A.n.- So...Updating a day early because my lovely friend is visiting me, still planning on writing. But you guys get the chapter early. It also to take out some of the sting of the fact that there are no new episodes in August. Story recommendations: It's the Most Punderful Time of the Year by Baneismydragon ( yes I read Christmas stories this early ) and The Guessing Game by Macaronize. There is a poll at the bottom so make sure you vote.
Ch 21: You Don't Get a Say in What They Trade Away
Adrien couldn't have been more grateful when Nino asked Amelie if he could steal him away. Listening to Amelie gush about how perfect they were to strangers for an hour was enough for him to want to escape altogether. Nino dragged him to an unaccompanied corner of the room.
"So what part of the win-Marinette-over plan includes becoming engaged to her roommate?" he asked earning a pointed glare. "Seriously dude, this isn't like you."
"It's complicated," Adrien replied hesitantly glancing over in the direction of Amelie and her mother.
"Has your feelings for Marinette magically transferred over to Amelie in the last couple days without my knowledge?" Could he really tell him? It would be nice not to have this bottled up crushing his chest, someone that he knew was in his corner no matter what.
"Nino, what I'm about to tell you needs to stay between us two. You can't tell anyone, especially Alya." Nino raised an eyebrow at his friend's sketchiness*. Adrien was usually an open book about most topics, especially to him.
Alya. There was no way that he would be able to hide anything from his girlfriend. She could smell secrets from a mile away. "But"- He tried to argue but was shut down immediately.
"Promise me," Adrien urged.
"Alright, sheesh. What has got you so tense?" Nino studied his friend, who was suddenly avoiding eye contact and rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.
"I'm being blackmailed," he admitted. Nino blinked twice and then burst out in laughter.
"Are you serious?" What did he do, have an extra cookie after dark? When Adrien's face remained pointed, the laughter died instantly. "Wait...you're totally serious. What do they have on you?"
"That doesn't matter. Mrs. Malone threatened to blacklist Marinette if I didn't accept her proposal." Nino cursed under his breath. Things were starting to sink in and make complete sense. He was doing this to protect her, just like he always would.
"Does she know?" Nino craned his neck to the side allowing his own gaze to fall on their mutual friend.
"No and she can't. Marinette would never let me do this for her, and I couldn't live with myself if I single-handedly ended her promising career. I'm going to find a way out of this I just- I will find a loophole, I need more time." Adrien sighed, and Nino sympathized with him. It seemed that his best friend had painted himself into a corner.
"Whatever you need man, I've got your back." The two exchanged a smile and for a moment both were at peace until Nino's mind began to mull over his predicament from the other day. "And since we are sharing secrets, I need your advice."
"Yesterday, Alya and I went on a date." He began, "without warning after seeing Ladybug, she said she needs me and takes off. I thought she was going to get hurt so I followed her. She ducked down this alleyway and by the time I got there Alya was gone. Seconds later Rena Rouge was spotted chasing Ladybug on top of the rooftops." It was now or never, and the confession was poised on his lips. He pulled him inside what was a vacant janitor closet. "Adrien, I think my girlfriend is secretly a superhero."
"What?" Adrien's world stopped. Why didn't he make the connections before?
"And I don't know what to do. She's texted me multiple times and I can't bring myself to text back. What do I even say to her; hey babe, do you run around dressed up as a fox for your free time."
"Better than black leather," Adrien muttered.
"What?"
"You should talk to her, see if it's true...does it bother you if she is Rena Rouge?" In all of the conversations they had over the year Nino had always been reserved on his direct opinion on the superhero trio. His fiancé already hated his guts as Chat Noir, he didn't know what he would do if his best friend shared her viewpoint.
"I love her regardless. Don't get me wrong, I'm not exactly thrilled that my girlfriend is running off and willingly putting herself in dangerous situations, but I haven't been able to change her mind on anything over the last couple years. That's not going to change now. The only way we would be able to make this work is if I trust her." Adrien beamed at Nino's response. He was right, trust was at the foundation of any relationship, maybe it was time he followed his friend's advice.
"You know I'm sure he's dying to talk to you." Marinette teased as she used her hip to bump her friend out of blatantly staring at her boyfriend across the room.
