@(Un)LuckyLady 🐞 [3]

Kiss some frogs before you meet your Prince

Dear Buginettes,

So last night I decided to ask a guy out. Yes! You heard that right; I was the one asking. Usually I wouldn't dream of such a thing; however, this is my search, and if I want to find the guy that is perfect for me, I need to stop sitting on my butt and start to do something for myself.

Life isn't a fairytale, and if there is something you want, you need to go after it, whether it be a job or a boyfriend.

It has now been three days since I've started my journey to find love, and although there's still a very long way to go, I'm proud to announce I have my first date this evening.

I can't say whether this guy is the love of my life or whether it'll even lead to a second date, but you have to start somewhere, right?

So tonight I will be putting on my best dress and heading out. All you Buginette's out there will have to wait until tomorrow morning to find out how it went.

For now,

Your nervous – yet optimistic – Ladybug.

Wish me luck,

Bug Out 🐞

@(Un)LuckyLady🐞

Guy's interested: 1

Guy's numbers: 1

Dates Planned: 1

Dates Completed: 0

Hits: 699

Posted 10 seconds ago

@ChatNoir_Official: Good Luck Bugaboo 😘

@Ladynoirstan_1995: Still can't believe you two aren't together @ChatNoir_Official 😔

@ChatNoir_Official: @Ladynoirstan_1995 I promise M'Lady and I still have a deep and meaningful connection; however, at this point in our lives, our paths are not ready to cross. I can't comment on the future, but for now, we're supporting each other in this journey 110%

@FortheloveofChat: @ChatNoir_Official does that mean you're looking for love too? Oh wow, I could go on a date with Chat Noir? Where do you hang out? I'm guessing comedy clubs... I'm going to scale all of Paris until I find you. Paws off, girls! This one's mine.

@Chatsbiggestfan: Chat Noir is looking for love! Oh, this is the best news ever!

@Ladyisabug: I knew he was too good for Ladybug. Good luck Chat! Go out there and find someone deserving of you and who appreciates you for everything you do.

@LadyandtheStray: @Ladyisabug How can you say that? They're both best friends and anyone can see how much they adore each other, even if it's not love.

@Ladyisabug: Go preach to someone else Cat Lady! Ladybug hasn't blinded me! That's why I didn't vote for her in the Cosmopolitan poll. She doesn't even make my Top 10! She's just a bug!

@CN_fan_62: @Ladyisabug I think you need to think before you type. Ladybug is a normal girl, and as we can see from this blog she just wants to find love, like most girls her age.

@AA_Longlastingpower: Ladybug is free to make her own choices. She does what she can in extremely difficult situations.

@Ladyisabug: @AA_Longlastingpower you sound like some sort of fanboy/girl! Go recharge yourself, you outspoken battery.

@Turtle-y_Awesome: @Ladyisabug you do realise you've just insulted Adrien Agreste right?

@Ladyisabug: @Turtle-y_Awesome HA! Yeah right! Like Adrien Agreste would post in a blog forum!

PM

To: @(Un)LuckyLady🐞 CC: @TheLadyblogger

From: @ChatNoir_Official

Girls? I think you need to close the comments or something. It's getting a little out of hand.

Sorry 😿

@TheLadyblogger has closed commenting on this post.

••••••

Marinette stood outside the doorway to the restaurant, rubbing her hands together to gain some sort of warmth. The weather had suddenly taken a turn for the worse, and if it wasn't for her furry headband and warm coat, she was quite sure she'd be an ice sculpture right about now.

Lifting her hands to her mouth, she blew hot air on them whilst cursing herself for not wearing gloves. What was she thinking rushing out without extra precautions? It was February, not May! The cold front setting in from the North only made her question whether or not she should move south. After all, Ladybugs are renowned for feeling the cold, and being close to the equator sounded heavenly right now.

Over the past hour, she had become a little obsessed with reading the comments on her latest blog post. Seeing herself get dragged so low by the one commenter she couldn't ignore the intense feelings of hurt. She knew some people had a problem with her, she wasn't naive to think everyone would always like her, but the comments were harsh and unfair – and in some ways; spot on.

Chat Noir deserved more than what she could give him, and by the details of their last meeting he had already found that person. The whole exchange still left a bitter taste in her mouth. He was, seemingly, moving on successfully whilst she was about to put herself through something more uncomfortable than a tooth extraction at the dentist.

