"Marinette Dupain-Cheng!"
"What does this devil want," muttered Alya.
"I don't know, but I have a feeling it isn't good," Marinette responded with an eye roll.
"When is it ever good?" Alya snickered.
"Marinette Dupain-Cheng!" demanded Chloe.
"What do you want, Chloe?" sighed Marinette, finally turning to face Chloe.
"What do I want?" Chloe emphasized harshly. "More like, what do you want! Getting close to my Adrikins is off-limits!"
"Uh, and since when were you elected to choose the rules for people?" Alya asked.
"Shut it, four-eyes! This is between Maritrash and I!" Chloe shouted. Class started in a few minutes and Chloe wanted to get the point through Marinette's head before the lesson began. Everyone who was present in the class so far, were quiet and were listening in on the drama Chloe started.
"Mari- who?" A voice came from the doorway.
Marinette and Chloe jumped at the sudden voice and turned to look at who spoke up. There, standing alongside with Nino, was Adrien. The voice belonged to him, and he didn't seem very pleased with Chloe. "She has a name, you know."
"Adrikins!" Chloe rushed to an annoyed Adrien. "I was just trying to protect you from a low-class, no good, person!" She clung to his arm and batted her eyelashes like a butterfly, acting innocent.
"And you think that's what Marinette is?"
"Well, of course! Look at her! She just wants you for money and fame! But I don't, I already have everything," bragged Chloe.
"Almost everything. And stop Chloe! Get off my arm!" Adrien yelled at her. Chloe was shocked, nonetheless, but she untangled herself from Adrien due to his sudden outburst. Adrien started making his way to his seat, leaving Nino behind. Halfway there, he stopped. "Oh, and leave Marinette alone. She's never done anything to you."
The bell rang right after his sentence, and in came the teacher, ordering everyone to sit down at their assigned seats. Chloe clutched an expensive necklace around her neck and stormed out.
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Later that day, the bell rang, signaling that morning classes were over and it was now lunch time.
"Hey, you girls want to eat lunch with Nino and I?" Adrien asked, twisting in his seat to face them.
"Oh, uh, sorry! I can't, my mom put me on babysitting duty during lunch," Alya lied.
Alya glanced at Nino for a second with a knowing look. He immediately understood.
"Yeah, and I, uh, have to DJ a party! Sorry bro! Can't go," Nino spoke.
"W-What?!" Marinette knew darn well that they were making excuses. Of course she would love a whole lunch period alone with Adrien but deep inside, she knew she wouldn't be able to survive without fainting.
"Oh, alright that's okay. Shall we go, Marinette?" Adrien asked, standing up and offering his hand to Marinette.
"S-Sure." Marinette shyly took his hand. She could have sworn she heard Chloe screech off in the distance and the sound of Alya and Nino high-fiving as they exited the classroom.
"Sooo," Marinette trailed off as soon as they were outside the school. "Where are we going?"
"I don't have a clue," Adrien admitted with a chuckle.
"W-Well, if you'd like, we can go to my house and eat some sweets. Then we can play Mecha Strike III so that I can beat you again. Unless you think otherwise of my previous statement," Marinette challenged.
"Oh, ho,ho," Adrien said with a playful tone. "Is this a challenge?"
"You know it," Marinette spoke.
"Alright, deal. Let's go eat some treats and play Mecha Strike so that I can beat you," Adrien emphasized.
"That confidence will go down, trust me, I should know. But, let's go."
Both laughed it off and made their way to her home. They made their way to her room without many interruptions since Marinette's parents were assisting customers in the downstairs bakery.
"Alright, model boy," Marinette started as she popped her head through the trapdoor. Oh no. She forgot all about it. She had put her Adrien-posters back up! And Adrien was right behind her. "Uh, heh heh," she laughed nervously.
"You know, we should probably play in the living room. Don't want crumbs in my room!" She excused nervously.
"Oh, sure! No problem," Adrien smiled. As they made their way living room, Adrien couldn't help but wonder why Marinette suddenly became so nervous. She was doing just fine a few moments ago, so why start now?
"O-okay, here you go," Marinette offered a plate of cookies to Adrien as she sat down in her sofa. Adrien accepted a cookie and settled down next to Marinette, grabbing a controller needed for Mecha Strike in the process.
"You ready to lose?" Adrien challenged.
