A/N: Oh man oh man, what a time for updates!
Firstly, I wanted to say that I'm so sorry about the lack of an update the last two weeks. It was not my intention to make anyone wait.
As many of you know, outside of being a nutty fan who loves to write and draw I am a medical worker.
As of two or three weeks ago, my company also runs a center that tests for the Coronavirus directly. I'm put up front to help care for the sick while collecting specimens to run for suspected covid19 as well as helping those who are already sick.
I had to put this one a brief pause because my sister who is also in direct contact with sick patients fell ill with fever. I had to gather my bearings, and continue to work when she was put on quarantine. Since the outbreak it has been nonstop at work, especially with stat draws for patients who are severely sick and need help.
We are witnessing people die, hospitals are incredibly overwhelmed and its gotten to the point where my state now has fridge trucks parked outside of the hospitals because they don't have room inside the morgues for the deceased.
Fortunately, my sister did test negative for the Coronavirus, and I did not catch the virus as of late. This is truly a horrible thing to watch, and unfortunately now my country has the most out of the whole world and it puts a ton of pressure on healthcare workers especially like me, because we are short staffed.
I hope to take some time off when this nightmare is over, but the constant wearing of PPE irritates our skin but we are terrified everyday of being exposed to where we'll get sick because we dont want to bring this home to our families.
People of all ages are sick and are dying, it's not just the elderly or people with underlying health problems.
This is serious.
You will help us TREMENDOUSLY if you stay away from people, don't go out if you don't have to and wash your hands often.
Help us medical workers help the sick, by slowing the spread!
Please please please.
And then I'll update more often.
Thank you so much for your patience!
On a more positive note, next chapter is NSFW, please avoid reading if you're uncomfortable or aren't interested in that sort of content.
Enjoy!
'She said fuck?! So in good terms means yes!'
Marinette smiled, her heart fluttering at the group text message Nino had sent to both her and Adrien.
In the photo attached, Marinette could see Nino presenting Alya's hand to the camera, proudly flashing the modest diamond on her finger.
Marinette was incredibly happy for her friend.
Since her relationship with Nino started, Marinette knew there was a new glow to Alya's face. She had been smiling more, she was joking more; she quite enjoyed Nino's company.
She vividly recalled how Alya explained to her that she had never felt this way about anyone before. Alya had told her that she knew Nino was the one she wanted to be with.
Of course that was before Alya had fallen pregnant, and Marinette worried that part of that may have been caused by her digging through her friend's purse and stealing her contraceptives.
Marinette clutched on to her phone, exhaling as she placed the device on to her lap. She pressed her lips together, her heart sinking into her stomach acid.
She was glad that Alya had found happiness and she was able to make it work through the pregnancy surprise, but she couldn't help but wonder if the reason for that was because Marinette had stolen her pills.
A small blush rose to her cheeks and she contemplated appropriate times to make admittance by that. She didn't want Alya to be angry with her, the last thing she wanted to do was lose her best friend, but Marinette knew she had done wrong.
"I've arrived! Bow to your queen!" Chloe piped, her voice immediately drawing her out of the self deprecation that had threatened to swallow her whole.
Marinette blinked, glancing up at Chloe with a look of perplexity. She had nearly forgot that she was in a public setting and she had certainly forgot that she was supposed to meet Chloe.
The breeze was warm, and the air smelled nice. Marinette was incredibly grateful that it was the summer. She enjoyed being outdoors quite often, it was the only space she had to clear her head as of late. Before her horrible fallout with Felix, Marinette always enjoyed being outdoors. It was only after Felix had abandoned her that Marinette resorted to hiding indoors. She wanted to keep herself away from the world and sleep her sorrows away.
It wasn't until she met Adrien that everything changed for the better.
Chloe took a seat in front of her, her hands resting on the table as she kept her eyes nervously on Marinette who awkwardly stuck her phone into her purse.
"H-Hey!" Marinette breathed, pressing her elbows against the table as she couldn't quite understand why she had been called out in the first place. "Is there something wrong?" Marinette questioned, immediately noticing Chloe's awkward expression. "I don't think I've ever been called to meet someone in a public space so quickly. You almost had me worried."
Chloe scoffed, playfully rolling her eyes as she tapped her French manicured nails against the glass coffee shop table.
"Yeah, I'm not in any danger if that's what you're worried about." Chloe's voice trailed off and for a shocking moment, Marinette was able to pinpoint a look of vulnerability.
