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"Adrien, we need to talk to you. It's really important."
Instinctive reaction was to tense at the sound of Lila's voice, the manufactured concern too oily to swallow. Schooling his features into a polite mask, Adrien set his messenger bag down in his seat and braced himself for the unwanted intrusion. His bland expression almost slipped as he noted Alya lending Lila her support. “Sure. What’s up?”
Alya frowned pensively. “It's about Marinette.”
While Alya seemed genuinely concerned, Lila wasn’t fooling him one bit. Leaning against his desk in a purposely casual stance, Adrien struggled to keep the bite out his tone. “What about her.”
"I hate to say this but...” Lila shared a glance with Alya, her olive eyes flashing in warning as the other girl shifted uncomfortably before returning to Adrien imploringly. “Marinette is stalking you."
Unbeknownst to Alya and Lila, the girl in question froze behind them, her arrival going unnoticed. Marinette’s betrayed expression twisted Adrien’s heart.
He knew why Lila was up to her no good tricks but he couldn't quite hide his disappointment as he stared Alya down. “That’s ridiculous.”
“I know how this sounds,” Lila replied, conveying just enough wary sympathy to seem as if she were capable of caring about who she might hurt with her words. “Alya didn't want me to tell you but I finally made her see that Marinette's fixation on you is not healthy. She needs help and you need to be aware and keep your distance so you don't enable her. We're really worried about the both of you.”
Lila was good. She knew how to word accusations so that they came across as valid concerns. Paired with her award winning acting skills, Lila was every inch the worried friend trying to mediate a fragile situation.
Lila worried about Marinette? Yeah right.
“We know about your condition, Lila,” Adrien chided, much to the brunette’s chagrin, “but that aside, what proof do you have?”
“Marinette has a shrine of you in her bedroom. You can't deny that's creepy."
Actually, he could deny it. He'd been in Marinette's bedroom before. A few times. As Adrien he hadn't noticed a "shrine" but he'd gotten a good view of her photograph collection as Chat Noir. Lila might see it as creepy but he didn't put it past the miserable pest to suck the good out of everything she came across. Adrien was hardly going to hold it against Marinette for being a fan of his work.
"So she has a few pictures?" He shrugged.
His disappointment turned to outright annoyance when Alya felt the need to add, "There are a lot of pictures. She has an entire stash in her closet. I thought it was cute and harmless but Lila has dealt with stalkers before and said that was a major red flag."
Funny, Adrien couldn't imagine Lila turning away the attention of a stalker any more than that of her classmates. But that snarky thought fell to the wayside when Marinette paled, her pretty blue eyes glued to him guiltily.
No. He was not going to let them shame her for having a celebrity crush.
Glaring at Alya, he asked, "Are any of the pictures inappropriate?"
"Well, no. Just magazine photos and then some that she's taken when we're all together."
"When you are unaware she's taking them," Lila butted in with a growl. "That's creepy, Adrien!"
Seeing the crack in Lila's mask, he grinned. "I think it's sweet. Mari is my biggest fan, after all."
The only thing sweeter was the color that bloomed on Marinette's cheeks as he caught her eye.
Not to be deterred, Lila tried a new angle. "She even stalks you at all of your tournaments and meets? You don't find that strange either?"
"Why would I? It's great to have someone cheering for me, especially since most of the time she's the only person that shows up to support me. Not like my father can be bothered, you know."
Alya seemed torn, looking back and forth between Adrien and Lila, her brow furrowed above her glasses.
Afraid to lose leverage, Lila pulled up her shirt sleeve, baring her forearm. "Maybe you can overlook Marinette's malfunction but I refuse to let this go. Here look."
Holding out her arm, Adrien could clearly see the skin around her wrist was a splotchy smattering of angry bruises. At a few different points there were deeper indentations that looked like nail marks. It was a sign of just how unstable Lila was that she was willing to do this to herself.
"Marinette threatened Lila yesterday," Alya explained quietly. "That’s not cool."
