It was hot - definitely hot in more ways than one.

The last thing that Marinette believed she'd do is allow Adrien to convince her to move out of her tiny comfortable apartment. She spent almost half her entire adult life in this place. This was her safe haven, her only place to escape. In fact, recently Marinette had ran away from Kagami's hurtful string of words and had tea with Adrien. Her sanctuary was quiet and lonesome, just how she liked it.

The warm weather wasn't ideal for a hefty move, and Marinette worried that her clothes would melt right off of her. She wore appropriate clothes for the weather. A simple tank top, a pair of shorts, and white tennis shoes. At times that didn't provide any insurance against the heat.

Marinette was grateful that Nino, Adrien and Alya took time out to help her move her items into the moving truck. Marinette made sure to be meticulous when it came to her personal items.

She had made sure she packed up all of her underwear before her friends could even spot them. She had removed all her personal photos of herself and Felix. The last thing she wanted was for Adrien to see them. She certainly wasn't in the mood to hear Alya lecturing her for keeping them around either.

The young woman wiped off some sweat that began to bead at her hairline, before she bent over and picked up a box. She walked out of her now empty bedroom and glanced around, taking in the empty scenery. It was a bittersweet feeling.

She was moving on in her life, and the upside to the situation was that she was finally able to save some money without having to pay the rent for this location. Marinette pressed her lips together tightly the moment she walked into the next room. She could feel her heart racing as she spotted Adrien once again without a shirt. His tan skin glistened with sweat as he was really putting in the back work. He and Nino moved her bed set, her couches, her tables, her tv sets, and so forth.

It appeared the heat was getting to him as well. Marinette averted her gaze as Nino walked in without wearing a top as well.

She had gone completely mad. A place that was once her own for an escape that she had grown to love so dearly became a horny hellscape of attractive men slowly removing articles of clothing. Marinette grabbed another box, hoisting it underneath her arm as she was forced to watch both topless sweaty men lift up her sofa. She tried not to make it too obvious, but she was full fledged ogling Adrien's shoulders.

The female cocked her head to the side, watching his shoulder blades shift as he lifted the sofa. Nino grunted as he lifted the couch on the other end, walking step by step to properly fit the furniture through the doorway.

"Those boys are gonna ruin that sofa. How did you even get it in here?" Alya asked, approaching Marinette from behind with a box of bedsheets in her hands. Marinette jumped at her friends random inquisition.

"Huh? What? I was just checking to see if the uhm... hallway... is... straight..." Marinette awkwardly spun around, her heart racing as she nearly fell to her knees and prayed that Alya didn't catch her checking Adrien out.

Alya furrowed her brow, laughing softly at her friends response.

"Checking to see if the hallway is straight?" She asked, moving closer to Marinette to stand beside her. Both girls turned to watch both Adrien and Nino wedge the couch out of the doorway and into the hallway.

"He's got a nice tight ass, doesn't he?" Alya asked in a soft murmur, keeping her voice low so that Marinette could be the only one to hear.

A small blush rose to Marinette's cheeks. The female cleared her throat and shrugged.

"I... I'm not sure. You seem to know Nino more than I do." She chuckled, soon moving close to the men as they were able to move the sofa down towards the steps to the first floor.

Alya breathed out, the heat beginning to take its toll on her as well. Despite wearing shorts and shirt, Alya was drenched in sweat from all the back work. Eventually, she had to tie her shirt up to her midriff in an attempt to cool off.

"I mean, I guess Nino does, but I was really talking about Adrien." Alya replied, her voice quivering as she began to walk down the stairs to the first leverage holding the boxes in her hand.

Marinette widened her eyes, nearly tripping on her feet and falling down the stairs before she was lucky enough to catch herself on the railing.

"Alya!" She hissed, glancing at her friend briefly before she averted her focus back to the task at hand. She stepped outside, wandering on to the sidewalk with Alya by her side.

"Move to your left-" Nino instructed, both men finally able to maneuver the hunk of furniture into the back of the moving truck.

"Whoo!" Adrien cried out, standing up straight and shaking out the stress in his shoulders and his lower back. Marinette blinked, her eyes glued onto Adrien once more. She liked the soft definition in his chest, and his abs sure as hell didn't go unnoticed. He was going to be the death of her. She liked how he wasn't overly muscular or built, but had the right amount of lean muscle for her to imagine him scooping her up and carrying her off to bed.

"I wonder if his dick is really really big. I hear models have a lot of junk in their trunk..." Alya interjected, immediately crashing Marinette's train of thought.

Marinette dropped the box she was holding, drawing the attention of both Nino and Adrien as they hopped out of the truck. Marinette coughed, her heart thumping wildly in her chest as the thought of Adrien's goods caught her totally off guard, no thanks to Alya.

"You alright?" Adrien asked, swiftly approaching Marinette and lifting the box off the ground before Marinette could even tend to it.

"Huh?!" The young woman breathed. Her heart threatened to jump out of her chest from him simply being around her.

"Oh yeah! I-it's fine. I mean- I'm fine! Thanks!" Marinette inwardly scolded herself.

Since when did she stammer like that?

She felt like a girl with a high school crush. She swore she could die.

Adrien handed the box to her, his gaze shifting over to Nino who began to wipe his face with his shirt.

"We got all the big things inside the truck, the next challenge is to have it moved into the mansion." Nino informed, then throwing his shirt over his shoulder.

"Yes," Adrien exclaimed, placing an arm around Marinette's shoulder to which she immediately attempted to shy away.

"Looks like I have an official roommate!" The model grinned, tugging the tiny woman closer to her.

"Right, my Ladybug?" He mused, glancing down at Marinette who squeezed out from underneath his grip.

"I-I guess. At least it'll save me some money," Marinette replied, placing some boxes beside one another in the back of the truck. "I won't lie. I'll miss it here." she blushed, biting her lip as she turned to her friends. "But I really do appreciate the help you guys."

"I think all that's left is to clean. We've pretty much moved everything." Nino breathed, placing his hands on his bare hips.

"I'll take care of that tomorrow. What matters is that all of the furniture is out. That was the most challenging part," Marinette replied with a small smile. "Let's get back to our other home and we can set this up. We should be done early in time for all of us to prepare for work."

"That's right," Alya chimed in. "Marinette and I are both scheduled to work tonight. I kinda need to grab a bite to eat, and frankly we are all drenched. We need to shower."

Adrien sighed, running his hand through his damp hair.

"That's right. I have another photoshoot this afternoon. I'd need a shower too."

Adrien wasn't exactly looking forward to this formal photoshoot, but he remembered that Kagami promised that she'd be there. It had been a couple days since he's seen his girlfriend.

They've exchanged flirty messages here and there, but Adrien had to admit that it was a little straining simply because of the way she treated Marinette. It definitely wasn't acceptable. He understood Kagami was hurting about their current situation, and he really tried to empathize with her. He tried to put himself in her shoes. If he had found her in the arms of another man, he wouldn't be sure what to do either.

If he and Marinette had met under different circumstances, he wondered if Kagami would have seen Marinette in a different light. It would have been a dream come true if those two became friends. The love of his life and his best friend getting along would be the epitome of what life was about.

"Then I guess we'd better get going." Nino sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. The male then pat Adrien on the back, making his way to the front of the moving truck. Adrien nodded, following Nino to the front of the truck.

