"Hey, Marinette?"

Marinette looked up from her newest sketch—a gray-blue blouse someone ordered. "What's up, Alya?"

Alya was standing and wringing her hands nervously. "We're going out on Friday! I totally spaced and forgot to tell you. Sorry!"

Marinette laughed, "Oh! That's totally fine! Except I'm super booked up and there's no way I can take time off?" Alya's face fell, and Marinette chest constricted. "Uh, the orders have been piling in from my website and I can't afford to stop for a second or I might lose clients!"

Alya sighed, "You can't take one night off? It's Wednesday, Mari! You still have tonight and tomorrow to catch up?"

"No," Marinette let out a strained laugh, "the orders are almost never ending. I'm super sorry, Alya! I hope whatever we were supposed to do didn't cost too much! I'll pay for some if you need me to."

Alya shook her head, face twisted. "No, it's okay. I didn't pay for anything. I was just really looking forward to it, that's all…"

"Well, what did you have planned? If it was a girls night, I'm sure Mylene or Juleka would be happy to go with you."

"Maybe," Alya shrugged. She pulled out her phone as Marinette went back to her sketch.

She pulled open her blog, The Wifi Fox, staring at the "New Post" option. She shook her head.

Not yet. She'd notice.

"I have to go, the office is waiting. I'll see you tonight?"

"Yeah, sure thing!" Marinette called from her desk. Alya gave her one last glance before leaving the apartment, door closing behind her.


Adrien lathered the soap across his chest, eyes closed from any stray splashes of bubbles. The steam rose around him, thick, heavy, almost suffocating him. He inhaled anyways.

He finished up, turning off the water when his timer went off. He had to save money, or he'd be rooming with someone again. Nothing against Nino, of course. He just knew the barista had worked hard to get his own place. No reason to intrude on Nino. Adrien would just have to start saving his hard earned cash.

He exited the shower, wrapping his thin towel around his waist. His hand wiped the condensation off the mirror before him. His wet reflection stared back through the fuzzy image. The condensation covered him up again.

As usual, his eyes flew to the razor on his sink.

He rubbed his chin, as if to trick himself. He knew that's not why he looked at it. That was never the reason his eyes found the blade every time he entered the bathroom. He knew, yet he still felt for stubble.

There was a small bit of newly grown hair, but he didn't trust himself enough to touch it. The pain was still there. He left the bathroom.

He changed, pulling on his standard red tee and black pants, donning the matching black baseball cap over his hair. Then he left for work.


Her name was still in the tabloids.

They just didn't know when to quit, did they? It's interesting when it's not about you, isn't it, motherfu-

Her fingers kept flying across the keys, the mouse wheel, scrolling, scrolling, scrolling.

Besides this dumb video of two people saving this Muslim father and his two kids from being run over, her name was everywhere.

It's not her fault she hated her life. She just wanted to get out without any attention, for once. Getting hammered was just part of the deal.

But no. The paparazzi thought they were entitled to question her when she was totally shit-faced, leaving the club alone. She was still impressed with herself for not straight decking one of them.

Another article. And another. And another.

The Bourgeois' family is falling apart!

How could the Mayor allow this?

Pregnant and alone?

Is Chloe's drinking problem Adrien Agreste's fault?

Chloe Agreste? Father of her children? Or a One-Time Fling?

Why Chloe Bourgeois' friends have abandoned her! An Inside Scoop!

Chloe Bourgeois is a plague to this city and here's why!

Her hands flew across the desk, and her monitor crashed to the ground, the screen going black.

She stomped past the mess, heading to the elevator and ignoring the stares from all the guests. She knew she looked awful. She never bothered to clean up from the night before. She smelled like vomit. Her face was streaked with mascara. Her clothes hung off her loosely.

She didn't care.

Her father wasn't at the hotel. Jean-something hadn't bothered to see her in person, just leaving her lunch next to a tall glass of water. Next to that, her medication bottle, with two pills already removed, waiting to be taken.

