Red String • Marichat

Chapter Seven

Big thanks to @MaryNix9 for her support to this book!

Heart Attack ~ YouTube TheRealLadyBlog

Adrien's PoV

It was Sunday, two days since Madame Jealousy said that he was in love with Marinette. It wasn't true. At least, he didn't think it was. His heart belonged wholely to his Lady, and Marinette was just a friend that he cared for a lot. A lot.

He was confused and decided that sneaking out of his house to take a walk would clear his mind. That wasn't much help as he walked to the stairs near the Eiffel Tower. Marinette sat at the top with a sketch book on her lap and a pencil in hand as she was viciously drawing away, biting her lip as she did so.

Adrien paused as he looked at the girl in front of him. Her midnight blue hair shined in the sunlight and was no longer in her signature pigtails but instead in long waves that reached her shoulders and framed her face.

He walked up the stairs silently and sat down next to her.

"Hey Marinette."

She looked up startled with wide blue eyes and placed her hand on her chest.

"Adrien! You scared me!" She gasped as she calmed herself down.

"Sorry." He said sheepishly with a smile. "What are you drawing?"

"N-Nothing." She stammered and quickly tried to close her book. Before she could he quickly snatched it away from her and glanced inside.

It was a sketching of Chat Noir and beside it were smaller designs for a Chat Noir clothing line.

"Marinette these are really good!" He said as he handed her back her sketchbook.

"Th-thanks." She said with a light blush.

"I mean it. You could show these to my father." He went on, looking at her adorable face.

"Pfft. I don't think he'd look at them."

"Nonsense. But why Chat Noir? Why not Ladybug?"

"I really don't know. I just get more inspiration from him." She said as she put her arms on her knees.

"But Ladybug is the one who saves the day." He said solemnly, not letting out any signs of how much it hurt him to say what he thought was the truth. "He's just a sidekick."

"Everyone thinks that but I don't. And neither does Ladybug. She can't do it without him. He's saved her more times than she can count and he's saved me as well. Ladybug doesn't see him as a sidekick. She sees him as her partner, her equal." Marinette said, fiercely defending her kitty. She despised it when people never gave Chat credit and called him her sidekick.

Adrien stared at her with wide eyes.

Why is she so determined to prove me wrong? And how does she know what Ladybug thinks?

"Sorry Marinette... How do you know what Ladybug thinks though?"

"I uh... She's a really good friend of mine." She tried to fix her mistake, as she lied to her crush.

Marinette is friends with Ladybug? Is that why Ladybug was so adamant on me protecting her? And called her cute? Not that she was lying though...

"Adrien?"

"Sorry, I forgot that I had a photo shoot." He lied as he scratched the back of his head. "It's getting dark, let me walk you home?"

Marinette's face went red. "S-S-Sure."

He stared suspiciously at the shy girl before him. What happened to the confident slightly sassy girl he saw yesterday? The one who reminded him of Ladybug in her own unique way?

He got up and brushed some dust off of his jeans before reaching down for Marinette. She let out a small shriek when he lifted her up by the waist.

"Come on, let's get you home." As they walked to her home, Adrien had his hand firmly wrapped around her soft one. His heart raced until the moment she went inside after thanking him.

Maybe I do love her... But, milady...

Plagg sighed at Adrien.

"Could you be more lovey dovey? Blech!"

His small cat kwami spat as he sat on his shoulder.

"And we can't keep visiting her. We have a city to protect."

His shoulders slumped as his heart dropped.

"There haven't been too many akuma attacks though. And I don't think I can stop. I know you didn't see that red string but it was there. And I won't let her go."

The red string appeared again in a flash, leading from his pinkie up to the balcony where Marinette stood. Her arms were on the railings and she sighed into her hand.

Instead of thinking about her crush, she was daydreaming about Chat. It felt foreign to her but she was wishing Chat would do that for her.

Adrien looked once more at the girl with his bright green eyes. He never really realized how alike she and Ladybug were. Physically and personality wise.

He watched his Princess walk back into her room. The lights shut off and Adrien stood there for around 20 minutes before taking action.

He went into an alley and transformed before jumping onto her balcony. He quietly set himself onto the trapdoor before letting himself in.

He looked around the room that was faintly being lit by a lamp on the desk. Marinette was sound asleep on the chaise, her hair sprawled around, half covering her face, with an open physics book on the floor and a pencil in hand. He took another glance at the room and noticed that some of the posters of him as Adrien were gone.

What happened to them?

He looked at the wall more clearly and saw the sketching from earlier today taped up on the wall.

He turned his attention back to Marinette and gingerly lifted her up. Her pink and white striped flannel shorts drifted up her legs a bit more and a strap from her white tank top slid down her shoulder.

He looked at the dark red scrape that covered her entire shoulder blade and winced. Her back was now almost completely healed with the exception of a few darker bruises and deeper cuts. But her shoulder blade was by far the worse. With Madame Jealousy reopening the wound, it was gonna take even longer to heal.

He carried her with one arm as he turned off the lamp and carried her up her bed. When her head touched the pillow she snuggled in.

"Kitty..."

He paused on his way out as a small hand gripped tightly on his belt like tail.

"Stay..."

His heart stopped before speeding up once more.

"Please..."

He nodded even though he knew she couldn't see him and closed the trap door, stopping the cool night air from escaping into her room.

He crawled under the covers with her and pulled her back into his chest. His chin rested on her unscathed shoulder as her heat warmed him up. When his arm laid on her side she instantly grabbed his hand and tugged to her chest. His face flamed at the feeling of her chest on his hand. She moved her back deeper into his chest.

"Don't tell Chat Noir this but..."

His ears twitched at the girl spoke drowsily, seconds away from sleeping.

"I think I'm falling for him..."

I'm tired. But here's a new chapter anyway! Until next time, peace!