Alright! In this chapter, the heat wave may be over, but Marinette and Adrien's troubles aren't. His transformations are happening more often. Meanwhile, Marinette letting her pain out is causing a shift in their dynamic...
Two days after her breakdown, Marinette had (barely) recovered.
She was at her locker, gathering up her materials for classes for the day.
'I can't believe I broke down in front of the girls,' Marinette thought. 'But maybe I needed to. I'm grateful that they just let me cry and stopped asking questions.'
The emotional relief she felt afterwords was nice, but Marinette still felt shaky about using her past pain as an excuse. Opening up an emotional scar that deep that early in the healing process wasn't something she wanted to deal with. She heaved a sigh as she shut her locker door.
"Hey, Marinette!" Adrien greeted from behind the door.
Marinette, startled, jumped and screamed. Adrien flinched, too.
"Oh, Adrien..." Marinette said, putting a hand to her heart and she tried to breathe to calm down. "Don't scare me like that."
"Sorry," Adrien apologized, his hands up. "Didn't mean to startle you."
"I-It's fine," Marinette stammered, putting a hand up to placate Adrien. "J... Just... Give me a minute..."
A few seconds of deep breathing, and Marinette tried to reprogram her brain at the same time. Once her heart slowed down, Marinette looked back up at Adrien with a tiny smile.
"Is everything alright?" Adrien asked, sounding worried. His facial expression matched. "You've seemed a bit sad the past two days."
"I..." Marinette began, sounding uncertain. "It's a bit hard to explain."
Her face fell, doubt still filling her face, specifically her eyes.
'Why is it that I feel like I can talk to Adrien about everything else, but nothing about this?' Marinette thought. 'He is a former teen model - a magnet for girls and some guys. As if he'd understand...'
"You don't have to tell me anything if you can't." Adrien spoke. Marinette looked up at him in surprise. She saw the kind, patient, affectionate look on his face.
"I... don't?" Marinette asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"No," Adrien confirmed. "If you need to take your time to open up about things, it's okay."
Marinette felt the pressure come off of her chest, like someone took a heavy barbell out of her arms. She sighed in relief and gave him a smile.
"Thanks, Adrien," Marinette spoke. "I was worried you'd push me into talking, especially after you confided in me about you-know-what."
"No, I wouldn't do that," Adrien said. "You're my friend, after all."
Marinette felt more pressure ease off her, but at the same time, a hollowness in her heart was left behind. Marinette tried to ignore it, focusing on Adrien.
After a few seconds of awkward silence, Adrien coughed into his fist and spoke out, "Well, I made something for you."
Marinette looked up at him in surprise as he approached. He took a small box out of his back pocket. He opened the lid to present a hair comb. It had some roses made of sparkling satin ribbon glued onto it - two smaller ones on the side, one larger one in the middle. There were some ivory pearls in the comb, too. Was the work a touch sloppy, yes, but otherwise well-made.
Marinette stared at it in awe. A flash of recognition came across her face, and she said, "Wait, those roses... aren't those made from the ribbon I gave you?"
"They sure are," Adrien confirmed, his smile growing. "I think this comb turned out good, especially for an amateur like me."
Marinette examined his hand, seeing the bandages on some of his fingers.
'He must've gotten so many cuts, pricks, and burns trying to make this...' Marinette thought, a swell of emotion growing in her heart.
"It's so pretty, Adrien..." She murmured, smiling.
"Glad you think so," Adrien said, a sigh of relief coming out of him. "I mean, you're the designer. I was a bit nervous giving a homemade accessory to you."
"Oh, don't worry!" Marinette responded, blushing and waving her hands. "Just the fact you thought of me means so much."
"That's great," Adrien chuckled, relieved. "Mind if I put it in your hair?"
Marinette's heart leaped and her eyes popped open for a second. She blinked. But she gave a timid nod. Adrien came closer, the comb in his hand. He put his hands in her hair, raking his fingers through it as he pulled the red hair ties from her pigtails.
Her hair fell, and Adrien was left astounded for a second.
'Wow... I know her hair was down when we were swimming, but seeing it up close like this...' Adrien thought.
But he shook himself out of it before going around behind Marinette.
