Marinette sat on the bike seat, holding onto Adrien's waist, red as a tomato and loving every moment. Adrien was peddling back the way they had walked, like a mad man. He sped up when they passed the bakery. She buried her face in his back, just in case her parents glanced out and saw them. by now someone would have noticed that Adrien was missing, and they would have phoned the bakery immediately. Being caught meant both of them being grounded. Marinette was in deep now, and she was going to see this through to the bitter end.
They were cycling in the middle of the road, and had to slow when they got to the busier roads. Marinette gazed at all the low-lit restaurants with couples eating outside, dressed in classy jackets and long scarves, and the shining reflection of the brightly lit Eiffel tower shimmering on the seine.
"It's a beautiful city, isn't it?" She asked, in his ear.
Adrien turned his head automatically to look, and suddenly lost control of the bike. The wheel wriggled over a drain, and bounced against the kerb. Adrien and Marinette were thrown from the bike as it skidded to a halt. Marinette landed on the pavement, Adrien got bit by the bike wheel as it came to a stop.
"You ok kid?!" Plagg gasped.
Adrien groaned as he rubbed his thigh where the wheel had thumped him. there was going to be a deep purple bruise there in the morning. Marinette groaned as she sat up.
"Are you all right girl?!" Tikki asked urgently.
Marinette hissed with pain as she rolled up her trouser leg. "I've grazed my knee, but I'm ok."
"Good. You worried me for a second there," Tikki sighed with relief.
Tikki nuzzled against her, affectionately. Her antenna tickled against her neck, and she giggled. Adrien looked up to see her sitting in the road, leg bare and torn. Blood was already trickling down her shin.
"Marinette!" Adrien gasped.
Tikki dove back into her pocket. He pushed himself up to his feet and hurried over to where she was sat. He dropped to his knees beside her, and fussed over her, one hand on her raised knee, and the other moved to exposed parts of her skin, checking for any other cuts. His voice was tight and anxious.
"Are you all right?! I shouldn't have looked away from the road! This is all my fault, are you-"
Marinette couldn't handle how he was holding himself. The utter fear and concern about her wellbeing was just about tolerable. The shaking voice was just about tolerable. Worrying about her even though he was just injured too, and hit by the bike, was just about tolerable. His hands moving over her to try and search for wounds was on the brink of intolerable. All of them together was much too much.
"I'M FINE!" She pushed him off of her urgently, red hot and hardly able to breath, "I'm fine!"
He fell back, and ended up sitting beside her in the street. They stared at each other, aching and full of adrenaline and worry. Slowly at first, Marinette started to giggle. She'd gone through a lot of disasters in her time, but this was something else. Everything was going wrong today, because it had been so important to her to have everything perfect.
Nothing was perfect when she was involved. Ever. The fact she had thought this could be was ridiculous enough to make her laugh again. Her little laugh eased Adrien's chest. The bubble of relief grew as their adrenaline ran out. Soon enough they were sitting on the path, in the way, giggling like infants. Both of them laughed so hard that they ended up in tears. The relief that they were okay was indescribable.
"Here," Adrien groaned as he pulled himself to his feet. "Let me help you up."
He held out a hand to help her to her feet. She took it. inwardly, she screamed at the fact he was holding her hand. He pulled her up, and she hissed again. The pain in her leg was throbbing now.
"Let's get you out of the way," he gave an uneasy smile.
He linked his arm around her back, and she linked hers around his neck. Adrien held her upright as she hobbled to the edge of the bridge. Adrien picked up the bike, and leaned it against the bridge wall beside them.
Stretched out either side of them were dozens of yellow lamps that shimmered on the river below. The breeze ruffled his hair, and down his back, making him shiver. Marinette edged closer, to press against him, and try to warm him up. The pause was a welcome break for Tikki and Plagg. It was hard to breath in pockets, and when they were heated up by riding a bike or blushing too much, it was even harder.
Tikki peered out, looking over the bridge with them, savouring the fresh again. Plagg dared to crawl out, and sit, hidden by Adrien's jacket, on the cold stone of the bridge. Someone that they couldn't see was playing the violin. A bitter sweet tune about lonely people being lonely together.
"it's a big, big city and it's always the same," Adrien sighed.
Marinette left a small pause. Her attention was with the stars that could faintly be seen through the light pollution.
"It can never be too pretty, thought," she muttered.
Something in the back of her mind wondered if it was out of line if she found some way to gather her courage, be bold, and ask if he would be hers. Because she might have been hopeless, and he was perfect, but he was down, and she was dreaming, so maybe it was just a matter of time.
