I paused on the school steps and grasped the handles of my book bag tighter. I'd made up my mind not to come, had told Mama and Papa I didn't feel well. The thought of seeing Adrien made my stomach turn. These weren't your average, run of the mill butterflies. I was terrified.
"This isn't the end of the world, Marinette," Tiki had said to me. "Adrien is still Adrien. . . He's just Chat Noir too."
I hugged my bag protectively against me, knowing two little kwamis were nestled inside. In separate pockets. Though getting them there hadn't been easy. In fact, the whole weekend I'd had to keep Plagg from finding out he wasn't the only magical being in my house.
I walked into the school grounds and paused at the edge of the court where Kim and Alix were fooling around with a ball. I tried to dodge out of their way and murmured a greeting.
"Hey, Marinette," Kim said, and shielded the ball from Alix with his body. While his attention was on me, she lunged for the ball and managed to get away with it. She made a shot that danced on the rim and dropped in.
"Come on, Alix. I was distracted," Kim protested.
She probably said something witty back at him, but I hurried past. My eyes darted around the gym, searching for a certain head of blond hair with little luck. Maybe he's not here yet. So I relaxed. A little.
Alya and Nino sat on the stairs that led to the second floor, their shoulders together, both scrolling on their phones. Alya must have a sixth sense, psychic powers, or Marinette radar, because she looked up while I was still several yards away. She nudged Nino with her arm, and he glanced around, startled. He finally spotted me and gave a little wave.
I waved back, and managed to giggle at the two of them. "Hey, you guys."
"Don't think I didn't notice, because I did," Alya said, and gave me a look that pierced my very soul.
My brain sifted through all the things Alya could have found out. What if she knows I'm Ladybug? What if she knows I'm Ladybug and Adrien is Chat Noir? What if she can tell I didn't wash my hair this morning?
A panicked laugh came out. "Noticed what?"
"You're looking for Adrien."
Hearing his name sent a jolt through me, but then I let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, right."
Nino rested his arm on his knee, his eyes downcast. "I still can't believe what happened to him."
"Yeah. . ." I looked down at my shoes. "I feel so bad for him."
"Me too," Nino said, and looked like he might feel worse than Alya and I put together.
Although Alya was so engrossed by her phone, I'm not sure she was even listening.
"What's so interesting?" I asked.
She glanced up. "Have you seen the latest scoop on Ladybug and Chat Noir?"
"What is it?" I asked, a part of me grateful for the change of subject. Although really, we were still talking about the same person.
"This guy posted a selfie he took with them on le Pont des Invalides on Saturday."
Oh yeah. That was a thing that happened. It had been such a brief moment, and subsequent events caused me to forget about it until now.
I leaned in to see Alya's phone and couldn't help the smile that spread over my face. The picture was foggy and crisp from the rain. The guy– I think he'd said his name was Aaron– was wearing the biggest smile. My bangs clung to my forehead and I was kinda making a weird face.
Oh well. It's not like the entire internet is going to see it. . . I sighed.
Beside me, leaning in close, was Chat Noir. His electric eyes were scrunched, a lopsided grin on his face. His wet hair pushed away from his face, hanging slightly to the right, instead of straight like it normally did. It. . . it looked a lot like him. Adrien, I mean.
How did I not see?
"He posted this too," Alya said, and swiped left. "Remember how it was crazy raining that morning? Ladybug gave him an umbrella, made with her super powers. Isn't that wicked cool?"
"LB's my hero," Nino said, his eyes beaming.
I ducked my chin and my cheeks warmed at their praise. It meant a lot when it came from my friends like that.
A sudden hush fell over the room. The hair on the back of my neck prickled, and I knew without looking what had caused the lull. Slowly, steeling myself, I looked over my shoulder.
He walked into the courtyard, looking shy and a little lost. Did everyone have to stare at him like that?
"Adri-honey!" Chloe crooned. She swooped in on him like a bird of prey, and latched onto his arm. I heard her say something along the lines of "you're sooo brave, Adrien" and "I almost fainted when daddy told me!"
