"Can you believe it?" Alya asked incredulously, taking her change from the cashier and pocketing it before turning away from the counter. "So then I said- "

Marinette didn't give her a chance to finish, suddenly grabbing her coat sleeve and pulling her down behind a conveniently placed sandwich board. Alya was so startled she lost her balance and fell on her butt, nearly dropping her sandwich and bottle of water in the process. She raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms in annoyance.

"Okay, girl, what has gotten into you? That hurt, you know."

Marinette grimaced, eyes darting in all directions to avoid her best friend's piercing stare. "Sorry, it's just…we need to get out of here."

"Why? I thought we agreed this morning that we wanted to eat here today."

"Umm…" Marinette wracked her brain for an excuse that didn't reveal the real reason she wanted to leave, but was believable enough to coerce Alya into listening. "I just remembered, uh, I hate the food here?" She bit her lip, wishing she had been able to say it more confidently. Alya was never going to buy that.

Sure enough, Alya frowned dubiously. "If that were the reason, you would've mentioned it this morning when I suggested this cafe." Her eyes widened suddenly, a grin surfacing, and in a sing-song tone she asked, "This couldn't have anything to do with a certain cute blonde who happens to frequent this cafe, could it?"

Marinette gaped, flabbergasted. "Y-you knew?!"

"Of course, you forget that I know all. Besides, why do you think I would suggest this place when your parents' food is clearly far superior? I heard from Nino that he and Adrien eat here all the time."

Marinette buried her head in her hands and moaned. "I can't believe you'd do this to me!"
Alya bumped her with a shoulder. "And I can't believe you're not singing my praises right now. Come on, this is the perfect opportunity for you to spend some time with him."

"No. No way. I'm not emotionally prepared for this, Alya. Let's just go."

"Uh-uh, there is no way in hell I am going back into that cold until I absolutely have to. Besides, you'll be fine." Alya gently patted Marinette's hair, trying to reassure her. "Look, Nino and I will be there as a buffer. I promise it won't be awkward, so you can't pass up this chance!"

Marinette's mouth settled into a determined frown. "Yes, I can! Alya, there's no way I can eat in front of him. I'd probably get too nervous and choke to death on my food!"

"Then he can give you CPR. Clever girl."

"ALYA!" Marinette shouted as loudly as she dared, not wanting to be overheard by the boys she was currently trying to avoid.

The bespectacled girl tugged on her elbow, pulling them both back to standing. She brushed off her behind before pressing her hand against her chest, the other carefully balancing her lunch. "Trust Mama Alya. You'll be fine! Now let's go ask to sit with them." She grabbed Marinette's hand in an iron grip, knowing there was no way the smaller girl could escape her and reveling in the fact that things were working out just as she had planned.

Marinette tried to tug herself free while maintaining a hold on her lunch at the same time, face bright red as moans of protest vibrated out of her. Finally realizing the futility of her actions when they were a mere five feet away from the boys, she gave up. "I'm going to kill you," she muttered to her companion, at least half meaning it.

"Promises, promises." Alya sent her an evil grin, before stopping in front of the boys' table.

"Hey, guys!" Nino exclaimed a bit too happily, quickly grabbing his stuff and moving around the table to take the chair next to Adrien. As she sat down across from the teenage DJ, Marinette sent him a glare, and his answering smirk confirmed her suspicious that he had been Alya's partner in crime in the ruse.

My friends are the worst, Marinette thought to herself as she shucked off her scarf and coat. Even though she was frustrated with being forced into the situation, she couldn't deny that the thought of eating lunch with her crush set her tummy pleasantly aflutter with butterflies. As she peeled her banana, her classmates started chattering about Nino and Adrien's sleepover plans for later that day, and Marinette zoned out. The topic didn't concern her so instead of listening she elected to focus on chewing her food carefully, so that she wouldn't actually make a fool of herself by choking as she had joked earlier.

"Marinette! Pay attention, would you?"

At the sound of her best friend's voice, Marinette's head snapped up, a blush already starting to appear on her cheeks. Embarrassed for being caught so obviously not paying attention, she avoided the boys' eyes as she answered Alya shyly. "Sorry, I was thinking about something else. What did I miss?"

