OnlyHere4Puckabrina: Yes! Those messages were fun to write.

Apostrophe: Thank you! I'm glad you think the conversations flow well. You're right, they are never premeditated. I write them in the moment and flow of the story.

ivysharonivysharon : I actually am working on a one shot, but it does have the miraculous. It's actually a spin off of this story. Same beginning: very different story. I can't wait to post it for you guys! What kind of non miraculous one shot should I try?

katieykat: Me either. Alya for the win!

mareed0389: Thanks for joining me in this adventure! and...you think my writing is captivating? Wow that's amazing. Thank you so much!

8/8/18

Chapter 27: Afraid

"Isabella!" a woman's voice shouted. "It's almost dinnertime. You need to eat with the family tonight."

A lanky girl with long dark hair and tired brown eyes spun around in her chair, looking to make sure that the locks were firmly fastened on her bedroom door. Every evening that wretched woman tried to make her come downstairs, and if there was anything she hated more than Marinette or even Ladybug, it was spending time with family. However, today, in particular, Isabella's mood was extremely foul. Her plan had gone astray, and now she had to figure something else out.

"I'm not hungry," she sharply replied, making sure her voice could clearly be heard without opening the door. "And I told you, my name is Izzy! Quit calling me Isabella!"

Frustrated, the teenage girl stood from her chair, stomping across the darkened room. She leaned her head against her wall, and placed her hand on one of her posters. Her lips were tight with frustration and her heart ached. Even still, she knew it wasn't time to give up. Good things couldn't come unless you worked for them. And he was the only good thing she'd needed for a long time now.

"Soon, my prince," Izzy cooed, "you will be all mine."

She leaned forward, pressing her lips against a picture of a blonde model posted on the wall.

"I may have failed you today," she continued, stroking yet a different picture of a young boy in a black suit - his face covered in a mask. "But I promise you that I won't mess it up next time."

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, making her roll her eyes. She hated trying to pretend like she had friends. In the past, every time she thought she had made a friend, they would always end up stabbing her in the back: practical jokes, making her the laughing stock of the school, cyberbullying - nothing was new. Everybody tried to control her - no matter how hard she tried. Nothing Izzy ever did mattered; others always chose her place in life.

No one, besides Adrien, would ever make her happy by being by her side. She knew, from years of observation, that Adrien could never betray someone he was close to, no matter how much that person screwed up. Heck, he had forgiven his own father for being Hawkmoth for crying out loud. Once she managed to build a relationship with Adrien, he would be hers for eternity.

"Hello," she chipperly greeted the person on the phone, internally gagging at the disgustingly cute tone of her own voice.

"Izzy, my dear," the voice on the other end replied. "I hate to be calling you this late, but do you think you could cover my shift tonight? I forgot I had promised to eat dinner with Sabrina's parents. They would be devastated if I couldn't make it."

Izzy internally groaned. "Chloe!" she fakely responded with cheer. "I would be glad to help. What time was your shift supposed to start?"

"6:30," Chloe hastily responded. "Izzy, you really are the best! Thank you!"

"I know I am! Just make sure you enjoy that dinner. Goodbye."

Izzy sighed in relief as the phone call went dead. Trying to stay in Chloe's good graces was beginning to wear her thin. But Izzy needed to keep Chloe happy: she was the perfect source of information on everything Adrien. In fact, that was the only reason why she had taken this tireless job of being a barista - the things she had learned from Chloe had been invaluable thus far. Everything would have been perfect if it weren't for that pestering Marinette. That insufferable girl messed up all her plans of helping Chloe reconnect with her old friend, Adrien. She was supposed to be with Chloe every step of the way, and then she herself would have gotten close to Adrien due to her help in reconnecting the old friends. But it happened without her, and in the meantime, Adrien had even managed to pick up a disgustingly ordinary girlfriend.

And if Izzy knew one thing about Adrien, it was he would never, under any circumstances leave Marinette. Izzy knew what she had to do. Marinette needed to be forcibly removed from the equation.

