Adrien felt bad, Marinette had spent so long on her dress and it was beautiful but the accessories that she'd paired with it weren't right. She was wearing butterflies, no one wore those here in Paris thanks to HawkMoth!
All her friends had told her to take them off and she'd refused. He'd even asked her and she'd looked so sad and disappointed with him. It wasn't his fault she'd decided to do something others considered taboo! He'd only wanted to help her before everyone else turned on her and for her to lose all her friends because of one mistake!
She'd gone to the balcony, maybe he should go talk to her? It had been quite a while since she'd gone and he worried about her. Sometimes she seemed so strong and others fragile like glass, it always threw him off how strong she could be, just like Ladybug. Though his lady was far more spirited and beautiful...Now if he could only tell her how much he adored and loved her!
Adrien blinked and hid behind a wall, his father was with Marinette already. Had his father noticed how upset she was and gone to help her when none of her friends had? He couldn't hear what they were saying but Marinette had a smile so big on her face and his father! His father had a smile on his face too and that was so rare. Less than it had been before Marinette had started coming over and chatting with him.
His jaw dropped as his father dropped a kiss onto Marinette's palm, just like he had done for Adrien's mother...It didn't mean the same thing how could it? Marinette was his age not his father's and besides Nathalie and his father were flirting, there was no way Marinette even remotely liked... But, she had been turning red and he had assumed because she admired his father. What if it hadn't been admiration, what if it had been a crush?
Then what was his father doing? It looked like they were sharing a moment, it looked like his father was flirting with his best friend! There was no way that was what was happening, it was weird and wrong! They laughed and his father walked back into the ballroom, Marinette went to lean against the railing and look down at the city. She looked beautiful in the moonlight and while he felt like she'd made a wrong choice, maybe he should have been nicer about it.
"Marinette?" She turned her soft smile sliding off of her face, it wasn't his fault that she had to go and do something so odd! Everyone hated Hawkmoth and so they no longer wanted the image of butterflies, after all, think of all the people who were Akumatized? Didn't they get a say, after all the only thing they remembered was the butterfly coming to them? So of course they wouldn't want to see butterflies at all. Was that really so bad, to make others comfortable?
"Hi." She turned back to the city and he leaned against the railing with her. They sat there for a moment, letting the lights soothe them. The wind made her earrings tinkle together, if it wasn't for their form he would have thought they sounded pretty.
"Why would you wear his symbol to something like this? You knew a lot of the people here had been Akumatized and would be unhappy at the sight." She was frowning, but she'd made the choice to ignore everyone else's pain and that just seemed so unlike her.
"It's weird, you know? How everyone hates him but none of us know him, why is he doing the things he is? Why does he want more Miraculous? Clearly, there's a reason and honestly, I want to ask him if it was worth it?" A reason? Sure there was a reason.
"He's a villain, he wants more power." She looked at him, and there was something so sad about seeing her eyes so wet.
"Why does he want power? What motivates him? Is he really a villain or is there a reason he's acting like one? We really don't know do we, and yet people still judge. I know what he's done is inexcusable no matter what his reasons were but, to just make him a monster without acknowledging that he is also a human being who makes mistakes, who can be manipulated…"
Marinette sighed, shoulders slumping as she leaned against the railing. "I think that makes it sad. I disliked Chloé but she's not actually a bad person, I don't understand half the things she does and I doubt she does either, to be honest. She bullied others but she also became queen bee so how villainous could she be if she can be a hero too?"
Chloe was different! She wasn't causing city-wide chaos! But. Marinette had certainly grown up even more than he'd thought to recognize that Chloe wasn't a bad person.
"Let's be honest Adrien if Ladybug seems willing to forgive but not forget what Hawkmoth has done then why shouldn't I? If Ladybug seems to want to convince Chat Noir to stop attacking and just accept that some people can be saved from darkness then why shouldn't I attempt to as well?"
He didn't know. Ladybug had seemed like she wanted to reason with Hawkmoth and honestly, he was at a loss as to why she'd want that. Hawkmoth had hurt her, had used people to hurt Ladybug and it bothered him, that's why he wouldn't forgive or forget what Hawkmoth had done.
"I don't think it's that easy though." Marinette let out a breath, eyes looking to the ground so far below.
"I understand that it might be hard to grasp, but I think that eventually, you'll understand and I just have to wait for that moment," Marinette murmured and Adrien didn't know why she thought he'd understand something so foreign, he hated Hawkmoth for the people he'd hurt, hated that the city had to cower before a madman.
"You'll be waiting a long time because Hawkmoth really is a villain and there is no redemption for someone who doesn't care who he hurts." Marinette frowned at him but it was the truth, how could she even think there was any good left in Hawkmoth?
