"What are they doing?" Marinette asked, the two girls watching from the shade of the doorway. Down the stairs and to the side of Adrien's car—which was parked as usual in front of the school—stood the boy in question, as well as Nino. They were leaning in close, talking it appeared, though there was some gesturing. Nino had a hand on Adrien's shoulder, while Adrien held his fists up between them, pumping them repeatedly while he continued muttering.

Alya smirked. "He's psyching himself up," she explained. "You know, the good ol' pep talk."

"For what?"

"For you!" Alya clapped her on the back.

"Oh..." Marinette bit the inside of her cheek, pondering the notion before she grabbed Alya by the arm and dragged her inside.

"I thought we were waiting for them," Alya said. That was the whole reason they'd been loitering up by the door. But Marinette had decided on a change of plans. If Adrien was to the point where he was anticipating her approach, she needed to change tactics. Perhaps less of a surprise would be more shocking to him.

Assuring Alya that she had everything under control, the two split up once they reached they were in the locker room, Marinette doing her best to act as naturally as possible. She managed to catch Adrien and Nino's voices as they entered, and so waited long enough for them to reach their lockers before she shut her own and headed around the row.

"Alya!" she called, tone friendly, and waved when her best friend looked up.

In the same moment—as though attuned to her voice—Adrien jumped and whipped around. Alya was on the far side of the row, his locker caught in the middle between them. Which meant Marinette had to pass right by in order for the two girls to meet up.

He watched her intently, eyes narrowed suspiciously. But she didn't give him the time of day. Instead, she smiled brightly when Alya waved back before beginning her trek down to the other side.

She passed Adrien, causing him to back flat up against his locker defensively. But she didn't so much as look at him. Breezing easily by, she met Alya at her own locker, the two exchanging pleasant greetings despite how they were both actually preoccupied.

Shifting the locker door until Marinette lightly nodded, Alya bent down as though getting into the bottom section, giving Marinette a generous view of the mirror tacked up on the metal. It was perfectly situated to put off a reflection of Adrien, who'd stepped out into the corridor and was blatantly staring after her. Lips parting in a slight gape, he blinked dumbly, arms shifting up and down—as though he wanted to gesture after her—before he settled for slamming his fists stubbornly to his hips.

Smirking, Marinette continued to watch as he glanced helplessly to the side—probably at Nino—and then back to her. Before, finally, he motioned a single hand in her direction, brows furrowing as an irritated scowl crawled itself across his expression.

More than satisfied with herself, Marinette shut Alya's locker for her as soon as her friend had stepped back, the two heading off without even the slightest hint that Adrien was on their minds.

As soon as they were out of the locker room, Alya pulled Marinette aside. "Here, have this," she murmured, holding up a graphing calculator. "I borrowed it from Adrien yesterday. I expect you'll be able to make good use of it, yeah?"

"Oh yeah," Marinette agreed, taking it gladly. "You just have to make yourself scarce."

"I'll go sit in the bathroom until a minute before class," Alya explained. "Don't waste the opportunity."

With the assurance that she wouldn't, the two quickly indulged in their "secret" handshake before Alya darted back into the locker room, no doubt headed for the bathroom. While Marinette—the calculator held tightly in her hands—sidled her way along the wall until she could duck safely into a doorway. Once there, she peered discreetly around the corner and waited.

As soon as she saw that familiar mop of blonde hair bob out the door beside Nino, she scurried after them.

They were headed toward the stairs, backs to her, which left Adrien all too vulnerable.

"Adrien!" she called, once she was only about a meter behind them.

Jumping, he spun, arms raised in alarm. He stared at her through wide eyes, hands forming karate chops as he bent at the knees. Like he was ready to fend off an immanent assault. Nostrils flaring, jaw clenching, he acted like an animal about to be hit.

So Marinette made sure to look appropriately startled, blinking in surprise as she took a step back. After all, he was Chat Noir—even if she wasn't supposed to know as much—and he wasn't exactly giving off the most welcoming vibe. She wasn't afraid of him (as if), but she could feign a little nervousness.

"Uh, sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up on you," she said, tapping her fingers against the calculator. His posture didn't ease, expression accented by quickly forming suspicion. "Well," Marinette cleared her throat, "Alya wanted me to give this to you." She held out the calculator. "I ended up using it to finish my homework this morning. Sorry."

For a moment, neither of them moved, the calculator hanging stiffly between them. The silence stretched, Adrien's focus skipping from side to side in paranoia. Until the quiet got so long that it became awkward, Marinette raising her eyebrows as she held the calculator a little higher.

Frowning, Adrien finally twitched his arms back down to his sides, the defensiveness in his shoulders gradually slipping away.

"Uh, thanks," he muttered quietly, motion somewhat delayed before he carefully took the calculator from her hold. He handled the instrument like it was going to explode, actually managing to spare some suspicion as he dropped it into his backpack.

