A/N: beware of implied ladynoir ;) And btw, you guys have the nicer version (I plan on re-uploading on ao3 bc here is much better.)
Enjoy you people c:
Marinette awoke at 6:30 due to Alya's constant texting. She lifted her head up from her pillow, smacking her hand around till she found her phone, and unplugging it from its charger. As she rolled onto her stomach, she opened up the texts, reading with bleary eyes.
From: best clarinet bud
To: 1st clairenette
girl
u awake?
if not…
wake
uo
waek
upp
WAE UP WAKEU P WAEK UPP
From: 1st clairenette
To: best clarinet bud
stfu
lemme have my sleep
Ignoring the next few buzzes, she got up, stretching her arms above her head and arching her back, feeling her bones and muscles crack and stretch. She released a strangled exhale, smelling the morning breath. She cringed and crawled to her closet, changing out of her sleepwear.
Ten minutes later, she was standing in front of her full-body mirror in her room.
She inspected her clothes, approving of the outfit sluggishly. It was a simple t-shirt and mid-thigh short pants. Then, she ran her fingers through her moist hair. I took a shower last night. WHY ARE YOU NOT DRY?! She made a grumpy noise as she pouted.
Another buzz.
Marinette rolled her eyes and landed on her chaise, checking the time. 6:48.
From: best clarinet bud
To: 1st clairenette
we outside
open up
"Shiiiit," she whispered. She still had to tell her mother about her friends' meetup. She scurried down the stairs, jumping the last two and yelling, "Mom! Mom? Mom, where are you?"
She heard a muffled, distant voice in the basement. She opened the door, revealing the steps to the basement and leaned her head in, saying, "Mom? You in here?"
"Yes, Marinette?" From the slightly winded breath of her mother's response, she assumed she was doing laundry.
"Oh, okay, umm," she said, twirling her loose hair, "my friends—they made unexpected plans to meet here in, like, two seconds." She held in her breath, awaiting her mother's response.
A pause.
"Oh, okay."
"T-that's not it," Marinette added in, shifting her weight to her other foot. "They also want your omelets . . ."
"That's fine." The click of the washing machine door and sandals scraping against an uneven floor greeted her ears. "How many people?" Her voice was much clearer as Sabine approached the steps.
"Four, including me." The steps creaked as Sabine walked up the stairs.
"Let me guess: You, Alya, Nino, and Adrien?" At her mother's knowing stare, Marinette blushed and nodded. "Is there a reason for this meetup?" Sabine asked as she gently pushed her daughter out of the way to close the door.
"It's the drum major tryouts today. I've been practicing conducting the last few weeks, so Alya wants to see me off," she explained, following her mother to the kitchen. She grabbed the egg carton from the fridge and leaned against the counter, watching Sabine crack and whisk the eggs with chopsticks.
"Oh yeah, that's right," Sabine hummed. "Isn't Adrien trying out, too?"
Her red face served as an answer. The mother chuckled.
Sabine heard a rapping noise on the glass door and looked up, pausing in her mixing. A grin made its way onto the older woman's lips. She looked at her daughter and pointed to the door with her lips.
"Your friends are here. Don't flip the sign yet and let them in," she instructed, smiling when she saw Marinette's red cheeks.
"Thanks Mom," she said, kissing her cheek and running towards the front door.
:..:
It was before seven, and Nino and Alya were already leaning against the front windows. Adrien just arrived, a binder swinging in his grip.
"Why are you here so early?" he asked, joining them against the wall.
"And why are you so late?" Alya barked, glancing at him before her eyes went back on the phone.
Adrien looked at Nino for an explanation. He shrugged.
She impatiently tapped her foot against the pavement, fingers clicking against the surface of her screen. "Mari read my texts but didn't reply. That fucking whore," she muttered darkly under her breath.
"Alya," Nino placed a hand on her shoulder, "it's early. You know how Mari is in the morning."
