Chapter Text
The story started like this:
Marinette Dupain-Cheng, by a twist of fate, one day became Ladybug, Paris’ beloved superhero. On that same day, she fell for her partner Chat Noir, who had believed in her, encouraged her when she was ready to give up. His kind words and tender expression set her heart on fire and made her eyes solely focus on him. He was charming with that beautiful smile of his, and oh, she was such a goner.
Meanwhile, Adrien Agreste, by a twist of fate, became Chat Noir, but that wasn’t even the best part. His father had also finally allowed him to attend public school. It was the first day and he’d already gotten roped into a misunderstanding involving gum and the seat of a girl with piercing blue eyes. He apologized as soon as he could, and that was when he fell hard. He fell for her smile, for her laugh when the umbrella closed in around her. He fell for her kindness.
It was simple enough, really. But neither of them expected the roller coaster of emotions their crushes would bring.
“Pound it!” Ladybug and Chat Noir had finished fighting another akuma, brought to life by Lila Rossi’s mean spirited lies. It was a girl from another class, who had been showing everyone the wrist watch her father had brought her from a trip, one of a kind. Then Lila came in, saying it was a fake, and she “knew” because her mom had the original one. And sure enough, Marinette’s classmates believed in Lila and called the poor girl a liar.
Ladybug approached the victim, helping her up to her feet. “Hey, don’t let Lila get to you. Stay strong for me, okay?”
The girl nodded. “Thank you, Ladybug.”
“Anytime.”
“Well, LB.” Chat stepped beside her. “Looks like you’re becoming the ultimate superhero, with how quickly you handled this.”
She blushed, just like every time Chat gave her a compliment. “Couldn’t have done without you, Mon Chaton. ”
The leather clad hero winked, and Ladybug swooned. “I’ll see you next time, LB.”
“See you.” She stared at his retreating form, heart pounding. “God, I love that boy.”
The girl swung back home, transforming back as she reached her room. It was no secret that the spotted heroine was in love with Chat, but after her friends had turned their backs on her for Lila, those feelings seemed to grow stronger. She hadn’t gotten into details to maintain her secret identity, but she’d told the black cat some of her problems. He was the only one who was there for her, the only one she could rely on.
“Marinette!” Tikki waved her tiny paw in front of her face. “Are you thinking about Chat Noir again?”
“Yeah.” A lovesick smile danced on her lips. “Isn’t he amazing?”
“He is. But Mari, lunch break is almost over. You have to go back to school.”
“Oh, shoot!”
It wasn’t like she was eager to go back to school, but she couldn’t afford to be late again. Especially since the whole class started murmuring whenever Marinette entered the room. It was still a shock that her classmates had chosen to suck up to the lying girl. Well, except Chloe, but in her words, she couldn’t care less about how her classmates had been ridiculously deceived.
Wait, no. It wasn’t just Chloe. Adrien Agreste sure knew that Lila was a liar, but he didn’t act on it either. Lila seemed to have a weird obsession with him, but he still didn’t explode and tell her off. Marinette didn’t know if it was admirable or tragic.
As she reached the stairs to go back to the classroom, she stopped, having a realization that could probably end Lila’s reign of terror.
I have to woo Adrien Agreste.
Of course! How hadn’t she thought of that before? Lila would surely be so angry that she would confront Marinette, gloat about every lie she’d ever told, and then it would be over. Because Marinette sure as hell would record everything. It was a perfect plan.
The only problem was... Adrien was her friend, but she didn’t know a lot about him. Yes, they talked when they were with Alya and Nino, but he seemed to avoid being alone with her like the plague. Whenever it was just the two of them, Adrien made up some lame excuse and fled. He also blushed whenever she focused her attention on him. She had always suspected he was still embarrassed by the gum incident, and it hurt that he might think she hadn’t forgiven him. She really wanted to be his friend. The boy had a lonely look on his eyes.
As soon as Marinette was sitting down and class had begun (she clearly wasn’t going to pay attention), the raven-haired girl started writing down her plan, careful to shield her notebook away from Alya.
Revenge on Lila
Reasons:
* Lila has gone too far and will probably drag the class to a point of no return if not stopped asap.
* Save Adrien from feeling uncomfortable and harassed by the already mentioned person.
* Adrien needs more friends.
* Adrien needs someone who can help him stand up for himself.
Those seemed like enough reasons. It was time to think about how she would proceed.
Steps:
- Approach Adrien and make it clear that there’s no bad blood between them.
