Chapter Text
The clock read 5:39pm.
It was quiet.
It was lonely.
Especially on Valentine’s Day.
Unsurprisingly, Marinette’s day on Valentine's was yet again uneventful. Nothing had happened in particular and it made her a bit depressed. She and Alya traded some chocolate and Nathanael had offered her a pink rose with a beautiful hand-crafted heart-shaped card before running away in embarrassment before she could thank him.
The whole day, she had excitedly watched Adrien, wondering if he had a sweetheart in mind he wanted to give something to, but all he did was look aloof the entire day and look mildly sleepy. Even when Chloe had given him premium-grade chocolates, he didn’t even look remotely interested in it (though he was nice about it), which in turn ticked the blonde disaster off into a tempest.
Later that day, Alya had some fishy ‘business’ to attend to with Nino, who had said that he had spotted Ladybug the other day. Alya wanted her ‘scoop’ and went out to dinner with him. Her parents had left her in charge of the bakery while they went out for a Valentine’s Day dinner. Although they had offered to stay home together as a family, Marinette insisted that they go out and have fun together as a couple. Even Tikki had fallen asleep upstairs after an exhausting day of being Ladybug and had collapsed soon after she devoured a dozen cookies.
So here she was.
Alone.
It had started raining a while ago. Fitting, deeming her gloomy mood. Marinette didn’t feel like doing anything and had considered closing up shop so she could just mope in her room to play video games or do some sketching, but she had promised her parents to watch the shop. There are some customers who often drop by to buy last-minute valentine gifts for their sweethearts and Marinette knew even though her love life wasn’t going anywhere at the moment, that she shouldn’t deprive anyone else of theirs.
The sound of the rain outside made her sleepy. The monotonous droning of the pitter-patter really can take a toll on someone’s mood. Sometime ago, she had fallen into a light doze when the bell rang and someone stepped inside the shop.
Marinette jolted awake. “Welcome!” She nearly screamed out in shocked.
She rubbed her eyes and looked at the figure who had entered the store. The person was wearing a dark blue hoodie and their face was shrouded by the shadow. In one hand, the person held their soaking umbrella, dripping from the rain and in the other hand held a plastic bag. Marinette couldn’t help, but feel that this person was really shady - until he reached over and pulled his hood down.
“Hi, Marinette!”
“A-A-Adrien!” Marinette sputtered. The sheer shock of seeing her crush enter those doors made her recoil back on the chair she was sitting on. She fell backwards, but barely managed to grasp the countertop to stop herself from falling. However, she still ended up sprawled on the floor.
The crush stepped forward, his face displaying is concern. “Marinette!?” He put his umbrella in the stand beside the door and plastic bag on the floor before running over to the counter.
Before he had a chance to look behind the counter to see if Marinette was alright, she lept on her feet, her heart about to pound out of her chest and waved vigorously at the other teen - grinning profusely.
“H-Hi!” She stammered. Then she gave herself a mental slap for acting like such an idiot in front of her crush.
“Are you alright?” Adrien asked, still looking a bit worried.
Marinette nodded her head, a bit happy to see that he was worried about her. She couldn’t wait to tell Alya later. “Y-Yes! Thank you!”
Adrien smiled, causing Marinette’s heart to soar. She hoped that her blush wasn’t too obvious. She slightly gasped when she realized - Adrien had to come here for a reason. He didn’t just drop by to see her right? He was a customer. Marinette felt her heart twinge when she realized that - that Adrien didn’t come to see her, but at least he was here right now, right?
“Urm...what can I get you?” “So uhm… what can I get you, Adrien?” Marinette asked, after regaining her composure. She had to act responsible, as the baker’s daughter.
Suddenly, it was Adrien’s turn to look a bit embarrassed. He scratched his cheek and avoided Marinette’s eyes. “Well, um, you see…” He clenched other hand and swallowed nervously. “I w-wanted to buy something for someone…”
Marinette felt her heart shatter.
“...someone?” She asked, trying her hardest not to show her the sadness and shock in her voice
“Yeah…” Adrien trailed off. He seemed really embarrassed about it.
Marinette felt something sharp poke the back of her heart and something form in the edge of her eyes. Of course, Adrien would have someone he liked. He was popular and good-looking, he would attract a lot of girls - Marinette included. It might be someone in their class or perhaps someone from another school. The dark-haired girl was ashamed to think that she even had a chance with Adrien.
“Marinette? Are you okay?” Adrien asked. “You kinda spaced out a bit. Did you hurt yourself when you fell back?” He gestured with his hands unsure what to do with them. “Do you need to sit down?