"You're being so gentle," Marinette commented as Adrien kept going. "Did you pick up a few hair styling tips from your modeling days?"
"No," Adrien said, sounding a bit wistful. "...My mother used to let me play with her hair when I was little. She even taught me a few basic styles."
Marinette went silent at this, realizing she'd hit a sore spot. She just let Adrien do his work, ignoring the fact that a boy was touching her hair.
"Could you tilt your head back?" Adrien requested.
"Sure." Marinette said, lifting her face up to the ceiling and closing her eyes. She relished the feeling of the moment, her mind wandering for a few seconds. She felt the comb's teeth on her scalp for a second.
"And... Done!" Adrien said as he stepped away from her.
Marinette looked around, trying to find a mirror, only to thump herself on the forehead with the heel of her hand. She took out her phone, which had a small mirror on the back of it.
She let out a quiet gasp as she saw Adrien's handiwork. He'd put her hair in a high bun and put the comb at the base of it, making sure the roses were front and center. Though the lighting in the hall wasn't optimal, the ribbon sparkled a little, as did the shine from the pearls.
"Wow..." She murmured, almost breathless.
"Well, what do you think?" Adrien asked, sounding eager.
Marinette turned to look at Adrien with a smile. Her eyes began to fill with happy tears.
"Merci beaucoup." Marinette spoke, her wet eyes sparkling.
Adrien's cheeks went pink, his eyes wide and his face awestruck as he looked her over, all but staring. They were all alone, silence being the only accompaniment.
*POOF!*
"Damn!" Adrien hissed.
Marinette went stiff in mild panic, saying, "Uh-oh..."
"Marinette! Girl, where are you?" Alya called out.
The pair nearly screeched. Adrien dashed off to hide somewhere. Marinette crouched and got his clothes off the floor before stowing them in her locker, out of sight. She took a deep breath to collect herself.
"Over here!" Marinette called out, trying to look natural.
Alya came in, the rest of the girls following suit.
"Hey, girl, are you ready for classes to-" Alya began, only to pause and look at her bestie with a curious expression.
Marinette, surprised at her change in behavior, asked, "What?"
"Where did you get that hair accessory?! It's so cute!" Rose asked as the girls approached to look closer at it.
"Oh, this," Marinette said, relaxing as she fingered the comb in her hair. "Adrien made this hair comb for me. He used the ribbon he got from me to make the roses."
"He made that?" Alya asked, putting her hands on her hips with an amused smile. "There's a surprise."
"How is that a surprise?" Marinette asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"Adrien's crafting skills leave much to be desired," Kagami stated. "The best he's done is putting beads on a string and calling it a bracelet."
"He must really got it bad for you if he's making accessories for you," Myléne commented with a smile. "Like Ivan, Adrien's love language is physical touch and quality time!"
"Same with Nino," Alya giggled before turning back to Marinette. "Maybe Adrien's picked up on the fact that making and giving presents is your love language, girl!"
Marinette's face went red and she gave a shy smile in response.
"Y-Yeah, I guess so, but..." Marinette began, hugging her arms in her usual, anxious tick.
"You're not gonna tell him anything?" Alix asked, empathy in her voice.
Marinette gave a quiet nod before saying, "I'm remaining silent for my own good."
"This is Adrien we're talking about," Juleka mumbled. "A total cinnamon roll."
"Yeah, I don't think he's got a mean bone in his body," Alix agreed. "He'd never do anything to hurt you."
Marinette's face fell before saying, "Still not gonna say anything to him."
"Girl," Alya said, sounding frustrated. "One bad experience shouldn't shut you off from Adrien."
Marinette felt her temper rise by a micro-margin, but it fell with a tiny wave of despair following.
"It... It's still pretty raw, Alya," Marinette confessed, her eyes askance. "I'm not ready."
"Please don't give us that, Marinette," Alya insisted, a gentle and reassuring tone. "You and Adrien are pretty much an item already."
Marinette flinched before blushing red and saying, "What makes you say that?"
"Did he not give you that rose hair clip you're wearing right now?" Kagami asked, pointing at Marinette's hair. "One he made himself with ribbon he borrowed from you, as you've mentioned?"
Marinette face-palmed and said, "Yes, he did."
