Marichat May 2020

Day 14 - Chocolate

Alya's hand on Marinette's shoulders was the only thing grounding her in reality. She really wanted to escape and be anywhere but where she was, but Alya kept her there.

"You can do this," she whispered, the two of them standing just around the corner. Marinette tried to believe her words, but she knew how prone she was to messing up.

"Okay," she said, straightening her shoulders and beginning to walk out, seeing Adrien about to leave the locker room with Nino. She gripped the box in her hands tightly, hoping her voice wouldn't give out on her.

"H-hey Adrien!" she called, and he stopped, turning to look at her.

"Hey, Marinette," he smiled, coming back over to her and leaving just the two of them alone, everyone else having left the locker room. "Happy Valentine's Day," he said, one hand on the strap of his bag. She smiled nervously, glancing down at her gift.

"Yeah, I, uh, wanted to give you this. For Valentine's Day," she said stiffly, extending it towards him. She watched his eyes light up at the wrapped gift, his hands moving to take it like he would drop it if he wasn't careful enough.

"Thank you," he breathed out, looking up at her with such bright eyes that she couldn't help but smile.

"I'm so glad I've been able to become your friend, so I made these chocolates for you," she told him, and his smile spread wide.

"Thank you so much, Marinette," he said again, pulling her in for a brief but warm hug. It surprised her, but she tried to enjoy it while it lasted, her cheeks tinting pink.

"You're welcome," she said, and he gazed at her once more before looking away.

"We should probably hurry to class," he said as she silently cheered that she'd been able to do it. She'd been stressing to Alya about it for weeks.

Adrien moved to pull open the door to leave, but it burst open, throwing both of them back farther into the locker room.

"Marinette!" someone yelled, and her blood went cold. She got up from the ground, moving to stand in front of Adrien. She could tell it was an akuma and her blood began to boil. As it came into view out of the dust of the destroyed door, she didn't find it very threatening. The girl seemed to be covered in roses and pink candles, rose petals floating to the ground off its form. But her face was twisted into an ugly expression, anger emanating off of her and making the flames on the wicks of the candles flicker.

"How dare you give chocolates to Adrien?" the akuma asked, and Marinette heard Adrien get up behind her, the two of them backing up slowly as the akuma grew closer. They were cornered, but Marinette's mind was racing for an escape route. "I was supposed to be his Valentine," the akuma growled.

"I'm sorry," Marinette spoke, and Adrien placed a hand on her shoulder. This made the akuma screech in anger, and Adrien pulled her out of the way as the akuma spewed hot wax where they'd just been standing.

They began to run, moving towards the door while the akuma tried to fire at them again. The next blast splashed on Marinette, making her pull her hand away from Adrien's and cradle it against her chest, her skin blistering against the heat. She stumbled, trying to keep running but realizing she'd gone the opposite way of Adrien. She shook her head, continuing to look for an escape route and knowing that it was better that they had gotten separated anyway. She would save him. She would save everyone.

The akuma was hot on her heels as she moved to the school's front doors, pushing them open quickly and bolting down the steps. She tripped, landing hard on her knees at the bottom of the stairs. The burn on her hand was searing and making her distracted, her eyes being pulled down to assess the damage while she thought she was safe. She stood up shakily, knowing she'd at least bruised her knees as well, hearing the akuma move out of the school.