Marinette squirmed in her seat beside Alya. Adrien sat on her right and Nino just next to Adrien.
"It's okay, Marinette." Adrien rested his hand on hers.
"This was a really great idea, Adrien." Alya told him holding Marinette's other hand.
"Thanks, Alya." Adrien smiled at her then returned his attention back to Adrien.
"And how did you get Ladybug and Chat Noir to agree to it?" Nino asked.
"Well," Adrien sighed "Chat agreed but Ladybug hasn't answered him back yet, I'm hoping she'll just show up with him."
"I'm sure she will." Marinette said but her nerves were in knots and she felt sick to her stomach. She still hadn't transformed since the whole Ethan thing. She didn't feel like she deserved to wear Ladybug's spots after she had caused such a mess.
The mayor took center stage with the principal, Marinette's parents and none other than Gabriel Behind him.
"Thank you all for coming." Mr. Bourgeois' voice boomed through the microphone. "as you've all probably heard by now there was a very serious incident with two of your classmates and we all thought it was important to bring this to attention so we can stop a similar situation from escalating the way this one did."
Mr. Bourgeois' words did not make Marinette feel better.
"I've got to run to the bathroom." Adrien slipped out and Alya took over comforting Marinette. Marinette knew what excuse she was going to use but a part of knew it wasn't really an excuse.
"I need some air." Marinette started to stand but Alya held onto her.
"It's okay, Marinette, you're safe here." Alya tried to comfort her friend.
"Totally, Marinette." Nino patted her shoulder "no one's getting past use and Chat Noir."
"I really just need some air." Marinette's eyes pleaded with Alya to let her go.
"Alright." Alya let her friend's hand go. "but I'm coming with you."
"No." Marinette said a bit more firmly "I can't be afraid to do things alone anymore, Ethan is gone." He can't get to me she said to herself.
"Are you sure?" Alya asked doubtfully. Marinette nodded and pulled herself up as she walked out of the auditorium. Alya watched her friend trying so hard to get back to the way she was but Alya didn't miss it. There was still an underlying fear.
If I catch that boy outside ever again, he is going to regret ever so much as looking at Marinette Alya internally growled.
Marinette stood inside a stall in the girls' bathroom. she opened her purse and Tikki flew out.
"You're doing the right thing, Marinette." Tikki said.
"I know this is Ladybugs job." Marinette said, "but after everything that's happened... everything I've caused..." she trailed off.
"Now you stop it right there, Marinette." Tikki squeaked firmly. "you didn't do anything wrong."
"But if I just told someone sooner or or‑"
"or what?" Tikki demanded interrupting Marinette. "none of this is your fault, It's Ethan's and I want you to say it right now." Tikki hovered in front of the super hero who was still just a fourteen-year-old girl.
"Say it, Marinette." Tikki lorded again. Marinette took a breath, clutching her purse in her hand.
"This is Ethan's fault." The words were barely a whisper.
"Louder, Marinette." Tikki pushed.
"This is Ethan's fault," Marinette said again, just barely above a whisper now.
"You can do better than that." Tikki said "what if it had been Alya, would you have blamed her?"
"Of course not, she didn't ask Ethan to text or or call her or stop in at night dressed up like Chat Noir or send her gifts in class and and..." Marinette trailed off.
"Now say it louder." Tikki said.
Marinette took a breath and pressed her shoulders back "This is Ethan's fault." She almost felt normal again.
"You didn't do anything wrong." Tikki coached "say it."
"I didn't..." Marinette swallowed the lump in her throat and clenched her hands into fists. "I didn't do anything wrong."
"There you go!" Tikki cheered. Marinette laughed, that felt so good to finally say. People tell you it's not your fault or you didn't do anything wrong and sometimes it feels like they're trying to convince you because you did do something wrong and it is your fault. But it wasn't, it wasn't Marinette fault.
"Tikki." Marinette smiled at her Kwami.
"say it Marinette." Tikki smiled at her friend.
"Spots on."
Chat Noir flipped onto the stage beside Mr. Bourgeois and flicked the students a two-fingered salute.
"Good afternoon ladies and gents." Chat leaned against his extended baton.
"Ah, Chat Noir." The Mayor shook the kitties hand "So wonderful of you to be here."
"All in a day's work." Chat smiled.
