Marinette's POV:
"That's it." I exclaimed aloud. "I'm done here." The class just tried to set me up with Adrien, again. "Chloe, we're moving."
"Where are you moving to?" Mylene asked.
"Anywhere away from the lot of ya." I said, my Queen's accent coming out.
"We're going back there!" Chloe exclaimed with her accent coming back as well. I nodded and packed up my stuff.
I was originally born in Queen's New York, there I met Chloe who was my best friend since. Unfortunately, when we were in 7th grade, Chloe got called to live with her father in Paris. I was left for months before I could see her again.
My opportunity came when my parents wanted to move back to their old home- the bakery. In 9th grade, we went to the same high school. There, we decided to switch up our acts for fun, mostly. We were doing fine until Lila came along. That's when Chloe and I outed our friendship to Paris.
I wanted to become a fashion designer, Chloe wanted to become a model and manager, so we settled on building a fashion company from the ground up. A partnership. I would design and create while Chloe would manage and model. We planned to start this business after we graduate high school. But right now, if teachers were going to be like Mdm. Bustier in the upper grade levels, I think I'd rather drop out.
"Students, you can't just leave." We both ignored her. "I am your teacher, you are my students. You will listen to me."
"We stopped becoming your students the moment you stopped doing your damn job right." I exclaimed righteously. We left out the door with our heads held high. We stopped by the principal's office on our way out. Chloe both barged in with me following right behind her.
"Hey! Anyone ever teach you to knock!" Damocles looked up. "Oh." He paused, "How can I help you girls?" He asked.
"We're no longer students here." Chloe announced. Damocles flinched back.
"What d-do you mean?" Damocles fidgeted with his cheap, ugly, eye-sore of a tie.
"She means that we no longer go to your dumpster of a school." I rolled my eyes. Honestly, the stupidity of this school is too high for our tolerance, it's a wonder we made it that long. I saw Chloe take out her phone and start to record.
"Why?" Damocles said, being rude and abrupt. "I let you have run of the school! I edited your grades for the better! I made sure you got everything you wanted in this school! I even talked to Mdm. Bustier to make sure someone else got in trouble for your deeds!" He exclaimed. I smirked at Chloe.
"Got all that?" I asked.
"You know it!" Chloe held up her phone. "I got it all." Damocles didn't pick up on what we were saying. But he'd soon get it in a couple of weeks as well as a pink slip. Chloe went to the corner and called a number from her phone.
"We're done here." I finished. "I'll have my personal assistant pick up everything." I smirked when Damocles' face paled at the thought of me having a personal assistant.
"Everything's all set up." Chloe said after finishing the phone call. Chloe and I left the office looking smug as ever.
We walked back to my bakery and to my room. My parents were working the register so they didn't notice us two sneaking up. When I got to my room, I packed my clothes into three suitcases. Two were luggage and one was a carry-on.
"I'll change, then we can go pack your things at your hotel?" I suggested to Chloe.
"No need. Jean already has everything packed." I smiled.
"Always one step ahead I see." We both laughed. At this point our accents were out and were highly noticeable since everyone had a French accent. No one could place our accents even though they were pretty popular.
"When are we leaving?" I asked.
"The fastest flight out of this City of Hate is at 11am today." Chloe clarified while emphasizing the 'City of Hate.' I laughed relieved that I would be able to start a new life. I could tell Chloe thought the same way.
"It's 9:28 right now. We should have lunch early. Like a brunch!" Chloe exclaimed. I clapped at the idea.
"Yes my queen." I bowed. "Whatever you wish." We both giggled and walked to a small cafe a few blocks away from the park center.
When we got there, it was almost empty. There were only a couple of tables holding customers. The setting was beautifully decorated, though. The interior was white painted wood plank with accents of black. There was real ivy covering part a corner. There were several hanging baskets filled with succulents and mini succulent pots at every table. There were a few paintings hanging here and there with a modern black frame and white border. The paintings depicted beautiful places in Paris most were during sunsets or sunrises. There was an older looking lady, probably in her 60s, behind the counter in a work uniform, her name tag said: "Hi, I'm Rosa!".
"Good morning! How can I help you both!" She said cheerfully with a thick Italian accent.
"Hi Rosa! We'll take two of the barbecue pork sandwiches." I ordered knowing what Chloe wanted.
"Okay! Anything else?"
"And two rose milk teas. Could you add extra boba, please?" Chloe ordered already knowing what I wanted.
"Yes of course! That will be $18.09." Rosa replied. The silence was awkward between us and Rosa. I decided after a few seconds to break it.
"How long has this cafe been here, I haven't seen it?" I inquired
"Not for long, just a few months, actually. I got a job here when it first opened. My granddaughter goes to school in Paris, and ever since her mother left, me and my husband have been taking care of her." Rosa opened up. Chloe and I exchanged glances.
"Would your granddaughter happen to go to College François DuPont?" Chloe asked.
"Why yes, she does. Do you go there? You look about her age?"
"Yeah, Chloe and I both go there." I cleared my throat. "Would your granddaughter's name happen to be a Lila Rossi?" I held my breath afraid of the answer. Rosa perked up.
