He took the glass firmly and swallowed its blazing content with a gulp, a breath of satisfaction leaving his lips. "It's been long, hasn't it?" He thought, as he pulled up the girl by the hand, their fingers almost interwinding.
"How much would it be?" He asked the man, not a hint of disorientation in his voice, next to him, the girl trembled lightly as she struggled to set her hand free, silently cursing at him for not letting her continue what she'd come to do. For not letting her forget.
The young male paid the man for all the drunk shots, plus the couple of beers he'd had. Then, grabbing the suitcase, directed the girl into the cold night.
"Wait, I-I h-haven't finished," managed to hiccup the girl amidst light shivers.
She carried nothing but a light coat over her shoulders. And it was well after two. The temperature had long dropped to a startling cold.
Adrien shook his head at her carelessness as he came to a halt, making her bump into his back. She pulled away, rubbing her sore nose, and managed to steal a glance of him. His green eyes were ever so bright, they scanned the place for unwanted witnesses. Something inside her screamed at her to leave, to not follow the man. But the spiraling mind of hers and the crude cold that was the night would not let her think properly and listen to that small voice that had long protected her.
After making sure no one was around to see, Adrien rapidly took off his black sweaters and pressed it onto her back, the hoodie blinding her for a second as it fell on her eyes. She reached for it, and managed to catch a glimpse of golden before he had put on a cap (which he normally carried inside the coat's pocket).
"Now tell me, Marinette, where do you live?"
"I-" the girl found it difficult to let out a word. The burning in her throat and the cold that stung her was too much. And the thought of her residence hurt her even more. "Mom says I'm not supposed to tell that to strangers."
Adrien laughed, finding the situation rather humorous, "Well, you didn't think the same when you invited me for a drink, did you?" The girl lowered her eyes with a blush, "Drink that I had to pay."
"Just shut up and take me home," Marinette growled angrily, the drink had sure gotten the best of her.
"That's exactly what I want to do," he looked at the void street before him. "Get rid of you as fast as I can."
He whispered a little too loud.
The girl had already wiped the lingering tears from her eyes and taken the suitcase to follow the dark path.
"Hey, hey, hey, not so fast. Do you even know where you're going?"
"You want me gone right? Everyone does. Well, I'm just doing you a favor."
Her swirling head wasn't helping, she stumbled with a small rock and fell face first onto the cold asphalt. And Adrien had to bite his tongue to suppress a laugh. Although he became a bit worried when she stayed unmoved.
"Great. Just what I needed. She passed out. Now, what am I supposed to do with her." He thought, a bit annoyed. "And she got my coat all dirty, goddammit."
He walked up to where she laid and lowered himself to poke at her arm.
"You, wake up," at her stillness, he sighed, running his hand over his face. "You can't sleep yet, you have to tell me where you're home is so that I can take you there. Then, you'll sleep all you want, deal?"
He realized she was shuddering, perhaps an effect of the cold ground. But then, he noticed she was rather shaking, and behind her long, dark hair which covered her now even paler face, a trail of tears had formed.
"I don't have a home," she sniffed. "I was kicked out..."
"Man that sucks."
"...So just, leave me here, I'll live like a little worm. The little worm I am," and she cried once again.
Adrien groaned silently, why did this type of things had to happen to him?
"Alright, I'll leave you here, little worm. Just, give me my coat back."
Marinette sniffed once again as she stood up, her face dusted and wet from the tears. She used the back of her wrist to rub at her face, not realizing that she had stained the coat's sleeve. Before she had the chance to take it off, the male had already grabbed her hand to lead her god knows where.
"I can't leave you here--" Adrien started.
"Thank you," Marinette felt a small flutter of the chest as a light blush crept up her cheeks.
"--until you pay back what you drunk."
The flutter was gone and her face was as pale as ever, along with a bitter expression.
"Have I ever told you how much of an asshole you are?" Marinette barked, squeezing his hand annoyingly as painfully as she could.
"Well, this asshole might just as well be saving your life. Need I remind you, you have nowhere to go."
"I really want to break your face now, Arthur," Marinette came to a halt while raising her fist, instead, she lost her balance.
He caught her by the wrist, however, and noticed that behind that harsh façade her eyes were coated in tears. Just how far had he gone? He wished to apologise but the words simply would not leave his mouth.
"Yah, Arthur, what are you- ah!"
"It's Adrien," he sighed at the end, picked up her suitcase, and continued down the road.
"Yah! Set me down!"
The girl hit his back with one hand. The other had been secured from the beginning so that she wouldn't fall from his back, her legs dangling beside his walking limbs.
Eventually, her complaints and cries died down, and she set her forehead on his shoulder.
"Arthur-"
"Adrien."
"Adrien," she groaned. "My heart hurts."
"You mean your head," he replied with a hum. "And it should, you drank a fair amount."
"No, I mean my heart," her voice cracked as she shook her head, and he stopped for a second. "This foolish, reckless heart that-- Adrien, put me down."
"What?"
"Put me down. Now."
