MiraculElse #9: Someone To Watch Over Me

Story by DFC and buggachat

Concept / Inspirational Artwork by buggachat

(Timeline: End of Season 2.)

(AUTHOR'S NOTES ARE AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER.)

Chapter 1: The Only Place That's Safe

"Your poses this afternoon were atrocious. Completely unusable! Tomorrow, it will all be done again... at considerable expense, I might add."

"I counted EIGHT misplayed notes in your Grieg this afternoon. Would you care to list them for me now, or must I detail them to you once again?"

"How am I supposed to take you seriously, young man, when you refuse to take your responsibilities seriously?"

Some things in life pass by in but a matter of seconds. Words are spoken, emotions are expressed, actions are taken or not taken. But when you are of a certain sensitivity, and when so much of your well-being centers around obtaining approval which seems always a fingertip's length out of your reach... their echoes in your mind can last for hours.

Sometimes, for days.

Sometimes, they seem to stretch on forever.

"This is IT, Alya. This is THE DAY."

Alya Césaire chuckled to herself, watching her dark-haired best friend psych herself up in the front hallway of Françoise Dupont High School. "It seems to me like I've heard this sometime before..." she replied, trying not to giggle.

"I know, Alya! But this time I mean it." Marinette Dupain-Cheng's face certainly seemed full of determination on this particular afternoon. "I've been rehearsing this all night! I know just what to say. I know just how I want to say it. Today, I'm going to ask Adrien Agreste out on a real date!"

"Not one of those fake dates. Oh, no," teased Alya, affectionately.

"You can be proud of me, Alya!" insisted Marinette. "I've been practicing breathing exercises, so that I won't get tongue-tied and tell him that I'm going home in a coleslaw this time. I've asked out my reflection in the bathroom mirror a hundred times, at least! And, I'll tell you what, Alya... the way I looked, the things I said, I'd date me. I have all my bases covered!"

"Uh-huh. So... where are you going to invite him?" Alya asked her.

"Huh?" Marinette's mental engine abruptly shifted gears without pressing the clutch. "I, um..."

"Are you inviting him to the movies? Perhaps a nice walk in the park? Adrien, would you like to come over and play video games this afternoon, or maybe frost some cookies with me? Will you be my lawful wedded husband, Adrien Agreste?"

Marinette's Aw, CRAP! expression was unmistakable... followed by a fit of giggles. "I really am kind of hopeless, aren't I?" she smiled.

"No, you're not! I keep telling you that! You know I do," soothed Alya, supportively. "But you're overthinking it again! He's not a puzzle to be solved, he's a boy. And he's a boy who likes you, Marinette! We both know that he does! He just needs you to tell him - and show him - just how much that you're interested. Save the falling-in-love part for the third or fourth date, though. Start slow and easy!"

"He likes me, sure. But does he liiiiike me?" grumped Marinette.

"I'll say this much, Marinette," added Alya. "The way Adrien's been looking these last couple of weeks... you might be exactly who and what he needs right now."

Marinette turned thoughtful in an instant. "He hasn't been himself, has he?" she mused. "Maybe three, maybe four weeks now... he smiles at us in school, he goes through the motions, he tries to look normal and happy, but his heart's just not in it. Something deep down is bugging him, and I wish I knew how I could help."

"You notice that kind of thing about him. Not many people do. That's the kind of thing that Adrien really ought to know, don't you think?" Alya asked, pointedly. "How much that you care about him and worry about him, without him ever asking you to?"

"I hope he knows," blushed Marinette. "I know he's fond of me, and he made me melt the way he talked about me and the things that I do at that picnic! But there's a difference between being a really good friend, and being... what I want to be to him."

"Well, now's your chance, girl! Because here he comes now. Are you ready?" asked Alya, nudging her head in his direction.

Marinette swallowed hard. "Yeah. It's now or never, Alya," she declared. "I've got him now."

Adrien and Nino walked down the main hallway of Françoise Dupont High School together, as was typical for them at the end of a school day. They kept their chatter light, and Adrien greatly appreciated the company, which helped take his mind off of... a lot of things.

"Hey, are you going to be around this afternoon? We haven't gotten together in a while," Nino asked him. "Wanna come over and hang for a bit?"

"I'd like to... you know I would... but I have a handful of things I have to do at home today," said Adrien. "More than a handful. More like a day-and-night-ful."

"Again? Man, your dad has really been piling it on lately, hasn't he?" complained Nino. "He does know that you're only fourteen, right?"

