Chapter 2: Internal Struggle Part 1

Adrien was lying in bed, tossing and turning. It had only been a few hours since he left Marinette's house, but he wanted to see her again. He couldn't stop thinking about her. He had always seen Marinette as "just a friend"… or at least, that's what he had always tried to tell himself. Ever since the day they met, he could see that she was a great person and pretty too. He wasn't blind. If he was being honest with himself, he had had a very ,miniscule attraction to her, but it was so small that it was easy to keep in check, especially after he met Ladybug.

Ladybug. She was the love of his life. He remembered the first day they met, how she was a bit clumsy and kind of scared at first but worked through it. She was so brave, and she just became more fearless by the day. They fought well together, and the banter was great. And even though she wore a mask, he could tell that she was very beautiful. He could just drowned in those Blue Bell eyes. Funny, that's the same color of Marinette's eyes.

Now that Adrien really thought about it, Ladybug and Marinette had a lot in common, not just their eyes. They were both kind and selfless, always helping others. They also weren't afraid to stand up for themselves and others. Ladybug standing up to Hawkmoth during their second battle, telling him that she and Cat Noir would always be there to protect Paris and defeat him, came to mind. He also thought about the many times he'd seen Marinette stand up to Chloe and Lila. Not to mention, both of them had black hair that was always fixed in pigtails. Maybe that's why he liked both of them, they were so much alike. He finally fell asleep and had a dream that Marinette and Ladybug were the same person.

Adrien woke up the next morning, fed Plagg some of his favorite cheese, then proceeded to get ready for school. He went downstairs for breakfast and sat at the dining room table. Nathalie was suddenly there, setting a plate in front of him.

"Your father wishes you good morning, Adrien," Nathalie said in her usual emotionless voice.

Adrien frowned, looking at his father's assistant. "I guess he won't be joining me for breakfast."

Nathalie just nodded, a blank expression on her face.

Adrien forced a smile. "Please tell him good morning for me then."

Adrien was early to school, as usual. He quickly spotted Nino and ran over to him.

"Hey, Nino!" Adrien shouted, while running.

"Hey, dude," Nino responded with a smile once Adrien reached him. They fist bumped.

"Hey, guys," Alya greeted, walking toward the boys, giving Nino a kiss on the cheek when she got close enough.

The three of them chatted on their way to class. Once the warning bell sounded, the rest of the students trickled into the classroom. The final bell rang, and as soon Miss Bustier opened her mouth, Marinette came running in but skidded to a stop before she collided with the teachers desk.

"I'm sorry, Miss Bustier," Marinette said, looking guilty.

Miss Bustier just sighed. "Take your seat, Marinette."

As Marinette walked by Adrien's desk, he smiled at her and shook his head, earning a shy smile and pink cheeks from her. He found it cute, the apologetic look she gave the teacher. The shy smile she just gave him was pretty adorable t- no! He squashed the thought…or at least he tried to. He couldn't help sneaking glances at her all through class. A few hours later, at the sound of the lunch bell, everyone exited the room. Adrien saw Marinette walking towards the lockers and walked up beside her.

"What's today's excuse?" Adrien asked, making her jump, which made him laugh.

"Adrien, you startled me," Marinette responded, laughing with him.

"So, what was today? Gorilla ate your homework?"

Marinette pouted, so Adrien nudged her shoulder with his, and she smiled. "You were late yesterday, so I don't wanna hear it." She nudged him back.

They walked to the cafeteria together after stopping at Marinette's locker. As the two of them approached their usual table, Adrien caught Nino and Alya staring at them. Alya was raising an eyebrow with a smirk, while Nino just grinned, giving them a thumbs up. Adrien and Marinette sat in the only two spots left at the table, side by side, across from Nino and Alya.

What were those looks all about? He hadn't told anyone about his feelings for Marinette, not even Nino. Were his feelings that obvious? He wasn't treating Marinette any differently than he treated Nino and Alya, right? No way. Marinette was a closer friend now, so it was normal for them to act closer. Still, his friends were acting weird, but he had no idea why.

After school, Adrien's car had just reached his house but didn't make it all the way through the gate before Adrien looked out his wet window to see Marinette running toward him through the downpour. Adrien told his bodyguard he was going to check on Marinette but not to wait. He got out of the car and started walking toward his dark-haired friend, calling out to her. He watched her fail at stopping and start sliding, so he put his arms out, ready to catch her. Marinette collided with Adrien, causing him to fall backwards, but he wrapped his arms tight around her as they fell.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" Marinette apologized frantically with an extremely red face, sprawled out on top of Adrien. She looked down, seeming to realize their position, started stammering and clumsily got up.

Adrien couldn't help but laugh as Marinette helped him to his feet. "Are you okay, Marinette?" He asked, still holding her hand.

"I-im f-fine."

Adrien smiled and began leading Marinette into his house. "Lets get you dried off." He let go of Marinette's hand to put his arm around her shoulders instead. He winced and made a pained noise with the first step.

