Disclaimer: See Chapter One.
Warnings: See Chapter One.
A/N: So I worked extra hard on this chapter (you'll all see why). I did a lot of research for this and wanted to make it authentic as possible. I'm happy everyone is enjoying this!
Reviews:
Guest: Yes love the fluff and there is more to come ^-^. I am like that too, especially if it done right and good. I actually just figured out how I want it to go and I'm writing the 12th chapter haha -^-^- I haven't even decided on how many chapters it's going to be. I thought it would be 14 then 20, then 16, and now I'm thinking back to 20. So really I have no clue haha. At least I know 'how' I wanted to end and a few other things that I can't spoil :p That's okay, tho i do look forward to reading your review ^-^ it's more like writing a letter, old school like haha :p I'll continue to do my best and thank you for your review ^-^
Titans4life- awww -^-^- thank you! It's weird how smut and angst work so well together hehe ^_~. Here is the next chapter! (yeah but she's an angst teenager now, so it's even less obvious :P )
Mamanele- Yes, yes they are ^-^. Now enjoy more! haha
thekageofthenight- Yes they are! Super cute they are ^-^ I love fluff and more of that and angst 'is' on the way but I won't say how much ^_~. Happy you enjoyed the cookies! ^-^ and now enjoy this chapter!
Tiger Priestess- Yeah right? haha. Although, she was pretty slick about keeping it from Chat and even Adrien sometimes ^_~. (remember in the Puppeteer and Gamer?). Yes, yes they are but they are so much fun to write I find ^-^. Well, having written so far ahead *coughchapter14goingon15cough* excuse me there. Anyway I am the only one who knows that answer hehe :P Thank you and enjoy!
NerdyAnimeOtakuGeek- Aww *huggles* sorry about that, but I hope the payoff will make up for it ^-^ Of course! I've always tried to respond. However, I found I missed some reviews in the past chapters x_x I wasn't getting alerted of new reviews, despite the fact the story was saying how many reviews I had. It was frustrating. Don't worry tho, its working now ^-^ I'm so into the story that I seem to make faces haha. My boyfriend said that, then i realized when the character makes a face I make it haha. ^-^; Thank you and aww you have a puurrrfiect day ^_~. Sorry, my Chat Noir is showing :P
cutielove077- I can't do that. It's too early and I have a better way to reveal that information *evil grin* no worries tho! This 'is' a romantic fic too...I wish I could also pic comedy...its a hurt/comfort/romantic comedy haha. And at this point, he hasn't shown up in what I've written so far *coughchapter14goingon15* man something is wrong with me today, I must be getting sick ^_~. I do promise he will make a comeback...*looks around* Anyway, enjoy!
Anika Noni Rose- Aww i'm happy you thought so ^-^ Oh...well hehe, I already wrote that out...I mean! It won't be too romantic...but you will have to wait and see ^_~. I do understand tho. Sometimes it's annoying when its super romantic when they reveal each other. I think I've done it differently but not yet, you have a bit longer, so be patient! And here is more!
So with that, enjoy!
Chapter 9: Her Dilemma
When Marinette awoke the next morning, she noticed Chat had left, not to mention her glass was empty and the cookies were replaced with crumbs. She giggled as it looked like he had a snack before he left. However the thought of him leaving made her feel sad. However, she knew he had a life other than Chat Noir. She stared up at her ceiling and thought about last night. She wanted so much more from Chat. She wanted him to do more than kiss her. However, her body and mind wasn't ready for that.
She was so frustrated and mad at herself. Sure, it wasn't like she could instantly 'get over' almost being raped. However, it was starting to get aggravating more than anything else. Although, she 'was' getting better. She had stopped crying randomly, so that was an improvement. However, she was still a long way from being normal again; and she knew that.
What made Marinette feel even worse, was the fact she was leading on poor Chat. He was willing to be patient with her. However, she didn't know how long until she would feel better. It could take days, weeks, months, god forbid years! But his eyes showed that he truly would wait, no matter what.
She let out a sigh. It wasn't right. But what was worse was her feelings for Adrien. What would she do about her feelings for him? They were just as strong as with Chat. She didn't know what would happen if Adrien tried to kiss her. She shivered in delight at the thought of Adrien's soft lips against her own. However, the image was quickly replaced with Chat Noir's lips. That thought made her heart quicken.
Marinette had it really bad for Chat and that was going to be a problem. Well, it was going to be a problem for Ladybug. How would his relationship with her, Ladybug, be? Would he still flirt with her? If he did, would 'she' get jealous as Marinette? Would she, as Ladybug, start flirting or wanting Chat to kiss her?
