A/N: Back at it with part 2. Things kind of start to get interesting here. Not nearly as interesting as part 2 was of Holding Out for a Hero but plenty interesting enough. I hope. Also, we are back to my normal upload schedule of new chapters coming out on Tumblr on Friday at 9 EST and updates hitting and AO3 on Saturday! I've also finalized the chapter count. Shatter Me will have seven chapters! As usual, this is very AU/canon divergence and a sequel.
"Good evening my lady!" Chat Noir called as he landed on the opposite side of the pavilion's roof. Ladybug turned. He was in the process of shrinking his staff and slipping it into it's holder as he sauntered towards her. Ladybug's lips twitched in a half smile.
"Hey kitty. I was wondering where you were at." she said to him. "Usually when you give me a time and a place to meet you at for these 'not a date' dates you're pretty punctual."
"I know I'm a little late today. I'm sorry." he sighed as he dropped beside her, dangling his feet off the side of the pavilion's roof. His legs swung slightly as he stared down unseeingly at the stage below them. His shoulders slumped forward and his leather faux cat ears drooped. "Got a little held up at home before I could transform is all."
"Your dad giving you trouble again?" she asked him. He gave a snort.
"Maybe if he were actually home enough to give me trouble." A full on eye roll accompanied the remark as he leaned back on to his hands. The tension in his shoulders remained. Chat Noir stared at the sky momentarily before giving a laborious, not to mention overdramatic, sigh before casting a sideways glance at her. "Nah, Plagg was being a little jerk about transforming."
"Why?"
Chat Noir pinched his nose, turned to look at Ladybug, and gave her a dead serious look before saying, "'I'm not gonna just sit through some dumb, boring dance recital. Are you insane?'"
Ladybug pressed her hand over her mouth. Unfortunately, the laugh still escaped. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry. Your kwami gives you such a hard time and I know I shouldn't laugh but… is that what he really sound like?"
"Right now he's in my head and threatening to eat my socks while I'm sleeping. No, he doesn't really sound like that." Chat Noir laughed too. He leaned over to whisper in his ear. "He totally sounds like that."
Ladybug burst out laughing loud enough to make the people working below them look up. Some of them stopped what they were doing to wave at them. Ladybug and Chat Noir grinned sheepishly down at them and waved back. He's really quite horrible, Tikki said in her head. Ladybug wondered which one she meant. Plagg or his chosen. She shook it off. "So how did you convince him to let you transform then?"
"I may or may not have promised him his very own wheel of camembert cheese when we get back home tonight."
"Ew! Your entire room is going to stink for ages!"
"Well even if I have to sleep with the windows open for the next three days, it will be one hundred percent worth it. Even if it made me lose my 'on the dot' punctuality." he winked and purposely poked one of Ladybug's black spots on her uniform.
"These are spots you silly cat." Ladybug told him hotly.
"I couldn't make a pun about spots and time." snickered Chat Noir.
"You shouldn't make puns about anything. They're the worst!"
"My puns are the pinnacle of wit and charm."
"You keep telling yourself that Chat." she said, as she tweaked his nose playfully.
He leaned into her touch, a broad smile on his face. His nose was practically touching hers. "I know you enjoy my humor."
"Tolerate is a much better word for it." she pushed him away. Something familiar fluttered in her stomach. Ladybug threw on the mental brakes. This wasn't supposed to happen! Chat Noir was her partner. She was not about to have annoying pesky butterflies tying up her insides into intricate knots that were to hard to untie. That was only supposed to happen to her around Adrien!
Chat Noir suddenly realized that she was having some sort of mental breakdown. "I'm sorry. I made it weird… and uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable."
"You're fine. I'm fine. It's okay so don't worry about it." Ladybug said. She brushed her hand through one of her pigtails. "Thanks for inviting me out tonight. I really needed this I think."
He shrugged, "No problem. I'm just glad we were able to spend some down time together."
