19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug or any semblance of self-control.

Lucky Us

By: Princess Kitty1

Chapter 19

Adrien did not bring up the subject of his crush on Marinette again. Although Ladybug had apologized and spent the rest of the day talking to him like normal, she hadn't returned to the topic, so Adrien assumed she didn't want to hear about. Which suited him just fine; he'd discussed it enough with Chloe and Nino during breakfast to make him slightly queasy. The only downside was that he couldn't ask Ladybug for advice. He could ask Chloe, but considering her jaded outlook on love in general, he had a feeling she wouldn't be much help.

Between the giddiness of finding out Marinette liked him and the euphoria of making up with Ladybug, Adrien's day flew by. Midnight snuck up on him; he wasn't the least bit tired. But rather than keep Ladybug awake, he bid her good night and took the opportunity to stew for a while.

He was going to ask Marinette on a date. If it turned out that she wasn't the right person for him and they were better off friends, fine. If it led to something more… he couldn't think about that just yet.

Because inevitably, gaining Marinette meant losing Ladybug, and Adrien wasn't prepared for that.

But he couldn't keep running back and forth between the two of them, "playing the victim" as Ladybug had indelicately put it. Something had to change. He'd been in moratorium for far too long. If his first impulsive act had led him to Marinette, he would keep walking down that road and see how far it got him.

Adrien looked around his bedroom, suddenly realizing he hadn't heard a peep out of Plagg in a while. He searched his immediate surroundings, then got up from his desk and checked the bathroom. No cat. "Plagg?" he called. He wandered out of his bedroom. In a house as big as the Agreste mansion, Plagg could be anywhere, but at this time of night he hardly ever left Adrien's side.

No cat in the kitchen. No cat in the foyer. "Plagg?" Adrien called out again. This time he heard an inquisitive meow in response. He followed the sound and found Plagg parked outside of Gabriel's bedroom. "Plagg, what are you doing here?" he asked.

Plagg got to his feet and shook his tail in a let me in gesture. When Adrien approached him, he let out a long meow.

"No, buddy. Father isn't home. He's in Milan," Adrien said. He picked Plagg up and tucked him under his arm. Plagg made a noise of complaint. "Don't worry, when Father comes back I'll be sure to tell him you want to hang out with him, okay?"

His father. Another hurdle in Adrien's way. The very idea of Marinette had fouled Gabriel's temper, but surely meeting her in person would change his opinion, right? Marinette was agreeable in every sense of the word, and she'd have something to talk about with him. A common interest. Five minutes in her company would have Gabriel reconsidering his lack of faith in Adrien's judgment.

And besides, Gabriel could hardly give Adrien crap when he'd married a woman he'd fallen in love with at first sight.

Adrien dropped Plagg on his bed, then collapsed next to him with a heavy sigh. Tomorrow. He'd worry about everything tomorrow, after he asked Marinette out.

x.x.x

Chat NoirRE: SummerJust now

Good morning, Ladybug! Beautiful day for a walk, isn't it? I've resolved to use my lunch hour to take a stroll around our fair city of Paris and laze in the shade of a national monument or two. What are your plans for the afternoon?

x.x.x

Marinette grinned as she successfully unwound her two yo-yo strings without missing a step in her routine. She couldn't remember the whole thing, but for more than ten years of no practice, she wasn't doing too shabby.

Compared to the day before, she felt wonderful. She'd patched things up with Chat Noir—though she had a feeling he suspected the real reason she'd gotten mad at him—and some overnight rain had left the atmosphere outside a little more breathable. Plus, her old yo-yo tricks were coming back to her. If she managed to swing it around her entire body the way she used to without hitting herself or any furniture, she'd brag to Chat Noir about it.

Marinette's smile faded. The tone of Chat Noir's good morning email had been suspiciously cheerful. She wondered if he'd seen his cute acquaintance, or if he would be seeing her later in the day.

She'd stayed clear of that particular conversation the day before because she really didn't feel like talking about it. But curiosity overwhelmed her. How often did he see his cute acquaintance? What did he like about her? How serious were his feelings for her? How much time did he spend with her? What made him so sure she didn't have a crush on him?

