I wrote this as a vent fic, pay no attention to how out of character it is lol
She showed up at his door, soaking wet, bruised, and covered in glitter. His mind processed each thing one at a time.
Soaking wet: it was raining. Covered in glitter: Manon, probably. Bruised: Actually, Adrien didn't have an answer for that one.
Marinette stood there shivering, holding her arms across her chest. "Can...can I come in?" Her demeanor was different, like there were guards down and she didn't care what she had to do to escape from whatever was causing her pain.
"Yeah, yeah, of course, just...be quiet, my father and Natalie are sleeping. I was waiting for your knock after your text."
Marinette followed Adrien up to his bedroom, finding an odd comfort in the familiarity of the arcade games lining the walls.
"I'll get you some fresh clothes," Adrien said as soon as the door was closed behind them. "Do you need a shower?"
"Uh, maybe, if that's alright."
"Of course."
Adrien didn't know why he was feeling so...awkward. Marinette had been here plenty of times, accompanied by other friends more often than not. Maybe that was the reason his heart was racing. Or maybe it was the fact that he'd just snuck someone into his room without anyone else in the house knowing.
He led Marinette into the bathroom, where he pulled out a fresh towel and washcloth from the cabinet. He showed her how the water worked and told her to keep an ear out for his knock so he could drop off the clothes she'd be borrowing. Then, he closed the bathroom door and went to his closet.
"You know your father would have a field day if he knew there was a girl in here."
Adrien rolled his eyes at his kwami, who had a knack for stating the obvious. "Yep."
"You gonna let her stay the night?"
"I don't know, Plagg. Right now, she needs fresh clothes. Either help me out or hide."
"Fine, fine."
Plagg provided feedback as Adrien held up different articles of clothing. Finally, they settled on an old green t-shirt Adrien had grown out of last year, some gray sweatpants with drawstrings, and a plain black hoodie.
He knocked on the bathroom door with the clothes in hand, and Marinette called out a weak, "Come in."
Adrien slid the door open cautiously, hearing the running water increase in volume as he stepped into the room. The glass doors were shut and the half wall on the right side of the doorway concealed Marinette from view.
"Hey, I've got some clothes for you. I'll set them on the bathroom counter. Take as much time as you need, okay?"
"Okay. Thanks."
She sounded different, Adrien realized as he stepped back out into his bedroom. It was as if her upbeat, bubbly personality was replaced by a sullen, deflated one. His mind swirled as he sat on the couch and switched on the television, waiting for Marinette to finish her shower.
He was about halfway through the movie he'd started when she exited, closing the bathroom door behind her gently and wordlessly joining Adrien on the couch. She was wearing the clothes, including the hoodie, and her hair wasn't done into her signature pigtails. Instead, it hung down over her face, dripping water onto the floor and couch. Not that Adrien minded. No one had to know about it.
"So," Adrien began, "what's going on? What was with the glitter and bruises so late at night?"
Marinette's full attention was on the television as she answered. "It was craft day with Manon, and you know how clumsy I am."
