Guys, I'm so sorry for making you wait. I'll explain more at the end of the chapter. Thanks!
Ladybug waited on the rooftop. Her heart was pounding like a drum, and she stood still as stone. On the Eiffel Tower, she'd been so ecstatic at the prospect of meeting Adrien. Now, she had no idea how to pull this off. Should she swing in through the window, or would that freak him out? Go through the main gates? But what if Mr. Agreste saw her? Now that would be a fun conversation. Oh, hi, Mr. Agreste. I'm here because I have a crush on your son and apparently he likes me, so I'm just going to walk into his room. Not creepy at all.
Yep, that would definitely not cause Mr. Agreste to call the police.
Ladybug tucked a strand of flyaway hair behind her ear. No, she would just have to go through his window. Taking a deep, steadying breath, she drew her yo-yo, and flung it, aim perfect. It truly was incredible how excellent her coordination was when she was Ladybug, and how horrible it was when she was Marinette. Well, not exactly horrible, but not superhero-worthy, either.
She landed on the glass with a gentle thud. Her suit enabled her to cling to the window and not fall, which was fortunate, as it would have been quite embarrassing to fling herself at her crush's window, smack into the glass and fall like some kind of demented pigeon.
Carefully stowing her yo-yo around her waist, the heroine knocked on the glass, peering into the lighted room. Adrien sat at his desk, and upon hearing her knock, he spun around in surprise. The boy's tanned face broke into a smile when he saw her. He hurried to open the window, and she swung through.
Landing like a gymnast on the floorboards, Ladybug straightened and smiled at Adrien. "Um, hi."
"Hey, Ladybug. Did Chat Noir pass on my message?" he asked. He seemed red in the face and was puffing slightly.
Ladybug nodded. "Yeah, he did. Are you okay?" she enquired, her voice tinged with concern.
Adrien looked startled. "Oh, um, yeah. I was, uh…. working out," he answered.
Ladybug almost swooned at the thought but managed to keep it together. "Right. So, um, what has Chat told you?"
Adrien looked at her for a moment before replying. "He, well, he told me that you rejected him for me."
The masked girl went as red as her suit. "I'm going to kill him," she muttered, blushing furiously.
Adrien laughed. "Hey, go easy on him. He was only trying to help you. He just wants you to be happy."
"Right," muttered Ladybug, still pink. "What else did he say?"
"Nothing important," said Adrien dismissively. He took a deep breath. This was it. The moment of truth. "I asked you here tonight because I wanted to tell you something."
"Yeah?" Ladybug's heart raced with anticipation. Her entire life had been leading up to this- the moment when Adrien would tell her that he loved her too.
"I don't love you, Ladybug. I'm sorry, but there's another girl. When Chat told me… well, I decided that I couldn't lead you on. I had to tell you. I really am sorry, Ladybug. You're absolutely amazing, but I'm not in love with you. I'm sorry." He stopped, and looked at her, curious to see her reaction.
Ladybug's heart stopped. The breath was snatched from her body, and tears began to flood her eyes. Her shoulders shook, and her mouth fell open. She felt cold and hot at the same time, and an incredible pain in her chest, like Adrien had picked up a knife and stabbed her.
"Ladybug?" Adrien looked anxious. "Are you okay?"
Ladybug tried to breathe, to speak, to do something. The best she could manage was a nod. All she could think of was getting out before her delicate facade cracked.
"Thank you for telling me. Goodnight." She turned quickly, ready to jump out the window. Must get out. Must get out.
"Wait! Ladybug!" Adrien rushed forward and grabbed her arm, forcing her to face him. "Are you sure you're alright?"
"Fine, just fine. Bye." Ladybug shook him off harshly and zipped out as quickly as possible. Tears began to cloud her vision, but she blinked hard as she swung towards home, determined not to cry until she was safe in her very own room, away from anything else that might hurt her.
Adrien grinned as he removed the gag from his previously hog-tied kwami. "So, Plagg, what do you thi-"
The small cat zoomed at him like a bullet. "YOU COMPLETE IDIOT!" Plagg hollered. "YOU ARE, WITHOUT A DOUBT, THE STUPIDEST CHAT NOIR EVER!" The kwami launched himself at Adrien and began scratching and biting his face with his tiny (but still extremely sharp) teeth and claws.
"Plagg, what the - OW!" Adrien cried out as Plagg sank his teeth into his skin. "Ow, ow, ow! What is your problem?" The model swatted at the tiny creature as it attacked him over and over again. "Stop!"
"I told you not to do it!" raged Plagg in between bites. "Do you realize what you've DONE?"
"No! Back off!" roared Adrien.
"YOU BROKE HER HEART!" Plagg roared back. "SHE LOVED YOU, AND YOU REJECTED HER! IDIOT! MIRACULOUS HOLDERS AREN'T IMMUNE TO AKUMAS!"
Adrien froze. "Wha-what?"
"You heard me! What if she gets akumatized, huh? Hawkmoth will be able to get her identity and her miraculous! You'd better pray that she's used to disappointment, or we're doomed!" Plagg had stopped attacking Adrien, but he still looked murderous.
"Oh, no," whispered Adrien. "What have I done?"
"Fortunately for you, she probably won't get akumatized. Tikki will help her deal with the pain. But akuma or not, you've still stuffed up. You purposely hurt your beloved Ladybug, just so she can like you as Chat Noir. Couldn't you be happy with what you had? You both loved each other, and both wanted to be with each other. But noooo, you had to be greedy." Plagg took a breath. "And you know what the worst part is? You've reached the 'point of no return'. There's no going back. You've set the wheels in motion, and now you have to go through with this pig-headed plan of yours. Goddamnit, Agreste! If this doesn't work, you will get to know my claws very well indeed." The kwami finished his rant and glared at his chosen. "So, Adrien, how do you plan on getting yourself out of this one?"
