Chapter Text
“Are you going to tell everyone?”
Marinette jumped, Adrien appearing behind her. Almost out of nowhere. “Course I am. Lila is-”
“A liar. Yes, I know. But do you really think exposing her will make things better? If you humiliate her, she'll just be hurt more.” He tilted his head, in moments like this his innocence really shined through. “Making a bad guy suffer has never turned them into a good guy.”
She turned her head back to the girl in question, spouting out another lie about how her and Ladybug were best friends or whatever. “So we just stand by and let her lie?”
“As long as you and I both know the truth, does it really matter?” A secret? With Adrien? That was almost enough to make Marinette agree. Almost.
“But she’s hurting people!” Marinette motioned to their classmates. If there was one thing greater than her love of Adrien, it was her hatred of bullies. “She’s manipulating our friends, discrediting the Ladyblog, and what about you?”
“What about me?” Adrien blinked, clearly confused.
“I mean,” Her face heated up real fast. Talking to Adrien was hard on a normal day, but, but this was important! Lila was hurting people. “I’m your friend Adrien. I see how uncomfortable you get when people fawn over you, and especially when they touch you without permission, and now, with you sitting next to Lila…”
“Oh! That!” She watched as the color in Adrien's face quickly matched hers as he looked away. “I’m used to, you know, all of that. People touch me all the time, for fittings and stuff. Plus I’m used to the fawning. Chloe does it all the time.”
As Adrien tried to explain her worry away Marinette had a cold sinking feeling, finally putting some pieces together. “Adrien, that’s harassment.”
“What? No way!” She watched his face carefully, he was nervous. “She’s just being nice. I’m used to people being… forwardly nice to me. It comes with the fame you know? It’s nothing I can’t handle.” He rubbed his arm, refusing to make eye contact.
That cold sinking feeling suddenly started to heat up- not to anger exactly, but to a similar feeling she got as Ladybug whenever she saw people getting hurt or when viewing an injustice. Righteousness.
“Adrien, that’s not ok.” She raised her hand as he tried to speak up. “No, they had all the girls watch a video in health class about sexual harassment and what to do about it, and now I realize they should really have the boys watch it too. This fits all the signs.” She started to list them off on her fingers. “Touching you without permission, laying on the compliments, inappropriate comments, trying to get you alone- it isn’t healthy.”
Adrien was fully red now, arms crossed in a slightly defensive stance, but his shoulders were hunched. She hit the nail on the head. “I can’t- it’s not that bad ok? It’s nothing I’m not used to. Besides I don’t want to be rude.”
Her friend looked like a scared rabbit. Taking a deep breath she calmed herself down slightly, leveling her voice. “No one has a right to touch you, Adrien. You can say no. Men can get harassed too. And even though your a famous model your body is still yours. How you you feel if it was some creepy guy hanging all over me or Alya?”
Finally, Adrien cracked a small smile. “I think Alya would take care of any creepy guy that tried to lay the moves on her.”
She laughed, “Exactly. And that guy would deserve everything she gave him.” She waited until Adrien nodded in agreement, and thought back to the sexual harassment video. “I know that standing up to someone like that, especially since she’s a girl, can feel overwhelming, but you’re not powerless here.” She took a step forward, in full Ladybug mode. “I think you should tell her how she’s making you feel, but if your not ready for that I can help you ask the teacher to switch seats if you want. You don’t have to tell her why.”
“You’d do that for me?” He blinked.
“Of course Adrien, we’re friends after all.” She smiled up at him sweetly, then felt the air leave her lungs as lunged forward, hugging her tight.
“Thank you Marinette.” The nervous butterflies were slowly starting to come back as her heroes courage started to ebb, but at that she relaxed again, leaning in and ordering her arms to hug back. Crush or not, they were friends, and right now her friend needed her help.
“Oh! Sorry!” He suddenly let go, stepping back. “Hah, here we are talking about touching without being asked and harassment, and there I go-” If the situation was less serious it would be cute watching the blond stutter like Marinette herself had in many a conversation. Although she knew his nervousness had a different origin... ok it was cute anyway, because Adrien was always cute.
“Adrien, stop it.” She held a hand up, “I’m your friend, you’re allowed to hug me every once in a while. I, I know where we stand.” There wasn’t any romantic intention behind the hug, but somehow that knowledge didn’t make her feel any less elated. “Come on, lets go talk to Madam Bustier about switching seats.”