Welcome to A Gamer's Pride! All translations will be at the end of the story! I apologize ahead of time for any grammar or spelling errors!

Thank you to all of the artists who participated in this! I love all the artwork and I am so glad you took some of your time to make this one-shot a bit more lively!

I hope you all enjoy!

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"Selfish, a judgment readily passed by those who have never tested their power of sacrifice."

~George Eliot

{+}{+}{+}

"I'm so screwed, Nino!" Adrien ranted, talking with his best friend over the phone.

"Dude-"

"My father is going to have my head mounted on the wall!" He continued, cutting off the DJ.

"Dude-"

"Maybe, I should run away somewhere far away like Canada or something," the blonde thought out loud while pacing the floor.

"Dude!" Nino shouted, making Adrien move the phone away from his ear. He finally stopped his ranting and pacing to hear what his right-hand-man has to say. Nino sighed in relief before asking, "What are you even talking about? Why are you screwed? Is that one Mexican dude still asking for his money?"

"You know how my dad has that super rare and expensive peacock's feathers pin..." The blonde started his explanation.

"Yes," Nino answered, "What about it?"

Adrien gulped, still feeling pale as his green eyes locked onto the said accessory laying on his desk.

"I...accidentally cracked it."

Nino went silent for a moment before replying, "I'll start planning your funeral."

(Art by: ScarletWintersD )

"Nino!" Adrien yelled, "No time for jokes! My dad said if I messed up one more time, he'd send me to a preparatory school!"

"Calm down for a second and let me think..." Nino said. Adrien returned to pacing the floor and combed his fingers through his golden hair. His body is stiff and cursed under his breath every time he glanced over at the jewelry.

He is so doomed!

"Okay, I think I know how to save your skin..." Nino finally responded.

He is so saved!

Adrien let out a sigh of relief, calming down and relaxing his stiff muscles. He knew he could count on Nino to save his butt.

"What is it?" The blonde asked, quickly.

"There's this dude I know named Vincent. He can fix that pin but it'll probably come with a hefty price with how valuable it is," Nino explained. Adrien narrowed his eyes, a little unsure and questioned, "What's the price?"

"I would say around....give or take, five thousand dollars."

Adrien groaned in frustration as things just had to get more complicated. He didn't have that kind of green laying around. Yet, he has to get the money and fix the pin before his father noticed. There has to be a quick way to earn it.

   "I know a way you can get the money," Nino continued, reassuringly. Adrien began to listen intently, wondering if he is going to take a safe or dangerous route to get the money he needs.

   "Remember that underground gaming tournament that nerd, Max, was talking about?" Nino asked.

   "Nope, not at all. Why would I know something like that?" Adrien bluntly asked, sarcastically and rolled his green orbs. It was always like Nino to eavesdrop on other people's conversations but that's how he gets his information.

   "Anyway," The DJ continued, waving off Adrien's sarcasm, "the winners get a ten-thousand-dollar prize."

   Adrien felt himself brighten as his scheme to get the expensive jewelry fixed is all coming together. He is really good at playing video games. At least, he always beat Nino at them. Then, he frowned after realizing the slight flaw in the plan.

   "Wait wait wait, back up for a moment," The blonde said, "Why did you make "winner" plural?"

   "Because," Nino said as if it was obvious, "you need a partner to enter the tournament."

{+}{+}{+}

   "Where am I going to find a partner on such short notice?" Adrien asked himself, shutting his locker before heading out of the room. Emerald eyes scanned the courtyard for anyone that he knew that is good at video games.

   Sabrina is hovering near Chloe as per-usual. Ivan and Mylene are sitting on a bench listening to music. Kim and Alix are having an arm wrestling match with Max refereeing. Nathaniel and Marc are sitting on a staircase, probably working on a comic. Rose and Juleka are watching something on a phone.

   Adrien sighed, looking over at Kim, Alix, and Max. Kim is celebrating and getting a nasty glare from his rival while Max stood off to the side, shaking his head. Adrien would've asked Max to help if it wasn't for the fact that he disliked the blonde.

Adrien could care less if Max liked him or not. It was that he would've been useful and nothing more. This meant Adrien is still stuck on step one.

A low growl escaped his lips as he began to head to his next class.

"Hey, dude," Nino greeted, coming out of nowhere and placing a hand on the blonde's shoulder, "Still can't find a partner?"

"No," Adrien muttered, frustrated. The DJ slid his hand off of the blonde's shoulder.

   "Do I need to hook you up with some top-notch players that I know?" Nino asked before explaining, "They're all pretty much old dudes, who still live in their mom's basement. But, I'm sure they'll suffice if you give them half of the reward."

   "I can't," Adrien rolled his eyes, "Since you obviously have not read all the rules that you gave me, it says that I need someone around my age to participate. The only people I really know around our age are our classmates."

   Nino hummed in understanding.

   The two friends walked into the classroom and sat at their shared desks. Some students began to file their way into the classroom once the warning bell rang.

   "Alright, is there anyone in our class that you think is suitable?" Nino asked.

   "The only one I can think of is Max. But, he's hated my guts ever since I beat him by "cheating" at some video games and a physics competition."

   Nino gave Adrien a blunt look, saying, "You did cheat."

   "That's beside the point," the blonde waved off his friend before the two winced when a high-pitched squeal filled the room.

   Everyone's eyes wandered towards the obnoxious noise to see the snobby mayor's daughter, Chloe Bourgeois, glaring murderously at the class president, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, who glared right back.

"Ugh! Would you stop being so bossy? It's really annoying and unattractive," Chloé spat, placing her hands on her hips and overshadowed the short bluenette.

"How ironic," Marinette replied in defiance, "coming from you that is."

Chloe scoffed, "As if! You're practically always walking around stiff as a board and telling people what to do."

"So, what does that make Miss Raincomprix to you then," the bluenette replied, properly. Chloe smirked in victory, "Sabrina is my best friend. Where are all of your friends? Did you lose them with that attitude of yours?"

"Please, I would rather have no friends than be your acquaintance," The bluebell-eyed girl replied, snakily. Chloe tutted, "Everyone adores me!"

   The blonde girl's icy eyes snapped away from Marinette and over to Adrien. She placed a fake smile on her face and shoved the bluenette out of the way.

   "Adrikins, I didn't see you there! You adore me, right?" Chloe enthusiastically exclaimed, tightly hugging poor Adrien. Adrien always felt awkward in Chloe's hugs when she practically drapes herself on him, dramatically complaining about everything.

The only way out was to agree with her.

"Uh, yeah. Sure," Adrien said, unraveling Chloe's arms from around him. Satisfied, the mayor's daughter happily walked over to her seat and sat down. Marinette gave a look of disapproval at Adrien like she was scolding a child before sitting in the seat right behind him.

Adrien rolled his eyes, not caring.

   Marinette and he had a dislike for each other and made some sort of unspoken deal to never cross paths. He was the school's popular bad boy while she was a highly-educated princess. Two people that will never mix.

"Why are women so weird?" He thought, slumping back in his chair.

The teacher walked into the classroom and began attendance.

{+}{+}{+}

"Mister Agreste!"

Adrien and Nino had just exited the classroom before an angry voice called. The two boys turned around to see a short, scowling bluenette stomping over. The blonde sighed, rolling his eyes. Nino snorted, patting Adrien's shoulder in luck before leaving him to deal with Marinette.

"Yes, your highness," Adrien said, placing his hands into his pockets and had a bored expression on his face. Marinette's eyebrows furrowed, glare even more intense.

(Art by: FANDOM_mlb_andMORE )

"Excuse me?" Marinette asked, offended.

"Oh, pardon my foul attitude. There is no need for you to get your panties in a twist," Adrien replied, smirking.

"Look here, you twit-"

Adrien snorted, interrupting a fuming Marinette, "Twit? Really? Princess, I've been called much worse than that."

   "Why am I not surprised?" Marinette muttered under her breathe, crossing her arms. She sighed, "I just wanted to tell you to not influence Chloe's behavior. She needs discipline and to respect others, treat them as equals."

"Whatever you say, Milady," Adrien shrugged before walking around Marinette and headed for his next class.

{+}{+}{+}

"You think we might find someone here?" Adrien asked, looking around the arcade.

   "Definitely," Nino nodded, getting caught glancing over at the prize table for what felt like the hundredth time. Adrien's curiosity finally got the best of him and looked over at the prize area. There was nothing special over there that caught Adrien's attention but he could see something that caught Nino's attention.

   It wasn't any of the prizes hanging on the wall or displayed in the case but the girl with ombré hair looking quite bored.

   Adrien smirked, "See a prize that you like?"

   Nino turned towards the blonde and shot him a glare, "Shut up."

   Adrien merely laughed, patting his best friend's back and gesturing over at the prize table, "Go ahead, I'll look around."

"You sure, dude?" Nino questioned. The blonde nodded, making Nino eagerly walk over to the prize counter to flirt with the girl running it. Adrien shook his head, tucking his hands into his jacket's pockets before continuing to look around.

   There were many people of different ages either dominating or failing miserably at a game. Yet, Adrien could not find the right person he was looking for. Someone who knew how to play diligently and keep a level head.

   He knew when he would find the right person, his instincts or a gut feeling would kick in. It was like a sixth sense when choosing people he could or couldn't use for his purposes. It has come in handy in dire times as well when he needed to cheat.

   So far, there was nothing.

   Nobody stood out to him.

   Adrien sighed, giving up after looking for about an hour and headed towards the prize table where he knew Nino would be. Yet, something caught his attention and made him pause when seeing a small crowd around the dancing game. Tilting his head to the side in curiosity, the blonde made his way over.

   Suddenly, the crowd cheered just as Adrien was able to see what was happening. Two girls were versing each other at the game and were both phenomenal but the blonde could tell the girl with brunette hair was struggling.  The other girl played swiftly and calmly like she knew what would happen before it came.

   The brunette girl suddenly fell, ending the game.

   "Volpina loses!" The girl from the prize table announced before grabbing onto the winner's wrist and holding up their arm, "Lady Luck wins!"

   Adrien's eyes blew wide open when seeing the last person he thought would ever step into an arcade. Eloquent lady and class president, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

   The hairs on the back of his neck and arms stood, signaling his sixth sense was going haywire. He groaned knowing what this meant and did not like it one bit.

   Marinette was the one.

   "Out of everyone in Paris, why her?" He thought, begrudgingly. Yet, this was an opportunity he couldn't miss.

   Once most of the crowd dispersed, Adrien saw Nino talking with the girl at the prize table. Yet, the blonde wasn't too concerned about him at the moment. His main goal was to figure out how to convince Marinette to partner up with him for a gaming tournament.

   The "Volpina" girl stood up from the ground in a huff and stomped away, scowling.

   "I'll beat you one day, Lady Luck and you'll regret ever challenging me," Volpina snarled, walking by Adrien in a huff. Adrien rolled his eyes at the sore loser before making his way over to the bluenette.

Marinette was taking a few sips from a water bottle and scrolling through her phone, unknowing of the presence approaching.

   "Never thought I'd see royalty like yourself in a place like this," Adrien said, smirking. Marinette looked up from her phone, staring wide-eyed in shock.

   "Wh-what are you doing here?" She asked in a nervous stutter and shoved her phone into her pocket.

   "I'm looking for a partner to help me in a video game tournament," the blonde answered, "and I'm wondering if you could be that person."

   This earned a steely glare from the short bluenette.

   "Absolutely not," Marinette huffed, crossing her arms.

   "Why not?" Adrien asked.

   "One, I do not find your presence appealing at all. Two, I am not involving myself in any of your tomfooleries," Marinette answered, picking up her book bag and placing it on her back.

   "Now, if you will excuse me. I best be heading home. I shall see you in class tomorrow, Mister Agreste," Marinette added before walking away. Adrien followed after her.

   "What if I told you, the reward for the winners is a big hunk of cash," Adrien bribed, thinking she would continue walking away. To his surprise, Marinette immediately stopped in her tracks at the mention of money. She turned around and settled her arms at her sides.

   "How much?" She asked, quizzically. Adrien raised an eyebrow, wondering why she wanted to know.

"Isn't her family rich?" He thought.

   "Ten-thousand," the green-eyed teen answered, suspiciously. Marinette hummed, pursing her lips in deep thought before nodding, "I accept this partnership..."

   The blonde was practically pumping his fist in victory until Marinette finished her agreement, "...if I get half of the reward money."

   "Deal," Adrien agreed, reaching out his hand. Marinette grasped his hand and they shook on it. The blonde teen smiled deviously as imaginary horns grew from his head. Once Marinette walked away, Adrien removed his free hand from behind his back, fingers still crossed.

   "Sorry, Princess," Adrien slyly spoke, chuckling and placed his hands in his pockets, "but our deal is going to be broken."

{+}{+}{+}

   "Where have you been?"

   Adrien rolled his eyes when the first face that greets him is the last he wants to see.

   His annoying step-mother.

   "I've been to a lot of places. You're going to have to be more specific, Nathalie," Adrien replied, walking past the fuming woman.

   "Adrien Agreste, don't walk away while I'm speaking to you," Nathalie yelled just as the teen slammed his bedroom door shut. Adrien sighed, walking over to his bed and rubbed his tired eyes.

   Adrien had always felt alone. His father became very distant and cold. He was rarely ever home, allowing himself to drown himself in work.

As time went on, Adrien had been bullied and made friends with the wrong people, who thought bad stuff was "cool." Just like his father, Adrien allowed himself to drown in the darkness. No one cared enough to help him out so he gradually fell into survival mode.

  Adrien used people, tricked them for his selfish desires without any remorse until he got what he wanted. He had a hard time growing close to anyone, making sure to keep everyone at a safe distance but kept close.

   There was a line between the people who have met him. There were the people who loved him, whether it was a giant crush or him being a cool guy. Then, there were the people who hated him, whether he bullied them or just plain annoyed and disgusted with him.

   Nino was the only reliable friend Adrien was able to keep close with over the years. Besides him, everyone thought of him as the school's bad boy. He ruled the school.

   Then, Adrien's father married Nathalie.

   Adrien despised her.

   He felt as if she was going to replace his mom and kept that thought cemented in his mind. No matter how much she tried to gain some sort of connection with Adrien, he shot her down just as quickly.

He would not allow himself to grow close to another person. He won't allow anyone else to hurt him...not again...not ever.

His cell phone began to vibrate, informing the teen of an incoming call. Adrien slipped his phone from out of his pocket to see it was Nino calling him. Adrien answered, placing the device against his ear.

"Hello?"

"Bro, you left me!" Nino shouted through the phone, offended. Adrien had to move the device away from his ear before returning it.

"You trying to make me go deaf?" Adrien questioned, annoyed with his friend. The blonde was starting to feel a headache form. Nino muttered something on the other side of the line that Adrien couldn't understand.

Adrien sighed, continuing, "Besides, it's not leaving you if you wouldn't come in the first place to flirt with that girl. Now, what's the real reason you called me?"

There was shuffling coming from the other side of the phone before Nino spoke.

"Did you find a partner? I've got pretty much everything filled out on your participation form. I just need your partner's information," Nino explained.

"Yes, but you probably wouldn't believe me if I told you who my partner is," Adrien said.

"Try me," Nino replied.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng," Adrien answered. The line went silent for a moment, making him think the DJ had hung up on him.

"You're right. I don't believe you," his best friend finally said before asking, "What happened to the "no joking" policy?"

"I swear, dude. She is my partner. Do you think I'd be lying at a time like this?" The blonde questioned. Nino hummed in acknowledgment before relenting and agreed to write down Marinette's information.

"Alright, buddy. You're all signed up. I'll deliver this to the guy in charge of the tournament tomorrow," Nino finished before hanging up. The green-eyed teen placed his phone down and decided to go get a shower.

Hopefully, tomorrow is a better day.

{+}{+}{+}

"You have got to be kidding me."

   "I do not kid around, Mister Agreste."

   The two teens stood in front of the girliest game in the entire arcade. Adrien grumbled curses under his breath before glaring at the bluenette.

   "I'm not playing Pop Pop Princess. I can see the reason why you would but I'd rather blast zombie's heads off," Adrien said, jabbing his thumb over to an apocalyptic game. Marinette placed her hands on her hips and straightened her lips into a tight line.

   "For your information, this game is based on skill. It will help you move and find a style of rhythm than your horrendous button smashing," Marinette argued back.

"Trust me, Princess. I can do more than just smash buttons," Adrien slickly spoke, smoothly. A sly smirk adorned his face.

The bluenette's eyes widened and her face instantly heated up when the blonde's face was merely an inch away from hers. Scoffing, Marinette used the heel of her foot and crushed Adrien's foot. Adrien yelped and backed away in pain.

"You are not only a horrendous game player. You are also a horrendous human being. You are very insufferable and disgusting, Mister Agreste," Marinette spat, vigorously.

"Would you, chill? I was just kidding! Sheesh, take a joke for once in your life," Adrien huffed, feeling his foot throb within his shoe.

"Also, you can just say my first name. You don't have to be so formal."

Marinette took in a couple of deep breaths, repeatedly counting in her head to ten. She had to calm herself down and try to work with her moron of a partner. They needed to get along and stop bickering like children if they were to win.

Once she was relaxed, the bluenette stared at her partner before dragging him off to a different game.

"Hey! Where are we going?" Adrien asked, trying to keep up with the surprisingly fast-paced speed the short teen went.

