The next day at school, Adrien walked into school, preparing for another day. He saw his friends in the courtyard and connected eyes with them. Nino waved him over, and he ran to join them at the table with him and the others. Marinette wasn't there yet, but then again, she was usually late.
"I wanna show you girls something.", said Rose, reaching into her purse.
She pulled out a tiny little dove sculpture of pale pink crystal, its wing spread out and catching the rays of the sun, glittering like a diamond. "Tada!"
Juleka gasped in awe. "I recognize that! Its the one from the window, isn't it? The one you've been eying for months!"
Rose beamed. "It is!" She sighed happily as she admired it's sparkling beauty. "I had to save up two months worth of allowance to afford it! But it was definitely worth—"
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a hand appeared and knocked the little bird right out of her palm, sending it crashing to the hard cement floors, shattering into a thousand tiny shards.
Rose stared at the mess of glass at her feet, blue eyes doubled in size, completely paralyzed. Everyone else slowly raised their horrified gazes from the devastating scene to meet the satisfied smile of Henri LeRoi. He looked at Rose from the corner of his eye, smirking at her expression.
"Oopsie. My bad.", he said, not sounding apologetic at all. He looked at the broken pieces on the floor and clicked his tongue three times. "Gee, hope that wasn't expensive."
Juleka stood up, fuming. She looked up at Henri with fury in her auburn eyes, raising her clenched fist higher, closer to Henri's stupid smug-looking face. "Why, you no-good, two-faced little—"
"Juleka?"
She gasped, her head turning to the left to see Marinette standing in the entrance. She didn't look too pleased with what she saw. "Juleka, what are you doing?"
Juleka froze, looking like a deer caught in headlights. "I...I..."
Before she could answer, Marinette looked to see Rose fall on her knees before a bunch of shattered pinkish glass pieces, looking hopeless.
"Rose!"
She ran to her blonde friend and knelt beside her, looking back and forth between the petite girl and the scattered crystal shards at their knees. "What happened?"
"Marinette! It was an accident, I swear!"
Sure enough, Henri was back to playing the innocent one in the situation. "I guess I wasn't watching where I was going, because I tripped and bumped into Rose and it fell out of her hand!" He looked at the girl he had just hurt. "Rose, I am so, so sorry!"
Marinette looked up at him, her bluebell eyes narrowing slightly, and for a moment, the class had hope. Hope that she was seeing through this helpless act, and was realizing the truth about what had really happened. But just like Rose's precious crystal dove, that hope was shattered in seconds when she turned to Juleka and spoke.
"Wait...why was your fist near his face?"
The shy girl gulped. "Because...Because he..."
Marinette's eyes went wide, a spark of anger lighting in them. "You don't think he did this on purpose, did you?"
Juleka's heart plummeted. "I...I..."
Marinette shook her head. "Jules, this is a misunderstanding. I'm sure Henri didn't mean to do it."
That triggered Juleka. "Didn't mean to do it?! He knocked it right out of her hand! I saw!" She pointed an accusing finger at Henri, who was smart enough to look wounded at that statement.
Marinette looked shocked. "Juleka!", she gasped. "I'm surprised! I expect this kinda behavior from Kim and Alya, kind of, but you? I thought you were more mature than this!"
Juleka gaped at the class rep. "But its true! I saw him! We all did! He's bullying us!"
Marinette looked offended. "He's bullying you? Looks more to me like you're the ones bullying him!" She tsked. "I'm disappointed in you, Juleka. What would your brother say?"
Juleka gasped. "Are you gonna tell him?"
Marinette looked at the glass shards and started to pick them up gingerly, careful not to cut her fingers. "No, I'm not. I'm not a tattletale. But in the future, you should think about how Luka would react if he saw you acting this way."
If Luka was here, he'd pummel Henri into next week., thought Juleka. And she was just about to say that aloud when Rose's gentle voice stopped her before she could get a word out.
"Its fine, Marinette.", she said weakly, picking up the mess before her. "You're right. It was probably an accident. Its no big deal."
Marinette smiled sweetly. "See? Thank you, Rose, for handling this maturely. At least someone here still has their senses."
She kept her eyes on the glass she was picking up as she continued. "I'm sure Henri won't mind paying you back for what it cost."
Rose glanced up at Henri momentarily. His face told her, Don't you dare. "No.", she said, cradling the bits in her hand. "Its okay. It...didn't cost that much anyway."
"Are you sure?", asked Marinette, gently pouring the rest of the glass from her hands into Rose's.