Said girl groaned, banging the back of her head against the panes of glass. "She's gonna be late every single morning at band camp."
Nino shrugged. "Wasn't she for the last two years?"
"No," Adrien interjected. "She started to become tardy last year. Freshman year, she was always on her toes."
Nino smirked, nudging their shoulders together. "Ah? Ahhhh? Is that what I think it is? The first signs of love? Ah? Ahh?" He continued to annoy the blond with his poking. Adrien harshly shoved his shoulder against his, knocking the bari sax player into Alya.
"No," Adrien retorted weakly.
"What caused you to be so smitten with our Marinette? You've been treading on the line of friends and acquaintances for two years already," Nino said.
"I like her . . . confidence," he answered honestly. "And she's just a really good person, y'know?" Alya lowered her phone to eavesdrop into the conversation. "She's a fantastic clarinet player, she knows how to get people back on task, and she's a great leader . . . And Camp is really fun when she's . . . there." He shrugged, pursing his lips. "But I haven't been able to interact with her lately."
"Bruh," Alya said, cutting in.
"The thing is," he started, interrupting her, "it's hard when she clams up around me. But around you"—he gestured to Nino and Alya lazily—"she's so funny. But when she's lumped with me," he sighed with a pout, "I feel like I'm scaring her."
"Bruh," she was about to spill everything about Marinette's crush until the door opened, the blue-black haired girl standing in the entrance way.
Alya had never been so mad in her life. I was literally about to get them together, and Marinette—the one who wants this the most—interrupts me?! What is my life?
"Hi guys," she said breathlessly, "sorry for being so late."
"What time is it?" Nino asked, walking past her into the bakery. Their noses were filled with pleasant smells of sugar, baking bread, and fried egg.
"Seven something," Adrien said, greeting her with a smile. She reflected it without thinking, which meant no blushing or stuttering. (Alya recorded this event in her notes.)
"Yeah," Marinette said sheepishly. "Anyways, come in. Mom is still making the omelets, though."
"I wonder whose fault that is," Alya snorted. Marinette glared at her.
"You made the sudden plans," she retorted. "Maybe if you just pushed the time back a bit . . ."
"Tch." Alya gave her a quick hug and a good luck before leading the group to a table close to the back rooms but still near the windows. "Mari, sit next to me!" she childishly complained, tugging on her wrist.
"What's with the sudden change in mood?" Marinette raised her brows, a chuckle slipping past her lips. She sat down anyway, ignoring Alya's prodding.
"I'm just excited for you and Adrien. My babies are gonna do so well," she said. Adrien nodded his thanks and placed his binder on the table. That reminded her . . . "Oh Mari," she abruptly said.
"Mm?"
"Where's your binder?"
Realization struck her features: her eyes widened, her smile faltered, and her body stiffened. In her mind, everything was haywire. Where is it? Under my bed? In my bed? Under my pillow? No, it's on the desk, right? No! Did I leave it at Nino's? Ahhh, butts.
Adrien and Nino watched with amusement as they saw her thoughts flicker in her expressive eyes. Alya watched them react to her, snickering and shaking her head, whispering, "Oh Mari, Mari."
"Umm," she managed to reply, emanating a laugh from all her friends. "I'm gonna be right back," she slowly said, stretching her leg out and slinking into the back room. Once she turned the corner, she ran up the stairs, two at a time.
And when she reached her bedroom, she ran in circles, ripping off her blanket, throwing her pillow, tripping over her ladder rungs and blanket as she jumped off her loft, and saw it there. Right on her chaise. Which was in the middle of her room.
All that energy: wasted.
Marinette hung her head, defeated. "I need to get more organized," she muttered to herself, swooping the binder from the cushion and heading downstairs.
"Here, Marinette," Sabine said once her foot landed on the floor. "Bring these to the table."
"Mom, my hands are—"
Sabine dumped four plates into her arms, shooing her off with a smile. Marinette rolled her eyes, thanking her as she roll-stepped to the table.