Marinette groaned as she covered her eyes as she laid in her bed. She was getting a headache from the entire situation. High school was already hard, as she had to juggle homework and saving Paris. However, having the extra baggage of loving two guys and having two different identities. It was too much stress for a teenager to have.
"Are you alright Marinette?"
Marinette uncovered her eyes and saw Tikki flying above her head.
"Oh Tikki. I'm just so confused." she groaned.
"What is your heart telling you?" Tikki asked, resting on top of Marinette's hands, which were now resting on top of a pillow.
"That's the problem! It's telling me both!" she growled in frustration.
Tikki was silent for a moment, looking like she knew something.
Marinette looked at her confused. Why was Tikki giving her that look?
There was a knock on her trapdoor, but the one that lead into her room from the rest of the house. Tikki rushed over to Marinette's purse and hid.
"Hey girl, how you feeling?" Alya said, poking her head through the trapdoor.
"I feel tired but not too much in pain." Marinette said with a smile as she looked down at her, however, not moving too much.
Alya smiled and headed up to join Marinette on her bed.
"So are you bored yet?" she asked with a smirk.
Marinette smiled. She wasn't really. But that was because of Chat Noir visiting her, not to mention her Ladybug duties. However, she couldn't tell her best friend that.
"Yeah."
"Well, I'm here to help you deal with that!" she said with a grin.
Marinette gave her friend a thankful smile.
"How are you going to do that?" she asked, a bit worried at what it would be.
"Well..." she said before pulling out two tickets.
"We can go cheer Adrien on. He has a fencing tournament going on today and he gave me two tickets, front row." she said with a smirk.
Marinette's heart stopped.
"I didn't know he had a fencing tournament today." Marinette said, her voice soft.
"Well, he gave me these tickets a few days ago," Alya said with a guilty smile, "And I had planned on telling you but then..."
She looked even more guilty before looking away. Marinette smiled.
"It's okay. Thank you." Marinette said with a smile.
Alya looked back at Marinette before pulling her into her lap and holding her, petting her head.
Marinette blinked in surprise and stiffened in Alya's lap. It wasn't the first time her best friend had pet her head. Actually, she would do it all the time. And sometimes Marinette would put her head in her best friend's lap; just to get petted. However, she felt awkward for some odd reason.
Alya pretended to not notice the stiffness her friend had and continued to pet her. Marinette had been her best friend since for a long time. She was such a wonderful person and Alya couldn't see life without Marinette in it. She wished her friend happiness and wanted to help her get it any way she could.
Alya continued to pet Marinette's head, who finally relaxed and snuggled into her best friend's lap. It was soothing and motherly. Marinette enjoyed the light touch and the fingers going through her hair. She hummed in delight and closed her eyes.
"You are like a cat." Alya laughed, still petting her friend.
Marinette pouted.
"I'm not a cat."
"Now you are an adorable little kitten." Alya said with a laugh.
Marinette glared at her friend before moving from her lap. Alya just grinned and stood up.
"The tournament isn't for two hours or so. Are you up to heading out for brunch?" she asked.
Marinette looked over at her clock and saw it said 10:05am. It was Saturday, so there wasn't any school; not like Marinette had to go. She was excused for at least two weeks. The excuse? Health problems. However, even with the excuse, she was still expected to keep up with homework. Alya promised to help her with it until she could use her hands again.
Marinette's stomach growled and the two girls laughed.
"I'll take that as a yes." Alya said with a grin.
Marinette laughed and nodded.
Alya helped her best friend down from the bed, which was kind of hard; but she did it somehow. Once Marinette was on the ground, Alya offered to help her get dressed. Marinette hesitated, embarrassed; however she agreed. Alya looked for a cute outfit; something that would catch Adrien's attention.
She pulled out a pretty lime green dress. It was sleeveless, as it was a bit hot outside. She was wearing a t-shirt herself. She helped Marinette take off her pants and shirt. It was here she saw the hickey. She was about to say something about it, but bit her inner cheek to stop herself.
Marinette hadn't cried for a while and Alya wasn't going to open those flood gates. She put on Marinette's bra, which made the girl blush in embarrassment. She felt useless. She couldn't dress herself and it bothered her too much. Alya then slid the dress over her friend.
She looked back into Marinette's closet and pulled out a white light weight jacket. The sleeves stopped right about her elbows and covered up the little hickey. That was Alya's plan.
"You look 'good' girl!" Alya said, mentally patting herself on her back.
Marinette looked at herself in the mirror and examined herself. She did look nice. The dress stopped an inch above her knees and the white flats made the outfit feel complete. She smiled at her best friend.
"Thanks."