Adrien mumbled a response before he shrugged out of her grasp. He looked a little annoyed, and more than a little embarrassed.
Slowly, the noise level returned to normal. Everyone seemed to wave or call out to Adrien as he walked by. And. . . he was headed straight toward us.
I cleared my throat. "I uh. . . need something from my locker. I'll see you both in class."
"But what about Adrien?" Alya called.
But I was already walking, and I didn't stop until I reached the girl's locker room. Once I was alone, I let out a sigh of relief. I busied myself by going over to the water fountain to get something to drink. My mouth felt so dry.
I mean, keeping it together around Adrien was normally a challenge, but now? Knowing what I do? What do I do? What do I say?
"Hey, Marinette."
"AAAdrien!" My arms made some wild movements and my head went spinning, searching for something to say to him. "How you are feeling? I-I mean are you better feeling?"
I glanced above his left eye, where the terrible bruise had been Saturday morning. Now it was disguised with makeup. My gaze slipped lower, and I realized I'd been avoiding eye contact. The green in his eyes caught me off guard, and I actually flinched.
Uh, duh, Marinette. His eyes have always been that color.
"Yeah," he said, amusement obvious in his voice. "I'm feeling much better. Thanks to you," he added with a wink.
I forced myself to look away. It was bad enough the whole school was gaping at him. He didn't need me to stare too.
"I uh, have Plagg with me," I said, my voice hushed.
We both looked around the room, to make sure we were alone. I pulled at the zipper on my bag and Plagg shot out.
"Finally. I thought your perfume was going to smother me," he said.
I reached out to stroke his head. "That's nothing compared to Camembert."
"Plagg, mind your manners," Adrien said, and gave him a stern look.
"You know what's good manners? Feeding your friends," Plagg shot back. "But do you feed me? No."
I raised an eyebrow. "You don't feed him?"
"Of course I do!"
Plagg moaned. "Oh sure. Believe the guy with the secret identity."
"Plagg-"
"He has a point," I said, though I was only teasing.
"It's not so secret anymore," Adrien said under his breath.
I bit my lip, and for the first time I wondered if he regretted telling me. What if he wished he hadn't? What if he wished it was someone besides me?
"We should get to class," he said. "C'mon, Plagg. You better get out of sight."
As we came to the door of our classroom, Chloe came out of nowhere, and knocked right into me, sending me flailing.
"Adrien!" Chloe said, and latched onto his arm. "Would you like to eat lunch with me? Daddy's supposed to take me out to this fabulous restaurant, Le Rayon de Miel, and I'd absolutely die if you didn't come along."
Adrien leaned away from her. "Well-"
I inwardly groaned. I can't believe her sometimes.
She fluttered her eyelashes and gave him a pout, as if that was supposed to be endearing. "Pleease?"
He looked at her for a long moment, then shrugged. "Yeah. Sure, Chlo."
"Ooo! Thanks, Adrikins," she said and slipped in right beside him as he took his seat.
"Uh, Chloe?" Adrien said, keeping his tone even. "That's. . . Nino's spot."
Nino and Alya came into the room, and stopped when they saw what was going on.
Chloe gave one of her grating laughs. "Don't be silly, he doesn't mind. Do you, Nino?" She turned to Adrien and leaned even closer. "I just couldn't bare being away from you for one second."
Nino and Alya exchanged a bewildered look, and he finally shrugged. "It's fine, Adrien."
Chloe giggled. "There, see?"
What Chloe wants, Chloe gets.
I watched, teeth clenched as Nino took a seat next to Ivan. "Hey, man."
"Uh, hey," Ivan said, then shot Chloe an odd look.
I thought Chloe was clingy before, but now? It got really old too. She kept distracting Adrien during class, and then I was distracted because I couldn't help but listen every time she leaned over to whisper something to him, or watch, fists clenched as she reached over to touch his arm.
Every time she did, I was reminded that the Adrien Agreste sitting in front of me, was not the Adrien Agreste I thought I knew. Chloe's brain would probably implode if she realized she was not so accidentally brushing hands with Chat Noir.
