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Caline Bustier pursued a teaching career because she wanted to guide teenagers to the right path. She wanted her students to have someone she didn’t have when she was her students’ age. Caline’s parents had separated when she was only eight years old and both her mother and father tried to fulfill their duty as a parent by giving her material things.
As years went by, Caline had been contented by it. Her classmates admired – even envied – her new stuff, be it from a simple new fountain pen to her cellphone. Since she didn’t get enough attention from her parents, she reveled at the attention she received from her classmates. Sadly, it got to the point when her popularity got to her head that she started bullying some of her classmates for it.
Her past actions reminded her of one of her current students, Chloé Bourgeois. It was one of the reasons why Caline held long patience and a somewhat endless amount of second chances for the Mayor’s daughter. She had been in Chloé’s shoes once.
If it weren’t for Antoinette, one of the classmates she had bullied, Caline wouldn’t know where she would be today. Unlike the other kids, who disliked Caline after she had hurt them, Antoinette had chosen to give Caline a second chance. This was why she was fond of Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the baker’s daughter reminded Caline of the person who gave her a chance to change and to do better.
Marinette reminded her so much of Antoinette that she thought Chloé would do better if they were in the same class. So despite knowing that Chloé acted that way, Caline made sure to always put them in her class. Caline knew why Chloé was harsh on Marinette, it was because the baker’s daughter had warm, loving parents who cared for her and supported her. In short, Caline and Chloé had targeted the same kinds of people.
Luckily, Adrien Agreste, Chloé’s childhood friend also came into the picture. Now, Chloé was actually putting effort into being nice. And because both Chloé and Marinette cared for Adrien very much, the two girls had some sort of silent truce going on.
However, as soon as that problem was fixed, another one came into view. Caline’s current predicament was in the name of a new student, Lila Rossi. Or should she say, Lie-la Rossi? After Lila’s first day back in her class and the mess of seating arrangements, Caline decided to go to the school nurse to take note of all of Lila Rossi’s illness. That way she could make a better seat plan rather than let the students decide where to sit.
(Honestly, she was disappointed that the class was inconsiderate of Marinette’s opinion about her new seat.)
To Caline’s surprise, there were no records of illness or disorders in her file at the nurse’s office. Why would the girl claim to have many diseases?
Caline’s next course of action was to call Mrs. Rossi. The thing was, she couldn’t get ahold of Lila’s mother. Was Mrs. Rossi always busy? Was that why Lila spreading lies, to get her mother’s attention? If so, Caline could understand that.
However, she was proven wrong the next week when she went to pay a visit to Mrs. Rossi at her workplace. It was clear that Mrs. Rossi loved her daughter very much and tried to spend as much time with her as she could. Sadly, Caline also found out the lies that Lila had been telling her mother about the school.
In return, Caline asked Mrs. Rossi about the trips Lila had been to and the diseases she claimed to have. To say that Mrs. Rossi was angry at her daughter for lying was an understatement. Mrs. Rossi thanked Caline for reaching out to her after that.
Once she arrived in her apartment, Caline started doubting her decision. Did she do the right thing by exposing Lila to her mother? Shouldn’t she try to give Lila a chance? But then again, Lila’s case was different from her and Chloé’s.
Lila actually had a loving mother with her who trusted her and supported her. Lila’s family was not poor. They had a stable living where Lila could afford the material things she wanted as well as feel her parents' love for her.
Chloé did bad things to hide her jealousy and enviousness from people. Lila, on the other hand, liked to see people suffer simply because it made her happy. Caline then remembered how smug Lila had looked when Marinette had been expelled. Chloé had also asked privately her to keep the liar away from Adrien, saying that she would call her Daddy if Caline didn’t.
Conflicted and still unsure, Caline didn’t notice the black butterfly heading towards her way.
“Missplitter, I am giving you the power to separate into different personas, as well as the ability to make others split into their different personalities as well. All I ask in return is Ladybug and Chat Noir’s miraculous.”
“It’s a deal, Hawkmoth.”
Marinette needed coffee; three cups at least, and preferably dark – as dark and bitter as Hawkmoth’s soul. Who else would send an Akuma at 2:00 am?! Didn’t Hawkmoth have a family? Did he even sleep? Because this was just too much for Marinette.
