(Dedicated to my sis shreeja679 who never updates her own book and is constantly egging me to write more)
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“You owe me five bucks,” Marinette says smugly, “Max asked out Sabrina today.”

Alya smiles. “I’ll buy your movie ticket.”

A breeze whips down the broad avenue, and they hold their jackets tight and shiver. A dusting of brown leaves crunches underneath their feet as Paris hovers on the edge of autumn. “I told you not to bet that, Alya,” Nino says, pulling her closer to him. She burrows closer in his embrace.

“Boo!” A familiar disheveled head pops between Alya and Marinette, and they jump like startled cats.

“Jeez,” Alya says. “Give me a heart attack. What are you doing here?”

“It Happened One Night,” Adrien says. “Le Champo, right?”

“Don’t you have plans with Kagami?” Nino asks.

“Am I not invited?” He wedges his way between Marinette and Nino.

“Of course you’re invited,” Alya says. “We just assumed you’d be busy.”

“You’re always busy,” Nino adds.

“I’m not always busy.”

“You are,” Alya says. “And you know what’s weird? Marinette's the only one who’s even seen Kagami this year. Is she too good for us now?”

“Aw, get off it. Not this again.”

She shrugs. “I’m just saying.”

Adrien shakes his head, but it doesn’t escape Marinette's notice that he doesn’t deny it. Kagami may have turned friendly enough in person, but it’s clear she no longer talks to her friends.

“What do you guys even do every night?” The words slip out before Marinette can stop them.

“It,” Alya says. “They do it. He’s ditching us to screw.”

Adrien blushes. “You know, Alya, you’re as crude as those stupid juniors on my floor. Dave what’s-his-name and Mike Seclo. God, they’re assholes.”

“Watch it, Adrien,” Nino says. There’s an edge in his normally relaxed demeanor.

Alya whips into Adrien's face. “Are you calling me an ass?”

“No, but if you don’t back off, I just might.”

Their bodies are tense, like they’re about to bash antlers in a nature documentary. Nino tries to pull Alya back, but she shakes him away. “God, Adrien, you can’t be all chummy during the day and blow us off every night! You can’t come back whenever you feel like it and pretend like everything’s fine.”

Marinette tries to cut them off. “Hey, hey, hey—”

“Everything is fine! What the hell is wrong with you?”

“HEY!” Marinette forces her way between them. “Stop fighting. God, this was supposed to be a fun day.”

Nino puts his arm around Alya, and she hugs him tightly. He glares at Adrien through her curls. This is your fault. Fix it.

Adrien deflates. “Yeah. Okay. You’re right.”

It’s not quite an apology, but Alya nods. Marinette exhales in relief. Nino moves beside his girlfriend again.

They tread in awkward silence. So Alya and Kagami used to be friends.

“Sorry, Mari,” Adrien says after another muted block. “I know you were excited about the film.”

“It’s okay. I don't mind. My friends fight, too. I mean . . . my friends back home. Not that you guys aren’t my friends. I’m just saying . . . all friends fight.”

Argh. How distressing.

Gloom cloaks them like a thick fog. They resume silence, and Marinette's thoughts circle around. She wishes Chat Noir was here. He always knew how to make light of a situation. But at the next moment, she chokes, oh god, she totally forgot the awkward situation she was in.

“Hey,” Nino says. “You. Check it out.”

And then the darkness gives way to white neon. An Art Deco font, burning into the night, announces our arrival at the CINEMA LE CHAMPO. The letters dwarf them.

Marinette's heart soars as they pass the colorful film posters and walk through the gleaming glass doors. The lobby is smaller than what she's used to, and though it’s missing the tang of artificially buttered popcorn, there’s something in the air she recognizes, something both musty and comforting. Friendship.

True to her word, Alya pays for her ticket.

They follow blue rope lights down the aisle of the theater. She doesn't fail to notice that the difference; it's blue everywhere here, rather than the golden glow of American cinemas.

Marinette smiles at her friends, but Alya and Nino are distracted, arguing about something that happened over dinner. Adrien sees jer and smiles back. “Good?”

She nods. He looks pleased and ducks into the row after her. Marinette has always preferred four rows up from the center, and they have the perfect seats tonight. The chairs are classic red. The movie begins, and the title screen flashes up.

“Ugh, we have to sit through the credits?” Alya asks. They roll first, like in all old films.

