Chapter Text
Marinette stared unfocused at the unwashed dishes that rested in the sink of her apartment. Her stomach grumbled at her, nudging her to eat her microwaved meal rather than picking at it. But she couldn’t bring herself to swallow a single bite, not when the feeling of disappointment made her throat feel too tight.
It was a soft breeze that carried the dreadful dripping sound of the sink. It traveled through the room as it spread uneasiness and discomfort with its footsteps.
Each droplet tiptoed carefully as it sneaked its way into Marinette’s memory, smuggling a whole lot of unwanted memories from the old days.
Those that were labelled as ‘ better days.’
She had once been told that falling in love was a wonderful thing. And she, as foolish as she could be, had lived by that.
Marinette had believed those deceiving traitors like the helpless girl she had been. She had chased love with a reaching hand. She’d claimed every gold-plated word said to her as romance , snatched every action shown to her and hung it up as an extra piece in the ‘love’ collection she had organized in her bedroom.
People had said love was wonderful.
It was wonderful, so they’d said.
If only they had remembered to mention that love was also full of dark and unfortunate wonders; Marinette would’ve taken love, crumpled it like the piece of trash it was, and thrown it back at them with a fake grin to match their words.
Marinette chewed on the food rapidly as she stared at it with a bland expression similar to its taste. A recollection of wedding pictures flashed through her mind like thunderbolts; it caused her appetite to decrease further.
She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, sadness made her stomach feel off. With one swift movement, she let go of the spoon and let it hit the glassy plate. The sound of the metallic ping filled the vacant room with an echoing dread.
Marinette was not bothered by it; it was a reminder that she was peacefully alone in the house. But he would arrive in ten minutes to replace her peace with his chaotic self.
She stood up and made her way into the guest room-her room now- to prepare the divorce papers yet again . She just hoped he’d sign them tonight so she could be done with this joke of a marriage.
The clicking beat of her high heels rang of off the marble floor as she walked next to his room-their old room- to find hers. Gone were the days where they slept in the same bed, had dinner together, or even had a conversation that didn't end with loud fights and broken glass.
She opened the door, before glancing at the corridor beside her room where a shattered picture of their honeymoon lay dead on the crooked floor. He had broken it last week - by mistake - and never bothered to clean the glass or remove the picture.
Marinette sighed as she entered her room, shaking her head in disbelief as she glanced at her watch.
10hr47min. He was late again. She wasn't surprised, only bothered. She knew he was with her, sharing a glass of wine along with an expensive dinner. He was probably moaning in ecstasy in the bed of another. She, who gave him what Marinette hadn't in so long. She , who was not a boring wife filled with animosity, was with her husband.
Marinette had her suspicions of who She was.
But she scoffed and grunted as the name passed through her head because it didn't really matter.
She heard the faint sound of the keys jingling before the front door slowly creaked open. It was an indication that her husband had finally arrived. Another perfect opportunity for her to shoot her shot and throw the divorce papers in his face, just like he had thrown his wedding ring at her two weeks ago.
Adrien stretched his sore feet under his desk. The pain of his ankles was unbearable. It felt as if a sharp knife was stabbing him there, again and again. The uncomfortable tingling traveled its way up to his knees and Adrien raised his legs slowly to avoid the sensation.
This wouldn't have happened if he worked less, but Adrien had meetings to attend and papers to check. His work responsibilities and lack of assistants required him to be at the company all day. And with all the scurrying around he had to do, Adrien was left too breathless to complain.
He had thrown himself blindly and hastily into his father’s company to save it from collapsing after the old man’s death. It wasn’t the smartest decision to make, but Adrien hadn't been thinking straight for a while now.
The ticking of the wall clock grabbed Adrien by the collar of his shirt and shook him back and forth, screaming reminders of what awaited him at home.
Disaster .
To be honest, Adrien was dreading going back to that dump of a house. The scenario of what would be happening played repetitively in his mind, begging him to stay at a hotel for the night.
The suspicious looks, cutting words, and continuous blame waved him goodbye through the front door everyday. He felt unwanted in his own house, and with good reason. He still remembered: only yesterday, Marinette told him how much of a burden he was.
It all began when the company started raising its demands. He gave it his all, but his wife was neither understanding nor supportive. With him returning late at night and her returning early in the afternoon, they never got a chance to talk things out. And once they stopped communicating, Marinette packed up in the blink of an eye and moved her belongings to the guest room.
It was odd to witness the woman he had once trusted give up on him, but Adrien was too numb to react. He followed her lead, as usual, and shrugged away the worries that plagued his mind.
At some point, he settled with how she wanted things to be: divided.
She’d often recite a made-up story of how he cheated on her as he came late during the night. Every time this happened, Adrien would stare at her with his mouth agape in disbelief. He’d try to clutch onto the ungraspable reality of their situation but fail miserably.
His wife too, filled with pain herself, would demand his signature on the appalling divorce papers and threaten to leave him. And he’d stand there unstable like a weak tree surrounded by his partner’s heavy winds.
As usual, he took the problem and tossed it to the back of his head. He closed his eyes, pretended it was a nightmare, and ignored everything else. It was what worked most of the time.