- Make sure he feels safe around her.
- Shower him with baked goods (he’s too skinny).
- Be the best friend he’s ever had.
- Make Lila see that Adrien and her were inseparable (which would make that bitch combust).
Smiling to herself, Marinette closed the notebook, satisfied with what she’d written down. Glancing at the clock, she noticed the bell would ring at any second, and she had zoned out the entire time.
Well, it was time to enact the revenge.
“Hey, Adrien.” She touched his shoulder, and the blonde turned around, startled.
“Oh, hey, Marinette.” There it was, the blush that appeared whenever they talked.
The bell rang in that moment. “Can I talk to you for a second?”
“Y-Yeah, sure.”
With that, she grabbed his hand and led him out of the room, not noticing the pure elation and shock on his face.
“So, Adrien, I’ve noticed you’re kinda distant with me.”
“You have?” He rubbed the back of his neck.
“Yes, and I know why.”
Adrien’s eyes widened. “You do?!”
“I know you’re still embarrassed by what happened when we met.”
“Oh.” He mumbled, looking down at his shoes. “That’s what you know.”
“I want you to know that I haven’t held a grudge all this time, I really forgave you.” Channeling her inner Ladybug, Marinette lifted his chin to make him look at her. “You’re very kind, Adrien. It’s an honor to be your friend. I just hope we get to know each other better.”
“I— uh, thank you.” His green eyes sparkled with something she couldn’t decipher. “I’m really happy to be your friend, Marinette.”
She grinned, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders now that everything was clear. “Do you have time to go to the bakery for a while? We can grab some pastries and coffee.”
“S-Sure, I can tell my bodyguard.” His face lit up like the sun, and she found herself momentarily captivated. “But don’t mention the pastries in front of him. My father would make me eat nothing but lettuce if he found out.”
Anger flared inside her at the implication of his strict diet, but she still smiled at him. “Let’s go.”
After a solid five minutes of convincing his bodyguard, they walked to the bakery.
“Hey, mom and dad! Adrien and I are gonna grab something and hang out for a while.”
“Sure, sweetie!” Her mom smiled at them from behind the counter. “It’s really nice to see you, Adrien. Help yourself to whatever you want.”
“Thanks, ma'am.”
“So, Adrien.” Marinette turned to him. “What would you like to eat?”
“Uh, I’m not really familiar with everything, but I really love croissants and macarons. They’re amazing.” His gaze was dreamy, as if he was remembering how good they tasted.
She chuckled. “Then that’s what we’ll have. And also donuts, because I love them and you have to love them too.”
They grabbed everything and went upstairs, settling in the living room. Her plan was going amazingly, if she said so herself. She’d have to talk to Tikki about it later, though.
Her blue eyes looked at Adrien, who’s face was pure happiness. It made her heart swell to see him like that, to see that a simple gesture could make him the happiest she’d ever seen him. She truly would be the best friend he’d ever had.
“How about we play some UMS, Adrien?”
“Sure! But we should play II, because it’s the...”
“Best game of the franchise.” They finished in unison, bursting out in laughter afterwards.
“See?” Marinette playfully hit his arm. “We already have so much in common. We’ll be besties after I crush you in this.”
“Yeah.” Adrien sighed. “Besties.”
Ladybug reached the meeting spot, with a spring on her step. Not only were things going smoothly with her plan, but she was also going to spend the night patrolling with her Chaton. Her heart pounded as soon as she saw him, sitting on the edge of the roof.
“Bonsoir, Mon Chaton. ”
The alluded boy looked up at her, smiling. “Hey, Ladybug. How was your day?”
“I had a really good day.” The heroine sat beside him. “Much better now that I’m seeing my pretty Chaton again, though.”
She waited for a second, knowing an eyeroll or huff would come her way, but neither did. Instead, Chat Noir was looking down at his feet, lost in thought.
“Chat? Is something troubling you?”
“Yeah.” His hand threaded through his hair. “Don’t worry about it, though.”
“You can talk to me about anything, you know? I’m here for you.”
“I know, it’s just... are you sure? I know how you feel, and I don’t want to hurt you with my story.”
Oh. There was a sudden cold ache in her chest, but she had to put her feelings aside. She was her friend, first and foremost, and she wanted to help him however she could.
“Your well-being is more important than anything else, Chat.”
