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Having a crush on his classmate soon proved quite distracting, Adrien discovered.
He’d become attuned to her. Every time she entered the room, he looked up, so he could watch as she moved toward her seat though he made sure she didn’t notice him watching. Every time she laughed, he perked up, noting whatever he could so he could try it himself. Every time she talked, he lost himself in the soft cadences of her voice, wishing he could listen to her all day. Every time she smiled, he thought he was looking at the most beautiful creation in the world.
His crush was slowly killing him.
She never noticed him, at least not the way he wanted her to notice him.
No, Marinette had someone else on her mind and in her heart.
It killed him to think she’d found someone else, but then, he couldn’t hate the other guy. He’d won a treasure with Marinette. He could ensure though the other guy never took her for granted. He just needed the other guy’s name.
“Hey, Marinette, what’s up with your mystery man?” Alya asked after their teacher had ended their lesson. She grabbed up her stuff, waiting for Marinette to answer.
“There’s no mystery man. I don’t know why I have to keep saying that.” She huffed as she pushed her tablet into her bag.
“Yeah, no one believes you, girl. You’ve been acting lovesick for weeks now. So, spill. I want all the details about him.”
Marinette didn’t respond as she moved around Adrien’s desk and walked from the room, unwilling to talk about the man she loved.
While he wanted to know the guy’s name, he was thankful she hadn’t said anything more about the guy. He didn’t want to know the details about her love for the guy.
It hurt too much.
“Hey, bro, you okay?” Nino asked from beside him.
Shaking himself, he offered up one of his model smiles and nodded.
Together, they walked to their next class without Alya and Marinette.
00000
Marinette staggered to a stop next to her partner, wishing she could tell him how much he meant to her. The words stuck in her throat as usual. She couldn’t tell him. Not then. Not ever.
“Hey, LB.” He gave her a two-fingered salute along with a cheeky grin, but his ears and tail told her another story.
“What’s wrong, Chat?”
“Nothing I can’t solve.” At her dubious expression, he added, “I swear.”
He moved toward the roof’s edge and beckoned her to begin their patrol. He seemed eager to get away from her, which broke her heart. She couldn’t be that bad, right?
After an hour, they called an end to patrol, but Marinette wasn’t ready to go home.
She swung through the city, allowing the wind whipping against her and the view to clear her mind. She soon grew lost in her exercise that she lost track of where she’d gone, landing on the tall wall surrounding the Agreste mansion.
Not wanting to disturb the occupants within, she turned to shoot her yo-you, intent on going home when a soft voice stopped her.
“Ladybug?”
“Oh.” She glanced down and saw Adrien sitting outside, something telling her he didn’t do that often. “Hello.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I was taking the scenic route home. I’m sorry if I bothered you. I’ll be going now.”
“Wait. I wouldn’t mind some company if you’d like to stay.”
She looked at him, trying her best to read him. “I probably shouldn’t. I don’t want you getting in trouble.”
“My father isn’t here. We’re safe.” Adrien’s gaze searched hers. “You look lonely. I know I am. Maybe we could be lonely together.”
She swung down to his level, gazing around at the small courtyard around them. “I’ve been here before. It’s a little different than what I remember.”
At Adrien’s confused look, she giggled and whispered, “Bubbler.”
He laughed at that. “I’d almost forgotten about Bubbler. Poor Nino. He just wanted me to have a nice birthday.”
“He sounds like a good friend to have.”
“He is.” Adrien smiled and dared a glance at the superheroine, wondering why she looked sad. He doubted he’d done anything to upset her as Chat, but sadness cloaked her as surely as it did him.
Neither spoke for a few minutes, lost in their thoughts.
“Having a crush sucks,” she muttered at one point, breaking the silence between them.
“I know how you feel. There’s this girl at school. She’s a friend actually, but she doesn’t see me like I see her.”
“Oh, that’s too bad. You’re a great guy from what I’ve seen. Maybe she’ll open her eyes one day and see what’s staring right in front of her.”
He chuckled at the nice sentiment though he doubted it’d ever happen.
“What about you? What’s on your mind?”
“There’s this guy, but he doesn’t see me, either.” She laughed at the pair they made, wondering if there was any hope for them.
“Well, he’s a fool. You’re awesome, Ladybug.”
She smiled, a soft blush suffusing her cheeks. “So, I guess for now it’s just you and me. Two lonely hearts, huh?”
“I hope there’s a cure for this.”
“Me, too.”
She stayed a little longer, but the darkening sky and a warning beep had her leaving before she’d wanted. She liked Adrien and wanted him to have his happiness. He deserved some happiness in his life. Maybe she could help play matchmaker for him. She just needed to discover which friend had caught his attention and get to work on nudging her heart in his direction. She could do that for him. She was Ladybug after all, wasn’t she?
Maybe one day, he could return the favor and help her win Chat’s heart.
Maybe, just maybe.