Anything For a Friend : A Miraculous Ladybug Fanfic

Chapter 4

Adrien hated the way Marinette seemed to be so...small when he was around. When he spotted her talking to Alya or even to Chloe, her stance was entirely different--she was bold, and she held her own in a conversation. Even when he'd dropped in as Chat Noir she'd been comfortable in her own skin, and daring enough to nearly trick Evillustrator into handing over his akuma. The only conclusion he could arrive at is that she really did not like him, and was too polite to tell him that she was uncomfortable and to leave.

It was so selfish of him to have asked her to do this when she so clearly loathed him. But they'd both committed to this, and he was going to do his best to put her at ease. Given that his only real friends were Nino and Ladybug, he figured that the way to her heart (or at least her friendship) was with bad jokes. Nothing was as uniting as laughing together over a genuinely terrible pun, he was sure.

So when Marinette's eyes widened and she contorted with laughter, so much that she even snorted, there weren't words to cover his delight. Surely, this and some free food would smooth over whatever he'd done to upset her so.

They arrived at a small diner, not too far from the school so that they could return before the hour was through. It was a diner Adrien was fond of for school lunches--as he never lacked for money, and he didn't expect Nathalie to pack him a home lunch, he liked to take Nino here whenever Nino wasn't too caught up with filming his latest thought experiment. The owner knew him by name, and not because of his modeling. It made him feel welcome and warm, glad to not only be Gabriel Agreste's son, but his own person, a patron of small diners and a good tipper.

After all, he was either Gabriel Agreste's son, Ladybug's sidekick, or nobody most of the time. He glanced at Marinette, seated across from him at the small table, and added 'Marinette's boyfriend' to his list.

Marinette was staring around the restaurant with wonder in her eyes, attempting to take everything in. The way her eyes flitted from object to object in the room almost made it look like she was looking for an escape. He wanted to put a hand on hers and assure her that she should relax, but seeing as every time he'd even come close to touching her she'd tensed up like a deer in headlights, he thought better of it.

Their waiter, a kind looking man in his mid thirties, stopped by and filled their glasses with water.

"Can I interest you in our lunch special, kids?" he asked, his eyes crinkling as he smiled. Adrien recognised him--he'd worked in this restaurant as long as Adrien had come, and he always seemed to be ready with a smile. He seemed to have pride in being a waiter.

Before Adrien or Marinette could answer, another voice came from across the restaurant.

"Waiter! Chop chop, not all of us are paid to flip burgers and stand around!"

The waiter's face fell for a moment as he turned, but he plastered on a false smile as he reassured the teenagers that he'd be right back.

"Oh, I hate people that are rude to waiters," Marinette said, her face scrunching up as the waiter walked away.

"I'm with you," Adrien replied, shaking his head.

Marinette smiled at him, then, her cheeks very slightly pinker than usual (or was that his imagination?), before she turned and buried her face in the menu, obstructing his view. He stared at the back of the menu for a while, wishing he could see whatever expression she was making. Marinette had the bluest eyes, he'd noticed, and whenever she looked at him it was as though they were trying to communicate a message. So imploring, but what did she want from him? He would never be able to put his finger on it unless he asked, but how did one ask what one's eyes were after?

It was a foolish train of thought, and he abandoned it, opening his menu as well.

A crash was heard from across the restaurant, accompanied by an older man hurling insults at the kind waiter who had seen to them just moments before. The older man had thrown his glass of water at the server, forcing him to stumble back and crash into a chair, while the customer ranted and raved about how useless he was.