He left it at that and they lapsed into a comfortable silence. Below them people were running to and fro to set up the seats and lighting for the show. There were crew members on the stage making sure that sound and video feeds were working properly. Over her shoulder, Ladybug could see a crowd forming at the gates to get in. One of the perks of being a hero of Paris was the early access into the show. Ladybug and Chat Noir didn't need tickets. They also had arguably the best seats in the house. Chat Noir had done a good job scoping out the recital hall. Ladybug could see everything from where she was sitting. She looked over at him to tell him just that. The words died on her lips however.
There was still something bothering Chat Noir. She could tell from the way he held himself like a tightly coiled spring. His fingers tapped out an irregular beat on the roof and she could hear the clacking of his claws. His feet were still swinging underneath of him too. The absentminded way he stared down at the stage was concerning too. It wasn't a full on glare but it was insanely intense. If his tail were animate then Ladybug was almost certain that it would've been lashing from side to side.
"Are you okay?" Ladybug asked. Chat Noir jumped when he felt her hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong and don't say nothing because I know you way too well for that to work."
Chat Noir looked at her with wide eyes. He opened his mouth and closed it again, like he wasn't sure how to phrase what was on his mind. "I… I, uh…" he stammered.
"Are you sure your dad's not upsetting you. I know we don't share a lot about our civilian lives for secret identity reasons but you know I'm here for you." Ladybug reminded him quietly, slipping her hand down his arm and squeezing his wrist supportively. The shades of yellow, orange, and pink in the evening sky made Chat Noir's cheeks look more pink than what they actually were. At least Ladybug thought it was the sky. She hoped it was the sky. She drew her hand away from his wrist and stuffed it into her lap. It hurt when Adrien exacerbated her crush. It definitely had to hurt Chat Noir when she exacerbated his crush.
Chat Noir either didn't notice Ladybug's sudden movement or was too gentlemanly to comment on it. Probably the latter. Chat Noir, horrible jokes and pick up lines aside, was the epitome of gentlemanly behavior. He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. His shoulders and ears drooped even further if that was even possible. "I told you a few months ago that I broke a girl's heart. You remember that right?"
There was no joy or enthusiasm in his voice. He crossed his arms over his chest and pressed his eyes shut.
"Of course," she answered. "You said that you two were going to try staying friends."
"We did. It's painfully awkward sometimes but we, uh, you know work through it and deal with it. She's incredibly sweet and kind and I'm worried about her."
"Why? What happened?"
"I think I screwed up. A few months ago, right around the time that I told her I didn't like her the same way she liked me, there was another guy that really hurt her. Scared me to death. He… he wa… well it wasn't pretty that's for sure."
Wavemaster and her own ugly experience with a guy that hurt her shot through her mind. Ladybug suppressed a shiver. The evening was starting to get a bit chilly. She nodded, "Uh-huh."
"Well today I just found out that she's been hanging out with some guy that neither me or our friends really know."
"And you're afraid history is going to repeat itself." Ladybug finished his unspoken thought with absolute certainty. Chat Noir didn't say anything. All he could do was nod dejectedly.
Ladybug sighed. This seemed vaguely familiar. She and Adrien had literally just talked about this at school. Okay, argued was a better word for it. However at least it gave her a good perspective to help Chat Noir. Ladybug reached up and rubbed his shoulder. "Did you talk to her about it?"
"I tried to…" his voice trailed off momentarily. "She didn't take it kindly. She told me to stay out of it."
Ladybug nodded, "Did she say anything about this guy that sent red flags up to you?"
"Her best friend said some things that didn't sit right with me but when I asked her about it she told me that I had the wrong idea." explained Chat Noir. He muttered something else underneath his breath that Ladybug didn't catch. Ladybug shifted and furrowed her brow thoughtfully.
Adrien had simply made the assumption that whoever she was spending time with was bad news. That had bothered her beyond even her understanding. "Do you trust your friend?" she asked him.
Chat Noir blinked in confusion, "She's my friend. Of course I trust her. I just don't trust this random guy."
"That isn't the point. If your friend tells you that there's nothing to be worried about with this guy then you really should listen to her. I want my friends to trust my word. It means the world to me." Ladybug said. She meant it too. That was probably what hurt the most she realized. Adrien was supposed to be her friend but he hadn't wanted to believe her word. He'd wanted to listen to his own blind assumption.