"I made the mistake of not thinking of our very opposite mindsets," Marinette explained, "You need a game more suited for you instead of mine. Henceforth..."

   Marinette came to a sudden stop to which Adrien bumped right into her back. The bluenette gestured towards the game in front of her, making Adrien look at what she was showing him.

   "...I am introducing you to this game, Ultimate Mecha Strike. It's a pretty well-known video game in this arcade," Marinette said, picking up a controller, "You need skill, strategy, precision, and a level head to win."

   "Why didn't you show me this one first? This game looks lit," Adrien exclaimed, watching the fighting robots on the screen. Marinette places in her coins before saying, "This is an elite game. I am unsure if you can handle something like this with how small-minded you are."

   "Just for saying that, I'm not going easy on you. I happen to be awesome at video games. I've beaten everyone that I've played," Adrien bragged, giving Marinette a toothy smile.

   "I assume the many times you won was either you had the advantage, cheating or unplugging the system before you lost. I also assume that everyone you rivaled is only Mister Lahiffe. Am I correct?" The bluenette said, unimpressed. Adrien's eye twitched in disbelief. Her assumptions were right on the nail but Adrien kept his facade on.

   "Of course not, Princess. That's just utterly ridiculous," Adrien replied, waving off Marinette's correct assumptions.

   "So is Chloe," Marinette replied, rolling her eyes. Adrien snorted, "Touché."

   The game started and was barely a couple of seconds later when Marinette mercilessly claimed victory. Adrien merely blinked in astonishment before snapping his head to the side to look at the bluenette.

   "How did you do that?" He asked in disbelief. Marinette was about to make a snarky comment until looking into big emerald eyes filled with curiosity and wonder. The words were lost on her tongue and left the girl gaping. She cleared her throat and turned away, feeling her face warm up.

   "I have been playing video games for many years," Marinette answered, calmly, "That is all you need to know."

   "Oh, so there is more," Adrien said, smirking and nudging the bluenette's side, "Come on, spill the beans."

   "I think you should be paying attention to the task at hand," Marinette said, starting the game and destroying the blonde male again.

   "Hey! No fair! I wasn't ready," Adrien complained, flicking the side of Marinette's head. Marinette huffed in return, sending a heated glare at Adrien.

   "Also, you might want to pay attention," Adrien continued, slyly when restarting the game and beating up his partner's avatar. Marinette focused, calmly pressing the buttons on the game controller while Adrien wildly smashed the buttons on his.

   Adrien was close to winning and could feel victory slowly fall into his grasp. Then, a sudden wind blew it away as Marinette wiped the floor with him for the third time in a row. Soon, the two had to head home and were exiting the arcade.

   "Oh, great master! Teach me your ways," Adrien playfully begged, bowing.

   Marinette sighed, covering her face with her hand out of embarrassment, "You are an incompetent fool."

   Adrien chuckled, putting his hands in his jean's pockets, "Whatever, Princess. I'll see you tomorrow."

   "I cannot join you for gaming practice. I am afraid I have somewhere to be tomorrow so it shall be the day after tomorrow," Marinette spoke.

   "Really? Where are you going to be at?" The blonde asked.

   "That is none of your concern," Marinette replied, defensively and making Adrien raise his hands in surrender.

   "Chill, Milady. No need to get so defensive," Adrien said.

   Marinette sighed, once again, "You are right. I apologize for my attitude. I will see you at school tomorrow and do stop giving me such childish nicknames, Mister Agreste."

   With that, Marinette walked away, leaving a curious and suspicious Adrien raising an eyebrow.

{+}{+}{+}

   "Yeah, she is definitely hiding something," Nino agreed after Adrien told him what happened at the arcade yesterday. The two teens decided to meet at the park to talk during lunchtime. The park was full of life for it being around one o'clock on a Thursday.

   Adrien nodded his head subconsciously in agreement.

He couldn't figure out Marinette as well as other people. She is very intelligent for her age and knows how to keep a secret. Yet, that just sounded like a new challenge to Adrien. He was going to find out was the prestigious princess was hiding.

   "Wait, isn't Marinette's family rich?" Nino said his thoughts out loud, "Why is she helping you with the gaming tournament? She doesn't need cash and hates your guts."

   "Yeah," Adrien answered, sitting up, "For some reason, she wants half of the reward money for something. Little does she know, I'm taking it all in the end and leaving her with empty pockets. She doesn't need it as much as I do. Even if I only need half to repair the jewelry, I can use the other half for something else."

   Nino grimaced, not liking the idea but kept quiet. He has been Adrien's best friend for years and has seen the blonde drastically change. Nino felt guilty for being unable to change Adrien's beliefs. No matter how much Nino tried, Adrien wouldn't listen unless it would benefit him in the end.

"Whatever, dude," Nino quietly grumbled under his breath, disappointed and mad at his best friend. Adrien watched as the DJ stood up from the bench and walked away.

"Where are you going? Lunch isn't over yet," Adrien asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion. He didn't get a reply back. Adrien decided to head back to school since he had no reason to be at the park anymore. He tried to find Nino but gave up, thinking he already went to his class.

"Miss Bourgeois, I ask that you mind your own business. If you have nothing nice to say then do not say it at all."

The blonde male paused in his tracks and turned his attention towards the argument between two high-respected girls in the class. He spotted a tall emo chick and a short unicorn girl standing behind Marinette. The two of them were holding hands, looking completely hurt and offended by whatever Chloe said.

"I'm just saying that girls should date boys, not other girls. They just look utterly ridiculous and disgusting," Chloe said, examining her talon-like nails. Marinette's eyebrows seemed to narrow even more. The other two girls grew more upset as the argument continued.

"Do not reflect your own problems on Miss Couffaine and Miss Lavillant. They are not reflective surfaces," Marinette spat back. Chloe icily glared at the bluenette before looking around. She spotted Adrien and happily skipped over.

"Adrikins! Marinette is wrong, right? It is really weird to have girls date girls. Right?" Chloe pouted, rapidly blinking her eyes and sticking out her bottom lip. Adrien really didn't care who dated who. All that he knew was to just agree and get Chloe to stop draping herself on him.

Green eyes glanced up and caught bluebell, begging for him to not agree with Chloe. Emo chick and unicorn girl nervously waited for his response. Looking back at Chloe, he sighed and rolled his orbs, "Sure."

Chloe released her embrace on his arm and smirked deviously at Marinette. Chloe snapped her fingers for Sabrina to follow and headed to class. Once Chloe and Sabrina were gone, Adrien turned his attention to the fuming bluenette. He swore he could see steam coming from Marinette's ears.

   Emo chick was comforting unicorn girl and lead her away when she started crying. There were whispers from the people who listened in on the argument.

   "Sheesh," the blonde thought before something hit his arm hard. Adrien jumped back, wincing in pain and covered the throbbing part of his arm.

   "Ow!" Adrien hissed, "Why the hel-"

   That's when he saw who had hit him.

   Marinette's face was red in rage and her teeth were clenched tightly together. Her hands were formed in fists as her bluebell eyes glared icily at Adrien.

   "It's true," Adrien thought, a shiver running down his spine, "Nice people are really scary when they're mad." He didn't show his fear of the short teen, hiding it behind a mask.

"You imbecile! You are quite a lucky man that I am in desperate need of money or I would have cut this deal off ages ago," Marinette hissed, jabbing her offending pointer finger into Adrien's chest. The blonde merely placed his hands in his pocket and forced his stiff body to relax.

"Princess, you need to chill. Why do you need money, anyway? Isn't your family like fabulously rich?" he asked, sounding like he didn't care.

"Of course not, you fool! My parents own the Boulangerie Patisserie across the street," Marinette huffed, arms crossed and chin high as she declared, "From now on, we are not on speaking terms until tomorrow at practice."

"You sound like we're a couple that needs to take a break," Adrien deadpanned. Marinette rolled her eyes before stomping off towards her next class. The blonde sighed under his breath, "Man, she's so weird..."

A small smile graced his lips, "...but interesting."

{+}{+}{+}

"Adrien, we need to talk," Nathalie sternly said, nursing a cup of coffee. After rummaging for his favorite chips, the teen only gave the woman a side glance before heading to exit the kitchen.

"What did I do?"

This made Adrien pause at Nathalie's question.

"Please, just tell me what I did wrong? Why do you hate me so much?" His step-mother asked, begging for answers. The blonde kept looking forward, blankly staring into the next room. The silence and tension were thick in the air between the two.

Finally, Adrien spoke, "It's kinda hard to hate something when I pretend it doesn't exist."

With that said, he walked out of the room and left a heartbroken Nathalie in his wake. Adrien walked out of the house and left for the arcade to practice for the gaming tournament with Marinette. He failed at both talking with the stubborn bluenette and figuring out where she went yesterday. So, he decided to use the rest of his free time after school to practice.

The blonde teen entered the arcade.

The first thing he noticed, was the prize counter with his best friend once again flirting with the same girl running it. Rolling his eyes, Adrien went to meet Marinette at a new game they were going to try out.

"Even after frustrating me the day before, you still decide to test the waters by arriving late," Marinette spat, scowling with crossed arms.

"We scheduled times to meet?" Adrien asked, raising an eyebrow. Marinette sighed before the two began to play. About halfway through practicing Space Defenders, Adrien glanced for a second over at a calm, focused Marinette. He was surprised to see a small genuine smile on her lips.

"So" Adrien started, once he lost the game, "What are you going to use the money for?"

   "We have already been over this. It is none of your business," Marinette snippily replied.

"Oh, come on. How about I tell you what I'll do with my half of the prize if you tell me what you'll do with yours?" Adrien tried to negotiate with his charms, having no intentions of telling the bluenette what he'll do with his money.

"No, Mister Agreste," Marinette stubbornly answered, "I have no intentions on sharing what I shall do with my portion of the money."

   "Princess, I said you can just call me by my first name," Adrien grumbled, digging into his pocket for another token. Just as he pulled out the token, a question started to bug him, "Besides, how can you be so sure we are going to win? There are probably going to be elite gamers there."

   Just as the blonde was reaching forward to place the token into the slot, Marinette answered, "We need to win."

   Adrien froze when hearing the intensity and rawness of her voice. Green orbs turned away from the game's slot to stare at the determined girl. Her hands were clutching the controller and kept her held chin high to make herself known.

   "There will be no loss as long as I hold onto hope, even if it is the tiniest and thinnest of threads," she finished, passionately. To Adrien, it seemed as though Marinette was referring to some sort of other situation and talking with a whole different person.

   Adrien felt his heart lurch and hairs stand on the back of his neck. He could hear Marinette's inner turmoil, see hidden scars under layers of a perfectionist's skin and bones. This feeling speaks for itself of untold stories through the window of her brilliant but dull eyes.

   For a moment, he could almost see a younger version of himself standing in Marinette's place.

   The blonde shook off his shock, pushing all his mixed emotions into the depths of his mind and let his arrogant personality shine over again.

   "Cut the whole "hope is the answer" crap. That's for suckers who actually believe in that stuff and risk it all on pure luck. That's not how the world works. You can only cheat your way through life. So, I think cheating is the way we're going to win," Adrien proudly spoke, letting his selfish pride talk for itself.

  "I bet you did not always think like that," Marinette spoke, making the blonde flinch, "I assume you were just as naïve before something changed it all."

   Adrien grew very uncomfortable and did what he could do best, run away from his problems.

{+}{+}{+}

   "Forgive me for being so irrational yesterday. I did not mean to take my negativity out on you."

Adrien was expecting a lot of things during his usual mornings at school. Whether it was Chloe draping herself on him, getting looks of awe or disgust from passerby's or talking with Nino. However, Marinette suddenly appearing out of the blue, bowing, and apologizing was the last thing he expected to happen.

   Wide, emerald green eyes blinked dumbfounded for a moment at the sudden apology. Marinette straightened her posture and looked up at the blonde, waiting for his reply. Recollecting himself, Adrien replied, "It's fine. I probably deserved it anyway."

   Adrien was about to walk away when Marinette grabbed his bicep.

   "It is not fine, Mr. Agreste," Marinette said, "I did something that hurt your feelings."

She sighed, letting go of the blonde's arm, "We need to stop arguing over silly matters and work together if we want to win."

   "Finally, something we both can agree on," Adrien muttered, turning towards the short girl, "So, how are we going to make this work, Milady?"

   Marinette began to think of a solution until something popped into her mind.

   "I suggest that we rendezvous at the park tomorrow at one o'clock sharp unless you are busy," the bluenette schemed up a plan.

   "Is this your way of asking me out, Princess? It's quite adorable," Adrien quipped, a flirtatious grin spreading across his face. Marinette's face was painted a nice shade of red before she walked off in a huff without any sort of retort. Adrien chuckled before he headed towards his first class.

   Hopefully, tomorrow they will be on better terms.

{+}{+}{+}

Marinette glared at the approaching blonde.

"You are late," she said, not surprised. Adrien checked the time on his phone before scoffing out, "By five minutes!"

"When I say, "one o'clock sharp," I expect you to arrive right on the dot," the bluenette simmered, earning an eye-roll from the male. So far, this meet-up was turning in all the wrong directions and couldn't afford anymore mess-ups.

"Anyways," Adrien began, changing the subject, "What do you have planned for our team bonding?" Adrien wasn't the least bit surprised when Marinette brought out a small notepad with a shortlist of things to do, including times for how long they should be there.

"I do not know what sort of things you consider...enjoyable besides video games," Marinette started, "But, I tried to conduct a small list of things I assume we both would enjoy for today's bonding experience."

   Adrien looked over the short bluenette's shoulder and scanned the list of activities. His eyes blew wide open at the things written neatly in cursive.

   It wasn't the matter of how Marinette's handwriting could rival one of those old jurassic dudes he's supposed to learn about in history class. No, it was the things they were going to do for an entire evening.

Activities

[ ] 1. Watch an anime movie (1:10-3:00)
[ ] 2. Laser tag (3:15-4:15)
[ ] 3. Visit comic book store (4:30-5:00)
[ ] 4. Andre's ice cream (5:20-5:45)
[ ] 5. Arcade (6:00-7:00)

   "You truly are a geek at heart. Aren't ya, Princess?" Adrien mused, grinning at her flushed face, "But, I've gotta hand it to you, this all sounds really fun."

   Marinette sighed in relief and smiled.

   "Splendid!" She rejoiced before clearing her throat and refraining herself, "Let us not waste anymore of our time and begin our activities. What film shall we watch?"

   The two teens quickly agreed to watch Your Name and sat up against a tree, setting up the movie on Marinette's phone. Every once in a while, one of them made a side comment about the characters or laughing at some funny parts.

   Soon, the movie ended.

   Marinette and Adrien both stood up and stretched their limbs.

   "What an exquisite masterpiece! Did you enjoy the movie as well, Mister Agreste," Marinette asked, jollity.

   "Nope," Adrien answered, making the bluenette deflate and frown slightly. Then, the male grinned and continued, "I loved it!"

   Marinette huffed, punching the laughing blonde in the arm. Yet, she couldn't help the feeling of the edge of her lip twitching up before frowning, rolling her eyes.

   "Let us continue," Marinette said, walking away with her chin up and arms crossed. Adrien followed the bluenette before remembering what the next event was.

   "How are we going to do laser tag? I don't have much money on me and I highly doubt you do either," Adrien asked as the two boarded a bus. Once finding a place to sit, Marinette pulled two slips of paper out from her pocket and flashed them in Adrien's face.

   "I have obtained two free tickets to play a game of laser tag," Marinette explained before putting them back into her pocket. Adrien blinked in astonishment, asking, "You're going to waste them for our bonding day instead of saving them to like...do it with your pals?"

   "The tickets are about to expire soon and I do not have anyone to go with," Marinette answered back. The blonde leaned back in his seat and hummed, concluding, "So, your friends don't know how much of a geek you are."

   Marinette seemed to wince at this, making Adrien think his theory was correct until she uttered, "Something of the sorts."

   Emerald green eyes cast upon the properly sitting girl, who seemed uncomfortable in her own skin. Adrien narrowed his eyes in suspicion, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand.

She was lying.

{+}{+}{+}

"Remind me to never play laser tag with you again," Adrien said, walking out of the building with the bluenette in tow. Marinette smirked, proud of herself for winning all three rounds in a row without breaking a sweat.

"I mean, what are you? Some kind of secret ninja that works for the government?" The blonde joked, "I could never see or hear you coming. It's like you were everywhere and nowhere at the same time! You showed me no mercy and hurt my pride, woman!"

"I do not recall you waving a white flag. So, I assumed you were not going to give up," Marinette replied, teasingly. Adrien blinked for a moment in confusion, asking, "There were?"

"No," the bluenette answered, snickering.

"You're so mean!" Adrien whined, over-dramatically. Even though he lost, he did admit that he had a lot of fun. When was the last time he ever had that much fun? He couldn't recall.

"What are you? Some sort of—what do they call it again—a man child?" Marinette questioned, thoughtfully. Adrien scoffed, crossing his arms as Marinette laughed.

"What's the next thing on the list, you jerk?" The blonde grumbled like the sore loser he was.

"Visiting a comic book store," Marinette answered his question after looking at the list. She put a checkmark in the box next to the activity they had just completed before tucking the small notepad back into her pocket.