She could grill him about it, take on a teasing tone and pester him like a nagging older sister. Would that be enough to throw him off the trail of her jealousy?

Jealousy. Marinette laughed, but there was no humor in it.

She picked up her phone and paced the living room while trying to come up with a way to approach the subject without making Chat Noir suspicious. After some consideration, she hit reply.

x.x.x

LadybugRE: SummerJust now

Laze in the shade, huh?

Why not invite that cute acquaintance of yours to laze in the shade with you? ;-)

I'm at work.

Not all of us can afford to be so relaxed, you know.

x.x.x

The email made Adrien pause in front of Agreste HQ. After avoiding the subject all day yesterday, Ladybug had finally brought up Marinette, and she'd done it first. Which meant that a decision had been made in regards to how she felt about the situation.

Judging by the winking emoticon, she felt fine.

Or she was pretending to be fine, but Adrien had resolved to put an end to that line of wishful thinking. He checked the time as he walked away from the building. About an hour before his next meeting. He'd go talk to Marinette, then get something to eat, because he didn't think he could eat in his current state of emotion.

It seemed ridiculous that he could be this nervous when a little over a week ago, he'd kissed Marinette's cheek as if it were nothing. In fact, wasn't this all happening too fast? Shouldn't he slow down and really think his feelings through? Or was he just trying to talk himself out of asking her out?

Because when he thought about it, Marinette had interested him long before he'd started talking to her. Often when he visited the Dupain-Cheng bakery over the past year, he had noticed her hiding behind the counter and wished he could make conversation with her, draw her out of her shell. And when they had become friends, Adrien wasn't blind to her attractiveness. Hadn't he told himself several times that Marinette would make someone a very happy man? Why couldn't that be him?

He laughed. So that's how it was, then. He'd liked Marinette for weeks—his mind was just now catching up to his heart.

He pulled up Ladybug's email and tried not to feel guilty as he typed out his reply.

x.x.x

Chat NoirRE: SummerJust now

Actually, I was thinking of inviting her. "Will she say yes?" is the real question.

x.x.x

Pain speared Marinette's heart. He was going to ask her out?

No, no! This wasn't happening. It was too fast. She shook her yo-yo off her finger and paced the living room again, scrambling for a response, something to deter him. "Stupid cat," she murmured. "Stupid, stupid, stupid cat! Stupid me!" She hit reply.

x.x.x

LadybugRE: SummerJust now

Oh my!

That's awfully forward, don't you think?

x.x.x

Chat NoirRE: SummerJust now

Maybe, but I'll never know how she feels if I don't ask her, right?

It really is a gorgeous day. If you can get away from work for a few minutes, I highly recommend spending it outside. You won't regret it.

x.x.x

He'd changed the subject.

Marinette stared at her phone as anxiety laid waste to her mind. What did it mean, his changing the subject? He didn't want to talk to her about it? He knew what she was trying to do and he wouldn't allow himself to be deterred? Was he trying to shut her out?

Marinette's hands shook as she typed her response.

x.x.x

LadybugRE: SummerJust now

Fine, fine.

What spot do you recommend for optimum sun-soaking?

x.x.x

Marinette waited. She paced, and she waited, and she kicked herself half a dozen times because she was making this more complicated than it needed to be.

If she wanted to stop Chat Noir, all she had to do was be direct.

Don't ask her out. I don't want you to be with someone else. I don't want to lose you.

It wasn't that difficult.

You said you loved me. Doesn't that mean anything to you? Because it means something to me.

She could reply to his email and tell him right now.

Ask me instead. I'll meet you, wherever you are, and we'll laze in the sun together.

She opened her inbox.

Don't give up on me, Chat Noir. I—

Her phone chimed. A new email from Chat Noir appeared at the top of her inbox. She tapped on it.

Instead of text, she found an image.

The first thing she noticed was the hand. Chat Noir's hand, giving a thumbs-up. A physical part of him. Marinette was so shocked that she could only stare at it. How strange, she thought, that she'd never seen his hand before. That it could be so plain.

Then she looked past his hand to the thing he granted his approval.

Notre Dame.

Marinette lifted her head, looked out her living room window.