Beside her, Chat Noir sat silently. He'd grabbed his belt tail and was in the process of twisting it in his hands. Ladybug took his hands off of his tail. "I get that you're worried and that you only want to keep your friend safe. It's in your nature. However, if you're really wanting to be her friend then you've got to trust her."
He nodded slowly. "I guess you're right."
"You guess?"
"Okay, you're definitely right." Chat Noir laughed.
"And don't you forget that kitty." Ladybug slapped him on the shoulder.
"Let's not talk about this anymore okay. I've been looking forward to hanging out with you tonight and I don't want to spend my time worrying about something I can't control." he said. Chat Noir's voice finally took on its usual chipperness and his body started to relax. Ladybug watched with relieved satisfaction as all the tension flooded out of his shoulders.
"Alright then," she smiled. The gates opened up and the ushers started showing people to their seats for the show. Ladybug was impressed with how many people had shown up. "Tell me a little about this superstar dance company that you were so excited to bring me to tonight."
"The Young Parisian Ballet Company. They're the area's foremost ballet troupe, like best of the best. They go to all the biggest competitions all around Europe and always clean house. They've won like a bajillion awards and all the big scouting agents come to recruit them for professional ballet companies. These guys are uber prestigious!" All his words came out in a tumultuous rush. His hands flailed through the air as he spoke passionately. Ladybug had to bite her lip to keep from laughing or telling him that he should breathe in between his sentences.
"A bit of a super fan are you? You don't really strike me as the type." she said instead.
Chat Noir ducked his head sheepishly. He blushed in embarrassment as he scratched the back of his neck. "My mom used to be one of the biggest patrons for the company. About a third of the dancers are on scholarship. Mom used to take Dad and I to see them perform all the time. I haven't seen them since… well since my mom…"
Just like that his voice trailed off. Ladybug nudged his foot with hers. "You must be excited to see the group again." Ladybug remarked, making sure her voice stayed casual and light.
He shot her an appreciative smile and nodded faintly. Chat Noir didn't want to worry about things outside of his control tonight. She would make sure that happened. Then the lights dropped. Ladybug and Chat Noir perked up and cast their attention towards the stage. Spotlights bathed the stage in partial brightness. A conductor stepped up on to the podium and the live, large orchestra raised their instruments in preparation. He brought his baton down and the opening strains of a lively, bouncy song filled the air around them. Chat Noir practically lit up. "The Toreador March from Carmen!" he whispered in her ear excitedly as two male dancers appeared on stage.
"I don't know it." she whispered back to him. The two dancers turned and leaped across the stage, using a pair of ruby red capes as props. With each step they took the capes fluttered through the air like bright wings. Three more female dancers came on stage with capes made of gold fabric.
"Carmen is the story of passionate gypsy woman who attracts the attention of a young soldier and he falls in love with her." Chat Noir explained.
"Oh," Ladybug nodded but Chat Noir was still going.
"The thing is that Carmen, the heroine, is a fickle lover and breaks the soldier's heart when she meets a dashing bullfighter. This is the aria he sings when the bullfighter first appears."
"How sad," she murmured.
"It gets sadder." he told her quietly. However, with the way that the dancers were moving across the stage she had a really hard time believing it. The number ended the same bright way that it began. The dancers smiled wide and bowed to the audience. The audience erupted into a roar of applause. Chat Noir yelled over the top of crowd, "Bravo!"
Ladybug leaned over to him, cupped her hand to his ear, and told him, "You were right. These guys are amazing."
Chat Noir beamed, "This is just the opening act my lady."
The second act, a group of eight girls with varying ages, took their place on the stage. Some of them wore pointe while the younger ones still wore their flats. Their costumes were sparkling white with rhinestones that threw light and gauzy feathers that caught the breeze. The opening of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake floated through the air. "I know this one!" she told Chat Noir, tapping him on the arm.
