Lovebug

Part 4

Adrien looks at her, slightly shocked.

"Oh..." he says. The pair sit in silence for a few moments, both thinking things over. He had never entirely seen Marinette in that way, too busy being blinded by his love for Ladybug. Though Marinette was beautiful, talented, smart and ideally, everything he would look for in a girlfriend, she wasn't Ladybug.

"I'm really sorry Marinette... But I can't..." he says. These words break Marinette's heart into a million tiny pieces, the blush fades from her cheeks. She had always thought that deep down, he liked her back, but apparently, that was not true.

"Oh... yeah that's... that's fine," she says, tears welling in her eyes. She tries to hold back the tears until later.

"Don't get me wrong Marinette," he turns and holds her hands in his, looking at them, "You are an amazing person. I really like you and anyone, including myself, would be lucky to have you. But... I am in love with someone else."

Marinette understands. She knows the pain of being in love with someone who doesn't love her back. "It's probably Kagami." Marinette thinks to herself. "She and her mother moved back to Japan around a year and a half ago and Adrien is probably still hung up on her" 

"It's ok... I know how that feels," she says, "You should... you should go to them... be with them. I just want you to be happy" Marinette says, slightly disheartened.

"I'm glad to have someone like you in my life Marinette, someone who will always be there for me," he says. "You are too good a friend for me to lose." Adrien's phone buzzes from his inside pocket and discovers Nathalie, his fathers assistant phoning him, asking why he has not arrived at the car yet.

"Listen, I have to go" he explains, standing up from the bench. "Do you want a ride home or anything? I think it's gonna rain soon."

"Oh no, I'm alright. I'm waiting on Alya, but thanks anyway" she lies

"Alright, well... I guess I'll see you tomorrow" Adrien says, waving to her as he walks away. Marinette smiles, holding back the tears welling in her eyes until he turns the corner and she lets loose the tears.

Marinette sits on that bench, softly crying for around 10 minutes. The rain begins to drizzle around her, drenching her. She has no jacket, just a thin cardigan in her bag, which she drapes over her shoulders.

"I'm so sorry Marinette" Tikki's voice squeaks as she leans into Marinette for a hug. The rain becomes heavier, soaking the pair as Marinette remains seated on the bench behind the school, her hair flattened with water and her dress, soaked almost right through.

"I... I just can't believe it Tikki." Marinette whispers, breaking the silence after a few minutes. "A part of me was certain he liked me back"

"I know it's hard Marinette, but it will get better, I promise you," Tikki tells her. "I've seen almost every Ladybug deal with heartbreak of some kind, so I'm gonna tell you what I told them; If you love someone set them free, If they return they are yours, If they don't it wasn't meant to be."

"Thank you Tikki" Marinette looks to her kwami through tear-filled eyes, "You always know just what to say."

Marinette pulls a foldover compact mirror from her purse and opens it to look at herself. Mascara has run all down her face, her hair is soaking wet and she just looks overall defeated. After a brief moment of trying to fix herself, she slams the mirror shut in her hands. The joint that causes the mirror to fold is missing a screw so slamming it further aggravated the brokenness of the mirror.

The pair leave the school premises and walk home through the rainy streets of Paris. Everything around Marinette seems gloomy and dark. The sky is grey with clouds and the streets are filled with dull coloured cars, zooming through puddles that stretch miles along the road.