ADRIEN

What the heck are they doing here?!

"I told you not to go in my apartment at any time of your own convenience!" I exclaim. Marinette starts to shrink in her seat, growing conscious over the fact that two sudden visitors happen to visit in this exact moment.

"I guess that this isn't a good time?" Luka asks and slowly raises the bag where we place all the hard copies of our files for the campaign.

"No!"

"Well, it's not our fault that you keep your spare key under the third rock to the left," he continues in a mutter.

"N-No, I don't!" I turn to Marinette, who is just staying quiet and looking at us with wide eyes. I bring a hand out to clarify what I just said. "I don't, okay? I'm going to change it..."

"I thought you brought Marinette home last night," Nino interrupts, taking a few steps closer to the dining table. He throws the two of us a wary glance with an eyebrow raised in question.

"Wait. You two went on a night out?" Luka asks loudly and in shock.

I wave a hand to dismiss his question and turn back to Nino. "Well, she passed out first and I was also tipsy to think too much. My home is closer to the bar."

"....does Byvael and Nordic know about this?" Nino continues.

"No!" Both Marinette and I exclaim out loud then we look at each other in surprise with our sudden outburst. I'm the first who takes my gaze away from the other to face Nino and Luka again.

"And there is no need to!" I continue in a stern manner, "Look, Marinette and I can differentiate professional and personal things. Last night just happened to be a balance of both."

"Meaning...no strings attached?" Luka pops in with a ridiculous question.

"NO!"

Marinette pushes herself off the table to stand. "I-I'm going to get my stuff and leave now," she breathes out and rushes to my room even before I could react.

When she enters it and closes the door behind her, I turn to Nino and Luka with a scowl on my face.

"What time did we agree to see each other here?" I ask, narrowing my eyes at them.

"12 noon," Luka answers quietly.

"And it's still a quarter to 11," I strictly point out. "You, two, were not supposed to be here. Also, why did you have to bring up the assumption that we slept together?"

Nino scoffs, "She was wearing your clothes."

"Dude, you know that I'm not like that-"

"I don't know," Luka interjects and shrugs his shoulders, "seems kinda fishy to me. You haven't even explained to us why you spent the night at her house that day."

"Luka!"

"Yeah, he's right, Adrien." Nino chimes in, "Plus, anger can lead to sexual tensio-"

"Enough!" I exclaim just when Marinette opens the door of my room. We all watch her as she meekly steps out wearing the same clothes from last night. With her are the clothes I allowed her to borrow and her small bag.

"Marinette," I call her softly, ignoring the other two who are now staring at me, "you didn't have to change back to your clothes."

"I'll wash these and give them back to you hopefully during our meeting later." She forces out a smile. "I-I'll go ahead now." Then she faces both Nino and Luka. "I'm sorry if I disturbed you with my presence, Nino and Luka."

"How come she knows my name?" Luka gasps beside Nino.

"Because one should know the name of one's rival," Marinette utters then locks her eyes on mine. "Keep your enemies close, right?" She whispers.

"Marinette," I murmur.

She blinks and lets out a small sigh. "I should go now. I made a call for an Uber so it will be arriving here soon. Thank you for taking care of me." Marinette bows her head a bit toward Nino and Luka before walking to the door.

"Let me take you home," I immediately offer, following her to the door. Even when she opens it, I still follow her outside and make sure I close it behind me.

"N-No, it's okay," she immediately declines, tightening her hold on the stuff she carries in her arms. "The service is nearby."

"I didn't mean for them to just barge in and say those things-"

"I don't mind, Adrien," she cuts me off. "We are political enemies...of course, those kinds of comments would come off naturally."

"But that doesn't mean they can still go on with those words. Things...things have changed between us for the past month."

"And I know that," She utters earnestly, looking into my eyes. "But I'm sure that they do not know that."

I fall silent and purse my lips, finding myself at a loss for words.

"I understand if you have kept quiet about it," she continues in a soft voice. "We need to."