I glanced around the room and wondered what everyone else would think if they knew. Not that I would tell them, of course. I looked over my shoulder at Nino. Did he know? If anyone did, it would be him. Then again, I'd decided a long time ago never to tell Alya that I was a certain spotted superhero. And if he did, wouldn't Adrien have gone to him for help? Instead, he came to me.
Maybe. . . Maybe I'm the only one that knows.
The morning crawled by, and soon it was time for lunch break. As I went down the front steps of the school, I couldn't help but overhear Chloe speaking to her father on the phone.
"What do you mean you can't make it!?" Her face contorted. "But Daddy!"
Alya nudged me, and nodded at Chloe. "Seriously, what is with her today?"
I let out a frustrated groan. "Can't wait to go home and get some peace and quiet."
"You're telling me. She's been driving everyone crazy. Did you hear what she said to Max after math class?"
" – This is stupid. You never keep your promises!" Chloe said, livid now.
Her dad was the mayor, so I could imagine he was pretty busy. Maybe he had to break a promise here or there because of his work.
She hung up her cell in frustration and turned on Adrien, the nearest person she could vent to. "Can you believe him?"
"I'm sorry," he said. "We can still have lunch if you'd like. Nathalie will drive us."
This seemed to cool her off. "Well. . . Alright."
"Can you believe Chloe?" I asked Mama, as she poured me a glass of milk.
She gave me a concerned look. "Oh, Marinette. Her dad's going through a rough patch right now. Maybe you shouldn't judge her so harshly." Her face softened. "I think it was nice of Adrien to have lunch with her."
I stuffed a bit of croissant in my mouth, unwilling to let Mama know how angry I was. "That doesn't give her an excuse to act the way she does," I mumbled through the mouthful.
Mama patted my head, then returned the milk carton to its home in our blue fridge. "You can't control Chloe Burgeious' actions, only your own, Marinette."
I tugged at my bag. It must have been snagged on something, because I had to give it a good pull to get it out. I guess I left a zipper undone, because my sketchbook fell and papers spilled everywhere. For a minute I just stood there and stared at the mess I'd made.
Ms. Mendeleiev's science class was gonna be killer if I couldn't get my head out of the clouds. I gathered the loose papers into my arms and hugged them to me, even as two slipped out and floated back to the floor.
"Hey, Marinette."
I gasped and paper went flying like confetti. My sketchbook landed soundly on my toes. I jumped back, hopping on one foot, and bumped right into Adrien.
He caught me by the shoulders to steady me. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah. I'm alright," I said, my voice going impossibly high.
"I didn't mean to startle you like that," he said, reaching for the jumble of papers. "I guess that makes twice today, huh?"
"I was uh, lost in thought, I guess."
Adrien tucked the papers into the front of my sketchbook and handed it to me. He glanced around the locker room. Mylène went by, headed to her next class, and some voices from the hall carried through, but we were relatively alone.
I swallowed, frozen with book in hand, waiting for him to say something. To say anything, really.
"I just wanted to say something about. . ." He laughed nervously. "Well, you know," he prompted.
"Oh. Right."
That.
The thing I'd been trying very, very hard not to think about. All day long.
I gave the boy a quizzical look and tilted my head for effect. "What is it?" I asked, feigning innocence.
He took a deep breath, like he was readying to say something important, until a scream tore through the quiet. He spun to face the door, eyes narrowed, muscles alert.
I couldn't help but stare. The posture, the height, the way he held his shoulders. . . It's him. He really is Chat Noir.
"W-what was that?" I asked, though I had a sinking feeling I already knew.
"Stay here," he said.
Reflexively, I grabbed his hand to stop him. He looked back at me in surprise. "Adrien, you can't," I said, my voice hushed, even though no one else was here. Even though everyone outside was screaming because of the akuma. "You're still recovering, it's not safe. Let Ladybug handle this one."
He blinked. "I can't do that. What if she needs my help? I won't abandon her."
"But, Adrien-"
A strange, green gas drifted through the room and cut off our route to the door. Whatever it was, I was willing to bet it wouldn't be a good idea to inhale it.
