The Miraculous Marichat

Part Eleven

Dude, what is up with you lately?" Nino asked as Adrien slid into his seat. In true fashion, Marinette was late once again.
"What do you mean?"
"You're so clumsy all of a sudden. And you don't want to hang out with Alya, Marinette and I today, even though you don't have a photo shoot or lesson or anything. What gives man? Is everything okay?"
"That's not it!" Adrien insisted. "Of course I want to hang out with you guys!"
The group had invited him to go see a re-showing of the original King Kong movie. Adrien would have loved to go, except he didn't know if he could handle sitting into a theater next to Marinette for two hours. He felt like a total wreck around her. Whenever he got in front of her, he couldn't help but think of the taste of her lips and how she said that she loved him. His heart would start beating wildly and he would blush like crazy and not know what to say.
It had been three days and he hadn't spoken to her, as Adrien or Chat Noir. The guilt gnawed at him almost as badly as the butterflies which rose in his stomach at the thought of facing her.
"Sweet!" Nino exclaimed. "We already got you a ticket, just in case you changed your mind. Apparently the show sold out super quick!"
"Yeah, sounds great." Adrien forced a smile. He needed to get a hold of himself. Marinette was his friend and it wasn't fair that he was avoiding her.
Maybe going to the movie would help.

—

Marinette bounced on the balls of her feet in excitement.
"He's going to be here, Alya! I'm finally going to go to the movies with Adrien!"
Alya chuckled.
"Anyone who still thinks you're in love with Chat Noir clearly doesn't know you very well."
"Alya!" Marinette pouted as her cheeks heated up. Videos of her kissing Chat on the Pont Des Arts bridge had gone viral once again.
Thankfully, no more crazy villains had targeted her. She counted her lucky stars.
Nino and Adrien appeared around the corner and Marinette jumped with glee.
"Hey, boys!" Alya called.
Nino waved and Marinette watched in delight as Adrien followed suit.
"Sold out!" someone said very loudly near the ticket counter. "But I came all the way from Nantes to see it!"
"I'm sorry sir," the ticket seller said as she placed the sold out sign in the window.
"I love classic films!" The man cried. "I have spent my life trying to watch them all in theaters, as they were intended to be seen. I simply must see this movie!"
"Sorry, maybe you can catch the next showing."
"But that could be years from now!"
"I feel so bad for that man," Marinette said.
"Yeah. That's such a bummer," Alya replied.
Marinette looked down at her ticket, back toward where Adrien and Nino approached, and then to the strange man who clutched a small film-reel necklace to his chest.
"I'm going to give him my ticket," Marinette declared.
"But what about Adrien?" Alya gasped.
"There will be other movies. This one seems really important to that man."
As Marinette began to jog towards the stranger she noticed a black butterfly making its way toward him.
"Sir, look out!" Marinette called. But it was too late. The akuma entered the man's necklace.
He stood as the dark purple smoke encircled him and suddenly, Marinette found herself face to face with King-Kong.
The young girl turned to run, but was trapped in the ape's giant fist.
"Not again!" she cried as the akuma began climbing his way towards the Eiffel Tower.