Chapter Text
Okay, here's the next chapter. Time for a few more parts of the plot to kick off. You'll see what I mean.
And seriously, is ANYONE paying attention to this story? More hits, more comments, more kudos, please!
Song(s) Included, With/Without Modifications:
I Think I Love You - The Partridge Family
The next day had come. Marinette had taken to wearing the comb again, including making the effort to switch up her hairstyle.
In her room, she was adjusting the comb in her hair while humming. She'd decided to put her hair in a bun and put the comb in front, the same way Adrien put it in the first time. Only this time around, she added braids to the bun, similar to Anna during Elsa's coronation ceremony/party in the first Frozen movie.
She couldn't keep a smile off her face at the thought of the handsome model, who'd become such a close friend.
'He's been so kind and generous to me.' Marinette thought.
"You really like that hair comb, don't you?" Alya asked with a giggle and smile.
"I... love it, actually," Marinette murmured, her cheeks red, and a smile on her face. "I think it's the first time someone besides my parents or Zoé made me a present."
"Really?" Alya asked, this time with surprise. "Come on, you're an amazing girl. I'll bet you'd make an incredible superhero!"
Marinette snorted in laughter before saying, "Me, a superhero? That's crazy. I'm a total klutz, I'd never be able to pull that off."
"I think you're wrong," Alya spoke. "And besides, I'm sure you had guys dropping at your feet back at François-"
But she caught herself before finishing that sentence when she saw Marinette's face get sad.
"Um, what I mean is that it takes a special kind of girl to have Adrien Agreste treating her like a princess." Alya corrected herself.
"I see," Marinette said, a deadpan tone of voice. "Though I doubt Adrien's had to deal with what I've been through."
"What do you mean?" Alya asked, quirking a brow.
"Well, you girls said it yourselves when I first arrived: Adrien is a former male model, and having admirers comes with the territory. And he's dealt with fans that take things too far, hasn't he?" Marinette questioned.
"That's true," Alya admitted, crossing her arms. "But what do you - Oh, now I get it, you think he's never had to deal with a broken heart."
Marinette nodded.
"Well, you'd be wrong," Alya spoke. "Believe it or not, once upon a time, he himself was in a bit of a love triangle."
"Really?" Marinette asked.
"Yep," Alya giggled. "He was thinking about asking Kagami out, the two of them being fencing teammates and rivals, but then he realized Kagami and Félix were in love."
"That would've never occurred to me," Marinette said, surprised. "How did Adrien take the news?"
"He seemed upset for the first day or two, but then he got over it pretty fast," Alya said with a shrug. "Though it wasn't a shock that he backed off - he's selfless to a near deficit."
Marinette gave an agreeing nod, saying, "Sounds like something Adrien would do. He's just that kind of guy."
"Yep," Alya said, before growing the cunning smile that Marinette had come to know. "Besides, now he has you."
Marinette blushed again as she readjusted the comb, saying, "Alya, you're exaggerating."
"No, I'm not. The only thing keeping him from making his dreams come true is the fact that you're still in the healing process." Alya spoke.
Marinette gave a smile and shrug before saying, "Who knows?"
'I think his real dream-come-true would be never turning into a cat again,' Marinette thought, thinking about Adrien's plight. 'Too bad there's no antidote...'
"Girl, I don't what happened to you, but Adrien's clearly getting under your skin in all the right ways." Alya said, breaking Marinette out of her thoughts.
"Oh, um..." Marinette stuttered, blushing. "Y-You think so?"
Alya she stood up and approached Marinette, putting a hand on her shoulder. She said, "I know so. Don't let this chance of having him in your life pass you by."
Marinette gave an agreeing hum and sigh, thinking about the handsome ex-model.
Once they were finished dressing for the day, they left their dorm room. Almost right in plain view was Adrien. Alya saw that Adrien was shuffling his feet, pacing around, mumbling to himself.
Marinette flinched as her best friend began pushing her towards the blonde. Marinette didn't resist, only keeping a smile on her face.