My hand closed around Adrien's and I pulled him after me. Sometimes my feet think quicker than I do. I skidded past rows of lockers until we'd reached another door that led into the court. The gas was here too, a huge cloud that spiraled as it drew closer.
Instead of screaming, we were met with silence. And then the sound began. The gas shifted, and I saw Mylène on the concrete, rolling in an unnatural fit of laughter.
My heart lept into my throat. What on Earth. . . ? What kind of akuma would do this?
I took a step toward her, hand outstretched. "Mylène!"
"Come on," Adrien said, and nudged me toward the stairs. "She'll be fine once Ladybug takes out the akuma."
Right. Ladybug.
We ran into an empty classroom free of the green gas, and Adrien firmly shut the door behind us. Not that I was afraid, but that wasn't going to keep an akuma from getting to us.
I let out a frustrated sound. "Can you believe Chloe? I swear she's responsible for half the akumas in this city."
"Don't you think it's jumping to conclusions to say this is Chloe's fault?" Adrien asked.
I put a hand on my hip. "You know what she's been like all day. I can't even count how many nasty things she's said to everyone in the last few hours."
He gave me a thoughtful look. ". . . But isn't Hawkmoth responsible for all of them?"
I frowned, because I don't think the two of us had ever had an argument before. I didn't like it.
"Even if it is because of something she did," he went on, "I don't think you should blame her for it. It's not her fault this is happening."
"You're just saying that because she's your friend," I said back.
He looked surprised, then guarded. "No, that's not it at all."
"What then?"
"I just. . . know what it's like. To have a dad that– that doesn't have time for you," he said, not meeting my eyes. "It's not easy."
All of a sudden I felt like an idiot. I remembered every time we had a parent day and his dad didn't show up. The derby hat contest when he'd sent his assistant and an iPad because he couldn't be there in person. In fact, I'd never actually met his dad face to face.
"Adrien. . ." I grasped his sleeve and pointed at the door, to a shadow outside. Their silhouette was the only thing visible through the frosted glass. They froze there, and I could barely make out the odd shape of their hair, or perhaps it was a hat, and a large, round nose.
Adrien slipped his hand in mine and pulled me under the teacher's desk with him. I crouched in the small space, my heart beating wildly against my ribs. It wasn't because of the akuma or the danger. It was being so close to him. It was being afraid because maybe I didn't really know this boy at all.
After a few long seconds, he inched back and peeked over the desktop. "I think it's gone now."
I let out a sigh of relief, ducked my head, and crawled out of the tight space. "Thank goodness."
"You don't have to worry. I would have protected you."
I let out a weak laugh, and had to restrain myself from rolling my eyes. Now this was the Chat Noir I knew. "Of course you would have."
Adrien looked down, and gave me a mischievous look. "Hey, Marinette?"
I placed a hand on the teacher's chair to steady myself as I got up, and nearly fell when it swiveled under me. "Y-yeah?"
He quickly took my hand, and helped me to my feet. "Wanna see something cool?"
"Okay." I pulled my hand away, before the warmth seeped into me, before it turned me into a stuttering puddle of Marinette. But I knew what came next. I'm not sure I was ready.
"Plagg, claws out!" He threw a fist forward, and Plagg came out and flew into his ring. A green light engulfed his body. It shimmered and cracked like electricity flowing through him.
My mouth dropped as the suit spread over his clothes, ears popped up, tail grew out. And there he was. Chat Noir, grinning down at me. He rested his baton across his shoulders, wrists hanging from it.
His green eyes studied me. "Well?" he asked, a playfulness in his voice. "What do you think?"
His suit stretched across his frame, the broadness of his shoulders, the muscles in his arms. . . I turned away, heat spiking through me, making my face as red as Ladybug's mask.
"Y-yeah, that's cool." I threw a frantic look at the door. "You should probably go take care of that a-akuma."
"Right," he said, and gave me a cheeky grin. "Stay safe and out of the way, Mari."
"Don't worry, I'll be fine," I assured him, as some of the strength came back to my knees.