"And you gave him a neck wrap to help him stay cool, too!" Rose added.
"Also true..." Marinette spoke, unsure of how she was going to refute the argument.
"You're all but a couple, you just haven't put the label on it yet." Alya commented.
Marinette's eyes went askance in pain. Tears were about to come forth again.
"Girls, let's not pressure her," Zoé said, stepping in. "Everyone has their own timeline for healing! We can't rush things."
Marinette gave an agreeing nod. The girls relented at this.
"Anyway, we'll meet you in homeroom later?" Alya said, changing the subject.
"Yeah. I've got Textiles class soon," Marinette confirmed, her voice sounding like it was breaking. "See you later."
Alya led their posse out of the locker area. After counting to twenty, Marinette took a deep breath to try recollecting herself.
"All clear." Marinette said as she opened her locker and took Adrien's clothes out.
Adrien, still a cat, came out of hiding with a sad look on his face. He saw Marinette's facial expression - her downcast eyes, small frown, and her head looking at the floor. Adrien saw a few tears on her face.
"Marinette..." Adrien began, taking a deep breath. "A... Are you okay?"
"...I've been better." Marinette confessed as she shut the locker door before leaning her back against it. Her loose tears were flowing down her face.
"About what you girls were talking about...?" Adrien started, letting the question hang in the air.
"...It isn't just a cover story," Marinette sighed, her tone matching her sad face and body language. She wiped her tears. "I guess I was backed into a corner and I let that piece of information slip..."
"So, what ha-" Adrien began to ask.
*POOF!*
Back to a human. Marinette let out a yelp, covered her eyes, and turned her face away as she dropped his clothes to the floor.
"This is a pain, switching between cat and human all the time." Adrien grumbled as he snatched up his clothes and went back to hiding so he could put them on.
"Maybe wear the neck wrap at all times?" Marinette suggested as she wiped her tears. "And just tell people you run hotter than most?"
"Good thinking," Adrien spoke after putting his button-down over his shirt. "It's safe to look now."
Marinette turned to face him and asked, "You've tried finding an antidote, haven't you?"
"Yes," Adrien confirmed. "I rushed back down to the basement to see if any notes or formulas had been spared from the blast. Nothing."
"I was afraid of that," Marinette sighed, resigned as she came over to Adrien and put a hand on his shoulder. "But don't worry. I'm here for you."
Adrien, surprised at her touch, looked at Marinette with the same expression as before. He put his hand over hers and gave it a light squeeze, causing her heart to pound and her cheeks to warm.
"Marinette..." He murmured, slowly leaning closer to her.
Marinette's heart kept pounding, a pulse of fear and anxiety rushing through. Her skin became clammy and she felt sweat beading on her forehead. And yet, she couldn't move.
'Why? Why can't I step away?! Why can't I say anything to tell him to stop?!' Marinette thought, paralyzed. Even her eyes couldn't break away from Adrien.
Their faces were several inches apart...
*POOF!*
Into a cat again.
"Oh-kay..." Marinette said, looking at him in surprise. At the same time, she felt relieved.
She heard her phone buzz with an alert. "Um, I gotta get to Textiles class. You might wanna hide out somewhere until you cool down. I'll text Nino and let him know you need help."
"Sure." Adrien said, taking his clothes in his mouth and scampering off to hide.
Marinette shook her head in confusion and disbelief as she walked out of the locker room.
She hadn't noticed that Adrien had gone back to his earlier hiding spot. He was sitting on his stomach and groaning, hanging his head in dismay, along with something else...
While in class, Marinette was working on her assignment - identifying textiles and understanding the proper care for each one.
She gave her hair comb another delicate touch. The sight of the injuries on Adrien's hands, the feel of Adrien's hand in her hair, all of them sent her heart beating again.
'He made an effort to keep the ruse going, even though it was just the two of us.' She thought, her face turning red as she fiddled with one of the fabrics she had.
But she couldn't stop thinking over her friends' words.
"You and Adrien are pretty much an item already." "He must really got it bad for you if he's making accessories for you." "You're all but a couple, you just haven't put the label on it yet."
Resisting a sigh, Marinette thought, 'W-Well, at least we're putting on a convincing act. That's the whole idea.'
And yet, she felt a droplet of doubt.
