Unknown Number:
MARINETTEEEEEEEEEE
Marinette's eyebrow raised. It was Wednesday night. She was just about to go to bed. Who could possibly be messaging her this late at night. And an Unknown Number? That sounded ominous.
Hi? Who is this?
oh shit
its adrien
sorry got ur number from nino
THATS NOT IMPORTANT
Adrien? What's wrong?
DID YOU WATCH THE NEWEST BOKU NO HERO EPISODE
THE ONE THAT CAME OUT ON SATURDAY
No, I haven't had the chance yet...
Why what happened?
WATCH IT NOW
actually wait
Their conversation was cut off by a request to Video Chat by an Unknown Number.
Marinette panicked. Her phone fumbled in her hands as she attempted to either accept or decline the call; which one, she still wasn't sure. The incessant ringing was cut short by the sound of acceptance, and Marinette froze.
"Marinette?" his husky voice came from her speakers, and she melted. It was late. He might've been sleeping before he watched the episode.
"Y-yeah?"
"You okay? I can't see you…"
"O-oh. Right." she faced the camera towards herself, looking at the screen and balking. A rumpled, slightly damp, shirtless, sleepy Adrien Agreste looked back at her. Sweat beads slipped down his temple, and she fumbled with the phone again.
"There she is," a sleepy smile appeared. "Get on whatever website you watch Anime on right now. I cried inside."
"Right now?"
"Right now. Go. I need to watch your reaction," he said. Her heart skipped a beat as she scampered to her laptop. She felt the phone angle downwards, but all she cared about was doing as he said. With that voice, she'd do anything he said. She pulled out her chair and sat at her desk. As she placed her phone against the side of her laptop, she saw her bare arm.
Odd, she thought. I wore long sleeves today.
I didn't change for bed yet, did I?
Oh no I did.
With a squeak, Marinette pulled her arms away, covering up her top. Adrien didn't need to see her skimpy tank top, with the straps falling off her shoulders. She pulled them back up. She remembered how her phone tipped downwards when she was going to her desk, realizing he probably got a face full of booty-shorts and bare legs. At least her toes were painted. Curse this hot apartment.
"It's fine, Marinette. I'm definitely not complaining," he chucked. She ducked her head, hiding a blush, and brought up Crunchyroll.
"Are y-you alright, Adrien? You're sweating a lot, a-and your throat sounds like it hurts," she managed to say. Adrien's eyes widened, and he coughed quickly, hiding a flushed face.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Just… just had some stuff to do beforehand. Working out some, uh, stress."
"O-oh." Marinette couldn't respond to that, blushing furiously, instead pulling up Boku No Hero Academia and clicking on the next episode.
Adrien was impressed. She laughed at just the right times, gasped when needed, and had the most entertaining facial expressions. She even clutched her heart at one point, causing Adrien to chuckle. Boku No Hero Academia had never been more adorable, and he doubted it ever would be.
She buried her head into her hands when the episode ended. Adrien frowned.
"Marinette? You okay?"
"It's too late for this much cuteness…" she murmured.
"Yeah, the episode was pretty cute near the end," Adrien offered.
"I wasn't talking… Nevermind. I can see why you were yelling before. That was incredible."
"I know, right?" Adrien said, eyes lighting up excitedly. Marinette laughed.
"Deku is my favorite, he's such a little bean."
"I like Ochako a lot, actually. She's always so positive," Adrien smiled.
"Just like you," Marinette laughed. "What would your Quirk be if you were in that Universe?"
"Oh, man… Maybe a destructive power? It seems like I'd have something like that… What about you?"
"Oh, I've thought a lot about this, actually!" Her eyes brightened. "I think I'd have a creation type quirk, where I can summon something that would help me during the situation I'm in. Sorta luck based, you know? But I could only use it once a day, just to keep it realistic."
"I like that. What would your name be?"
"Oh, I'm not sure. I guess I'd have to think about it."
"I'd be Chat Noir," Adrien said, holding his hands out like he grew claws. She laughed heartily, the sound bouncing off the walls. Adrien smiled.
"That's your name?"
"Yeah! What's wrong with it?"
"Nothing, nothing! I just didn't realize you had a fursona, is all."
"Eck! Marinette, how could you?" Adrien cried, burying his head into a pillow.
Marinette laughed again. "You said it!" She felt her cheek throb from smiling
"But you made it... that!"
