the set-up || miraculous ladybug

the set-up

Published: 4/21/2016; Thursday; 8:32pm; Unedited

MLFanFicRec This is my entry to the Miraculous Ladybug Contest. Thank you for the opportunity to enter my first contest. :) and sorry I'm entering last minute ^-^"

[the set-up]

It's finally April. The first of April, to be precise. Alya wanted so badly to cackle maniacally, but that would wake her mother and siblings up, and she did not want to do that. She was anxious, but so ecstatic. She had been planning this with Nino since last year after what happened.

Oh yes, the senior-year-prank they had been planning (read: conspiring). On their best friends of course, but not only was it a prank, it's also a set-up.

They were both so fed up with the wait, it was obvious that Adrien had finally realized his feelings towards Marinette but didn't believe she felt the same (despite the obvious blush, occasional stutter, and the utter adoration in her eyes every time she looked at him); he was annoyingly oblivious at this point.

Alya still encouraged Marinette to confess whenever there was a chance, but that was one of the things about Marinette that never changed: how shy she was when it came to Adrien.

But now, it's April. April the First.

It was time.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hey, Mari," Alya greeted her best friend who was sitting in the school library. Said girl looked up, smiling gently.

"Good morning Alya," she replied, closing her book after placing her bookmark in it. The years had done well for the young Dupain-Cheng. Her hair had grown out to mid-back, and only occasionally let it fall out of it's neat bun at the back of her head, but her face still framed with side-swept bangs and baby hairs in front of her ears that still held black earrings.

Her clothes changed to something more modest than most people dressed lately. White skinny jeans, a light pink button-up shirt that wasn't always buttoned all the way on some days, and switches between a grey or black mini-vest, and her shoes had changed from slip-on flats to Converse as they were comfortable and easy to run in.

"What were you reading? It's almost time for class!" She looked at the time and quickly packed her scattered school supplies in her bag.

"I didn't even notice the time!" Marinette gasped, "I was reading about some ancient-- uh-- spirits from Egypt. It was really interesting."

Alya giggled, "The whole Egypt thing again? I thought we were done after the last Egypt incident!"

"You mean after you were almost sacrificed?" Marinette laughed as she hugged the book to herself, walking up to Alya and they started heading to their class chatting along the way.

"Alya!" Nino called out after seeing the two girls exit the school library with Adrien glancing at his phone to see his schedule (which was clear for the whole day, and little note of 'day off' at the top amking him smile), waving as both Alya and Marinette paused to look at the DJ and his blond friend next to him. "Morning!"

"Hey Nino!" She replied, the two boys catching up to walk with them to class.

"Good morning Marinette, how are you so far?" Adrien started a conversation with the shy girl next to him, as Nino had moved to walk with Alya, leaving them next to each other as well.

"G-good morning A-Adrien," Marinette shyly stuttered, giving him a small smile before looking down at her shoes as they walked, hugging the book tighter, "It's been nice so far, especially since it's the first of April."