Chapter 6

In which Alya speaks before she thinks (Bonus Chapter)

Note! I have JUST added a little more to Chapter 5's ending. I completely forgot something I wanted to put in there at the end, so if you haven't read that yet, I recommend you do so.
That said, on with the chapter. I'm sure quite a few of you will get a kick out of this one :)

Marinette sat behind her desk, waiting for the school day to begin. She chatted eagerly with her best friend, Alya, who was currently seated with crossed legs atop of her desk. Gossip lingered on both of their lips, inside jokes causing the two of them to laugh heartedly. A few more students walked in, gave them an odd look, and sat down.

Ten minutes to bell.

Chloe walked in. Words were exchanged in a usual banter. Marinette's previous good mood disappeared in a huff at the indignant blonde. (Marinette had a sneaking suspicion Chloe's hair was not naturally that yellow, but she put off comments for fear of retribution). Alya sat down in to her chair, and patted Marinette softly on the back.

Five minutes to bell.

Kim walked in. Then Alix. Nathaniel walked close to the wall to the pencil sharpener, trying his hardest not to be seen.

BZZZZZZZ. ZZZZ. ZZZZZZZuh.

He walked hurriedly back to his desk.

Marinette's chin rested on her desk the whole time.

Two minutes to bell.

Nino and Adrien walked in. Adrien seemed a little happier than normal – a slight glint in his eye, his smile turned up just a hair more. His hair didn't seem as messy, like he had taken extra care in combing it. Nino made another joke, to which Adrien replied with a grin and a slug to the arm.

"Hey, boys!" Alya called them over

" 'Sup, Alya?" Said Nino, fist bump at the ready. A small thwup as their knuckles collided.

"Not much. Got some great video of the akuma yesterday. Ladybug and Chat Noir were as amazing as ever." Alya replied

Adrien grinned "Yeah, those two are pretty great, aren't they?"

Marinette nodded, wanting to contribute to the conversation while also knowing she'd just blabber all over the place while Adrien was there.

Alya side-glanced at her friend and smirked. "Yeah, they are. Speaking of which, Adrien?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm really sorry for thinking you were Ladybug. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions before triple checking my notes."

Nino slapped Adrien on the back with a mighty laugh. "Oh, that is too good! You, as Ladybug!? What I wouldn't pay to see THAT!"

Adrien rolled his eyes. His hair fell in his eyes a bit, and he brushed it out of the way with his hand. His attention was brought to Marinette, who just stood their pale faced and wide eyed. Which, granted, was not unusual as he had seen her do this many times before, usually around him. He could never fathom why.

No, what made this different was what her eyes were staring at. They didn't seem fixated on his face, but rather, his hand.

His right hand.

His ring …hand…

One minute to bell.

He looked back up from his hand on the table to her face.

Slowly, discreetly, Marinette moved her bangs out of her eyes. Her hand continued moving through her hair, moving it away from her right ear for just a few seconds.

More than enough time for Adrien to see the earrings of his Lady on girl behind him, and for all the air in the world to leave him.

Neither moved. Neither spoke. Neither dared breathe.

BBBBBBRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGG!

The bell rang, ferocious and loud, signaling the beginning of the school day. Their professor walked in, syllabus in her hand.

"Bathroom!" shouted Marinette

"I'm not feeling very well!" Adrien said loudly

Alya, Nino, and the rest of the class just watched as the blond boy and bluenette girl ran out of the classroom together.

After a minute, Kim broke the silence.

"Ok, that was weird, right?"

-MIRACULOUS!-

Marinette ran down the hall towards the gymnasium. Adrien ran after her.

"Hey, wait up!" he called

They rounded a corner, where a broom closet had been left ajar. Marinette grabbed Adrien's arm and dragged him inside, latching the door shut behind them.

The room was small. Even with their backs as far against the shelves as they could be, their toes were still touching. The dim bulb flickered overhead. Marinette made a mental note to get the school's janitor a new lightbulb for the fixture.

The two teenagers stared at each other, disbelief settling on their faces, followed quickly by a heated blush on Marinette.

"Just to be clear, Marinette… you're Ladybug, right?" Adrien asked

Marinette nodded. "And you- you're Chat Noir?"

"Yep! The one and only!" Adrien began to grin, but noticing Marinette's nervousness, stopped. "You're not… disappointed, are you?"

"W-what!? Why would I you be in disappointed? I mean, why would I be disappointed in you?" she stammered

Adrien sighed. "Because of that. Every time I try to talk to you, or just wave, you get all stammer and nervous. What gives?"

Marinette was silent. She couldn't just outright say she had a crush on him, she just wasn't ready yet. It was better to be friends first, to get over her fangirling around him before she tried actually asking him out.

"Well, you're kind of the son of one of my favorite designers, and all over fashion catalogues. Can you blame me for being a little nervous?" By now, Marinette was no longer blushing.

Adrien sighed. "Sometimes I wish I wasn't."

Marinette looked at him, confused, waiting for him to continue.

"The house is nice, and I have everything I could want, and it's great, really. But sometimes, I wish I could just be me, you know? Not what everyone thinks I am - what my Father wants me to be."

Marintte grabbed his hand and held it gently.

"And there are … days. After a long battle. After getting poisoned, or trapped, or hurt and not being able to help you or even hurting you – when the dust settles, and everything's back to normal but the memories of what happened are still there…"

"There are days when I really, really miss my mom."

Adrien looked at his feet, putting on his best facade. Marinette's eyes were wide with concern, and before she knew it, she was holding him in a hug. Adrien's head leaned on her shoulder, a crutch to his inner turmoil.

"You're not alone, Kitty. I am always here to listen." She whispered.

The lightbulb flickered, like lightning in a storm.

"…Thank you, My Lady."

For once, all was calm, and they were at peace. It would not be forever, but here, right now, they were in harmony. That was all they could ever hope for.

And they were Happy.

Author's Notes.

I edited the ending, because I felt like maybe it wasn't as "Final" as I wanted it to be. Because, for SOME reason, this has still been getting follows... even though it is listed as Complete...

I hope this let's people know that, hey, you don't have to follow this story! It's over! Go read some other great fics!
I appreciate each and everyone of you who has favorited, commented, and followed this story, and I can't thank you enough for your support. Ta-Ta for now!