Chapter Text
There's one thing Nino was certain of. It was that when Marinette's mad, it's down right terrifying. He hasn't been on the receiving end of it (thank God, wasn't that a relief), but he had witnessed it enough times. He knew what signs to look for and what to avoid. Nino knows it's been a while since she got angry (Kim really needed to control his mouth).
The thing is, Marinette is the sweetest girl he knows. She would always go out of her way to help anyone, be there to encourage and give feed back, all in all, she's a great person. And she's nice. Even to people like Chloé, she's hardly ever actually gotten really, truly, angry.
When they say don't piss off the nice people, it's some pretty solid advice to live by.
He felt it before seeing her.
The hairs on the back of his neck pricked up and the atmosphere was much colder than it was a few moments prior. Where there was a loud lull of chatter, it was replaced with a sudden silent that had his blood chilling. He locked gaze with Alya, and where as he was starting to feel dread, her eyes filled with confusion. Ah, she's never seen her angry.
He looked around the classroom and noticed how even Chloé was scooting away from the door. And when he glanced at Adrien, his eyebrows raised. The boy next to him didn't seem to notice anything and he was busy doodling and giggling. But before he could voice out his thoughts, the door of the classroom opened.
It didn't open with a bang - it wasn't even loud, but the girl behind it made it seem so much more menacing. He averted his eyed quickly, but with the moment glance he saw had confirmed the scowl he knew would be there. Oh, God, who pissed her off?
Nino swears, a pin could be dropped and it would be heard clearly with just how quiet it was.
"Marinette! Good morning!"
Flinching from the sudden voice next to him, Nino shook his head, glancing at the boy as he put a finger on his lips. He knew Marinette had a soft spot for Adrien, but when she's mad, no one is safe. Even Adrien.
But it seemed like Adrien wasn't getting the message. Instead of shutting up, like what a normal human being would do, he was basically bouncing in his seat and smirking. Whipping his head around, Nino was frowning until he caught where she was looking. And just froze. That heated glare he saw from afa before was suddenly aimed in his direction. Immediately, thoughts of all the ways he could beg for forgiveness flash through his mind. Should he get down on his knees and beg? Get flowers? Chocolate? Maybe get her those fancy fabrics she likes so much? Maybe-
"Adrien."
He stiffened, inching further away from where she stood. He's never heard her speak so coldly before. And looking at her more closely now, Nino let out a sigh of relief because the glare wasn't actually towards him. He was beginning to relax now that he knew Marinette was staring next to him and not at him. That means he didn't piss her off, which he never, ever, wanted to do in the first place. So the only person who could have-
Adrien.
Eyed widen in disbelief, the aspiring DJ stared at his deskmate. The boy had the audacity to look smug. What the hell could Adrien have done to piss Marinette off? And why isn't he asking for forgiveness right now?
That's it, this is Adrien's funeral. It was nice knowing you, dude.
He watched how they held a stare off, Marinette and Adrien. The class president had a very blank faced expression, yet cold and fury filled eyes. Adrien, God, why is he grinning, held her gaze and looked relaxed. Relaxed!
Marinette walked towards her desk and placed a hand on the model's shoulder. That's when Nino saw him finch and moved to the edge of the seat bench when she spoke.
"Can we talk during lunch?"
That definitely sounded like a demand and not a request. Nino saw the shiver run through Adrien's body but the smile didn't change. If anything, it actually got wider. What was he doing? Adrien, abort! Abort!
Adrien nodded his head and gave the girl a loop-sided smile, one Nino has never seen on the boy before. The DJ was so utterly lost.
What has his best friend, the one and only Adrien Agreste, the literal sunshine boy of Paris for heaven sakes, do to piss of Marinette Dupain-Cheng?
The baker girl only stared at the model deadpanned, and he saw his smile flatter. Seeming to find this satisfying, she continued towards her seat.