She swallowed them without water, ignoring the kitchen staff bustling around her. The bright orange of the prescription glared back at her roughly. She couldn't even remember why she had to take the medication. She couldn't remember what it was for. She just remembered it took the pain away. All the pain would just… go away.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. A message from Adrien.

day 162

Her eyes found the bottle again. The orange was angry. It wanted her to give in. It screamed at her to do it. To finally feel the release she wanted.

The bottle was in her hand, her eyes finding the plain white pills inside. Her other hand moved, finally. The cap blocked her vision, and she screwed it shut.

She responded to Adrien, the same response every day for 162 days.

Just one more day


Marinette was preparing another drink when she heard a velvety voice humming her favorite song behind her. She whirled around, drink still in hand.

He was drumming his fingers lightly against the counter, head tilted toward the wall as he hummed the tune to himself. Black fingernails gleamed in the light. Blue tinted hair swished before his eyes as his head swayed to his own music. Brilliant turquoise eyes found hers, finally.

"I love that song!" Marinette blurted out, before realizing her action was rude and blushing. He chuckled, his voice deep and making her vision sway.

"Me too. Fan of Jagged Stone, I'm guessing?"

"He's my favorite!" She gushed, lightly placing the cup down before she launched it into the air in excitement. "Next to DJ Bubbler, of course. Not that I'd ever admit that to my roommate, she'd lose her mind," Marinette tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Bubbler's meh. He can't compare to old fashioned rock and roll, in my opinion. What do you think, Marinette?" The man asked. Her heart stuttered.

"How'd you know my name?" she asked.

"You're wearing a name tag," he pointed to her chest, and she blushed again. Idiot.

"Right. I'm working. This is my job. Uhh, any chance this frappe is yours?"

"That'd be it, yeah." He nodded.

"Right. I'll uhh, finish this up." She turned away, attempting to finish making his drink smoothly. The knowledge, however, that he was looking at her made it much more difficult to go through with the plan. She almost knocked it over twice.

"Here you go, Luka?" She asked, wondering if she saw the name "Luke" incorrectly.

"That's me. Thanks Marinette." He leaned over the counter, getting much closer than she anticipated. She blushed again, eyes wide as she looked into his. Her heart hammered in her chest. "I hope I see you again," he told her, taking the drink and walking away with a little wave of his hand. Marinette stood, frozen, before she heard a little boy ask,

"Is that boy your boyfriend?"

"No!" She shrieked, before apologizing for the outburst and going back to work.

Nino looked over suspiciously. That kid, the blue haired boy, he was hitting on the wrong girl. Nino had a job to protect his employees from weird customers, and if he proved to be a problem again, Nino had no issue dealing with him. Just not physically. He'd have to call Alya, maybe even Chloe, for that.

Plus he wasn't a fan of the Bubbler. Even weirder. Even Nino was a fan of the Bubbler.

Wait. Nino was the Bubbler.

Nino shook his head. He needed Friday night to come now more than ever.


Alya pressed New Post.

Hey Wifi Users! You all should know my bestie Marinette's online shop, The Ladybug, since I blog about it all the time. Well, apparently, we have a problem.

She's been meeting up with this guy through work, gonna spare the details, and she's totally into him. He ended up being my boyfriend's bestie. So my boyfriend and I thought it would be a great idea to go on a double date, inviting our friends but not telling them who we were going with, just like a "blind date" type of thing. WELL GUESS WHAT? APPARENTLY SHE CAN'T GO CAUSE YOU ALL HIT UP HER SHOP AT ONCE!

I'm not complaining, thought. I can't blame you. Her clothing is literally the best. If she had her own physical store I wouldn't shop anywhere else. But I've recently seen how much work she's been doing, plus all the hours she's taking for her day job, and it pains me. Marinette is such a hard worker, that she told me to my face that she can't take a Friday night off to go out with a friend. She needed to finish your orders. And I agree with her. She needs the night off, though. For a while, I could see the stress leaving her body. She was looking healthier and better, but that Marinette didn't last long.