Alya huffed, shooting her a look that seemed to say that she knew exactly what Marinette had been thinking about. Crossing her arms, she repeated what she'd been saying for the third time. "I said that you shouldn't forget about this afternoon."

"Oh." Marinette thought that over for a few seconds, before drawing a blank. Anticipating her friend's wrath, she asked nervously, "Umm, what was this afternoon again?"

Snickers sounded from the boy's side of the table, and she turned to send Nino another glare as Alya started to reply. "Marinette, come on," Alya said, sounding completely exasperated. "We're all getting together at my house today to work on our group project for history. We planned this days ago, where have you been?"

Of course. Marinette mentally slapped herself. Get it together, Mari, think about things other than Adrien and his perfect smile and gorgeous eyes, oh and his fantastic hair-

"MARINETTE!" Alya smacked her lovesick friend on the arm. "For real girl, I don't know what's going on in that head of yours, but you need to come back down to Earth long enough for us to at least finish the assignment later."

Turning a red that would put any tomato to shame, Marinette nodded mutely, avoiding the other girl's judgmental stare. Unconsciously, her eyes flicked towards Adrien, and she was graced with a sympathetic smile from the boy. She smiled back in surprise, slightly relieved to see that he didn't seem to be thinking about how weird she was or anything.

After finishing the rest of their food and putting their heavy winter coats back on, the kids braved the biting cold to head back to school, mainly discussing the unusually long winter they'd been having. It was already a week and a half into March and the cold showed no intent of letting up. With the icy wind at their backs, it seemed to take much longer than usual to get back, but when they finally arrived at the school, they arranged to meet on the front steps after the final bell to walk to Alya's house together. With a few waves, the boys left for the next class, leaving the girls alone in the hall.

Marinette immediately grabbed Alya by the shoulders and pushed her into a nearby bathroom. Once she had ascertained that they were alone, she let the calm demeanor she'd been forcing since the cafe fall and started freaking out. Alya simply stood there, waiting out the storm, as her best friend paced with her arms flailing wildly.

"I can't believe I forgot about the project! I can't do this, I haven't had time to prepare myself!"

Alya rolled her eyes and said wryly, "Gee, that doesn't sound familiar at all." As Marinette shot her a scowl, Alya sighed and walked over to her hyperventilating friend to wrap a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"I can't do this!" Marinette whined again, burying her face in her hands as all the ways she could embarrass herself by being near Adrien started flashing through her mind.

"Yes you can," Alya told her firmly. She turned Marinette to face her and gripped both of her shoulders gently. "Girl, you are so ready for this! You did fine on the walk back to school and at lunch, not counting the whole zoning-out thing. Besides, Adrien is a good guy, so even if you happen to do something a little bit embarrassing he'll be sweet to you."

Alya's pep-talk returned a little of Marinette's confidence. She's right, she reassured herself. You can totally do this. You're friends with Adrien, after all, you should be able to handle just working on a group project with him. Besides, Alya and Nino will be there the whole time. She frowned, shaking her head. Actually, knowing them, that will probably make things worse before it makes them better.

Having calmed down significantly, Marinette sighed and suggested that they head to class. Being tardy wouldn't fix the situation, after all. Alya agreed, and the girls headed down the hall to their classroom and settled in at their desks. Marinette pulled her tablet out, figuring if she was going to be distracted with thoughts of her impending doom all throughout class—and she knew she would be—she should at least look like she was paying attention to the lecture. She sighed again as the teacher stepped up to the board and started talking, turning her attention to the clock and beginning to count down the minutes until the last bell.

At the sound of the last bell, Marinette's heart took off like a racehorse gunning for first. She slowly began to pack up her belongings, knowing it was futile to try and put off meeting the boys, but wanting to all the same. Alya tapped her foot impatiently, prompting her to move just the tiniest bit faster, and all too soon her bag was packed, her coat and scarf were in place, and she was being hustled out the door by her best friend.

As the boys came into view, standing at their predetermined meeting spot, Marinette told herself to take deep, even breaths. Breathing is key, she reminded herself, watching a white cloud form in front of her mouth as she slowly exhaled. As long as you keep breathing, everything will be fine. Probably.

The girls pulled up beside Nino and Adrien and the group started towards the Cesaire household. Alya broke the comfortable silence first, exclaiming, "It's Friday! Who's ready to party?!" At everyone's confused looks, Alya smiled. "No one? Good, because we're not partying until after this bitch of a project is over and done with."

