Marinette pulled back quickly. She didn't know why she'd done what she did, there was no reason for it.
"Alix, I shouldn't have … I didn't … um …"
Alix continued to stare at Marinette, confused and dumbfounded. "Why did you kiss me?" Alix asked, her voice tone dead and flat.
"I just … I don't know." Marinette replied, twisting her fingers together, a nervous energy from foot to foot.
"Marinette, tell me, why did you do that?" Alix asked. Marinette stood still staring at her friend before turning her head away.
"I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry." She began to move away, only for Alix to stalk after her.
"Marinette," she called, trying to get her friend to turn back … to come back. "Marinette!" She shouted again. Marinette continued walking, obviously ignoring the call of her friend.
Tikki stuck her head out of Marinette's bag, making sure the coast was clear before she started talking."Marinette, you should go back. Alix wants to talk to you."
"I can't," the raven haired hero replied, moving swiftly down the steps and towards where she was meeting the others at the base of the Trocadéro Gardens.
"What do you mean you can't? It's Alix, you can talk to her about anything."
"You know I can't, it'll just be another person and another mess." She caught Adrien's eye as her feet hit the pavement, his face morphing into one of concern. She shook her head, indicating for him to stay where he was, but ever the devoted kitty, he made his way to her and wrapped in a hug.
"Why are you crying?" He asked, she hadn't even realised she was.
"I can't give her a chance, I can't give anyone -"
"Woah, slow down." He cupped her shoulders to look into her eyes.
"Give who a ch-"
Before Adrien could finish his words, a rumble knocked their feet from under them, sending them straight to the ground. Clinging onto each other, they looked up, coming face to face with Alix, or who Marinette thought was Alix.
"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I am Coeur Brisé, you played with my heart, now I'm going to play with yours."
"Run," Adrien grabbed Marinette's hand, attempting to drag her into a safe place whilst she dug her heels into the ground, begging to stay and help Alix. Shaking herself out of Adrien's grasp, Marinette began to run back to where Coeur Brisé was obviously on the hunt for her.
Stopping in her tracks, Marinette watched Alix strike out and cause the couple in front of her to turn to stone before crumbling into many pieces, an exact duplication of a broken heart. Her heartbeat erratically in her chest, she needed to make a decision.
Transform and save the day as her alter ego, or stay as her civilian self and see if she could get Alix to break free of the akuma. She'd done it with Alya, and seen others do it too. Maybe, just maybe, with the right support she could help Alix too.
"Marinette," Coeur Brisé sang, "come out, come out, wherever you are?"
Marinette gulped, bracing herself for what she was about to do. It was a no brainer. She was staying here and she was going to help Alix.
Just as she was about to step forward and announce herself, Chat Noir dropped down beside her.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He grabbed Marinette's arm and pulled her back, moving her out of view of the akuma.
"I need to help her, this is my fault."
"You turning into a million pieces is not going to help anyone."
"I have to try!" Marinette could feel her eyes stinging, the tears prickling behind her eyes. Her heart hurt, more than it ever had before and as she watched emCoeur Brisé/em advance on more and more civilians, screaming about how she had been betrayed Marinette could feel herself crumble.
Chat Noir stood and looked at his partner, "you love her, don't you?"
Marinette couldn't answer. Instead she nodded her head sending her tears coursing down her cheeks. "I have to do something," she whispered.
"Fine, but take out your earrings, and if you're not back here in 15 minutes I'm coming after you. Your safety is my priority."
Marinette stretched up onto her toes and pressed a quick kiss against Chat Noir's cheek. "Thank you, kitty."
"Just do what you need to do, and please, I beg of you, be careful." Marinette removed the earrings placing them in Chat Noir's hand before stepping out and into the direct eye line of Coeur Brisé.
"Coeur Brisé, I'm here." Marinette turned her attention directly to the akuma, making sure everyone else in the area could get away safely. She walked to the side and away from the crowds, keeping a close eye on emCoeur Brisé/em's movements.
"Where do you think you're going?" Coeur Brisé jumped and landed in front of Marinette.
"Just to a quiet place so we can talk."
"Talk? What about? How you led me to believe I meant something to you?"
"You do mean something to me, Alix -"
"Liar! I mean nothing to you. Just someone else to be used in your attempt to get over Adrien."
Marinette could feel her lip quiver and fought hard against the tears threatening to spill. Her throat thickened and she closed her eyes. "Kiss me!" She whispered out.
"What?"
"If you really think it was nothing to me, kiss me again and you will see how much you mean to me. You brought me out of my hole Alix, you fixed me -"
"It's not Alix," Coeur Brisé shouted, the faint outline of Shadowmoth appearing over her eyes.
"Fight it, Alix, come back to me. Please. I need you, more than I ever knew." Marinette began to move forward, her hands stretched out calling for her to place her own inside of hers. To connect to each other.
"No, it's too close to my heart. It can't come out." Coeur Brisé grasped a hold of her chest and punched over her heart. "It's in my medical equipment. It's travelling into my heart."
"You can do it Alix, you're strong. You're one of the strongest people I know. Give us a chance please. Please come back to me! I beg of you!"
Coeur Brisé grabbed her head, shaking it from side to side as Shadowmoth made another attempt at taking over Alix's consciousness. Without thinking, Marinette did what she should have done half an hour ago. She grabbed Alix and kissed her again, but this time she meant it. The kiss was hard and full of hidden passion, but Alix was yet to kiss back.
Marinette didn't want to give up. She couldn't give up. She wanted Alix.
Keeping her lips firmly against her friends, a jolt of electricity passed through her as Alix began to kiss back. Her head tilted to meet Marinette's depth. She lifted the shorter girl up onto her waist, cuddling her body close to her own. Feeling the security of being with each other, and being where they should be.
They broke away, grabbing two, three, four pecks as they separated, the purple butterfly outline breaking away from Alix's face. Before Marinette could say anything, Mr Bug landed nearby, purifying the akuma and turning to the two girls.
"You two make a nice couple." He dropped them a wink before heading back into the distance, Marinette making a mental note to thank her partner properly later.
"I think we need to talk." Alix said shyly to Marinette, a pink hue taking over her cheekbones.
"Want to come to mine?" Alix nodded before both girls headed towards their friends.
"Don't forget these," Adrien stopped Marinette just before she reached the group, slipping the earrings back into her hands. A curt nod passed the gratefulness between the two, and Marinette continued following Alix.
Once they reached where the gang were waiting, Alix proceeded to call off the contest, claiming she wanted to go home after being akumatized. Nobody knew the reason why, but they also knew better than to pry into the reasons. It was an unspoken word between their classmates.
They said their goodbyes and headed towards the bakery. A nervous tension hanging over both girls.