Marinette's POV
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I have no idea why I did it. Yes, I know Adrien is a sweet, caring and supportive by, but Chat Noir an I just have a deeper connection. For me, it's easier to talk to him about things. So when he leaned in to kiss me, I didn't protest. I may not know who he is, but he understands me and I understand him. He likes me for me, not for being Ladybug.
Maybe bringing him into my room was a bit much though.
"Marinette? Are you up there, you never came down for dinner!" The minute we heard my dad's voice we separated from each other, a blush creeping up on our faces.
I scrambled to get to my room door so that papa didn't open it and see, well...Chat and I laying in my bed making out. "Uh, y-yes papa I'm here! Just trying to finish a really~ important history project! I'll grab some later promise!" I look over to Chat to see him get up and start heading for my balcony.
"Alright, just don't forget you still have school tomorrow! Goodnight sweetie."
I gave a small sigh of relief then turned away saying, "goodnight dad."
Before he could crawl out of my window I yanked Chat back by his tail. Stumbling back, Chat fell to the floor scratching his head then looked up at me and gave an embarrassed smile. "Yes, purrincess?"
I made a 'come here' motion with my finger as I softened into a kindhearted smile, "did you think I'd let you leave just like that after all of this?"
He smirked at me as he jumped to his feet, "well, well, well Mari...I really thought this was some kind of bounce back kiss for you from that boy." My smile faded at his comment.
He thinks I was just using him...?
As Chat wraps his arms around me, I push him away and sit on the edge of my bed, "Chat we need to talk." He sat down hesitantly tilting his head at me, "I'm not using you as a rebound or anything." I took his hand in mine and squeezed it over my heart, "I care about you a lot and I kind of want to slow things down with you to prove it...I know you can't reveal your identity to me, which is fine as long as you take this relationship seriously." I looked into his eyes and saw something similar to determination in them.
"Marinette, we can move as slow as you want, as long as I can be by your side. " With those words, we both laid back on the bed and kept sharing stories back and forth until the night overtook us.
When I woke up the next morning, as expected Chat was nowhere to be found. It'd be stupid of me to think he'd stay, especially with his kwami transformed that long, there'd be no way of him staying that way all night.
"Marinette! You'll be late for school if you don't hurry up!" I finished my reminiscing of Chat Noir last night and finished getting ready.
Tikki came down from my bed and yawned while saying, "ready for school Marinette?"
I looked at her as determined as I was yesterday, "Yeah Tikki! I need to go tell Adrien that I'm okay with just being friends with him now!" I hopped down the stairs and said goodbye to my parents as I headed out the door. Skipping down the streets, I had a broad smile pasted across my face as I walked all the way through the school doors.
"Hey, girl~! What's got you all excited for? And why didn't you call me back yesterday as I told you! I was worried about something tragic happened!" Before I was able to explain to her all about Adrien, well speak of the devil walked through the doors.
When we made eye contact I walked directly towards him and without stuttering spoke, "Hey Adrien, can we talk for a sec?"
"Sure Marinette, what's up?"
I took a deep breath before speaking, "I'm sorry for running away from you yesterday...I should've talked it out with you. So I'm here to tell you today that I won't be pursuing you anymore. I'll tell Alya and Nino to stop setting up those awkward lunches so that we can all just be friends!" I smiled at him as the bell rang, "well I'll see you in class!" I waved goodbye as I walked back to where Alya and Nino were talking.
"How'd it go yesterday you never told us!" Alya pounced on me the second I made it back to her. Looking back at Adrien as he stood there in the doorway to the school, I gave him a light smile and a thumbs up.
"I don't like Adrien anymore, we're just good friends."
~~~
Adrien's POV
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I flashed my by now perfected smile and gave her a thumbs-up back. When she turned back around to walk to class, my smile fell as did my hopes of telling her the truth about me. "This is awful Plagg! If I tell her who I am now she'll hate me!" I punched the wall next to me as Plagg flew out of my school bag.
"Relax kid! She'll be ecstatic about this! The two boys she's closest to just turned out to be the same person, how is that bad?" He poked fun at me about it, but I know that if I told her now she would never forgive me.
