Adrien
"So, how long will your father be gone?"
"I honestly don't know. I'm not usually in the loop about things like that."
Sabine reached across the table and patted his hand, offering him a smile.
"Well, you can come over for dinner anytime you like. Isn't that right Marinette?"
"Of course."
She said through clenched teeth, and he smiled at her. His plan was working well enough. She had actually looked at him unprompted, and some of her smiles were actually genuine. He knew there was some part of Marinette that still loved him. So he was going to bring that part back to the surface, no matter what it took.
"I heard you have a fashion shoot coming up, that must be exciting right?"
He had almost forgotten.
"Oh, yeah totally."
As he spoke his hand strayed from his lap, touching Marinette's thigh. He felt her tense, and he started tracing his fingers over the fabric, barely pressing down.
"Maybe sometime you could model some of Marinette's designs."
"Papa."
She hissed in warning, and he slid his hand further up her thigh, confused as to why she hadn't stopped him yet.
"Actually I would love that. Marinette is really good at what she does."
"You should see her prom dress."
Marinette's face fell at her mother's comment, and he raised an eyebrow.
"Oh that's right. You told me it was Chat Noir themed right?"
Her mother seemed to backpedal, her smile slipping.
"I forgot honey. Are you going to change it?"
So she had told them she dumped Chat. Marinette shrugged, grabbing Adrien's hand when it strayed too far. He flipped his hand over, gently stroking the underside of her palm with his fingers.
"I don't have time. It's almost finished anyway."
She murmered, staring down at her plate. Her cheeks were flushed, and he wondered if it was from his hand, or the fact that they were talking about Chat. The table settled into silence, and it unnerved him. He had enough silence at home. He didn't want that here.
"Are we still on for prom?"
He whispered, but nothing would get past her parents.
"You asked her to prom?"
He wanted to clarify that at the time, he had asked her as a friend, for her sake, but he couldn't bring himself to utter the words.
"I guess so."
She sounded so depressed.
"When did you ask her?"
He couldn't remember the exact day, and it wasn't a newsworthy promposal. He had literally just asked her in his car, and handed her flowers. Because she was dating Chat at the time.
"Just a couple of days ago. It wasn't anything big."
Sabine was glancing between the two, and he could see hurt in her eyes. Marinette hadn't told her about prom, and he shouldn't have mentioned it. Fabulous. Maybe he really was the root of all of the tense silences at his house.
"We're going as friends."
Marinette said flatly, and he stopped moving for a moment, that uncomfortable feeling in his chest returning in full force. He hated that word.
"Oh."
Sabine murmered, looking back down at her plate. So fucking awkward. Marinette seemed to sink lower in her seat, but that wasn't what caught his attention. Her fingers had intertwined with his, and she was squeezing. What did she want him to do? Was that a sign or something? He squeezed back, not knowing what else to do.
"I think I'm going to turn in for the night."
She mumbled, letting go of his hand and standing up. He wanted to tell her to stay, but he couldn't. Not in front of her parents.
"You barely touched your dinner."
"I had a snack earlier. Goodnight."
She turned and walked up the stairs, leaving him alone with her parents. He watched her go, turning slowly back to her parents. They looked so tired. They hadn't seemed that way a few moments before.
"Tom..."
She whispered, and he shook his head, cutting her off.
"I know."
Sabine stood, beginning to clear off the table.
"Do you need any help?"
Adrien asked, standing up as well. She shook her head, her eyes downcast. He had never seen them like this before. They looked so... defeated.
"Ultimate mecha strike three."
Tom said gently, but it didn't sound like a question. He followed him into the living room, sitting down next to him on the couch. Tom didn't even reach for a controller, just staring at the black screen of the tv.
"I don't know what you did kid, I don't care. But you need to fix it."
His tone was low, and it sent chills racing up his spine. He didn't care if they knew. He trusted them, and they had seemed so accepting when they thought Chat was Adrien.
"I don't know how."
He admitted, looking down at the floor. He didn't know what to do. He had showed her who he really was, and she flipped on him.
"You figure out how. That's what you do, for people you love. You love my daughter. Don't you?"
"With everything I am."
He answered without hesitation, and Tom nodded, a small smile touching his exhausted expression.
"So fix it. We're counting on you."
Adrien closed his eyes, sighing. He honestly didn't know how. It wasn't like he could just undo what had happened. Or, maybe he could. She still had the bunny miraculous, didn't she? Maybe he could go back in time, and fix the blindfold. He just needed the bunny miraculous. He stood up, sticking his hands in his pockets.
"I'm gonna go talk to her."
Tom nodded, his gaze never leaving the tv. Adrien headed up the stairs, not bothering to knock on her door. He climbed up into the darkness, waiting for his eyes to adjust.
"Mari?"
"I'm tired Adrien. Please go home."
Came her reply, and it sounded like she was on her bed. He climbed up the steps, looking for her in the dark. She had that fabric pinned over her sky light again, so it was no help. He found one of her legs, and followed it to her waist, sitting next to her.
"Your parents are worried about you."
"They always worry about me."
"I think they're scared. They looked exhausted."
