"Hey, Marinette!"

Marinette, already halfway down the stairs, turns.

"I thought you were chatting with your boyfriend," Marinette teases. Alya grins.

"Jealous, huh?"

"Unfortunately," Marinette admits. Alya laughs.

"Well, luck is on your side today, my friend. And today my name is Luck."

"Channelling Tikki, huh?" Marinette laughs. Alya wipes away a pretend tear as they continue walking down the stairs.

"Making TP references, I'm so proud. Anyway, do you want to know or not?"

Considering Alya is bursting to tell her, Marinette considers saying no. But, actually, she's really curious.

"If you're so desperate to tell me," Marinette sighs, "I suppose I have to listen. Go ahead."

"So, you know how my dad works at the zoo, right?" Alya says, jumping the last two steps. Marinette walks down them instead, and they stand beside the banisters.

"Yup," Marinette says.

"Well, there's this new panther exhibit, and I've arranged for us to go!"

"What does your date have to do with me?" Marinette asks, confused. Alya grins wickedly.

"Because 'we' isn't just me and Nino, it's us four. Me, Nino, you and a certain blond model..."

Marinette stares at Alya in shock.

"We're going to the zoo with Adrien?"

"And Nino and I are going to be all 'alone couple', so you're left alone with the love of your life."

Marinette can't stop herself squealing in excitement.

"When?" she asks.

"Tomorrow," Alya grins. "Saturday. Am I the best BFF or what?"

"Best, best, best BFF ever!" Marinette grins, before something occurs to her. "Wait, does Nino know about my crush on Adrien?"

"Girl, everyone knows about your crush on Adrien," Alya laughs. "Short of the blind boy himself, obviously. You know the best bit?"

"What's the best bit?" Marinette asks. Alya grins wickedly.

"We're being all lovey-dovey, so I can convince Nino to keep buying me stuff."

"Alya!" Marinette protests, and Alya laughs as they change the subject.

"We're at the gates, girl!"

"On my way," Marinette promises, dashing across the road with her phone to her ear. For once she isn't late, but Alya and Nino are already there. Typical. She ends the call and runs, and when she reaches the zoo she doubles over, out of breath.

"You're not late, for once," Alya laughs. "Adrien is a good incentive, huh?"

"I'm a good what?"

Marinette, despite still being unable to breath, stands straight up. Adrien has just emerged from his car, and, fortunately for Marinette, only heard his name.

"Speak of the devil!" Alya says. "We were just talking about you! Wondering whether your dad would keep you home after all. Everyone ready to go see a huge black cat?"

Marinette can't stop a smile flashing across her face, immediately thinking of ChatNoir. Adrien smiles too, and it's the most beautiful thing Marinette has ever seen.

"Definitely, babe," Nino says, and Alya grins at him as she laces their fingers together. Adrien mimes vomiting, but the couple completely ignores him. Alya leads the group, claiming she's the only one who knows where the panther is, even though the signs make it pretty obvious. Hanging behind the couple, Alya's plan is working perfectly. Adrien is talking to Marinette.

It's such a dreadful shame that Marinette seems physically unable to reply with a single logical sentence.

"Did Alya drag you along to see the panther?" Adrien asks, laughing.

"Um, I, n-no really, sorry, not really, I was kind of-" she makes the mistake of looking at Adrien's eyes and pauses for a second "-distracted, sorry, interested in the cheet-panther."

"Lucky," Adrien says, kindly choosing to ignore her stutters. "Nino wouldn't take no for an answer. If my dad didn't agree, I'm pretty sure Nino would come and kidnap me."

"Darn right he would!" Alya yells over her shoulder, and both Adrien and Marinette laugh. It's nice, to just laugh with Adrien, to not worry about keeping a conversation.

"Whoa! Look at that piece of meat that it's eating!"

Kim's voice, loud and attention-seeking as always, draws the group's interest. It's fortunate that he happens to be standing by the new panther exhibit.

"Typical diet for the feline species requiring the strength to run at speeds in excess of 60 miles per hour," replies Max's usual factual tone. Alya murmurs "Boring!"

"60 miles per hour?" Kim scoffs. "Is that all? I thought panthers were much faster than that! I bet I could beat it in a race."

"Impossible," scoffs Otis, Alya's dad. "No human being could complete with my panther."

"Is that so?" Kim asks. "What place did your cat come at the County Athletics Tournament? I came in first place!"

"Kim, don't be an idiot!" Alya objects. Kim, Max and Otis all turn.

"Oh, hey, Alya," Kim says. "You defending the ickle kitty?"

"Kim, I'm no expert, but my dad definitely is. He says you can't compare to the speed of a panther, then news flash, you can't compare to the speed of a panther."

Kim just laughs.

"They're both right," Max says. "With a 6 feet per second wind behind you and 45 degrees to the north-east... you'd be lunch."

"Thanks for the confidence boost," Kim complains. "Better start training!"

He immediately races off, and Max sighs.

"He'll be back in approximately ten minutes, that gives me three minutes to get to the kiosk, one and a half minutes to order, two and a half minutes to receive my order and three minutes to get back before he does. See you!"

The moment Max is gone, Otis sighs.

"Thanks, sweetheart, he was being a bother. In your class?"

"Yup," Alya says.

"Nightmare," Otis says. "Hope I haven't disappointed you kids, she's feeling stressed and tired after eating and that kid."

"No problem, dude," Nino says. They spend a long time talking to the panther, trying to help Otis calm her down, before the cat finally falls asleep. They spend the rest of the day looking at the other animals in the zoo, and yet when Marinette gets home, she isn't tired at all.

She checks her clock. It's just gone five thirty, now she's had dinner, so that gives her four hours before she goes to bed.

Marinette turns on her laptop and opens Miraculous.

[A/N: Vote? Comment? Please?]