I sigh and shake my head. "I just...Listen, we haven't even got to finish our topic about last night-"

"I enjoyed last night. I've never had that much fun in a long time. Don't tell me you regret everything that happened last night..."

"Marinette, I don't," I whisper while taking a step closer to her. "I'm just scared that what we almost did affected you in some way."

She bites her bottom lip and shows reluctance when trying to reply. Just when she opens her mouth to do so, a car arrives in front and she checks its plate number.

"That's my service," she quietly tells me. "I'm glad it arrived. My GPS and Location seems to still work in my phone."

I know what she's doing. She's dodging the topic.

"Yeah," I breathe out hiding how dejected I'm feeling, "y-you should go home now. We got a busy meeting later and your team should prepare."

She meekly nods. "You should prepare too." Then she forces out a small smile. "We still want to beat you."

I chuckle lightly and walk towards the car with her. "I can't promise you anything."

"Good." Now, she's showing a real smile even when I open the back door for her. "That's the Agreste I've grown to know."

"Take care, Marinette," I say once she gets in the car. She does not reply yet continues to smile at me even when I close the door for her.

I watch the car leave and decide to head back inside to confront the two.

"It all makes sense now," Nino immediately declares as I enter my apartment again.

"Like what?" I grumble and head to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. "What makes sense aside from the two of you acting like absolute dimwits?"

Nino ignores my question and saunters to stand right beside me, and Luka follows to stand at my other side. "Woah, are you guys trying to confront me?"

"The sudden change of the tone of speaking of Aaron," Nino starts to utter once again, "that talk at the state university, he and you suddenly learning how to carry a baby. All of those were because of her, weren't they?"

I freeze in place just after I pour myself a glass of water and try to keep it subtle on how I am starting feel cornered and scared. Of course, I feel scared. Nino and Luka are smart, I knew they would eventually connect the dots but I didn't think that it would be this soon.

"Adrien," Luka starts, "Nino is right, isn't he?"

And now just looking at the two and their serious expressions, I feel scared most especially for Marinette.

I decide to brush them off. I use my elbows to push them away and grab my glass along with me. "Should that even be a big deal?" I nonchalantly lean on the counter located on the opposite end of the kitchen.

"Of course, it is!" Nino exclaims. "Don't tell me that it was you who helped out with those establishments for Nordic to visit."

"And why are you trying to meddle with things like that?"

"Because there seems to be a strange connection between you and Nordic's manager," Luka replies instantly.

I roll my eyes and furrow my eyebrows at them. "I helped them out once, so what?"

"So what?" Nino spits out in disbelief. "Your helping out made Nordic's popularity rise by seven percent! You have been making their relationship with the lower class better!"

"Were you even aware of the consequences, Adrien?" Luka continues for Nino.

"Yes, I was," I answer without any hesitation, making my statement clear.

"What?" Nino gasps in bewilderment. "Then why the hell did you..." he trails off and sighs in defeat. "Adrien, I can't seem to understand you anymore. You have been acting weird for the past month!"

"No, I'm not," I deny. "I've been making sure that Byvael still stays as the frontrunner in this political race. And I've been doing my job as well as the two of you."

Nino scowls at me then looks away, Luka silently crosses his arms and keeps his glare on me.

I scoff, "Are you both telling me that you don't trust me anymore? Just because of that one thing I did for Nordic's team?"

They stay quiet, still fuming with anger. Though, I'm not surprised with their reactions. For this past week, I have actually been preparing myself for a confrontation like this.

And I know that I would have to tell them the truth. I just don't want it to affect Marinette in any way. If they want someone to blame, I'd take it all for myself.

"Well, I shouldn't feel fazed with your anger. I'd rather you keep it and use it to fuel yourselves for the meeting later." I point out coldly. "Now instead of frowning, let's open those files of statistical data. They are not going to study themselves."

------------

The meeting has been going on for the past two hours and it's now 15 minutes past nine o'clock in the evening.

We are preparing for a presidential debate and the organizers of the event have called the managers from both parties for a debriefing of the event proper and what we must prepare for.

In this world of politics, almost everything needs to be scripted and perfect for the candidate.

