Quarantine In Prague

Chapter 5: Adrien and the Empty First Class

"I know it's not true, but thank you for trying to make me feel better." Adrien blushed ever so slightly at her comment.

The plane accelerated, storming over the runway.

"I guess here we are, closing in to our doom." remarked Adrien.

She gasped. "Don't say that! It brings bad luck!"

He shrugged. "Let's hope Ladybug kept a bit of luck for us two, then. Anyways, are you ready to scream with me?"

She blushed a little, her thoughts going to places that they shouldn't have gone to. "S-s-sure."

The plane rolled forward faster and faster until-

Marinette was pinned back into her seat. She clenched her teeth as she felt her organs twisting and turning with the change of pressure and plain old shock. Her heart raced and mind spinned-Then she felt a hand squeeze her own. All her worries vanished, leaving her only with Adrien's excited and kind presence. She squeezed his hand back with gratitude.

And not so long after that, it passed. Marinette's heart was still beating fast, her ears a bit shaken, but the take off was done. The plane stabilized.

Adrien let go of her hand first, even though Marinette childishly wished they'd hold hands for the whole flight. He looked like a child being given a big load of candy, with his wide smile and jumpy attitude. "That was awesome! It's exactly how I imagined a roller coaster!"

A roller coaster? "You... haven't ever tried a roller coaster? It's not as scary as it looks..."

"Well, I was never allowed to an amusement park, so I just imagined it." He shrugged, still smiling. What a poor soul, she thought.

"You should! We might go to one in Prague. Eh... if you wish."

"I would love to!"

"I mean, your Father won't be able to track every single minute of your day, right?"

"Yeaaaah." Adrien chuckled nervously. "A-anyways. It will take about two hours to fly from here to Prague." Adrien said. "So what do you think about, let's say, watching a movie?"

"Uhm, sure."

Adrien turned back to the television. It took Marinette a while before she realized the symbols weren't random decorations but actual Chinese symbols that Adrien navigated effortlessly.

"Sooo.... we have Frozen, Avengers... Tangled and, oh hey this looks interesting."

Marinette leaned in closer, pretending like she understood exactly what he meant by the pointing of his finger.

He quickly explained after. "A documentary about Prague."

"Ah. Well that should be nice." she nodded and he put it on.

Marinette assumed that the intro in Chinese was just that, an intro. But when the documentary continued and she saw the Prague's Castle still with the Chinese voice over, she looked over at Adrien, confused. He was settled in his seat, hands comfortably together in his lap, fully immersed in the documentary. It was such a sweet sight that Marinette didn't dare interrupt him... but then he blinked suddenly, realizing something.

"Oh my God, Marinette! I am so sorry!" he jumped back to the TV screen and clicked a few buttons. "I am so used to listening to everything in Chinese on a day to day basis that I barely notice it from French now... It's so natural. I am sorry, here, voila, French subtitles. Sorry..." He was a bit red.

"Listening to everything in Chinese...?" She wondered.

"Well, that's not really true." Marinette was relieved. She never studied English or Spanish to such an extent. "I actually read and listen most things in Chinese, but not everything. I read French literature in Chinese to do multiple productive things at a time and watch Chinese dubs of documentaries and also piano, chess and fencing tutorials by Chinese masters..."

Now Marinette's sixty-two day streak on Duolingo didn't seem so admirable after all.

 "-but I don't study math in Chinese." He chuckled. "I am not that disciplined."

"Yeah, totally! You are so damn lazy, Agreste!" Her side that only her closest knew crawled to the surface before Marinette could stop her. She paled. Adrien raised his eyebrows.

Then he laughed. "Yeah, I could see what you mean. Sarcasm suits you, Marinette." He winked and stood up from his seat.

"Well, I am off to talk with the stewardess to get us some snacks and then we will watch it from the beginning, 'kay?"

She nodded and waited, using the time to make sure Tikki was okay and brushing her hair properly, finally (because she never really had time for that and doing it in front of Adrien felt... Weird). 

Adrien walked back a bit red, explaining that the stewardness was not so happy about him wandering around the plane and that he should have simply called for her with a press of a button... Oh well, no one is perfect on the first try, right? Plus seeing him embarassed ? Amazing sight :3

"Anyways, I brought you these liquorice tube-things." He handed her the packet as her eyes exploded far and wide. "I remember seeing you drooling over them when Nino brought them in school one day, so I thought you wouldn't mind. And I also brought you some black tea, just in case." Then he settled himself down with a bland salad and a sugar-free protein bar. 

He glanced at her. "Marinette?"

"Hm?" she shook her head. 

"What about the mask?" A smile was growing on his face as she realized she almost attempted to bite into the liquorice sweet through her mask.

"Oh, right." She took the mask down slowly, hoping for her blushing to fade, now fully visible. 

Adrien adjusted the subtitles, rerolled the documentary and pressed play. But even then, instead of reading the subtitles he set for her, she almost exclusively looked at him. The little perfect boy sitting next to her...

She soon dropped into deep sleep, her exhaustion catching up to her rapidly...

Marinette was awakened from her trance by a beep ringing through the empty First Class. Eyes half open, she realized something strange. She was laying on something comfortable... but it wasn't the seat's cushion. With a jump of her heart she realized she was asleep on Adrien's shoulder the whole time. She couldn't stop the uncontrollable smile growing on her face.

The beeping continued.  "Dear passengers, in a few minutes we will be descending to the Prague Airport..."

Adrien smiled back at Marinette slowly waking up for the fifth or so time that day and offered her an assuring hand. 

She giggled and wrapped her fingers in his for the landing.