The theater is dark except for the flicker of blacks and whites and grays on-screen. Clark Gable pretends to sleep and places his hand in the center of an empty bus seat. After a moment of irritation, Claudette Colbert gingerly plucks it aside and sits down. Gable smiles to himself, and Adrien laughs.

It’s odd, but Marinette keeps finding herself distracted. By the white of his teeth through the darkness. By a wavy bit of his hair that sticks straight out to the side.

By the soft aroma of his laundry detergent. He nudges her to silently offer the armrest, but Marinette declines and Adrien takes it. His arm is close to hers, slightly elevated.

And, suddenly, she wants to touch him.

Ugh, Marinette. You and your stupid hormones.

He shifts. Marinette has the strangest feeling that he’s as aware of her as she is of him. She can’t concentrate. The characters on the screen are squabbling, but for the life of her, she doesn’t know what about. How long has she not been paying attention?

Adrien coughs and shifts again. His leg brushes against hers. It stays there. She's paralyzed. Marinette should move it; it feels too unnatural. How can he not notice his leg is touching her leg? From the corner of her eye, Marinette sees the profile of his chin and nose.

There. He glanced at her. The bluenette knows he did.

She bores her eyes into the screen, trying her best to prove that she is really interested in this movie. Adrien stiffens but doesn’t move his leg. Is he holding his breath? She thinks he is. Marinette's holding hers. She exhales and cringes —it’s so loud and unnatural.

Again. Another glance. This time she turns, automatically, just as he’s turning away. It’s a dance, and now there’s a feeling in the air like one of them should say something.

Focus, Marinette. Focus. “Do you like it?” She whispers.

He pauses. “The film?”

Marinette's thankful the shadows hide her blush.

“I like it very much,” he says.

She risks a glance, and Adrien stares back. Deeply. Marinette turns away first, then feel him turn a few beats later.

The bluenette knows he is smiling, and her heart races.

*

Marinette bumps into a wall, barely managing to save her fries from toppling over the plate.

Regarding the fallen fries on the ground with the air of a general bidding goodbye to the dead soldiers, the bluenette suddenly realizes that there are no walls in the middle of the room. And if she was correct, she was in the middle of the room.

When she looks up, it's a familiar face.

Whoops. Not a wall. A boy.

“Oof.” Ethan staggers backward.

“Lil' Bro? What are you doing here?” Marinette is surprised.

The said ‘bro’ gives her a crooked grin, kissing her cheek in the traditional French custom. “It Happened One Night. A huge fan of Clark Gable, Miss Dupain-Cheng.”

Thinking once again about how the two of them are so similar, Marinette breaks into a huge grin. “Me too. Uh, you would like to meet my friends?”

He adjusts his glasses more firmly on his nose. “Sure. Wait, lemme text Chloé first. She told me to wait here.”

But there's no need. Chloé joins them at that instant, exchanging forced smiles with Marinette.

When they reach the table, everyone looks at them expectantly and the bluenette smiles. “Guys, this is Ethan.” She glances at him, “And that is Nino, Alya and uh, Adrien.”

Nino salutes him with his coffee cup, while Alya is all smiles. And Adrien. . . doesn't even acknowledge him. Which is rude. What's his problem?

When Ethan pulls out a chair for her,
Marinette whispers, “Sorry about him,” and he shakes his head so as to say no big deal.

“So, Ethan, right?”

Marinette forces herself to not jump in. Adrien's been acting weird and she'd rather not have him scare off her friend.

But he's polite. “I've heard lots about you. You're going to La Sorbonne?”

The awkward silence is over and Ethan laughs, smoothing over the tough patch with his characteristic charm. “Yes, actually. It's nice to meet you. Sis always talks about you too. . . ” He trails off, attention snagged by something behind the bluenette. His expression is of growing revulsion.

Confused, Marinette turns to find Dave Wall, Thomas's son and her acquaintance, on the cafeteria floor behind them. His head is bowed, and he thrusts a smal plate in the air before her. “Allow me to present this éclair with my humblest apologizes.”

Her face burns. “What are you doing?”

Dave looks up and grins. “Sorry about your gala. That was my father's fault.”

Marinette's speechless. When she doesn’t take the dessert, he rises and delivers it in front of het with a grand flourish. Everyone is staring. He nabs a chair from the table behind them and wedges himself between Ethan and her.

