Chapter Text
The whole classroom seemed filled with tension after Adrien had opened that flood gate.
Lila prattled on and on the rest of the class about her relation to Jagged Stone that was conveniently kept secret from even his own children.
Of course, Marinette had texted Luka about this girl’s claims.
She figured Juleka would have spoken up by now to clear the air about her father’s choice in pets but she supposed it wasn’t in the girl's nature to speak up too much.
Luka had said to let it go. Be the bigger person and let her have her moment. Even if that moment was because she was a compulsive liar.
Adrien tried to come across as smug, but Marinette could tell by the way his curled lip tensed and his shoulders slouched. He’d also refused to look anywhere but at the work in front of him, diligently writing down their observations in place of Lila.
By the time the bell rang, Marinette had heard the other girl mention having 5 different famous relatives. Not including the actor cousin who was supposedly disowned after not winning an Emmy or something.
Marinette watched as Alya rushed over, seemingly waiting hand and foot on Lila as they gathered their things. The two conversed dramatically about how Lila was sharing her stories with Marinette and as nice as it was of Alya to try to include her in the discussion as much as possible, Marinette simply had no interest in hanging around listening to the lies and nonsense.
Hopefully, Alya would go home and do some research on this girl and uncover the truth.
Hopefully.
Adrien had already fled the classroom, not even waiting for Nino or anyone else. His words from earlier rang in her head like alarm bells.
“Something about her just unsettles me.”
It made her heart clench in a familiar way, not that he’d ever open up to her, of all people, about such a thing. Maybe asking Nino to check in on him wouldn’t be a bad idea, she could disguise it as ensuring her lab partner wasn’t going to cause her to fail or something.
Because Marinette Dupain-Cheng did not care about Adrien Agreste.
No matter what Alya may think.
Luckily, Alya had gone home and done some digging on their newest arrival. A quick few clicks had turned up the various news articles announcing the death of her “famous reporter uncle” that the girl had been so keen about introducing her to.
Marinette had been relieved to get a call from her best friend venting about the situation. The two spent a good couple hours discussing it and agreed to let the matter rest for a week or two, just to see if it was really like Nino had said to Alya about how some new kids just want extra attention.
So they waited it out.
Alya had managed to slip away from the chaos around Lila long enough that both girls were sure their classmate had practically forgotten about her.
Lila, however, seemed to have her sights focused on Marinette.
There had been one too many accidental falls around Marinette, always ending with her covered in something that required scrubbing off. Paint, flavored water, tomato soup, salad dressing, craft glue, and even once, a whole trash can full of pencil shavings. That had been the last time Marinette had asked her to help with the classroom chores.
Even Adrien seemed inconvenienced by it all, rather than finding the humiliation it brought her amusing, he’d begrudgingly assisted in the cleanup efforts after the fact.
And, surprise, surprise, the lies didn’t stop either.
“She’s just jealous of you.” Alya slings an arm over her shoulder as the two watch Lila chirp to a group of their classmates.
“Why would she need to be jealous of me?” Marinette scoffs. “I’m no one special. All of us have exceptional talents and achievements. Compared to what you do on your blog, Nate and Marc’s amazing comics, and Mylene and Ivan’s charity work, designing some clothes and making an album cover for a famous musician is hardly anything to be jealous of.” She crosses her arms over her chest and gives her friend a pointed look.
“I don’t know, M. It seems to be…Adrien related.” Behind her wide brim glasses, Alya avoids her gaze.
“Adrien? Ugh!” Marinette walks out of her friend's hold and turns to face her directly. “What does he have to do with any of this?” She gasps before her voice heightens in pitch. “He egged her on didn’t he?” Going wide eyed and carving a nasty scowl on her face, Marinette inwardly rolls her eyes at her nemesis’s pettiness.
“No, no, no.” The brunette holds her hands in front of her in a placating manner. “Nothing like that.”
