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Redemption	By : Cat_Eyes Category: +M through R > Miraculous LadyBug Views: 2815 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug. Miraculous Ladybug is the intellectual property of Thomas Astruc and released by Zag studios. No profit was made writing this story.

Chapter List
- 28
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- 30
An hour after Tom and Sabine had turned in for the night, Marinette was alone in her room, mentally rehearsing what she had to say. Her internal monologuing was interrupted by a soft tapping at her door.
'Come in,' she called, her voice pitching up an octave.
Adrien entered, wearing his pyjamas and an apprehensive expression. 'You wanted to talk?'
Marinette nodded, and swallowed audibly, indicating he take a seat on the chaise. She couldn't look him in the eye, instead choosing to focus on the floor.
Adrien lowered the door quietly, before perching on the edge of her lounge. He sat with his hands on his knees, as he watched her expectantly.
Marinette paced, too nervous to sit, her hands twitching about in small, jerky movements. Finally, she stopped and turned to face him, though she still couldn't meet his eyes.
'Adrien, we're friends, right?'
'Well, I'd hoped we were a little more than that,' he responded, quietly.
Marinette bit her lip and resumed pacing. 'I hope for that, too. I really like you. I like you a lot. Too much a lot,' she babbled.
Adrien stood up to grasp her hands and prevent her from pacing. 'Then what's the problem?' he asked, leaning down to try and get her to look at him.
She met his eyes, then, as tears sprang up in her own. 'I've been keeping something from you, and it's big. I don't know if you'll be able to see past it when I tell you.'
He raised an eyebrow. 'Whatever it is, it can't be that bad. Are you sure you're not exaggerating this, just a little?'
Marinette shook her head, furiously. 'Please, don't talk down to me. You don't know what it is.'
'Nor will I, unless you tell me.'
Her tears spilled over, tickling her cheeks as they ran. She pulled a hand back to wipe them away, turning away from him as she did.
'Come on, Marinette. Please, just tell me. You're beginning to scare me.'
She sniffled, wiped her eyes, then took a step back. She clenched her hands behind her back, and looked up at him. 'I honestly don't know how to tell you this. I definitely don't know how to say it without hurting you. So please, remember that I just want to be honest with you. This is long overdue, and you deserve to know.'
Adrien nodded, wide eyed, as he wrung his hands.
Marinette drew in a deep breath, her carefully planned words forgotten. 'I was Ladybug.'
Adrien's face closed off, and shut down. With a blank expression, he took a step back, and walked out of her room, letting the door fall shut behind him.
Distraught, Marinette crumpled to the floor and cried silently long into the night.

She sent a single, brief text to Alya the following morning.
Told him last night. I think it's bad.
Then, she turned her phone off for the rest of the day.
Adrien stayed in his room that day, feigning illness. Tom took his meals to him, telling Sabine Adrien had looked peaky. Sabine immediately began to fuss, but Tom told her that Adrien had asked not to be disturbed.
Sabine took that to mean he needed rest, so had agreed to leave him be, albeit reluctantly.
Marinette decided to follow his example, so by midmorning, she claimed to have a headache, and retreated to her room.
Sabine called anxiously after her, but Marinette just waved listlessly in response. She then curled up in bed, wishing more desperately than ever, that she still had Tikki.

It wasn't until late on Sunday evening when Adrien emerged. He knocked softly on Marinette's door, before lifting it up to peek inside.
'Can we talk?' he asked.
Marinette leapt from her chair gracelessly, flailing wildly to keep her balance. 'Of course, please come in.'
Adrien entered slowly, and sat on the edge of the chaise, while Marinette stood in the centre of her room, watching him with fretful eyes. She wrung her hands as she waited for him to speak.
Adrien stared at his feet, his hands hanging limp between his knees. 'Why?' he asked, huskily, as he glanced up at her.
Marinette bit her lip. 'Why didn't I tell you sooner? I guess, because I was afraid you'd hate me.'
Adrien surged to his feet, staring intently at her. 'I don't hate you. I could never hate you. But I am hurt and confused. You've always encouraged me to be honest and forthright, so why do different rules apply to you?'
'It's because of me you don't have a family anymore,' she shot back, voice rising. 'Because of me, you lost everything,' she added, the heat draining out of her.