Missplitter, the Akuma of the day, was a tough adversary. Not because Missplitter was strong, but because there were multiple copies of her around. Every single time that Marinette thought she had purified her, it turned out that it was just a copy. She needed the original. And she and Chat couldn’t find her.
After four tries of trying to purify the Villain, she and Chat decided to get some rest first before returning to the battle later. Hopefully, the original one would show itself when later came. Because of her sleep-deprived state, Marinette decided to go to school early. At least she could try to get some sleep there and not be late at the same time.
“Good morning, Marinette!”
Scratch that, five cups of coffee was what she needed. Why else would she see six Adriens? And why did four of those six Adriens greeted her with a smile and a small wave as she entered the classroom?
Marinette rubbed her eyes and looked at Nathaniel who was sitting beside one of the Adriens at the back. “Am I dreaming? I think I’m hallucinating.”
“I think he’s been hit by an Akuma.”
“Oh.” A part of Marinette was disappointed at herself. If only she and Chat had managed to find the original Missplitter then perhaps Adrien wouldn’t have been hit. But then again, multiple Adriens couldn’t be that bad, right? They’d just make her more than a mess than usual. But surely that was a small price to pay for a group of good-looking guys.
“Are you okay, Marinette?” Three Adriens asked in unison.
“Y-yeah.” She nodded but still didn’t move. The sleepy part of her brain was now wide awake. There were six Adriens in the classroom. Six!
“Let me help you get to your seat,” An Adrien, wearing The Official Knight Hoodie™ in storm grey color, dark pants, and black combat boots, offered. “I’m Adriknight, by the way.” He introduced before guiding her to her usual seat in the second row.
Without a word, Adriknight sat beside her as soon as she sat down.
She hadn’t even been able to calm her internal panicking – she was sitting next to Adrien! Well, one of the Adriens, but still! – when another Adrien, the one with slightly messy hair and wearing the shirt he had modeled for her once (Adrien was wearing her design! Don’t freak out, don’t freak out!), approached her and smiled at her. “Can I sit on your other side, Marinette?”
“S-sure.”
He smiled and settled himself next to her. To distract herself and maintain her composure, Marinette brought out a notebook and started doodling. What Marinette didn’t expect was the second Adrien, invading her personal space. His body was pressed against hers from the thighs to the shoulder. “You’re so talented, Marinette.” She felt his breath against her right cheek. “I can’t even draw to save my life.”
“Adrimar, I think you’re making Marinette uncomfortable.” Adriknight pointed out gently. “Maybe you should give her a little space?”
The Adrien on her right side, whom she now knew as Adrimar (wait was that Adrien’s name attached to her name?!), pouted. “But I like sitting next to Marinette, she’s so soft and warm. Besides, she smells good too – like fresh baked cookies and strawberries.” Adrimar then turned to face her hopefully, “You don’t mind, do you, Marinette?”
The more Adrimar spoke, the more her brain was malfunctioning, so before she could reply, someone beat her to it – another Adrien. However, unlike the other Adriens, this Adrien was wearing a formal black suit, and his hair was also styled very neatly, almost too perfect. His posture was also straight and stiff. At seeing this Adrien’s stern expression, Marinette momentarily forgot about her inner panic.
This Adrien looked so different from the Adrien she was used to. He was standing over them, so proud and tall and serious. “Whether Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng minded or not, you should know that an Agreste shouldn’t act that way.” He glared at Adrimar. “Fix your posture, and she wasn’t even your girlfriend so stop invading her personal space. Père would be disappointed if he saw you act this way.”
“Let Adrimar enjoy himself, Adrigreste,” An Adrien with messy hair, wearing dark ripped jeans, a white t-shirt, and a leather jacket, rolled his eyes. (Calm down, Marinette. He might look hot in his clothes but he’s still the same Adrien you know. Though his hair kind of resembled Chat – nope not going there.) “Among all of us, Adrimar and I were the ones always pushed aside. Let the two of us enjoy the rare freedom we get to have. Besides,” his gaze turned to Marinette, “I wouldn’t blame Adrimar for wanting to be close to our beautiful purrincess, especially when she’s so near.”
“Meep!”
