As Marinette lay on the couch, cocooned between several layers of blankets, she looked up at the wooden ceiling as she tried to fall asleep. She tossed and turned, but nothing seemed to work...
It felt like hours had passed by, but in reality it had only been a few minutes. Something was bothering her, but she couldn't seem to put a finger on it.
She let the tranquility surround herself, in order to hopefully clear her mind from all the unwanted anxiety and restlessness.
She wondered if Adrien was asleep. He was awfully quiet, which made her believe that he was, but she didn't know for sure.
And thinking about Adrien, the young violinist suddenly remembered what Jeanne had said. She seemed so sure of herself, and declared without a shadow of a doubt that Adrien was inlove with her, Marinette the ordinary, very clumsy, mediocre artist. But how could she be so sure? The bluenette honestly didn't know if she was ready to believe those words just yet.
She knew that Adrien liked her as a friend, but did he really, truly love her? Perhaps he was was confusing love with admiration?
But then again... He knew most of her flaws, yet he still chose to stay. Perhaps she was just overthinking everything, and perhaps the answer was actually really simple. But for now, she would just have to be patient, and see what happens.
As she was about to turn over and go to sleep, a soft voice suddenly caught her attention.
"Marinette... Are you awake?"
"... Yeah..."
After a moment of silence had passed, the voice spoke up again. Only this time it was louder and more assertive than before.
"Good, 'cause I want to tell you something..."
The girl's heart started to beat fast, and her mind began to race with uncertainty.
'What if he's going to confess? Or perhaps tell me that he actually has feelings for Jeanne, and I was just misinformed? Or perhaps it's the total opposite... That he absolutely hates me-'
Before she could think of any other random possibility, her friend spoke up. His voice was laced with sincerity, and he seemed happy?
"I just wanted to let you know, that even though we got left behind and this day turned out terribly... I'm glad I got stuck with you-"
Marinette could feel her heart melt when he said those words. Why was he saying this all of a sudden?
"-You have been so kind and considerate. And you didn't treat me differently, just because I'm Adrien Agreste... " He seemed a little hesitant and insecure, "So what I'm trying to say is... Thank you for what you did for me-"
"But I didn't do anything..." Marinette frowned in confusion.
"Of course you did! You've already helped me so much. When you saw me sitting all by myself, you chose to come over and speak to me. You could have gone back to your other friends, but instead you were kind enough to listen to me. You might have not even realized it, but you just being there for me, has really helped me a lot."
The young designer was taken back for a moment. She was just being herself, and didn't even realize that her kindness had made such a big impact on him.
Thinking about it made her lips curl upwards, until a big smile covered her pale face. She was thrilled to know that she had made a difference in someone's life at least.
She whispered in a very timid voice, "... Y- you are quite- very welcome."
Adrien didn't respond for a while, but she knew that he was smiling. She felt a little sad, knowing that she wouldn't be able to actually see it. It was incredibly rare to see that type of smile, so she felt like she was missing out on something important.
Just when she thought the conversation was over, he once again spoke up.
"And another thing... About Luka..."
Marinette instantly froze. Just hearing his name paralyzed her entire body from head to toe. That blue-eyed boy consumed her thoughts on a daily basis, but for some reason she had almost forgotten about him entirely.
And why did Adrien bring him up now? She was curious, but at the same time she felt unbelievably anxious, because she had no idea what to expect.
"He's a really great guy, and if y... You still have feelings for him..." Adrien couldn't believe that he was saying this. He hated himself for it, but he knew that if he really did love her, he would have to let her go... "I think he could make you very happy..."
Just the thought of Luka and Marinette together made him incredibly unhappy, but he knew that she deserved the best. He knew that he couldn't force her to love him back, and that was really painful... But if that meant that she would be happy, then that's all that mattered.
Marinette suddenly interrupted his depressing thoughts with an unexpected squeal.
"Eek... What are you t... talk... talking about?"
The blond sighed as he stared up at the roof, "Marinette... I know that you still have feelings for Luka-"
"No I don't!" She tried to sound assertive, but the confusion was still evident in her voice.
"What..?"
She remained silent for a while, before acquiring the right words to say, "Sorry... I didn't mean to shout... It's just... I always thought I loved him, but now I'm not so sure..."
Adrien wanted to jump for joy, knowing that he might actually have a chance after all. But he concealed his excitement. And thankfully it was still very dark, otherwise she would have been able to see his very mischievous grin.
"What do you mean exactly?"
Marinette was silent. She didn't know what to tell him. She had always believed that she loved Luka, but after hearing that Adrien had feelings for her, she just didn't know anymore.