He laughed a little under his breath before turning to watch the performance himself. Act after act took the stage and each one was just as stunning to watch as the last. Chat Noir was a wealth of information. He always had something to say about what was happening on stage whether it was about the music, the story behind the dance that was performing, or about the dancing itself. Ladybug found herself hanging on every word he said while trying really hard to focus on the dancing that was going on in front of her.
A light touch hit Ladybug's knee as Chat Noir rearranged his position. Her gaze snapped down and instantly her stomach flipped over itself. Chat Noir was angled close to her with his shoulder tucked up close to hers. His knees were touching hers! Oh heaven help her! When had they gotten so close? Probably when he'd first started leaning over to whisper in her ear. Yes, that had to be it. She and Chat Noir must have just kept creeping closer and closer to one another. Once more her stupid stomach did a stupid backflip and stupid butterflies rose in her stupid chest.
Chat Noir's hand rested easily on his thighs. His fingers were slightly curled underneath themselves. Ladybug's own fingers itched Just like the rest of his body, his hand was so incredibly close. She tightened her hand into a fist between her legs and wondered what he say if she were to just slip her hand into his and lace her fingers through his fingers. There was very little chance that Chat Noir would mind it. As Alya had so kindly pointed out again that afternoon, he'd had a crush on her for ages. He'd probably even welcome it, be excited that she wanted to hold his hand. Chat Noir would be more than excited. He'd be ecstatic. Again, Ladybug felt her fingers tingling. His hand looked so warm and she knew they were strong. She loved the way he held her so protectively sometimes that she didn't think he'd ever let go. She was grateful for the darkness as heat flooded her face. It would be nice to hold Chat Noir's hand. Really nice…
Then suddenly her mind skid to a stop. There was a definite reason she didn't hold his hand. Leading him on would just end up hurting him. Chat Noir clearly liked her in a way that she wasn't so sure she could match. But Ladybug did care for him… dearly. Not to mention how breaking that barrier between just friends and something more might ruin their relationship. Paris relied on them to have a well working partnership to save lives. Not to mention the fact that Chat Noir told her things that she was nearly certain he didn't tell anyone else. His struggle with trusting a friend that he was afraid was going to get hurt. Ladybug could almost bet that he hadn't told that to anyone else! She liked being his confidant and she like Chat Noir being hers! There was no way she was willing to risk that on some ill thought out whim. That and what would he think if he realized it was just plain Marinette underneath the mask.
Cold dread shot through every limb in her body. Chat Noir was in love with Ladybug. Daring, brave, and heroic Ladybug. Marinette was none of those! There was no possible way that he wouldn't be disappointed when he got to know the painfully awkward and horribly uncool Marinette. She'd already been rejected by one boy she liked. Ladybug couldn't even begin to think about being rejected by her own partner. An iron weight dropped into the pit of her stomach. What would Chat Noir say once he realized it was his partner who had been kidnapped by Wavemaster? His partner that had been practically helpless. His partner that he'd had to come rescue because she'd been separated from her Miraculous. He would never look at her the same way again.
"My lady?" Chat Noir's voice cut through her thoughts. He sounded urgent. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing!" Ladybug replied. It came out way too quickly. She looked at him but couldn't meet his gaze for very long. Instead she stared at the spots of dirt on the pavilion roof they were sitting on.
"I know it's dark but you look really pale." he pointed out.
Ladybug shook her head hard enough to make her pigtails whack the side of her head. "It's nothing. I'm fine. Thank you for asking."
"Are you thinking about that guy who turned you down?" The concern was evident in his face. His hand moved from his thigh and closed gently around her forearm.
"N… no!" Ladybug told him.
His fingers tightened reassuringly, "I hate seeing you upset."
Ladybug forced a thin smile back on her face. "You're really sweet Chat but I'm fine." she said.
As much as she liked Chat Noir, being more than friends and partners was out of the question. No matter how well she got along with him. No matter how much she thought that she might like to see where a relationship went.
The spotlights that had been illuminating the stage suddenly went dark. All the residual lights that were in the recital hall blinked out. Even the orchestra pit were gone. The entire place was pitch black. A dull, confused murmur rose around them as the audience looked around for some kind of answer. Lights from cell phones flickered, casting a dim glow around the seats below them. "What's going on?" she whispered to Chat Noir.