“Ah, no no no no!” She said, trying her best not to break down. Instead she bit the inside of her cheek so hard she could've sworn she tasted blood, but the pain distracted her from her thoughts and she grinned her best grin. “W-What are you looking for?”
Adrien blinked and for a moment, he didn’t look like he believed her. He leaned a bit closer, trying to see if he could figure out what was wrong, but all it did was made Marinette flush and lean back. Then after a blink of an eye, he had leant back and tilted his head slightly to the side.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
Marinette licked the tender part inside her cheek. “Just fine.” It tasted like blood. She took a deep breath and begrudgingly smiled. “So, what can I help you with?
Adrien looked a bit shocked. “What am I looking for…?”
The two stared at each other for a couple seconds and Marinette realized something - he had no idea what he wanted. Then Adrien fell into deep state of thought and crossed his arms. Then he stared at the ceiling for whatever reason, almost as if the the answer was written up there somewhere. He looked a bit like a lost kitten.
“To be honest…” h e had this deadpan expression on his face with a crooked smile, “I have no idea.”
“No idea!?” s he exclaimed, waving her hands around in shock. “Surely you must know something you can give this person!”
Adrien shook his head, looking more embarrassed. “I don’t know what she likes…” Marinette felt herself flinch inside. Adrien said ‘she’ .
“Well, uh…” h er heart clenched and she said the next few words , “ w hat kind of person is she?”
“What kind of person?” Adrien smiled and nodded to himself. “She’s the most amazing person I have ever met… and she’s really a strong fight-I mean she’s really athletic. She’s also really pretty…” His face grew a bit pink and Marinette felt her heart twinge in jealousy on who this person was.
“Although…” h is face fell and Adrien suddenly looked really depressed , making Marinette inwardly panicked. What was wrong with him? Was this person that important to him?
“What’s wrong?” s he asked. Marinette noticed that the inside of her cheek was really sore when she talked.
Adrien hung his head and looked a bit ashamed. “I don’t think she really likes me.”
Marinette’s eyes widened in shock and she gaped at his answer. “Doesn’t like you…?”
“Yeah…” h e avoided her gaze and although he was smiling, Marinette could tell he was broken inside. Suddenly, a sharp chill rose in her spine.
Just like her.
“It’s not that she doesn’t like me as a person- I think she does like me as a friend…” Adrien explained slowly , “b ut...she doesn’t really like me romantically or anything - no matter how much I try....” The blonde teen turned to look at Marinette again, his face betraying his emotions. “I’m just not amazing as her.”
There was a still silence in the air and Marinette had wondered if time briefly stopped, but the rain still pounded angrily outside and if one listened closely, one can hear the soft tick of the clock nearby. Marinette wanted to scream at Adrien, to tell him that what he had just said wasn’t true, that he was just as amazing - no, wait… even more amazing than the person he liked… but for some reason, her voice would not work. Instead she looked at him empathically. Maybe it was because...
...she felt the same way.
“Hang…” s he gritted her teeth , ”h ang in there…” Marinette managed to say. She didn’t feel like giving him encouragement like she wanted to so badly.
Marinette knew exactly what he felt like. Despite what Alya and others had told her about being amazing and what she does, Marinette couldn’t help, but feel a little inferior to Adrien. He was smart, good-looking, wealthy… everything she wasn’t. He was just so amazing , and Marinette was just… normal. Nothing particularly special - except the fact that she was Ladybug, but not even her own parents knew about that little secret.
“Thanks…” Adrien said, smiling , “b ut even though she may not feel the same way, I still want to give something to her. Just to show her, I really do… love her.” Marinette huffed silently.
“You can do it!” Marinette said, her face donned with determination and bravery. Her heart squealed in protest, but she shut it down. She clenched her fist and shoved herself towards Adrien. “You can’t give up on this person!”
I can’t succeed so you have to! She wanted to add, but she didn’t. Marinette stayed quiet afterwards and backed down.
Adrien looked a bit overwhelmed, but he nodded enthusiastically. “I will! Thanks!” Then a blank look crossed his face. “So...what do girls like?”
“Eh?” The dark-haired girl looked at him with an equally blank expression. “What do girls like?”
“Well…” Adrien said, turning around and walking a few steps towards some colorful pieces of pastries. “Since I don’t really know what she likes, I guess since she’s a girl… I could get her something girls would like?”
She coughed slightly, walking out from behind the counter and toward the bread and pastries her father had just baked before he left. Something girl’s like? Well… she was a girl… what did she like?