There was a small blush that brewed against her skin, and Marinette couldn't help but to gawk.
There had to be something wrong if Chloe was willing to show Marinette this side of her.
"Then...what is it?" Marinette asked, almost worried about what it was that Chloe had urged her to come talk to her about. "You don't have to tell me if you don't feel comfortable. I understand not wanting to open up around people you haven't known for awhile."
Chloe folded her hands, lightly shaking her head as she pressed her lips together.
The blonde reached up, to tuck some hair behind her ears and the very postural Chloe, nearly slouched forward into the table.
"It's about Alya." She sighed, a grimace tugging on to her features as she looked down. "I...I don't really have friends, and this is all sort of new to me."
Marinette furrowed her brow, her heart squeezing into her chest at the mention of Alya's name. What was even more perplexing was the fact that Chloe mentioned she didn't have many friends.
She couldn't help but to wonder if it was just the lifestyle for the rich. This entire time she thought it would be different, that the rich would have many, many friends and all sorts of fancy things to make their lives even more lavish.
But from what she had experienced, neither Felix or Adrien had many friends growing up.
It made her feel guilty for jumping to such conclusions.
"I want to do something nice for her. Something nice for her and her baby." Chloe elucidated, fixing up her posture immediately.
Marinette blinked, her lips pursing as she cocked her head to the side.
"You mean like a baby shower?" The young woman mused, chuckling as Chloe nearly withered into her seat once more.
"I mean something." She sighed, pressing her feelings together sheepishly. "I know having a child doesn't stop someone from being an individual, but I guess I can understand why some people may feel that way." Chloe glanced down. "I know my mother must have felt that way. I suspected that there could have been a resentment towards me that led her to completely abandoning me and shutting me out."
Marinette frowned, her heart sinking into her stomach at Chloe's explanation. It was almost like the gears in her head began to turn and Marinette could finally understand why Chloe acted the way she did and why she showed dismissal towards her mother.
The last thing Marinette wanted to do was for Alya to feel that she wasn't her own person. She didn't want her to resent this baby or feel as if her life wasn't completed or was wasteful.
"I feel like maybe it would make her feel better about the situation. I understand that the pregnancy is a surprise but I thought we could turn that surprise into a good thing. We can make it fun." Chloe continued, her eyes moving up towards Marinette who was silently at war with herself. "This baby deserves to be loved. Alya does too. As I said before, I don't have many friends, so this is all new to me."
Marinette nodded, a grimace on her face as she couldn't help but to allow her mind to wander. She was worried.
It was almost as if Chloe's words set off a clock inside of her head. She was able to see a sequence of timelines inside of her head.
She certainly didn't want Alya's life cut short or put on hold. She didn't want Alya so miserable to the point of resentment, all because Marinette decided to steal her contraceptives. Alya deserved to live her life the way she wanted it to, the way she planned. Marinette was more than sure that both Alya and Nino had dreams they wanted to fulfill before they eventually settled down and decided to have children.
She certainly didn't want Alya to resent her child either. That child deserved to be loved.
If Marinette wouldn't have done what she did, perhaps things would have been different. She couldn't help but to feel that this was all her fault. This was something Marinette worried she wouldn't be able to bounce back from.
She ruined her friend's life, and possibly the future life of a child.
"Will you help me? I figured it would be a nice gesture to plan a little getaway after this baby shower. We can show her that we will be here for her. She isn't alone." Chloe sighed, immediately interjecting Marinette's train wreck of a thought.
Marinette straightened up, pressing her lips together as she awkwardly ran her hand through her hair.
"Y-Yeah, I'd be more than happy to plan a baby shower for Alya with you." Marinette stammered, her heart squeezing inside of her chest. "And we'll remind her that we're here for both her and Nino."
Marinette glanced away, swallowing the lump in her throat as she came to the devastating realization that she had to confess to Alya what she had done.
Adrien sighed, his eyes glancing up towards the sky. The breeze was warm and the setting sun casted a golden light in his direction.
He remembered this place.
This place held many wonderful memories, but it also held the bad ones too. Adrien always came to this place to clear his head when it came to his father, the grief of his mom and most importantly, to spend time with Kagami when they were together.
They came to this park every year to watch the fireworks and enjoy their company together.
He couldn't understand how Kagami could bring someone else here, just so they both could violate his trust in one of the worst ways possible. Adrien couldn't wrap his mind around the concept that his girlfriend of four years could cheat on him for so long in an area where they spent the most time together without even feeling an once of guilt or think about him in the slightest.
