Quarantine In Prague

Chapter 10: Close Together

"So what are you planning...?" Marinette said in between bites. She was in no hurry. Sitting next to Adrien with no strangers around... it felt amazing. She maybe, just maybe, intentionally ate at the speed of a drunk snail.

"Three hour block of college prep and then two hours of Chinese. Easy day." He said nonchalantly.

"Easy day...?" Marinette repeated. "I don't understand how you live like this."

"Like what?"

"I meant to say- how can you even focus like that. Be it me, I would fell asleep after thirty minutes."

"I bet. With you being late so often, I assume you have to have a crazy sleep schedule. If you sleep well, you have excess of energy and don't even need naps all the time." He looked at her. "The secret it, you have to go asleep at the same time, everyday, and wake up at the same time." He lifted his finger at the great importance of what he was saying "Even on weekends."

Marinette shivered at the thought. "That's crazyyy."

Adrien shrugged. "I kind of thought everyone did that."

"Sometimes I just get really engaged in art, or some project. I forget about some school work, panic and just completely loose the track of time before it's all done, which can be... uh, well at any time, really. Midnight... mid-mid night... morning..."

Adrien nodded with interest. "So you are being driven by the winds of inspiration? And you are a night owl. You are truly an artist in heart, Marinette."

"Yeah..." Marinette chuckled. You could say that... Marinette swallowed down the explanation that she was just a slightly confused, clumsy procrastinator. Artist works.

"No wonder you sleep so wildly, but at the same time, your creations are fantastic all the time after all."

"Think you? Y-You think?" Ah yes, the 'think you'. My favourite.

"Yeah of course! I am not blind. Shame you don't design male clothing, or I'd ask Father for a whole outfit from you."

"I DO!" she exclaimed. 

He winked at her. "Oh. You do? I knew you designed girl dresses and such, but I wasn't aware... I am sorry."

"Oh, nononono!" She couldn't explain that she screamed out instinctively, almost to seize his attention by some unconscious way. "I would be glad to design you some outfit!"

Well played, Marinette. Now he won't think you already created a dozen outfits for him. She smiled at her wit. Then reality caught up with her when she realized she gave him a non-shy smile... and after a while, he smiled back.

I. AM. DEAD. She was screaming inside, but tried to play it cool. She felt like she should say something to him... tell him how great he looks? How amazing he is? That he means so much to her-

Adrien's phone buzzed. "That's for the college preparation. Off I go."

Oh well, better than humiliating yourself with some stupid mumbled nonsense.

He stood up and picked up their now-empty plates. Marinette instinctively wanted to go help, but Adrien stopped her with a finger to her forehead, gently pushing her back on the couch. "Na-ah, I am going to do the washing up, since I am the one who prepared it. Plus you have to rest, to keep your strength. And after all, we ate sandwiches, not some dried out sticky pasta. Look-" he swiped the plates in a flash. "Voilá."

Then he sat at the table with his already prepared setup that he unpacked a few minutes ago. A laptop, a few sticker-filled books, textbooks, exercise books and his own handwritten tomes of study notes.