“I’m not sure, girls like different things, just like guys do.” Marinette said, glancing at Adrien, who was still looking through the bakery. Then her eyes widened and she nearly knocked over the basket of croissants in realization. “Wait!” Adrien turned to look at her, looking surprised. “Why did you come here?”
“What?” He looked equally confused. “Because I want to buy something from the bakery?” Adrien said, though he sounded uncertain.
“I mean- why… not that!” She said, rushing over to him. She looked up into his green eyes. “Why did you come to a bakery? How did you know the person you like wants something from a bakery?”
“Oh…” He turned around to face her, shoving his hands into his hoodie. “I thought could ask you for some advice.”
Marinette felt something pop in her mind. “Me!?”
“Yeah.. .you were the only girl I could ask…” Adrien scratched the back of his head. “I know Chloe or Sabrina wouldn’t help me. I’m not that close with Alya or Rose…” The n he looked brightly at her. “So I decided I should ask you , Marinette. ”
The dark haired teen was stunned. If Adrien didn’t have someone else he had liked she would've confessed her love to him on the spot, but the throbbing pain in her cheek reminded her to hold back. Apparently, Adrien took her silence as discontentment because he continued talking.
“I don’t talk to a lot of girls my age…” He explained. “I’ve only known Chloe and she’s well… Chloe. I’m not really close to her to begin with.” He licked his lips. “You are the only other girl I thought I could ask. Sorry to bother you…”
“ Oh! It’s no problem at all!”
Despite all she felt, Marinette felt happy that Adrien needed her. Even though now she knew that she could never really fall in love with Adrien the way she wanted to, the least she could do for him, (and herself), is was to be on good terms with him. Maybe she could end up being his best gal friend ...?
“Well, people say that things you make and put your heart into comes as really great gifts.” Marinette told Adrien. “Even though I’m not really supposed to let anyone into the kitchen without permission, I’m sure my parents will understand…”
“So you mean…?” Adrien cocked his head slightly to the side. Marinette swore sometime he acted just like a cat.
“You can make something for who you like!” When the blonde teen looked a bit confused she continued on. “I mean you could bake something here for her.”
“But I don’t know how to bake!” Adrien replied, although he looked eager to get started. “And I don’t want to trouble you if you’re busy… a nd the ingredients-”
“It’s okay, I’ll help you. ” Marinette smiled. “My parents set aside some ingredients I can use if I want to start baking anytime.” She put her hands on her hips, standing a bit proudly. “I may not be as good my dad, but I can bake pretty well, I think.”
Then Adrien looked a bit timid and he grabbed his elbow. He looked a bit insecure. “Is that okay?”
“Don’t worry about it!” Her heart throbbed. “I’ll help you.” Marinette was jealous.
T he inside of her cheek ached, but s he knew she was doing the right thing for him.
-~*~-
Marinette realized that baking herself and teaching someone to bake can be really difficult. By no where is she good as her father yet, but teaching Adrien - who had zero experience in cooking, was really difficult. She ended up doing most of the important things like measuring and choosing the ingredients. Adrien would do most of the stirring or mixing, which seems the only thing he could do without messing it up somehow. Adrien wasn’t as perfect as she thought he would be - Marinette guessed.
They had decided to make something simple, small, and easy to carry. What can be easier than cupcakes? Well maybe it wasn’t the easiest thing in the world, but it was all Marinette could think of if Adrien wanted to decorate it. Cake was too big and bread seemed a little plain.
“You’re really good at baking.” Adrien said, looking up from where he was mixing the ingredients. “I could never do this on my own.”
Marinette smiled gleefully, Adrien completing her was nice. “Well, if you live your entire life around parents you bake, then you’d be good at it too.” She glanced at him. “Could you keep mixing it? I’ll go check to see if the oven is ready.”
“Sure thing.” Adrien said with a bright smile.
She swept away the remaining flour off the counter and placed all the utensils they used into the sink to be washed later. Marinette checked on the oven - which she had started to preheat before - to make sure it was the right temperature. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Adrien contently stirring the mixture. Even though he was powdered with flour, Adrien still looked as handsome as ever. He also seemed really into it - the dark haired girl supposed it was because he was making it for someone he loved. Marinette licked the inside of her sore cheek, which had continued to bother her for quite some time. It s till tasted of blood - which reminded her that she needed to keep in mind to keep her distance from him , now. He had someone he liked after all.
“Marinette?”
“Ah! Y-yes?” She said, whirling around.
