Marinette kept him in his place for the next hour. She threw him a bone and asked him to write for her when her arm started to hurt too much. he knew she was faking, but he was so smitten he didn't care. He ensured repeatedly that Nathanael and Marinette never touched, and were never alone. Nathanael became rather irritated at Adrien constantly shuffling in between the two of them, and elbowing him aside to show "something" to Marinette. Nathanael decided they should finish early. He was fed up of Adrien. Marinette agreed with both opinions. Nathanael offered to help her pack up, and Adrien was about to interrupt, but Marinette insisted she didn't need help. After all, Tikki was hidden in that bag, sleeping under her biology book cover. Adrien hurried over while Nathanael was busy packing his own things away.
"I'll walk you home if you like," Adrien offered.
She smiled and shook her head. "No, it's ok, I don't need anyone to walk me home."
"I could drop you off in the car, I don't mind," he insisted.
Marinette shook her head again, and said, softly, "I don't think Alya would like it if we went together."
Adrien's face fell as his heart sank. "Alya doesn't need to know."
Marinette snorted. "Alya is a journalist. She'd find out. Besides, I'm not willing to lie to her any more than I have to."
Adrien bowed his head, disappointed. He wasn't surprised, but he really was disappointed. He was fully aware that he wouldn't change her mind now. As soon as she mentioned Alya, he knew her mind was made up.
Even so, he muttered, "Alya doesn't control your life."
"I owe her so much that she basically does," Marinette said.
"But-"
"Adrien, I'm fine. Go home."
"Are you sure?"
"Go home."
She was gentle when she said it, but firm enough that he wasn't going to argue. It was a harsh reminder that, even though they were friends, there was nothing more between them. It was also a reminder of how much she trusted Chat Noir. Adrien was going to have to come clean soon. If he ever managed to make her fall for him again, he had to do it as Adrien. He had to make this up to her as Adrien. Otherwise she would be so disappointed and angry that he was Chat Noir, and Ladybug could never trust him again, so Paris would suffer.
He had to stop lying.
"Are you coming Adrien?" Marinette's voice drew his attention.
She and Nathanael were hovering by the door, ready to leave. He held the door open for her, but she was waiting for Adrien. Adrien gave a slight smile, but he had to take a moment to regroup.
"I'll catch you up," he said.
"Don't be too long, the cleaners will be in soon," Nathanael warned.
Adrien's smile vanished and he tried not to scowl. He repeated, firmly, "I'll catch you up."
"Come on Nath, walk me out," she said.
Adrien winced as he watched Marinette lean against Nathanael, and limp beside him as they headed through the door. He just caught glimpse of Nathanael turning red when the door slammed shut between them. Plagg peered out of his bag and looked around the empty room.
"That could have been better," Plagg said.
"I know," Adrien sighed
"You really messed that up."
"I know."
"Usually my kittens mess up because of something practically unavoidable, and I take the blame because it's my bad luck that caused it, but this? This was all you!"
"I know Plagg! I know!" Adrien snapped.
Plagg's ears flattened, and he reeled back in surprised. Quietly, he asked, "What're you going to do?"
"I don't know. I have to fix this. Paris is going to fall apart if Ladybug stops trusting me," Adrien said.
"So no more visiting Marinette as Chat Noir?" Plagg asked.
Adrien groaned, pained. "It's going to kill me to only be able to see her in school."
"It'll be worth the pain kid. Trust me," Plagg sighed.
He knew a lot about being separated from the girl he loved. At least when Adrien saw Marinette he got to talk to her. Plagg hadn't been able to talk to Tikki in what felt like forever. If Ladybug was angry with Chat Noir that likely wouldn't change. They could be doomed to be separated by that single step between them until they left school. Then what? He wouldn't even see her.
Yeah, Plagg knew a thing or two about being separated. It always hurt. But it was worth it for the reunion.
"Come on, lets catch her up," Adrien said.
Outside on the street it was already beginning to get dark. It was cold to. Marinette shivered. Nathanael took it as fear at the idea of walking home alone.
He plucked up the courage to ask, "Can I walk you home Marinette?"
Marinette was taken by surprise by his offer. Mostly by how different it was from Adrien's offer. Adrien's really was an offer, giving her a choice, but Nathanael was asking for permission. However it wasn't far to go home, her leg was mostly heeled.
"You really don't need to," she said.
Nathanael stammered and fiddled with his bag strap nervously. "Usually Chat Noir walks you home, but he's not around now, and I'd like to walk you home. It'd ease my mind to make sure you were safe."
