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Day 4: Watching Sunrise/Sunset
Adrien leaned over and kissed his girlfriend on the cheek before saying goodbye. “I’ll see you later, Princess.”
“Mmmhmm, yeah okay,” Marinette mumbled underneath her breath.
He leaned over and looked her in the eyes. “I love you.”
She averted her gaze and lowered her head. “Yup...I love you, too. I have to go. I’ll see you later.”
His heart sank as he watched Marinette turn on her heel, walk across the courtyard, and disappear down the stairs.
“Dude.” Nino put his hand on Adrien’s shoulder and shook his head. “What did you do?”
He sighed. “I don’t know. Usually, she’s pretty vocal about what’s wrong, but this time she just got quiet.”
“That’s even worse, bro. That means she’s really mad.”
“I’m going to go after her. Maybe she’ll tell me what I did wrong so I can apologize.”
“No, dude. Trust me. When Alya gets mad like that, it’s better to give her space. Let Marinette cool down for a bit, and then you can go talk to her.”
“I guess you’re right...but I feel like I should do something for her. What should I do?”
“Beats me, bro. Out of the two of us, you’re the hopeless romantic. You’ll figure something out.”
Alya ran into the courtyard and slung her arm around Nino’s shoulders. “Good afternoon, boys! Where’s Marinette?”
Adrien sighed. “I think she’s super mad at me, but I don’t know what I did. Say...you wouldn’t happen to know why she’s upset, do you?”
“I am privy to that information, yes.”
“Okay...so will you tell me what I did?”
“Nope!” Alya shook her head. “It’s something that the two of you will have to sort out on your own. She’ll tell you when she’s ready. HOWEVER, as her best friend, I will tell you that if you don’t fix it, I will have to take matters into my own hands.”
He felt his eyes grow wide as images of an angry Alya coming to his house flashed through his mind. “Uhhhh…”
She laughed. “I’m kidding, Sunshine! Don’t worry...you and Marinette are the most sickeningly adorable couple in the school. You two are practically made for each other. Just give her some time to calm down, and then bring her chocolate or something.”
“That’s what I told him,” Nino said, resting his cheek on Alya’s head.
She rolled her eyes. “That’s because you’ve learned from your mistakes.”
“Well, after the first time you got mad and I tried to talk to you right away...uhh...let’s just say that I learned that it’s ‘space first’ and ‘talk later’.”
“Got it,” Adrien noted sadly.
“Cheer up, Buttercup!” Alya said with a smile, “You’ll be okay.”
Before Adrien could answer, his phone went off in his hand. He swiped up and saw a message from his bodyguard.
“Ugh,” he groaned, “I have to go to my Chinese lesson right now. Let’s just hope that I can focus. Thanks. I’ll see the two of you tomorrow.”
“Good luck, bro.” Nino gave him a thumbs up.
“Thanks...I’m definitely going to need it.”
***
Marinette curled up in her bed and sniffled. Earlier that day, her anger had been directed towards her boyfriend, but now she was frustrated with herself. She didn’t want to be angry anymore, and couldn’t really blame Adrien for what had happened. She knew that he probably didn’t know why she was upset and that he most likely didn’t even realize that what he did was not okay.
She reached across her bed, grabbed her Chat Noir plush, and squeezed it against her chest. “Silly kitty...I wish you were here. I think it’s time for us to talk.”
A knock at her trap door below prompted her to sit up quickly. The sudden movement made her lightheaded, and she flopped back onto her pillow with a groan.
“Yes?” she called, hoping the person on the other side wouldn’t make her get up.
The hatch creaked open.
“Princess?” asked a familiar voice, “May I come in?”
“Adrien.” His name echoed like a song inside of her mind. “It’s like he knew what I needed.”
“Marinette?” he called again, “Please...I-I just want to talk.”
She carefully sat up and clutched the Chat doll closer to her body. “Come in.”
Adrien walked into the room and took in his surroundings. “Where are you?”
“I’m right here.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
“Marinette, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what I did, but the thought of you being this angry with me just...I...I can’t handle it. Please tell me what I did wrong. Please.” His voice began to break. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
“Then why are you angry? I won’t do it again.”
“I’m not angry at you anymore. I was, but now I’m not.”
“What can I do to make sure this doesn’t happen again? I can’t lose you, too.”
