@(Un)LuckyLady 🐞 [1]

Dear Buginettes,

Five years ago I had my first taste of a relationship. I was young and burdened with so many responsibilities the relationship ended before it truly began. I haven't had one since.

It's been a long and winding road to get to this point, but now, as I approach my 20s, I'm inviting you all on a journey with me; a journey of discovery, confidence, and (hopefully) love. So for the next few weeks, I've set myself a mission to find and date a guy who will make my world spin.

As an ordinary citizen of Paris, I do not own the luck of my super alter ego. I don't get the guys, I don't get the longing looks or the flirting, I barely get a second glance, and those I'm lucky enough to get interest from struggle with my extracurricular activities. In other words, like many of the girls in Paris, I chose the wrong guy.

So here it is, my dating blog and I invite all you single ladies (and gentlemen) out there to join along with me to find love in the city which is made for it. The journey starts now...

Yesterday, I decided what I want from a prospective partner and where I could find someone with similar time constraints as myself.

I invite all you out there who are looking for love, to think about who you want your significant other to be.

Don't want someone who parties a lot? Then don't look in a club.

Want someone who loves to ice skate? Then, take some trips down to the rink.

It starts now...

@(Un)LuckyLady🐞

Guy's interested: 0

Guy's numbers: 0

Dates Planned: 0

Dates Completed: 0

Hits: 2

Posted 30 seconds ago

••••••••

"Wow! It's like reading Bridget Jones' Diary."

"I'm telling you now, no one in their right mind is going to want to read this!" Marinette exhaled, moving towards the kitchen and the kettle; she needed another mint tea.

After the previous day's planning session, Marinette had spent most of the night writing up her first entry for the blog under her new account name: (Un)LadyLuck; she just prayed a little of that 'Ladybug luck' rubbed off into her civilian life. She needed it now more than ever.

As she'd pieced together her blog post the previous evening, she'd worn her delete button out typing then retyping the same sections over and over again. After her discussions with Alya, Marinette had decided to keep her whereabouts as vague as possible. After all, she didn't want the people of Paris to start a mass hunt for Ladybug.

"Then obviously there's a lot of people not in their right mind because the hit count is quadrupling by the second."

Marinette almost broke the mug as she slammed it down on the countertop before heading over to Alya and jumping beside her on the sofa. She looked over her friend's shoulder at Alya's smartphone, and low and behold, the hit count was jumping numbers left, right, and centre.

2 had become 8.

8 became 20.

30 became 72.

72 became 116.

Hit after hit, followed by comment after comment as people showed their support for the unlucky in love hero.

"This is insane!" Marinette commented, completely bamboozled by the public's reaction.

"Not so much insane as a hit. Girl, you're going to blow the server!"

All of a sudden the hit count jumped to four figures. Thousands of people were reading. Suddenly there were hundreds of comments, hundreds of very supportive comments.

"This is crazy!" Marinette began to read down the comments, overwhelmed by the response. How did so many people want to read this? Maybe Chat had been right all along and people did want to see her be 'normal'.

Marinette scrolled down the comments glancing quickly at what the thousands (thousands!!!) of people were saying.

@Loveforthebug: This makes me sad and excited at the same time. We love you LB and I'm sure your Prince Charming is just waiting for you to rescue him.

@Ladyandthecat: What about Chat Noir? Why don't you just date him?

@ChatNoir_Official: I'm proud of you, M'Lady. I've got your back 😉

@Bugalicious: Finally, a celebrity I can get on board with! Thank you for doing this Ladybug. Girls like myself always get looked over for those with the nicest hair and most expensive outfits; I'll be following along with you, and hopefully we'll both be celebrating finding the love of our lives together.

"You're already a hit girl. Now we just need to get you down to the gym and start the search." Alya was practically bouncing from one foot to the other, Marinette feeling like she may need to sedate her friend to get her to chill out.

"We are not doing anything. I am going to stop by the gym after my lecture to check out costs and classes."

"Do you have a list of must haves? I mean, you're going somewhere with a swimming pool right? That way you can check out the–"

Marinette put her fingers in her ears and began to sing at the top of her lungs; whatever Alya had to say could be put on hold because it was one step at a time and step number one was to survive the day. Moving back to her room, Marinette misjudged her step and walked into the doorframe.

She had to remove her fingers from her ears to grab hold of her head, Alya's cackling echoing through the hallway as clear as crystal.

"The great Ladybug everybody," she announced. Marinette growled in response as she headed back into her bedroom and prepared for what was going to be a very long day.

••••••••

"So there are three different memberships. The first is anytime any day, then we have the weekend pass, and the after 5 pm pass."

