This… Is not what he'd intended. Then again, he wasn't entirely sure what he'd intended when he'd caught up with Marinette in the hallway at the end of the day, but sitting in her bedroom with her, Alya and Nino, while their Kwami all chatted amiably nearby, was definitely not it.
He'd wanted to speak with Marinette alone . Wanted to reassure her that whatever had happened in that alternative timeline where he'd become Chat Blanc wouldn't… Couldn't happen here, because, well… So much had already changed.
Instead, he watched her quietly fidget on her chaise beside Alya, while the latter filled Nino in on what had happened. Apparently, not only was Alya Rena Rouge - and honestly, Adrien should have seen the similarities, but Nino was Carapace , and now the model was just slapping himself mentally.
How had he missed all the signs?
Granted, he'd been incredibly distracted, especially lately. Marinette had barely looked at him since they left Lycee together as a group, and his skin still burned with how close they'd come to-
"Earth to Adrien," Alya purred, a sly grin on her face that made him all-too-aware that she'd probably been trying to get his attention for some time now.
"Ah, sorry Alya," He brought a hand up to ruffle the hair at the base of his neck as the reporter cackled softly, and Nino simply rolled his eyes. "What were you saying?"
"I was asking what you two had been talking about before?" Alya repeated, her grin slipping from her face into a more serious expression. "You both seem really out of it today."
"Yeah, dude, can we help?" Nino sat up straighter, and even the Kwami stopped talking, Wayzz and Trix floating over to sit on their respective Chosen's shoulders. Adrien glanced over to Marinette, unsure of how to proceed. She looked back at him, the same uncertainty he felt reflected in her cerulean eyes. Silence stretched between them as they stared at one another, wordless conversation exchanging between the two as if they'd been communicating like this all their lives.
"Oh come on, " Plagg drawled suddenly from just behind Adrien's ear, making him jump a lot more sharply than any respectable Chat Noir should have. "You two going to make eyes at one another all day, or are you going to actually talk?"
"Plagg!" Adrien hissed, but the damage had been done. He saw Marinette go beet red out of the corner of his eye and sighed, knowing that when she was like this, words were almost impossible to coax out of her. The cat Kwami simply rolled his eyes and floated back over to where Tikki was, shrugging at her as if to say 'well, I tried.'
Adrien looked over at Marinette, and saw her peeking up at him. Beside her, Alya just rolled her eyes and began scrolling through her phone, far too used to this silence to be impatient. Nino stood up, murmuring something about making Wayzz some tea, and clambered his way downstairs toward the kitchen.
"It's up to you, Marinette," Adrien said after a moment, keeping his gaze on her. He didn't know if it helped, per-se, but at least to him, she was the only one that mattered right now. "Enough has changed already I… I don't think telling them would be a problem."
"But…" She whimpered, clearly still terrified of consequences that seemed to haunt her. Oh, yes, he and Bunnyx were going to have a long conversation next time they spoke. It was one thing to drag him down in front of his Lady, but another thing entirely to place such ghosts behind her eyes.
Adrien moved almost on instinct and gently tugged Marinette down into his lap. She squeaked and protested softly, but her protests died on her lips when her back rested against his chest, and his chin rested on her head. This was a position he'd held her in as Chat countless times before, and he knew she remembered. This position was comfort for them both, and after a long, nerve-wracking minute, she curled into him, shuddering out a breath that sent gooseflesh coursing across his skin in waves.
Nearby, Adrien heard the sound of a camera shutter and opened one eye to see Alya grinning to herself as she peered at her phone. When she saw Adrien looking, she turned the phone around so he could see the picture. It was cute, the photo she took. Adrien's cheeks stained red and he hid his face in Marinette's hair, which only caused Alya to cackle and Marinette to squeak again in embarrassment.
She smelled good.
Focus, Adrien.
Eventually, he pulled away, albeit a little too reluctantly. Marinette looked up at him with wide eyes, and he smiled.
"Feel a bit better?" He asked softly, brushing her bangs from her face. Wordlessly, Marinette nodded, and did he imagine it, or did she lean into his hand…?
Focus, Adrien.
"Should I give you two a moment, or…?" Alya's voice cut in, and the moment between the two popped like a soap bubble. Marinette jerked away a little too sharply, and Adrien had to catch her lest she hit her head on the side of the chaise.
Which, of course, resulted in him pitching forward too, just in time for Nino to climb back up the ladder to Marinette's room.
"...Babe I left you alone with them for five minutes," he lamented, and it was only then that Adrien realized Alya was cackling again.
Oh, camembert , they'd never hear the end of it now.