Coming up, Marinette and Adrien start dating and they fall deeper in love with each other. But the road to love never runs smooth, does it? Something goes awry! What's gonna happen?!
Can't Take My Eyes Off You - Fankie Valli
The next morning, Marinette was walking to school, feeling a lot better. Now that she and Adrien made up (and made out), she was looking forward to seeing him.
'I wonder what he has planned for our date?' Marinette thought. 'Maybe a movie date and a nice dinner at a restaurant?'
She heard the sound of a car stop, and she turned around to see Adrien had arrived. He got out of the car, and he immediately ran up to Marinette and gave her a big, happy hug, lifting her in the air.
"Morning, Princess!" Adrien said to her, the happiest he'd sounded in ages.
"Morning, Adrien." Marinette said, returning his smile.
"Shall I escort you to our class, mademoiselle?" He asked as he put her down and held her hand.
"Yes, you shall." Marinette responded with a sly, loving look. Adrien took his hand away from hers before wrapping her arms around his own and bringing her up the stairs to the school.
Alya and Nino, who were talking about how to help Marinette and Adrien talk...
"Hey Alya!" Nino said, nudging his girlfriend. Alya looked where Nino was pointing, and her eyes went wide in shock for a second before smiling.
"Morning Alya! Nino!" Marinette said as she greeted her best friend and her boyfriend before walking past them.
"...Okay, looks like we didn't have to do a thing." Alya laughed, pleasantly surprised by the scene.
Everyone was gawking at the pair, but Adrien ignored them. Marinette, for her part, was looking at everyone else and seeing that they weren't too confident about the two of them. She also had to notice that Adrien's hood was still up.
"Still wearing your hood up?" Marinette asked in a whisper.
"Yeah. I know it sucks, but I'm not quite comfortable letting my guard and hood down outside my home... At least, not yet." Adrien admitted.
"So, only when it's the two of us... Alone?" Marinette asked, her face red. She remembered what happened in Adrien's room quite clearly.
Adrien gave a nod as he opened the door to the classroom. The few students that were there (Max, Markov, Kim, etc.) were looking at the scene like they'd seen ghosts. Adrien brought Marinette to their shared bench and sat down. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and brought her closer. She leaned her head against his shoulder.
"Girl!" Alya said as she and Nino burst in. They looked really happy. "You finally made up?! Took you long enough!"
"I..." Marinette began, blushing. "Yeah, we made up."
"More than that, actually," Adrien said as he used his free hand to hold Marinette's. He lifted their joined hands up for their friends to see. "Alya, Nino... I've finally asked ma belle Marinette out, and she said yes! We're gonna have our first date!"
The room was silent for a few seconds as Adrien kissed Marinette's hand.
Marinette had to cover her ears as Alya gave a very loud, whooping squeal/scream/cheer. Markov's screen went into static mode at the volume while Max winced.
"About time, dude!" Nino said as he and Adrien did their handshake.
With Nino and Alya going back to their seats, Adrien turned his face back to Marinette.
"So... Got any plans?" Marinette asked.
"I've already worked it out," Adrien said. "I just need you to trust me."
Marinette gave a nod before saying, "I will."
Adrien gave her a smile before placing another kiss on her hand, causing her to blush. He hugged her by the shoulder as they settled into their seats for the day.
As the rest of the class came in, the newly-established couple ignored the smiles, stares, and questioning looks at them, instead choosing to stay in their own little world.
When the bell rang for lunch...
"Sorry, Princess, I wish I could eat with you, but..." Adrien said sadly as he started to walk to the school entrance. "My father."
"I understand," Marinette said. "By the way, I brought you something to make up for your birthday..."
Marinette presented him another package of passion fruit macarons.
Adrien laughed as he took the cookies into his hand before saying, "These will be the sweetest after-lunch treat ever, Marinette."
He gave Marinette another kiss on her cheek before running down the stairs to get to the car. Marinette giggled before twirling on the balls of her feet and walking towards the cafeteria.
As she sat down with the girls, she started eating, a dreamy look on her face, her fist holding up her cheek, etc. She absently ate her food as she kept thinking about her new beau.
"Hey Marinette, is there anything you wanna tell us?" Zoé asked.