"I don't know what's been going on with my dad lately... but I'd really rather not talk about that right now, okay?" evaded Adrien. "Are you watching the football game tonight? Lille OSC versus Lyon? Should be an exciting one."

"I'm not a Lyon fan like you are, but yeah, I bet it'll be a good one," said Nino. "I'm sure we'll be watching it at my place, if you'd like to... yeah, I know."

"I'm sorry, Nino, I'll be tied up with things right up until gametime! I'll be lucky if I can concentrate on the game instead of homework," apologized Adrien. "But text me; we'll keep up-to-date on what's happening!"

As they approached the front door, they saw Alya wave to them, and Nino greeted her warmly. Next to Alya, Adrien saw Marinette leaning up against the doorway, casually. Marinette looked at him and smiled, turned back to Alya, turned back to him and smiled again, and managed a half-wave, half-gesture that he couldn't quite interpret.

Marinette... someday, I'm going to figure her out, thought Adrien. It's always great to see her, even if I do still make her a little nervous for some weird reason. He smiled warmly, returned her wave, and the way her face lit up gave him a little thrill that, again, he was still trying to come to terms with.

What IS it about Marinette that makes me feel so... strange lately? Was it that kiss on the cheek she gave me at the picnic?

Am I thinking too hard about this?

"Hello, Marinette, Alya!" he greeted them when he got closer. "How was your day?"

"Not bad. A little better now, of course. And yours?" Marinette asked, beaming at him.

My girl is SMOOTH today! grinned Alya, internally. Keep it up!

Adrien noticed Alya's grin widening as Marinette spoke, and wondered why. She turned quickly to Nino, and then her happy expression was far more explainable, as they snuck in a quick kiss.

The foursome exchanged some small talk for a few minutes, until Alya and Nino looked at their watches at the same time, semi-theatrically. "Hey, we ought to get going, if we're going to be on time for that... thing," said Alya. "I'm sure you two can find some things to... talk about?" She slipped Marinette a meaningful wink, and Adrien saw Marinette take a deep breath...

From down the hall, a loud voice rang out. "HEY! See you later, BUGSY!"

Marinette watched Adrien's entire demeanor change in an instant. One moment, he seemed quite happy to be near her, a pleasant conversationalist, maintaining eye contact with her, showing all the signs that she was hoping to see in him... and then it was like what Kim yelled at him, whatever it meant, knocked the wind right out of him.

My sunshine boy just turned to dusk, just like that, she wondered. What was THAT all about?

"I..." Adrien was suddenly at a loss for words.

"Don't let him know that it bothers you, Adrien," muttered Nino, just loud enough for Adrien to hear. "You know him; he'll tease you forever if he thinks he's getting under your skin."

"I know, I know," said Adrien, wearily. He looked down at the street, then added, "Hey, my car's here. I'll see you all tomorrow, I guess?"

"Sure... I guess?" replied Marinette, looking a little confused. She watched as Adrien trudged down to the waiting sedan, hopped in the back seat and closed the door. Peering down at it, she thought for a moment that he was looking back at her from there - Was that a little wave?, she wondered - and then he was gone, lost into the early afternoon traffic.

Alya and Nino left together, Alya giving her a sympathetic face on her way down the steps. Marinette stood still by the doorway, with one thought burning through her mind:

BUGSY?

What the heck does THAT mean?

Adrien slumped down in the back seat of the car, thoroughly annoyed with life at the moment.

Damn it, he thought. I just wanted ten minutes of my day where I could forget about everything else going on with me. One little moment. And I had a couple of minutes to talk with someone sweet like Marinette, to listen to her giggly little laugh that's so cute to hear... and Kim just had to be Kim and razz me about my... feelings again. Like it was any of his business in the first place!

Arrgh! Let just one day go right for me again. That's all I want. Is that too much?

He tuned back into reality as Nathalie's voice registered in his brain from the passenger seat. "...Piano from three to four, and you'd better nail that Grieg concerto this time; you know that your father will be listening intently. Your Chinese instructor will... Adrien, are you listening to me?" she said, accusingly.

"Yeah... yeah, I am. Three to four. Grieg versus Adrien, best of three falls," he muttered. "Sorry."

Nathalie sighed. "I don't meant to pick on you, Adrien, you know that. But if I don't, he will, and neither of us wants that, right?"

"Definitely not," Adrien agreed, a little sourly. He forced himself to focus on his upcoming schedule as dictated by Nathalie, which as so often seemed to be the case in recent weeks, sounded nearly endless.