Marinette sighed, her heart squeezing in her chest once more of the thought of her and her friend being wedged between Nino and Adrien during the ride to and from. Marinette stood back, watching as Alya gripped the handle of the back latch and she shut the back of the truck closed before she locked it.

Marinette dug through the pockets of her shorts, phishing for her apartment keys. Her heart felt heavy, she worried that she was going to make a choice she would regret. Part of her attempted to convince herself that she was only feeling this way because she was stepping out of her comfort zone. But Marinette just wasn't sure. She had a routine for everything, each time she had to take a different trajectory, she'd feel incredibly anxious and depressed.

Ever since meeting Adrien, it was like her world had been flipped upside down. All she ever knew was the walls of her apartment, the night shifts at her job and the agonizing pain she felt when Felix left. Granted, Marinette had been able to sleep peacefully at night, but she had grown used to the time she spent alone, staring at the ceiling while waiting for sleep to come.

The blunette picked the keys from her pocket, leaving the truck behind so that she could return to her front door and lock it.

Alya followed close behind her, her eyes glancing at the back of Marinette's head.

"I wonder if he's bigger than Nino, or if they're the same size. Would it be too callous to ask Nino the answer to that?" Alya pondered, only being half serious.

Marinette nearly dropped her keys. She snapped her head back towards Alya with a reprimanding glance.

"Alya! You're being super inappropriate," The young woman hissed, her hands shaking as she locked her front door. "You're really, really killing me with all of these perverted comments. I nearly fell down the stairs because of you." Marinette shoved her keys in her pocket, her eyes remaining in front of her even as Alya giggled at how flustered Marinette had become.

"I know you've been curious. I see how close you guys are. He calls you a cute nickname, you get all flustered around him and now you suddenly care about what he thinks." Alya teased.

Marinette pressed her lips together.

"We aren't like you and Nino," the blunette replied, immediately prompting off with a tease in an attempt to turn it on Alya.

"I don't like Adrien that way. We are just friends trying to make it through this marriage we were both unfortunate enough to get into."

Alya rolled her eyes, remaining close to Marinette as the two began to descend the stairs.

"Mhm," she smirked. "But is it really unfortunate, Marinette?"

Marinette blushed deeply, brushing past Alya and keeping her eyes on Nino who held the door open for both of them to climb inside. The blunette sighed, hearing Alya giggle from behind her, and she began to mentally prepare herself to be wedged up against Adrien once more.

"Does this mean I get my own ringtone?" Adrien asked, the moment he moved the sofa in the location that Marinette saw it fit.

Everything was moved inside of their new home. The rental truck was parked in the driveway, Marinette made a mental note to return it the next morning. Her bed was moved up to the guest room where Adrien kept his makeshift bed on the floor. Adrien had placed her pretty white sofa in the living space right where Nino had helped her set up the TV set.

The place was beginning to look and feel a lot warmer. The echo was dying down, and Marinette even appreciated the pink pillows that Alya had set up on the sofa.

Marinette had hoped to create many memories here. She wanted to decorate the area with more photos of their families. She had a box somewhere full of movies and DVDs of her favorite cartoons. It would have been nice to watch movies with her family and friends. It was all really starting to come together. A small smile spread across her plump lips as Adrien approached her.

"I guess? I never knew roommates were exclusive enough to specific ringtones." the blunette replied, dodging Adrien to reach for her box of movies.

Adrien pouted, worried that he had done something to offend her. He knew he was sweating, but he didn't think he'd smell that bad. He had noticed that Marinette seemed to have tried every attempt she could to avoid him since she had accidentally sent him that photo.

"U-uh, sure they are." Adrien chortled, crouching down beside her to help her.

Marinette hummed, stacking a few of her DVDs in a neat pile before she stood up.

"I guess I have a lot to learn about that." She smiled, turning to set the movies neatly onto her TV set. Adrien approached her from the side, setting a stack of DVDs beside the pile she had made neatly. He didn't want to interrupt whatever she had going on.

Marinette shifted, taking a small step away from him as the fact of him not wearing a shirt was making her dizzy. It was almost a shame that he didn't realise what he was doing to her.

"Excuse me, mister model boy!" Alya interjected, stepping between the both of them and saving Marinette's life. "Are you going to continue flirting with Marinette? Or are you going to grab that shower before work?" The brunette asked, placing her hands on her hips.

Marinette froze, her cheeks burning up almost instantly.

Well, at least Alya tried to save her life.

Adrien sighed, his shoulders dropping. He felt like some sort of kitten trying to get his human to like him. Adrien had started to care about what Marinette had thought of him. If he did something wrong, he would have liked her to tell him about it.

The idea of possibly making her uncomfortable didn't cross his mind. The male politely stepped back and subtly nodded.

"You're right. I shouldn't be flirting with my best friend. I should be preparing for work in a couple of hours." The male teased with a grin.

Marinette breathed out, her hands gripping on to the DVDs with such force she nearly cracked the cases. She placed them neatly on to the TV stand and turned her head, watching Adrien walk down the hallway and round the corner to the back steps.

"So," Alya nudged her side. "Now that you don't have to pay rent anymore, what are you planning on doing with your direct deposit?"

Marinette shrugged, very carefully wandering towards the kitchen knowing that Alya was following close behind.

"I should probably start saving for next semester. I'm supposed to be looking for an intern site. I'm going to need brand new clothes, money for transportation, that kind of stuff." Marinette deadpanned, opening the fridge and pulling out three cold cans of soda.

She glanced up at Nino who stopped to rest at the island table. His shirt remained hung over his shoulder, and Marinette was successfully able to keep her eyes off his body.

"That sounds really boring," Alya replied truthfully, a flaccid expression on her face as she scooted next to Nino. "Especially because summer holiday literally just started."

Marinette pressed her lips together and placed the soda cans in front of her friends before she sat down on the stool across from them.

"Yeah I know. I just... don't know how to do anything else, you know," Marinette mused. "I've been doing this on my own for so long, I guess serious adulting is part of my everyday life."

Alya subtly nodded, understanding where Marinette had come from. It was known that Marinette couldn't depend on anyone but herself. Felix had screwed her over enough times to make that evident.

"Just take it easy," Alya suggested, opening her soda and taking a sip. "You have the opportunity to indulge in yourself. Don't forget that you deserve to be spoiled and happy as well."

Nino nodded in agreement, smiling politely at Marinette before he too opened his soda to take a sip.

Marinette stared down at her drink, trying to wrap her head around the concept that Alya brought to her. It almost seemed strange to think that someone like her deserved to be happy and spoiled. It was out of her vernacular.

All Marinette ever did was provide for others until she was completely drained and left with nothing. She wasted years of her life attempting to build something with Felix, only for it to crumble in a matter of weeks. Years had gone by, and Marinette still wasn't fully healed from the fact. It was like she was stuck, and she was desperate to find ways out. Each time she found a way out, she found herself falling back in.

Her blue eyes shifted over to the ring on her finger with a grimace. Yet here she was again, falling back into the Agreste hole.

"Okay-" Alya spoke, breaking the silence as she turned her attention towards Nino. Marinette glanced up at Alya and Nino with a small sigh of relief.

"Marinette and I were talking about this while we were moving-" She continued shifting her gaze to Marinette briefly before glancing at Nino once more. Marinette pressed her lips together, her heart squeezing at what Alya had in mind.

"Who has the bigger dick? You, or Adrien?" She asked, a wide grin on her face.

Marinette widened her eyes, her face growing more and more red. Nino nearly choked on his drink, his eyes wide as he shifted them over towards Marinette with a subtle blush.

