Author's Note: Can you believe this is almost over? Because I can't. Chapter 29 - just for you… In case you haven't noticed, this is a second update today. Make sure to read the previous chapter if you haven't because this one picks up where that one ended.
Day 29. The Wall
There was no way to miss the commotion in the theater lobby. Someone called Adrien's name, raising their voice high, so that it could be heard by more people. The boy looked around panicky, expecting to find his cover blown and crazed fans rushing to greet him. But no one was. Instead people were heading towards the source of the voice, the Agreste name spilling from their lips.
Adrien exhaled in relief. His disguise was working, he hadn't been recognized. Now he just needed to calm down and wait for Marinette. She was taking very long to return from the restroom. Extremely long. Adrien was aware of the existence of "girl stuff" that happened sometimes and made them spend a bit longer in bathrooms and such. But even with those standards employed he was beginning to worry if she would make it before the movie would start.
In the meantime the crowd on the other end of the lobby grew and he still could pick up his name from time to time. Now that he listened more carefully though, he definitely could hear people ranting in an unpleasantly familiar shrill. And when he caught the word "girlfriend" a few times accompanied by "Adrien's", a heavy ball of anxiety settled in the pit of his stomach. With a silent nod to Plagg, who buried deeper in his sweater, he headed for the crowd.
As he got nearer he could identify the familiar voice. Chloé. He should have known.
'How can you even show your sorry butt here, you pathetic loser,' the blonde brat ranted. 'If I were you I would have stayed in that hole you call home.'
'So is that Adrien's girlfriend or not?' Someone in the crowd prodded Chloé and she turned, her face twisted in an offended scowl at stealing her show.
'Ex girlfriend,' she spat. 'Thankfully Adrien finally saw reason and ended things with her.'
'They looked pretty chummy in those pictures a while ago,' the person wasn't giving up easily.
'Well they are not any more,' Chloé snarled. 'I've made sure of that. She doesn't deserve someone like Adrien.'
He heard enough for the anxiety ball to rise to his throat. Marinette must have been on the other end of this mess. With a little bit of elbow work Adrien managed to push far enough to see what was happening.
His girlfriend was backed against the wall, with Chloé and a few other people blocking her way out. Even though she was untransformed she took the battle stance, ready to respond to any attack that might come. He'd seen Ladybug in this position so many times he had to blink to make sure she wasn't wearing her spots now. Glamour must have been a very powerful kind of magic, if even Chloé missed that her idol stood in front of her in flesh and blood.
Marinette's eyes flickered over the audience. Adrien immediately recognized she was looking for a solution. She caught his gaze and shook her head barely visibly in silent denial, ordering him to stay out of it. He got the message. If their relationship was to remain secret, like he had insisted, he couldn't have been spotted there. That's why she didn't run, didn't come to him. She didn't want to draw attention to her companion, once Chloé got her. Even outside of the suits Marinette did everything in her power to protect him, even at the price of humiliation by Chloé's hand.
But as her partner he could also see that her patience was growing thin by the second. It took one more jab and she finally responded.
'Leave me alone, Chloé,' Marinette drawled, voice low and strong, 'you got what you wanted, you have no business here.'
Adrien knew Marinette could be mean when she wanted to. Right now she was probably employing all of Ladybug's strength and experience not to snarl at Chloé. With all the awful things the blonde had said, she still remained calm. But Chloé was Chloé, she went for the throat and never backed out unless threatened into submission. She was also blind to warning signs until they hit her over the head, usually with an akumatized hand.
'I'm not done with you yet, Dupain-Cheng,' Chloé replied, eyeing Marinette with disdain. 'I need to make sure you're never going to get near Adrien again.'
The guttural sound that escaped Marinette's throat didn't bode well for this face off, but she caught his eye and seemed to keep herself in check. She exhaled slowly. Her features relaxed. She was doing this for him, he knew, but instead of gratitude he felt the wave of shame and regret. Shame that once again she went with his decision and the consequences affected her much more than him. Regret, that he couldn't stand by her side to help her through it. His thoughts ran to the painful moment when Marinette ended their fake dating. He recalled what each of them had to go through alone and how he hated himself for it.
Never again, he thought.
'That's enough, Chloé,' he called from his place at the back of the crowd. 'Show's over, people. Go somewhere else,' he announced once the audience turned to him.
'Says who?' someone snarled.
'Says me,' Adrien replied calmly. 'Now move, before I call the police. You're harassing that girl.'
He used the attention he got to push through the crowd until he got to Marinette. She looked confused but relieved, the whole ordeal clearly took a lot of nerves.
