Marinette was very used to keeping secrets. Ever since she'd slammed a jar over Tikki and called her a 'bug-mouse', her life had been abundant in secrets. It was just a way of life for a Miraculous holder, and while at first Marinette had felt incredibly guilty for keeping secrets from her parents and friends, she had since adjusted. Still, there was still a feeling of unease in her stomach as she walked up the stairs of the school. That feeling had nothing to do with the massive breakfast she had just eaten (walking could make you hungry) and everything to do with what had happened last night, and the fact that she couldn't tell Alya, her best friend, anything about it.
"Hey, Marinette!"
The dark-haired girl turned, eyes falling on a tall boy in a blue shirt and red cap. "Hey, Nino," she smiled as he ran to catch up with her. "How are you?"
"Good, good." He took off his cap and put it back on again, seemingly preoccupied, which wasn't unusual for Nino. His DJ-ing had really taken off, and he was almost as busy as Alya these days. It was a good thing they both supported each other, or their relationship might not have been so great. "Have you seen Alya?"
Marinette glanced at the street but saw no sign of the girl, who usually took a bus to the college. Maybe it was running late. "No, sorry," she said, pushing open the large door and scanning the courtyard for her friend. "But her bus might be caught in traffic. It happens sometimes."
Nino nodded absently, his thoughts clearly elsewhere. Marinette wondered if he had even heard what she had said. "Nino?" she asked gently, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You okay?"
He froze for a second, then relaxed. "Well, yeah. Sorry, Marinette, I know I'm really out of it today. Just too many late nights, I think."
"DJ-ing?" asked Marinette sympathetically.
He nodded and sighed. "And worrying about Alya. We haven't been as close lately, and I think we're both getting too busy. Something needs to give."
The designer nodded thoughtfully. "I'm sure everything will work out. You guys will be fine," she said comfortingly.
"Yeah." Nino took his cap off and ran his hand through his short hair.
Marinette stood silently for a few seconds, unsure of what to say before remembering that she, too, had to talk to her significant other. "Have you seen Adrien about, Nino?"
He shook his head. "Want me to call him?"
Marinette waved her hand at him. "Oh, no, don't worry about it."
He frowned at her, fingers hovering over his phone. "You sure?"
"Positive." She flashed him a pearly smile. "But thanks. I'll see you in class."
He grinned. "Yep."
Marinette walked away, intent on putting her bag in her locker and getting her books out. Nino needed some time with Alya when she arrived, without Marinette third-wheeling on their conversation. Which reminded her….
She pulled out her phone and tapped in her password, having decided to call Adrien. Hopefully, they could get a good conversation in before class started, because they had a lot to talk about. She scrolled through her contacts list, head bent over the phone as she walked. Marinette realized her mistake too late, and in her panic, promptly made another one, flinging her head up as she entered the locker room.
Crash.
The designer found herself on the ground, her phone a few meters away, holding her head, which had quite painfully made contact with someone's chest. She looked up and saw Adrien almost mirroring her, except he wasn't holding his head.
"I am so, so sorry!" Despite her head, Marinette leaped up and rushed to Adrien, then stopped, gripping the door frame. All of a sudden she felt strangely dizzy, and on the point of falling over again.
Adrien looked concerned and quickly got to his feet. "Marinette, are you alright?"
She nodded, still holding the frame for support. "Just a little dizzy."
He held out his hands, still worried. "Here, hold onto me. I think you need to sit down."
Marinette did as the model asked, holding onto his shoulder as they slowly walked over to one of the benches in the locker room. Adrien helped her to sit and quickly joined her. They sat in silence for a minute or two, but it wasn't awkward. In fact, it was a comfortable sort of silence, and Marinette wouldn't have minded sitting there for another hour. But the girl knew that they had serious matters to discuss, and as much as she hated to break the serenity, she knew she had to do it.
"Adrien, I need to talk to you," she said, cracking the peaceful quiet like glass. Adrien looked up at her, a little startled by her sudden announcement. "I know we had that long discussion last night, and that was great-" They both went slightly pink at the mention of last night, and Marinette knew that Adrien, too, was remembering their kiss, "- but I feel like there's still more we need to talk about."
The model nodded, looking curious. "Fire away, Marinette."
She took a deep breath, trying to think. "Okay. First up: why did you come to visit me last night? I'm sure there was a reason behind it."
Adrien looked like a deer caught in the headlights. He swallowed nervously. "What if I said it was just to see how you were going?"
"Then I'd know you were lying, and I'd be upset. I want this relationship to be honest, Adrien," said Marinette sternly.
"They haven't forgiven me," blurted Adrien, surprising Marinette and apparently himself, too, but he kept on talking, lowering his voice. "The people of Paris? Yeah, I'm not their guardian anymore. They don't want someone who's been akumatized protecting them."
"That's ridiculous," said Marinette hotly. "Half of them have been akumatized too!"
"Andre said I was evil. I went to his place for ice-cream last night. He moved away from me, said I was mangy. Then the people around me started, said I should be off eliminating people."
Marinette's hands flew to her face, barely disguising her horror.
"They said I'd killed you, that I was a monster, that my speech was all lies. I lost my temper and called them idiots. I said that if it wasn't for us, they'd be dead, and they should shut up."