Adrien had stopped stirring and looked directly at her with intense green eyes. Even though Marinette could tell he was concerned, he had an unreadable side to his expression that Marinette couldn't quite make out. He looked like he was about to say something before he looked away with his back to her.. Even from where she was standing, she could see the grip on the whisk he was holding tighten.
“Tch.”
Marinette continued to stare at him in confusion. What was that about? Was he angry? Did Adrien know she liked him?
“Adrien?” She asked hesitantly, worried he would snap at her, but then Adrien looked up, looking much brighter.
“Sorry, I just remembered that my dad’s assistant asked me to be home by now.” The blonde teen explained. Marinette eyes widened, but before she could speak Adrien spoke again. “It’s alright, it won’t matter.”
The dark-haired teen wanted to ask, to press further on what he meant, but she felt she was going to tread on dangerous territory and decided against it. Instead , she plastered on a happy expression.
“Well then, I think the mixture is mixed enough!” s he said, walking over to him. “We better pour it into the paper li ners to get these baking!”
“Okay.”
After preparing the cupcakes for the oven, Marinette carefully put them in oven and closed it. Even though she was doing a simple task, Adrien was watching intently , as if he had never seen someone do such a thing before. She put the oven mitts on the counter and looked at Adrien.
“Well, we have around twenty minutes until the cupcakes are done.” She told him. “What do you want to do while we wait?” [( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]
“Um, well…” Adrien thought for a moment before perking up. “Oh, I know!” He took off his apron and folded it neatly before placing it on the counter. He then rushed out of the kitchen, startling Marinette a little.
She followed him until he was back near the bakery entrance. For a moment, Marinette thought he was going to leave, but instead he leaned over by the door and picked up the plastic back he had put there when he had first walked in. He lifted it up and grinned.
“We can share this!” He announced, walking over to her. He took her hand and immediately Marinette felt her face heat up.
As Adrien was leading her back in the direction of the kitchen, Marinette was trying her best not to be overwhelmed by the fact that her crush was holding her hand. Even so, she knew that she had to treasure this feeling because probably she was never going to experience it again. So perhaps uncharacteristically, Marinette squeezed his hand back. Adrien looked curiously back at her, a bit surprised, but he smiled. Her heart fluttered, just for a moment before reality kicked in again. She could never have this.
Her heart lurched as his hand slipped out of hers, taking with it the potential future she wished they had. She licked her lips and tried to push it out of her mind, instead drawing her attention towards her lovely prince. Adrien reached into his bag and pulled out a heart shaped box of… chocolate?
“Chloe gave these to me earlier, but I don't think i can eat all of these myself.” He scratched his head awkwardly. “I do get a lot of chocolate this time of year…” Then he looked at Marinette, his green eyes shining. “Want some?” he asked as he gingerly opened the box and held it towards her.
“Share your chocolate?” Marinette asked, a little surprised. “But aren’t these meant for you?” She tugged on her sleeves a bit. “Chloe probably meant for this to be eaten by you, not another person.”
Adrien shrugged. “What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.” He shook the box a little, in an attempt to tempt her. “And besides, even if I ate all of them, it won’t be as good as sharing them with someone.”
Marinette felt a warm tingling feeling in her heart, but it was quickly followed by a pang of jealousy and pain. Whoever Adrien was chasing after , she was lucky. “Okay , ” s he said. “I’ll have some.”
They ate the chocolate s together for a while, as they talked about trivial things such as school and homework. They talked for their personal lives a bit. She knew Adrien had transferred to her school a few years back, but she had always assumed that he had come from a private school of some sort. She would have never guessed that he had been homeschooled his entire life. How lonely.
“If you don’t mind me asking… what was homeschooling like?” Marinette asked, between her bites of chocolate. “Was it hard?”
Adrien avoided her look. “It was similar to school, except there was no one around, but me and the teacher. The work doesn’t differ that much.” He finished the chocolate piece he was muching on. “I didn’t have to go out or anything to meet the teacher, they would come to you. There isn’t as much hours put into teaching as school, but I have to say I like being in school much better than homeschooling.”
Marinette looked curiously at him, nibbling on her chocolate piece.
“I have so many more friends now. Before, it was just Chloe and… she’s not the best company to be around sometimes.” He skimmed the box and took another chocolate piece , this one in the shape of a flower. “I’m glad to have friends , now. ”
“That must have been lonely.” She commented, shoving the rest of the chocolate in her mouth and reaching for another. There were only three pieces left.
“It was, but it’s all in the past.” He gobbled up the rest of his chocolate and reached for another one. “All that I made great friends like you.” he said, smiling at her warmly.
