Alright, kids, this is my first fanfic ever, so go easy on me, alright? Just kidding, hit me with your best shot. I handle criticism like a pro (sorta kinda maybe). Disclaimer: I don't own Miraculous Ladybug or the characters, and probably never will, unfortunately.

Marinette didn't know what it was about Adrien--except that she did, and it was everything. His hair, his eyes, his sun-kissed skin, his soft voice, his kindness, just everything. She stared at the back of his golden head, tracing circles on her desktop absent-mindedly. She wished, not for the first time, that he would turn towards her, if only for a moment, so she could gaze into his meadow eyes and admire his presumably-soft lips. She could vivdly picture him turning his head and propping his elbow up on the back of his chair to see her better, and she sighed in utter contentment at the sight.

It wasn't until he spoke that she realized she wasn't just picturing it. "Right, Marinette?"

Huh? She tore her gaze away from the blond, noticing for the first time that he, Alya, and Nino were all staring at her, awaiting an answer. Not knowing what else to do, she nodded dumbly. "Uh, right!"

Adrien grinned at Nino cheekily. "See? Even Marinette thinks so."

Nino scoffed, raising an eyebrow at her. "C'mon, Mari. You and I both know that they're not a couple. There's no way!"

Marinette blinked, but before she could ask what they were talking about, Alya snorted. "Jealous, Nino? Didn't know you were into the bug."

Nino glared at her. "I'm not. I've seen them together, dude, and they don't act like a couple."

"Well, I've seen them together, too, and I think they do!"

Marinette, having realized that the topic of discussion was, in fact, herself, opted out of joining in. She'd been down this road before, and what did it matter if people liked to, in Alya's words, "ship" them together? She buried her face in her sketch book, drawing out an idea that'd come to her earlier in class. She giggled as her pencil flew about the page, the delicate markings coming together to form a coffee-inspired outfit. Imagine an akumatized barista, bent on turning everyone into her personal baristas so they could serve her coffee for once! She giggled again, erasing the hair in favor of a whipped cream-like updo.

"Uh, hello?"

"Gah, what?" Marinette shrieked, leaning back as Alya waved her hand in the poor girl's face.

"I've been saying your name for, like, forever, girl. Focus!" Alya pulled the sketchbook out of her hand, placing it face-down on the table. "Now, would you kindly tell Nino that Ladybug definitely likes Chat Noir back?"

Marinette snorted, thinking of her goofy partner. "Yeah, like that could ever happen."

"What?!" Alya demanded, as Nino just snickered.

Adrien, meanwhile, looked offended for whatever reason. "What makes you so sure she doesn't love him back?"

Marinette looked at Adrien, her face tinging pink slightly, but she refused to back down. Over the past year, she'd almost gotten used to the boy, aside from when he managed to catch her off guard. She would almost go as far as to say they were friends. "Don't get me wrong, Chat Noir is great, but he's not boyfriend material. He's too flirty, and doesn't take anything seriously. Their relationship is purely platonic."

Adrien frowned, but Alya said, "That's where you're wrong, girl! His carefree nature compliments her uptight personality. They're perfect together!"

Marinette frowned. "'Uptight'?"

"Nuh-uh, no way," said Nino, taking off his cap and laying it on his desk. "Ladybug would totally kill his vibe, dude. I think they're better apart."

"Woah, wait. You guys really think about Chat Noir like that?" Adrien asked, frowning. "He can be serious."

The three of them looked at him. "When has he ever?" Alya asked for them.

Adrien grasped his chin, and Marinette watched as his mouth opened to speak, but then closed again. This happened several times, and after a minute, he began to remind Marinette of a fish. But, like, a really handsome fish. With great hair. After a while, it became apparent to the rest of them that he wasn't going to be able to come up with anything. Finally, Adrien shrugged. In truth, he could've thought of several Ladybug-related situations in which he had acted positively pensive, but of course, Adrien wasn't supposed to know about that.

Marinette felt bad suddenly, and she relented. After all, her kitty could be serious on occasion, and he was a good partner, even if he was a goof ball. "Fine. I suppose, maybe, under different circumstances, if they'd met as their human selves, things might've turned out differently." Her heart skipped a beat as Adrien perked up, grinning at her. "But that doesn't mean they're ever going to get together in this reality. Now can we please drop it?"

"Nuh-uh, no way, girl. How come you're so sure they'll never be together?" She smirked at her best friend, wiggling her eyebrows. "Maybe YOU'RE the one who's jealous! Finally starting to see what I was talking about, huh?"

Adrien raised an interested eyebrow at this, but Marinette waved her question away. "Of course not, Alya. Besides..." Her eyes drifted to Adrien and she blushed as she realized he was looking right at her. He had something in his eyes she couldn't quite identify, but whatever it was, she liked it.

He smirked at her, his inner Chat showing through. "Got a thing for the cat, eh?"

Marinette squeaked, which Adrien misinterpreted as a "yes." She shook her head, quite insistent that he know that she didn't. "Of c-course not. I really--Alya, help?"

The brunette giggled, shaking her head. "Nope, you're on your own for this one."

Marinette groaned, turning her attention back to the golden-haired boy. "I do not have a 'thing' for Chat Noir. Didn't I just say he wasn't boyfriend material?"

"Still," said Adrien with a cocky smirk that wasn't as foreign to his face as it appeared, "I bet you like him."

Marinette gawked at him, flustered. She wasn't sure how to feel about how happy Adrien seemed to be that she allegedly liked Chat Noir, but at the current moment, all she could concern herself with was how utterly hot he looked. "I-I-I mean, I d-don't--er, what I'm saying is--"

"Okay, okay," Alya finally stepped in, coming to her friend's aid. "We should probably get to work, you guys. Class is almost over, and we've gotten next to nothing done."

Nino and Marinette whole-heartedly agreed, but Adrien's mind was elsewhere as he faced his desk again, clicking his tongue. Unbeknownst to the girl behind him, Chat Noir had just scheduled a visit at the Dupain-Chengs' bakery.

So there it is. I know it's super short, which is because I'm not sure if I want to roll with this or not, but if I get some good reviews, the rest of my chapters will probably be much longer. Don't forget to review, and don't expect me to update right away, because I'm busy. Ciao.