"Nah, I don't think it's possible for me to lose, but thanks for trying," Marinette responded teasefully. Her confidence came back the instant she grabbed her control.
"We haven't even started and you've already assumed I've lost. How could you?!" Adrien fake exclaimed.
Marinette laughed it off as she and Adrien chose their players. She grabbed another cookie, munching on it as the countdown to the match started.
1 2 3. GO!
Marinette finished her cookie and started attacking Adrien's player. He fought back with struggle but was, so far, managing. Marinette called out her actions as they were being displayed on screen.
"Booyah!" Marinette cried out in success as she threw her arms up and started spinning. "I won once again." Marinette said as she stopped right in front of Adrien. Adrien chuckled and stood up.
"Let's make a bet: If I win the next round, I get to stay for dinner with your family on Friday. If I lose, I will become your personal servant for the rest of the day," Adrien explained as he got closer to her. Only then he realized exactly how close he was to Marinette. He was practically almost touching her nose with his.
Pink dusted Marinette's cheeks as she closed her eyes. Adrien felt like a need to do the same. He leaned closer, closing his eyes shut.
They were so close. So very close. Their lips centimeters away as they leaned even closer.
"Hey everything okay in here?" Came Tom's booming voice.
They yelped and jumped apart, both turning to the source of sound. They were met with Tom's guilty expression. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have barged in here. Continue on with your moment," Tom quietly said as he dismissed himself and disappeared out of the room.
Adrien couldn't even look at Marinette. Was he really about to kiss her? God, he couldn't resist the embarrassment. She probably didn't even want to kiss him. She was maybe even thankful her dad marched in! How in the world was he ever going to face Marinette? Luckily, she was the first to break the awkward silence.
"S-Sooooooo, uh, let's g-get to that b-bet," Marinette shyly said. "H-Here you go," she offered him the controller. He quickly took it and made the mistake of looking at Marinette. His face instantly heated up without an explanation.
"R-Right," Adrien stuttered out.
They went back to their normal seating and soon, the game started. The awkwardness and tension faded away as soon as Marinette got concentrated.
Adrien gave his all into this match. He really wanted to have dinner with her lovely family. He wanted to feel the warmth and comfort they provided. That was his motivation.
Marinette was in the lead by only a little and he pushed even harder and made unexpected moves.
"ADRIEN WINS!" The TV announced.
"Ha! I did it! Oh my god I actually did it!" Adrien said in disbelief. "I beat the master! I did it!" cheered Adrien. This time, he stopped right in front of Marinette. "I won the bet," he finished off with a wink.
"Marinette!" came her mother's muffled voice from the bakery below. "School starts in a couple of minutes!"
"Got it, Mom!" Marinette shouted back. "We should probably go now," Marinette said.
"Yeah. Lemme just get my bag and we'll head out the door!"
Marinette giggled in response as she gathered her own belongings. "Dinner shall be fun."
"It will. Especially since I'm going to be there," joked Adrien.
"Yeah right," Marinette joked back. "We're leaving now Maman! See you after school!" She called out as they got out into the sidewalk.
The walk to the school was relatively short. It was literally right next to her home.
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"You think anything happened?" Nino asked in a hushed tone as he and Alya walked into class. They immediately spotted Marinette and Adrien in their usual seats with the air around them not much different.
"Doesn't seem like it," Alya sighed. "Oh well, there's always next time."
CRASH!
Alya jolted in surprise. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng!" A voice roared.
Uh oh.
(~CHAPTER NOT OVER~ I was originally going to end the chapter here but I decided to make this chapter extra long. So you're welcome! Haha, okay keep reading)
Marinette froze. The tiny hairs at the back of her neck prickled up and she received goosebumps in her arms.
That voice didn't seem very happy. "Where are you, Marinette?" The voice said again, sounding deadly. "You don't deserve Adrien! I deserve him!" It shouted.
"Um, I just remembered, I was scheduled a photoshoot this afternoon. Haha, gotta go- bye!" Adrien bolted from the room clutching his bag.
Once it was safe, he called out his transformation. In his place now stood Chat Noir.
"Marinette's in trouble!" He said to himself, worried. He bolted through the classroom's door and frantically looked around the room only to find no Marinette. "You! Where did Marinette go?" He pointed at Alya.