"Okay okay," Marinette wiped a tear from her cheek, her sides cramping from her laughter. She straightened her face, attempting to appear serious. "Fine. You're not a furry."
"Thank you."
She cracked a smile. "But you are a dork."
"I will accept my fate. Forever a dork?"
"Obviously. Okay, well, it's late, and I have an early shift. I'll, uh, see you tomorrow?"
"Sure. Want to stop by Slice Guys again?"
"Sure. I'll let you get back to… uh," Marinette blushed again, "w-whatever you were d-doing…"
Adrien flushed red, coughing awkwardly. "Right. Sleep well, Marinette."
"G-goodnight Adrien," she smiled at the camera, hand touching her neck lightly, and Adrien returned it sleepily.
"Goodnight, princess,"
Marinette hit End Chat and shut off her computer. She calmly picked up her phone, went back into her room, and face planted onto her bed. She squeaked into the pillow, narrowly missing her nose on the bed frame. Even after ending that conversation, she thought to herself, I still continue to have near death experiences.
"Wait…" she sat back up. "Did he call me 'princess'?"
Messaging: Nino Lahiffe
Nino, I think this double date might go better than expected…
Marinette was working register the next day. She didn't do it often, but she was conversational and friendly, and Nino claimed she had a charming smile and soft eyes. She argued that his eyes were much softer. Especially when he used The Soft Look™. He shrugged and told her to get back to work.
"Your order will be right up," she told her current customer, writing "Damien" on five different cups. From the other boys/one man sitting in a booth with similar black hair and blue eyes, she assumed he was the designated "order the coffee" family member.
She started to greet the next person without looking up. "Hi, how may I help yo—AH!" Marinette leapt backward and proceeded to throw her marker in the air. "Damien" and his family all looked up, faces set in stern expressions, but Marinette's horror wasn't from a threat.
"A-Adrien? Wh-wh-what are you doing here?" she managed to spit out. Adrien's smile glowed in the dim lighting of Busy Beans.
"Well, hello to you too, Marinette. I'm here to take you on your lunch break, since it's in five minutes. Oh, and I'm also here to order for Slice Guys," he said with a wink.
"O-okay," Marinette breathed. "W-what can I get you?
Marinette took the last few orders, a redheaded girl being pushed in a wheelchair by a blonde and another black haired girl. She vaguely noticed they went to sit with the black haired guys, but her head was a blur. She could hear Nino chatting with Adrien to her right, and it was obvious her verbal volume had decreased exponentially, but she couldn't seem to care. Just finish your job just finish your job just finish your job and you can go on break just finish your job just finish your job and you can go on break just finish—
"Marinette, you're free to go on your date. Mylene, Max, Nathaniel, you guys are up. Juleka, you're on break too."
"Nino!" Adrien laughed, shoving his shoulder. "Don't embarrass her in front of her coworkers, man!"
"Neither of you are helping!" she hissed, stomping over and throwing her apron at Nino's face. He chuckled and went to grab Adrien's drinks.
"Nice to meet you, Adrien!" Mylene called. Nathaniel and Max copied her, waving kindly as they took their positions.
"Marinette can carry your drinks like the good employee I know her to be. I'm giving you thirty minutes, so you better be back by then. And no babies!" Nino called as he went into the kitchen. Marinette's face burned as she stared at Nino's retreating form in horror.
Adrien coughed, face red as well. "So, uh… Think more about what your hero name would be?"
As they walked to Slice Guy's, it started to rain. At first, the pitter-patter of the light drops didn't do much to deter their conversation. They discussed new episodes of shows they watched mutually, and commented on business competition. Adrien mentioned another Pizzeria opened up on the same block as Slice Guy's, and Ivan's irritation that came with it.
"He's being harder on us now. 'Gotta beat them outta business'," Adrien quoted.
Marinette raised an eyebrow. "That's ominous."
The rain fell harder, and the pair decided it would be better to wait it out under a nearby awning.
"It shouldn't last too long," Marinette mentioned, looking to the sky.
Lightning crackled across the sky, and her brows furrowed.
"Or maybe it will," Adrien sighed. "We should get inside, or at least away from all these trees." His fingers slipped past her palm as he tugged her down the street. She blinked up at his form, moving with a purpose.
They waited at a corner shop, waiting for the crosswalk signal to turn green. Marinette felt his arm pressed against hers, for no other reason but to conserve body heat. After all, they both were still in work attire: black shirts and pants to go under their vibrant aprons. Adrien didn't even have his hat, just his tousled blond locks, slightly damp and less voluminous from the heavy rain. Marinette expected her bun was sagging on her head.
