Day 19

Marinette woke up feeling terrible. She was exhausted and felt sick to her stomach. Adrien was angry. Angry with her. And that hurt more than she could have ever realized.

"Marinette," Tikki said, coming to rest on her shoulder.

"What is it, Tikki?" Marinette asked in a hoarse whisper.

"I think you should call out today."

"I can't," Marinette argued. "I run the business. I have to be there."

"Marinette," Tikki said, her voice kind yet firm. "You have been working yourself into the ground lately. Seven days a week, you're gone and you haven't had a vacation in a long time."

"Because they need me."

Tikki floated down in front of Marinette's face. "No, they don't," Tikki said. "Not today."

"I don't have a choice, Tikki."

"Yes, you do," Tikki said. "You have worked so hard this last year trying to keep the company afloat. It may not be as strong as it was before, but you are running it well. People want to see what sort of designs come from Marinette. And Alya was an incredible help when it came to managing all the public relations stuff. Now, your company is thriving, but you're working hours upon hours a day micromanaging everything."

"What am I supposed to do, Tikki?" Marinette argued. "Everything is still so fragile."

"Not as fragile as you think."

The two were silent for a moment.

"So, you're saying I should call off today?

Tikki nodded. "You should. For your sake and sanity."

"Who do I get to cover?"

"No one," Tikki said. "If you need to, you can text the designers to ask if they need anything, but they're in the middle of designing the new line. The manager of the photoshoots has everything covered already, and you're just waiting for that day to arrive. The investors can wait another day if they have an issue, which they shouldn't considering the company is finally on a solid upswing. There is nothing you need to handle today, Marinette. It's all in your head."

Marinette was silent for a long minute. "Do you think I'm a workaholic, Tikki?" she asked. "Am I really like Gabriel?"

The smile Tikki gave her confirmed everything. "Honestly, Marinette, kind of. In that matter only. You have let work consume you. I didn't like watching you go down that path. It was really sad, but you weren't ready to listen to me. And I know you well enough to know that if you don't want to listen, you aren't going to listen."

The tears were pressing against her eyes. All Marinette needed was the final straw to break those dams open.

"I know that Hawkmoth's defeat was hard," Tikki said. "I know it took its toll on you and Adrien watching the man you called family destroy the city. I know that both of you found coping mechanisms to deal with the pain."

Marinette bit her quivering lip.

"I'm not agreeing with the way Adrien spoke to you last night," Tikki continued. "But he's hurting, too. Plagg and I have watched both you and Adrien cope in unhealthy ways that led your marriage to where it is now. And neither of you were ready to face that fact."

Just like that, the dams burst. Marinette spent the next five minutes sobbing into her pillow.

"I don't know what to do!" she cried, tear trails staining her cheeks, eyes red and hurting. "I mean… it was Gabriel. My father-in-law. Tikki, he was training me. He wanted me to take over the company." She paused to let a few hysteric sobs loose. "It was Gabriel," she repeated. "Adrien's dad. Adrien's dad who never let him do anything and manipulated Adrien every which way and how dare that… that… that bastard!"

Marinette's head fell back into the pillow as her entire body shook from sobs. "And he hurt people. He almost killed Adrien. He almost killed him! He was dying in my arms. I could have lost him and I can't take that!"

The ensuing tears were nothing short of hysterical. She couldn't stop. The pain in her heart was overwhelming as she scream-sobbed into her pillow, soaking it with tears.

Marinette became vaguely aware of Tikki resting in her hair, patting her head and shushing her quietly.

But she couldn't calm until she cried herself out.

"Marinette," Tikki said, not leaving her head. "When I issued the Love Dare, it was meant to do two things. One is obviously to redeem a crumbling marriage. But the second is to force you to examine yourself. You and Adrien are both so broken and hurt but each of you tried to pretend you were fine. It's not a surprise your marriage fell by the wayside."

"I never meant it to, Tikki," Marinette said, wiping away the tear trails on her cheeks. "I never meant to."

"Oh, Marinette, I know," Tikki warmly assured. "I know full well that neither you nor Adrien meant to let this happen. It was neither of your intentions. But now you're here, and you two have to come together to fix it."

Marinette took a long moment to let those words sink in.

"So, I'm not going to make you get your journal out right now. I just want you to listen to today's dare."

After several straying breaths, Marinette was able to answer. "Okay."

"Today's dare is to look back over all the dares you've already done, and I want you to see if there were any that you weren't able to fulfill or complete to the best of your ability, then do them." Tikki flew out of Marinette's hair and settled in her eyesight on the pillow. "Marinette, I think today's dare should be focused on redoing day eleven: love cherishes."

Marinette sniffed, wiping her nose on the soiled pillowcase. "What dare was that again?"