Marinette gulped, her head ready to fall off her shoulders and roll on to the ground. "I- didn't- we weren't-" the female stuttered, ready to justify herself, but couldn't quite get the words out. She was about ready to strangle Alya.

"Come on-" Alya pressed, playfully smacking Nino's shoulders with a teasing grin. "Spill the tea." Nino shifted his gaze back to Alya and chortled. He could tell from anywhere when Alya began to tease him. He knew that face all too well.

"Well," the male cleared his throat, deciding to be honest about the matter simply to indulge Alya. "I wouldn't be able to say. We've been best friends for a while, but we don't look at each other's nether regions, or compare our sizes." He shrugged. "Sorry to disappoint you, Alya."

Alya bit her lip, slightly shaking her head, refusing to take that as an answer.

Marinette sunk into her seat, pressing the soda can to her lips as she was sure she was about to melt into a puddle on the ground. She didn't want to think about Adrien's size, especially because he was literally above them.

Showering...

Naked...

And wet...

No! No no no no!

Marinette began to tug at her hair. She couldn't think that! He was a person! He had a girlfriend! He was her friend! She slept beside him at night.

The blunette was about ready to run, she could feel it in her legs. Alya was putting her in such a compromising situation that Marinette immediately began to look for a way out.

"Oh come on- you mean to tell me that Kagami didn't mention anything about his size? You'd think the girlfriend of one of Paris' most well known and attractive models would brag about that sort of thing." Alya pressed, her eyes narrowing.

Marinette clenched onto her soda can, her heart sinking immediately at that thought. She wasn't usually the one to allow envy to consume her, but something about that thought tore her to shreds.

She just wanted Alya to stop torturing her. Even if she didn't realise that was what she was doing.

It hurt: the idea of Kagami having Adrien and boasting about how intimate they both were, she hadn't the slightest idea why, but it drove her insane. She reached up, lightly rubbing her chest in a vicarious way of trying to soothe the pain.

"Actually, if I'm being honest," Nino resumed, folding his hands against the top of the island table. "I don't think that Adrien and Kagami are really intimate. He mentioned to me how much of a horndog she's been since Marinette came into the picture."

Marinette gasped softly, immediately glancing up at Nino. Her eyes widened slightly and she glanced over at Alya who looked just as bit as surprised as she was.

"What do you mean?" Alya asked, perking a brow inquisitively. The female leaned closer to him.

Nino blinked, his gaze shifting between both girls as he apparently piqued their interest.

"Don't get me wrong," Nino immediately started. "I'm sure he and Kagami had some intimate moments, but I don't think they've gotten any further than just touching. It's really not any of my business, but it's a huge gut feeling. Adrien was never really into things like that. His father kept him far too busy to take an interest, and I think that's what makes Kagami a little antsy."

Alya chuckled, a wide grin on her face as she shifted her gaze back to Marinette.

"Honestly," she breathed. "That's like the perfect cookie cutter life Gabriel could have for his son. A very attractive, smart, and talented son who is a virgin." The brunette bit her lip. "But to date someone for four years and not have sex with them even once - that's impressive."

Marinette perked up, she felt a bit audacious that she was thrilled about this news. Kagami never had Adrien in the ways that Marinette only feared. She wanted to kick herself for being this happy, but Marinette decided to keep that her little secret.

"I'm sure touching and handjobs aren't out of the question. He may have had some experience, I don't know. I'm just speculating. You can't take my word for it." Nino replied, immediately protecting himself from what journalist Alya would spin on it.

Marinette immediately grimaced. She didn't want to think about Adrien in those positions either. Marinette didn't want to accept the feeling that she wished she was in Kagami's shoes. Not because she had Adrien, but because she had someone that loved her despite her flaws. Adrien had dated her consistently for four years and never once got tired of her. If only Felix had been nice enough to do the same.

"Yeah but you're his best friend. That's like the most legitimate source I could get that type of information from." Alya murmured as she rubbed her chin.

Marinette immediately shook her head, desperate to change the subject. She had started to worry that Adrien made his way out of the shower and might walk in on them speculating about his private life with Kagami just to indulge Alya's curiosity.

"Anyway, Alya-" Marinette interjected, the blush still evident on her skin. "What is the schedule for tonight at the bar?"

Alya was reluctant to let the topic go, but from the redness of Marinette's face, Alya figured she'd be receptive to that idea just this once.

"It's expected to be busy tonight. There's this band playing in the venue down the street. They said the after party will likely come down. They claim it's supposed to be eighties night, but you'll never know how that goes."

Nino perked up at the theme, a wide grin on his face.

"Oh cool! Maybe I'll stop by. If we're lucky, we could meet someone cool."

"Keep dreaming, kiddo." Alya teased, grabbing her soda and taking a sip.

Marinette pressed her lips together, her heart squeezing in her chest at the sound of Adrien fumbling in the hallway. The female immediately hopped off her seat with an apologetic glance.

"I'm going to check and see if he's okay, and then I'm going to quickly jump into the shower so that I'm ready for tonight. I'm kind of sweaty." she explained, tugging on her tank top that had gotten stuck to her skin uncomfortably.

Alya hummed, watching her friend awkwardly clammer towards the steps.

Both Alya and Nino remained silent, the female traced her finger along the ends of her soda can.

"Are we just going to continue that we don't feel anything between us?" Nino asked, his eyes remaining on the staircase to make sure that no one walked in on them.

Alya shifted her eyes over to Nino and shook her head.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about..." her voice trailed off as she then glanced into her drink.

Nino sighed, his shoulders slumping forward.

"I can't keep waiting around for you to figure out what you want," the male further elucidated. "I know what I feel for you, and I took that shot. If you can't return my feelings, then perhaps it's better for me to-"

"I know what I want, Nino," Alya interjected before he could finish his sentence. "I'm not an indecisive school girl with a crush." Her fingers gripped tightly on to her as she waited for her heart to calm down. "I just... need to figure some things out. If you believe I'm joking around, then you have the wrong girl. I'm not that kind of person."

Nino simply glared at her, his jaw clenching. The male nodded subtly, taking his shirt from his shoulder and very casually sliding it on.

"Maybe you're right," he breathed, carefully moving away from the island table. "Maybe I do have the wrong girl." the male grabbed his phone, stuffing it into his pocket. "If you do by chance figure things out, please let me know."

Alya glanced up at Nino, her heart sinking as he turned his back to her. Without even giving her a second glance he left through the slider doors. Alya sucked in her teeth, her fists clenched against the table.

"Fuck-" she muttered under her breath, quickly grabbing her phone and shooting Marinette a text message:

'Gotta go. I'll see ya at work tonight.'

Alya grabbed her bag and very quietly but quickly exited to go take off after Nino.

○•○•○•○

Marinette felt her phone vibrate in her back pocket, but she couldn't quite bring her focus to that. She quite liked the smell of Adrien's shampoo, even though he looked like a complete dork hopping into his shoes.

"Do you think it'd be safe to make you something to eat? Or should we just tell a little white lie and say you picked up something on the way? That way she won't throw away your food again." Marinette murmured, reaching up to rub the back of her neck.

Adrien frowned, guilt tugging at the end of his heart. He hated that Marinette felt like she had to hide who she was so that his girlfriend wouldn't treat her the way she had ultimately been treating her.

"No, it's really okay. I don't plan to be out long. If anything, we'll just go to her place and have some dinner."