She wrinkled her nose. "Nath-"
"Please?"
Marinette sighed. He seemed so genuinely concerned about her wellbeing, that she gave up the argument, and just nodded. "Alright. If it'll make you feel better."
Nathanael beamed. He was still flushed pink, but utterly delighted at this chance to let him walk with her. Adrien appeared at the door just in time to see her link her arm through Nathanael's and head off towards her house. His jaw dropped. He stared at them as they walked away, without so much as a glance back at him. The colour drained from his face. His arms fell and his stomach twisted. A ball formed his throat. A dull, painful ache in his chest forced hot tears into his eyes. His legs felt numb. His chest was tight.
His heart was broken.
Everything was made a thousand times worse when he heard her musical laugh on the breeze. Now he understood why Alya was so mad at him. He made Marinette feel like this, and this... sucked.
By the time the car pulled up to take him home, he was still staring at the last place he had seen them. They were gone now. Vanished along the streets. Plagg had to push him towards the car to make him move. The car door shut behind him, and suddenly he wasn't cold. He could feel every part of him that the cold had dumbed. Every part now ached to know why him.
Why did she choose him?
What did he have that Adrien didn't?
Plagg curled up in a ball on Adrien's lap, and purred softly. Silent, heartbroken tears had been falling down Adrien's cheeks for ages now and he hadn't noticed. He was dead on his feet, and there was one question on his mind.
why?
She wouldn't tell him. She wouldn't tell him the truth for fear of hurting him. She was like that. Kind and wonderful even if it hurt her. He didn't want a lie. Even a well-crafted, caring one. And if she wouldn't tell him, there was someone she would tell.
"Plagg, claws out."
Marinette attempted to measure Tikki's head size using a ribbon tape measure. The problem with that was the end of the tape fluttered down against her belly, and made her wriggle.
"Tikki stand still!"
"It tickles!"
"Aw come on, it's only for a second! I just have to-"
Tikki exploded into a fit of laughter and fell to the floor kicking her legs and giggling. Marinette sighed and smiled, defeated but amused.
"I'm going to have to measure you in your sleep to figure out how big your head is," Marinette tutted.
"Not as big as some kwamis!" Tikki argued, indignantly.
Trixx, for example, had a large head. Not huge, but wide, and those long ears of hers didn't help. Marinette hooked her index finger to rub the upper flat against Tikki's cheek gently.
"I'm not worried about all kwamis, I'm worried about you. I don't want you getting stick because of the cold!"
"I've been around for millions of years Marinette, it's not going to be a harsh winter that kills me," Tikki pointed out.
"No, it'll be the flu you catch because of it!" Marinette countered.
Tikki pouted. "Anything I wear while transforming can cause your powers to be damaged!"
"Then I'll forget the jumper, and knit you a hat and a scarf, which are easier to take off."
"But your arm!"
"That's another reason to knit you a hat. All the energy you're putting into healing my arm can't be good. If it makes you weaker, and then the cold gets in, you could get really sick again. I couldn't bear that."
All of her points were valid, but what won it for Marinette was her stubborn concern for Tikki's health. To the kwami it was silly. It was rare for kwamis to get sick and it was never the cold that caused it. Even so, her protective human charms swayed Tikki.
"Alright. One hat. But mind out for my antennas, they're my best feature!"
"I thought your eyes were," Marinette said.
"Really? You said I was a big ugly bug when we first met," Tikki reminded her.
Marinette wrinkled her nose guiltily. "And now I think you're beautiful all over. I'll make you a hat to match. All you have to do, is stand-"
The moment the tape measure brushed against her she burst into giggles again. It was hopeless! Marinette threw her head back and groaned in frustration. It was fortunate she did, because she spotted Chat Noir landing on her balcony. Marinette barely had time to scoop up Tikki and hide her between the plush cat toys on her shelf before he opened the skylight and let in a burst of cold.
"Marinette-"
"Shut that! It's freezing out there!" Marinette squeaked.
Chat Noir blinked in surprise, but turned back to do as she said. Tikki had a few more precious seconds to settle herself in her hiding spot. Marinette turned her chair to look up at him as he swung down from the bed.
"Hey princess."
"Hey kitty, what're you doing here?" She asked, calmer now.
He shrugged. All the way here he'd been trying to figure out what to say. Now he was here he was lost for words.
"I wanted to make sure you got home safe," he said.
