Dreams of You

Chapter 4

Adrien

Marinette certainly was something. Fierce and fiery, somehow even more beautiful than in his dreams.

"I know we agreed I wouldn't shadow you everywhere, but really?!" Nino grumbled, finally catching up to Adrien, his cellphone in hand. "Don't leave this behind next time you decide to run off. I had to access a secondary tracker to find you."

"Sorry." Adrien offered him an apologetic smile. "I didn't want to lose her—" Sudden pain ripped through his shoulder. Adrien hissed, smacking the spot. Damn kwami! "Plagg, would you stop that? I'm not your scratching post."

"Go after her!" Plagg seethed at his ear. "She's in there. Dormant, but Tikki's in there. Go after her!"

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Who cares—"

"Plagg, we can't stalk or pressure her. We know who she is, and we'll work on getting close. Slowly. Or would you rather scare her away and have Tikki stay dormant until the next wielder comes along?"

The kwami grumbled, digging his claws into Adrien's shoulder once more. Adrien slapped the spot again, hissing through his teeth, "You either behave or it's string cheese for a month."

"And you should probably stop talking and beating yourself in public." Nino stepped up and patted Adrien on the shoulder. "Let's go. We have a class on the opposite side of campus in fifteen minutes."

Adrien perked up. Science in Ancient Civilizations and Folklore. He'd chosen this one for himself rather than for something Ladybug could be taking. You never know what kind of hidden treasures one can find while looking at material through the lense of a magic user. But before that... He reached into his bag and pulled out the sheet of paper Alya gave him. "This is for you."

"What's this?"

"The girl that sat by Ladybug asked me to pass this to you."

Nino quirked an eyebrow. "The sexy brunette in the orange jumper?"

"Yup."

His friend grabbed the paper with lightning speed, his lips stretching into a grin. "Alya Césaire. I like the sound of that."

"Finally noticing something other than your tech?"

"My tech is what will change your future. You should be thankful I'm so devoted."

"I am very thankful." Adrien chuckled. "Just don't forget that there is more to life than your job and your toys."

Nino rolled his eyes. "'Kay, Mom. Been there, done that. Moving on. How did your pursuit go?"

"She effectively told me to eff off, but I did find out her name."

"Is that so?"

"Yup. Marinette."

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, to be precise. If you want her number, I have it on file."

Adrien's look was anything but impressed. "Did Max do a background check on her already?"

"Not just her. All of your classmates, professors, and anyone with whom you'll potentially be in close proximity for extended periods of time. No need to thank us. It's only our job."

"Father?" Adrien frowned.

"Nathalie, but we would've checked anyway. One can never be too careful."

Adrien wasn't surprised. He understood, he really did, but it was still annoying to be babied like that.

"So, you want her number? E-mail? Home address? You're on a tight deadline, you know. Any help I can give you wouldn't hurt."