Adrien is incredulous. “Make yourself at home, Dave.”

Dave doesn’t seem to hear him. He dips his finger in the sticky chocolate icing and licks it off. Are his hands clean? “So. Tonight. I arranged a meeting with my father. You should come. We can also have dinner together. Two Drums? How's that sound?”

Oh my God, Marinette panicks. Dave is NOT asking her out in front of Adrien. Adrien hates Dave; she remembers him saying it in high school. And when Adrien hates someone, that someone must have done something super terrible since he's usually a good-natured person. “Uh. . . sorry.” She grasps for an excuse. “But I’m busy. Something came up.”

“Come on. Nothing could be that important on a Friday night.” He pinches her arm, and she glances desperately at her friends.

“Charity work,” Ethan cuts in, glaring at Dave’s hand. “Last minute. Loads to do. We’re the organizers.”

“It's nothing important. Loosen up, Dupain-Cheng. Live a little.”

Chloé is uncharacteristically quiet.

“Actually,” Adrien speaks up, “it sounds like Marinette has quite a bit of additional work to do this weekend. Thanks to your father.”

Dave finally turns around to face Adrien. They exchange scowls.

“I’m sorry,” Marinette says. And she means it. She feels awful for turning him down, especially in front of everyone. He’s a nice guy, despite what Adrien thinks.

But Dave looks at Adrien again. “It’s cool,” he says after a moment. “I get it.”

“What?” Marinette's confused.

“I didn’t realize ...” Dave motions between Adrien and her.

“No! No. There’s nothing. There. I mean it, I'll meet you soon. I’m just busy tonight. With the charity thing.”

Dave looks annoyed, but he shrugs his shoulders. “No biggie.”

He stands up. “Bye.”

“Right. Sure. Thanks for the éclair!” She calls after him.

“You're welcome, beautiful.” He performs a spin move around an elderly couple and Marinette smiles.

“Wanker,” Adrien says, the moment he’s out of earshot.

“Don’t be rude.”

He stares at her with an unfathomable expression. “You weren’t complaining when I made an excuse for you.”

Marinette pushes the éclair away. “He just put me on the spot, that’s all.”

“You should thank me.”

“Thank you,” the bluenette says sarcastically. She is aware of the others staring at them. Nino clears his throat and points at her finger-smudged dessert. “You gonna eat that?” he asks.

“Be my guest.”

Adrien stands so suddenly that his chair clatters over.

“Where are you going?” Nino asks.

“Nowhere.” He stalks away, leaving them in surprised silence. After a moment, Chloé leans forward. She raises her trimmed eyebrows. “You know, my friend and I saw them fighting a couple nights ago.”

“Who? Adrien and Dave?” Alya asks.

“No, Adrien and that you-know-who. That’s what this is about, you know.”

Ethan coughs, clearly uncomfortable with the topic. “Uh, I think I should go too. I got classes tomorrow. Bye sis, bye Chlo. See ya.”

“It is?” As soon he walks away, Marinette asks.

“Yeah, he’s been on edge all week,” Chloé says.

The bluenette thinks about it. “It's true. He's not going to Kagami's anymore.”

Nino gives Marinette a weird look.

“Where did you see them?” Alya asks Chloé.

“In front of the Cluny métro. We were gonna say hi, but when we saw their expressions, we went the other way. Definitely not a conversation I wanted to interrupt.”

“What were they fighting about?” Marinette asks.

“Dunno. Couldn’t hear them.”

“It’s her. She’s so different now.”

Alya frowns. “She thinks she’s so much better than us, now that she’s doing championships.”

“And the way she dresses,” Chloé says, with an unusual bitter streak. “Like she thinks she is actually pretty. Ridiculous.”

“She was always that way.” Alya huffs.

Nino is still quiet. He polishes off the éclair, wipes the white fluff from his fingers, and pulls out his phone. The way he focuses on it, deflecting Chloé and Alya's conversation, is . . . purposeful. Marinette gets the feeling he knows more about the Adrien situation than he’s letting on. Do guys talk about things like that with each other? Could it be possible?

Are Adrien and Kagami breaking up?

*

   Surprise! Hehe, did you like it? Hated it? Drop a comment down below, so I know how I'm going on. Also, a vote isn't too bad, is it? Thank you for reading this far! Love you guys lots!

— Upama ♥