Under Lock and Key
Autor:© WebNovel
Capítulo 1: Chapter 1: The Exhibit
Marinette Dupain-Cheng was grateful for many things.
She was grateful she had such loving and understanding folks, who trusted her to no end, therefore easing her double life in a way she never would have dared to hope.
She was grateful for the friends she had been able to gather around her through the years, for their unwavering support through whatever crazy project she put her mind to.
At seventeen, she was grateful for the future she had laid before her, for the leisure to actually her career path, a luxury that didn't grace all of her classmates.
And these days, she was grateful that her best friend Alya was dating Nino Lahiffe. Because, wherever Nino went, Adrien Agreste usually followed. And despite the two long years that had passed ever since they met, Marinette was still head over heels for the blond, that had only grown more kind and more handsome.
At that precise moment, they were all seated at some quaint café, sipping on some fancy caffeinated drinks, cheerfully chatting about their days and their projects for the future. Somehow, Marinette seemed to be the only one to notice how unusually silent Adrien was on the matter, so she sensibly kept it to herself. But somewhere in the midst of hearing Alya gushing about the great journalism program she was about to enroll into and Nino ramble on just how much the music program in his first-choice-university was awesome, something within her snapped. She couldn't bear the kicked puppy look on her crush's face a single second longer, so she did the only logical thing and swerved the discussion on a brand new subject. "Have you guys seen the news? There's a new expo at the Louvre, about past heroes and how they served the country. Wanna check it out with me, Alya?"
Against all odds, the redhead merely shrugged, her eyes never leaving her phone. "Meh. I'm more interested in today's heroes. Like, did Chat Noir finally confess to Ladybug? It's been two years for God's sake! Surely she would have realized by now how much he loves her and is devoted to her heart and soul, wouldn't she?"
If anyone found odd the way both Marinette and Adrien choked on air at the very same time, they didn't feel the need to bring it up.
Whether it was solely to bring the subject back on track, or out of genuine interest, Marinette couldn't say, but somehow she couldn't bring herself to care when Adrien said in a somewhat subdued voice, "If you really want to see that exhibit, Marinette, we could go together. I was planning to anyway."
"Really?" Marinette heard herself answer in an unsure voice, mentally facepalming. How lame could she get, honestly? She would probably hear an earful from Alya later on, but she really couldn't help herself. Even if she didn't dissolve in a stuttery mess anymore around her blond friend, her nerves were still skyrocketing whenever their discussion would stretch a little bit too long for her hard-maintained composure or if she was unlucky enough (lucky?) for their skins to brush in any possible way.
All things considered, she was quite proud of herself: she hadn't squealed, fallen off the café bench, or ran away flailing. Yup, so far, the mission was a huge success.
Well, maybe not so much seeing how the young man was now looking at her expectantly, obviously waiting for some answer she couldn't give him, having missed the last few minutes of the discussion.
"I'm sorry Adrien, I didn't get that, I got lost in thought." she shamefully admitted, hoping with all her might that wouldn't ruin her chances with the handsome green-eyed young man.
He smiled, that sweet and kind smile of his that only the sun could rival in Marinette's enamored heart. When he spoke, his voice was soft, caring, "No worries, you seemed to pretty far away just now. I asked if you wanted to go this afternoon, I'm actually free for once."
The young woman did her best to ignore the elbow painfully nudged in her ribs, and the less-than-subtle snicker Nino lamely tried to hide as he took a sip of his Coca-Cola. Focusing on forming a coherent sentence, the blue-eyed girl smiled softly and answered in a low-key voice, "That would be perfect. Thanks, Adrien."
This is how Marinette Dupain-Cheng found herself at the Louvre's steps on a sunny Saturday afternoon, looking at her crush without knowing what to do with herself. Adrien, in his infinite kindness, gently nudged her, still smiling (did this soft and subdued smile ever leave his face?), "This is nice, some friendly time without Alya and Nino playing tonsil hockey every single second they think we're not looking."
Marinette giggled despite herself, the awkwardness somehow still lingering between them but much less stifling all of a sudden, "They sure do that a lot, and to think they're convinced they're subtle!" They both chuckled, shaking their heads as they thought about their friends' uncomfortable public display habits. "So, were you looking forward to that exhibit?"
Adrien smiled again, effectively deflecting all logical thinking from his shy but still eager friend. "Actually a lot. I think it's a really awesome exhibit, looking back on our past heroes is something that—"
"Marinette!" a familiar voice interrupted him. "Oh thank God! Do you think you could keep an eye on Manon for me while I do this reporting gig? I'll happily pay you double the wage I usually do. That sneaky little imp won't stay in place for even a split second, I swear," exclaimed an obviously relieved Nadja Chamack, barrelling down on the startled pair.
Marinette warily eyed Adrien, trying to gauge his reaction. Knowing his selfless personality, his endless kindness, she should've predicted what followed, "No problem, Ms. Chamack, Mari and I are going to keep tabs on this lovely little lady."
"Oh! You're Adrien Agreste, right? It's a pleasure to meet you, young man. Well, I guess that if you're one of Marinette's friends, I can trust you as much as I trust her with my little monster. Please just try to keep Manon out of trouble, okay? She has an unsettling habit of getting herself involved in... situations."
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