Unlike last time, Marinette actually made it to and through school!
...She just wound up sleeping most of the day, snuggled up mostly to Alya's side; but the tired girl liked to count it. Will count it. It took effort to get out of bed today. Real effort. The minute she felt the cold when she stepped outside, she almost went back in, attendance be damned. It was all so much better inside, where her bed lay, with soft plush covers and her soft plush pillows and her soft plush, warmth trapping bed.
Oh how she missed them.
It made her realize just how sucky this sleeping spot was.
The classroom was warm enough, Alya was a great source of heat, but the desk was not comfortable. At all.
She considered quite a few times just throwing caution into the wind and flop in her best friend's lap. It'd be so much warmer and nicer than this. And Alya wouldn't mind. Maybe she'll even play with her hair, change the style. And Marinette could sleep, warm, happy, and content.
She'd wake up with a stiff back, but it'd be worth it.
She gave a start when she felt a pat on her head, Alya softly cooing, "It's time to head home girl."
Marinette groaned, pressing closer to her best friend. Home was nice. But there was cold in the way.
She did not like the cold!
"That means you gotta let me go."
She gave a louder, longer, argumentative groan.
"Come on, I gotta babysit. You can come with me, but they may draw on your face..."
...Maybe worth it?
No, wait, what if it showed while she was Ladybug? And Marinette had the same mark... ugh. Uuuuuuugh.
With great reluctance, Marinette released Alya and slumped over on the desk, curling up into a ball as she rested her head on the desk. She could feel Alya's frown at her. "You sure you're going to be ok? You've been pretty slow for a while now."
Marinette hummed absently.
"Maybe you should get help... I bet Adrien wouldn't mind helping you get home!"
She wouldn't mind either. He was warm. So very, nicely warm. And as she discovered as Ladybug, he was perfect to curl up against.
That reminds her, she still needed to thank him for helping her.
She heard Alya huff beside her. "He already left..."
That was a real shame.
Marinette gave a happy sigh when Alya ran fingers through her hair. "Go home and go to bed Mari, have your cell handy if you need to contact anyone... and DON'T fall asleep on the way."
A confirmative hum.
"I want to hear you say it."
Grimacing, Marinette licked her lips, stretching her mouth to secure that it would work. With a very sleep heavy voice, she echoed, "I will get home and not fall asleep till I am home."
Alya stared down at her. Marinette gazed up sleepily.
Her best friend opened her mouth to speak, only jump as her cell went off. "Shoot!" she swore, "I gotta go, you get home! Safely!"
"I will," Marinette managed, her eyes following Alya as she rushed out. And then her head fell like a rock on the desk. Ugh. Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh. The cold was waiting outside. She didn't want to face it yet.
And the classroom was still pretty warm. Not comfy, but warm...
She was preparing for it.
Yes. That's why she hasn't moved yet.
She was getting ready.
She will be soon.
Probably.
"Marinette?"
She hummed, smearing her face on that desk. Go away.
"Are, are you ok?"
Let her sleep damnit.
"Marinette?"
A hot hand touched her shoulder and Marinette registered that there was a greater heat source than just this room. She latched onto the arm that hand belonged too, intent to pull it closer.
She snapped out of it when she heard a high pitch squeal.
Looking up, her eyes widened when she saw a red faced, wide eyed Nathanael gaping at her.
Oh.
Oh!
She jerked her arms back, releasing him. Nathanael stumbled away from her, bumping into Chloe's desk as he blushed.
"I'm so sorry," she rushed out.
Nathanael made some sort of high pitched noise.
Damnit. She broke him. If he goes akuma again, it's her fault. Good job Marinette. Good job.
"Are you, are you ok Nath?" she asked, reaching for him, only to think better of it and reel her hands back into herself, curling up a little. The back of her mind whispered how warm he was. She was not going to risk touching him. She had to stay focus. Else she'd give him anxiety.
He nodded, still making a sort of high pitched noise. But, he seemed to have a better grasp on himself. Looking away and fingering his sketchbook, he nervously asked, "Are, are you ok?"