"A-Adrien?" Marinette asked in greeting.
He turned to face her. Marinette's heart pounded when she was within three feet of him. Alya stepped away, muttering to herself, "Three's a crowd."
Marinette squeezed her eyes in discomfort as she looked at Adrien again. She said, "G-Good morning."
To her relief, he blessed her with a smile and responded, "Good morning. You look amazing today."
Marinette blushed hard and stifled a giggle, saying, "Thank you."
"I didn't think you'd be wearing the hair comb so often," Adrien chuckled. "You like it that much?"
"Of course I do," Marinette said as her blush got darker. "You made it for me, and that means a lot."
She fingered the comb again, feeling the effort and thought that Adrien put into it. She looked back at him, only to see how he was looking at her.
Adrien was giving her the same blushing, awestruck expression he'd given her when he put the comb in her hair the first time, only this time it was paired with a smile.
She felt her heart pound, but she tilted her head and questioned, "Something wrong?"
Adrien's smile faltered for a bit, before saying, "Oh, um... Nothing, nothing at all."
'Actually...' Adrien thought.
~The night before~
After Adrien had woken them up (at around 1AM or so), the boys had gotten out of bed, turned on one of their lamps, and were sitting in a circle on the floor.
"Dude, we called it. We so called it!" Nino laughed, albeit with a palpable undercurrent of frustration between the trio.
"Keep it down, Nino," Félix hushed, shaking his head before looking at his doppelgänger cousin. "But he's right - you're in love with Marinette, and this whole "fake feelings" schtick is anything but."
Adrien gave a resigned/defeated groan, grumbling, "Tell me about it."
"How long have you felt this way about her?" Nino asked as he came down from his laughter high.
"I'm not sure," Adrien admitted before sighing. "I'm screwed."
"No kidding," Félix chuckled. "I don't think I've ever seen you this bent out of shape over a girl."
Adrien gave a confirming nod, saying, "I know."
He sighed as he flopped his hands over his crossed legs, and music began playing.
"Was sleeping, and right in the middle of an odd dream, like all at once I wake up, from something that kept knocking at my brain." Adrien sang, keeping his voice down so he wouldn't wake up anyone.
Nino gave his best friend a questioning look, as did Félix.
"Before I went insane, I held my pillow to my head, and sprung up in the bed, screaming out the words I'd dread," Adrien sang, doing just that - grabbing his pillow from his side, slamming his face into it. "I think I love her! (I think I love her)!"
He sighed and pulled the pillow away, a defeated expression on his face.
"This morning, I wake up with this feeling, that I'm not sure how to deal with," He sang as he stood and went back to his bed. "So, I'm deciding to myself, I'll keep it to myself, and I won't talk about it."
Again, confused expressions from his roommates/friends.
"Lest I go and shout it when she walks into the room," He sang, lying on his side, his cheek against his pillow. "I think I love her (I think I love her)!"
He tossed so his face was looking at the ceiling, and he sang out, "I think I love her, so what am I so afraid of? I'm afraid that I'm not sure of, a love there is no cure for."
The image of stunning blue eyes and a timid, yet sweet smile appeared in his mind's eye and he couldn't stop himself from smiling.
"I think I love her, isn't that what life is made of?" He asked in song, being rhetorical. He sat up, his smile becoming a worried frown. "Though it worries me to say that I've never felt this way."
"I don't know what I'm up against. I don't know what it's all about. I've got so much to think about." He sang, once again to the confusion of Nino and Félix.
He could hear them openly questioning what Adrien was so worried about, with Nino pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance and Félix shaking his head.
He sighed, thinking, 'I'm probably not making sense to them, but I can't run the risk of scaring her off.'
"I think I love her, so what am I so afraid of? I'm afraid that I'm not sure of, a love there is no cure for," Adrien sang. "I think I love her, isn't that what life is made of? Though it worries me to say that I've never felt this way."
