Now What?

Dinner?

"Cat noir use cataclysm!" Ladybug shouted as she wrapped up the akumatized villain in her yoyo. Cat noir leaped up and shouted "Cataclysm!" And touched the villain's necklace with his powered hand. The akuma flew out and the villain fell on his knees. Ladybug caught the akuma and released it as a normal butterfly. "Miraculous ladybug!" She shouted as a swarm of magic filled through Paris and turned everything back to normal. "Pound it!" And both of them fist bumped. "Good job, Milady. Brilliant as usual." Cat Noir told her. "Thanks kitty, bug out!" Ladybug was about to leave but Cat Noir stopped her. "Wait! I know you love someone else but don't you think a harmless meal together wouldn't be too terrible, please?" Ladybug felt awful. She loved Adrien and knew she couldn't tease Cat Noir like this. "Cat, I'm sorry but I don't want to give you false messages. If I go to dinner I'll just mess with your feelings and I could never do that. I'm about to transform back I'm sorry." And she left. Cat Noir stood there heartbroken. He had a feeling she would say no but hoped he could maybe convince her. He was going to tell her that "it's not romantic dinner it's just dinner as friends" but he felt terrible lying to the person he deeply loved. He rushed back to his house and transformed back as Adrien. He sat on the bed and sighed. Plagg went straight into his cheese stash and began nibbling away. He noticed Adrien had been staring at a little box. "Adrien, is that more cheese?" He didn't speak and word. He opened it and revealed a little golden heart shaped necklace. "It was my mother's. My father gave it to her on their first date." He paused and started choking up, "I was planning on giving in to Ladybug at dinner." Plagg dropped his cheese and tried to comfort Adrien. "You know what I do when a have a little heartache? I eat a lot of cheese!" He didn't speak and stared at the necklace. "Plagg, this isn't a little heartache, this is a giant heartbreak! I don't just have a little crush on Ladybug, I'm in love with her. I had a tiny crush on her when we first met, but each time we saw each other it grew. Everyday I see her all I want to do is just wrap her in my arms and tell her she's special to me. But, I can't. It's sickens me." He shed a tiny tear drop. "She won't even go out to a harmless meal!" It's like she hates me! And I don't know why?" He held the necklace in his hands tightly. Plagg sat next to him. "Plagg, you don't understand how hard it is to see someone so amazing and beautiful everyday and not be able to have them!" Plagg stared off into space for a while and looked at Adrien, "I, I actually do." Adrien looked at Plagg shocked, "How?" "I can't share too much but when I was first created by the first order of the guardians, I had to go into training on what to do with my master and how to allow them to use my power. Tikki, Ladybug's kwami, was in training with me. The first moment I ever saw her I fell in love. But one of the first things you learn in training is that a kwami's mission is to stick by their owners. We can't have any personal relationships or do or own social things. We have to focus. So I could never ever say anything." Adrien was surprised to see this side of Plagg. He usually just ate cheese and slept. "So I distracted myself with cheese. I don't even know if she ever felt the same way, not that it matters. Enough with this mushy love stuff I need CAMEBERTE!!!" "There's the plagg I know," Plagg ate a big bite of. Cameberte and sat back on the bed. "I had to make a sacrifice for my duty, and you have to do the same." Adrien looked at the necklace. "It's not that easy." Plagg are another bite, "Of course it's not easy, but it's what you have to do." Adrien pondered these thoughts. He shook his head, "Plagg, I can't give up. I just can't! She's the love of my life and I have to keep fighting!" Adrien thought for a moment. "Wait a minute? Do you remember that time that me and Ladybug were trapped by Dark Owl?" Plagg nodded his head. "We untransformed and closed our eyes. But you didn't. Did see who Ladybug is?" Plagg widened his eyes. Than he sighed, "Yes, but I'm sorry I would be breaking the kwami code by telling you, I'm sorry." Adrien laid back and stared at the ceiling, sulkily. Plagg tried to distract him, "Whatever happened with you and Kagami" Adrien told him, "She was nice, and I liked her. But he's no where as amazing as Ladybug." Plagg then had an idea. "What about Marinette?" Adrien sat up and looked at Plagg, "You're just naming a bunch of single girls I know so that I get my mind off of Ladybug." Plagg shook his head. "No I just always thought you liked her." Adrien chuckled and shook his head. "No she's just a friend." "She's really nice though and she obviously likes you." Adrien questioned Plagg, "Since when are you so observant of my love life? Also there's no way she has a crush on me." Plagg shook his head, "Ok look at the facts, she always stammers around you, she kissed u on the cheek. And she gave u that lucky bracelet thingy. And she has dozens of posters of you on her wall!" Adrien thought for a moment and realized that she did like him! "Wow I'm pretty blind, you're right. I was so distracted by Ladybug I didn't even think of her! I feel so terrible." Plagg asked why? "Because I probably crushed her when I asked her for love advice with Kagami!" Plagg asked, "What are you going to do?" Adrien wondered "I, don't know I've always just thought of her as my clumsy friend Marinette. But I don't want to crush her like Ladybug did to me. Now I understand how Ladybug feels when she turns me down." Adrien shook his head. "I'm gonna sleep on it, goodnight Plagg." Plagg thought to himself "ugh, if only he knew that Ladybug really did love him, but just not him as cat noir."