We need to bring her back. If it's not too much trouble, I'd like you guys to message her. If you ordered something from her in the past week, or planned on ordering something soon, please tell her you've moved back your order just by one day, or wait until saturday. I know not all of you will listen, or some of you don't agree with me and think she should keep working. I completely understand, but this isn't just for her love life; it's for her mental and physical health. Since she won't do it herself, I need too.

Please message her if you agree with me! If one day won't affect your life to drastically, message her about moving the order back a day and maybe even some encouragement! It would mean the world to her!

Much love,

~ Lady Wifi

After reading it over three times, she pressed Post.


Marinette reached the intersection, glancing around. Adrien wasn't anywhere to be seen. Maybe she misunderstood him on the phone? Maybe he didn't want drinks today? Maybe he didn't want to see her today? Or ever again? Maybe he hated her for burning the pizza and he wanted to sue her for almost burning the place down and-

"Hey Marinette!"

She shrieked, jumping into the air and barely managing to contain the drinks in the carrier. Adrien laughed, rubbing his neck unabashedly. There was stubble around his chin. His golden hair was contained under a black hat, and she forced herself to keep the pout off her face.

"My bad, didn't mean to scare you. How's your day been?"

"G-good. I had this customer, he was… interesting. But he liked the same music I did…" her thoughts wandered, and Adrien cleared his throat.

"What kind of music do you like?"

Oh. "I like Jagged Stone's music a lot. And my roommate, Alya, got me into DJ Bubbler."

"Those are my favorite musicians!" Adrien exclaimed in delight. Marinette's eyes widened, sparkling in the sun.

"Really?"

"Yeah!"

"I heard his new album is coming out in a few months! I'm super excited!"

"Right? I can't believe he's actually doing another one…"

"He's too old for this."

"You'd think, right?"

Marinette laughed. "Anyways, here's your drinks."

"Oh, sorry. Are you in a hurry?"

"No. We don't have a busy day. I've still got like," Marinette checked her phone, "thirty minutes."

"Oh, cool. Do you wanna go to the park over there and chat for a bit? My feet are killing me," Adrien chuckled nervously. Marinette nodded, eyes widening.

"Sure! Why didn't you say anything before?"

"I didn't want to bother you, it's not that bad."

"It's always bad when the word 'killing' is involved, Adrien. Let's go sit."

They walked across the street, passing the school Marinette grew up in. She heard the bell ring and dodged the stream of kids exiting the building.

"You're staring." Adrien noted. She jolted. "Did you go there?"

"Yeah. Many years ago," she joked. Adrien narrowed his eyes, silent as they sat down.

"How old are you?" He questioned. Marinette raised her eyebrows.

"What is this, twenty questions?" She teased.

"Sure. Honestly, I've known you for over a month, but still don't really know much about you. I'd like to change that," he told her. Her face flushed pink.

"O-oh. Well, I'm 26. What about you?"

"27, just turned a couple months ago. God, we're almost thirty," he shook his head.

"Don't say that! I feel old now!" Marinette covered her face with her hands, and Adrien laughed.

"Okay, my turn. What's your favorite color?"

"I like pink or red. What about you?"

"I like green, but I'm starting to like blue, too. Hobbies?"

"I'm a designer on my free time. I sketch and sew, but I also like baking and gardening. If you could have a superpower, what would it be?"

"Ooohhh, well, I've always liked the idea of flying. That sounds really cool. Or maybe like, super strength and agility? Just to be like, a typical superhero. That was a good question," Adrien praised. "What about you?"

"I think Spiderman's powers are super cool, but I think I'd be awful at web-slinging. So I'd have to say time-control or something. Or teleporting! That would make everything a lot easier." Marinette laughed. "What are some of your favorite TV shows?"

"Uhh," he blushed lightly, "do Anime's count?"

"Of course they do? What are we, animals?" Marinette rolled her eyes playfully and saw him visibly relax.

