Butterfly Effect
What if Adrien didn't try to take the gum off Marinette's chair?
"I'm just teaching those little brats that sat there yesterday a lesson," Chloe laughed, flicking her hair over her shoulder as Sabrina placed the gum onto a chair.
"Is that really fair?" Adrien asked her. He was trying to learn how he was supposed to act at school and so far, all he had seen was Chloe being mean and rude to people.
"Yes, that's fair. It's just how school works. Everyone has a place. We're at the top, those two are at the bottom. Now, come along, you're sitting next to me," Chloe explained, as if trying to hurt other people was just something everyone could do.
Chloe dragged Adrien to the second row, pointing at the bench and waiting for him to sit down. Adrien had thought he was sitting in the front row, or that was what he got told when he was first introduced to the teacher, Miss Bustier, "I thought I was sitting in the first row?"
"You were, but I'm sure the teacher won't mind. If not, I'll call Daddy and he can sort everything out," Chloe smiled, before turning to the red headed girl next to her, "Sabrina, go find somewhere else to sit. Adri-kins in sitting here now."
"Okay, Chloe. See you after class!" Sabrina chirped happily, bounding off to sit in whatever empty seat she could find.
Soon, two girls walked in. One with dark blue hair in two pigtails and the other with loose hair turning from brown to red. They walked over to the seat Sabrina had put gum on and instantly noticed it, "Ew, who put gum on your chair?" The girl with brown hair asked.
"Chloe!" The girl with pig tails turned around and glared at the girl sitting next to Adrien, her eyes full of anger. Then, her eyes turned and she spotted Adrien, "I bet you helped, right? You're her new minion. Pathetic."
'Why did she react like that when Chloe said that's just how things work?' Adrien thought to himself, resting his elbows on the desk and looking at the tablet in front of him. Maybe coming to public school was a mistake? At least, if he had been home schooled he wouldn't have to navigate his way around all these strange unwritten rules.
"The only pathetic one around here is you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng," Chloe replied, snobbishly turning her chin up and looking at the wall behind the two girls.
The blue haired girl, Marinette, huffed and took a tissue out of her bag, laying it over the gum and sitting down well away from it.
Adrien looked back at his tablet, going through the notes he had been given. They included what the class had worked on before he came to school, which was only the last couple of days. He had worked through most of it at home already, but he was just making sure he understood everything as he didn't want to be a burden and slow everyone down by asking questions.
The teacher entered the room and looked around, looking slightly surprised when she saw Adrien and Chloe sitting in the second row, but merely placed her bag onto her desk and looked Chloe straight in the eye, "Chloe, I thought I said Adrien was sitting in the first row with Nino."
"But, Miss Bustier! I know Adrien better than anyone in this room!" Chloe protested, standing up dramatically.
"I know, and that's why Adrien should sit with Nino. He needs to meet new people," Miss Bustier said, before nodding to the empty seat in the front row, next to Nino. Adrien stood up, not wanting to get into trouble for arguing with his teacher, and moved to the empty desk.
"Hi, I'm—," Adrien began, but was cut off by Nino.
"Chloe's friend. We all know. What you did was really uncool, by the way," Nino said, turning back to his tablet.
Adrien was even more confused. He looked around the room, only to receive glares from other people in the class. Why did they hate him so much? Did it have something to do with Chloe?
The rest of the day passed quickly. No one spoke to Adrien but Chloe, and when he tried to make conversation with anyone else they spoke only a few words before they left. Marinette and her friend, whose name was Alya, Adrien had learnt, simply ignored him.
It wasn't until that afternoon, after school, that Adrien had a chance to talk to Marinette alone.
It was raining outside, thunder was rumbling in the distance. Adrien stood on the steps outside, opening his umbrella, when Marinette stepped next to him and held her hand out to check how heavy the rain was.
Adrien stepped in front of her, umbrella raised over his head, "I'm sorry about the gum on your chair. It's my first day and I was just listening to Chloe. She's the only person I really know here."
"I don't care if she's the only person you know in the universe! You should have known better," Marinette said, staring straight into Adrien's eyes, making him incredibly uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry. Here, take this. You'll need it more than me."
"I don't want your stupid umbrella. What is this, another prank planned out by Chloe?"
"No, I promise. I wanted to be friends," Adrien protested, trying to hand the umbrella to Marinette.
She batted it away before turning on her heel and walking away into the rain, holding her jacket over her head to try and keep herself dry.
Adrien watched as she walked away. In the distance, a clap of thunder rolled through the sky, but it seemed like Adrien was the only one who heard it.
~
"Alya, I can't believe him!" Marinette ranted into her phone, slicing the material perfectly down the middle. She was making a dress. After finishing the design, she had piled stacks of material onto her desk and began cutting the fabric into the shapes she needed.
"I know. See, people who hang out with Chloe are bad news," Alya replied, and Marinette heard typing. Alya was either working on a blog or she was doing homework.
"He's Gabriel Agreste's son."
"What?! Does he think he can do stuff like putting gum on peoples' chairs because his father is famous?"
"Apparently. Alya, I have to go. See you tomorrow!"
"See you, girl!" The phone call ended and Marinette went back to the dress.
An hour later, Marinette was almost finished. She had designed a pink A-line dress with sparkles across the hem and flowers cascading from on shoulder to the waist.
"Nearly done," Marinette muttered, looking for her bag of flowers to add the finishing touches. She lifted the small satin bag of flowers from where she had dropped them and spotted a small box, a design similar to the ones that decorated their house was engraved on the lid.
Marinette lifted the box from her desk and opened it, releasing an orb of pink light. Jumping back, Marinette screeched throwing whatever she could grab at the small creature, who dodged each item gracefully.
Marinette leapt at the creature, which looked like a huge bug, with a glass in her hand. She brought it to the ground, trapping the little red thing inside.
"Marinette, don't be afraid. I'm a kwami. My name is Tikki," the bug creature said, her voice high pitched yet kind.
Marinette lay on the ground in silent shock for a moment, before jumping back and screeching louder. Tikki flew out of the glass and hovered in Marinette's face.
"You don't need to worry, I help you transform into a superhero!" Tikki exclaimed excitedly, "You have all sorts of powers, like your Lucky Charm, but you can only use it once before you have to transform back. All you have to say is 'Tikki, spots on!' and you'll transform!"
"Tikki, spots on?"
A flash of pink light later, and Marinette was replaced by a girl in a spotted suit with a matching mask and red ribbons in her hair. A yoyo was strapped around her waist. She looked like a Ladybug.
"I guess I'll be called Ladybug, then," the new hero said, tugging at the ribbons on her pigtails once before climbing onto her balcony and throwing her yoyo. Ladybug tugged on it unsurely and was sent rocketing through the sky, screaming as she flew over the streets.
A black shape came into her vision. Unfortunately, it was actually a human, or rather, a boy in a black cat themed superhero suit.
"Look out!" Ladybug screamed, plummeting towards him. Without hesitating, the boy caught her easily, still balancing on the silver baton under his feet.
"Looks like you're already falling for me," the boy said, smirking at his pun, "I'm Chat Noir."
"I guess I have," Ladybug murmured without thinking, staring into Chat Noir's green eyes, "I'm Ladybug."
"I feel like we're going to be very good friends, M'Lady," Chat Noir said, bowing, and kissing Ladybug's hand. Ladybug mentally agreed. Maybe Adrien Agreste was a horrible person, but her new superhero partner seemed to be much nicer.
Maybe, just maybe, she already had a tiny crush on the black cat.
1551 wor