Ok good, he was going to recover.
He was going to live past this!
Good.
This was very good.
Flashing him the best smile she could give at the moment, she reassured, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just... sleepy." Which was true. She was tired. And damn Tikki was so lucky to sleep in her nice warm purse all huddled up. If she wasn't too big for the purse Marinette would've joined her. It sounded so nice. A small dark space. Carried around, safe, and untouched by the cold.
Lucky kwami.
"Are, are you going to make, make it back h-home ok?" the sweet artist asked, still not daring to get close in case she tried to grab him again.
"I should be fine," she eased. Maybe she could run. Yeah. Run. Her blood will be pumping, she wouldn't notice the cold immediately, she could make it. Yeah. That's a good plan. She could totally make it.
"Oh, ok," Nathanael uttered, casting her a wary glance and very quickly slipped out of the room, still red.
Such a sweet boy.
Now to hurry home!
...After she mentally prepared for it.
She had to make it!
She was just securing that she will.
She didn't make it.
She did try! With great determination, she burst through the doors, faced the snow with the intent to get home fast!
And wound up collapsing on the first bench she could reach, shivers racing through her as the cold air completely overwhelmed her.
She should call Papa. Have him come pick her up. But it was so much better having her hands up against her chest, they helped trap warmth. And she needed it. And it was far colder now than it was this morning.
And she should really call Papa.
Marinette blinked when she heard something shrill and scolding above her. Squinting up, all she saw was gold with black pants.
Chloe.
Of course it was Chloe.
Standing there, utterly unbothered by the cold and she was just so lucky that she wasn't. That she wasn't cold enough to get sleepy, that she could stand there and scold her for... what was the blonde even going on about?
She was too tired to care.
She squinted up at the blonde, watching turquoise lips smack about as the blonde prattled above her, making wild gestures that Marinette couldn't grasp. She was really too tired for this. Maybe if Marinette just curled, laid stiff for a few minutes, the blonde would get bored and leave her alone. And then she could... what was she supposed to do again?
Marinette didn't know.
She didn't remember.
All she knew was that her head was getting heavy.
And she wanted to sleep.
And Chloe was starting to sound like one of the adults from Charlie Brown. Gazing up at her lazily, Marinette could picture the sounds coming out of her.
"Wuah wah! Wah wah WAH wuah!"
A sleepy amused smile cracked over her lips. Why couldn't Chloe sound like this all the time?
Marinette jerked when a sharp nail jabbed at her cheek. "Wuah Wah Wang!"
The noirette blinked.
"Marientte Dupain-Cheng!" Chloe repeated angrily.
"Uh?" Marinette uttered.
The blonde scoffed. "Did you listen to anything that I've been saying?!"
Was it even was important?
"I swear!" Chloe huffed, "You are just impossible!" She jerked her hip to side, not realizing her mistake as she leant closely towards the bench. Marinette noticed it though. She noticed the body heat, and even if the perfume was too strong for her nose, heat was heat and she could not be picky. Survival instincts kicking in, Marinette latched on.
Chloe screamed.
"That's my designer coat! Let go!" she shrilled, flicking Marinette's head to get her to let go. Marinette made a face at the annoyance, but tolerated it for the warmth.
She needed this.
When flicking didn't help, Chloe tried to shove her away instead. She was successful on the third on try, sending Marinette completely off the bench and flipped over the ground, where the girl laid in a stiff cringe.
"You wrinkled it!" Chloe wailed, shooting her a heated glare. And then sped away before the French Chinese girl could even think of grabbing her again.
Marinette for her part made no move to go after her.
She was definitely more awake now.
There was snow on her neck.
There was snow touching her bare open neck.
Snow must never touch bare skin.
High, squeaking groans emitted from the noirette that cringed in the cold.
This was horrible.
Adrien sighed as he finally sat down on his nice warm couch. He's sure that there have been worse, colder days than today; but the bite of it was still present. All it made him want to do was bundle up in the thickest blankets they owned.