“Okay. Thanks, LB.” The cat boy took a deep breath. “I finally spent more time with the girl I like, but she only sees me as a friend. Don’t get me wrong, her friendship is a precious gift, but it still hurts. She’s the only one who doesn’t see how head over heels I am for her.”
Marinette knew all about that. Even though she flirted with Chat Noir, she knew he saw her as a friend, he’d said so countless of times. It was hard for her to give him advice when she was going through that herself.
“Uh...” Her brain scrambled for words. “I don’t want you to be in pain, Mon Chaton . But perhaps you could try to put your crush aside and focus on being her friend. I know it’s not easy, but...”
“No, you’re right.” He patted her knee, making her breath hitch. “You always know what’s right, LB.”
Too hazed by the feeling of his touch on her knee, she didn’t notice when Chat stood up. “Let’s go, Lady Luck. You take east and I take west? Meet back here?”
They usually did their patrols together, but the fact that he wanted to do it alone meant her advice had been good for nothing. She wished she could do more, but how?
“Okay.” That was all she managed to say, and he leaped away, leaving her with an ache on her chest.
The next day, Marinette had to put on some concealer to hide the dark circles under her eyes, because she truly wasn’t in the mood for questions. She’d spent the night awake, feeling sorry for herself because Chat Noir had said out loud that he loved someone else. Of course she understood his feelings and respected them, but that didn’t mean it hurt any less.
“Hey, girl.” Alya smiled, sitting down beside her. “You got here early.”
“Hey, Al. At least I won’t get lectured by Miss Bustier today.”
Alya glanced at the door quickly, and then her face split into a huge grin, eyes wide. “So girl, what was that with Adrien yesterday?!”
“Oh.” She adjusted in her seat. “It’s just that I felt like he thought I was still resentful over the gum incident, so I made it clear that I wasn’t. And then I invited him over to play some video games and eat pastries. He’s a really good friend, you know?”
“Yeah.” Her friend then muttered something, but she didn’t catch it.
“What was that?”
“What?”
“Did you say something?”
“No!”
Before Marinette could protest, Nino and Adrien entered the classroom.
“Hey, babe. Hi, dudette.”
“Hi, Nino.” She looked at Adrien, who had already been looking at her and had a rosy color on his cheeks. “Good morning, Buttercup.”
“Good mo— wait, Buttercup?”
“Yeah.” The young designer laughed. “It really suits you.”
The boy blushed harder. “Yeah, perhaps it does.”
She had to bite her lip to stifle a giggle. She didn’t know why, but the way he blushed made her feel elated. Was it because he wasn’t so used to compliments or teasing? No, that couldn’t be it. He was showered with compliments wherever he went. Maybe it was just the teasing.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Lila’s annoying fake-sweet voice, saying good morning to everyone (except her, obviously). Lila then forcibly kissed Adrien’s cheek, and the bluebell eyed girl felt rage burning in her chest. His shoulders tended uncomfortably, and after the bitch pulled away, his hand wiped his cheek.
That certainly wouldn’t do.
“Buttercup?”
Green eyes turned around to look at her. “Yeah?”
“Can you lean your head back on my table?”
He frowned in confusion, but did as she asked. When his hair was sprawled over the wood, her fingers ran through it, gently. Adrien gasped, and then closed his eyes. His hair was soft and silky under her hand, no wonder there were rumors that it was insured. She then locked eyes with Lie-la, who was killing her with her stare from across the classroom. She smirked, daring that bitch to say something.
Thankfully, Miss Bustier started the class, and no student was harmed in the process.
Adrien had to go back to his seat, but as Marinette took notes, she often caught him looking back at her. Oh no, had she gone too far when she took the liberty to touch his hair? He had just gotten comfortable around her, and she ruined it because she wanted to spite Lila. She’d have to make up for it.
After what seemed like eternity, the bell rang, and Alya called for their attention. “Guys, want to go to a café a couple of blocks from here? I heard they have pretty good coffee.”
They all agreed, and made their way to the café, Alya and Nino walking hand in hand. She and Adrien walked behind them, as usual.
“We’re always stuck third wheeling for them, huh?”
He chuckled, and it reminded her of something . “Yeah. But maybe—“
“Hey dudes.” Nino interrupted him. “Have you watched the trailer for the new horror movie?”
They all fell into conversation again, and the topic dragged out until they were already seated and ordering their coffee.
“Just black, please.” The waiter left after taking her order, and everyone on the table looked at her like she had grown another head. “What?”
“Girl, black? No sugar? No milk?”
