Adrien
He sat down in the kitchen, leaning his head back against the cabinets. He was feeling it pretty hard, though he had only had one beer and a couple of shots. He didn't really drink for that reason. He was a lightweight. Marinette still hadn't shown up, but everyone else seemed to be having a good time. The music could be heard all throughout the house, and it made the buzzing in his head keep to the beat. Nino sat next to him, pulling out his phone.
"She said they're almost here."
"Awesome. Cause I'm bored."
Adrien sighed, his tounge was making his words come out weird.
"Wanna go wait outside for them?"
He nodded, slowly sliding off of the counter. He grabbed his beer, following Nino out into the crowd.
"Adrikins! This is a great party!"
"Thanks Chloe."
Even her name sounded funny. He swallowed, trying to focus. They made it outside, and the yard was filled with vehicles. He sat down on the steps, taking a small sip of his beer. This would be his last one, he didn't want to get drunk, he just wanted to enjoy the party. It was pretty much the only one he had ever thrown.
"That's them."
Nino pointed at a car pulling through the gates, and Adrien took a deep breath, putting a smile on his face. Alya got out first, and Marinette followed soon after, wearing a black dress. Her hair was down, and he stood up as they walked over.
"How's the party?"
"It's fun. Someone doesn't seem to be in a good mood though."
Nino murmered, but they had all heard it. Adrien rolled his eyes, before turning to look at Marinette.
"You look nice."
"Thank you, so do you."
Before that comment would have earned him a blush, a stutter and maybe even a trip. But now she just smiled. It felt like she was completely over Adrien.
"Come on. Let's go get drinks and you can fill us in."
Alya grabbed Marinette's hand, and pulled her up the steps, following Nino. He finished off his beer, setting it down inside.
"Wow this is awesome."
Alya commented as they walked through the crowd to the table with the alchohol on it. Max had helped with the lightning effects, and Nino had made a playlist. Everyone seemed to be having a great time, so why wasn't he? Marinette looked over at him, and he couldn't bring himself to force another smile. She was why. She liked Chat more than she liked him, and it was a hard blow. How was he supposed to compare with a superhero? Maybe if she broke up with Chat, she would give Adrien another chance. He looked away from her, trying to ignore her prying eyes.
"Marinette!"
Someone shouted to his side, and he didn't even have to look to know who it was. Luka.
* * * * *
They had been talking for at least twenty minutes by now, and jealousy was making him itch. Chat had told her that Adrien wasn't a threat. Luka was. She knew that, so why was she even talking to him? Because they're friends. Marinette was friends with Luka before she was with Chat. He wasn't being fair, and he knew he wasn't, but Luka's goo-goo eyes were really starting to piss him off.
"I can't take it anymore."
He snapped, setting down his beer. He knew he should have stopped earlier, but when Luka showed up he decided to have another. He started to walk forward, when someone stepped in front of him.
"Don't."
Nino shook his head, and Adrien glanced over his shoulder. Luka had said something to make her laugh, and his blood boiled. He hated being jealous.
"She has a boyfriend."
"Yes. But not you. If you go over there and say something, she'll just get mad at you. If her boyfriend gets jealous, let him handle it. But it's not your place."
Her boyfriend. Her boyfriend could tell Luka to piss off. And Chat did say he might show up.
"You're right Nino. I'm gonna go get some fresh air."
He smiled, stumbling past Nino and out the front door. Jealousy had never looked good on him, but he didn't care. Luka needed to back off. He hid in the bushes, calling on Plagg. Once he was transformed, he waltzed back inside, heading straight for Marinette. He heard people around him greeting him, but he wasn't stopping. He had to talk to her. He stopped in front of them, and when Marinette looked up, it was as if her face lit up.
"Chat, you came!"
She grinned, getting up and hugging him. His jealousy seemed to simmer down some, but when he looked at Luka, it sparked back up again.
"Whose this?"
His words slurred, and Marinette took a step back, her eyebrows knitting together.
"Chat? Are you drunk?"
She whispered, and he held out his hand to Luka.
"I think I remember you. You stole people's voices before during an acuma attack, right?"
Luka blushed at that, and nodded, shaking his hand. Chat tightened his grip, smiling slightly.
"Yeah, my name is Luka. So how do you know Marinette?"
He pulled his hand away, forcing a smile at Chat.
"We're just good friends."
Marinette said quickly, and he felt a sharp pain in his chest. So that was how that felt.
"That's cool."
"Actually she's my girlfriend."
Luka's face fell, and he felt a small amount of satisfaction at that.
"Chat, what the hell are you doing?"
She hissed in his ear, and he glanced at her for a moment, before turning back to Luka.
"I didn't know she had a boyfriend."
Luka said it plainly, and Chat nodded, slinging his arm around her shoulders.
"Yep, that would be me."
"Chat can I talk to you?"
He looked at her, and the smile on her face was threatening.
"Sure princess."
She stepped out from under his arm, and he followed her upstairs, to Adrien's bedroom. Interesting choice. After checking to make sure it was empty, she turned to him, crossing her arms.
"What was that?"
"What? I can't introduce myself to your friends?"