"Language!" Adrien spat out before he could stop himself, blushing a bit and tightening his scarf as Nino and Alya hit him with matching stares, complete with identically raised eyebrows.

"You're far too innocent for your own good, Adrien."

Nino nudged Alya to a stop with his elbow, leaning towards her ear with his hand half-circled around his mouth like he was going to tell her a secret. Making eye contact with Adrien, who had stopped in his tracks and frowned upon seeing the bespectacled boy's evil smirk, he stage-whispered, "You know, he still says H-E-double hockey sticks."

"Nino!"
"You totally do, bro. Papa Nino has done his best to teach you the ways of a normal teenager, but to no avail. Not my fault you're such an innocent."

Adrien's blush deepened, and he straightened his posture as he resumed walking. "That's not true. I can curse too if I want."

Nino smirked again as he and the girls caught up to his red friend. "No, dude, I don't think you can."

"Yeah?" Adrien took a quick breath, thrusting his chin up confidently. He set his jaw, then declared, "Shit."

Nino and Alya stared at him, not saying anything, and their eyes weighed heavy on the boy's conscience. Marinette stared too, peering at him across the Nino-Alya buffer, and in her eyes he saw her disbelief that he had actually done it. The guilt was too much.

"T-take mushrooms. Shiitake mushrooms. They're, uh, delicious?" Adrien hung his head, stubbornly refusing to meet his best friend's gaze.

"Weak sauce, dude."

"Shut up, Nino," Adrien muttered without spirit. He snuck another glance across the group at Marinette, noting the small smile that played on her lips and cheering up a bit. Even if it was because of his embarrassment, he was happy he had made her smile, which he thought didn't happen often enough. It was nice, and he decided he'd like to do that more frequently.

It was at that moment that the teens arrived at Alya's house. The three visitors waited patiently as their hostess unlocked the door, filing in like obedient ducklings following their mother after she opened it. They shucked off their shoes and winter gear then headed towards the dining room, along the way covering their ears as Alya shouted to see if anyone was home.

"Fantastic, we have the place to ourselves, kids. We shouldn't waste this golden opportunity for silence, but before we get started would anyone like a snack?"

Nino grinned devilishly. "I'd love something to eat. Go make me a sandwich."
Marinette gaped. She knew that Nino and Alya had had a bit of a "thing" going on recently, but to talk to her like that took guts even Marinette herself only had on an occasional basis. Her feminist friend didn't take kindly to remarks like that, sometimes even if they were just jokes.

Luckily for Nino, Alya knew a flirt when she saw one, and liked this one enough to flirt back. She fired back instantly. "Go chop me some lumber."

"What? There are no trees here I could chop, and besides I don't even have an axe."

Alya crossed her arms, seemingly unimpressed. "There are plenty of trees around, and a real man wouldn't need an axe."

Nino threw his hands up in exasperation. "They're too big! And that makes no sense."

"Right. You'd need to use smaller wood."

Marinette grinned and Adrien winced at the implication of that line, but Nino wasted no time sending Alya a wink followed by, "Well, I am used to working with a different type of wood."

At this, Adrien and Marinette both turned red. Of the four, they were the two most innocent when it came to things like this, and both were suddenly feeling as though they might be behind the curve even more than they'd previously thought. How far exactly, they wondered, had Alya and Nino's "thing" gone?

As the more bashful children continued to blush, Alya lost no time deploying her finishing blow. "Right, different wood," she pretended to agree with Nino, until an evil smile bloomed on her face. "Smaller wood." She held her hand out to Marinette for a high five, which the pigtailed girl returned with a grin. Innocent or not, Marinette could still appreciate a good dick-joke related burn once in a while.

"Anyways," Alya moved on as Nino continued to flounder silently for a comeback, "Marinette and I are going to go get some snacks. You guys can go ahead and spread out your stuff on the table." She and Marinette headed through the doorway into the next room to find something to nourish their ever-hungry teenage bellies with.

Adrien dutifully took a seat at the large table, beginning to unpack his bag as his best friend slowly sank down into the seat beside him with a strange look on his face. Concerned, he asked, "Nino, you okay?"

