Ladybug jumped back into the fight with renewed vigor. She kept her focus solely on the akuma, pointedly ignoring the glances that Chat was giving her. He remained professional, though. Throughout the fight and while talking to the reporters afterwards, Chat stuck to his usual routine of cracking jokes and making bad puns.
Ladybug had a harder time acting normally. She stood completely still and silent, letting Chat field all the questions. At first no one noticed, but during a particularly 'funny' joke Chat was telling about the two of them, he made the mistake of putting an arm around her shoulder. Ladybug completely froze up and jerked away from him. The interview ended shortly after that.
She escaped quickly, soon finding herself on a secluded rooftop. She ran a shaky hand over her face. She could still hear the chatter of the crowd in the distance but it filled her with anxiety. Chat Noir landed behind her but kept his distance, wanting to give her space. For a while, neither one spoke. He stared at her back as the silence dragged on, waiting for her to say anything. Unable to handle it any longer, he took a step towards her. "Ladybug," he said. She flinched and moved to throw her yo-yo. "Please, wait."
Ladybug paused and looked over at him, avoiding his gaze. "Chat, I- I can't do this." She closed her eyes, struggling to think of what to say. With no akuma to distract her, she wasn't even sure how she should react. She took a deep breath, letting it out as she turned to look at him. "I think I need some time, some space." She fiddled with her yo-yo.
"Okay," he said, taking a step back and nodding in acceptance. "Okay, take as long as you need."
"Thank you, Chat." A small part of her brain had worried he would push the issue, but she knew he would respect her boundaries. His face was filled with concern as she gave him one last look. She smiled at him and left, circling around to get back to the school while avoiding the crowds. She had no intention of going back to class, but she had promised Alya she would at least get her injuries checked.
She landed beside the steps to the front of the school and de-transformed. Tikki hovered in front of her. "Marinette," she started.
Marinette didn't want to have this conversation right now. She closed her eyes and slid to the ground, groaning in frustration. "Tikki," she whined.
Tikki sighed. "You can't avoid this conversation." She watched as Marinette slid even further down the wall, looking pitiful. She huffed. "Fine, we won't talk. But you still have to figure out where you want to go. You can't sit here forever."
Marinette tugged at a blade of grass. She tried to think but soon gave up. It was too much. Slowly she curled up, bringing her knees up under her chin. "Tikki, I'm scared."
Tikki's eyes softened. She flew over to her and rested a hand on her cheek. "It's okay, Marinette. Everything will be okay. We can even skip seeing the nurse if you want. We can go straight home and avoid this whole place."
Going home sounded great to Marinette, but she didn't want to break a promise to her best friend. And if she left it too late, she would have to face the students as they left for the day. She got up reluctantly and dusted off her pants. "Okay, I've decided. We'll see the nurse quickly then we'll go home."
Tikki agreed with the plan. She had been worried that Marinette would barricade herself in her room. "I'm proud of you, Marinette," she said. She caught the mixture of anxiety and exhaustion on Marinette's face. "But first, you might want to change your expression. You're going to make everyone worry if they see you like this."
"Right." Marinette rubbed her face, trying to massage it back to a natural smile. She shook her head a bit, psyching herself up. She looked marginally better, but it was still clear to anyone that she wasn't doing well. Tikki hid in her usual spot.
She peeked over the stairs to see if the coast was clear. Slowly, she made her way up the stairs and towards the nurse's office, watching for any signs of people. She was just about to open the door when she heard muffled talking from the other side. Looking through the glass, she saw the back of Miss Bustier. She appeared to be talking to Adrien. Marinette ducked down so she wouldn't be seen.
"Tikki," Marinette hissed. "What do I do? Adrien's in there, and Miss Bustier."
Her purse opened and Tikki popped her head out. "I don't think they know. I don't remember seeing them in the classroom." Marinette paused in her panic and thought back. Now that she mentioned it, she hadn't seen either of them.
