"Nino can you come here for a second?" Marinette popped her head into the living room through a small gap her opened door provided. Nino looked up over Alya's head to look at Marinette.
"Sure." He lifted his arm off Alya's shoulders and walked into Marinette's room, closing the door but not shutting it fully.
"What's up?" Nino asked following Marinette to her desk. She took a seat and pointed in front of her while writing something down. He stood straight in front of her with his hands out of his pockets.
"Can you take off your shirt?" She asked hesitantly. Nino raised an eyebrow but took off his shirt. Marinette had her back turned to him and was rummaging through a few things. Nino tried to look over her tiny frame to see what she was doing but he couldn't see.
She turned around with neon green fabric and wrapped it around Nino's chest and under his armpits. She grabbed a fabric pencil and marked where the two ends of the fabric met. She unwrapped the fabric and measured the length. Mariette looked at the paper and shook her head. She wrapped it around his chest again but this time with a little more space. The fabric hung low at the back and there was space between Nino's chest and where Marinette held the fabric.
"What are you doing?" Nino asked.
"Trying to get the right length," Marinette replied marking the fabric again.
"And why are you using me? There's a perfectly good model out there." Nino gestured to the door emphasizing his point. She looked up at him with annoyed eyes, a glare if you will.
"Oh. Ooohhh." Nino realized the reason why she didn't ask for Adrien's help.
"You can still ask him, you know. It's not like he's going to throw a tantrum. You guys were friends." Nino looked at Marinette, trying to convince her to at least be in the same room as Adrien. Marinette placed the fabric on her desk, over her notes and sketchbooks.
"...I don't know what to do." She shrugged. "We talked and it di-"
"He told me." Nino interrupted her.
"He did?" Their eyes met.
"Don't be mad at him. He respects your choice and it won't be like high school in a day."
"I don't want it to be like high school I want... I want it to be different. But I do want to be friends again." Nino smiled and nodded.
"Hey bro, Marinette wants you." Nino stuck his thumb behind him and Adrien looked at him with hesitant eyes. Adrien looked like a scared cat. His eyes wide and his hair had more volume than usual. Nino took a seat next to him and pushed Adrien's shoulder blades making Adrien lean forward and soon stand up. He walked to the door and grabbed the door handle. The blonde boy looked back at his friends and saw Alya looking unamused with a raised eyebrow. Nino nodded and shooed him away focusing on the tv again. Adrien sighed and opened the door.
"Yes..." Adrien peeked through Marinette's door. She made a 'come' motion with her hand with her back facing him, sitting down. He cautiously walked towards her.
"What's up?" Marinette answered by wrapping the measuring tape around him.
"I need help, that's what's up." She said not even looking at him.
He looked down at her with his arms in the air. His mouth agape and his facial expression showed the slightest of hurt. Marinette looked up through her thick lashes and sighed putting her arms down to her side.
"I'm sorry. Will you help me?" She asked with the tiniest voice Adrien ever heard. He couldn't help but smile a little.
Adrien nodded and hesitantly took off his shirt. He lifted his arms up into an awkward position. Marinette inhaled sharply at the sight, closed her eyes, took a deep breath and smiled. She got to work and did what she intended. Marinette took more measurements, ordered Adrien to move around every now and then. She sat back down wrote down the measurements and added little notes to her sketches. Adrien just stood there hands in his pockets awkwardly waiting for Marinette's next instruction. 5 minutes and still silence. He started wobbling on his heels back and forth.
"Stop." Marinette suddenly spoke, not looking away from her paper.
"Breathing!?"
"Wobbling." She deadpanned looking.
"Oh." He scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed. She grabbed a different material and held it a foot away from Adrien's waist. Marinette bent down and wrapped it around his waist. She tried to push his legs together but he didn't get the memo.
"Can you put your legs together?" She asked irritated.
He did what he was told and apologised. Mariette sighed and went back to the fabric. Adrien looked straight ahead with his hands folded behind his head. Marinette moved to her desk now on her knees and picked up a few things. She clipped the fabric together and scooted a little away to make sure it didn't fall. When she was happy with it she grabbed the hair tie around her left wrist and tied her hair into a ponytail. Her bangs weren't blocking her eyes and her hair was out of the way. 'Don't know why I didn't do that before.' She thought as she stood up and grabbed a white fabric pencil. Adrien looked down at the fabric clipped together. He looked up and followed Marinette with his eyes as she kneeled again in front of Adrien. She marked little white lines on the fabric then put the pencil on the ground.