His smile, the way he looked so relieved when she thanked him for the comb, how the squeeze of his hand against hers felt so good. And the way she was stuck in her tracks when he started coming closer to her face, how she was unable to move. Like, she wanted it to happen, but at the same time she didn't.
'I can't let myself get swept away by a boy again!' Marinette thought as she gave her arm a light pinch and went back to work, going back to quietly humming the song she'd sung to the girls. 'Especially after last time.'
After Adrien had cooled down and switched back, he'd made it to his Conversational Mandarin Chinese class, just before the bell rang.
'One transformation on any given day is inconvenient enough. But two transformations so close together? That's even worse!' He thought.
When classes were done, he went to his room. He was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. The tears on Marinette's face were seared into his mind.
'I've never seen Marinette cry. She looked so down. I wonder what happened?' He thought, once again replaying the sight of Marinette's sadness. 'There was nothing phony about those tears.'
Just a few minutes earlier, Marinette's tears were paired with a big, grateful smile, all because of the hair comb he'd made for her. He remembered how he started getting closer into Marinette's space, as if put under a spell. He looked at his hand, the same one that he'd put over Marinette's. At the time, he'd felt his heartbeat in his ears.
The sound of the door unlocking broke Adrien's thoughts. In came Nino, who was looking at him with an indescribable expression.
"Hey, dude," Nino said as he came by Adrien's bed. "What's the matter?"
Adrien confessed, "J... Just thinking about Marinette."
"Oh, yeah," Nino stated, a knowing smile coming upon his face. "Alya's been worried about her. Apparently, Marinette broke down after confessing that she doesn't plan to tell you she's crushing."
Adrien gave a nod, saying, "Yeah. I heard her talking about it earlier. I was gonna ask, but my condition interrupted. Twice."
"I think that's the first time you've transformed more than once in such a short timespan." Nino spoke.
"I know. Ever since Marinette started coming here, my transformations have been happening more often," Adrien stated. "I wish I knew why. The heat wave didn't give me near as much trouble."
"Well, Marinette's cute, objectively so," Nino commented, his voice casual. "She gives quite a few girls a run for their money in the looks department, dude."
"...She is beautiful with her hair down..." Adrien murmured, his face turning warm at the memory, and how her hair looked with the comb in it. His heart started throbbing a bit.
*POOF!*
One black cat sitting on the bed. Adrien shook his head in annoyance while Nino tried to hold back chuckles.
In homeroom the next day, Marinette was sitting at her seat and wearing her hair down. She had the comb in her bangs, which she'd braided. She was fiddling with her tablet for class, and humming. Alya was staring at Marinette with a friendly smile.
Marinette looked at Alya and asked, "What's up?"
"Oh, nothing. Just that you're wearing the comb Adrien made for you," Alya said, a teasing tone of voice. "And your hair is down. It's pretty like that."
"Thanks, Alya," Marinette said, giggling. "It was very sweet of him to make it."
"It sure was," Alya agreed, her sly smile upon her face. "You're a lucky girl, having Adrien as your de-facto boyfriend!"
Hearing "boyfriend" caused Marinette's face to go red and her heart to start beating faster.
'B-Boyfriend?! Seriously?!' Marinette thought before trying to collect herself.
"A-Alya, you're pulling my leg, right?" Marinette asked, still blushing.
"No, I'm not." Alya said, her face going from cunning amusement to an impatient scowl.
Marinette felt her blood become water at that before turning her face away and sighing. She put her tablet down.
"Girl..." Alya sighed, sympathy in her voice.
Marinette was choked up, her words caught in her throat, and she was trembling. Alya gave Marinette a hug, to try helping her feel better.
'I just want to forget about the whole thing!' Marinette thought.
"Hey, is everything okay?" Adrien asked.
Alya gave Adrien a look and said, "I'm not sure."
Though it was subtle, there was an undertone of understanding in Adrien's facial expression. He had a hunch what was bugging her...
Later that day, closer to noon, Marinette and the girls were in the hallway near the library, talking. Alya and Zoé made sure the girls didn't ask about Adrien or her past pain.
"So you've got that research paper about a current issue to get done for your journalism class, Alya?" Rose asked.