Which reminded him of Ladybug.
Ever since it started getting colder, she's requested that they lessen the patrols some.
"I'm really slowing down," she admitted to him at the very start of winter, somewhat pressed to his side, grimacing at the lightest cold breeze."Tikki told me it was only going to get worse."
Being the valiant partner that he was, he had reassured her that he could cover those patrols instead. And they have been going real fine. He could handle it on his own. But he couldn't deny how happy it made him the few times Ladybug managed to join him out, dressed in a coat that Marinette had apparently made for her. And would happily make for him if he asked.
Which he declined.
Marinette seemed to be really tired these days. He didn't want to trouble her with making another coat for him, though he would certainly like one.
He glanced out the window, watching snow slowly drift down. He hoped his lady was warm, wherever she was.
...And Marinette.
What was up with her?
He's noticed that she's been really out of lately, and very tired. And didn't really respond much to anything. Unless someone was standing next to her. She always had to huddle up next to someone. It was cute, and a little concerning. He didn't know if she was even aware of him when she latched onto him earlier that week. And she certainly didn't seem aware of Ivan when she sidled up beside him and leant on him, despite the giant's discomfort with the sudden contact. Though it was very cute seeing Ivan gently pat her head like she was a little baby kitten.
He hoped she got home ok.
He wondered why she was so tired.
He knew why with Ladybug, ladybugs and cold just didn't mix. At all. He even got confirmation from Plagg about the heroine and the cold.
"You'll really have to pick it up during the cold seasons," his kwami lectured with a rare grimace, "Ladybugs always slow down and crash during the winter. Nothing too dangerous, but out of all the animal traits to get, they certainly got it the roughest."
Plagg told him that she could end up falling asleep on him, and would stay asleep till it warm. They only ever had one close call with a Ladybug. She had been separated from her Black Cat by an avalanche, and might've slept herself to death if his predecessor hadn't found her in time. Though she did sleep on for almost half a week.
Scared by the story, he's been attentive with his lady. Which lead to quite a scare when she had been tossed into the freezer.
Leaving her alone had been hard.
But, he had nothing on why Marinette slowed down so much this winter.
All he got was that she was tired.
Was she sick?
No, she didn't look sick. Though when she clung to him, her skin was a little cold to the touch, despite how thickly bundled she was. Sort like Ladybug when he dragged her out of that freezer... They both smelled nice. Like sweets and-
Wait.
Adrien frowned, sitting up. Was it possible for different people to have the same scent?
Just as he started to roll the possibility around, his cell went off.
Grumbling under his breathe, he saw that Chloe was calling him. Sighing, he answered with a tired, "Hey."
"You would not believe what Marinette did to me!"
Oh boy.
"She GRABBED me!"
"She did?" he asked, not too entirely surprised. She was very grabby this winter. Sort of like another certain heroine he knew...
"It was horrible Adrihoney! She was sleeping on a bench and I-"
"She what?!" he exclaimed, tensing.
Chloe scoffed on the phone. "Adrihoney, I love you, but you got to get with the program! What is with people and not listening to me today!"
"Chloe!" he stressed, "She was sleeping on a bench?!"
"Yes! That idiot was passed out on the bench! Like a good person I am, I go over to let her know that benches are for sitting, not sleeping. She wants to sleep, she can go home; which is right next to the school. Can you believe that lazy bum? Anyway! I was helping her, and she had the gallto grab me! She wrinkled my designer coat!" There was a sniff on the other end.
"Is she still there?!" Adrien demanded.
"I don't know," Chloe snipped, "but I do know that she's going to fix this-"
"I gotta go," Adrien cuts in, ending the call and tossing his cell away. "Plagg?" he called, "Plagg! Where are you?"
"Plagg is not here, he's taking a nap," the kwami called out.
Adrien raced to his waste bin, peeking in and meeting two little green eyes glaring up at him. "Claws out!" he ordered.
"Uh," was all the kwami could emit as he was sucked into the ring. Chat Noir flew outside Adrien's window, dashing towards the school.
