The unbelievable need to do her freak out dance had never been so apparent, but because she was so shocked and honestly a little queasy, she just looked into Jack's green eyes.
"What are you doing here?" He grabbed her arm and hefted her up, she completely forgot about Alya and focused solely on the fact that Jack was here, and that she didn't know how to feel about it.
"I could ask you the same thing," she said settling her hands on her hips. He looked taken aback before he laughed good-naturedly.
"My father owns this hotel, so for right now I'm staying here." His brief explanation was enough for Marinette, and she honestly didn't know how to feel. "I'll head back to Paris to see my mother soon though." He explained, but she was far too deep in her head to hear him.
For one thing, she felt utterly disgusted with herself, she had been treating all of her 'new' friends like she'd known them for years, and gone off and ignored people who, while they probably didn't intentionally mean to do it, hurt her, but those people were the ones that she loved. The ones that had been there through thick and thin, and she'd been angry at them, probably for a pitiful reason. But her heart had ached and her eyes had cried as her heart did when she heard those words, she couldn't stop herself.
And she'd even been all cozy with Jack before, and that wasn't fair to him or her, she'd been feeling vulnerable she'd admit, but that was no excuse for her behavior. She bit her lip as she dug her fingernails into the palm of her hand, she put on a false quick smile.
"That's cool!" She said excitedly. She wouldn't let her thoughts disrupt her good mood. "Well, I hate to make it a short meeting, but my friend Alya and I were going to go swimming." He looked like he understood and he nodded. He smiled at her and she couldn't stop the small flutter in her gut from it.
She couldn't stop the headache either.
"I hope you enjoy your swim." He opened his arms in a gesture that he was waiting for a hug. Marinette crashed into his arms, wanting to get away, and possibly throw up if given the chance. She didn't want to seem rude, however. "Can we hang out later this week though? Indila and Jasper are coming out to see me, I'm sure they'd love to see you?" Seeing Indila sounded so nice, Marinette really did like the girl, she was just awesome it was hard not to like her. she smiled slightly at the thought, but her mind was a bit too jumbled to think of everyone else right now.
She smiled as she stepped back and nodded. "Sounds like a plan! I can't wait! Just text me the details okay?" Marinette and Alya made their way around him and he only nodded as they walked away. Marinette didn't look back, feeling her throat tighten and her stomach seize, she just had to get away. This feeling was suffocating.
The heaviness that settled on her wasn't pleasant, far from it. Alya gently slung her arm over Marinette's shoulder and guided her to the elevator. "You wanna talk about it?" Alya asked quietly and Marinette shook her head slowly, she just got this feeling, and it was never good, when she was around Jack. She liked him a lot, as a friend, but she couldn't help her gut. She knew that he was a good person, but the guilty feeling that swarmed her made her feel absolutely awful.
The feeling happened from what she assumed was her guilt anyway, and it weighed heavily on her as they made it back to the penthouse.
They stayed in, and watched movies, and ate ice cream. And Marinette felt better knowing that her best friend understood how she felt.
Later when Adrien and Nino came back to the room, sweaty and satisfied, they found the girls on the couch, talking and eating ice cream. Marinette had forgotten to lock the door after her, so that's why they'd been able to get in. Adrien felt only mildly annoyed that she didn't lock it, he knew that this was a high-class hotel, but that didn't mean that weird people weren't around.
"Hey," Nino said as he flopped down next to Alya on the large couch, she immediately smiled at him and snuggled into his chest, only to quickly pull away after that, holding her nose.
"Wow, you do not smell good, no offense." She smiled gently at him and he looked only mildly hurt. "You guys should hit the showers!" Alya laughed and Marinette looked over silently at Adrien's sweaty brow and how he lifted the front of his shirt up to air out everything. She almost melted into a puddle at the sight of him. She squealed quietly into her blanketed hands and looked away from him, not wanting to be caught.
She missed his eyes glancing over her, and he smiled at her attempt to hide from him. He walked closer and just continued to watch her, he was so consumed with looking at her that he tripped over a loose pillow on the ground and fell face-first onto Marinette's chest. She screamed and he gave a quiet yell and they umped apart, both as red as cherries. Adrien had no idea how to feel, except maybe embarrassed, because..oh god! He had not meant to do that! He gritted his teeth and felt his face get redder, he could hear his heart in his ears.