Adrien saw Marinette open her mouth as if to say something but then she stopped herself as Rose and Juleka entered the classroom, both girls going still as stone when they noted the tension hanging heavy in the air. Then Alix slipped in followed by Nino and Marinette was forced into watching her supposed best friend side with her nemesis with thin-lipped fury.
It sucked that he couldn’t reassure her but maybe he could work having an audience to Marinette’s favor. He was livid on her behalf so it took effort to keep a lid on the icy anger just waiting to spill forth and adopt an air of confusion instead. “Oh? Just like when Marinette pushed Lila down the stairs too?
Lila stiffened and Alya sighed tiredly. “I don't want to believe it either but Lila has bruises this time and whenever her name gets mentioned, Mari gets all defensive and jealous. I've tried to make her see that Lila's not the bad guy but she won't listen to me.”
Behind them Ivan and Mylene joined their quiet classmates, everyone’s attention glued to the drama unfolding.
Knowing it might blow up in his face, Adrien made a silent plea for a little luck. “When did you say this happened?”
“Yesterday at lunch. Marinette cornered me here in the classroom after everyone left,” Lila answered, coming across as perfectly distraught.
Gotcha, liar liar.
“Okay. You're right, that is a problem,” he admitted.
The triumph in Lila’s expression was almost too much. “Thank goodness you understa-”
“Yesterday Mari followed me to my locker and then we went to the library together,” he said making sure that every word was succinct and perfectly clear, “so I'm not sure how she could be studying for the physics test with me and bullying you at the same time.”
Alya sucked in a sharp breath, her arms folding across her chest as she demanded the truth. “Are you saying Marinette didn't leave your sight?”
Adrien figured it was okay to be a little condescending as he said, “Yes, Alya, that’s exactly what I'm saying.”
“Girl, you better not be lying again,” Alya growled as Lila blanched.
Seemed no one could pull a pair of wounded eyes faster than Lila. “This is why I was hesitant to say anything in the first place. I was afraid this would happen. Don't you see, Alya? Adrien is taking up for Marinette because he's obviously not used to healthy relationships. He can't even see that she has a toxic personality.”
Alya’s glare only hardened. “Lila, I think you're overreacting.”
“No, we are not,” Lila insisted, reminding Alya that they were supposed to be unified on this front. “This is why people like Marinette are dangerous. They resort to hurting people when they don't get what they want.”
A few of their bystading classmates shared uneasy glances, but the only thing Adrien could read clearly was the wetness that was glistening on Marinette’s colorless cheeks.
Fuck ‘em all.
Right now Marinette was the only person that mattered.
Smiling tightly, he started to push away from his desk. “Thank you for the undue concern but I'll happily take my chances with Marinette.”
Desperate, Lila latched into his arm, her nails pinching a silent warning into his skin. “Adrien, Marinette is no good for you. If you can't see that then I'll have to bring the issue up to your father. He'll probably pull you from school but maybe that's best if it keeps you safe.”
Lila’s voice might have been as sweet as honey but her eyes, they blinked at him with spiteful amusement.
Well, Adrien wasn’t Gabriel Agreste’s son for nothing.
Dropping any and all pretenses, he asked softly, “Is that a threat?”
The painful grip on his arm loosened as Lila swallowed hard. “Don't be silly. I'm just trying to protect you from Marinette's crazy obsession.”
Adrien laughed at that, the sarcastic sound filled with underlying viciousness. “That's- wow, I can't even- You? You of all people?”
Stunned by Adrien’s obvious resentment, Alya said the very thing that was on everyone’s mind. “I think I'm missing something.”
“Oh you missed a real big something, Alya. See, stalkers view their targets as possessions, not people with thoughts and feelings of their own. Mari has never made me feel that way,” he stressed, cutting Marinette a quick glance, hoping she took his words to heart.
Then he turned his cold appraisal on Lila, pointedly looking down to where she clung to his arm. “But you have. Every time you invade my personal space and touch me without respectfully asking first. And every time you insinuate that there is something going on between us, you are the delusional one. I mean, you even lied to Nathalie and my bodyguard all to gain access to my bedroom where you snooped through my stuff, as if you had the right to. And then took a compromising photograph where you kissed me without my permission and had the audacity to send it to everyone in my phone. For what? Just to spread more lies?” There was immense satisfaction as he realized their entire class was present now. It made this particular piece of articulated weaponry that much more lethal. “Face it, the only person I need protecting from is you, Lila.”