She scoffed, her foot tapping on the floor.
"That didn't seem like an introduction. It felt like you were trying to mark your territory."
"Like you wouldn't do the same? Say some girl was flirting with me, you wouldn't make sure the girl knew I was taken?"
Marinette seemed to pause, and she sighed, her gaze traveling to the ceiling.
"Chat... you shouldn't have come. Not drunk. People could video it, or something. They could ruin your image."
Like he cared about his image. He'd throw the whole thing away if he had to.
"You're mad at me."
"No. I just think you should go home, and get some sleep."
"Oh like you did?"
She frowned, looking over at him.
"What?"
"When you were drunk. Did you go home and sleep? No. You went off exploring paris. You were found in some alley, with a stranger, puking your guts out. Why do I have to go home and sleep? You didn't."
She raised an eyebrow at him, before nodding.
"You know, for someone who's nornally kind and sweet, you're acting like a real ass."
"You're just mad I brought up your double standards."
"I do not have double standards."
She snapped, and he walked over to Adrien's bed, laying down on it.
"What are you doing?"
"Going to sleep."
"Here? You can't."
He turned his head to look at her, sitting up.
"Why? Because this is Adrien's room?"
"Because you're Chat Noir. You can't just show up to someone's house drunk, and crash in their room. Heros don't do that."
He stood, crossing the room and looking down at her. She tilted her head up to keep eye contact, and he put his hands on her hips.
"I could stop being Chat Noir. Just take my suit off and crash in this room. I wouldn't be a hero then."
"Don't you dare."
Her tone was low, but loud. It was commanding.
"What? Scared princess?"
She didn't respond, and he shrugged.
"Just joking. I know you don't care whose under the mask."
"Chat! Stop saying that crap. It's not true. I do care."
He laughed, pulling away from her and sitting down on the piano bench.
"I'm serious. You know how important your identity is."
"You know, when I loved Ladybug, I would have given anything for her to tell me her identity."
She looked away, and he wondered if she felt any guilt.
"You don't see us going anywhere. Do you? You expect us to crash and burn."
She turned away from him, and he looked at the ground, tears prickling his eyes. Why did it have to hurt so much? Why was love always so damn painful?
"I'd give it up for you, you know that right? I'd walk away from Chat Noir."
"I know. But it wouldn't change anything."
He knew why it wouldn't. Because she was Ladybug. They'd both still be at risk. She would be at risk then, if he ever 'found out'.
"Because you can't love me without the leather cat suit?"
"God! It's not that!"
She whirled around to face him, and her eyes were watery too. At least he wasn't the only one hurting.
"Mari-"
"Stop it! What do you want me to say? There is no way we can work. Okay? I've thought through a thousand different scenarios, and none of them work. You can't tell me who you are, because that puts your safety at risk."
"I-"
She immediately cut him off, shaking her head.
"I can't start dating your civilian identity, because I would always suspect that it was you. You can't just give up being Chat Noir for me, I won't let you."
"Chat Noirs are a dime a dozen princess. No one would miss me."
"How can you say that? That's absolutely bullshit. There is, and only ever will be, one Chat Noir. No one could ever replace you. Ladybug would miss you. Paris, would miss you."
He closed his eyes, leaning back against the piano. Why did she have to be so logical? Why was she always following stupid rules?
"You know, I think things would be a lot easier on you and me, if you started using your heart instead of your head all the time."
"It's essential to use both. Following your heart makes you stupid and gullible. Following your head makes you cold and guarded. It's best to use both."
There was that logic again.
"Marinette, you used to wear your heart on your sleeve. It was a long time ago, but I remember it. You followed your heart more than your head."
"Yeah, and look where that got me."
Why did she say that like it was his fault? She never told Adrien how she felt. He wasn't a mind reader.
"If you had listened to your heart, completely, instead of your head, maybe you would have told him. Maybe you wouldn't have been in so much pain, for so long. Maybe you wouldn't blame him, for something he didn't do."
His tone came out harsh, and she crossed her arms, staring at him.
"You know what? I can't talk to you like this. Call me when you're sober."
He laughed, angrily wiping away the tears in his eyes.
"You think I'm saying these things because I've been drinking? It's the truth Marinette. I can guarantee it won't change when I'm sober. But fine. We'll talk tomorrow, and have this conversation all over again if you want. Nothing is going to change. I'll still be here, giving you everything I have. And you'll still be there, pushing me away."
Her chin crumpled at that, and he shook his head, standing up and walking over to the window. He got out his baton, sighing.
"I love you Marinette. I'm going to fight for us. It feels like you're trying to punish yourself for something, and I don't get why. But I'm not going to stop fighting for you, just because of some stupid rule."
She turned away from him. Again. He nodded, it felt like talking to a brick wall. He jumped out of the window, using the baton to get to the ground. He landed harder than he would have liked, but at least he had landed safely. He hid in the bushes again, releasing Plagg.
"Hey kid, you okay?"
He shook his head, forcing himself to head back inside. How could he be okay? Marinette just confirmed everything he had suspected. For her, their relationship was a dead end. She saw no way out. So no. He wasn't okay. Not at all.