All The Bright Places

Friends

Marinette thought she was the last one to get there as Alya and Nino were already waiting outside.

"Hey, guys!"

"Hey, girl!"

"Sorry, I'm a little late."

"No worries!"

Alya's smile fell as a black car pulled up behind Marinette.

"Who invited him?"

Alya narrowed her eyes as the blonde stepped out of the car.

"I did, you two need to get on better terms again. I can't have my best bro fighting with my girl."

Nino smiled and waved at Adrien. Before Marinette could turn around, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, hugging her from behind.
Marinette's face reddened as she stared at Alya who gave Adrien a death glare.
She was still mad at him from the other day.

"Hey, Mari."

His deep voice nearly made her heart melt. He was the last person she expected to see since Nathalie came and picked him up. She was very surprised.

"H-Hey, Adrien."

"I think we're ready now, dudes."

Nino took Alya's hand and pulled her inside as Marinette and Adrien followed behind them.

"Don't be mean to him, he said he made it up to Marinette."

"He better hope he did."

She turned her head, looking back at the two behind her. Adrien had his arm hung over Marinette's neck as they walked.

"You look pretty, Mari."

He twirled a strand of her hair in his fingers as he whispered to her.

"T-Thank you. You look nice as well."

Adrien smiled, a small blush crossed his cheeks.

"I didn't expect you to be here."

Marinette frowned, looking down. She was happy that he was with her but she felt like something was off.

"I'm surprised that I'm here, myself. Nino told me that you guys were coming out and I asked my father. I expected him to say no but, he didn't! Can you believe that? I think he's starting to change."

"That's great!"

Adrien nodded with a smile.
Alya and Nino walked into a clothing shop and started looking for their matching outfits.

Marinette finally managed to slip away from Adrien for a moment and grabbed Alya's hand, pulling her into a fitting room.

"I think there's something wrong."

"I know. Adrien's here."

Alya crossed her arms and rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"That's not what I meant, he made it up to me! We're fine now."

Alya poked one of the dark marks on Marinette's neck and sighed.

"I can tell he made it up to you. But anyways, what's up?"

Marinette's face turned a light shade of pink as she put her hand over the spot that Alya poked.

"I don't know. I just have a... weird feeling."

"Why?"

"Nathalie, Adrien's dad's assistant came to get Adrien this morning. She said his dad was upset and wanted him home. And now... he's here."

"Why is that a bad thing?"

"It's not I just... it's weird! I think Gabriel is up to something."

"Or maybe you just over think things. Come on, Mari. We need to find an outfit for Saturday."

"Fine."

Marinette frowned as Alya left the small fitting room. She looked at herself in the large mirror that hung on the wall and took a deep breath before walking back out.

"Mari! There you are! I was looking for you."

Adrien put his arm back over Marinette's shoulders and smiled in relief.
It was still hard for him to let her out of his sight.

"How do you feel about matching outfits?"

"I thought you said you only wanted to match with your girlfriend, if you had one."

Marinette smirked, looking up at the blonde. He wasn't expecting her to make such a confident comeback.

"W-Well it doesn't matter! We can still match."

"As friends?"

Adrien pulled away from her with a slight frown.

"I-If that's what you want."

"Sure then, I'd love to."

She winked at him and turned her back to him, walking away as her heart pounded against her chest.

She couldn't believe the sudden boost of confidence herself.
She knew they weren't just friends but it was fun to tease him about it.
Or... were they?
She didn't know what they were.

She held up a short dark blue dress and smiled. She could make her own adjustments to it when she got home.

"I'm going to try this on, I'll be back."

She gave Adrien a quick smile and headed back to the fitting rooms as he tried to find something to match.

When they found the outfits they wanted, they paid for them and left the clothing store.

Alya pointed towards a small food court, letting go of Nino's hand.

"We should go eat! I'm starving."

"I haven't eaten all day so I'm down!"

Nino smiled as they walked towards it. As Nino and Marinette ordered, Alya gripped the back of Adrien's shirt and pulled him to an empty hall.

"Look, Agreste. I'm not apologizing for what I said and I won't forgive you for what you did to Mari so don't try to apologize for it but I wanted you to know that if it ever happens again, you'll be sorry. Got that? The only reason I'm tolerating you is for Marinette."

She jabbed her finger into his chest before spinning around to leave.

"Alya!"

She turned back to look at him with a glare.

"What?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For caring so much about her. I promise I won't hurt her again. At least, not on purpose."

"Good."

Alya turned back around with a small smile as she went to sit with Marinette and Nino.

Adrien smiled, watching her as she walked away. He was glad Marinette had such good friends.
But... he had to figure out a way to get back on Alya's good side.