"Sure do," Alya said, sounding like she wasn't looking forward to it. "My teacher gave me flack about not double or triple-checking my sources, I didn't get the score I wanted on the last one."
"Well, you were contradicting yourself on that." Juleka mumbled.
"Right," Alya conceded. "I'd better make sure to pay extra attention to the CRAAP test with my sources."
Marinette herself was listening, smiling in amusement. But she was so distracted by her friends that she hadn't realized Adrien was watching the scene from around the corner. He took a deep breath and began approaching Marinette from behind.
"I have to do research for my art history course, too. Think you can help me with that, Alix?" Marinette asked, looking at the pink-haired roller-blades.
"Sure can, Marinette," Alix agreed. "I can recommend some art time periods, but that's it."
"That's fine." Marinette said with a shrug.
But the girls got "squee" and curious expressions on their faces. Rose had a gleeful smile, as did Alya.
"What's the matter?" Marinette asked. She felt someone tap her on the shoulder.
"Hey, Marinette," Adrien said, and Marinette turned to face him. His cheeks were pink, and he was rubbing the beck of his neck. "I was thinking... Um, maybe we could get lunch together today?"
Marinette brightened before smiling and nodding, saying, "I'd li- love that!"
'Still gotta keep up the act!' Marinette thought.
"That's great," Adrien responded as he gave Marinette a wink, making her blush. "There's this great café off-campus we can go to!"
"Sounds like a great plan." Marinette giggled.
He came next to her, put his arm around her shoulder, and began leading her away. Marinette's heart kept skipping, feeling warm at his touch.
Almost like second nature, she schooled her face into a smitten expression, ignoring Alya's "squee" face, which was being mirrored by almost everyone else.
They took the school's monorail system to go into the city to go to the café Adrien mentioned. They sat inside for their meal.
"Thanks for this, Adrien," Marinette said. "I needed to get away from it."
"Yeah, I could tell," Adrien responded, his face turning red. "And I... I wanted to eat somewhere else for a change, too."
A bit of silence passed between them, and it was awkward. Marinette couldn't help but look at Adrien from under her eyes. She could tell he was squirming in his seat.
"Adrien, is everything alright?" Marinette asked.
Adrien went stiff for a second.
"Oh, everything's fine. I was just..." Adrien began.
"Just...?" Marinette asked, rolling her hand to get Adrien to answer.
But just as he was about to, their server came over with their food and drinks.
"Oh, thank you." Adrien spoke as he started drinking his water.
Marinette shrugged before starting to eat her lunch - a classic sandwich.
Adrien took a bite of his own meal, a pasta dish. Once he swallowed his bite, he took a deep breath.
"Marinette, I was wondering if you'd like to-" Adrien started, but his face turned red and his breathing became labored. He was sweating, too.
"Adrien, are you okay?!" Marinette asked, on alert.
"H-H-Hot!" Adrien cried, opening his mouth and waving his hand over his tongue. He coughed before slugging down more water, but this didn't seem to work.
Marinette looked at the food and saw what he'd ordered. Frantic, she called out to a nearby server, "Excuse me, what exactly is this dish!?"
"Oh, that's our take on shrimp scampi," The server spoke to her. "Extra chilies. Habaneros, ghost peppers-"
"Can we get some whole milk over here?!" Marinette shrieked as she watched Adrien continue to gasp for air, his face flusher than before, and sweating heavier.
Hearing this, the server made a rush for the kitchen. Marinette got Adrien away from the table and started bringing him to the men's room in the café. He ducked in and slammed the door shut.
Marinette pressed her ear to the door to listen in. A few more seconds of heavy breathing and gasping before the poof noise. Marinette heaved a groan, just as their server came over to her with a large glass of whole milk.
"Merci," Marinette thanked as she took it. She knocked on the bathroom door. "Adrien, is everything okay in there?"
"Not really!" He griped. "Marinette, please help!"
"I'm coming in!" Marinette said. The server wanted to follow, but Marinette held him back. "Please. I can do this myself. Thank you for the milk."
The server backed off as Marinette went inside.
Luckily, nobody else was in the bathroom except the two of them. Marinette saw Adrien, as a cat, clawing at his tongue in discomfort.
