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“Alya, save me, please.”
“This is what you get for ignoring my warning, girl.” The voice on the other end of the phone chuckles, much to Marinette’s dismay. “I told you not to meddle into the boys’ matters too much.”
“Bu-but Alya, you know that Adrien’s been my best friend since we were kids!” Marinette defends herself. She knows it is futile, but it doesn’t hurt to try.
“And?” The ‘ I’m so done with you ’ tone in Alya’s voice is not lost on Marinette. “That means you will help him in matters in which he explicitly said to get Nino’s help only?”
“I-” Marinette fumbles for a response. The answer is a no, but not like she is gonna admit it. “I mean, I did overhear Nino tell you that Adrien wanted advice on girls… and I thought maybe I could help…”
“Uh huh, sure.” She can hear Alya rolling her eyes through the cell phone. “Go on.”
“I-I just expected him to come to me, you know?” Marinette plops down on the chaise, sighing. Her hand comes up to massage her brow, as if the small act can make all the tension of the situation go poof. “If he needed advice on how to ask a girl out, that is. I mean, I am his best friend, and I am a girl…”
“And you are also the girl he likes.”
Marinette feels her cheeks flare up for the umpteenth time in the day. She has been aware of the fact for more than 48 hours, but hearing it out loud still makes butterflies flutter in her stomach.
For the past few days, Marinette had been curious about what Adrien had been up to recently. The duo had been friends since kindergarten, and had been partners in every little prank and shared every little secret.
But lately, the blond had begun to act strange.
Sometimes he would space out during their group meets. Sometimes he would stutter like he just learnt how to speak, while other times he would speak poetry as if he was a Shakespeare incarnate. And sometimes, he would just duck out of meetings at the last moment, citing ridiculous excuses like “watering my carpet” and “playing with my goat”.
(Maybe Adrien had a carpet made of real grass, if that exists, but there was no freaking way in hell Gabriel Agreste would get his son a goat.)
Naturally, Marinette was curious.
It was her curiosity that made her sneak into the boys’ washroom. It was her curiosity that snooped into what Adrien and Nino were talking about. It was her curiosity that caused her demise when Adrien finally revealed to Nino the reason for the urgent meet-up.
“I wanna ask Marinette out.”
“Marinette, as in our friend Marinette?”
“Yeah,” Adrien had replied, rubbing the back of his neck in nervousness like he always used to. His flushed cheeks had made Marinette’s cheek grow hot, too. “I think, no, I am sure I am in love with her.”
The squeak that had escaped her had nearly given her away. But bless the boys for being the oblivious angels they were, they simply believed there was some mouse in the restroom.
Marinette had tuned the rest of the conversation out, her brain having put the 9 life-changing words on repeat.
I am sure I am in love with her.
“-nette? Marinette!”
The girl let out a surprised yelp, nearly throwing her phone across the room as she was startled back to reality. It took her a few moments to catch up on what was happening, before Alya’s laughter rang through the device.
“Oh gosh, girl~” Her best friend’s snickers made Marinette groan. “Were you lost daydreaming again?”
“Alya!” Marinette whined, punching the random cushion that lay on her chaise. “You don’t know what I am going through!”
“Yep I don’t,” Alya admitted. “But I wonder one thing. If you are this flushed by the mere mention of Adrien now, how will you survive your sleepover with him today?”
How much would it take for her to convince a random person to kidnap her? Had the Earth ever opened up to swallow a person for real? Were there actual aliens, who could probably abduct her as a part of some Earthlings Research Programme?
“W-won’t you come inside, Marinette?”
Adrien’s voice jerked Marinette back to reality.
She blinked in confusion, looking at her surroundings and quickly realising she was in the Agreste mansion. More specifically, standing at the entrance of Adrien’s room.
In her pyjamas, with her backpack slung on her shoulders and her favorite cat pillow tucked under her arm.
Why was she here again?
“Uh, for our sleepover?” Adrien replied out of the blue.
Had she just spoken her thoughts out loud?
Marinette let out a squeak as she ducked her head in embarrassment. She could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks, and she let out an internal groan.
What was the stupid hour when she had suggested to Adrien to have a sleepover just like they had when they were just kids, for the sake of catching up on old times?
Oh, it had been before she had known about Adrien’s crush on her.
But why was it supposed to make things awkward for her, when she saw him as just a friend?
There was no way she could… have feelings for him. Right?
