┌── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──┐
September 19th
└── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──┘
Marinette was practically a walking zombie when it was time for school the next day. All night long she was thinking of what she was going to say to Adrien, and how she was going to ask him this question. She rehearsed it several different ways, in her head and out loud, but none of it felt right. She kept thinking about all the things that could go wrong. Not once did she think about the outcome if it were to go right.
Tikki startled Marinette out of her thoughts as she was getting ready for school.
"Marinette, you're overthinking this! You were up all night!"
Marinette patted her kwami on the head. "I know, I'm sorry for keeping you awake, Tikki."
Tikki smiled and shook her head. "It's okay, Marinette, that doesn't matter. You didn't sleep a wink. Try to relax today, okay? I just want you to be happy and feel better."
They shared a brief cookie before it was time for Marinette to head to class. By the time she got to class, Alya was already there. About half of the students were seated in their desks and ready to start the day. Marinette was happy to be back at school for more than one reason. First off, if she actually didn't end up having anywhere to go, she had to enjoy the time she had left. Plus, she was going to see all her friends (Adrien). It was a Monday.
"When he gets here, ask him."
Marinette looked at her with worry in her eyes. She bit her lip, trying to think up of some excuse to why she changed her mind. It was stressing her out. She was afraid she was pushing their relationship's boundaries. Alya saw this written all over her face and whispered into her ear.
"Just ask him."
"But, I don't know. Maybe I should just ask Chloe first..."
"Girl, are you insane? You must be insane!"
She didn't respond to this since she knew her best friend was right. Nino approached the two girls, taking his seat where he usually did. He flipped his chair around and pecked Alya on the cheek. Her hand flew to her face, and she flushed a dark red. Marinette smiled as the two lovebirds exchanged an easygoing fist bump.
"Gross! Get a room..." Chloe snickered from the right of them. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and made gagging noises. Of course, some of the students thought she was quite funny. The couple simply turned red and looked down, embarrassed. Marinette was reminded of how much staying with Chloe would not work out.
"It was just a kiss on the cheek," Marinette exclaimed in annoyance.
"So? Nobody wants to hear about, let alone see your pathetic love life in action."
"You're one to talk, considering your single," Alya said. It took only a few seconds for a girl like Alya to get over her embarrassment and stand up for herself and her boyfriend. Chloe angrily turned to face the front of the class and crossed her legs.
"Excuse me- but you just wait."
Sabrina looked at the door right at that moment, and the students looked over just in time to see Adrien walking inside. Chloe got up immediately and ran to the boy, pulling him to her.
"Adrikins! How are you today? I missed you." She sang. The boy looked startled but simply smiled kindly.
"Good, thanks. Hey Nino!" Adrien walked away politely but still left Chloe feeling neglected. The two boys high fived and sat down together.
Alya turned towards Marinette.
"Come on! We're all friends here! Now ask!"
She pushed her friend's shoulder and pointed at the boy seated in front of her. She felt herself staring at the back of his blonde head, and for a second, everything surrounding her seemed to fade away.
The sound of heels clicking against the floor halted Marinette's daydream. Ms. Bustier had made her way into the room, ready to start class. Alya glared at Marinette but received a simple shrug in response. Marinette had no choice but to wait.
.·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·.
During lunch, Alya, Marinette, and Nino met up in the park to have a picnic. It was a beautiful day outside for it being mid-September, so the leaves blowing in the wind was the only thing that really bothered them. Marinette played with her rice with her Alya's spare fork, overthinking once again. She would have used chopsticks, but she'd forgotten to pack them. She'd been so distracted this morning she hadn't even noticed she'd left them on the counter. Alya shot a few glances her way but didn't say anything. She wanted to save Nino the trouble of her having to explain. Eventually, Nino had had enough and spoke up.
"Hey Marinette, dude, something bothering you?"
Marinette looked up and shrugged her shoulders with a slight smile, though it was obviously fake. Alya responded for her friend, with a low voice.
"Turns out things might be changing soon."
Nino took a bite of his sandwich. "What do you mean?" He asked with his mouth full.
"She might be moving out of Paris."
Alya's boyfriend almost spat out the food he was chewing. He coughed and took a drink of water before swallowing.
Nino then looked at the two girls, with a questionable look. "Why? Is the bakery doing okay?"
"Yes," Marinette said in a quiet voice. Her rice had certainly gotten cold by now. She put the fork down and began boxing up the rest of her food.
"She might have to go to the USA because her parents got nominated to be in some cooking contest."
"Baking contest..." Marinette mumbled, correcting her out of habit.
"WHAT!?" Nino gaped at them. The sudden burst of words from Nino made both girls jump in their seats. He didn't seem to notice he had been yelling.
"You-You can't!"
The girls exchanged looks, confused as to why Nino was so upset. Alya had taken it like a swat with a newspaper compared to the way Nino was. Possibly there was something he wasn't telling them.
"He will be crushed-"
Alya flipped her head towards Nino, as Marinette looked over at him, confused.
"What I meant to say is... We'll all miss you! You can't just... go like that!" He fought, hoping that his words may suddenly change her mind.
"Yeah well, it's not my choice!" Marinette snapped. Alya was wondering why Marinette was so down about it now. Just the night before they agreed she'd ask Adrien. She couldn't possibly have changed her mind about that now, right?
"If I had somewhere to stay until they got back, this wouldn't be a problem. It's just... If I went with them... we'd be there until the end of 11th grade most likely. Meaning, I would miss spending this year here in Paris, the internships, and the opportunities to apply for colleges. And knowing my parents, I just... it worries me that they may like the states too much."