Marinette thought that she was going to pass out any second now, had that actually just happened?! What a terrible thing to have happened! She covered her face with her hands and felt sweat build on her own brow. Oh god, she could just run forever, away and away and away...
"Marinette!" Adrien called and he sat up on his knees in an attempt to get closer to her, but not too close. "I am so sorry, I swear that I didn't mean to do that!" He reached out his hand and Marinette watched through a small crack in her fingers as he decided against it. Like somehow him touching her would make her angrier. Well, it would definitely make her more embarrassed. But, she didn't want Adrien to never touch her, she wanted to be able to hug him, and do things like that, without him being afraid of her reaction.
"I know," She sighed and set her hands in her lap, she didn't even care that Alya and Nino were gone now. "I know that you didn't do it on purpose." She smiled slightly but still refused to look at him. She sighed again and clenched the blanket in between her fingers, quirking one corner of her mouth.
"Does that mean that I'm forgiven?" She looked up tentatively and saw him with his hands pressed together with an innocent-looking smile on his face. She smiled and held back the urge to laugh at him, he smiled even wider and a sparkle appeared in his eye. She grabbed her blanket and threw it over his head. Sitting up she walked over to their shared room, looking over her shoulder she laughed at him and walked inside.
Thirty minutes later Adrien was taking a shower and Marinette lay on their bed, a nervous wreck with her phone in her hands.
"Oh Tikki!" She lamented, hugging a pillow to her chest. "How is this supposed to work?!" Her kwami sat on her knee, looking like she might laugh at her master any second now. "It was different before," She looked at Alya's long line of encouragement texts on her phone. "Before it was a 'sleepover'" She quoted with her fingers. "And now we'll share a bed!" She stood up hurriedly and her kwami flew up to her head.
"A BED!" Marinette gestured wildly to the large king-sized sleeping area, she groaned and fell face-first into the unbelievably soft pillows. "What am I gonna do Tikki?" Her muffled words fell on deaf ears as the bathroom door opened, letting steam out. She turned, and looked at Adrien, clad in black sweat-pants and a plain white T-shirt. Marinette felt her mouth go dry and she tried desperately not to stare at him for a prolonged amount of time. But her eyes stared at his hair, which was wet mind you, and from his hair fell drops of water and those fell underneath the collar of his shirt and those water drops went-!
Stop it! ARGGHHHH! She screamed internally, after all, this fanfic was not meant for the eyes of sinners, everyone who read this fic must be so pure it's blinding.
Shaking her head she smiled dorkily at Adrien as he sat down on the bed, she was happy that this bed was so large, she wouldn't take up too much room she hoped. He smiled back, probably less idiotic looking than her own smile, and grabbed the remote from the nightstand. He flicked through channels for a while and Marinette sat back against the pillows, scrolling through her old photos, very careful to not let Adrien even get a glimpse.
What would he think if he found all those photo's of him?
She didn't even want to bear the thought, so she just sunk lower into the pillows and clicked on the album marked under 'Friends'. It was filled with all the moments they'd taken photos together, and she smiled fondly as she looked at them all. She found one that she had completely forgotten about and almost cried, this was almost two years ago, and it just never really clicked how much older she was now.
It was all of them, looking at the camera and smiling like nothing else mattered, she was right next to Adrien in this one, Alya and Nino when they'd only just began to date, and just shortly after she became Ladybug. She was blushing as she looked up at her crush and Marinette sniffled as she looked at the picture. All this time she'd tried and tried and tried to get Adrien's attention, to show him how much he meant.
But she was 'Just a friend Marinette'.
She'd even managed to grow closer with Chaton before she'd gotten closer to Adrien if she even has. She didn't think that it'd be a big deal, this whole thing. But two years have gone by, and she was going to be sixteen soon for gods sake! She never realized how much she'd have to do before everything came crashing down. She needed to capture Hawkmoth before highschool was up, no exceptions, and after that was all said and done, she'd have to give her Miraculous back, she would no longer be Ladybug, she'd have to say goodbye to Tikki, and to Chat Noir.