Marinette frowned at his response and she nodded. She couldn't help but to reflect back on what Nino said. It coincided a lot with what Adrien had said too. Gabriel had kept him sheltered throughout his entire life. Without knowing, he had left Adrien completely naive and vulnerable.

The blunette furrowed her brow, a small blush dusting her cheeks as Adrien quickly hugged her, and began to descend down to the first floor, leaving the house to herself. Marinette bit her lip, her arms crossed as she began to slowly wander towards the master bedroom to where she knew the private bathroom was.

She knew Adrien was naive, but Marinette couldn't help but to wonder if Kagami was one of those people who took advantage of that. It almost hurt her to say that Marinette suspected that there was more to Kagami than she led on, but she had seen the world from many corners.

Marinette closed the master bedroom door, wandering towards her wardrobe to pull out her work clothes. A grimace remained on her lips as she didn't want Adrien to be hurt just as he didn't want her to hurt, but Marinette couldn't help but see the world through a dark void, whereas Adrien saw the world through rose tinted glasses.

After all, when you looked at the world through rose tinted glasses, all the red flags simply just looked like flags.

It was an invigorating feeling to be back at work. Marinette was quite warmed to see Rose again. She wasn't the least bit surprised that Alya had not shown up yet. Marinette had to admit that Alya was right. The place was more packed than usual. Most guests already arrived drunk. Marinette was assigned to work the bar, and Alya was scheduled to go out on the floor to sell shots.

The female wasn't too fond of Alya's punctuality. She was worried that she'd end up being the one to sell the shots, and from the smell of dank weed and the rumor of ecstasy going around the dancefloor, Marinette wasn't sure if she was up for the job.

"I got you a house gift!" Rose chirped, wrapping her arms around the small framed blunette and began to bounce up and down with an excited giggle.

Marinette smiled, a small blush on her cheeks as she pulled back to glance at Rose appropriately.

"Rose!" Marinette exclaimed. "You didn't have to get me anything. His family brought enough gifts." She giggled.

Rose shook her head, keeping her rhythm to the loud music that played above them.

"It's nothing too huge," She replied. "I brought you a Peony flower! It symbolizes good wealth, good fortune, femininity, and peace."

Marinette giggled softly, a sweet smile on her plump lips at Rose's description.

"So in other words, a beautiful flower that's meant for good luck!"

Rose grinned, turning her back to pour a drink.

"Ehh, but when you put it like that-"

"I'm really going to need the luck-" Marinette interjected, moving next to Rose to grab a few glasses.

"Good. I have the flower in a small vase in the staff room, don't forget to grab it on your way out, okay?" Rose reminded her, her blue eyes shifting over to a few patrons who took their seats at the bar.

Marinette turned her back, fixing the jello shots on the platter. Alya was nowhere in sight, but Marinette prepared herself for having to go out on the floor. The female sighed, not completely surprised by her friend's tardiness. It happened nearly every night. Marinette pursed her lips, setting up the shots very neatly on the platter. If she had to go out on the floor, she'd made the rounds quick.

Nearly everyone from the concert down the street had ventured it's way into the club. She was sure to sell out of every shot. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad. A small smile spread against her lips, a spark of confidence running through her chest as this was going to be a quick sell.

Then when Alya finally made it, she'd just pass the dish back to her to finish the job. The blunette very carefully lifted the tray, about ready to move it to the bar in case she had to take it, when she felt a presence behind her.

"Have I ever told you that I love the color blue?" A soft voice emanated from behind her.

Marinette gasped, nearly dropping the tray in her hands as she clumsily spun around to face the source of the sound. She glanced at the unknown male as her near catastrophic clumsy escapade drew his attention and gathered him out of the bar stool and inclined him closer to the bar.

"I'm sorry," he immediately replied, his gaze softening the moment Marinette was able to substantiate her equilibrium. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Marinette blushed deeply, her heart immediately threatening to leap from her chest.

"I-it's okay," she breathed. "I didn't even know someone was behind me." she smiled, her heart slowly calming down with each breath. "I was just a little surprised."

The male smiled at her, taking a seat at the bar stool once more.

"I think you surprised me even more so. I don't think I've ever seen anyone with hair as dark as yours. It almost looks... blue. It's a really cute color on you."

Marinette blinked, she used her other hair to brush her fingers through her soft bangs and she glanced down bashfully. From the looks of his hair, Marinette could only assume that he had taken a liking to the color.

Granted, his nails were painted black, but the light blue-almost green undertones in his hair proved that much evident.

"Is blue your favorite color?" Marinette asked, lightly placing the tray down and leaning on to the bar to hear him better over the loud music that thumped around them.

The male smiled at her response, his digits lacing into a lanyard he had been fiddling with since he arrived.

"It might be," he shrugged, pursing his lips, before his blue eyes shifted back to her once more. "I was hoping it wasn't too obvious."

Marinette giggled, glancing up and down at him. Almost everything he wore had some variation of blue in it.

"Ah well, what if I told you that I colored my hair? Bet you'd be disappointed." she teased, folding her hands into one another as she pressed her elbows into the bar table.

The male leaned closer, dropping the lanyard on the bar top and folding his hands together neatly. The close proximity made Marinette a little nervous as she always had the tendency to bite of a little bit more than she could chew.

"That's fine, but the shade of your eyes make up for it," he replied, his eyes gently capturing her gaze. "There's no way beautiful eyes like yours can be fake."

Marinette widened her eyes, her heart nearly moving towards her throat as she hadn't been complemented with such sincerity in quite a long time. The young woman drew back, blinking as she quickly glanced away at a loss for words.

"I'm Luka," he introduced, noticing her awkward stance. "It's a pleasure to meet you." The male held out his hand in a formal gesture.

Marinette pressed her lips together and awkwardly smiled as she placed her hand into his.

"I'm Marinette." She breathed, her legs almost giving out by his gentle embrace. "It's nice to meet you as well."

Luka chuckled, releasing her hand gently before retracting them back to the lanyard he was just fiddling with moments ago.

"Pardon my broad approach. I had just came in and saw you at the bar. I saw your face and was compelled to talk to you. Perhaps I can be a bit too enthusiastic." He laughed, shyly glancing down at his hands.

Marinette blushed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she fiddled with her fishnet stockings.

"I-it's okay. It was a pretty chill icebreaker." Marinette snorted at her unintended pun.

Luka laughed softly in response, lightly shaking his head.

"I really don't mean to impose," The male placed his hand on his chest with sincerity. "I genuinely apologize if you're already seeing someone."

Marinette glanced down, her heart sinking at the thought. It was a complicated situation. She was technically engaged to someone, but they weren't really a couple. On the outside it felt like a completely insane story. Adrien kept his relationship with his girlfriend, and from what Nino had mentioned earlier in the day, she had been attempting to do more than just kissing.

Their relationship was physical, and even though Marinette was the only party in the relationship that didn't have a significant other before the contract was brought to light, she was still technically faithful to Adrien.

Even if she didn't quite mean to. Marinette bit her bottom lip, unsure how to explain how she wasn't interested in finding anyone else either. Alya would most certainly freak on her, especially because Marinette had accepted that Felix didn't love her, but she still had a hard time letting him go.

She sighed, slowly twisting the ring on her finger and tucking it into her pocket, but not before she hid away the diamond into her palm.