No one could blame Marinette for losing her composure and letting out a squeak. One, there were many Adriens surrounding her. Two, an Adrien called her beautiful. Three, he called her ‘purrincess’, Maybe he had been talking to Chat Noir? Perhaps they’re friends? Or was he Chat – Nope not gonna think about that, let’s skip to point number four: Adrien just kissed her. On the cheek. After calling her his beautiful purrincess. Then, he winked at her.
Outside, Marinette’s chaotic mind, Adrimar, and Adriknight narrowed their eyes at the Adrien who kissed Marinette.
Adriknight was the first to speak, “You shouldn’t kiss a lady without her permission. And if you’re going to do it without asking, at least choose to kiss her on the knuckles. It’s more gentlemanly.”
Adrimar didn’t wait for a second to protest too. “Why did you do that, Adrebel? I thought Marinette was mine? Only I get to kiss her, I’m the one who loves her, remember?”
“L-love?” Marinette squeaked, but her reaction went unnoticed by the arguing Adriens.
“I’ll take what you said into consideration, Adriknight, but you know that I’m the one who didn’t care much about rules and propriety.” Adrebel said before turning to Adrimar “As for you, technically, I’m you and you’re me,” Adrebel answered nonchalantly, “If anything, you should be thanking me for kissing her. At least, I finally made a move. The rest of us is still in denial of what we feel for Marinette.”
“You kissed Marinette?!” A new Adrien entered the classroom and Marinette tried to ignore the fact that this new Adrien was wearing a red t-shirt with a Ladybug yoyo design partnered with black pants and a black jacket with red sleeves. “But she’s just a friend.”
Adriknight, Adribel, and Adrimar all rolled their eyes at the new Adrien.
Adribel turned to Adrimar and pointed at the Adrien by the door. “I rest my case.”
“Look Adribug,” Adrimar started calmly, “we know you love Ladybug but you have to admit that we also have feelings for Marinette.”
“Friendly feelings for Marinette,” Adribug insisted.
Adrigreste cleared his throat and glared at all of them. “We should not be wasting our time in either Marinette or Ladybug. If we want Père to be in our favor, we should look into more suitable candidates, like Mademoiselle Tsurugi. Her mother is Père’s business partner so Père would be please if we try to give her our attention.”
“How dare you?!” Adrimar and Adribug shouted in unison.
“I’d rather agree with Adrimar and choose Marinette than entertain your foolish thoughts!”
“I’d rather agree with Adribug and choose Ladybug than entertain your foolish thoughts!”
Adrimar and Adribug looked at each other in surprise and silently nodded to each other.
“Great work, Adrigreste!” The Adrien who was sitting beside Nathaniel, and wearing some kind of anime costume, grinned. “For the first time, Adrimar and Adribug finally agreed on something! By the way, Nathaniel’s drawing of Future Trunks is awesome!” And with the last statement, he held up Nathaniel’s sketchbook proudly.
“That’s great Adrikid,” Adribel smiled lightly at the Adrien beside Nathaniel, “but if I were you, I’d request Nathaniel to draw another character –”
Adrikid didn’t let him finish because he was already talking to Nathaniel, “Can you draw Sailor Moon?!”
Despite the interruption, Adribel continued speaking as if he hadn’t been interrupted, “because you’re not gonna like the turn of our conversation here.”
Adrigreste shook his head at Adribel, “You should’ve made him listen here. Adrikid needed to grow up.”
Adribel glared at Adrigreste, “And risk the possibility of losing the happiest part of our self because he might become like you and our stuck-up father? No thanks.”
Before any more could be said, their classmates started arriving one by one but Adrikid and Adriknight were the only ones to greet them. Adribel, Adribug, and Adrigreste were still busy glaring at each other while the only Adrien that hadn’t spoken yet, the one wearing reading glasses and who was sitting at the vacant seat in the back (the same seat where Marinette had been forced to move because of Lie-la), was still preoccupied at reading his science books.
“Whoah, dude!” Nino gasped at the sight of his multiple best buds.
“Hi, Nino!” Adrikid greeted excitedly, “Let’s talk about anime with Nathaniel. You don’t want to be there,” he lowered his voice in a whisper (which was really useless since everyone heard him) “it’s messy when I argue with myself.”
“Okay.”