She chuckled. "I'm a big girl now kitty, I can walk by myself."
"Is that what you did?" He asked, pointedly. "Walk by yourself?"
"No as it happens," she said.
"No?" He repeated, surprised. He had half expected her to deny it. "Adrien walked you home?"
"No, Nathanael."
"Oh? Why not Adrien?"
Marinette tilted her head. His eyes were a little too wide, his chest was puffed put, his fists were clenched, and his tail kept flicking back and forth. Top that off with the fact he hadn't even bothered to change his hair this time and he looked a little manic.
"Are you ok Chat? You seem a little... wild?"
"I'm ok, why not Adrien though?" He asked, too fast.
Marinette stammered between conversations for a moment, and then shrugged. "No reason really. He was waiting for his car and I was ok with walking. Nathanael has to walk the same was as me anyway so it's not as far out of his way."
"Oh so it was just convenience? Wouldn't a car be more convenient, didn't Adrien offer?" Chat asked, sharply.
"Yeah, he did, but I'm ok walking, Chat seriously are you ok?" Marinette asked, concerned.
"Nathanael doesn't live very close to you. He would still have had to walk. Adrien could have given both of you a lift, why didn't you ask?" Chat asked firmly.
"I didn't ask either of them for anything."
"You didn't?"
"No."
That seemed to shake up everything that Chat had been expecting. She didn't ask Nathanael to walk with her. He offered. But Adrien offered. Why did she let Nathanael but not Adrien? He still didn't have an answer.
"Then why did you-"
"Look, Adrien asked if I wanted a lift, and I didn't. Nathanael asked if he could walk with me. Adrien offered an opportunity, and Nathanael asked for one. To ease his worry apparently, but that's not the point-"
"To ease his worry?"
"That's what he said. He said he saw you walking him home so often he was worried about letting me go alone, just in case. He was just doing your job for you,"
In more ways than one. She didn't appear to understand that. He wasn't just a protector of the city, he was her partner. How could she let Nathanael try to replace him? Cats don't share.
"Besides, Alya wouldn't shoot me for letting Nathanael take me home, she might if I took Adrien."
"But-"
"No more buts, why do you look like a shaken can of coke about to be opened?" She asked, firmly.
"I..." only one thing Adrien could think of, she would know was a lie, but she wouldn't be able to tell him that without giving the game away. It was a cheat, but it was the best he could come up with. "Akuma."
She raised an eyebrow, and looked unimpressed. "An akuma?"
He nodded, slowly. "Yeah. Akuma. This one really shook me up and I wanted to make sure everyone I care about is safe."
Marinette's face didn't change. She kept a stubbornly unimpressed look, waiting for a confession that wouldn't come. Chat bowed his head, his ears twitching anxiously. He thought she was going to tell him off. Her gaze trailed across his face. The anxiety showed through. Something had happened. Not an akuma, but something to make him worry. Worry about her. That made her heart melt.
"Chat, come here."
"It's ok, I just-"
"Come here."
It wasn't a tone to be argued with. Timidly, he let go of the bed post he was clinging too, and edged towards her. She waited, frozen with her arms folded, until he was just within arm's reach.
Marinette's injured hand brushed against his claws, and she laid it against his upper arm, and eased him closer. Her hand moved from his claw the side of his torso. The other moved up to his shoulder, and around his neck. Suddenly she pressed herself against his chest so quickly he caught his breath. She was so warm and soft. Even when she squeezed him, it was gentle, but firm. Chat's jaw hung open. Whatever he had expected, this wasn't it. All too quickly, she pulled away. Chat wanted to yank her back and wrap his arms around her to just hold her there, against him. He desperately wanted to, he ached to. But he couldn't. he clenched his fist to stop himself from trying.
Marinette's hand slid back down into his, and she held his gaze stubbornly, which had his heart beat so fast and so hard his head felt dizzy.
"I don't know what's going on with you, or why you care so much about me and Adrien - or me alone in fact - but I'm ok. I'm perfectly fine. I promise."
That, he felt, would have been a perfect opportunity to kiss her. He would have been right. But he pulled back instead. If Marinette fell for Chat Noir it would mess everything up. She would be so angry with Adrien that all of their friendship that they'd scrambled to keep together, would vanish. Ladybug wouldn't trust him. Hawkmoth would exploit that. There was too much riding on this. It was too bug a risk. But he dared to ask one more question, desperate for an answer.
"Do you still love Adrien?" He asked, quietly.