"Graduating seniors…" he answered reverently. Ladybug could picture Chat Noir's faux cat ears pricking forward to catch any small sound. Under his breath he muttered, "Stupid night vision. It's ruining the effect."
Something started moving on the stage below them. An airy tinkling sound, like that of a music box, poured through the speakers. Apparently there was no orchestral accompaniment for these next dancers. The clicking of clockwork matched up perfectly with grainy and old fashioned stylized film of gears and cogs turning played on a large screen that took up nearly the entire back of the stage. Purple lights blazed to life on opposite corners of the stage. Two dancers, one dark haired and the other blonde, faced each other on either end wearing gauzy white and gold costumes. Singing rose over the stage but the dancers didn't move. It wasn't until a violin crooned that the blonde haired dancer began to turn gracefully across the stage in an elegant, fluid motion. She paused a few paces away. The dark haired dancer followed a few beats later in a perfect echo of her partner.
The pre-recorded song was different from the live orchestra music that had accompanied the other dancers. However there was something poignant in the way the singer described being frozen in her fear and stuck in a routine, unable to break out and wishing desperately for someone or something to shatter it. The two dancers continued their call and response style movements. The blonde dancer would move and her dark haired partner would match her intricate footwork. They were perfect mirror images of one another as the tempo changed with drums and guitar.
The violin kicked up and suddenly the call and response was over. Both dancers spun to face the audience. Ladybug felt her heart beating against her ribcage. She could feel the bass of the speakers pounding in her chest. Beside her Chat Noir leaned forward, hands curled around the pavilion roof and foot bouncing to the music. The smile on his face stretched from ear to ear. She couldn't stop herself from smiling in response.
A change came over the blonde haired dancer. Pure, unadulterated passion overtook her. Every turn she made, every step, every jump and leap was punctuated with a power that was somehow still gracefully and elegant. Her partner even looked surprised for a half moment before trying to match the same intensity. However, as the music swelled and the violin pushed forward it was clear that it would be tough to dance with the same passion. It was as though she was dancing as if she'd never dance again. It was completely stunning.
The singer belted out her frustration and fear. About her desire to break through the glass but her paralyzing fear of change. About how there would be no one to catch her if she were to fail. Ladybug's breath caught in her throat. Her eyes could barely keep up with how fast the two were spinning. Then with a crash and one final plea, the song ended. The two dancers slid together, their arms stretching upwards, backs arched, feet crossed and chins angled to the sky.
"Oh wow," Ladybug breathed as she absentmindedly brought her hands together to join the thunderous applause that had erupted throughout the recital hall. "That was…"
"You can tell they were senior dancers. They'll be scouted for a professional troupe for sure." Chat Noir added. He beat his hands together before pressing his fingers into his mouth and letting a shrill whistle sail through the air.
The dancers eased out of their finale pose. The dark haired girl looked at her partner. She was absolutely beaming. The blonde girl flashed a quick smile before curtsying deeply. People sitting in the front row showered the stage and their feet with carnations. "They deserve roses." Ladybug half-shouted over the din.
"Carnations are the troupe's flower." explained Chat Noir. The stage lights were coming up again and the curtains were closing on the still waving dancers.
"Roses are the best though." Ladybug said but conceded. Chat Noir jolted beside her. She looked over to him and saw that he was turning pink. "What?"
"N… nothing." he stammered as he scratched the back of his neck. And then she suddenly remembered what Chat Noir had brought her the last time they'd met up.
Crap, thought Ladybug. Hadn't she just decided she wasn't going to do this. Nervously, she threaded her hand through one of her pigtails. "So… um, are you going to go down to meet and greet backstage? You know seeing as how you have some history with this troupe."
Chat Noir shrugged, "Nah. It's not like they would recognize me apart from the whole Superhero thing."
"You could detransform," she suggested. Ladybug felt like she was desperately trying to steer the conversation away from anything that could be construed as flirtatious or awkward.
"It's been a long time since I even saw anyone from the troupe." Chat Noir told her quietly. He shifted sideways.