“Uh, Marinette…” A hand came up on her shoulder. She looked up to find Adrien smiling at her. Looking up at him so closely, she could see how this smile was different from the ones he gave to others; it was softer, brighter, and reached his eyes.
Eyes that looked at her as if she was his entire world.
This was one of the multiple moments when being with Adrien, Marinette had noticed the drastic height difference that existed between them. Yet, for some reason, this moment felt… rare .
If she stood on her tiptoes, could it be that she could get a chance to touch his lips with hers?
He leaned in a little, looking into her eyes as if he had heard her through some unexplainable telepathy. Marinette gulped, the anticipation of his next words making her queasy.
“I was saying…” Adrien averted his eyes for a second, his cheeks beautifully flushed. “If you are not comfortable, we can do this some other day…”
Marinette blinked once, twice, his words registering in her brain.
The proximity, the messed-up line between affection and love, and his words that accidentally meant something they were not supposed to mean…
It was totally on reflex when Marinette smacked Adrien on the face with her cat pillow.
“Are you sure you are okay, Adrien?” Marinette fussed, unsure whether to give a helping hand to her friend (now crush?) or not. Knowing her luck, she would just end up messing things again.
Adrien laughed good-naturedly. “It’s all cool, Marinette. It’s just that…” He put a hand to his left jaw, wincing a little in pain. “My wisdom tooth just started to grow out on this side of the jaw, so that cat love was a bit painful.”
“I am so sorry,” Marinette ducked her head in embarrassment. A gentle finger came up under her chin, turning her head up.
“As I said, it’s alright, Marinette.” Adrien smiled at her, his head tilting a little. His cheeks had a light flush to them. “Not gonna lie, I did miss hanging out with you. Just the two of us.”
Had it been earlier, Marinette would have jokingly punched him in the shoulder. However, his words just left her rooted to her spot, blood rushing to her cheeks.
“I-Te woo, I mean!” She squeaked, smacking her forehead. “Me too! Yeah, me too… missed us…gotether.”
“Looks like I transferred my stutter to you, Marinette.” Adrien chuckled.
You very well did.
“Anyways,” Adrien got up and stretched. Marinette averted her gaze in respect; she was so not going to notice the abs that peeked from under Adrien’s shirt as it rode up ever so slightly.
What in the name of everything holy is wrong with me?
“It sucks that we didn’t have the sleepover at your house,” Adrien pouted. “I miss your parents’ pastries and bakery delights.”
“Oh, so you were gonna come there only for the pastries?”
“Yep!” Adrien stuck his tongue out. “Having a sleepover with you was just an excuse. But sadly,” he let out a dramatic sigh, flopping onto the bed with his arms splayed out. “Your parents had to bail out at the end moment, and now I am stuck with you in my old, boring room.”
“ Stuck with me?” Marinette was appalled. “What do you mean by stuck with me?”
Adrien gave her a cheeky grin. “That I am stuck with you, Mar-oof! What is your obsession with swatting people with pillows?”
Marinette laughed as she flopped down on the bed beside Adrien, staring up at the ceiling. Having a friendly banter with him had really eased the earlier friend-turned-crush tension she had had around him.
They stayed like that for a few moments, staring up at the ceiling and basking in each other’s presence. Marinette’s eyes traced the faint outline of the neon stickers that still decorated Adrien’s ceiling. It was strange that he still kept them.
Her eyes travelled across the ceiling and down to the game stations he probably recently had gotten installed. She rolled over and propped herself up on her arm. Adrien turned to face her, an eyebrow up in question.
“How do you feel about a gaming night, Agreste?”
He smirked, his face brightening up at the idea.
“Bring it on, Dupain-Cheng.”
“Duck, attack, slam, and game over. Boo-yah!”
“That’s it,” Adrien yelled out, pushing his chair away from the game station. “I am done getting my ass handed to me on a silver platter every single time.”
He let out a dramatic sigh, leaning back into his chair as if his life had been sucked out of his body. Marinette giggled at his antics, before turning to face the screen again. It shone with the usual “Ladybug wins” message.
“Well, not my fault your gaming character falls flat when compared to mine,” she teased.
“Excuse me?” Adrien jolted up, his expression appalled. “I will let you know that Chat Noir is indeed the best offensive player ever! Have you seen how many times I have defeated Nino’s Carapace in this game? Plus, your skill set is actually low compared to my character! Your victory is unfair.”