As soon as he glanced up at her again, Marinette threw him a gentle smile, waving lightly before turning on her heel to walk away.

"Oh!" Twirling back around, she held up a knowing finger. "Also, if I was a cat," she winked, "I'd want to spend all nine of my lives with you." She spun back around, daring to blow him a kiss over her shoulder before she sauntered off.

Or, well, tried to.

"Well, t-too bad for you!" he shouted after. Marinette paused to glance back at him. "Because I'm not- I'm not a cat."

Don't give yourself away now, Marinette thought to herself.

"So you can't- There's no- I'm a mostly grown human. Not a cat! So you can't- It doesn't- Your joke doesn't work! I'm a human being!"

She nearly rolled her eyes. "I never said you were a cat," she explained, arms crossing over her chest as she turned to face him once more, though there was some two meters between them by that point. "I said if I was a cat. It's hypothetical, honey."

"I... I knew that..." he muttered, pouting. His gaze fell from hers, the flush of his cheeks only worsening as the seconds ticked by. "And don't call me 'honey.'"

Marinette huffed. "Okay." She turned away again. "Whatever you want, Kitten."

The sounds of his coughing exclamations were like music to her ears, Marinette practically skipping her way up the stairs to class. Alya was already there as she entered, Marinette making sure to slow her pace and gape accordingly at the display atop Adrien's desk. Before making her way to her own seat and slouching as though displeased with what lay before her. Alya cast her a sympathetic look, but didn't have the time to comment before Adrien and Nino walked through the door. Which, of course, had every eye in the classroom zeroing in on them.

Not that Adrien was aware of the attention. Or, if he was, it paled in comparison to the focus the giant bouquet atop his desk drew. Housed in a clear, clean, round vase that allowed one to see the stems of the dozens of roses, it stood as a beautiful eyesore. Marinette wasn't sure how many red roses there actually were—maybe five dozen. Hundreds of dollars' worth, in any case, and framed at the bottom edges by tufts of white hydrangea blooms. The sheer extravagance of the piece cleared Marinette of any guilt in having given it herself, as there was no way she could afford such a thing. But all Ladybug had to do was drop in to a local flower shop and ask a favor. The owner of the shop—who had recently been akumatized and saved—had been more than willing to arrange for the gift, free of charge.

And so there it sat, everyone in class giggling while Nino gaped and Adrien stared on in shock.

Chloe fumed nearby, Marinette convinced she could see steam rolling off her face.

Slowly, as though afraid the bouquet might attack him, Nino toed his way to his side of the table before sliding into his seat. While Adrien stood stupidly at the front of the room for some moments longer, before hesitantly sneaking up to the corner of his side.

"Whoever this is, they're certainly not messing around," Alya muttered, though the room was so quiet that nearly everyone heard her. The words seemed to spur some courage in Adrien, however, who tightened his lips and finally reached out to the bouquet. Taking hold of the card tucked between two of the roses, he held it close—protectively—before sliding into his seat.

Shadowed by the bouquet, it was likely impossible for him to see around the vase. But he slid the whole thing to the side a few seconds later, the grinding of the heavy display echoing loudly around the room. Until the umbrella of roses was crowding both Nino and Adrien to the edges of their seats.

It took all of Marinette's self-control not to smile, which seemed to cause her pout to manifest as an even more convincing frown. It was for the best, however. A girl with a crush wouldn't be pleased if someone else was showering her beloved with lavish gifts, so she figured her exaggerated expressions were justified.

Ms. Bustier walked in a few moments later, stopping dead in her tracks once she saw the bouquet. Which had Adrien apologizing quietly, the class erupting into giggles once more.

He didn't look at the card, which was probably smarter with so many people looking in—he'd likely learned that from the day before. But it didn't matter. It was simply signed with Ladybug's signature, but the simplicity seemed all the more impactful to Marinette, and so she considered the whole thing a job well done.

"Say, Adrien, how're you gonna get these home?" Nino whispered a few minutes into class, once Ms. Bustier had recovered from her shock and was busy with the lesson.

"I don't know," Adrien murmured back. "I don't think I can fit in the car with them."

"Feel free to come home with me then," Marinette interjected, taking the opportunity if only because it seemed a crime not to do so.

She really was getting as bad as Chat Noir.

"You," Adrien hissed, pointing a finger in her direction. "No talking."

"My goodness, someone's bossy this morning. You should know, however, that I like to be the one in charge."

He gaped, as if he was honestly offended.

"After all," she continued. "I'd be more than happy to give you commands."

Nino snorted out a chuckle.

"How about you just... take the flowers instead..." Adrien muttered back lamely.

Another perfect opportunity, but Marinette hesitated. It was almost too terrible to say—too much for her—but he'd just... walked into it so perfectly.

She had to.

She had to do it.

