Knight in distress
It was always hard to get up from bed in the morning for Marinette, they had an akuma fight late in the evening, it was an akuma made from a couple who had an argument and it took them an hour to beat them. Chat and her also had an argument of sorts. She remembered it vaguely. Marinette stumbled towards the school half asleep. The words they both spoke last night echoed in her head. He apologized, he was sorry. She was sorry for making him feel so self-loathing. She tried to remember what she actually told him. It was something important, it was something implied that he had conclude.
"You should look where you are going, Marinette." Tikki warned from her purse.
"I am looking." The girl replied groggily.
"You are not, you almost run into that pole over there." The little red kwami with black spots countered.
"My eyes are opened." Marinette groaned.
"Yes, but do you see?" The goddess of creation practically screamed.
"I see, I see." The girl repeated with her eyes barely open. She pushed her feet one in front of the other and concentrated on her balance. Tom packed her some food in case she wanted to have lunch in school today. She was grateful that the tiny red deity finally shut up. But then she was stirred from whatever and wherever her mind was (probably back in her bed) by a loud honk of a car horn.
It was Plagg who woke Adrien up, not because the tiny black cat wanted to go to school, but because he was hungry. And he really liked to whine about it. Adrien tossed him a piece of cheese and did not even try to dismiss the claims of the god of destruction that was the permanent tenant of his shirt pocket, but because he clearly remembered using two cataclysms, running back to the mansion to recharge and then running back to use the third cataclysm before the battle was over. He knew Ladybug tried at least two lucky charms and the fact that he accidentally cataclysm the first one really did not help.
The thought about last night kept rolling in his head. He apologized, then they had and argument when he told her that the possibility of them being a couple hurt her. But then she replied, and he remembered the words so well, that it was not the possibility, but its absence that hurt her. And then she clarified that they could not be together. But that meant that she was hurting because they could not be together and when he flirted with her he reminded her of that. Okay. But why would that hurt her in the first place? And why they could not be together? Just because they were superheroes? He asked Plagg so many times before, he asked again last night, but the tiny black cat only whined for cheese and dismissed any inquires about romance. The boy understood, Plagg was tired. The boy was tired too.
Then the boy remembered his original problem, and that was to clarify when and what can he say to Ladybug, and he had no conclusion. He promised not to do it, and then he did it again, not intentionally, but he did. And he wanted to talk about it in the middle of an akuma attack, again, that was something she asked him not to. Confused, physically and emotionally drained boy struggled to fall asleep as the thoughts kept haunting him.
Adrien fell asleep in the car the moment they passed the gates of the Agreste mansion. If he did not fall asleep, he would have asked his driver to stop by the bakery again. Because if they stopped, he knew he would get some pastry. He had little sleep and even less for breakfast and an empty stomach after a busy night was not good. The boy was obviously exhausted, but he remained energetic and cheerful in front of Nathalie. He was grateful to any deity who kept Nathalie from entering the car after him. That was about twenty minutes of sleep in the morning traffic. That was twenty minutes of sleep more. That was twenty … He woke up to the horn of the car he was sitting in. He opened his eyes. He was in front of the school. His bodyguard grunted. Adrien thanked him and got out, only to find equally tired and sleepy Marinette.
"Hi Marinette." He greeted.
"Hi Adrien." She greeted back.
They stood there, motionless, with their eyes half lidded and small sleepy smiles on their faces.
The large car drove away.
They were standing still. Morning breeze ruffled their hair. The chill freshened their faces a little. They breathed in the fresh air and did not move.
"Hey dude!" Nino greeted. "Hi Marinette." The boy instantly wrapped an arm around the shoulders of his sleepy best bro.
"Hi girl." Alya greeted. "Hello Adrien." Smiling girl stood next to sleepy Marinette and nudged her shoulders.
The two still did not move.
"Did we just walk into a scene where someone press pause on the video?" Nino asked Alya jokingly.
"Is there an akuma around?" Alya asked and pulled out her phone, her camera was on instantly.
"Akuma?" They both said in unison and finally opened their eyes and looked around with traces of awareness on their faces.
"Yes, it is the literature akuma, we have to bring our notebooks with reports this morning." Alya teased. Her eyes traced the features on both of her sleepy friends. She knew Adrien went to Marinette last night, she witnessed the phone call but she did not know what happened afterwards, and both of them were so sleepy. The words 'spill it' screamed from her eyes, her face, her posture, but the two sleepy teens were not getting the message, or they ignored it.
"Oh yes, have you brought your notebook? Or mine?" Marinette asked sleepily.
"I have mine." Adrien checked his bag.
Marinette took her backpack and opened. She noticed her pink notebook."I have mine too."
"Good, let's get you inside then." Alya pulled Marinette and Nino, while Nino pulled Adrien along.
