So this is another kinda short chapter, but it is important and emotional and I didn't want to ruin the mood of it by adding more. Enjoy!
"Marinette, we have to talk about this," Adrien said, leaning against her door. After she had broken off their kiss Marinette had put the chocolate ice cream in the freezer, folded up the grocery bags and stashed them away, before silently retreating to her room. Her fiance had been trying to get her to talk to him for the last twenty minutes. "We are getting married, for Christ's sake. We can't just not talk about our feelings," he tried.
No sound came from Marinette's room. The girl was right there, sitting with her back to the door, listening to every word he said. Every plead and suggestion. She didn't respond because she didn't know what she would say. That she had been head over heels for him for years but now that they were together it was nothing like she had imagined? That being with him made her feel like someone other than herself? That she didn't think he liked her for her, he liked her for Ladybug? Or worse, he was doing all of this out of duty to his father?
She couldn't do that. She wouldn't say that. It would ruin their relationship. That is, it would ruin what little relationship they had been able to build. Even just thinking about telling him how she really felt scared her so much silent tears ran down her face.
She kept repeating these thoughts to herself, even as Adrien's feet stopped blocking the light that was flooding into the room under the door. She didn't snap out of it until a masked figure dropped through her skylight and landed on her bed. As he approached her she quickly wiped the tear from her eyes and sat up straighter.
"Why are you crying princess?" He asked. She shook her head and looked away so he couldn't see the tears that were starting to build in her eyes again. She felt one of his arms slide behind her back while the other went under her legs. She momentarily protested but, she couldn't keep it up, it was too much work. She just sat their silent tears running down her face. She hated this. She want to be as strong as she was when she was Ladybug. He loves Ladybug, and while Marinette may wear the mask, she was no superhero without it. He tightened his arms around her and whispered.
"How can someone so loved be so sad?" He said. She cried harder. "I love you. I love you so much and I can't stand to have you crying in my arms over something I did. Tell me what I did wrong so I can never do it again." He said, his own eyes starting to tear. He just couldn't handle seeing her in pain, especially pain that he caused. It was eating him from the inside out. He released his transformation and Plagg left to go inspect the new cheese. Marinette was looking up at him in the dim light that flowed into her room from the windows.
"Do you love me? Really?" She asked him. He nodded.
"Of course I do. I've loved you since the first time we defeated an akuma together," he replied. She shook her head, climbing out of his arms to sit on the bed next to him.
"That wasn't me, that was Ladybug," she said, voice cracking as she looked down at her hands.
"Of course you are! You are everything everyone thinks Ladybug is and fifteen more things! You are the brave, dutiful, hero Chat Noir fell for and the passionate, talented girl that became Adrien Agreste's best friend and so much more. Is that really what was bothering you?" He said, looking over at his tear stained fiancee. She looked up at him. Her face was puffy and splotched with red but to him she was still the beautiful girl he had fallen in love with.
"That and it's just, nothing about our relationship was what I expected. I mean it was at first when we were still in school and we went out to dinner and had the occasional goodbye kiss. Now when we are together, I feel like a totally different person and it scares me," She said, her tears finally slowing to a stop. He wrapped her hands in his.
"I'm so sorry Marinette. I never meant to make you uncomfortable or make you change yourself for me. I don't want that," He consoled.
"It's not necessarily a bad different, it's just not who I used to be,"
"Change is terrifying, no matter what. I understand if you don't want our relationship to change, but we are getting married so we can't really avoid it," he explained. She nodded.
"I'm sorry for not wanting to talk to you earlier. I was just afraid it would..." she trailed off.
"Change things?" He suggested.
"Yes. But I don't think it's a bad change," She finished. He smiled and stood up, stretching and walking towards the door.
"Well, I'm glad. I'm going to bed, neither of us have class until ten, would you like to go out for breakfast or coffee?" He asked her, pausing in the doorway.
"What I would like is for you to sleep in here with me tonight, just in case I start thinking negative thoughts again in the night. I'll sleep better if you are right there," She suggested to him. He smiled in a way that was all Adrien, nothing suggestive, only sweetness. He stepped back into the room and begun to shut the door.
"You know I would do anything I can to make my princess feel as loved as I know she is,"
So, I think that went pretty well. I will probably have another, longer chapter up before the end of the week. Please tell me what you think in a review!