Dearly Despised, (I love you)

Deal

"—The heck is that?"

"Lila's come home," Chloé muttered from her desk, blowing filed nails.

"Marinette!" Alya nudged her. "Lila's back today, remember? How great is that!"

Adrien—and only Adrien—noticed her mouth, "Not that great" while Lila's purchase of his clothes tightened. Her ten-inch volumed bangs beneath his nose made him want to sneeze and then shower ten times. Nothing about his face read, "I don't want to die right now," as Marinette examined him.

"Lila was just asking Adrien to help her catch up with schoolwork. You know, since that'd be something really nice he would do, right?"

Was Alya trying to use Marinette to convince him to help her?

"Adrien's busy," she deadpanned.

Oh. Thank. Everything.

Adrien shrugged, unapologetic. "I'm busy."

"Well Marinette, you should help her then—"

"No!" the girl in his ear shrieked at the same time as Marinette.

"I mean," Lila corrected, "I see I'm just causing so much trouble, so no one worry about me. I'll just have to join detention to stay back to catch up since you all have so many things going on... I guess I'll have to cancel on all the disabled kids I take care of after school."

Adrien and Marinette didn't budge as the few spectators looked onward in shock.

"Oh, I can just help you, Lila," Max chimed as he headed up the stairwell to his seat. He'd arrived to catch the last of the disruption. "I've finished working on my robot, Markov, so there's an 80% chance I could help you whenever you're free."

Before Lila could reject or accept, Adrien shouted a loud, "Thanks Max! Means a lot," and he felt the body reeking of cheap perfume shrink next to him. "Marinette and I have plans tonight, anyway."

Repulsion swerved. "Marinette?"

"Yeah, me. And by the way," they looked up to see Marinette careening at Lila, fist on hip and half-eaten croissant used to point at Lila's spot, "that's my boyfriend's seat."

"Oh?" Her voice snapped to a forced high-octave and she looked between them with a stretched smile. "You two are still dating? Wow! All those little arguments must have just been for show. I can't believe..."

"What? That we lasted?" Adrien's vision narrowed into hers. Her whole master plan to complain her way to a 'breakup' didn't work—namely, because a real breakup was a paradox for a fake-relationship. "Miss Bustier helped us work through some stuff, actually, after a few people... spoke to her about us. Thanks to whoever they were, we're more in love than ever."

Really, they had learnt to argue more privately, and pretending to be in love over time... ok it naturally became easier, he could testify, along with all that painstaking practice. They still caught each other trying to hide in the same spot during akuma attacks and had found creative ways to argue discreetly (glances, note exchanges, kicking under tables, locker vandalism). Adrien knew how to wear a mask. It was a full-time job – in a superhero suit, and without.

"Well! Isn't that great news!" Lila chirped, clasping her hands. "I'm so sorry though, Nino. I'm not sure if Miss Bustier reminded you about my hearing condition. I have to sit up the front. Do you mind if I sit here and Adrien sits in your seat?"

"Hey, no biggie!" Nino grinned, already sitting atop Marinette's desk beside his girlfriend. "I'm chill here. If Mylene sits with Ivan, and Alix with Nate, there's a spare desk up the back for Marinette if she's cool with that."