    The blonde scrunched his nose, wondering how a teen could look so professional when placing a checkmark in a box.

   "Since we're trying to get to know each other better, mind if I ask why you act the way you do?" Adrien asked, curiosity getting the best of him. Marinette looked up at him in confusion, "What do you mean? I have always been this way."

   "I highly doubt a thirteen-year-old could make their handwriting look like a fancy font on a computer and know five different languages," Adrien bluntly stated, making Marinette's face flush in embarrassment.

"It is actually six different languages," Marinette mumbled, behind her hand. She wasn't helping prove her point in the slightest which only made Adrien want to know more about the mysterious class president.

The green-eyed male gave his gaming partner a look. Marinette let out a relenting sigh in defeat.

"I did not always live in Paris. Until I was thirteen, I used to live in China with my grandparents and they always had high standards for me. I was taught under the sternest and most proper teacher you will ever meet. She instructed me for years on how to become a perfect lady prodigy," Marinette explained, whimsically.

"This was until my lessons were complete and allowed me to live here in Paris with my parents to continue my studies at College Francoise Dupont."

   "Man, that stinks. I can't imagine myself becoming a perfect gentleman. That would be weird," Adrien said before asking, "I assume video games weren't allowed in these lessons. So, how did you become so good at video games?"

   Marinette softly smiled, fondly recalling the memories of her early days after arriving in Paris. Then, a wave of sorrow washed over, making the happy memory bittersweet.

   Sometimes, good memories like this made it hard needing to be remembered and more wanting to be forgotten. Especially, during the present time and the situation that's being held. A selfish thought, nonetheless.

   Marinette glanced up at Adrien before looking away at the stores they passed. Adrien raised an eyebrow in confusion at the mixed emotions that had just crossed the bluenette's face all at once. There was definitely some sort of meaning behind what he asked and decided to mentally take note of that.

   This could give him leverage to possibly blackmail the class president for future purposes. He just had to figure out what sort of meaning was behind it. Her weakness.

It was like fishing. Bait the fish with some food and reassure it that it's okay to let their guard down. Once they fall for the trick, quickly reel it in and the fish is now helplessly in your grasp. Yet, this wasn't any ordinary fish he was dealing with. This one is clever and will not be easily fooled by just any trick.

"We are here!" Marinette said, avoiding the question and entered the small building. Adrien pursed his lips, following right behind the bluenette into the comic book place. The two began to look around at the many different comics. From Marvel superheroes to Manga, the teens bantered and joked around.

Even with the change of topic and distraction, Adrien wouldn't let their conversation be left forgotten. He was getting very close to discovering the truth and unlocking the secrets about Marinette Dupain-Cheng. He could be even more powerful than before with the class president's help.

He would be invincible.

"Are you ready to depart?" Marinette asked, checking her watch, "We will need to stick to our schedule since it will take us some time to find Andre's ice cream cart."

   "Andre? You mean that weird guy that sings about love and magic ice cream all the time?" Adrien asked, scrunching his nose.

   "Yes, him," Marinette answered, bluntly annoyed with the blonde teen. Adrien grinned, flirtatiously teasing, "Are you sure this isn't a date, Princess?"

   "Are you sure on when to bite down on your tongue before unnecessary gibberish comes out of that giant hole on your face?" Marinette replied, sassily before heading towards the exit.

   "Ouch, Princess. Why you gotta hurt your bf like that?"

   Adrien laughed when he heard Marinette groan.

{+}{+}{+}

   "My feet are killing me," Adrien whined, exhaustedly.

   "He is just over on that bridge. So quit your whining, you hooligan," Marinette stated just as tired. The two had been walking around Paris, trying to find the location of the famous ice cream cart with a map on Adrien's phone.

"Whatever you say, your highness," Adrien muttered.

"I am going to pretend I did not hear that," Marinette said, agitated with her gaming partner's snarky attitude. The teens finally arrived at Andre's ice cream cart, the sound of the very man's singing filling the air.

"Well, hello!" Andre greeted, enthusiastically. A huge, jolly smile spread across his face as he continued, "My, what a cute pair of lovebirds!"

"I beg your pardon, sir, but we are not together in that way," Marinette spoke, politely. Andre only raised an eyebrow, not believing a word the bluenette said.

"I will conduct ice cream flavors that are everlasting and timeless," Andre began, scooping ice cream flavors into a cone, "To make sure your love is true and endless."

The ice cream man held out a cone with two scoops of ice cream and small spoons stuck in the sides. Adrien leaned in close to Marinette and whispered, "I think I'm going to get cavities if I stay with this guy any longer."

Marinette elbowed the blonde in the stomach before graciously taking the ice cream.

"Thank you, sir," the bluenette said, handing over the exact amount of money needed to pay for the cold treat. The man waved off the cash, smiling brightly, "It is on the house for meeting such a wondrous duo."

"I think I've come down with a case of diabetes," Adrien bluntly uttered.

After stepping on Adrien's foot, Marinette dragged him away from the cart and over to a nearby bench with the ice cream in hand. They sat down, both relieving their aching feet.

   "I do not think we will have enough time to engage ourselves in arcade games," Marinette informed, scooping a bit of ice cream.

   "Why not?" The blonde asked, taking out the other small spoon from the sweet treat, "Do we really have to go by your scheduled time?"

   "Yes, we do," the bluenette confirmed, eating the small scoop on the spoon, "I have to be home by 8 o'clock sharp."

   Adrien raised an eyebrow, eating his scoop, "You have company coming over?"

   The face that the class president made before turning her head told the blonde teen that it was something else. Then, it hit.

   "Wait, don't tell me you have a-"

   "Do not proclaim it out loud, Mister Agreste," Marinette spoke, embarrassed and feeling her face heat up a little. Adrien let out a raspberry and laughed, "I can't believe this! The almighty class president has a curfew!"

   Marinette didn't say anything and kept looking away in shame. Her heart and pride were a bit beaten by her gaming partner's obnoxious cackling. She didn't like being looked down on as some child that needs managing.

   The bluenette wanted to be well-respected after years of disrespect from her own family and classmates. She had to build her way to the top after being bullied and a social outcast. It wasn't her fault that she had little social experience before she came to school.

   Yet, she understood why she was given a curfew. It wasn't that she was unable to take care of herself or wasn't capable of being out longer. There was a deeper meaning behind it. One that only a handful of people knew about.

   Getting tired of Adrien's laughing, Marinette stood up and walked away, bangs casting a shadowy cover over her eyes. The blonde calmed his laughing when noticing Marinette starting to walk away. He stood to his feet and caught up to his partner.

   "Going home already? Wow, you must be really committed to your curfew. Are you some loyal lapdog?" Adrien joked. He stopped laughing when watching Marinette throw away the unfinished ice cream into the trash. She shot her body around, making her partner stop walking.

   "Would you just shut up?" Marinette snapped, glaring and catching the blonde slightly off-guard by the malevolence in her tone. Sure, she has been snippy but never this mad.

   "Chill, Princess. I was just teasing," he replied, placing his hands in his pockets.

   "Your teasing went quite far and I do not appreciate it in the slightest," she replied, explaining, "Do you really think I want a...curfew? I do not have a choice whether I have a certain time arriving home. My mother is a paranoid and worried woman, especially with..."

   She trailed off, not daring to continue her rambling. This made Adrien very intrigued with whatever Marinette was about to say and wondered why she hesitated to spit it out. What was the mystery of Marinette Dupain-Cheng?

   "Especially with what?" Adrien urged the girl to continue.

   Marinette narrowed her eyes before turning around in a huff, "That is none of your concern. I think I have already said too much as is. Goodnight, Mister Agreste."

   With that, Marinette made her way home.

   Adrien sighed, feeling something in his chest tighten and stomach churn. It was a kind of pain he hadn't felt in a long time. He groaned in annoyance when recognizing this annoying coiling feeling.

   "Great, I feel bad."

{+}{+}{+}

   "Girl, you seem troubled."

   Marinette turned to see the girl that maned the prize counter, Alya Cesaire. Marinette assumed she was on her break at the moment. Yet, Marinette hadn't a clue why Alya had randomly started to talk to her.

   "Why do you claim that?" The bluenette asked, raising an eyebrow. Alya pursed her lips before saying, "No reason, just that you were at this punching game for about an hour with a pretty nasty scowl on your face."

   Marinette didn't say anything, deciding to stop releasing her anger out on this game for the day. She sighed, walking over to her disposed bag left leaning against the wall.

Alya seemed to watch the bluenette with a careful eye before coming to a conclusion.

   "Oh, I see. Boy problems?" The ombré girl said. The bluebell-eyed teen fished out her water bottle from her bag before turning her attention back to Alya in surprise.

   "How did you know?"

   "It's a girl's intuition. You know...my Alya senses were tingling," Alya answered, jokingly before giving a sad smile.

   "Wanna talk about it?"

   Marinette raised an eyebrow at Alya again. Ever since Marinette started to come to this arcade, never had she interacted with Alya unless it was to get a prize. So, it was odd to suddenly have a conversation with the said girl.

"I do not exactly feel very comfortable telling my problems to a person I hardly interact with," Marinette replied, slinging her school bag over her shoulder. Alya pursed her lips for a brief second before nodding in agreement.

"You make a fair point," The ombré-haired teen said.

"Is there a reason why you wanted to acknowledge my problems?" Marinette asked, curiously, "If you are looking to benefit something out of me in return, your request is indeed denied."

   "I don't want anything in return," Alya reassured, approaching the bluenette and slipping an arm around her shoulders, "Think of it as a girl wanting to help out a fellow girl."

Marinette thought it over when seeing the genuine look in Alya's eyes. She meant no harm and seemed like she just honestly wanted to help.

"I do not know. I should be going home before my mother gets too worried..." The bluenette trailed off, trying to make up an excuse. The prize girl rolled her eyes then dragged the bluenette to a nearby empty table. Alya seated Marinette down before taking her seat across the table.

"I've only got ten minutes left before my break is over. So, spill the beans, girl," she said. Marinette still didn't like the idea of laying out her troubles onto someone she barely knew. Their relationship was merely one of worker and patron. Nothing more, nothing less.

   "I do not think this is relevant, Miss Cesaire," The bluenette tried to convince the prize girl. Alya gave a confused look, mumbling under her breath, "Miss Cesaire?"

   Bluebell eyes glanced down at the watch on her wrist to see she had five minutes left until Alya's break was over. Marinette looked back up at the ombré-haired teen, pointing out, "For all you know, I could just be stalling on time. So, why do you keep on pestering me to talk?"

   Alya didn't seem to like that answer, narrowing her eyes in frustration before calming down, relenting, "Look, I was just trying to be nice and maybe...make a friend. I don't get out very often unless it's for work or something. Is that so wrong?"

   The bluenette grimaced, replying, "I suppose not. Yet, with your kind of personality, I assumed you had many friends at school."

   Alya smiled, whimsically, "It's kind of hard to meet people when you're homeschooled."

   Marinette felt sympathetic for Alya, understanding the situation a bit more and her pursue. Between the two of them, Marinette was the lucky one who had a chance to make friends while it was harder for Alya.

   "Although," Alya added, thoughtfully, "I did meet a cute boy. He's nice and all but I was hoping to be friends with someone the same gender as me. It'd be a little weird inviting a boy over to my house for a sleepover."

   The two teens giggled before the sound of the song "Single Ladies" played. Alya took out her phone and frowned, tapping the screen. The song stopped playing before Alya let out a sigh of disappointment.

   "Well, duty calls," Alya said, standing up and pushing her chair in. She began to walk towards the prize counter. Marinette watched her every move. The bluenette admitted that it was really nice and fun talking to Alya. It was something Marinette never really experienced before with another girl.

   Usually, she was either assisting, mentoring, or yelling at them. It was a very nice change.

   So, Marinette hurriedly made a last-minute decision and asked, "Would you care to accompany me tomorrow on your break?"

   Alya paused, looking at the bluenette stunned, "Really?"

   The bluenette gave a nod then flinched when Alya gave a high-pitched squeal and hugged her.

   "Girl, of course! That would be totally awesome!" Alya said before letting go, "Alright, I have to go back to work. I'll see you later!"

   With that, Alya practically skipped away and Marinette smiled, making her way towards the exit. Then, she paused realizing something.

   She just made a friend.

Her very first friend.

{+}{+}{+}

   Adrien was nervous, practically staining his clothes with his sweat. Two days from now was the gaming tournament and Marinette was still mad at him. Heck, even Nino was still mad at him too. He had to fix this somehow, especially since this annoying guilty feeling keeps giving him a headache.

"Wow, you look more terrible than usual."

Adrien turned around when recognizing the voice, "Nino!"

Nino stood there with his arms crossed and held a straight face. Yep, still mad. Adrien wasn't the least bit surprised but relieved that Nino showed up. After that fight with Marinette on Saturday, Adrien realized that he didn't have any more genuine friends left that were on his side.

He needed to make amends and decided to start with Nino first. So, the two decided to meet in the morning outside the school before it started.

"Can we make this fast? I've got places to be," Nino said. Adrien sighed, thinking, "Just rip off the bandaid, Agreste."

"I want to apologize for being a jerk," Adrien began, "Though I still don't know what I did wrong but I want to try and fix it."

"Are you seriously that dense?" Nino spat, catching Adrien off-guard before he started listing, "You've conned people that are older and two times your height. You managed to sneak in illegal items right under the polices' noses. You stole and hot-wired a car before crashing it. You played almost every girl in this school. Yet, you can't figure out what's wrong?!"

Nino shook his head, frustrated with the blonde. Adrien winced, actually winced. Did he really manage to do all those things? He stayed quiet when the DJ continued.

"Dude, if you can't realize that practically everything you've done to people and is planning to do to Marinette isn't terrible, I don't think we can be friends anymore. Heck, I don't even think we were friends to begin with. I'm probably just some lackey like Sabrina and you're Chloe...but worse."

Nino sighed, "I'm not going to be your little minion anymore. I'm tired and sick of it. I'm done. I've made some bad choices but the worst one was staying by your side, natively thinking that I could change you back into the old Adrien."

Adrien narrowed his eyes at the mention of his old self, saying, "That Adrien died along with his mother."

"No," Nino shook his head and drew closer until he was only a couple inches away and poked the blonde in the chest, "He's hiding like a coward."

With that, Nino left behind a frozen and gawking Adrien. He was stunned before deeply thinking over everything. Was he really that bad without even realizing it? Sure, he's done some pretty awful things but...was he that kind of guy?

   At that moment, Adrien made his first selfless decision in a long time.

He groaned when realizing, "I'm going soft."

{+}{+}{+}

"Your boyfriend does kind of sound like a jerk," Alya agreed, sipping on some water.

Marinette nodded in agreement before realizing what Alya said. The bluenette scoffed out, "He is not my boyfriend."

Alya made a face like she didn't believe Marinette but decided to shrug it off.

"But," Alya continued, "I think you may have gone a little too far."

"How so?" Marinette asked, crossing her arms and making sure her posture was perfectly straight. The bluenette stayed calm and listened to what her new friend had to say. She had lady-like standards to keep in-check, after all.

"Well, from what you told me, he's the kind of guy that is a jerk 24/7. Yet, has he really done you any wrong?" Alya questioned. Marinette was about to go on a rant about how much of a dolt Adrien Agreste was to her. Yet, she found her mouth left gaping and no words being produced.

   The bluenette re-thought over Alya's words and rummaged through her memories. Adrien has a bad reputation for many things, whether it was illegal or just straight-out terrible.

Marinette tried to find something that earned Adrien his "bad boy" pedestal but nothing of the sort appeared. There was only bantering, teasing, dumbness, some jerkiness, and genuine curiosity that poked at her brain. Maybe, she did go a little too far?

He didn't exactly know her reasoning for why she was doing all of this in the first place. For all he knew, this was all just for her own selfish desires...and maybe it is.

"Actually...you may be onto something," the bluenette responded, uncrossing her arms in defeat and feeling a slight pang of guilt. Marinette knew when she was wrong and decided not to continue to argue on a dumb subject when it was Alya who was right.

"Go talk things out with him," Alya said.

"How do I do that? I have no way to communicate with him," Marinette questioned. The ombré-haired teen glanced for a moment before smiling, "I don't think that's going to be a problem."

"Why do you say that?" Marinette asked. Alya pointed over at the entrance, making bluebell eyes follow in the same direction. At the entrance stood Adrien, his hands in his pockets and green orbs scanning the area for something.

   "I've gotta get back to work, anyways. So, I'll leave you to it," Alya said, standing up from her seat, "I'll see you later, girl!"

   With that, Alya walked back to her post at the prize counter. Marinette watched her leave before returning her gaze to her blonde partner. Taking in a deep breath, Marinette stood from her seat and made her way over to Adrien.

Adrien spotted the person he was looking for walking towards him before they silently stood in front of each other.

"Are you ready to train?" Marinette asked, catching Adrien by surprise. He shook his head, saying, "We need to talk."

His eyes widened when seeing a small smile appeared on the short bluenette's face.

"I know," she replied in acknowledgment, "but we can do that while we blast zombies' heads. Besides, you still need to train. I shall show you some of my techniques and strategies so you will be able to have a bit more of a chance."

   Adrien's mouth was left agape and blinked in astonishment. He didn't know what to say so he nodded his head in agreement. The two teens went over to an apocalypse zombie game for two players.

