Growing Up

A Display Of Acceptance

Felix sat there stunned. "No, you don't." He sighed. "You have a fever." Marinette had no idea how much he wanted to believe her words. "We should head back."

"No, Felix you have to listen to me." Marinette's eyes widened. "I feel something deep within me telling me that I love you."

The blonde simply shook his head and helped his friend up. "I look like Adrien, you fell in love with him in the rain Marinette. Your brain is just tired and trying to put pieces together." He removed his jacket and attempted to cover both of them. "Come on." He walked towards the dorms.

"No." Marinette refused to move. "You don't get to make me guilty and then push me away as you do to everything in your life." She grabbed his collar and pulled him close.

Felix felt like his heart was going to explode. Her attitude, the way she never took no for an answer. All of the things that made her even more beautiful.

"So listen to me Felix Graham de Vanily." She started. "I. Love. You. And there's absolutely nothing you can say or do to convince me that I am wrong." She wiped raindrops off of her face. "With Adrien, it was the fact that he showed me he wasn't who I thought he was." She chuckled to herself. "With you..." She faltered.

Felix smiled disappointed. He had a feeling she couldn't explain why she liked him. He closed his eyes and waited for her to try and defend herself. Nothing happened. Quickly, Felix opened his eyes and soon after felt the grip on his collar disappear. Marinette clumsily toppled over almost hitting the floor. Instinctively, Felix swooped her up and ran home.

When he arrived at the front door, he didn't even bother to try and knock. He slammed his body into to door and ran inside.

"Dramatic much?" Nino questioned sarcastically from the other room. "What's your problem?"

Felix didn't have the patience. "Is Alya here?" He called back. 

Nino thought about it. "Probably in her room."

Felix bolted up the stairs as fast as he could (with Marinette still in his arms of course) and threw open the bedroom door. Alya sat in a chair huddled over a stack of papers. She slowly turned around, about to make a rude comment about privacy when she saw Marinette. Artistically draped in the blonde's arms, the half Chinese girl was visibly shivering.

"What'd you do?" Alya cried and snatched her friend out of Felix's arms. She bolted across the hall and into the bathroom. "Get Nino or Adrien. Now." She stared daggers at him and slammed the door in his face.

Felix tried to remind himself to stay calm and called out to Nino, knowing Adrien was probably the last person Marinette would want to see. "Alya wants you." He poked his head out from behind the doorway that separated the main hall from the living room.

"I'd love to help but I'm in a class call." He shrugged, still unaware of the situation at hand. "If it's that important ask Adrien."

With a deep breath, Felix zoomed back up the stairs and burst into the boys' bedroom. Three beds barely fit let alone a single desk. Adrien was on the little available floor meditating. He hesitated after recalling the fight the two of them had earlier that day but decided that getting Marinette better was more important.

"Alya needs your help." He huffed, out of breath. "Now."

Adrien continued to hold the grudge. "Really? And why don't you help her?" To that, Felix raised an eyebrow in annoyance. Adrien knew why. Alya didn't want Felix's help. "What?" Adrien gave in. 

"Well, Marinette passed out and has a feve-"

"Then why didn't you start with that?" Adrien pushed himself off the ground and trotted over to the next door over which was the bathroom. He knocked and Alya's head came popping out from the door. She instructed that he bring a new pair of clothes out of the girls' room immediately. 

In less than five minutes, Adrien came out with a small stack of fabrics all in different shades of pink. Typical Marinette, Felix tried to muse himself to get his mind off of the current events. A part of him wondered if he was just being dramatic, but there is no way to know if everything is alright.

Sometime while Adrien and Felix were silently waiting for the girls, Nino walked up to join them too. He was quickly brought up to speed and joined in. Alya walked out of the bathroom with a neatly dressed Marinette hanging from her shoulder. The boys all rushed to help but Felix was kept away. The caused him to scowl and stomp away in search of extra blankets. When he returned, everyone surrounded her as she slept soundly under pink sheets.

"I have more blankets," Felix whispered. Nino quickly stood and grudgingly thanked him. He couldn't help himself anymore. "Why are you two so awful?" He plopped himself on the floor and ran his fingers through his damp hair. "I mean, give me a chance."

Alya and Nino looked at each other and sighed. "Marinette is our friend and we personally believe that she is a great judge of character." They explained. "She doesn't like you, there has to be a reason." Alya shrugged.

"I mean, we had our own doubts about you too, but Marinette confirmed it," Nino added. "Once she's cool with you, so are we."

A rustle from under the bedsheets caught everyone's attention. "I..." 

Everyone sat quietly, straining to hear what Marinette was trying to say. "Felix..." She mumbled. "Misunderstanding..." Her voice shaking as her body tried to regain warmth. "-ve him."

"Marinette, honey, your delirious." Alya petted her friend's head. "You aren't making any sense."

The ravenette created a small scowl on her face and with the remaining energy repeated herself. "I forgive Felix." She spoke in choppy, straight to the point sentences. "It was a misunderstanding. I don't care what you all think, I love him."

They all sat there in disbelief. The Marinette they had known was a shy, stuttering mess around people they liked. Alya tried to wrap her head around it. "But what about loving... You know..." She tried to vaguely mention Marinette's previous crush.

"That wasn't loving." Marinette shuddered in coldness. "That was hope for who knows what." Pulling the sheet over her head, she made a final statement. She felt slightly better and managed to smile in Felix's direction. "Adrien proved me wrong and made me wonder how much I got wrong, but you Felix, have put all your cards on the table and unknowingly showed me every part of who you are." She reached out and tried to playfully boop his nose. "I love you because I know who you are. You are a big, ignorant-to-all-the-good-things-he-has, sarcastic, cheesy, handsome, caring son of a gun with a secret desire for acceptance." She weakly smiled again before passing back out into a deep sleep.