As he drove in the direction of his house, Adrien contemplated sleeping in a nearby hotel. His head pounded with heavy throbs as he focused on the road ahead of him. He wouldn't hear the end of it if he slept somewhere else and, frankly, he wasn’t in the mood to deal with lectures or accusations.
Truth be told, he wasn’t sure why she cared that much about where he slept; they barely even talked anymore.
Eventually, Adrien decided to sleep at home with his room locked. Content with that thought, he headed to the front door of the house . He opened it carefully, too paranoid to let it crack freely and unleash the creature that lived inside.
Sighing in relief, he closed the door just as cautiously, and entered the grey-almost black- setting of his house. It got colder and emptier with each step he made, making Adrien regret the moment he had decided to come back to the grave of a house he once called home.
A figure on the couch who radiated a familiar aura, one that Adrien preferred to avoid, cleared its throat. His wife, whom he couldn't quite see because of the darkness, took a breath before speaking.
“I see you’ve forgotten how to greet the people you live with.” She said emotionlessly, with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
Adrien rolled his eyes, the rhythm of blood throbbing in his temple returned, causing him to wince as he moved his head. “I couldn't see you, you clearly forgot to turn the lights on.”
The setting he stood in was a replicated version of his life. A gloomy, unclear path, with a certain obstacle that sucked the life out of him.
Adrien turned to escape to his shelter quickly as she scoffed, but Marinette was faster than him.
“Just where do you think you’re going?” She stood up to stand next to him in the middle of the living room. “We need to talk.”
“We have nothing to talk about, Marinette.” Adrien responded, already tired of the conversation.
He looked at his wife, who gave him an angry glare. It would have sent shivers down his spine if he were intimidated by her. She’d changed with time; so had he. They ended up as a couple of monsters on the verge of pulling each other’s hair out. The remains of the inseparable superheroes made disappointment sink in his stomach.
“You’re right. We don't.” She stated before raising the papers and flashing them in his face. “I only need your signature, no need for a conversation after that.”
A wave of nausea surged over him. It reminded him of the first day she told him she had filed for divorce papers. Adrien looked down at her white tank top and pink pajama shorts; the last thing she had worn when they actually slept in the same room, she clearly didn't remember or care.
The feeling of nostalgia stabbed him in the heart, causing Adrien to frown and look at her face. The glare she wore reminded him of the one she used to aim at akumas, it was now directed at him, and Adrien, frankly, felt scared.
Admittedly, a part of Adrien was confused. Marinette’s flaming frown lit up something inside of him, it reminded him that she managed to turn the scariest expressions into beautiful ones. And honestly, that worried him.
He was sure as he could be; he was over her, didn't want her in his life, and was ready to pack his bags and live without her. But the feeling of longing he got whenever he saw her, lulled Adrien into a sense of false belonging.
Adrien tried to believe it was true, that he belonged with her . But deep down, he knew that he only craved to belong, to matter to anyone , really.
After his father took his own life and revealed that he had been Hawkmoth, it took a toll on the former supermodel. He also discovered that his mother had been kept in a glassy coffin under his mansion, which wrecked him just as much.
Life had felt empty for him since then, despite having Marinette with him-it wasn’t enough. Especially when he decided to take over the company.
Not wanting to give in, Adrien decided not to make any rushed decision tonight. “I’m heading to bed. I'm tired.”
Tired. As usual. Marinette had expected that. Adrien flashed the ‘tired’ card in her face to use it as a poor excuse again. Marinette couldn't be more disgusted by her husband’s sneakiness. She refused to give him another free pass.
She took a deep breath, careful not to let the shakiness in her voice show. “You said that yesterday.”
Her husband tilted his head slightly and looked at her with an expression she couldn't quite place. “What happened to you?” He said, gently so.
For a moment, his voice soothed her. It reminded her of him; the person she had fallen in love with. The one who she’d once trusted with all she had.
Marinette hesitated before looking into his eyes, the pair of emeralds she used to get lost in. She could tell that the now-hollow orbs called for her with a pleading expression, one that said ‘don't give up on me, not yet’ .
However, the former superheroine played by the rules. She held onto the concept of balance and fairness tightly with no intention of releasing. And if Adrien had already cheated in their game, Marinette refused to give him another chance.
Marinette shook her head in rejection, she wasn't going to let him manipulate her and play with her feelings. She knew better. “You’re the one who changed, Adrien. Not me.”
Adrien looked at her through squinted eyes, then scoffed and turned to march out of the room. And just as she opened her mouth to demand his signature again, she found him locking the door in her face. Once more.
Marinette felt like a caged animal in an empty zoo. She was stuck in the indefinite maze of Adrien’s mind with no way out. She couldn't quite tell what he wanted. He often looked at her like she was the only obstacle in his life, but when she gave him a chance to cut her off completely, he ran away like a scared cat.
She wiped her eyes with trembling hands, making sure to keep the tears that threatened to fall stay inside. Marinette walked back slowly into her dark room and threw herself on her bed.
Another day, another delay.
She needed sleep.
As Marinette dozed off to the land of dreams, she failed to see the purple mist that covered her room later that night.
And so did Adrien.