    "This game can either involve one or two players. Since it can be two players, this game makes for good teamwork. It also helps with your aim. Well, game world aim, not real life," Marinette explained.

   "This game doesn't seem to help with much," Adrien said, taking his gun out of its holder. Marinette followed suit, explaining, "We need to work on our teamwork more than anything else right now. We will eventually get to more challenging games."

   "Alright," The blonde replied, picking his character. Once it was the bluenette's turn to choose an avatar, Adrien did something he never thought he would do.

   "Hey, Princess. I'm sorry for whatever I did to upset you-"

   "No," Marinette cut him off, "I should be the one apologizing. I was a fool for releasing my anger on you again when you had not a clue that it would make me upset."

   The class president sighed, slouching her shoulders, "I knew you were just teasing but..."

   Marinette trailed off, the words being lost on her lips. Adrien wanted to say something but wasn't sure what to say. The bluenette picked her character and the game started. They shot at the undead, warning or defending each other from incoming zombies.

   "Are you still curious as to why I need the money, Mister Agreste?" Marinette suddenly asked. Adrien almost did a double-take when hearing the question.

   "Of course, I am," the blonde replied but knew better, "You don't need to tell me. It's obviously something personal."

   Finally, the last zombie was blasted and the teens won the game. Marinette placed the fake gun back into its holder before walking over to an empty table with two chairs. Adrien rose an inquisitive eyebrow before following Marinette.

   They sat down in silence. Bluebell eyes kept to the table's surface. Marinette had a slight frown on her face. Adrien watched her carefully, waiting to see what she was going to say. He was a very impatient guy but something in his head told him it was for the better to be patient.

   "You see..." the bluenette began, fingers fiddling nervously, "...I was taught to hate anything that was considered "improper" or "a waste of time." When I arrived in Paris, my mother and father seemed a little wary of me since I did not act like an average child. They tried for weeks to get me to do some normal kid activities but I had always refused, not wanting to break the rules of a lady."

"Then, what convinced you to try video games?" Adrien asked. Marinette grabbed one of her locks of hair and twirled it between her fingers. A small, fond smile creased her features.

"About a little over two months of living in Paris, I was in the middle of my studying and went to fetch an apple to eat. My father was in the living room playing Ultimate Mecha Strike III. He somehow convinced me to take a break and play one round with him. After that, I could not stop playing and fell in love with video games. Playing that game with him...was the most fun I have ever had in my entire life. We played constantly, even my mother joined in sometimes."

Adrien watched as bluebell eyes tiredly dulled and her face drops in despair. Marinette bit the inside of her cheek and swallowed the lump in her throat.

"I was with my parents for a little over a year when my father grew ill and was placed in the hospital. Waiting for him to recover is like waiting for rain in the driest desert and dire need of water. I spent weeks harbored in my room studying the illness he had and tried to find some sort of clarity the doctors could not but I was unsuccessful in my search..."

The bluenette subconsciously moved one of her hands to her stomach, feeling shameful.

"...I hardly ate and practically starved myself. My mother finally convinced me to eat when she found out and started to make strict rules. Eat all three meals a day, curfews, text her when I arrive or leave places. I could not blame her for doing so and decided to go along with it as to not worry her more," Marinette concluded.

Adrien gripped his knees and did his best to keep his composure. He never thought he could relate to someone so much, let alone, the class president. In a way, he knew what Marinette was going through. He knew that pain, the strict rules and hiding it all behind a mask. The blonde licked his dry lips and was brought out of his stupor when the bluenette spoke again.

"That is why I need the money. My mother has been struggling lately to scrape up enough to keep my father going but we are running short. We just do not have enough to pay for the treatment."

"Your dad's treatment costs five thousand?" The blonde sputtered, unsure what else to say. He was still in shock about it all. Marinette bit the bottom of her lip before shaking her head, answering, "It actually costs more than that but I am sure my mother and I can make up enough money to pay the rest."

   Adrien felt his heart drop down into the pits of his twisting stomach. The blonde turned his attention to the kids happily playing games and running around with food or tickets within their grasp.

"I..." he trailed off, feeling vulnerable at the moment and hated it. Adrien Agreste was not a vulnerable softy who was left speechless. He would always have some sort of snarky attitude or witty comment. Yet, he was finding it hard to keep his mask on when it was starting to severally crack and fall apart.

What was this girl doing to him? He shook off his vulnerability and used whatever was left of his mask.

"Sheesh. That's rough, Princess. I...can't say I can relate," Adrien lied, leaning back in his chair back.

   "Oh...uh, yes. I suppose you would not," Marinette nodded, reluctantly and stood up from her seat, "Well...it is time for me to leave. I will see you tomorrow."

   With that said, the bluenette left the arcade. Adrien watched her leave and sighed. He soon departed the building in turmoil, needing to think deeply about everything.

{+}{+}{+}

   "You've been strangely off all day."

   Adrien didn't respond, continuing to stare at the wall opposite of his door and ignoring the person standing at it. Nathalie raised an eyebrow before making her way over to the quiet teen, carefully watching for any sort of reaction.

   "Is there something wrong? You usually tell me to go away by now," the woman spoke, chuckling a little, "Actually, this is probably the first time I've ever been in your room since I started to live here."

   She frowned in worry when the teen still did not respond. Nathalie let out a breath before hesitatingly sitting on the end of the bed.

   "Look, we don't see eye to eye most—well, all the time—but that doesn't mean I don't care about you any less. You worry me sick sometimes. Do you know that?" The woman questioned, "Honestly, Adrien. Why do you hate me so much?"

   Nathalie's eyes widened when hearing a sigh leave the teen's lips and watched as he sat up, leaning against the bed board. His gaze continued to stare at the wall deep in thought but mindful of Nathalie's presence.

   "Have you ever felt like you've been...stuck? Like, when you're at a fork in the road and don't want to continue because you're too afraid of what lies ahead on either path? You just want to stay in that one moment forever because you're a little too comfortable and don't want to risk any change. You know the spot so well...you don't want to leave it," Adrien asked, unsurely.

   Out of all the things Nathalie was expecting, it was not this. She was completely taken by Adrien's sudden vulnerability. She's never seen this genuine side of him before. The woman's feature's softened and her body relaxed when drinking in the topic of the conversation.

   "Yeah...I have," Nathalie admitted, understanding what the blonde was trying to say. Emerald orbs curiously cast over to the woman, who anxiously twiddled her thumbs.

   "I had fallen in love with someone many years ago and our relationship was to the point I thought he would propose sometime soon. Turns out, he had been cheating on me with two other girls. After I broke it off with him, I became lost," she explained, "I had the same routine pretty much every day and felt empty of any purpose, too afraid to go out of my comfort zone. Kinda just...stuck."

Adrien watched his step-mother's face wrinkle into a small, warm smile and fondly gaze at her ring. If Nathalie had told Adrien any of this before, he would have not cared and made a nasty comment. Yet, he seemed to gain some respect and appreciation for Nathalie within the minute.

"Then...I met your father, who seemed just as bent as me. We soon decided to be bent together which—as you can see—made us a lot closer and straightened each other out," Nathalie finished.

For the first time in a long time, Adrien felt a little less lonely and more hopeful.

   He knew exactly what had to be done.

{+}{+}{+}

   Marinette owlishly blinked in shock when seeing Adrien beating the Pac-Man game with an outstanding technique. He excitedly jumped and victoriously spoke to himself, "Still got the skills to pay the bills!"

   "Mister Agreste," The bluenette finally spoke up, scaring the blonde.

   "Holy heck! You scared the living everything out of me, Princess," Adrien said, hand placed over his racing heart.

"How did you do that?" Marinette asked, astonished and pointed at the game, "That was an astounding strategy." Adrien looked from bluenette to the game before returning his gaze.

"Oh uh," He sheepishly began, scratching the back of his neck. He wasn't used to being complimented.

"You know, non-horrendous button smashing and practice...I guess."

"How could you have been able to learn so quickly? I had never taught you and we both had school," Marinette wondered out loud before realizing she answered her own question. With a disapproving look and crossed arms, Marinette bluntly added, "You skipped school...did you not?"

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't but that's not the point right now. Cause, this guy has kind of mastered video gaming," Adrien triumphantly exclaimed. The bluenette's scowl soon morphed into a warm smile and chuckled.

"Even with your bad decision-making, atrocious manners, constantly being late to pretty much everything, terrible school record, dressed as if you were in a motorcycle gang of sorts, an imbecile, a cheater, player—oh, and don't get me started on-"

"Is there a concluding point to your unnecessarily long list of bad things about me?" Adrien huffed, slightly annoyed. Marinette smirked, clearing her throat, "You are very determined and continue at trying to reach your goals even when the odds are stacked against you. I really admire that in you."

Adrien's mouth was left slightly ajar, unable to form any words. Out of the many outcomes of what her reply would be, he wasn't expecting to hear that. Usually, it would be some sort of mean joke just to point out his flaws. This was...a nice change.

   "Um...thanks?" He said, almost questionably and cautiously waiting to see if there was some sort of cruel punchline. Much to his surprise, Marinette smiled and rolled her eyes.

   "Come now. We have a tournament to win," the bluenette proclaimed, gesturing for the blonde teen to follow. The two made their way over to an alien game, not noticing the fox that had eavesdropped on their entire conversation.

   "Don't worry, Lady Luck. When I'm done with you, the only thing you'll be winning is last place."

{+}{+}{+}

   "Welcome one and all to the Underworld Giga Gaming Ring!" The announcer bellows, enthusiastically into the speaker system, "Today, forty-one teams will enter and one will remain. But, the question is, who will be the champion of this event?"

The crowd roared with excitement as if this were a wrestling match (considering that the place seemed to be designed in that way).

"There will be ten rounds. Four teams with the lowest points will be eliminated each round. If two of five teams tie in the four elimination process, the two teams will get the chance to battle it out in the ring, Underworld style. The winner will be taking home a whopping grand of ten thousand dollars while everyone else walks out the door of humiliating shame and disgrace," the announcer explained.

"There are only two rules. No bargaining or allying with other teams or judges and, if you are caught cheating, you will immediately be disqualified from the competition. Anything else goes."

"This seems like an undermining ploy to encourage catastrophe, if you ask me," Marinette scoffed, scanning the area, "Everyone here looks like a geeky nerd, barbaric savage, or snobby rich con artist. I mean, look! Those mongrels over there are gambling on who will win in that fight instead of stopping it. Truly disgusting creatures."

   "Welcome to the Underworld, Princess. Besides, you do fit into the geeky nerd category so you'll fit right in," Adrien joked before turning serious, "Seriously, though. You're going to have to act like one of those disgusting creatures to blend in. This place is full of gangs and criminals, who will take advantage of you. So, stay by my side 24/7 and under no circumstances do you talk with anyo-"

   Adrien began to panic when realizing that Marinette wasn't at his side anymore. Green eyes viscously searched the room only to spot the bluenette intervening in the fight she was just complaining about.

   "Why does she have to be noble and junk at a time like this?" the blonde questioned to no one in particular before rushing over to get his gaming partner out of trouble. He quickly slung an arm around Marinette's shoulder and gave a charming smile. He could instantly tell that the guys involved and watching the fight were very displeased with the intrusion.

"Fellas!" Adrien chirped in greeting, earning many different looks his way, "So sorry for the interruption. I'll just be taking this little poodle and put her back on a leash."

"Excuse me?!" Marinette said, offended before practically being dragged off.

"Be careful! Little missy has more bite than you have bark, Goldie Locks," one of the guys shouted, making the rest of the group bark out in laughter. Adrien ignored them, trying to find a safe place away from the dangerous people (although, that was easier said than done).

   Once he found a safe enough place, Adrien turned around and glared down at the short bluenette.

   "What did I say about blending in and being a disgusting creature? You could've been mints meat if I didn't pull you out when I had," Adrien snipped.

   "I am very capable of defending myself, Mister Agreste. Not only was I trained to be a proper lady, but I was also trained in the sacred art of fighting," Marinette replied in a huff then sighed in defeat, "But, I do understand and will do my absolute best to play along in this hogwash."

   "You say some really weird stuff but I'll take your word for it," Adrien said, praying that Marinette doesn't cause another scene.

   "All gamers report to the ring! The first match is about to begin!" the announcer called.

   Adrien and Marinette looked at each other for a moment, a flame of determination burning within their eyes.

   "Are you ready Princess Peach?" Adrien asked, smirking. Marinette smirking back, "I was born ready, Luigi."

   "Luigi?!"

{+}{+}{+}

   "To start off our very first round, the game will be Mario Kart!" The announcer said, "Since we were only able to steal four TVs and Wii systems, there will be three separate rounds. Eight players at each game will race five different tracks and each teams' points will be added together to determine places."

Marinette and Adrien had to wait for the two rounds to be over until it was their turn. Before heading into the wrestling ring, the gamers had to pick a character from a hat (so it wouldn't take forever for people to choose).

Marinette and Adrien unfolded their slips of paper, scanning the name.

"I am Mario," the bluenette murmured her avatar's name then turned to the blonde, asking, "What is your character?"

"Jesus Christ," Adrien groaned after reading the name, "You have got to be kidding me."

   Marinette raised an inquisitive eyebrow in confusion, "A religious lord is not a Mario Kart character, you dolt."

   She glanced down at the name on Adrien's slip. Then, Marinette let out a snort, trying to hold in her laughter.

"You are not helping," the blonde complained.

"Even fate has decided, you are destined to be Luigi," Marinette giggled, earning a pouty look from her partner.

"Now, the final round of Mario Kart shall commence. Competitors, enter the ring and sit with your partner at the same system," the announcer informed. The two teens followed the small crowd of contestants up to the ring and took their places on stools. The gamers grabbed their controllers and readied for the first race.

A giant TV sat above the judges' table, a colorful wheel with Mario Kart tracks adorning the screen. The wheel began to spin rapidly.

"For the first race of the third round is..." the announcer paused. Everyone watched as the wheel began to slow down before coming to an immediate halt on a track.

"...the Coconut Mall! It's about to look like what American's call Black Friday in this mall."

Soon, the track was picked and showed the course, including its obstacles. Adrien and Marinette focused on the screen, ready to press their "2" button on the controller when at the right moment.

The countdown began, the two teens immediately held down their "2" buttons when "2" popped up on the screen. Then, their karts were given an extra boost, helping them pass a few people (although, many of them knew that trick).

   The race had begun.

"And, they're off!" the announcer bellowed into the speaker system.

"Here's a joke," he continued with a snicker, "What's hairy on the outside, moist on the inside, the word starts with a "C," ends with a "T," and has the letters "U" and "N" in it?"

Adrien could hear Marinette murmur something about "disgusting miscreants" and almost made him lose focus on the task at hand...again (cause the joke got to him a little).

"A coconut," the announcer answered, obnoxiously thinking he was so clever but earned many many rolling eyes from within the crowd. (Adrien could practically feel the displeasure radiating off of his partner and hear incoherent retorts.)

Adrien managed to pass a few people, earning him sixth place while Marinette somehow stayed in first place. There was only one lap left. He had to somehow get to second place. His character drove into a mystery box and waited for his randomized choice to be chosen.

   "Maybe...some turtle shells or become giant..." the blonde thought, hopeful. Finally, the item was picked. His eyes widened when seeing the rocket before a wicked smirk spread across his cheeks. He pressed the Z button, turning his character into a lean-green rocket machine.

   The rocket blasted right by everyone (or hit them out of the way), landing him in second place right at the last moment and crossed the finish line.

   Adrien nearly jumped off the stool and did a happy dance. He couldn't believe his luck! Now, they both had high scores. Yet, he couldn't celebrate too early. It is merely just the beginning of the competition.

   The tides could turn at any moment he was unaware of the shift.

   "On to our next race!" the announcer exclaimed, making the racers prepare for the next course. Before the race began, Adrien felt the back of his neck's hair stand in a warning. Just as he held down two, green orbs quickly glanced out into the shadow-covered audience before returning to the screen.

Adrien could feel someone watching, specifically him and Marinette intently.

{+}{+}{+}

"This is the last race and the stakes are high. Three teams are neck and neck on points. This last race will decide who will be continuing and who won't" the announcer said, "I'm feeling stressed and I'm not even playing the game."

"We have to win this race...or get a decent amount of points that will keep us from being eliminated," Marinette whispered to her partner. Adrien nodded, replying, "Yeah, but I don't think Donkey Kong or Princess Daisy will make it very easy."

Marinette hummed in agreement, "We will have to wisely strategize out our next track to our advantage...whatever that course turns out to be, that is."

"I'm just hoping it's nothing too difficult. In the last race, I would've ended up in tenth place if it weren't for the thundercloud's shrinking lightning," the blonde said. The class president perked up at the newfound knowledge, quietly proclaiming, "That was you?"

Adrien sheepishly scratched the back of his neck, earning a glare and shaking head from the bluenette.

"We made it folks! The last race of round 1!" The announcer spoke as the wheel began to spin, "Our final race will be..."

   "Please let it be something easy," Adrien thought, testing his luck.

   "...Rainbow Road!"

   "Son of a-" Adrien paused, noticing the intense scowl on Marinette's face before hesitatingly finishing off, "...female dog?"

The blonde teen let out a nervous chuckle then notice the scowl wasn't towards him.