She began to bounce on the balls of her feet, anything to keep her circulation going. But, as she did her mind began to replay last night and the exchange with Adrien at the gym. He'd saved her, helping her keep her dignity as she, once again, made an absolute arse out of herself. His continuous sunshine demeanour was there, again, to guide her and make her feel better—even if she almost created a Marinette shaped hole through the wall.

Neither quite knew what to say to the other as they'd left, instead parting with an awkward handshake and cringeworthy smile. Just before he left, Adrien asked Marinette to promise to text him about her date: time, place etc, sticking with his plan to be there for her safety and as her wingman.

Marinette continued to pace, anything to keep the bitter cold from hitting her and causing a spectacle of herself; just another issue that Adrien would get to see. Her forever crush was about to witness a spectacular Marinette Dupain-Cheng first date disaster. An epic fail at an Italian restaurant where the food tasted like plastic with 'Pringles Paul' and his impressive back sweat — a guy she didn't even like. Goodness, she hoped he'd showered before turning up tonight. If she was going to tolerate a couple of hours with him, the least he could do was come clean.

She sighed and pulled her phone from her coat pocket, checking the time before placing it back in its place. Her heels bounced up and down, once more, against the cold concrete slabs. If he didn't hurry up, she was going home. She was cold and hungry, and wanted nothing more than to chill and read her latest romcom book.

5 minutes... she'd give it 5 minutes.

"Marinette." A nasally voice called her name, making her spin on the spot and come face to face with a rather flustered Paul.

"Hi," she announced, "it's good to see you. How are you?"

She looked him over only to notice that firstly he was clean, and secondly he was dressed like 'Stranger Things' had thrown up all over him. She was all about unique and individual styles, and she could tell Paul had his own; however, his style seemed to be mimicking that of Eddie, the High School hold back, from the latest season of Stranger Things. Did he not realise you had to make an effort when you went on a first date? First impressions and all. Maybe she should recommend the Ladyblog?

"Yeah, good," he huffed in response. He pushed his hands down into his pockets and looked Marinette over. She couldn't help the slight shiver that ran down her spine as he eyed her up like an endangered species at the zoo. If only he knew she was Ladybug and could kick his ass if he didn't divert his attention elsewhere.

They stood in silence, clouds of hot air passing as they breathed out into the void between them. She waited, and waited, and waited... yet they still stood there in silence. Was he going to check in with her or just stand and stare? She began to count in her head, deciding that when she reached 10 she was just going to head inside. It was too cold, and right now she was too hungry.

1...

2...

3...

She watched him rock on his feet, his eyes darting around the area, quick glances into the distance, restaurant, and then back to her.

6...

7...

8...

How had he not even asked her how she was? Wasn't the guy meant to comment on her outfit at the beginning of a date? Or maybe her hair and her makeup? But surely he was meant to say something flattering — or just something at all!

10...

Time was up, and she felt positively bewildered.

"Shall we go in?" Marinette attempted to smile her most gentle and sweetest smile, but from the twitch in her lips she could feel it was more of a cringe. Couldn't she just call it quits now? Turn around and go home. She didn't need to do this. She could just fake it on the blog, no one had to know... but she would. Her insides screamed at the idea of having to continue with this farce.

"Yeah."

Wow, she thought, a man of many words.

She made her way behind Paul towards the entrance of the restaurant and watched as he opened the door... and proceeded through it in front of her. She stood in shock as the door closed in her face; Paul continued to walk towards the host stand.

What the hell was that?

Wasn't your date meant to hold the door open for you? Not that she'd explicitly asked him out on a date, but a man and a woman out together to get something to eat and drink wasn't exactly a daily occurrence. Had she found the one guy in Paris who didn't know how to act on a date? The one guy who wasn't wrapped up in love while living in the romance capital of the world?

Her phone buzzed against the compact in her bag, drawing her attention to her phone. She pulled it out and outwardly sighed as she read the name.

Adrien.

She quickly tapped on the message to see what he wanted. Perhaps he wasn't going to come and see the epic failure of a dating machine she was. Instead, he could keep the idea that Marinette Dupain-Cheng was a successful dater and that she was just picky about who she allowed on a second date with her.