"Chat Noir! This is so awesome! Oh and uh, she just ran out the door. She didn't even say anything," Alya responded giddily.
"Alright, thanks for the help. She'll be safe, I promise. Ta ta." The hero in disguise ran towards the one place he knew Marinette goes during Akuma attacks: the bathroom.
He ran past startled fans and finally came to a halt in front of the bathroom. I know this is the girl's bathroom but this is for-
"Tiki, Spots on!" He froze. That must be the catchphrase to transform Ladybug which means he was just about to figure out her identity if he walked in. He heard some shuffling around and then silence. Ladybug must've gone to the crime scene.
Marinette must be home then. If Ladybug transformed in the bathroom, no one is in there.
He ran out the school grounds and was making his way to her home, when he came across Ladybug. "Ladybug! We've got to keep Marinette safe but I don't know where she is! We've got to find her!" He said frantically.
She seemed to hesitate before adding, "It's alright, Chaton. I found her and hid her somewhere safe." She rubbed the back of her neck with her hand nervously as she spoke. "But right now, we've got an Akuma to defeat."
As if in cue, an akumatized Chloe came into view. She had the same reversed ladybug pattern as when she did the last time Hawkmoth took over her.
A visible purple butterfly symbol appeared on Chloe. She gave an evil grin before turning to face the two heros. "You two! Give me your miraculous!"
"I'd like to see you try," taunted Chat Noir. "Psst, Ladybug! Where do you think she has the Akuma? She doesn't have earings this time."
Ladybug took notice of the necklace that Chloe had clutched before storming out of the classroom. "It must be in her necklace!"
"Got it!" With that, Chat Noir began distracting Antibug. "Hey, bug! Hand over your necklace, if you will."
"I am Antibug! Hiya!" Chloe called as she attacked Chat with her yo yo.
"Her skills are even better than before!"
"Alright Chat, come here!" Ladybug shouted.
Chat got away from the Akuma and ran alongside Ladybug. As he leapt and Ladybug used her yo yo yo swing herself around, he spoke, "What's the plan? She's not easy and getting that necklace away from her will be even harder."
"I don't know yet but I will look into it. For now, here's what we do."
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"I think now would be a great time to use your charm!" Chat said. He was currently using his baton as a shield from Antibug's attacks. As his luck would have it, he had already used his Cataclysm and only had four minutes left.
"Right," Ladybug agreed. "Lucky Charm!" She shouted and threw her yo yo up. A container full of honey fell into her hands. At that moment, Chat jumped back and stood next to the ladybug heroine.
"Ha! Good luck defeating me with that!" taunted Antibug. "Anticharm!" She now held a deadly looking sword.
Come on, Ladybug! Come on! Think! Ladybug looked at her surroundings. "Aha! I got it! Chat, trying taunting or distracting her. And try to get the weapon away from her," Ladybug quickly finished as she started to do her part of the plan. Chat nodded and went into action.
"Ooh no! What ever will I do? I'm so scared of that sword," Chat taunted. Antibug leaned on the handle part, the sharp point supporting her, giving him a deadpanned look. Chat took the opportunity to use his baton and quickly give a sharp hit at her sword. Her weapon fell to the ground and he quickly grabbed it, leaving Antibug furious.
Ladybug quietly came from behind the akumatized Chloe and poured honey all over her blonde hair.
"My hair!" exclaimed Chloe, guiding her hands to her hair, only to get them stuck. Quickly, Ladybug took the necklace and destroyed it. "Time to de-evilize! Gotcha!" Ladybug freed the white butterfly with a little wave. "Bye bye, little butterfly."
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It had been two hours since school ended and they had defeated the Akuma. "Alright, that's it for today," the photographer said. Finally. Adrien had been stuck at a photoshoot and didn't have time to go check up on Marinette.
"We will be heading home now, grab your belongings," Nathalie spoke with little emotion.
"Right." Adrien hurriedly gathered his stuff and headed inside the car. After a few minutes, the big of his house was visible.
Without another word, Adrien fled from the car and into his room. He shut the door and grabbed some Camembert. "Alright, Plagg. Eat up."
"Eager to see your Princess?" Plagg asked in between munches.
"Yes- I mean no! Just eat up, Plagg!" Adrien whined.
"Alright, alright." He took one last bite of his favorite cheese before approving for a transformation.
