To Fall

In The Rain

Adrien blushed as he was crammed in the back of Alya's car, Luka and Marinette on either side of him. He regretted agreeing to come to the football game, Marinette practically begging him. He knew he owed it to her. He had flaked on the game he promised after he attacked the cops, so this was her make-up game.

Marinette moved arounds excitedly, Luka's oversized Miami jersey bouncing with her movements and her black ripped jeans hugging her kicking legs. The team logo was painted on each cheek and her eyes shone under the green eye shadow. Luka wore his own jersey, hair slicked back and face painted half orange and green. Adrien looked down at his own set, blushing as he thought of Marinette throwing the outfit at him and demanding he wear it. His white jersey hugged his frame before it hung over his own black jeans, orange sneakers with green laces finishing it off. He went without the face paint, using makeup to cover his injuries. 

 Luka draped an arm over Adrien's shoulder, using his position to tap Marinette on the shoulder. "Calm down Mari, you are shaking the whole car." She gave a shy smile but it didn't damper her energy, her eyes scanning the hoard of students in the parking lot.

"I'm sorry Lu. I'm just so excited!"

He chuckled at her and shrugged, giving Adrien an amused smile. "There just is no stopping her, is there?" Adrien shook his head and leaned back into Luka's arm, watching the teal haired boy blush. His heart skipped as Luka tried to hide his blush. He knew as Chat they had a bond, yet the other boy didn't know that. 

Would he get that as Adrien? 

He reached up and touched Luka's hand, raising a brow at the other boy. Luka smiled and tightened the arm around him, leaning into Adrien. Marinette smirked and leaned into Adrien's other side, a hand coming up to play with Adrien's hair as she styled it. Adrien blushed at the amount of attention; mouth dry as two pairs of eyes watched him.

He sighed in relief as the car came to a stop, Alya and Nino getting out of the car and opening the outside doors. Luka gave him one last squeeze before exiting, smirking when Adrien followed him out. Alya handed them their tickets, looking between the three with an amused smile. They made their way inside, Marinette standing between the two boys as they held her excited body back. Soon they found their seats in the student section, letting Marinette go to excitedly talk to the other students. Both boys looked on with affection as the girl socialized, neither caring to stop her. 

Soon the announcer's voice broke through the crowd, the student section screaming as the team took the field. 

The game was on.

Third quarter came quickly, and Marinette showed no signs of fatigue. She continued to bounce, hold on to them and scream with the rest. Adrien yelled along as their team scored, throwing his hands up and high fiving the guy next to him. It felt good to feel like a normal person, to be out with others. Luka pressed into him, arm coming back around his shoulder as he gave him a one armed hug. Adrien smirked and leaned into the embrace, smacking his hand on Luka's chest with every cheer. The cheerleaders screamed down below, the male members holding up launchers stuffed with shirts. Luka gave Adrien a mischievous grin and nodded toward Marinette, the bluenette to busy cheering along with the cheerleaders to notice. Adrien nodded and they moved together.

Each grabbed an arm, hoisting the small girl up into the air as she shrieked. They moved closer together, placing her on their shoulders so she was seated on both of them. Her arms snaked around both boy's necks, sending a shocked look down at them. Luka gave her a wink and Adrien raised his free arm, waving it around to get the cheerleader's attention. 

"Hey! Over here!"

The cheerleaders chuckled at the sight, a few snapping pictures around them and cooing at the sight. One of the males aimed and squeezed, a shirt flying out to Marinette. She caught it with ease and gasped, eyes wide with excitement before throwing her hands up and screaming in joy. Those around them cheered for her, the student body already loving Marinette Dupain-Cheng. A tall brunette boy taped Adrien on the shoulder, moving in front of the trio with his phone raised.

"Say Hurricanes!"

They yelled together as the camera flashed, the boy showing them the picture. Adrien smirked and fished his own phone out, handing it over. 

"Send that to me."

The game was close. 40-31 with their team in the lead against the Seminoles. The sky had darkened, clouds rolling in undetected as all focus was on the game. Adrien froze as droplets hit his nose, looking up with wide eyes at the sky. He looked around, scanning for a way out. Marinette grabbed him as he tried to move away, curious eyes looking up at his paled face. 

"Adrien? Everything okay?"

He opened his mouth, but the words never made it out. The sky opened and the cold rain cascaded down on them. Nobody seemed to mind, unafraid of a little rain. Adrien tried to pull his arm out of her grip, his eyes wide as he looked for the exit. The water soaked into his hair, bangs sticking to his face and his tongue licked out as a drop passed his mouth. He cursed to himself at the bitter taste. 

His makeup was running. 

He yanked his arm from her grasp as she looked at him, her eyes focused on him as he grabbed his things. He grabbed his jacket and moved, running to the side and down the stairs. Luka's eyes widened at his sudden action, concern filling him.

"Adrien?"

Marinette gave him a hard look and nodded in the direction of the fleeing boy; her hands clenched. He followed behind her as she took off after him, Ladybug training kicking in as she maneuvered the crowd. Luka followed close behind her, his taller frame keeping eyes on the blonde as he ran into the empty exit tunnel. 

Once clear of students, Marinette sprinted full speed ahead, legs pumping as she closed in on him. She reached out and grabbed him by the back of his jersey, spinning the boy around as she huffed. Luka caught up, chest heaving and eyes wide as he stared at the pair. Marinette's grip on him tightened as she stared up, eyes scanning the mess of bruises and cuts decorating his head. Marinette's eyes watered as she looked him over, hand gently coming up to cup his cheek.

"Adrien? What happened?"

Luka moved forward, body tense as he looked Adrien over, his eyes finding a long scratch on the boy's jaw. His eyes turned to daggers as he stared at Adrien, reaching out to grab Marinette and pull her back. 

Marinette turned to argue, angry at having been removed from the upset Adrien. Her argument stopped in her throat as Luka stared at Adrien, the tense body language sending red flags through her. "Luka?" He leaned down, breath staggering as he struggled to comprehend.

"It's him."

Marinette gave him a confused look, brow raised and eyes bouncing between the two boys. Luka sighed and turned her to fully face Adrien, leaning down into her ear from behind her. "Look at him Melody, really look at him." Her eyes scanned over Adrien, taking in every injury. Her eyes found the scratch, eyes going wide as she walked to get a closer look. Her thumb reached out to brush against it, Adrien wincing as she examined the injury. 

Marinette stared at it. Her hand shook. Her body froze. Air refused to enter her lungs. She knew that cut. She had watched Luka clean that exact cut, flirting with the injured party that once occupied her couch. Her eyes scanned every injury, piecing it to the face she refused to believe matched the one in front of her. With shaking hands, she reached up, cupping his cheeks and tears flying to her eyes.

Adrien looked down at her, guilt and fear dancing in his dulled orbs. Marinette flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around him and holding him tight. Luka moved to stand behind Marinette, his eyes meeting Adrien's as he reached a shaking hand out. His hand covered Adrien's eyes, Luka inhaling deeply before throwing his own arms around the two. The three stood in the hug as Adrien cried softly, fear gripping him as his mind registered what happened. Marinette looked up from his chest, a watery smile on her face as she whispered to him. 

"Hi kitten."