After dinner, Marinette went upstairs and pulled out her phone. Time to play Junior Detective, she thought. Something odd is going on, and I am going to find out what it is!

"Hey, Marinette!" Alya greeted her. "I felt so bad for you this afternoon! You were all ready to rock Adrien's world and then... whatever that was, happened."

"I know, right? That was so weird," Marinette nearly shouted. "Do you have any idea what that was all about? I mean, he and Kim are friends, aren't they?"

"As far as I know," replied Alya, sounding equally confused. "They've always gotten along when I've seen them together. In fact, is there anyone out there who doesn't like Adrien? He's so nice, he's really easy for people to like and be around."

"Yeah. It's been bugging me ever since... and not just because it shot my plan right into the river," mused Marinette. "Nino seemed to know something about it, didn't he?"

"You know, he did," said Alya. "He said something to Adrien about teasing. But what does Adrien have to be teased about?"

"Hmmm. Do you mind if I call him and ask him what he knows, Alya?" asked Marinette.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng," Alya scoffed, in a faux-stern voice. "Are you trying to STEAL MY MAN?"

"Do you really think that I could?" giggled Marinette.

"Obviously, no! But your plots and plans to win the hearts of young men are legendary." Alya laughed loudly along with Marinette, then added, "Of course you can call him! He's your friend, too. I think he's watching a football game tonight around seven, so you've got a little while before kickoff to catch him."

"Awesome! I'll call you back later and let you know what I hear," Marinette said.

"Marinette? Hey, hi there! I, uh, didn't expect a call from you tonight!" answered Nino. "What can I do for you?"

"Hi! I hope I'm not bothering you, or anything, and I'll be quick. I just have a question for you..." replied Marinette.

"Shoot."

"That thing that Kim yelled at Adrien today. 'Bugsy.' As soon as Adrien heard it, it was like someone hit him with a tranquilizer dart. Do you know anything about what that meant?"

There was a pause on the other end of the line. Finally, Nino said, "I'm... not sure that I should tell you that, Marinette. He might think it's a little embarrassing, and there's another thing about it that, uh..."

"Oh, come on, Nino! It can't be that bad, can it?" asked Marinette. Okay, turn on the charm! she thought. "I mean, we're all friends, right? And you've always been a good friend to me, and I know you're Adrien's best friend, and we both want the best for him... He's seemed so down lately. I'm trying to figure out what I can do to cheer him up."

"Yeah... he has," agreed Nino. "You picked that up, too?"

"I did. And if I can help make him feel a little better, I'd like to, for... a lot of reasons," said Marinette, trying not to turn shy about it. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Oh... listen, I'll tell you. It's not that bad. And you'll like some of this! Some... maybe not so much," Nino relented. "Here's the story..."

"I'm all ears," Marinette replied.

"Okay, so... it all started in gym class yesterday, right?" began Nino. "You know how they change up what we practice there every couple of weeks. Right now the boys are doing track-and-field stuff, running events, all different lengths. So we were all doing our best, and Kim was sure he could beat Adrien in a race, for some reason. I don't know why he challenged Adrien in particular, but they lined up and did a sprint, and Adrien blew by him. It wasn't even close! So Kim said, 'Okay, but I can beat you at distance running!', and they did a mile... and Adrien won again."

"Should that have surprised anyone?" asked Marinette.

"I don't think so, but you know Kim... he's really competitive and he hates to lose at sports. Now, Adrien was cool about it, right? He told Kim that he has a runner's physique, so he's naturally good at that kind of thing, but Kim would beat him every time at strength and power events. And that's true, too. But maybe Kim thought Adrien was calling him big and fat or something, or he just didn't like losing in front of people. I don't know, it shouldn't have been a big deal, but Kim kind of made it one."

"Okay, so... there's more to it, I hope?" said Marinette. "That doesn't sound too bad."

"Yeah, and this is the interesting part. We hit the showers, and the guys all started talking about what we guys usually end up talking about... girls," continued Nino.

"Naturally," giggled Marinette.

"Do... the girls talk about the guys in their locker room?" wondered Nino, nonchalantly.

"That's a carefully guarded girl secret, Nino," she admonished him. "C'mon, I'm dying to know this!"

"Okay, so..." Nino continued. "Someone pointed out that just about every guy in our class is paired off now. Kim has Ondine, Ivan has Mylène, I've got Alya, Nathaniel has been hanging out with Marc a lot, and that's cool. Max... well, Max kind of has his own thing going on, but that's cool, too, right? He's happy and that's what matters. Anyway... I think it was Ivan who asked Adrien, 'Hey, so, who is it that YOU like? Anyone in our school?' And Adrien didn't want to say. And that meant we had to gang up on him and find out who his big secret crush is."