"Are you o-"
"Bah," the male was cut off as the girl crouched down near a tree and vomited.
"As expected, she drank a little too much," he thought. His eyes rounded, "Wait."
"Hey, don't smudge it..." he sighed and rubbed his face tiredly as her face snapped back and she whipped her mouth with the sleeve. "...On my coat."
"Sorry," she replied sheepishly as she hoped on his back when he crouched lightly.
"That's gonna cost you too," he stated.
"You're an asshole," she repeated and he hummed uninterested. "But a sweet asshole."
"My, it's grand the honor to be granted with such tittle by such a lovely lady."
"You know what, I take it back," she said, and he chuckled.
From then on, silence.
Marinette could hear the faint call of Tikki that warned her. However, she couldn't listen. Her mind swirled. What she'd long wanted to forget now replayed over and over in her mind, like a broken casette, a broken memory.
"You know, I do have a home," Marinette whispered. Her chin rested above his shoulder and her lips were so close to him that a mere whisper ricocheted through his mind, startling him. "But I left."
"I thought you said you were kicked out," he responded, sounding, much to his surprise, a bit interested.
"That, where I got kicked out from, that wasn't home," she struggled with her words as the endless trail of crystalline tears flowed, wetting his shoulder a bit. He sighed, petting the hand he held. She continued, "I'm so stupid. I shouldn't have left Mama. And Papa. Oh, I shouldn't have left my life. I shouldn't have!"
Adrien stopped once again but mostly to wonder why that strange feeling washed over him. That feeling that struk him like a tidal wave in the shape of her tears that now found themselves on his neck as she sobbed with no remorse.
Empathy. That's what they called it. To understand someone else's feelings. However, this was much different. He didn't simply understand them. In a way, he felt them himself. If he could even be capable of feeling, that is.
His green eyes glanced at the night sky as he drew in a breath. The first snowflake of a snowfall settled on his cheek as he started.
"I don't know whatever happened to you at home. Whatever made you leave. And whatever got you kicked out. Really, I know nothing about you. But there's something I know, and I know it well. Blaming yourself won't help you accomplish anything."
Her hands stiffened around him.
"If anything, it'll bring you down. Perhaps...It was simply meant to happen, there was no other way around. But rather than cowarding and forever pitting yourself for whatever you did wrong, you should try to mend that error. What's done, it's done. Life itself won't just give you second chances, you must fight to achieve new opportunities. So, whatever you did wrong, it's good you did it that way. Because now, little worm, you won't commit the same mistake."
He smiled with his eyes closed and felt her sniff solemnly as she cleared her eyes from tears.
"You know, I really must be drunk," Marinette giggled with a small hiccup. "To think you'd give a speech like that."
"Ha. You're talking as if you knew me, Little Worm," he chuckled as she hit his head.
"Yah, don't call me that. And... You're just an open book."
"An open book?" He wondered, how had he given such image? He, who never left the shadows.
"Yeah, I can tell just by looking at you. A little bit of a jerk, a little bit of an asshole..."
"Tch, you're making me want to forget you ever owed me a drink and leaving you here," he muttered.
"...But with a kind heart," she said, finally. "A really, really, really," she yawned. "Really kind heart."
"Oh my, my heart just fluttered-oh."
The girl had accidentally just knocked over his cap, revealing pure gold.
"Oh, what is this?" She questioned with flushed cheeks, an effect of the liquor. "How cute."
"Hey, hey, stop," Adrien struggled. His mind screamed "Cover them. You will scare her." But his steady heart told him it was alright. "It tickles."
"Hahaha, cute," she squealed lightly through her giggles. "There! Something more about you! You're cute, too. Or perhaps just your ears."
"You really don't know how to complement someone, do you?" Adrien chuckled though he kept surveying the area for any uninvited witness. He surely didn't want to frighten anyone with what Marinette thought were cute. They weren't. They were the mere proof of him being different. Rather, of him not being.
Between dozing off and cute hiccups the walk was spent. Until her frail voice finally spoke up.
"Adrien."
"Yes?"
"Don't ever trust anyone."
The coldness in her voice startled him for a second before he shrugged it off with a smile.
"But aren't you trusting me?" He whispered.
"Today," Marinette whispered, her eyes finally giving in to the darkness of the night.
"Today, you are different."
***********************************
Hello angels~ <3
I know, I've been quiet the first chapters X3 I'm sorry, but that's just how it is at the beginning of any book, lmao
Yep, I'm shy shy shy at the very beginning but just you wait cause I turn out weirder and weirder
-sees you leaving-
Waitu, don't go TT.TT
Anywho... I hope you liked this chapter (? More like hope you're liking the story overall <3
Ah! Gorgeous art in the media is not mine! It's by the talented natural wind so all love, rainbows and marshmallows got to her (or him) <3
Gosh, anyone waiting for the second season?!? More like who isn't XD Welp, I need it soon!! Fur inspurration (yep, I just pulled a Chat Noir)
Hopefully, will see you soon, guys <3 :3
Love, love, love
Mar ♥