Christmas was over. Winter, however, was not. The weather was still lousy, but now people couldn't dress it up by calling it 'Christmas-y'. Paris lay under a foot of snow: the worst winter in decades. It made the daily goings of life all the more difficult. Worst of all though, for Adrien at least, was the cancellation of his and Ladybug's patrols. Both the temperature and crime rate had plummeted together, such that patrols simply weren't necessary any longer. Ladybug was probably glad to avoid the cold, but the Agreste home was far colder than any winter. He missed his lady.
Sadly, whilst nothing sounded better than sprinting across the Parisian rooftops with his beloved, Adrien was instead stuck in class. Physics, on the bright side, was his favourite subject. They were learning about electrical currents and resistance within them. It was easy stuff!
"Gah!" shouted Marinette from behind, perhaps a little too loudly, which earned her a 'quiet down' glare from their teacher. Adrien always wondered what he had said to Marinette; whenever they talked, she just seemed so awkward and not her usual, cheery self at all. "Why is Physics so hard?"
"Jeez," came the disapproving sound of her best friend, Alya. "Calm down."
"Easy for you to say! You're not the one who's going to fail!"
"You're not going to fail. What you need is a tutor," replied Alya, before casting a knowing wink over at her best friend and tapping Adrien on the shoulder. The blond-haired boy sat along the row in front of them, but swiftly spun around to face the two girls with a curious face. "Adrien, you're good at Physics, right?"
He nodded. It was easy to see where this was going...
"You could help Marinette then?"
Adrien sighed internally. On the one hand, the idea of doing more work wasn't too appealing. On the other hand, given his loneliness without Ladybug, the sheer thought of human company made him excited - even if it came from someone who seemed to dislike him. Marinette had already buried her head in her hands, as if silently screaming to herself. He wasn't sure why though, but perhaps some kindness could ameliorate the situation.
"Sure!"
"Perfect," grinned Alya, as if on cue with the school bell's final ring of the day. She immediately leapt to her feet, scooping her textbooks into her bag and running for the exit. "Later!"
"Sorry about Alya," groaned Marinette, head still in her hands but at last breaking her awkward silence around the blond-haired boy. "She..."
"It's fine."
"Did you... mean it... the help?"
Marinette was looking up now, directly into Adrien's eyes with a look of childlike whimsy, and the simple pureness of her character could instantly be seen. It made Adrien feel even worse for making her so uncomfortable and strengthened his resolve to do her this one kind deed. He nodded, grabbed his messenger back, and gestured for her to follow.
The pair made their way outside, opening the door to be greeted by blustery winds and yet more falling snow. Adrien shivered and hastened his pace, leading Marinette towards the limousine, which was parked just a few metres down the road. Thick ice lay everywhere, black and slippery, but fortunately they had both worn appropriate footwear and successfully made it to the vehicle minus any trips or falls.
"Wow," Marinette murmured to herself, quiet such that Adrien couldn't hear, as she stepped into the limo. She'd never been in one before. It was amazing!
Adrien, meanwhile, was busy chuckling to himself. It didn't take words, or even a master at reading facial expressions, to tell that the girl had never been in a limousine before. Whilst he hated to feel like he was flaunting his wealth, her reaction was simply adorable - in the 'friends embarrassing each other' sense, of course.
. . .
After arriving at the Agreste household, the two entered the entrance hall. It was a large, grand room with marble flooring and expensive statuettes lining the walls. Marinette's look of astonishment only increased, which amused Adrien greatly as he removed his snow-covered shoes.
"I'm s-sorry," she stammered out. "You m-must think I'm some c-creep, just staring at e-everything you own."
He shook his head. In all honesty, it did make him uncomfortable. However, Marinette was hardly the first person to react this way; it was why he usually avoided inviting people round. He still wanted to help her out though, so he would have to tough it out.
The blond-haired boy smiled awkwardly, hoping to lighten the mood as he directed Marinette towards his bedroom. Once they reached the door, he sighed and abruptly stopped.
"I know it's a little... extravagant... but it wasn't my idea."
They entered. Marinette's jaw dropped, but she thankfully managed to stifle a gasp as she caught site of the room. 'Extravagant' was putting it lightly! One wall featured a computer with multiple monitors, sat atop a fancy tinted glass desk which looked expensive, and next to it was a ramp - presumably for skateboarding. It led up to a series of orange and blue grips for indoor rock climbing. Along the other wall, there was a spiral staircase in spotless coconut white. It twirled upwards onto a balcony overlooking the room that had rows upon rows of bookshelves, which would easily constitute a small library in its own right. Finally, past some comfy-looking sofas and a table football unit, there was the pièce de résistance of the room: instead of a wall, a large glass window which overlooked Paris.
"Shall we get started then?" asked Adrien, nervously rubbing the back of his neck and forcing a chuckle. He dropped his messenger on the floor and grabbed a seat at his desk, lifting his feet up to use the desk as a temporary footstool, which prompted a chuckle from Marinette.
"Ladybug socks?" she asked jokingly. "Really?"
Adrien had forgot about those; the black-spotted red socks were a favourite pair of his. They earned him no small amount of teasing from Plagg too, but he didn't care. It was no secret, at least between himself and Plagg anyway, that he adored Ladybug and would someday tell her the truth about his feelings.
