Check Mate

Chapter 16

Oh god it happened again.

It happened again.

This is the second time why does this keep happening?!

Marinette's heart was pounding away in her chest. It felt like a hummingbird trying to take flight. It felt loud. It sounded loud, if the blood roaring in her ears was any indication.

Yet none of it was loud enough to disturb the boy who had been sleeping next to her for the past 10 minutes, his head resting atop her own caused little strands of pale blonde hair to obscure fragments of her vision.

She knew the others could see them. She was painfully aware of this. They were all staring at them. They'd been staring since they registered what they were seeing. Chloe looked disgustedly amused, Allan looked smug, and Allegra and Claude?

They were cooing and taking pictures.

Taking pictures!

"You must be pretty comfortable Nettie. This is what, the third time? The fourth?" Allan teased, snagging some popcorn as the movie they were watching droned on.

She glared at him gritting her teeth as she hissed at him, doing her best to keep the volume down so Felix could get his rest, "You know damn well this is the second time, and it's not his fault! He's clearly exhausted!"

"So he decided to use you as a pillow? That's ridiculous Dupain-Cheng. Utterly ridiculous." Chloe snipped from her other side, examining her nails but keeping the volume down.

Another picture was taken and she glared at Claude and Allegra, "Will you two stop taking pictures? He's sleeping!"

As if to prove that statement, (whether he subconsciously knew it or not) Felix shifted a bit in his sleep, burying his face in her shoulder and his arm curled around her waist with a small contented sigh.

And of course Allegra took more pictures.

Dammit Felix wake up!

Her face was boiling. She could feel it. Her face was probably more red that her Ladybug suit, and hotter than the surface of the sun.

"I don't think I've ever seen you blush that hard Nettie." Chloe mused, taking in her scorching face. She shot her the dirtiest glare she could manage, knowing damn well Chloe had seen her blush several shades of red before.

"I think she could heat up a tea kettle right about now." Allan remarked, bobbing his head in agreement with Chloe.

Claude gave her a shit eating grin, waving his phone at her, "With the steam that's coming out of her ears, I think she is the tea kettle."

Allegra looked like she was smothering a stream of giggles and she glared at all of her traitorous friends, her voice coming out flat, "I hate all of you."

"Aww would you look at that. She sounds just like Fe! I think he's rubbing off on her." Allegra teased, and Marinette turned the full force of her glare on her.

"She glares like him too!"

Marinette decided that Claude deserved it when she ripped off her shoe and threw it at him. She only felt a little guilty as it hit him in the face, but in her defense it was well warranted. "Oh piss off, the lot of you!"

For a moment, Felix seemed to hold her tighter, a displeased scoff muffled by her shoulder. Then he went rigid. She felt the tell tale signs of his eyelashes fluttering as he woke up, and registered what was going on.

Marinette couldn't read minds, but she had a pretty good idea of what was going through his head.

It was confirmed, moments later when the softest "Son of a bitch," reached her ears.