Fine. She had thought, once she had seen them together that fateful day. I guess I am going to have to go with plan B. I will take the power to control my own life, first. Then I'll create my happy ending with Adrien. I will be the one there to pick up the pieces as he grieves his late girlfriend.

And plan B had thus far been an overwhelming success. Learning when Adrien would be away from his home was a piece of cake, and sneaking in through his unlocked window had been even easier. It took her less than five minutes to discover what she had been looking for and even less for her to make her escape.

Now that this long awaited power was resting within her hands, Izzy would stop at nothing to make sure that each and every one of her goals was a success.

This morning had gone perfectly, well besides the fact that she had failed to kill Marinette. That stupid Bridgette girl, one of her past so called 'friends,' had ended up right in jail. Having her steal that car had been the perfect plan. So what if the useless girl failed in her goal? She ended up facing the punishment she so rightfully deserved.

Once Izzy no longer needed Chloe, she would meet a similar end, but until that moment arrived, Izzy had no choice but to continue on pretending to be her friend. Besides, there were plenty of other despicable opponents who Izzy could devastate until then - it's amazing how many traitorous witches a girl could meet in only sixteen years of existence.

"That Marinette doesn't stand a chance," Izzy spoke to a small lavender colored creature sitting on her bed. "She's going to regret standing in the way of all my carefully crafted plans."

"Champagne, Monsieur Agreste?"

Adrien's eyes focused on the waiter in front of him, dressed in a black tuxedo and white apron, a tray of bubbling champagne perched in his right hand. If he hadn't said anything, Adrien never even would have noticed the man - his eyes had been scanning the crowd for Marinette.

An entire four days had passed since Adrien had discovered Marinette's secret. And speaking with her since then had been a rarity that Adrien could no longer stand.

That first evening together had been brutal; both of them could hardly form a proper sentence, stuttering and spluttering every other word, and avoiding almost every glance accidentally poised in the other's direction.

But as soon as Marinette left his house, Ladybug infiltrated his phone with a stream of messages.

So, that's how this is? He had thought as he eagerly responded to her texts. So she has no problem with speaking to Chat Noir? But can't get a sentence out near Adrien?

Well. He had conceded. It's not as if she was completely at fault. We were both acting ridiculous.

When Adrien saw Marinette the next morning, he had hoped things would be back to normal - heck they had stayed up way past midnight texting - but sure enough, as soon as he waved at her from a distance, she merely smiled and turned away, leaving Adrien completely dejected.

Of course the pair furtively kept in contact the entire day as Ladybug and Chat, but it was abundantly clear Marinette had been avoiding Adrien, even if she did have the excuse of having to finish her designs for the charity event that weekend.

Adrien wished he knew how break the awkwardness between them, but figured giving her some more time to think would be the best solution. Besides, it wasn't as if he had completely figured things out himself; distance would be good for them both - at least until he could learn to settle his emotions.

Besides, on top of everything, there was still the issue of the stolen miraculous. He was nowhere closer to finding the culprit with no ideas as to who it could've been, except for a terrifying thought that his dad might've gone back to trying to save his mom. But Adrien didn't really think that was the answer - it had to be someone else. How on earth was he supposed to bring this up to Ladybug?

Wednesday had started with a bang - both literally and figuratively. Adrien had just gotten out of his car, enjoying the scent of the freshly cut grass and looking forward to what the day had to offer him, when he saw a young woman lose control of her bike and crash into an unstable structure of scaffolding. He had already started sprinting towards the scene when he saw the frame lose its balance, toppling over, heading straight towards Marinette. With a cat-like speed, Adrien crashed into Marinette, somehow managing to knock her out of the way, miraculously holding on to her while maintaining his balance.

He stood with Marinette held firmly within his arms, heart pounding, adrenaline flowing, surges of electricity bolting through his body - a sensation in the like he had never experienced before. It was the closest he and Marinette had been since before they had discovered each other's identities, and the contact was excitingly jolting, yet somehow comfortingly warming.

Adrien couldn't revel in this pleasant feeling. For the second time in three days, Marinette had nearly been met with disaster.