"I highly doubt that they've ever forgotten someone like you. I bet if you were to go say hi the instructors and directors would totally remember you. They would probably be really happy to see you too."
"You think so?"
Ladybug gave him a smile and a nod, "Mm-hm. Totally. You really enjoyed watching them tonight. That much was clear. I'm sure they'd be excited to know that you're still a fan after so many years of not seeing them perform."
"I would like to tell some of the dancers that I really liked their performances. Those senior girls were amazing. But… that would mean I'd have to leave you for the night my lady." Chat Noir pointed out tentatively.
Part of her deflated. It wasn't like she could just follow him while he was a civilian and wait for him to get finished. It wasn't like he could walk her home. However she simply told him, "It's alright. I have to get home anyways. I've got some homework that I need to finish up."
"I think I will." he said after a moment. He climbed to his feet, giving a cute little cat stretch before offering his hand to help her up too. Ladybug accepted it and allowed herself to be pulled upright. Her stiff and cramped leg muscles protested the movement.
"Thank you for inviting me out tonight. I had a great time." She genuinely meant it. Ladybug suppressed the urge to reach out and squeeze his forearm. "See you tomorrow for patrol?"
"Wild wolves couldn't keep me away." he promised her as he gave her a little bow. "Bonne nuit Ladybug!"
With that, Chat Noir turned and gauged the distance between the pavilion roof and the ground below. He gave her one final wink and salute over his shoulder before making his jump. Ladybug was left standing in the low glow of the lights. A cool breeze blew by her shoulders and chilled her. The temperature hadn't changed much since the sun had set and the performance had begun. The only difference between now and then was the fact that Chat Noir was no longer sitting close next to her.
X X X
"What was that?" Therese demanded as she closed the door to hers and Angeline's shared dressing room. She couldn't keep the giant smile off of her face. Nor could she stop herself from running across the tiny room and throwing her arms around Angeline's shoulders. Outside Therese could hear their troupe mates chasing each other up and down the hall. They were enjoying another successful performance. Therese was practically bouncing on the balls of her feet. Usually she pressured Angeline to hurry and change so that they could join the post show festivities. Tonight, though, she was to excited. Celebrating could wait. All she wanted to do was stand there and bask in how phenomenal their final dance with the Young Parisian Dance Company was.
"Therese!" gasped Angeline. Therese laughed brightly as she felt her partner tipped backwards, clinging to Therese's arms for dear life. Angeline pulled away and clutched at her chest. "Don't do that!" she admonished her as she spun around to face Therese.
"I've never seen you dance like that before darling. You were amazing! I nearly tripped over myself when I saw your change." Therese clapped her hands in the air. More laughter bubbled in her chest. "Oh, if you dance like that during our audition we'll be unstoppable!"
"Thank you cherie." Angeline murmured. "You were fantastic tonight too."
A beautiful pink tinge colored her cheeks. Therese stifled another giggle as Angeline ducked her face to hide it and pushed imaginary stray hairs out of her face. Therese grasped Angeline's hand. "We will take the audition by storm! All the world will adore us. Our dancing will inspire! No one will be able to move when they see us." she whispered as she laced her fingers through Angeline's hand.
A warm smile should've come next. Angeline should've laughed sweetly and agreed with her. If she was in a playful mood then she would have added something to Therese's flowery assertion. She should've melted into Therese's touch, wrapping her arms around her partner. There should've been some degree of feeling in her body. Some degree of warmth in her hand. There was none.
Angeline was stiff and unfeeling. Worst of all, she was cold.
"Angeline? What is it? What's wrong?" asked Therese. She gave Angeline's hand a supportive squeeze.
"I… I have something I need to tell you." whispered Angeline. Something cold stabbed through Therese's middle. She knew Angeline well enough to know that tone. It usually had nothing good associated with it. When Angeline spun about, pulled the dressing table's chair out, and gently sat her down, Therese definitely knew, beyond any shadow of doubt, that this was not something good. Angeline slid down on to the ground to sit in front of Therese. She was still clinging to Therese's hand. "I cancelled my audition with the company Therese."