Suddenly, Miss Bustier's voice sounded through the door. "I never would have expected this behaviour from you. Sneaking out of the nurse's office during an attack. What if you were hurt?"
Adrien's voice sounded apologetic. "I'm sorry. I heard someone out in the courtyard and I wanted to make sure they were alright."
A pause. "Adrien," Miss Bustier's voice was more gentle now. "That's very noble of you, but you can't go risking your safety like that. You need to let the professionals take care of it."
Marinette's stomach twisted. If her teacher knew what she was doing just moments ago… How hurt she could have been.
In the distance, she heard a door opening and her eyes snapped up to the noise. A student was walking her way. They were too far away to see who it was, but Marinette couldn't risk it. Making up her mind, she quickly stood and ducked inside.
As the door swung shut behind her, she found herself facing Adrien and Miss Bustier. Adrien's face briefly flickered with an emotion she couldn't place, then switched back to mild surprise. Miss Bustier was the first to say something. "Marinette," she said in relief. "Where have you been? You weren't in the classroom. I've been looking for you everywhere."
Marinette knew she should feel guilty about making her worry, but she now knew there was at least one person who didn't know. That thought alone was a huge relief. She tried to think of an excuse off the cuff but her eyes were drawn to Adrien sitting there. He had put his head down, the picture of a scolded child.
"Oh, um," she fumbled her excuse. She managed to drag her eyes away from Adrien and onto the teacher. "I left to go to the bathroom, but when I heard the akuma coming closer I decided to hide." She attempted her most guilt-ridden look she could manage. Miss Bustier eyed her up, trying to see if she was lying.
Marinette glanced back at Adrien and noticed he was peeking up at her from the corner of his eye with that same look again. When her eyes met his, he quickly looked back down at his lap. He had been staring at her for some time now, and the thought made her shift uncomfortably.
Did he know? Everyone else in the class knew. Someone could have slipped up and told by now. Maybe that's why he was staring. Maybe everyone knew. Her breathing became more erratic and she was struck with an overwhelming urge to run away. She eyed the door.
"-nette? Marinette?" Miss Bustier called again and placed a hand on her arm. She snapped out of her thoughts and realised Miss Bustier had been talking to her.
Miss Bustier looked at her now pale face with concern. "Are you feeling okay?" She guided her to the seat next to Adrien. "Why don't you sit down. You don't look very well."
Marinette nervously sat next to Adrien, all too aware of his presence. She decided to just focus on responding to her teacher. One issue at a time. "I think I'd just like to go home."
"I'll call your parents," Miss Bustier said. "But first, I'm going to have the nurse check up on you, okay? Just to make sure you're alright." Marinette nodded in response. It was hard to concentrate when Adrien was now openly staring at her out the corner of her eye. She refused to look back at him. Instead, she closed her eyes and focused on taking deep breaths to calm herself.
Then they were left alone. Marinette squirmed, feeling his eyes on her. She was growing more certain that he knew. Why else would he be acting this way? She chanced a quick look at him and he smiled at her. "I'm glad you're okay, Marinette. I was worried when Miss Bustier said she didn't know where you went."
Marinette couldn't help but smile in response. He was worried about me, she thought, her previous worries temporarily forgotten.
Adrien opened his mouth to say something else but couldn't seem to find the words. Whatever he wanted to say was interrupted by the nurse bustling into the room to check on them. She went straight to Marinette. "Were you hurt at all?" she asked.
Marinette's thoughts were still jumbled. She wanted to say that she was fine, but her promise to Alya crossed her mind. "Um, I did hit my head a bit when I went to hide," she said, touching the back of her head. "But, it doesn't hurt anymore."
The nurse looked her over and asked her a few more questions. She seemed satisfied with her health and smiled reassuringly at Marinette. "Well, you don't appear to have any injuries, but I still want you to rest at home for the day. I'll let your parents know what happened so they can keep an eye on you overnight." She left again, passing Miss Bustier on the way out.
