unexpected feelings | marichat

chapter one

marinette's pov
"ugh, tikki i'm going to be late!" i groan, hastily throwing an apple into my purse before taking off to school.
"well, you were up all night saving paris," tikki offers, and i nod my head before realizing this would mean nothing to others.
"yes, but i can't use that as an excuse!!"
my frustration becomes adrenaline, and suddenly i'm glad jumping across rooftops has given me a decent amount of muscle. i skid to ms. bustier's class and plop down next to alya just as the bell rings. well, i'm not late, and that's more than most days.
"hey girl! you look tired," alya remarks, and i frown. "have you not slept?"
"well actually, haha, i stayed up doing.. doing homework for ms. mendeleiev's class! you know how much she loves.. her, assignments!" i giggle nervously and look away. these excuses just get worse everyday! you'd think after being ladybug for so long i'd at least become somewhat good at lying, but nope!
alya gives me a puzzled look, but then shrugs it off and pays attention to ms. bustier.
"well class, i have received feedback from the teachers in new york and..." i attempt to pay attention to her, but it's no use. my brain is not fully awake, and it isn't until i see that adrien is not in his seat that i snap to attention. i tap nino lightly on the back.
"where's adrien?" i whisper, and he shrugs.
"he said his father wanted him to stay home because of all the debris. don't worry though dude, he should be here for his fencing lesson," nino says before turning back to the front of the room.
a pang of guilt hits me. the only reason the street is a mess is because chat noir and i weren't here to defeat robostus. by the time we knew about him, not only were we all the way in new york, but he was gone; my miraculous couldn't repair any damages caused by him.
frowning, i decide to talk to adrien at the end of the day, if he even arrives at school. besides the whole destroyed street debacle, which i can't exactly apologize for, i also need to clear my feelings for him.
being in new york, i realized, maybe i can't be "just friends" with adrien, no matter how hard i try. i watched the sunset with him, hung out half the time there with him, we literally danced in front of the moon together!! i've got to tell him i , i love him , yes i have to tell him that no matter what he says. finally, i'll-
"marinette?? class is over," alya waves her hands in front of my face and i exit my daydreams,
"gahh! OH, yes sorry alya i've just been really distracted lately," i half-giggle half-groan , picking up my stuff and walking out the door.
"really? i'd have neverrr noticed if you hadn't mentioned it," she sarcastically remarks with a grin , and i scowl.
"i know i knowww, i need sleep," i mumble, and we go on with the day. the clock seems to tick for hours until FINALLY, the last bell rings. a choir of nerves and excitement hit me, and i begin to rush out my seat, with alya following close behind. she's aware of my plan with adrien, and i think she's probably more excited about it than i am.
"okay, so??? what're you gonna tell him??!" she asks enthusiastically as we run towards the locker room, trying to reach it before fencers take over it.
"probably, um, i'll tell him he's amazing and awesome and that he's super cute and that maybeilovehim," i grin sheepishly after rushing through the last sentence, and alya's eyes grow wide.
"YES GIRL, YOU ARE GOING TO TELL HIM THAT!!!" she says, and her energy sort of reassures me. i open the locker room and see him sitting on the bench, then quickly shut the door. so much for the reassurance.
"y'know what if i do this another time, say, NEVER!" i try turning around but alya stops me.
"oh no you don't girl, you are going in there and telling him how you feel, no matter how it goes at least you'll have TOLD HIM!" she says, shoving me into the locker room. i make another feeble attempt at hiding, but adrien sees me.
"hey marinette! how are you?" he asks, and i'm afraid i might turn into a puddle. i think i nearly do, but i shake my head and come back to my senses, sorta.
"hhahahhHI! i'm hood, I MEAN WOOD, NO NO, i'm GOOD adrien. and you??" i blurt, cursing myself mentally. stab me in the eye with your fencing sword right now adrien, PLEASE. my weird dialogue doesn't seem to affect him though, because he just smiles and stands up. god, that smile is so dreamy i-
"adrien! mr. d'argencourt is waiting for us in the gym. oh, hey marinette," kagami says, and i smile at her.
"i'm coming, just let me talk to marinette for a bit, please?" he tells her. talk to me? i mean i know i wanted to talk to him, but what does he need to tell ME??
"of course, just don't be long, you know fencing with air isn't nearly as fun as fencing with you," kagami giggles and kisses his cheek casually, and adrien, blushes? obviously he's blushing you dummy, look at her, why wouldn't he? you saw them almost kiss, why are you questioning their feelings? my spirits fall slightly before she turns to me.
"i'll see you around marinette!" she waves and i give a flimsy wave back. of course adrien and kagami like each other, what was i thinking? that a moonlit dance meant he would give me a chance? you wish. sighing, i'm about to bid adrien goodbye before he starts talking.
"i wanted to talk to you about new york... see, you worked so hard for my father to let me go, only for me to leave halfway through the trip," he frowns slightly and scratches at the nape of his neck before continuing. "i'm so sorry. i wish i could have stayed longer, especially because-"
"it's ok adrien, don't worry. besides, it was still super fun, right? anyway, i.." i pause, thinking of what i came to tell him. don't embarrass yourself. he likes kagami, save yourself the excess heartbreak. "i should get going. you've got fencing, i really don't want to make you late."
"are you okay marinette?" he asks earnestly, and the softness of his eyes makes mine well up a bit. as if this situation couldn't get any more painful.
"me? yeah hahah, i'm great. really, thanks," i say, sounding anything but okay. he looks at me for a few seconds, as if studying my face to see if i'm lying. the eye contact makes my face heat up, and i'm near certain that i've gone beet red. finally, he sighs and steps closer to me.
"alright, well, goodbye then. i'll talk to you at school tomorrow?"
"yeahh, see you later, at school," i wave half-heartedly before walking out the school and towards my house. tikki gives the occasional pitiful glance my way until we reach my balcony, and she finally flutters out my purse.
"i'm sorry marinette. i know you really wanted to tell him today. there'll be other times though," she reassures me, and i give her a sad smile, rubbing her head slightly.
"thanks tikki, but i don't think there will be. adrien is with kagami, i wouldn't want to ruin that. maybe it's time i finally do what i was planning to do before going to new york and try just being his friend. it works better that way, right?" tikki frowns at me as i talk, but as always, supports my decision.
"well, if you want to do that, why don't you do something to distract yourself, like sew or bake something?" she asks me.
"actually tikki, maybe the first order of business should be removing my poster collection! i could never get over him if all i see is his face plastered on my walls," i say, and we both giggle. feeling better, i head inside, hoping that finally i can succeed at being "just a friend."

a/n : first chapter lol, i found a prompt on pinterest and it inspired me to come to wattpad and write some marichat. no, i am not following the prompt , i'm just spouting random words 🤗 anywho , hopefully you enjoy reading this as much as i enjoy writing about my babies !