“Now, let’s get back to the topic,” Adriknight said before looking pointedly at Adrigreste, “I see where you’re coming from but it’s unfair to lead Kagami on when we only see her as a friend.”
Adrigreste frowned, “Mademoiselle Tsurugi at least feels something for us. Besides, she understood our situation - having a strict parent herself. It would also guarantee Père's approval. Do you not get tired of getting rejected by your lady?” He asked Adribug. “And you,” He turned to Adrimar, “your princess can’t even talk to us properly. She’s uncomfortable in our presence and we always seemed to do something that upsets her.”
Surprised yet overwhelmed at what she heard, Marinette stood up from her seat and walked to Adrigreste. When she was only a foot away from him, she opened her arms and wrapped them around Adrigreste’s waist. She felt him stiffen and Marinette looked up at him, “I’m sorry for being a terrible friend, Adrien. I’m not uncomfortable around you, I’m just nervous because… I like like you. Like, more than a friend kind of like. I’m sorry that I let my feelings get in the way of being a proper friend to you.”
Before Adrigreste could respond, a syrupy voice from the door got everyone’s attention. “See, Alya? Adrien had been hit by an Akuma and Marinette was using it as an opportunity to touch him without consent.”
“Girl, I think you should step away from –”
Alya didn’t get to finish her sentence and before either the reporter or the liar could get near Marinette, Adriknight, Adribug, and Adrimar crossed their arms and glared at the two girls, forming some sort of human shield. To Marinette’s surprise, Adrigreste’s right arm was now encircled around her waist protectively. His facial expression didn’t change though. If anything, it became sterner.
For the first time since they arrived too, Adrikid and the other Adrien wearing glasses got up from their seats and walked towards Lie-la and Alya.
“Nino?” Adrikid called, “Please take away Alya from here before things turn for the worse.”
Though confuse, Nino did as he was told and Alya reluctantly let her boyfriend guide her to the back of the room. This left Lila standing in front of the army of Adrien.
“I thought we had a deal, Lila?” Adrikid asked innocently, too innocently in fact. “I’ll agree to model with you, but in exchange, you will leave Marinette alone.”
Their classmates' gasps were heard in the background but the Adriens paid it no mind and Marinette was too focused on the Adriens to notice.
“What are you talking about, Adrien?” Lila asked. “Marinette has been telling you things, hasn’t she?”
Adrigreste placed a hand on Adrimar’s shoulder. Silently, Adrimar took Adrigreste’s position and wrapped his arm around Marinette, while Adrigreste replaced Adrimar’s spot in the middle of Marinette’s human shield.
“Stop trying to act innocent,” Adrigreste glared at Lila and their classmates tried not to shiver at how cold his voice sounded. “You have been lying to everyone around here but I’m not letting you get away with it anymore. Not after you threatened Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng in the restroom and tried to get her expelled.”
“I didn’t, Marinette is lying. She –”
“Silence!” Adrigreste boomed. “Do you think I’m a fool?”
“The only reason I didn’t say anything was because I’m trying to give you a second chance,” Adrikid said.
Adriknight gritted his teeth. “But that second chance banished the moment I learned all the horrible things you did to Marinette.”
“You think you have power over me because my father is using you to spy on me,” Adrebel stated, once again emitting gasps from their classmates. “But you don’t. I don’t care what Gabriel Agreste said, I will not let you hurt Marinette again. Mark my words, Lila Rossi; I will expose your lies. You won’t get away easily with everything that you did.”
Adrigreste looked at the liar coldly. “You don’t mess with an Agreste, especially with the people we love.”
Finally realizing that their classmates were starting to Google her lies after hearing Adrien’s threat, Lila fled.
Adriknight turned to the class once the liar was gone, “I know that I made a mistake for not exposing her sooner but I’m disappointed with all of you for choosing to believe Lie-la’s lies and pushing Marinette aside so easily.”
The class lowered their heads to the floor in regret but Adriknight didn’t waste another second on them and turned his attention back to his counterparts.
“So,” Adrimar drawled, looking at Adrigreste, “does this mean that you’re on my side? You just defended our princess, after all.”
“No,” Adrigreste answered shortly and the other Adriens stared at him in disbelief. “Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng is –”
“If you say ‘just a friend’, I swear, I will punch you in the face.” Adrimar and Adribel growled in unison.