"I have food." Marinette offered a box with pastries. That was sufficient for Adrien. He quickly closed the circle as they were passing the courtyard and his hand was already in the box.
He grabbed a piece of pastry and began to eat. Then Nino helped himself and studied what he got out.
"What is this?" Alya asked incredulously.
Marinette raised her eyes slowly.
"Strawberry? Raspberry? Muffins with chocolate chip." Marinette smiled as she took one and started to eat.
"Ladybug muffins. These are amazing. Was that your idea too?" Adrien spoke between two bites of food.
"Partly." Marinette shrugged.
"Ladybug muffins?" Alya asked incredulously.
"Yes, papa Tom let me try the Chat Noir muffins yesterday. Those were excellent too." Adrien put the last piece of the ladybug muffin into his mouth.
"Chat Noir muffin?" Alya exclaimed as she stared at the sweet treat that Nino held in his hand.
"Papa Tom?" Nino whispered to his girlfriend, but Adrien and Marinette did not hear him.
"Black chocolate and green pieces with mint." Marinette smiled to Alya, it did not matter how sleepy she was, she knew those creations.
"There is one in the bag if you want to try, I will take Ladybug." Adrien took one more muffin from the bag and bit off the first chunk. He leaned his free arm over Marinette's shoulders and continued walking.
"Um, can I?" He asked after a few steps. He almost facepalmed, but the fact that both of his hands were busy prevented him.
"Okay." The pigtailed girl replied timidly while all shades of red flushed over her face.
Both Alya and Nino were rather aware of the imminent danger of Marinette stumbling down at any moment. The fact that she was still on her feet and breathing was a pleasant surprise. Nino reached for the bag with the food from the bakery to save it, just in case. They were going to thank him later.
"So, I was thinking." Adrien whispered in a tone of mock secrecy. But he kept silent enough that Alya and Nino who were a few steps behind would not hear the whole conversation. "About the presentation, we should look at a few culprits while we list the offences, you know?" The boy smirked at the girl.
"Mhm" She managed to hum an affirmative sound and nod.
"Great." He grinned. "You know, no calling names, just let them know that we know and that it has a name." His eyes were still half lidded how tired he was.
They finally reached their classroom. The boy unwrapped his arm to open the door for them. Adrien stuffed the last piece of food in his mouth while he was passing the door.
"Adriekins." Chloe screeched and threw herself onto the boy in her usual morning greeting. "Why are you eating that. You will get fat and ruin your pretty face and hot body."
"Please don't do that." Adrien replied with his mouth full while he evaded her kiss on autopilot and pushed himself out of her hold a bit rougher than usual.
Marinette might have done something, she might have tripped the blonde heiress or push her away or just stand in between if she was able to produce any meaningful reaction in a nick of time. But she was sleepy and tired and was still processing the fact that Adrien Agreste threw his arm casually over her shoulders (and asked about it, just in case).
Adrien's escape from Chloe did not save the boy for long as Lila approached him from his back and latched onto his arm.
"Lila, please, no." He looked at Marinette with desperate eyes and pulled his arm out from Lila's clutch only to be caught by Chloe again. He looked so tired, helpless and desperate, hidden behind his model smile frozen on his face.
"Leave him alone, he is tired, please." Marinette pleaded and took a few steps forward as she tried to shield him. But Lila pushed her with her hip.
"Ouch, why did you do that Marinette?" Lila whined.
"You leave him alone." Chloe huffed. It was not entirely clear to whom in particular or everyone else but her and Adrien. "I will take you to the spa in my hotel and you will be back to your beautiful shiny self Adriekins." The tall blonde girl cooed.
Adrien pulled his arm free and Marinette stood between him and Lila because she wanted to give him a chance to flee. But the boy did not want to leave his friend close to the two bullies, so he pulled Marinette along as he fled to his desk. They both practically landed at their seating spots just at the moment when Ms Bustier entered the classroom.
The whole move left two confused bullies facing each other, Lila glared and fumed steam before she remembered to look hurt, Chloe scoffed and waved her ponytail as she turned away.
Nino looked with wide eyes and adjusted his hat, Alya regretted that she did not make a video from the whole scene, Alix grinned, Sabrina was ready to jump after Chloe and pull her into her seat, The rest of the class was confused or missed the event entirely.
"Lila, Chloe, please go to your seats." The teacher asked kindly with the usual gentle smile on her face.
It was not the teacher who made the two bullies go silent and give up on going after Marinette. It was the fact that both of them saw when Adrien pulled her to safety and could not comprehend what just happened. Because each of them thought how her Adrien could ever do something like that? That was so much not like him. Her Adrien would never do something like that.
The teacher took attendance and collected the notebooks with literature reports before they started the discussion about the work they analysed. The teacher did her usual routine before finally giving her own explanations and example before the subject shifted towards the next work they were about to start with. It was a nice opportunity to stay silent and enjoy a little time off for the two superheroes.