"What is she doing here?" Marinette spat, heatedly. Adrien tried to search for the victim of the bluenette's nasty look. He spotted a very familiar girl and tried to figure out where he had seen her.

Then, it hit.

"Is that Violin—wait, no. Was it Voltron? Vulture?" Adrien murmured to himself, trying to figure out the name.

"At the arcade, she is known as Volpina but was given the name Lila Rossi. She used to be the raining champion at the arcade before I de-throned her in an avalanche. She has been trying to reclaim that throne ever since," Marinette explained in spite.

"Sounds like your rival boils your kettle to the point steam is released from your ears," Adrien spoke, earning a raised eyebrow from the bluenette.

"What I mean is, it sounds like you really hate her guts."

"Oh, I do," Marinette replied in confirmation, "That beast is a slippery fox. So, do not believe a word that vitiatam mendax says. I am always disappointed when that falsifier's pants do not actually catch on fire."

Adrien blinked, earning a sigh from Marinette, "A pathological liar. I apologize, Latin was one of the languages I had studied and it sometimes slips."

Adrien formed an "o" shape with his mouth, now understanding the term. Before looking back over at Lila to see who her partner was.

"Wait...is that-"

"Ready your engines racers!" The announcer bellowed, causing the blonde to shift his attention back to the screen quickly.

Then, the final race began.

   Some of the racers were pushed or knocked off the side of the rainbow road into the inky black, starry space scene. Adrien and Marinette had luckily managed to stay in the middle of the road, earning them a good place. Yet, there was a little problem.

Daisy and Donkey Kong were getting uncomfortably closer to Mario and Luigi, practically on their tails.

   "The first lap has been completed with Mario in the lead with his brother, Luigi, holding second. But, Donkey Kong and Daisy may not let the brother duo hold those places for much longer," the announcer explained.

Adrien could feel an intense sweat start to form on his forehead. He glanced over at Marinette to see her seemingly calm but was just as rattled.

They needed some way to-

"It looks like Daisy has stolen second place from Luigi," the announcer cut through Adrien's train of thought, making the teen concentrate on the race again. He was taken aback when seeing the ginger in yellow crossing the line, completing the second lap moments before Luigi.

Adrien growled before having his avatar absorb a mystery box, waiting for the item to pop up.

"Daisy has taken first place!"

"What?!" Adrien screamed in this head, seeing that it was true. Daisy had taken the lead, surpassing Marinette's character by a mere foot. Just when Adrien thought they might lose, the item had been chosen.

A turtle shell.

More specifically, a green turtle shell.

Adrien had to wait for the right moment—the perfect moment—to launch the shell. He couldn't miss, seeing how it was the final lap of the circuit.

   The blonde narrowed his eyebrows and concentrated on the back of Daisy's car. The finish line was getting undeniably closer, seeing how it was up ahead. Adrien managed to pass Marinette for the first time and better yet, it made it easier to aim.

   Once he was able to find a good spot, Adrien fired the turtle shell. Much to his dismay, the shell missed its target and the finish line was getting even closer.

   "Shoot! No!" The blonde frantically thought, the hope of winning the race deteriorating.

"You idiot!" one of the competitors hissed, angrily from beside Adrien. The teen didn't have time to process why the guy was angry when a flying blue shell zipped right above Daisy. It circled once before falling straight down on the princess and let out a massive explosion.

Adrien was very close to being caught in it but was able to stay clear.

While Daisy was recomposing, Mario and Luigi crossed the finish line. Marinette and Adrien leaped off their stools, cheering gleefully for their win.

"Up high, short stacks!" Adrien said hand raised and waiting for his partner to high-five him. Marinette was giddy from the thrill of their win and giggled, slapping her hand against Adrien's.

"Wow, folks! What an amazing turn of events for our final race in the first round?" The announcer exclaimed, happily, "I can't wait to see what other table turners will become of us for the rest of this tournament!"

{+}{+}{+}

"What an exhilarating rush!" the bluenette spoke almost breathlessly, "I thought for sure Daisy would have won the race but we were given a stroke of luck!"

Adrien watched the proper lady jump around like a child that was in a candy store. He snickered, feeling ecstasy.

"Now, we have enough points to cushion us in case we don't do so good on any of the other rounds," he replied.

"Yes, but do not dally just cause we have a lot of points. We need to win this competition," Marinette warned before wistfully smiling, "I have not felt this way in a very long time. It is...quite nice."

Adrien couldn't help but let a soft smile spread across his face. He'd grown really fond of the class president in the span of a week they spent together. Sure, they've had a few ups and downs. Yet, it seemed to only make them closer than ever.

"What happens when this deal is over?"

That question has been bothering him to no extent. Would they just go back to their everyday lives after this was over? Would they continue to hang out with each other?

"Are you alright, Mister Agreste?" Marinette asked, snapping Adrien out of his racing mind. He played it off with a smirk, teasingly replying, "It's cute to see you worry about little ole' me, Princess."

Marinette tilted her head to the side, eyes narrowed in speculation. She was carefully studying the blonde's body language for any signs of something off. She never got the chance to finish her analysis when two people blocked their path. Marinette and Adrien paused when seeing two familiar faces.

"Volpina," the bluenette hissed, only making Lila smirk in amusement.

"Lady Luck, what a surprise to see you here of all places?" Lila spoke in an almost enthusiastic way, "I had never taken you to be a person who would come to a place like this. I guess I was wrong."

Then, she gestured to her partner, "I'm sure you already know my partner. Isn't that right, Max?"

Marinette and Adrien both turned their attention over to the short male standing by Lila. Max gave Marinette a sheepish wave, not giving Adrien a single glance of acknowledgment.

   "Mister Kanté!" Marinette spoke in disbelief, "What absurd idea made you think to be partners with this monstrosity?"

   "Well," Max began, readjusting his glasses, "Half of the reward money and some sweet revenge."

   He gave the blonde a stern stare that looked a little out of character for the short nerd.

   "Honestly, I should be asking you the same of you. Why...him?" Max added, questionably, "You know he could stab you in the back at any moment."

   Adrien almost winced, knowing Max was right. He actually did plan to go behind Marinette's back and take all the money for himself. Yet, that changed. He didn't feel like a whole new person for doing something noble. Maybe, he felt more like...just more of his old self slowly coming out of the depths and added on.

   It was a weird thought, to say the least.

   Although, even if he felt this way, he never knew what Marinette's point of view of him was. With a nervous side glance, the blonde watched as his partner seemed to gather her words.

   "I did think that at first, I will admit," Marinette explained, "That was until I started to get to know him. I realized there is more to Mister Agreste than what meets the eye. Sure, he can still be an atrocious scumbag to look down on at times but he also has his endearing moments that make me look up to him."

Adrien felt his heart swell in joy and let a relaxed smile form on his lips. Max scoffed under his breath while Lila gave a fake smile.

"Isn't that sweet?" Lila said in a sugarcoated voice, "Not only that, he is quite a sight as well."

Adrien scrunched his nose, not needing his hair standing warning tactic to know that this girl is trouble.

"Our next round will commence in twenty minutes! Gamers will be meeting in the preparatory room until further notice!" The announcer exclaimed.

"Well, good luck out there you two! May the best gamers win!" Lila chirped, gesturing for Max to follow. While passing, Lila "accidentally" bumped into Marinette's shoulder and earned a glance from Max.

"Wow, that was...something," was all Adrien could say.

"The nerve!" Marinette huffed, clenching her fists and looking like she was about to punch something.

"As much as I would love to watch a catfight go down, I think you should settle your britches. We don't need to be getting ourselves disqualified," Adrien said, hearing his partner let out a sigh. Marinette nodded, "Indeed. We should probably get to that preparatory room, anyway."

{+}{+}{+}

It was the next day, everyone was preparing for the fifth round of the tournament.

Round two consisted of the game Fortnite (much to Marinette's displeasure). The third round was a zombie apocalypse game and the fourth had been Just Dance (much to Adrien's displeasure).

   Quite a few teams had been eliminated throughout the course of the rounds. Adrien and Marinette were doing decently well for staying in the tournament but had to obtain a great number of points if they were going to win.

   "Welcome back to our fifth round of this event, folks!" The announcer said, "For the fifth round, the gamers will be playing a short version of Alien: Isolation! Whichever team escapes with the least amount of time wins."

   "What's Alien: Isolation?" Adrien asked.

   "It is a survival horror game of an engineer named Amanda Ripely trying to escape a space station while facing foes like high-tech androids, non-trustworthy survivors, and obviously, an alien," Marinette explained, "Since we are playing a shorter version, I assume we will only encounter the alien. Although, I do not see how this is a team game. It is only one player."

   "Sounds interesting. If this sort of play-through makes a good impression, I might just have to play it myself," Adrien replied.

   "But, there's a twist," the announcer suddenly said, gaining the two teens' attention, "Each player will be wearing VR goggles to receive the full experience. If a person falls off their stool, their team will lose five points."

   "Things just got a whole lot harder but I'm sure it'll be fine. Right, Pri-" Adrien paused when noticing Marinette's tremble body and wide eyes. The blonde felt a seed of concern sprout in his chest, asking, "Are you okay?"

   "Ne-Never better," Marinette lied, forcing the strangest fake smile Adrien has ever seen. The blonde crossed his arms and rolled his eyes, "Even the densest knuckleheads that I know would be able to tell that you are not okay."

   "Do not flatter yourself like that. You already have a big enough ego as is," Marinette joked, trying to evade the conversation from continuing.

   "Okay, rude," Adrien scoffed, "especially when I'm trying to be worried for my sweet little lady."

   Marinette fiddled with her fingers out of nervous habit, worriedly glancing at the hall leading towards the ring.

   "I am not a big fan of anything horror such as movies and games. I can cope with it if the screen is small and no special effects are included. But, they are unbearable when turned into something you feel like you are living," she explained, grimacing.

"Hey," Adrien began, placing a hand on her shoulder, "You got this. I've seen you face way scarier things."

   "Really?" Marinette questioned, raising an eyebrow, "What exactly did I face that was scary?"

   "Chloe," Adrien simply said, earning an eye roll from the bluenette.

   "Please...that is more of handling a toddler than anything," Marinette replied, arms folded but stifled back a laugh, "Is she your fear?"

   "That girl gives me the willies and wears more makeup than a clown. She would probably win the Pennywise award or something," the blonde male said, feeling shivers run up and down his spine.

   "Alright, but how does this exactly help me get rid of my fear?" Marinette asked. Adrien sighed, seeing how one of the brightest teens in the school still couldn't see the truth surrounding her...literally.

   "Princess," he began, gesturing to their surroundings, "...look around you. You are literally standing in the middle of a super illegal tournament full of criminals, drug lords, con artists, and possibly, some murderers. Do you think a lot of teenagers would have the guts to come to a place like this?"

   "Max and Volpina," the class president pointed out.

   "Yeah, but they're here for their own selfish purposes. You're here risking a lot just to help someone you care about. Just...remember what you came here to do," Adrien explained, "Isn't that who Lady Luck is? Someone who protects others from the vile Voltron—or whatever her name was—even if she has to face something scary like man-slaughtering aliens."

   "I...suppose you are correct," Marinette agreed, bluebell eyes gazing at the floor before returning to meet emerald green orbs. A small smile was drawn onto her face, determination flowing through her veins.

   "Of course, I am," Adrien said, puffing out his chest, "and good thing you figured it out. If I kept up that speech any longer, I think I would've thrown up rainbows."

   The bluenette snorted, "You must still have Andre's sweet ice cream magic in your system."

   "Yeah, the worst feeling ever. How do you do it, Milady?" Adrien replied, giving a wink. Marinette felt herself become a little flustered until a passing thought of realization glued itself to her brain and slightly frowned.

   "Mister Agreste," she spoke, catching the blonde's attention, "I never was able to ask, but what exactly are you going to do with your half of the reward if we do win?"

   Adrien's eyes widened at the question, not sure how to answer. Scratching the back of his neck, he opened his mouth to reply.

   "Well-"

   "Competitors! The next round will begin shortly! Head to the ring and take a seat next to your partner!" the announcer informed, causing the teams to start flowing out of the room towards the ring.

"I'll tell you later," Adrien said, grabbing his partner's wrist, "We gotta go win a game."

Marinette stared at the blonde for a moment longer before her determination returned. She let a giant grin settle on her features and gave a curt nod.

   "Let us kick some buttocks!"

{+}{+}{+}

   Marinette gulped, looking around the small, gray room of the spaceship as she tested out the controls.

   "Flamethrower..." the bluenette listed within her head and pressing the right button to activate it. The beautifully destructive flower of heat burst menacingly from the gun.

   "...check. Radar...check. Tool...check," she continued, repeatedly remembering how everything works so it would stick to her memory.

   "If you look ahead of you, there is a button that will open the door. But, once it's open, the game will begin," the announcer explained, happily, "Now...begin!"

   Marinette could feel her hands start to produce sweat and tremble in fear. It all looked so...life-like and messing with her mind.

   "Remember what you came here to do..." Adrien's words echoed.

   Taking in a deep breath, she pushed the button and the door slid open with a hiss.

   The game began.

Marinette made her character move forward into the ship, scanning the premises. There is a cart full of stuff and a box next to it, sitting in the walkway with just enough room to walk in between the two randomly placed objects.

An animal-like screech made the bluenette jump a little in her seat. She quickly moved her character to crouch down behind the box. Marinette's heart leaped before dropping into her stomach when seeing the alien menacingly walk by the hallway she was in.

With a gulp and cautiousness nipping at her skin, Marinette stood her character back up and went into the hallway the alien had just come from. Many unnecessary noises spooked the teen every now and then. She would duck down behind or under something if she heard or saw the monster lurking in the ship's corridors.

"You are doing wonderful so far, Marinette. You just have to keep going and escape this madness," Marinette encouraged herself.

The bluenette thought she was almost there once making up the stairs. She froze and paled all at once, seeing the alien fall out of the ventilation system.

"Et caseum fragor!" Marinette shouted inside her head and quickly chose her flamethrower option. The alien let out a screech before charging at the bluenette's character. At the last moment, Marinette pressed her firing button and torched the specimen.

The alien knocked her character down, almost making Marinette fall off her stool.

But, she was okay.

She is alive.

Sure, her heart was rapidly pounding and her hands were shaking. Yet, she is still in the game! Once her character was back onto their feet, Marinette cautiously continued again without many issues until reaching her destination.

She won!

"I did it," Marinette whispered in disbelief and took off her VR goggles, excitedly exclaiming, "I did it!"

"It looks like we have our first place winner!" The announcer said, "And, it looks like we have a second place as well!"

Marinette searched for the other player until locking eyes with Max. Max gave a small smile and a sheepish wave. The bluenette returned the gesture. As much as she felt betrayed by Max being Lila's partner, Marinette thought she understood.

Max wasn't in for the money. He was here for the same reason Lila was. They both wanted to beat their rivals. Although, Lila didn't deserve to win but Max had been cheated multiple times by Adrien. Marinette assumed he just wanted to beat Adrien for once at his own game fair and square.

"Heck yeah! I escaped that dump of a ship! Beat that, you giant extraterrestrial lizard!" Adrien cheered, ripping off his goggles and earning him third place.

{+}{+}{+}

The third and final day of the gaming tournament had arrived.

There is only one round left.

Yet, Marinette nervously paced back and forth in thought. Max and Lila had somehow been gaining points like crazy the previous three rounds they won, trudging their way uncomfortably close in points.

Round six, Marinette and Adrien were demolished in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate by their rivals. Round seven, was super close with Max and Lila winning by a little bit in Subway Surfers. Round eight, another close one with Max and Lila winning Tetris. Round nine, Marinette and Adrien had barely won a few rounds of Angry Birds.

This made Marinette frantic and tried to desperately think of a way to win. Adrien and she were so close. Yet, it seemed as though their winning was getting farther away from their reach.

"You're going to make a hole in the floor if you keep pacing like that, Princess," Adrien commented, taking a sip from the can of Pepsi he bought at the concession stand. Marinette sighed, stopping to look over at the chilled-out blonde nursing his drink.

"We have one round left and our rivals are very close to beating us. How can I not be flustered at a time like this? We could lose it all just because that demon fox and Max want revenge on us," Marinette stated, "I know Max probably does not care for the money. But, I do know for a fact that Volpina will. Not just because it is money, but she somehow knows that I am in desperate need of it and she is just plain evil."

"How do you know that she knows?" Adrien asked, taking another slurp.

"She is a slippery genius who knows me well enough to know that I am not a greedy pig," the bluenette replied.

"Which concludes that you need money for something important," Adrien finished her thought and nodded, "Alright, I'll trust your word on this since you seem to know Lilac better than me."

"Lila," Marinette corrected, almost letting out an unladylike snort.

"Tomato, tomahto," Adrien waved it off before continuing, "I say we do some "c" to the "h" to the "eating" if we're going to win."

It took a few moments for Marinette to understand what her partner was suggesting, almost snarling out in disbelief, "Cheating?"

Adrien chugged the rest of the pop before tossing it and hitting the back of some drunk guy's head (who fell off his seat a few seconds later after a delayed reaction).

   "Cheating is such a strong word," the blonde responded, waving his hand around, "We are more or less, using a cheap tactic to our advantage, solving all of our problems and win no matter what. It's like a present. It doesn't matter what the price is but the thought that counts."

