Miraculous Red Hands: a Miraculous Ladybug Fanfiction

Chapter Four: An Anniversary and a Friend

Published: April 26, 6:30 PM
Words: 1335

Enjoy!

Marinette gathered her belongings as the bell rung throughout the child-filled school, announcing the end of the school day. Kindly saying goodbye to her teacher as she walked out of the classroom, she turned to Alya, her best friend. Alya grinned at her, happy to be able to go home. It had been a long day for all of the students, considering the end of year exams crawling to their view.

Alya glanced at Marinette, who hasn't said anything the entire class.

"Hey, Marinette," Alya called. "Are you good, girl? Is it because of this morning?"

Marinette sighed. Alya meant well, being concerned for her friend, but she wished for a short time that Alya wasn't as observant as she was. "I'm just thinking about what I'm going to say to Adrien soon. I know it was stupid of me to run away, and I guess this is the punishment I get: forced to face him and explain everything. It'll be so embarrassing...."

Alya made a tisk, tisk, tisk sound, shaking her head. "If this is the only thing you have to worry about, you've got it good." Marinette glanced at her friend, and Alya saw pity in her eyes. Alya breathed, and decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"Well, Marinette, all you have to do is say what you mean, and mean what you say. Simple. For me, at least. I love speaking my mind." Marinette laughed softly.

"Thanks, Alya. I'll see you tomorrow, then?" Alya nodded, and waved a goodbye to her best friend. They parted ways, and Marinette looked both ways before crossing the same street Adrien saved her life on.

* * * * *

"Adrien, a friend of yours is here to see you," Nathalie announced through the speakers around his room.

The blond boy jumped from his desk, where he was sulking for a good three hours. "L-let them in, please!"

He had been thinking of the events of the morning, staring at his bandaged hands. When he would see Marinette sometime that week, he would apologize for anything he may have said to make her run away.

That's never happened before, Adrien thought in the heat of the moment in the narrow hallway. He has had girls -- and guys -- see the model on the streets or in the exchange of classes at school, and they would always act odd. But Marinette doesn't look at me like they all do, Adrien thought. She seems maybe a bit scared at first when she speaks with me, but she respects me. She doesn't run at me like Chloe. She doesn't scream when I'm around like half the girls in school. Marinette is... different.

Adrien crawled from his desk towards his bedroom door, head full of thoughts. He heard footsteps towards the door, and a few knocks. "Come on in," Adrien called.

Nathalie appeared in the frame, nearly touching the top of the door because of the extra height from her stiletto heels. "Your friend, Adrien." She stepped out of view, revealing Nino. The dark-haired boy smiled, "Hey, dude!"

Adrien didn't expect Nino to visit him today, but he didn't complain. "Hey, man," Adrien greeted his best friend glancing behind him. "What's up? Did we have something planned tonight?"

Nino looked embarrassed. He scratched the back of his head, removing his hat to reveal short brown-black hair. "Well, no." he began. "I came over because I'm having some issues with Alya." Adrien was more confused than ever, and it showed. He knew that Nino and Alya had been dating (whether or not Alya would admit it), and he was happy for them. I guess being locked in a cage for a couple hours with someone wouldn't be too bad if they ended up dating, Adrien thought. I wonder what Ladybug would do if we were both locked up? The thought excited him.

He shook his head, then brought his attention back to his friend.

"What do you mean? Are you guys okay?" Nino's friend was very concerned for him, and he felt touched by the emotional appeal. "Yeah, but we're in a little bit of an argument." Nino looked at his hands, twiddling them. "Is it alright if I ask what about?" Adrien respected the privacy of everyone, even his best friends. When a stranger walks up to him, reciting the last few things he had had for breakfast and what time he came home from school everyday kind of scared him. He didn't want to invade on anyone's personal life, considering he barely had one to begin with.

"Of course, man. Well, Alya is thinking that we should go to the Paris Zoo for our six month anniversary--" "--That sounds nice!--" Adrien butted in. "--until I told her that I refused to go back there." Nino finished with a downcasted look.

"Huh? I thought you loved the zoo!" Adrien and Nino walked over to the couch facing the window-walls, turning on the TV and facing the gaming console. Adrien knew what to do when his friend was in deep emotional thought, and it was playing his favorite games. It usually calms him down, despite the vigorous smashing of buttons and deaths of fictional characters. When Adrien reached for the console, Nino protested, "Hey, don't worry about the game, dude. I just want to talk today."

Adrien raised his eyebrows. Alya really has changed him, he thought with a mental chuckle. "Alright." He sat next to his friend, concern written on his brow. "So why didn't you want to go to the zoo with Alya?"

"It's not that I don't want to go to the zoo with Alya, I don't want to go to the zoo at all!" Nino waved his arms, expressing his frustration. "It's our six month anniversary, dude! I want to do something special!"

"Like what?" Adrien asked. "I think it would make sense to visit the zoo, since that's where you both..." Adrien let the sentence trail off, moving his hand in a you know what I mean gesture. Nino and Alya didn't do anything bad, but Adrien thought it was funny to make Nino uncomfortable.

"Like a nice dinner, or even a little snack at a bakery, something! Something other than smelly animals throwing their poop at us...." Nino trailed off, shuddering.

Adrien's eyes lit up immediately. "I know the perfect place for you two!" Nino looked up, seeing the idea form in Adrien's head.

"Where?"

"Only the best bakery in the whole of Paris, Nino." I hope Marinette doesn't mind!

* * * * *

Marinette called Alya when she just couldn't bring herself to leave the emotionally protective walls of her room. She knew that Alya would speak some sense to her, energizing Marinette to do what must be done; but that didn't stop her from groaning about it.

As soon as Marinette said "Hey, Alya--" "Marinette Dupain-Cheng, you have to go up there to Adrien's mansion and give his bag back! No 'buts', no 'what if's, you just gotta do it, girl!"

Marinette pulled the phone from her head, wincing at the unexpected volume. Alya continued to list the things Marinette would cause if she didn't see him immediately, and it made Marinette continually more anxious.

"--and you'll both end up sad and alone!" Alya paused to take a breath, but Marinette interrupted her before she could start back up again, "Okay! I'll go now." She heard Alya sigh from the other side of the line. "Good. Now, hang up! Go talk to that boy!" Marinette jumped, hanging up on her friend.

Alright, time to go! Marinette grabbed her coin purse, and headed towards her trap door before realizing that Adrien's messenger bag was still laying on her bed, flap closed. She had a small temptation to open his bag, but ignored the thought. She grabbed it carefully and headed out the house, saying goodbye to her mother.

Thanks for reading this far! Until chapter five! 👋