Notre Dame.

Chat Noir was across the river.

Marinette ran.

She grabbed the nearest set of keys, threw open the front door, tore down the stairs. She burst through the bakery door and out into the alley, stumbling in her house slippers. Horns honked at her as she sprinted across the street. She ignored them. Dodged surprised pedestrians on the bridge. Ran as if her life depended on it.

Notre Dame loomed ahead. Notre Dame and Chat Noir. Marinette began searching faces: school children, an old couple, a group of tourists, an Asian woman, three girls posing for a photograph. She slowed as she approached the plaza in front of the cathedral. A painter, a middle-aged man in a motorcycle jacket, some preteens in school uniforms, a married couple with a baby. She turned in a circle, panting hard, searching for… for…

She didn't know.

"Marinette?"

She had no idea what Chat Noir looked like.

Marinette ran a hand through her hair, struggling to get air into her lungs. People stared at her. She stared back, ruled them out, and moved onto the next face. He could have been anyone. The guy in ripped jeans with a skateboard stuck under his arm. Any of the three men in business suits, walking away. One of the several photographers trying to get a good shot of the cathedral.

"Marinette!"

But what if he wasn't there anymore? What if he'd only paused to get a picture of Notre Dame and kept walking? What direction had he been traveling in? What if he was halfway down the block already? What if she'd passed him on the bridge?

She wanted to call out to him, to scream his name and see who stopped walking, who turned around, who came running to her. She tried, but all she managed was a whisper, like a child too afraid to yell for her parents in the middle of a thunderstorm.

He's getting away, she thought. Desperate. Frustrated. He's getting away. She took a step towards the bridge. I'm going to lose him.

A hand closed around her arm, spun her around.

And Marinette came face to face with Adrien.

Wide eyed and slightly out of breath, he stared at her, completely bewildered. He put both hands on her shoulders as if to keep her from escaping. "Marinette?"

Marinette stared back at him, uncomprehending.

"Are you okay?" Adrien asked, his voice laden with concern. He'd been calling her. He must have seen her running towards Notre Dame like a crazy person and hurried to intercept her. How did she respond to that?

I'm not okay. The man I love is getting away.

Ah.

"I…"

She was in love with Chat Noir.

"I'm fine," she said.

Adrien's eyebrows came together. "You're outside in your pajamas."

And she was in love with Chat Noir.

Marinette nodded absently. "Yeah," she said, then realized that wasn't a proper explanation. "I was looking for… a feather." She nodded again, satisfied with that. "You see, I was at home working on a pigeon-inspired derby hat, and of course a pigeon-inspired hat needs a feather. But I didn't have any feathers, so I ran out here in my pajamas because I was so inspired and I just really needed that feather…"

She took a deep breath.

And burst into tears.

x.x.x

Adrien froze. One moment Marinette had been talking to him—albeit in a dazed and confused sort of way, and quite obviously lying through her teeth—and the next she'd started sobbing. Full-on, heart-wrenching sobs that made her fold in on herself like she'd been kicked in the gut.

His mind processed the scene at lightning speed. Marinette stood crying in front of Notre Dame in her pajamas. He stood in front of her, stammering. About a dozen spectators watched, their expressions ranging from concern to suspicion to anger, and it dawned on him that this looked nothing like whatever it was and everything like a domestic dispute. His conclusion: He needed to get Marinette home, and fast.

"What's going on here?" a male voice boomed. Adrien turned, already trying his best not to look guilty, then relaxed when he saw who it was: Officer Raincomprix, Sabrina's father. "Oh, it's you, Adrien," he said. He hooked his thumbs into his police uniform belt. "Is everything alright?"

"No, not exactly," Adrien said. The best way to get out of this was to be honest, and to throw on as much charm as he needed to remind Officer Raincomprix of how many times he'd gotten his drunk daughter home safely. "This is my friend, Marinette. She lives across the street and, as you can see, she's very upset, but I don't know why. I'd like to walk her back to her house and find out."

Marinette sniffled. "I'm s-sorry for worrying you," she said miserably.

Officer Raincomprix's expression softened, his inner father shining through. He nodded at Adrien. "Very well. You take care of her."