Adrien: Aren't you meant to be inside with your date? x

Marinette looked up from her phone, keeping it securely in her hand as she scanned through the windows at the people seated inside. She looked past a couple eating by the window, jealousy creeping up inside her, then to the parents with the screaming children in the centre. She continued to look and scour the scene until she found...

There he was, Adrien Agreste in his true Adrien Adrieness. He looked gorgeous, blond hair shining and teeth glittering as he gave her a small wave and pointed down towards his phone. It was only at that moment she noticed he'd sent her another message.

Adrien: You're going to freeze if you stay out there much longer x

She looked up at him once more only to catch one of those hot guy winks which made her want to collapse to the floor in a puddle of goo. However, she pulled herself together and made her way to the door, opening it for herself, suddenly feeling a lot warmer.

Paul was still talking to the host as she made her way towards him. He didn't even seem to realise she wasn't there.

"A table towards the back, please, as we don't want to be interrupted."

No, she wanted to scream. She looked over towards Adrien, wanting nothing more than to be near him. How she wished she was about to make her way over to him. Maybe greeting him with a quick kiss on the cheek as he pulled out her chair and told her how beautiful she looked. He would have held the door open for her. He would want to know how she was.

But now, she was now walking over towards the back of the room, away from Adrien and her sanity. What the hell had she been thinking doing this?

They made it to a table where Paul progressed to pulling out a chair. This was it; this was the moment Paul was going to woo her and make her not completely regret this. She moved to the side, unbuttoned her coat, and prepared to sit down, only for Paul to take the chair for himself. If she wasn't in public, she would have facepalmed.

"I hope you don't mind," he said, as Marinette made her way over to the opposite side of the table. "I like to be near the restrooms — just in case."

In case of what? The sudden notion that Paul had some underlying bowel issue struck her like a baseball to the head. Goodness, she thought, can this night just be over already?

They sat in silence, both looking at the menu, Marinette's leg bouncing up and down in aggravation. How long would she have to stay to make this classify as a date? 15 minutes? 30? An hour? Her phone was burning from where it sat — screen down — on the table beside her. How rude would it look if she sat messaging Adrien? Maybe they could start a game of pool or something?

"Do you like Strange Things?" Paul's voice assaulted her ears and caused her to look from the menu, pulling her from her thoughts of Adrien. Paul was glaring hopefully at her as though her answer was his meaning of life. Well, she was about to let him down big time.

"I - um - I'm not actually into horror or sci-fi. I'm more of a chick flick and teen drama fan."

"Soooooo... You don't like Stranger Things?"

"No, I don't." She shook her head to emphasise her answer. Did he see this as a deal breaker or something?

"Oh!"

He looked as though she'd just told him she'd run over his cat! His hurt expression was one she couldn't quite understand. Did the show really mean that much to him? They continued looking at the menu when the sudden scrapping of chair legs against the floor had her looking back over at her date and clenching her teeth together from the noise.

"Excuse me," he spoke, voice emotionless as he stood and turned in the direction of the restrooms that he craved so much.

A buzz sounded next to her on the table, an indication of another message. Marinette looked towards where Adrien was sitting; he had a drink in his hand and seemed to be mindlessly scrolling through his phone. Curiosity got the better of her and she flipped it over to see who was trying to contact her, praying it wasn't another offer from 'Uber Eats' but a lifeline to save her.

1 new message

Adrien

She opened the message and felt the corners of her lips twitch; her hand coming to her mouth to suppress her laughter.

Adrien: Let me know if you need saving from Vecna. I have some Kate Bush on my phone x

Tucking her bottom lip under her top teeth she messaged Adrien back, glad to finally have some sort of communication with someone — even if he wasn't her date.

Marinette: It's a good job I have watched the latest Stranger Things, or else that would have been a very confusing message to receive xox

Supporting her chin with her fist, elbow on the table, she looked around the venue while a twisted feeling stirred in her gut. Waiting for a reply was agonising. She couldn't remember the last time she was so dependent on her phone.

Finally, it buzzed against the table once more.

