod.
"If you need help getting around, you can ask Rose or I," she explained as the blonde and her friend walked off. "Rose loves helping others. She'll do whatever she can."
Chuckling, Alya nodded. "Got it."
As soon as they got into the classroom, a commotion from the back made Marinette's smile drop.
"Man, first Chloe, now Kim?" She wondered, spying the taller athletic boy with Ivan in the back. "What is going on this week?"
"What the heck is your problem?" The big teenager exclaimed, waving the crumpled-up note in his hand angrily.
"C'mon, dude, it was just a joke!" Kim raised his hands in defense. "Can't you take a joke?"
"What's going on in here?" Marinette questioned, causing the two boys to look her way in surprise.
"Mari!" Kim's face brightened, while Ivan sent him a chilly glare. "Just a disagreement between guys, no biggie!"
"No biggie?" Ivan echoed incredulously. "You called me a chicken!"
Marinette and Alya looked at each other wearily.
"Go handle it," Alya reassured, patting her shoulder. "I'll hold our seats so that Chloe doesn't try and steal them."
Marinette sent her a quiet thanks as she walked away, then she made her own way up the stairs to the upper level of benches.
"Let me see," she asked Ivan, who stonily handed the note to her.
Unfolding it, she squinted, trying to read the hasty chickenscratch - and then she groaned aloud, turning to the taller boy in a deadpan. "I really don't see what's funny about making fun of someone because of that."
"Wha- Marinette, it's a joke!" The boy defended.
"Do you see me making fun of you because you like Chloe?" She pointedly questioned, staring him down.
Kim floundered for a moment, before heaving a sigh. "No."
"Yeah, exactly." She crumpled up the note again and stuffed it into her pocket. Turning to Ivan, her face softened. "I think that's really sweet of you, Ivan."
The bigger boy's face flushed a pale color, and he rubbed the back of his neck bashfully. "Seriously?"
"Yeah," she encouraged with a soft giggle. "Were you planning on asking her yet?"
The boy shrugged, and Marinette stepped out of the way so Nathanael could get to his seat, ignoring the curious glance their way.
She didn't really know him well, given that they'd been in separate classes before, but he seemed sweet. Gruff, but sweet.
"Well," she continued softly, "what were you planning to say to her?"
Ivan's shoulders straightened a little, and some of his perpetual frown seemed to dissipate. "I was thinking… maybe a song. She likes songs, right? I've heard her humming before."
Marinette thought back to what he'd seen of the girl yesterday; Mylene was a small, almost mousey girl with the unfortunate tendency to squeak when given abrupt attention. (Thinking back to last year, she seemed shy back then as well, despite her father being head of the theater club.)
"Hm…" she shook her head slowly. "Somehow I don't think that would work very well. Uh… girls like flowers! You could give her some, or draw her a picture, or write a poem…?"
"A poem…" he hummed to himself. "Uh, I guess, yeah, I could do that."
"If you wrote her a song, you could read the lyrics to her like a poem!" She suggested. "That would be really romantic."
Ivan finally smiled, a small, hesitant thing.
"Cheer up and go for it, Ivan. I'm rooting for you!" Patting his arm, she gave him two thumbs-up and moved to walk away-
-only to bump right into Nino with a squeak of surprise.
"Whoa!" He exclaimed, catching her by the waist before she could tumble down the stairs. "Uh, Marinette? You okay?"
"Yeah," she shakily laughed as he helped her back up. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks, er…?"
"Nino, at your service." He tipped his hat to her and she giggled.
Nearby, Alya shook her head fondly as Adrien and Felix took their seats in front of her. "You've got a way, Marinette. I don't know what it is, but it's a way."
At lunchtime, Ivan sat by himself at a table alone - and looked up in surprise as Marinette and Rose sat down with him.
"Where did you come from?" He questioned, moving to pick up his pencil.
"I gave her the rundown," Marinette explained, leaning in. "We wanna help you!" She paused. "If that's okay, of course."
"Uh…" the boy trailed off, unsure. "... okay?"
"Great!" Rose beamed at him. "This is going to be so sweet - what do you have written so far?"
Wordlessly, he slid the mostly-blank paper over to them. As they skimmed through, he started to eat.
"That's… so romantic," Rose sighed blissfully, giving back the page. "I'm sure she'll love it! Mylene has a flair for the dramatic when it comes to scripts!"
"Scripts?" He echoed, puzzled.
"Scripts, poetry," Marinette volunteered, earning an enthusiastic nod from the blonde. "You've got a really good start. What else do you like about her?"
"Uh, well," here he suddenly became quite shy, looking away with a troubled look on his face.
Both girls leaned in, smiling cheekily as he began to stumble over his own words and cover his mouth with one hand.
"I… I think she's nice," he said slowly, "and her hair is really cute…"
"Nice and cute, got it, got it," Rose nodded vigorously. "What else?"
This was going to be a long lunch period, but somehow, it didn't feel like it was going to be a waste at all.
By the time classes were ready to resume, Ivan had not only written a whole poem, but had Marinette and Rose trailing him, throwing encouragements his way until they arrived back in Miss Bustier's classroom.
All the way there, he had been hyping himself up for it - but as soon as he stepped foot into the doorway and his eyes came to rest on Mylene's hunched form sitting in her spot, scribbling furiously at something (homework, maybe?), all semblance of courage left him and he froze, the two girls bumping into his back.
"I…" He hesitated, shoulders slumping, "I don't think I can do it."
"You've come this far," Rose reasoned, patting his back. "I'm positive she's gonna love it!"
He looked back, troubled. "You're sure?"
"You got this!" Marinette added, giving him a thumbs up as Rose clasped her hands together with a giddy grin.
Heaving a grounding sigh, Ivan turned back and marched into the room, making a beeline right for the shorter girl.