After the pair managed to calm down, Marinette once again swiftly retreated without saying anything - except that she needed to get back to work and she wouldn't be available any evenings until after the event on Friday.

Knowing there was nothing he could do to get closer to Marinette, Adrien resolved to leave her alone until Saturday - a decision which had him nearly dying inside: all he wanted was to get closer to his lady. This week had given him the opposite - sure, the two had kept up their playful banter through messaging - but he wanted more.

Speaking to Ladybug was one thing, but it was Marinette he was desperately missing. Ever since she had discovered he was Chat, Marinette had closed that part of herself off. Adrien didn't know if she had done this out of fear, shyness, or even just because she really was that busy, but he knew one thing: he loved this girl with all his being and he couldn't stand only being allowed to speak with one side of her identity. He wanted her all, but he was only being offered a small piece of her.

Regardless of how he felt, Adrien had stuck perfectly to his plan. He would have made it, if it hadn't been for the incident that happened just a few hours before this evening's auction.

His father had chosen to let his employees go home early in order to prepare themselves for the evening events. Adrien had somehow gone the entire morning without seeing Marinette, and was delighted to catch sight of her just a few meters ahead, as she was exiting the building.

A small summer storm had just finished, leaving puddles in the parking lot and small bits of debris scattered on the ground. Adrien found it cute how Marinette hopped around, avoiding as much water as she could. A large grin spread across his face as he noticed the giant puddle surrounding her car. He had been looking forward to seeing how she would avoid getting wet, that was until he noticed something black in the background.

Is that a powerline hanging? He instantly thought to himself, walking to the side to get a better view.

And sure enough, there it was. A broken powerline, somehow severed perfectly in two, dangling in a giant puddle of water that just so happened to be -

"Marinette! STOP!" He had screamed, just before she took that final step. The step that would have filled her entire body with electricity, giving her an excruciatingly painful death.

Adrien knew at once these 'accidents' weren't random. It took everything within him to keep himself from blowing up with rage. But he had to stay composed: he had to get Marinette home safely.

He drove without hardly saying a word - his mind buzzing as he tried to process the situation.

Someone was after Marinette.

Someone was trying to hurt his lady.

Why now?

Who would want to harm her?

Was there anything that had happened that might give him some kind of hint? Something he was missing?

Missing…

The miraculous!

It had been stolen just two days before the first attack.

Could the two events be related? Did these attacks have something to do with the stolen item? Surely Hawkmoth could control people's actions, but could they really be manipulated without creating a devastatingly obvious akuma?

When he finally arrived at the bakery, Marinette thanked him for the ride, telling him Alya would drive her to the auction that evening.

And now, here Adrien was, desperately searching through the crowd, looking for any signs of Marinette. He had to speak with her - he had to tell Marinette about the missing miraculous. Even if that meant owning up to everything: including the disgraceful truth about his father's past.

The waiter extended the tray closer to Adrien, obviously either waiting for an answer or for the model to just hurry up and grab a drink. Adrien snapped to attention at the gesture.

"Oh, sorry Phillip," Adrien read the name from the waiter's name tag. "Thanks for offering, but I think I will skip out on drinking for tonight."

The waiter simply nodded as he hurried off to other guests.

Immediately, Adrien went back to his searching - a task which he thought might take all evening. The auction was being held in the large ballroom of Le Grand Paris - a beautiful room with red floral walls, lavishly designed brown and white tile flooring, and large windows all around. Crowds of people were closely gathered, making it hard to find anyone, let alone someone so small and petite.

He moved over to the spiral staircase which wrapped around a beautiful glass elevator. Adrien casually ascended a few of the stairs, scanning the crowd to see any sign of Marinette. Off near the catwalk, he could see a group of people gathered around his father, but not of them was Adrien's bluenette.

Adrien cleared his throat, wishing a waiter would come by with water instead of the usual alcoholic drinks. His mouth was dry and his palms were already sweating.