   "Are you trying to make your malicious intentions seem noble by comparing it to some cheesy line that belongs in a child's film?" Marinette deadpanned.

   "Maybe. Is it working?" Adrien asked, letting a charming smile cross his face. The bluenette rolled her bluebell eyes, saying, "We are not resorting ourselves to Chloe and Lila's level by cheating."

   "Then, what do you suggest we do?" Adrien questioned, "As you said, winner takes all. The losers go home with empty pockets and wounded pride."

   "We will have to use a strategy that our opponents will not expect us to use," Marinette said, thinking out loud and rubbing her chin, "A tactic that is so out of the box and hardly ever used in these circumstances, they will never see it coming."

   The two teens tried to think of what could possibly be done to win the prize. Yet, it seemed their luck was running pretty thin.

   "Will the final teams enter the ring to begin the last round of the tournament," The announcer called, only increasing Marinette's anxiety. The bluenette was snapped out of her racing mind from a gentle nudge to the side.

"We got this in the bag," Adrien said, grinning face holding one of determination. The blonde teen held up an offered fist, "So, let's go show those dweebs whose boss."

Marinette's gaze shifted from green eyes to the hanging fist patiently waiting for a returning gesture. With a weary but genuine smile, Marinette held up her own fist and bumped it against her partner's.

"We quite definitely do "have it in the bag," Marinette responded before the two began to follow the four other teams put to the ring.

"What game are we even playing?" Adrien asked the class president.

"I am unsure. The last game is supposed to be a mystery, if I do recall," Marinette answered, "I do hope it is nothing too...difficult."

"I can safely say that I agree with you," Adrien nodded.

"Hey, guys!" Lila's annoying voice boomed, triggering Marinette to growl in frustration. The said brunette pushed in between the two, walking directly in the middle with a sly smirk etched on her lips.

"I just wanted to wish you both the best of luck! At least, one of you is going to need all of it," Lila said before returning to her partner's side.

"That chick gives me the willies almost as much as Chloe," Adrien commented.

"She is a rotted out piece of a dumpster fire," Marinette huffed, earning a confused look from Adrien, "Please retain your judgmental stare. I am not in the right mind to think, Mister Agreste."

Adrien merely smirked, "Whatever you say, Princess."

   "Guys and gals, ruffians and thugs, possible murderers and geeks, who still live in their mom's basement. Welcome to the final round of the Underworld Giga Gaming Tournament!" The announcer shouted, standing inside the ring for the first time in the whole competition.

   The crowd cheered, not only glad that the tournament was almost over but to turn in their bets and get money for whoever won.

   "The bets are high, but the stakes are even higher!" The announcer said, "Whoever wins this final round will be walking home with a wapping grand of ten-thousand dollars."

   "Now," he continued, gesturing towards the entryway of the ring and introducing, "Wish our final contestants luck—here they come!"

   Marinette, Adrien, and the other four teams entered the ring as the audience roared with insults and scratchy yelling.

   "I absolutely despise this place," Marinette stated, sitting on a stool, "I feel like I am about to be sacrificed in some sort of terrible biker ritual."

   "That's an odd way of putting it but weirdly accurate as well," Adrien replied, taking a seat on the stool next to his partner's. Marinette gave the blonde a look before a controller was being handed over to her by a slim woman with too many tattoos and piercings.

   Once the woman walked away, Marinette shivered at the thought of all that metal piercing her skin. It seemed like it would hurt to wear but she wouldn't have known.

   "The last game for round ten is..." the announcer said, opening up the envelope he was handed and taking out a slip of paper, "Ultimate Mega Strike III!"

   "What?!" Marinette nearly screamed in bewilderment, "That game is not even out yet!"

   "We have our ways, missy," the announcer replied, still jollily smiling and giving the teen a wink. The bluenette gave a disgusted face, not noticing Adrien glare at the announcer. Although, he assumed that the announcer was just teasing instead of..."other things."

   "Gamers are allowed to pick their own characters for this round, starting with the team with the highest amount of points," the announcer explained, pointing at Marinette and Adrien. Marinette was immediately enraptured with a red mech and chose it as her champion. Adrien chose a black cat-like mech.

   The other gamers were choosing their mechs as the announcer rambled on, "There will be a catch to this round. A player, who is defeated or caught cheating in the game, has to step out of the ring. That'll leave their partner to try and win until there are only two people left to battle it out. If the team are the last two, they immediately win the cash."

   "We are so close to winning," Adrien thought, "We just have to keep a lookout for anyone that cheats. If I know these slimy dogs well enough, which I do, I know someone will try to cheat."

The game began.

Marinette and Adrien were facing different team's players, managing to win that round. This routine continued until Adrien began to struggle with the person he was fighting against. The person seemed to be really good with combat combos and was doing a great number on Adrien's mech.

Adrien could feel his heart pound and forehead lace with beads of sweat. His fingers quickly pressed the buttons on the controller, trying to figure a power move to end the competitor. Yet, nothing was working.

   He could only come up with one solution...and that was to cheat.

   "Sorry, Princess..." Adrien thought, "...we gotta win somehow."

   His green eyes scanned the area, quickly grabbing a makeshift spitball launcher from the inside of his jacket. Over the years, Adrien had mastered the skill of spitballing people from great distances when he was bored at lunchtime.

   Now, it was going to be a useful asset to help win an important tournament. It was loaded and ready to fire.

   Adrien placed the tube between his lips and began to aim. Taking in a deep breath through the nose, he fired it and hit his competitor right on the glasses. The gamer fell off of his stool in surprise and left in a shocked daze.

   The blonde quickly placed the tube back into his pocket and was about to resume until a hand was placed on his shoulder. Adrien tensed when seeing a shadow looming over him. He slowly turned to look over his shoulder and up at the very woman that gave him the controller.

   Adrien sheepishly let out a nervous fit of laughter and pulled some sunglasses out of his pocket, placing them on his face, "You wouldn't eliminate a guy with glasses, would you?"

   The next minute, Adrien was sitting on a bench outside of the ring and his glasses laying broken in half in front of him on the floor.

   "I'm so dead," Adrien murmured, staring at the sunglasses on the floor, "Those things cost like fifty bucks."

His gaze shifted up to the ring, watching his partner finish off yet another gamer. Marinette held a determined and prideful stature when her next opponent was picked.

"She's a great gamer."

Adrien jumped in his seat before shooting his head at the person sitting next to him. Emerald eyes blew wide when seeing the nerd in suspenders, Max.

"How did you get down here?" Adrien asked, baffled.

"Well..." Max began, "...I was having trouble beating my opponent so...I might have tried to cheat and was caught in the act. How about you?"

"Same thing," Adrien replied, shocked that Max would play dirty to win, "That creepy lady is a stone-cold brute."

"Yeah, but it seems that I am no better," Max deflated, "I can't believe I was going to cheat. I'm kinda glad she stopped me and kicked me out. I was so focused on trying to win to face you that I lost sight of it all and was going to disrespect the thing I love doing the most."

"Yeah," Adrien said, looking over at Marinette, "Trust me, dude. It happens to the best of us."

"You really like her, don't you?" Max said, smiling. Adrien nodded before realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Not in the way you're thinking, nerd," the blonde replied, feeling his cheeks slightly heat up.

"Whatever you say," Max said, not believing a single word. Adrien rolled his eyes.

"It's come down to our two final competitors!" The announcer exclaimed, "Who will go home with stuffed pockets and who will go with empty ones?"

Max and Adrien watched their partners sit next to each other, glaring daggers at each other.

   The final round began.

   A heated battle between the worst of rivals and a thirst for victory. The crowd roared, cheering and insulting the players. The two girls were completely focused on the game, one trying to up the other in a ferocious challenge of who was the better gamer.

   Adrien noticed Marinette was beginning to struggle while Lila was gaining the advantage. Marinette was losing HP fast. Adrien didn't know what to do to help his partner out. If he was caught cheating again, their team would be disqualified.

   "There has to be another way to win this," Adrien thought, remembering Marinette's words from earlier.

   "A strategy that no one would expect..." Adrien muttered before a light bulb flickered to life and hairs stood on the back of his neck. He stood up the bench and cupped his hands around his mouth, yelling out, "Lady Luck!"

   Marinette perked up at her nickname before replying, "I am a little too busy at the moment!"

   "Smash your buttons!" Adrien shouted.

   "I swear on everything holy if that is some inappropriate joke-"

   "I'm being serious! Horrendous button smashing is the strategy," he said, "Trust me!"

   Marinette seemed to hesitate before doing as she was told, wildly smashing all the buttons on her controller without any strategy. Surprisingly, the bluenette was gaining leverage in the game and making Lila struggle.

"Wow...I didn't think that would actually work," Adrien said in astonishment, smiling widely, "Go Marinette!"

   Max raised an eyebrow at the blonde in confusion and rolled his eyes, thinking it wasn't really working. He adjusted his glasses and turned his attention back to the battling females in the ring.

   A bewildered Max was left gaping when watching as Marinette was close to winning. Yet, Lila was right on the class president's tail. At that moment, Max knew who he wanted to win.

   "Go Marinette!" the nerd cheered, standing up from his seat, "You can do this!"

   Adrien was surprised by Max's sudden applaud. Then, the other gamers soon joined in, standing up one by one and cheering for the bluenette.

   "Go Marinette!"

   "Marinette!"

   "You got this, Marinette!"

   Adrien couldn't believe the effect Marinette had left upon these complete strangers, beating some of them at their own game (in a literal scene). Yet, they wanted her to beat the brunette (probably to heal some of their wounded pride after losing to Marinette).

   "Come on," Marinette thought, sweating from nerves, "Almost there."

   Lila growled, trying every tactic she knew but it was no use. There was only one thing left to do if she was going to possibly beat her enemy.

   She was going to have to cheat.

   The sly brunette glanced over at the only two gamers that didn't cheer for Marinette. Lila bribed them into helping her cheat if they didn't win. Sure, they were the same idiots that blew up her Mario Kart character with a blue shell but had a chance of redemption if they wanted half of their share of the money.

   Lila stuck her tongue out to the side of her mouth, giving the gamers the signal to exploit the plan. The two gave a firm nod and snuck to a different part of the stage, blending in with the crowd as to not be seen. One of the gamers took out a slingshot while the other slipped out a box of pop-its.

   Adrien could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand in warning when noticing Lila sticking out her tongue. It didn't seem like anything out of the ordinary but the smirk she wore definitely waved some red flags.

   Marinette's yelp tore Adrien out of his thoughts and shot his gaze over to his partner. The bluenette was still gaming as if nothing happened. Nothing seemed out of place until seeing something small zip through the air, hitting Marinette. She yelped again, shaking the pain out of her hand.

   Adrien knew he had to take action. If this continued, they might lose the tournament. He scanned the crowd in the direction the assault was shot and spotted two idiots standing in the crowd. One had a slingshot while the other had a box of something.

   "How does nobody see this?" Adrien questioned under his breath before signing out, "Who am I kidding? No one in the crowd is going to give two sheets about cheating."

   Without hesitation, the blonde made his move.

   "It seems one of the gamers is in some sort of trouble. Whatever is happening, it's helping her rival win," the announcer said, making Adrien realize what was going on.

   "This is all Linda's doing!" He thought, groaning and wanting to hit himself in the head, "Of course, I should've guessed that she would have a plan B but she's not going to win on my watch."

   He snuck through the crowd like a lion stalking its prey, trying to not get spotted by the cheating gamers. On his way, Adrien eyed something that happened to catch his attention. It wasn't the largely rounded, chef-looking dude wearing an apron, tank top, and an eyepatch. It was the thing sitting on his lap.

   "Can I borrow this for a second?" Adrien asked, pointing at the frying pan. The pirate-chef dude glanced between the frying pan and blonde before shrugging his shoulders.

   "Sure, but just be careful. I just gave her a nice shinin'" he said in a gruff voice. Adrien gave a nod, taking the frying pan and stood behind the two idiots. With a nice backswing, the Adrien managed to kill two birds with one stone. The two fell to the floor and blacked out, blood starting to slowly ooze out the side of their heads.

    Adrien looked down at the gamers for a moment with wide eyes, thinking, "Shoot, did I just murder these guys with a frying pan?"

   Nervous green orbs looked over at the pirate-chef dude, who merely gave a big, childish grin and a thumbs-up. Adrien turned back, nudging his foot into the side of the gamer with the slinger and heard him let out a groan. The blonde sighed in relief, "Okay, good. Probably a major concussion but at least they're alive."

   With that, Adrien returned the frying pan then headed back to his seat.

   "Where were you?" Max asked, just as Adrien sat down.

   "Snapping necks and cashing checks," Adrien replied, smoothly. Max's facial features crinkled into one of confusion before deciding to shake his head, "I don't even want to know the meaning behind those words."

   "The final gamers are both in the red, neck at neck," the announcer exclaimed, causing both teens to snap their attention towards the ring.

Marinette and Lila were spamming as many buttons as they could on the controller. Anyone with a brain cell could feel the tension rise as the HP points continued to decrease.

"Come on, Marinette," Adrien thought, feeling his stomach churn while watching the intense showdown.

One last punch...and Lila's mech was knocked out.

   Some of the crowd roared in excitement, happily cheering while some others were angry about losing the betting. Adrien jumped to his feet, happily pumping a fist into the air and smiling from cheek to cheek. Max smiled, clapping for his friend's victory.

   "There she is folks! The winner of this year's Underworld Giga Gaming Tournament!" The announcer shouted, enthusiastically.

   The controller in Marinette's hands slipped out and fell to the ground. She was standing in shock, completely frozen in disbelief. The bluenette would have thought this was unreal if the screen didn't joyously proclaim her as the winner.

   "I..." Marinette spoke, having trouble forming words, "I-I...I won..."

   She won...she actually won!

   Marinette cupped a hand over her mouth, feeling the adrenaline wear down and a wave of relief wash over her. Too many emotions were bubbling within the female. She didn't know how to express what she was feeling, wanting to cry and laugh at the same time.

   Marinette was snapped out of her moment by the sounds of a screaming banshee. Bluebell eyes turned away from the screen to see a wild Lila being held back by the tattoo girl.

   "I will have my revenge, you son of a-" Lila was cut off by an unsanitary-looking sock being shoved into her mouth, gagging her. Lila continued to let out muffled curses while being dragged out of the ring. Marinette couldn't help but let out a breathless giggle.

   "God, does she ever shut up?"

   Marinette turned to see her partner standing next to her, hands in his jacket's pockets. He couldn't hide the smile, nudging his arm into the bluenette's side. Suddenly, Marinette's energy spiked when seeing Adrien.

   "I did it! I did it! I did it!" she merrily cheered like a child that did something amazing. Marinette jumped up and down, repeatedly hitting Adrien in the arm.

   "Ow! Why are you hitting me?" The blonde pouted, taking a few steps away from the blows on his arm. Marinette only continued to smile, feeling like nothing could bring her down from her high on ecstatic happiness.

"I am sorry for hitting you," the bluenette laughed, "I can not help this wondrous feeling of joy. I have not felt this way in ages!"

Adrien couldn't help but smile, watching bluebell eyes shimmer. He knew exactly what Marinette was talking about, feeling the same refreshing rush he hadn't felt since he was just a kid.

   "Thank you," Marinette shakily spoke, gratitude laced in her voice, "My father has a chance to heal thanks to you."

   "No need to get all emotional on me, Princess," Adrien replied, patting Marinette's shoulder, "Besides, it was a team effort."

   "Indeed, it was," the bluenette agreed.

   "Congrats to both of you!" The announcer exclaimed, making the teens jump in fright from the sudden appearance, "I just sent your hunk of cash to whomever's account is it'syagangstaboy69. Don't spend it all in one place! Chow!"

The announcer walked away, leaving the two teenagers alone. Marinette raised an eyebrow at her blonde partner, who gave a toothy, lopsided smile and scratched the back of his neck.

"Please retain your judgmental stare, Miss Dupain-Cheng," Adrien gingerly mocked, earning a shake of the head from Marinette.

   "Touché, Mister Agreste. Touché," she said.

   "Great game, you guys," Max congratulated, after walking over, "That was some exponential playing you did, Marinette." Then, he faced Adrien, who awaited the oncoming criticism. Max adjusted his glasses for a brief moment before saying his final thoughts out loud.

   "Besides almost cheating in the final round," he started, letting a small smile appear, "you were quite...stupendous."

   Adrien's eyebrows furrowed, feeling offended. He scoffed out, "Is that big word of yours supposed to be a way of telling me that I'm stupid? Man, I thought we bonded a little!"

   Max raised an eyebrow while Marinette held back the urge to hit her partner in the back of the head. She could tell that Adrien had obviously no clue what that word meant and assumed the worst.

   "Stupendous does not mean "stupid," you imbecile," Marinette explained, pinching the bridge of her nose, "It means that you were extremely impressive."

Adrien opened his mouth to reply before deciding to snap it shut, taken aback. The last thing he expected was the first thing he received, a compliment from someone that hated his guts. He blinked, then finally responded, "Oh—uh, thanks?"

   The blonde winced, his response sounding more like confusion and questioning rather than grateful.

   "I mean—you didn't do half bad yourself, nerd," he corrected, awkwardly. Max gave a slight nod of approval, even with the expression of confusion still crinkling his features.

