Chapter Three. This isn't like you, Adrien.
The bells of the church pealed as people from all over Paris arrived for the long awaited Agreste-Bourgeois wedding. One of those people was none other than Marinette. Having been one of Adrien's friends in school and now Mr. Agreste's trusted intern, it was only natural. Still, she had wedding blues and wasn't looking forward to the event.
Thoughts about Chat had clouded her mind the past two days, bringing her close to tears just about every hour. She'd hardly slept; she'd hardly ate. When she put on her red dress with a cute black polka-dotted trim that morning, she hardly recognized herself in the mirror. Still, she showed up, little pink purse at her side with Tikki snuggled inside, and went inside the church.
She could still hardly believe that Adrien Agreste was marrying Chloe of all people, and although she felt a little pang in her heart because of it, as long as he was happy, so was she. Still, as she walked into the church, she saw her best friend Alya and her husband Nino, the best man, neither looking very happy.
"Is everything okay?" she asked, walking up to them.
"Like, hardly!" Nino complained as Alya adjusted the bow tie on his tux. "My man Adrien's locked away in the room and won't let anyone in. He just keeps going on about what a mistake this was."
"And Chloe's such a total bridezilla that no one wants to tell her that her 'Adrikins' might be getting cold feet," Alya added.
"This whole day is going to be a total disaster!" Nino complained.
"Maybe I should go talk to him," Marinette offered.
"Girl, are you crazy?" Alya demanded. "Another woman walking into the groom's dressing room? People will talk, and that won't look good to Mr. Agreste."
"But I'm his friend!" she protested.
"Yeah, and you used to be massively in love with him," Alya said, crossing her arms.
"A-alya!" Marinette stammered, her face growing hot as she glanced at Nino.
"Don't worry, he already knew," she said. "Girl, I don't keep any secrets from my husband."
Marinette sighed. "Maybe you're right. I'll catch up with you later, okay?"
They both nodded and Marinette went off in a small hallway. As soon as they were out of earshot, Tikki flew out. "You aren't seriously going to stay out of this right? Adrien needs a friend!"
"Yeah, but Alya's right. I can't risk Adrien's reputation or anyone's assumptions to help him."
"Not even if you were a well-respected superhero?"
Marinette smiled. "Tikki, you're a genius!"
Adrien Agreste looked heart-achingly handsome in his tux. It made her heart beat like it used to when she saw him. Ladybug shook her head, swinging in through the window. Adrien immediately turned from the mirror in surprise. "Ladybug?"
"Hi, Adrien," she said, glad she had finally figured out how to talk to him without stammering.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, crossing over to her.
"I'm here to talk," she said, rubbing the back of her head. "I know that congratulations are in order, but I heard you were having cold feet."
He blushed, and she remembered how awkward the whole thing was. After her encounter as Marinette with Chat Noir, she was in for another surprising encounter. She was Ladybug one day when she ran into Adrien, and he'd asked her out. Surprised, she agreed. They had an evening of dancing and dinner, but something was missing in the end (she had growing feelings for Chat) so they never did it again. It was kind of weird for her to be asking him to talk about his relationship.
"I just… well, people should marry who they truly love, shouldn't they?"
"Well, yeah."
"But what if they made a promise to another? Doesn't that matter more?"
"This isn't like you, Adrien," she said, confused.
His face fell further as he raised a hand up, raking it through his blond hair. "I know… I just… I'm afraid of making the same mistakes as my father did and not putting people I care about first."
It hurt her to see him so confused. "Adrien, you've always had the biggest heart, and I never want to see that change. There's no dishonor in calling it off if the other person will really make you happy." She looked off distantly, thinking of Chat. "In the end, that's all any of us want. We want someone who gives us little butterflies in our stomachs, not someone who chases them away."
He looked down. "I just don't know what to do anymore."
She put a hand on his shoulder. "Do what you feel is right. Everything else will follow."
He looked up. "Thank you, Ladybug."
She smiled warmly. "For you? Anything."
After Marinette de-transformed, she went back downstairs to mingle with the other guests as they took their seats in the sanctuary. Seeing Mr. Agreste, she stopped to talk with him, promising to give him the designs on Monday. Her heart gave a little pang as she thought about the words of encouragement Chat gave giving her the confidence to show the designs to Mr. Agreste.
The elder Agreste smiled warmly at the bashful girl. There was something in her that was very familiar - he realized that she made him think of his own son, driven, talented, and still humble. He was pleased to have taken her on as an intern. He was even considering turning her into his protegé.
Marinette took her seat as the music began in earnest, and she held her breath until she saw Adrien appear with Nino and take their places at the head of the aisle. She gave him a tiny thumbs up, and he gave her a tight smile.
Then Canon in D started playing, and Marinette stood and turned as the bride appeared.
