The Jacket

Chapter 4 - The Cat's (and bug's) out of the bag

Marinette stood still and stiff until she saw XY getting out of the door and a little longer, too, in case he came back. Then she let herself crash to her knees and sat on her hunches as Alya's voice called from her phone, "Are you okay, girl?"

She said nothing for some time, her face getting paler and paler, her arms hugging her middle firmly as a few tears popped out of her eyes, which she covered with her hands. She looked small and vulnerable! Adrien felt the urge to wrap her in a hug but didn't get to it before Marinette wiped her eyes dry and stood up, shooting him a shy glance. Her cheeks had become so red that her whole face rivalled the colour of Ladybug's mask.

"I've been such an idiot," she muttered to herself.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, girl; you had just jumped to the only conclusion you could jump to based on the information you had," Alya said from her mobile phone.

Suddenly, Adrien felt all blood draining from his face, and he took a big breath. "D-did you really hear it all, Alya?"

"Yep. I was on the phone with Marinette when she followed you."

"Yes, we didn't expect to see...that." Marinette kept darting her gaze from her hands to his eyes, shooting him glances that made her face flush each time. "I must say that it's been helpful that Alya was on the phone, but well, the cat's literally out of the bag, minou."

He dropped his shoulders and furrowed his brows as a big pout curled down the edges of his mouth. "Shoot. Ladybug will skin me alive." But he couldn't help it; as he said that, he shot a hopeful glance at Marinette, hoping to catch some kind of reaction to what he said.

And a reaction he caught; Marinette was looking at him with the most intense and sweet look he'd ever seen on her face. He felt his cheeks catch fire under her scrutiny.

"I'm sorry, Chaton." Then she noticed that he was looking at her and flushed deep red, lowering her gaze. "Gosh, it sounds so weird to use that nickname with...you." She glanced at him again and cringed at his soft smile, her hands moving in front of her as he continued, "N-not that there's anything wrong with it, it's j-just...weird. That's all." She looked down. "Especially after what André said to you the other night. And what I said." She suddenly gasped and brought her hands to her mouth, almost unable to breathe. "A-and what I did."

Adrien's smile died on his face. "See? I told you that you wouldn't be such a fan anymore if you knew who was hiding behind the mask." He felt his heart breaking at the thought of having been right. That it was too late, that Marinette had moved on.

"Silly," Marinette said, breaking his thread of thought.

"Huh?" He shot his head up.

"I told you it didn't matter to me." She took a shaky step forward, feeling amazed for having done it with legs that felt as wobbly as gelatine. Then she gulped and hesitated for a second; that felt so heavy on Adrien's heart.

"Even if I'm...well, me? When I kissed you—" he started to say, but as he did, they heard a little chuckle from Marinette's phone.

"Uh...Woah! I think it's time for me to end this phone conversation, guys. I'm feeling a little uncomfortable here. I'll see you tomorrow at school. See ya!" Alya's voice resounded in the empty corridor before the notification sound that signalled the end of a phone call made Marinette's heart jolt in her chest.

She was on her own now. Instinctively, she leaned into Adrien's chest and hid her face on it, her fists clenched, her breath hitched. She didn't know what to say, so she stayed quiet, and the silence felt so thick that she could nearly taste the awkwardness between them.