She thinks for a brief moment, having already run through the best way to word the next part with Nino last night. “I think it’s…because of the attention he gives you? I mean he is famous and wealthy. And even you have to agree that he’s objectively attractive.” Her best friend scoffed loudly and rolled her eyes.
“Well she can have his attention because I don’t want it. It’s all negative anyways. If she’s jealous that he talks to me more than her, maybe she needs to listen closer to what’s actually said.”
“I mean, you also do sell yourself short, Mar. You’re top of the class, even if you do have to fight Adrien for number one, you’ve never been lower than second place. That and you’re extremely talented and well liked among everyone you meet, hell, I’d be jealous if I didn’t have the gall to recognize my own achievements and not attenuate them compared to yours.”
“You’re forgetting the one hitch in the whole, ‘well liked among everyone you meet’ thing, and his name is Adrien Agreste.”
“Can’t forget Chloe,” Alya laughs.
“Ugh! See? Your point is invalid. Obviously this Lila girl doesn’t like me either, not that I mind, but that’s three strikes.”
“Wait! Doesn’t Bob Roth also not like you?”
“You’re just digging yourself a deeper hole, Alya.”
“Sorry! I was generalizing when I mentioned it. There will always be people who don’t like you. People don’t like me and I’m wonderful!” Both girls giggled to themselves.
“Yeah, but you’re kind of a nosy bitch.” Marinette quipped lightheartedly.
“True, but that’s kinda my job.” Alya gave her a wink and a nudge with her elbow.
“The Great Alya Césaire! Investigative Journalist and Nosy Bitch, in the flesh.” Marinette gestured dramatically with her hands like a game show host, bowing and speaking at a pretend audience.
“Now you’re being the bitch.” Alya bumped their shoulders together as they continued walking.
“Can’t disagree with that.” A third, unwelcome, voice chimed in.
Adrien appeared from behind and moved to stand in front of them, his arms crossed and face painted with a smirk.
“Ugh, what do you want, Agreste? I don’t have time for your ‘pleasantries’ today. Besides,” Marinette craned her neck slightly noticing the sudden movement from where Lila had perched herself, the girl making a beeline for where the three stood. “I think your girlfriend needs you.”
“What?”
“Adrien! There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you!” Lila all but threw herself over his shoulders, nails visibly digging into his arms.
“Uh, hi, can you not grab me like that? I’ve got a photoshoot after school and can’t have marks in my arm.” The way he spoke was tense and pointed, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. Marinette felt regret tinge her chest at the “girlfriend” remark she’d made earlier.
“Oh, I’m so sorry! It’s just hard to keep myself upright with my vertigo! You’ll help me to class, won’t you?” The witch batted her eyelashes and pouted her lips at him.
“I have a few things I need to get done before next period but I’m sure Alya here would love to help you out.”
“Oh! Of course. If you don’t mind, Alya. I know you must think I’m not very independent but it’s only because of my health that I need to rely on others!”
“Of course, Lila,” Alya seemed to turn into a robot as she went through the motions, trying not to be rude or let on how she could see right through the girl’s hardly veiled attempt to get attention from Adrien. “You need me to take your bag for you?”
“Oh would you? You’re an angel, thank you!”
“Yup, I’m an angel.” She turned back to give Marinette a wide eyed look of disbelief that almost made her burst out laughing.
“Wow, I’m impressed,” Marinette then turned to face Adrien once the other girls were out of earshot. “Usually it’s me you throw under the bus. What do you want? And make it quick before Dizzy over there causes a scene.” She fixed him with a curious look, skeptical, no doubt, of his scheme to get her alone.
“What’s your plan?” He watched as her singular raised brow moved back down to scrunch with its twin. Confusion causing her face to morph almost comically.
“Excuse me?”
“Your plan, y’know, to out her as a fake?” Adrien was surprised at her lack of understanding; she of all people should have had some idea by now of what to do about their newest classmate and her tall tales.