"Yes! That's her! Are you one of her friends?"
"I'm afraid not." I replied. Rosa gave me a questioning look. How could such a sweet lady be the grandmother of a horrendous, demon, liar child. I couldn't find the words to keep going.
"Lila Rossi transferred to our class around 4 months ago. She started lying to our classmates." Chloe said, saving me. "At first it was little things like: I saved Jagged Stone's cat from an airport runway, I'm ladybug's best friend, I have a miraculous, etc. But after a few months it was: Marinette" Chloe placed a hand on my shoulder, "stole the answer key to a test that we took yesterday, Marinette stole my necklace, Marinette pushed me down the stairs, I have a lying disease, I went to Achu with Prince Ali. Now it's at the point where our class is physically hurting Mari! They tried to force her to become friends with Lila by setting her up with the most annoying dude ever, again, causing us to drop out of College François DuPont!" Chloe explained mimicking Lila's high pitched voice. Rosa looked pale.
"A-Are you sure it's not a misunderstanding?" Rosa stuttered.
"I'm afraid not." I replied getting out of my stupor. "If you need proof, I can take you to her cla-" Rosa cut me off
"It's okay. I believe you. Lila always had a talent for tall tales, I thought it would've stopped after her parents left but it apparently just made her more intense. I'm really sorry you went through all of that. Don't let my granddaughter discourage you, I promise you, Lila will receive punishment this time." Rosa narrowed her eyes.
"Thank you." I thanked.
"How did you ever survive?"
"I don't feel a single thing" I replied. Rosa looked at me in sympathy. "Have the pills done too much?" I wondered aloud. Rosa gave me a horrified look because someone my age was taking pills. Rosa dug through a few pieces of paper. When she found a clear one, she wrote something on it.
"If you ever need me, here's my number." Rosa passed a slip of paper.
"Order for a Marinette and a Chloe." A guy behind Rosa said. Rosa passed us the bag.
"Thank you for telling me this, Lila will most likely end up in a boarding school or worse." We nodded along with what Rosa was saying.
Chloe and I ended up eating outside on the porch. We sat on a rustic swinging rocking bench over looking the busy streets of Paris.
"I admit, I'll miss the view." I stared off in the distance. "Just not the people" I finished coldly.
"Yeah." Chloe nodded. We sat enjoying the silence for a few minutes— and the food, of course. Who doesn't love food?
"What do you think will happen to the class when Lila gets exposed?" Chloe asked me.
"They won't believe it at first, then it'll sink it when we get Damocles and Bustier fired. They'll probably be sorry. But they'll be sorry for being on the wrong side not for betraying me nor for physically and mentally hurting me." I concluded. Chloe nodded along to what I was saying.
"Yeah, Alya won't admit she's wrong. She never does. Always just finds someone to pin the blame on." I shook my head.
"Anyway, we should go tell your parents you're moving." Chloe suggested. I rolled my eyes in annoyance.
"They won't care. They'll probably just say 'Good Riddance!' or something." Every since Hawkmoth happened, my parents grew further and further away from me. One day, they just snapped and just stopped caring about me, even when I came in with cuts and bruises form the class. They'd completely ignore me.
"What if we don't tell them?" Chloe knew about my family life, she could relate, too. He father practically disowned her as well. They just ignored our needs. If Chloe was lonely, it was always Jean and I that came to her. Jean was more of a father to the both of us than our real fathers.
"I'd prefer that to our parents knowing where we are. Could we take Jean with us, though? We need some adult supervision." I emphasized the 'some' which caused us to giggle.
"I'll ask him." Chloe went on her phone for a few minutes while I finished up my sandwich.
"He replied." Chloe continued. "He said he will! He's asking my parents right now." Chloe said with great disdain for her parents. I clapped in excitement. "He's typing... Okay, he said he just needs to collect his next paycheck. Then he's 'interviewing' to be my personal assistant." Chloe put finger quotes on the 'interviewing'. It was obvious he'd get the job. "He'll be in Queens on the first. Which just so happens we have a week without adult supervision." Chloe gave me a mischievous grin which I returned.
"So we're leaving without telling our parents?" I clarified.
"Yes!" Chloe agreed. "We should probably go in through the roof as Ladybug and Chatonne." I gave Chloe the cat miraculous, which she readily agreed to. She was my platonic soulmate, as Tikki stated, so she could wield the Chat Miraculous.
"Yeah we probably should." I agreed. "Should we do it now? It's already 9:52."
We both packed up our trash and dumped it it the bin. We walked down to an alleyway with our drinks in our hands. We recycled the bottles and put on our jewelry. After a quick 'Hello!' to our kwamis, we transformed into our alter egos.
"Finally, it feels like it's been forever since we transformed. I really missed it." Chloe claimed.
"Yeah. Even though it was only a few weeks since Hawkmoth was defeated, I feel like we haven't gone out in so long." I sighed. Feeling the cool, fresh air on my skin made me feel like everything was going to be okay.
