Marinette
"I can't believe after all this time hating Adrien, you've not only forgiven him but you're now in a 'sort of' relationship with him and you've also slept with him. In a week, Marinette! In... a... week!" Alya shook her head, settling into a chair in Kagami's back garden.
They were making the most of the weather whilst they could. A rainstorm was due to hit in just under an hour's time, and knowing the weather in England that could mean any moment now. Alya continued to scroll through her phone as she spoke, used the opportunity to travel into central London and catch a show – she just needed to find the right one.
"Sexual tension," Kagami responded with a smug grin. "We've all been saying it for years! Also, everyone knows Adrien has been hot for Marinette since he hit puberty – maybe even before."
"Let's be honest. We've all been hot for Marinette," Alya said with a laugh, Kagami raised her glass in agreement before placing it to her lips.
Rolling her eyes, Marinette stood up and moved away from the others and back into the kitchen. Kagami and Félix's house was incredible. From the kitchen it had huge bifold doors which were the perfect welcoming onto a patio and into their tiny London garden. When she found out about the job and her new life she'd be starting in London, she couldn't help but dream of a house like this.
Finally inside, Marinette searched around the kitchen for where she'd placed her phone. She hadn't spoken to Mr Unknown much since starting things up with Adrien, the whole idea of texting another man whilst being in this 'relationship' with Adrien just seemed so wrong. She'd held back as much as possible; however, she couldn't help but wish he'd drop her a message every now and again. She missed her Kitty.
Continuing to look, Marinette lifted the many scattered items on the worktops and checked underneath for the object. If she hadn't missed a message of Chat Noir, maybe she'd missed one from Adrien. They'd only been separated for 24 hours, but she was missing him like crazy. She was addicted to him. His hugs, his kisses, his body. Just him in general.
"Al, can you call my phone please? I can't find it." Marinette shouted out into the garden.
"What's wrong?" Kagami said, walking into the kitchen and straight to another bottle of wine. "Looking to see if 'lover boy' has messaged you?"
Alya followed in shortly after. "Does he actually have your number now?"
Marinette rolled her eyes and continued her search. "Yes, he does. He took it from me yesterday and said he'll message me today."
"And the suspense is killing you, so you want to find your phone and check, then whine to us when you don't have anything from him. I'll save you the hassle now. He's a guy! He will have forgotten that he said he was going to text you." Alya pulled Marinette's phone from her pocket and waved it in front of her. "He's probably too busy celebrating his accomplishments with the guys."
"How long have you had that?" She snatched the phone out of her friend's hand.
"Long enough to know you're about level 8 on the stalker chart."
Kagami smiled and poured herself another glass of wine. "Leave her alone, this is her first proper boyfriend since she was 14. We should be celebrating too."
"To Marinette and Adrien doing the naked tango!" Alya announced, raising her glass to clink with Kagami's.
As the girl's continued to discuss Marinette's newly reformed womanhood, the girl in question couldn't help but look at her phone. There was a message from an unknown number, one which sent a prickle of panic down her spine.
"Hey guys, does anyone know this number?" As she read the number from the screen, Alya and Kagami both typing it into their phones. Alya giggling as she turned it around.
"Looks like 'lover boy' is ready for his next hook up."
Alya and Kagami giggled between themselves as Marinette studied the message. This just didn't make sense! The message was from Adrien... but it didn't read like it was from him.
Adrien (6:52pm): Hey, Miss Dial, look who wanted to say hello! I finally managed to get in touch with the right person today and my lovely Daisy will be heading to a new home tomorrow.
She grabbed Alya's phone from her hand and looked between the two. The number was there in black and white for her to see as it glowed mockingly in her face. The message had come from Adrien, however Adrien also seemed to be hiding something from her. He'd called her Miss Dial. This just couldn't be right, there had to be some sort of mistake.
"Does Adrien have two phone numbers?" Marinette asked, eyes still reading the message. She felt sick. Her insides were shaking as cold shivers ran down her spine. There had to be some sort of logical explanation for this. Maybe Adrien was in a phone-share with Chat Noir? Or - or... she couldn't think of any other reason as to why this could be right. Nothing here made sense. Nothing apart from Adrien had been a liar. A manipulative liar who said what he needed to get her into bed.
Suddenly she gasped, a hand shooting over her mouth as tears raised in her eyes. The kiss. He'd used what she'd sent him to have that hot, steamy kiss with her. Had he done it just because that's what she wanted? He'd used the knowledge to get her hooked on him.
Ignoring her sudden noise, Alya continued the conversation. "Yeah, he's got two. That one is his newest one as his father wants his old work phone back. I thought he would have told you that?"
He hadn't, in fact, told her anything; including the information about his alter ego. The alter ego who knew about her being Miss Dial.
"So, what was his work number?"
Alya frowned and looked at Marinette, her head tilting as she examined her friend's face.
"Marinette, you look pale. Is everything okay?"
Was everything okay? No! It was far from it. "Just, please, what was the other number?" Flicking onto the messages from Mr Unknown, Marinette saw the world blur as number after number matched the ones she had on the screen.
"I need to go," Marinette said, turning abruptly towards the door.
"Marinette? Where are you going?" Kagami asked, her face in complete bewilderment.
