Chapter Five

Marinette tried not to shuffle her feet as she took up her position at the front of the room. Her class were watching her, some more awake than others in this first class of the day. She swallowed hard and found her gaze, of course, seeking him out.

Adrien was leaning forward, resting his chin on one hand, and his face split into a lazy kind of grin when their eyes met. Her face grew warm, but she felt pleasant all over.

You can do this. he mouthed, and she couldn't fight her grin, feeling silly and happy and sure that she looked ridiculous to everyone else.

"My song," she started, having to stop to clear her throat with a wince, "My song is called Brave. It's really important to me in lots of ways, and I've loved it for a very long time. But recently I started listening to it with a friend."

She swallowed, and even though she didn't dare look up at him, she knew he was watching her with the same green eyes she was thinking of.

"The person this song makes me think of now, sometimes needs to be reminded that he is brave. That he's amazing, and bold, and resourceful, and can do anything he sets his mind to. This song is important to me as a reminder that he has fears, same as I do. That he's human, and that sometimes the face he puts on to show everybody he's okay isn't real. That sometimes, even though he's convinced me that he's untouchable, sometimes he needs me to be there for him the way he's there for me. This song is so important to me because it reminds us, all of us, that we can be amazing, that we can best our demons, and that we can change the world, if we try."

She finally looked up, most of her class listening now, and many of them smiling, like what she was saying had struck a chord with them too. Alya was grinning widely, her eyes bright with encouragement, and Nino was smiling that same old smile she'd relied on for so many years. And Adrien… Adrien looked fit to burst, with excitement, or giddiness, or… something in-between. His grin only got wider when she met his eyes, and her own face hurt from fighting her grin too.

"I think the lines I like best, are these ones."

Marinette slipped her arm around Cat to give him a brief squeeze, feeling weird and awkward but knowing it was the right thing to do. He seemed so small, in that moment, that as she drew her arm back she swore to herself never to forget again that he was just as scared as she was sometimes.

"You should listen to this song I really like." she said, giving him a friendly smile when he looked up, "It'll be right up your alley, I bet. It's called Brave."

His eyes lit with recognition, and then thoughtfulness, as if he were trying to place the lyrics. Marinette retrieved her iPod from where she'd left it on her desk - she really need to tidy that tonight, jeez - and settled beside him on the chaise again.

When he slipped the offered earbud into one ear, she hit play and popped in her own. It was awkward at first, sitting in silence, listening to the song play, but she knew it was the best way she had of conveying to him what he meant to her, and what she saw in him.

She thought about the words, about how she couldn't word it better than to tell him that she wanted to see him be brave. Because when he was brave, when he was bold and headstrong and untouchable, when he was capable of anything, he made her feel like she could do anything too. She wanted to give him that, they way he always had her.

"This part." she whispered, when it happened, and she felt him tense a little beside her in preparation.

~Everybody's been there
Everybody's been stared down by the enemy
Fallen for the fear
And done some disappearing
Bow down to the mighty
Don't run, stop holding your tongue~

The song continued on and neither of them moved until it ended, Marinette pausing the device before the next song could play, feeling awkward still. The silence stretched for a time, Marinette and Cat Noir sitting side by side and saying nothing, hearing nothing but the late evening city outside her windows. Eventually, she heard him sniffling, and he took the earphones out of their ears to set them in her hand with the iPod.

When Marinette finally looked up at him Cat hugged her close, his chin resting atop her head as he seemed to lose all the energy keeping him together.

"Thanks, Mari." he whispered, using the nickname for the first time, "I needed a friend."

As the class applauded her and she scurried to her seat, Marinette could feel all the eyes on her. Maybe she'd given away a little too much, maybe she'd allowed her feelings to leak into her voice while she was speaking. Maybe they could see how bright and weary her eyes were. Maybe she should have picked a different song.

As soon as she was seated, red-faced and short of breath for no real reason, Alya slipped a hand onto her back.

"That was wicked, Girl! Wow, I need to listen to that song more often. So inspiring!"

Marinette grinned.

"I think everybody should, sometimes." she said, glancing shyly at Adrien, "Just to remind them how amazing they can be."

Nino chuckled, and he was probably in the process of agreeing, but Marinette didn't catch it because Adrien spoke at the same time.

"You're amazing."

Burning heat exploded across her face as Alya froze, and even Nino had raised his eyebrows in surprise as the three of them stared. In return, a deep pink bloomed across Adrien's face too.

"What?" he argued, his voice suddenly weak as though he'd realised what he'd let slip, "She is."

Marinette's heart beat long and heavy for a second, and she wished they were away from everyone so that she could hug him hard when he looked so shy and pink.

"You're amazing too." she managed to peep.

His embarrassed smile was pleased and lopsided and she loved it, ignoring how Alya spluttered in shock beside her as the teacher called Kim up to deliver his homework.