Adrien turned away. 'It was because of Father that I lost everything. Hell, I'd already lost it before you even showed up.'
Marinette's vision blurred as tears gathered. She impatiently wiped them away. 'I still feel guilty. You yourself said you resented Ladybug for what happened.'
'I've made my peace with that,' he told her.
He slumped back down into his seat, then looked up to face her again. 'But tell me, why did you try so hard to be my friend, to stand up for me? Was I some pity project, or a method for you to relieve some of your own guilt, or was it all just some game?'
Marinette gasped. 'It was none of those things,' she replied, vehemently. 'I saw an injustice, and did what I could to stop it.'
'You're still Ladybug, even without the mask,' he murmured, his gaze dropping to the floor.
Marinette wrapped her arms around her middle, and turned away. 'I suppose.'
'I just wish you had been honest with me sooner.'
'I'm sorry. If I could do everything over again, I would.'
'So would I,' he whispered.
A long, tense silence fell. Marinette wanted to hug him and apologise profusely, but was afraid of pushing the bounds of familiarity at such a delicate point.
Her fingers twisting painfully in her shirt, she turned back to him. He was still in the same position, his head low and his hands hanging between his knees once more.
'Please, tell me what you're thinking,' she begged.
Adrien shook his head at himself. 'I never thought Ladybug would be someone I was close to. I always figured she was someone far removed from all of this, that I'd probably never face her again.'
Marinette winced, and wrung her hands harder.
Adrien gave a sardonic laugh. 'You know, I was so worried when you and Chloe were kidnapped. I was out of my mind with fear for what could've happened to you. But I couldn't even look for you. I told the police the locations of all the places Nathalie could've used as a hideout, but they never found anything.
'I felt so powerless. I was stuck at home, just sitting on my hands, while I waited for word from anyone. The more time that passed, the worse I felt.
'Then, suddenly, you both just turn up out of nowhere after rescuing yourselves. Chloe told me everything. Honestly, it's a wonder I didn't figure you out for myself. Clearly, you don't need someone swooping in to save the day. I'm so stupid.'
Marinette lunged toward him, arms extended, but pulled back before he noticed.
'You aren't stupid,' she said, instead. 'After my time as Ladybug, I've become pretty good at covering my tracks.'
He looked up at her. 'After your time?'
Marinette shrugged. 'I lost my Miraculous that night, too.'
Adrien blinked, stunned. 'How?'
'The same way you did. Master Fu told me my time was up, and asked me to give them back. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do.'
'Master Fu?' Adrien asked, confused.
Marinette sighed, and rolled a chair over to sit on. 'Master Fu was the Guardian of the Miraculous. It was he who chose us to become wielders.'
'If I asked, would you tell me about him?'
She shrugged, helplessly. 'There's not much left to tell. He's been the Guardian for a long time, and travels the world looking for people who need him.'
'Where is he, now?'
'I don't know. Gone.'
Adrien picked at his fingernails as he thought. 'Will you tell me about you?'
Marinette nodded, and told him everything. She told him of her fears when she began, her heartbreak at discovering Chat Noir was her enemy, and all about Tikki. Unlike with Alya, Marinette didn't have to hold back. As if a dam had broke, she told him of her desolation after Fu had taken Tikki, all those weeks of keeping her secret from him spilling out in a torrent.
Adrien listened closely, but gave nothing away, his face carefully expressionless throughout her narrative.
He stirred when she finished.
'You already know most of my story,' he began. 'A mysterious box with a ring appearing in my room, that first day. Father walking in during my first transformation, then his plans to bring Mother back with a magic spell book and some fancy jewellery. Then, how I gradually became disillusioned with it all'
Marinette nodded. 'I remember.'
Adrien's gaze fell back to the floor. 'That last day had been so ordinary. I'd had a photoshoot that morning, then Father and I had another fight. I spent the rest of the day in my room. After dark, I transformed, and went out for a run to clear my head, to take solace in the only bit of freedom I had.
'I'd been out for an hour or so, when Papillon called me, screaming that we were under attack. I thought he meant the police, or the army, the way he sounded. But when he caught up with me, he told me it was Ladybug who'd attacked.
