This is supposed to only be one chapter. I can make it longer if I have time and requests.
To Avery: because you asked.
I own nothing.
"Get down!" Adrien felt his chin hit the concrete with a painful jolt and a sharp clack of teeth that sent stars spinning in his vision. He looked over to find that a diminutive girl with black pigtails had effectively tackled him to the ground.
An explosion of stuffed bears erupted from the place where they had just been.
"Dammit Adrien, get out of here, it's not safe!" She gestured to the door leading out of the courtyard where the akuma was. If he had not just injured his face, he would have replied with a snappy comeback about how she was in danger as well. She saw the defiant look on his face.
"Get moving! I will hold him off." She all but grabbed him by the collar as she pushed him toward the door and began to expertly draw the Akuma's attention away from the blonde model.
He glanced back for just a moment.
Marianette's eyes were hard, fiery, and full of warrior-like bravery. She stood tall in the face of the horde of Zombie ragdolls that swarmed toward her. She stood in a neutral fighting stance, ready to defend herself and Adrien's retreat. As the first onslaught came, she batted the small dolls away with small precise movements. She was pacing herself. Adrien saw that she was unexpectedly strong and lithe for someone who lived her life in a bakery, and whose passion was design.
When the sea of dolls, grinning and shuffling with an unnerving zeal attacked in earnest, Marinette's arms flew. Her fight began to show all the fury that she was capable of. When she saw that Adrien was still standing dumbstruck in the archway, she let out a growl of animalistic rage directed at Adrien that sent him scrambling. He did not want that wildcat angry at him.
He bolted out of the courtyard and transformed into Chat Noir after assuring himself that there was no one around to see him.
He ran back into the fray. The courtyard was completely overrun with fluffy mayhem. Turns out, Zombie ragdolls eat all available fabric including chair seats, towels- and most notably- spare gym uniforms, in order to reproduce. Some split themselves in half, some had their offspring burst from their chest, still others had half-formed children trying to rip their way out of places where limbs had been. Each birth was uniquely creepy in its own special way.
Marinette was nearly covered from head to foot in adorably macabre dolls when Chat had carved a path to her. Marinette saw him, rolled her eyes as if to say 'finally', and told him to use his staff to get them to the roof while trying to scrape the dolls that were hanging off of her like disturbing over-excited toddlers. As soon as they set themselves on the roof, she kicked the few clinging ragdolls back down into the courtyard.
"Thank you Chat, for saving my butt. Now, I have to run off in terror." She said this sarcastically, as if it were absurd. Chat suspected that for her, it was. She found the service door that led from the roof to one of the lower levels. She unlatched and opened it, saluting to the flummoxed Chat Noir. Chat only regained his bearings when, moments later, Ladybug joined the fray.
Adrien paced around his room, trying to figure out when Marinette had become so badass.
He knew that she was class president, fantastic at fashion design, and would frequently stand up to Chloe. He had always pegged her as a somewhat reserved person; someone who would be able to handle the mundane, but had never shown any extraordinary courage. Hell, half the time she stuttered when she talked. She was one of the most painfully awkward girls he knew.
So how on earth could Marinette be the fiery, brave, warrior-like girl that had skillfully held off an Akuma by herself for almost a minute before either superhero had gotten there.
That kind of bravery was something that Adrien doubted that even Ladybug possessed, let alone him. At least she and Chat had protective suits and superpowers, Marinette had nothing but her skill and wit.
How had she done that? So far as Adrien knew, she had never expressed a passion for any type of martial art. It was very clear that she had great fighting prowess, as well as a tactician's eye. She kept her cool in the heat of battle, a skill which Chat had not yet mastered.
This girl was clearly more than he seemed. The more he thought about it, the more he was convinced that there was more to the shy, stuttering girl than met the eye.
He wanted to get to know her, but she clearly didn't like him. He had made a bad impression with her on his first day, and while she had begun to actually talk to him, she still did it as infrequently as she could manage. Often, when he saw her outside of school, she would hide behind pillars, trees, or even her friend Alya, to avoid talking to him.
So how would he talk to her?