Adrien: It wouldn't have been a bad thing if you hadn't. It would have given me a chance to watch it again and drag you down the rocky road with me x

The message was simple, just a friend wanting to share their interests with another friend, but she couldn't help the stutter in her breath at the thought of Adrien wanting to spend time with her — alone. She wished now she hadn't given into Alya's peer pressure and watched it alongside her and Nino. Cuddling up to Adrien sounded a lot more fun than the sofa cushion. Cuddling up? Once again, her mind was running away from her. Next thing she knew, she'd be thinking about hamsters and three kids...

Marinette's phone pinged again, saving her from going down the Adrien Agreste slippery slope. Another message.

Adrien: You look beautiful tonight, by the way x

That was it! Marinette Dupain-Cheng had been signed, sealed, and delivered. Adrien Agreste was complimenting her, and her face had taken on a paint swatch sample sheet as it fluctuated from pink to red, ending on a rather impressive violet. She quickly glanced down at her outfit. Black skinny jeans, a green off the shoulder long sleeved top, and her 3 inch heeled winter boots. Nothing too extreme, and quite basic really.

She held her phone between her hands, tapping her thumbs against the side as she tried to think of what to reply. A measly thank you didn't seem good enough. Should she compliment him too? Although she'd only seen a portion of his top, as the rest hidden under the table. Her lips pursed, her eyes trailing around the edge of the table as her brain tried to come back from the moon and help her out. She was acting like a 14-year-old again, when would this ever end?

Marinette: You don't look bad yourself xox

She sent the message before she could chicken out and send something ridiculous like 'you should see what's underneath' or, maybe even 'would you like a close up?'

See, she was growing up. She could do this. She didn't need to become a mess every time she so much as caught a glimpse of him. She was a strong, confident woman — not confident enough to say it to his face though.

He looked over towards her; her eyes had already found and settled on him. It felt like time was frozen, like there was nothing else she could imagine doing, or anywhere else she'd rather be. If only he was in the seat across from her.

She watched as he picked up his phone and typed a message; a thrill taking over as her phone pinged with another new message. He set his phone down and laced his fingers together, resting his elbows on the table, his hands supporting under his chin. Waiting.

Adrien: Ditch him x

The corner of her lips twitched. Oh, how she'd love to get up right now and run for the hills, but she promised Alya (and all of her readers) that she'd see this through, and for once in her life she'd like to actually complete a date. She looked at him and playfully rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to the menu. Everything sounded awful and she wasn't sure how she was going to eat something that looked and sounded more like dog food.

"Are you trying to burn holes in the menu?" A humorous voice was met with a screech of a chair being pulled across the hard wooden floor. Her head shot up and looked at the occupant.

"Adrien," she hissed, looking around for any sign of Paul. "What are you doing?"

How could he just come over like this? She was having enough issues with him being in the same vicinity as her, then to have him sitting opposite in her date's seat... well... It was nothing short of madness.

"Paul's gone," Adrien said, crossing his arms over his chest and looking at her.

"What?" she exclaimed.

Adrien pointed over his shoulder. "He just walked out the door on his phone. It seems you not liking Stranger Things was a deal breaker." His voice radiated the same sparkle of mischief that was in his eyes. It seemed Adrien was enjoying this.

"The tee should have given it away really."

"And the mullet," Adrien added.

"That wasn't a mullet; it was more a perm," she sighed and dropped at least a dress size from the action. If she couldn't get Pringles Paul to stay and date her, what luck would she get with someone in Adrien's league?

She dropped her head onto the table and let out a rather unladylike groan as she bashed it another couple of times shaking the glasses and sending the cutlery running for their lives.

"Marinette?" Adrien said, a slight chuckle in his voice. She repeated her action, but then a warmth on her hand froze her movements and caused her to look up and into Adrien's eyes.

"I'm a disaster," she whispered. "A complete disaster."

She watched him shake his head. He obviously didn't agree. "You're not at all, Marinette. You just chose the wrong guy to date." He stood up abruptly and almost sent the chair to the floor in his haste. "Come on."

He reached into his back pocket, grabbed a couple of bills, and threw them on the table. The sudden movement of Adrien standing almost caused Marinette to topple off her chair. She followed Adrien's lead, standing and grabbing her coat and bag.

"Where are we going?"

He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him, guiding them both toward the door.

"I'm salvaging your evening by taking you somewhere decent to eat."

Before Marinette could say anything else, they were out on the street, and Adrien was dragging her along behind him.