"You had to?" asked Marinette, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. We're teenage boys. It's in our DNA. We do that," Nino laughed. "So close your eyes and imagine us rattling off names, and I'll tell you what I saw..."

Marinette closed her eyes and let Nino paint the picture.

Kim started it off. "You like Chloè, right? You're one of the only people who can put up with her," he guessed, sure that he was right.

"Dating Chloè? Oh, HELL no. I've known her for so long that I know FAR better than that," retorted Adrien, with a look of undisguised horror on his face. A giant laugh filled the room.

"How about Sabrina, then? I know she's available," suggested Max.

Adrien didn't look quite as terrified by the concept, but he replied, "Ehhh. Sabrina can be nice when she wants to be... but she doesn't usually want to be. She's so tucked into Chloè's pocket that I feel kind of bad for her, but... nah. She's really not my type."

"How about Marinette?" I asked him. "She's really nice, right?"

And all the eyes in the room went straight to Adrien, y'know? And he got this really... unusual look on his face. Unusual for him, I mean. Kind of dreamy! It was like, he thought about you and he was somewhere better, in his head. And we waited for him to say something, and after a few seconds, he just said, "Marinette is... someone special."

"...Special?" Marinette breathed, trying not to overreact. "Like, good special?"

"Like very good special, it sounded like! I thought we had a winner right there, y'know? But the others kept going," replied Nino.

Ivan asked, "What about that fencer girl we saw you with... Kagami, right?"

Adrien got kind of a different look on his face. Thoughtful. He said, "I haven't quite figured her out yet. She's not like any other girl I've met. I'd say she kind of... intrigues me."

Kim grinned. "Keeping your options open! Smart."

And then Max said, "Well, the only other girl we've seen you hanging around with is Ladybug."

"He went there?" muttered Marinette.

"He meant it as a joke, I think!" said Nino. "But then..."

All of a sudden, Adrien just went CRIMSON! Completely red in the face. He went completely defensive, like he was looking for a locker to climb into. I've never seen him nervous like that, Marinette!

So Kim saw a weak spot, and he had to pounce on it, right? He said, "Hey, I can't blame you there, man. Ladybug is, like, really hot! But you're aiming kind of high, aren't ya?"

Everybody looked at Adrien. He stammered, "I don't know that I'm AIMING for her... or that she'd ever... Come on, guys, knock it OFF!"

"If there's one thing Adrien usually is... it's a smooth talker. Nothing winds him up like that," Nino added. "But for whatever reason, this did."

Marinette was momentarily speechless.

"Kim wasn't trying to be mean to him, I don't think. He's not like that. But like how he picked on Ivan for a while? He'll tease people sometimes, if he thinks he's getting to them. That's all he meant by it," explained Nino. "So, anyway... it got even wilder."

"Go on..." Marinette breathed.

Kim laughed out loud. "It's not like you'd have a chance with Ladybug, anyway, right? She's Chat Noir's girl."

And Adrien went from nervous and shaky to fierce and angry just like THAT! It was like Kim flipped a light switch on him. Adrien got right up in his face, dead serious, nose-to-nose with him. And Kim's no little guy, so this was a big surprise to all of us! Kim kind of backed off, then he leaned in face-to-face again because everyone was watching them and he didn't want to look scared.

"NO, she's NOT," Adrien yelled.

"You wish," smirked Kim, and then Adrien got even angrier.

"I'm telling you, she's NOT," he growled. "If there's one thing that I do know, it's THAT."

Ivan looked puzzled. "HOW do you know that for sure, Adrien?"

And just like that, Adrien went back to defensive mode. "I just... do," he said, like, quieter.

Kim thought of something and his face lit up. "Well, since you're such a GREAT ATHLETE, Adrien... I know just how you can win her love! You can get a red costume and jump around and be her new sidekick! 'Bugsy, the Boy Beetle!'"

Kim struck a pose and started jumping from bench to bench, imitating that. Okay, that even made me laugh. Everybody laughed... except for Adrien. He looked like he was about to cry, and I didn't like seeing that at all.

"And about that time... the bell rang, and it was time for us to get out of there," finished Nino. "Kim razzed him a little more, we got dressed and we all left. But something about that whole thing really got under Adrien's skin, I could tell."