He rushed off, and I opened my purse to let Tikki loose. She gave me a funny look, suppressing a giggle. "Are you going to be alright, Marinette? For a moment there I thought you might faint."
"Enough, Tikki. We have a job to do. They'll be no swooning over Adrien, or Chat, or either of them," I said, irritated with myself. "Spots on!"
It wasn't hard to find the akuma. He was in the library, fighting Chat Noir. The akuma was dressed like a clown, in garish yellow, with a pointed hat, and a ghostly face contrasted with black makeup. He pulled out a bucket and dumped a load of confetti on Chat Noir that stuck to him like glue.
I tossed my yoyo and it snaked around the akuma and pinned his arms to his sides. The bucket dropped to the floor with a thud.
Chat retreated to my side and tried to shake off the colorful confetti. It had stuck his baton to his fingers, his hand glued closed around it. "Looks like we have a sticky situation on our hands."
Without thinking, I giggled, then froze.
Chat gave me an odd look. "Is everything alright?"
"What?"
"You didn't inhale any of the laughing gas, did you?" he asked, and leaned in to examine me.
I shook my head, and tugged at my yoyo to pull it tighter around the akuma. "No, no. I'm fine."
"You will not stop Le Pitre!"
"Any idea where his akuma is?"I asked, hyper aware of how close Chat Noir was standing to me.
"Not yet, M'lady."
M'lady? And the way it rolled off his tongue.
I bit down. Focus, Marinette. Chat's always been a flirt. He doesn't really mean it.
"You have not stopped me, the show will go on!" Le Pitre shouted.
"Wow." I rolled my eyes. "His jokes are even worse than yours."
Chat's ears drooped. "Harsh."
Le Pitre dropped something on the floor, and a haze of red smoke exploded. I pinched my nose, trying not to breathe it in, but it quickly dissipated. And Le Pitre had disappeared.
ARGH.
"Where'd he go?" I asked.
Chat whirled around. "I didn't see him leave. He must be hiding behind a bookshelf or something."
But a quick check of the library revealed that it was empty, save a teacher and a couple students, who'd been reduced to hysterics by Le Pitre's laughing gas. One of them was Nino, and I couldn't help notice the way Chat's eyes lingered on his friend, his mouth set tight, the worry in his eyes.
"Hey," I began awkwardly. "These people will be okay. We just have to find and take down Le Pitre. Right?"
His eyes flicked to me and he smiled. "Together?"
I swallowed hard. "Yeah, t-together."
"SOMEBODY HELP ME!"
We both turned toward the door, and I let out a tired sigh. I'd know that voice anywhere. Sure enough, it was Chloe. She stood on the opposite side of the terrace, clinging to the balcony. Le Pitre had her cornered, though it didn't look like he was trying to hurt her. Instead, he pulled out a bouquet of flowers, slightly wilted, but he held them out in earnest.
"Won't you give me a smile, My Petal?"
Chloe stopped screaming, and gave him a horrified look. "Daddy!?"
Chat and I exchanged looks of surprise. Le Pitre was Mayor Burgeious? My eyes landed on the colorful sash he wore.
"I think I know where the akuma is," I said. "Get Chloe to safety."
Chat and I ran across the walkway, and when Le Pitre saw us coming, he rolled what appeared to be a ball, a size someone would use to juggle with, toward us, and it exploded into a green cloud.
I snagged my yoyo on the railing near Chloe, and swung over. But Chat got caught in the gas.
"Ladybug!" Chloe cried.
I reached across the railing and hauled her over.
She screamed "What are you doing? Put me down!"
I lowered us onto the pavement below and set her on her feet. "Get out of here, Chloe. It's not safe."
She ran, and cast one last look over her shoulder at her dad before she disappeared through the school's entrance.
The cloud of laughing gas had cleared enough for me to see, that Chat was hanging onto one of the posts, laughing his tail off.
Great. With my partner down, it was up to me to stop this akuma.
"They called me the joke of Paris," Le Pitre shouted. "We'll see who's laughing when I unleash my gas onto the entire city!"
