"Late night?", asked Alya as Marinette slipped into her seat, 15 minutes late for class. She just nodded in response to her friends question and tried to ignore the urge to turn left and stare at Adrien. She pulled out her notebook and started to write, absentmindedly doodling his name in the corner of the paper, suppressing the guilt that came with each letter.
School seemed to fly by, and when the clock struck 3 o'clock, Marinette summoned all the self-control she could muster, grabbed her art supplies, and went to meet Adrien. He had fencing that day, so she had to wait in the gym for an hour until he finished. She gave him a small, hesitant wave as she sat down on one of the benches, and was simultaneously delighted and disappointed when he smiled and waved back at her. Why did he have to make it so difficult? Every day it got worse, not being able to love him. Every time she looked at him she felt like she was betraying Chat Noir. He at least admitted that he still loved Ladybug, but she had held back from telling him that she loved Adrien. Their relationship was messy and knotted together with unsaid words and denial. She sighed softly. How long would they last? How long could she keep lying to herself? How could she ever face him afterwards, after what was sure to be an explosive end? She was suddenly awoken from her destructive train of thought by the instructor's whistle signalling it was time for a break. Adrien pulled off his fencing helmet and sat down beside her, a little closer than Marinette was expecting.
"Thanks so much for coming. I forgot about fencing, I'm really sorry you have to wait", the boy said, biting his lip slightly and rubbing his neck ruefully.
Marinette fought down the blush creeping up her cheeks and said in a reassuring tone,
"It's fine, perfectly fine, I don't mind!" He looked unconvinced so she patted his shoulder in what she hoped was a casual manner, and gave him a hesitant smile, getting a much larger one in return. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest and her blood roaring in her ears as she looked at the smile that lit up his face. This was going to be very difficult day.
The pair escaped fencing half an hour early after one of the boys accidentally tripped over his own feet and broke his ankle; an ambulance had to be called and in the commotion Adrien grabbed Marinette's hand and ran out of the school. They ran down the streets of Paris, his hand firmly enclosed in hers. Soon they stopped, and he let go of her, a little reluctantly, she thought. They stood there for a minute, panting slightly, their hair hanging messily around their faces. Marinette managed to compose herself and asked the obvious question,
"W-why did we leave? Won't your f-father get angry at you?"
Adrien turned to look at her and for a moment she thought he was... someone else. The confusion must have been plain to see on her face; he quickly flattened his hair, and tried to draw her attention away from it by answering her question.
"Well, uhhh, it's ok, I-I'll deal with it. Sorry for pulling you out like that. I didn't hurt you, did I?"
Marinette was still frozen in shock. She mumbled a response and banished the image of Chat firmly from her brain. He couldn't be... He couldn't be...
The rest of the walk to Adrien's house was filled with a heavy, uncomfortable silence. The pair were clearly trying to ignore it, but it wasn't really working for either of them. When they finally reached the big iron gates that enclosed Adrien's home, Marinette was really regretting her decision to help him. She stuck with him, however, as they entered the house, and as they were summoned to his father's office, she held her ground and went in with him, each harsh word Mr.Agreste said drilling into her skull, the expression on Adrien's face burning into her mind. She walked with him down the sprawling corridors of the house, wanting to reach out and comfort him but afraid to do so. She followed him into his room, the space large and colourful, but the windows reminding her too much of prison bars, letting him look at the world, but never touch it. Marinette felt like she had learned more about him in the last 10 minutes than she had in the last 3 years. Adrien stared out of the prison windows as she came to these revelations. Eventually he spoke,
"A model's life isn't as great as everyone thinks it is, am I right?"
His tone was bitter and jagged, completely different from the Adrien she thought she knew. She walked up to him slowly, and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to face her, his mouth forming a question, but he was silenced by her lips pressing against his.