It was only then that Nino felt himself finally relax. Okay, everything will be okay and he'll help Adrien apologize to the scary girl. He glanced at Alya and felt a pang of sympathy. The poor girl was staring at her best friend in utter shock (and a bit of fear if he was being honest) and was almost falling off her seat. He grabbed his phone as quietly as he could and sent her a quick text to catch her up with things. When she read it and nodded in understanding, he was glad to have one less things to worry about.
Nino knows the drill when this happens. Almost everyone did at this point (poor Max had to learn it the hard way, but Marinette made sure to apologize afterwards). Don't talk unless absolutely necessary, like when a teacher called on them, and don't make any noise. And when comes around lunch time, give her a shoulder massage. The only person Marinette spoke to during these times was himself.
Marinette snapped her eyes and locked gaze with him and Nino gave her a gentle smile.
"Nino, can you ask Alix and Kim to stop by the bakery during lunch and grab us some snacks?"
Nodding, he gave her two thumbs up. This was something else he knew was coming. It was his job to be the mediator between her and everyone else. When he looked over at the two mentioned peers, he saw them nod in understanding. Everyone had a role to play; Alix and Kim got pasteries, Max and Nathaniel would set up video games on the class projector, Juleka and Rose would grab candies from a nearby store, Ivan and Mylene would have blankets and pillows ready. Even Chloé had a role - she and Sabrina are in charge of catering food.
Don't make the mistake, it isn't just for Marinette. All the things were for the whole class. It was a way of saying sorry but at the same time, having the whole class get back to normal. Marinette's anger usually only lasted until the beginning of lunch. And usually by the end of lunch, everything was back to normal. So Nino was able to smile more - this meant that everything should be resolved by lunch. Great. No biggy. Turning to Alya, Nino mentioned for him and her to switch seats. He saw the hesitation in her before moving her things and Nink gave her a quick kiss on the cheeks. I'll explain later, it translated.
Now sitting next to her, he began to massage her shoulder gently. It's not because she ever asked for it, but it always seemed to calm her down. And he very much would want a calm Marinette before his boy Adrien experiences her wrath.
"So, Mari, how was your weekend? Cause mine was absolutely pawsome."
Pausing in his movements, Nino stared at the boy in front of him, slowly feeling the fear come back to him. He frantically shook his head and 'shut up', he mouthed. Even Alya was shushing him.
With an eerie calmness, Marinette lifted her head towards Adrien. "Excuse me?"
Adrien, he kept the silly grin on his face but Nino could see the anxiety start to creep in his eyes.
And Marinette must have seen it too because she immediately relaxed. They continued their stare off and hesitantly, Nino started massaging her shoulders again. Almost like a miracle (an answered prayer?), whatever was silently going on between them was enough to have back away from her earlier anger. And Adrien, the whole dumbass he was, was now smiling differently. It was much more gentle and dare he say, affectionate.
And just like, the atmosphere cleared up and Marinette herself seemed to have the softness and sweetness return to her. She turned towards the boy next to her and gave him a quick hug, but Nino was too stunned to do much more than gape at her.
"Thanks Nino! And," she turned and faced the rest of the class sheepishly. "sorry everyone. Do you guys still want to do the chill day stuff?"
Realizing he wasn't the only one stunned by the turn of events, Nino saw everyone with various ranges of emotions but they all looked equally in disbelief. How could he blame them? Marinette's nice and her anger was short lasted but it usually took until lunch for everything to cool down. And all it took was a look from Adrien for her to calm down. What the fuck just happened?
"Dupain-Cheng, I've never seen you that angry before." Chloé huffed, and it looked like she was trying her best not to seem as off put by the whole situation as the rest of the class. "I need chill day just to get over how stressed you made me, I thought you were actually gonna kill Adrien. Plus," she stared at her nails. "food's already been ordered."
The class snapped out of the daze they found themselves in, each one voicing out their complaints and relief. Nino watched the boy that caused all of this in the first place and noticed how relief was the first thing he register on his face. And he was still looking at Marinette with that soft gaze again. Nino was now desperate to know what happened but his fear of the anger coming back stopped it.
Besides, she'll call and rant later tonight anyways.
For now, Nino was content with switching back to his original seat, chastising his best friend, and having the happy atmosphere return.