His Mute Princess

Chapter 8

Adrien sat in his bed the next morning. He felt worse than he did the previous day. He still wasn't sure why he reacted that way. Plagg continued to tell him it was jealousy and his feelings for Marinette, but he kept shrugging the kwami off. His anger had gotten the best of him in both situations and it was working against him. How was he going to be able to face her later that day?

The group was going to go to the Louvre and he knew he was going to act awkward near her. She, of course, wouldn't even be aware of the reason behind his behavior. She wasn't aware the hero she was forming feelings for was going to be looking at exhibitions with her. She wasn't aware the hero she kissed sat in front of her in class. How was she even going to react to seeing said hero? Would she want to see him? What will she think of him after she saw the way he acted?

Ladybug wasn't going to be happy with him either. He had acted out irrationally and this was not good for his reputation as Chat. He groaned at the ear full he was going to get during patrol.

He heard Natalie knock on his door to remind him of the quick photoshoot he had before going out. He sighed and got up. He was transported to his shoot in one of his dad's small limos. This gave him an idea. "Natalie, do you think my friends and I can use the limo?"

Natalie raised a brow and looked at him, "If only for transportation purposes... I suppose so. I'll make a note of it in case your father wonders." She turned back to her tablet and tapped away.

Marinette paced back and forth around her room. Alya sat on her chaise trying to calm her down. "Mari, relax, nothing that happened was your fault!"

Seeing Chat's reaction had made her worry. He was going to ruin his reputation for her and she wasn't worth it. Not to herself anyways. Stupid cat! He shouldn't have done that!

"Look, based on the events that have happened, he clearly likes you. You're not making things worse and it wasn't your fault he acted that way. Maybe he was stressed out that day or... he wants to protect you!" Alya stood up grinning.

Marinette stopped and looked at her, confused. "You two have gotten to know each other over the past 2 weeks, meaning he knows you pretty well. He knows the type of person you are. He knows you wouldn't like that type of attention, so he told everyone to screw off!" Alya explained.

Marinette sighed. This was stressing her out too much. "Look, let's just get ready to go to the museum, ok?" Marinette nodded. A trip to the world-famous museum would clear up her mind.

Both girls got ready and waited for the guys to pick them up. A small limo pulled up and both girls stared with wide eyes. Nino opened the door and got out. He laughed at the girls' reactions. "Pretty cool right? Adrien did this."

"See Mari? Things are getting better!" Alya squealed. Marinette smiled and got in the limo. Adrien was sitting in the corner of the limo, by the window separating them from the driver.

She sat next to him and he tensed a little. "Hey Marinette," he smiled shakily. She turned to him and smiled, hi. He could feel his heart start to raise and a small blush form on his cheeks. He hoped he wouldn't make a complete fool of himself in front of her.

Nino and Alya got in the limo, giggling with excitement. 'They're like children.'

Adrien chuckled, some of his nerves fading away, "They really are."

'I'm excited to go see Le Louvre! How big is it?'

"Very, it's humanely impossible to see the entire thing in one day."

Marinette's eyes widened, 'Really?'

"Yeah, it will take you about 3 and a half months to see everything, if you go every day, all day."

Marinette sat back placed her hands in her lap, playing with the hem of her skirt. She was excited to see the Louvre, even more so with what Adrien mentioned. She had heard so much about the Louvre and was told it was the first place she had to go visit. It held thousands of exhibitions and she would love nothing more than so see everything. The work of others often inspired her to create her own art with fashion. Countless pieces of art had given her inspiration for outfit and designs. Most recently, it was the two famous Parisian heroes that were giving her inspiration.

They all got off the limo and walked to the main entrance of the museum. Marinette turned around and saw the limo driving off, now finally processing in her head that they were driven by a limo. Her excitement of seeing the Louvre had made it go over her head.

She frowned slightly and turned forward. Adrien was a few steps in front of her and she ran forward. She pulled on the sleeve of his jacket to get his attention. He tensed a little and turned to her. 'Adrien, why did we come in a limo? Where did you get it?'

"Oh, um... well..." he avoided eye contact with her. She still didn't know who his father was and he feared her opinion about him would change. Nino turned around and faced Mari, walking backwards. "What are you guys talking about?"

Alya turned around and did the same, "Yeah, tell us." The limo, Mari mouthed. Nino turned to Alya, she was the only one that could read lips. She had gotten exceptionally good in order to understand her new best friend. He turned back around and purchased their tickets while the exchange was going on. "What about the limo?" 

'Where did Adrien get it?'

"Ohh." 

Nino stared confused at the group, "Is anyone going to tell me what she's saying?" 

Alya turned to Nino, "she's asking about where Adrien got the limo."

"His dad is Gabriel Agreste, why wouldn't he have a limo?" Nino laughed. Hearing the name of one of her idols made her miss a step. By this point, they had gotten into the museum and were walking down the stairs. Adrien managed to catch her by her upper arms before she fell down the rest of the steps. She stood up and turned back to face him. 'Your father is Gabriel Agreste!'

She frowned, how did I not piece that together? Adrien cringed slightly. Her eyes widened and she looked back up at him. She smiled, 'That's so cool!' 

Adrien blinked and stared at her confused. "I hope this doesn't change anything." 

'Of course not! I don't see you any different, it's just, wow! Your father is Gabriel Agreste.'

"You two done?" Nino asked. Marinette turned forward and nodded. Alya chuckled and Adrien let out a sigh of relief.

The group walked around for a few hours. The museum was a bit crowded, but it was expected with the museum pulling in millions of visitors yearly. Marinette admired every piece of every exhibition they were able to see. The amount of detail put into certain art pieces amazed her.

Adrien had managed to go the entire time without making a fool of himself. Every time she brushed slightly against him, he felt his heart beat slightly faster.

'I want to see more!' Adrien chuckled, "I can check with Natalie to see when I have free time and we can come again."

She looked up at him and smiled, 'I would love that!' His heart skipped a beat. He didn't like to admit Plagg was right, but he wasn't wrong. He enjoyed being around her and seeing her smile. He was falling for this girl fast. Her bright blue eyes and smile had him wrapped around her finger, and she didn't have the slightest clue.

EDITED