My Lady

Chapter 1: Rough Morning

Headline after headline roll in once again with another victory by Ladybug and Black Cat. Anyone who missed it rushes to read about it or watch it on the news the morning after. Paris is showing no signs of getting tired of the same two heros saving people from different villains; all of Paris except for Marinette Dupain-Cheng.
Marinette had gotten quite annoyed and somewhat bored of the constant cycle of school, akuma, Cat, lucky charm, home. This cycle was as repetitive as it was exhausting and stressful.
"Not again!" Shouted a tired Marinette from her desk.
      "I'm going to be late! What time did I even get home last night? If I didn't have to shower, this wouldn't be an issue. I'm still sweaty from my mission last night with Cat and the Butcher! Agh! Screw conditioner and body wash. I'll just shampoo everything."
After a record-breaking minute-and-a-half shower, she ran strait for the closet. Lazily but quickly, she jammed all of her books and sprinted to school. The second she stepped foot out of the bakery, her wet hair started making her shirt wet and stick to her back.
"Ugh, this is so uncomfortable. And...squishy."
By the time she reached the campus, the morning bell had already rung. She still had some time to beat the tardy bell.
"On the bright side, you aren't late yet."
"Tikki! I was in such a hurry I forgot all about you."
"It's alright. I slid into your purse while you were taking a shower. "
"Did you also finish the rest of my homework while you were at it?"
"No, but I did grab a cookie."
"Hey, those were mine. It doesn't matter right now anyway. Time to go back in my purse."
"You're no fun."
"Yeah, well, right now you're no help." Tikki was upset.
Left and right, she zipped past students, teachers, and hallways. Never had she ever found herself running so fast up a fight of stairs.
Marinette made it to the hallway where her class was at. The tardy bell began to chime, so she made a final dash to the classroom. When she went to turn the corner, she slipped, slid across the floor, and rammed her head into the door to the classroom. She hit the door so hard, the poster on the door fell on her, covering the back of her head.
"My goodness! Marinette, are you alright? " Asked Mrs. Lane her language teacher.
Marinette only grunted in response without moving. Concerned, her best friend Alya and cute crush Adrien hurried over to assist her. Alya knocked the poster out of the way so Adrien could help up Marinette, but she was unconscious. Mrs. Lane rushed over to Marinette's side, then called the nurse informing her that a student was unconscious in her room.
Marinette was taken to the infirmary and laid on a cot. While she was gone, the infamous Chloé decided to make fun of the incident until the whole class, with the exception of Mylene, Nathaneal, Nino, Alya, and Adrien, had a silent laugh. Those five hated Chloé just as much as Marinette did.
When Marinette finally woke up, she had an ice pack as well as a bump and a bruise on her head.
"Nice to see you've come along, finally."
"Oh, Tikki. What happened? How long was I out for? "
"You tripped and took a door to the head. You're still in first period, but not for long."
"At least I got out of being caught with incomplete homework."
"I'm still not doing it for you."
"Aww, that's cruel."
"Sorry I'm not the best sometimes. All I've really done is give you my powers so you can fight Hawkmoth's akumas."
"Don't say that, Tikki. I know it's kind of stressful, but I can just be a grouch sometimes."
Just then, Marinette and Tikki heard footsteps and a voice calling Marinette. Tikki zipped back into Marinette's purse, then Marinette reached over and close the clasp over her.
"I'm over here," said Marinette, finally sitting up and clutching the ice pack to the bump on her head.
"Oh good, you're awake. If you're feeling better, I got the notes from language for you and I can walk you to Geometry," said Adrien with a smile on his face.
"T-t-thanks. I uh, j-just got up actually, so-"
"You just got up? You should slow down then. Let's see, can you stand alright?" He asked, holding out a hand to Marinette.
"Y-yeah. Thanks," she said, slowly coming to her feet with one hand on the ice pack still.
"That's right. You hit your head on the door. Let me see how bad it is," he said, taking notice of the ice pack. He gently lifted the bangs of her deep black hair out of the way and took the ice pack. He braised his thumb over the bump to examine it.
"Does it hurt?"
She winced. "Just a little, but nothing out if the ordinary for a blow from a door."
"It doesn't look like it was ever bleeding which is good, but that bump looks pretty nasty. It should go away in a week or so though. It might be sore for a while, too." He backed away and gave the ice pack back to Marinette.
"Do you have a headache, dizzy at all?"
"Not really. It just hurts where the bump is. I think I'll be fine."
"Okay. I'll get you a fresh ice pack and walk you to class. I'll give you the notes for language when we get to Geometry."
"Thanks. I appreciate it."
"It's no big deal. You were hurt, and we have the same classes."
Adrien left her to get an ice pack like he said. Meanwhile, Marinette was left starstruck in the infirmary. Excited, she began skipping around with her hands to her face and squealing until she heard footsteps again.
"You have your stuff?" Asked Adrien as he have her the new ice pack."
"Um, I never got a chance to look for my stuff since I've been in here. Give me a second."
Marinette walked around the cot and found her bag on the ground next to it. "All set," she said.
The bell rang.
"Perfect timing," said Adrien. "Let's go."
"Right behind you," said Marinette, putting the ice pack on her head and fixing the strap of her bag to her shoulder. For once this morning, she began to walk with some enthusiasm.