Talking was fun, Marinette enjoyed it. Even though it was such a selfish thought, she wished that this moment in time would last forever. It was a first time in a long time she had felt just so calm about things. Even though there was a painful beat of her heart and the steady bloody throb of her cheek that reminded her that after this, she was going to have to learn to part ways with Adrien. She absent-mindedly ate her chocolate, enjoying the moment with him.
She was about to reach for another chocolate piece when she realized that she and Adrien had reached for the same one. There was only one chocolate piece left. Marinette quickly retracted her hand, holding it up.
“Ah! Sorry, you have have the last piece!” She rubbed her mouth with the back of her hand. “I’ve eaten a lot already.”
Adrien blinked at her and then to the last chocolate piece. He picked it up, but instead of putting it in his mouth like she thought he would, he brought his other hand to it and broke it in half. He offered one of the halves to Marinette.
“Nah, let’s share. Chocolate is always better when you share it, remember? ” he said grinning at her.
Marinette felt her face heat up, but she took the half of the chocolate piece out of Adrien’s hand. That’s when she realized that the chocolate piece he had broken had been in the shape of a heart. She felt her heart jump with glee ; this is something a boyfriend and girlfriend would do. As Marinette accepted the chunk, she couldn’t help, but imagine what it would be like if she was the one Adrien was chasing after and not that mystery girl. It hurt to remember that she shouldn’t be so selfish.
“Thank you ,” s he said simply, taking a bite out of the chocolate half. At the same time, Adrien bit into his.
They smiled.
-~*~-
Marinette cleared the counter of the frosting materials. Adrien had gone out to go talk with someone on the phone. Although she felt inclined to eavesdrop, she decided against it. After all, she couldn’t be in love with him anymore, especially since he had someone else in his mind. They had decorated the cupcakes with all the leftover colors of frosting from the elaborate sweets the bakery had done recently especially for Valentine’s day. Adrien was rather clumsy at it, she ended up decorating most of the cupcakes they made , save for two, which Adrien had been working diligently at decorating.
Although she tried to sneak a peek at what he was doing, he had blocked her view. She wasn’t sure if it was on purpose or not, but it felt like Adrien was deliberately trying to keep her from seeing the cake. By the time he was done, he had shoved his two cupcakes into the box she had given him so he could take the m with him. Before she could ask if she could see the cupcakes, he had run off saying that he had to call someone.
He had clumsily closed the box and it was coming loose and had opened again. Marinette smiled and walked over to where Adrien had left his box, opting to seal it properly before Adrien come back. However, the lid pushed itself completely open when she tried to fix it.
Marinette felt something strange pound in the back of her heart, although she wasn’t sure what. Although, Adrien’s cupcakes were cute, if a little messy. No one was good with frosting on their first try. Smiling, she properly sealed the box and went to go stand back where she was standing previously. Soon after Adrien came tumbling back.
“Sorry, Marinette, that was my father.” He explained in a huff. “I have to go now, I think I made him pretty angry.”
“Oh…” She felt like she should confess to him, right now, before he left , before he disappeared from her life forever, but something held her back. It must be the throb in her cheek. “I see, well then… you should get going.”
“Yeah, sorry, I have to leave so soon. I was planning on staying longer…” Adrien looked away and mumbled something under his breath. “To explain a few things…”
The dark haired teen titled her head slightly in confusion. “What?”
“Oh, it’s nothing... I better get going now!” Adrien said, picking up the box and walking towards the bakery entrance.
Marinette trailed quietly behind, with each step a it felt like a kick to her heart. She wanted so badly just to reach out and hold his hand again, but that would be greedy. She couldn’t be greedy. When they reached the entrance, Adrien took his umbrella and then turned to look at her with a charismatic smile.
“Thanks for everything, Marinette.” He made a little bow, which made Marinette jump a little. “I’ll repay you someday, My Lady.”
My Lady.
The familiarity of the phrase tugged at the back of her mind as she tried to dismiss it to say her goodbyes.
“Oh, it was nothing, Adrien!” s he explained and she clasped her hands together. “ You b etter get going, otherwise your father will get more angry.”
Adrien nodded, pulling up his hood so now the shadow shielded his eyes. He turned and opened the bakery door and opened his umbrella. Marinette was a bit startled when she heard the rain crash into the umbrella and that's when she realized that it was still raining, after all this time. If one listened hard enough, one can ear the soft tick of the clock nearby.
“See you on Monday, Marinette ,” He paused, “o r sometime soon.”
