Living with Adrien for the last few days we're synonymous with living in the Garden of Eden. Only if Adam was unwittingly both the serpent and the forbidden fruit. Or maybe he wasn't Adam, her internship was. That still left Adrien as the tempted and the object of temptation. If Alya ever heard that comparison she'd say he's just like the consultant on her favourite crime drama that was due for a next season.
Ever since that first night, he let his inner Chat Noire free. Or more likely, he was how he was when they were alone but less restrained and a bit more public. He would constantly tease her to the point that she almost had a permanent rouge on her face.
And if the teasing didn't do it, then the wave of compliments he set on her. Every little thing she did was met with the highest praise. Even when she wasn't too sure if she deserved it. Like when she baked cookies and he moaned at the taste. He said he couldn't tell the difference between hers and her father's. To her, she could never be as good as her father. When he praised her efforts while she practised Mandarin with him. Even with his amnesia, he was able to continue with his lesson plan due to his extremely meticulous notes. They had only recently started a few months ago and she was excelling quickly, but she would not need the lessons if she had accepted more of her mother's lessons earlier.
Don't misunderstand, Marinette. She's no longer the deeply insecure girl she once was before the Miraculous, however, there was something in the way he earnestly laved the attention upon her had her feeling tingly all over yet slightly undeserving of it. So she (begrudgingly) accepted it.
But there were the sweet moments. Like when she fell asleep on his bed last night and he carried her to her room. She scolded him for putting such unnecessary strain on his recovering body, but it deeply touched her. And maybe, it was for the best. M. Agreste may have some different ideas of what might have happened when he came to check on Adrien in the morning.
Also, Adrien liked to either sleep completely naked or just in his pyjama pants with nothing underneath.
She felt her face heat and had to stifle a groan as her thoughts started to descend into the gutter.
"Marinette, are you okay?" Alya's voice reeled her out of the murky depths of her mind.
While she loved spending timing with Adrien, she really was happy that there friends were there. A nice distraction for her unknowing tempter.
"I'm just glad you guys are here"
Alya and Nino had arrived around 8 o'clock in the morning. Adrien and herself were now about to have breakfast when they burst into the mansion. It took a little convincing for Nathalie to agree for them to move breakfast to Adrien's room. Everything was set up on the upper level of Adrien's room, on the floor next to his gigantic shelves filled with books and mostly manga and comics.
That was 2 hours ago.
"Sick of me already, Princess?" He echoed her sentiment from a few nights ago. He wrapped his muscular arm around her small waist bringing her closer to him on the ground. He then took that same arm and draped across her shoulders.
"You wish." She said rolling her eyes. "Even though your teasing has been out of hand, "
"It is simply retaliation."
"Retaliation for what, Dude?" Nino asked egging Adrien on.
"She has had me trapped in bed these past few days at her whim, " he sighed dramatically.
"Looks like Nurse Marinette is very hands-on with her patient," Alya said waggIng her eyebrows.
She began struggling within Adrien's hold to create space between them. He wouldn't budge. She could tell the rouge had spread from her cheeks down to her neck.
She felt as though Adrien knew how it would sound saying that she had him trapped in bed. It was so full with innuendo it was hard to believe that he wasn't teasing her again. She knew for a fact that Alya was teasing her and she couldn't get the image out of her head.
"It's only because you kept tiring yourself out even more when moved from your bed"
She squeaked.
"I meant rest, cause you know he was injured and I'm playing nurse. Not playing nurse of course. I'm just taking care of all his needs but not in that way. I'm -"
She was silenced with a soft kiss to the temple.
"She's just being a very good friend."
At those four words, all the blood that rushed to her face fled the scene. She deflated.
"Yeah, a good... friend"
It was quite a harsh reminder.
Alya looked at her concerned.
"Why don't you show me your room?"
It was the escape she needed.
She slid out of Adrien's hold and stood up. She plastered a bright smile to her face and made her way to the stairs.
"I bet you to two have a lot to talk about. Alya and I'll just head over to my room."
Adrian had a confused look on his face and looked as though he was prepared to ask her about her sullen temperament. However, Alya took that moment to get up, grab Marinette's hand and usher her down the stairs.
She missed the grip Nino took on Adrien's wrist.
"Yeah, bro, let's talk."
That's all she heard as they walked out of the room. She blankly led her best friend to her room. And flopped on to her giant pink bed. Alya stared in awe at her room. It was big and spacious, with manakin busts and rolls of fabric. There was a big workstation with a computer and a tablet where she could design clothes. A walk-in closet that made her clothes look sparse and a personal bathroom. There was a video game centre with all her favourite games. It even had an aerial silk rig in her room!
"Woah, girl. Looks like Gabriel has been planning for you to be here for some time. How did he even know you've been doing aerial silks?"
"I believe that some of these touches have to do with Adrien, but I can't ask. He doesn't remember having anything to do with this."
Alya took a seat next to her and pulled Marinette's head into her lap. She took one ponytail into her hand and started to braid some of the strands.
"Tell me what's going on with you and M. Sunshine, "
"There's nothing going on Als, you know that."
"Are you sure, have you not been experiencing what I was seeing or do I have to get a new pair of glasses?"
"Alya..."
"He was all over you this morning."
"You're exaggerating."
"Oh really. He kept finding some reason to touch you the whole time we were talking."
"He wasn't. That's just how we are together, you know that Als. Even if it looks like he's expressing interest we know he's not."
"Mari, he would go through hell and back for you. You know it's true. Why is it so hard to believe that he might have an interest in you?"
"Because I'm his friend. His good friend; and that's all ill ever be to him."
Her words were met with silence. It was a heavy truth Marinette carried with her. Their affectionate, intimate relationship would never be anything more than platonic. The moment Adrien kissed and said it was platonic her fate was sealed. She hadn't realised that his vow to get her to relax around him would never evolve into what she wanted.
Like having your Eevee become an Espeon when you were hoping for an Umbreon. Both are great, but it's not what you originally wanted.
"And anyway Alya, he just left a loving relationship. Even if he can't remember it, it would be wrong to start anything with him in this state."
Alya scoffed and took out her phone. She fiddled with it for a few seconds before showing it to Marinette. It was a video from about 2 months ago of Alya and Nino at the Bourgeois Hotel Fairytale Ball. They were trying to dance and we're failing hilariously.
"What do you see?"
"You and your boyfriend looking adorable"
She zoomed into the corner of the video Marinette squinted trying to understand what she was seeing. It was a couple wrapped tightly around each other. One with long red hair the other with short black. There was only one person she knew with that red hair, Nathaniel. So by default, the other would be his boyfriend Marc. Then in the video, they pulled away and Marinette realised she was wrong.
It was Kagami.
She opened her mouth to utter her confusion when there was the slam of her door being flung open.
"Dudes come quick. Something's wrong with Adrien."