Nino shook his head, then nodded, looking somewhat starstruck. "Dude." He turned to Adrien, with a dreamy look in his eyes. "Bro, I think I'm in love."

Adrien almost choked. "What?"

"Yeah." Nino sighed happily. "That girl's fiery. Not many girls can keep up with the master, but she has no trouble bulldozing me, much less simply keeping up."

Adrien raised a brow, and in a teasing voice asked, "That's what does it for you, huh? Being verbally whipped into submission?"

"Shut up. You're the one with the polka dot kink."

Alya zoomed back into the room, as though she'd been summoned by the mere mention of Ladybug's signature look. She set a plate of cookies on the table, putting her hands on her hips. "Who has a polka dot kink? Besides me, of course."

Marinette, who had entered just after her best friend, was extremely disturbed from having witnessed the wink that Alya sent Nino after that last sentence. As she set the tray of drinks she had been carrying on the table, she shuddered, shooing away mental images of what Alya could possibly be implying with a remark like that.

Nino winked back, once again throwing his brother-from-another-mother under the bus. "Adrien."

"I do not!"

"Dude, you so do."

Alya set a hand on Adrien's shoulder. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, Agreste. Most of Paris has one at this point."

Adrien's blush might've been warming his face, but it was setting Marinette on fire. Adrien Agreste likes me! she squealed in her head, heart fluttering in her chest. Well, Adrien likes Ladybug. But I am Ladybug, so by liking Ladybug he likes me by extension! Suddenly, she'd never been happier to work on a history project. Alya was right, it was like having a free pass to hang out with Adrien. She silently thanked Tikki for lending her the good luck that had probably had a hand in her being put in Adrien's group.

Alya clapped her hands together, snapping Marinette out of her thoughts, and announced, "Okay. Now that we've crossed 'embarrass Adrien' off the list, the next thing we need to do is this damn project."

She shot a glance at Adrien, smirking as she waited for him to reprimand her for her use of language again, and he intentionally bit his tongue. He wouldn't give her the pleasure. That's Nino's job, after all, he thought to himself with a smirk of his own, before he flipped his book open to begin working.

The dining room quieted as the teens began to work intently on their parts of the project, only occasional questions about content and phrasing breaking the comfortable silence. Lost in her duties, everything else slipped away and Marinette managed to ignore Adrien's normally overwhelming presence as the world disappeared from around her.

Two hours later, the teens were busy putting the finishing touches on their project when they were interrupted by a shrill ringtone. They all reached for their phones out of habit, and when Alya discovered that hers was the one making the noise, she pushed her chair away from the table to stand.

"It's my mom. Sorry, guys, I gotta take this. Keep working without me, I'll be right back."

Marinette panicked for a second, breath hitching as she realized that half of her buffer was leaving her. She'd been doing okay with Adrien, heck, she was even starting to be able to consistently manage full sentences without stuttering, but she was unnerved by the sudden change in the group's balance.

It'll be fine, she reassured herself. Alya won't be gone that long, and in the meantime you still have Nino to-

Nino shot out of his seat. "Well, I suddenly have to pee. Which way to the bathroom? This way? Okay, be right back!" The boy sent a quick wink to Marinette, who could only gape in response, too shocked by his outburst to form a protest.

Internally, however was a different story. A much less G-rated story. I will never forgive them, she seethed. "Nino and I will be there as a buffer" my ass!

Her thoughts about the lecture she was going to give her conniving friends later were interrupted by the clearing of a throat. She jolted upright, amazingly having forgotten about Adrien's presence for a minute. She turned towards him and saw he wore a concerned expression.

"Are you okay, Mari?"

Her heart fluttered. Oh, Adrien, please always say my name. It sounds so nice when you do. She nodded slowly, giving the boy a shy smile. "Yeah, sorry, I just thought of something unpleasant for a second."

"Ah. You looked angry, so I just wanted to check…"

"Sorry, sorry. I wasn't angry, just, uh, distracted."

"Oh. Okay."

An awkward pause ensued as the two remaining teens silently worked on finalizing their project, each trying to come up with a way to diffuse the tension between them. Marinette was too busy panicking to think clearly, and Adrien was still somewhat under the impression that Marinette didn't like him and was silent for fear of accidentally offending her.

They both thought Nino was taking the longest bathroom break ever.