Adrien saw her balancing two plates on top of her binder, the other two haphazardly tipping on her shoulders. Being the gentleman that he was, he got up and took the ones on her shoulders, receiving a winded thanks. His mind was still racing from the conversation that went on during Marinette's disappearance, so he only nodded distractedly.
"Get to know her first before you ask her out," Alya advised with a serious look in her eyes. "She has many faces, and you have to unlock them first before you start dating."
"What does that mean?"
"It means," Nino said this time, "you also have to show her your dorky side."
Alya slapped him in the forehead. "I wasn't gonna say that, you twit, but you're still right." Then she looked at Adrien. "She's got so many personalities, and she wants you to discover them before you ask her out. So"—she straightened her shirt and cleared her throat—"your new assignment is to get to know Mari during the whole marching band season."
Mari distributed the plates to Nino and Alya, sitting down and thanking Adrien when he offered her a plate. He sat down across from her, watching as she set her binder under her plate.
They stared at their food, Marinette sighing and saying, "I'll get the utensils." She got up, drew in a deep breath, and walked back to the kitchen.
Nino stabbed Adrien's side with his elbow, the blond shouting as he flinched back.
"What the hell?" Adrien whisper-screamed, shoving Nino's shoulder into the window. Alya shot them a hard glare as a signal to stop when a few decorations hanging on the window swayed to their movements.
"You can practice together," he suggested, waggling his brows at him.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, still confused.
"Conducting. Perfect each other's conducting so you can beat Kim," he said.
Alya hummed and nodded in agreement. She paused from wafting the eggs' delicious smell into her face as she said, "And Alix. Kim's been dead-set on getting the drum major position since he was a freshman. I bet he started practicing in eighth grade. And there's Alix. They're so competitive, you all have an equal chance of getting in. But they're only accepting two this year."
Adrien stared between the two of them, astonishment on his face. "You're kidding."
The two of them shook their heads.
"Nope," Nino said. "That's why you should practice with Marinette. Ooh, here she comes. Good luck, tiger." He whispered the last few words quickly, giving him one more jab in the side before accepting the utensils from Marinette.
"Here, I also got some water bottles" she said, sitting down and leaning her forehead against her hands that were propped up. "I'm all over the place. I'm so sorry."
"Nervous?" Adrien asked, giving her a sympathetic smile. She nodded, shooting him a grin of her own before eating. "You know," he started, eyes flickering from his egg to her eyes. She was chewing softly behind her fingers and was blinking at him, waiting for him to continue, but with Alya's suggestive look and Nino's continuous kicking beneath the table, he started to have second thoughts. "Umm, we could practice together," he said, spooning some of the food into his mouth as an excuse to remain quiet for a bit longer.
Marinette swallowed and gasped, a smile stretching across her cheeks. "Really? That'd be great! Thank you." She brought the fork to her lips and peered over Alya's shoulder, staring at her phone screen. Baby blue irises rolled. "Alya, eat while you eat."
"Okay," she groaned, placing the device face-down. "By the way, it's around 7:20. What time does it start?"
"Eight," Adrien and Marinette simultaneously answered. They looked at each other and started to snicker.
Alya rose a brow and Nino smiled smugly. He leaned over the table and whispered, "I think we're the perfect duo to set these dense idiots up."
"Agreed."
After Sabine had generously swept by to take their plates, Adrien and Marinette moved to another table to start practicing. They sat in front of each other, flittering through the glossed print-outs to review one last time before they practiced.
"Okay, ready?" he asked, moving his binder to make more room for Marinette. She pushed hers against his so that it occupied an equal amount of table space.
"Yeah, and sorry in advance if I screw up," she apologized, scrunching up her shoulders to her ears. A pretty shade of red flooded to her cheeks as she timidly hid her neck between her shoulders.
Adrien grinned, raising his hands and her following suit. They nodded at each other and counted off, keeping their eyes up and only glancing down when needed.
