Chapter 8: Impressing the ex

"Dude? You're worse than yesterday." Nino was literally prodding Adrien in the side. "Mr. Belrose asked you a question."

Adrien snapped into focus. Finding his teacher standing right in front of him, Adrien stared, lost for words.

"Sorry?"

He tried his famous get-out-of-jail-free smile.

"Adrien. Please pay attention in class." Mr. Belrose's expression softened. "This is not like you. Should I be worried? Are you feeling well?"

"I...I'm ok, thank you, sir. I'm just slightly tired. Late work last night." He was vague on what work exactly to lessen the lie.

"I should phone this father of yours, giving you late work on a school night."

"Oh, please don't," Adrien quickly backpedaled. "It wasn't too late. I must have not slept too well. I will be fine, I promise."

Mr. Belrose looked at him askance. With the whole class looking at him, Adrien wasn't sure how long he could hold that smile, though it felt like his life depended on it.

Adrien's lips almost cracked by the time Mr. Belrose moved away to continue his lesson. Adrien kept his sigh of relief as soft, although loud enough to merit a jab from Nino.

Nino pointed at him, then at himself then flapped his fingers open and close. It took a confused minute before Adrien understood and dread the end of the lesson.

They were not two steps out the door before Nino rounded on him.

"Ok, Spill. This has gone on long enough."

Adrien stared at Nino, his mouth opening and closing a few times, with no sound escaping. He really wanted to share. He needed advice on how to deal with Ladybug's cracking resolve. How to live with his beloved partner changing the dynamics of their relationship. Plagg, his only confidante, was going into depression and hardly talking. Everything was falling apart, and he did not know how to stop it. He needed Nino to help him.

He looked down and said softly, no louder than a whisper, "I'm sorry. I wish I could, but I can't tell you."

"What do you mean, you can't tell me?" Nino's voice was way too loud for Adrien's comfort.

"Please, keep your voice down." Adrien pleaded.

Catching himself embarrassing his friend, Nino instantly calmed down. They were silent as they headed to the locker room.

"I'm really worried, man. You haven't been yourself lately, distracted. The last two days have been beyond anything I'm used to. And I'm used to a lot of strange behaviors from you."

Adrien's guilt was overwhelming. His best friend, always trying so hard for him. Giving him space and believing his sometimes unbelievable excuses, knowing there was something going on but not prying into it. Now he was worried about him, only to be pushed away. These secrets are too much.

"I'm so sorry. I want to. I really do. But I can't. Not right now. Maybe, hopefully, one day soon. And … And… I'm sorry."

"Hey, Dude." Nino put his arms out, holding onto both of Adrien's shoulders, giving him a dynamite of a smile. "Don't get emotional with me here. You have an image to maintain. We're good, ok? I say we're good."

Adrien smiled back, forced, but honestly appreciative of his friend.

A short blond pounced on Nino, interrupting their moment. Initially startled, Nino relaxed as Cheriss settled into his embrace.

"I missed you all day," she pouted, looking up at him with puppy eyes.

"I am right here for you, hun. Available for the rest of the day." Nino smiled, giving her a peck on the tip of her nose.

"Well, actually," Cheriss started, sounding rather nervous. "I have some unfinished work I need to complete at home, so, well, I thought, perhaps, Adrien could go over to your place and you can show him that track you were playing for me a few days ago."

Nino's shock was so blatant that Cheriss giggled.

"You mean," Nino was trying to find words, "you're not coming?"

"No," Cheriss smiled. "Go spend some quality time with your friend."

Nino just stood there stumped as Cheriss gave him a squeeze and walked away, stopping a few meters away. She turned around, somewhat hesitantly.

"Call me later, ok?" she requested, with a small tremble in her voice.

"You can bet on it," Nino announced with full confidence.

Nino gawked at his girlfriend as she walked out the room. Turning, he found Adrien sporting a smirk.

"Dude."

"Yes?"

"Dude!"

"Yes."

"Dude! You are coming to my place right now, and I am not taking a no for an answer. I don't care if you have a meeting with the Pope. You are canceling everything. This is like… Man. Did you hear that?"

"I did. Where did that come from?" Adrien looked back to where Cheriss disappeared.

"Marinette!" Nino exlaimed.

"What?"

"She did this. She must have. She said she would speak to Cheriss. It has to be her. It definitely feels like her kind of magic."

"Nino, slow down. I'm kind of lost here. What does Marinette have to do with Cheriss?"

"I saw her. When was that? Yesterday, I think. We got to talking and she sort of got out of me that Cheriss was, well, you know, behaving like Cheriss." He shrugged. "She asked if she can speak to her. I guess she did. And it worked. She's amazing."

"Yes, she is. She always was," Adrien said absently, processing this new information.

