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“Maybe we should… just be friends…”
Those words echoed in her head, but Marinette was just happy she did the right thing at that moment. Luka was amazing and didn’t deserve someone who couldn’t give him what he wanted. She still loved Adrien, but that wasn’t much of a secret, was it? Her real secret was that she was Ladybug. She couldn’t even disclose that to him, as much as she wanted. It was getting harder to make up excuses. She was far too overwhelmed with the guardian duties, along with being Ladybug and Marinette the Good Friend. She had no idea what she was going to do, aside from learning better time management skills. It still hurt, even after a few days. She sat down on a bench and stared out to the river. She came out here to clear her mind but it wasn’t helping much- she was just thinking of all the bad thoughts.
Adrien thought he heard someone sniffling as he unknowingly walked down the very same sidewalk she was sitting on. He decided to reflect on events after Kagami broke up with him, and not even wanting to be his friend. It must be fate and his Marinette Lucky Charm that brought him to her. Might as well take his time, he knew he’d be in big trouble regardless of when he got home anyway. When he looked up from his feet, he saw Marinette on the bench. Noticing that she was looking down at her feet, he definitely thought he should pry into her mind to see what’s wrong. He sat down beside her on the other end of the bench. “Marinette? Are you okay?”
She flinched, shooting up and looking at him. Tears were pouring down her face. Great, not only was she crying in public, Adrien was here to witness the whole thing. “I-- uh, yes! Never better!” She smiled as she wiped her eyes with her forearm.
“Are you… crying?”
Her fingers ran along her cheek, catching some tears on them. “Uh… no.. it’s just… allergies?” She faked a sneeze. “That darn pollen…”
“Well, here…” He said, pulling out a handkerchief from his shirt- opposite of where he keeps his cheese stash. He handed it over to her. She wiped her eyes and her nose. She thanked him, and handed the handkerchief back to him. “What are you doing out here? Don’t you have fencing?” She asked him.
He sighed as he rested his chin on his hands. “Technically, yes. Kagami broke up with me. I decided to just walk home after “fencing practice”. She told Nathalie that we had to stay late, so I just decided to walk around after she left. I think my Father won’t be happy with me about that regardless, so I figured I may as well enjoy the last bits of freedom until I grounded when he finds out I lied to him.”
Marinette’s eyes widened as she sat up straighter. “Oh no, Adrien I’m so sorry to hear. Um… can I ask what happened? I-I mean, you don’t have to if you don’t want to talk about it. I just--”
“No worries, it’s okay. Actually I think talking about it will make me feel better.” He explained, as he leaned back, and exhaled softly. “She was upset because I kept lying to her because of things I can’t control. I swear, I had a really good reason to… but yesterday, I said that I dropped my lucky charm and left to go ‘find it’... When she had found it and kept it. She used it to call my bluff. I watched her get akumatized and then I ran away and hid because I was scared.” There he goes, lying again. Why couldn’t he just be honest for once?
Marinette felt a bit of relief- she thought he had given it to her. That explained why she saw Kagami holding it as Mesonge… and why the akuma was in it. She found herself very much relating to Adrien more than ever. “Oh… You know, I understand what that’s like… Having to lie about things out of your control and whatnot.”
“Wait, really?” Adrien was glad to hear that he wasn’t alone. He thought he was nuts with all his crazy excuses.
“Yeah. A-actually, I was the reason why that other akuma and sentimonster attack happened yesterday… Luka asked me what was wrong and I said I couldn’t tell him. He got upset because he didn’t think I trusted him, which wasn’t true at all. I just couldn’t tell him…” She sighed, as she looked away. “He tried so hard to fight it off… but he couldn’t in the end. After that, I ended it. I’m just glad he wasn’t mad at me for that… He deserves someone better than me.”
Adrien was slightly jealous. He wished his split with Kagami was as nice, but it wasn’t. “Marinette, you’re incredible, just as you are.”
“Thanks Adrien, but I don’t think so. I’m always so clumsy, forgetful, a liar and too busy for my friends… Who would like anyone like that?”
“Well… you’re also kind, outgoing, a great designer, thoughtful and caring.”
She smiled a little at him. “You really think so?”
“Of course. After all… that’s why you’re everyone’s ‘Everyday Ladybug’, right?”
“Yeah… I guess you’re right.” She moved closer to him and hugged him. “Thank you. I feel a bit better.”
He embraced her back. “That’s what friends are supposed to do, right? You’ve done so many nice things for me… getting Father to let me go to New York, giving me a very lucky lucky charm… I’m just glad I get to return the favor. How about I walk you home?”
Marinette nodded. “I’d like that… you’re really kind.”
He didn’t think it was that big of a deal. He was only doing what a friend would do. As the two of them walked back to Tom and Sabine’s Patisserie, they began to talk, and began to discover that they were more alike than they realized. Two extremely busy teenagers who just so happen to have big secrets that they can’t divulge. It may seem strange to some, but to them, it was totally normal. Of course, they wondered what the other was hiding… but they knew their secrets would come out when the time was right. Once at the front doors of the bakery, Marinette paused before she opened the door. “Thanks for walking me home. It…. means a lot.”
“Really, it was no trouble at all.” He replied. “So… see you in class tomorrow?”
“See you tomorrow. And on time, granted nothing goes wrong.” She joked. The two of them shared a laugh, before he went his own way. After greeting her parents and talking to them briefly about her walk, she headed up the stairs to her bedroom. She opened her purse, and her magical friend flew out. “Tikki, I can’t believe it! Adrien and I have more in common that I realized!”
“And, you didn’t lose your cool around him after a while! You’re getting better at this, Marinette.” Tikki said with a soft smile. She flew over to the desk and sat down.
“You know what, Tikki, maybe I should work on being one of his close friends first… and then maybe shoot my shot.”
“That’s the spirit.” The kwami replied, as she went to look for her little hats. She began to try them on. Marinette began to rummage for her history book. She opened it to the chapter about Persephone and Hades. As she pulled up her word processor, she grabbed a pen and pad of Post-its from her desk. She tapped her chin with her pencil.
“Tikki, what do you think Adrien’s secret is? Do you know what it is?”
The kwami turned around, wearing her purple hat with a pink bow. She did know Adrien’s secret, but of course she couldn’t mention it. Instead, she just responded, “I’m sure you’ll find out what it is in due time. Maybe when and or if he’s ready to tell you? ”
“You’re right. I should try working on friendships first, before I even try jumping back into a relationship… especially if it’s with Adrien.” Marinette replied, as she scribbled down some notes on a post it, and stuck it to her computer.
“Self love is always the best love you can get.”
“You’re right- and I’ll be sure to give myself plenty of it before I share that love with someone else.”