"Okay, let's go!" Chatonne used her staff towards the direction of my house while I followed suit. I let myself in through the trapdoor and jumped onto my bed. I climbed over the piled of fabric I left on the floor and grabbed my luggage.
"Wait! I just had the best idea!" I exclaimed.
"Well, make it quick, we don't have much time."
"We make it look like we were kidnapped." I suggested excitedly.
"Oh my gosh, that's perfect!"
We opened the trapdoor and made fingernail marks near the exit. We also made the room look even more ransacked than it already was. Chloe left her makeup on the floor, so it would look like she was also kidnapped. She also stuck one of her press on nails to the ceiling so she was also dragged out. While she was doing that, I carved out 'Help us' on the walls.
Once we finished, I pulled my luggage towards the trapdoor, and passed them to Chatonne who then pushed them to the edge.
"Okay. Are we going straight to the airport, or is Jean dropping us off at the airport form the hotel."
"He's picking us up at the hotel." Chloe clarified.
"Okay, we should probably head there now. It's 10:18 right now." I suggested.
"Yeah." Chloe agreed.
We leaped building to building enjoying the rush of the fresh Parisian air. It felt nice. Calm even. Nothing like the people that reside in this part of the city. A few minutes later, we landed behind the hotel, where all the dumpsters were, walked in through the employee entry way, and went through the front doors to where Jean was standing with the limo.
"Are you ready girls?" Jean asked us when we got to the limo.
"Of course. Now let's go!" I exclaimed Chloe matching my enthusiasm.
Jean dropped us off at the airport and we boarded Chloe's jet.
"Welcome aboard! It's good it's we you again, Ms. Bourgeois." The pilot greeted. "We will start to take off in a short while."
"It's great to see you, too. Thank you for preparing the jet on such short notice." Chloe greeted. The pilot nodded and went back into his cabin.
The jet was a gorgeous Cessna Citation CJ2. It had 3 rooms, a luxurious bedroom themed in gold, white, and baby yellow, a kitchen/sitting room dressed in black, gold, and baby yellow, and, of course, a bathroom. The bedroom had wooden floors, a big, fluffy, white carpet, and a circular, day bed. As well as a matching couch, a TV and a couple of side tables. The living room had a few barstools on a counter facing the windows, a long couch, a coffee table, a black ottoman, a TV, wooden floors, and another big, fluffy, rug. We moved to the sitting room as soon as the plane took off.
"Wow, if feels so good to be gone." I stretched out my legs on the ottoman.
"I know!" Chloe exclaimed and started to scroll through her phone.
"So, we finally get out of Paris and the first thing you do on this new chapter of our lives is look at your phone." I deadpanned.
"No! I mean- Yeah, but I'm looking at apartments." She rolled her eyes.
"Whatever you say, my queen." I bowed.
"Wow, you definitely chose the right apartment, Chloe." I praised.
"Why, thank you!"
The apartment was a modern 2 bedroom flat. With 3 bathrooms, a kitchen, a dining room, 3 closets, and an office. The first bedroom had a white and grey themed set of bed, drawer, side table, and a large closet. It had a dark grey, rectangular carpet on wooden floor. The other bedroom had a single bed, a small desk and a small closet dressed in silver and white. Both had their own bathrooms to match the bedroom. The kitchen was very modern with a small stove, electronic, touchscreen refrigerator, and an oven. The kitchen also had a long, marble counter with dusty blue stools. The living area was themed like the rest of the house. It had large windows facing the pure white couch with dark gray pillows. Between the two was a glass coffee table with a small potted succulent.
"I want the small one." I dibbed.
"Good, I wanted the one that's fit for the queen I am." She sassed playfully.
"Of course, your Majesty." Before anyone could say anything else, there was a knock on our front door. We opened it and in came Audrey Bourgeois.
"Mari! Chloe! I've been looking all over for you!" Audrey cried mother-like. "Andre said you all disappeared and Marinette's parents said both of you were kidnapped!"
"I know. Wait does the police think we were kidnapped?"
"No, the Dupain-Chengs didn't tell anyone but us and your class- I think. I can't be sure." She shrugged.
"Good. So, long story short, we ran away and made it look like we were kidnapped. Jean is joining us in a week." I explained. Audrey blushed a tiny bit when I mentioned Jean. Chloe looked mischievous and winked at me which I responded with a nod.
"Well, I'm okay with that, I guess. I know both of you weren't treated well at home. I actually came over to you to offer you these papers." Audrey took out a few pages from her briefcase.
"Documents?" I questioned. "For both of us."
"Yes, dear." I skimmed over my pages.
"T-These are adoption papers!" I exclaimed happily.
"Only if you'd like, of course." Audrey assured bashfully.
"Yes!" I screamed and snatched the pen from the counter and printed my signature on the fine line at the bottom of the page.
"M-Mother. These are papers saying you have full custody of me?" She asked excitedly.
"I already got your father to sign them a few months ago. I was going to give them to you on your next birthday, but I feel like now is a better time."
"Yes!" She screamed in happiness and signed the paper.
"Thank you so much, girls."
"Thank you, Mom." We both answered in unison. She smiled and shed a few happy tears.
