Cat-nipped Goals

Princess, Let Me See You Smile

"Are you awake?" A cold voice asked from outside Mari's bedroom door. A strong fist banged against it.

Oh crap. Nathalie. Ugh.

Marinette sat straight up in her bed.

"I'm awake!" She yelled back at her, though it was hardly even half true. She heard Nathalie let out a satisfied grunt and walk away. Marinette sighed and plopped back down, eyes closed as she began to slip back into dream land. Suddenly, another loud knock on the door. Mari bolted out of bed completely this time.

"I promise I'm awake!" She squeaked.

"Don't worry Mari. It's just me," came Adrien's yawning voice.

"Oh. Adrien!" Mari's replied, somewhat frantic.

The boy opened her bedroom door. Marinette mentally rolled her eyes as he invited himself in and leaned against her bedroom wall, looking half asleep himself.

"It is my house you know," he teased her, as if having read her thoughts. Her face blushed slightly red.

"Something you wanted to tell me?" Mari asked, not looking up from digging in her clothes drawers to avoid making eye contact. Adrien sighed.

She's being distant, again. Why is she always like this around me?

Mari didn't even notice the frustrated expression on the boy model's face.

"No," he answered her question shortly.

"Oh, ok. Well, I have to get ready for school. Cya downstairs?"

"Mari."

"Yeah?"

"..."

"What is it?"

"Nothing. Nevermind."

Adrien turned on his heels and walked out. Marinette stared after him in confusion.

That boy...

When her parents died, Marinette became depressed, but she hid her depression from everyone, especially the Agrestes who had (for some reason) generously taken her in, not wanting to cause anyone trouble. When she moved into Adrien's house she was the bubbly and sputtery Marinette he knew, but, as time went on, the bubbliness slowly revealed itself as a facade. At school she was still the same as he had always seen her, talking and joking with Alya, Nino, and everyone else. But at the house, she wasn't very cheerful at all. Her depression had built up to the point where she no longer had the emotional strength to hide it.
Adrien wanted to help her, but she wouldn't talk to him openly, only giving an "I'm fine" whenever he would approach her on the subject. She couldn't bear the thought of causing him more trouble than she felt she already had, and her feelings for him didn't help the matter, making her desire to cause him no worries increase at least bifold. If one thing had stayed the same about Marinette, it was her overwhelming crush on Adrien. However, her actions had only made things hard on the boy. He had noticed her odd behavior but, being the oblivious teenager he was, could not put a finger on why she acted that way around him.

Whether Marinette hated him or whether he scared her was unclear to him, but he couldn't bring himself to just leave her alone. She seemed to be crawling further and further away from her original self, and it worried him. It was true, she didn't have anyone to talk to, to vent her issues on. He wanted and felt he needed to be that person, but he couldn't be if she continued to push him away.

The monotonous school day started and ended the way it always did. Classes dragged on in their usual ways and the students proceeded with their usual thoughts and complaints. After the last bell rang, Adrien and Marinette headed towards the library from their last class where their friends waited. As they walked through the wooden double doors, Alya's head snapped up.