[Thank you all so much for the faves, follows and reviews! I hope you all enjoy chapter 2!]

Chapter 2

Marinette stared up at Adrien with her mouth wide open and her face still red from crying. She had just told Adrien, to his face, that she was obsessed with him. Marinette wouldn't have been surprised if she exploded just then.

Adrien looked a bit taken aback, and possibly flattered at the offhand remark, but he made no attempt to leave. Marinette had absolutely no idea what to do.

"O-oh I'm so s-sorry Adrien I thought you were Alya. I-i didn't know. A-a-and when I said obsessed I meant over y-your work and the designs you w-wear cause I really like fashion and your super good at b-being fashion… I jUST REALLY LIKE YOUR CLOTHEs."

Adrien blinked a few times then smiled at Marinette after a quiet chuckle escaped his lips. Luckily, Marinette was looking at the ground, so she couldn't see the enormous blush pass over the model's face.

"Umm, thank you. I guess? But umm, I came out here to see if you were doing alright, so are you? Uhh doing alright I mean."

Suddenly, the weight of everything going on in Marinette's life returned to her and she had to keep herself from crying again. However, she was grateful for the distraction from Adrien at the moment.

"Not really, no. B-but I don't want to bother you or anyone else, I-i can figure it out on my own."

"Marinette!" The girl jumped at the intensity that her crush said her name and looked up at him with wide eyes. "Sorry, but I don't want to see you like this. I wanna help you if I can, cause I know everyone's really missing your smile. I promise it wouldn't be a bother, it'd actually be a pleasure to help a friend out. So i'd really like to help you, if I can, so that we can all see you happy and smiling again."

Everyone wanted to see her smile again? Now that she thought about it, smiling might have been one of the things she had given up along with sleep. Wait a sec had Adrien just called her his friend?

"D-do you really want to hear about my problems?"

"If it will make you feel better, then yes of course."

"O-okay then. Well, it's just been really hard this past couple of w-weeks. M-my mom and dad are in England right now, and they have been for a w-while. O-our family owns a-a bakery though, so my p-parents left me in charge. But, ummm… They d-don't know this, but I also have this volunteer j-job, and people really depend on me to do this job. A-and then with all the tests we've had lately, I haven't had much time to sleep or even take a break. M-my parents just texted m-me in class. They were supposed to head home today, but now they d-don't even know when they'll be back. T-that's why I ran out earlier… I-i just don't think I can do this anymore…."

By now Marinette was crying again, and deliberately avoiding eye contact. Adrien felt almost guilty that he hadn't done anything sooner. Though he and Marinette didn't talk much, he still liked to consider her a friend. And his friend had been suffering this whole time. He hadn't even known.

Looking over at his classmate, he realized how small and frail she could be. But in the smallness, he also saw her strength, He couldn't imagine being so stressed that he'd run out of class. It must be so hard for her right now. But she had fought through it all for nearly two weeks now! All on her own. Alone. Just like him… But Adrien was used to being alone. Well, at home at least. Marinette had only just discovered how awful it could be, to really be alone.

Silently, he pulled one arm up from his lap, and the other from Marinette's shoulder, and wrapped them around Marinette, encasing her in what he hoped was a comforting hug. The girl stiffened at first, and Adrien was prepared to let go, but then, she took her hands off her eyes and hugged him back.

The two sat in that hug in complete silence for what felt like hours. It reminded Marinette of the day her parents had left. If there was one thing she missed, it was the daily hugs she got from her mom and dad. Hugs always made her feel warm and fuzzy inside. And getting a hug from Adrien, well it was beyond any of her wildest dreams. She was so relieved to have finally told someone, to finally have that weight lifted from her shoulders. Marinette was so happy that she couldn't hear herself whisper a quiet 'Thank You' in Adrien's ear.

Adrien had heard it though, and his heart swelled. Here he was, helping a friend and making them feel better. Marinette was so sweet and it made him enormously happy to see her happy again. He wanted to do more for her. To see her genuinely smiling rather than what he assumed was her fear of him. He didn't know why, but Marinette had always seemed to be intimidated by him. Maybe he could change that. Maybe they could be friends!

In a fit of excitement, he pulled himself out the hug and placed his hands on her shoulders with a thrilled grin spreading across his face. He did wait until Marinette was looking at him with her crystally sky blue eyes before speaking though.

"Marinette! I just had a great idea!"