"I wish, we haven't had a real conversation since I ditched him on our date." Alya sighed turning back to Marinette. "I've tried texting him multiple times and I've gotten no response. I think I really screwed up Mar."
"Nino probably has other issues that are preoccupying that brain of his, you'll see." Marinette did her best to reassure her. Nino wasn't one to hold a grudge after all.
"It's just hard keeping half of my life from him. Sometimes I just want to sit him down and tell him everything." The words washed between the two gaining their silence. Alya allowed her eyes to drift back to Nino just in time to see them sneak into a side room.
"Then tell him." Alya could have strained her neck with how fast she turned. Did Marinette say what she thought she said?
"What did you say?" One of Alya's eyebrows rose skeptically.
"I think he should see both sides of you."
"Who are you and what have you done with the law-abiding partner that I work with?" Marinette giggled at Alya's accusations.
"If Chat Noir and Marinette can make it work then I don't see why my best friends can't." She tried not to dwell on why Hawk Moth hadn't taken advantage of their situation, it wasn't like the press was subtle. But that didn't mean that Alya couldn't tell Nino, she trusted him after all.
"You told him?" Her best friend asked eyes wide.
"Not yet," Marinette's lips tucked into a smile, "tonight." It was difficult to keep her nerves at bay, telling Chat would change everything. Especially if he shared his identity in return.
Both parties froze as Amelie's laughter filled the air.
"I can punch her if you want." Marinette's face hardened once more, she must have let the hurt slipped through.
"Alya!" She exclaimed in a fierce whisper. "No, this is for the best, Adrien is...finally moving on. Even if Hawkmoth disappeared someone would take his place causing chaos in Paris. A relationship with him would always be reckless and dangerous."
"But part of you wants it anyway." Alya countered and Marinette bit her tongue. She couldn't disagree without her best friend seeing through the lie and if she told the truth it would be taking two steps back.
"Chat Noir is who I'm supposed to be with, and after tonight, there will be no more secrets between us," Marinette said.
"Well, you better call me and tell me how it went...unless you two are sucking face. Then I give full permission to ignore my call." Alya shot back receiving a pale-faced friend in return while fueled the fire. "Is he a great kisser? The fans demand to know."
When Adrien left the room they were in, his nerves were wound tighter than a yarn ball. The revelation that Alya might be Rena Rouge rattled him, but it made sense. It would explain why she was so protective of Marinette in the first place. But until there was more proof he couldn't do anything with the information.
His eyes wandered till they landed on Alya and Marinette talking. Neither Amelie nor her mother was nowhere to be seen, this could be his chance to explain.
Adrien raced up to them, explained that he needed to borrow Marinette. He then grabbed her by her wrist and ducked into the closest space that could provide cover against prying eyes: the coat room.
"Adrien, what are you doing?"
"I wanted to talk to you."
"There are plenty of places that we could do that, it is your engagement party." He could hear a slightly bitter tone accompanied her statement but didn't have time to dwell on it. Amelie's mother was a hawk and if he was in here too long she would know.
"Not in the way that I want." He simply replied, not sure how to explain his current predicament. Marinette tilted her head at his wording, he should know better than to hide stuff from her.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"The girl that I was talking about the other day, the one that owned my heart...it was you."
"Why are you telling me this?" It didn't take much, she could feel herself being pulled back into his orbit once more. How was she supposed to fully get over him when he did things like this?
"Because you deserve to know how I feel about you, regardless of what's going on around us." She was drowning in the endless green pools in front of her. It may have been selfish to continue to coddle this idea of a future together, but when they were alone she always caved.
"And how do you feel?" The words clung to her throat and emerged in a strained whisper. She felt her breath went ragged as he leaned in, dragging his nose lightly across her forehead before his own came to rest on hers. Marinette melted under him, his scent flooded her senses overwhelming any objections.
"I wish we could run away." His breath danced across her face teasing her in more ways than one. "Away from duties and responsibilities, it would be only us." Young Marinette would have died instantly from happiness there, her first love asking her to run away with him.
"What's stopping you?" She murmured, eyes closed and head spinning, but her question was ignored.