Marinette looked up and saw all her friends giving her knowing looks. While Alya knew what was going on, none of the others did, or at least they had an idea of it.
"Really? You want me to say it?" Marinette asked. "I thought it was obvious..."
"Oh, it was, but you're right: we just wanna hear you say it." Alix said.
Marinette scanned the expressions of her group. Marinette saw they were all mischievous, knowing, and/or both.
Marinette gave a shrug before saying, "Yes... Adrien saved me."
"Really?! He saved you?!" Alya questioned, pouncing on the story like the reporter she was.
"Yeah. I got jumped by some drunkards, and Adrien happened to find and get me out of there before things went too far," Marinette giggled. "He took care of me, treated my wounds, and then..."
Marinette blushed harder when she remembered his love confession and their kiss. Her face went from pink to red.
"Ooh, looks like more than a daring rescue happened." Alya giggled.
"Um, yes... I... I spent the night at his mansion - in separate rooms, and then he brought me back home." Marinette explained.
Marinette took a deep breath, trying to calm down as the others clamored in delight.
"So, your knight in shinning hoodie came to your rescue, brought you his castle for the evening, and then you spent the night?" Alya asked in a teasing tone.
"Yes, but again, in separate rooms!" Marinette insisted, red in the face. "We... We talked about what happened, too."
"Speaking of which, what did happen between you two last week, anyway?" Myléne questioned.
"Um, nothing important!" Marinette said, anxious. "It's over now, and it seems so small when you think about it."
The others shrugged before Alix asked, "Well, what happened after you two made nice and he brought you home?"
"After breakfast... He asked me out and I said yes." Marinette said, saying the last part a little faster.
"Really?!" "That's great!" "You make up and make a date?!" "Awesome!" "What are you going to do?!"
Marinette giggled, her face pink as she took in the delighted looks of her friends.
"I really don't know what Adrien has planned, but I'm looking forward to it," Marinette said as she sighed and ate some more of her lunch. "But knowing him, we won't be out in public, or at least we'll be out in public with his hood up."
"What?" "He's still keeping his hood up?" "Why?" "You'd think after all this time, he'd let it down."
"He has his reasons, girls," Marinette said. "And I promised not to tell anyone, so... I need to honor that."
The girls backed off at this as they continued eating. Marinette got a text alert on her phone and she saw that Adrien had sent her a romantic message. She blushed and giggled as she responded with a blushing face emoji while saying, "Flatterer."
Alya gave Marinette a sly look as she watched her best friend texting.
Once school ended for the day, Marinette was packing up her bag and preparing to head home. As she got up from her seat, she felt someone take her hand. She turned around and smiled as she saw Adrien kiss her hand before rubbing his cheek against it. She laughed at the affection as Adrien got up from the desk.
The new couple left the school building, and once they got down the stairs (where the car was waiting for the blonde), Adrien said to her, "I'll let you know the details once I settle on a day."
"I can't wait for it." Marinette said to him.
Adrien kissed her cheek before getting into the car. As the car drove away, Adrien blew a kiss to her, causing her to blush. She giggled in response, feeling her heart lighten up and her mood brighten. She made a run to get home.
About a week passed, and Marinette got a message from Adrien. She was told to dress casually, since they were going to be doing a lot of walking, but Adrien wasn't elaborating on any of the other details other than the fact that it was going to be that Saturday.
So, Marinette dressed in her usual clothes, but she put on a touch of rose perfume and makeup. She looked in her mirror and wondered if she wasn't underdressed. She kept examining herself when she heard a knock on her bedroom door.
"Marinette! Adrien's here!" Tom said from below.
Marinette stiffened up before taking a deep breath. She opened the door and went downstairs, and there Adrien was. He still had his hoodie on and his hood up, but the rest of his clothes were more date-appropriate.
"Hi, Marinette," Adrien greeted as she approached. "You look beautiful."
"I always dress like this, you silly kitty." Marinette laughed, as did Adrien.
"You two have fun today," Tom said. "Just... Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"We won't, dad," Marinette giggled. "We won't."
"I purromise we won't." Adrien joked, and Marinette stifled a groan.