"Don't worry," Marinette assured with a small smile. "I'm not seeing anyone." Marinette couldn't understand the guilt she felt after she was compelled to be honest. She really wasn't seeing anyone. But in some weird sense, she felt like she was betraying her feelings for Felix.

Luka blinked, his arms slowly folding as he glanced up at Marinette once more.

"Really?" He mused, perking a brow. "A beautiful girl like you?" He blinked, then reaching up to run his hand through his hair. "That's pretty damned surprising all in itself."

Marinette chortled, glancing down briefly as she bit her lip. She didn't mean to be slacking on the job, but perhaps it didn't hurt to wait on Alya for a little bit more. After all, her job encouraged to converse with the patrons, only if there was no one else asking to be tended.

"So, are you coming from the concert down the street? You must be a huge fan of the band. I hear their show sold out." Marinette remarked, getting a better lock at his sense of style.

"Uh," the male drew out with a slight chuckle as he contemplated how to word himself right. "I guess you can say that. Huge fan of the band." He leaned back into the bar table once more. "You've been working here for awhile?" He inquired, perking a brow.

Marinette subtly nodded.

"Yeah, I've been here for a couple of years. It's a cool job. It pays decent, and I get to meet a ton of cool people." Marinette replied. In fact, this job was where she met most of her friends. Adrien and Nino were the only exceptions.

Luka nodded, rubbing his thumb against his chin. It looked as if he was contemplating taking a shot in the dark, but was hesitant to do so.

"Please stop me if I'm being too bold, but would you consider maybe going on a date with me?"

Marinette blushed deeply, taken by his sudden proposal. It would have been nice to hang out with new people, but Marinette worried she wasn't up for it. It had been such a long time since she had started dating, she didn't quite know how to do it.

Granted, a part of her had changed since she met Adrien, and Alya would definitely root for her to date anyone that wasn't Felix, but Marinette preferred to move at her own pace. She was still young, and had so much time to find her one true soul mate.

Marinette parted her lips, about ready to respond when she felt someone tap her shoulder. The blunette closed her mouth, immediately standing up to face the source.

Alya stood in front of her awkwardly, her eyes shifting between Marinette and Luka suspiciously.

"Sorry I was late. I can take the tray of shots from you now. I'm not exactly sure where you put it, but Rose told me you had set it up-" her eyes glanced towards Luka who looked completely puzzled at her sudden intrusion. "And, uh, sorry for barging in on your conversation."

Marinette immediately shook her head, straightening herself as she couldn't help but to feel like Alya just walked in on something shameful.

"No, it's alright. I shouldn't be chit chatting while on the job anyway." Marinette replied, reaching up to rub the back of her neck.

"It was really my fault," Luka interjected, reaching into his back pocket to grab his wallet. "I kept her distracted. I talk way too much." He laughed softly, pulling out a couple of bills. "Maybe I can buy us a drink?" He mused, his eyes flickering between both women.

"I don't know if we're allowed to drink on the job." Marinette giggled with a small blush. "But I can prep you a jäger bomb if you're interested. I think that's like the only drink I find super easy to make."

Luka reciprocated the small smile and nodded.

"Okay yeah, we can do that."

Marinette bit her lip, leaving the bill on the table, she turned and immediately went to the spirits they had on display.

"Girl, do you realise who you're talking to?" Alya hissed, approaching Marinette at a rapid pace.

Marinette stood perplexed, two shot glasses held tautly in her hands.

"Luka? That's all I know of him." She simply shrugged, reaching for the jägermeister.

"He's the bass player for Kitty Section. The band that held a concert down the street. I literally told you this earlier today." Alya informed, quickly glancing back at Luka who waited patiently for his drink.

Marinette blinked, shaking her head before she opened the bottle.

"You told me that a band was playing down the street. You never told me about any of its members. I had no idea Luka was apart of the band. I just assumed he had just enjoyed the concert."

Alya scoffed, a wide perplexed smile on her face as she placed her hand onto her hip.

"Look at you, girl. I'm so proud of you!" She reached up and gently pat Marinette's shoulder. "You got a model in your bed, and now you've got a hot musician on the side. I never knew you had it in you! You see, only good things happen when you get rid of Felix."

Marinette grew red, her eyes widening as she shook her head.

"No. No. It's not like that at all. Both Luka and Adrien are my friends. That's it." Marinette elucidated firmly as she dropped the jägermeister into the cup of energy drink.

"He's definitely into you," Alya replied, drawing back to glance at Luka once more. "And he's cute. At least get to know a little more about him."

Marinette shrugged, standing on her tippy toes and placing the bottle of jägermeister back onto the shelf.

"I don't know, Alya. I haven't dated in so long. I'm worried I'll just make an ass out of myself. You know how clumsy I am."

Alya shook her head with a small grin.

"Anyone who likes you will accept you for who you are. As far as I'm concerned, your clumsiness is part of your charm. The worst that can happen is that no second date comes from it, but at least you can still make some friends along the way."

Marinette sighed, turning to face Luka with a look of contemplation.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to at least exchange numbers."

"Yes! That's the spirit," Alya exclaimed while bouncing on her toes with sheer excitement. "You go girl!"

Marinette gasped, nearly stumbling over as Alya began to shove Marinette towards Luka. The blunette averted her gaze, shooting daggers at Alya as the brunette grabbed her tray of jello shots.

Alya winked at Marinette, eyeing her for good luck, before she exited the bar and went out into the dance floor to sell some shots.

"Wow! This place is huge!" Kagami gasped, her hazel eyes wide and inquisitive as they wandered around the spacious room of the shared home.

"Yeah. This space was pretty empty before we finally got some furniture in here," Adrien replied, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he glanced at his beautiful girlfriend taking in the view. "There's less of an echo in here as well."

The photoshoot didn't last as long as Adrien had feared, and for that he was quite grateful. He and Kagami had spent a lot of time together during that time, and Adrien found himself being drawn to her once more. He had to admit that bringing her to the home he shared with Marinette did make him a bit nervous. He wanted to hang out with her inside of her apartment, but she insisted on coming back to his new home. He knew there wasn't anything comprising in their new home, and technically there were two separate beds. It could pass off as two different sleeping arrangements even though the bed was just moved up there. Adrien worried that his girlfriend would find something of Marinette's and go snooping. The last thing he wanted was for Marinette to find something missing or askew.

"The couch is a really nice touch." Kagami murmured, fixing up her skirt and wandering towards the furniture. She sat on the sofa, grabbing one of the pink pillows and nuzzling into it. Her brow furrowed at the bubble gum smell on them.

"Oh wow and it smells nice too." She laughed, glancing up at him.

It was just a sofa, it only came from Marinette's house. Surely, Marinette wouldn't have a cow just because Kagami was sitting in it. Adrien rocked back and forth on his feet.

"Erm, yeah. I think it was a neat addition to the living space. Marinette has a keen eye on decorating, the place is really starting to come together." the model commented, his eyes still wandering around the room.

Kagami stiffened, an expression of pure disgust displaying across her features as she lifted the pink pillow and tossed it to the side.

"Ew. So this couch is hers?" She asked, very quickly standing up.

Adrien sighed with a grimace, a bit disappointed with how immature Kagami could be.

"Stop that," he immediately reprimanded before helping himself to a seat on the comfortable sofa. "It's a really nice sofa."

Kagami crossed her arms, shifting her weight to one leg and rolling her eyes.

"She isn't going to do some creepy voodoo shit on me if I sit on this couch right? Is it clean? I won't be going home with any bugs or rashes?" Kagami sneered. She was only half kidding just to indulge in her spite against the woman who resided here with her boyfriend of four years.