"Yeah, its fine.", Rose wheezed out, hardly able to contain her cool as she stared hollowly at the broken shards in her palms. "Accidents...happen."
Marinette gave Juleka a stern glare. "Well, I'm glad somebody here understands it."
She got up on her feet and took Henri by the arm, leading him away from their stunned, angry and hurt classmates. Juleka looked at her distraught best friend with wide eyes.
"Rose! Why did you do that?! Why didn't you tell Marinette the truth?!"
Rose sighed, defeated, looking up at her bestie. "I saw where that was going, Julie. It wasn't worth it."
"As much as I hate to admit it, she's right.", said Max, deflating. "The odds were clearly in Henri's favor." He sighed, pushing up his glasses. "Something tells me that from now on, we're all going to have to watch our step around Mousier LeRoi."
-------------
After school went out for the day, Adrien was getting ready to meet his driver when he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder. He looked over his shoulder to see Marinette's smiling face. "Hi. Sorry to bother you. I wanted to ask you a favor."
He turned the rest of his body to face her. "A favor? Why don't you ask Alya?"
Marinette's sweet smile turned into a sour pout. "Yeah, I'm not really talking to her at the moment. She still hasn't apologized for lying about Henri. So, you're my next choice."
Adrien winced, very slightly, enough so that it went unnoticed by Marinette. Henri's earlier threat echoed in his head. He smiled through his dark thoughts about destroying the brunette.
"Well, okay then.", he said, as calmly as he could. "What do you need me for?"
Marinette's smile, with all it's sunshine and warmth, returned in full force. "I'm glad you said yes!"
She went on. "So, tonight is a pretty big night. Henri is taking me on our very first official date!" Oh. That was like a punch to the gut. "I made a new dress, just for the occasion. I was hoping you could come over and I could model it for you. You know, so I could get your opinion on it. It would be nice, get a fellow man's perspective."
Hoo boy. She wanted him to help her impress Henri for their first date. She had really put Adrien on the spot. The blonde model could think of a million different things he would rather do. Like wax himself with duct tape. Or get pummeled by an akuma. Or go on a romantic, intimate stroll with Lila.
But Marinette was still his friend. She needed him. And he really did want to help her. He liked her. A lot. Surely, he could spare her an hour or two? Besides, with big boy LeRoi around, Adrien knew the stakes were high. If he wanted to keep himself in Mari's good graces with someone like Henri out to to ruin their friendship, he would have to go the extra mile.
"Sure, I'll come over.", he told her. "I'll just text my father that Chloe took me to her father's hotel for a visit. And I'll tell Chloe everything. I'm sure she'd be willing to cover for me."
He pulled out his phone and texted both contacts. Once he finished, he slipped the phone back into his shirt pocket. "Its done."
"Great! I'll just grab some stuff from my locker. Meet you back here in a sec."
She ran past him towards the locker room. Adrien moved his head to watch her go. When he turned his head back to it's usual position, he jumped in surprise. There was the devil himself, Henri LeRoi, leaning against the wall before him and giving the other boy a dirty look.
"Um, what did I just see?", he said, dark undertones in his voice. "Did what I say yesterday not register in your bite-sized brain, Agreste?"
Adrien huffed. "Henri, its not what you think.", he said calmly. Best not to escalate the situation, not with Marinette coming back at any second. Henri had a knack for turning the situation on those who opposed. "She's just inviting me over so I can give her an opinion on an outfit she made for your date tonight."
Henri didn't look like he was buying it, but he nodded and said, "Alright...I'll let it slide. This time." He stepped into Adrien's personal bubble and pointed a finger at Adrien's face, hovering mere inches from his nose. "But I'm watching you. And if I see anything shifty happening between you and MY woman, you're gonna be sorry. You hear me, pretty boy?"
Was he trying to scare Adrien? If he was, he was doing a pretty good job. Adrien was terrified. Not by Henri's dark tone and the way he held himself, like he was one step away from murder, but by the thought of losing Marinette. Adrien was sorely tempted to go all Claws Out on the boy, but he couldn't. So, he had no choice but to fight his Chat Noir urges as Henri turned and walked away, unscathed.
--------------
Adrien sat on the sofa in the Dupain-Cheng household, jiggling his leg in anticipation. Marinette was upstairs, changing into her handmade dress for tonight. Adrien anxiously awaited her debut. Meanwhile, Tom was in the kitchen, arranging some fresh-baked cookies on a tray in a tasteful, eye-catching display to attract new customers.