"Do the passes cover the classes as well?" Marinette flicked through the pamphlet she'd been handed mere minutes ago. It had been a whirlwind since she had entered the venue; information was being thrown at her along with questions about her own fitness level. She could only answer about half of them and panic at the rest.

No, she didn't know her BMI.

No, she didn't know what BMI stood for.

No, she most certainly didn't want to be put on a healthy eating programme to improve said BMI.

She just wanted a man, not that she told them that.

Marinette was currently touring the venue with someone who could only be described as 'A Rock'. It was still up for debate whether she meant that in the way of Dwayne Johnson, or a literal boulder, because the size of this guy made a cliff look small. He was huge! His thick veins made themselves known as they protruded out his neck, forearms, biceps, and head.

"Not the weekend pass. The evening one has limitations too; it will allow you access to the spin class, boxercise and Zumba, also one PT session a month."

"And the pool?" Marinette indicated to the area they were just entering. The large rectangular pool looked inviting as hell. Maybe Alya had got it right this time, and a pool would be a good idea. She could imagine herself swimming a couple of laps before conversing with a handsome stranger in the jacuzzi...oh yes!

"Access comes with all memberships, which includes the sauna and steam rooms too."

Marinette nodded as she continued walking through the venue. It was a beautiful place, situated in a hotel not too far from ESMOD, meaning she could easily venture there after class. The gym was in the basement of the building, along with a pool that was accented with mood lighting and was open 24 hours a day. It was perfect, and even if Marinette didn't complete her challenge, the lightning and the general fitness classes and other equipment might actually be a good break for her mental health. She couldn't remember the last time she'd done anything at all for her, that included haircuts, manicures and waxing — the latter something to add to her 'To Do' list.

The manager, who had been showing her around, led her back to his office near the front desk and pulled out numerous sheets of paper and other documents. He grabbed a pen and placed it on top, ready for Marinette's feedback.

She looked at the price list, and thankfully the night pass (after 5 pm) was perfect for her budget. Jagged Stone had just commissioned some extra work from her, so paying upfront for the year would be no problem.

"Now, I'm guessing you're a student at ESMOD?" The manager said, leaning back in his chair and looking Marinette over.

She let out a little chuckle. "Did the outfit give it away?" she asked.

"Oh, yes. Though I must say, you seem to have a little more fashion sense than some of the other students who come through here. Anyway, because of our location, we have a mix of... people coming through those doors. Models, designers... those who are desperate to get audiences with said models and designers." He laughed, folding his fingers through each other and resting them on the table.

The action had made his biceps flex, and she swore each one was thicker than her waist. How often did this guy lift weights?

"I understand." Nodding, Marinette mirrored the guy's action.

"I'm sure you do, so as an ESMOD student we do hope that your membership here is for the purposes of using the gym for fitness and not to go on a search for celebrities or connections."

"I understand that, too." Marinette announced. She found it quite comical really. She was Ladybug, probably the most famous woman in Paris, and had a friend who was a model with a father who just so happens to be a world famous designer. Not forgetting her own accomplishments as Marinette, after all, she had designed for Jagged Stone and Kitty Section.

"Now with that out the way, which of our memberships do you see yourself wanting to select?"

Marinette took a moment to study the list once more, making it seem like she hadn't completely decided yet.

"Well," she began, "with my schedule, the late night pass would definitely be ideal. I sometimes have insomnia or energy I need to burn off late at night, so this suits me perfectly."

"And any classes?"

"I'd like to try them all," Marinette stated, firmly. If she was going to do this then she was going to do it right. She'd try all the classes and all the different sessions included in the membership. She would even vary the times as much as possible. She'd committed to it, and one thing was for sure, once Ladybug had committed to something she stuck with it until the end.

"All? Including weightlifting?" The guy looked sceptical, but Marinette just shrugged.

"Why not? Is there anything against women doing it?" She crossed her arms over her chest, channelling her inner Ladybug only for the guy to look actually quite afraid, and was that a trickle of sweat running down his bald, shiny head? Ha!

"No, no, of course not." He coughed a couple of times before pulling a timetable from a PVC holder on his desk and grabbing a highlighter. As he began to talk about crazy fitness mumbo-jumbo, Marinette took the opportunity to look around the room, her eyes landing on the Perspex window leading out into the gym area.

It was 7 pm, a time she would usually be here and it was actually quite busy and, luckily for her plan, very heavily male dominated. Men were everywhere. She made a quick scan with her eyes as the manager continued his spiel, looking to see if anyone stood out yet.