Adrigreste pinched the bridge of his nose. “That’s not what I was going to say. That’s his line,” he pointed at Adribug who nodded in agreement. “My answer is ‘no’ because the fiasco with Mademoiselle Liar Rossi just proved that we are unworthy of Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng. We failed her.”
“If anyone is to blame, that’s me.” Adriknight sighed. “I was supposed to be her protector. But if it wasn’t for Chat Noir, I wouldn’t even have a clue about half of what Lie-la did to Marinette.”
“Yes, we are at fault,” Adrigreste started, his voice low enough so that their other classmates wouldn’t hear. “I do not want to face my feelings for the girls we love because in your case,” he looked at Adribug, “there will always be a wall between us and her. Will that be enough for a relationship? Are we strong enough for that? By staying as her partner, at least we have the assurance that she’ll stay by our side, even if it’s just because of our shared responsibilities.”
Shared responsibilities? Partner? Marinette’s mind was running on a thousand thoughts per minute but she was broken out of her inner panic when Adrigreste directed his piercing green eyes at her.
“As for Madamoiselle Dupain-Cheng's case… I don’t want to lose you, Marinette." Marinette gasped at the way Adrigreste finally called her without formalities. "I keep fighting my feelings because if what I feel for you surpass what I feel for the other girl, then I know I’d pursue you. I don’t want to. In staying as friends, there is a lesser possibility that I will lose you. What if I entered into a relationship with you, and I did something wrong and you stopped liking me? What if I messed up? If we ever got together and then broke up, it’d be awkward and we would lose our friendship. I don’t want to lose what I have with you, Marinette. I won’t risk it.”
“Oh, Adrien,” Marinette whispered, tears falling down her eyes. “I could never hate you.” She raised a hand to cup his face, “I understand if you really want to stay friends. That’s fine with me. I just want you to be happy. Don’t ever doubt my love for you, okay? You won’t lose me.”
Adrigreste laughed mirthlessly. “Père told me he loved me too but looked at what happened.”
Marinette frowned. “I really hate your father right now.”
“You and me both, Dupain-Cheng.” They heard Chloé called out from behind her.
Marinette ignored Chloé’s comment for the moment and cupped both of Adrigreste’s cheeks to look at him straight in the eyes. “I am not you’re father, Adrien. I’ll stay by your side as a friend or whatever you want me to be. You are loved. Not just by me, you have Chloé, our classmates, even my parents love you! So don’t think so negatively again, okay? Or if you ever feel like you’re alone, talk to me, anytime. I’ll be there to listen.”
Instead of a reply, Adrigreste pulled her into a hug. She could feel him shaking with tears and she patted his back gently.
“I love you, Kitty,” Marinette whispered quietly.
It seemed that those were the words the Adriens needed to hear because not a second pass when they all engulfed her into a group hug. It felt like forever before they finally let go.
“I knew you’d figure it out, purrincess.” Adriknight smiled at her and kissed her knuckles. “You are one smeowrt lady, after all.” He then leaned towards her ear and whispered, “If Chadrien wasn’t busy looking for the Akuma, he’d be happy to hear what you said too.”
“Hey!” Adrimar pouted, “I was supposed to be the one head-over-heels for Marinette so I’m the one who’s supposed to kiss her. All of you tried to call her your ‘just a friend’ except for me.”
“Is that so?” Marinette asked.
Adrimar nodded.
Marinette smiled and stood up on her toes to kiss Adrimar on the cheek. “Third times the charm, don’t you think?”
Before a blushing Adrimar could respond, a happy-looking Adrien wearing normal clothes and carrying a box of pastries from the Dupain-Cheng bakery, entered the room. “What did I miss?”
“Hungrien!” Adrikid greeted. “Marinette just told us that she loves us!”
“Is that so?” Hungrien smiled. “Well, then, it’s a good thing that I already started wooing our future in-laws!”
“All this time you were at Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie?” Adribug asked.
“Uh-huh,” Hungrien grinned, “Tom and I played UMS III, then I had breakfast with him and Sabine where we talked about my fencing, Chinese and piano lessons, and of course our favorite subjects – the heroes of Paris and their daughter, Marinette – and then they gave me hugs and pastries before I left.”
