Chapter 14

Just hold me, never leave me.

The cafeteria.

She had forgotten her lunch at home, and she cursed herself for it. Marinette was standing alone, holding her tray of pasta and tomato sauce.

How she hated standing in the line at the cafeteria.

She groaned. She had moved forward only a few paces in the queue, and she had been avoiding her friends since their first class. She knew they would grill her about her lunch with Adrien. People she had never spoken with would send her looks, and whisper whenever she was near. So she knew someone had spotted them together.

Marinette didn't know where she should sit. She scanned the perimeter of the room, brow furrowed. How was it possible that literally every single table in this godforsaken room was taken?

Every table that she looked at was full of teenagers finishing up their homework. She saw Chloé and Sabrina exchanging gossip in between mouthfuls of pizza. She also saw classmates showing each other memes or messages on their phones and laughing.

And then she spotted Lila, sitting there all by herself.

Anybody else – literally anybody else would have been able to suck it up, slap on a smile, approach her table, and make conversation for fifty-five minutes. Sure it might be a tad awkward, but they'd survive it, and everyday they'd try again, until they eventually found their soul-sister/brother/sibling-or-gender-neutral-equivilent.

'Hold on' she thought. 'Me, having a soul-sister/brother/sibling-or-gender-neutral relationship with Lila?! What am I thinking?!'

She spotted a free table, but her feet, in their pink ballerina flats, were like lead. Her heart was hammering under her white sweater, so loudly that she was sure that everybody could hear it, making them notice her.

Her palms grew sweaty as she spotted Alix, Rose, Mylene, Juleka and Alya entering the cafeteria. Her breath hitched in her throat as her five friends all turned and looked at her at the same time. Suddenly she sympathized with the prey animals that got cornered by larger predators. Like she had seen on documentaries.

She could always just drop her tray and run out the doors, not stopping until she reached her parents bakery. This was certainly tempting, but it fell into the category of 'making a spectacle of herself'

If ever there was a right time for an Akuma attack, it was now.

'Deep breath.'

She took a tentative step towards the rows and rows of tables, when she felt something come up behind her and tap her on the shoulder. She reflexively let out a little squeal and spun around, almost dropping her tray in the process. She was suddenly staring into a pair of startlingly blue eyes, framed by strands of blonde hair.

"R-Rose." She stuttered. "You spooked me, I was about to sit down, and - well - yeah, I was sitting down here and - you just scared me, I got scared and -" 'You're rambling Marinette. You're rambling, you're annoying her, just stop.' "I didn't expect ... I was by myself." She finished pathetically.

"A little bird told me that you went out on a date with Adrien," She grinned. "Is it true?"

'Oh God, straight to the point..' Marinette bit down onto her lip. Every cell inside her body was screaming, telling her to run, spectacle be damned.

"Wait, I thought he was going out with Kagami?" Juleka sat down next to Marinette once they made it over to the table.

"I haven't seen them together for ages," Alix mused. "Maybe they broke up?" She theorized.

Mylène clasped her hands together. "What if they split up so that you could be with Adrien?" She paused." oh my, it's like a scene straight out of a movie."

"How did he ask you out?" Rose cheered.

"And how was it?" Mylène squealed.

"Yeah, even I want to know all the details right now." Juleka seemed more excited than usual.

"Did he spoilt you rotten?"

"Guys, guys, just leave her alone." Alya protested. A cheeky grin spread across her face and her eyes lit up. "I'm just joking. Sooo -- how did your date go?"

Marinette looked from one to the other, unsure of whose question she should answer first. "It was...uh..." she paused. "Good." She ate slowly, chewing her food thoughtfully.

"What?!" Alya cried out in mock surprise. "Good? That's it?! You've been plotting how to get him to notice you for years, and it was good?" She protested.

"Uh-huh."

"Tell us more!"

"Like what?" She said carefully. She didn't like where this was going.

"Welllll how was your lunch with Adrikins?"

"Yeah! Spill the details girl!" Rose shouted.

"All right, all right guys just stop." Alix folded her arms, turning her attention to Marinette. "We need to start with the more important questions," She slammed her hands on the table. "Are we sure that Adrien and Kagami are history? Because I will kick his ass if he's trying to date the two of you at the same time -"

"No! Adrien wouldn't do that," Marinette protested.

Alya nodded in approval. "Yeah, she's right. He's more like a "one girl at a time" kind of guy,"

"But how can we know for sure?" Alix pressed.