'Okay?' he asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.
'I am now,' she sent him a weak smile, 'but you shouldn't do this. I could handle it just fine.'
'I'm sure you could,' Adrien smiled back at her, 'but I don't want you to.'
'Excuse you,' he heard Chloé's voice and felt the jab of her manicured finger in his back. 'Who do you think you are, threatening me with calling the police?'
Adrien turned slowly sending her a cold look. She gasped, hand covering her mouth.
'Adrikins!' the blonde shrieked, 'What are you doing here?'
'I'm with Marinette,' he stated, putting an arm around his girlfriend's shoulder. 'We're on a date, not that this is any of your business.'
'A d-date?' Chloé looked between them. 'Don't be ridiculous. You broke up.'
'Again, not your business, Chloé, but Marinette and I are dating,' he repeated, noticing a few of people behind her took their phones out. He sighed. That was what he was worried about, but he still had to do the right thing. He felt Marinette's hand in his, squeezing his fingers encouragingly. Together, that's how they always got out of trouble.
Chloé apparently decided to ignore those bits of reality that didn't align with her vision. 'What are you even wearing,' she lamented instead as she assessed his attire. 'Did she made you do this?'
'She is standing right here,' he retorted coldly, although her stubbornness was getting to him, stirring the long forgotten anger, 'and her name is Marinette. As to your question, no, Marinette didn't make me do this. I put it on myself, because we wanted to have a peaceful evening together, which thanks to you and all the people too eager to take pictures, is getting increasingly difficult.'
Chloé blinked, processing all the information that ruined her world. 'Don't be ridiculous,' she finally scoffed.'I'll go to this movie with you. You only had to ask.'
She reached out and took the wig from his head revealing his trademark blonde hairdo, now ruffled, but still recognizable. If there had been any doubts as to his identity, they were gone now. Cameras flashed in his eyes.
'Will you just stop that!?' Marinette yelled and the flashing ceased. 'Would you like someone to take pictures of you in private situation and then post it everywhere they please?' She took a step away from him and addressed the crowd. 'Would you like a camera shoved in your face while you're eating, walking, dancing? How about cuddling or kissing? On a date with someone important to you?'
She was replied by an uncertain choir of "no"s and "not really"s and some feet shuffling.
'Then leave him alone,' she added. 'Leave us alone.'
'You leave him alone, Dupain-Cheng!' Chloé barked at the girl. 'You… you… cling to him like leech! You're so stupid you don't even know how to take a hint!'
'How to take a hint?' Adrien bursted out, startling them both, 'Are you kidding me, Chloé?'
'Well, she's obviously delusional if she thinks she can be your girlfriend, Adrikins,' Chloé ranted.
'She is my girlfriend,' he countered, taking Marinette's hand in his and kissing it.
'This is ridiculous!' the blonde girl huffed. 'Are you blind? She's nobody, just some bakery girl, with no money, no connections, no fashion sense, nothing.'
'She is everything you secretly want to be, Chloé,' Adrien drawled, 'and she's everything to me. So you either get over it and start treating her like she deserves to be treated, or-
'Or what?!' she snapped.
'Or I don't want you in my life anymore,' he finished lowering his voice to a whisper, so that only her and Marinette would hear him.
Chloé choked and spluttered. 'What?'
'You heard me,' he drawled, glaring at the blonde, 'Marinette deserves to be treated like the wonderful girl she is. She's my girlfriend. I love her and I'm gonna marry her someday-' the words rolled off his tongue before he could stop himself.
The remaining crowd gasped in unison.
Next to him Marinette face-palmed with a groan.
In his pocket Plagg chuckled, undoubtedly at the next day's headlines.
And Chloé fell silent, not taking her eyes off him.
'Oh my god, you're serious,' she finally whispered, shock twisting her face for a split of a second.
'Chloé, he was obviously exaggerating to get the point across,' Marinette supplied.
'No, he's not,' Chloé retorted. 'I've known him almost my whole life, I know when he's dead serious about something,' she added in a condescending tone.
She eyed Marinette up and down as if she saw her for the very first time in her life. Then her gaze traveled to him again, giving him the same treatment.
'You're serious,' she repeated. 'Aren't you?'
AN: Aaaaand, I've caught up to the prompts! Yay! ONE CHAPTER LEFT IN THIS STORY. I'm so excited!
What do you say about this one? I will admit the prompt was very mysterious
An enormous thank you to Rem for beta reading this chapter and for brainstorming with me!
