Chapter 6: Midnight Feast

"One of us?"

A fervent murmur rose among the class. It was clear that whoever who committed the crime wanted to escape, and those who were innocent wanted to prove their innocence. "I'm afraid so. All of you are innocent until proven guilty. Investigations will continue. Have a good evening."

With that, the policeman left. The class was still in shock - they were just teenagers. How could one be sure that a teenager had committed a crime?

"Don't panic, guys," said Nathaniel wisely. "We'll get to the bottom of this, if it's the last thing we do. Max, you have Markov with you, don't you?"

"I sure do," said Max. He opened his bag and let out Markov, his little flying robot.

"At your service, Nathaniel," beeped Markov. "What do you need?"

"Scan the security systems in the hotel. Then, produce us a list of probable suspects. We'll need it by tomorrow night," instructed Nathaniel.

"Of course," chirped Markov. "That's settled then," said Nathaniel. "Well, to cool down, we can all watch a movie. Zoe, no horror stories tonight please."

"Agreed," said Zoe. "Perhaps that's enough exhilaration for a lifetime."

That night, while the others were asleep, Marinette decided to feed Tikki - she hadn't been able to eat since morning.

"Don't worry, Tikki," whispered Marinette, as she crawled out of the cupboard towards the mini-bar. "I'll get you something as soon as I can."

"There's no hurry, Marinette," said Tikki. "We don't want anyone to see you and find out about your secret identity."

"That is true," said Marinette, as she got to the mini-bar. "Now to open this sucker without waking anyone up."

Alya was asleep under the table, not far from the mini-bar. Marinette made to open it, when - "You're not the only one looking for a nightcap, are you?" came Adrien's voice. Marinette nearly jumped.

"Oh - uh - fancy seeing you here, Adrien," she said, a little sheepishly. "I - um - got a little peckish."

"Same here," said Adrien. "All this mystery is making me hungry. Need a hand getting this open?"

"Uh, sure thing," giggled Marinette, a blush coating her face. She couldn't believe she was talking to her crush. It must have been a dream!

Out came a bag of chocolate-chip cookies, a few madeleines and caneles, a chunk of Camembert, a bottle of Sprite, and some raisins: perfect material for a midnight feast. "Lovely," said Adrien. "Join me in the cupboard?"

"Sounds good," said Marinette. She looked down discreetly; Tikki, who was still in her pocket, winked at her.

"Inside we go, then." The two young people climbed inside the cupboard - it just about fit six-foot-three Adrien next to five-foot-four Marinette. They opened the box of cookies, and began to devour their stash.

"Have you had a midnight feast before?" Marinette asked Adrien.

"Nope, never had the chance - not with Father breathing down my neck," replied the model. Of course - Adrien's father was very strict. "What about you? Must have been easy, living in a bakery."

"Me? I did, once or twice. The third time, when I was about six or seven, I went down to raid the stockroom, when I got caught by mum and dad. They weren't so angry about the fact I was sneaking out of bed - more so that I was eating food that was supposed to be for the customers." Marinette chuckled. "It was about a month before I got to have dessert after dinner, ever again."

"Argh, that must have sucked," grinned Adrien.

"Not really," said Marinette. "They're pretty reasonable when it comes to punishments and stuff, so if I ever get mad at them, I'll remind myself that at least they've never spanked me."

"Well, that's alright then," said Adrien. There was a slight hint of sadness in his tone, and Marinette felt a little bad: she wasn't so sure if his father was very lenient with him. She was about to change the topic, when -

"Marinette, I don't mean to be a pig, but..." Adrien faltered. "Your hair looks very pretty."

Marinette examined her hair. It was down, running free from its regular twin ponytails, and very uneven, owing to the fact that she'd been sleeping in a cupboard. And Adrien, as in her crush Adrien, had complimented it.

"Why would I get mad at you?" she said. "After you gave me a compliment? I should only be mad at the wokes who misconstrue everything a man tells a woman. I'm honestly honoured - a model like you, giving me a compliment! Well, who woulda thought?"

Just then, there was a slight noise from Adrien's side.

"Sorry, Marinette - this Camembert gives me gas. I hope I didn't gross you out?"

"No, no - of course not," grinned Marinette. "I understand."

The two young people talked some more, until Adrien noted the time. "It's nearly midnight now," he said. "Why don't I let you sleep? We've a long day tomorrow, at the Fourviere Basilica."

"That's alright, Adrien," said Marinette. "And I enjoyed talking to you."

"You too. G'night, Marinette," said Adrien, and he made his way back to the bathtub. There, he opened his pocket and whispered to Plagg, who was inside.

"Thanks to your burping, I had to tell Marinette that I farted," he pouted. "Could you please keep your cheese addiction under control?"

"I'll worry about that later," drawled Plagg. "What matters is that Marinette's falling in love with you."

"Nah," said Adrien. "She's just a friend."

But even he wasn't so sure of that anymore.

Sorry readers - I've been emphasising quantity over quality over the past few chapters. I'll get better from here on. Till, then, stay tuned for Chapter 7. And reviews and constructive criticism are welcome!