Marinette

It was a super exciting day for me, because it was Adrien's birthday! Last year, there was a big mess up and I guess Mr. Agreste "re-gifted" my gift before Adrien even opened it, and so the scarf I made him was thought to be from Adrien's father. I was going to tell him it was from me, but he looked so happy to be receiving something from his father. So, I backed off and let it all happen. I didn't regret it at all, not for a second. All I wanted was Adrien to be happy because, well... Anyways, because of that, I worked my butt off to make him the perfect birthday present ever. It was a lot harder than expected, but I think I did a great job given my set budget. I didn't want to make it too extravagant like any of Chloe's presents would be, because I'm not as pushy as Chloe, and, because I'm not Adrien's girlfriend. I wasn't aiming to top anyone else of course, I just wanted to make sure Adrien would be happy with the gift.

The gift seemed perfect to me, mainly because I was just so proud that I made it with my own two hands. I made a Jagged Stone t-shirt, since I made his last album cover and all, and because it was more of a challenge for me to do. The main reason for me making the shirt was because Adrien really likes Jagged Stone. I've never made any graphic tees in the past, so I was a bit worried it would look terrible. But the thing that frightened me most was the card I had put with the gift. I couldn't remember what I wrote down inside of it. I was up all night writing drafts onto sheets of lined paper to make sure it was perfect, and I couldn't remember what I had chosen as final. I just woke up at my desk with the card sealed in a white envelope underneath my arm. Since it was sealed already, there was no way I could check it over without needing another envelope, and I was out of time to make one. Also, I'd need a whole new card if what I wrote turned out to be something humiliating. I was indecisive all morning about whether I should attach the card or not, knowing I needed my name and if I just wrote my name there would be no meaning to it and I needed it to be perfect to my standards. Those standards included a card.

The morning of Adrien's birthday was super important for me. Alya had told me the night before I had to be sharp and not lose sight of what was important: giving the gift to Adrien. I triple checked absolutely everything, but I still could not decide if I should include the card along with it. "Don't worry Marinette, Adrien is going to love your present!" Tiki encouraged me as she hovered beside my head. I sat at my desk, examining the package thoroughly in my hands, turning it about just trying to figure out what to do. "That's not what I'm worried about, well, I guess it is one thing I am nervous about, but what I am really concerned about is this card. What if it says something super embarrassing and now I'm going to ruin any chances I ever had with Adrien!" I exclaimed with a loud groan, slamming my head down onto the wooden desk. "Oh, Marinette." Tiki sighed, sitting on the desk next to my head. "Just have faith, I'm sure whatever you decided on was perfect!" I sighed heavily and turned my head to look at Tiki, her big eyes so hopeful as she peered at me. I smiled and nodded, "Okay, let's just take a chance." I agreed, grabbing my belongings and shoving it all into my backpack, opening my purse to allow Tiki inside before I took the gift in my hands and made my way downstairs.

I brought the gift downstairs and sat it on the table so I could have breakfast with my mother. She had taken some of the extra croissants my father had made that morning downstairs up to the apartment and heated them to eat, and so the whole house smelt of fresh croissants, which when my father made then, it was a nice smell. It smelt like home to me, which is only expected from living above a bakery. I pulled the croissant in half and began eating it quickly. My mother laughed softly, "Are you in a rush Marinette? Eat slow or else you'll get a stomach ache." She warned me with a kind expression, the same one she always had. I swallowed what was already in my mouth and nodded my head contently, then continued eating. She asked me what the box was and so I told her it was for a friend who had a birthday today, which then led to her naming everyone she possibly could think of until she guessed it right. She wished me luck and then saw me to the door since she was going down to help in the bakery anyways. I gave her and my father a quick kiss on the cheek and then waved to them goodbye as I left for school, grabbing a few of my father's cookies on the way out for a certain someone on the way and sliding them into my purse.

I took in a heavy breath through my nose and exhaled through my mouth, the warm arm tickling my flesh as I walked. There was a slight breeze outside that made the heat bearable, and it was fairly nice if I was being honest. It felt as if the earth itself was ensuring I was comfortable where I stood, and that the air was dancing all around me to the beautiful sound of the busy streets of Paris, and the lovely smell of coffee and pastries at the cafes that were open for the public to stop and catch a bit to eat. I shut my eyes a moment, taking it all in as I continued onward towards the school. It wasn't long after I had arrived on the school ground that I was greeted by my best friend Alya, who seemed almost as excited as me. "Marinette!" She called to me, quickly jogging over and grabbing a hold of my shoulders as if she was about to push my forcefully. I blinked in confusion and looked to her. "What is it?" I asked her curiously. "Did you remember it?" She asked, completely ignoring me. I nodded my head and before I could speak, she pulled the gift out of my bag and shoved it into my hands. "Adrien got here early, I just saw him get out of his car, so now is your chance girl!" She said eagerly. I shook my head immediately, "N-No Alya I'm not ready! I couldn't possibly- "Oh shush, if you procrastinate you will never go through with it. Just go!" She said as she pushed me forwards.