As Adrien escorted Marinette out of the house, slow jazz music started playing in the background while he brought her to the car.
Their first stop was the Musee de La Vie Romantique in the Montmartre neighborhood. As they were walking around the building, Marinette was looking at all the pictures and articles of clothing from the time period.
She also loved the interior design that was preserved for the museum. Her eyes were wide with wonder and joy as she looked at all of the exhibits.
"Wow! Check out this glove! The women must have worn these because it was fashionable, and the social constructs of the world demanded it, I guess..." Marinette said as she pointed out the elbow-length gloves that were in a case.
Adrien was behind her, and while the shadows of his hood did a good job hiding it, one could tell he was staring at his date with nothing short of endeared love.
Marinette was dancing around the room, looking at everything with a designer's eye. She was already rambling about ideas for modernizing the time period's fashion in a future design.
Adrien, for his part, couldn't help but keep his eyes on Marinette, his face pink with affection, and being shy.
"You're just too good to be true. Can't take my eyes off of you."
They had lunch at the café that was attached to the museum. While they were talking and eating, Marinette didn't notice that some of the other couples in the café were holding hands, or cuddling with each other.
She also wasn't aware that Adrien was looking at her with his face propped up in his hand. Unbeknownst to her, Adrien hoping that he'd be able to hold her and kiss her the way he did the night he saved her. In his mind, he was already doing it, holding Marinette in his arms and kissing her with all of the love for her he had.
"You'd be like Heaven to touch. I wanna hold you so much. At long last, love has arrived. And I thank God I'm alive. You're just too good to be true. Can't take my eyes off of you."
Their next stop was Bois de Vincennes park to go to one of the three Temples of Love. They were walking on the bridge that led to that building, hand-in-hand. Marinette was more focused on the scenery, though.
"This place is beautiful! So natural." Marinette gasped, her mind racing with ideas for future designs.
Adrien himself was staring at Marinette, smitten over her.
Marinette noticed, and she asked, "Is something wrong, Adrien? You're staring at me."
"Oh, nothing..." Adrien said, shrugging and his face not changing. In fact, nothing other than Marinette seemed to register with him anymore.
"Pardon the way that I stare. There's nothin' else to compare. The sight of you leaves me weak. There are no words left to speak."
He slowly caught up to her, and he took her arm into his own. When he thought of that night at his mansion, he realized that while he poured his heart out to her, she didn't exactly tell him how she felt.
"But if you feel like I feel, please let me know that it's real. You're just too good to be true. Can't take my eyes off of you."
When they made it to the temple, Marinette gasped in awe as she looked out at the view.
"WOW!" Marinette said as he caught up to her. "I love this view! Isn't it great?!"
"It is." Adrien agreed, and he hugged her by her waist and pulled her closer.
Marinette giggled as she leaned back into his chest. He brought her back to an area in the part where one could rent rowboats. He rented one out for the two of them, he brought her in the boat, and he started rowing.
Marinette looked at Adrien, shyness on her face. Adrien responded in kind, while rowing. He also noticed that the sun was beginning to set.
Marinette saw a few flower bushes nearby, and she said, "Those flowers are so beautiful, aren't they?"
Adrien rowed the boat over there, and he plucked a few from the bush before handing them over to her. She laughed, thanked him, and took them into her hands.
"I love you, baby! And if it's quite alright, I need you baby, to warm the lonely night! I love you, baby! Trust in me when I say!"
Adrien rowed the boat around the lake a few times before bringing them back to the dock.
"What's the matter?" Marinette asked.
"Oh, nothing. I have another stop for us. We shouldn't waste any time. Come on!" Adrien said as he got off the boat, and used his hand to help Marinette get up and onto the dock.
"Oh pretty baby, don't bring me down, I pray! Oh, pretty baby, now that I've found you, stay! And let me love you, baby, let me love you."
Their final stop was a cruise on the Seine. By the time they'd made it, the sun had already set and they were on the boat for the tour. Marinette was standing at the railing of the ship, and she was looking out to the starry sky of the city. She was giggling in delight at the scene.
Adrien was still sitting down for whatever reason. However, he came behind Marinette and hugged her by the waist. She didn't protest. Instead, she giggled before leaning in closer to him. She didn't care whether or not Adrien was looking at her. She felt comfortable at that moment.