Adrien smiled. "Thank you," he said, then laid his hand on Marinette's back and turned her towards the bakery. "Let's get you indoors."

They set off across the bridge. Marinette sobbed once or twice more, but mostly she sniffled and took shuddering breaths. Adrien moved his hand up near her shoulder and kept it there. Fear ran rampant through his mind. What could have made her cry like that? Had something happened to her parents? God, he hoped not. While he was, unfortunately, equipped to handle such a scenario, he would rather not see Marinette go through what he had when his mother passed away.

By the time they made it to the bakery, Marinette's crying had subsided. She unlocked the front door and stumbled inside without asking whether Adrien would stay or not. He walked in after her, noticing for the first time that she wore fuzzy pink house slippers. He stood in the middle of the seating area while she leaned over the counter, produced a plastic-wrapped packet of paper napkins, ripped it open, and helped herself to a handful.

Adrien took a cautious step forward. "Hey," he said. She looked up at him. Her eyes were bloodshot, her face flushed and wet. His heart gave a painful squeeze. "Why don't you sit down? I'll get you some water."

Marinette stared for a moment, then nodded. She shuffled towards his usual table with napkins in hand while he walked past her, into the kitchen. He looked around helplessly. Water. Did they have a filter for the sink? He opened the refrigerator on the off chance he'd find something there and breathed a sigh of relief when he spotted a row of water bottles. He grabbed one and made his way back to the storefront.

Marinette had her phone in her hand, but her eyes were focused on Notre Dame. Adrien set the bottle of water in front of her. He sat down, waited until she'd taken a drink, then spoke. "So… am I allowed to know what you were really crying about?"

She winced, screwed the lid back on the water bottle and held it against her face flushed face. "It's stupid," she murmured.

Adrien offered her a tentative smile. "If it upset you this much, I doubt it's stupid," he said. And if she could call it stupid, then it wasn't something as serious as a death in the family, for which he was incredibly grateful.

Marinette lowered the water bottle to the table. Rolled it between her hands. Her eyes glassed over again, and when she blinked, a tear dripped onto her forearm. "Well," she whispered. Her bottom lip trembled. She raised her head and wiped stray tears off her cheeks, smiled, let out a shaky laugh. "I, umm, I have this friend." She looked out the window. "Best friend," she amended. "And… I think I'm in love with him."

Adrien's tentative smile faded.

Marinette picked up a napkin and used it to dab at her cheeks. "I want to say it snuck up on me, but it didn't." She shook her head. "I've been trying to ignore it for months. I didn't think I was ready to fall in love with someone again, not this soon after my last relationship… but I guess my heart knew better than I did."

Adrien nodded. Was it just him, or was it suddenly harder to breathe?

"I told you it's stupid," Marinette said. "I was so surprised, I just ran out of the house without thinking. I wanted…" Her face crumpled. "I wanted to find him and tell him how I felt right away. But things are so complicated between us, and he has feelings for someone else, and he's my best friend and I don't want to lose that friendship over something like this." She started crying again. "I'm so afraid of losing him…"

Adrien's body felt like lead. He willed himself to act, to do anything to comfort Marinette, because they were friends and she'd just bared her soul to him and he couldn't move.

"I'm sorry," Marinette sobbed. "I shouldn't be dumping all of this on you."

With tremendous effort, Adrien reached out and put his hand over hers. "It's okay," he said. "I know how shocking it is, suddenly realizing how much you care about someone." It took far too much energy to sound like his usual cheerful self. "But if your feelings are this strong, maybe you should tell him? I mean, what if he feels the same way? You'll never know unless you ask."

Marinette pressed her wadded up napkin against her eyes and nodded. She turned her hand over so she could hold Adrien's properly, and the warmth of it, the way it fit into his so perfectly, made his heart ache even more. "I'm sorry," she said again, "I claimed to be committed to our fake relationship, and here I am crying over someone else…"

"It's not important," Adrien said. "In fact, I kind of let the cat out of the bag yesterday, so Nino knows we aren't really…" Together. He didn't have the heart to finish the sentence.

Marinette blinked. "Oh."