She walked over to him, got down on her knees and tilted the milk glass in his direction. Adrien darted over and started lapping it up as fast as possible.
Marinette, watching him drink, gave an amused snort.
"What's so funny?" Adrien asked, sounding annoyed.
"It's just ironic - the stereotype is that cats love milk. And here we are, giving you milk to turn you back into a human." Marinette laughed.
Hearing this, Adrien chuckled, and said, "You're right, it is pretty funny."
After a few more laps of milk, Adrien turned back. Following the poof sound and the smoke, Marinette covered her eyes. She felt Adrien take the glass from her hand and chug the rest of it down.
"Thanks for the quick thinking, Marinette," Adrien said as he started putting his clothes back on. "That really helped. This is exactly why I don't eat spicy foods."
"You're welcome, but... Why'd you order the dish in that case?" Marinette questioned, gently, still covering her eyes.
"I... Didn't know it was going to be that hot," Adrien confessed as he put his shirt on. "I was a little... distracted."
"Distracted?" Marinette asked. "By what?"
She heard Adrien's breath hitch for a second. He coughed again before saying, "N-Nothing important. You can look now."
Marinette looked at Adrien, and his face was still red. The milk glass was empty and at his side.
They left the bathroom and went to pay their bill. But they were comped for it on account of Adrien having a bad reaction to the spice. Marinette didn't bother disputing the decision, she just decided to take the free meal and leave.
Marinette and Adrien sat next to each other while riding the monorail back to campus. There was a sense of awkwardness between them. Marinette kept looking at Adrien out of her peripheral, only to face forward again. Her fists were in her lap and she was fidgeting.
When they got back to school, Adrien was escorting Marinette back inside, holding her hand.
"Hey girl!" Alya said from the top of the stairs to the dormitory area. "How was lunch?"
Marinette looked back at Adrien for a second before saying, "It was... Memorable."
The girls had the expected reaction of excitement, especially when they saw Adrien holding Marinette's hand.
"A-Anyway, thanks for lunch, Adrien," Marinette said, taking her hand away and beginning to climb the stairs. "See you in class."
"Wait," Adrien began, taking her hand with both of his again, causing Marinette to pause and look back at him. "I... was wondering, if you'd like to go to the movies? There's that new movie about Super Penguino that's coming out."
The girls gave amused, hopeful gasps from behind, and Marinette's face turned beet red.
Marinette, trying to ignore the rapid throbbing of her heart, looked at her hand again. She looked up at Adrien and asked, "J-Just the two of us, or is this a group outing?"
Adrien's eyes flicked to their audience before taking a deep breath. He said, "Um... A group outing is okay with me."
"Great!" Marinette said, a rush of relief pulsing through her.
Adrien's cheeks went red to pair with his timid smile. He kept rubbing his thumbs over her hand.
"Um, Adrien?" Marinette asked. "You can let go of my hand now."
Adrien looked down, saw what he was doing, and pulled away, saying, "Sorry about that."
"Don't worry about it. It was nice." Marinette said, smiling and winking at him. She mouthed to him, "Great acting."
Adrien visibly deflated as Marinette turned on her heel and climbed the stairs.
"Girl, he was clearly asking you out on a date!" Alya said.
"Y-Yeah, I guess he was..." Marinette spoke, willing a blush on her face and hugging her arms.
"We know he was!" Myléne declared. "But going to see the Super Penguino movie as a group sounds like fun, too!"
"Sure does!" Zoé agreed.
"But you'd better sit next to Adrien during the film." Alya pressured Marinette, nudging her with her arm.
Marinette could just imagine it: Her and Adrien, sitting next to each other in the movie theater. Adrien, holding her hand as the movie played. The movie was nearing the climax, Adrien was getting excited and fired up, as was she. But then, Marinette's paranoia popped up in her imagination - *POOF!* Adrien turns into a cat, causing a ruckus.
'So long as he doesn't transform in the middle of it all...' Marinette thought, a concerned/uncomfortable expression coming upon her face.
"What's the matter?" Alya asked.
"Oh, um, nothing..." Marinette insisted, waving her hand in dismissal.
She tried to think to herself, 'Everything will be fine. We'll be in a group and Adrien will have his neck wrap on. There won't be an issue.'