"You're just too good to be true. Can't take my eyes off of you. You'd be like Heaven to touch. I wanna hold you so much."
She felt a kiss on her cheek, and in response, her heart melted.
"At long last, love has arrived. And I thank God I'm alive. You're just too good to be true. Can't take my eyes off of you."
Adrien brought Marinette away from the railing, and he brought her to sit down with him. He pulled her onto his lap and put her hands around his neck before pulling her closer by the waist.
"I love you, baby! And if it's quite alright, I need you baby, to warm the lonely night! I love you, baby! Trust in me when I say - Oh pretty baby, don't bring me down, I pray! Oh, pretty baby, now that I've found you, stay! Oh, pretty baby, trust in me when I say..."
The rest of the evening went by happily. The two of them never left the other's side. When Adrien brought Marinette home that night, Adrien didn't hesitate to give Marinette a kiss on her cheek, which she received without complaint.
"Bonne nuit." Marinette said to him.
"Bonne nuit." He responded, kissing the back of her hand again.
He went back to the car, leaving Marinette feeling happy, hot and heavy. She laughed as she danced back inside for the evening.
The following day (including a good night's sleep), Marinette was hard at work in her room, rushing around, getting more of the suits ready for Halloween. She had the ones she finished wrapped in color-coded parcels (for example, orange and green for Alya and Nino, respectively), meanwhile the works-in-progress were on hangers on the mannequins.
"Now, to finish up Rose's..." Marinette began as she started putting the skirt on Rose's suit.
After sewing it on, she gently took it off the mannequin, folded it up, put the accompanying mask on top, and wrapped it in pink paper before setting it aside with the other finished pieces (Alya, Nino, Kagami, Zoé, and Juleka's suits were also done).
"Okay, so that's five done..." Marinette murmured as she went over her checklist of suits for her friends. "Next, Myléne, Alix, Max, Kim, Luka..."
Marinette had organized her friends by certain animals and color schemes for their suits. A crimson/black dragon for Kagami, a grey mouse for Myléne, etc.
Her phone started ringing, and Marinette saw it was a phone call from Alya. Marinette picked up and said, "Hi, Alya! Perfect timing! Your suit is done! Want me to get it to you now? I can bring Nino's, too."
"Not now, girl," Alya laughed. "I NEED to hear the details about your date with Adrien last night!"
"Alya," Marinette said in an almost scolding tone, her face turning pink and her heart pounding. "Do I have to tell you everything?"
"Yeah, girl," Alya responded. "As your BFF, I have the right to be privy to any details about you and Adrien."
"Fine," Marinette laughed. "Video chat?"
"Video chat." Alya agreed.
Marinette switched the phone call to video before indulging Alya's curiosity.
"...So, a romantic walk around the Musee de La Vie Romantique followed by a trip to the Bois de Vincennes park's Temple of Love?" Alya summarized. "Sounds pretty romantic."
"Oh, it was," Marinette said with a pink face and a sweet sigh. "He also brought me on a evening cruise along the Seine. The sky was clear and the stars were out!"
"Sounds like that tomcat has a cute n' cuddly kitten side to him. I guess it only comes out when he's with you." Alya laughed.
"You think?" Marinette asked.
"Definitely," Alya responded. "I mean, yeah, he still wears his hood up all the time and he still has his moments of surliness, but he's definitely not like when he first arrived. I think it's because of you."
Marinette's eyes fell when she thought over Alya's words, which weren't wrong. When Adrien first came, he was like a porcupine: unapproachable, always getting people to leave him alone, and the minute she started being nice to him in both small (giving him macarons) and big ways (not talking about his mother's passing or his scars), he loosened up. He got kinder. He protected her from Chloé, made efforts to spend time with her, and he saved her from getting jumped.
"You... might be on to something." Marinette said, blushing.
"Girl, I know I'm on to something," Alya said. "I think the two of you are official an item. You're meant for each other."
Marinette smiled in response, telling Alya, "I guess you're right. Anyway, about your suit..."
After changing the subject, the girls went back to talking about fashion.
