Under The Mask 🎭 (a Miraculous Ladybug Fanfic)

-10- More Than A Friend

"You look like you had a fun time with Cat Noir tonight," Tikki teases as Marinette changes into her pajamas.

"Of course I did. Even if he's flirty and never takes anything serious, he's a really good friend." Tikki face palms as Marinette climbs into bed. "He can be funny, too. Sometimes." She starts scrolling through her phone.

Tikki pats her head. "Don't you have school in the morning, Marinette?"

"Just a few minutes, Tikki." Marinette pushes her kwami away and keeps staring at her phone. A notification pops up. "Adrien posted!" She taps on the alert and her jaw drops. "He posted about... me?!" Adrien posted a selfie from their baking the other day. They're both covered in flour. In the picture, his arm is around Marinette's shoulder. She reads the caption: Two Baking Disasters

Marinette can't help but grin. "Two baking disasters... I can't believe Adrien posted about me!" She celebrates in bed, weirdly dancing, and gasps when someone knocks on the trap door. She crawls over and squints. Cat Noir waves. Laughing, she climbs out to sit on her balcony. "Two visits in one night, Kitty? I didn't realize I had won something."

"Could be three visits if you want to see me so bad," Cat Noir teases, leaning down close to her face. "Someone looks happy tonight."

"Look!" Marinette turns her phone around and shows Cat Noir the post. "Adrien, that guy I told you I like? He posted a selfie of us!"

Teasing, Cat Noir says, "I thought he'd look cuter."

Marinette slaps his arm. "Of course he's cuter." She stares at the photo again and frowns.

"What's wrong?"

"I still have no idea if Adrien likes me back." She shuts her phone off and hugs her arms to her chest. "I'm too scared to tell him how I feel. I can't even get a sentence out without messing up. I always make a fool out of myself. Ugh!" She covers her face with her hands. "I'm so lame."

"Why don't you tell Adrien tomorrow?" Cat Noir asks as Marinette snaps her head up. "You like Ladybug, right?" She nods slowly. "Ladybug's confident. Pretend to be Ladybug."

"That's not real confidence, though, Cat Noir."

Winking, he says, "Fake it 'til you make it."

"You really think I should?" Cat Noir nods and she smiles. "Okay. I'm going to tell Adrien tomorrow morning before school. What could go wrong?"

"You throw up on him? Trip and fall and push him in front of a bus?" Marinette glares as he continues. "Accidentally propose and then you're stuck with him for life?" That wouldn't be so bad, though.

"I get it, Cat Noir."

"You know I'm just teasing." Cat Noir starts playing with one of Marinette's ponytails. "You should wear your hair down."

Marinette looks up at him. "Really? You think he'd like that?"

Cat Noir smiles. "I think he'd love that."

***

"You can do this, Marinette!" Alya pats Marinette's shoulder as the two hide near the stairs, waiting for Adrien to show up. "This is it. No take backs. Okay?"

Marinette nods, taking in a deep breath. "Okay. You're right. I need to do this. I wonder where Adrien is." She peeks out, squinting, and screams when she notices Adrien already standing there. Embarrassed, she stands up and laughs. "Oh! Hi, Adrien!"

"Hey, Marinette." Adrien waves. "Why are you hiding behind the stairs?"

"Hiding? I wasn't hiding." She glances down at Alya, grabbing her arm and jerking her up. "I was helping Alya find her glasses. There." She slaps Alya's face. "She has them now."