Chapter Text
Warm Hugs: Game Night- UNO
One of the side effects of sleeping most of the day was that when the lodge was warm and cozy with their classmates around, Marinette and Adrien woke up full of energy and excitement. While Alya was initially sad to see the cuddling end, she soon realized she would regret ever letting anyone wake them up.
Something no one had truly understood about the duo before: They were competitive. Possibly worse than Kim and Alix level of competitive.
Despite the various games, and the multitude of different opponent combinations, when Marinette and Adrien teamed up (as Adrien adamantly insisted on), no one could defeat them. After playing the Beans Card Game, Exploding Kittens, and even a few games that weren’t meant to be team games, Alya was ready to tranquilize Marinette and Adrien just to get some peace.
As Alya felt her frustration peaking, Max blandly suggested the class play UNO. Despite Nino’s frantic head shaking, and arms blatantly moving into an ‘X’ shape, the class decided UNO was a great idea. Even Lila, sulking in a corner and newly returned to a wary class, joined the game. Alya joined with a heavy heart, just knowing this was going to go sideways somehow and watched Nino flat out refuse to sit anywhere near Marinette.
In all honesty, Alya had never played card or board games with Marinette before, as games were discouraged in Paris. One too many game-based akuma that ‘deleted’ unnecessary characters (civilians) had created a unanimous yet unspoken rule: No rage-inducing games in Paris. Alya was incredibly curious to know why Nino was so wary of Marinette, but Chloe’s equally odd refusal to sit anywhere near Adrien took her attention instead, and she sat down next to Marinette without thinking.
BUZZ.
Alya checked her phone. Nino had sent her a very short message: ALYA, GET AWAY WHILE YOU STILL CAN!!! She raised an eyebrow at her unofficial boyfriend, unimpressed with his attempt to spook her. Nino was shaking his head, and even Chloe looked at Marinette and Alya pityingly. To Alya’s surprise, the pity even looked genuine.
Alya was shocked at the evil excitement in Adrien’s voice when he finished shuffling the double deck. “ Alrightie! Leeeet’s get ready to ruuuuuuumble!” Adrien passed out the cards like a Las Vegas showman. Flashy, worryingly accurate, and with far too many teeth on display. Marinette sent him an unimpressed look.
Alya found herself amused at the flat tone Marinette used to answer the exuberant model. “Really? Wrestling? AMERICAN Wrestling?” Adrien grinned sheepishly and sent an oddly sweet smile in Marinette’s direction, complete with a cest la vie shoulder raise. Alya watched Marinette briefly sway like she’d been shot, before she tenderly picked up her UNO cards, and visibly transformed.
A shit eating grin spread across Marinette’s face as she looked around the circle challengingly. Her shoulders straightened, her chest confidently puffed out, and her chin tilted high. “Everyone knows the rules. UNO twitter doesn’t know shit. Stack ‘ em high, stack ‘ em tall, we’re gonna play ‘til somebody falls. Person on dealer’s left starts.” Marinette leaned forward to see Lila sitting on Adrien’s other side. Lila’s eyes visibly widened in fear at Marinette’s sharp grin. “Your turn, Lie-la!”
Lila looked around at her wary classmates, and silently played an innocuous yellow 2. The person to her left, Juleka, sighed and drew three cards until she could lay another yellow down. It continued in this manner until it got to Kim. Kim smugly thrust his chest out as he laid down a ‘+2 Draw’ card, and smirked at Max.
Max, without a single change in expression laid down two more ‘+2 Draw’ cards, one red and one green, and glanced at Alix sitting on his left. Alix was visibly fuming as she picked up 6 cards, and Nathaniel took his turn while she organized her bounty. To Chloe’s irritation, Nathaniel laid down another ‘+2 Draw’ card, this time in blue. Chloe huffed out a breath but obediently took her cards and leaned back, while Sabrina laid down a blue ‘Reverse’ card.
“Wow, Sabrina. Way to have my back!” Chloe cackled as she chose a card. Staring deeply into Nathaniel’s eyes, savoring the moment, Chloe laid down a ‘Draw 4’ card. Only Rose was surprised when Nathaniel let loose a curse and picked up his new cards. Chloe declared the new color as though announcing a new Royal Decree. “The color is now yellow!” Chloe smirked to herself, fooling no one. She’d obviously chosen the color because she had been Queen Bee.