"Hello, Mom!" I greeted when we walked into the restaurant. The restaurant had an elegant feel to it. It had modern light fixtures and sleek, wooden furniture.
"Hello, girls!" We sat down at our table and ordered our food.
"I'll have the smoked trout with the sautéed greens. I'm pescatarian, so don't include any other meats, please." Audrey ordered.
"I'll have the ribeye but with a side of caesar salad." Chloe ordered.
"I'll have the brioche salmon burger with a side of popcorn shrimp and marinara dipping sauce." I ordered.
"Coming right up." He said and walked away.
"So, Marinette, have you told your friends you're in NYC?" Audrey asked. "I already know Chloe has friends in New York, so I don't want you to feel left out."
"Actually, I haven't caught up with my friends in weeks,
and now we're outta touch." I explained.
"Oh, that's okay. I'm sure you'll make friends here."
"Actually, I've been thinking about driving in L.A. d or Orlando or Toronto or something. I don't know, I just want to see the world, and-"
"And the world, it feels too big. I know the feeling." Audrey laughed.
"Like a floating ball that's bound to break, snap my psyche like a twig." I mumbled softly so she couldn't hear me.
"Here we are, ladies." The waiter placed a large plate in front of Chloe. "Here you are, my Queen." Chloe blushed.
"Thanks, my Prince." She flirted back.
"Wait, you both know each other?" I asked.
"Ohh! That Ned!" Audrey exclaimed.
"Who?!"
"Oh, I thought you told her, Chloe, she's your best friend and sister." Audrey asked.
"Well, she knows now. Ned, this is my best friend and adopted sister, Marinette. Mari, this is my boyfriend of 3 years, Ned." She introduced.
"Sweet!" I exclaimed. "Nice to meet ya."
"You too." He shook my hand. "You wouldn't happen to be single, right? My friend is oh-so lonely. He could really use someone as nice as you." He suggested.
"Ned!" Chloe hit the back of his head. "My sister does not need a boyfriend. She's too young." Chloe stated protectively.
"Chloe. I'm your age, and you started dating Ned when you were 15." I deadpanned.
"Whatever. Not him! He's a nerd." Chloe whined.
"Oh please, he can't be that bad." I rolled my eyes.
"So that's a yes to my friend?" Ned asked anxiously.
"No."
"Yes." I said at the same time as Chloe denied it.
"No! Mom, what do you think." She asked hopefully.
"Hm?" She hummed after zoning out. "And?"
"And I just wanna see if you feel the same as me?!" Chloe responded.
"I think," she paused. "I think Marinette is old enough to make her own decision right now." She answered truthfully.
"Thanks Mom." I smiled.
"Fine, but if he's too annoying for you, don't tell me I didn't warn you." She sassed.
"Hello, Mari!" Ned said. "This is my best friend Peter."
"Marinette, nice to meet you." I offered my hand.
"Peter." He shook it suspiciously. "Ned, is this another one of your set up attempts. It's not going to work. I've got my books and my studies. I'm fine." He emphasized.
"Wow, Chloe was right about that part." I muttered. Ned laughed and Chloe hit the back of his head.
"Didn't I warn you."
"Warn you about what?" Peter questioned. Chloe's eyes widened and she gestured her hands into a huge X.
"Oh, just how Chloe thought you were a huge nerd and I shouldn't meet you. And how she was correct when you said something that made you sound really, really lonely." I feigned innocently.
"Well at least we have teasing Chloe on our shared hobbies." He joked. Chloe's jaw outright hit the floor.
"Wait. What. The. Heck." Chloe said in disbelief.
"What?" I asked her.
"Peter Parker never jokes about anything. Well, as far as I know. I've only met him 26 and a half times. The half was from when we lost him because an attack." Chloe explained.
"Whatever. Did you still want to continue this, Marinette?" He asked almost unemotionally except for the glimmer of hope in his eyes.
"Yeah, I would, actually." I smiled at him.
"Great! Let's get going." He offered me his arm, which I took, and we walked downtown.
"Where are we going?" I asked him.
"Well, Ned told me we were just going to meet one of his new friends, so nowhere in particular. Where would you like to go?" He offered.
"I've never been to the Central Park Conservatory? My mom recommended it to me." I suggested.
"Prefect, let's go!"
The rest of the evening went perfectly! He had dinner right in front of the conservatory and walked around the park for a couple of hours. Later, he dropped me off at my apartment, and we exchanged numbers.
"So!" Chloe jumped up from the couch. "How was it? He wasn't too boring for you, was he?"
"No, of course not. It was great!"
"Then why do you look so tired?" She pointed out.
"Do you ever get a little bit tired of life, like you're not really happy but you don't wanna die-"
"Like you're hanging by a thread but you gotta survive. 'Cause you gotta survive? Yeah. I know."
We both laughed. "Of course. Let's just go to bed. It's late." I suggested.
"Yeah, I guess so."
The bell rang to the small cafe I was supposed to meet Peter in. I glanced up from my phone and my eyes met the gorgeous hazel orbs of Peter Parker. I waved him over to our table in the back.