The one in-charge of the event is a man who looks like he has been doing this job for the past decades. His age shows through the wrinkles on his forehead and the graying strands of hair starting from its roots. His stance and confidence with the subject matter, though, is what brings a youthful vibe with him. One could say that he is passionate with what he does. Yet sometimes too much passion comes with intimidation.

"There will be a portion in the debate wherein one will hold out these cards that have a thumbs-up and thumbs-down sign on them," he explains to us in the meeting room and brings out a sample of the cards. Then he passes one to our side of the table, Aaron Byvael's team, and the other card goes to Nordic's team.

With me tonight is Nino and Luka, and even though we eventually stopped with our argument from this morning to focus on tonight's meeting, there is still this underlying tension between us. I know that their trust in me is being held in a very thin line that could break at any moment.

Especially with Marinette sitting right across from us with her assistant manager, the red-head whose name I think is Nathanaël.

Our team has been quiet for the past hours, only asking questions in terms of clarifying some things. Nordic's team, on the other hand, would really voice out their concerns and questions in almost every segment of the meeting.

I do not mind it though since they have every right to ask but it's clear that the head of the event is starting to not feel pleased with their questions. I see it by the way he hides a scowl or an eye roll from Marinette when she starts to ask him about anything related to the subject at hand. Frankly, his expressions are bothering me.

"Those sign boards will be used during the segment when the candidates will be asked of their opinion over certain topics," he continues, "meaning we will not tolerate any answer like 'maybe'. Everyone would really want an answer which is 'yes' or 'no'."

When Marinette raises a hand to ask a question, I swear I see a frown play about the man's lips for a second before forcing a grin towards her direction.

"Yes, Dupain-Cheng?" He articulates her name, almost sounding like he was mocking her. When, in fact, I kmow that he really is. "What is your question, again?"

Marinette seems to not have noticed the man's change of tone when speaking to her as she continues with her question. "It's not a question, rather a suggestion. I think you should allow the candidates to answer with a 'maybe'."

"And why do you think that is necessary?"

"An answer like that shows that the candidate is willing to compromise as well," she points out, "maybe the audience does not need a solid yes or no but a new perspective or outlook to that certain situation."

The man furrows his eyebrows at her in confusion and lets out a sigh of disbelief. "Miss Dupain-Cheng, I've been in this line of work for more than two decades. I have also been with different presidents of this time. A mentality like that does not guarantee a sure win for your party and especially, your candidate."

"Then I guess it's time for someone to step up and change how the political world should work," she shoots back, standing from her chair.

"I have studied politics far longer than any of you here. I know what I am saying is right," he scoffs.

"Well, I agree with her," I immediately voice out my comment, bringing everyone's attention to me. Through the corner of my eye I could see Nino and Luka widen their eyes in surprise.

"You agree with this woman?" The man spits out, "Well, I agree with something too, that she is too outspoken for her own good."

Marinette takes a slight step back with his sudden outburst.

"Excuse me, sir," Nathanaël speaks up, "there is no need to use such brash words. We are merely raising a concern-"

"Concern or not, it is an example as to why women are not in office," the man harshly interrupts Nathanaël and coldly turns back to Marinette. "You're living in a fantasy," he tells her in a very strict and intimidating manner, "That kind of thinking will never get you anywhere with politics. That is why you should leave this with the men. We stick to what is our reality and not create a fantasy that we want to live in our heads."

The audacity of this son of a-

Marinette blinks her eyes and I see tears starting to well up in them.

Now, this man is making me more angry than before.

I immediately push myself off the table. "That was very unnecessary and unprofessional of you to point out," I firmly state in a loud and clear voice.

"E-Excuse me..." Marinette whispers and in an instant, rushes out of the room.

"Please excuse me, as well," I utter with no hesitation. "This meeting has clearly gotten off-hand and we both could use a breather."

"Adrien!" Nino calls out just when I leave the room to follow Marinette.

Her back is facing me as she rushes through the empty corridor (since it is beyond working hours already), maybe hoping to find a place to hide herself and her tears. I follow, running after her.