Max maintained his stoic façade as Alix began snickering to herself, adding several cards on top of each other before staring at Max with glee. She chanted her cards as she laid them down, one by one. “Draw 2, Draw 2, Draw 2, you brainiac! Ahahahaha! Six cards, just like me! That’s what you get for passing on Kim’s dirty cards!” Alix’s laughter choked off when Max calmly added another Draw 2 card to the pile and looked at Kim impassively.
Kim gaped down at the four ‘Draw 2’ cards as though someone had offered him a snake. Alix let out a frantic “Oh that’s even BETTER!” and began chortling. Kim frantically checked his deck, but he’d already used his only Draw 2 card. With a dejected sigh, he picked up eight cards, and allowed Ivan to take his turn.
Ivan silently laid down a new blue card, then smiled at Mylene as she added the exact same card on top of his. “Samesies!” She squealed to him quietly. They smiled at each other lovingly, lost in their own world. The innocuous cards continued until it got to Juleka.
Juleka, sitting next to Lila glanced at her cards before laying down a simple color change card. “Yellow.” She whispered. Lila jolted slightly and glanced at her cards before smirking. Shooting a very quick glance at Adrien and Marinette, she made a big deal about deciding her cards, leaning around and not at all subtly glancing at Adrien’s cards.
Even as Adrien scowled at her, Lila fluttered her lashes and gave a sweet giggle. “So sorry, Adrien, but it’s the only yellow I have!” Lila announced in such a falsely apologetic tone that the entire class bristled, aware now that she had ulterior motives. She gently laid down a Draw 2 card, glanced at Adrien, and laid down a new, green one on top. “Draw 4, Adrien!” Lila giggled.
Adrien stared at the cards for a moment, glanced at his deck, then glanced at Marinette before staring at Lila. Without breaking eye contact, he silently reached for the deck and drew four cards. As though he had slapped her, the smile slid right off of Lila’s face. Astonishment covered Marinette’s face as she got a glimpse of Adrien’s hand. “What?!” Lila hissed. “Why would you-!”
“Your turn, Marinette!” Adrien cut Lila off, turning to Marinette with a smile. Marinette stared at him for a minute with her mouth hanging open before glancing at her cards, Adrien’s cards, and then the deck. With a frown, she laid down five cards in quick succession. Somehow Marinette had five 8s, one in every color and two in blue, but she ended her turn with a red on top. Marinette was already down to 2 cards when half the class hadn’t even had their turn yet.
Alya glanced at her cards and scratched at her head. She shrugged as she laid down another ‘Reverser’ card. Marinette gaped at Alya for a moment before snorting. “It’s the only red card I have,” Alya explained to the class.
With a wink and an overly apologetic look to Adrien, Marinette held out her cards. With a solemn voice hiding the glee behind it, she announced her move. “Draw 2, UNO, Draw 2. I win! ”
The class broke out in outrage at Marinette’s be trayal of her cuddle partner. She’d just handed him four more cards in order to win! Adrien however, looked far too admiring to have just been handed his ass in UNO. Marinette giggled and stared back at Adrien, who didn’t move. Lila was squawking in outrage. “That can’t be legal! You cheated! Take it back! Take it back RIGHT NOW!”
The class quieted down at Lila’s venomous words, staring at the trio with concern. Adrien slowly, painstakingly pulled his eyes away from Marinette before glancing down at his hand. He covered his mouth as though to cough, but everyone could see the grin peeking out of the corners. With a loud snort disguised as a cough, Adrien finally reached into his cards. Without ever looking at Lila, Adrien pulled out four cards, and laid them down slowly, tauntingly, and silently.
The class watched in silence as Adrien laid down 4 more Draw 2s. Lila screamed and threw her cards, stomping out of the room as Adrien and Marinette burst into cackles and high-fived. Alya gaped at their merciless destruction, while Chloe silently crossed herself, and Nino covered his face with his hands and started rocking. Alya could faintly hear Nino’s broken whisper.
“Oh god. Now t here’s two of them.”