It Started With an Umbrella (A Miraculous Ladybug Fanfiction)

Chapter 4

Marinette quietly slipped downstairs to get a quick snack, the sweet smell of cinnamon filling her nostrils. She retrieved an apple and then skipped back up the stairs, careful to not make any noises and wake up her parents. After all, it was almost midnight. Her parents were never the night owl type and always went to bed at a reasonable time.

Which meant that Marinette could easily slink into the house undetected after a night of patrol. Speaking of which, she hadn't had one in a while. Akumas hadn't been showing up lately. Maybe Hawkmoth was tired of trying to go after their Miraculous's?

Marinette chuckled to herself, the idea too sweet to be true. No, Hawkmoth wouldn't go through all this trouble over the years only to fizzle out into nothing. He's planning something. Something huge.

"And whatever it is, Ladybug and Chat Noir will shut it down," Marinette hummed happily to herself, flopping onto her bed.

Tikki flew out of Marinette's purse, smiling brightly. "That's the spirit," the kwami cheered. She then yawned before laying down on Marinette's pillow and closing her eyes.

Marinette's phone buzzed then, and she glanced down at it. It was a message from Alya. She clicked on the notification, readying herself to see the extent of her friends' confusion.

But as Marinette read the text, she became more surprised than ever. Alya was... apologizing? Not angry or confused about the fact that Marinette left without catching up with Alya?

She read the text eagerly:

Hey, girl. U home? I'm sorry if I pushed u outta ur comfort zone tonight. I just don't know if ur mad at me or not since u didn't come back out. I don't have to bail u out of prison, right?

Marinette smiled, her eyes scanning the text. She knew the apology was sincere. Truthfully, Marinette wasn't mad at all. She knew she was at fault, too. Her fingers typed back a response.

Yes, I'm home. And I'm not mad. In fact, it felt good to step out of my comfort zone for a change. But let's not do that ever again! Lol.

Marinette's phone buzzed back.

Deal. Gonna get some sleep. See you tomorrow!

Marinette said goodbye in return and then turned off her phone. She set it down beside her and stared at the ceiling.

Day 1 of senior year was completed. She had managed to get closer to Adrien and stepped out of her comfort zone by sneaking into his house. Never had she imagined to do such a thing. Tomorrow, she would be working on a project with Adrien after school. Her heart thumped nervously in her chest just thinking about it. Could she manage?

Being alone with Adrien was extremely awkward. However, recently she'd been getting better at talking to him. Not as many stutters. That was a plus.

Marinette sat up and scrunched her nose, a foul stench flooding her nostrils. That's when she realized that the stench was her own. The cinnamon aroma she had inhaled in the bakery certainly masked the smell.

Marinette walked into the bathroom and closed the door. She turned on the shower and allowed the water to rain down. When she ran her hand under the water to feel the temperature, she groaned with relief. The hot water felt absolutely blissful on her hand.