Heartbreaker 💔 (A Miraculous Ladybug Fanfic)

2- Feline Feelings

Adrien stands still, embarrassed, not knowing what to say. He doesn't know how Kim got that picture. All he knows if he sent that picture to Nino in confidence and everyone's seen in. He stares at his best friend. "Really, Nino?" He asks, and Nino doesn't have a chance to answer.

"Yo, Adrien!" Kim wraps his arm around Adrien's shoulder. "Cute jammies. Do you think they have any in my size?"

"Not funny, Kim," He mutters, shoving his classmate off.

"He's right," Chloe says, stepping forward. "It's not funny! It's ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous! What do you even see in that stupid superbug, anyway, Adrikins?"

As Adrien turns to leave, Kim steps in his way. "I have to ask. Are your bedsheets Ladybug-themed, too? Do you sleep on her face every night?"

"Cut it out, Kim," Marinette defends, stepping forward. "Come on. Your jokes aren't funny."

"I think they're funny," Alix admits, raising a hand. "We're all friends here! We pound on each other sometimes. It keeps the friendship strong. Besides, this is so cool!"

"I know!" Rose cheers, squealing. "Adrien and Ladybug are both famous, so we should get them together! Oh, it's so romantic..."

Max types at the calculator on his watch. "Maybe not so romantic, Rose. Adrien and Ladybug have a thirty-four percent capability of falling in love."

"What Max is trying to say is that Adrien doesn't stand a chance with Ladybug," Kim says, patting Adrien's back. "Sorry, my guy. Maybe try someone closer in your league, huh? Your ex, Kagami? Eh, maybe not, but there's always Lila or even better, Marinette!"

Adrien doesn't say anything else. He turns around and walks out of the locker room. Marinette watches him leave and gets angry. She turns towards her cruel classmates and asks, "How did you even get that picture anyway? That's an invasion of privacy!"

"Not when Adrien took the picture himself," Kim defends.

"What?" She asks, confused.

Nino steps forward. "Adrien sent the photo to me."

Marinette steps forward. "And you showed everyone?"

"No!"

"It was a mistake," Alya intervenes, stepping forward. "I was doing a new segment on the Ladyblog- superhero themed pajamas! I asked everyone in Paris to send in selfies wearing their favorite sleeping pj's, and Adrien wanted to include a photo, as long as his face was cropped out. When I posted it on the Ladyblog, I forgot to crop Adrien's face out. Now everyone in Paris has seen that photo."

Kim laughs again. "That's so embarrassing! Ladybug is, like, the coolest superhero in Paris. After King Monkey, of course, but she's way out of Adrien's league! A girl like her wouldn't even notice Adrien."

"There's actually a ninety-three percent chance Ladybug and Adrien would interact with each other," Max cuts in, adjusting his glasses. "Both are pretty famous, so it wouldn't be wrong to assume they've met before."

"They have," Marinette spits out, full of rage. "And you need to chill out, Kim! Leave Adrien alone. No teasing. No jokes. Got it?"

Kim pouts. "But what's the fun in that?"

Marinette rolls her eyes and leaves. There's ten minutes before class starts and she's determined to use them to find Adrien. Ladybug must have been the celebrity crush Adrien was talking about. She has to admit, she's flattered, and can't stop blushing, but she knows how Kim is and Adrien's going to be his new target for weeks. "Adrien?" She calls out, checking empty classrooms, the gym, and the cafeteria. She stands on the second floor, resting against the railing, and sighs. Adrien must have called his bodyguard and went home. She's about to give up and go to class when she hears sniffling, leaning over to peek down. Adrien sits under the stairs, crying, and her heart breaks. She rushes down the stairs and crawls underneath. "Adrien?" She whispers, sitting across from him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry you have to see me like this," Adrien whispers, wiping at his eyes. "But I figured if anyone would find me, it'd be you."

"Hey, ignore Kim and Max and everyone. They're just being jerks." She grabs his hand and he looks up at her. "It doesn't matter what they say. Kim's just trying to get a reaction out of you."

He laughs and whispers, "Kim wouldn't even have anything to say if Nino hadn't shared that photo. I can't believe I trusted him."

"No, Adrien, it wasn't Nino. It was an accident. Alya meant to crop your face out of the photo for the blog, but she forgot."

"It wasn't Nino?" Adrien repeats, wanting to pardon his best friend.

Marinette nods. "Yes. It was an accident, and unfortunately that photo was posted. I'm really sorry."

"It's okay, Mari. I'm just mostly embarrassed, really." He leans back and stretches. Crouching under the stairs isn't really good for your posture. "That photo is gonna be shared all over Paris and that isn't who I am or what I share with the public. My father's gonna kill me when he finds out."

"You have nothing to be embarrassed about, Adrien," Marinette says, trying to find the right words to say. "So what if you have a crush on a superhero? Lots of people do. I do. I like Cat Noir."

Adrien sighs. "That's definitely not as embarrassing as me."

"It was, actually, because everyone knows I had a crush on someone else. Have," She corrects, unsure. "I hate to admit this, but it was a really tough time when Chloe told the school about my crush on Cat Noir. Everyone would comment and compare my two crushes and thankfully he's oblivious to notice."

"You have two crushes?" He asks, surprised, because as far as he knew she only loved Cat Noir. Well, there was Luka. "Is Luka the other?"

She shakes her head. "No, not Luka." Adrien stares and wonders. Who could the other guy be, if not Luka? Another superhero? Carapace? King Monkey? Or even a supervillain? He catches the end of Marinette's sentence as he starts listening again. "...so I just want you to know it's not worth it, giving into Kim's teasing. The best thing you can do is keep your head down and wait for the storm to pass."

"You're, like, a really wise old man," Adrien whispers and Marinette starts laughing. "Well, not the old part. You're too pretty for that."

Marinette's cheeks burn red and she fights back a grin. "T-Thank you, Adrien."

"Hey." He nudges his leg against her. "I'm here if you ever want to talk about your feline feelings. I could be your wingman if you want. Or wing-cat, even."

"My wingman?" She questions. "Aren't you sweet."