Musical Love Interests (Miraculous Ladybug story) ✿

Chapter Ten: Concern (Marinette POV, third person)

Marinette Dupain-Cheng stood in the hallway with a tiny smile that expanded over her features as Adrien walked down the hall to his next class. She stood there for ten seconds or so, watching him go down the hall and disappear around the corner.
She spent the rest of the day worried about Adrien but happy she made a difference in what he was doing. She hoped her words had at least made him think and consider stopping.
When the bell rang for the end of class several hours later, she flinched from the sound in her chair. She seemed dazed because she hadn't been listening to a word Mrs. Bustier had been saying and the only thing on her mind was Adrien Senpai.
Marinette blushed at the thought and sighed as she lifted herself out of her chair and clumsily walked down the isle between all the desks and out the classroom door.
When she exited out the door, she noticed the thick layer of fog that covered the school. The sky was a cloudy white from it all, and appeared to set her in the middle of nowhere. As she lightly made her way down the stairs and across the black top, the fog nipped at her exposed skin on her knees where her jeans had holes and at her neck and face. She strode through the mist on her way home when she saw Adrien walking down the sidewalk on the same path as her, still wearing his black hoodie. He had his head bent down in a sulky kind of way , and his walking took place a few paces in front of her own.
Marinette's face became flustered with worry as she quickened her pace and slowly drifted her direction toward Adrien Senpai to catch up with him. She caught up and matched her pace to his, walking together in unison.
      "So uh.. feeling a lil' better?".
      Adrien gasped a little and jumped from fright.
      "Oh sorry did I scare you?".
      Adrien chuckled a little, "Yea I guess you did.".
He paused and smiled.
"And uh.. yea I am feeling a bit better...".
"Glad I could help...".
They walked for a couple minutes until a car pulled up next to them. It looked expensive and new, it's color in a shiny dark grey. Adrien began to approach it, looking back at her sadly.
        "Sorry Marinette, I gotta go. Father found out about me inviting Luka over so he doesn't really trust me to walk home anymore. Instead he's sending my bodyguard to come get me in his fancy car.".
         "O. Ok I'll see you tomorrow!".
         "See you Mari!".
         "Mari?".
         "O, sorry I guess it was automatic for me to assume that was your nickname or something...".
         "No one has ever called me that in my life.".
         "Oh. Sorry. If you don't want me to call you that I won't.".
          "No it's fine you can call me that! It's fine I don't care.".
        Oh my gosh that's so cute of course I want him to have a nickname for me! Marinette thought.
          " Well, bye then!".
          "Bye Mari!".
         She walked away beaming as she covered her red face with her jacket sleeve.
Although She was extremely excited from Adrien Senpai having a nickname for her, she also felt sad that he was sad. Marinette wanted to always be there for him and make him feel better. She wanted him to know that he mattered to not only her, but to all his friends and his family, including his father. Even though his father was mean to him, She could tell he still cared.
          She sighed as she continued to stride through the thick fog covering the sidewalks. Buildings and homes couldn't be seen because of it, and intersection stop lights shown through it, blurring the colors of red, green, and yellow.
         Marinette approached the front door of her parents' bakery, pushing open the light door with ease. The bell rang above the door signaling that she had arrived. Tom, Marinette's friendly giant of a father, ran out of the kitchen entrance behind the counter towards her  with his arms open wide for a hug.
        "Welcome home, darling!" He boomed, scooping up the poor girl in a suffocating hug.
        "Hi dad!" She squeaked, gasping for air in his tight grip.
        Tom noticed her struggling and set her down.
Marinette's mother, Sabine , soon joined the two in the main seating area of the bakery. She was a short sweet women who wore a traditional Chinese dress and a pink flower clip in her hair.
       Sabine put her hand on her daughter's shoulder, "How was your day, hon?".
       "It was good mom. I have some homework to do so...".
       "No worries you go up there to your room and do that. We can have dinner when you're done.".
        "Ok mom, thanks!".
        Marinette went the kitchen and grabbed a cup of yogurt from the fridge before going to her room. She went to the far side of the room near the stairs and carefully unfolded the ladder that led up to her room. She lightly stepped up, entering her beautiful sunny room. The walls were painted her signature light pink, covered in pictures of Adrien Senpai. She rushed over to a bulletin board covered in pictures of him. She then plucked one picture off the board and sat down in her desk chair spinning around holding the picture close to her chest as to not let it fall. The picture was Adrien when he was about 14, walking down a runway. He wore a dark green and black suit and he smirked in a sexy way at the camera. That picture had been taken a year previous at one of the fashion shows he attended. The picture had made the front cover page of times magazine. Marinette eventually put the photo back up, got her homework out, and began to work.
         About an hour and a half later, Marinette had finished her homework. She looked up from her desk and at the rest of her room. It was already dark outside. She climbed down her ladder and ate a delicious meal of spaghetti and meatballs with Parmesan cheese sprinkled over it.
         When it was time for bed, she turned off the lights and hopped into bed, looking longingly at another wall of Adrien pictures she had next to her bed.
         "Maybe there's still hope for Adrien and I.", She whispered to herself as she dozed off to the sound of wind chimes on her balcony.