"We haven't really talked," she said, thoughtfully, "we haven't talked since Nino's." He didn't reply, so she tried again. "We if don't talk, what can I do?
"Do?"
"y'know, to figure you out. To figure out how to fix this. Or try to anyway," she said.
Adrien chuckled softly, sadly, and shook his head. "You can't."
Marinette frowned. This was supposed to be a good night. A party night. It was turning into some kind of pity party. He lifted his chin to admire the beauty of their city at night. Usually he was stuffed indoors and not allowed out, or he was prowling around as Chat Noir, so he never got to see it from this level. This close. it was breath taking. and sharing it with Marinette like this, made it even more special.
"I must confess, my heart's in broken pieces and my head's a mess... He- my father - he's got me going crazy. I never wanted to be a model but suddenly I am one because he needed one. That's not fair. And then I ask for one night without a body guard, and he says no! That's so no fair..."
Marinette knew Gabriel was a distant father, but she never realised how cold he was. Adrien was his family, his only family. How could he be so harsh to him?
"He banned me from coming out. He actually banned me from coming out tonight!" Adrien scowled.
The anger was coming back. It was ready to fester until she laid her hand on his.
"But you're here anyway. what does that mean?"
Adrien gave an uneasy laugh, "That I'm finally rebelling against my father. Nino would be proud."
Nino would have been proud. Nino would have been SO DAMN proud. For about twenty seconds. Then he'd be worried about what that meant, consequence wise. What the punishments meant, I mean. If they meant he couldn't see Nino ever again, or if he was kicked out of their house and disowned, or whatever else Nino could come up with that he thought were awful but wouldn't put past Gabriel's abilities. A heartless man he was. Adrien was beginning to see that. Adrien groaned and buried his face in his hands.
"what am I doing?! What am I doing?! I'm being crazy! This is crazy!" he groaned.
Marinette frowned. She was a fan of Gabriel's work. The things he created, clothes and children, she thought were awesome. They looked awesome anyway. but dig a little deeper, and there were dark secrets, and lack of humanity, that made them so easily breakable. She decided, then and there, that Marinette no longer liked Gabriel Agreste as a person. Marinette clenched her jaw. She was determined to cheer Adrien up now. screw getting him to fall in love with her, he was already her friend, and she wasn't about to let her friend hurt so she could get a date.
"So what if you're crazy? I don't care. you amaze me," she declared firmly.
He turned his head to look up at her, slightly amazed, and utterly confused. "I amaze you?"
"Your father scares half of Paris. You're always in front of cameras. You managed with only one friend for years and she was Chloe! It amazes me that you had the guts to stand up to him, force your way into a normal life into a normal school, and find your own friends. Real friends. That's so brave. Even braver than Chat Noir."
Adrien snorted. If only you knew. "If I'm Chat Noir, does that make you Ladybug?"
Tikki gasped and Marinette's palms got sweaty. "Me?! Ladybug?! N-no way! She's daring and brave and I could never - n-never!" She stammered, in a panicky tone.
Adrien watched her, unable to hold back his smile. She was cute when she was awkward. It was a crying shame she didn't think the same of him. A boy like him could be just irresistible, if she was that lonely.
"You're so sweet to try and cheer me up," he said.
She looked surprised, then sheepish, and bowed her head with a shrug. "I just thought you'd want to talk."
He smiled, warmly. A girl like that's just irresistible. He checked his watch. They had twenty minutes.
"We have to go," he said.
He scooped up Plagg and tucked him back in his pocket, despite his protests. Marinette pointed across the road to a chip shop.
"We should go there after the show. I'm starving!" She declared.
His stomach rumbled at the prompting. He grinned. "Yeah. Whatever you wish, my lady."
She blushed pink as he took her hand, in a bow, and kissed the back of it. Marinette lost the ability to speak for a minute or two, but she was beaming with joy. Adrien did the talking for her.
"My father would never let me go in there. It's too…"
"common?" She offered.
Adrien made a noise somewhere between a laugh and a sigh. "Yeah. Too public."
"I thought you said you were rebelling against him?" she said.
"I am! This is my final adventure, because he'll kill me when he catches me," he said, tentatively.
Marinette grinned, the same kind of grin Alya always gave her to convince her to do something completely insane and mildly stupid. "Then we're going in that café when we leave the concert. If it's your final adventure, let's make it a good one!"
Adrien nodded, beaming at her. whatever that weird grin was supposed to say, he wasn't sure, but it sure was convincing. "sure. but we have to get to the concert first.
"then let's go," Marinette picked up the bike.
