Chapter Text
His eyes are everywhere. They watch her eat breakfast in the morning, they watch her walk to school, do her homework. How enveloping they are. As she walks to school that morning, Marienette softens at the thought of the billboard’s eyes on her. She looks at Adrien and he looks back at her, his eyes filled with the adoration she knows is already hers. I had a dream of you last night , she silently confesses to the ad. Are you honored? That I dream of you? She would tell him what happened in the dream, but there’s no need. He was there with her. He was only waiting to hear her say it. His tension was like an embrace to her. All the more reason to say nothing for just a little longer.
She waits at the front of the building, eyes fixed on the school dropoff, a space that Adrien will soon occupy. She closes her eyes. Come to me . Maybe he can’t hear it, but with her power, he will answer her call.
AD-142-LF , she thinks to herself, meditating on it, visualizing it. She opens her eyes. And, there it is before her, on the sleek black car. She did it. She knows the license plate missed her.
She waits patiently for him to step out. Every morning she does this, and as time continues, routine only becomes more comforting. To feel the wind pass her face while watching the wind move his hair, bonded by having been touched by the same wind.
“Marienette,” Tiki calls from her handbag, “You should head inside before you’re late! You don’t wanna be sat next to Chloe, don’t you?”
“Haha!” Marienette brings her palm to her temple. “Silly me!” she says brightly. She closes her purse. What a stupid suggestion. Am I too stupid to know that? Tiki? Have I not proved yet, as you watch me my every waking moment, that I can read time? She forgets I can smother her. She begins to walk to class. It would have been a fine walk to class. But now it’s not. It’s a walk to class twinged with her irritation now that Tiki decided to open her dumb mouth. Marienette reminds herself that she’s walking to class, because she’s walking to class, not so Tiki can think she’d listen to her.
In class, Marienette takes a seat beside Alya. “Hey, Marienette! So…” she says with a smirk on her face, “I had that date with Nino last night.”
“Oh my gosh, Alya! Oh my gosh! I totally forgot!!” Why would Alya expect me to remember that?
“So. First we went to the zoo. I usually think the tickets are too expensive, but Nino had a friend who worked there that was able to get me a discount! He already knew where to go he’s been there so often. He was telling me all about his favorite animals, especially bugs! He’s really smart, Marienette. He knows a lot about insects, he just never gets to talk about them, because we never learn about them in school! Then-”
On and on…Marienette smiled and nodded through the longest two minutes ever.
Adrien took a seat on the bench in front of her.
I knew you would , Marienette thought, You want me to see you. To show off your hair.
“...Nino even paid for the meal! I was going to pay anyway, you know, since he already got me that discount, but he insisted he’d get it for me since he was the one who asked me out…”
Chole walks in. Ugh. Just the sight of her ruins Marienette’s day. Too bad Nino’s already going to sit next to Adrien. You’d love to sit next to Adrien, wouldn’t you, Chloe? Can’t you see Adrien sat in front of me to show ME his hair. He doesn’t want you.
Time to tune back in. “Alya, that so romanticcc!”
“I know! I already really liked him, but I didn’t expect him to be such a gentleman. I can’t believe this is happening-”
Marienette watched Chole look for a seat. She looked a little nervous. Chole took a quick glance at Adrien.
“Also!” Alya added, “I found something new for the Ladyblog.”
There it is. Marienette knew it was only a matter of time before Alya began talking about her. She thought herself like an idol to her.
Wait. Chole couldn’t be serious. She was moving towards Nino’s seat! Typical entitled Chole. Marienette watched her like a hawk.
“Hey, Adrien,” Chole said as she sat down. “I didn’t get to see you this morning.”
“Oh, sorry!” Adrien replied. “I assumed you’d be with Sabrina.”
“Well. I’ve been meaning to ask you. We should get away from all these boring people here.” Her eyes moved to Marienette for a second.
What? Is she calling me boring?
“Well,” she continued, “Daddykins is opening his restaurant at the hotel-”
“That’s really interesting Chole,” Marienette said.
“I know,” she said smugly. “Daddy will only hire the best of the best-”
“Every hotel has food, Chole! You’re bothering Adrien just for that? You’re in his best friend’s seat, so you can tell him that a hotel has food.”
“I-” Chloe faltered. “Well, since you’re hanging with me , Adrien, if we go in now, you could be one of the first ones to taste the menu.” She looked at Marienette and stood up. “I was going to sit with Sabrina, anyway.”
Poor Adrien, always being bothered by people who aren’t worthy.
Alya , Nino, and Marienette met at the school front at the end of class, waiting for Adrien. Marienette watched as he descended the steps. His aura was warm and elegant, inviting her in. Marienette thought of taking a deep inhale, of breathing him in, but she decided to wait. Every step he took was sweeter than the last, because with every step, he was closer to her.
“Adrien!!” a voice called as he approached them.
No!
How dare she spoil my moment!
MY chance to be with Adrien!
“Have time to come to the restaurant with me?” Chloe said.
Chole was delusional for thinking Adrien deserved the injustice of being in any room she occupies.
Adrien doesn’t need to bother himself with this. “Right. We needed another reminder about your restaurant.”
“And what would you know about good food, baker girl?”
“And what would you know about joining the conversation when people want to talk to you?” Adrien’s car pulls into the dropoff. “Probably not much, since when do they? What would you know about people hearing your voice and not cringing at the shrill sound of ‘please like me’? Of begging for company since no one would suggest spending time with you themselves. You need to beg Adrien to come to your restaurant, because who else would subject themselves to eating a meal with you just to spare your feelings? We get it. Mommy didn’t love you. I can begin to guess why, unless she loves leeches on her side and mosquitoes in her ear. But at least you can get rid of those.”
“You wish you were me, Marienette Dupain-Cheng!” she snapped, spinning on her heel. As she walked away she tilted her face to the sky. Nose in the air is usual for Chole.
Nino’s phone chimed. As Marienette broke her stare from Chloe she realized Adrien was no longer there. His car must have already came for him. Marienette couldn’t believe she had to spend those few precious moments they could have had together on Chloe. Great. Happy now?
Alya turned to Marienette. “Wow! That was awesome! Too bad she’s too emotionless to she how good of a roast that was and wallow in her own insecurity.”
“Yeah…” replied Marienette, looking longingly at the vacant dropoff. “...wallow in her insecurity…”