Day4
“Love is thoughtful,” Tikki instructed. Marinette had refused to listen to Tikki first thing that morning, meaning now they were at her office doing the dare of the day. However, Tikki found it perfectly ironic that this dare required distance. “Today, give Adrien a call just to ask how he’s doing and ask if there is anything you could do for him.”
At the glare she received, Tikki withheld her urge to giggle. It was perfectly clear by the look on Marinette’s face that she was not amused by todays dare. That was fine, though. Tikki sure was.
It was around lunchtime, right before Adrien was going to head out to lunch with Ms. Tsurugi, that his phone buzzed, but to see Marinette’s number was a surprise.
“Hello?”
“Hey,” Marinette said. “I… I didn’t see you head out this morning so I just wanted to call and check in on you.”
Adrien bristled. She wanted to check in on him? Like his father would “check in on him”? “Why? Concerned about me?”
“Can’t a wife check in on her husband?” she asked innocently.
Adrien paused at that, biting back his “not without wanting something” comment. She was being nice—seemingly—so he would be nice in return until he figured out what the heck was going on.
“I just called to see if you wanted anything,” she said.
Adrien’s brow furrowed so deep it was going to leave him with wrinkles. “Like?”
There was a pause. “I don’t know. Groceries or something I can pick up for dinner?”
Again, he was speechless, unsure of what to make of it. “No, not particularly.”
“Nothing?”
“No.”
She paused again. “Okay,” she said, her tone uncertain. “I’ll see you at home, then.”
“See you at home,” he said automatically.
That was the end of the conversation.
Adrien would be lying if he said he didn’t give his phone a quizzical look as he put it away from him.
“Who was that?” Plagg asked, popping out of his hiding spot in the desk.
“Marinette,” Adrien said.
“Oh. She want anything?”
“She asked me if I needed anything. Which is ridiculous because we both know that I’ll be the one grocery shopping tomorrow.”
“How do you know?”
“Come on, Plagg,” Adrien snipped. “When was the last time she went grocery shopping?”
“Last month.”
“Case and point.”
“Not really.”
A knock sounded at the door, meaning Plagg quickly hid in Adrien’s bag.
“Hold on, I’m coming,” Adrien called out as he grabbed his bag. He slung it over his shoulder before answering the door of his office. “Okay,” he said, greeting Ms. Tsurgui with a smile. “Where too?”
“I haven’t been here before,” Adrien said, sitting down at the table in the small restaurant.
“It’s new, but I’ve heard that the food here is exemplary,” Ms. Tsurgui assured.
Adrien only nodded before looking the menu over.
“How long have you been teaching fencing?”
“Just a little under a year,” Adrien answered. “Mr. D’argencourt was the original owner of the academy, but he wanted to retire so I took over for him. Fitting since he always called me one of his best students.”
“I could agree with that. Your skills are quite impressive.”
“Thank you,” Adrien said, choosing a meal then setting his menu down as a signal to a waiter. “Yours are as well.”
“As they should be. I’ve been training all my life.”
Adrien gave a half smile. “It shows.”
She set her own menu down before giving him a smile. “Thank you.”
The waiter was over promptly, and they placed their orders.
“I hear you are being considered for the national team,” she commented once the waiter left.
“I am,” Adrien said, smiling in earnest now.
“Tryouts are coming up, aren’t they?”
“Yes, next couple weeks,” Adrien confirmed. “I’m surprised you aren’t being considered.”
“I was on the national Japanese team before I tore a ligament in my knee. The doctor warned me to take a year to recover unless I want to risk permanent damage. As much as it pains me to not be a competitor this year, it would hurt worse to never fence again. It’s my life.”
“I can understand that.”
Ms. Tsurgui smiled. “I’m sure. That is the target I want most in life. To fence. Preferably at the world class scale. What is your target, if I may ask?”
Adrien’s smile became forced. “I don’t know,” he said. “I… I thought I wanted one thing out of life, but then you look at the result that path led you to and you wander if it’s worth it.”
“There’s a very simple solution for that,” she informed. “If something in your life is not worth fighting for, you need to let it go. You must pick and choose your battles carefully. If you find that you’ve fought all the ways you can but nothing you do leads you to your target, you must be willing to adapt.”
Adrien paused to think about her words.
“Let me offer a piece of advice,” she continued, “life is a little like fencing. Hesitation can be dangerous. You must not be afraid to take the initiative. However, if you cannot strike the target you’ve chosen, something must change in order for you to be successful. Learn to adapt. Do not hesitate. And if need be, change your target.”
Adrien swallowed, letting those words sink in. “That’s good advice,” he said. “Probably necessary in this case.”
She smiled. She had a nice smile. “Sometimes, you just need someone to listen. A fresh perspective on a problem can be very helpful.”
He couldn’t deny that. So he smiled and thanked her just as lunch was served to them.
YOU ARE READING
The love dare
Random⚓After Hawkmoth was defeated, Adrien and Marinette are both hurt, leaving their marriage strained. Worried, Tikki and Plagg decided to take matters into their own hands by issuing a series of dares in an attempt to help their charges fix their marri...