"Let's go before I'm late again." He flew back into the bag as I walked into the classroom. I looked at the booth where Alya and Marinette usually sat to see Chloe and Sabrina there instead.
"Alright, class let's begin." As Mrs. Bustier walked in, I stood up and called Chloe out for switching seats with my Marinette.
"Mrs. Bustier, Chloe is switching people's seats around again!" I pointed at her accusingly as she scratched her claws against a nail file.
She looked up from her 'busy' work and scoffed, "Oh puh-lease! Those losers gave me the seat! It's okay though Adrikins, I'll forgive you since you didn't know." She sent a wink in my direction, I turned and looked at Marinette and Alya flipping through Mari's sketchbook and giggling.
"Chloe I've told you a thousand times that we don't switch seats unless everyone agrees. Everyone stand up, I'll be assigning seats since no one wants to follow the rules." Everyone grunted and sighed as they picked up their stuff and moved to where Mrs. Bustier moved us.
Nino came up next to me and whispered, "dude...Mari really did ask Chloe if she wanted to switch seats. She said she wanted to be closer to the board." He looked at me a little concerned.
Is this because of what she said about being good friends?
I thought this over until I heard my name being called, "Adrien and Chloe, Nino and Ivan, Nathaniel and Marinette, and in the last front seat, Sabrina and Alya. Please take your seats so that we can begin the lesson." We all sat down and pulled out our notebooks.
Nathaniel? Why on Earth would she put Mari next to him! He's obsessed with her to the point of him being akumatized for it!
All throughout the class, all I could think about was Marinette and Nathaniel. When the bell for lunch finally rang I shoved past kids in my class to get to the front where they both sat. Right before I made it to them, I felt someone yank on my arm, "Adrikins~! Let's go have lunch together, I haven't seen you in so long!" I rolled my eyes as she tried to pull me along with her.
I looked back at Mari's seat to see her and Nathaniel giggling together as they flipped through each other's sketches.
When I saw Nino in the lunchroom sitting with Alya I turned to Chloe and said, "sorry but I have to go talk to Nino about our group project I'll catch up with you later." I didn't bother waiting for her answer, I got up and walked over to Nino and sat down next to him to see Alya across from him.
I looked around to see Marinette in the lunch line talking to Juleka and Rose. "Hey, what's up dude! I feel like I haven't seen you all day!" I looked over to Nino and smiled at him. "Why'd you flip out in class today too? That wasn't really like you..." I froze at the mention of class.
I looked at Alya and laughed unsteadily while rubbing the back of my neck, "w-well...I thought Chloe was bothering Alya and Marinette again so I was just trying to stick up for them." Alya raised her eyebrow at me then continued to eat her lunch.
She knows something's up.
"Aww, really Adrien? That means a lot, but we really did just want to sit closer to the board." I looked up to see the radiant as ever Marinette standing there with her tray in hand. She was giggling at Alya as she spoke, "I told Alya that I've been having trouble seeing the board so we offered to switch seats with Sabrina and Chloe." She sat down next to Alya with her tray.
I looked at her as she picked up her apple and kept talking to Alya. In a split second, I stood up abruptly, pushing the chair back and making it clatter to the floor. Everyone in the café looked up, even Mari looked up wide-eyed as I breathed heavily. After realizing that I was just intensely staring at her I broke off eye contact and stormed out.
I'm the one that rejected her, she's happier with chat Noir...I shouldn't be ruining this for her.
I ran into the locker room and sat at one of the benches. Plagg flew out the moment we were alone, "why did you just make that whole scene? A little dramatic even for you kid..." He flew around my head then hovered in front of me, "come on kid next period is gonna start soon you can't just sit here all day."
"I know Plagg, I just wish I didn't reject her in the first place. I don't even know who Ladybug is, for me to choose someone I don't know over someone I know more than anyone else was stupid of me. I need to talk to her." I stood up in motivation but froze at the sound of the door to the locker room slam shut.
I turned around and ran towards the door and out into the hallways to see no one in sight.
Someone was listening to us talk.