"Hey, Peter!"
"Hey, Mari! Have you ordered already? I didn't keep you waiting for long, did I?" He worried.
"No, and I got here a few minutes ago." I smiled.
"Good." He sighed. The waiter came over to us.
"What can I get for you today?" He asked Peter. While Peter was giving his order, I zoned out.
"Marinette? Marinette?" Peter asked snapping me out of my daze.
"Yeah? Sorry, could you repeat that?" I smiled nervously.
"What would you like to order, Miss?" The waiter repeated.
"Oh, uh, I'll get whatever Peter gets." The waiter nodded and left our table.
"Hey, Mar? Are you okay?" He asked using another nickname for me.
"Y-Yeah, I just. Do you ever feel like your body's in the room but you're not really there?" I asked. "Like-"
"Like you have empathy inside but you don't really care." He finished my sentence.
"Like you're fresh outta love but it's been in the air. Am I past repair." We asked simultaneously.
Peter and I both laughed. The music ringing throughout the cafe changed to another song.
"A little bit tired of tryin' to care when I don't
A little bit tired of quick repairs to cope,
A little bit tired of sinkin'.
There's water in my boat.
I'm barely breathin',
Tryna stay afloat.
So I got these quick repairs to cope." Echoed through the cafe.
"Wow. What song is this? It's like perfectly describing our vibes." I joked. We both laughed.
"Shoot, I forgot my wallet." Peter made a face when the waiter gave us the bill. Peter glanced at me.
"Don't worry, Peter. I got it." That's when I remembered one thing, I don't have a job. "Shoot. Uh." I dug through my purse and got out my wallet. I picked out a 20 dollar bill and put it in the server book. "I'm one dollar off." I bit my lip, and Peter chuckled. "Guess I'm just broken and broke." I joked. I dug through my purse even more until I found Chloe's birthday card. "I'm sure she won't mind if I borrow one dollar." I said making Peter laugh again.
"I'll pay you back, Mar." Peter offered.
"No. It's fine, Pete." I assured.
"Are you sure? You don't have a job?"
"I'm still in school, plus I'm starting an internship with Style Queen." I reassure.
"Okay, then. Fine." He conceded.
"Chloe! Has my package come in yet?" I asked just stepping out of the bathroom soaking wet. "The prescriptions on its way."
"Oh, is it the one with a name I can't pronounce?" She asked making us both garden salad for lunch.
"Yeah, and the dose I gotta take, boy, I wish that I could count." I teased. From my room changing into clean clothes. I changed into light washed, ripped jeans, a black and white oversized shirt with a white collar.
"Of course. Let me check." I came out of my room and saw Chloe looking through the mail on the table. I sat on the barstool in front of her. She opened a package with my name on it. "Marinette," she said sternly. "Why on earth would you need these." She shook my orange bottle with a white cap.
"'Cause I just wanna see if this could make me happy." I sighed.
"Mari," she said softly. "Do you ever get a little bit tired of life, Like you're not really happy but you don't wanna die, Like you're hanging by a thread but you gotta survive. 'Cause you gotta survive. Like your body's in the room but you're not really there, Like you have empathy inside but you don't really care, Like you're fresh outta love but it's been in the air? Am I past repair?" She questioned quietly. "You don't need these."
"You're right, Chloe." I sighed. "I won't use them unless I really need to."
"Thank you, Marinette."
"A little bit tired of tryin' to care when I don't. A little bit tired of quick repairs to cope. A little bit tired of sinking. There's water in my boat, I'm barely breathin', tryna stay afloat. So I got these quick repairs to cope." I repeated to myself. I stared at my bedroom ceiling, failing to fall asleep.
"What's that from, Marinette?" Tikki squeaked.
"Oh, that was just from my date with Peter last week. He's so amazing." I gushed.
"You really love him, huh?" She asked.
"Yeah, I mean what's not to love." I gushed even more.
"I hope tomorrow doesn't affect you too much, Mari." She whispered to herself.
"Hello, Peter!" I exclaimed happily.
"Hello, Marinette. I uh-" he cleared his throat. "Wanted to tell you something."
"What is it? Are you okay?" I asked.
"I- uh, yeah, I'm fine. I just wanted to tell you that," he took a deep breath. "I-I don't think I can continue dating you." He told me softly.
"W-What?" I froze. "Was it something I said? I swear, I-I didn't mean to offend you? Whatever it is, I-I can fix it?" I stuttered out.
"Marinette, it's not you, it's me."
"T-Then why?" I asked tears were pouring down my cheeks. Everyone around us glanced at me in either sympathy or empathy. People even started to glare at Peter. Not that it mattered, he made up his mind.
"I-I can't tell you that." He looked just as heartbroken as me.