Thankfully, albeit suspiciously, their two missing friends suddenly reappeared together, each looking a little ruddier and more rumpled than before. Marinette tried not to think about what they had been doing while she and Adrien had been floundering alone.

"Hey, you guys finished it!" Was it Marinette's imagination, or did Alya sound a bit more out of breath than usual?

Stop it, she told herself with a shudder. You really don't want to know the answer to that question.

"That's perfect timing, because I actually just got some great news!" Alya grinned devilishly, sharing a meaningful look with her partner in crime. Marinette's stomach swirled nervously upon seeing that look, only swirling harder when Alya presented the reason for her excitement. "My mom just called, as you know, and apparently she's going out of town suddenly for some hotel emergency and won't be back until tomorrow evening." Alya's eyebrows wiggled suggestively.

Marinette frowned, not sure she liked where this was going. "But what about your sisters?"

"Mom reminded me that they're off at an overnight science camp for school this weekend. We'll have the whole place to ourselves."

"We?" Adrien asked innocently.

Nino clapped him on the shoulder. "Yup. Change of plans bro, we're officially moving our sleepover to La Casa de Cesaire."

Adrien looked somewhat uncomfortable, but his voice still held a hint of excitement. "Uh, I don't think my dad would like that." Suddenly his face settled into a surprisingly devilish grin, one that gave Nino a run for his money. "No, I know he wouldn't. Let's do it!"

I never knew Adrien could make a face like that, Marinette thought with a shiver, but I hope he does it again soon.

"Attaboy!" Alya reached over to ruffle his hair. "Mari, you just have to let your parents know you're staying over and we'll be all set to par-tay."

"Sure. I'm just going to, you know, go to your room and c-call them." She got up and as she passed Alya muttered, "And also scream into your pillow for at least a minute, okay thanks bye." Without waiting for a response she dashed out of the dining room.

As soon as the tiny girl was out of sight, Alya leaned her head back and let out an impressive evil cackle. Nino rubbed his hands together, looking absolutely delighted at the turn of events. For his part, Adrien just sat there and smiled, not entirely sure what was going on but figuring that if having a sleep over with one of his best friends was fun, doing it with three was sure to be a blast. Plus, he and Marinette were making real progress in the area of conversation, at least as long as their other friends were present, and he was actually really enjoying getting to know the girl better.

The girl in question returned moments later, a bit red in the face and almost imperceptibly hoarser, but wearing a smile as she informed the group that she had been given permission to stay the night. She needed to return home to get her overnight stuff, but that was a simple matter since she lived fairly close to Alya's. It was decided that they would all walk over there together, and hopefully score some delicious pastries in the process.

And so, shoes and coats in place and once again trailing behind their mama duck, they headed towards the Dupain-Cheng bakery. Adrien was particularly excited for the excursion. His model diet didn't really allow for sweets and he figured he could count on Tom and Sabine's ever present hospitality for help in getting something deliciously sugary into himself.

When they arrived at the bakery there was a large crowd inside, as though all of the people who had just gotten off of work had unanimously decided that a delicious dessert was needed to celebrate the end of another long week. Seeing this, the kids decided to forgo the main entrance in favor of the side door that led straight to Marinette's home. As they headed up the stairs, they ran into a descending Sabine, who was headed back down to the bakery.

"Hello, dears! What a nice surprise, I didn't expect to see Nino and Adrien today," the tiny woman said warmly, her smile brightening up the small hall. The three visiting teens each gave a "Hello, Mrs. Cheng," to which Sabine, as always, replied they simply must call her Sabine.

Marinette grabbed her mom in a hug. "We were working on our history project together, and they volunteered to walk over with us before going back to Nino's later." She felt a twinge of guilt at how easily the lie rolled off her tongue. Being Ladybug had miraculously increased and decreased her scruples at the same time. "We won't be staying long, Maman."

"Well, I hope you all stay long enough to have some of the cake I left out for you," Sabine said with a smile, squeezing her daughter and planting a kiss atop her head.

Adrien's eyes widened, and he chanted in his head, Say yes, eat cake. Say yes, eat cake. Say yes-

"Thanks, Maman, we will." Adrien clenched his fist as the words left Marinette's mouth, happy that his subliminal messaging had worked. "I'll come say goodbye to Papa before going back to Alya's."