Marinette grabbed Adrien's hips and paused. She bit her tongue and continued. She tucked the fabric at his hips into his pants and did that with the back wrapping her arms around his waist. She walked on her knees to fix the back and then walked back to the front fitting the fabric into the front of his jeans. She could feel Adrien's eyes on her and she looked up. She didn't expect him to be smirking and looking at her like he was. Eyes she couldn't describe looked her. His stare made her uneasy and stomach twist. Adrien squeezed his lips together trying to hold in his laughter. The small girl in front of him squinted up at his face and dropped her hands onto her thighs.
"Stop laughing." She demanded.
His laughter then echoed into the room and to say Marinette was mad wasn't the best description. Her face was red with anger. Marinette leaned back, her palms on the ground and no longer seating with her legs underneath her. Both of her legs were bent and she slowly lifted her right leg. She raised an eyebrow at Adrien. His hands no longer behind his head but on his mouth and eyes closed. He didn't stop laughing so Marinette kicked him where the sun don't shine and he immediately stopped and whimpered instead. He fell back and grabbed his groin. A loud thud was heard through the apartment and the door slammed open.
"What happened, dude!?" Nino shouted. He stood there to find a shirtless Adrien on the ground cradling back and forth with Marinette who was sitting with her legs crossed with a triumph expression.
"What did Adrien do?" Alya asked joining Nino. Adrien pointed an accusing finger at Marinette.
"Her." He whispered in a destaining tone. Alya looked back and forth between them. She analyzed the situation. 'Smug Marinette and Adrien's on the floor.' She concluded
"You kicked him in the balls," Alya stated. There was a moment of silence, besides Adrien groaning. Alya and Nino broke into hysteric laughter.
"This isn't funny." Adrien pleaded.
"You're right dude, it's hilarious." Nino supported himself against Alya who was supporting herself against the doorframe of Marinette's door. Marinette let out a little giggle from her friend's reaction.
"Okay, okay can we get back to business. You okay?" She turned her attention to Adrien. He stood up, well tried considering there was a burning fire in his crotch.
"Yeah, yeah." Adrien said.
He walked over to Marinette, she grabbed the fabric and a safety pin from her desk. She went back on her knees and somehow got the fabric off of Adrien and managed to keep it in it's form. She then stood up and grabbed the green fabric again. Marinette walked over to Adrien and wrapped the fabric around his chest, from behind she pinned the left side together with the fabric that wrapped around his chest tightly. She grabbed two pins and put one through the fabric at his ribcage and one at his waist.
"Mmm." Adrien hissed. He popped his hip away from the sudden prick.
"Sorry." Marinette apologized sheepishly.
"Oooh, you're making the Chat Noir and Ladybug outfits huh?" Alya walked over to Marinette's bed and took a seat, Nino followed her lead.
"Yeah, I have the designs, measurements and sketches so it should be easy."
"You have weird and wonderful?" Alya asked. Marinette hummed with a nod.
"Street style?" Nino butted in. Marinette repeated the same action but stopped midway.
"You forgot street style didn't you?" Adrien asked amusement clear in his voice. Marinette jumped up from the crouching position she was in. She rampaged through the designs and papers on her desk.
"I can't believe I forgot street style!" She pulled at her hair. "I thought I did all the designs. I told you about the designs, right? Of course, I told you about the designs I can't shut up!" She answered her own question. Nino got up and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"M, chill. I'm sure you'll make an awesome design that'll blow the judges away." He made gestures with his hands for the 'away' part of his little speech.
'M?.' Adrien thought. A pit in his stomach started to settle and he was ready to pounce. But he didn't know why he was feeling like that. Nino was his friend, his best friend, his brother. So why did he feel like that? He knew Marinette and him were pretty close too. So, why? Was the only thing he could think of.
"Yeah, plus if you have your sketches for the other two you can start those designs, and when you're done, start street style. No biggie." Alya snapped Adrien out of his daze.