When she took hold of the handle bars, she flashed back to the first time Nino brought his bike to their school. It was bright green and flashy then, and these handle bars had rubber with turtles engraved on them, to go with the shell pattern on the seat. Both had faded away from time and use. He'd spent a good three hours taking every one of his friends for a ride, having them sit on the handle bars. It was an equal sense of terror and thrill. Dangerous, but exciting. She glanced at Adrien. What was an adventure without that thrill?
"Hey, get on the handle bars. I'll peddle you down the bridge!" She beamed.
Adrien wrinkled his nose uncertainly. "I don't think-"
"Do you trust me, kitty?" Her eyes sparkled in the twilight gleam.
Something about her was very Ladybug. More so than ever. Based purely on instinct, he climbed onto the handle bars.
"Don't go fast, we don't want him to get hurt," Tikki warned.
"Again," Marinette whispered.
"You're going to die," Plagg warned.
"Wouldn't that teach father?" Adrien smirked.
Before Plagg could protest again, Marinette started peddling. They wheeled forwards slowly at first. The wriggle of the handle bars made him latch on. His fingers hit hers until she moved them. His ring still rubbed against her finger. It was hard and cold. She didn't notice. Her leg ached from the graze, her view was blocked by Adrien, and she didn't know which direction they were going in. Her mind was preoccupied.
Adrien's, however, was free for the first time in days. At first, he was anxious about falling. Then, when they got a little speed, he felt... not safe, but content. He was uncomfortable, but fine with it.
The breeze ruffled through his hair, cooling his face, and his mind. His hair streamed out behind him like a rocket trail, gold and shining. Marinette's hair was pinned up in a bun, so her hair stayed neat enough. His got messier with each passing minute, and he didn't care. The anxiety he should have been feeling couldn't keep up. It was like he was flying.
The city lights shone down over them. Their reflection shimmered past in each shop window. He couldn't help laughing. The joy of the freedom just escaped him in that way. Every time he laughed, she laughed back. They were like fireworks, streaming through the city centre.
He had no control, she was driving blind.
It was insane. It was dangerous. It was amazing!
It ended with a shaking of the bike as it went over a drain, which panicked Marinette and made her slow to a stop. Adrien leapt off and laughed extatically.
"That was amazing!" He beamed.
She laughed too. His childish excitement had her giggle. The joy he gave off infected her. Like the sun reflecting off the moon.
"C'mon, jump on the back, we're almost there!" Marinette grinned.
Adrien followed her lead. He leapt onto the bike behind her, and wrapped his arms around her to stay on. Tikki ducked to avoid the squeeze. He had to squeeze. Marinette peddled like her life depended on it. Adrien leaned back to breath in the life of the city. A blast of cold window ran around him, causing him to shiver. He lowered his head, and laid it against her back to use as a wind shield. He could hear her heart beat through her back. It was steady and strong and stubborn. Just like her.
"Hold on Adrien, we're almost there!" She beamed.
Adrien raised his head just enough to hear the distant scream of adoring fans as the concert moved from support act to second support.
"Can we go any faster?!" He asked, urgently.
"Hold on!" She screamed into the window, which ended in some kind of cackle.
Marinette felt some kind of electricity in her tonight. She and Adrien were out on a mission. An important mission. To get to the concert hall in time to see Jagged Stone. There was no real danger, there was no one's life on the line, she had responsibility for no one but herself. It was a mission based purely on making themselves happy. That was a rare treat for Marinette, and she wasn't about to let him down.
They reached the bottom steps of the concert hall by using it as a break. Again they were jolted forward, but Marinette stuck her leg out so this time they didn't fall. She shoved the bike against the wall as quick as she could, and Adrien, full of urgency, grabbed her hand.
"Come on were almost there!" He beamed.
The manic delight in his eyes was mirrored in her own. It was a kind of tame, safe, wildness that they never got to feel. They were hooked. He held her hand like he couldn't let her go. Like she would be lost in a crowd of people if he did. No one else was around. They were all already inside.
At the top of the steps, they were stopped by security to check their tickets. Holding Marinette's hand, tight, Adrien patted down his jacket. His hand dipped into each pocket, and out empty. His face grew fearful and urgent. Marinette had been trying to get her breath back. Now she had a flash of anxiety of her own.
"What's wrong?!" She asked.
"I don't have them, I don't have them!" He panicked, searching his pockets.
"You don't?!" She asked, alarmed.
Adrien met her gaze. His father's words from earlier this evening echoed in his mind. You let everyone done Adrien. Just like always. Marinette stared back, alarmed. Adrien filled with shame and guilt. His father was right. He let her down. And the only thing he could say about it was:
"I don't have the tickets."