"Okay..." Marinette continued processing all of this, on mental autopilot. "I know that it's not just that incident bothering him, right? Adrien hasn't seemed like himself for weeks now. Maybe a month or so. He's seemed more and more depressed and I keep wanting to just lean over my desk and hug him."

"He has... you're right. Things have been building up around him. This might've just been the straw that broke the camel's back that day," Nino replied. "But Kim just had to go and bring it up again today..."

"Uh-huh," Marinette stammered, unsure of what to add.

"Hey, uh... Marinette?" Nino added, sounding apologetic. "I didn't want to upset you by telling you this, okay? I... know you have a real thing for Adrien. I think everybody knows... except for Adrien. And I know he really does like you, and that's a good thing! He talks about you all the time when he's hanging out with me. As rarely as that's been, lately... but I promise you, he does." He took a deep breath before finishing his thought.

"But as far as where his heart is really aimed... I think Adrien's got a huge crush on Ladybug. That's going to be really hard for you to compete with."

There was a pause of several seconds.

"Marinette?" asked Nino, worriedly.

From flat on her back, in the middle of her bedroom floor, Marinette managed, "I'm here!"

Adrien might have a crush on Ladybug? Adrien might have a crush on Ladybug. ADRIEN might have a crush on LADYBUG! BUT I'M LADYBUG! I'M LADYBUG? YES, I'M LADYBUG!

"I'm here, Nino, I, um... slipped," she covered for her lapse. "Well, there's not a whole lot that I can do about Ladybug, right? I mean, it's not like I can talk to her about it or anything, or that I'd really want to, I guess..."

"Well, that's all I know, I'm afraid," Nino answered, unfazed. "Anything else I can help you with tonight?"

"No, that's it. Thank you so much, Nino," Marinette replied. "I'm not going to bring it up with him, I wouldn't want to embarrass him. But that was, you know, so out of nowhere today when I didn't know what it meant, you understand?"

"Sure, I'd have wondered too," he agreed.

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay? And I think your football game's just coming on now..." hinted Marinette.

"Oh, yeah! Thanks! See you then!" Nino replied, and hung up.

"Tikki? Can you come over here with me, please?" asked Marinette, very quietly. "I need you."

Tikki floated over with an unsettled feeling in her tiny stomach. This could get very messy, very fast! she thought to herself.

"I'm here, Marinette," she said, perching on Marinette's shoulder gently. "What's going on?"

"Did you hear that conversation I just had with Nino?" Marinette asked. "Where he said he thinks Adrien has a crush on LADYBUG?"

"Yes, I overheard it," Tikki confirmed. "And... Adrien also had really good things to say about Marinette, didn't he? All dreamy, thinking of you? Floating in a little world of pink clouds?"

"Yeah..." Tikki watched that register in Marinette's mind for a brief moment, then float out into the air again. "But Nino was so right, Tikki! Adrien is never worked up like that, and definitely not because of me! He was nervous, he was embarrassed, he was defensive, he got his fierce up, he didn't know what to say or how to say it... because of LADYBUG?" Marinette said, seemingly finding it hard to believe.

"It does kind of remind you of someone, doesn't it?" remarked Tikki, dryly.

"Does it?"

"Anyway..." Tikki grinned. She'll never change.

"So what should I do, Tikki?" begged Marinette. "I mean, if he might have a crush on me - on Ladybug - on me as Ladybug - then I have to find out if it's true, don't I?"

"I wouldn't put a lot of pressure on him right now, Marinette. He's been feeling awfully fragile lately; both of you agreed on that," said Tikki, trying to steer Marinette in a slightly different direction.

"That's true," Marinette replied, coming back down to Earth slightly. "I want to build him up, not make him feel like he's being pushed even more."

"I would suggest this," Tikki noted. "As you and as Ladybug... keep an eye on him for a while, okay? Be as good a friend to him as you can. Make sure he knows someone's out there who cares about him, who's thinking about him. Someone he can always reach out to if he wants to get things off his chest. I think he'd really like that."

"Yeah! That makes a lot of sense," smiled Marinette. "And if he does start reaching out..."

"It's a great way for the two of you to get to know each other much better, on a much deeper level. I think you'd like feeling closer to Adrien, in costume or out, wouldn't you?" Tikki asked her.

"Absolutely," she agreed. "I think I may just have to approach him like that tomorrow..."

"Go slow, Marinette," Tikki advised. "Tread lightly. Let him decide how much he wants to talk about what's bothering him. You don't want him to feel pressured."