“Good for you,” Adrebel gave him a thumbs up. “Now that you’re here, I think it’s time for me to leave.”
Marinette furrowed her brows. “Where are you going?”
“To where I was planning to since I’ve been separated from my other personas. I only came to school to see my lucky charm and hope that she wishes me luck.” Adrebel winked at her.
“I’m coming with you,” Adrigreste said.
Adrebel shook his head. “No, we both know that among all of us, you’re the one who cared about Father the most. You won’t be able to handle the talk I’ll be having with him.” Adrebel sigh at Adrigreste’s frown, “If you want to do something, gather shreds of evidence against Lila Rossi. I’d like to do all the confrontations myself but I’m on a limited time.”
“Alright,” Adrigreste nodded, “I’ll teach that liar a lesson.”
“Good.”
“I’ll come with you, Adrebel.” Adribug said, before turning to Marinette, “I’m sorry, Marinette, but I’m the part that will always belong to,” he lowered his voice so that only the two of them can hear, “Ladybug. By the way, I trust you with my secret identity but I’m still afraid that my lady will be upset by this...” His voice then returned to a normal volume, “Adrebel may be the rebellious one among us, but I’m the most stubborn.” He turned to Adrebel again, “You’ll need me to face father.”
“You’ll need me too,” Marinette heard the Adrien with the glasses spoke for the first time, “I’ll be the one who’ll counter his claims of what’s good for us or not.”
Adrebel nodded, “Alright, Nerdrien, but you’re the last one I’m allowing to tag along. The three of us is enough.”
“This is the first time I heard you talk,” Marinette blurted, looking at Nerdrien. He looked cute with those spectacles.
Nerdrien smiled at her. “That’s only because my chemistry puns rarely get a reaction.”
Marinette gaped at him.
“Cat got your tongue, Princess?” He smirked.
She crossed her arms. “Now I understand why you don’t talk much.”
“All parts of us can pun, purrincess. I’m just the part of him who likes doing it the most. Studying gets a little boring sometimes, so I pun to make it more fun.” Nerdrien explained. “I apawlogize for being so quiet. I was finishing the schoolwork that was due fur the next meownth so I can enjoy the rest of the meownth.”
“That’s pretty smart of you,” she commented. If she was also split apart, she’ll do assignments and other schoolwork in advance too.
“I know right?” Nerdrien smirked. “I’ve got both the looks and the brains.” Marinette was about to retort when he held his hand up, “Nu-uh, Princess, you’re the one who said I’m purrty and smeowrt. No take-backs.”
“I said 'pretty smart' which means –”
“Tomato, tomahto, Marinette.”
“Are we ready to go?” Adrebel asked.
Nerdrien and Adribug nodded.
“I’ll be taking that good luck now, princess.” Before Marinette could process what Adrebel meant by that, he had already kissed her on the cheeks.
“You’re still just a friend to me, Marinette,” Adribug’s smile was quick to disappear when Adrebel smacked him in the head. “Ouch!”
Nerdrien was the last to say his goodbye, “No need to worry, Marinette. Unlike Adrienial,” He said pointing at Adribug, “I’ve got my ion you.” He winked before his face morphed into an apologetic look, “I’m sorry but I also still have my ion Ladybug too.”
Marinette rolled her eyes at the pun but smiled at him, nonetheless. “I understand.”
Pushing his glasses to his nose, Nerdrien nodded at her one last time.
“I guess it’s my turn to leave now,” Adrigreste muttered.
“Not without me,” Adriknight said. “I’m supposed to be the protector so it’s my duty to accompany you in slaying the enemy.”
“Fine,” Adrigreste acceded. He then turned to Marinette and pulled her into a hug, then kissed her forehead, “Thank you, Marinette.”
Marinette smiled and squeezed him in reply.
Adriknight then turned to her, “Until next time, princess.” With a bow, he kissed her knuckles. After that, he followed Adrigreste to the door and Marinette watched them until they disappeared from her sight.
“Now that that’s over, let’s go take a seat,” Adrimar said, leading Marinette to her seat which was already occupied by Hungrien.
“On second thought,” Adrimar stopped and pulled out his phone, “let’s take a selfie first.”