"Again with Adrien?!" She asked, mildly irritated.
"Last one, I promise," he lied. "Is there any part of you, no matter how small, still in love with him?"
Marinette sighed. She let her hands run down his arms and pulled away. For a moment, her little finger lingered on his, but even that wouldn't last. She moved her bad arm against her good, timidly, and bowed her head.
"I don't know," she confessed.
"You don't know?" He repeated, torn between hope and devastation.
"There was so much going on in my life the day I met him. I met someone I wasn't so sure about and we were butting heads, but we had just managed to accept one another, and I'd just met Alya, and Ladybug and - you, had just started defending us. All of that took a while to actually make an impact on me. There's a chance that the positivity of all of those things hit me at the exact moment I took that umbrella, and the electricity in the air made me focus on him, it was all a big misunderstanding."
Oh. There was the devastation. "Which... which would mean you never... never loved him?"
Her mouth twitched like she wanted to smile but couldn't. "There's where it falls down. I spent so long trying to make him love me, that I can't believe I didn't fall for him. Part of me at least must have. Probably still does."
Ah, there was the hope rising again. "So you do still love him?"
"I don't know Chat," she sighed, "but it's not like it matters anyway. He doesn't love me. And Alya's right. I deserve to be with someone who does."
"Someone like Nathanael?"
His voice was strange as he tried to pin back the pain in it. Marinette stared at him. She felt so exposed when he looked at her like that. With those huge green eyes like he knew something she didn't. Maybe he did. Maybe he understood how she felt about him, even though it felt tangled up like Christmas lights to her now. She didn't like this. She didn't want to fall for him now. What if it was another misunderstanding? What if he was just a rebound? If she hurt him, he would never trust Ladybug again. Too much was riding on this. She couldn't hurt him. Paris would suffer. But she had to know...
"Why do you care?"
Chat Noir couldn't tell her why, obviously. Instead he had to tell her most of the truth. "I care about you. I don't want to see you hurt again."
"Why? Why me? Why care about me?" She insisted.
He bit his lip and felt his ears go red. "Because you're a good person princess. One of the best. Just like my lady."
She sighed, dejected. Chat Noir always loved Ladybug. How disappointed he would be to find out that she actually was Marinette.
"You have no idea."
Chat Noir reached for her hand. "Is everything ok Mari?"
His heart beat nervously. She never let Adrien call her Mari. She said it was childish. Only Alya called it that because "she's like family!" Coming from Chat Noir, she barely seemed to register it.
"I'm... fine. You're back to walking me home tomorrow. Don't forget it," she warned.
"I won't. Pawmise," he said.
She smiled, and nodded. For a moment he thought - he hoped - she was going to hug him again. She didn't. They stood, staring at each other, each desperate to kiss the other, both terrified of their lies.
"MARINETTE!"
Her father's voice was loud in the silence between them, and shattered the tension. Now they could breathe again. Marinette pulled her eyes towards the ground, away from Chat Noir.
"Coming Papa!" She called. Then, lower, said, "see you tomorrow kitty."
"Yeah... tomorrow," Chat whispered. She shut the door behind her, and he allowed his breath to form the words, "my lady."
Which gave Tikki a heart attack.
Adrien waited in the bushes until Nino tugged Marinette's arm and the two of them wandered over to the food stall together. At least Nino was still willing to help him. Once Alya was alone, he hurried over and sat down beside her.
There wasn't even a pause before he said, "I have a problem."
"You are a problem," Alya smirked.
"You said you weren't mad at me anymore!" Adrien whined.
Alya smiled at him, playfully, and leaned her head on her arm. "Sorry. It was right there, I couldn't resist. What's the problem?"
He took a deep breath. "I'm in love with Marinette."
Alya's smile became a scowl and shook her head firmly. "You're not good enough for her."
"I know, that's the problem," he sighed.
Alya frowned again. She shifted uncomfortably. "See you've put me in a really awkward situation here. I don't like seeing my friends put themselves down, or hurt, and you're my friend so I want to say "don't worry you're perfect" but I also don't want you to think that means it's ok for you to break her heart again."
Adrien shook his head. He knew she would say something like that. It was her nature. He was her friend. Alya protected her friends. But if it came to a civil war, her loyalties were always with Marinette. Which was why he was here.
"Alya, please, I don't want to hurt her, I just... I made a mistake and I should have said yes and now I don't know what to do."