He walked into the living room and offered Adrien a spare, which he gladly accepted. "Merci, Mousier Dupain."
"Adrien, I've told you before. Call me Tom."
Adrien smiled. "I missed coming here. Its so warm and comforting...not like my home."
"You're always welcome here, Adrien.", said Tom. "You're one of my daughter's closest friends. Even more so since..." He trailed off.
Adrien stiffened. He thought back to Plagg's theory from the previous day. If Lila had been stirring up more serious trouble than Adrien had first thought, Marinette may not have trusted him enough to tell him. But perhaps she had told her parents. Only one way to find out.
He cleared his throat and looked at Tom. "Since...Lila came back to class?"
Tom looked at him with wide eyes. "Yes! You've noticed?"
Adrien gulped. "Honestly...not at first. Its just...my father always keeps me going from one place to another. Photoshoots, publicity events, private lessons, fencing team...and if I don't keep my grades up, I risk getting pulled out of school. I can barely focus on myself. But...I've thought back to it lately, and...I'm seeing it."
Tom sucked in his lips. "That's...understandable. It does sound like you've got a lot on your plate. I guess I can see how it would take you a while to notice...certain things."
Adrien pressed his lips into a thin line, before daring to dig deeper. "Tom?"
The baker man looked at him.
Adrien stared strongly at him, eyes serious. "Marinette wouldn't have told you...why everyone's acting this way? Because...because if she knows...she didn't tell me."
Tom looked surprised. "She didn't tell you?"
Adrien shrugged and looked at the cookie in his hand. "I mean, I know we're not that close and all, but...I would have liked to have thought that if it were something serious...she would have confided in me."
He looked back at Tom, whose thick eyebrows were raised high. They knitted together as he asked, "Adrien...just how much did Marinette tell you about Lila?"
Adrien bit his lip. "Well, I left school for lunch, and when I came back after the Chameleon episode, I told Marinette that I knew about Lila being a hot liar. She said we should tell everyone, but I said that was a bad idea and convinced her to let it go. You know, because Lila is obviously weak. She's emotionally unstable. Being outed would just make her mad and then she'd get akumatized again. And besides, all she was doing was making up stories to break the ice, right? Nothing bad. Just fantasy stories about princes and stuff..." His eyes were glassy as he looked at Tom. "Unless...she told you more?"
Before Tom could answer, Marinette's voice came from the stairs. "I'm ready!" Seconds later, she stepped into the room, and Adrien completely forgot what they had been talking about.
Marinette now stood before him, in the most stunning ladybug-red dress. The material was smooth and shiny, much like silk. The spaghetti straps clung to the sweetheart neckline, showing just the right amount of cleavage. A silk rose speckled with a touch of glitter sat at her waist.
She did a spin for them, showing how the long, knee-length skirt swirled around her gracefully. "So...what do you think?"
"Macaroon! You look beautiful!", said Tom, clapping his hands.
"Thanks, dad, but I was asking Adrien." She looked at the blond boy hopefully. "Well?"
Adrien gaped at Marinette, all dolled up like that. He had no words, no thoughts. In that moment, there was no Henri. There was no Lila. There wasn't even Ladybug. There was just Marinette. Kind, attentive, beautiful Marinette.
"Adrien?"
He snapped out of his trance. "Oh! Oh, I agree with your dad, Marinette! You...You look amazing."
She beamed like the moon. "Thanks! I hope Henri feels the same way."
Adrien's mood fell faster than a soufflé at the mention of the other guy. "Right...Henri..."
His somber tone did not go unnoticed by Mari. "Why did you say his name like that?"
Adrien grimaced. Slip-up. "You know what? I'd better go before he gets here."
He started to gather his things, much to Marinette's irritation. Not only was he ignoring her question about Henri, now he was avoiding him? "Why?"
"I, uh...I don't want him to get the wrong idea. About me being here."
Marinette crossed her arms. "Why would he get the wrong idea?"
Adrien just shrugged. "I dunno...me here...giving you advice on your clothes, how pretty you are...it could be interpreted the wrong way."
Marinette's glossed lips twisted into a pout. "Henri's not like that, Adrien. You shouldn't say he'll jump to conclusions, when you're the one doing all the jumping. You hardly even know Henri."
The memory of Henri's menacing face all up in his own flashed through Adrien's mind. "Maybe I know more about him than you think."
He didn't wait to hear Marinette's reaction. He just grabbed his things and walked out of the bakery, not glancing back once.