"W-what i-is it A-adrie-"

"I could help you out at the bakery! I'm really good with people so I could help out at the counter and even though I don't bake much, you could teach me then I could help you get caught up on all your orders and stuff! A-and if not then I could at least help you with homework or studying so school won't be so stressful. B-but only if that's alright with you Marinette. I'll find some way to help you, even if you say no though!"

Marinette didn't know what to do. She didn't know what to say or exactly what Adrien had just said. He just looked so happy and excited and hot and hopeful. It made her want to squeal and jump up and down and scream at Alya for a few hours. But she had to give Adrien an answer. As she thought about how to respond, what he had said finally clicked. She felt her face go beet red and Marinette didn't think she'd be able to form a complete sentence ever again.

"NoNOnoNOno I CAN'T HAVE YOU DO THAT FOR ME!" She felt herself squeak at the word 'me' so she quickly looked away in embarrassment. "I-i just d-don't want to bother y-you, i-it's fine. Y-you've already d-done so m-much for me!"

Adrien stood up and moved around so Marinette could see his face, and surprisingly, he was still smiling, and possibly blushing?

"Please? I really want to help you."

"O-okay." Somehow, Adrien smiled even more at that and put out his hand to help her up.

"Are you ready to go back to class Mari?"

Adrien had just called her 'Mari'. He was holding his hand out to her like a gentleman. Marinette really was going to explode! This Adrien high she was on would be the death of her. But somehow, she was able to take his hand, Adrien's hand, and stand up without falling over (yet). Adrien then walked Marinette back to class like a gentleman. They didn't speak, but only because the two were screaming internally at their good luck. But once they were nearing their classroom, Adrien stopped and turned to face Marinette.

"Oh I forgot to ask. Would it be alright for me to come over and help out today?"

"Mmhmm."

"Cool, I'll meet you in front of the school after our last period."

"Mmkay."

With arrangements made, the two entered the classroom and quietly sat back in their seats. No one said a word, not even the teacher. Though some of the students did look very excited for some reason. Little did the two friends know, that Marinette's chosen hiding place was in plain view of the classroom window.

The rest of school was a blur for Marinette. She was in one class, then suddenly she was in the next. And when she finally thought school was over, Alya would drag her to yet another class. Marinette vaguely remember Alya asking her questions about Adrien throughout the day, but any mention of his name caused Marinette to turn tomato red and shut up for at least an hour.

It was finally the last class of the day when Alya couldn't wait any longer. She turned to Marinette and whirled her chair around to face the blogger. However, Alya was careful to speak in nothing louder than a harsh whisper, so as not to bug their teacher.

"Okay what happened girl? What'd he say? Did. He. Ask. You. Out?"

"N-not really, no. Umm, he's just gonna help me with something after school. That's all."

Alya gave her friend a waiting look, seeing as there had to be more than that. But yet again, Marinette wasn't going to say any more on the matter.

"Okay fine Mari. You can have this little secret to yourself, but you've gotta tell me later okay?"

"O-okay, thanks Alya."

It wasn't even a second later when the bell rang to let the students out of their prison. Marinette was quick to pick up her stuff and book it out the door before Alya could ask any more questions. Once she had made it to the hallway, Marinette slowed down and took a few deep breaths to prepare herself for the rest of the day. The day she would be spending with Adrien. She needed to compose herself so she could actually operate at the bakery. So, naturally, she started going through what needed to be done that day. While going through the lists in her head, she found that it would be much easier to complete everything on time with Adrien there to help.

She was still going through orders, when Marinette found herself crashing into someone from behind.

"Oh i'm so sorry I wasn't looking where I was goin-" Of course it was him. It just had to be Adrien.

"No no it's fine Marinette. At least we were able to find each other. Are you ready to go?"

All Marinette could manage was a small nod, so Adrien took it as a yes and led Marinette past the school gate, letting her take the lead once they left school property.

At first the two friends walked to Marinette's house in complete silence. It was awkward to say the least, but Marinette was probably incapable of speaking at the moment, seeing how her day had gone so far. Not only had she confessed to Adrien, but she had cried in front of him several times, been hugged by him, and let's not forget running into him as soon as she had recovered from everything else. It had been one crazy day, and it wasn't even over yet.

To Marinette's relief and surprise, Adrien broke the silence with a question.

"So how are doing? Other than what you told me earlier."

"I-i'm doing alright. You?"

"Same."