"I've dreamed about a life with you so many times." The information churned her stomach, she lost count how many times he was the main feature in her daydreams, their future together. "Mar I'm still in love with you." Adrien's words caused warmth to spread to every inch of her body while simultaneously acting as the cold water needed to wake up to her reality. If she didn't stop this now she was almost certain she would wander further down this road and that was dangerous. As much as her residual feelings for the blonde were active she couldn't do this to Chat.
Even if her boyfriend wasn't in the picture, it wasn't like she could run away. Paris still needed Ladybug. What good was there in holding onto dreams she could never have. She needed to let go.
Marinette used what self-control she had remaining to push Adrien away. His eyes flashed with hurt, but he did nothing to refill the distance.
"This is wrong." Her words stung the air, and the more she thought about it, the angrier she became. "I'm sorry but nothing can ever happen between us, Adrien. You are with Amelie at your engagement party, you aren't allowed to go around claiming your love for other girls. You chose her. How can you say that I'm the only girl that has a hold over your heart when you are engaged to another?"
"But Mari-" If given more time, he had planned to reveal everything, starting with the fact that he was Chat Noir. But this wasn't going the way he expected. He reached out only to have his hand batted away.
"Don't touch me." The words were like knives to his gut, but the pain in her eyes killed him. "This," she motioned between them, "Can't happen again, Adrien. I might be holding your heart, but Chat Noir has mine. You made a commitment to Amelie by accepting her proposal and I think it's high time that you keep your promises. This is where we have to say good-bye."
"Goodbye?" He was floundering, how could he not? He wasn't ready to give up whatever was between them. She needed to listen to reason. "You had to have felt something over the summer…"
"The summer was a nice escape from reality, but we can't remain there. Life is moving on whether we like it or not." She leaned in and placed a ghost of a kiss on his cheek, Adrien was stunned still. "A part of my heart will always love you, but I'm finally ready to move on. I just hope for your sake that you do too." Before Adrien realized what had happened, Marinette was gone.
When Adrien managed to regain feeling in his legs he wandered out of the coat closet back into the obligatory party.
"Adrien, what were you doing in the coat closet silly."
"I just forgot something, that's all."
Like your dignity, his mind quipped. Adrien already wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone especially Amelie, but he caught the pointed look that Mrs. Malone was throwing him, so he leaned in and kissed her cheek softly.
"Now don't get mad, but some of the press found out about this party...and they are dying to get an exclusive."
"Five minutes." She squealed and looped her arm through his. All his life dealing with the press was one of his least favorite things in the world. They took seemingly meaningless cues and words and tended to blow them out of proportion.
"Has there been any talks about the merging of the two companies when you two tie the knot? Is your father excited about the prospect?"
'Over his dead body,' Adrien thought dryly.
"No formal talks have been introduced, and that's all I can discuss on the matter."
"Do you think the wedding will interfere with the Agreste fall fashion line?" Another reporter asked.
"Well considering that it is a year away, I'm sure that the fall fashion line will be secure." It wasn't until he received blank looks that he began to worry.
"Ah you spoiled the surprise," Mrs. Malone chipped in. "I hadn't had the chance to spring the news on the happy couple. The venue that Amelie had her eye on had a cancellation and I instantly grabbed it. So the merger of the Agreste and Marlone families will be occurring in November of this year. It's going to be one of the biggest weddings the media will ever see. I assure you though, both companies will have their lines out in time." She announced gleefully. Adrien could feel the color draining from his face as his body clamped up. They were going to get married in...two months? That wasn't enough time. He was counting on the year to figure out a loophole and now he had a minuscule fraction of that. If he tried to stall or delay it, Mrs. Malone probably had hired a whole staff to make the deadline.
"If you would excuse us, I just want to have a quick word with my beautiful bride-to-be."
"Watch it, Adrien, you're hurting me." She hissed as he pulled her away from prying ears.
"I can't just stand here and pretend to be okay with all this." He snapped only to recoil at the look on her face. "A wedding in two months, is your mother insane? And to spring it on us in the middle of an exclusive." He ran his fingers through his hair although the action did nothing to soothe his anger or frustration."
"I know what this is about, you're nervous that the wedding will distract you from work. Mother reassured me that everything will be taken care of."
"Since when do you cater to her? Do you want to get married in two months? The Amelie I know would have fought so she had the wedding she's always wanted." He hadn't meant to snap so harshly, but between Marinette saying goodbye and the wedding thrusted on him he felt cornered.