They haven't been close for a while. When Nino and Alya broke up, the whole group dynamics broke apart. Adrien liked Alya, but he mostly mourned the loss of Marinette. Her leaving with Alya when things fell apart left a hole in his life. Outside the mask, she was his closest friend, after Nino. They always had a strange friendship. She would be this vibrant, exciting, and delightful person when they were all together. But she would always become all closed and flustered with him. He could never figure her out. He spent a few times with her as Chat Noir and found her incredible. She was so smart and quirky; she reminded him a lot of Ladybug. He even admitted to himself long ago that he had a bit of a crush for her, although it couldn't compete with his love for Ladybug, so he never pursued it.

And here she was again, out of the ashes, going out her way to help Nino, even though they are no longer close. Not only that, she helped him with Cheriss. Nino's girlfriend. Even when Alya was Marinette's best friend.

"She really is amazing," he murmured.

Nino was now looking closely at Adrien, a small smile playing on his lips.

"What?"

"Come, let's find her. I really want to thank her."

Something about Nino's smile bothered him.

They waited at the entrance to the school, knowing the girls usually take forever to get ready to leave. They did not have to wait too long before they spotted them making their way to the door, busy in some heated discussion. The conversation abruptly came to a halt when Alya spotted the pair standing at the door, looking directly at them. Confused at Alya's frozen expression, Marinette looked up in their direction. She smiled as she spotted Nino grinning right back at her. Her eyes continued on their way, meeting Adrien's. He kept his eyes on her, attempting the most disarming smile he could summon. Her reaction was as it has always been, her eyes widening in panic. Why? he couldn't fathom. He was, nevertheless, elated that she did not look away, rather kept looking at him, even if she looked like she's been caught by police searchlight.

Since both girls seem to have crushed into a glass wall, Nino rushed forward to Marinette, trailed closely by Adrien.

"Marinette," Nino grabbed her hands, forcing her to jerk her head and focus on him. "It was you, right? You spoke to Cheriss?"

"What? Oh, yes, I did."

"How did you do it? You are brilliant. I have the rest of the afternoon all to myself to spend with Adrien."

"Wow, really?" A sparkling smile blossomed on her face, Adrien wishing she directed it at him. "That was quick. I only spoke to her this morning. She must have taken it to heart. I wasn't sure how she would react to my butting into her love life."

"I owe you one. And…" He suddenly gave a look to Alya, which could only be described as sly, "I know how to pay you back. You were saying you were going to fail Physics. Well, my main-man over here," he sent his arm back and pulled Adrien right up next to him, "is practically a Physics teacher. My grades have skyrocketed when he started tutoring me. He could take Mr. Belrose's job and we will all be better for it."

Marinette looked at Adrien, who was just as confused as her, to Nino, who had a grin splitting his face, and around to Alya, which was looking at Nino in wonderment.

"Nino, I'm not following."

"What do you mean? It's obvious. Adrien here is going to be tutoring you in physics. His mine today, but you can have him tomorrow. You will ace class in no time."

"Nino!" Adrien tried to get control of the situation. "I'm not a bartering chip you can just pass around."

"Ya right, like you going to say no?" Nino shook his head, bringing both hands up, palm facing skywards.

"Obviously I'll do it, but it would have been nice to have some semblance of freedom."

Adrien smiled. Tutoring Marinette sounded like a good idea. He hasn't spent time with her in years. He was looking forward to...his eyes met Marinette's and he lost his train of thought. If he thought her earlier expression panicked, now she was running for the hills.

Was the thought of spending time with him so frightening? In the past she would behave scared to be anywhere near him and then turn around and do the most amazing things for him. She was an enigma. He learned not to let those looks discourage him and pretended they never happen. But he was out of practice.

"I won't if you don't want me to," he blurted.

He was wrong in evaluating her level of panic. Compared to her new expression, she was previously all calm and collected. He should give up trying to decipher her facial expressions.

"I do want you. I mean, I'm a tutor for you. I want to tutor you. A tutor wants you. Arg!" She gave the cutest growls and dropped her face. After a few seconds, she looked up with a shining smile which glowed almost as much as her bluebell eyes. "Adrien, I would love for you to tutor me in physics."

Adrien's heart skipped a beat. Then a few more. It might have stopped beating altogether. He wondered if anyone knew CPR. He could definitely get used to that facial expression.

Lost in each other's eyes, they completely missed Alya and Nino's fist bump and her whispering to Nino, "I am so impressed. That was brilliant."

"I thought you would be proud." Alya did not miss Nino's own warm smile, which confused her to the core.

"So," Nino elongated the 'o' until he was almost out of breath. "Adrien, you going to go back with Marinette after school tomorrow. You don't have any other plans, right? Well, make sure you don't." The trance broke, leaving four very red cheeks as they looked anywhere but at each other.

"Thank you again, Mari. We're heading home. Come, Adrien. You really must see this equipment I got."

Adrien let himself be dragged by Nino, looking back just before going through the door. Just long enough to see Marinette still standing there, face bright red as the setting sun, both hands covering her mouth and her eyes so wide her pupils are lost in a sea of white. He gave her a smile before being pulled out the door. He was a zombie being led off to some unknown destination, letting Nino talk the whole way, offering no input to the conversation. His mind was blank. A single word holding all his attention.

"What?"

A/N Next chapter: "Lactose Intolerance "