"Mylene," he murmured, making her look up in surprise.
His cheeks flushed pink and he spared a glance at the two still standing by the door. Rose nodded eagerly.
Turning back to Mylene, he set the piece of paper face-down on the tabletop. "I… I wrote this for you."
She let out a curious sound, flashing him a timid smile as she picked it up and flipped it over.
Ivan was stone-silent for the minute or so it took her to read through. With every line, her eyes began to soften, and by the end of the poem her hand was clasped over her mouth.
"That's… that's the sweetest thing anyone's ever written for me," she gushed, looking up at him with a petal-pink face. "You really mean that?"
"Yeah." Rubbing the back of his neck, he finally blurted out, "I really like you, Mylene. Ever since last year."
The few students lingering in the room let out a near-simultaneous coo of "Aww…" at the confession.
"Wow," Mylene breathed, tucking a colorful loc behind her ear, flustered. "I- thank you, Ivan… I like you too!"
"Really?" A hopeful smile spread across his face.
"Really," she confirmed, standing up to hug him as best she could.
Marinette and Rose led a round of applause for them as Ivan lifted her up, earning a surprised gasp from the girl as he hugged back.
"That's so sweet," Rose sniffled, wiping a stray tear from her eye. "They're going to be so adorable together."
"Yeah," Still smiling fondly at the new couple, Marinette handed her a tissue and she blew her nose.
Behind them, Felix, Adrien, and Chloe came walking up.
"What's going on?" Adrien asked, trying to peek past the girls.
"Ugh, move already, dorkazoids," Chloe scoffed, pushing past them instead.
"Chloe," Adrien admonished. Turning to the two, he tried to smile. "Sorry about her. We've been friends for as long as I can remember but… well, I think she takes it for granted that we usually go along with whatever she wants."
"You mean you go along with it," Felix interjected, sending the boy a disdainful glance before heading inside.
At the sight of the new couple still hugging, Adrien cooed. "Aww, isn't that sweet."
"I know, right?" Rose sighed, cupping her cheeks in her hands. "I wish I could have something like that someday…"
"Maybe you will," Felix stated, glancing around for a certain dark-haired goth. Once he found her peeking over at them from the hallway window, a hint of a smile spread across his mouth. "Maybe your coveted romance is closer than you think."
Gesturing to his cousin, the two walked to their seats, Felix largely ignoring Ivan and Mylene as they sat down at her table and began to quietly talk.
"That was sweet of them," Adrien commented as he slipped into his seat with a grin. "Marinette and Rose are so kind."
Sparing him a glance, Felix continued setting his books on the countertop. "I suppose she is. Does that mean you like her?"
"Yes," replied the younger without a second's thought, causing one of Felix's books to noisily clunk against the table as he lost his grip on it for a moment.
A couple of students glanced down at them before going back to their business - or pestering the new couple with questions.
The icy-eyed blond looked over at his cousin incredulously. "Already?"
"Why shouldn't I?" Adrien chuckled, pulling out a piece of paper and pencil. "I have the feeling we're going to be great friends!"
The rest of the classroom was startled into staring at the two a second time when Felix's forehead banged against the wooden countertop.
The thunder that rolled through the storm clouds was off-putting, but even moreso was the sudden rain as the final bell rang, signaling the end of what was otherwise an uneventful day.
Felix clucked his tongue, muttering under his breath as Adrien opened a black umbrella behind him.
"Of all the days to get a little rain, I'd have expected it not to happen on the second day of classes," he snipped to his cousin as they walked down the steps.
Adrien had to laugh. "It's not so bad. At least we don't see as much rain as London."
Felix physically shivered at the reminder, which made Adrien's laugh grow a little louder.
"Hurry, boys," Nathalie instructed, adjusting her frames as she opened the door for them. "We don't want to be late - Adrien, your father will be upset."
The blond's smile dimmed for a split-second, before a more neutral one settled on his face. "Yes, Nathalie."
"Oh come now, Nathalie, don't rain on his parade," Felix added, giving the woman an exasperated look as he scooted into the limo.
"It's not my orders," she reminded him, firmly shutting the door once Adrien was settled in and the umbrella shut.
The older boy huffed a sigh, and their bodyguard sent them a glance through the rearview mirror as he pulled away from the school.
Adrien twirled his mother's treasured umbrella around in his hands before turning to look at his cousin.
Felix sat with his cheek against the window, something unsettled, troubled even, in his eyes as he watched the scenery go by.
What was he thinking about? He wished he knew. Their mothers had always joked with each other about having 'twin telepathy' back when Emilie was awake.
But now, Aunt Amelie could hardly bear to talk about her. Father had long since grown tight-lipped about the whole affair, and his physicians and therapists...
As if sensing the eyes boring into the side of his face, Felix shifted to look up at him with a questioning quirk of his brow.
All the blond could do was smile. "Do you think Aunt Amelie could get Father to have the chef hook us up with some of that cherry sorbet from last weekend's banquet?"
To his relief, Felix cracked a smirk. "I might be able to put in a good word. We'll see."
As the car rushed away in the gloom of Paris, a shuffling shadow peeked out from behind the school, out of sight of the exiting students...
A/N: You know I just had to keep one of my all-time favorite Miraculous couples! These two are so made for each other it's heart-meltingly adorable. This chapter was pretty Marinette and Rose-centered, but I promise it won't always be that way! I plan to have a few different points of view through the book, but unfortunately since this is Ladybug and Cat Noir, there's going to be a lot of our mains.
And ohohoho... I will have so much fun with Adrien "She's Just a Friend" Agreste...
Oh well, it'll be fun writing all the interludes and villains! In fact, in the next chapter we'll be meeting one of my favorite students of Dupont...
Please tell me what you thought!