"People change Adrien. She's not the same person as she used to be. In fact, she was the one who urged me to propose in the first place. She just wants me to be happy. I know it's a little sooner than expected, but it's better than being left waiting." A scream of frustration ran through him but never made it to his lips. How could she had twisted the truth so much that Amelie couldn't see it?
Wait...waiting. Ladybug!
He flicked his watch face towards him, 9 pm. Not good, not good. He had promised to patrol with Ladybug and he was late. His chest tightened, and he took a hard gulp. He had two choices continue to argue with Amelie or concede and leave now hoping that Ladybug was still waiting.
"Look, if it will make you happy, of course, I'll marry you."
"But it will make you happy too, wouldn't it?" She asked softly but never received her answer. "Adrien!" He started weaving his way through the crowd without looking back. Amelie saw how a reporter was eyeing her so for extra measure she shouted over her shoulder. "Thanks for getting me a refreshment, Dearest." The last thing that she possibly needed was the press sticking their nose where it didn't belong. Even engaged couples fought and she didn't need them blowing this out of proportion. Her words seem to tame any thoughts the reporter had as they turned back to her mother.
His words still looped in her head.
If it makes you happy, of course, I'll marry you.
It was thoughtful of him to care about her feelings, but she wanted him to be happy too. It was a different experience watching him plaster on a fake smile or ducking in rooms to have conversations with his friends. He was only being with her when he needed to be, it was almost like he wasn't...happy.
She wanted more than anything to be wrong, he was having a stressful transition into a leadership role. Long hours at the company and he would come home and crash.
It was funny, she was supposed to be elated like mostly newly-weds were. She was marrying her boyfriend who couldn't be more perfect. When she was his wife, she could relieve some of his stress and transform the Agreste fashion line, and she had finally gained the approval of her mother who had talked down to her since she was 6 years old.
But at what cost?
The pit in her stomach kept turning despite her efforts to calm her nerves. Nerves, that's all this was, with the wedding being so close it took everything in her not to be overwhelmed with the to-do list.
"Miss Malone!" She jerked her head in the direction of the voice only to see the reporters staring waiting for an answer.
"Hmm?" Her mother had always said don't let your mind wander, it always made you look like a fool. Now she could see why.
"Any idea of who you'll be wearing on the big day?"
She placed her hand on her chin thoughtfully thinking through her answer before replying. "As a sign of unity and peace between the companies, I think it would be best if I wore a Gabriel Agreste dress and Adrien wore a Malone suit." It was then that she felt it. The power and control her mother talked about getting during press conferences. The swell of pride reflected off her mother. The rush was almost addicting, her new favorite high. Her lips grew to a smirk and her eyes didn't waver from the reporters.
"Any other questions?"
Marinette couldn't help but glance down at her communicator. She told herself that he was running late, but the longer she was waiting the more her resolve started to crumble. She couldn't believe that Chat stood her up, not that he knew what she had planned but rule number one was to always have your partner's back. She wanted to talk to him and explain why she was so distant lately. With the knowledge of their secret identities revealed it was supposed to bring them closer, now they were worlds away.
Her hand slid to call him one more time because she must have been a glutton for punishment. It rang through to his voicemail for the fourth time in the last hour that she had waited.
"This is Chat Noir, leave a message after the meow." Somehow his voicemail wasn't as reassuring anymore. In fact, it was causing her to worry.
"Chat, where are you? We were supposed to meet up an hour ago…If you didn't want to meet up you should have been honest with me or let me know that you weren't coming. I-I just want to know that you are okay." The beep prevented any more of her ramblings. She stood up from her crouched position, there was no point in delaying her patrol any longer when it was obvious that he had either forgotten or chose not to show. Regardless of his reasons, it was going to be a late night and she needed to beat the lovebirds back to the apartment if she wished to avoid questioning.
It took a running start to give her the momentum she needed for the first jump. Maybe patrol was what she needed to clear her mind of her guy troubles. She had to get to a spot where she was happy for Adrien now that she let him go and be honest with Chat Noir about who she was. It was the only way that she could end up happy.
