Hi all, It's been a while since I wrote this story and I never finished it but I've decided to revisit and rewrite it and hopefully find a good ending(I'm deciding to Omit Ladybug and Cat Noir this time around and focus on Marinette and Adrien's relationship to avoid too many Tangents and messy story telling) I'm hoping it will improve the story and I'm also hoping that the quality of my writing has improved since I started it a few years ago so it will hopefully be a better read- here is the new Chapter 1, I will add a comment at the top of each chapter to confirm if it is the updated chapter or not
She craved isolation; to be completely alone and devoid of any sound, sight or presence- so that she could withdraw within her own mind and nurse her broken heart. Here in the deserted graveyard she hoped to find her void and though the pitter-patter of rain against the pavement masked any sounds from the nearby road- it was still enough to keep her mind open.
But it was enough for now. Here all alone, Marinette could allow herself to grieve all that she had lost. In the last year she had remained strong, she had continued to work, smile and live! But today was the one day she would allow tears to fall. Today, she would allow her composure to crumble, she would rip the bandages of her heart wide open, access the damage closely and then she will reapply fresh ones and return to her life- pretending that all was well.
A single droplet fell from her nose. Had anyone been watching, this would have simply been camouflaged by the ever falling rain, but the warm sting against her icy nose told her that she was finally allowing her grief to flow.
A beep from her phone told her that it was time to return to reality, the notification from her phone was her assistant, reminding her that she still had a meeting to prepare for. This was enough to allow her to snap out of the void within herself- though not fully submerged, she had achieved enough isolation to fell nothing but her grief.
She now felt the cold wetness of her dress as it clung uncomfortably to the curves of her body, the cruel sting of her wet hair as the wind whipped it nastily against her cheeks and the acute stinging of her eyes now that the warm tears had halted.
Marinette crouched over the headstone whilst hugging herself tightly knowing that now it was time to say goodbye and return to life. Placing two fingers on her mouth she gently kissed them before pressing the kiss firmly onto the name in the beautiful white stone. Through the last of her tears she whispered, "Goodbye Luka."
She tossed her Keys carelessly in the bowl, wincing as the loud metallic echo cut across her ears painfully, before she slammed the door behind her in irritation due to her increasing discomfort from the wet clothes, shoes and hair. Though now grateful to be home, she sighed with relief as she kicked her shoes off and turned the heating up.
Ready for a shower to wash away the tear and make-up stains on her cheeks, Marinette peeled her damp dress off and threw her hair away from her eyes, before heading into the bathroom and setting the hot water to run.
As the steaming water ran over her numb face, stinging away against the soreness of her puffy eyes, she wiped away fresh tears that were pooling in her eyes once again. She wanted to no longer allow herself to grieve, but as she reminded herself of this, the water splashed around her feet- seemingly echoing the sad tune that her heart was always playing. A single whimper escaped her as she lowered her forehead on to the cold tiles, sending a flicker of life throughout her as she jumped from the shock.
Even raising her hand felt like she was trying to move the earth as she gripped onto the tap and turned the water off. Without the sound of running water filling the room, the silence she had been so desperate to acquire earlier was now having the opposite effect as it rang loudly in her ears in the all too empty apartment- grief was being overshadowed by her loneliness and a new need for warmth was now becoming overwhelming.
Marinette shuffled into her fluffy robe- wrapping it tightly around her as she stepped into her matching slippers before staring ahead blankly; wondering how to begin living her life once more. Her feet slowly shuffled against the carpet as she lazily switched the TV on and slumped into the sofa, though even as she flicked through the channels absent-mindedly, she knew already she didn't want to watch anything- the background noise was just something she craved to abate the silence.
Instead of focusing on her grief she tried to muster up some motivation to finish up her sketches for the start of next week's meetings, work was always a good distraction but next week was going to be a long week for her, most days she would work from her home/studio. However, she was to attend a weeklong conference in which she would meet the next team behind their upcoming project.
"Shit! Oh Shit! Is that really the time!" Falling asleep on her work was typical, she would often sleep where she worked and work where she slept; because the small, yet luxurious apartment was covered in her work- it was all she had left. Though last night she had meant to actually sleep in her bed and wake up early, apply a generous amount of makeup to cover up her cried-out eyes and to find an outfit that allowed no one to doubt that she was a fashion designer.
However, what she had in fact left herself with, was enough time to dress in something passable, apply enough make up to hopefully cover the dark circles around her eyes- and to grab a coffee from the nearest café to guzzle down in her car!
"Oh I'm so sorry Fran, I meant to get here earlier!" She smiled kindly in response as she handed Marinette a folder, "It's ok Marinette, you're only 5 minutes late. Don't worry, I received your email and I have your portfolio here ready to go!" Marinette handed her the remaining paper cup with a dazzling smile of utmost appreciation, "thanks Fran- you're a life saver! Here I'm sorry if it's a little cold!"
As they made their way into the conference room, a young man handed her a flyer that was full of pictures of the conference's attendees and their names. Marinette paid this little attention, she didn't care who was here to listen, she need only present her designs for the project and that was all- besides, there were far too many people under one roof for her liking. All of them were seated around a large polished table facing towards one large screen that was showing a slide show and now she was suddenly craving to be alone again.
