Whoops-A-Daisy 🌼 (A Miraculous Ladybug Fanfiction)

13- The Night Train

"It was nice meeting you, Colin," Alya says to Adrien as they exit Chloe's party. "We should definitely hang out again. Hey! Maybe we can do a double date!" She looks at her best friend. "What do you say, Mari? Me and Nino and you and Colin?"

Marinette glares at her best friend, wanting to slap her more than anything. "I'll get back to you on that. Bye, Alya."

"It was nice meeting you, too, Alya." Adrien waves as he walks off with Marinette. "It's weird pretending I don't know her and everyone. I'm surprised no one recognized me."

"I know, that has to be some magic hair dye or something," Marinette jokes, hoping if she keeps talking Adrien won't mention anything about what Nino said earlier. "Crap! It's almost midnight. I didn't realize we stayed so long."

"Do you have a curfew?"

She shakes her head. "No, not on weekends or holidays. I'll just send my mom a text and let her know I'm coming home now."

With Marinette distracted on her phone, Adrien gets lost in his thoughts trying to find a way to bring up with Nino said- about her having a crush on him- but he can't find the words. He's nervous and doesn't know why. Why did he care if Marinette had a crush on him, or if her feelings have changed or not? Still, he's dying to know.

"There. Now my mom won't freak out if she wakes up and I'm not home." She puts away her phone and looks over. "Do you think your dad misses you?"

"No," Adrien answers honestly. "I think he misses having someone to control."

"Do you miss him?" Marinette asks, and Adrien feels his heart stop.

Not once in the last three months had he thought of his father, unless brought up by Marinette, and he's willing to accept the harsh truth: he didn't miss his father.

"I don't," Adrien mumbles before grabbing her hand and leading her down under the city. "If we take the train, we'll get home faster."

Hearing Adrien call Marinette's place 'home' makes her smile. They enter the empty cabin and sit side by side on the seat against the window. The doors shut and the train moves. Silence grows in the room and Marinette begins to panic, afraid the embarrassing topic of earlier will come up, and as she goes to speak, Adrien does first.

"Was it true what Nino said earlier?"

Do the windows open? Marinette thinks to herself. So I can throw myself out of one.

"Mari?"

"Umm..." Marinette takes in a deep breath. She didn't want to lie, but if she confirmed his suspicions, it would change everything between them. Then again, part of her is hoping that her telling the truth would at least bump them closer together. "Yes, it's true. I had no idea Nino was going to say those things, and it's embarrassing, really, but he just wouldn't shut up! Alya and I were throwing hints at him to stop because I didn't want you to find out and think I was weird. I've had the biggest crush on you for over a year now, ever since the first day of school, after I thought you put chewing gum on my seat and when you gave me your umbrella, which I still have, by the way. All year I tried to tell you how I felt and nothing I planned ever worked, and then somewhere in the middle of all that confusion, I started having feelings for Cat Noir. I couldn't decide who I liked more! You're both sweet and brave and trustworthy, and then bam! That car almost hits me and you transform and save me and now you're Cat Noir! I mean, you've always been Cat Noir, it's just I didn't know before, you know, and I was confused because I loved Adrien first and now Cat Noir, but you're both. You're you, and..." She glances over at Adrien, who's staring quietly with a big smile, and her eyes widen. "And now I'm rambling, aren't I?"