   "Right..." Max said, unsurely, "Well, I need to return home soon. First, I need to check up on my partner real quick...from a distance. Sorry for all the trouble she caused you. I didn't know she acted like that."

   "It is quite alright. You did not know but I do not think you need to check up on her. The only ones I would be worried about are the people that are in her presence," Marinette reassured. Max sighed, "That's the reason why I'm checking up on her, so no one else gets hurt."

   The nerd began to walk away and waved goodbye, "I'll see you both at school tomorrow."

   Once Max disappeared into the crowd of people, Marinette turned to her partner and asked, "Now, shall we depart from this place as well before someone tries to threaten us to give up our money?"

   "Yeah...that's probably a good idea," Adrien replied, nervously looking around. He began to push Marinette along, guiding her to the nearest exit.

   The two walked through the winding halls, taking the longer route towards the exit. This gave them a lesser chance of running into or getting jumped by anyone. Though it took some minutes, the teens were almost home-free once arriving at the lobby. They joined the sea of people, blending into the crowd and were close to leaving the building.

   "Come on, Pedro! You know me! Can you just do a guy a solid and let me slip in for a few minutes? I need to tell somebody something before it's too late! Then, I'll be out of your greasy mullet!"

   Marinette immediately recognized that voice and paused to search for the owner of it. Bluebell eyes scanned the crowd of people, who were either talking or exiting the building.

   Adrien stopped short after, glancing back to see what Marinette was doing. He knew that it was too dangerous to be messing around right now. There was no telling what any of these hooligans would do.

   "What are you doing?" Adrien asked, frantically and kept his guard up in case anybody was planning to jump them, "We gotta go!"

   Marinette was going to answer her partner until she spotted a familiar pair of orange headphones and a red cap. The bluenette tilted her head in curiosity and made her way in the direction of the two familiar objects.

   "Princess! Where are you going?" Marinette heard Adrien shout but ignored his calls. She continued winding her way through the sea of bodies until arriving at the entrance. Beyond a metal gate, the familiar face of Nino appeared. Alya stood a little behind the DJ and perked up, spotting the bluenette.

   "Girl!" Alya called, excitedly waving her hand in greeting and joyously smiling. Marinette returned the smile, unable to approach any further due to the gate blocking the way.

   "What in the world are the both of you doing here? Do you not know what this place is?" Marinette questioned before pursing her lips, "Actually, it is understandable why Mister Lahiffe is here. So, I should be asking why you are here, Miss Cesaire."

   "That's brutal, dudette, but fair," Nino responded before getting straight to the point, "We've come to warn you about-"

"There you are!" Adrien exclaimed in concern, appearing from the mayhem and placing a hand on Marinette's shoulder, "Don't run off like that! You could've gotten yourself into serious trouble."

   "As I said, I do not need babysitting, Mister Agreste. I am capable of taking care of myself," Marinette snipped then raised an eyebrow, "Besides, would you not like to greet your best friend?"

The blonde was confused for a moment until spotting Nino and his girlfriend standing on the other side of the gate. Nino sharply glared at Adrien, who winced in return and felt himself shrink.

"Nino, let me explain-"

"Marinette," Nino cut Adrien off and ignored him, turning towards the bluenette, "Please tell me the money hasn't already been transferred yet."

   Marinette was beginning to feel concern mix in with her confusion. She gave a skeptical look, glancing between Adrien and Nino for a moment. She could see the tension and turmoil as clear as day. She frowned, unsure if she even wanted to answer the question.

   "Yes, it has been transferred," Marinette confirmed, making both Nino and Alya's faces pale in comparison to a ghost. Marinette turned to her gaming partner, asking, "What is going on, Mister Agreste?"

Before Adrien had time to explain, Nino cut the blonde off again, "Don't believe a word that liar says!"

This gained the bluenette's attention back on the DJ, who continued his explanation, "He was using you this whole time, Marinette! He's not going to give you your share of the money and plans to keep it all to himself!"

  Adrien felt his mouth go dry, his chest uncomfortably twisting at Nino's words. As if being punch in the gut, the blonde watched Marinette's whole demeanor change into one of disbelieving shock. She didn't want to believe what Nino said was true...but due to Adrien's record, it wasn't far from being the truth either.

Bluebell eyes slowly locked onto the dumbfounded blonde, who was looking painstakingly guilty at the moment. Marinette let this image settle into her brain before taking a few steps back. The rotting truth hurt, crushing her fragile heart as if it were made of glass.

"Marinette...please just give me a chance to explain..." Adrien begged, hoping for a chance to redeem himself. Yet, the words died on his tongue and went almost completely blank, a single question making him hesitate.

   "Would she even believe me?"

   So, he just stood there, probably with a dumb, gaping expression on his face and making himself look worse.

   Marinette shook her head, biting down on her bottom lip to stop it from quivering and hid her glossy eyes behind her bangs. Her hands clenched into fists, slightly trembling with rage.

   She felt sorrow and anger mixing within the depths of her soul. Yet, the one emotion that struck her the hardest is betrayal.

   The first person she was beginning to consider a companion went and stabbed her in the back. It all made sense when that unlikely friend was true in being very unlikely, especially when it is Adrien Agreste.

   "Why am I so stupid?" Marinette thought, "How could I let myself be so easily deceived like this? Everything...everything that we did... everything that we've been through...was that all just a lie? A trick?"

   "I-I do not want to h...hear your lowly excuses," she finally responded after gathering her words, "I can't believe I fell for your deluded charms...just like those other girls you fool around with. Well, played, Mister Agreste. Now, you made a fool out of me too."

   Then, she disappeared into the sea of people before Adrien could get out a single word.

{+}{+}{+}

   Adrien blankly stared down at the envelope in his hands, brushing his thumb over the smooth surface. A feeling of despair lingered around his being, unable to find a purpose to get over his guilt. He wants—trying—to do the right thing. Yet, that was easier said than done.

Adrien has been trying to find a way to talk with Marinette or even Nino. Heck, he's attempted to talk with the prize girl (he still didn't know her name never getting a chance to have an introduction). Every single time he approaches one of them, he freezes a few feet away.

All the courage he gathered beforehand disperses back to his past self. The words he's continuously gone over in his head to form a worthy apology is always forgotten or never felt right. Then, the "what ifs" start listing questions without getting any answers or he imagined negative reactions.

Dreaded fear filled Adrien's body before he turns in the opposite direction, fleeing like the coward he is. Yet, he wants to make things right...even if he isn't forgiven.

   The sound of knocking snaps Adrien out of his thoughts and captures his attention away from the envelope. At the door, Nathalie is leaned up against the doorframe. She gives the shyest of a worrisome smile. Adrien turns back to the letter, asking, "Is there something you want?"

"Your father is home from his trip," Nathalie informed, making the blonde raised an eyebrow at his step-mother.

   "He's home earlier than usual," Adrien remarked.

   "Would you care to go welcome him home?" Nathalie suggested, urging the teen to stop hiding in his room. Nathalie grew very concerned for Adrien when he came home a few days ago. He looked like herself after watching a sad movie where a dog dies.

   Adrien mainly hid away in his room for hours on end for the last couple of days after returning from school. He was so disturbingly quiet, Nathalie checked up on Adrien every once in a while. Nathalie gave the teen his space but it has come to the point where she thought it to be a good time to finally intrude.

The blonde huffed, "Like he'd give me a second of his time to even say "hi."

"Well, it's better than moping around your room and feeling sorry for yourself," Nathalie argued, arms crossed and reading the teen like a book. Adrien winced, letting out a breath of air through his nose.

   "Fine," Adrien grumbled, hiding the envelope in between his mattress and bed spring box. He finally stood from his bed, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Nathalie gave Adrien a smile before walking down the hallway to welcome her husband home.

   Adrien didn't want to see his father after everything that happened the last few days.

   He could easily shut the door, lock it, and not come out for the rest of the night. He could skip school, find the guy that fixes stuff and get the peacock pin restored tomorrow. He could simply sneak the precise item back into his father's vault and pretend like none of this ever happened.

   So, easy to avoid getting into any trouble...and running away from another problem.

   The coward's way out.

{+}{+}{+}

   "Father, can I have a moment of your time?"

   Gabriel Agreste lifted his dull gaze away from his work and monotonously stared at his son. Nathalie is sitting on a comfy chair, sipping on some tea she made for the both of them. She received the signal, immediately leaving the room to give father and son some privacy.

   "What is it, Adrien? I'm busy right now," Gabriel informed, stoically. Adrien held back an eye roll, hearing that same line many times in the past.

Usually, he would just leave and go do something that'll catch his father's attention. Usually, he wouldn't care and find something to distract himself. Usually, he wouldn't say anything and let his parental figures find out.

Then, he would get a warning. Yet, this was his final warning before paying the price for his many actions (at least, the stuff that his father and step-mother found out about).

This time wasn't one of those usual moments.

If he is ready to pay for the consequences and use up his final warning, he's going to do it the right way.

Adrien Agreste is done being a coward.

"Then, I suggest you be a little less busy and listen to what I have to say," Adrien replied, definitely. Gabriel placed down the paper he was looking at and weaved his fingers together.

"What did you do this time? I swear, if you stole something-"

"Just listen to my side of the story for once!" the blonde cut his father off. Gabriel's face stayed neutral but there is a hint of befuddlement within his features. He stayed silent, deciding to hear out the boy and kept a close eye out for any signs of a lie.

Adrien let out a breathe, walking closer to his father's desk until standing right in front of it. He dug his hand in his jacket's pocket, watchful gray eyes curiously following the movement. Adrien pulled out the pin and placed it on the desk.

Gabriel stared down at the cracked pin, many overwhelming feelings storing within the man. A dormant beast slowly awakening from its long slumber and break out of its cage. The one emotion beginning to surface is his boiling rage, forming a bomb about ready to go off on the teen.

"I...I'm sorry..."

In a snap of a finger, Gabriel's fury settled into mild shock when hearing those words. His intrigued gaze shifted to the guilty-looking Adrien. His gaze dropped to the floor, finding the white titles beneath his feet quite interesting.

   "Why did you snoop around my office?" Gabriel asked, monotonously, "I assume you were trying to find money or something expensive to sell. So, you grabbed my most precious item and planned to sell it."

   Gabriel stood from his seat t stretch his legs. The pin is still within his hold, gray orbs observing the glimmering shades of blue with traces of purple.

   "Yet," he continued, "do to your misfortunate luck, you cracked the pin. You realized what you've done and all of the consequences that will follow once I arrived home. So, you developed some elaborate scheme to get it fixed and return it to me before I returned home. Am I correct?"

  Adrien's eyes blew wide open in awe, body growing stiff and feeling exposed. His father could read him like a child's storybook, knowing the plot cover to cover without actually reading it. Adrien kept quiet, answering his father's question.

"You're smarter than this, Adrien. Why would you risk your final warning to sell this pin?" Gabriel asked, giving a hard look at his son.

"You seriously don't get it, do you?" Adrien chuckled, lacking any joy before continuing his explanation, "That thing in your hand...you give it more attention than you ever did with me. The trip you just went on, that was the first time I have ever seen you leave it home. Why is that pin so special to you, anyway?"

Gabriel's face stayed neutral, studying the situation before him as he stared straight into the fiery gaze of green orbs. He let out a breath through his nose, adjusting his glasses.

"I'm surprised you don't recognize it," Gabriel said, earning eyebrow raise from the blonde teen.

"This was your mother's pin," Gabriel answered. Adrien felt his whole perspective do a 180, mouth slightly agape. He slowly raised a shaky hand and pointed towards the pin.

"That's mom's?" Adrien spoke in a quiet voice.

   Gabriel nodded in confirmation, fondly brushing his digit over the pin's surface, "She wore this pin every day ever since I gave it to her, rarely took it off. She was very fond of this pin...but I couldn't find it in me to bury it with her. I wanted to keep some part of her alive with me and you."

   Adrien watched as his father carefully placed the pin into his pocket and walked around the desk. He stood in front of the teen, placing a hand on the youth's shoulder.

   "It was selfish of me not to bury your mother's favorite accessory with her, but I can't find myself regretting it either," Gabriel added.

   Adrien could see the sincerity within his father's facial features, not one ounce of lies or deceit swimming around. None of the hairs on the back of his neck stood in warning. Yet, there is still one thing bothering Adrien. He shrugged off the hand on his shoulder and took a step back.

"That doesn't explain why you shut me out—pretend I don't exist in this house. Isn't it sad that the only way I can get a little bit of your time and attention is to get into trouble?" Adrien scoffed.

   Much to the blonde's surprise, he watched as a frown settled on his father's lips and guilt wrinkle into his features. This is the first time Adrien has ever seen much to any emotion on his old man's face.

   Gabriel always expressed his feelings like a blank-slated block or an erupting volcano. It's like a useless Magikarp only knowing one powerless move until evolving into the red, raging Gyarados. The only difference is that one can return to their first form.

   So, seeing this newfound emotion on his father's face...it's unnatural for him (like the forced evolution). Gabriel let out a sigh, shoulders sagging, unlike the stiff posture he holds all the time.

   "Aside from all my work and this sounding like an excuse, it's hard to be around you," Gabriel spoke, genuinely honest, "You look and acted so much like your mother—wild and carefree. It was hard to see you change and abuse those endearing traits for insolent trouble. Though, I can't say that I'm any better myself for distancing away from you."

   Adrien could see the sincerity still basking within those gray eyes. The way Gabriel let his guard down and let his pent-up regret flow.

   "For that, I deeply apologize and will try to be a better father. It will take time but I do hope you can forgive me someday for my wrong-doings. But, I need to know if I can trust you to fix yours as well," Gabriel finished. Adrien looked as if someone had just slapped him in the face without a reason. He is left baffled and stupefied, unsure of what to say to all of that.

So, he nodded.

"This does not mean you won't be punished," Gabriel added, making Adrien wince, "I won't send you to preparatory school...not yet anyway. I'd like to see it for myself that you have changed, then I'll drop the matter of sending you."

"Yes, father," Adrien finally replied, "I understand."

"Good," the man said before studying the pin, "It's too bad we can't get this fixed."

"Actually...I think I know a guy who knows a guy that can fix mom's pin," Adrien spoke, thoughtfully, "but it comes with a hefty price."

Gabriel hummed in thought, an idea slowly emerging from the depths of his brain. He pursed his lips before offering a suggestion.

"That's how you'll prove it," the man confirmed.

"You lost me. What am I proving," Adrien replied.

"Prove that you have changed. If your...contact is reliable and can fix this pin, I want you to earn money to do so," Gabriel said, arms professionally crossed behind his back.

"How exactly am I supposed to earn five-thousand?" The teen question.

Gabriel leaned a little closer, answering, "Get a job."

{+}{+}{+}

Marinette pulled a chair over to her father's bedside and sat down, keeping her poster perfect. Her hands folded on her lap, bluebell eyes fondly watching over the sleeping man on the hospital bed.

The only noise is the annoying yet comforting beeping from the heart monitor. Rays of sunshine seep through the open blinds and bestowed the room in its cheerful blanket of warmth. The city is bustling, birds are chirping, and a gentle breeze makes nature dance a little. A beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky and a blessed reason to smile.

Yet, a smile seemed impossible to reach Marinette's lips. Her father lay disturbingly still for someone with an energetic and spunky personality. Besides the beeping, the room is too quiet for someone who is too loud and proud for his own good.

Someone that would wake her up with a gentle shake and create the most wonderful aroma of pancakes in the morning. Someone that taught her how to make sweets blindfolded and introduced her to video games.

Someone that loves her within the short period of knowing her. Even with flaws and all, she didn't need to be a perfect lady when her father saw her perfectly as herself.

Marinette sniffled, reaching out a hand to hold her father's larger one. She could feel tears streaming down her face before wiping them away.

   "I remember when you nearly burned two batches of cookies and macaroons," Marinette wistfully began, "They were for the mayor's wife's birthday. Yet, you risked your well-respected baker's reputation just to help me with one silly homework question I was stuck on."

   Marinette giggled, hiccuping and rubbing her watery orbs. She brought her father's hand up and placed a sweet kiss on the knuckle of his hand. This pain she feels is like her heart is being slowly dragged on a rugged road for miles, beaten and bruised. A treacherously long journey until reaching the final destination, heartbreak.

   "It was not that I could not solve the question but was unable to concentrate. I had a rough day at school that day and you somehow figured that out. Instead of helping me with my homework though, you dragged me away from the assignment to distract me with baking and almost forgot about your order. In some odd way, it worked."

   Marinette squeezed the larger hand, trying hard not to break down. She let out a shaky breathe of air, wiping away newly escaped tears from her cheeks and bit down on her lower lip to stop it from quivering.

   "You have done so much for me. I wish there was some way I could repay you for everything...to cure you...but I feel so useless. There is nothing I can do to save you from your demise. I did try to find a way but was a blind, incompetent fool. I am deeply sorry I failed you, papa. You...You deserve a better daughter."

Marinette started to choke up on her words and felt her body tremble from quietly weeping. The bluenette leaned forward to rest her forehead on her father's knuckle, clutching his hand as if it was the last lifeline between their two worlds.

   Three knocks on the door made Marinette quickly recover her poster and gently placed her father's hand back on the bed.

   "Come in," the class president called, voice slightly raspy and swiftly wiping away any remaining tears. She heard the door creak open and footsteps entering the room. The click of the door latching closed is the last noise from whoever entered the room.