Nope. None so far.

Continuing her window shopping, she ended up transfixed on a group of girls standing near a smaller window at the fitness studio. They looked to be around her age and similar in stature to Chloé.

Bright blonde hair. Ridiculously skinny waists and legs. Fitness accessories everywhere, and a girlish giggle that made her skin crawl.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

Her nose curled up at the display in front of her, her head reminding her that she hadn't come here to make friends. The small relief that thought had given her was quickly wiped away when she realised she would be battling with many Malibu Barbies for attention.

She looked down, giving her thighs a quick glance over, she couldn't let this intimidate her. Her legs were part of her, the muscle developed from years of jumping, squatting, and springing around to save Paris, so what if she was battling for a guy's attention against Miss Chicken Legs. She needed to believe in herself and believe in her body. It seemed this whole dating deal was bringing a lot more to the surface than she imagined, an array of insecurities suddenly floating to the surface.

"Is there a class going on at the minute?" she interrupted, the manager stopping his information about boxing gloves as curiosity won out.

"It's our boxercise class. Great fun and works every part of the body. We mix it with boxing techniques to help give you an additional workout. See, most gyms will only partake in a 40 minute class; we like to extend ours to an hour."

Marinette watched the girls scream and giggle again as they pointed to something or someone through the window.

"That sounds great." She turned her head back. "Sign me up for next week." Her smile was wide as she attempted to look enthusiastic, when really she just wanted to know who or what everyone was gawking at.

"It's a full male class. You'll be the only female. Are you okay with that? Most women don't want to wreck their nails inside the gloves as I was saying before."

She could have doubled over in laughter. Forget wrecking your nails when you spend most of your time hiding in sewers and jumping into sewerage water. Boxercise would be child's play.

"I'm not like other women," she responded confidently, impressed that she'd seemed to get a look of respect from 'The Rock'.

"I like you, Ms. Dupain-Cheng. You don't seem to scare easily."

She shrugged. "Comes with the job."

"I didn't realise you needed to be so fearless for fashion design."

"You have no idea." A smug look took over her face at the double meaning of her words. If only they knew.

He smiled at her again, and she was quite sure he either thought she was insane or he'd just found a boatload of respect for her.

"I'll tell you what." He pushed himself up from his seat and grabbed a clipboard. "How about you come and have a taster session?" He checked his watch. "It's only been going 10 minutes, I'll put you through a quick warm-up, and then you can jump right in. Call it a promotional freebie."

Marinette smiled, standing and heading to where she had left her sports bag earlier. "Sounds great."

Following 'The Rock' out of the office, he led her past the squealing girls and indicated the female changing room to her. "Get yourself ready, and I'll meet you back out here in 5."

"Sure."

And with that, she entered the changing room ready to start her search for 'the one'.

Marinette slammed her bag into the locker, closing and locking the object tightly, making sure all her items were safely secured.

Heading to the mirror with her hair tie in between her teeth, she began to gather her hair together and place it in a ponytail on the top of her head. She turned left and right in the mirror, bobble still in her mouth and one hand supporting her hair, as she viewed her chosen outfit. By chosen, she means the one Alya forced her to wear, an outfit that apparently showed off her best features and flattered her *cough* underdeveloped areas.

Sporting her side profile, she gave a quick glance at her rear, taking the hair tie from her teeth and wrapping it around tightly. She smiled to herself; that section of her body was definitely her favourite, and something even tens of thousands of squats couldn't give you—benefits of being a hero. Her racerback vest was a size too large and lay perfectly over her body; damn she looked good. Now she just had to go and find a man.

Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes and steadied her nerves. What had Alya said again? Ladybug is only awesome because she's Marinette? Or something like that? She needed to believe it now more than ever because if she didn't, Marinette was about to go and make quite a spectacle of herself; after all there was plenty of equipment and objects just lying around waiting for her feet to get tangled in.

She exited the changing rooms only to see the manager (clipboard in hand) talking to the girls who were still watching boxercise class, every now and then glancing in himself. Odd.

He turned his head towards the changing area, seeing Marinette heading over. It was a good job he spotted her as quickly as he did as she was about three seconds away from doing one of those awkward 'yoohoo, I'm here' waves, which was not at all the impression she wanted to make.

"You ready? I've spoken to the instructor, and he's fine with you jumping in."

"As ready as I'll ever be." Marinette smiled, and taking care to tread carefully, she followed the manager over to a mirrored area where heavy duty mats were locked together on the ground.

The girls, reminiscent of 'the plastics' gave her a fleeting glance, and she knew if this was going to work, if she wanted to make sure she didn't come off as weak, she needed to show that she had something they didn't.