It was true that he brought Marinette here and by the cruel twist of fate they had both caught Kagami and Luka. It was both hurtful and humiliating. His intentions with Marinette when he brought her here was completely opposite of Kagami's intentions when she brought Luka here, and even then, he kept Kagami in thought the entire time all the while hurting Marinette when she kept her feelings for him to herself.
Kagami ruined this place for it. It now only plagued him with horrible memories. He still couldn't get that image of her out of his head.
"You actually came." A soft voice suddenly emanated from behind him, immediately interjecting his train of thought. "I didn't think you were actually paying attention to my voicemails."
Adrien jumped at the sudden sound, his heart squeezing painfully in his chest at the sound of Kagami's voice.
While it was true, Adrien had been avoiding his ex-girlfriend like the black plague since he had last seen her and talked about whether or not continuing his relationship with her, he had realised that Marinette was right.
She was his new light now, and even though he had spent so much time with Kagami, that part of his life was over now. He was pushing his mid twenties, and he couldn't afford to waste anymore time on someone he didn't trust, especially because he had already found someone he connected with.
Someone who put him first before herself, something that Kagami never did for him.
Adrien was always the one to put others before him, that went the same for his father when he cooperated with the marriage in the first place so that his father could attain relics to keep the memory of his mother alive.
He often put Kagami before himself. He put up with her jealousy, her sexual advances and the insults she hurled towards Marinette when he had married her. He always made excuses for her, tried to find time to spend with her and she always blew him off.
It didn't make sense to him as to why she could never spend time with him until he discovered what she had been up to behind his back.
And yet, he continued to put her first, even until now when he considered giving her another chance at friendship or any sort of relationship to calm her feelings and her ego. He couldn't do that anymore.
He was going to put himself first and Marinette as well.
It was a first that anyone put him before themselves, and Marinette certainly was a nice change of pace. He couldn't afford to lose her either, not after everything they've been through together and not after everything they've shared.
He genuinely had feelings for Marinette, and he felt great about them. He wanted to explore those feelings and he was more than willing to explore things with Marinette as well.
Nino was absolutely right. It didn't matter how long her knew someone, he couldn't deny a connection when he felt one, and there was something a strong connection with Marinette.
"Y-Yeah." Adrien murmured, his stomach growing tight as he turned around to face her. "I thought I kind of owed you some sort of response to our conversation the last time we talked.
Adrien felt a little odd in her visage. Indeed she did look cute in her black tank top and her khaki shorts, but he couldn't help but to wonder if she paired his black collared shirt and his khaki shorts on purpose.
It brought back fond memories of how adorable she used to be when she tried to match with him. But it also felt bitter.
Kagami smiled at him, scrunching up her freckled nose as she squinted through the glow of the sun.
"You know, I miss you. I miss the times we spent here together during the night. I loved how we watched the fireworks, had cute little picnics and kissed under the moonlight." Kagami sighed, sliding her hands into her pockets as she looked down into the grass beneath them. She twisted her white tennis shoes awkwardly into the ground as the air became silent between them once more.
Adrien get his face impassive, only watching her as he could recall the sweet times they both shared together, but it only made him feel more and more bitter. Despite her giving an excuse for her infidelity, it didn't feel like it was enough. She was willing to throw everything away. All those moments just felt like a huge lie, especially now knowing that she was seeing Luka the entire time.
"It would mean a lot to me..." Kagami continued, her lips parting as she tried to steady her breathing. "If we could talk about this. I know I fucked up, and I would give anything to take back everything I did so we could go back to how everything was. I just need you to hear me out."
Adrien remained silently, his eyes touching hers as she pleaded with him. The breeze blew through the both of them and despite already behind at the top of the hill, merely inches away where he had discovered Kagami wrapped around Luka, Adrien was willing to hurl himself off the hill just to avoid this conversation with her, but he couldn't help but to indulge himself.
"I'm here, aren't I?" Adrien mused, perking a brow before he turned around and began to move towards the infamous tree. "So let's talk."
Kagami watched with a grimace as Adrien took a seat into the grass right at the root of the large tree in the center.
Adrien glanced up at her, his face remaining completely blank as he patted the space beside him.
"Have a seat."
Kagami shivered at his monotone. She reached up and rubbed her elbow awkwardly. She had been all bark throughout their entire relationship. She was known as the independent and blunt woman, but now, she couldn't help but to feel so small. Kagami had always been used to keeping Adrien in the palm of her hand, and now it feel like he had towered over her. She didn't quite like how it felt.