He laid down next to her, and she shifted away from him, so they were no longer touching.
"I know."
She whispered, and she sounded as exhausted as they looked. He reached out, brushing his hand across her face.
"How do I fix it?"
"You can't. Some things aren't meant to be fixed."
He refused to accept that. He loved her. There had to be a way to fix it.
"What are you thinking about then? I can't help, but I can listen."
She was quiet for a moment, before she rolled over, presumably lying on her back.
"Grief."
"What about grief?"
"Is it possible to mourn something you haven't lost?"
Yes. Absolutely. He had mourned his father, who was still walking around and talking.
"It's possible. What are you grieving?"
"Everything?"
She whispered, and he could hear the edge in her voice, the edge it got right before she was about to break.
"I miss you."
"I broke up with you literally this morning."
"Yes love, and it feels like an eternity."
He sighed, reaching up and pulling the cover off of the skylight, an orange glow seeping in to the room. He just wanted to see her. He didn't expect to see tears on her face, or a grimace. Why was she in so much pain?
"Talk to me. Please."
"My favorite color is green."
Smartass.
"You know what I meant."
"It wasn't always my favorite color. I found out, on a rainy day."
She stared at the ceiling as she spoke, fresh tears streaming down the sides of her face. She wasn't sobbing. Wasn't sniffling. Wasn't even breathing hard. And somehow, this cry pained him more than any other.
"I remember it like it happened yesterday. That smile. That green. That dumb umbrella."
He knew what she was talking about. The day he gave her the umbrella, the day they became friends. Had she really loved him for that long? Since the very beginning?
"It's something I haven't been able to forget. And I don't want to. I don't want to forget any of it."
She covered her face, and he heard a sob escape her.
"You don't have to forget any of it Marinette. And if you do, I'll just remind you."
He pulled her hands away from her face, pulling her closer to him. He just wanted her to be happy. He wanted to be the one that made her happy. She sobbed into his shirt, and he wrapped his arms around her tightly. He wished he could just understand her. He wished she would just tell him what she was thinking.
* * * * *
He opened his eyes, lazily trying to pull himself out of sleep. He had a job to do, and not enough time to do it. He eased Marinette off of him, gently laying her head on the pillow. She groaned softly, and he carefully maneuvered himself off of the bed.
"Tiki?"
He whispered, looking around the room. She didn't have to hide anymore, he already knew. Plagg flew up to him, making a face.
"What are you doing?"
"I need to talk to her. Tiki? Please come out. This is important."
Plagg looked confused, and he watched a red blob come out from the desk.
"Hey, it's nice to see you again."
He whispered, and she squinted at him.
"How did you find out?"
"It doesn't matter. I need a favor."
Tiki looked unsure, and he sighed, glancing up at the bed.
"I need the bunny miraculous."
"Absolutely not."
"Tiki, please. I can go back, and fix everything. All I have to do is fix the blindfold, that's it."
He pleaded, but she shook her head.
"Playing with time is dangerous. It has consequences. I can not allow you to just take it."
"Look at her Tiki. Really look at her. She's in pain, and she won't tell me what's wrong, all I want to do is fix it."
Tiki's face crumbled, and she shook her head, flying away from them and further into the room. There was something else. Something important, and Tiki knew what it was.
"Please. She wasn't ready to know who I was, let me fix it."
"This isn't about you anymore."
Tiki snapped, and he frowned. If it wasn't about Chat, then what? Why was Marinette so upset?
"Tell me."
"Adrien?"
Marinette mumbled from above them, and Tiki shot him a pointed look, before returning to her hiding place. He climbed back up to the bed, and she sat up, looking at him.
"Who were you talking to?"
"Plagg. He wanted a snack."
She bought it, sinking back down into the blankets.
"There's food down in the bakery."
He moved next to her, laying on his side. She was hiding something. Something other than her identity. But what? What could possibly be so bad to make her this depressed? Her face was flushed, and he reached over, touching her cheek.
"Are you running another fever?"
She groaned, swatting his hand away.
"No. I just woke up."
He let his hand rest on the pillow, watching her.
"Mari, you said before when it was all over, when I caught hawkmoth that we could have a normal relationship. Is that true anymore?"
She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, her chest heaving as she did.
"I don't know."
She said it flatly, and he was incredibly tired of hearing that tone leave her lips. He knew exactly how to change her tone, he had done it before, while they were arguing. But he wanted it to be willingly. He wanted her to want it to, for her to want to care again. He needed a sign that she hadn't completely abandoned him.
"Can I kiss you?"
Her eyes fluttered open at his request, and he felt a new sense of vulnerability. He was in Marinette's bed, as Adrien. No mask to hide behind, completely baring his soul to her. She could never understand how that felt he realized, not when she held Ladybug's secret so close to heart.
"Okay."
She whispered after her hesitation, and he leaned over her, gently lowering his mouth to hers. He wanted her to feel everything. He wanted her to remember that she loved him, and he wanted her to understand just how much he loved her. Because there was no going back for him. She was it. He couldn't just turn off his feelings, like she was pretending to do. He was determined to make her remember.