"I just want him to be happy again, Tikki!" Marinette sighed, flopping back down on the floor. "The way he's always been. The kind, sweet, happy boy I fell for. Whether I'm just his friend, or... whatever."

"And I want that for both of you, Marinette. You know that, right?" smiled Tikki. "You both deserve so much to be happy."

"Thank you, Tikki. You're always right there with good advice," grinned Marinette, leaning over to peck her on the cheek affectionately.

The next afternoon, Marinette stood at the school's front doorway once again, this time by herself. Alya and Nino passed by, having just shared a last class of the day together, and they exchanged a few quick words with her before heading out.

"Thanks so much for that talk last night, Nino," Marinette greeted him, warmly. "That really helped clear my mind on a few things."

"It did?" asked Nino. "I mean, cool, I'm glad that it did!"

"Are you going to try to ask him out again today, Marinette?" wondered Alya. "I can stay around as moral support if you're going to, and if you'd need that..."

"No, not today," Marinette replied. "I'm going a little different route today. A lighter touch."

"I hope it works!" bubbled Alya, and Nino gave her a thumbs-up as the two of them headed for Alya's house.

Be cool, Marinette, she thought to herself, waiting patiently for Adrien to show. This isn't about crushing right now. This is about being there for him. Maybe I am 'just a friend' right now, but I'm going to be a damn good one to him until that status changes.

She waited for a couple more minutes, then looked down at the street and noticed that Adrien's bodyguard's car hadn't pulled up yet. That's strange, she thought. He's usually very punctual...

When Ivan and Mylène walked by, shortly thereafter, Marinette greeted them and asked, "Hey, um... have either of you seen Adrien this afternoon? He usually comes this way."

Mylène shook her head no, but Ivan perked up. "Yeah, he, uh, said he texted his driver and said he was going to walk home today. Some working-things-out time, y'know?"

Marinette looked stunned. That's really not LIKE him. And it's also not like his father to LET him do that!

"Th-hanks!" she managed. "That would explain it."

As the happy pair left, Marinette considered her options. I have the strangest feeling that I ought to check on him, right now, she thought. From a distance, maybe, so he doesn't think I'm stalking him... but I really want to see what's going on with him today, if I can.

A young man stomped his way down a well-worn sidewalk, visibly upset, though no one was near him at the time to observe it. No one, that is, except a tiny floating black cat.

"Adrien," Plagg pestered him. "ADRIEN. Talk to me, okay?"

"Plagg, leave me alone, okay? I'm thinking about some things," replied Adrien.

Yeah, I'm thinking about things, he thought to himself. Thinking about the crappy day I just had! How Dad blew me off at breakfast time today - again. He SAID he'd be there to eat with me before I left for school, but I know just how that always turns out, right? Then there was that snarky text he sent me an hour ago about the next photo shoot, "DO remember to comb your hair this time." He knows how seriously I take these things! And what happened at that last shoot was NOT my fault!

Then Nathalie gave me a hard time about walking home alone. I mean, I'm fourteen, I'm not a baby any more! No one's going to jump me and steal my wallet, and that's not even figuring in my 'secret weapon' floating next to me right now! And then I was almost out the door of the school, away from everybody, and what do I hear yelled at me?

"Buzz! Buzz! There goes the Bug Wonder!"

ARRRGH. That Kim is lucky that I don't show him what I've learned in karate class, sometimes. He just does NOT know when to quit! And I've got about ten lines in my head that I _should have_ yelled back at him, but I just turned and left and looked like a dope.

But why should I be mad at Kim, anyway? Maybe I _am_ just Ladybug's sidekick, after all. I sure don't seem to be making any headway with her, relationship-wise.

"Adrien, this isn't like you. You're not the sulking type... I know things have been tough lately, and Kim is a dork, but you gotta calm down! How about... there's a little cheese shop I know not too far from here..." worried Plagg.

"I'm FINE," snarled Adrien, his reddened face and tone of voice indicating how much of a lie that really was.

Plagg noticed that, of course, but gauged Adrien's tone and pulled back a little. If he wants to talk... I'm right here, he thought. But I can't make him do it.

Something tiny and purple, floating not very far away from the two of them, also noticed.

Ladybug swung out over the city, heading in the general direction of Adrien's house. I'm so much faster than Adrien would be on foot, she reasoned. He had a little head start, but if there's anyone that I could pick out of a crowd...

...There he is! I'd know that blonde head anywhere. I ought to, I spend hours at a time right behind him, memorizing every hair on it, she giggled.

So now what do I do? Ladybug pondered.