"Can we just all take notice that Adrien is wearing a dress." Nino blurted out. And it was true, Adrien looked like he was wearing a dress. The fabric hadn't been cut yet so it was about his knee level and it was tight around his chest.
"What? You don't think I can pull it off on the catwalk." Adrien raised an eyebrow. He put a hand on his hip and strut down Marinette's room and stopped just at her glass panelled doors. He turned his head with duck lips and a popped his hip. The trio broke into fits of laughter and giggles. Adrien walked back swaying his hips and arms with hilarious facial expressions. And of course, Alya was filming the whole thing.
"I'll pay you to walk down the street like that." Nino dared Adrien
"20 bucks." Adrien stuck his hand out for Nino to shake and Nino gratefully took it.
"You're on, Agreste." Nino had a competitive glint in his eye.
"Oh, this should be good." Alya nudged Marinette.
"Send me the video." Marinette replied
"Of course."
Whistles were blown at Adrien as he crossed the road. Alya was leading the foursome walking backwards with her phone filming the whole thing. Adrien kicked his pants and shoes off, added some heel, a hairclip and asked Marinette to add some more pins to the fabric
"Green makes your eyes pop." Nino complimented.
"Keep them coming." Adrien made a 'coming' gesture with his right hand.
"You do a better job in those heels than I do!" Alya shouted over her laughs.
"Dude, you've got too much sass for those heels." Nino exclaimed.
"Yes, yes I do." Adrien sped walked forward.
"That's impossible." Marinette threw her hands.
"Girl, you're just jelly Adrien does a better job in those heels than you ever could."
"Aren't you?"
"Mmhm, he puts all girls to shame."
"Hey, where's my possy!?" Adrien put both hands on his hips, shouting from the next street.
"Coming, your royal sassiness!" Nino tipped his hat towards Adrien.
"Is it just me or is Adrien the male version of Chloe right now?" Marinette deadpanned.
"M, do not put that image in my head." Nino begged. The girls laughed as they reached Adrien on the other street.
"Get out of this house! I don't need a faggot son!"
"Micheal! He's our son, your son! You can't kick him out!"
"Did you just speak back to me! Woman I am your husband, you have to obey me!" The man, known as Micheal stepped closer to the woman.
"Just because I'm your wife does not make me your slave-" The woman went tumbling to the ground because Micheal threw the back of his hand at her right cheek.
"Dad!" The boy rushed to his mother's side.
"I am not your father, you little piece of shit!" He kicked the boy off of his mother. The boy's head collided with the leg of the table. The woman shakily stood in between the man and the boy.
"Micheal, it doesn't matter if he's your son, he's mine. And no matter what, he is a human being and you cannot treat him this way." She pushed Micheal against the wall.
"You bitch, he's disgusting and so are you." He pushed against her, but before he could do anything else she punched him straight in the jaw.
"You. Can not. Talk. About my son. Like. That." She said in between punches. Micheal was on the floor with a bloody and bruised face. The woman got up and walked towards her son.
"Scotty?"
"Mum?" Scotty hazily opened his eyes, his vision blurry.
"Come on let's go. We'll get you out of here and to the hospital." She grabbed his arm and wrapped it around her neck and her arm around his waist.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
"Scotty, I'm fine. What's important is that you're okay. Always, remember you are my son. No matter who you love or who you're gonna spend the rest of your life with. As long as you're happy." Scotty had tears streaks on his cheeks and tears were starting to fall. He rested his head against his mothers. They exited the house and started walking the streets.
"Okay dude, you win. You've been walking a whole block. And in heels."
"Yeah, we should probably head - Oh my god!" Marinette stopped halfway through her sentence and sprinted forward.
"Marinette!?" Alya looked at her friend and saw what caught the freckled girls attention. Alya rushed forward and followed Marinette.
"Madame, are you okay? Where are you hurt?" Marinette blurted out questions such as the lady's name, where did she come from, who she was running away from.
"I'm fine. But please help my son he's falling unconscious." Marinette grabbed the other side of the boy, Scotty. Alya came rushing to the lady's side, Adrien and Nino followed close behind. They helped grab the woman and the boy.
"We need to get them to a hospital," Marinette said with urgency in her voice.