Nino blinked as he took it all in.
"It just isn't fair!" Marinette whined, banging her head on the bench table.
"What isn't fair?"
A voice startled Marinette enough to send her box of rice flying backward. It landed on the person behind her with a crunch. She turned around to see Adrien standing there, rice all over his clothes and hair.
"Oh MY GOD! AD-ADRIEN IM SO SORRY!"
She stared into his eyes as he raised an eyebrow. Alya and Nino tried to hold in their snickers, but Adrien couldn't. He laughed, causing everybody else too as well. His laugh echoed throughout the windy air and it caused the girl in front of him to relax her muscles. Marinette was happy he lightened the mood, so she giggled too, her face still beet red.
"It's okay, Marinette. I was just coming to see if I could eat lunch with you guys, but it seems as if you may have been finished with this."
He pointed to the box that still laid on his head.
"Well, she is now." Alya chuckled. Marinette groaned and grabbed the box off his head.
"No! It's all over your hair!"
He allowed her to push some off the top of his head and into the grass. When she realized how close she was to him, she stopped and backed up, hitting the underside of her knee on the bench.
"Ouch! Sorry!" She stood there awkwardly, waiting for him to say something. He just stared at her.
"It's okay. Rice comes out. I promise it's fine."
He placed his lunch onto the bench and his bag down by his feet. He shook his head, combing his fingers through his hair. Most of the rice fell out, but all Marinette could think about is how much of a fool she just made of herself. She watched him as he delicately combed his perfect blonde hair, feeling around for grains of rice that stuck to his roots. If Alya hadn't cleared her throat, she would have been staring at him the entire time.
"Uh," Marinette nodded her head, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink. She took the rest of her lunch and put it away. She was about to head back home, since they were close, to drop off the leftovers when Adrien had reached out for her.
"W-Wait Marinette! Are you keeping something from me? Why were you upset?"
"U-Upset?" Marinette stuttered.
"Yes, before... you threw your lunch on me..."
"I didn't mean to-"
"I know, I'm just teasing." He said, looking down at her with concern in his eyes. It was different than usual, as she was seeming to act as she did years ago. These past few years, he'd come to believe they'd grown closer. Had he done something wrong?
"Now why are you upset? Or do you not want me to know?"
Perhaps, it would have been easier if after all this time the crush on him had gone away. But it.. it hadn't, and she was ashamed. The black-haired girl just stared into her friend's eyes, trying to think of what to say and how to say it. The longer she did, the more aware she became.
Now was the time to ask.
"Adrien well... I-I have something to... ask- I have something I-,"
She began speaking, but of course, it didn't come out well. Her words were scrambled and confusing. Alya and Nino watched her in awe as she struggled to find the right things to say. Adrien sat down on the bench, keeping his attention on her.
After a few more attempts at trying and awkward silence, Alya interrupted, saving Marinette from any further trouble or embarrassment.
"Marinette's moving away." She blurted.
"Wait, what!? Where?" He asked, almost choking on his words.
Marinette didn't say anything, she just looked down and rubbed the back of her neck. It did seem like he cared quite a bit, but the frazzled girl didn't seem to notice.
"Well.. her parents are moving to America..."
She paused, looking for a reaction from Adrien. But all Adrien was doing was looking up at Marinette, who avoided his gaze.
"They said she could stay here. But she doesn't have a place to stay... And even if it was only for a little while, it really is a big deal to her."
Adrien continued looking at her as she turned away, tears beginning to threaten her eyes. She was embarrassed and had no idea how to feel about his reaction.
"Can't she stay with you?" He asked, facing Alya. It appeared that saying goodbye was not the first thing to pop into Adrien's head either.
"She can't. It's a long story but, I really can't have her stay at my house.."
"What about you?" Adrien asked Nino. Nino just shrugged, pointing towards Alya, who had the same jealous frown on her face. The boy shook his head after the blonde still seemed to wait for an answer.
"And nobody else can-"
"No one," Alya stated, getting frustrated. "She'll have to go with them."
Just offer already, she thought, peering at her best friend who was still standing up and holding her lunch close to her chest.
Marinette finally took a seat next to Adrien, keeping a reasonable distance between them.
"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Adrien asked, bending over to pick up his bag.
"I just- I just needed-" She couldn't explain that she'd been spending all this time looking for somewhere to stay. Because even if that was true, it didn't make up for the fact that it's true- she didn't tell Adrien and Nino this ahead of time. And they were two of her closest friends. They should have been the first to know what was going on.
"She wanted to ask you if she could stay with you." Alya interrupted, sternly. Her voice was filled with both desperation and sadness as she knew that this whole situation was a huge thing. Of course, Marinette would be back, but... what if something happens and she wouldn't come back? Alya knew how big of a deal this year was for her best friend.
Silence followed. All that could really be heard was the whistling of the wind and the yelling of some kids playing by the fountain. All three of them looked at Marinette. She couldn't even ask him if she could stay with him. If she can't talk to him, how was he going to let her live in the same house as him?
What was going on? Why was she acting like this again?
Adrien took a moment before speaking.
.·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·.
A/N: Hey miraculers! I'm back! And yes... this is the 3rd chapter. Finally! At least she got it out. I know how she feels. It would suck to have to leave your home like that. I'm moving eventually out of my house since my parents split, and I really need to learn to accept that. Anyways, thanks for reading!
Song Choice: Too Much To Ask by Niall Horan.
This song brings feels when you realize how Marinette feels since she wants to tell Adrien how she feels, but she can't, nor get over her feelings.
Word Count: 2392
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