Breaking Free

11) Friends

Marinette's POV
Over the course of the next several weeks, a lot happened.

Marinette and her fellow students graduated from their Junior year of high school and summer vacation began. But she frequently spent time with Adrien, Alya, and Nino, of course.

She and Chat were still going strong, and their interactions had gone back to the way they used to be, familiar and perfectly at ease. It felt natural.

Chat had his 17th birthday, and coincidentally, Adrien did too.

Then perhaps the biggest change of all... Adrien announced that he had a girlfriend.

Only about a week after she and Chat started dating, he told them that he had met a girl. For "her sake", he refused to give her name, so they all assumed she was a fellow model or coworker.

Meanwhile, Mari still hadn't told them about her relationship, meaning no matter how much she tried to convince them of the fact that she was over the model, Alya and Nino were convinced she was lying.

In response, she has to play the heart broken crush in front of them when in reality she was really happy for Adrien; much happier than she thought she would be realizing he had found someone else.

And no thanks to her best friend, Marinette had an... interesting... situation to share with her boyfriend tonight.

"Wait, are you kidding me?" Chat laughed, failing to contain his amusement.

"I wish! I've tried everything to get out of it, but Alya just reschedules or foils my excuse. She still thinks I'm in denial about Adrien or something, so I think I'm stuck."

"I'll try not to get too jealous." He cackled.

"Hey! This isn't funny!"

"Sorry princess, but it kinda is."

"Would you think it was funny if your friends set you up on a blind date without your permission when you already had a secret girlfriend?"

He thought for a second before responding. "Probably, yes, but my friends know I have a girlfriend. They just don't know her name."

"Ugh." She groaned, slumping down over Chat's lap.

"Just bear through it, and then tell Alya it was a disaster." He suggested, rubbing his girlfriend's back.

"So this is it then... I guess I'm going on a date."
- • - • - • - • - • - • -
The next morning, she waited at a café for whoever it was Alya had set her up with.

Marinette wouldn't of been surprised if her best friend had pulled a random teenager off the streets and paid him to play matchmaker, but the brunette has assured her that he would be a "perfect fit".

"Hi," she began as she pulled up to a table. "Are you.... Jamie?"

"That's me! Marinette, right?" The boy responded. She had to admit, he was fairly good looking. A solid figure, messy black hair, and bright blue eyes.

"So, tell me a little bit about yourself." He smiled after ordering drinks.

"Let's see... I'm 16, my favorite color is pink, I'm really into designing and sewing... I actually want to be a fashion designer one day, and Gabriel Agreste's son Adrien is one of my best friends, so I've gotten a lot of cool experiences. I designed an album cover for Jagged Stone, along with his signature sunglasses, and I'm a huge fan of Chat Noir." She summed up, forcing herself to smile and be polite.

"Awesome! I'm 17, my favorite color is green, and other then that I play rugby and soccer. Do you actually know Adrien Agreste and Jagged Stone?" He questioned, obviously wanting to hear more about her connections.

Wait until he hears that I'm dating a superhero.

"Yeah! I have Jagged on speed dial, plus a life supply of VIP passes. He actually filmed a show at my parents bakery one time. That was a disaster. And then Adrien-" she was cut off by a new voice, one that must've just entered the café.

"What about me?"
- • - • - • - • - • - • -
Adrien's POV
Yes, Adrien knew it sounded petty, but he wasn't just about to let the love of his life go on some date with another guy.

And it's not actually stalking if you just happen to be at the same place at the same time as your girlfriend's date... right?

Anyway, Adrien didn't think it could hurt if he just, coincidentally, of course, stopped at that café as his civilian self.

He wouldn't call himself an over protective or easily jealous boyfriend, per-say, but her going on a date was crossing some kind of line.

"Oh, hey Adrien! This is the guy Alya set me up with, Jamie? I was just telling him that I was into fashion, and you just so happened to be one of my best friends..."

"Yeah! Nice to meet you, Jamie. I'm Adrien Agreste. I don't know if you've heard of me," He dramatically glanced outside, looking at all of his ads, magazines, and sponsorships broadcasted around the town. "but you better treat her right. Marinette is an awesome girl and she deserves the best." He gave her a friendly peck on the cheek, once again for dramatic affect, before making his way into the line.

"See you tomorrow, Mari. We're meeting up with Alya and Nino at the park at noon, right?"

"Y-yeah!" She replied, caught off guard by the unexpected kiss, "over by the fountain!"

He smiled, grabbed his latte, and made his way out of the building.

"Was that really necessary, kid?" Plagg asked from his shirt pocket.

"I don't know," Adrien admitted. "I think she can handle herself. If that guy really tries to hit on her, well trust me. She has a nice right hook. The poor dude wouldn't stand a chance."

And with full confidence and trust in his girlfriend, he made his way down the streets of Paris.