Marinette clenched her fists. She was trying so hard not to cry, but she started to feel her eyes water. Thank goodness Adrien was not looking her way. She wanted to confess, to reach out and tell him that she liked him and that he didn’t have to go chasing after some mystery girl that didn’t appreciate him for what he was. Marinette wanted to be selfish, but instead she smiled and felt the insides of her cheek throb in protest.
“Bye.”
...t o my love.
With one last look, Adrien waved goodbye and started walking at a fast pace towards the direction of his house.
Marinette kept the bakery door open even after Adrien walked well out of sight. Suddenly… it was very lonely again. Marinette blankly looked at the rain and realized that it wasn’t raining as hard as it was before. So watched in awe as the raindrops slowly stopped to spatter the pavement and suddenly she was left with an empty silence.
Just like her heart.
She turned around, closing the bakery door behind her. She took a few steps before her legs gave out beneath her and she collapsed on the cold tiles.
It hurt.
Her heart.
It hurt like mad.
Even before she realized they were there, tears were already flowing down from her face. It was gut wrenching. So this is what unrequited love really felt like. Marinette was always afraid of this, afraid that somehow she wouldn’t end up with Adrien. Alya always told her not to give up, not to lose hope, but what could Alya say to her now.
Adrien liked a girl.
Some other girl.
Marinette started crying loudly and the sound echoed throughout the empty bakery. She wished the rain would come back to drone her gross sobbing, but the rain wasn’t there. Why did it have to end like this? She was a superhero, she did good things, what did she do to deserve this? Why couldn’t she be allowed to like Adrien?
She saw a flash of red in front of her eyes. It was Tikki. The Kwami must of have heard her crying and come downstairs. Marinette ignored her though and continued to bawl, even as the Kwami appeared by her side and gently patted her shoulders in a soothing matter.
The only sound she could hear was her pathetic sniffling and the clock. That and her teardrops.
Only teardrops.
-~*~-
On Monday, Marinette had no energy to do anything. Although she opted to stay home in bed, Alya had come to her house personally and had finally coaxed her to come out of her bedroom. She reluctantly went to school, but she felt lifeless. She felt meaningless, there was nothing to look forward to.
Instead of sitting at her usual spot behind Adrien, she sat in the back of the classroom. Although Alya had asked why she had changed seats, her best friend still followed her and sat with her at the back of the classroom. Marinette couldn’t stand looking at Adrien. She wasn’t mad or anything, but she was incredibly heartbroken to say the least. She still hasn’t told Alya, so to her it was just Marinette being a little moody.
Marinette watched as Adrien and Nino entered the room, but for some reason, something felt wrong. As soon as Adrien sat down, he folded his arms in front of him and nestled his head into them. Although she couldn’t see his face from where she was sitting, it was obvious that he seemed very tired. It was possible that he was feeling tired or ill, but Marinette didn’t feel bothered to care.
It was none of her concern anyway.
“Hey now, why so gloomy?” Alya asked her friend. She put a hand on Marinette’s shoulder, but her best friend didn’t respond. “Come on, you can tell me right?”
“Don’t feel like it,” Marinette responded glumly.
“If you don’t tell me what’s wrong, then how am I supposed to make you feel better?” Alya said again, this time with the most supporting smile anyone could possibly give.
Marinette looked at Alya out of the corner of her eyes. “Then don’t ,” s he then shoved her face into her arms, avoiding it from Alya’s view.
“Come on, Marinette!”
In that split second Alya looked at her, Marinette wanted to give in and just cry out to her her best friend everything that had happened on Valentine’s day, but then she remembered how she had cried herself to sleep that night. How pathetic , to cry this much over heartbreak. Adrien didn’t even know she was heartbroken... perhaps that’s what hurt the most.
For that today and the next, she spent her time in some sort of depressive limbo. She’d been thinking and thinking, wandering and wandering, but her mind didn’t seem to be getting anywhere. Just walking in a useless loop - a useless love. Why couldn’t her heart understand that she needed to give up on Adrien? It was so simple… but why was it so hard ?
Because you still like him. Her heart reminded her quietly.
Shut up.
The heartbroken young lady was glad that there had been no akuma attacks lately. It seemed that Paris was at peace right now. Everyone must be enjoying Valentine’s D ay and all the leftover chocolate. Everyone except her it seemed. Feeling uncharacteristically unmotivated, she had spent her patrolling mostly by herself. She had met Chat Noir a couple times, but for some reason just the sight of him annoyed her. Just looking at him trying so hard to hit on her reminded her of the whole situation with Adrien. Though she didn’t share the same feelings back, Marinette didn’t have the heart to reject him. Instead she did her best to avoid him as much as possible.