The following school day, Marinette came into the classroom and dropped off the completed suits to Nino, Alya, Juleka, and Rose before going to her seat.
"Okay, I'll get Zoé's suit to her during break time, and then..." Marinette began as she started working on a schedule for the suits.
"What are you working on?" A familiar voice said and Marinette looked up to see Adrien had arrived.
"Oh, Adrien!" Marinette said as he slid in next to her. "Don't mind me, just some Halloween suits for my friends."
"I nearly forgot that Halloween's coming up," Adrien pointed out as he looked over her sketchbook. "These suits look great."
"Thanks. I've already finished five of them. I still have Myléne, Max, Luka, Alix, Kim, and Kagami's suits to get done." Marinette pointed out.
Adrien looked through the book and he pointed out, "I don't see one for you."
Marinette paused when she heard this, and she said, "Um... Why would I design one for myself?"
"I think you'd look beautiful in red and black... Like that ladybug-themed dress you're making for the contest?" Adrien elaborated.
"Oh, I nearly forgot about that!" Marinette exclaimed.
Adrien chuckled before propping his face on his hand again, saying, "I imagine you as a strong, confident ladybug..."
Marinette gave him a sly smile before saying, "What about you? What kind of suit do you see yourself wearing?"
Adrien paused and his eyes darted around in confusion, thinking.
"Adrien?" Marinette asked.
Looking up at her, Adrien sighed before saying, "I haven't really thought about it. Halloween... Well, it's the first Halloween since..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but Marinette nodded in understanding. Adrien took her hand into his own before squeezing it.
"Hey, lovebirds!" A familiar voice said. The pair of them looked up to see Alix looking at them.
"Oh, Alix. Don't worry, your suit's a work in progress." Marinette reassured.
"Good to hear, but I just wanted to remind you about tonight." Alix said.
"Tonight?" Adrien asked. "What's going on tonight?"
"Nothing much, just our usual group hangout on the Liberty." Alix stated.
"Thanks for the reminder, Alix." Marinette thanked as Alix walked back to her seat.
"What's the Liberty?" Adrien questioned again.
"The Couffaines' houseboat," Marinette elaborated. "Their mom doesn't have any rules, so we're allowed to hang out there whenever we want."
Adrien got a petulant look on his face, muttering, "Lucky them..."
Marinette looked over her boyfriend before asking, "...You free tonight?"
Adrien looked at his phone schedule and said, "...Nothing I need to worry about tonight. Why?"
"Wanna join us on the barge?" Marinette asked.
"What?" Adrien questioned. He lowered his voice and his head to see eye-to-eye with Marinette. "Marinette, I'm a bit worried... What if people insist I put my hood down?"
"I'll tell them that you keep your hood up for a reason, without explaining why." Marinette promised.
"...Promise me they'll promise not to try anything?" Adrien asked.
"Promise." Marinette reassured, nodding.
Adrien once again squeezed her hand, a little harder than last time.
'I wonder... Why does he hold my hand like that?' Marinette thought, while smiling at her scarred, handsome boyfriend.
That afternoon on the barge, the sun was beginning to set. The band was playing the music, there were snacks and drinks around, and most of the group was there. Alya and Nino were sitting next to each other, Myléne was cuddling up to Ivan, Rose was singing, Juleka was playing on the bass, and all of the others were talking, dancing, etc.
Marinette was standing around, looking a bit despondent.
"Everything okay, Marinette?" Luka asked as he came over.
"Oh, everything's fine, but..." Marinette began as she looked out to the banks. "He should be here..."
"Adrien still hasn't shown up?" Nino asked.
Marinette nodded and said, "Yeah... Maybe he had another obligation pop up at the last minute."
"Sounds about right." Nino agreed.
"Don't be so sure - check it out!" Alya said, pointing out a luxury car that was coming towards the bank.
"He's here!" Marinette squealed as the car stopped, Adrien got out, and he shut the door.
"Hey Adrien!" "Great to see you!" "Glad you could make it."
Adrien stepped onto the boat, and he went straight to Marinette. He gave her a hug before saying, "Sorry I'm late."
"Your father again?" Marinette questioned.
"Yeah," Adrien whispered. "He wanted me to review my Chinese another few times before I came."