Deep down she was beginning to think that she might actually like Adrien as more than just a friend. She would at times feel butterflies in her stomach when he was around. And she couldn't control the blush that would sometimes cover her cheeks when he complimented her.
Right now she was in denial. Her heart was telling her one thing, but her brain was saying something entirely different. She just didn't know which side to pick, and that frustrated her tremendously...
She exhaled in defeat as she leaned over the side of the couch in hopes to see Adrien's face, "... It's complicated..."
"I get it."
"You do?" She asked in a quiet voice; not sure if she wanted to hear the answer or not.
"Yeah... Love is very complicated. And sometimes we don't always understand it, because it's so intense and often quite illogical. But when you really love someone, you'll do anything for that person... So if you're questioning your feelings for Luka, perhaps you don't love him like you thought you did?"
He felt bad for saying that, but he knew it was true. Marinette was his friend, which meant that she deserved to know the truth.
If someone had given him that advice when he was still dating Kagami, the outcome of his relationship would have turned out differently. Even to this day he doesn't know why he even went out with her. It was true that he loved her at the time, but he was just too oblivious to realize that she was only using him.
And after his breakup, he didn't think that he could ever allow himself to feel vulnerable. But that all changed when a certain blue-eyed, raven-haired girl walked straight into his broken life...
He was finally ready to move forward and forget his unforgiving past.
"You are right. I guess I'm just confused about everything. Especially after Nathanaël-"
As soon as she said that name, she regretted it. She wasn't ready to talk about it, and didn't think Adrien really cared about it anyway.
"Nathanaël?" The blond could feel himself frown.
Now he was more curious than ever before. Adrien didn't know his redhead classmate that well, but from what he saw, he could tell that the boy was fairly reserved and always minded his own business.
But since he was unexpectedly brought up, Adrien couldn't help but wonder if there was something he still didn't know.
"Ye... Yeah... He's uh... My a... Ex-" Her tone was dry and emotionless.
"Really?" The blond was completely shocked.
He was struggling to picture Marinette and the artist together. It felt wrong and he just didn't think that Nathanaël was her type...
"Would you like to talk about it?" He whispered in a kind, soothing tone.
He was so sincere that it made Marinette feel relaxed. She knew that he wasn't forcing her to spill the beans, which meant that if she didn't want to say anything, she didn't have to.
Marinette thought for a moment. If she told him, she would undoubtedly put herself in a vulnerable position. She honestly didn't know if she was ready to bring up the past just yet. But then again, Adrien had told her his secrets. So it would just be fair if she told him hers.
"I... I don't know... I just don't like thinking about it..." Her voice began to quaver when she thought about it for the umpteenth time.
Adrien was just being so sweet, which made it incredibly difficult for her to contain her bottled-up emotions.
"That's okay. You don't have to tell me. Some things are better left unsaid, but just know... I will always be here for you, if you ever wanna talk-"
Marinette remained silent, but she didn't even need to say anything for Adrien to know that she was fighting the tears that were coming.
He could hear her silently choking back the pain of the past. As he sat alone in the darkness wondering what was bothering her, he knew that he had to do something to ease her pain.
Without thinking, the model got up from his bed that was on the ground, before making his way over to where his friend was lying. He used his arms to help guide himself through the unrelenting darkness. When he eventually felt the edge of the couch, he stopped before gently sitting down next her.
"What... What are you... doing?" Marinette asked in an cautious voice.
She couldn't see him, but she could definitely hear him. His movements gave her a mini heart attack, but she tried her very best to stay as calm as possible.
When he still didn't reply, she sat up and squinted her eyes in attempt to try and see his silhouette. But it was pointless; she couldn't see a thing...
"Adrien..?" She whisper-yelled.
"Yes?"
His voice was deep and closer than before, which made her heart beat faster than ever.
"Wh... what are you doing?"
Adrien quietly replied, "I can't sleep down there. The ground is too uncomfortable. And I thought you might like a hug to help you feel better-"
The blue-eyed girl was grateful that the room was pitch black, otherwise he would have been able to see her crimson coloured cheeks.
"You don't mind me sitting here next to you, right? I mean, if you feel uncomfortable in anyway I'll go back-" He mentally scolded himself for acting so irrationally.
Her silence made it clear to him. She didn't want him there, which made him feel like a total idiot. He had exhausted his final ounce of hope, and decided that it was best for him to just forget this even happened.
Without muttering a single word, he decided to get up and go back to his bed. But before he could do anything, he felt her delecate fingers wrap around his wrist.
"Stay."
***