"I've called both your parents to come pick you up," Miss Bustier said. "Now, I still have to check up on the other students, so I need you two to stay here until your parents come. No sneaking off, either of you," she warned. With that, she went out the front door and left them alone again.
Neither knew what to say, so they remained silent. Adrien continued to sneak glances at her from the corner of his eye, a light blush on his cheeks. Marinette didn't notice. Now that she had spent some time around him, she didn't think he knew; he was too calm around her. With that thought gone, her other worries were creeping back. Everyone else still knew. She nervously tapped her foot on the floor as she watched the window. Every minute spent at school increased the chances of someone finding her.
They waited in silence until Marinette's parents opened the door. The moment they came inside, Sabine made a beeline for her and scooped her up into a hug. "Are you okay? I was so worried," she said, checking her over for injuries.
"I'm fine mama. I just feel a little tired from the attack." It wasn't a lie. She did feel tired, exhausted even, but more from the effort of trying to act normal. She tried to put on a smile for them, to ease their minds but it wasn't very successful. Her mother frowned in concern, her eyebrows knitted together. She tutted quietly, but decided not to comment on her daughter's haggard appearance.
Marinette shifted under her mother's gaze. She knew that eventually she would be interrogated by them, there was no avoiding that. But she preferred it to happen at home, not right now in front of Adrien. She had hoped they could leave quickly once they arrived, but they didn't seem to be in any sort of rush.
Tom had been watching her with obvious concern on his face since they arrived. Although, hearing her say she was fine did allow him to relax a little. His attention eventually shifted to Adrien, eyeing him up and down for injuries.
Sabine looked ready to say something when the nurse walked back in, having noticed their arrival. She greeted them and went through what happened and explained how to look after Marinette overnight. Tom and Sabine listened intently as she spoke and then thanked her as she left.
Tom finally decided to voice his thoughts. He leaned down next to Adrien. "Are you alright?" he asked. "Did you need a ride home?"
"Oh, no thank you. My driver will be picking me up," Adrien replied with a polite smile. Their kindness always caught him off guard, even though he knew what wonderful people they were.
Marinette took a step towards the door, hoping her parents would take the hint, but they didn't. It seemed they had no intention of leaving yet.
Sabine wrapped an arm around Marinette to stop her from edging further towards the door. "Well, we'll stay here until they arrive," Sabine said.
Marinette was dreading this. She knew her parents were too kind to leave Adrien alone after this but she was not up for this today. Her shoulders slumped in defeat as she closed her eyes, wishing she could just be at home.
Adrien looked over at Marinette's comically exaggerated pose and stifled a smile. "It's okay, really," he said to Sabine. "My driver will be here soon. I think you should take Marinette home. She hasn't been feeling too well."
Marinette smiled at him in gratitude. He was always so thoughtful. Her smile stretched on for a bit too long and she giggled in embarrassment. He laughed along with her.
"Well, if you're sure. It was good seeing you, Adrien," Tom said, placing a hand on his daughter's shoulder as they turned to leave.
Adrien smiled at him. "It was good seeing you, too." Turning his attention to Marinette, he said, "Goodbye, Marinette. I hope you feel well enough to come to school tomorrow."
She nodded enthusiastically at him, an automatic response. After she realised what she agreed to, she winced at her behaviour. "Yeah, hopefully I'll feel well enough by then," she said. She waved goodbye at him, stopping only once her parents had gently pulled her out of the room.
"He's so considerate," Sabine said once the door closed behind them. "It's no wonder you like him."
The sound of the door closing snapped her out of her daze and back to the present. The smile slid from her face and she glanced around nervously. The coast was still clear. She looked back at her mother and realised she still hadn't answered her. "Yeah, he's really nice," she said absently. She began pushing her parents towards the exit, checking around periodically for anyone she knew.
Sabine frowned at her daughter's reaction and shared a worried look with Tom. Her behaviour was very worrying. She didn't even react to their gentle teasing. Even being next to her crush didn't provide much of a distraction. All they could do was hope she would be back to her usual self soon.