The boys got up and went over to Adrien, meanwhile he reached over to one of the neck wraps she'd made for him and held it in his hand. In his earlier dream, Marinette was tucked into his arms, as if he were her shield and guardian. He was looking down at her and he saw that she was giving him a smile that told him she trusted him.
His heart throbbed.
"Believe me, she really won't have to worry. I only want to make her happy. But if she says, "Hey, go away," I will," Adrien sang, as if talking to his friends but at the same time not. "But think better still, I'd better stay around and love her."
He looked up at Nino and asked, singing, "Do you think I have a case? I should ask her to her face. Do you think she loves me?"
Adrien kept repeating moments of him and Marinette together in his mind, and sang a total of nine more times, "I think I love her!"
Once his song spiel was over, Adrien turned over and laid on his stomach on the bed.
"Are you sure you're not overthinking this, buddy?" Nino asked.
"Maybe I am, but... There's no way she'll have me." Adrien stated.
Frustrated and angry, Nino all but shouted, "OMFL, how can you, a former teen model, be so insecure, dude?! There's no way she doesn't feel the same!"
"I concur," Félix agreed, his voice a lot quieter compared to Nino. "You've got nothing to worry about. She'll have you if you ask."
"You think so?" Adrien asked. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked to see it was Nino's.
"We know so," Nino said before giving his best friend an annoyed/amused expression. "Now, let's get back to sleep. You can get your girl tomorrow when we're all recharged."
"Great idea," Félix said, yawning. "Just promise me you'll do something about this tomorrow."
Adrien gave an agreeing nod. Nino turned out the lamp light and all the boys went back to their respective beds. Adrien laid on his back and looked up to the ceiling.
'I can only hope they're right...' Adrien thought before his fatigue caught up him.
~And here we are now~
Marinette, doubtful, asked, "Are you sure you're okay? You seem tired."
"I, um... Had a rough sleep." Adrien admitted.
Marinette gave a smile and responded, "A lot on your mind?"
"I guess you could say that..." Adrien spoke.
Marinette had a lightbulb moment, and she said, "Hey, maybe I could get you some tea, like you did for me that one time?"
"I-" Adrien started, his face tinting red.
"Um, maybe an iced tea, then." Marinette suggested.
"N-No, that's not necessary, I just..." Adrien stammered, trying to find the words. "I... I really need to tell you something."
Marinette felt her heart stop. She swallowed a lump in her throat before asking, "Y-You do?"
"Yes. Marinette, I..." Adrien started.
Though Marinette's heart was going a mile a minute, she tried to take some calming breaths to slow her heart down and keep her mind open.
'Chill out, Marinette,' She thought to herself. 'It's probably nothing major. C-Could he have found a cure for the cat transformation? No, that's not likely.'
She felt her hands get taken, and she looked at them to see that Adrien had begun holding them. Marinette's heart pounded again as she looked up at him. His expression was serious, and yet she could tell he was nervous. His cheeks were redder than roses.
"Marinette," Adrien began, taking a deep breath. "I wanted to ask if..."
"Yes?" Marinette asked, urging him to hurry up.
'What is it, Adrien?! Is it what I think it is?' Marinette thought.
"If you'd like me to help you put on a small fashion show for some of your pieces?" Adrien asked, but it sounded like he'd switched his words out at the last second.
Cue a thundercloud over Marinette's head as she felt her heart go dead in its tracks. Her eyes clouded over, downcast.
"No, thanks." Marinette spoke, her voice hollow and cross. She took her hands away and turned around.
"Pardon?" Adrien questioned, surprised. "You don't want me to help you put on a fashion show?"
"Right," Marinette said, keeping her back to him. "I don't do fashion shows."
Marinette's skin began to crawl, and she grit her teeth, thinking, 'Of course he's still doing the "fake romance" thing. I should've known...'
"I don't get it. You're a fashion designer, but you're not gonna put on a fashion show? Your pieces are incredible," Adrien stated, confused. "They deserve to be seen!"
