Intertwined

Part 5

Marinette shot out of bed. She had slept in.. again. SHIT SHIT SHIT! She sprinted into the shower, barely drying herself off before throwing on whatever clothes she could find; but like every teenage girl ever, she made time to layer on mascara before leaving. Sandals on the wrong feet and bangs in her face, the teenager ran down the stairs and out the bakery's doors. Her parents were used to this routine, silencing their laugher as they watched their daughter push the pull door.

"At least she is getting faster!" Tom said, flipping the bread dough he was kneading.

" Hopefully she isn't missing an important class.." Sabine sighed, shaking her head.

    Marinette was in fact missing an important class. Well at least it was important to her. Gym class. She liked to chat with her friends while watching the boys chase after the ball, no matter the sport. Specifically one boy. Adrien. For a homeschooled kid he knew how to play most games and was always really good at quickly adjusting to the rules, even if they made no sense. Kim once made up a game where if one of the boys stepped a certain part of the gym floor, they got tackled. Unfortunately for Adrien, most of the time he was the one who fell victim to Kim's games.

    Marinette sprinted into the school, weaving her way through the crowds built up in the hallways. Her backpack bounced off her side, hitting random students as she past. Mumbling sorrys and glancing apologetically over her shoulder as she ran, Marinette rounded the corner leading to the gym. The doors were in her sight, meaning she was so close. ALMOST THERE! AND TIKKI THOUGHT I WOULD MISS THE WHOLE CLASS.. HA!....She never made it there. Instead, she found herself on top of someone else. She had literally ran into one of her classmates. Oh god.. please tell me it's not who I think it is..Marinette opened one of her eyes. Green eyes stared back, long lashes blinking slowly.
"OH MY GOD I AM SO SORRY ADRIEN I DIDN'T MEAN TO!" She scrambled off of him, wincing as his hands brushed the bruises on her lower back. After brushing herself off, she held her hand out to him. She smiled at him sheepishly, secretly hoping he didn't notice her bruised sides. The model grinned up at her, taking her hand and standing up all in one stride.

" No worries Mari, I should be the one apologizing..." He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, a habit formed after years of being a model and hero. Adrien found himself too embarrassed to face Marinette with confidence. He had kissed her last night.. well Chat Noir had. Normally, Marinette would be the one too embarrassed to make small talk. But for some reason, today Adrien couldn't think of anything else to say to his classmate. Silence hung between them as if they had been caught passing notes during a test. She cleared her throat and turned towards the gym's entrance. Adrien hadn't let go of her hand yet, so he was tugged along.

Looking down confused, he seen his hand was still intertwined with hers.

"Oh uh sorry" Sheepishly dropping her hand. He watched her run to catch up with her friends, who were heading to the changerooms. Adrien sighed, who do you think you are? Kissing her one second and then the next standing there holding her hand like a fool;pathetic. He was confused for almost the first time in his life. Sure he was eighteen and plenty of girls had asked him out, but he never accepted much less returned their feelings. His father forbid him from dating, insisting his modeling couldn't be interrupted especially not by a girl. Why couldn't I think of anything to say to Mari? Chat was the one who kissed her... not me... how could I have been so reckless...rolling his eyes at the thought of his alter ego, Adrien went to join his buddies in the change room. The bell had just rung, meaning he arrived just in time to join the others before class officially begun.

In the change room, Marinette made an effort to quickly change her top, back facing the wall. She had woken up to find two bruises on either side of her back, reminding her of the visitor she had on the balcony the night before. If any of the girls noticed, she would immediately be questioned, which was something she didn't feel like going through. Alya already knew, having been the filled in as soon as Marinette had closed her balcony door last night. Her best friend knew about her other identity, and had embraced her the second she found out. Marinette was so thankful for the endless support from Alya, even if she was supporting a bad decision.

"Made it just in time hey!" Alya giggled, hip checking Marinette. She smiled, making an effort not to spin her friend around and demand to see the bruises. Marinette nodded, a smile spreading across her face. The two teenage girls slyly waited for everyone else to leave before Marinette grabbed Alya's hand, dragging her into a bathroom stall double checking she locked the door.

"GIRL LET ME SEE THE DAMAGE" Alya hissed excitedly. Marinette turned, lifting her shirt up. Alya gasped.

"Damn mari, you must of have been doing something right .." She trailed off, impressed.

"It was just a kiss.." Marinette spun back around, face flaming hot. Alya raised her eyebrow, eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Mhm"

"Alya I SWEAR!" Marinette pleaded, knowing no amount of excuses could convince her friend. Alya had always been able to see through her lies and excuses no matter what she came up with.

"Real talk girl... what are you going to do now?" Alya leaned against the stalls walls , making herself comfortable. She watched Marinette fiddle with her hair, failing at taming her wild bangs. She knew her bestfriend had been head over heels in love with a certain model for years. But lately she would catch Marinette staring at pictures of Chat Noir when she thought no one was watching . Even on the battlefield, Alya watched Ladybug sneak glances at her partner when he was too busy to notice. It had been public knowledge that Chat Noir had been in love with Ladybug for years. Who could blame him? She was a sweet girl, not a mean bone in her body. From what Marinette had told Alya, Ladybug and Chat Noir could never fall in love. It would quite literally lead to the end of the world. The way Marinette seen it, even if Ladybug did have feelings for her feline partner, she could never tell him. But her civilian form on the other hand... well there was no harm in that was there?

"I need to sort things out with Chat as Ladybug...he doesn't deserve to be avoided. Even if that means letting him down one last time.." Marinette whispered. Alya grabbed her friends hand, encouraging her.

" Tonight?" Alya cocked her head, looking into her friends eyes. She watched her friend nod in response. She squeezed Marinette's hand, proud of how she was willing to face her fears. Over the years that she had known Marinette, her bestfriend had went from being too shy to speak; to some what being able to stand up for herself.

"Where does that leave you and Chat? And I mean as Marinette?" Alya watched as Marinette digested the question. A blush spread across her cheeks, the corner of her mouth turning upwards.

"I don't know.. hopefully he doesn't see what happened as a mistake.." She released a sigh, unaware she was holding her breath. She squealed, shaking Alya to her feet. The girls hugged eachother.

"Even if he does see it as a mistake... YOU KISSED A HERO, or dare I say MADEOUT with a hero!" Alya whispered, making Marinette squeal more. Quickly the pair left the bathroom to join the rest of their class, giggling all the way.