"Of course! Now let's get brunch!" Alya said before helping her friend go downstairs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marinette was relaxed and felt like her old self. It felt so good to go back to normal; for the most part. She still flinched at times, however she felt her recovery was going quickly. However, as she walked towards building that held the tournament...well she was starting to feel guilty.
Marinette felt like she was cheating on Chat by going to see the boy she was still a little obsessed with. And at the same time, she felt like she was cheating on Adrien. She HAD taken down the pictures of the mode, which Marinette was happy Alya hadn't noticed yet. There was 'no' way she could explain 'that'. Not to mention she had kissed Chat; that made her feel even worse at going to see Adrien. However, it wasn't like she was dating 'either' boy but it didn't make her feel any less guilty. She was also not sure how she would act around the blond model. She wasn't sure how'd she act around Chat the next time she would see him. It was so frustrating!
The two girls arrived at the building. It was crowded but still had some seats left. However, that didn't matter as she and Alya had seats close to the action. She looked around and her eyes locked with Adrien's green eyes. Her heart thumped in her chest. All these years of acting like a 'normal' person in front of Adrien; all gone at one look into his eyes.
Adrien looked as if he was debating if he should go over to the two girls. However, he had no choice when Alya frantically waved her hand at him and called out his name. He walked over a bit nervously.
"Hey Alya...Marinette." he said shyly.
"Ummm yeah...Hey..." Marinette stuttered out.
Alya raised an eyebrow at how nervous her best friend got all of a sudden.
Adrien blinked at the sudden shyness she had towards him. She hadn't been this shy for a long time and he was confused as to why she was all of a sudden. He thought maybe she was embarrassed about the night before and seeing Adrien made her feel awkward?
Well, she had pulled down all of his pictures, although he wasn't suppose to know that. Or the fact she had pictures of Adrien in her room. He took in a breath before smiling.
"So you've come to watch me?" he asked, turning away from Marinette and talking to Alya.
Alya raised an eyebrow at this. He was acting differently from the last few days. All though so was Marinette. Something 'must' have happened between them. However, the real question was if it was a good thing or a bad thing.
"Of course! Right Marinette?" Alya said, nudging her friend in the side.
Marinette jumped before nodding quickly.
Adrien's heart fluttered at how cute she looked. He shook his head. Hadn't he decided last night he would let his Chat Noir self win over the bluenette? However, he was Adrien now and felt like he wanted to win her over. He mentally growled. He was now fighting over a girl with 'himself'! It was like he had two different personalities living in his head. Maybe he was developing multiple personality disorder?
"Did something happen?" Alya asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
She tried, she 'really' did. However, it was the reporter in her that made her curious. Not to mention be interested in asking the 'hard' questions.
Both Adrien and Marinette jumped. Marinette didn't notice Adrien jump but Alya certainly did.
"Something 'did' happen!" she said with an accusing look. "Spill it you two."
"N-nothing happend. W-what..what are you t-talking about?" Marinette said with a blush.
She couldn't tell her best friend her dilemma. Especially in front of Adrien! Plus the fact that it involved Chat Noir, Paris' famous superhero! Alya would 'love' to have that scoop and ask too many questions. Such as, when, how, why, and who. The who being who Chat was under the mask. However, she didn't know who he really was, but like her friend would believe 'that'.
Marinette thought about it. Did she want to know? She always wanted to, to an extent. However, she knew it was too dangerous. What if Hawkmoth was able to akumitize one of them and learn their secret? If that happened, he would know 'both' of their identities and that wouldn't help either of them.
However, she always wondered why she hadn't been akumitized. There were plenty of times she could have been and she was sure Chat had times himself. Was it because they wore the miraculous? Did it protect them from turning? Plus, she had learned that kwami's can sense each other. Why hadn't he used his kwami to sense them?
Her eyes widened. Would that mean Tikki 'knew' who Chat really was? It would make sense! That would explain why she had been on edge lately, especially since Marinette had been spending so much more time with Chat.
"What's wrong?"
Marinette snapped back to reality and saw Adrien's concern green eyes staring into her soul. She blushed and looked away.
"I'm sorry...I was just thinking of something."
"Was it about...?" he whispered, not realizing he took a step towards her, his hand twitching as if he was going to pull her into a hug.
Alya took a sidestep away and grinned. She wished she could record this, but she was afraid she might ruin the moment.
"N-no!" Marinette said shaking her head. "I mean, I wasn't...it was...something else."
She couldn't look Adrien in his eyes. Adrien took a step closer. His inner self screaming to hold her and kiss her. It was his Chat Noir wanting to take over. To comfort Marinette by kissing her, holding her, loving her...
