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The Week That Was	By : Cat_Eyes Category: +M through R > Miraculous LadyBug Views: 3443 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug. Miraculous Ladybug is the intellectual property of Thomas Astruc and released by Zag studios. No profit was made writing this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Monday
- 2-Tuesday
- 3-Wednesday
- 4-Thursday
- 5-Friday
- 6-Saturday
- 7-Sunday
- 1
- 2
- 3
Adrien sprang out of bed, more eager than usual to get to school. He ignored Plagg's snarky comments, and got on with his routine, though his train on thought was stuck on a single track.
Marinette. Crush. Do I like her? I like her. I like her a lot. Marinette. Crush.
His stomach flipped happily at the thought of seeing her. His heart skipped a beat at the notion of talking to her. He felt giddy at the memory of holding her close to him.
'Hey Plagg,' he called, as he emerged from the bathroom.
Plagg lay, spreadeagled, atop his pillow. 'What?'
'How can I get Marinette to like me back?'
'You don't'
Adrien slumped onto the bed, crestfallen. 'You're right. I can't just get someone to do anything, especially if they don't want to.'
Plagg rolled over. 'Exactly.'
'What if I tried to talk to her as Chat Noir? She seems to be ok with him.'
'That would be deceitful and manipulative. She won't thank you for that.'
Adrien rested his elbows on his knees, and put his face in his hands. 'What can I do?'
Plagg hummed an I-don't-know noise. 'Give her cheese, or something.'
'Somehow, I don't think I'll be able to buy her affections,' Adrien replied, drily.
'If only she were more like Chloe,' sighed Plagg.
Adrien didn't give that the dignity of a response. Instead, he pulled his shoes on, packed his bag, then went to eat a solitary breakfast.

Marinette awoke slowly, reluctant to leave a dream in which Chat Noir held her tight and whispered sweet nothings in her ear.
She snorted and sat up straight when Tikki slammed into her face.
'Good morning, Marinette,' she trilled, biscuit crumbs clinging to her cheeks.
Marinette gave her an unimpressed stare in return.
'Time to get up. You have school today,' she sang as she flew around Marinette in tight circles.
Marinette gave a heartfelt groan, and flopped back onto her pillows.
'None of that. You have to get ready for that history test you've put off all last week. Come on, chop chop.'
Marinette waved her hand weakly about, hoping to swat Tikki into silence. Tikki, however, just phased through her hand when it came too close.
Eventually, Tikki's joyful harassment drove Marinette out of bed, and into the bathroom.
She got to school before the first bell rang, so she supposed she ought to be grateful for Tikki's pestering. To her credit, Tikki never took offence when Marinette tried to flatten her into the bedding.
'Hey, Marinette. Glad to see you here bright and early,' Alya greeted her, with a hug.
Marinette returned the embrace, feebly. Instead of talking, she moaned pitifully in Alya's ear.
'Her body may be here, but her brain is still asleep,' Alix observed.
Marinette let her arms fall as Alya stepped back.
'I think you're right,' she agreed, peering into Marinette's eyes.
Marinette blinked slowly, one eye at a time.
Alya smiled helplessly at her, as she shook her head.
The bell rang, so they all filed inside. Marinette fell behind, too slow and sleepy to keep up.
Half way up the front steps, her foot slipped off the tread. Marinette gasped, arms windmilling as she tried to stop herself from falling backwards.
Just as she lost the battle against gravity, a strong pair of hands caught her around the middle.
'Whoa there. Are you ok?'
Marinette gripped the hands holding her waist, then looked up to see Adrien smiling down at her. She struggled to get her feet under her, then he let her go once she was stable. However, she could still feel the impressions of his hands on her person. She wrapped her arms around herself, nodded a curt thanks, then fled.
'What happened?' asked Alya, when Marinette sat at their desk. 'You're all red. Did you walk into the boys' bathroom again?'
In rushed whispers, Marinette told her what happened. She was spared a response when Caline entered and began handing out test papers, to a chorus of groans.
The test began, and Marinette steadily worked her way through it. The questions weren't as hard as she'd feared, but the answers were short essays which took up a lot of time. By the end, she felt mentally drained, and her hand was cramping fiercely. She folded her arms atop the desk to rest her head on them, and dozed.