"Hey, Blondie, quit mooning over your Lady love! Come get a bite of cheese! Get me some too while you're at it!" Plagg lazed on Adrien's pillow, eating cheese and leaving foul-smelling crumbs in his sheets and on his pillow.
"Plagg! Knock it off! Stink up your own bed! I got it so that you would quit fouling up my pillow!" Adrien hated being enveloped by the foul stench of rotting milk every time he slept. If Adrien had his way, Plagg's bed would be on the other side of the room. The only thing that stopped him was the fact that a cat bed would look weird out in the open. So he had to keep it under his bed. With all the trouble Adrien had gone to to get and keep the cat bed, he'd thought that Plagg would take to it. But, alas, the little deamon still preferred to eat on Adrien's bed.
"I-I-I j-just thought I would say hi-lo! Uh, I know that sounds stupid- I was planning to say hi and hello and then I said them at the same time just now and… so that was what I just said just now…" Adrian sat on the steps of the school, a phone to his ear, waiting for Nino.
The recording of Marinette continued until she said " so I was wondering if-" and was interrupted by the end of the tape. It had been recorded last night while he was at an impromptu photoshoot.
Goodness gracious. What the heck was going on with her? One moment, she fights off a horde of killer ragdolls and the next she is a stuttering mess. Adrian was clearly missing something.
"Hey dude, what's the hang up? Trying to do the Music project? Do you need help, man?"
"No- well, yes, but that's not what I'm trying to figure out right now." Adrien said, inexplicably flustered.
"Tell me. I dunno if I can help, but it's always good to talk stuff out." Nino said. He was the best friend any guy could ask for.
" Well, I have seen Marinette talk to other people, and I have seen how she acts around other people. She is confidant around them, but with me she seems like she doesn't want to be there. She hides from me all the time. Do you think she still hates me? She acts weird around me… what?" Adrien looked, perplexed at his friend, who appeared to be holding back a laugh.
"Nothing, go on." Nino said, grinning.
" Well, she stutters around me, but she acts so confident around everyone else. I mean, why would she-" Nino was laughing in earnest.
" Dude, you are so clueless!" Nino snorted.
"Hey! What do you mean-"
"Nah, don't get upset, it's part of your charm. So pure, too good for this world!" Both boys had calmed down a bit, Nino only grinning, Adrien only glaring.
"She likes you buddy. She is nervous around you because she likes you. Remember how I had a crush on her and started hiding and making an ass of myself? She is acting the same way as I did." Adrien wasn't listening. He felt funny.
Marinette was sure that Adrien was sick. Or akumatized. Or something.
In Mme. Bustier's class he seemed to have some sort of problem with his speech. He kept clearing his throat and then stumbled on his words.
In Mme. Vrin's class, he seemed to have some sort of fever. His face was red the whole time Alya, Nino, Adrien, and her worked through the poems they were assigned.
Maybe he had a fever and a sore throat? Either way, she should say something. Maybe she should suggest that he stay home after lunch.
The bell rang. She filed out of Mme Mendeleiev's class with the rest of the students. Her mind still on Adrien.
She could totally vouch for him when his driver rolled around. She would tell the gorilla-like man that Adrien was far too sick to stay at school and he should stay home for the rest of the day.
Maybe she could bring him some bread and soup. Or maybe a bread bowl full of soup? You didn't need any words to make food. She wouldn't make a fool out of herself like she did yesterday.
She had phoned him and made an ass of herself. Ugh, she was so close! She had seen him nearly get killed and had called to ask him for coffee so that she could 'make sure that he was okay'. It wasn't a date…. Okay, so she had been hoping it would be a date, but then the answering machine picked up and she was flustered and…
She shook her head, trying to clear it. She stood on the steps trying to get her bearings.
Adrien was standing over there. He was sick so maybe she should talk him into asking for the day off. He was so hardworking that he would take convincing to stay at home.
She walked over to Adrien. It was go time.
"H-hi, I noticed you aren't looking so good today- well you always look good, and today was no exception- but you looked kinda sick today so I was thinking-" She felt something soft on her lips. What?
A swish of blonde hid a red face as Adrien quickly got into his car and rode away.
Marinette stood there, processing what had just happened. Alya managed to catch her before she fell.