"Adrien," Marinette said in a firm tone, all but ordering him to stop. "A small fashion shoot and putting my pieces online, that I can work with. But let me make this clear to you: no. Live. Fashion. Shows!"
Adrien looked at her in surprise as she turned to face him.
"I know you only mean well. You see what I can do and want me to show it off, which I appreciate, but... I can't do it." Marinette explained, shutting her eyes and lowering her face.
'I hope he drops the subject...' Marinette thought, feeling the pressure coming on.
"...Okay." Adrien said.
She looked up and saw his tender, understanding smile.
"I don't really understand why, but if this is something that makes you feel uncomfortable, then I won't press any further," Adrien promised as he put his hand on her shoulder. "I promise."
Marinette breathed a sigh of relief. She came closer to him, and put a hand over his, before saying, "Thank you."
To her surprise, Adrien reached his arm around to hold her by the waist. But his touch was oh-so-tender, and she felt a rush of comfort from it. So, despite herself, she leaned her face into his chest, letting him hug her.
'This feels so good...' Marinette thought, a smile coming upon her face.
They stood there for a few minutes, no words between them.
Before anyone knew it, the day of their outing to the movies had arrived. They'd taken a vote, deciding on the newest superhero flick - the origins of Majesetia, one of the United Heroez from New York. The group was riding the school monorail to get to the movie theater that was closest to campus, which had a market for small businesses close by. And for once, Marinette wasn't wearing the comb.
"I hear this is supposed to be as close to the truth as possible!" Alya spoke as the group began walking into the theater. "Plenty of confession camera scenes where Majestia herself talks about her life before... well, before Majestia!"
"I love these kinds of movies," Nino said. "I'm sure it'll be a blast! They've been advertising it up the wazoo!"
"This sounds like it's going to be a good one!" Kim spoke up.
"I have a prediction that we will be at least 70% satisfied with this film," Max stated. "The probably goes up with the addition of traditional snacks, such as popcorn."
"Heavy on the butter and salt for me!" Adrien declared as he raised his hand in agreement.
Marinette, watching him, put her hand to her mouth and giggled at his childlike behavior. But Adrien took this same hand and pulled it closer. Marinette looked up at him in surprise, only to see he was gazing at her with the same understanding smile as he'd given her before. Again, her heart fluttered.
"Let's go!" Adrien called as he ran ahead, pulling Marinette along.
Once they got their snacks, drinks, and had their e-tickets scanned, they made it to their seats in the house. Adrien pulled Marinette into the center seats in one of the rows in the upper back.
He flicked out a wet wipe (apparently he'd snuck in a few from his room) and wiped Marinette's seat. He sat her down before sitting next to her.
"You're certainly being a chivalrous one today, aren't you?" Marinette teased.
Adrien chuckled back, saying, "Well, I've been really looking forward to this and I... Want to make sure you have a good time."
Marinette gave him a smile filled with gratitude as she said, "Merci beaucoup."
Almost on cue, the movie theater went dark and the first of the trailers and advertisements started.
During the film, there were many moments where Marinette was on the edge of her seat, watching. From all the action scenes to moments of romance, Marinette was enthralled with the film. Unbeknownst to her, Adrien had stopped watching almost halfway through, and started watching Marinette's expressions and body language throughout the remainder of it.
Once it was over...
"That movie was great!" Marinette said as they walked out of the theater.
"It sure was!" Alya agreed. "I never thought I'd see a Majestia movie that was so well-written!"
"Absolutely." Nino agreed.
"I'm just glad there weren't too many parts that were so scary." Myléne spoke, holding Ivan's hand.
"I found Majestia's self-restraint a bit annoying at first, but then the backstory made it more understandable." Kagami spoke.
"Being restricted by others is hard enough to deal with." Félix agreed as he put his arm on Kagami's waist. They gave each other smiles.
