It had been a stressful day at her internship at Gabriel the designer firm that Adrien's father owned. Marinette flopped on her bed after closing the door and the curtains to her room. Tikki came flying out of her little round purse.
"Marinette, I don't want to bother you, but I am kind of hungry. And you should definitely eat something too! You haven't eaten since breakfast!" Mari shot a look at her alarm clock on her nightstand. 8:20 p.m.
"Goddamnit" she didn't feel like standing up again, ever.
Marinette loved what she did at the huge fashion label but she was only on an internship preparing for University after having finished at the collége.
She was thus, quite literally speaking, penniless.
That's why, after opening her fridge she was no closer to eating anything other than the cookies left over from the last time her parents had visited her little flat on the outskirts of Paris.
Tikki was happy enough with the main course but Marinette was not getting enough nutrition. She had met an endless string of potential roommates but all of them stopped calling after they met, she didn't know why. Though she was always sure to show the picture of her parents in the living room. And Chat had visited her a few times secretly.
Her parents would love to give her more of an alimony if they knew the amount was just enough to cover the bills to her own little home. But she was trying to be independent and didn't want to worry them again.
She couldn't take having to lie to them anymore concerning where she was in the middle of the night. She had patrolled nightly for almost four years now and was more than done with whatever annoying plan Hawkmoth really schemed. Chat and her were a tight team, they didn't know each other's identity and she was so glad to have one less problem to deal with.
Her stomach growled and she was so close to calling her parents anyway and empty their fridge when the doorbell chimed.
In front of her, loaded with a suitcase and at least two backpacks Adrien Agreste swayed under all that weight.
"Adrien!? What is going on? … come on in first though!" The little portion of her brain that could still work seemed to be the one that gave orders as ladybug and she tried softening whatever she would say next.
"I am so, so sorry for intruding Mari, but I just couldn't stand it anymore." Adrien threw his bags on the ground in the hallway and continued on straight into the living room where he then threw himself on the dated and washed out couch.
Marinette didn't pry, the four of them- Alya, Nino, Adrien and her- had been having almost weekly get togethers where she whined about her not having any time or any money or any energy.
Alya had started University and had only needed to play ads on her Ladyblog to make money and Nino had been asked to play gigs in between his studies. Adrien had not decided what he would do, though not for lack of searching or trying out jobs.
His father had made him sign a contract for a half year though and seemed intent on working Adrien to his death. Marinette had more than often felt irked at Monsieur Agreste's behavior towards his son before but the work hours Adrien was put through were a new low. He himself complained only to his close friends and felt more strongly than ever that modeling was not his future. So as an adult she had figured he would just, you know, leave and live on his own.
Until now, a year and a half after his 18th birthday, he had not done so.
Mari went and made the poor guy a cup of tea, as that was all she had. After the short time it took the water to boil she re-entered her living room with two steaming mugs of tea. Herbal for Adrien and redbush for herself.
She then sat and lifted her feet onto her divan where she curled up as small as possible. The silence that descended was not uncomfortable but she was tired and wanted to sleep.
"Hey Adrien, you know you are always welcome to crash, the second bedroom is empty except the bed and wardrobe anyway. You know where everything is, I'll just" she was almost through her speech when a huge yawn escaped her:
"whoops, I'm so going to bed right now."
Adrien had not moved yet but as Marinette stood he did as well and engulfed her in a crushing hug that flustered Marinette the way it would have flustered her in high school all those years ago when they had first become friends. She sighed into his lean but muscular form and leaned against him.
"I'm going to fall asleep right here, you big doofus." She was not able to sound anything other than amused and being hugged by the one you love is not going to make you unhappy.
"Thank you, Mari, for everything."
They parted and went to their now respective bedrooms