I couldn't take it anymore, I ran. I ran as fast as I could. Which would never be fast enough since I knew in my heart I would never be able to escape my own heartbreak. I ran as far as I could until I everything in my body told me to stop. I ended up around a half mile from Chloe and I's apartment. I ignored every aching muscle in my body and ran the rest of the way and up the stairs. I ran straight into my room and shut the door. Chloe was out with Ned so she wouldn't know, right? I threw open my side table and grabbed the orange and white pill bottle. (Warning! Mentions of suicide and depression. If you feel uncomfortable with any of these topics, please skip to the ✨✨. You can always talk to me, I'll never judge any of you.) I hastily opened the cap and poured out my correct dosage. I swallowed them both whole. Half an hour later, I didn't feel anything change.
"Tikki! It didn't work." I cried. I cracked open the bottle again and added another dose.
"Marinette! Don't do that!" Tikki warned.
"I'm sorry Tikki! I have to!" I took half the bottle in my hand and shoved it down my throat.
"Just tell me this will work! Please!" I begged Tikki.
"I-I don't know." She stuttered.
"No!" I cried and fell to the floor. "There must be something! Something!" I repeated my desperation creeping in on me. I sat up. "I got it." I smiled sadly. The tears stopped flowing down my face, but my face was still wet.
"No! Marinette! Don't do that!" Tikki cried.
"I-I hereby relinquish the miracle box to Chloe Bourgeois." I screamed. Just like that some of the pain went away!
"I don't care if this is against the rules. I'm going out." I heard a small voice from a yellow an black box said.
"Who's there." I asked with red stains on my face.
"Marinette, you can't do this!"
"W-Who are you?" I asked.
"I'm Tikki! Plagg! Everyone! We have to restore her memory!" Tikki yelled. "Please! I-I can't lose another bug!"
"I'm hallucinating! I need more pills." I held onto my head and dumped the rest of the pills into my mouth.
"Marinette! You can't do that!" Tikki cried as tears poured down her face.
"I have to!" I argued.
"No, you don't! There's an easier way!" Tikki shouted.
"You're right, there is." I suddenly got an bad but worth it idea. I grabbed a piece of paper. "I'm sorry Chloe." I sobbed.
"Do you ever get a little bit tired of life? Like you're not really happy but you don't wanna die? Like a numb little bug that's gotta survive? That's gotta survive." I wrote down.
"Marinette! No!" Tikki said as I climbed out onto the balcony.
"I-I'm so sorry everyone, please tell Chloe this is not her fault, it never was, and that she was meant for great things. Things I could never accomplish. Tell her one more thing." I paused.
"What is it?" Tikki asked accepting the fact she couldn't change my mind.
"Tell her goodbye." I smiled sadly and jumped off our apartment balcony.
Chloe's POV:
"Marinette! Wake up! Please! Come on, stupid, you need to wake up!" I wailed. "Peter! What the hell happend?!"
(✨✨ Minor mentions of suicide from here. If you still feel uncomfortable with that, please skip this entire chapter. Don't give up! ilysm!)
"I-I broke up with her."
"You did what!?" I raged.
"I-I didn't know it would be her breaking point! I swear!"
"I don't care if you're swearing! I don't care about you! I don't care about this ding dang planet right now! All I care about is my sister!"
"Chloe!" Audrey said walking in. "I came over as soon as I could! Where's Marinette?" She rushed over the Marinette's body on the couch. "Oh, Marinette! Please! I can't lose you." she turned towards Peter. "Peter," He turned to face her. "What the-"
"Mom, PG, remember?" I reminded.
"Right, sorry. Peter," he turned to face her again. "What the hell happened." She growled.
"I- uh broke up with her."
"You. What?" Audrey growled.
"Uh, yeah. I broke up with her, and she ran away. I swear I didn't know she would do this." He said sadly.
"So how'd you find her." Audrey asked.
"Uhh... Spider-man gave her to me?" Audrey and I shook our heads along to what we said.
"That didn't happen." A new voice claimed.
"Marinette!" I screamed and hugged her. "Promise me that'll never happen ever again."
"I-I promise."
"Honey, what do you mean that didn't happen?"
"I mean, what Peter said was a lie."
Marinettes POV:
"I mean, what Peter said was a lie." I stated. Everyone looked at Peter for an excuse, the boy in question looked anywhere but at us.
"Then what did happen?" Mom asked. Peters eyes widened and her started to fidget with his watch.
"I jumped, then Spiderman caught me." Peter fidgeted even more with his watch. "I was not asleep, Peter." I glared at him. "So yeah, he caught me, swung back to his apartment," I motioned to this room. "Changed back into his civilian clothes, called you, and here we are."
"Wait- so are you saying, this dork," Chloe and I both sent Peter twin glares. "Is Spiderman."
"Uh, yeah." I deadpanned.
"What do you have to say for yourself, Peter?" Mom asked him.
"Uh- I, yeah. It's true." He confessed. "I was bitten by a radioactive spider a while ago, so I became a superhero."
"Wow, really. I had no idea?" I said sarcastically. "Now that that is over." I stood up. "I'm going to leave." I started to walk towards the door only to fall back onto the couch again. "If my head ever stops spinning." I said angrily.
"You should stay here." Peter suggested.
"I think I'm good." I rolled my eyes.
"You know, Marinette. It's not a bad idea? I mean where else would you go? You can't walk? And we certainly can't drag your body downtown." Mom suggested.
