Operation Second Chance

Lucky Charm

It took Luka several tries to get all of the aspects of his next plan right, but eventually, he had factored in almost every outcome, and he had a good feeling about this one.

That day at school, Marinette was nowhere to be found. Adrien was especially worried about her, she was usually late, but she had an excuse most of the time, and it wasn't like her to ditch altogether.

Soon, he didn't have time to worry more, because Mr. Pigeon was akumatized for the seventieth time.

He raced to the akuma, where his lady was already waiting for him, and together the pair defeated Mr. Pigeon in no time. They didn't even need to use their powers.

"M'lady, are you okay?" Chat asked. "You seem a little off today."

Ladybug immediately burst into tears on Chat's shoulder.

"No kitty," she sobbed, "I'm not okay at all."

"We can go someplace quiet and talk about it if you want," he suggested.

She silently nodded, and he carried her to the rooftop where he had planned a date for her months ago. The one that she didn't show up to.

"You wanna tell me what's wrong, Bugaboo?" he prompted.

"I don't know if I should be talking to you about this," she hesitated. "I don't want to make you feel bad."

"I'll be here for you no matter what, m'lady," Chat promised.

"Remember how I mentioned I was in love with someone?" she tested.

Chat nodded, looking like he was still happy to talk to her about it.

"Well I haven't told him, and this girl at school who hates me for some reason got a hold of a recording of me saying some very mushy embarrassing things about him to my friends, and she said if I don't tell him by tomorrow, she would. She has the recording to prove it. I don't know what to do kitty," Ladybug explained.

"Why not just tell him you love him? Seems the most logical thing to me," Chat stated.

"I get so nervous when I'm around him, I can barely even get one word out, let alone three. Especially if those three are 'I love you.' And what if he tells me he doesn't like me? Or he does but not in that way? It would be so embarrassing. Plus, he's already told me he's in love with someone else, so he would probably think it's pathetic for me to love him anyway and hate me," she rambled.

"Do you think I'm pathetic for loving you when you love someone else?" Chat asked.

"No, but that's different, you can still talk to me without completely falling apart. I'm a complete mess and it's pathetic to even think I have a chance with a guy like him," Ladybug stated.

"I bet you're way cooler than this guy! You're a superhero and save Paris every day. Can he say that?" Chat questioned.

"Even as a superhero, I'd have to be the luckiest girl in the world to get him to like me," she sighed.

This gave Chat an idea.

"Here," he said, placing a small object into her hand. "My friend gave me this lucky charm, and I think it works pretty well. I'm sure she wouldn't mind helping a superhero by letting you borrow it."

Ladybug stared down at the object in her hands, glancing from it to Chat over and over again for what felt like an eternity.

"A-Adrien?" Ladybug finally broke the silence.

"Shoot! I didn't think anyone would recognize it, I mean sure, a few of my friends have seen me with it but it's not something I show off all the time. I'm so sorry m'lady! I never would've thought you'd be close enough to my civilian self to figure it out!" he apologized.

"If you think the charm works so well, why would you let me use it? Wouldn't you want me to not be with this boy so you can have me to yourself?" she questioned suddenly.

"Ladybug, no matter how much it may hurt, I want you to be happy, even if it's not with me," he stated.

"The girl that gave you this, Marinette right? I've seen you two around. What's she like?" Ladybug prodded.

"Marinette? Yeah, she's a very good friend!" he explained.

"What makes me so much better than her?" Ladybug asked.

"What do you mean?" Chat questioned.

Ladybug looked down. "Why do you love me and not her?"

Chat laughed, "Trying to set me up with someone else so I won't be sad when you get the man of your dreams tomorrow? Marinette is great, but we don't have much meaningful conversation, she doesn't seem comfortable around me like you always do. I don't think she likes me much. Besides, I saw you first, and I've been in love with you since our eyes first met."

"I guess that makes sense. You know Chat, I've thought before that if I wasn't in love with this boy, I could've fallen in love with you very easily," she explained.

"Maybe someday," he teased. "And don't worry, I don't expect you to tell me your identity just because you know mine."

"What if I want you to know? It would make our lives a whole lot easier," she stated.

Chat's heart skipped a beat.

"You know, thank you, but I don't need this lucky charm," she started, handing it back to him. "I have one a friend made for me too."

Ladybug pulled out the charm Adrien had made for her birthday.

"Marinette? Oh that's why you asked me what made you better than her! I feel silly now. I hope we can maintain our friendship even though it's changed entirely today. Now that I know I'm in love with you and you know I'm your partner who you're comfortable around," he said hopefully.

"Actually Adrien, I don't think I will be able to maintain our friendship, because the boy I keep rejecting you for, his name is Adrien Agreste," she explained.

Adrien burst into uncontrollable laughter. "You've been rejecting me...because you're in love with me?"

Marinette laughed too. Their situation did seem rather silly in hindsight.

Luka almost cried tears of joy. He had finally done it!

Adrien and Marinette leaned towards each other.

"Get out of here you filthy sky rat!" a neighbor exclaimed, frantically waving a broom out her window at a pigeon.

A familiar flying akuma victim soon appeared again.

"Not again!" Marinette whined.

"Second-" Luka started.

"Wait!" Bunnyx yelled, "It's fine, they're together, leave it."

"It's not the perfect moment Marinette dreamed of," Luka shouted. "Second chance!"