Marinette gave several of the couples in the group wistful smiles, feeling a pang of envy. But she felt someone interlock their fingers with hers. Recognizing that same sensation, she turned to see that, like she expected, Adrien had taken her hand and stepped closer to her. He gave it a squeeze, sending a jolt through her body. She blushed, returning the gesture with a smile.
Realizing she was looking at him for too long, she shook her head and looked away. She looked at her phone to check the time.
"Hey, since we don't have anything else to do, why not we take a look around the market? We could all go do our own thing, then meet up near the monorail later?" Marinette suggested, taking her hand away from Adrien's.
"Great idea! I see a spice stand nearby - maybe I can get some spices for my mom to use!" Alya agreed.
"Then let's do it!" Marinette said before turning on her heel and making a jog for one of the stalls.
"Hey, wait up!" Adrien said as he tried to get Marinette to stop, but no luck.
He felt someone shove him from behind, causing him to stumble forward. He turned and saw Nino was the one who'd shoved him.
"Sometime's the guy's got to put in a little extra effort to get the girl," Nino spoke as he put his arm around Alya's shoulder and pulled her in. "We can't all be magnets for the opposite sex, now can we?"
The DJ gave his blonde bro a wink. Adrien chuckled and followed after Marinette.
The aspiring designer stopped her jogging and went into a slow walk. The rest of the market seemed to fall away as she stewed in her thoughts.
'I don't understand why I'm letting myself feel this way about Adrien,' Marinette thought. 'I know it's all an act, but wishing it was real... What is wrong with me?'
She heaved a sad sigh as she kept going, not knowing that Adrien was a good distance behind her, and he'd noticed her change in demeanor.
'Something's bothering her,' Adrien thought. 'But what? Is she thinking about-'
"Ah, young man." A familiar voice spoke, breaking Adrien out of his thoughts.
Adrien turned to see what could've been described as a blast from the past. There, from his childhood, was the tarot card stand from when his parents were still alive.
There stood the fortune teller, wearing an outfit all but identical to what she wore when Adrien visited her all that time ago. She was holding the exact same card deck in hand as back then. The only real visible difference was that she'd aged subtly.
"Y-YOU!" Adrien spluttered, pointing at her in surprise/fear. "I remember you!"
She gave him a calm, patient smile, and nodded, saying, "And I remember you, Adrien Agreste. It has been some time since you came to me."
Adrien gave her a quizzical look and asked, "How did you know it was me? I mean, my face was plastered all over Paris, but..."
"That was part of it," She spoke. "But I could never forget that day. Your reading was unexpected, to say the least."
Adrien gave her a disbelieving, sarcastic look, saying, "Tell me about it. Your fortune was right on the money."
"Oh?" She asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"Yeah. I lost sleep over it for weeks. I'm just glad my parents comforted me..." Adrien spoke, sounding sad. "Everything happened just as you said it would..."
"Not quite - your parents didn't let me finish the reading." She explained, causing Adrien to gape at her in shock.
Wait. What?! There was more?!
"You were so scared and crying - which isn't unexpected for a five-year-old - that your parents took you away before I was done." She elaborated.
Adrien was silenced at this, as if he'd seen a huge plot twist in a book or movie.
"If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to tell you what you missed." She said, holding up the deck.
Adrien looked to see Marinette was still shopping, distracted by the various stalls and their wares.
He turned back to the fortune-teller and gave her a nod. She gestured to her booth with her head before going inside. Adrien followed suit before shutting the curtain.
Adrien looked around the booth - the interior was exactly like he'd remembered - the decorations, the crystal ball, everything. The only thing that truly changed was his age, how he was looking at it with a different set of eyes. How this time, he was ready for whatever he was going to hear.
He sat down in the chair, and took a deep breath.
"Alright, so..." Adrien began.
"So, I can sense that you've already gone through the disaster and now the cycle of transformation is happening," She said as she held up the Death card in her hand and then fanned another card to show the Wheel of Fortune card. "From what I can tell, it's caused you quite a bit of trouble."
Adrien gave a nod as the fortune-teller put the cards down.