'Marinette Dupain-Cheng, trying to catch up on your beauty sleep?' Chloe sneered from her seat. 'God knows, you need all the help you can get.'
Her remark was met with disapproving frowns from the rest of the class.
'Shut up, Chloe,' Alya hissed.
Marinette sighed and turned her head away.
'Don't ignore me, you common born baker's brat,' Chloe demanded.
Marinette opened her eyes, wondering why Caline wasn't calling Chloe to order. She was unsurprised to see Caline was no longer in the room.
'Hey,' Chloe continued, 'I'm talking to you, Half-Breed.'
'Chloe,' gasped Adrien.
Marinette lifted her head, more confused than outraged, to see Adrien staring at Chloe in appalled shock.
Chloe waved a dismissive hand. 'Don't worry about it, Adrikins. She's just the get of a plebeian labourer, and an immigrant. She's a lowly mongrel, and nothing more.'
'Shut up, right now,' he snarled.
That woke Marinette up. She sat up slowly, watching Adrien with wide eyes as he glared at Chloe.
Chloe's mouth worked soundlessly, as her eyes began to well.
Caline re-entered the room, oblivious to the tension, to resume going over revision questions for the next exam.
Marinette heard none of it. She stared at the back of Adrien's head, thinking that even at her worst, he had never spoken to her like that. He had been nothing but calm and polite since she'd met him.
Have I misjudged him?

Adrien focussed on taking notes, resolutely not thinking of the hateful things Chloe had said, or how he had reacted to them.
As awful as she'd been, he knew there was never a good reason to raise his voice at a lady. He'd wanted her to be quiet, but he didn't want to scare her. He certainly didn't want Marinette to think he was the type of guy who yelled at women. The thought of her being afraid of him made his gut clench, and his chest hurt.
So, he paid careful attention to the lecture, writing down everything Caline said.
By the time the lunch bell sounded, his hand ached, and his head pounded. He made his way to the waiting car slowly, so he wouldn't exacerbate the headache.
Predictably, Gabriel didn't join him for lunch, but rather than feel lonely or neglected, Adrien appreciated the quietude. Even Plagg ate in silence.
He tossed back a couple of painkillers, then rested his head in his arms, as he waited for someone to collect him.

Marinette sat with Alya on the floor of her balcony, enjoying the sunshine, as they ate their lunch.
'You're quiet today. Something on your mind?' asked Alya, with a knowing look in her eyes.
Marinette rested her chin on her knees, as she looked at Alya, thoughtfully. 'What happened today was weird.'
Alya raised an eyebrow. 'You think so?'
'Yeah,' she replied. 'I've never been friendly with Adrien, so what reason could he have for catching me when I fell, or defending me against Chloe?'
'Adrien has a strong sense of right and wrong,' Alya explained. 'He wouldn't have let anyone fall down the stairs, and Chloe said something particularly nasty, so he called her out on it.'
'Chloe's been nasty before, but I've never seen him react like that,' Marinette argued.
Alya bit her lip as her eyes drifted to the side. 'Maybe he wants to be your friend?'
Marinette snorted in disbelief. 'Why would he want that? I haven't exactly been warm and welcoming.'
Alya held her hands out and shrugged. 'I don't know, Girl, I'm not a mind reader. You should try asking him.'
Marinette hummed, thoughtfully. 'I think I might.'

Adrien wanted to enjoy the chemistry experiment, but his headache lingered, and his gut flipped uncomfortably every time Marinette glanced his way. He was sure he felt a stomach ulcer forming under the stress of her attention. Normally, he would have been thrilled to know she was looking at him, but her expression was indecipherable.
Does this mean she dislikes me more than before? Is she scared of me?
He bit his lip, blinking away the stinging in his eyes.
Nino gripped his shoulder, and gave him a reassuring smile. Adrien mustered up a grin in return, and got back to work.
The rest of the afternoon strained his nerves, but was uneventful. There was no more bickering, or name-calling, only a residual tension that only time would dispel.
Finally, the last bell rang. Adrien packed up, helped Nino put the equipment away, then went to the locker room.
He took his time to sort the things he needed from the things he could leave behind. Soon, he was the last one left.
'Why did you do it?' a voice asked.
Adrien jumped with a startled yelp. His bag fell, spilling his books and pens across the floor.