Therese's eyes went wide. Her jaw dropped. For a split second, her breath came short. She shook her head and found her tongue. "Why? Why would you go and do a silly thing like that?"
"Because I'm not going to dance anymore. At least not formally. Tonight was my last performance." answered Angeline.
"Please tell me you're joking!" Therese snapped as she pulled her hand away from Angeline. "Please tell me that this is a horrible joke and in two seconds you are going to laugh and say 'just kidding Therese!'"
Angeline bit her lip and slowly shook her head. "I'm not joking either Therese. I cancelled my audition yesterday."
"Yesterday!" Therese leaped out of the chair. It made a loud banging sound as it hit the table behind her. They had just been talking about how excited they were for the audition earlier that afternoon! "That's impossible! I… It doesn't matter. I'm sure if we call them right now and tell them there's been a mistake they will put you back on the schedule."
She clamored for her phone. Her fingers were poised over the screen and ready to dial when Angeline's hand shot out. "I didn't make a mistake Therese!" she told her, teeth grit in frustration. "I cancelled my audition because I'm going to university instead!"
"University? University! You never mentioned to me once that you wanted to go to university!"
"That's because I knew you'd react like this!"
"Like what exactly?"
Angeline made a broad motion in the air with her hands in front of her. Therese curled her hand so tight around her phone that she could feel the ridges of the case pressing into her skin. "Angry! Upset! Disappointed! Take your pick. They all fit! All you've ever wanted to do since we were little is dance. That's fine and dandy for someone like you but someone like me… I don't have the option to. It isn't a feasible career choice for me."
"You are the best dancer I have ever seen!" Therese reminded her hotly.
"Not as good as you! I've never been as good as you! I will never be as good as you. You'll have a long career. I'd dance in the chorus for maybe a season or two but then someone else will come along. You'll move up and I'll get pushed to the side. Therese! That's just how things like this work."
Therese said nothing. What could she say? Angeline was being completely unreasonable. So she stood there with her arms crossed over her chest and staring down Angeline icily.
Angeline gave a sigh. Her shoulders sank forward. Wordlessly, she moved past Therese for a drawer on her dressing table. Therese watched as Angeline opened the drawer and pulled out a stark white envelope. Printed on the front was a gold and burgundy lion. Angeline's rough tear stretched across the top. Clearly she'd been excited when she'd gotten it. Paper rustled paper and Angeline handed the letter inside to Therese. "They're giving me a full academic scholarship. They thought my essay comparing and contrasting Shakespeare's version of Romeo and Juliet to Tchaikovsky's was inspired." explained Angeline.
There was a slight smug smile on her face. Of course there was. Romeo and Juliet had been her favorite ballet they'd ever performed. Angeline lived and breathed it. Therese thought it was adorable. Her essay probably had been beautiful.
None of this mattered though as Therese looked over the letter.
"You didn't even talk to me about it." she said quietly. A terrible feeling wrapped around her chest. It was incredibly hard to breath. "Why didn't you discuss this with me? We're partners. We're supposed to talk about things like this and make decisions together."
"Because I knew you wouldn't like it." murmured Angeline. She wrung her hands together. The pained look on her face was hard to bear. "This is my life and my decision to make."
"You didn't trust me enough to tell me," Therese realized. The words came out as broken whisper.
"No! Therese! That isn't true!" Angeline insisted. She reached forward to take Therese's arms in her hand. However, Therese backed away from the touch. She couldn't handle it at the moment. Her entire world was shattering around her. Every carefully laid plan she'd ever made for her and Angeline was going up in smoke. Therese choked on it. Then something else ran through her mind.
If Angeline was leaving then…
"What about us? Where does this leave us?"
Angeline shifted. She opened her mouth with words half formed on her lips. After a moment though she closed her eyes. "I don't know."
"I hope you're very happy with your decision my pet." said Therese. She carefully folded the letter and put it back in the envelope. Her hand shook as she set it back on to the dressing room table behind her. "I'm sure you'll do very well at University. You're very smart."