"But um... where's Ladybug?" Mr. Bourgeois asked. Chat tried not to let his concern show, she hadn't texted him back at all or answer any of his calls I hope she's okay.
"The things is..." Chat began "Ladybug—"
Ladybug swung in at that moment and landed gracefully beside her partner. "Sorry I'm late." She smiled at Chat and shook the mayor's hand.
"Nice to see you buga..." Chat trailed off, thinking of Marinette. "I'm glad you're here, Ladybug." He said. Ladybug's brows furrowed in concern.
"Is something wrong, Chat?" She whispered.
"I need to talk to you tonight." He barely looked at her.
"Eiffel tower?" She asked, he nodded and put on a face for the crowd.
"This kind of thing isn't that uncommon." Chat began thinking of how many stories Ethan had told him about his dates and his girlfriends. He dismissed them before, he didn't think there was anything more to them but after seeing what happened to Marinette, he should have looked beyond the surface. He should have asked more questions.
"And they can escalate quickly." Ladybug continued when Chat hesitated. Her stomach was still in knots but she pushed the Marinette part of her down and fully embraced Ladybug, the super hero, brave and fearless and strong. She was strong.
"It's important to tell a parent or someone you trust right away if someone is making you feel uncomfortable." Ladybug looked at the seat Adrien was supposed to be in and tried to ignore the concern and anxiety building in her at not seeing him there.
Chat followed Ladybug around the stage, a little bit farther than he normally would, a little less playful than she's used to. He glanced at the seat Marinette should have been in and guilt gnawed at his stomach. She left, I should have stayed with her Chat Noir thought.
Chat tried to stay focused but his eyes kept going to the empty chair.
"Thank you all for your attention." Chat finally couldn't take it anymore. "Officer Roger will now take over and talk about the options you have if someone is bothering you." Chat slipped off stage, Ladybug followed and caught his hand.
"Chat, what's wrong?" she asked.
"The girl that I was trying to protect, the one that Ethan was bothering, she's not here, I'm going to check on her." Chat pulled away without waiting for a response and pounced into the hallways.
"Marinette?" He called out.
Ladybug sighed guess it's time to be Marinette again she ran back to the bathroom, she waited a second before she closed her eyes and swallowed her nerves.
"Tikki, spots off."
Marinette stood as herself, not a superhero or a miraculous holder but the fourteen-year-old girl she sometimes forgot about.
"Marinette?" Chat tapped on the door after following her scent. "Marinette, are you in there?"
"I'm here." Marinette pushed the door open.
"Where'd you go." Chat squeezed her to his chest "you can't just disappear like that, Princess." He held onto her for a few moments longer.
"I just needed a minute, Chat." Marinette didn't reject the hug, Chat was kind of a really good hugger.
"Well... wait for me next time, tell me where you're going." Chat's heart was beating double time, he was afraid Ethan had found a way out through another loophole.
"You want me to ask for a bathroom pass too?" Marinette tried to joke but even Chat Noir couldn't joke at that moment.
"You scared me, Marinette." He whispered hugging her tighter.
"I'm sorry, Kitty." Marinette sighed "I just couldn't sit through that, not so soon after everything." Chat nodded, understanding her.
"You should get back to the assembly." Marinette said, "I just want to wait out here for it to be over."
"Don't move from this spot unless it's to go back into the auditorium, okay?" Chat said, but he didn't really intend to leave her there, he was just going to change really quick.
Marinette nodded "Okay Kitty."
Chat Noir hid behind a wall and watched Marinette lean back against the wall and slide to the floor. She put on a good face for people but she was going to need more recovery time.
"Plagg, claws in."
Adrien walked straight to Marinette and sat beside her on the floor. He looked at her and waited for her to notice him. After a few minutes, while she sat there with her head in her knees, he made his shoe squeak on the floor to get her attention.
Marinette lifted her head and found Adrien smiling at her. "Hey."
She smiled back. "Hey."
He tilted his head "you okay?"
"I'm..." Marinette couldn't muster a lie at that point, she was just too tired to "I'm getting better."
"Better is good." Adrien said leaning back against the wall.
"Don't you want to go watch the assembly?" Marinette asked, "I mean, you put so much work into organizing it."
