Wow… it's been over 2 months. When I said see you again or something along those lines, I never would've thought! And what was it that caused that? Procrastination? Laziness? Demotivation? ALL THREE?! I don't really know! So many things have happened over the past 2 months- some good and some bad. But the thing is, I want to get back to my regular updates. I wouldn't be surprised if my original readers are gone. I'll miss you guys ;-;
But I want to warm up with a nice, silly, AU. Just to get back on track I guess. I hope you guys like this and please, please leave reviews because they mean a lot to me. I know I made a lot of promises, mostly saying how I'd continue a chapter. Like the last one. But no ideas are turning up. I'll try to do that for chapter 25.
~In this snippet, a little suction cup with foam attached to it starts something new.~
It was a beautiful, sunny Saturday in Paris, with not a cloud in the blue sky and a lovely breeze ruffling the shimmering green grass in the park that many people had decided to go to. Birds chirped and butterflies fluttered about, going above the heads of laughing children as they played and adults who chatted with not a worry.
Alas, but there was one girl who sat at the base of the fountain which was in the park. Despite the beautiful day and cheerful atmosphere, she couldn't help but be annoyed and glare down at the wretched canvas that stared back up at her. Well, she was more annoyed at what was on the small canvas. More like what wasn't.
Marinette had been trying for a long time now to design a top that feel loosely around the shoulders and was comfortable. Except the one that she'd made just now looked stiff and rigid, and downright unfashionable.
The girl glared a bit more before sighing and looking up at the sky, trying to ease her thoughts. It seemed like today wasn't the day.
No! Marinette suddenly thought with a rush of determination, I'll make today my day. Like this! Marinette looked down, ready to add more lines in hopes of drawing what she was thinking of, but before she could lift her pencil there was an odd little whoosh noise and before she could turn, she felt something suddenly stick to the side of her neck.
Marinette's hand instantly went up to slap at it, but instead of a mosquito like she'd expected, there-there was, a, a..
She plucked a Nerf bullet off of her neck and frowned at it. Marinette gave a start when a voice shouted out. "Sorry about that!" A boy with blonde hair and striking green eyes came out from behind a tree, gripping a Nerf gun. "Bad sho- crap!" He suddenly ducked as another Nerf bullet went sailing over his head. "Nino!" He called out with annoyance flashing in his eyes. "Can't you see I'm on time out?"
Another boy came out from behind a different tree this time, tanner in complexion and donning thick rimmed glasses and a red cap set backwards on his head. He was also holding a Nerf gun. "S'not like you were gonna win anyways," so-called 'Nino' said. "You have such a bad shot you hit someone! Sorry about that," he motioned to Marinette, who simply blinked, baffled by the eccentric people.
"My shot isn't that bad," the blond one scoffed and turned his head. "This is only the fourth time I hit someone-" Fourth?! Marinette gaped. "-and besides, I totally destroyed you in fencing!"
"Well luckily we're not fencing," Nino grinned and hoisted his gun over his shoulder. "I win. One more game that I win and you owe me dinner!"
"Whatever," the other one grumbled. He spared a look at Marinette and paused when she locked eyes with him. "Er… sorry about that," he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "We should get going now," he motioned to Nino hastily and, with one last nod to Marinette, left.
Marinette had stayed silent through the whole fiasco, not knowing what to say. She fingered the Nerf bullet.
They never did ask for that back.
And she didn't get the blonde's name.
MLBMLBMLBMLBMLBMLBMLBMLBMLBMLB
"I am an idiot," Adrien declared as they Nino opened the door to their apartment. Adrien gently set his Nerf Gun down on the table and then, not-so-gently faceplanted onto their couch.
Nino raised an eyebrow, setting his own gun down. "I know you're into realism and all that, dude, but I didn't know you demotivated yourself."
Adrien lifted his head, hair all mussed up, and pulled a face. "I heard an insult."
Nino clicked his tongue. "Realism."
Adrien sat up on the couch and groaned, eyes crossing in annoyance when a lock of hair flopped onto his face. "She probably thinks I'm an idiot!" Adrien bemoaned.
"She doesn't even know you."
"I was stupid," Adrien sullenly said. "And I just left like, 'we should get going now', who even does that?! When did I get so, so awkward?!"
Nino smirked. "Don't tell me you like her, you literally shot her in the neck."