"He's just a sweet guy, who doesn't wish to harm anyone intentionally," Marinette replied, eyeing her food. "I know him, he's just not like that."

"Isn't that what they all try to make you believe?! That doesn't prove anything?"

"I spoke with Kagami, and she told me that they weren't dating." She felt her blood boil at Alix's words. "And she would never lie about something like that. She just wouldn't."

"Wait." Rose interjected. "You spoke with Kagami? What did she say?"

"Well, to be honest I don't believe that the two of them were ever actually dating." Marinette hesitated. "Kagami mentioned that she had asked him out, and that Adrien had rejected her, telling her he wasn't ready... or something like that. And that she was tired of waiting for him, so she wanted to move on."

Alya leaned forward, sensing there was more. "Aaaaaaand..., what else did she say?"

"That she was under the impression that Adrien was in love with someone else," Marinette admitted.

They all gasped in unison.

"Oh my God, she was talking about you!" Mylène squealed. "You're the secret girl he's in love with, and that's why he rejected Kagami." She sighed, a romantic look spreading across her face. " it all makes sense now."

"I'm not sure about that!" Marinette said quickly. "And neither are you."

"But. he. asked. you. out!" Rose protested. "It has to be you!"

"Who else could it be?" Juleka wondered.

Marinette shook her head slowly. "Guys, he didn't really ask me out. I just happened to be strolling around with Kagami and all of a sudden I stumbled across his photoshoot in the park." That was a lie, but she wasn't about to admit that Kagami had basically pushed her and Adrien together. "Adrien was exhausted and wet. I'm convinced that he was just looking for a friend and I happened to be there. I could hardly say no when he asked if I wanted to grab lunch." She paused. "And by the way, are you aware that his father makes him do photoshoots in the rain? With no cover?"

"He made him do what!?" Alya said indignantly. "That asshole!"'

"I feel sorry for Adrien. It was freezing cold yesterday too," Juleka said softly. "I hope he didn't get sick."

"Adrien's father is the worst," Alix muttered, and Mylène and Rose nodded in agreement.

"Right?" Marinette leaned back in her chair. "At first I thought it might be a date, but... there is really no proof that Adrien likes me. He's had dozens of chances to ask me out before and he never has. He didn't even refer to our lunch as a "date." It might have just been a friendly lunch."

Marinette blushed, biting into her macaroon. "There has to be someone else." Her heart clenched a bit as her friends exchanged looks.

Marinette offered them a genuine smile, a smile that showed the gratitude she held for her friends.

"What if it's Chloé or Lila," Alix rolled her eyes." God that would be awful."

"It could be anyone. And no one." Marinette said, shrugging, but she agreed with Alix on that one. " I got no clue."

There was a long pause where they all seemed to be lost in their own thoughts. Alya in particular had her face screwed up in concentration, an expression not unlike she usually wore in math class.

Occasionally they would steal a sideways glance at one another.

And in spite of her earlier dread, she felt a swell of affection for all of her friends. She had been so occupied with her new life, that she had forgotten to spend time with any of them over the past few weeks. She regretted that. It was refreshing to have a conversation with someone that didn't involve Hawkmoth.

"Did he mention something about wanting to hang out with you again? Because that could mean something." Mylène said at last.

"It's Adrien. He could just be saying that to be polite," Juleka pointed out.

"I agree,"

"There's just one tiny detail that doesn't make sense," Alya said slowly. They all turned to her.

"What is it?" Rose asked.

"It's you, Marinette,"

"Me?" She was trying to sound nonplussed, but her heart was racing.

"Yeah, you. You just don't seem to be excited about this. At. All. Two months ago, you would've been over the moon if Adrien had asked you out to lunch. It wouldn't have mattered if it was just between friends; you would've been freaking out over the mere idea that the two of you might get to spend some alone time together," Alya started. "But now, you're acting like it's nothing. In fact, if I didn't know better, I'd think that you didn't even want to go out with him."

"Hang on! That's not true at all. I am excited and I wanted to go," Marinette objected, but it was too late. Alix, Juleka, Rose and Mylène were exchanging looks.

"You know what, Alya's right. Something's up," Alix said. "Spill it. Don't you like Adrien anymore?"

"Wh-what?" Marinette squeaked. "No! That's-"

"Oh my god," Juleka said, her eyes growing large as saucers. "Have you fallen for someone else?"

"Who?!" Rose demanded.

