unexpected feelings | marichat

chapter six

adrien's pov
   so maybe she ISN'T just a friend. but what can i do about it now?
   "plagg, what do i do? i can't ask her out, can i?"
   "why not? not only is she daughter of the BEST bakers in paris- can you imagine? all the bread we could eat?- but she likes you too! no more rejection, no more heartbreak like there was with ladybug."
   "but what about kagami?" i ask, feeling guilty. in an attempt to "change targets"- as kagami herself advised me to- i began liking kagami. she made it clear she liked me too, and, although we aren't officially dating, we might as well be.
   "adrien, it's been two months since she tried kissing you and you still can't kiss her back. why don't you try dating marinette instead? maybe you'll be more comfortable around her," plagg says, a sly grin on his face. i sigh.
   "it's not funny plagg, i'm serious. okay, what if i just, don't go after marinette? i mean, she is trying to get over me, right? so, instead of making it even harder for her, i could simply keep being her friend as both adrien and chat noir. that works, i'm sure i'll get over her in no time," i decide.
"you're just gonna give up THAT easily? it took you ages to get over ladybug, what's the difference with marinette?" plagg asks, and i ponder about it for a few seconds.
   "the difference is that now i know what not to do when i want someone to love me back. i saw how much it annoyed ladybug that i wouldn't give up even if she loved someone else. so i stopped, and now our friendship and partnership is stronger than ever. i don't want to make the same mistake again with marinette," i say, frowning.
   "eugh, girls are so complicated. you need a break, let's eat cheese and watch tv," plagg suggests.
   "i'll pass on the cheese, but i do want to watch tv!" i say, and we watch tv for who knows how long until i fall asleep.

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   we had a free period at the end of school today, so, naturally, nobody wasted it. i figured i had time before my father expected me to be home, so i didn't want to waste my time either.
   "hey, marinette. you want to go to the zoo? we can get some juice on the way there," i suggested, to which she jumped back in fear. maybe i should have given a warning first?
   "adrien! hiiii, you mean, us? alone? together at the zoo??" she asks, her eyes slightly wide and her cheeks adorably flushed.
"well, yeah unless there's someone else you'd like to invite," i say, scratching at the nape of my neck. i remind myself that this is not me asking her out on a date, we're just friends, it's okay if someone else comes. still, a deep part of me can't help but hope she has nobody else in mind.
"uh, no? i mean yes? i mean agh! well, i would love to go adrien but alya and i were actually go-"
"i totally forgot that me and nino had homework to work on! sorry girl, guess we'll have to hang out a different day. but hey, at least you have adrien to keep you company," alya interrupts, seemingly coming out of nowhere. how does she do it??
she walks off, raising her eyebrows once before dragging nino along with her. marinette glares at her before turning back to me, a sheepish grin appearing on her face.
"soo, you were asking me about going to the zoo?"