"So just cause I'm wearing a turtleneck automatically means someone gave me a hickey, Alya??"
Marinette and her friends were sitting outside a café after school, and Alya was giving her the third-degree.
"Well, you never normally wear turtlenecks, and Adrien has been glancing at you all day so...."
Marinette kept her face passive and made some off-hand comment about being cold to get Alya off her case. She fiercely pushed incoming thoughts of Adrien out of her mind, and took another sip of her latte. But, speak of the devil, out of the corner of her eye she saw Nino, Max, Ivan, Kim and Adrien walking up the street.
"Shit", she thought to herself, and tried not to look around as they came up to say hi.
"Hey guys, what's up? We just happened to be walking up this paticular street at this paticular time of day and lo and behold, the five of you just happened to be here too! Incredible!"
Everyone laughed at Nino's comment and invited the boys to join them, grabbing extra chairs from nearby empty tables.
Marinette froze up as Adrien took the seat beside her, and glared at Alya who was trying to hold back laughter. She stared intently at her coffee cup, careful to not let her gaze drift towards the blond boy who was sitting next to her.
Conversations began between the pairs next to each other, and when everyone but Adrien and her were talking, she felt compelled to turn and face the boy she couldn't love anymore.
"So, Marinette... h-how are you?", Adrien stammered, blushing a little. Marinette's eyes narrowed in confusion at his nervousness and gave a careful reply.
"I'm g-good, thanks for asking... Are you ok?"
Adrien's face turned redder and she really started to get concerned. Why was he blushing? Why was he stammering? And why did his manner seem so damn familiar...
A lightbulb went off in her brain but she firmly pushed it away. He couldn't... Not now...
"I'm good too, I, uhh, wanted to ask you something P-Mari..."
Marinette's head snapped around fully and she looked him dead in the eyes. Was he about to ask her out? Now?? She sighed a little and waited for him to finish his question, a much bigger part of her than she'd be willing to admit hoping he would ask her out.
"Well, I wanted to know if you want to..." The boy suddenly paused and looked away, seeming to have an internal argument with himself about what he was going to say. He finally seemed to make up his mind and turned back to face the girl, his green eyes resting on her a little sadly.
"Would you mind coming over to my house tomorrow to help me with this art project I have to do? I'm terrible at art but I know you're really good."
Marinette's shoulders sagged slightly and her smile faltered, but her voice almost perfectly mimicked the happy one she spoke in moments ago.
"Sure, I'd love to help! My parents are on holiday so I'll just call them real quick to see if they can get someone to cover my shift at the bakery."
Adrien started to say, "You already told me your par-", but was cut off my a pinch from Plagg, reminding him of the situation he was in. He breathed a sigh of relief when Marinette said she could come, and offered to buy her another coffee as a thanks. She politely refused, saying she'd had too much already, and the pair made the most awkward small talk possible for what felt like years. Finally Nino said,
"Shit, guys, the movie started fifteen minutes ago we have to go. See you girls tomorrow, maybe one of you sooner than that!", and kissed Alya's forehead. Everyone started laughing and nudging the brunette, whose face had turned bright red, and Marinette was glad the attention wasn't back on her. Her relief was short-lived however, as when Adrien got up to follow his friends, he winked at her and said loudly,
"Nice turtleneck."
****************
"Why in holy hell did I say that??"
Adrien was pacing back and forth across his bedroom floor, berating himself for his earlier behaviour at the café.
"I think subconsciously you want Marinette to know you're Chat Noir so you can date her when you're Adrien too.", Plagg speculated, tossing another piece of cheese into his mouth.
Adrien paused in his pacing to stare at his kwami.
"Plagg... that is way too deep to read into it, ok? I just got myself into a bigger mess than I was already in! Now I have to shamble together a fake art project by tomorrow, whilst also doing my actual homework, working on my letter, and I think I have a photoshoot at about five o'clock in the morning! Not to mention patrol tonight! Fucking FABULOUS!!"
He groaned and lay down on the floor, imprinting his face in the cold grey carpet. His kwami sighed and cursed the day he met this overdramatic kid, but finished the last of his Camembert and flew lazily over to try depart some wisdom.
"Look, just... ugghhh, you humans are so emotional all the damn time! I keep telling Tikki but she insists it's normal, and... shit."
Adrien turned to face him and looked at him questioningly.
"Plagg... who is Tikki?"