It was practically her responsibility at that point. She was in too deep to turn back.

"Oh, Adrien," she purred, "I'd much rather deflower you."

The wide-eyed gape from him, as well as Nino and Alya, nearly had her blushing at her own words. But she held her head high and stood by her line—no matter how inappropriate.

"Uh, careful," Nino warned, holding his hands up in an "x" shape. "Bordering on sexual harassment there, Marinette."

An accusation which did break through her shield quite sharply, causing her to sink into her shoulders as the heat broke through her resolve. It pushed an apology to her tongue, one that would have made it out into the open were it not for someone else speaking first.

Someone saving her, actually.

"It's alright," Adrien assured, sounding relatively defeated. "I pretty much walked right into that one." Glancing up at her, he managed a small, shy smile, despite his scarlet cheeks. So kind and forgiving, and probably more flattered than he was letting on.

All Marinette could do was look away awkwardly and regret going as far as she had.

The rest of the day was rough as far as her ability to drop lines, which was probably a relief to Adrien despite how it frustrated her. But the time between school and their patrol was enough for her to regain her composure. After all, she was doing this for him, in a way. She'd come so far—she couldn't back out because of one little crossed line. She'd just have to be that much more careful to keep herself in check from then on.

The patrol, for the most part, was quiet. Chat seemed preoccupied and she supposed that was justified. It wasn't until they were skidding to a halt near the end of their route that she arranged her thoughts enough to begin proper discourse.

She had a plan, after all.

"You really shouldn't let her get to you," she said, peering out across the Paris skyline. Beside her, Chat had been scuffing the tips of his boots against the building's ledge, his head shooting up at her statement.

"What?!" he blurted. "W-Who?!"

"The girl in your class," Ladybug reasoned, looking his way. "You're so distracted lately. Is she honestly bothering you?"

"Oh, no, she's not," he replied, shrugging as he glanced down at his feet. "She's harmless."

"Oh yeah?" Ladybug asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Sure." Finally, he grinned, some of that trademark Chat making its way into his expression. "She said something pretty inappropriate today, but I could tell she regretted it right away. She's not nearly as skilled as I am."

Ladybug scoffed, but couldn't really dispute his claim. "So then what's got you so quiet?"

"N-Nothing." He audibly gulped. "Uh, but, enough- enough about me." He cleared his throat nervously. Perhaps her bouquet had been too much for him. "How's it going with that boy that you... that you like?" He actually cringed upon asking, perhaps thinking he shouldn't have? Ladybug couldn't be sure.

"Things are going purr-fectly," she assured, smiling deviously at him. "I'll have Adrien wrapped around my finger in no time." She slowly twisted her finger in the air.

"A-Adrien!" he gasped out. "I mean, that's his name? Sounds... sounds like a stupid name... or something."

Ladybug clicked her tongue. "You really are off tonight."

He made a noise somewhere between a growl and a hum.

"Well, whatever it is that's bothering you, I hope you figure it out." She offered him a short wave before stepping down along the edge of the building. "I, on the other hand, have to get going."

"Hot date?" he joked.

"Yes, actually," she confirmed, which visibly surprised him. "And I don't want to be late." Removing her yoyo from her waist, she cast it out.

"You have a date?" he asked. "With- With who?"

"Who do you think? Adrien, of course."

The confusion that flashed across his face was fleeting, but she noticed it nonetheless.

"Not that he knows we're going on a date," she explained. "But he will soon enough. So long as he's not asleep and willing to accompany me." Smiling, she cast him once last smile, ignoring his wide-eyed, jaw-clenching panic. "I'd ask you to wish me luck," she said lastly, "but I think we both know I don't need it."

And so she swung off, only able to imagine his scrambling reaction as she leisurely made her way toward the Agreste mansion.

Bad Puns or Bad jokes?

Also I am really, really sorry about not posting in a long time. It's just that I don't really use socail media that much and I literally got addicted as I would get almost 10 notifications every hour. I was constantly checking Wattpad. To make matters worse, my parents don't know about me being on Wattpad. At first I was going to take a 2-3 month hiatus to stop the growing addiction as well as prepare for all the Math contests, science fairs, and Spelling Bees that I have to participate in that happen from January to June. Then the Corona Virus happened and I was under strict supervision from my parents. My little time that I got to spend in front of a screen was taken away by the need to study for all the contests and online courses that I take. I'm still in Middle school and am going to do classwork two years ahead of my grade in science and math. I do admit That it was relieving to have the burden of constantly checking notifications off of me.I do admit that I was still visiting Wattpad, Quotev, AO3 and other places to read fanfics but I never went as a person who depended on reading them. Again I'm sorry.I'll try to update so that we can end the fanfics I still have. I won't stop writing but I doubt that  I will start anything new for the next 1-3 years.

I also have the huge 3.2k notifications that I refuse to look at right now...