I looked forwards and saw Adrien nearing the front steps of the school with Nino as I fought back against Alya, mumbling to her about how I couldn't do it, and then, she gave me a big shove and then left me on my own. I swallowed and took a few steps up behind Adrien and Nino sort of off to the side, not sure how to get their attention. Just then, Adrien stopped a moment and turned, which meant he must have spotted me. I froze as he gave me a grin and waited for me to speak. I could feel my eyes grow larger as I began to simply stare at him. He was so gorgeous, it always caught me off guard. I smiled as big as I could and finally spoke up, hiding the gift behind my back, "Hey, Adrien." I greeted him, mentally slapping myself at how absolutely insane I sounded. "Hey Marinette, what's up?" He answered with a kind smile and a slight wave of his soft, perfect hands. I froze up again, simply grinning like an idiot, unsure of what to say. I lost myself in Adrien's presence a moment, just him in general leaving me completely mesmerized. I was soon pulled from my phase when Adrien's hand moved softly back and forth, causing me to blink abruptly. I immediately tried covering up, "Oh hey there! Sorry about that I, um, was just, I dunno, but, um, anyways I heard that today was a big day, like, super big and I'd be really glad if you..." I went to move the gift out from behind my back, but my foot slid off the back of the step and I went falling back, dropping the gift and crying out in surprise.

I was even more surprised when a warm hand grasped my hand and pulled me back, holding me up and helping me to regain my balance. I looked up and saw Adrien looking at me with a concerned look, which of course made my heart absolutely soar, because, well, Adrien. I was embarrassed by the whole situation, but I think my face was red mainly because of the fact Adrien was the one who caught me. "Are you alright Marinette?" Adrien asked me kindly, which I reacted by nodding, unable to speak because Adrien was still holding my hand. This was almsot like a dream, it was as if the world had stopped turning, or that it was only us on earth in that moment. Nothing could have been more perfect. But, Adrien soon let go of my hand which led me back to the cruel reality. I remembered why I was there to begin with and went to bring it up until I heard Nino behind me, "Yo Adrien, I think this might be for you." He said, and when I looked, he held the present for Adrien up. Nino glanced at me and kind of grinned, and i could tell I became extremely flustered. Adrien looked to me curiously, and I nodded with a forced smile. Adrien's face lit up, which I could feel my heart skip a beat in my chest simply because he smiled at me.

"Thanks a lot Marinette." He said to me as he took the gift from Nino and tucked it into his bag. I nodded and smiled, unable to speak for some reason. Just then, the bell rang to tell everyone classes would be starting soon. "See you in class." Adrien called to me as he and Nino walked away. I nodded and waved as they left, simply standing there right until they came out of view. When they were gone, I let out a heavy breath and thought I might faint from how humiliated I was. "Good one Marinette!" Alya commented as she stood up next to me on the steps. "Good one?" I repeated in a shocked tone, "That was humiliating! I can never show my face to him again." I groaned, hanging my head in shame. "At least you gave it to him." Alya said, patting me on the back for consolation. "Let's get to class soon though, otherwise Adrien might be devoured by the she-devil." She joked, causing me to chuckle. "First, I need to use the restroom so you get to come and wait for me."

Alya took only a few minutes in the washroom, but when we came out, everything had changed. We saw a bunch of people not from our classroom standing by the door, but not soon after, they all began moving their separate ways. Alya looked at me with a curious expression, and I simply shrugged. I was just as confused as she was. Alya stopped one of the students coming back from Miss Bustier's room to ask what just happened, because Alya loved gossip with a fiery passion, hence why she created the Ladyblog. "Hey, what just happened? Why was everyone swarming like that?" She asked. The student looked at us both a moment before leaning closer, "I didn't get in enough to see, but apparently Adrien Agreste fainted or something." She told us. Me and Alya both looked at one another for a moment before we thanked the girl and kept on walking. "I hope Adrien is okay... He seemed fine when I saw him out front of the school..." I said quietly. Alya smiled and attempted to comfort me, "I haven't seen Adrien sick in a while, I'm sure he is alright."

