The love square

And she did ...

She rejected you? YOU?"

"Not exactly. We didn't have time to talk about it anymore at the time, but later on, she mentioned that she liked me too, but unfortunately there was someone else she liked as well and she didn't want to hurt either of us until she could decide."

"Dude, I'm sorry, that's a real bummer. But that gives you hope right? No one can compare to you with the ladies. I'm frankly a little jealous. I think she'll come around. Who is this mystery girl anyway? I haven't heard you speak about a girl you liked since - oh, you mean Ladybug. Dude, she likes you?"

"Shut up! I don't need everyone knowing that THE Ladybug turned me down."

"Sorry bro. Anyway, let's eat some sweets and we can play some video games until you forget about it for a while. I can see the bakery now!"

The two walked into the store and were greeted by Sabine Cheng, Marinette's mother.

"Hello there boys! Can I help you with anything?" she asked.

"No thanks Mrs. Cheng, we're just grabbing some stuff for later. Some croissants and macarons probably." Nino answered.

"Okay well I have to get to work on a special order, but Marinette will be down to mind the shop for a while so if you have any questions you can ask her."

"We will. Thank you!" Adrien replied.

She nodded and disappeared into the back room. Nino glanced at all the goods on the shelves and mumbled, "It's a wonder Marinette doesn't get fat with all the delicious stuff they have here."

"She's pretty athletic, I imagine she works it all off somehow." Adrien replied.

"I don't know if athletic is the word I'd used to describe her. You weren't around a few years ago when she totally face planted during volleyball."

"Okay, but she seriously rivalled me in gymnastics, and I like to think I'm pretty flexible. Almost as nimble as a cat." Adrien laughed at his own joke, even though Nino wouldn't get it.

"Hi, sorry there was no one here for a moment." Marinette said, donning an apron. When she noticed who was in the shop, her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed slightly. "Oh, hey there, didn't know it was you two. Can I uh... help you with anything?"

"As someone who's tried probably everything, what would you suggest for a snack that is delicious but easy enough to eat while gaming?" Nino asked.

Marinette thought for a moment before smiling and gesturing them over to a case on the other side. "While macarons are the obvious choice, I would suggest getting these! They're kind of like truffles but less rich so that you can eat more of them; perfect for snaking on. They're basically just chocolate balls, but some come with nuts, cream filling, all sorts of things! They're labelled down below so you can take a look and let me know which ones you'd like. I'll even give you guys a discount if you buy in bulk."

"Wow Marinette, you sure know a lot about this stuff. If you weren't aspiring to be a fashion designer, you'd be an excellent baker!" Adrien praised.

Marinette blushed again. "Thanks, I just grew up learning all this kind of stuff. It's nothing really."

Adrien smiled at her and couldn't help but notice how blue her eyes were, kind of like Ladybug's. The thought made him sigh however and he glanced over at Nino who was staring intently at all the flavours they had. He saw Marinette looking at his sudden change in demeanor and tried to perk himself back up a little to ease both her worried looks, as well as the ones his friend had given him earlier. I wonder if Ladybug likes sweets, he thought. Maybe I'll bring her some.

Although things had been awkward between him and Ladybug at first after their heart to heart, their rhythm had returned and they were back to (mostly) flawlessly dealing with the akuma that threatened the city. However, that made it difficult for him to spend time trying to figure out who the boy Ladybug liked was. He wasn't even sure if he knew the guy, but a name would be a good place to start. He didn't want to come out directly and ask her, but he was getting desperate enough to do just that.

for me to be happy. And I'm hoping that if I'm right in doing this, you'll be happy as well." He took her hands in his and looked straight into her eyes. "We've been partners for this long, so I need you to trust me. You do trust me, right?"

"More than anyone, but this is completely different!"

"Please my lady, just... trust me."

"Alright. If this is what you want, I won't stop you. Can I ask why though?"

Adrien smiled. "You'll understand afterwards." Still holding onto her hands, he thought about Plagg leaving the ring and undoing his transformation. In a flash of white light, Adrien stood before Ladybug as himself. He noticed her eyes were closed however.

"Please my lady, open your eyes."

And she did.

See you guys in the next Chappie