Clutching his shirt above his racing heart, Adrien turned to see Marinette standing behind him, on the far side of the bench dividing the room. She was watching him with wide eyes, her mouth open a little, and her hands wrapped tightly around her bag handle.
Adrien gulped as a furious blush crept up from his neck to his hairline. In an attempt to cover the following silence, he knelt to gather his things and shove them back in his bag.
A pale, slender hand entered his field of vision. Marinette had bent down to help him collect the pens which had rolled under the bench. She held them out to him.
'Thanks,' he murmured, accepting the bundle. He couldn't meet her eyes, so his gaze drifted down and stopped at the dirt clinging to her knees. His blush returned.
'Sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up on you,' she apologised.
Adrien's head snapped up. 'It's fine, no harm done. You wanted to ask me something?'
Marinette shuffled, as her cheeks turned a light pink. 'I just wanted to know why you stood up for me against Chloe.'
'Oh,' he drawled, comprehension dawning. 'Right, well, I guess because she was out of line. What she said was grossly inappropriate, intolerant, and straight up racist. I couldn't let it slide.'
Marinette regarded him from the corner of her eye. 'She's said some really horrible things in the past, and you didn't even blink. So, why now?'
Adrien cleared his throat. He didn't think it would be socially acceptable to say it was because he liked her, and wanted to defend her. Marinette was a strong, independent woman who didn't need a guy to fight her battles for her, least of all him. Assuming she believed him, she would think he was condescending and arrogant.
He shrugged, helplessly. He didn't have an answer.
She watched him, dubiously, as she shouldered her bag and turned around. 'Right, I have to go. Thanks for your help today, I guess.'
He waved as he watched her go. 'You're welcome,' he said, to an empty room.

Marinette dropped off the last of the deliveries, then turned around to go home. It was dark and late, but Tikki was asleep, and Marinette didn't have the heart to wake her.
'A walk will do me good,' she muttered.
He head had felt crowded since her talk with Adrien, so she had offered to make the bakery's deliveries. Sabine had handed her two cake boxes, and six bags, but nothing to carry them all in. The first few drop offs had been a juggling act, but it forced her to concentrate on something other than Adrien.
Now she was empty handed, with a purse full of cash, and a sleeping Tikki, an hour's walk away from home. She sighed, and took her first step.
'I really wish I'd brought my phone,' she groused, after ten minutes.
'What's this?' asked a voice from above.
A shadow dropped to the ground in front of her. 'Princess, it's dangerous to be out so late all by yourself.'
Marinette sighed in relief. 'Chat Noir, thank goodness. I thought you were a mugger.'
He straightened up, with an affronted expression. 'How could you possibly think that I,' he gestured to himself, 'could be a lowly criminal?'
She blushed, waving her hands frantically before her. 'Sorry, it's dark, and I didn't see you right away. I know you're not a mugger, you're too amazing to be something like that.' She clapped both hands over her mouth, as her blush intensified.
Chat Noir blinked, his stunned expression morphing into a smirk. 'You think I'm amazing?'
Marinette hid behind her hands and squeaked in mortification.
Chat Noir gently grasped her wrists to ease her hands down. 'Please don't hide from me.'
Still holding her wrists, he tugged her forward to wrap his arms around her. 'As it happens, I think you're pretty amazing, too.'
Marinette gasped. When he showed no indication of letting go, she slid her arms around his middle to hug him back.
She had so many questions, but her mouth refused to cooperate with her brain. Eventually, she forced out a timid, 'how?'
He hummed a quizzical note as he leaned back to look at her, but not far enough to let go. 'How?' he echoed.
She sucked in a deep breath. 'How do you know I'm amazing? We've met like,' she tapped on his back as she imagined counting on her fingers, 'four times, five? Not enough to get to know someone.'
'You think I'm amazing,' he reminded her, still smirking.
Marinette coughed. 'Yes, well, you're all over the news. Everyone thinks you're awesome.'
'I'm not interested in everyone,' he murmured, leaning back in.
Her mouth clamped shut, as heat flashed up her body.
Chat Noir brushed her hair back with his knuckles. 'You're a long way from home. Please allow your humble knight to carry you back.'
She almost declined. The moment had been too heavy, and she didn't know how to deal with the sudden flood of emotions. However, the idea of walking in the dark for another fifty minutes decided her. She nodded as she took a step backward, out of his arms.