What if she doesn't want to come with me? He worried - imagining Marinette enjoying all the festivities. Speaking with Marinette in the middle of a big event like this was not the smartest of plans, but Adrien didn't want to take any chances. If someone truly was after Marinette, then there was a great chance that person might attack this evening. A large crowd would be the perfect place to blend in - to cause something terrible to happen while being able to quickly flee.

No. Adrien couldn't allow that to happen. Not at least without properly warning Marinette. She needed to be ready to protect herself, to be vigilant, and not so trusting of everybody. He left the stairs, heading back towards the entrance. If she wasn't already here, then it would be easier to find her as she was walking in.

()

"Marinette, why are you so nervous? You look amazing!"

Sporting a red, long sleeved, backless dress, Marinette would surely be the talk of the evening. Opting for a slightly more casual look, she kept her hair down, while donning a black pair of ballet flats.

Marinette glanced over at her eager reporter friend, with her camera strapped around her neck, hips swaying as the two girls walked through the main lobby of the hotel. Alya was wearing a shimmering gold cocktail dress: it was sleeveless with a thin golden belt around the waist. Her hair was pulled back in a messy looking bun, which only Alya could pull off as amazing.

This was this first time Alya had been invited to one of these events, and Marinette was thankful her best friend was with her this particular evening. It wasn't as if she could easily face Adrien, not with how she had been acting.

Truthfully, she was quite embarrassed with her behavior: the distance she stupidly created was cowardly. Avoiding him wouldn't change the fact he was Chat, and being nervous around him was silly. He was still Adrien - that man she loved - and her actions were doing nothing but hurting them both.

Knowing she was acting foolish was one thing. But the thought of actually facing Adrien, talking to him while knowing he is Chat was something else entirely. She couldn't get a single sentence out around him; it was like high school Marinette had taken over her body. Having Alya around would be a perfect distraction! She could even speak for Marinette like the old days if it came down to it. This would be easy. Marinette didn't need to worry.

"Uh," Marinette faltered. She should be honest with Alya; at least about her her fears - not involving the Adrien related ones, of course. "I'm not worried about how I look Alya, I'm just nervous at seeing my designs being shown to the world. This is the first time M. Agreste has chosen to put my work on the runway. And not only that, but they are being auctioned off as one of a kind pieces right away."

Marinette stopped, body rigid, as she stared at the ballroom's main entrance. "What if the people don't like them? What if no one bids? I will be the laughing stock of the fashion industry, and M. Agreste would have no choice but to fire me!"

Alya turned to face her best friend, hands immediately flying to Marinette's shoulders. "Girl, you have got to get a grip," Alya demanded. "Your work is going to be the best stuff out there! Believe me. I've seen it. You are going to be making The Miracle Foundation a lot of money."

"Now let's get in there!" Alya shouted, shoving Marinette through the doors and straight into the arms of -

"Adrien!" Alya happily greeted as Adrien stumbled backwards, trying to regain both his and Marinette's balance. "I didn't think Marinette would run into you so soon. But now that it's happened, I must say you two do make an adorable pair. Say cheese!"

FLASH!

The shutter of Alya's camera took off in a flurry, capturing Marinette and Adrien in a myriad of awkward poses. First, there were the pictures where the two clung together for dear life to keep from falling, leading into the pictures as they straightened up - these were the best by far - eventually ending in the ones where Marinette desperately lunged at Alya with a distraught looking Adrien standing in the background.

"Cut it out, Alya!" Marinette seethed through her teeth, trying to keep herself from shouting. "This is a prestigious event. Please stop trying to make a spectacle out of my relationship with Adrien."

Alya giggled, then poised herself as she spoke using her most professional sounding voice, "You're the one causing a scene, Marinette. I was just trying to get a picture of M. Agreste's most promising rising designer and his son who has just recently returned to the modeling scene. Now, if you two don't mind, act like you like each other and smile for the camera."

Marinette pouted as Adrien walked back up to her side. She hated losing to Alya, but she knew she had no choice but to comply. Alya's logic was sound, and Marinette knew the overvalient reporter would stop at nothing until she got the picture she wanted.