Me and Alya walked into the room and sat in our usual spot behind Adrien and Nino. As soon as we walked in the room we could tell Adrien wasn't looking too good. "Adrien, are you alright? I heard something happened to you." Alya spoke up, leaning over the table a bit. Adrien turned to face us both and nodded his head, rubbing his neck. I guessed he was a bit embarrassed that we already knew about everything that has happened. "I'm fine, don't worry about it." Adrien reassured us, but even his voice sounded shaky to me. I was beginning to feel very worried, my heart racing a little bit just at the very thought of something being wrong with Adrien. "Man I didn't notice before but you really don't look so good, you really shouldn't be here." I heard Nino spoke, looking over to see him examining Adrien just as concerned as I was. I looked back to Adrien and nodded my head, "He is right Adrien, I mean, you look... green." I spoke up quietly, a little hesitant to really get on Adrien's case about this as well in fear of bothering him. Alya patted me on the back, "Agreed." She agreed with me, which was kind of reassuring.

Despite everyone's obvious worry, Adrien insisted he just didn't have enough sleep and he was currently powering through a bad headache, which i found hard to believe, but I decided to trust Adrien. Me, Alya, and Nino all let out a heavy sigh, all probably very concerned, but at the same time, skeptical with Adrien's stubborn attitude. I saw a smile itch at Adrien's face, which of course made him radiate in my eyes, and so automatically, I smiled as well, just gazing at him admiringly. Alya turned to me and nudged my arm slightly to get my attention, which caused me to sit straight and look over to her curiously. She let out a quiet chuckle before beginning to speak, "So, I want your opinion on what to do for my next Ladyblog," She began. I nodded my head and listened to her intently, "I was thinking that instead of trying to sneak a video in, or try to interview Ladybug, I could attempt to get an interview with Ladybug's awesome partner." She said with a confident smirk. I blinked in confusion, "Really? Why?" I asked confused. It wasn't that I was offended or jealous or really against it, I was just curious. Alya rarely tried to interview Chat. Alya shrugged, "I just figured a new perspective would be interesting. The people love him too, after all." She said. I smiled slightly and nodded.

Chat was a great partner. He was dedicated and kind, as well as heroic. He threw himself in front of a dark arrow for me once, and he also saved me from getting frozen in time, and eventually, disappearing. Both times he suffered, but he never hesitated. I appreciated it, as well as him. He was fun. Just, he sometimes can be a little too much. His jokes, his flirting, sometimes it drives me insane, but it just makes him Chat, and it gives me perfect opportunities to give a great come back. He is sweet, and romantic, but I still prefer Adrien. Adrien is elegant, and smart, and gorgeous, I could never love anyone else but him. I know Chat only likes to joke around with me anyways, he's just a silly kitty after all. It's what he does. My thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the sound of a bell, signalling that class would begin. "I think that'd be a really good idea Alya, I'll be sure to watch it. I am your number one fan after all." I said to her with a smile. "Thanks Marinette." She said with a wink, hugging me a moment before Miss Bustier began to speak.

Miss Bustier told us about the project we would be doing on the wonders of Paris where we would research a certain artifact or tourist attraction of Paris and then present it to the class within the next week or so. Then, she began picking partners. Chloe, who surprisingly hadn't gotten up to talk to Adrien yet, turned in Adrien's direction and tried getting his attention, but he simply stared down as his desktop. I looked also, a little curious to if he was alright or not. Finally, I heard my name being called with the artifact "Notre Dame de Paris" , and right after, Adrien's name was also called. I got really excited for a moment, grinning childishly at the sound of Chloe's annoyed huff as she insisted to Miss Bustier she be partnered with Adrien, but Miss Bustier told her she would be partnered with Rose for this assignment. I felt sorry for Rose for a moment, as she usually worked with Juleka, but I was glad Sabrina would get a break from Chloe, hopefully. I gently leaned forwards over the desktop and tapped on Adrien's shoudler, then slowly, he looked to me. I was confused a second to why he seemed curious to what I wanted, assuming maybe he didn't hear his name. "Well, I guess we will be working together." I said in a monotone, still examining Adrien curiously. I think my smile faded as I looked at him, noticing his eyes seemed dilated and weary. "Alright, that sounds good to me, we'll do great." Adrien said to me, which snapped me out of my stare.