Hearing the desperation in his voice broke her heart. “Oh, kitty...you’ll never lose me.”
He choked back a sob. “Please, Marinette...I…”
She peered over the side of her lofted bed and saw Adrien standing in the middle of her room with his palms pressed against his eyes. He looked small and alone...like a child who had gotten separated from his parents in a store.
“Adrien.” His head snapped up at the sound of her voice. “Come up here.”
He hastily wiped his face with the back of his hand and scrambled up the ladder. “I’m sorry, Princess. Please talk to me.”
She sighed. “Earlier today when Chloe was saying all those mean things at the end of class, I got mad. Then, you put your hand on my shoulder and told me to just ignore her...but I didn’t want to. Instead of calming me down, it made me even angrier. When I got home, I started to think about everything, and I realized that I was mad because it’s not the first time you’ve told me to ignore someone who is being cruel. I know you and I are two different people who don’t respond the same way to stuff like that, but sometimes something has to be said to people like Chloe.”
“I...I didn’t even realize...I just wanted everyone to stay safe. I didn’t want any Akumas and…”
“And then I kept thinking about it, and I realized that you constantly have to make excuses for terrible people. I hate to say it, but your family kind of sucks, and openly recognizing that people like Chloe are bullies would be admitting that your dad is also a bully. It’s not you who I’m mad at, it’s your dad...and me.”
“Wait...why are you mad at yourself?”
“For not seeing it sooner. Adrien, I love you, and the fact that you thought that you were going to lose me because I was mad at you only proves my point. I will never leave you, kitty. I love you more than anything.”
He launched himself across the bed and pulled Marinette into a tight hug. Still holding the Chat doll against her chest, she found herself unable to return the gesture; nonetheless, she leaned into his embrace.
He then gave her a gentle squeeze, causing her to squeak. Embarrassed, Marinette buried her face into his soft, cotton t-shirt.
Adrien chuckled. “I love you so much, my lady. You mean everything to me. You’re my world...no...the center of my universe...wait, why aren’t you hugging me back.”
“I can’t move my arms.”
“What? Why?”
He pulled away from the embrace. Marinette watched as his eyes landed on the Chat plush in her arms. A blinding smile spread across his face.
She pouted. “Once I calmed down...I...uh…I realized that I missed you.”
Adrien planted a soft kiss on her forehead. “How about you put that Chat Noir back with his Ladybug so I can properly hold my lady in my arms?”
Marinette leaned over and returned the doll to his rightful place on her pillow. “Done.”
“Good...now we can move onto the best part.”
“So, hugging you isn’t the best part?”
He stood up on her bed, pushed open the windowed hatch on her ceiling, and held out his hand. “Oh, I never said that hugging wasn’t involved. Follow me, Princess.”
Marinette took his hand and followed him onto her balcony. She gasped at the sight before her. Her lawn chairs had been adorned with fluffy blankets, and two steaming mugs sat on a tiny table.
“When did you have time to do this?” she exclaimed.
Adrien scratched the back of his neck. “Well, Alya said that I should bring you chocolate or something, but I felt like that wasn’t enough. You’re too incredible for something as simple as chocolate. So, I had Chat Noir come and set this up so you and I could watch the sunset together. The view won’t be nearly as beautiful as you are, but it’s a close second.”
Tears began to well in her eyes. “Adrien...I...this is...you’re incredible. It’s perfect. Thank you, Chaton.”
He took her hand and led her to one of the lawn chairs. Once she was seated, he then proceeded to lovingly drape one of the blankets around Marinette’s shoulders.
“Are you warm enough, my lady?” he asked.
She looked up and met his gaze. “Almost...my hand feels a little cold.”
“Oh?”
“Your hand felt pretty warm.”
“Is that so?”
“Yup.”
Adrien sat down in the chair next to her, took her hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“That’s better,” Marinette said with a contented sigh.
“I love you.”
“I love you, too, Chaton...always.”
They sat in a comfortable silence as the sun sank below the horizon, painting the sky with a dazzling array of pinks, purples, and reds. Slowly, the tension from the day melted away, and they quietly reveled in the love they had for each other.
While this would not be their last bump in the road, Marinette knew that as long as they were together, they could overcome any obstacle that stood in their way. After all...they were made for each other.