"Ugh!" I whined and fell deeper into the couch. "Fine! Whatever."
"Great. You two can visit whenever, unless I'm at work, visiting, or being Spiderman."
"Of course, darling. We'll be checking on her every few hours." Mom said and dragged a glaring Chloe out the door. "Ta-ta!"
"You better take care of my sister, or else." Chloe threatened one last time before being dragged out and slamming the door behind her. Tikki came out as soon as Peter left the room.
"So what now, Tikki? I don't remember you or these other Kwamis you're talking about."
"We make you remember!" She squeaked.
"How do you expect me to do that?"
"Magic!" She exclaimed.
"Come on, that's not actually a thing. It just tricks and an endless top hat." I deadpanned.
"Nope! It's real. Just not in that sense."
"Okay, then. Let's get started." I rubbed my hands together.
"First off, we need: Hyoscyamus niger, Datura, Wolfsbane, May, ashes of a Rowan fruit, Bay leaves, Cinnamon, Lavender, and Rue." She stated off the top of her memory.
"Okay, I can easily get the bay leaves, cinnamon, and lavender. Which are at a flower shop?"
"Hyoscyamus niger, or Henbane. Datura is poisonous so it may be a little more scarce. Wolf's bane, also known as women's bane, devil's helmet, queen of poisons, etc. May, it's absolutely gorgeous. Rowan is a tree, but I think you'll find it somewhere. Common rue is called the herb of grace, it's fairly common." She finished.
"Got it."
"Oh and a cat." She finished.
"Oh, well, I'll just get going then." I stood up only to topple down. "Tikki? What now? I can't walk." I complained.
"Transform! You'll feel better!"
"How do I do that?"
"Just say 'Tikki, spots on!'"
"Tikki, spots on?" I repeated. Suddenly, my body was engulfed in pink light. My avocado green jumper and denim shorts were replaced with a red spandex suit with black dots.
"Wow, this is really bright. Uhh, I guess I'll have to go with it." I shrugged and jumped out the open window.
"Marinette, I'm back." Peter said. "Marinette?"
Whatever. I swung through the city until I found a flower shop/garden center. I detransformed in the closest alleyway.
"Okay, now what?" I asked Tikki once we were in the spacious room.
"Go ask someone if they have henbane, lavender, datura, wolf's bane, may flower, rowan, and common rue?" She directed me to a sales assistant.
"Hello! How can I help you!" She exclaimed happily.
"Hi! We're looking for henbane, datura, wolf's bane, may, the plant I mean, rowan cuttings, common rue, and lavender?" I asked her.
"Ooh! Wow, you must be a really talented gardener! I love lavender, too! It smells amazing!" She praised. "Follow me!" She bubbled and led us to a very large selection of plants. "If you want, I can pick up everything for you? I'll have it done within the hour!" She beamed.
"Really! Thanks!" I thanked and left the center. "Where to now, Tikki?"
"A grocery story? For the bay leaves, cinnamon, and a lighter."
"On it! Tikki, spots on!" I jumped on top of everything towards the biggest grocery store I could find!
"Spots off!" I said in another alleyway. "Wow, this is really close to the garden center."
"Perfect! Now let's go!" Tikki hid in my jacket and we walked into the grocery store.
"Okay, a lighter, bay leaves, and cinnamon." I repeated. I walked towards the spices isle and picked up the cinnamon and bay leaves. On my way to the checkout, I found a pocket lighter. "Are these good, Tikki?"
"Yup!" I heard from inside my purse.
"Good!" I exclaimed and did self checkout with my items. "Let's go! Spots on!" I swung, plastic bag in hand, to the garden center and detransformed in the same alley.
"Hi! Welcome back! I have all of your items right here!" The bubbly assistant pointed to a pile of plants in front of her.
"Okay, here's my card." I handed her my credit card.
"Great! Thank you! I hope to see you again!" She waved cheerfully as I walked out of the center.
"You too!" I shouted back. "Spots on." Before I swung towards Chloe and I's apartment, I heard a soft meowing from father in the alleyway.
"Hello?"
"Meow~" I followed the noise to a small box with a gorgeous black kitten in it. The box read 'Her owner died tragically. Please take her. Her name is Ebony.
"Aw! How adorable!" I cooed and picked up Ebony.
"She's perfect! And she won't be harmed." Tikki smiled.
"Aw! I love her already!" I giggled and took her with me as I swung to the balcony of Chloe and I's apartment.
"Marinette!"
"Hey, Chloe." I greeted and detransformed.
"What are you doing here! And why do we now have a cat?"
"Oh right, I'm feeling better. Tikki's going to help get my memories back or something. The cat is part of it."
"Oh, yeah, speaking of that, why the-"
"PG, Chloe." Audrey warned.
"Touché. Anyway, why on earth did you give me the miracle box!?"
"The what?" I asked.
"Oh right, you forgot everything. Ugh! I'll yell at you after! Tikki, you can fix this, right!"
"I can very well try!" She said determinedly.
"You mean you haven't done it before?" I questioned.