Alya suggested Nino and I switched spots to make it more convenient for us all to discuss out projects with one another, and I hesitantly agreed. I sat next to Adrien, which sent my heart soaring madly in my chest as I stayed quiet as to find my composure before I began to speak, "Well, looks like its me and you, or, you and me, for the project I mean, obviously, what else would I mean, right? I mean, it isn't like, well... Anyways, for the project, Notre Dame, sounds pretty cool right? I-" I found myself rambling before Adrien spoke, "Not again." He said in a strained voice, which caused my head to turn. Adrien really didn't look good. His face was an unsettling grey and he was sweating quite a bit. His body swayed, which really freaked me out. "Adrien?" I called, which got everyone's attention, "Adrien?!" I said again, a little louder, my eyes wide as I began to panic. "Dude grab him, he's going over!" Nino shouted next to me, and almost right on cue, Adrien began falling towards me. My chair went flying out from under me as I caught Adrien in a crouch, slowly lowering him down onto my legs. Everyone by now was standing to see, "Give him space everyone." Miss Bustier called above the ruckus of all our friends wondering what was going on.

A few moments later, Adrien's eyes reopened and he looked a little dazed until he blinked a few times and seemed to focus in on my face, which I was too worried to really fawn over. "What just happened?" Adrien asked quietly, forcing himself upright on the floor. He looked around a moment before I answered, "You fainted, I think." I told him. "No duh you fainted! It was super scary, but Marinette totally saved you from hitting the floor and hitting your head." Nino commented. "I've never seen Marinette move so fast before, you must of really scared her." Alya commented with a small smile, giving me a smug grin. "Alya don't embarass me, like he needed to know that!" I whispered to her, earning a simple shrug in return. "Marinette, please take Adrien to the nurse's office. Then Adrien I'd advise you to go home and rest, you are in absolutely no condition to be at school today." Miss Bustier instructed me to do. I was confused for a second, but realized that it was probably because he was my partner for the project. "Y-Yes ma'am." I agreed. "Yes ma'am." Adrien also said, clear discontent in his voice. Alya pulled me off the ground as Nino pulled Adrien to his feet. "Look at you, helping Adrien to the nurses. I bet he will thank you for saving him like a real hero." I probably went bright red, "Me? A hero? No way, you're insane. I'm far from a hero." I insisted with a nervous laugh. Alya rolled her eyes, "Sure." She said sarcastically. "Adrien's looking, go on!" She whispered, giving me a little shove.

"So, uh. D-Do you need, well..." "I would like help walking if you don't mind, I'm still a bit dizzy." Adrien spoke over me, thankfully, saving me from further humiliation. I smiled and nodded, my face probably redder than ever. When he put his arm around me, my heart began racing so fast I couldn't keep up. I felt so in place by his side, unrealistically, because we were friends, but it was still so perfect. "Thank you for helping me before, I am not really sure what's going on with me if I am being honest, it doesn't seem too serious though right?" Adrien spoke as we made our way out of the classroom. "No problem, and I'm not too sure, I just hope you are alright. I kind of panicked when I saw you like that I didn't know what to do until Nino told me to catch you." I admitted, really not being too heroic in the situation. I freaked out actually. "Hey, don't worry about it. You still got there in time, right? I'm sorry if I scared you though. I guess I really should have stayed home. Now everyone is worried because I'm too stubborn." Adrien said, obviously feeling guilty for everything. I thought a moment before responding, "I think even if you stayed home, people would still worry about you. Everyone loves you Adrien. You're such a great person, you're friends with everyone. If they heard you were sick at home, I'm sure they'd be just as worried as they are now." I said, my face absolutely burning.

Adrien suddenly came to a stop, which made me worry maybe I had said something wrong. but then he spoke, which was reassuring in a way, but also quite alarming, "You can go back to class, I think I'm just going to call my driver and go home" He insisted, which caused me to frown. I didn't like him not seeing a doctor. "My father won't want me using the school nurse he'd rather call a doctor to come to the house." He continued, which I supposed was a good enough excuse. I offered to walk with Adrien to the front then, but he insisted I go back to class. I wasn't really in the position to argue against him, and so I nodded hesitantly and turned back around and walked back. When I got back to class, everyone was a little surprised. "Marinette, where is Adrien?" Nino asked me as I sat down in my seat. "He said he would just be going home since his father wouldn't agree with him seeing the school nurse." I explained. Nino and Alya both had the same shocked expression. "He is dumber than I thought, I can't believe him!" Nino said. "You should have made him go Marinette." Alya insisted. "I'm sure everything will be alright, Adrien's driver was close by, that's what Adrien told me. He should be getting picked up any minute now." I said. Alya and Nino sighed and decided to drop the subject.

The rest of the day I was simply worried out of my mind, wondering where Adrien was now and if he had seen a doctor and if he was okay and well. Adrien seemed really sick, so I could only hope he got better. Alya was right when she said Adrien rarely ever got sick, I couldn't remember the last time Adrien had gotten sick. He was always so healthy because of his modelling, his father was so strict with his diet, his sleeping patterns, everything seemed so precise.

But if so, what was wrong with Adrien?