Miraculous Ladybug: Popular

Chapter Eleven

It was the next day and Marinette was in bed sick. If only she didn't get sprayed with that water hose then maybe she wouldn't of felt so miserable and lightheaded. She was hacking and sniffling and her eyes watered. Her throat was scratchy and she could hardly keep her eyes open.

She reached over and grabbed onto her phone to check the time. The bright light nearly blinded her and she dropped her phone to the ground, which didn't make a sound; it hung just an inch above ground since it was plugged into the charger. Marinette felt relief. She had a pounding headache and any slight bang was bound to drive her mad.

Tikki flew by and handed Marinette a cough drop as she hacked once more, inducing the pain in her head. The spotted kwami looked at the ill girl full of sympathy.

"I wish I went with you. I really do, and you know if I was there I'd help you, right?" Tikki said as she flew near Marinette, lowering herself down to rest on the pillow Marinette was hugging to her chest.

Marinette gave a weak smile and closed her eyes. Her voice was breathy and nasally. She played around with the cough drop before putting it in her dry mouth. "It's okay. You didn't know, I didn't know either. And I'm glad that I'm sick. Now I can just relax. I feel like I couldn't stand, being with dad for 5 hours. He'd probably ask about Adrien or something and I'd might cry."

Tikki shook her small head. "No. It's not okay at all. I really am sorry you had to go through all that."

"It's fin—"

Marinette and Tikki both went silent as they heard three small knocks. Tikki knew it was her cue to hide. She flew underneath Marinette's bed, hiding in a old fashioned hat box.

"Come in." Marinette said as she sniffled, pulling her thick blankets over her body more. She covered herself so much with the blanket that only her eyes could be seen.

The trapdoor opened slowly and she felt her breath hitch in her throat when she saw golden hair and bright green eyes.

"What are you doing here?" She asked with a loud dry cough that was quickly stopped when she sucked on the drop. She cleared her throat and looked at him sadly, even though she really wished to yell and curse at him for being such a jerk.

"I needed to talk to you, and you need to believe whatever I say."

Marinette shook her head. "No. I won't believe you or even listen to you. You really are a jerk. You let Chloé say all those things to me and you lead me on."

"I never led you on!" Adrien shouted. He was beginning to get hyper and anxious from Marinette's sudden accusations. Marinette winced at his shout and she covered her face with her blanket once more.

"I have no interest in talking to you." She stated flatly as she sighed.

Adrien got close to Marinette as she hid underneath her blankets. He knelt down near her bed and he tapped on her head through the blanket.

"Please. Please please please Marinette." He was practically begging now.

"Why does it matter if I let you explain yourself? Why do I matter? I h-hate y—"

The girl was interrupted when she felt someone throw off her blanket and embrace her. Adrien clung to Marinette tightly as if this was the last time he would ever be able to breath the same air as her. She wiggled in his grasp and her face went hot and her heart was pounding loudly in her ears. Adrien pulled away slightly so he could look at her face. Her sickly pale face was slightly colored from the blush on her cheeks.

Adrien smiled sweetly at her and awkwardly brushed his thumb lightly against her cheek, not sure if she would allow this, but he did it anyway. "Please listen to me. I really am sorry and I never meant to hurt you. Whatever Cholé said is a lie and it always will be. Don't trust her, and don't take her word over mine. Don't ever."

Marinette felt queasy and she swallowed the lump in her throat, trying not to cry so she could speak. "Why do I have to take your word over hers?" She looked to the side, avoiding blinking just in case any of her salty tears would spill out.

"Listen," he said as he let her out of his grasp, sitting on the side of the bed near her. "Chloé has pulled a lot of horrible stunts in the past. She tried to sabotage your family and she even pretended to be Ladybug. That didn't really involve you but it's still bad. She's so dishonest and she has every intention of hurting you because of me."

Marinette held in her breath, trying not to cough or sniffle. She wiped away her tears with her blanket and she nodded.

Adrien saw her nod and he went on. "You really should trust me. I'd trust you more than anyone else in a situation like this."

Marinette covered her nose with her blanket and she looked at her crush. "Thanks I guess.. And I do trust you. I just can't believe she'd do this. I was so stuck on what she said I couldn't take the time to realize you aren't a liar, and I hate liars. I hate Chloé." The ill girl mumbled.

Adrien smiled and he patted Marinette gently on her shoulder. "I'm glad you understand."

"I wonder one thing though, Adrien." She said, her voice suddenly light and clear. She sneezed and cleared her throat enough to finally sound perfect for a moment.

"Why do you care so much about me? Why did you come? Why?"

Her words flew out of her mouth and they went through his ear, into his mind. He sat there, thinking. He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes, pondering even more.

Marinette wasn't wrong for asking any of this. Why did he care so much about this situation? Why did he care about her? Why?

He asked himself these questions in his mind over and over. He could feel the aura around her. She was full of anticipation. Her eyes were wide and sparkling and her mouth was slightly open, and her two top teeth were peeking out from her glossy lips.

He didn't know why he was so worried about her, but the second he stopped looking down to look into her eyes, he knew.

He liked Marinette. He liked her so much. He grew so fond of her and her true acts of kindness. It was so attractive and reassuring to know she was an angel, and to top it off, she looked like an angel. A cute clumsy angel.

"Well...?" Marinette said as she looked at Adrien sadly, assuming he would brush off the question.

"Because you're my friend." He muttered nervously as he made fists. This was his chance to confess or at least show a sign of attraction and he messed it up, of course he would.

Marinette smiled bitterly. "Oh. I see. So when will you ever come back to work here?"

The blond smiled awkwardly and he crossed his arms. "I was just about to mention that."

She frowned and rubbed at her nose with her sleeve. "Oh?"

"My father won't allow me to work here anymore, and he won't let me see you anymore. But don't worry, I have a plan. I'm going to visit you every night so we can still hang out. You're really all I have and I won't allow him to ruin my relationships with people. He already did that with Nino and I. I won't allow it."

The bitter smile of Marinette's flipped upside faster than the speed of light and she was absolutely beaming with pure joy.

"R-really? You'd do that for me!?"

Adrien smiled and he reached out to hug the smiling girl. Her face went red instantly and she could feel both their hearts beating rapidly. He was enlightened to be so close to her. She always made him feel so many things, and he was in love with that.

"I'm so happy.." Marinette sobbed out as she laid her head on his shoulder, sniffling. He smiled, rubbing her petite back with his huge hand gently.

"I'm happy too."

A/N: Hey guys. Sorry for not updating. I've honestly been lazy I have no excuse really. Take this half assed chapter. I need a lot of short chapters and explaining to get to the main drama and part, so just be patient. I also had major writers block so it's a crappy chapter.