'I was shocked that she'd try something so brazen on her own, yet there she was, chasing Papillon across the rooftops.
'I tried to slow her down, but not very hard. I've mentioned before that I'd long since stopped trying to best her. She was too good, and I was too disenchanted to care. Mostly, I just tried to lead her somewhere private. She defeated me easily, but since Papillon was watching, I made a last-ditch effort to slow her down by destroying the building we stood on.
'She was too quick, though, running after him just before it collapsed. I screamed after her, partly in fear of being seriously hurt, and partly frustrated she hadn't followed my lead away from that area.
'The building fell, but I was still protected by my suit. I rolled aside as I hit the ground, reducing the impact, and avoiding the debris. The pile of rubble made a conveniently high blockade, so the onlookers didn't see me detransform.
'Plagg, my kwami, was expelled from the ring, cursing a blue streak. He had never liked Father, and often told me to leave him, and forge my own path, probably in an attempt to steer me toward Ladybug. That moment was no exception. He ranted on as I watched Ladybug and Papillon fight.
'Suddenly, the old man was there. Fu said I was a poor choice and told me to give the ring back. I didn't want to; Plagg was the only friend I had, and Chat Noir was my only freedom. Even Plagg told the old man we should stay together a while longer, but Fu was insistent.
'I cried as I gave the ring back. Plagg blistered the old man's ears the whole time. Then, just as suddenly as they'd appeared, they were gone.
'Realising this was the end, I climbed over the rubble just in time to see Ladybug defeat Papillon, before she ran off. By then, the world had seen us both unmasked. The police swooped in to take us into custody, driving us away in separate cars, though I could still hear Father screaming as I was driven away.
'I went along with everything the cops asked of me. I answered all their questions, and gave further information when they asked. I never mentioned the old man, or Plagg, though. I just told them the ring had been lost in the collapse. They weren't happy, but they bought it. They had to keep that information from the media to prevent people from trying to look for it, before they could comb the area.
'I spent some time in a holding cell, then in a psych hospital while doctors made their evaluations for the court. I don't really remember much of it. I was still upset over the loss of Plagg for anything to sink in. I just did as I was told. It was easier not having to think for myself.
'I didn't see Father at all, until the trials began. Even then, he was distant and cold, like he blamed me for our failure. I blamed him for getting us into this mess in the first place, so I guess we were even. Then, we were found guilty. You know the rest from there.'
Marinette sat back and forced herself to take a deep breath. She had heard enough, over time, to be able to piece together most of his story, but she had never heard the whole thing before. It was as enlightening as it was tragic.
'I know mere words will never make it better, but I am so sorry,' she whispered, her eyes prickling.
Adrien heaved a gusty sigh, and shook his head. 'It was my own fault. I had no right to blame you. I know that now.'
'But?' she prompted, hesitantly.
He looked up at her, mournfully. 'I like you so much, even now, but it also hurts. I understand why you felt like you couldn't tell me, but I think I need some time to come to terms with this.'
Marinette nodded. 'I get it. I still really like you, too.'
Adrien gave a snort of laughter. 'How did that even happen?'
She shrugged, a corner of her lips tilting up. 'I'm still trying to figure that out, myself. But, you're sweet, thoughtful, brave, and you have a pretty face.'
His expression softened into a genuine smile. 'As I recall, you once said my mother was beautiful, and that I look a lot like her.'
'Yes,' Marinette agreed, quizzically.
'Ergo, you think I'm beautiful, too.'
She smiled wide as a puff of laughter escaped her. 'I thought you said you needed time? We'll talk more tomorrow, I promise. Now, it's late and we have school. Go to bed, Monsieur.'
'Can't. Don't have one.'
Marinette raised a brow at him.
Adrien bit his lip, suddenly shy. 'Can I spend the night with you? I'm, kind of, sick of being alone.'
Unexpected tears stung her eyes. 'Of course you can.'
'Thanks,' Adrien sighed. 'That sleeping bag is neither warm, nor comfortable.'
'What?' Marinette shrieked. 'Why didn't you say so?'
He shrugged, looking up at her bashfully.
She sighed, and held out a hand. 'Let's go to sleep.'
Adrien grasped her fingers, and let her pull him to his feet.
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Redemption