She turned on her heel and fled out the door. The slam it made and Angeline calling after her echoed hollowly down the hall after her. It was too hard to run in pointe shoes and her feet were always sore after big performances. Therese couldn't bare to have anyone, especially Angeline, see her cry though. She ducked into an abandoned room and locked the door behind her.
Darkness surrounded Therese, comforting her, as she slid to the ground with her back flat against the door. Her cries and sobs were buried in her knees. "It must hurt… knowing that the one you treasure most didn't trust you with such important information."
A voice brushed past her ear. Therese looked up, snapping her head around. "Who… who's in here?" she demanded as she fought back the heaving sobs to speak.
"She didn't even bother telling you that she was applying to University." continued the voice.
"I… I asked who's in here!"
"My name is Hawkmoth and I can feel just your pain and anguish." Whoever it was spoke like they had honey on their lips and silver in their tongue. It suddenly occurred to Therese that there was no one else in the room. It was just her and the voice was speaking in her head. Somehow she couldn't bring herself to care though. The voice was right.
"It does hurt." she admitted, nodding slowly.
"She should've trusted you to at least tell you that she had other plans. She should've told you sooner that she was going to cancel her audition."
"Why didn't she trust me? Why didn't she tell me sooner?"
Hawkmoth didn't answer her questions but he kept speaking, "Now she's going to be leaving you like everything you've been through is worth nothing."
"I don't want her to go. I want things to stay the same between us. I don't want our lives to change like this…"
"Let me help you," offered Hawkmoth. Therese's heart jolted in her chest. Hope welled in her chest. Pain felt pushed aside to a dull ache that she could manage. "I can give you the power you need to keep whoever you want by your side forever."
"You… you can do that?"
"For a price. Bring me Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous and we'll consider the deal sealed."
To keep Angeline from leaving her. To keep Angeline from going off to University. To keep tonight from being Angeline's last performance ever…
"I'll do it." she answered, climbing to her feet. She could see the waves of inky darkness spinning around her feet. It didn't bother her at all though.
"Light up the stage Primadonna."
Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited!
CeruleanDreamCat: Thank you! A lot of people have been asking about this story. I figured it was time to give them what they wanted. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story!
aiko (anon reviewer): LOL! I'm glad that you're excited about the story. I'm pretty excited to share it. Hopefully you'll find this a satisfactory follow up to Holding Out for a Hero.
AmuxIktutolover: You weren't the only person who cried at the end of Holding Out for a Hero. I gave a lot of people virtual glue and tape to put their heart back together. Angeline and Therese are two of my favorite OCs and I'm excited to see how people react to them. Also, yes, they will have an important role to play both directly and indirectly!
Momijifan Low-Ki: Adrien/Chat Noir is totally the jealous type. Remember in "Copycat" how he basically akumatized Theo by "marking his territory" so to speak. That boy is definitely the jealous type when it comes to Ladybug. However, the instance between Marinette and "Felix" is less of a jealous reaction and more of a "oh holy carp! My friend is spending time with some strange boy that none of us know and could possibly be a serial killer in disguise!" Adrien immediately went into protective mode.
Connie Hooper: Be careful! Don't hug it too hard! It's fragile. It might shatter...
Q-A the Authoress: Thank you. I'm glad you think it's interesting. That's really important to me. Making my stories interesting!
Kartos: I update weekly so that should make the process a little less torturous!
star-eye: I love Tikki and Plagg. They have their own personalities and styles of "guardianship" and I love it. Tikki is the stereotypical 'you can do it' type where as Plagg is the little snot head that canonically eats toilet paper and gets bracelets stuck on his face!
starmienight: I wanted to show how Adrien and Marinette's relationship has changed since Holding Out for a Hero. I wanted them to be more aware of the other in regards to feelings and emotions as well as how they are still friends. I also wanted to show how Ladybug and Chat Noir's relationship has changed too!
ForeverAFairyTailLover159: Thank you! And yes, the title did come from the Lindsey Stirling and Lzzy Hale song. I love it and it was one of the first elements that I built the story around.
llazo4108824: Thank you so much! I'm glad that you're enjoying it. There will be a new update every Saturday!