She almost laughed. “Yeah, it’s good like that.”
Nino smiled. “Yeah, Mari’s been downing that stuff like water since we were like twelve.”
“Oh, shush. Why aren’t we talking about how Mr. Agreste here ordered a French vanilla latte, which is very predictable?”
Adrien feigned offense, putting a hand on his chest. “Hey! I’ll have you know it tastes damn good, unlike your bitter concoction.”
She leaned forward on the table, enjoying the banter. “So dramatic! Just admit you’re a vanilla guy, Buttercup, nothing wrong with that.”
God, the situation was too familiar.
“We’ll see about that, don’t you think, Miss my-room-is-covered-in-nothing-but-pink?”
“Oh boy.” She grinned. “See, we shall.”
Alya cleared her throat, just as the waiter came back with their orders. Everyone dipped on their coffee, silence falling upon them, until eventually the two lovebirds talked to each other again. Meanwhile, she looked at Adrien, who nursed his cup and had his eyes trained on the table. Had she pushed too far again? She had to remember he had just gotten comfortable with her yesterday, she couldn’t tease him like they’d been bantering for ages. It wasn’t like she was with Chat Noir.
Oh, Mon Chaton.
Sighing wistfully, she wondered how he was faring with the girl who didn’t love him back. That girl was blind, for who wouldn’t immediately fall for that charming smile and enchanting eyes? Marinette wished she could knock some sense into her, or perhaps show Chat that he could move on, with her. She could show him what it was like to be loved and adored, she could even make poems about him (she already had a few).
Even the mere thought of him accepting her offer made her heart soar.
Patrol was on Friday, so she had three days to think about what to do for the big confession of her love. It had all been flirting before, but it was time to let him know how serious she was about it.
“Let’s go, guys.” Alya stood up. “We don’t wanna be late.”
Her feet carried her back to school out of their own volition, because her mind was up in the clouds, and Chat’s face was all she could imagine.
Friday came too quickly, and Marinette was highly nervous. As soon as school finished, she ran to her house, and made the preparations for the evening.
It was time for her to leave, but she paced around the room, checking everything one last time.
“Tikki, fairy lights?”
“Check.”
“Chocolate filled croissants?”
“Check.”
“Flower?”
It was a red carnation, which meant deep love and adoration.
“Check.” Tikki floated in front of her face. “You’ve got this, Marinette. Just be careful.”
“I know, Tikki.” She petted the kwami’s head. “I’ll be okay, regardless of what happens.”
She truly hoped it went well, though. “Spots on.”
Transformed, she felt more confident than before. She grabbed the things and swung away, expectation running through her. In a few moments she was at the rooftop, setting up the fairy lights.
“Done.”
She admired her work, grinning. The lights looked beautiful, as the sun was setting. She knew she was taking a huge risk, given that he’d already told her he was in love with someone else, but she hoped he’d want to move on. If Chat saw how serious she was about her love for him, maybe he would change his mind.
Or maybe, he would break her heart. Again.
“Good evening, Lady Luck.”
Startled, Ladybug hid the carnation behind her back, but showed Chat Noir the box of croissants.
“Good evening, Mon Chaton . These are for you.”
He smiled brightly, and her heart was about to break out of her rib cage. As he reached for them, their gloved hands touched. “Croissants? Thank you so much, LB.”
“It’s a pleasure, Chat.” Her hand twirled the flower behind her back. “There’s something I have to tell you. But hear me out, okay? Don’t say anything until I’m done.”
“You’re worrying me, LB. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah.” She finally revealed the carnation, and Chat gasped. “I’m in love with you, Mon Chaton. I fell for you the moment our eyes first met, and when you encouraged me and believed in me even when I did not. It’s not just flirting, Chat, I really do have feelings for you.”
“Ladybug...” He sighed. “You’re more than a partner to me, you’re my best friend. And I would never want to lie to you, I would never lead you on when my heart is elsewhere.”
Shattered. That was how she felt, despite knowing damn well that him rejecting her was the most probable scenario. But despite her heartbreak, hearing him say she was his best friend felt like a soothing balm.
Mustering up all of her strength, Ladybug smiled. “I get it, Chat. Your friendship means everything to me.” She placed the flower on his hands. “Keep the flower, it does a good contrast with your suit.”
Before he could reply, the heroine quickly kissed Chat’s cheek, and swung into the night with her yoyo.
If tears clouded her vision all the way home, nobody else would know.