It had been months since the last akuma attack and Marinette – aka Ladybug, was getting very bored with just patrolling around Paris every night. She has also begun to miss her interactions with Chat Noir ever so slightly.
Marinette was sitting on her balcony looking up into the night sky, she found it calming and helped with her designs. "UGH! This is becoming so hard! It needs to be PERFECT!" Marinette sighed ripping the page out of her design book.
"Oh Marinette" Tikki giggled.
"UGH!" Marinette slumped into her chair.
"Good evening Princess" A familiar voice said.
Marinette looked up and perched on her railings was Chat Noir, a cat that she had missed even though she'd never admit it to any one. "Hey Chat" She sighed.
"What's wrong?" Chat climbed down and crouched in front of her, she looked into his eyes and he seemed worried.
"I have a design competition but I can't make a good enough design for me to then make" she huffed.
Chat looked at all the pieces of screwed up into balls all over the floor. "All these… You weren't happy with them?" Chat asked picking one up and unfolding it.
"Yeah… I can't tell Alya I don't like my designs she screams at me" Marinette giggles sheepishly.
"Marinette these are brilliant!" Chat grinned at the pieces of paper he was looking at. I knew she was talented but not THIS talented.
"Thanks, but none of them are good enough. I need to impress Gabriel Agreste! And being friends with Adrien allows me to see how hard he is to impress!" Marinette tugged on her pigtails.
"Ah, you close with Adrien?" Chat asked. He wanted to know what Marinette thought of him.
"Well… not really" Marinette blushed. "I mean we do talk but I can never string a sentence together when I'm around him. Alya and Nino tend to talk to him more and I'm just… There. I probably just annoy him" she laughed but her eyes looked hurt.
"Princess, I'm sure that' not true" Chat felt bad. Maybe he should make more of an effort with Marinette, she was cute after all. Not Ladybug cute but cute.
"I'd rather not know to be honest" she looked up trying to hold back tears. "He doesn't really notice me in class anyways so it's cool"
"Marinette…" Chat felt so guilty. "D-do you like him?"
"W-what? N-no, w-why would I? M-me like a smart, talented, cute, handsome, selfless guy in my class? Please" She rambled. "Maybe I have a small thing for him but that's it!"
"Okay, okay" Chat chucked.
"Don't laugh at me!" Marinette pouted.
"Sorry Princess" Chat grinned. Okay so he already sort of knew she liked him but wanted her to say it. "Well, I should leave you to your designing"
"Oh… Okay" Marinette seemed shocked that Chat wanted to go.
"Gonna miss me?" He winked.
"You wished" Marinette laughed. "Bye Chat"
"Bye Marinette" Chat jumped off her roof and hid around a corner to transform back into Adrien.
"Now, what are you going to do with that information? You aren't getting anywhere with Ladybug, maybe you should ask Marinette out!" Plagg suggested.
"Maybe Plagg, but… I don't want to lead her on" Adrien shrugged and put his hands into his pockets. "I'll have to think about it"
"BORING" Plagg, groaned as he followed Adrien home.
The next day Adrien walked into class and noticed Marinette had bags under her eyes. Did she stay up all night or something?!
"Girl, you look terrible!" Alya pointed out.
'Thanks Alya" Marinette said sarcastically. "I was up really late last night"
"How come?" Adrien asked, he noticed Marinette was taken aback by his question and she started to blush.
"Well… A friend well he's kinda a friend I guess… C-came over and I-I was designing for t-the competition but I didn't like anything. After he left I s-stayed up designing since h-he put me off" Marinette rambled.
Adrien winced; did I really put her off? My bad.
"Girl, you need to stop stressing. Come out with me after school for some fun. You need a break!" Alya patted her friends back.
"Nah, I need to get is design nailed. I need to MAKE it yet Alya!" Marinette hit her head on the desk. Adrien couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
"You need a break!" Nino said. "It's unhealthy Marinette!"
Marinette just shrugged at them. She didn't seem to care what they said. Didn't know she was so stubborn… It's kinda cute… Okay just cause you know she liked you doesn't mean you have to start… Oh who am I trying to fool? I do like Marinette in a way.
After class Alya pulled both Nino and Adrien aside. "Boys, please help me with getting Marinette to take a break. Poor thing will work her self to death otherwise!"
"She won't listen to us though!" Nino sighed. "She's a stubborn girl"
"I noticed that, didn't know she was like that" Adrien smiled.
"There's a LOT of things YOU don't notice about her Adrien" Alya's words stung him. Did everyone see it as she was just a bother to him, she wasn't but he felt so confused.
"What can we do?!" Alya pulled her phone out. "Quick before she notices we are ALL missing"
"I can invite her to my photo shoot? I do kind of have to bring a female and my dad original suggested Chloe but" Adrien shock his head in disgust. "It will go straight to her head"
"Perfect! Go ask her now. She WON'T say no!" Alya pushed Adrien towards where Marinette was sitting.
"Hey Marinette" Adrien waved before sitting down next to her. Keep your cool!
"H-Hey A-Adrien!" Marinette blushed; she clenched her hands and looked down at her lap.
"I have a question. I need a female model to be my partner after school, do you mind helping me out" Adrien asked sheepishly.
"Need help finding someone?" she asked.
Adrien busted out laughed and Marinette pouted. "You are so clueless! I was asking you to be my model!"
"Oh…" Marinette's face went bright red. "Erm…S-sure!"
"Great!" Adrien grinned. "If you wait for me outside we will then go"
"O-Okay" Marinette continued to blush.
Maybe I can get her to string a sentence around me?
After school the two made their way to the studio where the photo shoot was being held.
"Great you brought a girl!" his photographer clapped his hands together. "Name?"
"Marinette" Adrien smiled at her making her blush.
"I'm loving the chemistry between you two. It's perfect! Please this way!"
Marinette's heart was constantly skipping a beat. She had to act like his girlfriend in these photos. For two hours she was like his girlfriend but she wasn't the only one that was enjoying this.
Adrien was happy that Marinette seemed to have come out of she shell a little bit more around him. She was able to talk properly and not stutter as often as she did before.
"Thank you for helping me today" Adrien said after they had gotten changed back into their normal clothes.
"It was fun! I'd totally do that again… I-I mean if you w-wanted me too!" Marinette blushed playing with her hair.
"You are a natural" Adrien smiled.
"I now need to go home a design" Marinette sighed as they slid into the car.
"I thought you liked designing?" Adrien asked.
"I LOVE it. But the theme is super hero's and I just know everyone's going to do Ladybug or Chat Noir. Leaving me with no ideas" Marinette said.
"Why not go down the Marvel route? They are still super hero's" Adrien suggested.
"You are a GENIUS!" Marinette's eyes lit up. "I have an idea now. Thank you!" She grinned at him making his heart race.
"Anytime" They dropped her off and Adrien sat in the car thinking. Damn... I've fallen for that girl…