She began hopping from rooftop to rooftop, staying well behind him, considering what to do next. I'll be as quiet as I can for now, Ladybug thought; I don't want to startle him.

Should I go down and talk to him? He might like that... But if he's walking home like this, it's because he wanted to be alone. And as much as I'd like to think that li'l red-and-black me is on his mind, I know better than to believe that that's all that's been driving him crazy lately.

I know that he's hinted that his father's been really hard on him recently, she recalled. His father is always hard on him, but it sounded like this was harsh even for Mr. Agreste. Nagging at him about every little thing... I'm so glad that MY parents aren't like that.

It really must be hard, being kind of famous like he is, Ladybug mused, a little bit wistfully. To have half the city know you on sight, to have people throwing themselves at you, crazy fans like that Wayhem guy, all those expectations, having to act so... perfectly in public all the time. I bet that's why he wanted to come to public school - so he'd have some kind of outlet where he could express himself, for once, and not feel so penned in by how everybody expects him to be!

She hopped across two more rooftops, getting just a little bit closer. And then there are people who think that he's stuck-up and horrible just because his family's rich. Even I kind of did that when we first met... that whole gum thing... I was so ready to write him off as Boy Chloè. I'd have missed out on so much if I had!

Wow, Ladybug thought. The more I think about it, I bet... if I was in his shoes... I'd probably feel more lonely than anything else. He sees us at school, but his father locks him down pretty well most of the rest of the time. His dad doesn't really like Nino much, from what Nino told me, so they can only hang out once in a while when Adrien can get away from home. He spent all those years being homeschooled, with Chloè being one of the only people his own age he knew... and THAT could give anyone a complex.

I die a little inside every time I hear him call me "just a friend"... but maybe a really good friend is what he NEEDS the most.

She laughed to herself, quietly. Something about trying to figure this boy out turns me into a junior psychiatrist, doesn't it? Now I just need to figure out my own... issues...

Ladybug looked down at Adrien and squinted, trying to make out something odd she'd spotted near him. Was that a tiny... black thing buzzing around him just then? she wondered. Maybe a dragonfly, or something like that? It was big for an insect, whatever it was.

Wait a second...

She looked again, and coming in from a slightly different trajectory, she saw a different insect that made her blood run cold.

"Hey, Kim! YOU'RE the one who was dumb enough to try to date Chloè!" thought Adrien.

Nah. That's too mean, to both of them. Kim didn't know better at the time, and Chloè's... well, she's getting better. Very, very slowly, but it still counts for something.

Adrien kept walking, pondering zingers in his head to respond to Kim's next razzing attempt, frustration and anger and melancholy all simmering inside him...

A sudden scream caught his full attention:

"ADRIEN!"

That voice! he thought. Was that... Marinette?

He turned, quickly, as Plagg dove for cover into his shirt pocket...

...and froze, in pure shock, as tiny purple wings dove straight for his face!

Adrien tried to scream, but no sound came out of his mouth.

No time to react -

NO!

Adrien barely had time to blink.

His eyes, wide open, saw an Akuma about to consume him, ready to turn him into one of Hawkmoth's creatures.

They closed, involuntarily, from raw fear.

He forced them open again... and a red-and-black capsule chose that instant to slam shut around the Akuma, yanking it away from his face.

"GAAAAAH!" the scream finally emerged, as Adrien fell backwards, landing on his rear on the ground.

That... THAT... was too... too...

Thinking would have to wait until his heart stopped pounding like a kettledrum.

He looked up and saw Ladybug a few meters away, releasing a white butterfly into the afternoon sky. "Bye-bye, little butterfly," she waved goodbye to it, as always...

Another blink, and another, and then she was leaning over him. His dark-haired goddess, with her perfect blue eyes that he could easily drown in, and a look of pure concern on her face.

"Are you okay, Adrien?" she asked him, catching her own breath. "That was too close."

She reached out to him with her right hand, offering to help him up... but he felt paralyzed, totally overwhelmed by emotion and adrenaline. His arm moved to meet hers, but that small movement was all that he could manage.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked, her voice as light as a morning breeze.

"I - I ..." Adrien stammered. He tried to form actual words that could be arranged into sentences, but the BA-WHUMP BA-WHUMP BA-WHUMP of his pounding heart had full priority just then.

I do and I don't and I HAVE TO and I CAN'T.

Hesitantly, he put a tiny bit more strength into the hand that Ladybug was holding. She took that as a sign that she should help him up, so she pulled gently, and he rose to his feet very slowly.

