Chapter Text
It was…a very, VERY, V E R Y long day. An annoyed snarl escaped her as she heard the ever illustrious Lila Rossi, liar who could do no wrong, droning on to her little posse about the latest trip to the Sahara Desert and how she single handedly saved a village from drought. In the library. Where it was supposed to be QUIET. Marinette glared at the group, getting up with her things, departing from her coveted table in the aim to find somewhere else to rest for lunch.
Two…two stupid akuma, back to back, in the middle of the night until dawn, she had even went to sleep EARLY. But noooo, Hawkmoth thought she could last on four fucking hours of sleep. She was a growing girl! She needed her sleep! And he had akumatized a kid and a heart broken teen. She swore, her eyes narrowed at nothing, unintentionally scaring a few stragglers near her, that when she finally found Hawkmoth, she was going to torture him with nightmares for all the hours of sleep he made her miss on. She was the wielder of creation, and she was feeling |damn| creative at the moment.
And Chat. Chat had the fucking NERVE to ask her why SHE was going slow, he had an appointment in the morning, something about meeting up with his new girlfriend? Either way, she was this close to tying him up for bait. She got it. He had a girlfriend, a very lucky woman who was dating Chat Noir, who made her best friend go all soft and she was happy for them, but he wasn’t the only one with things to do in the morning. He could be the most giving creature on earth, but DAMN were his selfish tendencies noticeable.
~
The art room, the lunch room, the bakery, all of them were full of noisy people or people just wanting to lecture her. She got it, she looked ready to maim, but she left Lila alone, even complimented the lying witch on her new bracelet, but noooo Alya was pushing for a hang out with all the girls because, “Girl, she just wants to hang with you, she even wanted to ask you to bring your parent’s pastries! She wants to have some like us.”
Then there was Adrien pushing on her about asking about where to take Kagami, does she want to go? They could all hang out! Why was she so mad? Calling out Lila (because obviously, THAT’S why she’s grumpy) wouldn’t solve anything, she needed to learn on her own! She got it, high road, be a good example, be the everyday ladybug, but kwami did she WANT to be Ladybug and find some hidden away hole in the city to take a stupid NAP.
The park was somehow quiet in her corner of it, finally relaxing with a contented sigh as she relaxed her body. The sun was warm, the breeze was barely there, and the heat was easing her tired body. Tikki would keep an eye out for her, she knew the goddess would. It wasn’t her first watch of ensuring no one messed with a sleeping Marinette.
It’s why she was surprised when she wasn’t notified when someone sat across from her on the park bench.
“Mmm?” She blinked at the figure, a familiar classmate focusing as she rubbed the bleariness from her eyes, “Nino? What’re you doing here? Thought you were working on your,” an exhausted yawn escaped her, fighting sleep at that point, “on your submission for the music festival?”
He chuckles, nodding as he placed two take away cups on the table, the sweet aroma of “Le Petite Minou” coffee wafted through the air, “I was, dudette, but I finished early. Al’s said you were looking grumpy but, between you and me? I think you just look tired. Figured some coffee from Minou was in order.”
She could’ve cried, her expression softening as she smiled over to her long time friend. They may have lost some connection they ha when they were eight, but they were still close. “Nino…thank you, I could really use some. I had a long night.” She accepted the cup he nudged to her, sweetness tickling at her nose, before she took a long needed sip of the sweet brew.
“No probs, bro. You know your bro Nino gots you covered.” He grinned with a wink, relieved when a tired giggle escaped her. She was already unfurling from a grumpy Marinette to a relaxed Marinette. “And…I remembered what you talked about, ya know, about Lila?” He couldn’t look at her, not after them being so harsh on the subject then constantly trying to get her to listen to ‘reason’ or hang out with Lila. “Well I…I talked with Adrien about it, at first he wasn’t fully admitting it, but then he told me the truth.”
Marinette watched him lower his cap, hiding his eyes, her heart hurting for him. It wasn’t easy learning the truth, Lila’s lies were sweet for a reason.
“I’m sorry, Marinette. We didn’t believe you, you even told us Adrien saw! But we…we dismissed it real quick, friends don’t do that.” He frowns down to his cup, thinking back to the previous day. “It hurt that Adrien didn’t tell us but with Lila working with his dad, I figured his dad had some kind of rule about it.” He shrugs, curling into himself as he finally dared to look up to her, “I’m gunna talk to Al’s about it this weekend, while Lila’s ‘away’. And I just…Marinette, I’m so sorry, dude.”
“Nino…,” she pushed up from where she was sitting and moved to be around the otherside, quickly giving the other a hug, “I forgive you. Don’t beat yourself up over it, okay? It hurt, I’m not going to lie about that…but you admitted your mistakes, you’re trying to fix them. We’re still bros for life.” She chuckles, pulling back to wipe away one stray tear. “We should stop being so heavy, lunch is almost over and we need to enjoy these coffees.”
He laughs, bringing her back into another hug, before parting. “Sounds like a plan.”
~
Her sleepiness was still lingering, but the token of the sweet coffee kept her level enough to not glare or snap at anyone, it did not, however, stop her from glaring at Adrien as he began to talk badly about Chat, again, and raving over Ladybug, again. They had this argument nearly every week now, since the school year was nearly ending and summer was at hand, Bustier was even laxer with her lessons than normal.
“Come on, Ladybug is amazing! She’s kicking butt all the time and still has time to check on her citizens? Not to mention she was able to find holders that could successfully wield the miraculous, Chat doesn’t do that!”
Oh, he was looking at her now. Waiting for her to rise up and defend her chaton no doubt, but she wasn’t feeling very charitable to Chat at the moment.
“Okay.”
That got people to pause, hearing her reply without any fire that day.
“I-I, but,” Adrien flounders, puffing up his chest a bit, “I thought your favorite was Chat Noir? Or have you seen the light and switched to Ladybug?”
Marinette thought about a certain friend’s kindness that day, softening a bit, “Carapace is my new favorite.”
Adrien didn’t know why he felt a strong surge of emotions, his non-existent tail snapping in irritation, “Why is he your favorite? Chat’s always been your favorite!”
She couldn’t help the smirk on her lips, sipping at her coffee lazily, “Carapace is baby. Chat is bastard.”
She never missed the way Nino folded over and laughed into his hand.