Chapter 14: comfort

"I'm fine," Adrien lied and grabbed a paper towel to dry his face.

"Alya told me to check up on you. You kinda just ran out," he said.

"Yeah…sorry about that," he muttered.

"Are you sure you're okay? Did something happen between you and Marque?" He asked. Adrien clenched his fists. He hated hearing that name.

"No…" he couldn't tell if it was a lie or the truth.

"Are you sure? He was confused-"

"Dammit, Nino! She's not a guy!" He snapped. Nino's jaw dropped at his friends out burst.

"Her name is Marinette, not Marque," he grumbled and gripped the edge of the counter.

"I…I'm sorry, dude. I didn't know," he said. Adrien sighed and looked up at his friend through the mirror.

"Sorry…I'm just…a little stressed," he mumbled and loosened his grip. He ran his fingers through his fringe and turned around to lean against the counter.

"About what?" He asked as he came closer and leaned against the counter as well.

"Take a wild guess," he replied bitterly.

"Hmm…is it Marque? Er Marinette? Sorry," he guessed. Adrien nodded.

"Why are you so stressed about him-I mean her?"

"I dunno if it's stress or if I'm just going insane…I just wanna make her happy," he said vaguely and crossed his arms.

"I'd say you make her pretty happy. Everyday in class you two are joking around and laughing," he pointed out.

"That's not good enough. I want her to feel comfortable, and I want…ugh," he groaned and rubbed his palms against his eyes.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up. There's only so much you can do for her. It's not like you're a superhero that can grant her every wish. It seems like just accepting her for who she is is enough for her," Nino said. Adrien frowned. Although he could give her anything she wanted, he knew it wasn't that easy.

"Thanks Nino…but I guess it's more than that. I think…what I really want is to just tell her how I feel. I want to tell her everything and I want to tell her without feeling nervous or messing it up…" he trailed off.

"I know it's easier said than done, but that's not impossible dude. You just gotta force yourself to do it," he told him. Adrien nodded.

"I'm a coward then," he muttered. He couldn't even tell her he loves her with a mask on. The main thing that was holding him back was having to tell her who he really is. When she finds out he's actually Chat Noir…he had no idea how betrayed she would feel. He was in too deep.

"Don't worry, dude. You'll be able to tell her one day," Nino assured him and patted his back.

"Thanks Nino. I really hope you're right," Adrien gave him a forced smile and pulled himself away from the counter.

"We should get back. Mari is probably scared out of her mind," he said. Nino nodded and they both made their way back to the theater, but before they could go in the two girls were bursting out.

"Alya? What's wrong with Marinette?" Adrien asked noticing the shivering girl in Alya's arms.

"She got really scared. I had to get her out of there," Alya replied.

"Geez, I'm sorry I left Mari. Are you okay?" He asked and lifted her chin to look down at her. Her eyes were watery as she shivered and nearly tackled him to the ground. She squeezed his torso and buried her face in to his chest. He held her close and gave a worried look to Alya.

"I don't understand. She was so calm for the majority of the movie," Nino said.

"Yeah that was before Adrien left," Alya grumbled. His worry shifted to guilt.

"I'm really sorry," he said.

"Why don't you take her to the lobby or somewhere to sit down," Alya suggested. Adrien nodded.

"And you two?" He asked.

"I can go with you-"

"I-it's okay. I'm f-fine," Marinette stuttered.

"Are you sure, Mari?" Alya asked. She nodded.

"You can go back," she murmured and pulled her face away from Adrien's shirt to look at her.

"Okay then…I'll come back when it's over."

"Okay…"

"I'll stay with her. You guys can go back," Adrien told them. Alya and Nino nodded before turning back in to the theater. He sighed and looked around to see a cushioned bench across from where they stood.

"Let's sit down," he spoke softly as she sniffled. She nodded and held on to his arm as he lead her to the bench. They sat down together and leaned against the wall with their feet at the edge of the cushion.

"I'm so sorry I left. I feel terrible leaving you in there," he told her.

"It's okay…i-it was just a really scary scene," she murmured and leaned against his shoulder. His fingers found hers and he held her hand without a second thought.

"It's not too late if you wanna see a happier movie," he told her.

"I'm fine…I'm alright with this," she hummed and mimicked his thumb from earlier.

"Your nails look nice," he commented.

"Thanks. I got them done like two weeks ago and they haven't even chipped yet," she replied. He smiled and lifted her hand so he could get a better look.

"Very classy and pretty. Although not as pretty as you," he said and smirked at her. She smiled and shook her head.

"You're silly," was her only response.

"Call me silly all you want, but you're still beautiful," he mumbled and looked down at her. Her cheeks were red as she avoided his eyes.

"Silly…" she muttered. He moved her head with his finger so she looked up at him and examined her face. Her cheeks were pinched with embarrassment and her eyes were filled with anticipation. She knit her eyebrows and bit her lower lip as he took in every detail.

"I really like you, Marinette," he told her. Her cheeks went even redder and her eyebrows shot up.

"I think you're wonderful, and I really want to kiss you again," he admitted. He didn't know why he was telling her this, but her reaction made him glad he did. She looked absolutely adorable when she was flustered.

"D-don't lie to me," she stuttered defensively. He chuckled.

"I wouldn't dream of it," he said running his thumb against her lower lip.

She watched him lean closer until her eyes fluttered shut and she let him press his lips against hers. Adrien was elated to feel the warmth from her body again, and tilted his head to fit his mouth better with hers. He kissed her again as he moved his hand to hold her cheek. When he pulled back her hot breath hit his skin and he felt the desire to continue burn through out him. He smiled at her, happy that it was Adrien kissing her and not Chat. She was still recovering from his last kiss when he leaned down for a third.

"Adrien…" was all she could say. He chuckled and couldn't resist continuing.

"Marinette," he whispered and kissed her more. Her hands found their way around his neck and up to his hair. She ran her fingers through the soft strands and sighed when his freehand slithered over her waist. Adrien had to make a conscious effort not to pull her closer. He had to keep in mind that they were in public, and not in her bedroom. When he pulled away again he didn't want to, but he knew if they went any further he was gonna go crazy. It was only when he moved his hand did he realize it had drifted from her waist and over her hip. He was so used to feeling up and down her legs he must've done it on accident.

"Sorry," he muttered and pulled his hand away from her hip.

"I-it's okay," she stuttered.

"Are you feeling better?" He asked. She hummed and pulled his hand back around her waist and snuggled closer to him.

"Yeah…"

"That's good," he said and flattened his hand against the small of her back.

"Thank you…for making sure I'm okay," she said. He smiled and pressed a kiss against the top of her head.

"No problem. Thank you for making out with me," he replied. She giggled and sweetly kissed his neck.

"My pleasure," she sighed and tangled her fingers in his hair.

They stayed like that together until the movie ended and Alya and Nino came out of the theater. It felt like time passed by so quickly, but apparently there was still another hour of the movie when Mari had to leave. When they sat together in silence she felt happy to be so close to him and know he did in fact like her. They left the theater hand in hand, and were all picked up by Sabine and Tom. As Alya and Nino were dropped off Adrien and Marinette were leaned against each other again. Their bodies felt as if they were meant to fit together. His was oh so familiar despite her never knowing it before now. The way his arms felt around her made her feel safe, and she couldn't help but feel like she has felt them before some how. How odd…