“My Lady, where are you?” Chat Noir had called her through their devices. “Let’s meet up! I have something lovely for you!”
“I’m on a solo-patrol.” She replied gruffly. “I’ll patrol this side of Paris, you can check the other side..”
Her catty companion shoved his face into the screen. “But wait, I have something-”
“I have something important to do after this.” Ladybug interjected before the other could respond. “I need to get this patrol done quickly.
“....okay.” Chat Noir sounded crestfallen, but he quickly cheered up. “What about tomorrow? How about we-”
“We’ll talk about tomorrow, tomorrow, Chat Noir.” The spotted heroine replied, a little annoyed at his his persistence. It reminded her so much of herself - she loathed it. “Talk to you later.”
With a resounding click, Ladybug ended the call. Marinette felt bad for shutting down her close so suddenly and perhaps a little harshly, but she couldn’t deal with this right now. She didn’t want to accept his advances, but didn’t want to reject them either. However she did know that if she kept him away, their friendship would stay in tact.
Although Marinette had done her best to avoid Adrien’s face during the school time, it seems that it wouldn’t be too hard. For some weird reason, he seemed so tired all the time. He had, for the past few days, been keeping his eyes closed. He rarely opened them. He was sleeping way too often. Adrien had been called out by the teacher many times and one time even sent to the nurse’s office because he had supposedly collapsed in Physical Education. Adrien seemed way too tired.
Although Marinette couldn’t care less… right?
Marinette tried her hardest to pry her mind and heart from Adrien, but she couldn’t help, but glance at him a few times when she got the chance. He really was closing his eyes.
Why was he so tired?
That doesn’t concern you.
Marinette had realized that at night, she had been hearing a cat crying. It wasn’t a sad cry, but more like the cat was trying to call someone. Every night, she’s been hearing the cat’s wails. Out of curiosity, she had looked around her house to see if she could find the crying cat, but she never did.
She was sitting in her room again. It was raining. The cat was still crying.
Marinette half-heartedly wondered why the cat was crying so hard for someone. She peeked out her window and looked around through the mesh of raindrops . T here was nothing. Where was th at cat crying?
Finally, for a moment, she spotted a dark figure hunched over a rooftop of a building. Although it was difficult to see from her window and from the rain, Marinette could tell that the figure looked like a cat, a black cat.
“Chat Noir?” She asked outloud. She had almost forgotten about his existence the past few days.
“Where?” Tikki asked, floating to her side and looking out the window. “I don’t see anything.”
Feeling a rush of worry enter her mind, she grabbed an umbrella and her small purse where Tikki stayed, from her closet and scampered downstairs, where she encountered her mother checking the cash register.
“Marinette? Where are you going?” Her mother asked as she stormed out the bakery door and into the pouring rain.
“Out for a while.” Marinette shouted back.
“At least bring your raincoat!” Her mother insisted, but Marinette was already outside.
She headed to where she thought she had saw Chat Noir. Tikki poked her head out of her purse and they both looked up, as far as the umbrella would allow them to. There was no one there.
“He isn’t here.” She breathed to Tikki, who was interestedly staring at one of the street lights across the street.
“Marinette…” Tikki whispered softly, but loud enough to be heard over the rain.
The young lady looked across the street where she finally saw a figure sitting on top of the street light. Though the rain and the wind made it hard to see who it was, Marinette knew it was Chat Noir. He was clutching the top of the street light for dear life, his claws scraping the wet surface. In his mouth was a plastic bag, which he was hunched over, like he was trying to protect it.
What was he doing out here in the rain?
“Chat Noir?”
When she was about to shout out to him, the leathered hero suddenly leapt backwards onto the building behind him and scaled the wall quickly disappearing out of sight. Marinette ran across the street, calling for the black feline again, but Chat Noir did not return. The whole experience felt strangely surreal and Marinette wondered if it was all a dream.
-~*~-
The next day, an akuma finally showed itself, breaking the fragile tranquil peace that Valentine’s Day left in it’s wake. A student had a falling out with his best friend and as a result he had transformed into an akuma. Though she did not feel like fighting, Marinette suited up and went to go stop the rampaging akuma. Throwing punches and dodging attacks was a change of pace for her. It felt kinda good.
“My Lady!” A voice cheerfully called out. A black-leathered hero landed next to her and smiled. “I’ve been looking all over for you!” Then he added in a sing-song voice, “It’s been so long!”