"I... I guess you could say I'm a fan," he chuckled in response. "Now, how about some Physics?"
Marinette nodded meekly in response, more so out of politeness than an actual desire to do Physics. She was in Adrien's freaking bedroom! This was the stuff of dreams and, here she was, wasting such precious time on Physics.
"Um... I... Do you think I could get a drink first?"
"Sure... Be right back!"
Adrien hopped to his feet and left the room, leaving a curious Marinette on her own to look around. She looked around the desk: Ladybug pencils, a Ladybug calendar, and even a Ladybug coffee-cup coaster. He really was a fan!
Marinette wished she could tell him the truth, perhaps then he might finally see her in the same light as she did him, but she knew it wasn't safe - for her, for her friends, and above all for her family. No one could ever know that she was Paris' famous hero.
. . .
"This should help," beamed Adrien, emerging in the doorway with two large cups of hot chocolate: steam permeating the thick layer of whipped cream and marshmallows atop the warm beverage. They looked delicious, but even more appealing was the folded blanket tucked under his arm, which he nodded at in reference. "I hope you don't mind; it's so cold."
After rejoining Marinette at the table and setting down the drinks, he began to unfurl the blanket. Given everything else, it was a surprise to discover that it too wasn't Ladybug-themed. Adrien pulled one half over himself, offering Marinette the rest.
"Are you cold?"
Was this real? Was her crush, the boy she had obsessed over for months, really asking if she wanted to share a blanket together? The answer was obvious!
"Sure! I...I m-mean, yeah. I am... cold."
Adrien smiled awkwardly, before pulling the blanket over Marinette too and then turning his attention to their drinks. He grabbed one of the mugs and took a long gulp. The brown liquid trickled down his throat, slowly warming his innards, and the marshmallows were perfectly sweet.
"Um... A-Adrien," interrupted Marinette softly. She ran a finger over the top of her lips, indicating for Adrien to do the same, and smirked awkwardly afterwards.
The blond-haired boy complied and instantaneously felt the cool sensation of whipped cream - a moustache of it, in fact. Setting his drink back down, he chuckled heartily. It wasn't long before the room was filled with the resounding echo of laughter from both of them. Adrien felt funny for it. There was a twinge in his chest - not unpleasant, but weird nonetheless. Was this what it felt like to be surrounded by the kind of warmth which only another human being could provide? It was new. Nino, his one friend at school, never visited; he couldn't, after all.
Adrien wiped the cream onto his fingers, before reaching out to smear it jokingly across Marinette's face. Face red like a tomato with embarrassment, she didn't fight it.
"I suppose... We should actually do some work," he grinned awkwardly, handing the girl a tissue from the box atop his desk. They both cleaned their faces. "Well... Today, we covered 'Resistance & Electricity' in class. Let's start there..."
Marinette passively absorbed the information. However, her mind was ultimately elsewhere as she longingly watched the boy of her dreams: tall, piercing green eyes, luscious blond locks, and a fashion sense which would beat most girls - let alone the guys. It wasn't just what he wore, but how. His coconut white blazer fit perfectly, accentuating his features and his broad shoulders, which Marinette presumed were thanks to his years of sports - mostly fencing. Meanwhile, the black t-shirt contrasted perfectly and was short enough to reveal a glistening, silver belt buckle that held up his jeans. Finally, his canvas shoes were orange and emblazoned with the Gabriel Agreste logo, which reminded Marinette of the family's fashion credentials. It was no surprise that Adrien looked so good!
"Resistance is measured in ohms. It can be calculated from the potential difference across a component and the current flowing through it. The total resistance of a series circuit is the sum of the resistances of the components in the circuit."
What really caught her attention, however, were his hands. She watched them as they flicked through pages of a Physics textbook. They were vascular, strong-looking, yet they had an undeniable softness too. Every action had an almost peculiar tenderness to it. She wondered how it would feel to have those hands caress her cheek, to have them wrapped around her own hands, or best of all to have them rub her back soothingly in a warm hug. Oh, what she would give for that.
"An electric current flows when electrons move through a conductor, such as a metal wire. The moving electrons can collide with the ions in the metal. This makes it more difficult for the current to flow, and causes resistance."
. . .
Eventually, their impromptu revision session came to an end as Adrien finished the first chapter of the textbook. He closed it with a loud thud, which echoed across the room and permeated an awkward silence. What now?
"So," he began, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly and grinning. He looked outside, at the snow which fell heavily, and it was clear that Marinette couldn't safely walk home in it. One more kind deed wouldn't go amiss. Besides, he never did repay her for her help in defeating Evillustrator - even if he was Cat Noir at the time. "Do you want to stay for dinner?"
"Sure," she beamed in response, mentally scolding herself almost immediately for sounding over-enthusiastic. Did she want Adrien to think her some creep? This was the opportunity of a lifetime; there was no room for error.
"Awesome!"
The duo made their way over to the sofa, still both entwined in a blanket, and Adrien informed Nathalie via SMS that Marinette would be staying for dinner. There was to be a short wait whilst it was prepared.
"Thank y-you," she stuttered out, plopping down onto a black leather sofa, which was positioned to look out of the window and across the Parisian skyline. It was, dare she say it, quite romantic. Perhaps, there was hope yet for the two of them...