Marinette looked at him with concern. "You're hurt."

Adrien looked at her sweetly, touched by her concern. He instantly thought about how sad and unfocused he was yesterday and how Marinette was the only one to notice. She made sure to let him know that she was there for him if he needed her. That made him like her even more. "All I care about is that you're not hurt." Truth be told, the back of his ankle really hurt, but he didn't want to worry her. She didn't push the issue, and they walked inside.

Nathalie was standing at the bottom of the stairs when the two teenagers came in. She just nodded in understanding as they passed her on the way to Adrien's room. Once in Adrien's room, he closed the door and walked away from Marinette to his dresser. He pulled out a green t-shirt and black sweatpants before walking back to the soaked girl. He handed her the clothes and instructed her to take a warm shower and change, pointing to his bathroom door. Marinette hadn't said a word since they entered the house and continued her silence going into the bathroom.

Adrien changed out of his wet clothes himself after setting his bag on top of his dresser. Then, he walked over to the couch, sat down and began to examine his ankle. There was a small cut and a dot of fresh blood.

"That fall wasn't very pleasant for me either," Plagg stated, suddenly floating next to Adrien. "You okay?"

Adrien smiled at his kwami. "I'm fine, Plagg."

"How's Marinette?"

Adrien glanced at the bathroom door, then looked back at the black cat kwami with a dreamy smile on his face. "She's perfect." Plagg gave him a smirk, making Adrien realize what he just said. He corrected himself in a panic. "I-I m-mean she's f-fine!"

Plagg opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by the click of the door. He quickly grabbed a piece of cheese from Adrien's bag and flew away to hide. Adrien turned his head just in time to see Marinette walking toward him. His eyes practically popped out of his head, and his mouth fell open. Her hair was down, which he had only seen once before, and it was still wet. His clothes were too big for her, so they swallowed her. She looked adorable. How cute she looked, and the fact that she was wearing his clothes made his heart do a flip inside his chest.

Marinette sat next to Adrien on the couch and bit her lip before turning her head away. She was so cute he almost couldn't stand it. After a moment, she finally looked back at him with a smile and a slight blush.

"I called my parents so they wouldn't worry," Marinette said.

"Good idea," Adrien stated. "Are you feeling better?"

Marinette nodded with a smile. "I am. Thank you for the clothes and letting me use your shower."

"Can't have you getting sick." Adrien winked, making Marinette giggle. "What were you doing in the rain anyway?"

"I was making a delivery from the bakery. The weather was fine when I left the bakery, but it started raining out of nowhere on my way back."

"Would you like a ride home? Or we could hang out and do homework until the rain stops?"

"H-homework sounds g-good." Marinette gave the blond boy a nervous smile.

After an hour, the two of them completed two assignments. As Adrien turned his back to put the assignments in his bag, Marinette glanced down and noticed a tiny red spot on the back of his ankle. Suddenly, she gasped, making Adrien whip his head around to face her.

"I knew you got hurt." Marinette gave Adrien a glare that made him swallow hard. Then, he just gave her a nervous grin.

Marinette stood up and went to the bathroom. Adrien heard her rummaging around, and a few minutes later, she came back to the couch with the first aid kit. Without saying a word, she gently grabbed Adrien's ankle and put it on her lap, telling him to lie down. He complied knowing that she wouldn't listen if he protested. He couldn't ignore the softness of her fingers, gently caressing his ankle. She cleaned the cut, bandaged it and moved his ankle off of her lap. He was silently disappointed.

"Th-thank you, Marinette." Adrien's voice sounded too high to his own ears, so he could only imagine how it sounded to Marinette.

"N-no p-problem," Marinette stammered out.

They turned away awkwardly, Marinette looking at the wall while Adrien looked out the window.

Adrien looked back at Marinette, frowning. "The rain stopped."

"Oh. I guess I better go." Marinette frowned

Adrien could see his own sadness reflected in Marinette's face. Adrien suddenly smiled, getting an idea, stood up and offered Marinette his hand. "Can I walk you home?"

"You don't have to."

"I want to."

Marinette took one look at Adrien's smiling face, nodded, and took his hand, standing up. They passed Nathalie on their way out, and Adrien quickly told her that he was walking Marinette home. They made small talk to pass the time during the short walk, and Adrien never let go of Marinette's hand. They arrived at Marinette's house too soon and just stood outside the door in silence. He watched as a breeze blew Marinette's hair to the side. Did she get even more beautiful during the walk? Adrien thought so.

Marinette tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "Thanks for walking me home, Adrien."

"You're welcome," Adrien responded. "See you at school tomorrow?"

"Of course!"

Adrien smiled, but then bit his lip nervously before finally pulling Marinette into a tight hug. She returned the hug just as tightly. He let go and began his walk home but quickly glanced back at Marinette and waved. Once he saw her wave back he continued walking. He went to bed that night feeling guilty again, like he was betraying his feelings for Ladybug. Another night of fitful sleep.