"Nah." Adrien brushed it off "I'd rather sit here with you." Marinette's face turned pink and she smiled at her friend. This was good, everything was okay.
Marinette's phone broke the silence, her heart stopped as she pulled her phone out and saw an unknown number.
"Here." Adrien held his hand out for the phone, Marinette didn't argue.
"Hello?" Adrien answered a bit harshly than he probably should have.
"Oh, Mr. Thomas." Adrien put the phone on speaker. Marinette breathed a sigh of relief, it was only the lawyer.
"Hi, Mr. Thomas." Marinette said.
"Ms. Dupain-Cheng." The lawyer started "I attempted to call your parents but I didn't get an answer."
"Oh, they're a bit busy right now?" Marinette said. "Is something wrong?"
"No, we've just made some decisions, in your best interest," Mr. Thomas quickly added "about the case." Mr. Thomas sounded like he didn't quite believe his own words.
"Well, what happened?" Adrien asked for Marinette.
"Mr. Baldock and his son have made an agreement to leave the country rather than serve jail time, this also means Ms. Dupain-Cheng doesn't have to testify, she can move on." Mr. Thomas seemed to have to force the words out.
"You mean Ethan is free to do this to someone else or to come back and bother Marinette again?" Adrien growled at the phone.
"Listen..." Mr. Thomas sighed "you didn't hear this from me but my boss has told me to take the deal"
"Sounds like someone got a nice donation." Adrien spat hanging up the phone.
"So... he's not in this country, though, right?" Marinette asked.
"They're cowards." Adrien growled resting his head on his knee "Ethan always hides behind his money."
"It's okay, Adrien." Marinette rested a hand on his shoulder.
"No, it's not." Adrien snapped "he deserved to be in jail, he deserves to feel trapped like the way he made you feel."
"Adrien..." Marinette made him look her in the eye "for right now, its okay."
Adrien softened as he looked at Marinette. "You're sure?" he asked.
Marinette nodded "yes." Adrien pulled her into a hug.
"You are so strong, Marinette." He told her, her face turned red as a tomato but she hugged him back and rested her head on his shoulder.
"I'm still telling my dad." Adrien said into her hair. Marinette just enjoyed this. Her friend, here and safe and not unconscious in a hospital bed.
Paris was beautiful at night, Adrien never really got to admire it as himself though, he had so many rules. Chat got to rule the night and with such a beautiful and strong and caring person by his side.
"Evening, Chat." Ladybug landed behind him, Chat stayed perched on the edge of the rail.
"Ladybug..." Chat began "where were you?"
"I'm sorry, Chat." Ladybug sighed "I had something I was dealing with."
"Are you okay?" He asked her.
"I'm getting there." She said honestly. "the girl you checked on." Ladybug began "was she okay?"
Chat nodded "she just needed some space, it was too soon for her." Cha hopped down from the rail and began pacing "I mean this guy just wouldn't stop." Chat laughed without humor.
"She told him no again and again, she asked him to stop and he kept bothering her and she didn't want to ask for help because she thought it was her fault." Chat stopped in front of Ladybug "he made her feel like it was her fault, Ladybug, and they just let him go."
"It'll be okay, Chat." Ladybug promised him, he took a step away from her, a bit more professional.
"He made her so anxious and uncomfortable, Ladybug..." he trailed off, his shoulders curled forward.
"Chat?" Ladybug reached for him and he stepped away from her.
"Do I make you feel like that?" He asked her. his eyes wide and sad and scared as he looked at Ladybug.
"Is that why you didn't call me bugaboo and M'lady at the assembly today?" she asked.
"That's not an answer, Ladybug." He held his breath as she considered him. her surprise melted into a warm smile and she pulled Chat into a hug.
"We're friends, Chat." She told him "we save Paris together and we save each other, this guy ignored Marinette, you don't ignore me."
Chat was slow in returning the hug and then he was squeezing her "so we're okay?"
"If we're ever not, I'll tell you right away." Ladybug promised "and you have to do the same, okay?"
Chat took comfort in Ladybug's strength and nodded "you got it." He said and squeezed her tighter.
"You got it, what?" Ladybug prompted.
"You got it, bugaboo." Chat nuzzled her.
"That's my kitty." Ladybug held onto Chat. As Marinette, Chat felt the need to protect her. As Ladybug, they were both the protectors.