Chapter Text
Chapter One
Adrien was running out of time.
His shoes hit the pavement as he dashed through alleyways and down side streets, glancing nervously over his shoulder only to find that he wasn’t in the clear yet. No matter how fast he ran or how irregular he made his path, he couldn’t shake them, and his sides burned with the exertion of running so much. He needed somewhere to hide and fast.
Bolting around the corner, his feet skidded against the dirt briefly as he cut through the park. It was risky, and he hated to do it, but he needed to go to someone he could trust. The last thing he wanted was to drag his friends into his mess, but he didn’t really have another choice. Dozens of his fans were waiting by his house, and he wasn’t ready to go home yet anyway, so if he had to be stuck somewhere, he might as well enjoy the company. His refuge was only a few meters away, and he picked up the faint scent of freshly baked bread as he approached.
“Welcome, how can we- Oh, are you alright, dear?” Mrs. Cheng stopped short as he burst through the front door of the shop and stooped to rest his hands on his knees.
“I’m fine…can I…hang out here…for a bit?” He panted, and Marinette’s parents exchange concerned looks.
“Is everything alright, son?” Mr. Dupain asked, placing a hand on his shoulder as he straightened up.
“Yeah, just…my fans can be…persistent.” He rubbed the back of his neck, and Tom and Sabine nodded in understanding. “I don’t want to put you guys out, but is it okay if I hide out here until things die down?”
“Of course, sweetie. I can’t believe that people chase you all over the city; it must be so exhausting,” Mrs. Cheng said with a frown.
“Yeah, sometimes,” He chuckled good-naturedly. “I just wish that people would treat me like a normal guy.”
“Well, you don’t have to worry about that here,” Tom assured him, returning to the back to remove a couple more baguettes from the oven.
“Thank you,” He said with a relieved smile.
“Why don’t you head upstairs? Marinette should be in her room, and we’ll bring up a snack for you two in a little while,” Mrs. Cheng suggested, and Adrien nodded appreciatively.
“Thanks so much, Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng. You’re life savers,” He said, cupping his hands together in front of his chest gratefully before departing through the back door and heading up the stairs to the apartment.
Marinette’s parents were so awesome! She was lucky, and he was glad to have her as a friend. Hopefully he wouldn’t be bothering her too much by hanging around. The last thing he wanted to do was burden them, especially after what happened last time Marinette helped him escape from his fans. Some people still thought that she was his girlfriend, even if he insisted that she was just a friend. He found it odd how many people didn’t believe him when he said that.
Despite having permission, he rang the bell anyway for good measure, reluctant to barge in on a lady unannounced. Besides, he wanted to give her the option to refuse him, even if he knew she’d have no problem with it. Marinette was so understanding and nice; he really didn’t deserve her.
“Coming!” He heard her call from the other side, footsteps tapping against the wood as she approached and unlatched the door. “Oh, A-Adrien! You, uh, what are up? I mean, what’s up?”
“Sorry to bother you. I was leaving fencing practice when I got mobbed by a bunch of my fans. Your parents said I could hang out here for a while, but if you’re busy I can just sit downstairs…” He explained, rubbing his arm with an apologetic wince.
“No, no, no! You’re fine, I mean, it’s fine. I was just doing some droodling, I mean doodling- sketching.” She took a breath. “Come on in. I’ll make some tea.”
“Thanks, you guys are the best,” He said, relaxing a little as he entered the cozy apartment.
He stole a glance at the family photos on the bookshelf lining the wall, biting back a smile at some of the toddler photos of Marinette. Most of his baby pictures were put away; although if he recalled most of them were professionally done, directly contrast to the ones framed there which all seemed to be taken by her parents themselves. It was cute, and Adrien envied her a little bit.
“So, your fans are still going crazy over that ad?” Marinette asked as she filled up the tea kettle and set it on the stove.
“Um, well, I had a new spread in a magazine, so that may have something to do with it,” He said, shifting his gaze away from the bookshelf with a sheepish grin.
“Wow, that’s amazing! I haven’t seen it,” She said with a strange lilt to her voice before clearing her throat. “It must be hard for you since people don’t leave you alone.”
“It can be, yeah…I just wish people would treat me like a normal person, like you and your parents,” He said glumly, placing a hand on the back of his neck. “But it only makes me appreciate friends like you even more, Marinette.”
“Yeah…What are friends for?” She said with a nervous titter. “So, anyway, what do you wanna do? We could watch a movie or play a game-”
“I’d love to play games with you again!” He interjected excitedly. “I know I gave up my spot in the tournament, but I really like playing with you, Marinette.”
Her cheeks flushed a little, and she fumbled with a tea cup, nearly dropping it on the floor but managing to catch it just in time. He pursed his lips wondering if he’d made her uncomfortable as she stammered out a thank you, but he supposed Marinette had always gotten flustered easily. He always tried to be so careful around her, but sometimes he supposed he wasn’t careful enough.
Once the tea was ready, Marinette awkwardly portioned it out into cups and they took up residence on the couch. He could feel the discomfort hanging in the air and quickly wracked his brain for a way to relieve it.
“I guess we can finally test out the lucky charm you gave me to see if I can finally beat you,” He said with a grin, retrieving it from his pocket. She seemed to perk up at the sight of it, and Adrien felt his shoulders relax.
“I dunno. I think the one you gave me works even better than that one.” She giggled, pulling out her birthday charm, and he felt a sense of pride that she carried it with her just as he carried hers.
“Then I guess we’ll both have to rely on skill to see who wins.” He winked, and a smirk curled on her lips as a challenging glint entered her eyes.
“You’re on.”
After several rounds, Adrien only managed to beat her twice, and the mood had lightened significantly. He was glad. It was nice to spend time with Marinette so casually which was something he didn’t often get to do as a result of akuma attacks, his father’s insistence on his eternal imprisonment at home, or crazy fans chasing them all over Paris, and for once they were getting to spend time together, just the two of them unimpeded. Of course he always enjoyed interacting with her at school, but spending an afternoon playing video games with her just for the fun of it was really nice and made him realize just how much he cherished their friendship.
Perhaps it was time for him to put forth more effort in their relationship and attempt to get to know her better. Afterall, the only things he really knew about her were that her parents owned a bakery, she was crazy good at video games and hat designing, and she sometimes got flustered, but anyone could know that really. Adrien wanted to get to know the real Marinette the way others seemed to and maybe find a new best friend along the way because if he was sure of anything after that day, it was that Marinette was someone he very much wanted to spend more time with.