They parted ways and the teens headed up the rest of the stairs to the main living area, carefully removing their shoes as they entered. Adrien and Nino zoomed towards the counter as soon as they laid eyes on the cake, barely able to remember their manners enough to ask their hostess if they could have some.

"Of course," Marinette answered, giggling. "Help yourselves, and there's milk in the fridge if you want it. I won't be long." She headed up the stairs to her room, Alya trailing behind her as the boys dug into the cake.

"Okay." Alya collapsed dramatically onto Marinette's lounge chair as the pigtailed girl gently closed her trap door. "You can start singing my praises now."

Marinette smiled and jokingly folded her hands. "Oh Saint Alya, patron saint of teenage crushes, thank you for this wonderful opportunity. Please give me favor and help me to get closer to Adrien tonight."

Alya propped herself up on her elbows and send Marinette a suggestive smirk, complete with wiggling eyebrows. "Sure thing, now exactly how much closer are we talking?"

Below them, they boys were happily devouring their cake and swigging down milk when they were surprised by a sudden shriek, followed by several thumps. They glanced at each other and Nino shrugged out a "Girl stuff?" before they both returned to their desserts.

Marinette, momentarily satisfied that Alya had been hit with enough pillows to atone for her sins, went back to the issue at hand. She tossed into her bag some clothes for the next day, a hairbrush, toothbrush, and toothpaste, but became stuck when she went to grab her night clothes. Nibbling on her lower lip, she sighed softly. "Hey Alya," she began hesitantly, "Uh, what pajamas are you going to wear tonight?"

"Hmm?"

Marinette blushed, having to repeat her question. "You know, what are you going to wear to sleep in?"

"Oh, I dunno. Didn't really think about it." She stroked her chin, giving the thought some consideration. "Something comfortable and warm, hmm, but easy to get out of," she finished, giving Marinette a sly wink.

The girl blushed deeper, squealing, "Alya!" before smacking her friend with another pillow.

Alya laughed, moving to a sitting position and patting the spot next to her on the chaise. Once Marinette had taken a seat, Alya slipped an arm around her shoulder, telling her, "Look, Mari, it's not that big of a deal. The boys won't care what you wear and you'll look cute no matter what. Just wear something that makes you feel comfy and confident, because that's really what's most important."

Marinette gave her reporter friend a sideways hug. "You're right. Thanks, Alya."

"Now, let's discuss what you're going to wear under the pajamas."

The boys were startled by the reappearance of the loud noises coming from upstairs. Both considered going upstairs to check on the girls, but decided that might not be the wisest decision from the sound of it. They chose to have another slice of cake each instead.

Two minutes later, Alya came down wearing a satisfied smirk and looking considerably more disheveled than before. Marinette, for her part, was still put together but was wearing a blush that had not been there when she ascended the stairs previously.

"A-are you guys about ready?" Marinette questioned, gripping the strap of her bag nervously as the boys began shoveling the remains of their cake into their mouths. Nino gave her an affirmative thumbs up as he gulped down the last of his milk, and Adrien nodded as he wiped his mouth delicately with a napkin.

After the boys had washed their dishes, Marinette lead the group back down the stairs, this time heading through the inside door that connected to the warm bakery. Tom saw the kids come in, and rushed to scoop his tiny daughter up in a big bear hug.

"Hello, sweetheart!" His mustache wiggled as he smiled at his daughter's friends. "And hello to the rest of you, as well. I hope you enjoyed the cake Sabine left upstairs for you."

Nino and Adrien nodded enthusiastically, singing praises about the treat that they had happily demolished.

"Good, good! Well, Marinette, have fun tonight. Do you know what time you'll be home tomorrow?"

Marinette tried to control her blush as she said carefully, "Actually, Papa, we were thinking of going swimming tomorrow, so I'm not sure what time we'll be done." The girl glanced at her friends, unsurprised to find that while Adrien looked like this was news to him, Nino was exchanging a knowing glance with Alya. As expected, she thought with a sigh. They planned this together without telling me or Adrien until the last minute. At least Alya warned me upstairs, because there's no way I could fill out one of her suits.

Tom nodded agreeably, setting Marinette down before giving her a kiss on the cheek and telling her again to have fun. Marinette promised she would and, with a goodbye wave to her parents, led her friends out of the bakery to begin the journey back to Alya's house.