Secret Admirer

Chapter 2: The Response

"Tikki, do you really think Chat Noir gave Adrien my card?" Marinette laid on her bed with her arms behind her head. "I mean, I should've gotten a reply by now, right?"

"Don't worry, Marinette. It's only been three days." Tikki consoled. "Give him time."

"Maybe I should go check the mail again." Marinette sprung up from her bed and ran down the steps. "Incase there was a late delivery."

Tikki flew in front of her. "You've already checked twice today." She said and Marinette huffed. "You're going to drive yourself crazy."

"You're right." Marinette grumbled. She turned around and walked back up to her bed. Marinette jumped face down onto the covers. She let out a distressed sigh.

"Just be happy it's summer." Tikki flew up to her. "Think on the bright side. You don't have to face Adrien immediately. There's no school today or tomorrow. Adrien gets more time to think about your message and that's good. You two can make logical decisions without the anxiety of seeing each other everyday and in between."

Marinette turned her head to the side. "I guess."

Tikki's eyes widened and she flew away. A small tapping was heard at Marinette's window. She sat up just before a pair of green eyes suddenly met hers. Chat Noir's head hung down from the trap door, just inches from hers like Spiderman. He had a huge smile on his face. Marinette's face grew red from their closeness. He just stared at her as if he was reading her mind. It made her nervous.

"I've brought you a letter." Chat announced, snapping her out of her thoughts. His head shot back up to the balcony.

"Wait!" Marinette followed him and climbed through the doorway. "A reply?" She asked excitedly, standing up. "He replied?"

"Uh huh." Chat smiled, pulling out a yellow card, almost identical to hers.

"Well give it to me." Marinette jumped for it, but Chat held it up. "Why?!"

"There's one thing first." He started, slightly blushing. "Some of the things you said in your first card were very personal. Like how-" Marinette's hand quickly covered his mouth, her eyebrow twitching.

"You read it?" She growled, glaring into his eyes. "I wrote very, very important, yet personal things in that card and absolutely nothing you say next will make me believe you had any right to read them. Those things should never be spoken out loud like you were just about to do. In fact, you'll be lucky if I don't throw you right over that railing."

Marinette's other hand balled into a fist as she swung forward. Chat caught her wrist and spun her around, pinning it behind her back.

"If you kill me, I can't give you the letter. I think you'd prefer it without all the bloodshed." Marinette huffed in response. "Okay, I'm sorry for reading it. But . . . I have to admit something."

"What?" Marinette glared behind her.

"Adrien's one of my bestfriends."

"What?! No he isn't! I don't believe you!" Marinette squirmed to get her one arm loose.

"How do you think he found me to give you this card? There hasn't been an akuma in three days." Chat looked down at the card in his hand. "Adrien . . . has my number and we talk all the time. He called me this morning and gave me this for you."

Marinette used her free arm to quickly elbow Chat Noir in the side. He fell back on the ground.

"Ow!" He exclaimed, rubbing his side. "You're just like Ladybug."

"No I'm not!" Marinette defended, trying to hide her nerves. She remembered a few occasions where he had snuck up behind Ladybug with a rose or something and scared the crap out of her. Each time ended with her elbowing him in the side in self defense. Really, it was his fault all those times and more so that he never learned to defend that attack. Chat Noir stumbled up. "Is all that true?" Marinette asked, biting her lip.

"Yes." He answered.

Marinette squinted. "What's Adrien allergic to?"

"Feathers."

"Favorite fruit?"

"Passion fruit."

"What does he do on Tuesdays after school?"

"Fencing."

'Kind of creepy that she knows my schedule.' Chat thought.

"Hmmm." Marinette glared. "Fine, I won't hurt you."

"Thanks?"

Marinette crossed her arms. "Can I have it now?"

"Wait-"

"Ugh! What now?!"

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen, why?"

Chat looked down at the card. "You're only sixteen and you stressed so much over the first one. Don't worry too much. No matter what this letter says, no matter what Adrien feels, don't get yourself down. Respond when you want, not when you think you should. Remember your worth. He's just a boy and even if he says or does something stupid, don't hold it against yourself. You don't need any extra weight on your shoulders. Keep your confidence." He held out the card.

Marinette sighed. She felt calmer and took the letter.

"Well, gotta go." Chat winked and gave a two fingered salute before bouncing off the balcony.

"That was odd." Tikki said, flying out of her room to her shoulder.

"And he left really quickly." Marinette stared at the card. She became nervous. Why did Chat give that speech? Did he read this one too? Did Adrien tell him something else? Was he telling her all of those things because she was about to be rejected? Now she was definitely nervous. Marinette gulped as she slowly opened the card.

. . .

Adrien released his transformation and collapsed on his bed, cuddling his pillow as he closed his eyes.

"Now I just gotta wait for a reply." He sighed.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Plagg shouted. "Are you trying to ruin your life?!"

"Relax, Plagg. It's not the end of the world."

"What about Ladybug?"

"Ladybug has already rejected me. She's made that clear. But, Marinette . . . I don't know." Adrien rolled over. "Marinette saw me differently. She may not have fallen for Chat Noir, but she still could. She saw Adrien differently. She saw me as more than a model. Maybe these letters will result in something else. Maybe she'll see both of me as one in the same."

"You're digging yourself into a hole." Plagg flew over to the camembert cabinet. "Marinette is going to catch you in your lies and once she realizes you're Chat Noir or once you slip up, she'll think you betrayed her. Chat Noir is not supposed to know anything from her letters or remember anything that only Adrien should know. If you say one thing wrong, one detail, even a sentence, she could hate you."

"Marinette wouldn't do that." He shook his head. "Whether she understands the situation at first or gets mad, she's not a hateful person."

"You don't even have a plan." Plagg ate a chunk of camembert.

"I know. I just feel like me and Marinette have something different. We understand each other, but at the same time we don't and I think that's fine. I don't really know what we have, but I want to find out." Adrien rolled back over and looked towards his desk. The pink card Marinette gave him a few days stood in a brown picture frame on his desk. He smiled. "And I think she does too."

. . . 

A/N

I feel like the first few chapters are a little boring, but bare with me for a second. I swear they get better. The first ones are kind of like Season 1 of The Office, but they are still important to the plot line. And I honestly believe my best chapters are from like 6 on. But they'll be out soon anyway, so tell me what you think about them.

-Alice Pink