"Plagg, Claws Out!"
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"Argh! This homework is killing me, I don't know how to do it!" Marinette threw her pencil across the room. She pushed herself away from her desk, and rolled around before coming to a stop in front of a floating Tiki. "By any chance, do you know any Chemistry?" Marinette asked with a sheepish grin.
Tiki gave her a flat stare before looking towards Marinette's window and flying off. "Lemme guess, that lousy cat?"
A knock at her window answered her question. "Come in, Chat."
Without hesitation, her window flew open and in her bed, sat Chat Noir, looking down on her. "Hello, Purrincess," greeted the black cat heroine.
"Hi, Chat. Hey, do mind helping me with my homework? I've got nothing, my brain is empty," Marinette said.
Chat chuckled. "Of course," he said as he jumped down from her bed. "What subject is it?" He asked as he picked up the pencil on the floor and then made his way to Marinette.
"Chemistry," Marinette explained as Chat pushed her (on her computer chair of course) towards her desk. "Thanks," Marinette said when they came to a stop and she grabbed the pencil out of his hand.
Chat and Marinette spent a good half hour working on her homework. "Finally!" Marinette cheered up there her hands up.
"We're done, Princess." Chat smiled.
"Aww, no don't leave," begged Marinette.
Chat chuckled aloud. "I meant we're done... with homework."
Uh oh. Marinette knew what was coming next.
"Aww, my princess wanted to be with me. Do you miss me throughout the day? Am I that handsome?" Chat wiggled his eyebrows in a teasing manner. He leaned in his face closer to Marinette's to further tease her.
"As if," Marinette scoffed, placing her index finger on his nose and pushing him away.
He flexed his biceps, trying to show off. "Stop it!" Marinette said, her face growing red and forcing herself to look away.
"Fine, but you know you love me!" Chat sang.
"Uh huh, keep telling yourself that."
"Gladly. Marinette loves me! Marinette loves me!" Chat ran and jumped randomly around her room, singing 'Marinette loves me'.
"Chat! Quiet down! My parents might hear you!" Marinette chased after him, trying to stop him. However, it was little to no use. He was too fast.
"Marinette loves me! Marinette loves me!" Chat continued. "Marinette lo- Woah!" Out of pure luck, Marinette caught his tail and held him still. Chat came crashing down on her bed. Chat was about to jump off her bed just as Marinette reached the top. Unfortunately for him, he didn't make it and was now on her bed, and a satisfied Marinette looking down at him.
"Marinette got you," she said with a giggle. "Promise there will be no more of that."
Chat gave a muffled response due to his face lying on a pillow. "Purromise."
She released his tail. He took the opportunity to turn around and lay on his back. He opened his arms and looked at Marinette. "What? You want me to cuddle with you?" Marinette questioned sarcastically.
"Oh you," Chat said before quickly pulling her into his arms. She gave a small yelp as she fell right into his comforting arms. "There. Much better." He hummed in happiness.
"Chat!" Marinette tried to prop herself on her elbows but Chat wouldn't allow it. He pulled her back down, against his chest. "There's no point in trying, is there?"
"Nope," Chat confirmed. Marinette giggled.
"Alright, you win," Marinette laughed some more as Chat seemed to brighten even more.
"Victory for me!" Chat pulled her in more. Now, Marinette was on her side, resting her head on his arm as the other hugged her. Chat rested his head on top of hers, taking in her scent. Cinnamon and Sugar. Their legs were a tangled mess. Neither even cared that they were cuddling. Even if it was out of nowhere. Sleep made its way to them and before they knew it, they were asleep, their shared warmth keeping them from the cold.
Plagg made his way out of the miraculous and Tiki flew up to him leading him to her tiny bed. "Aren't they adorable," Tiki cooed.
"Yeah, well, I don't want to suffer with a love sick idiot trying to figure out if he loves Ladybug or Marinette, when they're the same person!" Plagg shouted.
Adrien stirred around, burying his face deeper into Marinette's hair. "Quiet down, Plagg!" Tiki scolded in a whisper.
"Sorry, sorry," Plagg rolled his eyes. "Anyway, what I'm getting at, is that we plan tomorrow hidden in Marinette's backpack."
"Why not now?"
"Because I need sleep!"
"Okay, okay. Tomorrow then. It's settled."