My Kitty

34| Shunned And Uninvited

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," he muttered, reluctant to untangle himself from her. He placed a short kiss to the top of her head, and gave her waist a tight squeeze. Marinette's back arched slightly at the touch and she felt the entirety of her body heat up, causing her to pull away.

"Good morning to you." She giggled, forcing herself to sit up, encouraging Adrien to do the same. He stared at her, unable to tear his gaze away. She always managed to look stunning, even after a long night of deep sleep.

Instinctively, his fingers reached out to gently tuck the longer ends of her bangs behind her ear, and her eyes widened. It didn't take long before she became a stuttering mess. She thought she was over this. "I, uh, I'm gonna go, y'know, freshen up!" She moved to the opposite side of the bed, just by the top of the ladder. "I have a brand new toothbrush probably somewhere in the drawers. It's still in its packaging, you could use it if you want," she called out, her voice gradually fading as she rushed out of the room.

She slammed the bathroom door shut, and pressed her back to it. Releasing a sigh, her bangs fell back in place, veiling her forehead once more.

Adrien sat immobile for a minute, bewildered by what had happened. His stomach flipped within him, and his neck warmed up. He couldn't believe he'd held her in his arms all night. More so, couldn't believe he still had such an effect on her. It gave him confidence; one he'd only ever bore as Chat Noir.

Plagg flew up to him, and poked the corner of his lips down. "That smile of yours is creepy. Erase it."

"Shut it, Plagg." He laughed, reaching out to tickle his kwami, who in turn, screamed and jumped over the top of his hair. "I don't know what she's doing to me."

"Well, whatever it is, it's obviously not good. You're forgetting my camembert."

The blond rolled his eyes, pulling open the side of his overshirt so Plagg could grab a piece. At the exact moment, Marinette wandered into the bedroom, letting him know that the restroom was no longer occupied so he could use it. Flashing her a smile, he climbed down the ladder and headed outside, not before taking the unopened toothbrush with him.

The kwamis wasted no time to swarm around their guardian, and Marinette scowled. "Can you guys explain what the hell that was yesterday?"

"We're so sorry—" Pollen floated to her, attempting to elaborate but Roaar nudged her hip.

"Plagg was being Plagg, there's no helping it," he said.

"We tried stopping him." Tikki frowned, fiddling with her tiny hands.

"I would've pretended I didn't see him." Marinette sighed, then her gaze softened. She gave a sympathetic smile to her guilt-ridden kwamis. "It's okay. It all worked out well in the end."

"Marinette!" Tom called from downstairs, "Your friends are here for you."

"Coming, dad." She made her way to the bakery, only for her eyebrows to rise in shock at the sight of everyone waiting for her by the entrance. "You guys!" Her eyes locked with Luka's and she averted her gaze right away. "What are you doing here?"

"We thought it would be a great idea to celebrate the end of Gabriel Agreste." Alya threw her arms out, bouncing in delight. "No more akumas, no more worries, can you imagine, girl?"

"Uh, yeah!" She faked excitement, glancing awkwardly to the side. "Where to?"

"Aquariam de la Porte Dorée." Mylène answered. "Right across the Eiffel tower. You know, that one we've been wanting to go to for a while?"

Max adjusted his glasses and gave a proud smile, "My mom reserved us a bus ride."

"Awesome..." she drawled, her tone betraying her. Evidence she wasn't as happy as she pretended to be. "Did you... invite Adrien?"

Their faces all fell, having such an unexpected question drop upon them like a bomb. Nino chuckled, nervousness swallowing the entirety of his demeanor whole. "We figured he wouldn't want to come."

Marinette sucked in a breath, her face morphing into an irritated expression at the realization of his words. They didn't want him there. Just like everyone in Paris, they chose to leave him shunned. Her fists clenched by her sides. "And what made you think it was right to decide that for him?"

"It's not like that, Marinette," Rose stammered. "We just thought he would need some space."

"What if he didn't? What if the only thing that would've made him feel better was that you guys trusted him enough to bring him along?"

"There is still time," Luka placed a hand to her shoulder, far more collected than the others who've shrunken beneath the intensity of Marinette's confrontation. "We could go find him."

"Then why..." her voice cracked at the thought, and she released a sigh, "Why didn't you do it on your own accord? I didn't expect this from you, guys. At all." Her eyes welled with tears, her heart consumed with ache for her kitty. She wouldn't wish this upon anyone, let alone him of all people. Especially not at the hands of the ones he labeled friends.

"Marinette..." Adrien took the last step of the stairs. She turned to him, and all their gazes snapped to where he stood. He'd heard everything. And he was conflicted. Adrien didn't know how to feel. His biggest nightmare was becoming a reality, but he couldn't understand how much further his love for Marinette could grow. Having her be the one who truly believed in him meant the world. It balanced out all the pain everyone else had inflicted. "Don't bother with it." He lowered his head. "You should go."