"I-I haven't - there's - there's no one else!"

"I can tell when you're lying. I think there is someone else. Who is it? Luka?" Alya asked.

"That would be so romantic! If you and Luka got married, you and Juleka would be sisters-in-law!" Rose gushed, grabbing Juleka's arm. Squeezing it tight.

"It's not Luka!" Marinette said, both a little too loudly and a little too quickly. She should have bitten her tongue. 'Stupid. Stupid..' "Juleka, I - your brother is really amazing, all right? He's sweet and kind but he's just not the right type for me." She said apologetically.

"It's all right, Marinette, you don't have to apologize, you can't control your feelings," she paused. "Truthfully, I kind of wanted to ask you about that. But I never found the right moment to ask. He told me that you made it clear that you weren't interested in him romantically. He was disappointed, but thankful for you being honest with him."

"Of course, I don't want to lead people on..."

"So if it's not Luka, it has to be someone else,"

"You guys, there is no one else," Marinette repeated, attempting to sound stern. Yet even as she spoke, an image of mischievous green eyes, blond hair and black cat ears flashed through her mind, and she felt her face grow hot.

"You're blushing!".

"You can't fool us!"

"Marinette, come on, why won't you tell us?" Alix said impatiently. "It's all right if you don't like Adrien anymore. Especially if he's in love with someone else. But why won't you tell us? Maybe we can help you get together with this new guy."

"I don't -" Marinette sighed and hid her face in her hands for a moment. Marinette suddenly felt overwhelmed, annoyed and sad at the same time.

She knew that her friends were trying to help, and that if she told them to stop, they would. If she changed the subject into something else, then they would talk about something else. But for some odd reason, she felt she would come off as rude if she did it.

And yet, it wasn't like she could just tell them about Chat Noir. She couldn't spoil his identity. Or talk too much about him because that would mark her as a fan. Marinette honestly wasn't sure which would be worse.

It wasn't right to talk about it. Especially when Marinette wasn't even sure that what she felt towards her partner quantified as something worth telling. Yes her feelings towards him had changed, but she hadn't yet identified how. And also, he was Chat Noir.

"Marinette?" Rose said, sympathetically.

"I'm just not ready to talk about this yet," Marinette's gaze dropped down to her feet.. "I'm just so confused and I don't know what I feel anymore, but I do know that it doesn't feel right to do anything with anyone until I know for sure. Is that wrong?"

"Of course it's not wrong," Alya said immediately, scooting closer and wrapping her arm around Marinette's shoulders.

"Yeah, Marinette, it's not like you and Adrien are married," Alix said. "You don't have to spend the rest of your life tied down to him."

Juleka nodded. "Especially since it's been months and Adrien is still calling you a good friend."

"You deserve someone who truly loves you," Rose added.

"Whoever you choose, we'll be there to help you when you're ready," Mylène finished, smiling. "No rush."

Marinette tried to blink back the tears that rushed to her eyes, but they slid down her face anyway. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Aw, Mari." Alya hugged her tighter. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pressure you. I was just so excited when it seemed like you had big news to share."

More tears threatened to fall from Marinette's eyes … although that was more to do with the grip Alya had on her neck rather than the beauty of the unconditional love that exists between friends.

"It's all right," Marinette said, because honestly she wasn't even upset about that. This was the kind of support that she craved as Ladybug, and she knew that Chat craved it too. Somehow it always came down to the two of them against the world. But as much as she cared for Chat, that was also a very lonely position to be in. It just wasn't fair! She and Chat had finally succeeded in building a semi-reliable team only for Hawkmoth to expose their allies and leave her and Chat right back where they started. They deserved better than this.

"But guys, listen. Yesterday was wonderful, whether or not it was a date. Really." She paused, looking for the right words to say. "We discussed my art sketches and he actually came with some helpful advices. I feel like we are getting to know each other, and maybe he's regarding me as a close friend now."

"I'm glad to hear that you had a good time, sweety. That's all that matters." Alya whispered.

She snuggled into Alya's hug and shortly felt more arms wrapping around her as Juleka, Rose, Mylène and Alix joined in on the hug as best they could, considering that Marinette and Alya were still sitting at their table. The hug felt good. Really good. It was exactly what Marinette had needed the most and she hadn't even realized it. A small smile crossed her face even as she lifted a hand to wipe her tears away. Having friends was the best, and if she could just figure out how to re-translate that into the superhero side of things, Hawkmoth wouldn't have a chance.