Her attention had failed her before the first speaker had even started, childishly playing with the aeroplane she had fashioned out of the flyer- the one with the name and faces on. She chuckled as it glided away from her slightly before ending up trampled under the foot of some unknown guy, who was dressed beyond his years- probably someone from the marketing team.
Having now lost her source of entertainment, Marinette had now opted to staring into space whilst twiddling her pencil in her fingers, however her eyes only remained watching thin air for a short time because she was drawn into some green eyes sat opposite her, green eyes- that were watching her intently.
Marinette swallowed hard- had he realised she was less than interested in this 'important' meeting? Would he call her out on this? She tried to pull her eyes away from his as a deep red blush crept into her cheeks; whether this was the embarrassment of being caught out in her obvious lack of attention- or because she had caught eye contact with one of the most gloriously handsome guys she had ever seen! She couldn't quite decide.
Her eyes snapped back into his before straying onto his other features; golden hair that was styled perfectly, sun kissed skin without a single blemish and strong arms that his shirt was forced to slightly stretch over! Something told her that he was not one of the guys from marketing, accounting or anything to do with the boring side of things- surely he was one of the models?
Marinette's eyes dashed to the floor in search of her discarded flyer- she wanted to see if he was on it and what his name was. But sadly, her paper plane was no longer in sight. With a small shake of her head she forced her eyes onto the screen- only to avoid the mesmerising emeralds that were still burning on her skin.
The one man whose name she did know stood; Marcus was the one who had organised the conference. He proudly announced that the slide show was over and that the bar was open for drinks and food for lunch before the afternoon presentation- Marinette's Presentation.
Amongst the murmurs of appreciation, Marinette snorted quietly. She knew this was the real reason they had all assembled; an open bar and free food. Business mingling was not something she was in the mood for and so she sat on one of the stools at the bar and accepted a glass of wine.
"I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who was bored in there." She didn't need to turn around to know that green eyes were piercing into her back, but even so she faced him- ignoring her irritation at her body's sudden interest in life and her stomach's new circus act! Failing to supress a small sigh, she shrugged her shoulders indifferently, "there was no reason for me to be here! Yes, you are right- it's boring, I'm losing my mind!"
Ac coy smile spread across his face as he lent against the bar coolly before tilting closely into her, "I know a way to liven it up for you- interested?" Was he serious? Wordlessly, he held out his hand- which Marinette eyed curiously, before turning her gaze onto him curiously. How long had it been since she last looked someone in the eye? All this time she had been avoiding eye contact because she knew it would give away the pain she was feeling inside.
The distance she had built between herself and others was in order to allow her to maintain her composure- yet here was an opportunity. There was a god like creature standing before her and he was offering her some un-attached fun? She didn't know his name and he, no doubt, didn't know hers- perfect for stimulating her senses without any emotions, the kind of stimulus she needed to remind her she was still alive!
Draining the last of her drink, she pulled a shy smile before accepting his hand and following him to the conference room. There was a moment of silence as he pulled down the lock on the door before turning to Marinette with a fierce look in his eyes- a look that turned her legs into jelly.
Taking hold of her face as he lowered his lips onto hers, he stared intently into her eyes, but Marinette refused to avert hers- despite worrying how much of her pain would be clear in them. As he gently teased her cheeks with light kisses, she wondered if he could guess that only the night before they were stained in her tears.
She knew that this was absurd. This man knew nothing of her pain- her eyes couldn't show the damaged soul beneath- nor would he be able to taste the tears on her cheeks. That is what made him perfect.
Throwing her head back as his lips lowered on to her neck, Marinette moaned against his nipping. With ease, he lifted her onto the desk with a gentle hand running up her thigh to scrunch the deep purple dress to the top of her legs so that he could pull away the lacy underwear beneath.
She had no time to feel any shame or regret as he pulled himself free and entered her quickly- causing her to cry out in surprise. The relief that she felt as he plunged into her was euphoric, it was the warmth of another that she had craved only last night.
His eyes never left her as he thrusted again and again- relentlessly until he gave her what he knew she needed. He had indeed already noted the pain in them- though seeing beyond that he knew there was also a deep and unrelenting hunger for something to reignite her senses, he had no doubt that she needed this and he would deliver!
As though to confirm his suspicions, she wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him closer with arms tightly wrapped around his neck. Quickly discovering just how much she enjoyed rough sex, he picked her up from the desk and slammed her into the wall behind them sensing the oncoming orgasm approaching quickly.
Groans escaped him as fingers clung desperately onto his hair and though he wasn't fearful that they might be discovered, he wanted to feel her moans and so he silenced her cries in an intensely satisfying kiss to end their climax.
Her large eyes stared at him in wonder as he set her back down, both of them breathing heavily and breathlessly- unable to speak through their silent amazement. Marinette crashed back down to earth as reality sank in, did that really happen? Unable to look at the stranger in the eye, she silently dressed herself with haste before fleeing the room.
"Hey! Wait! I don't even know your name!" All he could do was watch incredulously as she escaped his grasp. Sweeping a hand through his hair, he exhaled with a large grin, "wow…I did not expect that!"