Marinette's jaw hung open. "I'm so sorry. You handled that really well, Adrien."
He stared at the wall. "I just don't understand," he whispered. "I do so much for them, and as soon as I have feelings like them, they hate me?"
His girlfriend shook her head fiercely. "It isn't a crime to have emotions. Never, ever be ashamed of having feelings. The civilians just put us on a pedestal, and whenever that illusion of superhuman being is shattered, they get mad. It's the stupidest thing I've ever heard of, but that's people for you."
Adrien put his head in his hands, but no before Marinette saw the despair on his face. She felt something white-hot in her stomach, and leaped to her feet. "Right, that's it," she said. "Tell Ms. Bustier there was a problem in the bakery."
Adrien raised his head, looking confused. "Marinette?"
"Please stay here," she told him. "Thank you for telling e about this. I really, truly appreciate it." She hesitated, then bent down and kissed his cheek. "I'll be back in half an hour."
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By the time she landed on the Pont des Arts, Ladybug's anger had cooled slightly, but she was having no second thoughts about her actions. Of course Andre would be here. It was highly popular with tourists, often young couples who wanted nothing more than to click a padlock on the famous bridge. It was busiest at night because in many people's eyes, that was the perfect date- dinner, then lover's ice-cream on the lover's bridge in the 'most romantic city in the world', with the partially concealed Eiffel Tower lighting up the sky.
She shook these thoughts out of her head, straightened herself and scanned the bridge, eyes narrowing as they landed on a familiar ice-cream cart, a line of a few people a telltale sign that Andre was in business. Tossing her pigtails over her shoulder, she stormed down the bridge, drawing gasps and stares from the pedestrians around her. The superheroine ignored them all, her gaze locked on Andre as firmly as the padlocks around her were attached to the railing.
The vendor handed a young man a cone with a smile, then began to scoop as he took the next order, still beaming as he did so. She paused in front of the vendor, hands on her hips, and cleared her throat. The man turned around, startled. When he recognized her, a smile spread across his face.
"Ah, Ladybug! The beautiful guardian of this city, come for one of my ice-creams! Seeing as you do so much for the city, I'll let you cut the line." He leaned towards her and winked. "Just this once."
"I'm not here for ice-cream, thank you," she replied coldly. She had had her hesitations about publicly admonishing Andre, but then she had remembered that he had done the same thing to Chat Noir. She wasn't a huge believer in the whole 'an eye for an eye' concept, but this was a slight exception. You didn't write off all of Chat Noir's sacrifices and get off with a private scolding.
He looked puzzled. "Well, then, what are you here for?"
"I want to talk to you about what happened last night," she said clearly. "Do you still remember that little incident?"
Ladybug could see the panic spreading across the vendor's face as he glanced around at the line of people and the curious people gathering around. It wasn't nearly as many people as the amount that would have crowded around Chat Noir last night. "Not now," he muttered, knowing that a public confrontation by Paris' hero would most definitely lead him to lose business.
"Oh, yes now," said Ladybug sweetly. "After all, you didn't insult and deprecate my partner in private, did you?"
Beads of sweat begin to trickle down Andre's forehead, glinting in the morning sun. "That was a different matter entirely," he began, but Ladybug cut him off.
"No, it wasn't. If I remember correctly, you called him evil, then stood by and let the crowd say he was a monster? That he wanted to hurt people? I would say that's slightly hypocritical coming from you, Andre. Were you not, at one point in time, akumatized? Did you not transform into Glaciator, and attempt to have people melted forever? I don't know about you, but that sounds pretty similar to what happened to my partner. Akumatized, did some things he never would have done, but did, because he was being controlled?"
Andre looked positively terrified and almost on the verge of tears. But Ladybug wasn't finished with him yet. "So you blamed my partner for doing the same things you did, didn't you? You allowed his sacrifices, everything he's done for this city, to be belittled by your customers. You allowed those customers to accuse him of murder. Has anyone ever done those things to you?"
He shook his head.
"I thought not." The superhero turned to the crowd, some of whom had whipped out their phones and were recording the whole event. "And to everyone else in Paris, and especially those people who were here last night- when a person is akumatized, it's because they have feelings, just like every single other person in this city. You are a liar if you say you have never felt sad or angry or frustrated. So when you mock and taunt someone for being akumatized, make them sound evil and monstrous, you need to stop. Take a look at what you're doing. It is never okay. It never will be. They are a victim, who was had their mind and body corrupted by Hawkmoth, who is the true evil in this situation. I'm disappointed in Paris. I thought we had a little more compassion." She took a deep breath. "And it's ridiculous to be cruel to someone for being akumatized when you, too, have been."
The crowd looked shocked. Andre did too, and Ladybug realized that maybe she'd gone a little bit far. "I'm sorry, Andre. I overstepped the mark. I- I shouldn't have humiliated you in public."
He shook his head, still looking stunned. "No you were right," he said heavily. "I was wrong to do those things, and I deserved my punishment. So does everyone else involved in last night's incident, or something similar. Shame on you all." He turned to Ladybug and gave a half smile. "I forgive you."
Ladybug's mouth fell open, but she quickly closed it. "Thank you," she whispered, then turned and walked away.
She needed to get back to school.
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