"Now, let me show you what was supposed to be the rest of the prediction," The tarot reader said as she fanned out five more cards on the table. She flipped the first one from Adrien's left to show The Fool. "As a consequence of the disaster, you've been freed from the burdens of your family's expectations, and there's potential for you to finally live your life the way you want to."
When she said that, Adrien paused. Now that he thought about it, since his father died in the accident, he had full autonomy over himself, his behavior, and his boundaries. He could do what he wanted without being scolded or punished, and he didn't have to obey anyone.
"Th... That's true," Adrien confirmed before looking back up at the fortune teller. "What else? Anything I can do about the constant switching back and forth? It's been happening more frequently."
"That's the next part," She said as she flipped over the next card - the Empress. "The key to breaking this cycle for good is to connect with a girl that has an abundance of creativity."
The third card - the one in the center - was the Strength card.
"A girl with compassion, resilience, courage, and a good amount of personal power," The fortune-teller said. "That girl will be the one to help you."
"That's great! Where can I find her?" Adrien said, smiling.
The fortune-teller giggled before telling Adrien, "Silly boy. You already have."
"What?" Adrien questioned.
Then it dawned on him. He opened the tent curtain a crack, to see Marinette looking at the wares of a nearby Akola brand stand. He went beet red at her smile and how her eyes lit up at the sight of the pieces.
"You're kidding me! Marinette?!" Adrien said.
His heart started throbbing and he felt his face get warm.
*POOF!*
He groaned in frustration as he hopped up onto the chair, his ears flat against his head.
"You said it yourself: the transformations have been happening more often," The fortune-teller spoke. "You know how they're triggered?"
"When I get too hot." He responded.
"Yes, but it's more than just fevers, hot weather, or workouts. There are other terms for heat," She elaborated. "Like how fired up you get when you want to protect Marinette and make sure she's happy. Meaning passion. More to the point..."
She pulled another card from the deck - The Devil.
"Desire. Deep down, you desire Marinette - you love her." The fortune-teller spoke as she put the card back.
Adrien, still a cat, hung his head and said, "...You're right, I do love her. But she's been hurt before, and it was bad from what I gathered. I don't know any details, though..."
The fortune-teller flipped the fourth card - The Lovers.
"You need to help her heal from that pain, and get her to fall for you, fully accepting you as you are, flaws and all," She said as she pointed between The Empress and The Lovers cards. "Once that's done..."
She flipped the last card - Death again.
"Your transformations will stop and your suffering will end. Then and only then will you be free from the black cat." She said.
Hearing this, Adrien got happy chills down his spine.
*POOF!*
The fortune-teller only closed her eyes and covered them with her hands as Adrien put his clothes back on.
"So, I just gotta tell her I love her?" He said, summarizing. "Okay, I'll fill her in on what we discussed and-"
"If you do that, you'll jinx yourself," She said, her tone firm. "Nothing that we talked about here is to be disclosed to anyone."
"W-What?! Why?" Adrien asked, panicked.
"You know the story Beauty and the Beast, don't you? How the Beast didn't tell Beauty about the spell and how to break it so she would fall in love with him for real?" She responded.
"Got it... It wouldn't be true love if there was the pretense of wanting to help me stop the transformations." Adrien said, his face changing to understanding.
"Bingo," She said, giving Adrien a finger gun. "For now, just go about your business and continue as you have been. Eventually, Marinette will return your feelings for her. Just remember not to force the matter."
Adrien went to the exit, turned to the fortune-teller and said, "Merci beaucoup."
She nodded in response as Adrien left the tent.
Marinette, meanwhile, was still perusing the stalls, trying to distract herself from her thoughts.
"Hey, girl!" Alya said as she ran up to Marinette, a small shopping bag from the spice stand in hand.
"Hey, Alya," Marinette responded as she put down a pair of earrings she was looking at. "Find something you like?"