"On one hand I want Marinette to be happy and I know somewhere deep inside her she still loves you and you'll make her happy. On the other you already hurt her once so badly she cried until she couldn't breath and then caused Mylene to have a broken leg, and -"
"And these stitches!"
Alix appeared from nowhere, pointed to her healed stitches, and made Adrien jump. He didn't expect anyone to be around. Especially not Alix, who had no idea... she couldn't understand. He didn't want her to.
"Alix, sorry, this is private."
Ignoring him, Alix sat down across from Adrien and Alya. "Everyone's seen you pining after her. It's ridiculous. If you like her, why did you break her heart?"
Adrien shied back. Even though part of him knew all the girls knew what he'd done, and that they cared about Marinette, he didn't expect them to be so defensive of her. Marinette didn't need Chat Noir to protect her. She had an army.
"It's more complicated than that!" He stammered.
Alix stared him down. She was incredibly intimidating for a short girl. "Is it?"
"There was another girl, and-"
Alix thumped the table. "Marinette is no one's rebound, no matter how perfect he is."
"It's not like that!" Adrien insisted.
"It better not be. You didn't see her at the party Adrien. We won't let you hurt her again," Alix warned.
"Alix! Come look at this," Kim called.
Alix rolled away backwards on her roller-skating, and gestured that she was keeping her eyes on him. Adrien felt an ominous sinking feeling in his stomach. Alix, who was nothing to do with this, didn't trust him with Marinette. Alya definitely wouldn't.
"I won't hurt her again. I swear I won't. She means so much to me and she hates me!" He whined.
Alya huffed. She took a deep breath, and tried to think of a way to explain this clearly. "It doesn't matter anyway. She's moved on. She's been talking about some guy she likes, she won't tell me who yet until she knows she does like him and she's not just rebounding from you. That's what a good person does."
Thump. His heart beat hard. Sure, he had thought she liked someone else. But now that he heard her say it out loud, he felt the full impact like an elephant sat on his chest.
He tried to brush it off, but it didn't work. "I... who?"
Alya shrugged. "I don't know."
He wouldn't have believed her if she didn't seem so genuinely disappointed about it. Alya must have felt so guilty for pushing her into confessing only to have her heart broken. Now Marinette wouldn't tell her who this new guy was. Of course she'd think it was because of the broken heart, and not because Marinette was afraid that she wasn't in love, but on the rebound. Well Alya wasn't about to let her down again.
"You must have some ideas?" Adrien insisted.
"Of course I do, but you're missing the point-" Alya argued.
"Is it Nathanael?" Adrien demanded.
Alya stared at him in annoyance as he stared back, desperate for any sign that she knew who it was. They only looked away when they were interrupted by Nino.
"What are you two up to?" He asked suspiciously.
Adrien gasped urgently, expecting Marinette to be there too. She wasn't. Adrien frowned.
"Nino? Where's Marinette?" He asked.
"Over there with Nathanael," Nino said.
Adrien gasped, "No!"
He glanced out across the area, searching for her. His eye caught the red of Nathanael's hair and his heart missed a beat. She was smiling with him again. That flawless smile of hers that made her eyes shine like stars, the sun to shine brighter, and his knees go weak. But it wasn't directed at him. His chest ached as the elephant got heavier. Alya laid a hand on his shoulder. Her voice was gentle, but firm, and unwilling to argue.
"Adrien she's finally content on her own. If you mess that up, and I'm involved again then I've helped you hurt her twice. I can't let that happen. I'm sorry Adrien, but no. I won't help you."
Marinette threw her head back so the veil of golden sunlight lit her hair and gave her a halo. How had he gone so long without realising she was his lady? Now he knew, how could he give her up?
"Please Alya... please..." he begged.
She looked pained, but she shook her head. "I can't."
Desperate and out of options, Adrien went for the next best plan. Whining to his parent.
"Nino!"
With a bored sigh and a warning tone, Nino said, "Alya."
Appalled by this, she squeaked, "Nino!"
In an equally bored, warning tone, Nino said, "Adrien."
"Alya!" Adrien whined.
"Adrien!" Alya snarled.
"Alya!" Marinette called.
"Marinette!" Alya gasped.
Marinette looked puzzled to see Adrien sitting there. "Adrien?"
With a love-struck smile, he breathed, "Marinette."
"Marinette?" Nathanael asked why she had stopped in one word.
Adrien scowled. "Nathanael."
"Adrien," Nathanael said, nervously.
Nino stood up with his food. "I'm out."