Marinette shivered, something that didn't go unnoticed by Adrien.
"Sorry about this. I didn't think to look at the weather. Maybe we were better off staying at Busy Beans,"
"Did you seriously just apologize for the weather?" Marinette asked incredulously, turning her head to look at his abashed face.
"Well, not for the weather, but—"
"It wasn't either of our faults, Adrien. Just bad luck."
Adrien cracked a smile. "If we had powers, you could get us that umbrella."
She laughed. "That would be very handy right now." Her eyes strayed across the street, where a younger boy was waving frantically. She took a step forward and peered at him, looking for some sign of familiarity. Was he waving at her?
A bright flash and a loud crack made her jump. She stumbled backward, losing her footing and cursing her clumsy luck.
Her first thought, unexpectedly, was the coffees. They would most likely land directly on her and drench her in burning liquid.
Her second thought never had a chance to finish.
Two strong arms encircled her waist, steadying her footing and allowing her to catch her breath. She felt her back slumped against a strong abdomen, and when she peered up, she saw Adrien's wide eyes looking right back.
"Are you okay?" he asked, helping her back to her feet.
She glanced down at her hand. The coffees were okay, untouched by the ground or the rain. The boy was apparently waving to a taxi, and she watched as he slipped inside.
"Yeah. I'm fine. Thanks for catching me. You're pretty quick."
"And you're pretty clumsy," he winked. "I guess I should've taken your word for it, even though seeing you grab that little boy in the road would've made anyone doubt your clumsiness."
"Oh, be quiet. If I knew this is how I'd be treated today maybe I wouldn't have brought you your coffees," she teased.
He cracked a grin. "That's borderline evil. You have a sick mind, Marinette. How could I function without your handcrafted, heavenly coffee?"
"I guess you'll just have to find out," she said simply, grabbing his drink and popping the top open. His eyes narrowed.
"You're playing a dangerous game, Dupain-Cheng…"
"You started the game with that rude comment. You've earned this." And with that, she brought the drink to her lips.
He lunged forward, and Marinette dodged, twirling on one foot and keeping the coffees steady. Adrien whirled around, eyeing the drink in Marinette's hand.
"That doesn't seem like a clumsy girl. Who are you and what did you do with Marinette?"
She snorted. "Still me, Adrien, even if it's hard to believe."
"Pretty sure this is an angel," he smirked. She flushed pink, and took another sip of the drink to change the topic.
"Hmm," she pondered. "Has a good, sweet taste to it. I may just finish this."
"Don't you dare."
"Come at me, handsome," she winked, which took all of her courage. His lips quirked upward.
"You've brought this upon yourself, princess. Don't complain to me if you don't like the result."
"So," Marinette started as she took a step back, countering his step forward. "I didn't imagine you calling me that. Interesting name choice."
"Fitting for you, I'd say, princess."
"What a nerd." Marinette rolled her eyes as she balanced the coffees. She grinned up at him, feeling her bun slip farther down her head. "What were you doing last night that made you think of me, hmm?"
Adrien's steps faltered, and his face flushed a beautifully distracting red. She ignored her own blush, and took another sip of his coffee. His eyes found her movements, and his face formed another grin, illuminated by the flash of lightning.
"Keep drinking that Marinette, finish it even, and I'll be forced to taste it off your lips. I'm sure there'll be enough caffeine left to keep me awake for the day, maybe even the night, if you insist on it."
Marinette was the one who stopped moving, hand jerking to hide the blush that encased her face. Adrien laughed, and she heard his light steps approach her. She attempted to hide her blush even more, afraid of what he might say next, but all he did was pluck the drink from her hands. She watched through her fingers as he took a sip, licking his lips and smiling down at her.
"Still tastes of you a bit," he winked again.
She squeaked, and her blush flared up again. Adrien laughed harder, but jumped when another flash of lightning illuminated the sky. He lurched forward, but Marinette quickly put her hands out to stop his stumble. His momentum pushed her into the building's wall. The rain poured heavily down onto the awning, cascading down the red slope and splashing into the sidewalk. Adrien's pressure against her chest, her back against the wall, her heartbeat, it all felt like that rain.