“Well, not everything is about brawns, pretty boy.” Marinette rolled her chair up to him, booping his nose lightly. “Sometimes, you gotta use your brains to utilise your skillset to the maximum level. If you want, I can spare some time to teach you the tricks I have up on my sleeve,” she added with a wink.
Marinette grinned, waiting for a retort from Adrien. However, he kept staring at her face, his eyes blown wide. She wondered where this reaction of his stemmed from, when her words came back to her.
She had just called him a pretty boy. And booped his nose.
In short, she had acted like he was her boyfriend.
(Well, he technically was, but he was her boy friend with a space in between.)
Marinette gulped in instinct, unsure how to break this moment of fragile silence that had suddenly developed between them. Her gaze momentarily flicked to Adrien’s lips, but immediately went back to meet his eyes. His expression still remained the same, a faint blush blooming on his cheeks.
His eyes flicked down to her lips, before looking back into her gaze with an unsure look. As if he was asking for permission before taking any step forward.
Marinette wanted to back away, to not make things awkward between them before they had even sorted their feelings out. She appreciated Adrien’s friendship the first and the foremost, and she didn’t want her unsure emotions to mess up this beautiful relation she had with him.
However, another part of her just… desired for more. It wanted to reach out and hold him as close to herself as she could, and never let him go. It wanted her to let go of all insecurities. It wanted her to act upon her more-than-platonic feelings for him; feelings that had somewhere bubbled inside her for many years, only surfacing in full force after knowing that he felt the same for her too.
Instinctively, Marinette leaned forward just a little, her head tilting a little on its own as her eyes fluttered close. A moment later, she could feel the air around her grow warmer, the faint scent of minty cologne wrapping her senses in a comfortable embrace.
Just a step forward, and things would forever change between her and Adrien forever.
She was just about to lean forward when a sharp knock rapped on the door. Eyes flying open at the sudden intrusion, the panic of someone catching them got over Marinette. In the rush of adrenaline that followed, Marinette pushed Adrien away, patting at her pyjamas to look presentable.
The door creaked open, and Nathalie’s head poked through. “Kids, Mr. Agreste advises you guys to go to bed no-- Adrien, are you alright?”
Marinette looked over to where Adrien was supposed to be. He was there, but not on his chair as he was supposed to be.
Somehow, Adrien had toppled from his chair onto the couch, legs up in the air.
“I am perfect, Nathalie,” he spoke up, raising a hand in thumbs up. His voice was apparently supposed to have a light tone, but the strain in it was too clear. “Just trying the new yoga position Marinette suggested to me.”
Nathalie turned to look at her. Marinette simply squeaked, hiding her face in her hands.
“...Okay, if you kids say so,” the woman shrugged. “Anyways, lights out in 10 minutes. Clear?”
Marinette nodded away fervently. She peeked through her fingers to find Adrien sitting up, flashing a grin at Nathalie.
“And nothing funny,” Nathalie added, eyeing them suspiciously.
Marinette just swerved her chair to face the game station. She could hear Adrien laugh.
“Noted, Nathalie. Don’t worry!”
The door shut itself, followed by the sound of heels clacking away on the marbled floor.
“And stay peachy!” Adrien hollered behind her, causing Marinette to bang her head on the game machine, groaning.
It was gonna be a long night.
“So, you take the bed and,” Adrien pointed to the sleeping bag he held in his arms. “I will use this.”
Marinette refused the proposal. “No way I am letting you sleep on the floor. I am the guest here.”
“All the more reason you’re sleeping on the bed.”
Declaring so, Adrien spread the sleeping bag on the floor. Before he could get into it, Marinette pushed him out of the way, crawling into the bag herself.
“Hey! What the-”
"Oops, I am in your space now.” Marinette stuck her tongue out at him. “I guess we'll just have to share."
Adrien stared hard at her as he dimmed the lights out. Marinette didn’t falter from her cheekiness. She knew her stubbornness would pay off in getting her what she wanted.
She never expected the boy to walk over and get inside the sleeping bag with her .
“What the-”
It was Adrien’s turn to give her a cheeky smile. He laid down on his side, looking at her with an innocent expression. “Well, I couldn’t refuse such a nice offer from such a pretty lady now, could I?”
“I-but-you-uhh-what-who…”
“Plus, if you lay on your back like this,” Adrien tossed and turned a bit before getting into the desired position. “You can look up at those glowing stickers. Add that to the breeze from the open window, and you might as well be camping out here.” He turned to look at her, his pearly whites shining in the faint light. “I don’t wanna miss this chance, now. Especially when I get to enjoy it with you.”
