A Few Notes

By the Way

It was difficult for Marinette to explain to Alya why Adrien had suddenly become so smiley around her. She went into detail over lunch, having invited her exasperated friend over to the bakery during their free period.

"Nothing drastic happened, Al." Marinette began, pushing a sandwich around her plate. "Him, Kagami, and I escaped the Bourgeois Anniversary and ended up running to Andre's. They asked me to choose the flavors, so I chose orange and mint. Their combination. And then I left."

Alya was staring at her like antennae was growing from her head. "You're telling me that, finally, you got the chance to have ice cream with Adrien and you chose their combination and then left?"

"Well, Andre said that we couldn't have all three flavors, so-"

"What? That's ridiculous!"

Marinette rested her forehead in her hand, appearing downcast. "Alya, please, I already have a headache."

Her friend piped down, only to begin giving her the classic "I-feel-so-bad-for-you" look. Clumsy Marinette had screwed it up again. She hated feeling pitied.

She was Ladybug, for goodness sake.

"I met with Luka afterwards." An impish smile began growing on her face. "He was so sweet, he came over to give me flowers later. We must have hung out for hours."

Alya was once again moon-eyed. "When were you going to tell me any of this?"

"I'm telling you now."

Her friend began to faux-hyperventilate, fanning at her face with her hand. "My ship!" she cried, "It's sinking!"

Marinette rolled her eyes, laughing as she kneaded a knuckle against her temple. "Alya, the noise?"

"Sorry, but this is too much! All in one day, suddenly Adrien's dating Kagami-"

She winced.

"-And now you might start dating Luka! Wait, what kind of flowers did he get you?"

"Peonies."

"Oh. My. Gosh." Alya was gaping like a fish. "How did he know?"

"Maybe he asked Juleka," Marinette shrugged. She hadn't thought about it too much. Heck, he might have even taken a lucky guess. As Alya continued to blabber, Marinette picked delicate pieces off of her sandwich, knowing that if she didn't eat she'd be ravenous by dinnertime. Thinking it best, she opted to leave out the part where she fell asleep, lest her friend spontaneously combust. Some things were better left private.

The trip back to school was hard, Marinette's dread increasing as the building loomed closer and closer. Lila was somewhere in there, her threats hanging in the air, and it was safe to assume that despite her earlier front their feud was far from over. Her best friend was none the wiser of the event as they walked side-by-side. Marinette hadn't wanted to spoil their fun.

Ms. Mendeleiev regarded her students with stern eyes and straight lips, her no-nonsense attitude in stark contrast with Ms. Bustier. She put up with no one, and that meant Marinette would receive a much-needed break from Lila's antics, at least for the next few hours. Alya was still right by her side, and they both suffered through chemistry together, very careful not to be caught whispering to each other. Her friend's excitement was still on high, and as she asked more and more questions about Luka Marinette felt herself relax, her fixation on Adrien receding with the welcomed distraction.

"On a scale of one to ten, how much to you like him?" Alya whispered, holding back a giggle.

Marinette colored, hissing, "Alya! What kind of question is that?"

"Oooh, girl, you've got it bad," Her friend sighed. "And just when you stopped stuttering over you-know-who."

Sticking out her tongue in reply, Marinette returned her attention to the board, squinting in attempt to read Ms. Mendeleiev's jagged handwriting as she scribbled into her notebook. Smiling, she placed her pencil in the top-right corner of the page, absentmindedly beginning to doodle hearts, flowers, and the initials of two teenagers just beginning to fall for each other.

During a quick break, Marinette was still drawing when Lila brushed past her, jolting her arm and causing a dark line to streak across the page. The Italian immediately turned back, projecting a pair of wide, doe eyes.

"Oh! Sorry, Marinette!" Lila said, appearing contrite, a flicker of malice surfacing just long enough for her to see. "I must have ruined your artwork." In a flash, she grabbed Marinette's pencil and hastily erased the line, picking up the notebook and practically presenting it to those standing nearby. Lila pointed at the hearts and initials, crying, "Look, everyone, aren't these drawings just so cute? LC and MDC..." she gasped, "Marinette, do you like Luka Couffaine?"

Marinette cringed, her face going scarlet as she stood from her chair. "Hey, can I have my notebook back now?"

But Lila wasn't listening. She turned to Adrien with a Cheshire smile. "See? How adorable!"

If she wasn't already burning up inside, Marinette was all the more hurt when the blond smiled as well, saying, "Yeah, sure." Glancing at her, Adrien retrieved the notebook from Lila's claws, flipping it closed and handing it back to the dark-haired girl as she shook like a leaf. Alya rested a hand on her shoulder, a glare fixated on her face as she stood to give Lila a piece of her mind.

Ms. Mendeleiev clapped her hands sharply. "Break's over. Everyone, sit down!"

Marinette's headache had returned, but this time, it was because she was holding back tears.

Chat Noir typically didn't visit civilians, but tonight he would be making an exception. The trip was easy and quick and soon he was standing on the rooftop of Tom & Sabine's Boulangerie Patisserie. The best bakery in Paris, and the home of a very special friend.

Marinette.

He could tell how upset she was earlier in class, by the tremble of her lip and the shine in her eyes. As Adrien-the supposed friend of Lila Rossi-he couldn't do much to help. But Chat Noir, the gallant hero and half-savior to Paris, France, had the whole world to offer. They could go anywhere, do anything, all in an effort to make her smile again.

But his princess, visible through her window, wasn't alone. And Chat cursed himself, because he should have guessed, should have known she would have called someone for comfort. He held back an instinctive growl, watching as Luka Couffaine wrapped his arms around Marinette for the second time in double the days.

Surprised by the feelings rising in his chest, Chat turned tail, fleeing from the soft pink warmth into the cold, bitter night.