"Let's start with some stretches. Okay, just sit down and put your legs into a straddle."

Now, Marinette would like to claim it's the years of being in her super suit that allowed her a near perfect straddle; however, the skill was actually a by-product of YouTube yoga sessions with Alya on a weekend. (It was no secret to Marinette what Alya wanted the extra 'flexibility' for.)

Marinette stretched tall, her back perfectly straight and relaxed forward, her arms opening out to hold her ankles as her stomach lay flat on the mats.

"Hello!"

The appreciative sounds from males nearby, which would usually disgust her, made her smile. Maybe for once Marinette will get a second look. Take that Ladybug.

She sat back up, the movement practically flawless as she noticed not only 'the plastics' looking at her, but also a couple of the men on the rowing machines and treadmills. She made a mental note to write about first impressions in her next blog.

They did a few more reps, changing every now and then to do one leg at a time, before taking it into back stretches and lunges. It was fair to say she'd nailed that section of the warm up.

"Very good, very good. Now let's do some press ups and sit-ups; which would you like to start with?"

"Sit-ups, if that's okay?" Marinette answered by manoeuvring herself onto her back and stretching her legs up into the air. "Is it okay to do them like this? I don't get much pull from bent knees."

The manager spluttered his answer as Marinette began, 'the plastics' now losing complete interest and turning back to whatever was happening in the studio. She had to admit she was getting quite curious now too.

Effortlessly completing 5 reps of 10, Marinette moved to full press ups gaining her more respect from the males in the area, a few now standing around to watch. For the first time in forever, she felt as powerful being Marinette as when she was Ladybug, and she had to admit it was thrilling.

Maybe this idea wasn't as hideous as she believed, and maybe her Kitty will be rewarded for such a fabulous idea. She could make him a jumper as thanks, or maybe some of the macarons he liked.

Standing, she grabbed her towel and her drink, dabbing the nonexistent sweat from her forehead and taking a deep gulp of her water (from her Chat Noir water bottle, of course).

"The instructor has their star student in with them today, so I believe he's going to pair you with him. That way, you can be shown the ropes and have someone to guide you."

"Is he good looking?" Marinette questioned, one eyebrow raising as the manager gaped at her, his mouth making a great impression of a guppy.

She burst out laughing, dabbing her face once more for effect. "I'm only joking, I promise." She held up her hands in surrender, and she could tell he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Making it to the studio's door, she noticed 'the plastics' were once again eyeing her over.

Let them look, she thought, throwing a smile their way before she opened the door and entered the studio.

She was presented to the class like a prize winning puppy at Crufts. Each of the males in the room either waved, gave her a curt nod, or eyed her in a way that better give her the win for 'Best in Show'. All apart from one.

Marinette looked to the corner where a guy was bent over messing in a bag, his phone to his ear. Luckily, he'd left her with a rather impressive view, one she was willing to add to her get to know list; after all, a rear like that was definitely worth the effort.

"Everyone to your partners. We'll get started on some coordination work." Everyone paired off as the instructor and the manager made their way to Marinette, the latter declaring she was being left in helpful hands and bolting from the studio.

"Nice to meet you," the instructor greeted, and 'nice' he definitely was. He looked about 28, with a tan and the most perfect just working out hair — stylish and messy all at the same time.

"You too, so–" Marinette said, her eyes scanning the room. "Who's going to be my partner?"

The instructor smiled his perfect, dimpled smile with wonderfully white teeth as he took Marinette over to the guy with the nice ass... sorry — bag.

Finally ending his call, he placed the phone down and stood to his towering height, each muscle in his back rippling as it contorted and moved to its most comfortable position. Even from his back, Marinette could tell he was gorgeous, and even without seeing his face she knew he would make her top five.

His hair came into view next. Golden like the sunshine, though the sweat from his exercise regime had darkened it slightly, the droplets adding a sheen to his shoulders. Honestly, she was about to spar with Hercules, because there was no way this guy wasn't linked to the Gods.

As he turned around she got the shock of her life, one so severe she fell backwards, knocking a whole selection of equipment down in her heist.

Oh wow! Great, Marinette.

Before she could push herself back to standing and recuperate her thoughts, a hand was in front of her face. A hand linked to emerald green eyes and hair brighter than the sun, a face she dreamed about day and at night. She couldn't believe it! Out of every gym in Paris she had to walk into his.

She joined her hand with his and allowed him to pull her back onto her feet, steadying her by the upper arms once she was balanced again.

"T-t-thank you, Adrien."

"You're welcome, Marinette."