Marinette was at a loss for words. For the umpteenth time that night, she felt her cheeks burn. Letting out a groan, she hid her face in her hands, thankful for the darkness.
“This bag has enough space for the two of us, but then again, you always have the option to step out, Mari.” Adrien poked at her side. She swatted his hand away, glaring at him.
“Damn you, Agreste.”
Marinette wiggled out of the bag, stomping over to the bed. Quickly grabbing a pillow, she threw it in Adrien’s direction and basked in the momentary joy that came from her act of pettiness when he let out an “Ouch!”. Hurriedly collecting the pillows and the bedsheets, Marinette dashed back to the bag and wiggled her lower body inside.
“I- what are you doing?” Adrien’s incredulous look wasn’t lost on her. “When I said there is space inside the bag, I didn’t mean enough space to house a pillow fort within it!”
“Hold your horses, mister.” Marinette quickly weaved the bed sheets into a rope and laid them out in the middle of the sleeping bag. She wiggled inside the bag completely and grabbed her pillow, lying down with a satisfied sigh.
“I-” Adrien groaned. “Division in a sleeping bag? How is this fair?”
“You indirectly suggested it,” Marinette turned to lay down on her back, looking up at the ceiling. “You’re gonna have this view with you always. It is not fair for me if I don’t get to enjoy it though, right?”
Adrien shuffled a bit, turning to face the ceiling. After a while, he let out a breath.
“I agree.”
They stared at the false stars above, a comfortable silence stretching between the two. Gentle breeze blew in through the window, leaving a cold caress on Marinette’s cheek. The space constraint in the sleeping bag made her elbows touch Adrien’s, and through this light contact she felt Adrien shiver a bit.
Marinette shifted just a little closer to the barrier.
“It-it’s nice this like, isn’t it?”
Marinette hummed in response, briefly noticing the stutter and word mess that had creeped back into Adrien’s voice.
“You remember our sleepovers as kids? When Mamam got these stickers because we used to complain how we can never see the stars in the city?”
“Yeah,” Marinette giggled at the memory. “After you got these stickers, we used to have more sleepovers at your house. Everytime we thought we were actually sitting in an open field, looking up at the stars.”
“Yeah, these stickers have seen many happy memories… and sad ones too.”
Marinette bit her lip, unsure how to reply to his statement.
“There used to be many times…” he continued, and she turned her head to look at him. He still had his eyes up on the ceiling, a small sad smile on his face. “Times when I would just stare at this ceiling. Many times, Nathalie or Father would put me to sleep. But sometimes…”
He let out a sigh. “Sometimes I just found myself lost in another universe. Realising how similar we are to the stars. Important to only a few people in reality. Like, all people see is the model me. It’s as if I am shining brightly in the sky like the star I am, but I am never comparable to the sun. It’s just…”
Adrien paused in between, letting out a short bark of laughter as he turned his head to look at her. “Sorry to put such a damper on the mood, Marinette. I mean, I never even realised when I went so philosophical and I am probably not making much sense so…”
Marinette reached over to him instinctively, placing a finger on his lips to quieten him. He looked shocked for a moment, then tried to focus on her finger in a cross-eyed way, making her giggle.
“Adrien, I know you’re not making much sense.” She admitted, suppressing a laugh at his pout. “I know it’s a bit too philosophical for me but…”
Marinette moved her finger from his lips to cup his jaw. “All I know is that every star is a sun, and every sun is a star. It’s just a matter of whom they matter to the most.” Her thumb rubbed gentle circles across his cheek, feeling the soft blush that crept underneath his skin. “You might be a model for the rest of the people out there, but you matter a lot to some people. Your father, Nathalie, Alya, Nino, your other friends, and…”
“And?” He prompted her in a low voice, as if he was afraid to shatter the moment with his voice.
“...me.” Marinette whispered, finding her gaze fluttering away from him on its own.
She heard him gasp lightly, and her cheeks bloomed into another blush. Embarrassed and shy, Marinette tried to roll over. Probably leaving the conversation where it was right now would be the best idea.
However, Adrien seemed to have realised what she was thinking, for he caught her free hand and squeezed it gently, as if begging her to stay.
Marinette couldn't find it in herself to refuse his request.
“Marinette,” he breathed out, and Marinette could feel the tension sparking in the air between them. “Am I… am I not your friend?”