He chose a smart moment to leave. He walked away with a stubborn stalemate that poor Nathanael couldn't understand for the life of him. If he had known even a little bit more of what was going on here, maybe he would have walked away too.
"Adrien, everything's due Friday, can you finish those pages by then?" Nathanael asked.
"What pages?" Adrien asked.
Marinette gasped, "Don't say that!"
"Sorry. What pages?" He asked, quieter.
"You said you'd write the script for our project, so Nathanael only had to worry about colourings and I could build it," Marinette said.
oh crap. "Right. Yeah, no, I'll get on that tonight. I'll finish them in time. Promise."
Marinette gave a little sigh of relief, but she and Nathanael shared a knowing look. Something would come up tonight, a photo shoot or a fitting, or everything getting scraped so they had to have a revamp meeting, or something equally sudden, and it wouldn't get done. Annoying as it was, Marinette could forgive him. It wasn't Adrien's fault he was unreliable.
"I'll catch you later Marinette," Nathanael said.
"See you later Nath," Marinette smiled.
Adrien's stomach twisted at the nickname. He scowled. Nathanael wasn't any better than him. Adrien made one mistake, one, and now Nathanael was getting everything he wanted. One stupid mistake.
Alya glowered at Adrien for how he was glaring at Nathanael. She wasn't particularly close to Nathanael, she barely knew him to be honest, but the way he was staring was unacceptable.
Marinette tilted her head as she took a seat beside Alya.
"Alya? You ok? You look a little... murderous."
"I'll be fine," she turned to look at Marinette instead. "Wanna play video games tonight?"
"I'm walking with Chat, but you could come to mine," she offered.
Alya suddenly lit up. "So it's Chat now is it? My you two are getting close!"
Marinette giggled and blushed and shrugged. "Shut up Alya."
"Have you told him the doctor says you're ready to walk normally yet?" Alya asked.
Adrien felt his heart stop. "What?"
"Yeah the doctor said my legs healed and I can walk. My arm's going to be another week or so," Marinette shrugged, and winced, to prove her point.
"He said it was amazing. She's a medical marvel!" Alya smirked.
"He said it was fascinating, I'm not a medical marvel!" Marinette insisted.
"You say potato," Alya shrugged.
Adrien forced a smile, even though he was aching inside. Now he would see her even less than usual.
"Wow that's... that's awesome Marinette. But if you can walk, why are you walking with Chat?"
Marinette shrugged, but her ears turned pink. Adrien didn't notice. Alya put it down to the cold wind breezing around them. "I like the company. There aren't many boys who would carry you across a road on their backs you know."
"Ooh la-la!" Alya elbowed her.
"Shut up!" Marinette laughed.
Plagg raised an eyebrow. He peered out of Adrien's bag to try and see her face. Alya was grinning at her suggestively still, and waggled her eyebrows whenever she caught Marinette's eye. Every time Marinette shoved her playfully, laughed, and told her to stop it. But that little smile where she bit her lip, that was a dead giveaway. Somewhere along the fumbled flirting and silly teasing jokes, Marinette had fallen for him.
For Chat Noir.
For Adrien.
"Oh no."
Nathanael overheard Plagg say "oh no", and thought he had heard "oh Nath." Since Marinette was the only person on the table who called him that, he looked up.
"Did you say something Marinette?" He asked.
Marinette was thinking about Chat Noir again, and worried she had said something out loud about him, "oh, I, um, did I? Um, n-no I don't think so! N-no!"
She turned pink all over and Alya burst into laughter. Adrien forced a smile, but he balled his hands into fists and pushed them into the seat hard enough to hurt.
he was supposed to be the one making her tongue tied. he was supposed to be the one to make her blush. he was supposed to be the one she got flustered thinking about. Him. Not Nathanael. Adrien was dying to lean over the table and grab her. He was dying to pull her close against him, so they would feel each other's chests rise and fall to fit together as they breathed. He was desperate to kiss her again, hard and passionate, and wipe Nathanael out of her mind for good. That way he would be the only one she thought of. He would be the only one to make her smile like that. He would know it belonged to him.
The seat cracked beneath him, and the pain was so sharp he was certain he'd broken a finger. Marinette and Alya looked up in alarm. Adrien leapt to his feet, clutching his hand to his chest.
"Excuse me," he muttered.
The girls shared a concerned look as he ran off across the playground. Plagg crawled out of Adrien's pocket to escape the persistent bumping.
"I'll tell you what kid, you've got a cataclysm all of your own!"