They were doing fine for the most part, but Marinette always forgot the ritardandos without the music. She saw her arms move too fast compared to his and felt conscious about her abilities. She lowered her hands and slumped forward, staring down at the pages while groaning uncharacteristically.
Adrien stopped, tongue tied and unsure. He didn't know how to comfort her! She looked so beat and defeated, he just had to make her feel better. So without thinking, he blurted the first idea that came to mind.
"Play mirror with me."
Marinette lifted her head and stared at him. "Excuse me?" she asked kindly. "Sorry, I just couldn't hear—"
"Play the mirror game with me," he repeated with a friendly smile. "You know, we move our hands in sync and follow each other. This way I can help you with the tempo changes," he said, his confidence slowly draining as he explained this. The weird way she was staring at him made his insides fall apart.
That was a stupid idea. Now she thinks you're weird. Great.
Marinette's cheeks were warming up at the idea of almost holding Adrien's hands. She nodded rapidly, stammering, "S-sure. That'd be awesome. I really appreciate it."
With one last glance at the sheet and fuck it echoing through their brains, they placed their hands in front of each other, blushing but beginning. Their fingers and palms brushed against each other as they synchronized their movements, Marinette following Adrien whenever he slowed down.
Lightning seemed to zap her whenever they made contact, sending shivers throughout her body and making her toes twitch. Her face warmed up beautifully, her insides squirming pleasantly when they accidentally locked eyes. She immediately averted eyes while he took his time to look away.
Butterflies were in his stomach when he saw the concentration in her eyes, so he bit his lip, biting back the urge to say something, anything, to have that focus on him alone. Her eyes were set above him, but his were on hers, memorizing every shade of blue of her eyes. And whenever they caught each other staring, he would smile and keep staring as she became flustered.
They finished and cut off, moving their hands like they were tightening a shoelace. Then a heart-stopping smile widened on her cheeks.
"Well done, Mari." He gave her a wink, smiling when she raised her brows.
"Thanks. You weren't so bad yourself," she said, lightly punching him on the shoulder.
They laughed like they had been friends for years and moved on to the next two songs. ("Even if you're not conducting my songs, it's good to know the tempos," she argued.)
:..:
It was almost time, and the crew except Mari were—like before—waiting outside. On the last minute, she asked her mom to bake some macaroons and changed her clothes, deciding to present herself properly instead of something so casual.
And as usual, Adrien fantasized about her, recalling the way her lips tightened when she slowed down her conducting and how she pulled her hair into a sloppy bun when she was on the verge of crying in frustration as they criticized each other's conducting.
The edge of Adrien's binder was brought up to his lips, covering half of his face so that whenever he blushed, it wouldn't be that noticeable. Unfortunately, being alone with both Alya and Nino changed that; they saw right through him.
"You like her . . . because of her confidence?" Nino queried, appearing suddenly.
Alya glared at him, waiting for the right response. "If you only like her because of that, you can't—"
"Everything about her is admirable. But I like her sassy, over-confident side the most." A grin popped up. "I want to see her like that everyday. It's adorable and funny."
Nino slapped an arm around his shoulder and sighed. "You've got it bad, bro, but that's a'ight. Ally n' I will getcha together, right?"
"You bet!" she aggressively answered, a smirk of her own curling on her lips.
Marinette jumped out the front door, a brown bag in one hand and her music in the other. Her hair was still in its bun, but now she was dressed in something more formal.
"Alright!" she yelled, breathing in fresh air. "Let's get moving." She linked arms with Alya and started sprinting.
"Woah! S-slow down Mari! We have ten minutes!"
Marinette's laugh echoed through the quiet, early streets of Paris.
"No way! If you're early, you're on time; if you're on time, you're late; and if you're late, you're dead!" She looked over her shoulder to see Nino and Adrien still planted on the ground. "Hurry up, slowpokes, or else you're all sore losers!"