She abruptly looked up at him in shock. “I-When did I-”
“Shh,” Adrien placed a finger on her lips, silencing her. “I meant to say, you… put yourself in a different category from Alya and Nino and my other friends and… why did you say it like that, Marinette?”
Marinette opened her mouth to speak, but words failed her. In the dim light, with Adrien’s iridescent gaze staring right into her soul, she could hear her own heart thump loudly. She had never seen Adrien ever in a different light until she had overheard his confession of having a crush on her. Then wasn’t it possible that she was just misconstruing her affections for him as love?
A small part of her wished to deny. For she could remember the joy she found whenever she spent time with Adrien. The pride she felt in calling Adrien her knight, when he called her his princess. The jealousy she felt whenever any other girl threw herself all over Adrien in hopes of wooing him. And the relief she had felt whenever Adrien had politely rejected the girls, gently pushing them away.
Marinette had often joked to Adrien about helping him find the perfect other, but it would be a white lie to say that she had never ever been jealous of the faceless person who would get the chance to be the most important point of Adrien’s life.
Maybe that was also the reason why she had wanted to eavesdrop on Adrien and Nino’s conversation the other day. To get to know who Adrien’s special person was, and analyse them closely to find if they were suitable for him.
And better than her.
But how was she supposed to be jealous of… herself?
“Marinette?”
Finding herself unable to form any cohesive sentence under the, Marinette looked away. Her eyes felt watery for some reason, and she didn’t want to cry in front of Adrien. She let go of his hand, rolling over on her side, scooting away from the boundary and facing away from him.
“C-Can we talk later, Adrien?” She found her voice choking up, and she hated it. She hated being emotional over some stupid feelings.
Adrien didn’t answer. Instead, she felt him scoot towards her, stopping right at the edge of the boundary. He placed his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it lightly.
“Marinette? I-I am sorry if I asked something over the line.”
She didn’t reply, just sniffled her tears away. She wanted to tell him that it wasn’t his fault, it was just her emotions being stupid, but her voice betrayed her.
Adrien let out a sigh. “I-I have been avoiding this, ‘cause I was afraid it would change things between us. I thought giving things time would perhaps help settle down my emotions, but the more I spend time with you, the harder I find it to contain myself.”
Marinette stiffened. Was this… what she thought it was?
“I guess I am just gonna do it Nino-style -- rip it off like a band-aid.” Adrien chortled. The phrase made Marinette let out a watery laugh, too.
“I just… Marinette, I just want to let you know that, that…” Adrien paused for a moment. Marinette listened with bated breath, half-sure her heartbeat was audible not just to her, but him too.
A weight came to rest upon her shoulder. Surprised, she looked behind herself with slanted eyes, finding Adrien leaning his head against her.
It made her feel fluttery and giddy.
“Marinette,” Adrien began again, his voice now holding a firm resolve. “I-I just want you to know that for me, you’re my sun. You brighten my days, give me hope in the darkest of nights, make me happy always and… fuck,” he let out a groan. “I didn’t want to be Shakespeare’s cheap copy.”
Marinette couldn’t help but laugh. “Was that supposed to be a confession, Agreste?”
“Kind of,” he groaned against her back. “But me being Shakespeare ruined it. I know how much you hate that guy and... I’m sorry.”
“As you should be,” she chortled, wiping tears from her eyes. Somehow, hearing his confession had helped settle her turmoil of emotions. “But.. truth be told, I feel the same too, Adrien?”
He lifted his head up, and Marinette craned her neck slightly to face him. She hoped that the love and clarity in her eyes answered the questions that his eyes held.
They looked at each other for a while, before Adrien nestled his head back into her shoulder. He scooted a bit closer and put his arm lightly around her, as if asking for permission.
She held his hand in hers, tugging him closer.
“Adrien, I wanted to say that-”
“Shh,” he whispered, patting her hand lightly. “I kind of have a feeling that you already knew about my crush on you but still, I just confessed to you. Sort your feelings out and take your time to answer. As a literature crazy fan, I demand a beautiful prose, no matter whether you accept me or reject me.”
She giggled, squeezing his hand lightly. “Don’t you already know the answer, mister?”
He squeezed her hand back, nuzzling into her shoulder. “Maybe I do, but I can still dream, right? For now, let’s just… stay like this?”
Marinette blushed, reaching out for his hair and stroking it gently. “Okay, dork.”
“Your dork.”
“My dork.”