But apparently fate liked to play sick, twisted jokes on her and Adrien.
During literature class, for example, Marinette had been called up before the class to recite some of Marguerite St. Just's dialogue from The Scarlet Pimpernel.
"'And his offence? That he, a plebeian, had dared to love the daughter of the aristocrat; for that he was waylaid and thrashed... Thrashed like a dog within an inch of his life! Oh how I suffered! His humiliation had eaten into my very soul!'" Marinette recited, really playing up the drama of Marguerite's anguish over her brother's mistreatment by Marquis St. Cyr.
Adrien was watching with rapt attention, and he was starting to feel the same passion and despair that Marinette was acting with. His heart was racing a mile a minute, and he started breathing heavily.
'Oh, shit... Not now!' Adrien thought.
"Very good, Marinette," Mlle. Bustier spoke, clapping her hands. "You may be seated."
"Thank you..." Marinette began, walking back to her seat. She saw Adrien was giving her a look that said, "Help me!"
"Um, I apologize, Mlle. Bustier, but I don't think Adrien's looking too good. May I take him to get some extra water?" Marinette asked.
"Yes, you may. But please, be prompt." Mlle. Bustier said.
Marinette pulled Adrien up from his seat by his arm, and the pair dashed outside. The amused, endeared giggles from the class weren't lost on them.
They had just crossed the threshold of the door, and only a few steps away from it...
*POOF!*
Marinette groaned, as did Adrien. She squatted down next to him and asked, "That's the second time today, isn't it?"
Adrien gave an annoyed nod.
"I've noticed you've been looking a little overheated the past day or so," Marinette commented. "You think you might be getting sick?"
"I hope not," Adrien spoke, but it sounded like he had another idea in mind. "Fevers are the worst."
"How so?" Marinette questioned.
"I get stuck in cat form until my fever breaks," Adrien explained. "And even then, sometimes it's not enough for me to change back."
"I see," Marinette spoke. "When you get sick, you get as sick as... Well, sick as a cat."
"Right," Adrien confirmed. "So-"
*POOF!*
Marinette covered her eyes as Adrien started slipping his clothes on. He patted her on the shoulder before saying, "All good."
Marinette sighed as they went back to class.
That night, Marinette was at her desk, her lamp on, and sketching some things in her book. She'd put her comb in its box, and it was sitting in front of her. Marinette looked at it with a smile, and she gave a giggle.
'It was so sweet of Adrien to make this for me. Such a swell guy. I'm lucky that he and I are friends.' Marinette thought. But again, that niggling sense of doubt came back.
She remembered how she couldn't stop him from leaning in closer to her the other day, almost like he wanted to kiss her. How he wouldn't let go of her hand after lunch that day. Everything. It all felt so real, and yet...
She turned the lamp light off before leaving her desk and crawling into bed, letting the thoughts of her precious friend cradle her. She fell asleep almost instantly, dreams of blonde hair and green eyes coming up. But while she felt trepidation, she also felt a sense of comfort at the same time.
'Adrien...' Marinette thought, letting sleep take her over.
Adrien wasn't having much luck, though. His sleep was unsettled, tossing and turning, seeing images of blue eyes, raven hair, and the many expressions that came with them. Adrien felt his heart throbbing erratically. Almost every time he tried to mentally change the channel, it switched right back to Marinette, and the many moments they'd had together since the escape room. He'd imagined the aspiring designer was wrapped in his arms...
Adrien sprung up in his bed with a gasping yell, followed by gasping breaths. He clutched his hand in his hair as he tried to breathe.
This woke up Nino and Félix. They stirred in their beds before sitting up.
"Mmrph... Buddy, what the hell...?" Nino grumbled, his eyes closed and him rubbing his head in discomfort. Félix was acting the same, albeit much more grumpy.
Adrien kept breathing heavily as he swung his legs over the side of the bed.
"Adrien, what's going on?" Félix questioned, sounding annoyed. He'd turned on the flashlight on his phone.
Adrien looked up, distress on his face, and he blurted out, "I think I'm in love with Marinette."
And done! Adrien's finally realized his feelings, now it's Marinette's turn to stop denying her own feelings. But it might take a few more chapters.
Next time, the group outing to the movies is coming up!