Ladybug leaped onto her balcony and untransformed. Marinette went into her room and laid on her bed. Tikki looked at her, puzzled. "What's the matter Marinette?" "I feel terrible turning down Cat Noir. I know he loves me but we have to focus on our duties. I mean it must feel awful, I can't imagine if Adrien turned me down." Tikki patted her back, "Marinette you shouldn't feel bad, you're right you need to focus! Maybe after we defeat Hawk Moth you and Cat Noir could go to dinner." Marinette agreed, but still felt awful.

Adrien walked into school that day wet, because of the rain, he was also confused. He didn't know what to do about the Marinette thing. The day went on normally and he tried focusing on his lesson but stopped occasionally to look at her. Marinette was a dear friend to him and he didn't want to lose that. He decided to just pretend like he didn't know so he wouldn't hurt her. The day ended and he walked outside to see it was still raining. Marinette walked out and opened up an umbrella.

Marinette saw Adrien, he was beautiful and kind, in this moment a new wave of confidence came over her

Adrien noticed the umbrella she had was the same one he had given her the first week of school. Marinette cleared her throat and spoke, "This reminds me of when we first became friends. I was standing in the rain, and u came and gave me this umbrella. It changed my perspective of you,, I,I though you were like chloe but u were completely different." Marinette was nervous but kept speaking. "I have great respect for you." Adrien looked puzzled, "Why?" She took and a deep breath and spoke, "You have a lot of restrictions at home, your father never leaves the house, and your mother..." Adrien looked down. Marinette kept talking "And Chloe, has whatever she wants when she wants. But, you are a wonderful kind person. And Chloe can be very selfish." Adrien smiled. "Wow, Thanks Marinette." He started waking but she stopped him, "Wait!" He looked at her puzzled. She sighed and realized that Adrien would never get the hint that she loved him. She handed him the umbrella. "Here, to return the sentiment." Adrien smiled and handed it back, "Marinette keep it. It's yours. I appreciate all of those kind words you gave me. Those are more special to me than any umbrella. Your friendship means a lot to me. And I would never want to lose that." He waved and got in his car.

Marinette lay in her bed sad. She knew what Adrien said sounded nice, but it was really just him friendzoning her nicely. Deep down she always knew that Adrien didn't love her. That's why she was always afraid to tell him how she felt. "Marinette are you ok?" Tikki said. "I don't really know."

"Plagg I feel really bad for what I said to Marinette earlier!" Adrien told him. "I tried telling her nicely but I saw the look on her face. I have to go talk to her." Plagg shook his head. "You obviously can't keep away from her." Adrien shook his head, "Just finish your cheese and we'll go to her house." Adrien put on his fake piano track and hopped out the window. He knocked on the door to her house. "Welcome Adrien." Her mother said. "Hi Mrs. Dupain-Cheng, is Marinette here?" "She's upstairs." He nodded his head and went upstairs.

Meanwhile...
"Fly away my little akuma and evilise her! "

*knock *knock "Marinette? It's me Adrien I wanted to talk to you. Can I come in?" He opened the door (since it was unlocked). He saw her on the bed crying. But he also saw an akuma flying straight for her. "No! Marinette! No negative emotions that akuma is coming straight for you!"

Meanwhile ...
"My son, he must have snuck out! I don't want my precious akuma to get him. Akuma return!l

Marinette leaped up terrified! But it flew away. "Marinette! Are you ok?" "Yes! But I uh have to um go to the bathroom." And she ran. After being in the bathroom she said "Tikki! Spots on!" And she quickly turned into Ladybug. "We have to catch that runaway akuma."

Adrien snuck into Marinette's closet. "Plagg claws out!"

Ladybug ran after the akuma trying to catch it. Cat Noir showed up but didn't speak. "Cat Noir! I'm glad your here we have to catch that akuma!" He looked at her and said, "You're not glad I'm here, your clearly hate me. Your won't even go out to a simple meal with me!" "Cat noir now's not a good time!" He shook his head. "There's never a good time! What do you want me to do? The bottom line is that I love you ok? I've poured my heart out to you several times and all I get is a "it's not a good time" or "I love someone else" I'm sick of excuses." "Cat Noir I don't hate you. It's not easy for me either ok? It's hard when I say no bc i clearly hurt you and I hate hurting you. But the bottom line is that we're superhero's we have our duties and we have to focus!" He fell to his knees. The akuma started heading towards his stick. "No!" Ladybug tried stopping it but it's was too late. He transformed into a white version of cat noir. "Cat Noir?" Cat Noir looked up with new red cat eyes "It's Cat Blanc to you!"