After several moments without Alya snapping a single picture, the giddy reporter finally lowered her camera. "Is this it?" she frowned. "What part of act like you like each other did you not hear? Geeze, you two look like a couple of cooty fearing high schoolers being forced to dance together. Just look at yourselves! You're standing a foot apart and as straight as sticks!"

Alya walked towards the now blushing couple, placing her hands on each of their outside shoulders, pushing them towards each other as she continuously spoke. "I can't believe we are back in the same ballroom, and I am still having to push you two closer together."

Alya moved towards Adrien, placing his hands in the pockets of his jeans, while unbuttoning the top two buttons of his grey polo and making sure the lapels of his white, casually opened, jacket lay flat.

"You two looked so cute dancing together," Alya rambled on. "I could have strangled Chloe for switching the music and then akumatising her own butler."

Pleased with Adrien's position, Alya turned her focus to Marinette, placing her slightly behind Adrien with one arm propped on his shoulder and the other resting on her hip. Marinette's pulse quickened at her closeness with Adrien and the memory of their first dance. It had felt so natural being with him, and now she finally knew the reason why she had felt such ease near him.

"That was the first chance you two even remotely got to do something romantic together," Alya huffed, "and Chloe ruined your dance! Oh, bend your knee Marinette. This looks perfect."

Pleased with her work, Alya took a few step backs, placing her camera in front of her eye.

"Okay, smile Marinette. Adrien, I want you to do a closed lip grin. You two are a super fashion team, alright!"

Alya furiously snapped her camera, then smiled a large, toothy grin as she pulled the camera away. "Thanks, you two," Alya said, scanning through the screen on her camera. "These turned out perfectly. I can just about guarantee this will be my favorite shot of the night." Alya turned her camera off, letting it once again rest against her chest. "Now, I wish I could stay and chat, but duty calls." She turned on her heels, taking a step while looking over her shoulder, saying, "I'll catch up with you later, Marinette."

Marinette dropped her arms, allowing them to hang limply by her side. Alya wasn't supposed to ditch her. What was she supposed to do now that she was alone with Adrien?

"You know," Adrien casually started, stepping around to face Marinette, his hands still in his pockets, "I'm pretty bummed we never got to finish that dance. I guess I will just have to make it up to you, later."

Adrien's face sunk to the ground, an air on sadness about him made Marinette's heart clench. Was he really this sad about missing out on the rest of that dance? Or was there something else that had been upsetting him?

"I know you have been very busy," he looked up at her with big kitty-cat eyes, "and that now isn't a great time, but I need you listen to me. Please don't give me any excuses and come with me for a few minutes. I wouldn't ask this of you if it wasn't extremely important."

Marinette's throat cinched tight as she simply nodded in reply. He was upset because of her. She was the one who had been avoiding him, and even though she knew her actions might have been hurting Adrien, she never thought he would question her willingness to actually come with him. But who was she kidding? It wasn't as if she had ever truly confessed - not to the extent, and with the depth of emotion she should. If the roles had been reversed, and Adrien had been the one avoiding her, she'd be a total wreck. Even though she had been talking to him constantly as Chat, Adrien didn't know that.

Marinette felt sick to her stomach. She needed to talk to Adrien about this: she needed to apologize.

"Adrien, I-"

"Then let's go," Adrien abruptly grabbed her hand, pulling her with him as he began to walk. "I've kept this from you long enough," he whispered, just loud enough for only her to hear.

Marinette barely registered being dragged through a crowd, passing serious faces, plates of hor devours, and the occasional few who tried to acknowledge her and Adrien's presence. Her pulse thrummed deafeningly in her ears - stomach knotted and churning.

Why now?

She chanted repeatedly inside her head.

Is he seriously going to tell me he is Chat?

The doors to the kitchen swung open, and Adrien lead her inside. Marinette gulped as she realized no one else was around. This was their moment, and no matter how scared or nervous she was, there was nowhere to hide.

Adrien swiftly turned to face her, causing her breath to hitch. And as Marinette stood, her hand still held in Adrien's grasp, she knew this most likely would be their last moment together as simply Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste.