"Mr Darcy, I must thank you for your unexampled generosity to both my sisters. I know what kindnesses you have done for poor Lydia and suspect your hand in the happy resolution for Jane also."
"I am alarmed that you know of what I have been so in earnest to keep silent. But you must know that your happiness was one of my prime inducements."
Elizabeth looks at Darcy and he continues.
"I know you are too generous to trifle with me. I believe you spoke with my Aunt last night, and it has taught me to hope as I had scarcely allowed myself before. If your feelings are still what they were last April, tell me so at once. My affections and wishes are unchanged, but one word from you will silence me forever."
"What word is it?."
"Shut up, Plagg."
Adrien slumped onto his bed and lay staring up at the ceiling, script thrown next to him on the bed, abandoned for the time being. He thought through the words he'd just spoken, how was he going to convey such emotions with Marinette? She wasn't ignoring him anymore, but she was making it known how annoyed with him she was. He doubted she'd be sharing Elizabeth's love for Darcy.
He had seven days left.
Seven days to tell Kagami. He'd tried again as they'd met for fencing earlier that week. She was pushing to see his soulmark. Recently, he'd been covering it more than ever, she still didn't have a clue about the lack of mark on his skin.
Finally, as he built up the courage to speak, a ring tone sounded around the room. An akuma alert. So, of course, he had to get up and leave her again. She was still none the wiser to his unmarked, flawless skin.
"You know, Pigtails will forgive you eventually. She's just upset with you lying. You know the girl lives for justice."
"Plagg, she's so disappointed in me and now I've got the added pressure of this," he picked up the script and waved it in Plagg's face. "We need to be in love with each other to make this scene work, and to make it worse we've got to do it well, my father wants me to be prom King to keep up the Agreste superiority." Adrien looked towards his five inch fluff ball of destruction, face showing every feeling of disgusted he possessed.
His father may want him to be Prom King, but Adrien had zero desire. If it was up to him he'd give it to Alya and Nino. They deserved it and would be perfect for it. All Gabriel wanted was bragging rights and a way to promote the company in the United States.
"You need to be in love with each other?" Plagg couldn't help the smirk on his face. Finally, the kid was giving some sort of unconscious indication to his feelings for the raven haired, pigtail wearing girl.
"Act! We have to act in love with each other. Not be in love with each other, because that would mean she loves me and she definitely doesn't. She told me so herself. Plus, you know, we've got the shoot next week too. Father wants to play it as a Cinderella romance story. The pretty girl at the ball catches the eye of the Prince. I need to be in love with her for that too," Adrien caught himself on his words, "act in love! We need to act in love."
He placed his hands over his eyes and groaned.
"What the hell is up with that? She doesn't like me like that, so it won't happen."
Plagg rolled his eyes at Adrien's rambling. He would mention to Adrien that he never denied his own love for the girl but decided to settle by the script instead. There was something here he could use, something so 'Adrien and Marinette' that perhaps it'd get his wielders mind working.
He reread through the lines they'd just rehearsed and it hit him like a freight train, and the chaos causing God applauded himself for his brilliant idea. Just a tiny seed to implement into the blonde's brain, Tikki would never know, it's not like he was sharing their identities, just simple manipulation of sorts. He skimmed over the script to make sure he delivered the hit just right.
"Um ... You know Adrien, what Darcy did to prove his love for Elizabeth was very similar to you with Marinette, don't you think?"
"What do you mean? Marinette doesn't have any sisters." Adrien questioned his tiny friend.
If Plagg had hands he would have slapped one to his face, or he would have just slapped Adrien around the face.
Sometimes this boy pushed him to the edge. Plagg wished many times for just a week to stay with Marinette. That's all he dreamed about, well that and his fragrant, gooey Camembert. Wouldn't it be a lovely change? She was perspective, caring and would feed him with mountains of glorious cheese based pastries ... but he digressed.
"Let me spell it out for you, kid. Darcy secretly helped out Elizabeth by helping her sisters. He didn't want her to know it was him, but he wanted to do something to make her happy. Think about Lila. You've done some secret stuff behind Marinette's back to help with her happiness. You're like her everyday Mr Darcy."
Like she's your everyday Ladybug.
Adrien sat up and couldn't help but blink. His eyebrows creased together, as he looked over to Plagg. However, that was the moment Plagg knew to give up. There was nothing getting through this kid's head. Adrien just showed confusion and mortification, he had no ideas when it came to social norms.
"You really need to get out more, kid." Plagg stated.
"You're telling me." Adrien agreed.
A knock on the door caused the kwami to scurry away to his hiding place. He had no doubt it was 'the assistant'. Nathalie always made her rounds to Adrien at about this time in the day.
"Adrien," she opened the door and walked in.
Adrien hated this. He was sixteen now, it wouldn't be that hard for Nathalie to knock and wait for him to allow her into his room. To give him some privacy, he wasn't a child anymore.
"Ms. Tsurugi has requested a one-on-one with you. She's downstairs."
Straightening himself up, he steeled his nerves. This was it! He was going to tell her. It had gone on too long.
Just rip the bandaid off, Agreste, and if she hates you, we'll deal with it. Oh Lord, she's going to kill me.
Making his way down the stairs Adrien began to recite what he was going to say to her. He needed to find the perfect combination of assertiveness and sorrow, she wouldn't take the soft act. She hated when he was soft. She also disliked when he was silly.
He stopped in his tracks. He'd got it! She hated when he was silly. Perhaps he'd start acting on his Chat Noir persona and scare her away. This was a foolproof plan in his mind. She'd want a break from him for a while, begin to question their soulmarks and by the time he told her he never had one she would be grateful. Kagami would be so pleased she got an escape card. Adrien let out a childlike laugh, this was going to be great.
"Yo Kagami!" Adrien announced as he slid down the banister of the lower staircase, "what's up precious?"
Ok, he needed to tone it down a tiny bit, no nicknames. They were reserved for Ladybug and Ladybug only. Along with maybe the one or two he had for Marinette. His brain stilled, Marinette? Before his brain could work through this sudden realisation, he pushed it away. He'd figure it out another day.
"Precious? Does your father know you do that on the stairway? I don't think he'd be too happy if you fell and hurt yourself. I wouldn't be happy if you missed fencing practise, either." Kagami looked at him perplexed. Her eyebrows were drawn up to her hairline and her mouth turned down.
"You should try it sometime. It's fun."
"No it's not, it's silly."
Adrien just shrugged and walked over to sit on the sofa. He shuffled his bottom down so he was sitting in a slouched position, legs wide apart and head resting on the back support. He mentally told himself to man up, as the position was a lot more painful than it looked. Channeling his inner strength, he settled. He would not move and the look on Kagami's face proved his plan was working.
"Sit up straight, models can't have bad posture." She scalded as she walked towards him.
"I have wonderful posture. I'm purrfect."
"No you're not, no one is perfect. It is impossible. Did you just purr?" She was frowning hard.
This plan was genius. He could tell she was getting more frustrated by the minute. Maybe this was a little extreme, but putting the ball in her court would hurt a lot less than her finding out the truth now. What could he do next? He continued to think of new plans.
"I'm here because my mother and your father have granted us time for a date this evening. Your driver will take us and we must be back before ten."
A date? How was he going to get out of this one? His father would kill him if he did anything improper in public, not without a reason. The plan was suddenly looking laced with problems.
"Gorilla," Adrien said.
"You know I won't call him that."
"He doesn't mind. He actually finds it quite funny."
Kagami raised her eyebrows again at Adrien and he felt his shoulders tense. Perhaps he'd taken this too far. She didn't deserve this, he should just come clean and take the hit.
But low and behold, good luck had finally bestowed itself on Adrien Agreste and stopped him from a possible annihilation. As at that precise moment his phone began to ring. Pulling it from his pocket he noticed the name of the one person who would help this charade.
Holding one finger up, he signalled to Kagami he would take the call and be right back. Adrien stood and made his way to another place in the hallway, just far enough away to make it seem like a private call but also close enough that Kagami could hear what was happening.
"Nino, my main man, my brother from another mother."
Kagami stood baffled at what was happening. This wasn't her perfect Adrien. He made her feel uncomfortable, and rather frustrated. She decided to look at her own phone whilst waiting for him to finish the call.
Three texts from Marinette, with designs for a dress she'd commissioned, and one from Thomas.
She quickly flicked through Marinette's messages before responding. Kagami smiled to herself, Marinette had become a big part of her life, along with Adrien. They were her first true friends and she cherished them. Even though she knew that Marinette had a crush on Adrien, it filled her with awe at how the girl had handled their soulmarks. She was there for Kagami, she seemed generally happy for them both.
Finally, she pulled up the message from Thomas. It was a picture of some lilies in his backyard. The way he'd positioned the camera made the lilies look flawless. The white popped against the greenery around them and she couldn't help but smile. She felt a swirl of something in her stomach, and continued to read the message.
I saw these and thought of you. Perfect flowers for the perfect lady.
Before she could think too much into it, Adrien's words stopped her.
"A funfair! Yeah, we're in! I've been granted a date night with Kagami so no issues with my father. I can't wait! See you shortly."
A funfair? Kagami's wonderful swirling feeling suddenly turned into a rock and dropped heavily in her stomach. This was not what she wanted to do. Funfairs lacked the fun that was part of their name. She hated how busy they were, she hated the smells and the food, she hated the rides ... she hated it all. He couldn't actually want to go there, could he?
Adrien sprung back to her, sheer excitement written all over his face. He looked like a toddler loaded up on cotton candy, which, in about thirty minutes, she was sure he would be.
"Kagami, let's go. Nino, Alya and some of the others are at the funfair near the Louvre."
Grabbing her hand he pulled her outside the main doors and down to his car.
This was going to be a long evening.