The thought sent a pang through her heart and she clutched at her shirt as tears welled in her eyes. She'd never thought about it like that, that she would never see either of them after that, ever again. They both meant so much to her that leaving them and never getting to see them again sounded like the worst thing in the world right now.
Her phone slipped from her hand and tears cascaded from her eyes, she gasped for breath, unbelieving that her thoughts would one day become reality and she would have to say goodbye to the only steady she'd had in a long time, the reliable. She sniffed and groaned as her head throbbed, Adrien shifted closer quickly, beginning to get worried.
"Mari, what happened?" He called but it just sounded like noise to her.
"I love you, My Lady..." She sobbed again as she thought of his green eyes, of his cheesy puns and terrible flirting attempts.
"Marinette, please tell me what's wrong." It blended together and she had to wonder why his voice sounded so much like Chaton's right now.
"Don't worry Marinette! Everything will be fine!" Oh, Tikki, her precious friend, and partner. She thought of Tikki's cute laugh and her mother-hen nature. A choked sound escaped Marinette's throat as she gripped her arms to herself.
She couldn't hear what Adrien was saying, but she did understand his actions. He pulled her by the hand outside, onto the balcony, and sat her in a chair. She wiped at her eyes as he crouched in front of her, concern sweeping his face. She clenched her teeth as she tried to regain her breath, embarrassed but really unconcerned about this happening in front of Adrien, her feelings were valid and she was sure that if he knew what she was thinking, he'd agree.
Her hands were warm now as Adrien held them, rubbing his thumb soothingly over her knuckles. She lowered her head, not quite sure how she was going to explain her outburst to him. She sniffed and was grateful that her tears stopped, she was sure she looked awful.
"Marinette," She slowly, albeit difficultly dragged her eyes to Adrien's own. "Are you okay?" The green in his eyes reminded her so much of Chat Noir, and her lip began to tremble as she thought of him. She shook her head 'no' and watched his eyes as they became oddly fearful. She gasped and gripped his hands back, afraid, afraid because one of these days, she'd have to say goodbye to him too, and whether she liked it or not, it would most likely be a forever goodbye.
Because if she thought about it, their lives never really crossed unless it was in school. And that wouldn't work anymore when they were adults.
"I don't wanna say goodbye..." She slurred out and she gripped his much larger palm with her own and looked out and away from those green eyes. Her eyes trailed across the horizon and she thought of the many times she and Chat Noir would sit on buildings, watching the sunset, and those moments where they would almost tip the balance of 'just friends'.
Adrien said nothing and he just sat there, contemplating for a moment, her hands firmly in his own even as she gripped them so tightly. He leaned forward and placed his head in her lap, and for a moment he looked just like her Chaton, with his blonde hair and oddly touchy nature. She gazed down at the side of his head as he began to speak.
"I know Mari," He breathed in deeply and slowly let it out as the stars began to come out. "I don't want to say goodbye either..." She doubted he knew what she was talking about, but for his words, she was grateful, even if they were empty. She stroked his head, now that her hands had been released, and felt a smile light at her face, she had been embarrassed but he didn't even care that she cried, or that she made no sense what-so-ever.
Quietly she asked, "Do you want to go back in?" and he shook his head, leaning into her hands as they sifted into soft silkiness.
"No," He lifted his eyes to her own and he just watched her for a little bit. "just a little bit longer..."
She never thought that a pair of eyes could drag her heart even further into the void that was love.
OOOO wow left ya there didn't I? My bad.
Sorry that it's taken me forever to update, I caught something called laryngitis, let me tell you, it ain't fun. (Insert laughing emoji)
So Yes I had Natalie meddle, forgot to mention that last chapter but Natalie is an Adrienette shipper 100%, we both are.
I'm hoping to include some more MariChat, maybe some LadyNoir in the next chapter, but to actually do it is complicated, and I've never done a Miraculous fanfic before this one so.
Did you think I went overboard with Marinette in this one? Like the way she reacted to Jack? I get the feeling that she does sometimes(being an angsty teen myself) and it is always far from pleasant.
Let me know! And also Merry Christmas since I missed it yesterday!