But he couldn't. He was Adrien. The 'perfect' poster child for the Gabriel brand. He couldn't do what he 'wanted'. That's why he loved being Chat Noir. He wanted to reveal his identity to Marinette. He wanted her to know that Adrien was Chat Noir and Chat Noir was Adrien. That the boy she had a crush on was the cat she was starting to love. However, he knew it wouldn't be right to Ladybug. If anything, he wanted his Lady to be the first to see his true identity. He felt like he owed it to her, as she was his partner.
Adrien's hand retracted at the thought of his Lady. She wouldn't approve of either option. But how could Marinette 'trust' him without knowing his identity? Just because Ladybug did, didn't mean Marinette would or could.
His hand retracted as he felt his heart hurt. Adrien truly wanted Ladybug to be the first one to see him de-transform. But still...
"Adrien you're up!"
His head snapped back as his coach was waving him over. He nodded his head before giving Marinette a weak smile.
"I'm up. I'll...I'll talk to you later." he said with a wave before running off to get ready.
"Spill girl." Alya said, her grin like a cheshire cat.
"What?" Marinette said, her body growing stiff.
"That. What was 'that'?" she said, wiggling her eyebrows at her friend.
"N-nothing!"
"That wasn't 'nothing'! So spill! When did you two start acting all lovey dovey?" she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
Marinette blinked at her best friend. Did she act lovey dovey? Did Adrien act lovey dovey too? Her face flushed and her heart fluttered for a moment before Chat's face crossed her mind. She growled in frustration and dropped her head.
Of course 'NOW' Adrien would start to have 'feelings' for her. Of course it had to happen when she was falling for Chat. It was just her luck, which seemed to be turning bad as of late.
Alya's smile fell from her face and she rested her hand on Marinette's shoulder.
"What's wrong?"
"Everything." she groaned out before shrugging her friend's hand away.
She walked over to the seats saved for her and Alya and plopped down. Alya slowly followed after her and sat down, giving her best friend a concerned and confused look.
"Everything...like what?" she asked.
Marinette opened her mouth and then closed it. Should she tell Alya? She shouldn't, should she? Her head felt like it was throbbing and she rested her hand to her head.
"I don't know." she sighed.
Alya was about to ask more before the announcer boomed Adrien's name and his opponent's name; Michale McCabe. An irishish boy from the last name.
Marinette looked up and saw the two standing infront of eachother, their masks under their arms. Adrien's opponent was a guy from a different school. He had blue eyes and reddish-brown hair. His face looked a bit younger, maybe a first year. He was a few inches shorter than Adrien and had a lean built; which she could tell from the fencing suit he wore. It was the same as Adrien's suit.
There were four judges. Two judges on each side of the strip; positioned behind each of the two boys. Adrien and the other guy touched sabres for a bit, as if testing before stepping back. Both Adrien and Michale stood up straight, their masks still under their arms. They raised their sabres in a vertical position before lowering it. They then both turned to all the judges, giving each one of them the same salute. Adrien, after saluting the judges, turned towards Marinette with a smile and did a bowing motion with his sabre. Marinette blushed while Alya elbowed her friend in the ribs.
The head ref straighten himself.
"En garde!"
Both boys put their masks on and stood with their front foot behind a line, their sabres outstretched in front of them. Adrien's left hand was behind his back, while Michale's right hand was position in the air behind his back. He was obviously a lefty.
"Êtes-vous prêts ?"
"Yes." both boys answered.
"Prêt. Allez!"
A countdown from 3:00 minutes started from a clock located on a nearby table.
Michale advanced with a lung towards Adrien, who did a beat parry. The sharp striking motion left Michale open. He counter attacked and was able to make contact with Michale's chest. Adrien was in perfect form. His back was straight as well as his arm holding the sabre.
"Halt!" said the judge, stopping the clock at 2:53 minutes.
All the judges agreed it was a hit. The head judge raised his hand on Adrien's side.
"Point!"
Marinette and Alya cheered with some of the audience.
"Prêts ?" asked the ref.
Both boys went back to the line and got ready.
"Yes." both boys said once they were in place.
"Allez!"
This time Michale was quicker with a balestra that turned into a lunge. He was able to hit right below Adrien's left shoulder.
"Halt!" said at 2:46 minutes.
Adrien tilted his head back and let out a frustrated growl. He hadn't moved quick enough, but his opponent had jumped forward. Adrien made a mental note to be more aware of his opponent's speed.
"Point!" the judge said, after getting 'yes' from the other judges, raising the hand on the opponent's side.
The two boys went back to the line.
"Prêts ?"
"Yes." both boys said.
