On Second Thought

The day after “Chameleon.”

“You’re here early,” Marinette said as she walked up the steps of the empty classroom to her new seat.

“Nah,” Nino said, fiddling with something on his tablet. “I’m usually here around this time. Good time for music stuff.” He was sitting in her seat—but not the one she’d vacated the day before. Her new one. The one he’d pushed her into.

She climbed up until she was next to the table. “You’re in my spot?”

Nino swallowed. “About that,” he said. “I asked Alya if she’d be cool with you and I switching seats.” He leaned back, stretching his arms and crossing his hands on the back of his neck. “I see her enough outside of school, and we both agree that leaving you alone yesterday wasn’t cool.”

Marinette raised her eyebrow. “Seriously?”

Nino coughed. “Yeah,” he said. “Plus we kind of… don’t do well in class when we’re sitting next to each other.”

Marinette smiled. “I could’ve told you that,” she said. “Alya can be very distracting.”

Nino blushed.

“You’re okay with sitting by yourself?” Marinette said as she walked back toward her old (new-new) spot and dropped her backpack. “Kind of lonely back there.”

Nino chuckled. “I sat back here all of last year by choice,” he said. “I think I’m fine.”

Their silence wasn’t exactly companionable, but at least it was more comfortable than yesterday. Until Nino cleared his throat. “Uh, hey, ‘Nette?” he said.

She turned. “Yeah?”

Nino twiddled his fingers. “Um. Adrien talked to me yesterday afternoon. He told me… well, he said Lila had lied to him before. About being a superhero.” He swallowed. “I’m sorry. For not believing you.”

Marinette’s heart stopped. Adrien had actually stood up for her? He’d… “Who else knows?”

Nino cleared his throat. “I, uh, I told Alya,” he said. “And she told everybody.” He fiddled with his ear. “So, uh, don’t be surprised if she tries to punch Lila as soon as she walks in.” He dropped his hands to the desk again and sighed. “How did you know?” he said. “That she was lying?”

I’m Ladybug, Marinette didn’t say. Instead: “Jagged Stone hates cats.”

“Ah.”

She stared at him. He stared at his tablet.

“Why did you assume I was lying?”

“What?”

Marinette crossed her arms. “You’re my oldest friend, Nino,” she said. “I feel like I deserve more faith from you than that.”

Nino shook his head. “I know,” he whispered. “I just… you can be kind of intense when you talk about Kagami, you know? And we thought…”

Marinette flashed back to the disastrous ice rink date, when she’d had to watch the other girl get closer to Adrien and been completely unable to do anything about it. She gritted her teeth. “You thought it was the same situation.”

Nino coughed. “Yeah.”

Marinette turned back to her seat, unloading her tablet from her backpack. “I’ve never lied about Kagami.”

“No. You haven’t.” Nino drummed his fingers on the table and sighed. “We were all pretty unfair to you yesterday,” he said. “I’m… not supposed to be telling you this, but Rose is planning an apology picnic.” He chuckled. “Lila isn’t invited. Obviously.”

Marinette flushed. “Oh,” she whispered.

“Only the best for our everyday Ladybug,” Nino murmured, turning back to his music.

Adrien walked in the door next, a smile bursting across his face as he saw her. “Marinette!” he exclaimed. “You’re here early!”

“H-hi, Adrien,” she said. “You.. told Nino?”

“Yeah,” he said, dropping his backpack and sliding into the seat in front of her. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Yesterday, you said… ‘as long as you and I know…’”

Adrien raised an eyebrow. “Yeah,” he said. “That was yesterday.”

“You changed your mind?”

Adrien squeezed his eyes shut. “Darn it,” he said. “No, I, uh, I meant that just for that day. Emotions were high, you know? Spilling everything right then wouldn’t have fixed anything.” He smiled beatifically, and sheepishly. “I just meant we should wait a little bit.”

“That’s not what it sounded like,” Marinette grumbled, looking down at her tablet.

Adrien groaned. “Nothing I say ever comes out right, does it.” He looked up at her, his gaze soft. “Hey,” he said. “I told you I’ve got your back, and I meant it.”

She smiled. “Thanks, Adrien,” she whispered.

He smiled and gave a mock bow in his seat. “Always at your service,” he said, then turned back to his tablet.

Marinette frowned at the gesture. There was something familiar about it… she just couldn’t place what.