"Adrien?"
Marinette had been standing outside the boys' bathroom for several minutes now. After seeing tears welling in his eyes when he stormed off, she couldn't just leave him alone.
"Adrien, if you need someone to talk to, I'm here."
A long pause passes before the door creaks open. Marinette steps back as a composed Adrien leaves the bathroom.
"Thank you," he says with a faint smile, "but I'm fine. Really."
She crosses her arms as he begins to walk away. "No. You aren't, I can tell."
He stops in his tracks.
"I'm sorry to cause an inconvenience for you, Marinette," he says with a nervous laugh. "Please don't worry about me."
"Adrien, you're inconveniencing me by not telling me what's wrong. I care about you -- b-because you're my friend!"
He sighs and takes a seat on the bench against the wall. "Do you ever begin to think someone isn't really as bad as they seem? You start giving them a chance to prove themselves to you, and they crush that little bit of trust you had for them."
Her head is nearly spinning as she tries to piece together what he's talking about, but she knows nearly nothing of his personal life, aside from the fact that Gabriel passed away last week.
"I don't know what's become of my life anymore, of me. I don't deserve to be a he-- to be looked up to the way I am."
Marinette finds herself at a loss for words. Here he is, the boy of her dreams, pouring his very heart out to her. She wants to throw her arms around him, bury her head in his chest, wrapped in his arms, to make it all go away.
But she settles for a friendly hug.
"It'll be alright," she manages as her pulse pounds in her ears.
She feels his arms enclose her and nearly loses her breath.
"I'm glad to have a friend like you, Marinette," he whispers.
Adrien Agreste, her friend. Her friend that she fell madly in love with. Her friend who she would die for. Her beautiful, kind, perfect . . . friend. But he is so much more than that to her.
"Anytime."
He pulls away and stands, leaving a dazed Marinette on the bench. "Well, I'm late for a photoshoot."
"A photoshoot?" she gasps before catching herself losing her cool. "That's fun."
Adrien laughs. "It gets kinda boring. Would you like to come and keep me company?" he says with a smirk.
"Oh! Um, yeah! I mean, why not? I really don't have that much to do today and there wasn't any homework and of course I'm a big fa--"
"You're rambling, Marinette!!" she hears Tikki whisper, muffled in her bag.
"Cool. I'll drive, if you don't mind."
She feels her knees grow weak as she remembers, he has a car. She's going to ride in Adrien's car!
~~
The session is long and drags on for hours, but Marinette doesn't mind. Adrien has never looked better and the weather is pleasant out near the woods. It seemed like a different place for a photoshoot, she thought, but Adrien informed her it was for the last line Gabriel designed, which was Bohemian-inspired and more "natural" than his previous designs.
Night begins to fall and the photographer grunts. "I thought we'd have more time," he complains.
Adrien drops his pose and makes his way over to Marinette's spot on a quilt. He picks up his water bottle, takes a swig, and collapses onto the blanket.
"Tired?" she laughs.
"Just a little." He smiles in a way that sends chills down her spine.
"I'd be more than happy to take your spot," she says.
"Believe me, you wouldn't. Stick to designing, you're good at that."
She feels her face grow red. "Th-thank you."
Adrien sits up and directs his focus back on the photographers and the team. "Am I good to go?"
The head photographer waves his hand in a motion that seems to say, okay, bye, as he continues packing equipment. The two head for Adrien's car, parked in the clearing.
"You hungry?" he asks, opening the passenger door for her.
"Yeah," she lies. She's so nervous, her body probably wouldn't even allow her to eat.
"There's a new café not far from here, their sandwiches are incredible. The finest in Paris."
Marinette lets out a giggle. "Better than Dupain sandwiches?"
"I mean, obviously not, it takes a lot to top those," he says with a wink.
~~
"So you're telling me Chat Noir is actually cool?"
Adrien laughs, dramatically throwing his hands in the air. "No one's as cool as Chat Noir!" He pauses and puts his hand in a fist, setting it back on the table. "Well, he was anyway. Now he's just a coward."
The sudden shift in the mood comes as a shock to Marinette. Why is he saying these things about Chat? And more importantly, what does he think about Ladybug?
And why does he know so much about both of them?
"What makes you say that?" she asks.
"He's been MIA for weeks now. I've met him personally, you know. He's good at making people believe he's this incredible hero when, in reality, he's kinda useless. Ladybug does all the work and Chat Noir does nothing. He used to be my biggest hero until . . . until I found out who he really was. I guess that's the Chat Noir I remember."
"Not true!" she interjects. "I've met both of them. Ladybug can't do what she does without Chat, she's told me that." And she tells herself that every day.
"Really?"
"Noticed how Ladybug hasn't shown up lately? Because Chat left her. She can't do it on her own."
Marinette knows her secret identity as Ladybug is at risk, but it's Adrien. It's not like he'll ever piece it together, he doesn't even know Ladybug.
"They're a team," he says absentmindedly, looking off into the distance.
Night has fallen upon their table outside the café, bringing a chilly breeze. Autumn had set over Paris and she still forgot her coat this morning.
"You're cold," notices Adrien.
"Me? Oh, no, I'm fine."
He smiles and begins pulling off his peacoat.
No way . . . Adrien Agreste is not giving me his jacket . . .
He stands and wraps the coat around her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Better?"
For a moment his green eyes meet hers, and the way they look at her, it's as if the boy that lives in a daze is awoken. He is here, if only for a moment, with her. She is real.
"Marinette," he whispers.
He leans forward, his forehead meeting hers. She watches her white breath whisp into the cold air, entwining with his. She feels the gentle touch of his hands lacing her fingers, and her heart raging out of control. She leans in closer until she feels his warmth, his heart, his kiss.
In this perfect moment, nothing matters. Two lonely hearts, beating in the same pace. Here, in the beautiful city of love, an inexplicable bliss settles upon Marinette's heart.
That is, until he pulls away.
She looks up at him, still in a daze. "Oh . . ." His eyes glint with fear and regret, which makes her stomach drop. "Oh my gosh, Marinette, I'm so sorry . . ."
"Don't be," she says lightheartedly.
"No, I -- I can't. I can't do this."
"Why not? Adrien, there's no reason to be afraid of me, of us! Look at me and tell me you don't feel it too!"
His eyes settle on her and he pauses. "That's the problem, Marinette. You're wonderful. You don't deserve a guy who's still in love with someone else."
☆☆☆
WOWWW I'm so happy with all the feedback! You guys are awesome, I'm so glad you all enjoy my story so far♡ Now that the show is on hiatus idk what to do with my life (・Д・)ノ I guess I'll just keep writing till season two!!（≧∇≦）