"Sure did! I got black pepper, ginger, bay leaves, thyme, and some fennel. I passed on the saffron, since it's so expensive." Alya said, holding up the bag.
"That's great!" Marinette laughed. "I was looking at all these jewelry pieces, trying to find inspiration for classes."
"Anything catch your eye?" Alya questioned.
"Quite a bit. Too bad they're all out of my budget," Marinette said as she gave the pieces another visual once-over. "It's a real shame. These pieces are amazing. Sustainable, too."
"Yeah, they are amazing," Alya said, looking over the stall. "But so are your pieces. Why not have a little fashion booth here? Or better yet, let's put on a fashion-"
"I wonder if there are any other fashion stands here?" Marinette interrupted loudly, her tone of voice warning Alya not to finish the sentence.
Marinette stood and watched the others in the group, seeing that they were occupied with other businesses. There was a stuffed animal/crochet booth that Rose had absolutely fallen in love with; Ivan and Myléne were at a stall for Bureo, a brand that turned ocean plastic into skateboards; Marc and Nathaniel were at a comic stand that featured LGBTQIA+ comics and novels; Nino was at a vintage record stand.
"Hey, has anyone seen Adrien?" Marinette said as she looked around.
"Why?" Alya asked with a tease. "Missing your man?"
Marinette went red-faced as she said, "He is NOT my man!"
"Not officially, anyway," Alya teased. "But you're right, I haven't seen him in a bit."
"Maybe he's checking out some of the other stands?" Marinette suggested. "Let's leave him to it."
"Marinette!" Adrien called.
Marinette turned around and saw the blonde boy jogging up to them.
"Oh. Hi, Adrien," Marinette greeted. "Having fun here?"
"Y-Yeah, I am," Adrien confirmed. "I actually found something quite interesting..."
"Oh, really?!" Alya asked, smiling. "What was it?"
The girls noticed him flinch, and he coughed into his fist before saying, "N-Nothing that would be important or interesting to either of you."
Marinette quirked a suspicious brow, as did Alya. Adrien was fidgeting with his hands, his face was red, and his eyes were darting between his surroundings and Marinette.
"S-So, have you found anything interesting?" Adrien asked, turning the conversation around.
"Aside from this jewelry stand, not much." Marinette sighed, turning her eyes away from Adrien.
"I see," Adrien stammered before offering his arm to Marinette. "S-So, wanna go around the market together?"
Like Nino had done to Adrien earlier, Alya pushed Marinette towards Adrien. She yelped, stumbled while flailing her arms, but she righted herself just in time to grab Adrien's arm for support.
Her heart started going berserk as her face turned from pink to red. Robotically, she stood upright before taking some deep breathing.
"Shall we?" Adrien asked, trying to be suave.
"Y-Yes, we shall," Marinette responded, having regained her composure. "Let's go."
As they walked along, there was an awkward silence between the two of them. They kept giving each other furtive glances, and if their eyes met, they'd look away, embarrassed and red-faced.
Marinette's thoughts were racing around in her head, wondering what to say or do.
But someone ended up bumping into them because they weren't watching where they were going. Adrien grabbed on to Marinette so she wouldn't fall over. But the person they ran into was carrying a beverage, and some of it spilled on Adrien's shirt.
"Oh no!" Adrien said as he looked at the stain on his shirt.
"Oh, dear..." Marinette spoke before looking around. "Crap, No water fountain. We can't rinse it out like this."
Marinette saw something catch her eye. She looked up and saw that there was a convenience store across the street.
"Look! We can get napkins and maybe some water to help you wash that off!" Marinette said, pointing out the store.
"Great idea! Let's go!" Adrien said as he took her hand and began walking to the crosswalk to get to there.
As they approached the door to the convenience store, Marinette felt something pang in her stomach.
Once the automatic doors opened, and Marinette stepped inside, she froze dead in her tracks...
And bang! Cliffhanger! Hope this chapter was worth the wait. Now, keep the comments, kudos, and favorites coming. Things are gonna get rolling in the next chapter!