"Meet one of Adrien's needs," Tikki gently reminded. "And he told you very clearly last night what his need was."

Marinette sniffed again. "Um…" she shakily began, "He… he thought I wasn't ever there for him."

"What do you think about that? Do you think you have?"

Marinette paused, then shook her head. "No," she sniffled. "No, I haven't. I didn't even know he was invited to be on the national fencing team."

"So," Tikki began, "Today, I want you to start making some choices that will allow you to be here for him more often. Let you be home more."

For a long moment, Marinette just let those words settle in her head. "What do you suggest?" she asked, looking to Tikki.

The kwami gave her a smile. "I think that step number one would be hiring some people to take over Nathalie's position so that you have more time on your hands instead of having to do two jobs. Maybe today, your dare could be completed by writing up an ad and posting it. Or have Alya help you. I'm sure she'd be thrilled."

Marinette thought it over. Alya would be helpful, but there was someone else that suddenly came to mind who was, well, well-skilled in finding and hiring assistants. "Can you pass me my phone?" Marinette said. "I need to call Chloe."

"Adrien," Plagg began.

"What is it, Plagg?" he asked, laying on the couch after a long day at work. He was home alone. Again.

"We need to talk about last night."

Adrien's eyes narrowed at him. "What about last night?"

"Last night when Marinette made you a dinner but you yelled at her."

"Yelled at her?"

"Yes and if you deny it, I will cataclysm your sorry butt."

Adrien paused, mostly because he knew he couldn't answer. So, instead of saying a word, he crossed his arms and looked away.

"Kid," Plagg said, his voice kinder. "Isn't there anything in you that wants to save your marriage?"

Adrien's heart skipped a beat, causing his breath to hitch. "Why?"

"Because I remember a very ecstatic young man who cried at the alter after spending nearly five years pursuing a certain princess."

The memory came flooding back, the emotions coming with it. Soon, Adrien was biting his lip to restrain the tears.

"I remember a young man who very excitedly took his new wife house shopping, babbling nonstop how excited he was to start his life with her."

Adrien squeezed his eyes shut at the memory, trying to block it out.

"And I remember a young man who would use very ounce of energy caring for his ladybug, even if he was tired and hurting."

The sob escaped before Adrien could silence it.

"So," Plagg continued, patting Adrien's hair. "You tell me if you're prepared to throw all of that away."

It took a long moment for Adrien to shove down the tears, and when he spoke, he hoped beyond hope his voice was steady. "I'm not."

"Then why are you?"

"Because she's not home," he said. "She's never here."

"Then you need to tell her that that's hurting you. You can't yell at her."

Adrien choked, his heart overflowing and chest tight and eyes begging to release his tears.

"She's not your father, Adrien," Plagg said. "And you know it. She was the one you ran to when your father was being the ass he was. She was the one who let you cry and held you and fed you and sheltered you."

The tears slipped out, but he bit his lip. He had to hold it in.

"Kid," Plagg continued. "Stop holding it in and tell me what's bothering you."

Adrien opened his mouth to answer, but the only thing that escaped was a sob. Quickly, he covered his mouth and screwed his eyes shut just as the tears started up. And when Plagg started purring, it was over. The tears bubbled up and out before he could stop it.

"It was my father," Adrien choked out. "My father. He… he…"

"I know, kid," Plagg assured. "If he wasn't already dead, I'd cataclysm his pathetic butt and roll happily in his ashes. He hurt you. Manipulated you. He wasn't ever there for you. He used you for his own gain."

The tears pouring down his face made it hard to talk, so Adrien nodded fervently.

"He…" Adrien swallowed, managing to calm down for a minute. "He was Hawkmoth. He… he hurt people. He hurt Paris."

Adrien took a shaky breath, barely holding it together. "He hurt Marinette," he said, his voice weak. "That last battle, she was bleeding out. He held her at sword point. I couldn't protect her."

Adrien sniffed, the last ounce of his composure slipping. "He was going to kill her."

And that was it. Plagg simply sat in his hair, patting his head with his little paw and purring until Adrien broke down into unstoppable tears. He only stopped when he passed out.

"Tikki," Plagg said that night, "Adrien's broken down. I don't know if he's ready to immediately start The Love Dare, but he's ready to stop being so obstinate."

Tikki gasped in surprise. "That's fantastic!"

"Now it's just steering Adrien in the right direction. Give him a few days, and I'm sure he'll be ready to make a serious effort."

"And Marinette will be ready," Tikki assured. "She's hurt, but she's still open to reconciling with him. He's just going to work harder, now."

"But it's Adrien we're talking about," Plagg reminded. "When he's in—"

"He's all in," Tikki finished with a grin. "Now, I just hope he starts making his move soon."