Alya, to her credit, looked murderous. “So, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say you don't have a crush on Lila, do you?”
Adrien’s grin was sharp enough to cut a diamond. “I can promise you I don't. I don't even like her.”
Pulling away, Lila hugged herself, hunching her shoulders for added effect. “How can you be so mean to me?” she cried, tapping into the waterworks on cue. “I just wanted to be your friend. Here I am, looking out for you and this is how you-”
“We could have been friends if you had just told the truth and left Marinette alone,” he snapped in return, his patience gone.
“Oh god, Marinette was right all along, wasn't she?” Alya winced, her own eyes looking a bit wet with genuine emotion.
Movement caught Adrien’s attention as Marinette stalked forward, her pretty face scrunched in determination. His heart jumped at her very “Ladybug” expression but he pushed the suspicion away. Now was not the time for that bit of wishful thinking.
“Yes I was,” she agreed, finally breaking her silence once she was by Adrien’s side. “Lila has hated me ever since I called her out on her lies in the very beginning.”
“Well, if it isn't the little psycho stalker herself,” Lila sneered, no longer bothering to hide her malice.
“Lila don’t…” Marinette warned.
“Don't what? Embarrass you in front of Adrien? Oh, if I were you, I would be embarrassed too. All those pathetic attempts to confess your feelings to him. All the gibbering and the stuttering and tripping over your own feet. It's painful to watch.”
Wait…
What feelings?
Unaware of the sudden fantic pounding of Adrien’s heart, Marinette faltered, her confidence crumbling along with her expression. As a fresh wave of tears spilled over, she glared accusingly at Alya. “I can't believe you told her everything. Even the stuff I said to you in confidence…”
“I.. I didn’t mean to. Lila made a good point and I was worried. I'm so sorry. I didn't think she'd tell Adrien.”
Not that Alya didn’t deserve a good chewing out but Adrien was suddenly very terrified that purple butterflies might start appearing and while there were many things he would do for his friends and his city, fighting Marinette wasn’t one of them. He knew with a sinking kind of certainty that he would be able to lift a finger against her. And if his suspicions were correct… well, they would all be fucked, wouldn’t they?
Grasping her by the shoulders, he looked into her teary eyes, hoping that he wouldn’t somehow make things worse. “Mari, just listen to me and calm down, okay. Breathe in-”
“That’s right Marinette. Alya told me everything. I know all about the pull down you have with his schedule so you can stalk him. And while we’re being so honest , why don’t you tell Adrien how many times you’ve stolen his phone and broken into it?”
Marinette flushed, her shoulders hitching as she looked anywhere but at his face. “I... I..I-”
Goddamnit, Lila! Shut up or I’m going to cataclysm your face!
“If Marinette really did steal my phone then I'm sure she had a good reason,” he ground out through clenched teeth.
“Damn you, Adrien!. Stop defending that sniveling little goody goody!” Lila hissed, stomping her foot out of seething frustration. It was such a petulant move that he almost laughed but then she made a grab for Marinette’s arm to pull her away and he stepped between them, making sure to shield Marinette with his body.
“It must piss you off that we won’t dance to your tune. You have everyone else hanging off of your every word but Marinette and I know the truth. And here’s the thing; I trust Marinette, but I will never trust a lying, manipulative, cruel, attention seeking, sociopath like you.”
“How dare you!” The crack of Lila’s palm hitting Adrien’s cheek was loud, the blow jarring.
But so worth it when Lila eyes widened, the color draining from her face at the chorus of gasps and alarmed cries from their classmates. Because she was so busy posturing and lying that she’d never looked behind her, and for once having an audience was going to be her downfall.
Despite his smarting cheek, Adrien’s smile was a mile wide as he said, “Checkmate,” just loud enough for Lila to hear.