"But the saying goes, "better late than never", so shall we?" Marinette asked as she held his hand and brought him closer to the center of the deck.
Nino, noticing the vibe between them, gestured to the band and mouthed out, "Slow song. NOW!"
Getting the cue, the entire band started playing a slow, romantic ballad. Nino got onto the dance floor with Alya. The latter pushed Marinette into Adrien's arms before she started doing a slow dance with her boyfriend. Adrien helped Marinette stand. He put his arms around her, with one hand on her hip and the other on the small of her back. Marinette blushed at the sensation, before looking back up at him.
Adrien started moving to the music with Marinette. Marinette didn't protest, instead going along with it, smiling and resting her head against his chest.
On the sidelines, some of the others were watching them dance. Kim brightened when an idea popped up, and he whispered something into Alix's ear. Her eyes widened in fear and anger.
"Kim, don't!" Alix warned in a threatening tone.
"Come on, it'll be easy, with him all goo-goo-eyed over her, he won't see it coming." Kim said as he stood up and started sneaking over to the dancing couple.
Marinette felt very safe and secure in Adrien's arms. The same sense of safety she felt when he rescued her. They continued dancing, moving around the deck with ease.
"You know, Princess..." Adrien began, with a tenderness in his voice she'd only heard a few times.
"Yes?" Marinette asked, looking up at him.
Even though the shadows of the hood hid them, Marinette could see Adrien's face in full, including the scars. She'd never seen a man more handsome in her life.
"I... I can't explain it, but ever since we met, I... I've been slowly beginning to feel like my old self again." Adrien confessed as they kept dancing. He gave her the most loving look she'd ever seen on him.
"Really?" Marinette asked.
"Yeah," Adrien said. "You... There's just something about you that I can't explain. Remember when we first met? When we talked about what separates monster from man?"
"Yeah." Marinette confirmed with a nod.
They didn't know that Kim was sneaking up behind Adrien...
"You reminded me that I still have those humanizing traits... That I'm not the beast that my so-called "family" has made me out to be." Adrien told her in a loving whisper.
Marinette returned his smile, about to cry tears of joy.
Kim was tiptoeing up to them, and he slowly reached out to the back of Adrien's hood...
Adrien put a hand to Marinette's cheek and rubbed it with his thumb. He slowly leaned in, his lips pursing. Marinette followed suit, her eyes beginning to close, but she saw Kim, a mischievous look on his face as he made to grab for Adrien's hoodie jacket.
She gasped, pulled away in a panic, and said, "Adrien, watch out!"
"What's-" Adrien began.
Kim snagged the back of the hood and it was yanked off the blonde's body. Adrien screamed in fright, pushing Marinette away. The music stopped at that outburst, and everyone looked at the scene.
Everyone gasped in shock and they all looked at Adrien in fright. Most of Adrien's scars were on full display for everyone, and they rendered his peers (barring Marinette) speechless. In his mind, Adrien started feeling a sense of darkness closing in, all the pitying, judgmental looks upon his face, the whispers of the gossip that was upon everyone's lips, and the words of shame and embarrassment that his father would throw at him echoed in his mind like a song on repeat. He felt tears pricking at his eyes, his heart was accelerating, and he felt the breath leave his lungs.
"See, Alix?" Kim said, waving the hoodie around like a flag. "I told you I could pull Adrien's hood down without him noticing!"
Adrien began to hiss like an angry cat. Marinette saw his eyes flash with the same feral, enraged look in his eyes she'd seen before when he'd come to rescue her. He rounded on Kim, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt with both hands and pushing him onto the railing of the boat. Kim dropped the hoodie in response.
Kim looked at Adrien, fearful. Adrien's eyes were crazed with anger and he was still hissing, his lips trembling in rage. Everyone gasped in fear and started acting a bit more cautious. Juleka and Rose were hugging, Myléne was folded into Ivan's arms, Alya and Nino were cuddling closer, etc. The only person who didn't seem too scared was Marinette.
"H-Hey, what's-" Kim began as he tried to placate Adrien.
"You asshole!" Adrien snapped. "You think you're funny?!"
"I-I-I thought you didn't like people gawking at you because you were a model and all-" Kim began.
