Oops my hand slipped.
Disclaimer: I don't own Miraculous Ladybug.
"Why did it have to be you?"
She'd spoken before she'd realized, ducked her head once she'd heard her words and seen the watery eyes of Chat Noir. No, she corrected. Adrien. As in Adrien Agreste. As in the model. Who she had a crush on.
Who she'd had a crush on.
If super handsome, sweet, friendly Adrien Agreste was actually the flirty, somewhat annoying, reckless Chat Noir, had she really known him at all? Which one was the mask and which one was real? Could she be sure her feelings were even real?
Marinette looked away. Refused to release her transformation. Chat – Adrien – had revealed himself to her willingly. That didn't mean she was going to return the favor. She had her family and friends to think about. Did Adrien count as a friend anymore? Probably not. She didn't really know him as well as she'd thought.
Just like he doesn't know me.
She'd fallen in love with a lie. And it hurt. It hurt to know that perfect Adrien Agreste was not-as-perfect Chat Noir. That he had a crush on her – the wrong her. She scoffed and rolled watery eyes. Her bottom lip trembled.
"My Lady," Adrien's voice hitched. Marinette closed her eyes, brow furrowed. She didn't want to hear him. Didn't want to see him. Not now. "It's still me."
Was it? She tried to get the pieces to fit. She tried to see Chat Noir in Adrien, and Adrien in Chat Noir. It was hard when all she'd seen were two masks. And she didn't know Adrien that well. Apparently, she didn't know Chat Noir, either.
She forced scared and conflicted Marinette away.
"No," she said finally. Ladybug turned, refusing to face him. She couldn't handle it anymore. She needed to think. To process. "No, you're really not." And she swung away, leaving a heartbroken Chat Noir in her wake.