"Marinette!" I continue to run. And when I catch up with her, I grab ahold of her arm to stop her but she immediately yanks it away from my grip.

"Leave me alone," she cries, still hiding her face from me by only looking at the ground.

"Mari-"

"Outspoken?" Then she faces me, the tears now falling freely down her face. "Outspoken?! I speak as much as any other man out there! And they call me outspoken because I'm a woman who needs to keep her mouth shut?!" She lashes out in distraught anger.

I look into her eyes and see how devastated and sad she is with this situation. I don't even know what to say now, I just followed my instinct to run after her. "...Why can't you tell them off like how you do with me?" I ask, instead, in a soft voice.

"Because..." she tries to answer but struggles as she lets out a deep sigh and brings a hand to cover her face. "Adrien, don't even try. You won't understand."

"Yet, I want to," I whisper, leaning closer to her. "Please try to make me understand, then," I plead.

She sniffs then uncovers her face. Her eyes waver between mine and as I keep my gaze locked on her, she lets out a soft cry. "Then be a woman first," she starts off, her voice cracking now and then, "and feel like you work for a ton of men, work harder than anyone with you and know that you won't get the credit you deserve," she pauses for a while and lets out another cry, "lose count of the number of hands that have attempted to touch your thighs when making deals."

My heart instantly drops to my stomach when I hear her last statement.

"W-What?" I mutter in disbelief, not even masking the immense shock I am feeling. "What did you say?"

She wraps her arms around herself in a protective manner, the tears continue to fall silently down her cheeks. "You heard what I said," she murmurs in an unstable voice.

I gape at her, trying to find my voice again. She's been going through all of that? She's been putting up with all that kind of shit for her job?

Looking at her cry silently in front of me makes my chest clench tightly in pain. It swells with emotion and it accumulates until it becomes too paintful to bear, yet this pain I have does not stand at the same level with the kind of pain she has experienced.

It makes me ashamed of myself as a man, as a person.

"I don't want you to say anything," she continues, "I have a great boss, okay? He is a very good man and he treats me well, just like my assistant campaign managers who are also men. Not all men look down on me, but there are enough who take away who I am as a woman." Then she softly cries into her hands, "And it hurts when that happens...I wish I could get used to it."

This is what it feels like to be a useless being.

When you are standing in front of a person, you've learned to care about, who is in a lot of pain and you know you can't do anything to take it away. Because maybe there is this connection, as vast as it may be, that the source of the pain leads to you.

I could only purse my lips and hang my head low in shame as she continues to cry in front of me.

She sniffs and tries to wipe away all the tears from her eyes. "I need to go to the bathroom to fix myself," she mutters, "I'll go ahead." And without waiting for me to even react a bit, she leaves and disappears as she heads to another corridor connected to the one I am standing in.

I bitterly close my eyes and bring a hand to my forehead. I hate my thoughts now. I am thinking of how she must have been feeling when those things were done to her.

And I wish I could have done something about it.

That organizer is wrong in all ways. We all love to live in fantasies, because I would like to live in one where Marinette was never hurt in that way.

"You like her," Nino's sudden voice from behind me interrupts my train of thought.

I breathe out a sigh and turn to face him. He is standing in the middle of the corridor, his facial expressions in a mix of shock and confusion. He can't fathom this newfound information.

"It explains everything," he continues, "You like Marinette."

I choose to not utter a word of denial because it is true.

Now that he said it, now I believe it.

Yes, I do like her.

And I think I have been liking her for a while now.

"Look, I don't know how you've been seeing each other way before that night-out but I want to remind you how much you want to prove the other team wrong. Don't forget the reason why you joined Byvael's team," he musters to say, "As much as you like her, your heart and feelings must not waver at all."

"What are you trying to prove here, Nino?" I ask him softly, feeling suddenly exhausted with everything that's been going on.

"I'm only asking who your main priority is now."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

5 modules have not been accomplished and instead of doing them, I decided to write this chapter HAHAHUHU

I hope you liked this one! A bit of the angsty side to it honestly.

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