Marinette smiled softly at the camera but she was surprised when Adrien faced backward before turning his head to face the front twisting to the camera, leaving his right arm resting and lifting his left arm to touch the side of his head.
She tried to ignore his antics but he did it again.
In their second picture, whereas she was holding her hand in a peace sign, Adrien was standing diagonally, gently placing his right hand on his right hip and lifting his left arm to touch his left cheek before turning his head to face the camera.
The third time he did it – he placed his right arm on his left bicep and lifted his left arm to his chin, before tilting his head slightly – she finally looked at him amusedly. “Are you always going to do fancy poses every single time we take a picture?”
Adrimar grinned, “What can I say? It’s the model in me. Besides, isn’t it a sign that you and I should be together? You’re a designer, I’m a model. Clearly, we’re meant to be.”
She rolled her eyes at him but she obliged him one last picture. This time, he guided her to a pose that was supposed to be romantic. Her body was facing the front but her face was tilted to the right. Adrimar then walked behind her to hug her from behind, her hands were placed atop his which were resting on her waist.
Adrikid smiled at them saying something about spaghetti while taking multiple shots. When their mini-photoshoot was done, Adrimar finally let her take a seat.
Her position was between Adrimar and Hungrien while Adrikid sat on Adrien’s seat. The moment she sat down, Hungrien offered her a croissant and rested his head on her shoulder. “I’m hungry, Marinette, feed me.”
She turned to Hungrien in surprise. “I thought you went to the Bakery? Surely, Maman and Papa fed you?”
“They did, but I’m gonna eat all I want today. Who knows when I’ll be able to do it again?” Hungrien asked pouting and Marinette reached up to comb her fingers through his hair. “Marinette?” He called softly. “I’m hug-starved too. Will you hug me, please?”
Her heart squeezed at the plea in his tone. “Of course, Adrien.”
From her other side, Adrimar grumbled, “Fantastic, why am I always left out? I’m the one who didn’t friendzone you.”
Marinette pulled away from Hungrien to look at Adrimar, “Do you want a hug too?”
Adrimar nodded. “Always,” she heard him whisper.
Once the hug was over, Marinette reached out for Hungrien and Adrimar’s heads and rested them on each of her shoulders, her hands combing through both of their hairs. As she cuddled with Hungrien and Adriemar, Adrikid started asking her about childhood stories and she was happy to oblige.
Unconsciously, Marinette was aware that they were in public and that their classmates were staring but them. She knew the only reason they weren’t teasing was because they were guilty about Lila. For now, Marinette ignored those facts and pretended that she was alone with her kitty.
At the back of her mind, she knew Adrien would probably forget about this day. But Marinette won’t. She would always remember this day and she vowed that she would use today’s encounter with the Adriens to help Adrien feel better. She wouldn’t let her kitty be alone or suffer from anything.
Not if she could help it.
While the other parts of Caline Bustier were busy obeying Hawkmoth and fighting Ladybug and Chat Noir, Justline – the justice-seeking part of herself – headed to Antoinette’s house. It might be about 3:00 am but she didn’t care, she wanted the liar to be punished and reprimanded for her wrongdoings.
Not surprisingly, Antoinette was already awake and it seemed that she had been expecting Caline. “Finally ready to expose that lying student of yours?”
Antoinette Mendeleiev was not a fool. She’s just a stickler to the rules. She had been bullied in her younger years and she didn’t want anything like that to happen to her students. She always frowned upon Caline’s ways of teaching for being too lenient but Antoinette never intervened, knowing that she and Caline have different principles in life.
However, Lila Rossi was crossing the line. Since Marinette Dupain-Cheng had been expelled by Damocles without a proper investigation, Antoinette had been planning on reporting to the school board. Marinette might not have been her most punctual student but she always tried her best. Antoinette refused to believe the girl was capable of bullying.
If anything, Marinette was the target of bullies. She had tried to get her to transfer to her class and separate her from Chloé Bourgeois before but Caline always managed to make them stay, simply because Damocles favored Caline more. The Principal hated being contradicted so he liked the people who agreed with his decisions easily, like Caline.
