Emotional Support [Complete]

S1 E5: Back at School

Adrien woke up to the absence of Marinette beside him. Instead, he found himself clutching a pillow to his chest. He groaned and chucked the pillow to the end of the bed before sitting up and looking around. Sunlight seeped through the window shades and his clock read 7:45 am. It was morning. Marinette left hours ago, but he could still feel how warm she was and how sweet she smelled and how badly he yearned for her to hug him again. And play with his hair. It felt really good when she did that. He wondered when her next visit was going to be. Was it every day? Or only on certain days? He didn't know, but he did know was that he'd definitely see her at school, which he should get ready for now.

As he undressed himself, he realized he hadn't seen Plagg since before Marinette showed up last night, and questioned where he was and if he had eaten. The first place he thought to look was in the cheese cabinet, where he found the small cat curled up on a pile of cheese, belly full.

Adrien chuckled, carefully scooping Plagg into his hands. "At least I don't have to worry about you being underfed."

Plagg's eyes slowly opened to meet Adrien's. "Oh, hey, kid. Have fun with your new girlfriend last night?"

Adrien rolled his eyes, lifting his brows at the commonly made mistake. "She's not my girlfriend, Plagg. She's just a friend."

Plagg's eyelids dropped midway at the level of denseness his chosen had acquired. "You curled up to sleep with the girl and started cuddling her whether you were conscious to realize it or not."

Adrien blinked, turning a bit red. "I-I did? I didn't mean to."

"Yeah, well, you did." Plagg flew up from Adrien's hands. "Listen, do you have feelings for her or not?"

"No, I don't think so," Adrien said as he resumed getting undressed for a shower. "Marinette makes me feel cared for and happy, but she mostly just reminds me of the way my mother used to care for and love me. Not really romantic feelings."

Plagg face-palmed himself. "Yup, because girls love hearing that."

Adrien shrugged and went for a shower.

***

At school, Adrien's first thought was to find his pigtailed friend. Fortunately, she was easy to spot in the locker room due to a new outfit she was wearing. She wore a white-collared shirt with sleeves just surpassing her elbows. It was black with white hearts, one red heart over her chest. Red, high-waisted shorts traced her curves. Long purple socks with a single heart at each end reached her lower thigh as brown, laced boots covered them. She had a matching brown purse with a bow above the button, slung over her shoulder, and her usual pigtails were now made into lose braids. It was definitely a Marinette original design and Adrien stood in awe, admiring her talent and how truly stunning she looked in that outfit. A blush found its way to Adrien's cheeks as he approached her at her locker.

"Hey, Marinette!" he said cheerfully, rolling an arm across her shoulder.

Marinette jumped slightly in surprise, her face turning red with a foolish smile upon her lips as she clutched her hands over her chest. "Oh, h-hi, A-Adrien."