Chapter Text
Adrien did not know what came over him. He was full of so much anger, and it was towards Ladybug of ALL people. He felt horrible for lashing out, but he also could not relive the anger inside of him. How could she play this game of back and forth with his heart? How could she continue to break him when all he did was love her? He was mad at Ladybug, and he couldn’t shake this frustrated feeling. Did that make him a horrible person?
Regret washed over him like a virus. How could he have yelled at Ladybug? She was never going to talk to him again, and it was all his fault. What if he hurt her? Was she ok? Maybe he should call her. He should definitely call her, right?
Before he could do anything, his train of thought was disrupted when Plagg interjected, “You did the right thing kid.”
“What are you even talking about?”
“You’re contemplating about that little fight you had with Ladybug aren’t you?”
Adrien didn’t respond.
“I’ve known you long enough to know what that look on your face means. You are struggling because you aren’t an angry person, but you can’t seem to forgive Ladybug.”
“Well, it’s not like she’s asking for my forgiveness!” he yelled. “Sorry Plagg… I didn’t mean to yell.”
“Adrien, listen to me for a second. Once upon a time, I was living in Ancient Rome. I fell in love, you see. There she was a beautiful wheel of Camembert cheese. It was soft, gooey, and it smelled like heaven. So naturally, I ate that cheese. It was immaculate. It was probably the best moment of my life…”
“Seriously?”
“It was! Anyway, I wanted to savior the flavor, so I kept it around for a couple of days. I forgot about it until 3 months later. I found the cheese, but it was foul. It had mold and smelled bad, even for my standards. I took a bite anyway, and I got sick! I puked for days; it was horrible”
“Plagg, you make NO sense.”
“Rotten cheese is rotten cheese Adrien. There’s no need to contemplate about it.”
“Well, when you put it like that…”
“It’s ok to have a backbone sometimes. I know you struggle with that, but don’t think having standards makes you a bad person.”
Adrien’s eyes were a little bit glossy with tears. “Thanks, Plagg,” he said chocked up.
“Ugh, would you cut that out! Don’t you need to sleep anyway…”
Adrien gave Plagg a big hug, which Plagg pretended to hate.
…
Marinette’s alarm went off, but she was already awake. She did not get any sleep last night because she was a ball of stress. Fighting with Chat left her rattled, but it also made everything clear. She loved him and she could not let their love die. If she did, she would be dooming herself and Adrien. Marinette loved him too much to force him to suffer any longer, so she was going to put an end to all this nonsense. She decided this all last night but was completely unsure on how she was going to execute on this. She had identified the first step of her plan, however. She needed to confront Bunnix, and after a long night of thinking, she was readier than ever. She was going to fix this, and she was going to get him back!
…
For once, Marinette arrived at school earlier. She was on a mission! A well-crafted letter was secured in her right pant pocket. Marinette’s plan was very simple. She was going to go up to Alix and give her the letter. The envelope said “For Bunnix.” Inside the envelope was a set of instructions. She simply wrote, “Meet me at the top of the school at 7:40am on 10/13/2021.” She hoped that Alix would understand and return to this time as her older self. This plan was pretty contrived, but Marinette was optimistic.
And so, Marinette walked into the art room, scanning the room for the redhaired time traveler. She was very distracted on her latest art piece. She was doing a study on landscapes. Her sketchbook was full of beautiful mountains, rivers, and fields. They were absolutely breathtaking. With everything going on in her own life, Marinette sometimes forgot how talented Alix was.
Marinette taped on Alix’s shoulder, which alarmed the artist. Alix removed her headphones and gave Marinette a look caught between aggravation and confusion. Before Alix could complain, Marinette interjected.
“I have a letter for you. Keep it safe, please.”
Alix read the envelope and she was dumb founded. She quickly regained her composure, but she did not respond to Marinette. Instead, she nodded her head in silence. She slipped the envelope in her backpack, put on her headphones, and continued to work. Marinette was pleasantly surprised and was sure her meeting was successfully scheduled.
…
It only took her about 3 minutes to get to the roof. Marinette checked her watch, and it was 7:39am. She had nearly perfect timing. The clock hit 7:40am, and at the exact moment, Bunnix appeared. Marinette’s mouth was agape. She was very surprised her plan actually worked.
“Was I late or something?”
Quickly recovering, Marinette responded, “No, not at all!”
“Great! Into the burrow we go!”
Marinette was once again surrounded by the glows of thousands of circular screens. It was mesmerizing, but it was also terrifying to her. Every time she came into Bunnix’s burrow, the pit in her stomach reemerged. Everything about this place reminded her about how much she’d hurt Adrien. But this time, it filled her with the strength she needed to make things right.