Neither of them spoke, staring at each other in surprise. Her hand was still against his firm chest, keeping him from crushing her completely. The coffees, by some miracle, were carefully tucked under Adrien's arm and against his back. Marinette could tell their legs were tangled, and she could also tell it would cause a lot of embarrassment to untangle them. She couldn't miss the way his eyes flicked down her face, his green eyes blocked quickly by long blond lashes before they guiltily jumped back to her eyes.
Her blink was slow, and he seemed to move closer in that second. Her lips parted slightly, wondering where this would lead. Another inch, and their noses would touch. Another inch after that, and…
The heavy thudding above their heads didn't deter either of them. The cars driving by went unnoticed. The street was empty of passerbys, but they would've been ignored as well.
Marinette felt her hand subconsciously grasp the heavy, damp fabric of his black shirt. It crumpled under her fingers. Adrien's hands rested lightly on her hips, but one slipped around her back, pulling him ever so closer. He wasn't close enough.
Marinette couldn't move. She was caught between closing the gap and not pushing him too far. She didn't know his boundaries. She didn't want to push them.
Is this alright? she wanted to ask. Is this okay?
She couldn't move. She couldn't speak. All she could do was wait for him to move; closer or further away, she wasn't sure.
Thunder rumbled above them. Marinette reeled back in surprise, and Adrien did as well. The gap between them became too big. Far too big for her liking. It was as if, by some unholy being, they had been forced apart. He met her eyes. She didn't know what that look meant. She wondered if she ever would.
"I…" his voice was hoarse, and he cleared his throat. His eyes didn't leave hers. "We're running out of time."
Right. She was on break, and they needed pizza or Nino would throw a fit. She tore her eyes away, exuding disappointment. Her phone alerted her they only had twenty minutes until her break was over. They needed to hurry. It was a ten minute walk, and they had only managed half that distance.
Adrien lightly placed his coffee back into the carrier, and took it from her hands. She looked into his eyes, questioning. He managed a smile, even if it was shaky.
"How can I let a princess carry out a task so menial?" he asked.
She let out a wavering laugh, attempting to dislodge her nerves. "Such a menial task can be done by anyone. Are you doubting the princess's abilities?"
"Of course not, your highness. However, it is below you to even think the thought of performing such a task. Allow your knight to assist you as we travel on this long, arduous quest to obtain the Pizza of Youth from the cruel dragon guardian, Ivan the Manager."
"Well, if you insist," Marinette managed to say without laughing. And just like that, the awkward moment had vanished.
Messaging: Alya Cesaire
howd u find out
Nino, I'm so sorry.
just tell me al
You were still signed into my mail app on my phone. Apparently you've reached 30,000 copies sold. Congrats.
no one was supposed to kno
I know, Nino. I'm so sorry.
u kno u cant tell anyone
not mari
not the newsletter
no one
I would never. I know why you were anonymous now, too.
adrien
Yes. I'm so sorry, babe…
stop apologizing im not mad
its my clumsiness
I should've signed you out. I never thought I'd see something you didn't want me to see. You've just never been secretive about anything.
Hell, you've let me read you messages to your exes.
i shouldve been more careful
Maybe.
im happy its u
im happy u kno
I'm happy it's you, too.
Can you show me?
this weeknd
im booked for the rest of today and tmrw
Okay. I've got to go.
Love you, DJ Bubbler 3.
Nino couldn't help but smile. He never thought seeing those words from Alya would make him feel like this. She was full of surprises, even when finding out his darkest secrets.
love u too alya
Hi!
(look i know it's been a month i'm sorry i'll finish this up soon)
Thank you for all the "good grade" wishes! You're all very kind, and I'm happy to let you know I did wonderfully on all my exams!
Did you get my random fandom reference? Who were those people at the coffee shop?
…?
(spoiler alert it's the batfam I'm not even a DC fan but the tumblr headcannons are hysterical also Dick Grayson is my new boyfriend)
I hope this chapter was to your liking, monsieur au madame. C'est magnifique? Non? J'ai assume autant…
Okay look I haven't taken French in over a year gimme a break…
But seriously, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It took me a bit to come up with a plot for it, because I didn't have anything to write about in between the last chapter and the next one, so this might just be a bit drabbly…
But I guess the jokes on me this was supposed to be a oneshot/drabble haHA where did it all go so wrong?
Just realized this is sorta the opposite of the PizzaBug/ColaCat AU. I really like that AU.
Anyway, thank you for reading, you're all amazing human beings (almost typed human people) and I hope you received some joy from this chapter!
~Ani
