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Marinette sits at her desk, head resting on her arms and her eyes soft and tired. Adrien rests on her little lounging sofa as he scrolls through his phone, cuddling up against one of her bigger stuffed animals. It's the weekend and they'd decided to spend it together, determined to not let another akuma come between them.... again.
The day has come and gone and with it, it's taken time she can never get back. Time she feels should have felt well spent, surrounded by the smell of Adrien's cologne and him laughing at his own jokes, but instead it just feels wasted.
She sighs, staring at the photo on her desk.
It's of her and Chat Noir. Chat's arm is around her shoulder, his signature smirk all crooked on his face. Her arm is wound around his lean torso with her other hand wrapped loosely around his tail. Needless to say, the photo was taken before they kissed... Both times.
Kiss "Number One" was after he saved her from being akumatized, when they tried so hard to deny their feelings for each other, and it nearly ended with another akumatized Hero of Paris.
Kiss Number Two happened after an intense akuma battle. Marinette had once again somehow, against - quite literally - all odds, lost her earrings again. It had taken her too long to realize. The akuma struck fast and hard and when she went to call for Tikki, she bypassed every emotion and went straight to dread when Marinette Dupain-Cheng didn't suddenly, miraculously become Ladybug: Hero of Paris.
And once again, against all odds, Chat Noir somehow wound up with her Miraculous. With MisterBug on the scene, Marinette knew everything would be okay. The only thing she didn't account for was her own dumb luck leading the akuma straight for her. It's a little blurry but between one of the most dangerous akumas to date heading straight for a defenseless Marinette, Marinette actually being defenseless this time, and Chat Noir always coming to her rescue, again despite all odds... emotions were running a little high in the moment. She doesn't remember who kissed who, but what she does remember is that neither one of them pulled away.
Lines blurred, and things very quickly got awkward and tense.
The photo, though was something she couldn't bring herself to get rid of. It was a reminder of simpler times. Back when they used to be friends, when conversations didn't start and end with hello.
Him and Marinette.
Marinette and Chat Noir.
The thought itself stirs warm and sweet in her stomach.
The girl sighs again.
"Marinette? Is everything okay?" Adrien's voice behind her startles her back to reality. That warmth turns quickly to bitterness, and shame settles in her stomach like an anchor. His hand, tan and warm on her shoulder, does little to abate the sudden chill. She sits up, whirling around in her chair to face him. His soft, concerned smile just feels like a slap to the face.
"Oh, yeah! Yeah, I'm great!" Marinette spits out, sounding lame even to her own ears, "Why? Are you bored? I'm sorry, here - we can play games or someth-" When Adrien cracks a grin, effectively cutting her off, the black haired girl groans. "Ugh, sorry. I know, I'm rambling again. Bad habit." Her own embarrassed grin seems to cut through the rest of his concern and his expression washes out into a relaxed puddle. Always so enamored with Marinette.
Guilt stabs at her. The anchor sinks further into the sand.
Adrien reaches forward to fiddle with one of her pigtails, slipping a finger under the red band tying it up. And just like that, her thoughts slip away again.
A clawed finger wraps around the red ribbon tying her hair up. "My Lady, may I just say how this fabric will do your hair no justice in the long run?" He teases. Ladybug shoots him a sidelong glare. "Are you saying there's something wrong with how my hair looks?" She bickers with no real heat. It's not even what he had said, but it definitely gets the reaction she wants, and it has her fighting back a grin. Chat looks at her thoroughly appalled, which pulls a laugh out of her anyway as he says, "I would never! Your hair is the glossiest, most gor-"
Marinette blinks out of the memory.
"That's okay, Mari." Adrien assures her. Always so gentle with her. "I was just asking because you've been sitting over here by yourself for a while. If you're tired, I can go, I don't mind." She knows he means it, too. He never minds. Adrien always wants the best for her, even if it means cutting back on their time together so she can rest.