Adrien gaped. "I-no! I just, I was so weird! And you make it sound bad, I shot her with a Nerf-"
"Whatever," Nino waved a hand in the air, picking himself up so he could get a glass of water from the kitchen. "Deeeetails."
Adrien screamed into a pillow.
MLBMLBMLBMLBMLBMLBMLBMLBMLBMLB
The next time that Adrien and Marinette saw each other, was coincidentally at the same park a few days later. Except it was raining out. Most people had stayed in, and if they hadn't, they'd brought an umbrella. Adrien was one of those people, carrying a black umbrella above his head to shield himself from the raindrops.
Marinette was not one of those people. She quite disliked rain, but she never read the forecast either, being as impulsive and rushing as she was. She'd hoped to get ideas from a designer outlet, for her own clothes, but nothing had come to mind and now she was stuck waiting underneath a dense tree in the park for the rain to let down a bit. Two joys in the same day, what luck.
Adrien had been walking back to his apartment. He simply went out just to enjoy the rain- without getting soaked to the bone, that is- and was almost there, maybe one-fourth of a block away, when he saw someone standing underneath a tree in the park. Confused by the slightly peculiar sight, Adrien approached the park's gates and crept inside when his eyes widened at what he saw.
It, it was her! The girl who he'd accidentally shot in the neck with a Nerf gun… and humiliated himself in front of…
On second thought. Adrien was ready to turn on his heel, when he saw her expression. She looked downcast, a mix between disappointed and angry. What made it worse was that she seemed this way with herself.
Adrien used to feel that way when he lived with his father, alone in a big house that was unnecessary, before graduating high school and living with Nino for college. He knew what it was like to feel like you just couldn't get it right, no matter what it was, and no matter how much you tried to pick yourself back up again it was always harder the more you fell.
He could see himself in the girl, the girl who was currently under a tree and wincing every so often when a fat drop slid off a branch and splashed on her head. Adrien took a look at his umbrella, took a deep breath, and entered the park, nervously approaching her tree.
He cleared his throat and the girl became alert of his presence, whipping around. Her eyes widened- he'd only seen those eyes once, it'd taken only one look to notice how blue they were- and her mouth opened a bit in surprise. "O-Oh, it's you!"
Adrien awkwardly flashed her a grin. "Yep, it's me! The one with the great aim."
The girl laughed at that and Adrien decided he liked seeing her laugh, a lot more than seeing her downcast with herself.
"I," Adrien continued. "I wanted to say sorry for, er, shooting you. I was going home and I saw you here so…" Adrien held his umbrella out a little. "You can use this."
The girl's eyes widened even more, if possible, and she instantly shook her head. "No! I won't do that, not to someone who barely knows me anyways! I-I was stupid and forgot my umbrella, I can wait it out here. You don't need to do that for me…"
Adrien shook his head and pushed the umbrella out even further. "No, I insist! I, I'm very close to home and if you're waiting here, that must mean you're not very close." The girl blanched at his (correct) logic.
"Here," Adrien said, taking her hand into his (completely ignoring how soft it was, or how warm it was, or how it sent jolts up his arm) and wrapping it around the handle of the umbrella. He coughed, trying to keep the blood from rushing to his face. "I, uh, I guess I'll see you around then."
He turned to leave, but was startled when she called out, "Wait!"
Adrien turned around again to see her holding a hand out. She turned red and withdrew. "Um… my name is Marinette," she quietly said and Adrien's eyes widened. Marinette. That seemed like a befitting name. "I'm going to need to return this to you… so…" Marinette squeaked by the end of her sentence.
Adrien blinked before catching on. "Oh!" He exclaimed. "You should have said so," he laughed. "My name is Adrien. I, um…" Adrien dug around in his pockets and miraculously found an old post-it and a pen. He held the post it against a semi-dry patch of bark and scribbled down a series of numbers. "Here," he said, inwardly grimacing at the ratty old piece of paper he was offering to her. But she didn't seem to mind. "You can give it back to me later. Er- the umbrella."
Marinette smiled down at the post-it and Adrien took this fleeting moment to appreciate how calm and serene she looked, and how beautiful she looked with a smile on. Wait, what-
"Thank you," Marinette sincerely said. "I'll give this back to you next time then." Next time.
…
Nino had to ask Adrien why he was smiling so wide. Especially when he was half-soaked.