"I won't sit by you, if you aren't going to listen or if you're planning on being rude." Kagami muttered, keeping her eyes on him as the breeze began to blow through her short hair.
Adrien sighed, shaking his head as he finally looked away from her.
"I didn't come here to be cruel to you. I'm giving you the opportunity to speak, and I'm going to be honest with you. We both didn't come here to waste anymore time."
Kagami remained silent, her chest growing tight as she couldn't quite accept the fact that Adrien was only growing more and more distant from her.
"I want you to think about the great times we've had together." Kagami replied timidly. "I know I messed up, I made a mistake but I've learned from it. I get it that I hurt you, but I need to you give me another chance. We had more good times than bad times, Adrien. I know you may think otherwise but I'm not throwing this away because I was stupid, I just need you to work with me."
Adrien pressed his lips together.
All he had been thinking about were the times he spent together, but he couldn't look at those memories fondly. Every time he thought about it, it made him sick to his stomach.
Nothing she could ever do for him here on out would ever make him feel warm or reflect on it fondly.
"I can't reflect on those memories fondly, Kagami." Adrien deadpanned, relaxing into the bark of the tree as he crossed his arms. "They make me sick. It makes me anxious to know you've been playing me this whole time."
Kagami frowned, glancing down into the grass as her heart ached in her chest.
"Adrien I'm sorry, I just...please let me make it up to you. Just give me another chance. I promise to you I'll change." Kagami pleaded softly, her brown eyes moving up towards Adrien as he rolled his shoulders and stood up.
There was a sour taste in his mouth, and Adrien had started to regret ever coming out to the park to meet with her. Perhaps a phone could would have done better, but Adrien couldn't help but to feel angry at the situation.
"That's why I'm here." Adrien rasped, swiping at his shorts as Kagami kept her distance. He knew how obdurate she was, and he wasn't going to beg her to be closer to him just for casual conversation. "I can't give you another chance. Trust isn't something you gain overnight. You didn't give our relationship a chance. You cheated on me only after two weeks of dating. You were lying to me this whole time."
Kagami widened her eyes, tears pooling at the edges of them as Adrien wouldn't even look her in the face. She knew Adrien was hurt about what she did, but she was sure he would have given her a second chance to be together. He had never rejected her in their entire time of dating and lately all it ever felt like to her was that he had only ever did just that.
Hell, she was so close to taking his virginity, there were many subtle intimate moments together. How could he just forget about all of that?
"Adrien, please don't do this." Kagami pleaded, taking a single step forward. Her heart nearly shattered as Adrien stubbornly took a step back, forcing distance between them and making her regret not taking the opportunity to be closer to him when he offered it to her. "I know you see me as some monster who didn't care, but at least give me a chance to start over. We can be friends and work our way up, I promise you won't regret this. You will see that I've changed. I will always choose you over anything and everything."
Adrien shook his head, his eyes moving up towards her face.
"You didn't just ruin the way that I saw you. You ruined the way that I saw myself as well. I felt like I was inadequate, that this was somehow my fault. I felt flawed, I felt lowly, I felt ashamed. It was like I had shared my life, my memories, my body with a complete stranger. I felt embarrassed, I felt stupid, I felt robbed. You changed the way I looked at myself because you couldn't be honest with me."
Kagami froze, her heart racing within her chest as she almost felt like she was about to throw up. Tears began to roll down her cheeks, but she couldn't let it go. She couldn't lose him.
"Adrien, I'm so sorry. Please..." she begged. "Just give me a chance to-"
"I need to go." Adrien interjected, sliding his hands into his pockets. He lifted his eyes towards her, keeping his face completely impassive. "Thanks for this talk, I'm glad we finally had an honest talk after four years of nothing. I don't think I have anymore time to waste. I have a little bug at home waiting for me."
Kagami clutched onto her chest ignoring his little insect collection remark as she had no idea what he meant by that, nor did she care. All she could comprehend was that he was leaving. She couldn't accept that.
"Adrien, please just...stay. Don't leave me." She breathed, her voice dropping lower than a whisper as she could only see Adrien turn his back to her.
Her vision grew blurry as she was blinded by her tears. Her mind clouded with depravity as Adrien didn't look back, he left her on the hill to grieve her mistake by herself.
She clenched her jaw, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. She knew Adrien was resentful towards her, but she also knew that she couldn't lose him.
It went without saying that she'd do everything in her power to keep him in her life, whether he realised it or not.