In moments like these, Marinette knows she could be happy with Adrien. Could grow up with him at her side, their styles changing and their personalities developing, but always the same them at their core. Adrien's job as a model so complementary to hers as a fashion designer; him coming home late from photo shoots, her so absorbed in her newest project that she forgets all about dinner. Ordering takeout, sheepish smiles and tired, doting eyes as they ate. Their favorite shows, recorded, because they don't want to watch it without the other there. Him offering to make dinner the next day despite being a total disaster in the kitchen and Marinette feeling so bad but so grateful.
Marinette shakes her head vehemently. Slaps her hands to her cheeks for dramatic effect. The smile she gives him is blinding, and apparently convincing.
"No! Nooo, I'm sorry, Adrien." She giggles, heart honestly and truly warmed by her boyfriends concern. His gentle prodding. "It's really nothing. I was just... thinking." Her hand slips into his, subtly tugging it away from her hair. His eyes follow the movement with a curious look, but he still squeezes her hand back. He smiles brighter after a moment and a pink hue tints his face.
Adrien looks up again, reply ready at the tip of his tongue, when those moss green eyes seem to catch on something behind Marinette. Of course, the photo on her desk.
He cocks his head, furrowing his brows.
"I didn't know you and Chat Noir still hung out." There's a brief hesitance in his voice that is smoothed away by yet another curious smile. Marinette guiltily follows his gaze and pinkens, blurting out, "Oh, no! Uh! It's not- we really don't- er, I mean. Ugh, this isn't helping." She grumbles. She snatches the photo up and inspects it, eyes helplessly growing softer. It's so against her own will that she doesn't try to fight it. "We don't hang out anymore, I mean. Honestly." Her eyes flicker up and she hopes she's conveying the right emotions when she says it. "I haven't actually talked to him in months."
Her words trickles out like a dying fire and something tugs in Adrien's chest seeing such a downtrodden look in his girlfriends eyes. Hearing her sound so defeated. Finding himself unable to look her in the eye, he rubs at his neck in a nervous motion and focuses back on the photo. "Do you miss him?" He pauses. "Being his friend, I mean." He hopes the look on his face isn't too strange, hopes the question isn't too much. He hopes it doesn't strike Marinette as jealous or nosey. But he wants to know. Needs to.
Marinette herself really can't decipher the odd pinch to Adrien's expression. Though he's obviously tiptoeing around his words. She notes the tense way he's standing and his hand clasped to his neck like it's glued there. He's choosing his words carefully. But, honestly, that's something he does quite often, so... Really, she thinks nothing of it. She pushes away any suspicions.
It's not like he knows she kissed Chat Noir.
"Yes. I do." Is her answer. Quick and easy. Like it took her no thought at all. Adrien supposes it's not that big a shock and tilts his head consideringly, listening patiently. "Sometimes," the baker girl starts. "I wait for him on my balcony, for him to come visit me. He hasn't. He won't." Despite her tone that leaves no room for doubt, Adrien can hear the hurt in it, too. Hears the sound of a girl who wants one thing but says another.
He smiles a little. Then frowns. Then his lips tug into an almost sort of grimace. He pushes his hands into his pockets as a nervous deflection, palms sweaty. Tosses his girlfriends reply around in his head and tries to make sense of it.
She... waits for him?
He's flattered. Right?
But then again, she isn't really waiting for him - she's waiting for Chat Noir.
He's not so flattered.
Marinette... misses him? Chat Noir, him? But he's right here. Shouldn't that be enough? Just him, plain and simple? He's her boyfriend, not Chat Noir.
Is she still in love with Chat Noir? Does he have any right to be upset over that, if it's still technically him, too, that she's in love with?
"Adrien? Are you.. Um, did I say something?" Marinette whispers, sounding so ashamed it makes his head snap up. She looks frightfully anxious and small. As if she's willing herself to become Multimouse, and he can't think about that too much or he'll want to kiss her. The thought is a little funny to him - and he wishes he could make at least a pun about Multimouse - but that's not something he does much as Adrien, and it's not something he knows as Adrien, either.
He bites his lip.
"No, sorry, Marinette. I guess it's still just really awesome to me how you were friends with a superhero!" Adrien grins with every bit of model in him. "Not everyone can say that."
Marinette's smile tapers out. He fights back the urge to overthink that, too.
"Friends... Right."
It kind of hurts him how hurt she sounds saying it.