She chuckled into the air when Adrien ran, and in a hurry, she dumped her things in Alya's arms, Adrien doing the same to Nino. She quickened her pace, encouraging him to catch up.
Adrien ran after, feeling his muscles come to life as he left Nino in the dust, easily catching up to Marinette, but when he was about to surpass her, she shot him a wink and went faster.
"Tired?" she shouted to him after a moment of semi-silence. The only sound was the heavy pounding of their sneakers.
He was right behind her, huffing as much as her. "Nope. What about you? You sound a bit winded there." They were neck-to-neck, glaring at each other.
"No even a bit." She grinned at him, blocking his path with her body.
Great, he thought, now I have full view of her legs.
"That's foul-play, My Lady," he said, swerving around her.
She looked on either side of her, scouting for Adrien. Once she saw him on her left, she jumped in front of him, missing as he went right. She snorted. "Where'd you get that name?"
"Oh you know," he said over his breathing, "when you decided to grace me with your butt on my back. If I recall correctly, you were quite the queen."
She laughed, relishing the runner's high. "That was payback, Peasant," she spat with a wide smile that showed her teeth. "Now bow to your queen, kind sir, and back off!" She shoved him to the right, careful not to send him flying into people or buildings, but it was enough to get him unstable on his feet.
However, he was back on her tail in a matter of seconds, chuckling.
"Oh, are you kidding me?" she playfully whined. "What are you? A cheetah?"
"They call me a cat for a reason."
"Never heard anyone call you a cat," she mumbled, but he heard that.
"Only when I'm working out," he answered, snickering when he saw her baffled expression. "Careful, My Lady, you don't want to crash into—"
In the nick of time, she jumped out of the way of a lamp post, smirking over her shoulder. "You were saying?"
Then she ran into the edge of the school gate, her mouth forming an o as her hip made sudden contact with metal. Her running became disoriented, and it wasn't long before she fell to the ground, laughing and tearing up at the same time.
"Marinette!" he shouted, appearing at her side almost immediately. She was on her back, hands clutching her side as her chest started to heave from their running and her hurt. "Mari, you okay?!"
She smiled at him nonetheless, a mischievous glint flashing in her glossy eyes. "I win."
His worried expression dissolved as he deadpanned, "You're kidding me, right?"
She shook her head with an innocent smile. Adrien ran a hand through his wind-blown hair, groaning with closed eyes. She took the opportunity to wipe away the tears before he could point them out and worry.
"You ran into a metal gate, and you're still focused on winning?"
She shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm a very competitive person. I can't help it. Now help me up." She wiggled her fingers.
He sighed, reaching out a hand and curling his fingers over the back of her hand. Her face flushed as he pulled her up.
"T-thanks," she shyly responded, panic racing through her veins as she noticed it was just the two of them. Without Alya or Nino, she was terribly shy, and it only skyrocketed when she was alone with Adrien. Adrien Agreste. The love of her life.
"Where is everybody?" she heard him ask. She lifted her head, seeing the deserted school grounds except for a few custodians who were trying to shoo them off the property.
She reached into her pocket, unlocked her phone, and stared down at the text that was sent before the two took off running.
From: best clarinet bud
To: 1st clairenette
There was an email sent before /you/ left.
"due to the absence of director Theo Barbeau, auditions for drum major will be pushed to this afternoon at five"
mari, u got thay
"Did you get a text from Nino?" she asked absentmindedly.
"Yeah." Adrien, too, was looking down at his device.
"So basically we're early. Like, really really early."
"Yup." He nodded, sighing.
Silence.
"Race you back to the bakery!" Marinette shouted, bolting off again. Despite her bruised hip, she was running as fast as before.
"My Lady, that's cheating!"
"Come and get me, you cat!"
"My pleasure," he said to himself, sprinting after her.
A/N: Asians usually find it easier to mix things with chopsticks :\
See you all later o3o