Well that was a bad question. Adrien thought to himself. Maybe he could ask her about the bakery. No, no, he couldn't ask about that. It would just be insensitive.

"Soooo…. What's it like working at a bakery?" By now Adrien assumed his mouth was moving faster than his mind. He really needed to think before he spoke. But Marinette seemed to be fine with this particular question.

"D-did you mean how it normally is, or just this week?"

"Oh, just normally. Sorry about that."

"Well, it's u-usually really fun. I enjoy b-baking and being in the kitchen. I-it smells like bread and c-cake in there. Until n-now it's been pretty relaxing."

"That's really cool Marinette. Breads and pastries are some of my favorite foods. Do you have any other hobbies?" Adrien felt great. He was really getting somewhere. He was getting to know this sweet girl while he walked to her house to make food.

On the other hand, Marinette was overwhelmed. She had thought she knew all of Adrien's favorite foods. But apparently he liked breads and pastries. It was a good thing she lived at a bakery.

"O-oh, yeah I do. I a-actually really enjoy designing clothes. I love sketching out designs and being able to make them by hand. I-its really really fun!" Adrien chuckled a bit at this and to her disappointment, Marinette felt herself blushing again.

"That's really cool Mari. I think it's great that you have a hobby that makes you so happy."

"D-don't you have any hobbies like that Adrien?"

Adrien nearly tripped at that. He had been asking the questions till now. That had been easy. And now he had to answer. He had to tell Marinette about his dull, boring life. Crap.

"Ohhh. Umm, not really. I mean, fencing can be fun sometimes, but I only do it cause my dad wants me to. And I don't really enjoy modeling eithe-"

"B-but you're so good at it!" Marinette clasped her hands over her mouth. She quickly made a mental note that she wasn't allowed to say anything else today. If she did, it would only embarrass her even more.

"T-thank you. No one's really told me that before…" Marinette sneaked a glance at Adrien, and he was smiling. And not his trained model smile, this one was genuine; he was really, truly happy.

It was too soon when they finally reached the bakery. At the door, Marinette clumsily looked around in her bag for the keys, and once she found them, she hurriedly unlocked the door and gestured for Adrien to go inside.

*CRASH*

Marinette jumped inside and looked around while Adrien watched her with startled eyes.

"What was that!? Do you know, Mari?" She did know. Marinette suddenly remembered who was here. And she couldn't let Adrien see them.

"Umm, I'll go deal with that, j-just wait here please I won't be long!" Adrien opened his mouth to ask her what was going on, but she was already out of the room. Man that girl was fast.

Marinette had booked it up the stairs to her family's living area to find Tikki struggling to lift an abnormally heavy platter from off the floor. The tiny kwami looked up when the designer arrived and signed in relief.

"Tikki what happened?"

"I was frosting this cake when I knocked the platter off the table, I should have been watching where I was going." Tikki vaguely gestured to the half-frosted cake and continued to struggle with the platter, but Marinette could clearly see how exhausted the kwami was. She walked over to her friend and took the platter and placed it on the counter, where it wouldn't fall again. Then she picked Tikki up and carried her to her room.

"Thank you so much Tikki, but you've done enough. Adrien's here now, and he's gonna help me, so i'll be fine. Now you need to get your rest." Tikki only smiled graciously at Marinette before falling into a deep sleep. The girl was careful to make sure her kwami was sleeping peacefully before making her way back down to Adrien.

"What was that Marinette? Did something break? Are you okay?" Adrien hadn't moved a muscle since Marinette had run off a few minutes ago, though she did notice that the door was now closed.

"Y-yeah i'm fine, nothing broke. I-it was just… my cat! She knocked a platter off the counter upstairs so I put her in my room. E-everything's fine." It was surprising, but Marinette could see Adrien visibly relax. Had he really been that worried about her?

"That's cool, what's your cat's name?"

"Uhhh, it's Ti-Kikki. It's Kikki. Yeah."

"Awesome, maybe you could bring her out later. I happen to be a huge cat lover."

"S-sure, maybe I could." No. No she couldn't. Under no circumstances would she bring up cats. She had no cats (other than Cat Noir of course).

"So Mari, what did you need me to do?" Marinette mentally slapped herself to bring her back to reality. She had a lot to do, and Adrien needed to know how to bake.

"I-i could teach you how to bake something. I n-need to restock our 'display cakes', so what would you say to making some chocolate cake?"