Chat Noir doubled over. "That's hilarious," he said, and wiped at his eyes.
Okay. I'm done with this now.
"Lucky Charm!" The object dropped into my hands, and I stared at it. An inflatable raft?" Seriously, Tikki?" I groaned. "What do you expect me to do with this?"
There isn't even water in here.
My eyes searched the gym, finally landing on the basketball Kim and Alix had been playing with earlier this morning. I started the raft inflating, and slid it across the concrete, underneath the edge of the balcony. I grabbed the ball and chucked it across the gym. It bounced on the wall behind Le Pitre, and came back to knock him right in the head. He swayed, then fell over the railing, into the raft and lay there, stunned. I was already running, and pulled the sash off his gaudy costume. As soon as I ripped through the fabric, the akuma came out, wings pushing for the sky.
"No more evil doing for you, petit papillon." I swung my yoyo in a circle and it arced to catch the akuma, shell closing it inside. I released it, now clean and white and watched it flutter away.
"Miraculous Ladybug!" I said, and tossed my yoyo high into the air. My powers restored Paris and the raft disappeared. Le Pitre's costume came away in dark particles to reveal none other than Mayor Burgeious behind the disguise.
Chat Noir shook his head, coming to his senses. His baton dropped from his limp hand from the terrace to the concrete below. The confetti had disappeared along with the effects of the laughing gas.
He leapt over the railing, landed on the concrete, and picked up his baton. He came to my side and smiled at me, a look of pride in his eyes. "And the curtain drops." He scooped my hand into his own, and lay a quick kiss on it.
Sure, he'd done it countless times before. But now? I felt shame for some reason. If only he knew. If only he knew it was me.
"Where am I?" Mayor Burgeious cried.
"It's okay," I said, and offered a hand to help him off the ground.
"Where is my daughter?" he asked, sounding more anxious than usual. "Is she safe?"
"Yes. Everyone is safe now." My miraculous beeped. "Now, if you'll excuse me. Bug out!"
They canceled the rest of school that day. Guess I didn't have to worry about Ms. Mendeleiev's class after all.
It wasn't until the next day that I saw Adrien again. I was sitting on the steps in front of the school, doing some last minute reading for an assignment when he came over and sat next to me.
"Hey, Marinette."
I kept my eyes glued to my iPad. "Hi."
He leaned in closer, his voice low. "Are you alright? After yesterday, I mean."
I quickly nodded. "Oh yeah. I was fine." I risked a glance at him. "Looks like you and Ladybug saved the day."
"Yeah, well. . . She did most of the saving." He scuffed his shoe against the concrete, then looked out across the street, a faraway look in his eyes. "She's something, isn't she?"
"Uh, I guess," I said, then glanced at him again. With that look on his face. . . If I didn't know better I'd say he. . .
Oh no.
". . . do you, um. . .?"
Adrien looked at me from the corner of his eye, a blush warming his cheeks. "Like her?"
A nervous laugh came out. "Uh, I mean, it's not really any of my business, I just-"
"It's okay." His gaze dropped to his shoes before it came back up, freezing me in place, but burning into me all the same. "I want to tell someone. It's not like I can go around telling people I have a crush on Ladybug."
"A c-crush?"
The blush on his face deepened, reaching his ears. "It's dumb, I know. Like you said, she's amazing, and I'm just. . . Me."
"No," I rushed, words tumbling out before I thought them through. "You're amazing too."
"Sure, but she's Ladybug," he said, like Ladybug meant everything. "I know she doesn't feel that way about me. I just can't get over her. Sad, right?"
Oh.
Oh.
Alya walked by, and waved at us, but didn't stop. And she winked at me. Like she knew. If only she knew.
I clutched my reader to my chest as a funny feeling gathered in my stomach. "I'm sorry."
It was a lame response, I know. But what was I supposed to say? I was so mixed up it was a wonder I was able to speak at all.
He gave me a gentle nudge with his shoulder. "Thanks, by the way."
"F-for what?"