"Allez!"
The time started again and this time both boys engaged, each one doing their own raddoppio, while the other avoided the other's blade. Michale's attack passed Adrien as he was able to perform a displacement that he lead into a parry. This move gave Adrien the chance to turn it into a counter-attack. However, Michale thrust forward and the two hit simultaneously, both hitting the other's chest.
"Halt!" the ref said, the clock stopping at 2:08 minutes.
He turned to talk to the other judges. They talked it over. They talked about their stances and whether they were still in form. After some deliberation, they looked like they reached their decision.
"Point-in-line!" the ref said, raising his hand on Adrien's side.
The other guy huffed and took off his mask.
"What?! I wasn't out of stance!"
"Penalty for taking off your helmet." the ref said pulling out a yellow card.
"But..." the guy said frustrated.
The ref looked at him with a warning look, before the guy huffed and put his helmet back on.
They both got back into position.
"Prêts ?"
"Yes." both boys said.
"Allez!"
The timer started again.
Michale taped his front foot, which distracted Adrien for a moment. That was just what he needed and lunged, hitting Adrien on his right shoulder.
"Halt!"
The timer was at 2:03 minutes.
Adrien slumped his shoulders. He knew his coach was going to scold him for falling for the 'apple' trick.
The ref got all 'yes' from the other refs and raise his hand by Michale.
"Point!"
Adrien knew Michale had a smirk behind that mask. But he couldn't worry about that. This was a three out of five points match and they both needed one more point to win. Both boys got back to the line and it was obvious both were serious.
"Prêts ?"
"Yes." both boys said with determination in their voices.
"Allez!"
The clock started again and both boys were engaged in an intense bash of blades. It looked like a beautiful dance as they went back and forth. However, time was coming to an end and both were starting to feel a bit fatigued from the fierce 'battle'. Adrien saw an opportunity and parried a lunge from Michale which lead Adrien being able to lunge forward and hit Michale's helmet.
"Halt!"
The timer was at 00:46 minutes. The ref instantly saw the other refs agree and threw his hand up on Adrien's side.
"Point and match!" the ref said.
Marinette and Alya jumped out of their seats, cheering. Adrien took off his helmet and looked over to them and smiled. Marinette blushed for a moment which didn't go unnoticed by either Alya or Adrien.
Adrien then extended his hand to Michale.
"Good match." he said with a smile.
"This is bullshit!" growled Michale roughly taking off his helmet.
"Foul language, you get a red card." warned the ref, taking out a red card.
"I should have won! I 'hit' him and was in correct form!" he said pointing at Adrien, who blinked before lowering his hand.
"This is your final warning." the ref said.
He didn't want to throw the kid out of the competition, but if he was going to cause a scene he might have to.
"I want a rematch!" he said glaring at Adrien before pointing his sabre towards the blonde.
"Unsportsmanship! And pointing your sabre at your opponent after the match! You are out of the competition!" the ref said, pulling out a black card.
Michale stared with wide eyes. It was the black card of death for a fencer. Adrien winced at the painful look in the guy's eyes. However, Michale's eyes turned angry and he huffed off.
Adrien watched Michale storm off and felt bad for him. He wasn't a bad fencer, just a sore loser.
"Great job!" said his coach, patting his back.
Adrien turned and smiled up at his coach.
"Take a break. Your next match isn't for two hours."
"Yes sir." Adrien said with a nod.
His coach smiled at him before going to one of his other teammates, who was next up.
"Adrien!"
He turned and saw Alya waving at him with a smile. Marinette also had a proud looking smile. He felt his heart swell up but calmed himself before walking over to the girls with a smile.
"You were awesome, 'right' Marinette?" Alya said, nudging her friend.
Marinette nodded and smiled.
"Congratulation."
"Thanks." he said with a warm smile.
Adrien was happy she was back to acting somewhat normal.
"I'm going to take off my gear. I have two hours before my next match and I'll come back and sit with you."
"Alright, we'll be right here." Alya said.
Adrien smiled and gave a wave before heading off to the locker rooms.
I hope you guys really liked this! I used the following sites below and even used the french words used in tournaments ^-^ So I tried to make it authentic and I hope I did a good job.
Also, I did spell Michale's name right hehe. Here is that story: I have a friend who one drunk night went on his Xbox and updated his account to include his name. Instead of spelling Michael, he spelled his name Michale. So it's a joke on him. Tho he won't read this (looks around) so I can get away with it hehe.
And with that, on to working on the next chapter I go! ^-^
References:
wiki/Fencing_practice_and_techniques
wiki/Fencingferences:
wiki/Glossary_of_fencing