“I’m not going to let him go because I don’t need to. I am going to figure out the timeline and I am going to fix it. Don’t tell me otherwise because I won’t take no for an answer!”
“Woah!!! Slow down! What are you even talking about?”
“I can’t stay away from Adrien like you asked me too. I am going to figure out what’s ruining the timeline and I am going to correct the mistakes. Hopefully, with enough investigating, I can figure out the x factor that’s causing the issue. Once I figure that out, I can free us.”
“You don’t think I’ve tried that? That’s what I’ve been doing all these years! Have you listened to nothing I’ve been telling you these past couple of days?”
“Of course, I listened! I understand what’s at stake here, but I’m not just going to give up!”
“Do you think I just gave up? I’ve dedicated my life to covering your ass and I would appreciate a little more gratitude!”
“Gratitude? Thank you Bunnix for condemning me to a life of misery! Hell Bunnix… have you even figured out the missing piece of the puzzle? Have you figure out the factor that’s turning all these timelines sour?”
“No.”
“Exactly! I think it’s time I took matters into my own hands.”
“You won’t be able to. You’re going to destroy the world if you keep messing with things you couldn’t possibly understand.”
“Last time I checked, I was the leader of this team. I was weak before, but I won’t be this time. I don’t care how hard of a task this will be. I am going to do it for him. He doesn’t deserve the pain we’re putting him through! When I first met you, you told me I had to step up. You told me I had to be strong and guide our team to victory. You believed and trusted in me. You once put your faith in me, and I am asking you to do that again. Leaders do the right thing and leaving Adrien in the dark isn’t that. I refuse to hurt him for another minute. I won’t tell him my identity, but I need him, and he needs me. I am going to make this work. Do you trust me?”
“No, not when you are putting the safety of the entire world at risk! Are you crazy?”
“Crazy enough to save us all,” Marinette said with a wink. With that, she left Bunnix’s Burrow. Hopefully, she’d never have to return to that dreadful place again.
…
She got to patrol early that day. She was terribly anxious to see Chat and the idea of waiting in her bedroom was suffocating. She saw his black silhouette on the rooftops, almost blending in with the night sky. She felt all the nervousness leave her body, and his proximity filled her with comfort. There was nothing to be worried about, it was just Chat, the boy she loved. He would understand.
When he landed on the rooftop, he did not look at her or speak. He did not greet her with his usual charm. The warmth she felt was racing out of her body, and her anxiety returned. She really messed up this time.
“Hey… can we talk?” she asked.
Her question was met with an unfamiliar coldness that made Chat unrecognizable to her. He didn’t say a word. Instead, he continued on their usually patrol route silently. She followed closely behind without making any noise. They remained like this until they reached the Eiffel tower. They sat there silently on highest beam.
Chat disrupted the silence when he said, “Sorry I’ve been quiet. I just needed time to think about what I wanted to say to you. I thought I knew what I wanted, but then I saw your face and now I don’t know what to think.”
“It’s ok you can-“
“That doesn’t mean what I’m going to say is going to be pleasant,” he explained.
“Oh…”
“Yesterday, I realized that I never really had boundaries with you. I let you do whatever you wanted with my heart in hopes you would love me back. When you kissed me, I thought that meant you liked me... and I think I'm right. Even though we kissed, you won't tell me if you feel the same but when I tell you it's ok if you don't want me... that it's ok if you regret kissing me... you look at me like... like that was the most painful thing you've ever heard.” He took a thoughtful pause before continuing. “This... it hurts me.”
Adrien saw Ladybug’s eyes overflow with tears. She reached out for his comfort, but he shifted out of her grasp. He wasn’t going to pick up her pieces this time. For the first time that night, he looked at her. His eyes were conflicted, and in them was a plea for her to fight back. He wanted her to tell him that he was wrong. He wanted her to reassure him that she did indeed love him and that their love was worth saving. He wanted her to bring down her walls and tell him she was sorry. He wanted her to tell him everything that was wrong so she could release all the tension that was building inside her. He wanted to help her, but he couldn’t do that if she wouldn’t let him. He couldn’t run to her rescue this time. The battle was in Ladybug’s hands now.
Ladybug said nothing, and this just reaffirmed what Adrien already knew. He couldn’t help unless she let him in.
“My love, I have to go now.” With that, Adrien took ladybug’s hand and kissed the top of it. This gesture was something he always did, but it carried far more weight this time. He then disappeared into the night, leaving Ladybug alone with her thoughts on the edge of the Eiffel Tower.
…