Marinette thought she had known sadness. After several mishaps in the love department, she thought she knew what hurt was.
She was wrong.
The knife in her heart twisted every time she thought of the conversation. She could hardly breathe from both the pain and tears. The salty droplets trickled down her cheeks at an alarming pace, gleaming like tiny diamonds in the dim glow of Marinette's bedside lamp.
How could Adrien do that? She thought he was caring. Thought that he was the kind of boy to let a girl down gently, instead of blatantly saying no. And he hadn't even seemed guilty! Oh, sure, he'd apologized, but it didn't sound sincere. Marinette had cried when she'd rejected Chat, and had felt so horrible after. Adrien didn't even seem to care a jot about her feelings!
Wailing into her tear-soaked pillow, Marinette glanced up at the pinboard beside her bed. Adrien smiled back at her, hair gleaming like gold in the sun. With a heartbroken sob, Marinette snatched away the picture, crumpling it in her fist and tossing it away. She slumped back onto her bed and proceeded to sob herself to sleep.
Marinette woke with a start, and immediately her eyes filled with tears again. Tikki flew up to comfort her, gently rubbing Marinette's cheek.
"Don't cry," she soothed.
Marinette's shoulders shook. "I can't do this, Tikki," she wept. "I can't go to school. I'll just c-cry the whole time and- and- " She cried even harder, body shuddering with each sob.
Tikki stroked the girl's tear-stained cheek. "Shhhh. Shhh. I know. Don't cry. We'll get through this. Shh."
Marinette continued to sob for another five minutes before eventually tiring. She lay down on the bed, her hands cupped around Tikki, holding the kwami close to her aching heart as the flow of tears began to ebb. She lay there, seeking comfort in her kwami's warmth.
A few minutes passed, and Marinette sat up. With a resolute sniff, she wiped her face. "I'm going to school. I can't let anyone think there's something wrong. Adrien will not break me. I-I won't let him."
Tikki squealed with delight. "I'm so proud of you, Marinette! Don't let anyone take you down. That's my girl!"
Marinette smiled waterily. "Thanks, Tikki. I'll do my best." She climbed down from the bunk and took a quick shower to freshen up. Once she was finished, she felt much better, like the hot water had cleansed her off sadness- temporarily. She tossed on some clean clothes, opting for black leggings and a comfy pink sweater. It was cozy and comforting and exactly what she needed. Marinette spent just a little time on her makeup. She just needed to cover up the most obvious signs of her tears, nothing more. She didn't want to impress Adrien, or anyone for that matter. But she always liked to look neat, so just a tad of cosmetics was all she required. The girl let her dark hair hang loose, just to cover her face a little. Stuffing her feet into white sneakers, Marinette climbed downstairs, where she prepared herself a hot thermos of tea, kissed her parents, and left.
As she walked towards the school, Marinette sipped her tea. The hot drink comforted her, as the harsh winter breeze whipped around her. It was a relief to enter the classroom, where the heater was going at full blast. The bluenette dumped her belongings onto her desk and began arranging them into an orderly pile, determinedly not looking at any of her classmates. Fortunately, she was early (miracles can happen), and there were only half a dozen students in the room. Chloe and Sabrina were gossiping away in the front row, Ivan had his headphones in, Alix was attempting to finish maths homework, Nathaniel was sketching and Kim was on his phone. None had looked up when Marinette had entered, and the girl decided it would be best not to disturb them.
To pass the time, she pulled out her sketchbook and flipped to a fresh page. After a few umms and ahhs, she began sketching an embroidered dress, focusing on details. She was so absorbed in her work that she didn't even notice when Alya walked in.
"Hey, M!"
Marinette glanced up, startled. She smiled and shut her sketchbook, neatly packing it into her bag. "Hey, Alya. How are you going?"
"Great!" replied the blogger brightly. She began to unpack her stuff, smiling and humming as she did so. Marinette gave her a quizzical look.
"What's got you in such a good mood?" she quizzed, looking up at her friend.
Alya giggled in a very un-Alyaish way. "Nothing."
Marinette grinned despite herself. "Very funny. Now, seriously, why are you in such a good mood?"
Alya beamed at the bluenette. "Nino asked me to the Valentine's Dance! It was actually so sweet, for Nino." Alya rolled her eyes fondly.
Marinette's stomach dropped. The one subject she had wanted to avoid. Great.
She forced a smile onto her face. "Wow! That's great! I'm so happy for you, Alya!" chirped Marinette.
Fortunately, Alya didn't seem to notice anything unusual. "Thanks, girl. We'd better find you a date, too." Alya wiggled her eyebrows cheekily.
Marinette coughed. "I've got plenty of time to sort that out. The dance isn't for a while yet."
"Oh, don't say that! You need to snag the best ones or someone else will get them!"
Marinette rolled her eyes. "Who did you have in mind?"
Alya pointed, smiling mischievously. "Him."
Marinette followed her gaze and felt her heart freeze. Her fingers tightened around her thermos, and her entire body went rigid.
Adrien smiled up at her and Alya. "Morning, girls!" he said brightly.
Marinette could barely even look at him without feeling the knife again.
How the hell was she meant to sit through an entire lesson?
Hi! Apologies for the wait. I know I said two days, but an unexpected trip came up, so I spent the long weekend without access to my laptop, which meant I couldn't work on this chapter. However, I will try to be consistent, and warn you before I go on trips. But anyway, thank you so much for reading! Keep an eye out for new posts, and please leave a review if you liked it / think I could improve on something.