"Right. I love Boku No Hero Academia, and Naruto was my childhood. I'm starting Voltron: Legendary Defender, though it's more of a cartoon than an Anime. Attack on Titan and One Punch Man were both awesome in their own ways. Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z were other shows I watched as a kid, so that'll be in my heart forever. Yuri! on Ice and Ouran High-School Host Club were great, too. I,uh, don't really watch regular TV." Adrien grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, I rambled. What about you?"

"My Hero Academia is so good and I can't wait for the next episode. Voltron is super good. I watched Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, and cried a lot, but it was so worth it. Soul Eater was pretty good, and so was Blue Exorcist, and I watched some more unknown ones like Seven Deadly Sins, or Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic. Regular TV shows, I liked Doctor Who and Star VS The Forces of Evil, Gravity Falls and Sherlock, and Brooklyn 99 was so funny, ugh I love it." Marinette narrowed her eyes. "Hmmm… Have any pets?"

"Not yet. I want a cat though. You?"

"Nope, though Alya sometimes makes me think she counts as one."

Adrien snorted.

"Favorite Marvel Superhero?"

"I really like Black Panther. He's got the coolest tech and powers. And he's a king," Adrien added. "Yours?"

"Spiderman. Tom Holland is so… ugh I love him."

"This is the second time you've mentioned him," Adrien commented. "Could I infer that someone has a crush?"

"W-what? On w-who?" Marinette panicked. He knew she liked h-?

"Spiderman, right?" he asked.

Oh. Duh. "Yeah, probably. He's really cute. Also he's super agile," Marinette giggled. Adrien raised an eyebrow.

"You seem pretty agile yourself, Marinette."

She blushed, and her eyes widened. "Oh, not really. I'm mostly clumsy."

"Oh, come on."

"No, really! I'm constantly tripping everywhere," she pulled up the hem of her shirt to reveal a purple bruise on her porcelain stomach. Adrien raised an eyebrow, but Marinette didn't notice his difficulty swallowing. "This happened two days ago. I fell down the stairs to my apartment building. Almost knocked myself out," she chuckled.

"Two days ago? Are you alright?" Adrien's brows furrowed.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It happens a lot," she brushed it off with an unconcerned wave.

"Did you hit your head?" He asked, reaching behind her and feeling around her scalp. She froze as his fingers tenderly ran through her hair. He visibly relaxed as his head retracted. "I don't feel anything."

"Yeah, I didn't hit it that hard, I was just tired," she cleared her throat, facing the park. A young boy ran after a small dog. He threw the red ball in his hand, and the black dog caught it.

"So," Adrien started, drawing her attention back to him, "what did you think of my social media?"

"Oh." she blushed. "Well, I liked the personal ones better. They're more… you?"

"Yeah," he chuckled. "The public ones are sorta boring. Haven't used them in ages, though." He fixed the hat on his head.

"Cause you quit modeling?" she attempted. He stilled.

"Yep."

They were quiet for a minute.

"Why?"

He managed a small smile. "Bored. I'd been doing it for years. It was time to quit. My dad…" The smile disappeared. "He wasn't happy."

"You were one of his top models. I guess I can see why,"

He hummed, staring off into the distance.

"But that doesn't give him an excuse to force you to model against your will, does it?"

His head snapped toward her, but she refused to meet his eyes. The ground is more interesting, she told herself.

"What? How did you-?"

"You obviously never enjoyed modeling, Adrien. And you're clearly a people pleaser— I mean like the kind that makes people happy not in the other way— " Adrien managed a smile at that. "S-so it would make sense that you didn't quit early on. You wanted to keep your dad happy, right?"

Adrien was quiet for a time.

"Yeah. You got me. I hated modeling. I hated the fame that came with it. My father never cared, though. He's a greedy bastard, but a greedy bastard who knows how to make money. So I stayed modeling. Later, I learned that he couldn't be pleased, no matter what I did. So I quit," he shrugged.

"Are you happy now?"

"I think we've reached our 20 question limit, Mari," he mused.

"Oh, sorry." she blushed furiously. Why would she ask that?

"I was kidding, Marinette... happy?" he murmured. He lifted his arm again, feeling the brim of his hat. "Yeah. I'm getting there. Meeting you helped a lot, actually."

Marinette didn't answer. She wouldn't answer.

She couldn't tear her eyes from the small, white lines on his wrist.

He didn't notice, still lost in thought.

"Aha!" A great, booming laugh came from next to them. They both jumped, being tossed back into reality with a strong forceful push. A large man with a large cart smiled down at them.

"Andre?" Marinette asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hello, sweet Marinette! Hello, new stranger! Can I help the two lovebirds to some life-changing ice cream?" He asked loudly, drawing attention to the two young adults, who were both blushing furiously and denying his accusation.

"We're just friends, really-"

"Yeah, we're not dating-"

"That's not a thing-"

"Maybe eventually-"

"We wouldn't-"

Andre laughed again, the ferocity of his guffaws making both adults jump again. "You two are in denial! Let Andre help with that!" He scooped two cones of ice cream, handing them to each person. "It's on the house! Let the love blossom, young ones! You'll wish you had later on!"

Both blushed profusely, looking anywhere but at each other. Marinette's eyes found her ice cream. Peach on bottom, then a grassy green color, then a golden color, then a cherry.

She snuck a glance at Adrien's. Dark blue on bottom, almost a raven, then a bright blue, then pink. She blinked, her hand finding her raven hair. Adrien's eyes widened, blinking at the green on hers. Their eyes met, and they couldn't help the chuckles that escaped.

"Did he actually-?"

"I think he did," Adrien laughed. He used his spoon and carefully took a scoop of the pink, a color that matched her lips. He tasted it, and Marinette looked away before she could watch what he did to the spoon. "Wow, Marinette. You taste good."

Adrien laughed even harder when she flailed and almost lost her ice cream.


Marinette arrived back at her apartment and tossed her apron on the nearest chair. She froze when something clattered to the ground.

No no no no no no no don't be my phone! she pleaded as she turned around slowly. It wasn't her phone, thank god.

A piece of paper gently lay on the ground. Marinette stooped to pick it up, finding something underneath. A guitar pick.

She examined it closer, and gasped. Jagged Stone? Where would she get a Jagged Stone guitar pick?

She looked at the paper. A phone number.

Oh.

That guy from today, Luka. She had completely forgotten about him after talking to Adrien today. After the twenty questions game. After the ice cream. After the scars.

She almost forgot again.

Marinette looked at the number, wondering what to do. She tucked it away and went to her computer, looking for any new emails from potential customers. She found something else instead.

"Alya?" Marinette called from her desk. Alya poked her head out the bathroom door.

"What's up?" She asked, toweling her hair dry.

"Why is my inbox exploding with asks?"

Alya stilled her face to confusion. "I dunno. What are they saying?"

"Pretty much everyone's saying the same thing. They want me to take a day off, live my life, get some… get some ass? What is happening?" Marinette scrolled and scrolled through her tumblr, speed-reading more and more messages as they rolled in. Alya muffled her laughter behind her.

"You're pretty popular. And you know, they're right! Take Friday night off! I didn't cancel our plans yet, and I know you're gonna have a lot of fun~!" Alya shimmied behind her. Marinette stilled, leaning back in her chair.

"Hmm…" she mused, spinning around to face Alya. Alya froze, raising an eyebrow.

"Is that your "I'll consider it Oh Great One" face?" Alya guessed.

"You could say that…"

"Yes! Get a cute outfit ready! We aren't going alooonneee!"

"Alya!"


I'M BACK!
Hi. Sorry. I probably shouldn't even be doing this, because I still have another final to take on Tuesday and this is wasting precious study time!
That's also the reason this is very late! I had three finals this week and they were all chaotic but I think I did good? Maybe?
I'm extending the length to six chapters, just cause I think that's how many I'll need. But we'll see!
Also Boku No Hero Academia is like, so good? Why haven't I watched this before? And Voltron Season Six? I've never felt more emotionally drained in my life and I'm not sure if that's bad or good...
Anyways,
You're all awesome!
~Ani