Her features softened in understanding as she moved her eyes to where Alya and the other brunette had meandered.
“Well, it seems you do still have some brain cells in that overstuffed head of yours. I thought all the bright lights and hair gel would have fried them all by now.” When her eyes returned to his they held a distinct twinkle in them. Teasing him was as much fun for her as it was for him.
“You fight me for top of the class, if I had no brain cells, what would that say about you?” Adrien leaned closer to her smirking, watching as her face pinked slightly as she held his gaze and didn’t budge.
“Touché,” she tried to not let his close proximity cause her cheeks to flush.
“I’m serious. What’s your plan? I want in.”
“At present, I don’t have one. Usually people like that lie themselves into a corner eventually. At least Alya, Nino, and I know she’s a total case.” Marinette would never admit it, but she was glad Adrien wasn’t swayed by Lila like the rest, it would have made her life a lot more difficult to say the least.
“She’s making promises that she can’t keep. When the rest of the class find out she can’t deliver, won’t that upset them? They’re getting their hopes up.” She was surprised at his genuine concern, the look on his face didn’t betray it either. To her, him keeping in good graces with the rest of the class seemed to all be an act. Maybe not.
“While I begrudgingly have to agree with you, she’s wound them around her fingers. If I say anything she’ll cry jealousy and the others will pounce at her defense.”
“What would she have to be jealous of you for?” It was Adrien’s turn to quirk a brow.
“Ha. Ha. That’s what I asked Alya earlier, actually. She said something about having too much of your attention. Though, that’s a total load of shit.”
“Does she even know we don’t like each other?”
“Can’t say. Probably not. Though if she did, that would make it worse, don’t you think?”
“How so?”
“She could manipulate one of us into doing her dirty work. And if the case is that she’s after me specifically, getting you on her side, which she’s clearly trying to because she’s infatuated with you, would be her best angle.”
“Then why don’t we play into that card?”
“What do you mean?”
“I already know she’s full of it so no matter what she tells me, I won’t believe it. If I can get her to admit she’s lying about some incriminating stuff like falsifying her medical records and claiming to be someone she’s not, we’ll have her caught hook, line, and sinker.”
“So, what? You play predator while I sit by and play prey?” Marinette crosses her arms and furrows her brow.
“Technically, I’d be the prey since I’m going directly into the lion's den. You said it yourself, she’s infatuated with me. What makes you think I’ll be entirely safe from her claws and wandering eyes?” They both knew he wouldn’t be safe from those, no matter what their plan may be, unfortunately.
“So why even suggest it in the first place?” Marinette asked gently.
“It’s our best course of action. If it gets her off your back and gets me closer to evidence that can expose her, we both win.”
“Why do you want to expose her? Don’t you enjoy not being the only one who dislikes me? Seeing me be humiliated every other art class or lunch?”
“My father is considering hiring her on as my female counterpart for the brand. She’s gotten it into his head that it’s what’s best for the company. If I can tear down her throne of lies before he debuts her, I won’t have to suffer with my image permanently immortalized next to hers.”
“Yikes. Even I wouldn’t wish that on you.”
“Exactly. While I know you and I have our major differences and butt heads often, we both benefit from bringing her down. I knew if you understood my intentions right away, you’d be a helpful ally.”
“So instead of just going ahead and playing into her act, you decided to consult me?”
“Right. I have no idea what she’s thinking regarding alienating you, but I want no part of it. I’ve never tried to intentionally get you in trouble or embarass you like that.”
“Ditto, I guess for the time-being, you and I will have to work together if we want this to go in our favor.”
“So? Are we in agreement, partner?” Adrien moved to hold out his hand, awaiting her own for a shake on their deal.
“Partners?”
“Yeah, like, partners in crime.” He shrugged.
“That kinda has a nice ring to it.” Marinette then extended her own hand, delicate palm meeting his as they solidified their pact.