He shrugged and forced himself to laugh. "It kind of just came up," he lied. His smile weighed a thousand pounds, but he held it firmly in place. "We don't have to keep pretending if you don't want to."

A weak smile flitted onto Marinette's face. "Are you breaking up with me?"

"I'm setting you free," Adrien corrected. "What was it that you said on our second fake date…? 'Call me a martyr for the cause of true love.'" He threw in a wink for good measure, and Marinette's smile gained strength. Thank goodness, he thought. He didn't think his heart could take anymore of her crying. "Your friend…" he said, "he must be a great guy."

Marinette looked down at her phone. "Yeah. He really is." She drew in a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. "I feel bad that our fake relationship is ending this way, though."

"Don't," Adrien said. "I bounce back fast. I'll probably have a new fake girlfriend within the week."

That got a genuine laugh from her. "If you bounce back that fast, I'll be offended," she said.

He stared at her hand for a moment, savored the feeling of holding it, then squeezed her fingers and released them. "I should go. My lunch hour only lasts, well, an hour, and I intended this to be a short stroll." He stood from his chair, but lingered beside it. "Is there anything I can do for you? Bring you dinner? Ask Nino to tell Alya to come see you?"

Marinette shook her head. "I'll be all right," she said. "I'll talk to Alya later."

Adrien hesitated, torn between the desire to leave and the desire to cancel every single meeting he had that afternoon to stay by Marinette's side. But comforting her wasn't his job. She had someone else—a best friend who she loved—to confide in. A part of her life that Adrien didn't know about. He took a step towards the door. "Text me if you need anything," he said. "I'll come running."

"I appreciate it," Marinette said, and sent him a devastating smile. "Thank you, Adrien."

He grabbed the door handle. "Anytime."

The bell over the bakery door chimed as he stepped outside. He stood in front of the building, unsure of where to go. His entire reason for walking across town had vanished. He remembered thinking he'd get lunch after he spoke to Marinette, but his appetite had abandoned him. The logical course of action was to return to Agreste HQ and finish the work day. He'd do that, then.

Adrien set out in the direction he'd come, across the bridge to Notre Dame. He paused when he reached the cathedral and looked back, over his shoulder at the bakery in the distance. He lowered his head. Under his shoe, ruffled and dirty, was a feather.

He walked away.

x.x.x

LadybugRE: Summer52 minutes ago

Notre Dame!

I live on that side of town.

Can guarantee that it's a great spot for lazing.

x.x.x

Chat NoirRE: SummerJust now

I'll have to try it another day, then. Didn't get as much lazing done this afternoon as I would have liked.

x.x.x

LadybugRE: Summer15 minutes ago

I take it you didn't ask your cute acquaintance to join you?

x.x.x

Chat NoirRE: SummerJust now

She shot me down, actually. Turns out there's a cooler cat in her life.

x.x.x

LadybugRE: Summer27 minutes ago

Oh…

I'm sorry, Chat Noir.

That really sucks. )-:

x.x.x

Chat NoirRE: SummerJust now

Eh. Nothing I can do, so there's no point in being sore about it.

x.x.x

LadybugRE: Summer9 minutes ago

Be sore about it.

You can't help the way you feel, and it's better than bottling your emotions up.

(Which, by the way, is a bad habit of yours. You told me so yourself.)

x.x.x

Chat NoirRE: SummerJust now.

You really do know me, buginette.

I'll be sore about it, then. But only for a couple of days. Moping is a transient state of being and I'm a depression risk. Or so my best friend tells me.

We should look on the bright side of life: the dog days of summer are finally over. Maybe now we can go outside without suffocating or being roasted alive. Or would that be too much to hope for this early in August?

I'm going to turn in and see if ten hours of sleep will help me shake this disappointment off—it always seems to work for Plagg.

Good night, Ladybug.

x.x.x

LadybugRE: SummerJust now

Sleep well, minou.

And if it makes you feel any better, you're the coolest cat I know.

To Be Continued

A/N: Hiatus starts for real this time.

The love square has been flipped. The children are destroyed. "What could she possibly do to them next?" you might wonder. My friends… you have no idea.

Please deposit all screaming in the box below!