"Th-thank you, Ladybug," Adrien half-whispered. "I..."

"Come here," she beckoned, opening her arms. "Shhh. Just come here for a minute."

There was no way that he could resist it, even if he'd wanted to. Adrien sank into Ladybug's arms, feeling like a child, his head resting gently on her shoulder. She wrapped her arms around him to comfort him, all thoughts of crushes and romance and hamsters flying straight out of her mind.

This isn't about any of that right now, she knew. This is just... needed.

"I... I'm not sure how that happened," Adrien said, in a tiny voice.

"I think I know," replied Ladybug. "You thought for just one minute that you felt all alone, that you had nobody that you could lean on or talk to. But I think I just proved that you're wrong about that."

As they broke the hug, Ladybug kept her hands on his shoulders. "You have lots of people who do care about you, Adrien. You know that, right? And you know that I'm one of them. I always will be, I promise."

Thoughts of TELL HER! and APOLOGIZE TO HER! and KISS HER! and THANK HER! and MARRY HER! all fought for control of Adrien's brain, and in the chaos something else slipped through. "Can I... meet you sometime?"

"Meet me?" Ladybug wondered aloud. "I think I know you pretty well already, don't I?", she giggled.

"I m-mean, meet with you sometime. To talk about it. Not like a date. Unless - no. I just want to... so I can talk to you. Thank you properly. For everything."

"Adrien," she smiled, "I'm just happy I was nearby, and close enough to help. Of course we can meet and talk sometime. Let me... um... figure out how you can reach me..."

Ladybug stumbled slightly, trying to figure out how not to give her identity away in the process. "Or, how about this - I'll find you in the next day or two and we'll work something out, okay? I'll see if I can set something up so that whenever you need me, you can contact me."

"I would really like that, Ladybug... more than you can imagine," Adrien replied, still somewhat in shock.

"On one condition, mister," Ladybug told him, giving him a serious look.

"Anything! What is it?" asked Adrien.

"The next time you feel that down, or that angry, or whatever put you in that mood that put the Akuma on your trail, will you remember something for me?" asked Ladybug, in a gentle tone of voice. "That someone's watching over you."

"I'll don't think I'll ever forget that again."

He smiled at her, warmly and honestly and as pure as a songbird's call, and for an instant she was back on the school steps, staring at an extended umbrella and That Smile. A little part inside of Marinette joined all of her other little parts already labeled YOURS FOREVER.

"Be careful going home, okay?" asked Ladybug, and Adrien nodded.

With one last little wave, Ladybug swung away.

And two young people and two ancient Kwamis all knew that this was going to be a very long and sleepless night ahead for them.

Next time:

* A little light conversation... and a little more.

* "So... it didn't work?"

* "I do NOT normally do this..."

* Plagg's two cents.

* And more...

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

So... I hadn't planned on starting a new multi-part story until I'd completely finished Let's Take It From The Top. I smacked facefirst into a couple of tiring months that delayed that, I wanted to catch up on the remaining Season 2 episodes and those weren't available until December (and I STILL need to do that, though I've gotten details that I needed!), and things in general were pretty exhausting.

I started up a Tumblr a while back and hadn't used it all that much - mostly just posting teasers for chapters when I remembered to do that. (Same name, dfcfanfics, for those who haven't looked at it.) In recent months, I paid more attention to it from a reader's perspective and came across a lot of nifty artwork and show commentary, so it became more of a habit.

A few days ago, I took another look... and there was a Ladrien scene drawn out as a comic being shared all over the place, and it was absofreakinglutely adorable. "The Ladrien I always wanted so I decided to draw it," said buggachat, and there were dozens of replies raving about it and hoping/predicting that it would inspire lots of fanfics. buggachat added some additional context, and added, "I'd love to see content based around the concept... I'd write it myself but I'm not much of a writer."

Well... given how promising the scene and context were, and how many associated ideas it put in my head, I'd argue about that. ;) But, as it happens... I like to think that I'M much of a writer, and I had another Ladrien idea already waiting to be written that this scene could slide right into. So I took a crack at it, ran this first chapter by her for her approval, and here we are.

(I would link the artwork / Tumblr post here, but FFN is allergic to external links. You can check either dfcfanfics or buggachat on Tumblr to find it.)

I'm still working out the plotting for this, so updates may be irregular / as they are completed, and I'm not sure how many chapters it will run in total yet. But this one was just so fluffy that I couldn't let it sit idly until then.

Enjoy!

- DFC