"Marinette?" Alya questioned, a worried tone in her voice.
Without responding, Marinette left the house and pulled up her contacts. Finding the name she wanted, she placed it to her ear and waited with baited breath. The phone rang out a few times before a voice was heard on the other side of the line.
"Hello, you sexy beast!"
"Cut the crap, Félix! I know if anyone knows what the hell's going on it's you. The two of you have some sort of weird cousin telepathic thing going on."
"Awww, so this is about Adrien."
Marinette continued to walk in the direction of the underground. She knew Adrien lived close to Félix and Kagami, but she also knew she could get there quicker by going a stop or two on the underground.
"Where does he live?"
Silence sounded from the other end of the phone line and she half expected him to have hung up on the call.
"Félix!" she growled. "Where does Adrien live?"
"You know, don't you?"
Her blood ran cold through her body. Félix may as well have just admitted it there and then. He didn't need to ask a rhetorical question when something was undeniably true.
"Address!" Marinette demanded. Félix's voice shook a little as he passed the details onto Marinette, her hands typing frantically in her phone to note the address.
"Marinette," Félix called just as she was about to hang up. "Listen to him before you make your conclusion. He deserves his chance at defending himself."
Grumbling a 'whatever' into the phone, Marinette ended the call, placed the object back into her pocket and headed down into the underground. Adrien had no idea of the storm about to hit him.
•••••
"How long have you known?" she hissed through gritted teeth, holding her phone up towards him, the message clearly on display. She'd had a good cry on the tube, so she was sure her eyes were holding an unnatural red. Hopefully he'd get the idea that he'd truly messed up.
Adrien studied the screen in front of him, the moment of recognition lighting up his eyes.
"I -"
"Don't bullshit me, Adrien! I want the truth! How long have you known I was Miss Dial?"
Adrien sighed and reached a hand behind his neck. The day had suddenly grown darker and she could feel herself shaking, unsure whether it had originated from the weather – or the truth.
"Marinette, please..." Adrien sighed, the action only flaming the burning anger inside her.
"What, Adrien? Just spit it out because I am seriously losing my mind here! Did you just want to manipulate me? Was all this a ploy to get me into bed?"
The sound of shocked gasps radiated from behind her, a quick glance showing a couple of older ladies with grey hair staring at Adrien's front door, shopping bags in hands and a judgemental look on their faces.
"Marinette, come in please. Let's talk about it inside."
She stood on the doorstep considering her options. Option 1 was to stay out here and air their dirty laundry to everyone on the street, or option 2 do what Félix had begged her to do and actually just go inside and talk to Adrien.
"You have five minutes."
Storming past him, Marinette walked straight through the house and out the kitchen doors into his small courtyard of a garden, complete with a cock (and she wasn't just talking about the guy following behind her).
"I didn't mean for this to happen this way," Adrien said, walking around her as the cockerel let off a loud, teeth clenching call. "Ignore that." He said, moving towards Daisy and ushering her into what looked like an incredibly expensive pen.
"And how did you expect this to happen?" A sudden thought struck Marinette and she felt the anger grow a little more. "Oh my god! You found out at the airport didn't you? That's why you ghosted me the following day... and told me about the date. You wanted to see if I would get jealous."
"That's not–"
"And the kiss. You knew exactly what you were doing when you kissed me that first time because I had already told you what I liked, what I wanted! You used my information against me!"
Without warning, droplets began to fall from the sky. April showers moving in over London and dampening anyone who got in their way.
"It's not like that Marinette. If you would just let me –"
"And there I was, thinking you were my Kitty! What an idiot I was! Chat Noir would never, ever treat me that way. He is respectable and honest, and wouldn't do something as devious as message me as someone else."
Marinette crossed her arms, suddenly noticing Adrien's face had turned pale.
"Your Kitty?" Adrien stuttered out. "As in... yours?"
Rolling her eyes, Marinette moved away. "What are you going to do, Adrien? Turn this around and say that I'm cheating on you. I'm not the bad guy here, you are!"
The rain began to pick up but she wasn't moving; she wouldn't move, not until he'd grovelled his way back into her good books.
"Marinette, you're making no sense."
"I thought you were Chat Noir!" she shouted.
What had been a slight spotting suddenly turned into an over enthusiastic downpour, the two standing and staring at each other. As the rain fell, Marinette realised Adrien's mouth was moving but she couldn't hear him.
"What?" she shouted, the rain soaking her hair, her clothes and anything else it could reach. The train ride home was going to be highly uncomfortable.
Adrien looked from side to side, his hair moving over his face and sticking to his cheek. He was soaked and, unfortunately for her, the way his tee was sticking to him only made him more appealing. His muscles strained against the wet fabric, and her hands twitched to reach out and touch him the way she had been doing freely over the past week.
His mouth moved again but she still couldn't hear.
Like in a romance novel, Adrien decided speaking wasn't enough anymore. Instead he moved towards her and placed a hand around the back of her neck, leaning in so his lips could meet hers. The kiss was different from the others. It was slow and careful, and Marinette was sure he was waiting for her to push him away — or slap him.
Moving back he lowered his head and looked into her eyes. "I am Chat Noir, M'Lady, and I'm madly in love with you."