"Marinette isn't like that," Adrien muttered. "She's a very nice girl, and she's very clean. The couch is safe to sit on, and just because it belongs to her, or it did belong to her, doesn't mean you aren't allowed to sit on it. She won't care, and you even mentioned yourself that you thought it smelled and looked nice."

Kagami remained stubborn, her expression hard as she climbed into Adrien's lap. The female wrapped her arms around him with narrow eyes.

"Why are you always defending her?" She asked, her voice a lot more firmer than she had initially anticipated.

Adrien sighed, placing his hand on her hips and tugging her close despite her reluctance.

"Because I don't make fun of people. You know that," the blonde explained. "I also gotten to know Marinette, unlike you."

Kagami furrowed her brow, her eyes narrowing at her boyfriend.

"Are you sure there's nothing going on between you two?"

"There's nothing going on between us, and I'm truly offended that you'd imply that you don't trust me. I'm also getting frustrated that you'd allow your vendetta against Marinette to get in between us." Adrien interjected, strain in his voice. He was growing tired of Kagami's envious escapades.

Kagami sighed, feeling defeated as she could see Adrien's frustration. She felt a twinge of anger in her chest. She hated how he defended Marinette. He should have been on her side, taunting and poking jokes. The wedding was a joke.

Why was it wrong to make jokes of it?

"I'm not letting anything get between us." Kagami breathed, reaching up to lightly cup his face in her hands. "I do trust you. It's just... I don't trust her. What if she's out for your money? Or for publicity? I mean I know she knows that you're a model, you have many great resources. Maybe she's an opportunist-"

"Marinette doesn't want to be married to me. In fact, she literally avoids me at any chance she gets. The likeliness that she's milking the marriage we were both forced into for benefits is highly unlikely." Adrien interjected once more.

Kagami pulled back, her brow furrowing as she couldn't help but feel a bit of bliss at the sounds of his words.

"She... she doesn't want to be with you?" Kagami asked, her hands softening around his shoulders.

Adrien shrugged, trying to be as nonchalant about the situation as he could. "Nope. I was thinking that maybe we should divorce after my father is rewarded with the jewels he's been pining after." The male conceded.

Kagami bit her lip, her heart fluttering with happiness.

"Maybe that would be best." She breathed softly. She pressed herself into Adrien, closing her eyes.

"I was worried that I was going to lose you," her fingers lightly traced patterns into his shoulder. "I missed those times when we'd go to the park and watch the fireworks behind the Eiffel Tower together. We'd cuddle under a blanket and make out." she blushed deeply, her bottom lip catching between her teeth.

Adrien smiled at the memory. It was almost a tradition. He'd sneak out of his bedroom, and take Kagami by the hand. The couple would watch the fireworks in the park every year.

"You know, they're doing the fireworks again this year for Bastille day," the male grinned, his fingers digging gentle circles in her hips. "We can go back to the park and watch them. I'll bring a blanket, and you can bring the snacks. Maybe I'll steal a kiss or two." He murmured, leaning down to press a kiss to the top of her head.

Kagami giggled, turning her head to rest her chin against his chest. The female gazed up at him, her eyes hazy with both lust and anticipation.

"Hmm... I was thinking," she drew back slightly. "Perhaps when all of this is over, you'd want to move in with me?" She asked.

Adrien blinked, his heart nearly leaping from his chest. He never dreamed about taking a step like this in his relationship with Kagami. He always thought he'd be trapped under his father's roof even while they were married. He was elated, it was all he ever wanted. He recalled telling Marinette the story of gifting his girlfriend his mother's ring and taking a step to solidify their relationship. This was just one more step into that.

Perhaps he could ask Marinette for the ring back and then he'd be free to give it to Kagami. He was sure Marinette didn't mind. In fact, he was almost positive she'd be on board. They could divorce, and be with the people they actually loved.

"Kagami, of course I'd want to move in with you!" the blonde chimed, feeling completely elated with bliss.

Kagami grinned, immediately pulling him into her arms. She nuzzled her face into his neck, pressing soft kisses to his skin, as for her it wasn't about him being happy or whatever he wanted.

Kagami would say and do anything she knew would make sure this divorce happen. She would say and do anything to ensure that Marinette didn't take him away from her.

Even if it meant empty promises.

Only for a brief moment Kagami felt guilt. Her heart sank into it, but only for a short time. Kagami knew that she loved Adrien, and she couldn't live without him.

But of course, love was possibly the most selfish thing she could have ever been able to have.

"I can't wait until we've finally moved in together, and we can finally put all of this behind us." Kagami whispered, pulling back and resting her forehead against his. Her hands lightly ran through his soft golden locks. The two finally had some time alone for the first time in a really long time. She had missed him terribly. He was vibrating underneath her. He was buzzing like a bee; purring like a cat.

She had him right where she wanted him just from a simple proposition.

It was now or never.

The female pulled back, her hands gripping onto the buttons of his collared shirt. Kagami had every intention to take his virginity, making him hers forever.

Marinette breathed out, her shift finally drawing to a close. Her feet were beginning to ache, and the blunette couldn't stop looking for pianos on her breaks. With all the money she was saving, she couldn't help but to wonder if she should indulge in a gift for Adrien.

She wanted to thank him for everything he's ever done for her. She recalled that Adrien loved to play the piano for his mother, she could only gather that a piano was a good gift idea. It would also add to the home decors that she had started.

Alya was still out on the floor selling drinks as far as Marinette knew, and she had cleaned the bar and prepared it for Alya to return to finish the rest of her shift. Marinette enjoyed her long conversation with Luka before it inevitably got too late for him to stay any longer. The night went as planned, and Marinette took Alya's advice and graciously accepted Luka's number.

Marinette felt as if it was safe to say that the night went beautifully. All she needed now was to go home, enjoy some hot tea and get some good night's rest.

"Okay, Rose!" Marinette shouted out, placing the cleaning towel back into the bucket of sanitary solution. "I've cleaned up for Alya when she gets back. I'm going to clock out and head home before I miss the bus!"

Rose glanced back at her, banking down the tills and preparing them for the bank when Marinette called for her.

"Okay, my dear," She replied with a small smile. "Your gift is in the back! Don't forget to take it with you. It'll get lonely!"

Marinette giggled, waving at Rose before she wandered back into the staff room. The blunette poked her head in, her blue eyes glancing around the lockers mounted into the walls. A small smile spread across her face, the beautiful flower was encased in a delicate glass vase.

Marinette reached out to it, her fingers just barely grazing the glass when she heard something.

A small cry emanated from behind her.

From what Marinette could tell it sounded like someone was in pain. The voice sounded quite familiar, and it drew Marinette's attention immediately. Her eyes widened, hearing the cry once more and it only grew louder and louder.

Her heart began to pound wildly in her chest, and Marinette felt like she was going to throw up. The female followed the sounds, the noises inevitably leading her to the employee bathroom. Marinette paused just outside the door, her limbs quivering as she approached the door. Her body riddled with anxiety as she heard the agonizing cry once more.

That voice.

It was so familiar.

Marinette felt her heart sink the moment it clicked. Her blue eyes lowered, and the bathroom door was left ajar.

It was Alya. That voice was Alya. She was crying in the bathroom. She was in pain! Something was happening to her. The last thing she remembered Alya doing was selling drinks on the dancefloor. Marinette could have only wondered about the horrors of what could have been happening behind that door. She didn't hesitate, Marinette immediately pushed her hand into the door, opening it.