She felt her communicator buzz and pulled her to a halt. It could still be Chat, but once again she was disappointed when Alya's face was plastered on the screen.
"How did it go?" She asked, and Marinette released a sigh.
"It didn't."
"What? Oh Mari, I'm so sorry. Do you want me to join you for patrol?" She offered. Marinette loved Alya, but there wasn't anything that her friend could say that would make everything better.
"I'll be okay, don't worry. I'll see you tomorrow." Sometimes it was better to lie.
Chat couldn't move faster if he tried as he pushed himself to the meetup point for patrol. She had to be waiting there, had to. He had already screwed things up as Adrien, he couldn't let the second most important women in his life down too. She had said that she wanted to talk and catch up but during that conversation, he could sense the nervousness that she was giving off. Adrien didn't know what would cause his lady to be fearful, but it worried him which is why he agreed. After all, rule number one is, always be there for your partner.
As Chat jumped the rooftop and managed to get a clear view of the Arc de Triomphe...and it was empty. He cursed under his breath. Couldn't he do anything right? She could be anywhere in the city now.
His staff buzzed signaling a voicemail. The second he raised it to his ear and heard Ladybug's voice his stomach sank.
She waited for an hour? He massively screwed up. Once he was at the party he thought he could sneak away, but everyone kept interrupting him. Then there was the announcement of the wedding date distracted him. The information accelerated his timetable of figuring out a loophole. Only having a two-and-a-half-month engagement was crazy by most people's standards.
But it did not justify being late, he should have been there for her regardless of what she had to tell him. He dialed her number, but it went straight to voicemail. What could he even say? Sorry, I missed you, I was held up at my engagement party to a woman I don't want to marry? That would go over well. He would have to beg for her forgiveness the next time he saw her.
His stomach churned. It wasn't like he saw Ladybug on a daily basis, he needed help. His black gloves fingers couldn't dial Rena's number fast enough.
"Chat?" By her tone, she wasn't expecting a call. "What do you want?"
"Do you know where Ladybug went?"
"Maybe if you met up with when you were supposed to then you would know."
"Dammit, I don't have time for this Alya." The temperature dropped instantly at the silence as it sunk in what he had done.
"Who told you," she growled lowly. Chat's blood turned to sludge and he couldn't move even if he wanted to. He cursed under his breath, he wasn't supposed to do anything with the information. He outed her, a position that he would have hated to be in.
"It's not his fault- don't be mad at him." The line clicked dead. It was said hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn, he never thought he would be on the receiving end.
He needed a friendly face, and even though Marinette was angry at Adrien, she should be overjoyed to see her boyfriend. Maybe she could give him advice about how to repair things with Alya. Their apartment wasn't far from here with a couple jumps he was well on his way.
As he slid down the building to Marinette's floor he paused as he heard her on the phone.
"I don't know how he found out Alya." There were a million things they could be talking about but if he was a gambler he would bet it had something to do with his outburst. "No, I did not tell him, you know how I feel about that stuff."
The new revelation hit him like a ton of bricks, Marinette knew already. Did that mean that she was constantly putting herself in danger like Alya used to? If anything happened to her...he pushed the thought down; that wouldn't help him right now. "Who else did you tell?"
Chat knocked on the window as which was his custom. A small "hold on" and a couple seconds later she drew back the curtains.
"Hi Kitty now isn't a good time. Alya is just dealing with one of her crises. You know some school stuff. She really needs me." His lips dipped into a frown, he just wanted to spend time with her.
"I can wait till you're done," he leaned in for a kiss, but she used her finger to shove him back.
"No! That's not a good idea, she's on her way over here, and you don't want to know how crazy she can get. We'll see each other soon. I promise." Before he could object further the window slid shut.
He couldn't believe it, Marinette just lied to his face then blocked him out. Did he do something wrong? He groaned as he slipped into the nearby alley to transform. Why did he get the feeling that he now had three people to grovel to?
A.n.- Adrien is definitely in a spiral now. Ok poll: I'm working on a couple one shots and wanted an opinion of which one you want first. One is a Ladrien one shot ( that could be extended) and the other is aftermath of a reveal Adrienette piece. (Technically a song fic). Let me know in the comments. I'm writing both, but between trying to stay ahead I have to use my time wisely.