"Hope you know how to swim, dick!" Adrien roared as he lifted Kim by the chest and began to hang him over the deck railing.
"Someone stop him!" Myléne screamed while snuggling closer to Ivan.
Marinette acted and stepped forward.
"Adrien, stop! You have to calm down!" Marinette pleaded with him.
Hearing her voice, Adrien's grip slackened a noticeable bit, the sound of air whooshed out of his lungs, and he whipped his head around to face her. The look in his eyes seemed to soften.
"Calm down?! How can I calm down when I was violated?!" Adrien roared at her, still refusing to let Kim go. "You know damn well that I keep my hood up for a reason! You promised me no one would try anything, Marinette!"
"I know that, Adrien, but-" Marinette began to protest.
"Screw this shit! I'm out!" Adrien shouted at the top of his lungs as he threw Kim onto the deck, grabbed his hoodie back and stormed off in a tear-streaked rage.
"Adrien!" Marinette shouted after him. She glared at Kim, with angry tears. "What the hell was that for, Kim?!"
"I bet Alix that I could sneak up on Adrien and get his hoodie off." Kim said, a bit shaken by the events.
"You idiot!" Marinette shouted. "You just ruined his fun! I invited him here because I wanted him to enjoy himself! I wanted to spend time with him outside school or each other's homes for a change, and you... You... You just scared him and made him angry!"
"Yeah, dude! Not cool!" Nino admonished, crossing his arms.
Alya nodded in agreement before telling him, "You acted no better than Chloé when she dumped you on Valentine's Day last year! What were you thinking?"
Kim looked embarrassed by his behavior.
"I told you not to do anything to him!" Alix scolded. "Marinette warned us that he doesn't like having his hood down in public for a reason! She didn't say why, though, but we respected that!"
Instead of getting angry with Kim, Marinette ran off the boat, shouting, "Adrien! Hang on!"
Everyone gave Kim unpleasant, disapproving looks. Luka spoke up and said, "Should I go after her?"
"No, I think Marinette's the only one who can calm Adrien down when he's mad. Besides, I get the feeling that if you're with Marinette, Adrien might have a similar reaction to now..." Alya commented.
The sun had fully set over the city, and Marinette was running around. She'd shot Adrien multitudes of messages and even called him a few times, but he either didn't read them or didn't answer her.
'Oh, where the hell is he?!' Marinette thought, anxious.
"Come on, Adrien, please!" Marinette said as she called him again.
She heard a very distinct ringtone nearby - the classic Sailor Moon theme song. She looked up in the direction of it and saw a figure standing on a bridge at Canal Saint-Martin. He was hunched over the railing and his head was down.
She walked up to the bridge and approached him slowly, not sure if he was still in a volatile state.
"There you are." She said gently.
He looked up at her, but his expression was a combination of embarrassed, angry, and sad.
"Hi... Sorry for not answering, I just... Needed to cool off." Adrien admitted.
She stood next to him and she said, "I... I'm sorry."
He gave her an incredulous look and asked, "Why are you sorry? You didn't do anything. Hell, you tried to warn me about what Kim was gonna do."
"But I promised you that nothing would happen!" Marinette insisted.
"You can't control the actions of others, Marinette..." Adrien said. "But now you see why I was reluctant at first. Other than you, it doesn't matter who I surround myself with: I'll always be this... This beast."
"That's what's gonna happen if you keep acting that way. You nearly threw Kim overboard! Everyone was so scared," Marinette pointed out. "If she were still here, what would your mother think?"
Adrien looked at her like she crossed an invisible line, and Marinette saw the anger and hurt in his eyes. She pulled away. He sighed and he looked back out to the river.
"Does it matter?" Adrien questioned.
"Of course it matters, Adrien," Marinette insisted as she went to take his hand - he beat her to the punch and took hers into his own. "You matter! You matter to me..."
With a sardonic, almost amused smile, he opened his mouth.
"Even though I'm the one that killed her?" Adrien asked in a bitter tone.
Marinette felt the entire world stop and looked at Adrien in complete shock.
And BANG! That's the bomb here! The next chapter will answer a lot of your questions, so stay tuned!