Marinette didn't turn around to see who it is, thinking it is a nurse doing one of their rounds. Yet, that thought flew out the window. The person's footfalls had not made any more noise of moving deeper into the room, probably still standing by the door.

"Uh..." the person began, awkwardly and the sound of a foot scuffling the floor came, "Hi, Marinette."

   Marinette immediately recognized the voice of Adrien Agreste. Waves of flaring rage clashed within her, simmering with hate for the very blonde standing a few feet away. She crossed her arms, keeping her blank gaze on the wall ahead and held a composed demeanor.

   "If you have the slightest bit of human decency, I suggest you walk out that door right now and stay away from me. I will not fall prey to one of your deluded schemes again," the bluenette seethed. Adrien's shoulders slouch in sorrow before looking down at the envelope in his hands.

"Okay," Adrien agreed, "I'll walk out this room and you won't have to deal with me again. Before I do, I need you to hear me out first."

Marinette stayed silent, allowing Adrien to continue his explanation, "I'll admit, I was going to break our deal and keep all of the money to myself. I thought you were a greedy, know-it-all brat, who needed money for God only knows what that she couldn't get money from her parents or something."

The blonde decided to test the waters and walk closer, fiddling with the envelope in his hands. He gulp down his nerves and continued, "Then, I got to know you better and realized—as clique as this sounds—we're not as different as I thought we were. The only difference is you have better intentions than I ever had. So..."

Adrien stood next to Marinette and extended the envelope towards her. Bluebell eyes locked onto the rectangular mail holder and cautiously shifted her gaze up to a genuinely nice, half-cracked smiling face of Adrien.

"...I'm still breaking the deal but in the right way this time."

Marinette hesitated reaching for the envelope before retracting her hand. Adrien frowned a bit, seeing the distrust. He sighed, setting the envelope on the bedside. He placed his hands into his jacket's pockets.

"Whether you believe me or not, I suggest take a chance and look in this envelope," he said, pointing at the very object, "You may just be surprised, Princess."

He hummed, thoughtfully and said, "I've been wondering why "Princess" was such a fitting nickname for you. At first, I thought it's because you were a spoiled, greedy brat. Now, I see it's cause you're a good leader, someone that'll stand their ground and cares for others."

Adrien made his way towards the door while saying, "Princesses like that...don't hangout with villains like me."

He opened the door and left the room, leaving Marinette unsurely staring at the envelope. It took her a few minutes of debating whether the envelope is a trick or...Adrien was being honest.

   "I suppose that their is only one way to find out," Marinette thought, grabbing the envelope and started to open it. She let out a breath of air, unbeknownst of holding it. She managed to raise the flip and peeked inside the small package.

   Marinette let out a small gasp, placing a hand over her mouth and stared in shock at the bundle of euros inside. She took the wade of cash out and examined it, making sure it was real. She almost pinched herself to make sure this all wasn't some cruel dream.

   "...I'm still breaking the deal..." Adrien's words echoed inside Marinette's head, trying to decode what his riddling words could've meant.

{+}{+}{+}

   "What?! He gave you all the money?"

   "He did," Marinette confirmed, answering Alya's question, "I counted every euro thrice times and it continued to come out the same amount."

   Alya combusted with many questions, wanting to know every detail.

   Nino's grip on his alien slushee cup loosened, nearly losing his frosty drink. He never thought he would see the day Adrien Agreste would do something so...noble and unselfish. Nino probably wouldn't have believed the class president if the proof wasn't being held protectively within her grip.

  "He...He actually gave you all of the money...without any expectations? Dudette, I don't know if I would trust that," Nino warned, unsure of what to make of this situation.

   "None at all," Marinette stated just as surprised as Alya and Nino, "It seemed like he was trying to be...genuinely chivalrous. I tried to recall his speech but heard nothing vile within his voice. He is either a skilled actor or he really is trying to be a good person."

   Nino frowned. He's the only one of the three of them that knows Adrien since childhood. The DJ has followed the same winding road Adrien is walking on as his shadow until cutting off his ties. Nino has seen the misfortunes and triumphs the blonde's been through, both good and bad.

   If Nino knows any better, someone like Adrien couldn't have changed that quickly.

   "Uh...Nino," Alya said, nudging her boyfriend in the side and pointing over at something. Nino snapped out of his thoughts and looked in the very direction Alya gestured to. At the arcade door stood Adrien, his emerald eyes locked onto the small group.

  Unsure, Adrien began to approach the small group. Nino kept a blank-slated look on his face, protectively standing in front of the girls.

   "Now, what?" Nino asked a little annoyed. Adrien sheepishly scratched the back of his neck, finding the floor particularly interesting. Nino can say that he seemed a little taken aback by this but kept up a defiant look.

   "Can I talk with you for a moment...alone?" Adrien asked. Nino raised an eyebrow, looking at Adrien up and down for any signs of trickery. Finding nothing, Nino nodded and followed his ex-best friend somewhere else.

   The tension is like a sponge soaking in the two teenagers' angst and growing more the closer they were to talking.

   Once finding a somewhat private corner, Nino didn't feel as tense as he thought he would be. He didn't know if it's cause there are witnesses in case Adrien decided to go all "Andre the Giant" on Nino or Adrien looks more awkward than threatening.

"Well?" Nino urged. Adrien grimaced, letting out a long breath of air.

"I haven't been the greatest friend—well, person in general," Adrien continued, "You've seen me at my best and worst. You've stuck by my side through it all, even though I treated you just as terribly as I did others."

Adrien let out a chuckle but there was no joy behind it, "You're right about many things. I'm a selfish idiot, who was looking out for only myself. I am like Chloe. I treated you the same way she does to Sabrina. Honestly, that kinda gives me the willies just thinking about it."

   "Your point is?" Nino asked, raising an eyebrow.

   "My point is, I know an apology won't cut it—not even a simple sorry will blow away the hurt I put you and other people through. I can't change what I did in the past but I'm going to make it right starting now. I'm not asking for your forgiveness but a chance to start over," Adrien finished.

   "You know, this doesn't mean I'm going to throw myself at you and say everything is chill again. If you really are going to change, I want to see it for myself before I decide. Until then, I can't say we're friends just yet," Nino explained.

   "I understand. I'd probably be cautious too," the blonde replied. Nino is skeptical but mildly pleased with how this conversation went. He couldn't tell if Adrien is being serious or not. Yet, by the looks of things so far with Marinette, there might be the slimmest of hope that his old best bud is coming around.

{+}{+}{+}

A week and a few days have gone by, reaching a pleasant Saturday morning. Adrien sat on a park bench, watching people walking by and children running around like the little gremlins they are. Yet, Adrien couldn't bring himself to be happy. Not even the hidden hole he dug nearby making people trip and fall couldn't cheer him up.

The blonde let out a sigh, thinking he should probably refill the hole if he's trying to be a better person.

"I'll do it later before I leave," he thought, sagging into the bench, "Maybe, a snotty-nosed brat face planting will raise my spirits a little. I mean, it's not nice but they had it coming."

   "I never thought I would find a brooding juvenile on such a lovely day."

   Adrien perked up and shot his gaze towards the familiar voice. Marinette stood a few feet away with a small smile on her face and arms crossed behind her back. Adrien blinked before rubbing his eyes to make sure this wasn't some weird figment of his imagination.

   "Marinette?" He questioned, "What are you doing here? Wait, shoot! Never mind, I'll lea-"

   "Mister Agreste, do shut your mouth and let me speak before jumping to conclusions," Marinette interrupted, sitting on the bench next to the blonde. Adrien did as Marinette requested and sealed his lips together.

"The reason I am here is because I happen to see you from my balcony," she began, pointing to the very top of an apartment above the bakery. Adrien is left slightly astonished Marinette could see him, let alone, recognize him from that far away.

   "I needed to talk with you for quite some time," she said to a dumbfounded Adrien, "but my family matters and grades continued to get in the way. Now that I am free and you are here, we can finally reconcile."

"Reconcile? Why? I thought you hated me," Adrien spoke, feeling like a pile of stones weighed him down.

"I will admit, I was...greatly enraged and very confused. I let my emotions block my judgement and fog up any clear thoughts. I suppose, it just comes to show you how much I have complex trust and friend issues," Marinette explained, "I should apologize too. I probably have not been the easiest to deal with either."

Adrien gave a genuinely small smile, "I like a challenge. Besides, I don't blame you for being cautious."

"Then, shall we call this a draw?" The bluenette suggested, reaching out a hand. Adrien grasped her hand and shook it.

"Of course, Princess," he confirmed, retreating his hand back to his side before worriedly asking, "How is your old man doing, anyway?"

"His operation was a complete success. He will be released from the hospital tomorrow afternoon," Marinette answered, happily and full of gratitude, "It is thanks to you that he has finally been cured and will live out a longer life, Mister Agreste."

  "No need to thank me unless you wanna reward me with a kiss on the cheek," Adrien smugly said, pointing to his cheek.

   "I can think of something better," Marinette replied, making Adrien's face heat up and eyes widen at the sudden forwardness. He could feel drops of sweat rolling down the side of his forehead and gulp to free his tightening throat for a moment. His nerves sky rocketed, his eyes closing shut when Marinette drew near.

"Stay cool, Agreste," he thought, bashful and encouraged himself, "Why are you so nervous? You've flirted with girls before...but never kissed one. Okay, just pretend this isn't your first time and maybe—I don't know! Maybe-"

Adrien's thoughts were cut off when feeling two arms encircle his abdomen. He slowly opened an eye to see Marinette embracing him. Adrien blinked, too stunned to recuperate the hug and processed the position they are in.

(Art by: reaNishimia )

"My father taught me this. It's a form of caring for someone or being grateful. Though, I do not remember what he called this," Marinette said, trying to recall the word. Adrien snorted, finally wrapping his arms around the girl.

"It's called a hug," Adrien answered. Marinette gasped, "Oh, yes! That is the correct word! A hug!"

"It's kinda concerning that you didn't know what that is," the blonde teen commented, making Marinette shrug her shoulders and leaned further into Adrien's chest.

   "So, which of the two do you consider this hug. A. You caring about me or B. Being grateful?" Adrien teasingly asked.

"Why not C. All of the above?" Marinette answered.

   "Okay, you got me there," Adrien said.

   A fond smile forming on Marinette's lips, "Thank you, Adrien."

Before Adrien could freak out, a horrendous squeal cut off their moment. The two separated to see a furious Chloe stomping and huffing, walking directly towards them. Sabrina followed a bit behind the simmering blonde girl.

"Excuse me, Adrikins!" Chloe hissed, "I come to the park because daddy hired a professional arteest to paint, yours truly. Yet, the stupid guy is late because of some lowly excuse of "family problems." Then, I see this disgusting peasant forcing you to hug her! Utterly ridiculous!"

"But," she continued, smugly and fluttering her eyes, "you can come hangout with me so you don't have to be around this...thing. What do you say, Adrikins?"

Marinette glared and let out a growl, shooting up to her feet. She rolled up a sleeve, about to punch Chloe in the stomach. Unfortunately, Adrien stopped her by placing an arm in her path. Adrien had an unimpressed look on his face.

"I have a better idea," Adrien said, "How about you take you, Sabrina, and your delusional illusion of a world, where you think people actually like you, back to the spot you came from."

Chloe and Sabrina's jaws dropped so wide, they hit the ground. Marinette seemed equally as surprised but proudly smiled for standing up to Chloe.

   The mayor's daughter let out an inhuman, demon-like screech and vigorously ranted, walking away with Sabrina in tow.

The two didn't get very far when Chloe suddenly tripped and face planted into the grass. Sabrina gasped, cupping both of her hands over her mouth before scrambling to help her friend up.

Adrien snickered, thinking, "Well, would you look at that, a snotty-nosed brat did fall into my trap."

   "Back to the matter at hand," Marinette began, "would you care to join me in blasting brain-eating corpse's heads off at the arcade?"

   Adrien scratched the back of his neck, a sheepish look on his features, "I would love too, Princess, but..."

{+}{+}{+}

   Marinette blinked, not knowing what to say once seeing an unhappy Adrien dressed in uniform and standing behind the prize counter.

   "When you told me you applied for a job here, I did not think you were actually being serious," Marinette admitted, "I thought it was a joke."

   "Nope," Alya answered for Adrien and placed a hat on top of his blonde mane, "It's true but I honestly thought he was joking too. That's until he began filling out the job application."

   Marinette seemed impressed with the outcome of Adrien starting to slowly redeem himself. Her heart swelled a little.

   "The best part of this, this is baby's first job! Isn't that precious?" Alya cooed, teasingly poking Adrien in the side only for him to shoo the offending hand away.

   "Can you please stop it?" Adrien pouted, "I'm brooding, right now, let me brood in peace."

   "Whatever you say, prize boy," Alya said. Marinette had to bite down on her lower lip as to not laugh when Adrien glared at a smirking Alya.

   "Why did you get a job, Adrien?" The bluenette asked before realizing, "Come to think of it, I suppose I never asked you why you needed the money. I hope it was nothing too important."

   Alya nearly dropped an expensive video game controller when hearing Marinette use Adrien's first name. Adrien's mood changed from grumpy to reassuring, the edge of his mouth perking up, "Don't worry, it's nothing I can't handle and it's kinda my fault it happened in the first place."

   He dug into his pocket and pulled out the cracked peacock pin, displaying it to the two. Marinette and Alya examined the beautiful pin in awe.

"I need the money to fix this pin," he answered.

   "Are these jewels for real? Boy, why would you bring something like this to an arcade? Are you trying to get it robbed?" Alya questioned, looking at Adrien like he is a crazy head. The blonde slipped the pin back into his pocket mysteriously saying, "I have my reasons."

Marinette hummed while Alya's "suspicious reporter" look crinkled her face.

"I'm keeping my eye on you, Agreste," the ombré-haired teen said before excitedly turning to Marinette, practically jumping, "Oh, girl! Do I have news for you!"

"What is your news?" Marinette asked, tilting her head a little to the side.

"I'm being enrolled into Collège Françoise Dupont next semester!" Alya shouted, unable to contain her eagerness. Marinette gasped, stars shimmering within her eyes. Adrien stood with enlarged green orbs, thinking of the mayhem Alya will put him through at school.

"This is thrilling news!" Marinette practically squealed, "I can give you a tour around the school, we can schedule a time to work on homework together, and share snacks the cafeteria lady, Mildred, sometimes gives me for free."

   "What? Mildred gives out free handouts! The last time I talked with her, I had sauce in places sauce should never be!" Adrien huffed, crossing his arms, "I think that lady has it out for me."

   "You told her the sauce tasted like raw sewage," Marinette blandly said. Adrien looked up at the ceiling, trying to recall the memory before it came spiraling out from the depths of his mind, "...oh, yeah."

   Alya and Marinette couldn't hold in their laughter any longer. Adrien rolled his eyes at the cackling girls but smiled, joining in on the laughing.

"What's so funny?" Nino asked, returning with some snacks. He paused for a moment, taking in Adrien's apparel.

   "Dude..." Nino began, asking, "...why are you wearing that?"

   "I work here now," Adrien answered, receiving a disbelieving look from Nino.

   "Right, and I'm King Kong. The lord and savior of all the monkeys," Nino sarcastically replied, taking a sip from his drink and handing Alya the chips she ordered.

   "It's true! How else am I going to pay for repairs? Enter another gaming tournament?" Adrien questioned.

   "I mean...I do know another tournament you could enter. The prize is a hefty amount of euros but you're going to need to learn how to cook and dodge knifes being thrown from every direction," Nino suggested.

   "I think I'd like to keep my vital organs intact and unscathed by flying, sharp metal," the blonde stated.

   Nino shrugged with a smirk, "Suit yourself. Are you ready to go, babe?"

   "Yep!" Alya said, grabbing her bag before realizing something, "Oh! Adrien, You're going to have to clean the bathrooms before closing time."

   "W-What?" Adrien sputtered, but was ignored as Alya said her farewells to Marinette. The couple left the arcade hand in hand, leaving Adrien and Marinette. Adrien groaned, "Great, my first day on the job and I have to scrub toilets."

   "A little work will not scathe or hurt you, at least," Marinette tried to reassure the blonde. Adrien appreciated Marinette's optimism. No matter what the circumstances, she looked at the positive side of things even in bleak times. He admired that in the class president.

   "It hurts my dignity..." Adrien said before thinking over his words. Maybe, he should try to look on the brighter side of things too, "...but it's true, I guess. There won't be any knives thrown at me in the bathroom."

   Marinette's smile grew wider, cheeks tinted a rosy pink. Adrien felt a weird fluttery feeling in his stomach but ignored it, deciding to figure out whatever this feeling is later.

   "Well, I best be off. I am helping my mother decorate the bakery for my father's return tomorrow but I will see you at school on Monday," Marinette said, waving goodbye.

   "Yeah, I'll see you at school," Adrien sighed, watching her head towards the exit. Once Marinette was out of sight, Adrien dug up the supplies he needs to clean the bathrooms.

   "Well, duty calls."

Adrien strolled to the restrooms to start working. Not only starting his first shift at the arcade but a new chapter in his life too.

(Art by: MoonOfSecrets684 )

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28,342 words

Translations:

Latin:
vitiatam mendax: pathological liar
Et caseum fragor: Cheese and crackers

French:
Arteest: Artist