Stepping from around her human shield, Marinette was practically vibrating with the force of her anger. “Alya go get Principle Damocles. Adrien is going to want to file an incident report,” she snapped.
While alerting the altercation to the school was probably a wise idea, that was also a surefire way to gain Gabriel’s unwanted attention. The last thing he wanted was his father to remove him from public school. “Don’t Alya. I don't think that's necessary. Lila can't do any more harm now that she's shown the class her true colors.”
Lila pinned him with a hateful glare that said otherwise before turning to address the class, heartbroken tears at the ready. “This is all Marinette’s doing. She’s turned Adrien against me and now they’re trying to do the same to you.”
If Lila was expecting to be coddled, she was sadly disappointed.
Alix rolled her eyes, sharing an ‘is she for real’ look with Kim. “Shut up, Lila. We saw everything. I can't believe I actually thought you were nice.”
Chloe marched up to the brunette, peering imperiously down her nose at the humiliated girl. “You may have fooled the others, but you didn’t fool me. Keep your hands off of my Adrikins. In fact, I suggest you forget he even exists because if you don't I will make your life a living hell and not even diplomatic immunity will save you from me.”
Adrien nearly jumped when Nino clapped him on the shoulder. “Dude, you okay?”
“Yeah.” He rubbed his neck, taken back by the amount of venom being hurled at Lila as his classmates talked over each other, all trying to say their piece. “Sorry to cause a scene.”
Nino shook his head, watching the ensuing argument with a solemn expression. “No, I'm thinking it had to be done. We all bought her bullshit. I owe Marinette so many apologies.”
Rose smiled tentatively at Marinette. “We all do.”
But Marinette wasn’t looking at her classmates or the ruckus going on. She was clasping her shaking hands together in a death grip as she stared at the floor, her shoulders hitched and her breaths coming a little too fast for Adrien’s piece of mind. He wondered if she was facing the onset of a panic attack. Either way, in the middle of all of this pandemonium was the last place she needed to be right now.
“I’m getting her out of here,” Adrien said to Nino as he grabbed his messenger bag. Without preamble he slung an arm over Marinette’s shoulder and guided her toward the door. Thankfully, she didn’t put up any resistance.
In fact Marinette didn’t say a word until they were exiting the courtyard. “Should we go back to class? Lunch break is almost over…”
He hated how diminished she sounded, as if all the fight in her was gone. “Do you really want to face all of them right now?” He felt her head shake against his shoulder. “That's what I thought.”
“So we'll be delinquents?”
“For the sake of our mental health? Yes,” Adrien laughed.
Marinette didn’t ask where they were going when Adrien steered her in the opposite direction of the bakery. They walked in comfortable silence, heading toward the Seine. The destination he had in mind was only a few blocks over and he heard her faint gasp of surprise as he led her to the edge of the concrete embankment where there was an inground alcove with steps leading down to the water.
Adrien tossed aside his messenger bag and then took Marinette's backpack as well, setting it next to his. Getting comfortable on the steps, he patted the spot next to him, eying Marinette curiously as she glanced about, a strange look on her face as she sat beside him.
"You come here often?" She asked with a secretive quirk to her lips.
As Chat Noir, yes. It was a good regrouping point on patrol nights and with some regularity he and Ladybug had dallied here, watching the nighttime water as they talked about nothing of importance.
As Adrien this was technically the first time and the view was certainly different during the day.
Not wanting to lie, he shrugged. "Sometimes. It's a nice thinking spot. I thought maybe you might want to process how you feel before confronting our classmates again."
She nodded, averting her gaze to the water and absently fiddling with the sleeve of her sweater. "Was I that obvious?"
"When they started with the apologies I couldn't tell if you wanted to run or cry. And if you would have started crying again I probably would have punched someone. Or maybe a few someones," Adrien muttered acerbically. While his ire had cooled some, there was still enough lingering under the surface to make him restlessly run a hand through his hair. "I don't want to overstep so please feel free to tell me to mind my own business, but may I offer some advice?"
"Please do. I'm so stressed out about this I literally feel sick," she admitted.
