Sneak a Peek

Sometimes you have to break the rules

*Author's note*

I'm going to preface this little fic by saying, I haven't written fanfiction in over 15 years! To give you some idea of my last fic, it was while I was desperately waiting for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to come out (and it was my coping mechanism with Sirius' death).

Anyway, I've been really inspired by other ML fics lately, that I just had to write a little one.

Please leave a review! I love hearing from readers and other creators, so even if you have some criticisms, I'd love to see 'em!

-Background info-

This takes place during - and the few days after - the Dark Owl Akuma attack. It's not canon, but it is my headcanon.

(Season 2 Episode 7)

Xoxo,
Bunnie

Chapter 1

"You won, Dark Owl!" Ladybug yelled. "Close your eyes, and no peeking," she added to Chat Noir.

He had promised not to peek, but when she closed his fist back over his ring he couldn't help himself.

He knew he wasn't supposed to.

He knew he shouldn't.

Adrien heard the soft clink-clink of metal on metal and his curiosity won out. His eyelids raised almost imperceptibly, his eyelashes obscuring his view. He snapped them shut almost immediately as a red Kwami dipped in front of him. He felt a light touch on his chin, a signal from the Ladybug Kwami to close his embarrassingly open mouth. A few more seconds slipped by as Adrien felt the whipped cream draining from his legs.

'I need to know!' He thought vehemently, his mind already made up to betray Ladybug's orders to not look.

Once again, Adrien slowly slipped one eye open, careful to spy if the Kwamis would see him. The red Kwami had turned and was floating back to its human, while he felt Plagg float softly up and down near his ear.

'There she is,' he thought, just making out her thin legs and small feet, now clear of the whipped cream. The knowledge of the Kwamis' proximity and the fear of giving himself away should he move stopped him from opening his eyes wider to take in her entire frame. As it was, his eyelid was raised just enough to grant him a view of the floor and Ladybug's feet. Adrien jumped and squeezed his eyes shut again as the pink shoes turned to face him.

"Well," she quipped, her voice shaky.

'Probably from nerves,' he thought before he smiled and slipped the ring back onto his finger. "Nice thinking, M'Lady."

"Are you ready to transform?" She asked and he could hear the smile in her tone.

"Count of three!" He said excitedly. "One…"

"Two…"

"Three… Plagg, claws out!"

"Tikki, spots on!"

After a long week dealing with The Owl and an exhilarating afternoon kicking Alya's butt at Ultimate Mecha Strike III, Marinette was happy to belly flop onto her bed with a loud sigh, burying her head into her pillow. Tikki zoomed up to her shoulder blades and began loosening Marinette's pig tails.

"What a week," she said in her small voice. "Are you okay, Marinette?"

Marinette groaned again and released a slow deep breath. "Yeah, Tikki." She sighed. "I'm fine. Your scalp massages always work wonders."

Tikki giggled, "Thanks, I guess, but it still seems like there's something you wanted to talk about." Her sentence ending in a slight upper inflection, indicating the hint of a question in her tone.

Marinette thought for a moment, debating if she should bring up what was really on her mind. She knew Tikki trusted her, but the idea of disappointing the little Kwami was enough to make her hide her face under her pillow.

Tikki laughed as she slid off of Marinette shoulder and rested against the wall. "Marinette," she chastised lightly. "What's going on? You can tell me anything."

"You promise you won't be mad?" Marinette asked, secretly happy that her voice was muffled. As if hiding under the pillow and muffling her voice would somehow make what she was about to say less embarrassing.

Tikki giggled again and patted Marinette softly on the arm. "I can't be mad at you!"

"IbrokethepromiseandbrokemyownruleandIcouldn'thelpmyselfohTikkiI'msosorrybutIwasjustsocuriousImeanhowcouldInotbutIswearIdidn't-"

"Whoa! Wait!" Tikki squeaked as she tried to make sense of Marinette's fast rambling. "Slow down! Slow down and start over. I didn't catch any of that!"

"I looked at Chat Noir when we detransformed." Marinette said quietly, voice still muffled by the pillow. "But Tikki, I swear I didn't see anything! All I saw were his shoes; I couldn't see anything else."

Tikki was quiet for a minute before replying pensively, "I see." Marinette groaned before Tikki continued, "Are you sure you didn't see anything? You have no idea who it is?"

"No Tikki! I swear! Just his shoes!"

Tikki rubbed her chin as if she were channeling Master Fu, "I see. Well, I'm sorry Marinette, but you broke the rules. Which means I -"

"No!" Marinette yelled, peeking out from pillow, her eyes wide.

Before she could continue, Tikki burst into laughter. "Oh, Marinette! It's okay! I'm sorry I made you worry! You only saw his shoes, so how in the world could you know who Chat Noir is?"

Marinette wasn't listening to Tikki anymore. Her fears of losing her powers had vanished from her thoughts. She was staring at her favorite Adrien Agreste poster that hung next to her bed; the pillow on top of her head obscuring him from the waist up. Her mind went blank, only one thought running through her head.

"Marinette?" Tikki chirped, her voice sounding far away.

'Those shoes,' she thought. 'I know those shoes.'

Adrien hadn't seen his friends all weekend. His father had booked him for several photoshoots both days, only giving him enough time to finish his homework, eat, and sleep. Not only was his isolation getting to him, but he had grown almost obsessive over his half-look at Ladybug's true self.

Pink. All he had seen was pink. Plagg, of course, hadn't been any help. He had tried to bribe the Cat Kwami with wheels and wheels of camembert in an attempt to learn who the mysterious girl was, but to no avail. Adrien wasn't surprised when the cheese supply went missing the next day.

Monday hadn't come fast enough and he was excited to catch up with everyone. Alya filled him in on her role as Cardboard Girl and how Ladybug and Chat Noir had come to her house and asked her to help. Adrien smiled and ooh-ed and ah-ed at all the right places. Nino told him all about his bot's awesome upgrades in Mecha Strike, to which he was truly bummed to have missed.

One friend was missing though. "Alya, where's Marinette?" Adrien asked.

Alya smirked. "Oh you know her," she said with a laugh. "That girl's always running la-"

RRRIIIIIIIINNNG

She was interrupted by the school bell, signalling the beginning of class.

Adrien turned around in his seat just as Marinette rushed in, her face flushed.

"I'm here!" she cried. "Sorry!"

Adrien smiled in her direction, but one look at him and her eyes practically popped out of their sockets. She rushed past him to her seat without saying a word.

Adrien looked quizzically at Nino, who shrugged.

'Well,' he thought as he played with the ring on his finger, watching as it caught the light. 'It wouldn't be Marinette if she wasn't running late.'

He snapped out of his thoughts when their professor began the day's lecture. He was just bending down to gather his notebook and pen from his backpack when he heard Marinette stand up quickly and run past him and out the door.

"Marinette!" Alya called after her. "What ring?"

"Well I never!" exclaimed their professor.

Adrien was numb. The scene replaying in slow motion. Her legs sprinting past him.

A blur of pink.

'Those shoes,' he thought, his mouth suddenly dry. 'I know those shoes.'

To be continued...

*End note*

Headcanon accepted; change my mind. (๑ÒωÓ๑)

Next up:
Adrien is Chat Noir?! Marinette can't handle that information! Tikki tries to calm Marinette's nerves as they talk about the possibliity that the biggest crush of her life leads a double life.

Bunnie's Note:
Hopefully I keep writing! This was a lot of fun!

Please, don't forget to review! I'd love to hear what you think; the good, bad, and ugly!

°˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°

Xoxo,

Bunnie

P.S. I'm on , Ao3, and Tumblr! (same username: BunniElyse)