Unlike Caline, Antoinette proudly stated her opinions and wasn’t afraid to argue (it's like Antoinette and Caline's personalities have switched once they became adults), that was why Damocles wasn’t fond of her. But she wasn’t going to let Marinette get a bad record for the stupidity of the school head so Antoinette had been doing her own investigations and was gathering evidence. She was only waiting for Caline to see the truth and it looked like today was that day.
In the midst of gathering more pieces of evidence with Caline, they had encountered two Adrien Agrestes who had offered to help them. As weird as it was, Antoinette let it slide. With Hawkmoth terrorizing the city, she should be used to seeing unusual things by now.
Long story short; by noon, the four of them paid a visit to Damocles and threatened him to stop being lenient and start following school protocols strictly. For good measures, even though Damocles had acquiesced to their demand, Antoinette kept the evidence with her so that in case Damocles forgot, she’ll make him remember.
About an hour after the four of them had separated, the Akuma had been defeated by Ladybug and Chat Noir and everything was back to normal.
The next day, Lila Rossi was expelled from school and her mother promised to send her to a therapist. Bustier’s class started mending up their bonds with each other, more specifically making it up to their class representative and being friendlier to their resident cinnamon roll.
When Adrien Agreste woke up that morning, he had a headache but despite that, he felt some lingering happiness buried in his guts. To his surprise, his father had eaten breakfast with him and had asked him about his day. Gabriel Agreste had also apologized for making him work with Lila Rossi and had allowed him to hang out with his friends, even going as far as to lighten up his schedule.
If his father’s attitude was surprising, then it wasn’t anything compared to the first time he heard the Gorilla talk before he exited the car that morning, “Mademoiselle Marinette Dupain-Cheng is not ‘just a friend’ to you, Adrien.”
Before he could protest, his bodyguard pulled out his cellphone from his pockets, and the next thing Adrien knew his own voice from a recording was reverberating within the car. “This is Adrien Agreste speaking and Marinette Dupain-Cheng is not ‘just a friend’ to me. If I ever said that phrase one more time, feel free to smack me in the head.”
Even as he walked to Nino by the entrance of the school, the recording was still playing in his head. Perhaps his best friend could help him divert his attention. “Good morning, Nino.”
“’ morning, Dude, we received your recording, and don’t worry, we’ll give you a smack in the head any time you needed it.”
Adrien opened his mouth to protest but thought better of it. Perhaps that explained the note behind a photo of him and Marinette (which he didn't remember taking) in his own handwriting next to his bed that morning, saying: ‘I love both Ladybug and Marinette. It’s okay to love two people. We’ve taken drastic measures to stop you from denying your feelings. And yes, maybe we do have a type. – from the Adriens to Adrien.’
He was so confused but he had forgotten all about it when Marinette greeted him with a smile and handed him some macarons, once he entered the classroom, he couldn’t help but think that he was very lucky to have him as a friend.
He must’ve said that out loud because the next thing he knew he was rubbing his head.
The attacker, his childhood friend, Chloé Bourgeois, only smiled at him innocently. “You’re welcome, Adrikins.”
Bonus:
A handful of smacks later after a month, he finally got together with his lady love (he couldn’t believe he was so lucky that they were the same person all this time!) and he didn’t have to worry about their friends face-palming or groaning in annoyance.
“I love you,” he said to his girlfriend tenderly on their ice cream date the next month.
Marinette smiled at him in return, “As a friend, right?”
Adrien only groaned in reply as Marinette laughed at him.
He would never leave that cursed phrase down, would he? On the bright side, Hawkmoth had surrendered the peacock and butterfly miraculous earlier that month, surprising all of Paris. His girlfriend might make fun of him but their dates wouldn’t get interrupted anymore.
Just as he finished his thought, a piercing scream brought him and Marinette out of his stupor.
“I am Monsieur Rat!”
One look at each other had both Marinette and Adrien running towards a hidden alley to transform.
“Hawkmoth retired because his son made him realize his mistakes and said son had apparently found him a daughter-in-law who could expand their family business, do you think we could find someone for this new villain too?” Chat asked while vaulting from one roof to another.
“Perhaps, kitty.” Ladybug answered mid-swing. “And if that didn’t work, we’ll find another way to defeat this new villain.”
“Together.”
Ladybug smiled at her partner, “Together.”
END.