“Whether you choose to forgive them or not, don't pretend that what they did is okay. And that applies to me too. You have every right to be angry with me. I essentially told you to just shut up and take it and I was wrong. I didn't realize just how horrible Lila could be until she tried to get you expelled. And after that shit show today, I'm convinced she’s psycho.”
Marinette took a few moments to contemplate what Adrien said and he watched the myriad of emotions playing out across her face as she worked through her feelings. Finally she slanted her gaze his way, her mouth twisting wryly. “You were the only person that believed me but it really hurt when you made a point to be her friend after that. I.. I wasn't sure I could trust you either.”
He’d come so close to losing her trust...
Adrien had to blink his eyes against the sudden sting, sucking in a deep breath to ease the ache that throbbed behind his ribs. “I guess I deserve that. I never told you why and that's what it would have looked like."
Marinette frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I may have bribed Lila into getting you reinstated at school with the promise of being her friend,” he explained, eager to have her understand the whole debacle for what it was. “Of course she took it a step too far by trying to insinuate I was her boyfriend. Which I am not and will never be, just so you know. It’s been really hard to play nice with Lila and today I just, all those things she and Alya said about you- I lost it,” he winced. “I know I did exactly what I told you not to do but... fuck if she didn't have it coming.”
He took a peak to try and read Marinette, to make sure she wasn’t upset, not expecting his breath to catch in his throat at her wide-eyed awe. The weight of her stare was a pleasant warmth that tripped his heart into a rhythm that beat just for her.
Then she pounced and he had to brace his palms on the cement step to keep them from toppling over. Her hug was strong but over far too quickly. Still, it left behind a trail of fluttering butterflies in his stomach and a touch of pink to his cheekbones when she gushed, “Thank you. For everything.”
“I'd do it again, in a heartbeat,” he promised, “I hated watching you go through this alone.”
“I should be used to it. Before this year I didn't have friends. I'd known everyone else for years and we all got along okay, well except for Chloe, but I didn't really fit in with any of them. Then this year I met you and Alya and suddenly Nino was there too and I had somewhere I fit. Or I thought I did,” Marinette quipped, flinching from the hurt. “Alya isn't the person I thought she was and I think that's what hurts the most. I thought out of everyone she'd have my back for sure.”
Adrien was disappointed in Alya too. Having spent years wanting nothing more than to have friends, he couldn't understand how Alya could dismiss Marinette’s feelings so easily. “You need to tell her that so she understands that if she wants your friendship back then she has a lot to work with herself first.”
“That's just it,” Marinette sighed miserably, “I don't know if I can be friends with someone who could turn on me like that. I trusted her, I told her things-” She flushed, whether in embarrassment or anger he couldn’t tell. “I don't think I can trust her again.”
“That's okay too,” Adrien reasoned. “Hopefully Alya learns something from all of this.”
“I did. I'm stronger than I thought,” she grinned, fragile but just as fierce.
He was so proud of her. She’d kept her cool under pressure. She’d handled the situation with more class than most scorned girls their age would. She really was his “Everyday Ladybug” and he was pretty sure she might be the real deal as well... Gently taking her hand, his next admission came straight from the heart. “I always knew you were amazing.”
He felt Marinette’s answering smile all the way down to his toes.
It was time to do something about that.
Giving her hand a squeeze, Adrien dove right in. “I'm going to ask you something, it's something I've asked you before but you've never really given me a straight answer and I was really hoping Lila wasn't lying about it- do you like me?”
Marinette froze, “I.. I uh…”
Nope, he wasn’t going to give her time to panic. “Because I like you too. A lot. And if you wanted to get coffee one day or maybe go see a movie with me or...or I don’t know, do anything with me, I’d be the luckiest guy in all of Paris.”
This time when Marinette pounced he was better prepared and quick to wrap his arms around her waist so she couldn't escape. Not that she was trying to.
“Is that a yes?” he asked cheekily.
“Yes,” she giggled, her face tucked against his throat. “I like you. A lot. And yes to coffee and a movie and anything else too.”
“Really?”
Marinette squeezed him tighter. “Really. Really.”
Adrien beamed. “Sweet.”
And it really, really was.