Although she was a tad bit annoyed, she couldn’t help but smile a bit. It’s been a while since she had seen him.
“Not right now, Chat Noir, help me get the akuma!” Ladybug replied to him, sort of snappily. However, Chat Noir just seemed happy to see her.
“As you wish.” he said with a bow and sprang into action.
The akuma ended eluding their grasps until late into the evening. As a result, school was canceled, not that Marinette wanted to go to school anyway. She lazily looked up at the white butterfly she had just freed flutter away. It didn’t feel as good as it did before, but for some reason it felt a little rewarding to see the fragile butterfly flutter into the wild.
“My Lady!” Ladybug was jerked out of her thoughts. She looked at Chat Noir who clumsily walked towards her on four legs, nearly falling over one of the tiles on the roof.
“You look tired, Chat ,” s he told her companion, but he shook his head.
“I’m quite fine actually.” Then he sauntered up to her, and stared worriedly into her eyes. “ You’re the one who looks tired.”
Ladybug crossed her arms, frowning.. “If all you’re going to do is flirt with me, I might as well go.” She started to turn around, but Chat Noir frantically grabbed her arm.
“Wait! Wait a second!” He pulled her back until she looked at him. The leathered hero seemed out-of-breath. Her catty partner did not look like he was healthy. “I h-have something for you.”
“You do?” This grabbed her attention.
That’s right he did.
Ladybug vaguely remembered Chat Noir mentioning that he had something for her. The spotted heroine looked curiously as Chat Noir slid down the rooftop they were hanging out on and down below. After a few moments he returned with a pink plastic bag. He walked over to her, his tail head high.
“Here it is!” He announced happily. “I wanted to give you it on Valentine's Day, but I never found you, even though I looked for you all night. Even if you weren’t on a patrol.”
Ladybug flinched. Were you the crying cat?
“What is it?” She asked, taking the plastic back and looking inside it. Inside was just a plain white box, although it looked like something was inside it.
“Open it!” Chat Noir meowed eagerly, wagging his tail like a puppy.
For the first time in a while, Ladybug smiled. She almost forgot what a joy it was to hang around Chat Noir. Despite his misguided affections, he was a still good person . She didn’t understand how he could love her so much. Well, Marinette should know better after … perhaps it’s better not to bring it up. It finally felt like the dark suffocating smog in her heart and mind was starting to lift.
She reached and was about to grab the box when she heard the familiar beep-beep of a Miraculous running out of power. She looked up at Chat Noir who was frantically looking at his ring. He gave the most distraught look and his tails and ears drooped, but he quickly regained his composure when he realized Ladybug was looking at him.
“Ah, right, Cataclysm. It looks like I can’t stay to see you open your present!” He said with a frown. Chat Noir took a few back steps and began waving. “Be sure you open it!”
“Wait , Chat!” She called out, but he had already gone. He had slinked away, silently. Just like a real cat would.
Ladybug wondered if she should wait for him to come back, but decided that it was already useless and decided to return home for the time being. It was getting late and her parents must be worried sick on her whereabouts - especially with that akuma earlier that was rampaging about. She’d open Chat Noir’s present later. Even though she’s been feeling extremely depressed lately, she was curious to see what was inside.
Marinette changed in a phone booth near her house and then entered her bakery. She was embraced by her parents and decided to take her dinner upstairs instead of eating it at the dinner table. She grabbed a couple of cookies from the plate on the counter and stuffed them into her bag for Tikki to munch on. After entering her room, she launched herself on her swivel chair, which spun a few feet before stopping. She put Chat’s present on her desk, and looked at the meal that she had in her hand.
“Hachis Parmentier…” s he said to herself as she let Tikki out of her bag. She flew out, holding half a cookie.
“You better eat dinner first, you haven’t eaten all day.” Tikki told her, but Marinette shook her head and shoved the meal aside.
“I don’t feel like eating. I’m not that hungry.” She responded lamely.
The Kwami suddenly appeared before her face, looking very excited. “Why don’t you see what’s inside Chat Noir’s present? I’m sure that will make you feel better.”
“Good idea.”
Taking the plastic back carefully in her hands, she removed the white box and set it on the desk, gently pushing her dinner aside. Even though there was nothing particularly interesting about the box, Marinette felt her heart was about to pound out of her chest. She didn’t know why, but she was highly anticipating what was inside the box.
“What are you waiting for?” coaxed Tikki, fluttering around anxiously.
“I’m just…” Marinette took a deep breath. “Nervous…. well then… here I go.”
And she opened the box.