"You don't know how good it feels to finally have someone that knows about-" he cast a glance behind his shoulder, like he thought someone might be listening in, "-my secret. Now I have someone I can talk to."
"Oh."
'It's not like I can go around telling people I have a crush on Ladybug.'
"I should, uh, get to class." I shoved my things into my bag. "I have some reading to finish."
"Okay." He smiled at me. "I'll see you in class."
I hurried up the steps, my heart pounding in my ears. Reading. Right. As if I could concentrate now. Still, I went to class. I let out a sigh of relief when I saw Alya.
"So. . ." Alya made a point of waiting until I'd settled in my seat to go on. "You and Adrien are getting pretty close since his accident."
"Alya, please."
"Don't try and pretend nothing's going on. I saw you just now, sitting together. And where were you two while Le Pitre was attacking the school? Cuddled up hiding somewhere, I bet."
As if.
"I'm really not in the mood."
"What's wrong?" she asked.
Should I tell her? I mean, I can't tell her everything but if I tell her nothing, she'll know I'm keeping something from her.
"What is it, Marinette?"
". . . I just found out Adrien likes someone else."
"WHAT?"
I placed a finger to my lips and shushed her. Max and Rose were already at their desks, and I didn't want to attract their attention.
The air rushed from my lungs as Alya crushed me in a hug. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea. Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"Can't breathe," I wheezed. She let me go and I took a deep breath before answering. "He just told me, when we were outside. I'm fine, Alya, really."
I watched as students began to stream through the door. My eyes glazed, my breathing caught, and I realized I wasn't fine.
Alya put her hand on my shoulder. "It's okay, girl. I understand. If you want to talk about it, I'm here for you."
I managed a weak smile. "Thanks, Alya. You're the best."
She lowered her voice even further. "Did he tell you who it is?" She cast suspicious glances around the class room.
"I don't think he'd want me to tell you," I said in a rush, and turned away from her. I hated lying to her, keeping things from her.
You'd rather tell her you're Ladybug? That Adrien is Chat Noir? No. My identity had to remain a secret for Alya's own protection. And Adrien's secret wasn't mine to tell. I was doing the right thing.
I slumped forward onto my desk, resting my head in my folded arms and let out a long sigh. I could live with the truth, that Adrien liked someone else. But Ladybug? How was little insignificant me supposed to live up to that?
"I'm an idiot," I mumbled. I was jealous of myself. How stupid was I, huh?
"Aw, come on, Marinette," Adrien said, from his seat in front of me. "Don't be so hard on yourself."
My head snapped up, my heart skipping a beat when I met those green eyes. I told myself it was just because he'd startled me. I hadn't noticed him come into the room or sit at his desk.
"Don't try and argue the issue, Agreste."
Alya gave me a gentle pat on the head. "Just remember you're my idiot, and I love you." She glanced at Adrien. "Anyone who messes with you will have me to deal with."
He must have caught the threat in her voice because his eyes widened with a fragment of fear. His hand lifted to ruffle through the back of his hair and he gave a nervous smile.
I blinked. It was so Chat Noir of him. I really was an idiot. How had I been so blind?
"Guess that makes two of us," he said to Alya, then gave me a glance that I felt became much too fervent. "No one messes with our Mari, right Alya?"
My cheeks warmed and I found that I couldn't look away, like I was trapped in the greenness of his eyes. I squirmed in my seat. I wanted to slap his perfect face. How dare he look at me like that? Call me his Mari?
"Who's messing with our Mari?" Nino asked.
Bless Nino and his timing.
Adrien's attention shifted to him, releasing me from the prison of his gaze. "No one, if I have any say."
"Ditto." Nino shot me a pair of finger guns. "We got your back, Marinette."
"Thanks, guys," I said, my voice coming out so much shyer than I'd intended.
Alya gave me a look that was absolutely wicked, like she knew what this was doing to me and it gave her joy. I felt the sting of betrayal, and the return of that ache in my chest when my eyes wandered to Adrien.
I grabbed my pencil and opened my sketchbook, desperate for a distraction, besides the head of blond hair in front of me. That's when I knew. I was completely screwed.