"Alya!" Marinette called out, her heart sinking with fear.

Alya was bent over the sink, her skirt pulled down to her ankles. Her fishnet stockings were a pile of rags torn as they lay on the ground beside her feet.

Nino was positioned behind her, his pants pooling at his ankles. His hands gripped Alya's hips, pulling her half naked body flush against his groin.

Marinette froze, her eyes wide as Alya immediately shoved Nino off of her, and began to tug at her clothing to cover herself.

Nino cursed, stumbling back as he turned his back to Marinette, trying his best to cover his erection.

Marinette blinked, her face growing incredibly red as the wheels in her head began to turn.

"O-Oh my god!" Marinette cried out. The female stumbled back against the door immediately falling on her ass.

Alya began to panic, she zipped up her skirt sloppily as Nino attempted to zip up his pants in a panic.

"Marinette wait! Let me explain-"

"No! No! No! No!" Marinette screamed at the top of her lungs. She couldn't believe what she had just walked into.

It was a disturbing image, an image that she knew she wouldn't get out of her head.

"You ass! You said you locked the door!" Alya scolded, her gaze firing towards Nino who looked completely helpless.

"I-I thought I did," He retorted, face growing redder than a tomato. "I must have slammed it too hard and it opened. I was caught in the moment, I didn't even realise!"

Marinette scrambled to her feet, her heart thumping as she finally got on to her feet. The female stumbled into a wall, her hands holding against it for balance. She gripped her vase with her flower and zoomed out the door, her head spinning in violent circles.

Alya slammed her fist on to the wall, standing in the hall awkwardly.

"Fuck-" she cursed under her breath, her chest heaving as her breathing was thrown off.

Nino stood behind Alya, completely at a loss for words as Marinette undoubtedly walked in on them having sex. The male crossed his arms, his heart refusing to waver from the rush.

"W-Well, you said you wanted her to know about us, didn't you?" Nino mused, his voice still strained from the adrenaline.

Alya reached up and rubbed her temples before she glanced back at him with utter vexation.

"Yes, but I didn't want her to find out this way," She whined. "She's going to be traumatized."

Nino knew she was frustrated, he couldn't blame her. Alya always became callous when she was stressed and he knew not to take it to heart. The male reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder. He very tenderly drew her body against his, keeping her close.

Alya inhaled, her arms very gently swathing themselves around his body tautly. Alya could only hope Nino was right. It would be one hell of an awkward encounter when she had to face Marinette again and explain to her the entire situation.

Rose slipped the till money into the bag, zipping it closed. The blonde furrowed her brow, hearing a screech emanating from the back room even through the loud music that surrounded them. Rose turned just in time to witness Marinette bolt out from the back room, a look of pure terror in her eyes.

Marinette zipped past Rose, stumbling against the bar table. The female had the peony flower in its vase clutched to her chest.

"Noooooooo!" Marinette screeched, running out of the club as if she were running for the hills. Rose blinked, her eyes wide.

She wondered what that was all about.

She was tired. If her feet weren't aching then, they sure as hell was aching now. Marinette didn't even realise that she had ran all the way home. All she could do was run. She barely noticed any of the bus stops as she ran by them, but Marinette had grown desperate.

All she knew or even wanted to do was just run.

Run, run, run, run.

Despite her living three miles away, it did not stop Marinette from running it. Marinette didn't care, she'd do anything to get the image of Nino's dimpled ass out of her head.

Marinette sighed, opening the slider doors in the back of the house and stepping inside. She was just ready to end the day. Marinette would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't hoping to see Adrien. It was always nice to see a nice friendly and pure face after a night of fresh hell. Marinette had been hopeful that with the living space set up and with her movies brought from home, she could show him a few of her favorite movies.

The female carefully slipped out of her wedges, her feet screaming with relief from the confines of the straps.

Marinette held her flower close to her chest with a weary smile. At least the night would close comfortably.

Marinette rubbed her eyes, wandering over to the living space with the intention to gather some of her favorite movies. The female glanced up, her body frozen in place upon the sight of Kagami atop Adrien's lap. The kisses on her neck were incredibly visible and her shirt was ripped open. Adrien held her by the waist, his shirt thrown to the back of the sofa.

Her sofa.

Kagami had her arms wrapping around Adrien, their mouths attached tautly to one another desperately. Her hands knotted into his hair, her breasts pushed up against his chest. Marinette couldn't tell why, but her heart had completely shattered.

One; because of the intimacy.

Two; because of the disrespect.

The bluenette hadn't even noticed that she had been staring, her mind had completely wandered, only drawing back to reality the moment the vase in her hand popped.

Adrien immediately drew back, his head turning in the direction where he heard the sound. Kagami covered her chest, crossing her arms and immediately climbing off his lap to grab her shirt. Marinette widened her eyes, glancing down at the shattered vase that had pooled on the ground. Her hand trembled, clutching on the bloody flower that was gifted to her.

"M-Marinette-" Adrien stammered, immediately reaching for his shirt to slide it on. "Are you alright?"

Marinette pressed her lips together, her heart feeling too heavy to hold. The female pressed her hand into her chest, feeling her blood running down her wrists.

"O-oh! I-I'm alright. I didn't realise I was holding it so tight." She replied timidly, feeling even more small at Kagami's reprimanding glance.

"Here," Adrien approached Marinette. "Let's go to the bathroom and look at it. You might need some stitches."

Marinette frowned, hearing Kagami's noticeable huffing and puffing as Adrien began to drag her to the first floor bathroom.

"Adrien, no! It's just a scratch!" Marinette purposely put her weight on to her feet, wondering what would have happened between Adrien and Kagami had she not walked in.

Kagami rolled her eyes, her teeth clenching at the sight of Adrien lifting Marinette and throwing her across his shoulders. Marinette widened her eyes, her heart about ready to jump from her chest. She kept her hand close to her chest, not wanting to bleed all over Adrien.

"Adrien," the blunette reprimanded. "I'm okay! I told you it's just a scratch, I'll take care of it!"

"Would you just let me look at it?" Adrien replied, placing her on her feet once the duo reached the lower level bathroom.

Marinette pouted, her legs quivering as she could sense the frustration in Adrien's voice. The female averted her eyes, spotting Kagami who stood in the doorway with a gaze as fiery as anything that burned.

The blunette hesitantly relinquished her hand to Adrien. She opened her palm, glancing down as the blonde grabbed some tissue paper and dabbed at her wound, cleaning up as much blood as he could so he could properly inspect the wound. Marinette glanced back up at her hand, still feeling Kagami's eyes on her.

"See? Just a scratch." she spoke, her voice in a timid and small whisper. Marinette felt nervous, putting on a facade to entertain Kagami. She kept her distance as she was afraid of what Kagami would do to her this time around.

Adrien sighed, shaking his head at his friend's stubbornness. He pressed his lips together, casually pulling away from her, before he briefly glanced at Kagami in the doorway.

"It looks superficial. I'm sure I have some first aid kits in here somewhere. I can guess they are kept in the second floor private bathroom, so we don't have to go to the hospital." The male elucidated before shifting his gaze back to Marinette. "You wait here...I'll be right back."

Marinette positioned herself in front of the sink, leaning on to it with a grimace. She nodded, trying her best to keep her gaze away from Kagami. Marinette was sure she would die at any moment. It was nearly impossible for this night to get any worse. Both girls watched Adrien as he exited the bathroom, ultimately leaving them alone.

