A Miraculously Tangled Tale (Tangled AU) #miraculousladybugawards2019

Chapter 16

   A poor Adrien was awaken the next morning with a sharp kick to the stomach. 

"Oww...." he moaned, still drowsy from sleep. He opened his eyes a second later to find an irritated Marinette standing before him, her hands on her hips and preparing to strike again with her right foot. 

"What the heck, Marinette," he mumbled, before rolling to his left side where his back was facing Marinette's...in an attempt to try and go back to sleep again.

"Adrieeeen," he heard her whine. "I was supposed to be sleeping outside, remember? Why did you put me in the room?"

Adrien smirked, despite his eyes still being closed. "Well, I have to prove you right, don't I?"

"What're you talking about?"

"Remember when you talked about how I was a dashing and charming criminal?" he said. "Well it wouldn't be very dashing or charming of me to leave a fair maiden such as yourself sleeping on the ground while I sleep in a comfortable bed, now would it?"

Marinette groaned. "But I said I was okay with sleeping outside."

"You've also said I was pretty," Adrien chuckled, pulling the blanket halfway over his face. 

"I was being sarcastic," was Marinette's quick reply. 

"Listen, Bugaboo. If you have feelings for me then I totally would understand."

"In your dreams!"

"Yes, I know I'm the guy of your dreams..."

Annoyed, Marinette once again kicked her escort, this time in the back. She expected to hear him moan in pain again, but he ended up laughing instead.

"You're infuriating," she finally told him, shaking her head to keep from laughing with him.

Adrien pulled himself up into a sitting position, smiling in playful amusement. Small specks of grass rested in his golden hair, and his nightshirt slightly wrinkled with a hint of brown from the fresh earth from sleeping overnight on the ground. 

Realizing that she was staring, Marinette lowered her gaze, a soft blush forming on her cheeks. 

"And yet you adore me," Adrien grinned. "Anyways," he continued, running a hand through his hair, "What's for breakfast? I'm starving."

"That would be pancakes with maple syrup, Mr. Golden Boy" replied a familiar voice. Both Marinette and Adrien turned and found Alya walking towards them, carrying a wooden wash-bin  filled to the brim with warm soapy water and a few towels draped casually on her shoulder. 

"But first," she added, setting the bin in front of them, "you'll hafta wash up."

"At least one of us actually does," Marinette muttered, shooting a glance toward Adrien.

"Ouch," he laughed, before walking toward the wash-bin and splashing water on his face.

*********

  After breakfast and getting dressed, Marinette had joined Alya and her sisters in the well-furnished sitting room, when the girls busied themselves with making colorful paper butterflies. Manon had gone home, Adrien and Nino had gone with Mr. Cesaire to run a few errands, and Mrs. Cesaire and Nora went to fetch a recipe from an old friend. 

Marinette carefully folded the delicate pink paper as Alya had instructed her, and once she had completed this task, she placed the pink butterfly in the small basket that sat in the middle of the table. They had just started that morning, but already the basket was half full.