"No? But I know the recipe by heart! It won't be long." She nodded.
"Fine, what's first." I asked.
"First, we need a molcajete stone bowl. You have one, right?" She asked Chloe.
"I'll check! Yeah! Here!" Chloe handed over a small stone bowl with a matching stone masher.
"Great. Now ground the lavender until you have a teaspoon of crushed lavender petals." I mashed up the lavender until I met the requirement.
"Got it, now what."
"Use gloves, and get the poison from the datura and pour every last drop from one flower."
"You brought poison into my home!" Chloe yelled.
"Great! Now, get the henbane and tear one petal into small pieces."
"Extract the pollen from the may until it's a quarter of a teaspoon filled."
"Burn the rowan fruit, just one."
"Now be careful, and wear gloves. The poison in wolf's bane is mainly in the roots, so we need to crush up and strain the roots. But the most toxic poison is aconitine. If exposed to bare skin, it could slow down your heart so be especially careful!"
"Rue is also pretty unsafe. Heheh... If used in large amounts, it can cause abdominal pain, vomiting, and more permanent pain like liver or, kidney damage, breathing problems, and sadly even death. We just need a whole petal, try not to tear it."
After an hour of mashing and rubber gloves, we finally finished.
"Now what?" I asked for the millionth time.
"We're done." She said!
"What about the cat?" I asked in confusion.
"Oh, you just seemed a little lonely." She shrugged. I gave her a deadpan expression.
"Whatever." I rolled my eyes. "She's adorable anyway."
"You finished the entire potion." Tikki beamed proudly.
"Really! That's great! So, I assume I can't drink it or touch it, so what do I do now?"
"Just breathe it in."
"Oh, like waft it, or like literally just full-on inhale it."
"You stick your nose in it and breath, Marinette. Don't touch it, though. Danger. Remember."
I did what she said and before anyone could do anything, I blacked out. The last thing I heard was Peter knocking on the door.
"Is she dead?" A male voice asked.
"No, she's remembering, dumb-"
"PG, Tikki." I mumbled.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. She's woke up."
"Everyone," the male voice called. "She's waking up."
"So she's not dead?" A voice, I know is Chloe, said.
"Thank goodness. If this poisonous potion killed my daughter, you can bet your polka dots I would sue." A motherly voice deadpanned. "Kwami or not, she's my daughter."
"Hello?" I asked and held my head. I was on a couch again, this time a familiar couch.
"Marinette! You're awake!" Chloe exclaimed and hugged the living daylights out of me.
"I'm about to fall back asleep soon if you don't let me breathe." I said sarcastically.
"Right, sorry. I'm just so glad you're okay."
"So you know now." I glared at Peter.
"Uh, yeah." He rubbed his neck nervously.
"Just great, my ex now knows my secret." I glanced at the now red and black box on the coffee table. "What." I said coldly.
"I blame Tikki." Chloe said quickly.
"I blame Chloe." Tikki said even faster.
"I blame the both of them." Mom said.
"Mom!"
"Ms. Bourgeois!"
I giggled. "I'm glad you all figured this out. Thanks for the memories, Tikki. Thanks for the warm welcome back into the land of the living, Chloe."
"Of course!" They all exclaimed.
"Get out." I glared angrily at Peter. He nodded understandingly.
"Marinette." Mom said sternly. "Now that you both know each other's secrets, don't you think he can now tell you why he broke up with you. Don't be so quick to shut him down!" She lectured.
"Ugh! Fine." Peter sat back down on the opposite end of the couch. 'Well? Spit it out.' I almost yelled. Before I could, Chloe did for me! That's what I call friendship.
"Well! Spit it out! What's your excuse for hurting my best friend!" Chloe screamed.
"So, uh, I told my boss I got a girlfriend, and-"
"So you chose your job over your girlfriend!" Chloe cut in angrily.
"No! No, no, no! I would never do that. My boss is also my dad, so he's protective of me. So, yeah, my dad said he was really proud of me. Um, anyway, one day I was out as Spiderman and I realized, I'm putting you in danger if you're my girlfriend." He said sadly. "So-"
"So you broke up with someone who loved you because what? Because you wanted to protect her because you love her..." Chloe trailed off.
"Uh- I, yeah. I really still do love you Marinette." He said turning to me. "Now that I know you can handle yourself, I-I see no problem in getting back together?" He asked shyly.
"Let me think." I shook my head.
So, he broke up with me because he loved me enough to leave me? How does that make sense in my head but not when he said that? I'm so confused! What the-
"PG, Marinette." Peter warned.
"Uhm... H-How?" I stuttered.
"You said that out loud."
"I did? Shoot. Oh, well..." I paused. "YES!" I exclaimed and jumped onto him.
"I love you, Marinette."
"I love you, too, Peter." I said sincerely and snuggled in closer to him.
Funny story, I started this around the time I started City of Angels. I just never really finish it until someone requested it... ✨Laziness✨
Yeah, I got to like, Chloe and Marinette leaving the hotel back in Paris...
Anyway, thank you so much!
Song- Numb Little Bug
By: Em Beihold