Marinette felt light headed, her hand remained clenched against her chest. She glanced down at her blood stained shirt with a heavy sigh. She pulled her hand away, using her other hand to pull at her shirt with a grimace.

"Hydrogen peroxide."

Marinette froze, her eyes blinking. This was the first time she had heard Kagami's voice not intended as an insult towards her.

"W-What?" Marinette murmured, her heart racing as she was completely dumbfounded.

Kagami glanced down at Marinette's shirt, her arms slowly unfolding.

"Hydrogen peroxide. It will help remove the blood stains from your clothes." Kagami repeated, reaching back to grab her phone from her bag.

Marinette blushed deeply, letting go of her shirt.

"O-oh. Thank you." she breathed nervously.

Kagami ignored Marinette's response, her eyes locked on to the text message on her screen.

(' In bed. I've been waiting for you.')

She narrowed her eyes at the message, turning her back on Marinette and wandering back down the hall towards the kitchen. Marinette sighed, her shoulders slouching slightly as she was left alone.

Kagami began to usher herself down the hall, gasping as she smacked into her boyfriend. Adrien nearly dropped the first aid kit, his hands fumbling with the box before he had it stable in his grip.

"Hey," he breathed, glancing down at his love. "What's the rush?" He asked, noticing how antsy Kagami seemed. He did start to feel bad that he and his girlfriend finally got close even after all this time. Adrien felt connected to her, and he was so close to giving himself to her, but at poor Marinette's expense. He didn't want to traumatize her.

"Its getting late. I figured I'd let you do whatever you have to do to cover up Marinette's hand, and I just grab a quick bite to eat and then go home to sleep." the female explained, reaching up to rub the back of her neck nervously.

Adrien frowned, tucking the first aid kit under his arm as he leaned closer to her.

"If you could just give me five minutes, we can go out to dinner together," He suggested hopefully. "We don't have to spend the night, but dinner sounds-"

"Its fine, Adrien." Kagami declined, her hand clutching her phone tightly before she quickly stuffed it back into her bag. "I'm feeling too tired for a dinner date. I guess us fooling around really drained me a bit." She shrugged.

Adrien glanced down at her with a grimace, his heart sinking down into his stomach.

"Fooling around?" He mused, his shoulders slumping with disappointment. "But we hardly did anything."

Kagami reached up, gently touching his face. She stood up on her tippy toes, pressing her lips to his briefly. "I know, but we did enough for tonight. I'd be more than happy to continue another time?" She asked, pulling back to look at him, her thumb gently stroking his cheek. "I'll call you later."

Adrien nodded subtly, his facial expression completely flaccid.

"Oh, right," he sighed, pulling back and allowing her hand to fall from his face. "Just call me when you get home, or at least text me so I know you've made it home safely."

Kagami nodded, her arms wrapping around him. Adrien returned the hug hesitantly, his chin resting on her head, before she was out of his grasp once again. The blonde watched Kagami pull back, wave to him, and then exit out of the back slider doors towards the pool.

Adrien was completely bummed. He couldn't take his eyes off the doors. He contemplated going after her, but he knew that it would get him nowhere.

There was no use. He would just see her when he saw her. The more Adrien thought about it, the more he noticed how much it happened over the last four years. Up until recently, it had started to become more and more frequent. Adrien had started to worry that she wasn't too fond of his company anymore. He had hoped that once they moved in, everything would return to normal. He had hoped it would bring them closer than ever.

It just had to.

Adrien held on to that hope.

The model inhaled, turning his trajectory back towards the bathroom. Marinette glanced up at him as she stood awkwardly in the bathroom.

"Had I known you were going to turn into the freaking Hulk and smash a glass vase in your palm, I would've put mittens on you, my Ladybug." The blonde teased, placing the first aid kit onto the sink beside her.

Marinette blushed with embarrassment, her eyes glancing at the kit briefly as Adrien opened it and began to dig for some disinfectant wipes, ointments, and something to use for a wrap. The blunette opened her hand, flinching as Adrien put the disinfectant solution into her wound.

"W-Why do you keep calling me that?" She asked timidly, her heart squeezing in her chest. The nicknames drove her insane. But there was no way Adrien could have known that.

"Was it because of the pattern of the swimsuit I wore that day?"

Adrien paused, placing the bloodied wipes to the side before he reached for the ointment.

"Well-" he prompted, bringing her hand to his face and squinting. He reached into the cut on her palm, very gently picking out a small piece of glass.

"Yes and no," he replied, bringing her hand back down again. "I thought the Ladybug spots reminded me of you." He paused as Marinette gasped once more, wincing at the stinging sensation of the ointment. "But because since we've met, I've sort of pictured you as my good luck charm. The Ladybug spots only confirmed that." He smiled, glancing up at her briefly.

Marinette exhaled, the blood rushing to her cheeks once more. She felt so pathetic. He'd be wrapped around this woman one moment, and the next she'd be wrapped around his finger just from a simple charismatic choice of words. It was cruel. Even if he didn't know it.

"I-I am?" Marinette asked, her voice quivering, her heart fluttering in her chest as the feeling of elation began to consume her instantly. Marinette simply couldn't help herself. In the time she got to know him, she had unwittingly given him that sort of power over her.

Adrien reached for the gauze wrap, and began to wrap her hand very meticulously and gently.

"Of course you are," he chuckled, quickly glancing up at her. "And, I figured that after we divorce, we could still hang out, and maybe you could continue to be apart of my next step in my relationship with Kagami. She suggested that we-"

"You want to divorce me?" Marinette interjected, her heart shattering the moment he proposed the idea. Her blue eyes glossed over to his face, her elation immediately deflating to a sour taste in the back of her mouth. Her body felt cold, but Marinette began to feign her tears that threatened to ebb at the edges of her eyes. She knew that this marriage was never meant to be eternal, but the painful feeling of rejection had become utterly overwhelming. It almost felt like Adrien didn't want her.

In what way?

Marinette couldn't decide, but the feeling hurt deeper than anything that bled.

Adrien blinked, noticing Marinette growing completely flaccid.

"Y-Yeah! Kagami suggested that we moved in together. She really seems on board of getting serious. I was hoping that maybe if you'd be interested in returning my mother's ring. You'd just have to hide it to make my father happy," The blonde chuckled. "But I'd love to have my best friend at my actual real wedding."

Marinette nodded, her eyes lowering.

"That's great, Adrien." she murmured dryly, her voice scratchy with fatigue.

Adrien furrowed his brow, concern etching in his features.

"Marinette? Are you okay?"

Marinette glanced up at him, her face utterly impassive despite the hurt she was feeling inside. She couldn't let him see it. She refused to cry in front of him.

"I just wanted to watch movies," she stood up slowly, bringing her hand up to look at the wrap he had just placed on her palm.

"Thanks." her voice trailed off as she wandered out of the bathroom, her feet audibly dragging against the floor as she felt as if her soul had left her body.

She had suddenly become an empty shell, but Marinette knew that was her fault. She gave him so much power over her, and ultimately left her heart in his hand. Adrien watched Marinette leave the bathroom.

The blonde sighed, standing up and cleaning up the messy wipes and plasters that lay open on the sink.

Marinette didn't look back, her heart aching as she left Adrien behind her.

She was wrong.

Apparently the night could have gotten worse.