Too Young For Love (On Hold) ~ A Miraculous Love Story

Chapter 7: Relief

Adrien knew Marinette wouldn't change, but he didn't expect her to look anything like the woman in front of him. With glistening white skin, rose-colored lips and large bluebell eyes, it seemed to take him back in time to when they were children, when things had always been better.

"Y –You're...you're..."

"Back?" he smiled openly, stepping back to make some distance between them, "Yeah, Marinette, I'm back."

He heard footsteps from behind her and for a moment, he was afraid he'd woken up her parents, but seeing Nino in the background didn't help him feel any better.

The dark-skinned male stepped forward, rubbing his eyes from beneath his glasses. "Sorry, Dude, but we're closed." He adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose, "You're just gonna have –,"

Nino's eyes widened as he took in blonde's presence and Adrien grew self-conscious under his former friend's skeptical gaze. He wished he'd taken some kind of measure before coming here, forgetting that this was the impression he'd be making for the first time in years.

His hair hadn't been brushed, his clothes were wrinkled and he had dark rings beneath his eyes from the long flight and entertaining Chloe before he'd managed to sneak out of her hotel as Chat Noir.

"Is that really you, Bro?" asked Nino, walking towards the door and opening it up wider, placing his hand on Marinette's shoulder.

Adrien's gaze traveled to his friend's hand and he immediately felt discouraged. The memory of setting Nino up with Marinette was like a slap in the face and he shook his head to keep from wincing. "Surprise?" he mumbled.

Marinette's eyes were still wide, scrutinizing every move he made, while Nino continued to gawk at him like he'd just stepped out of a photo rather than knocked on the door to Marinette's bakery. It really shouldn't have been such a surprise. Stranger things had happened in Paris.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you both –,"

"We weren't sleeping, Bro," replied Nino, smiling brightly.

Adrien fought to keep his face neutral and bowed his head so his bangs could mask the pain in his eyes. "Right, well, sorry for showing up out of the blue like this. I didn't mean to...uh, interrupt." Both of them went completely silent and when he looked up he was shocked at the repulsion in their eyes.

Both of them were stiff, completely frozen and their faces were completely drained of color. Slowly, Nino removed his hand from Marinette's shoulder, brushing it on his pant leg, and turned around. He walked back up the steps without another word.

"No!" cried Marinette, covering her hands with her face, "We're not –Nino's not –we don't –," She slapped a hand over her face and groaned, leaning against the door frame. "He's with Alya."

He could swear he heard Plagg snicker from inside his jacket.

"Right," mumbled Adrien, scratching the back of his head nervously, "I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to make you both uncomfortable." But he'd be lying if he said the distance between them didn't make him feel a bit more relieved.

They lapsed back into an awkward silence and Marinette cleared her throat, drawing his eyes back up from the ground to her face. "It's kinda cold out tonight. D –Do you maybe wanna come inside? I'm making more tea."

He smiled, "I'd really like that." She moved to the side, allowing him in and he bent down to pick up her keys, placing back in her outstretched hand while she closed the door.

Adrien watched her carefully as she moved, analyzing everything she did and comparing it to the way he remembered Ladybug's movements. The girl he'd fallen in love with had always been so calm, cool and collected. But Marinette was different. Her entire demeanor was hesitant, her movements slow and clumsy, like she continuously second-guessed herself.