Chat Noir rested one elbow in the crook of the other, while he tapped his chin, deep in thought.
'How should we do this?' he muttered.
'Do what?' she asked, torn between breathless and amused.
'I'm just deciding whether to carry you piggyback, or bridal style.'
Marinette giggled. 'Bridal isn't very practical. Piggyback would free up your arms, should you need to use your baton.'
He nodded. 'That's very clever thinking, but it's not as romantic, is it?'
Marinette's blush returned, spreading up to the tips of her ears. She stammered and squeaked as she waved her arms around, but said nothing coherent.
Chat Noir chuckled, turned around, and knelt. 'Piggyback it is. Climb on, Marinette, we'll get you home safe and sound.'
She gave a final peep in reply, then tentatively placed her hands on his shoulders. He slid his hands around her knees and stood, hoisting her up until she could wrap her arms around his neck.
He turned toward her, smiling, as she looked over his shoulder.
'Comfy?'
She nodded.
'All right, let's go.'
He walked to the end of the block, then retrieved his baton, crossing her legs in front of him.
'I'll need my hands now. Hold on tight, this could get bumpy.'
Marinette wrapped her limbs around him as tightly as she dared. While it was not uncommon for Ladybug to be this close to him, she was Marinette right now. With one of them out of costume, the dynamics shifted. Now, he was the one with all the strength and power. That made him the authority figure.
She felt fragile and vulnerable like this, which was absurd, yet she was being lifted into the air with only Chat Noir as her insurance against injury. Her grip on him tightened.
She felt him chuckle.
'I thought you weren't afraid of heights,' he teased.
She buried her face in his neck, and didn't answer.
'Look up, Marinette. You're missing the best view in Paris. A cat's eye view of the City of Love at night.'
He paused at the peak of a roof to let her take in the vista. It was something she had seen many times before, but with him here and her as a civilian, it was a completely different experience.
'Wow,' she breathed.
'Wow,' he agreed. He hooked his hands behind her knees again, and walked down the slope of the roof, and on to the next one. He kept a sedate pace, but too soon they were back at the bakery.
Chat Noir eased her down just out of view of the windows. 'It was a pleasure to see you again, Princess,' he told her, sweeping up her hand as he dipped into a bow. He kissed her knuckles, then released her. 'Until next time.'
'Thank you, Chat Noir. Take care of yourself.'
He gave her a two fingered salute over his shoulder, then fled, disappearing quickly into the shadows.
Dreamily, Marinette went inside to prepare for bed.

Adrien fell back on his bed with a wistful sigh. 'She thinks I'm amazing.'
Plagg flew into his trash bin with a wheel of cheese, refusing to answer.
'I almost kissed her. I could have kissed her. Damn it, I should have kissed her.'
'It's too soon for that, you nitwit,' Plagg reprimanded him, as he leant on the rim of the bin.
Adrien sat up. 'Oh my Bast, you're right. Only a creep just kisses girls without asking them first.'
'Only a creep, who knows the girl doesn't really like him, would take advantage of her feelings like that.'
Adrien blanched. He fell back, covering his face with a mournful wail. 'What do I do? I really like her, but she barely gives me the time of day. The only way I can get her to talk to me is when I'm Chat Noir.'
'Seems pretty shallow of her.'
'She's not shallow,' Adrien shot back, defensively.
Plagg floated out of the bin with a long suffering sigh. 'Look, maybe try talking to her as Adrien again. Let her see some of your good qualities without the mask and suit. Standing up for her against the Wicked Blonde of the West was a good start.'
'It was?' he asked, hopefully.
'It got her to talk to you before, didn't it? That girl's also pretty clumsy, so if you can catch her before she hits the ground, that'll be another reason for her to thank you.'
Adrien nodded. 'I think she appreciated not falling down the stairs.'
'Exactly. But most importantly, be yourself.'
He nodded, then scowled. 'When has that ever worked?' he demanded.
Plagg crossed his arms. 'Were you acting like someone else when you caught her, or defended her from Chloe?'
Adrien bit his lip and shook his head.
Plagg settled on his knee. 'The only difference between you and Chat Noir is the clothes you wear. The rest is all you, understand?'
Adrien nodded.
'Good. Now get to bed, I'm done.'
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The Week That Was