Two Out Of Three

By: Lara Winner

DISCLAIMER: don't own characters or song.

I want you, I need you

But there ain't no way I'm ever gonna love you
Now don't be sad
'Cause two out of three ain't bad

The storybooks lied.

Adrien understood that now. A lesson learned the hard way.

It was no one's fault but his own that he'd bought into the hearts and sparkles good-guys-always-get-their-happy-ending fallacy. He was a sappy fool. He thought everything would work out… because it had to.

They were the good guys. They deserved their happy ending.

The fact that he couldn't look Marinette in the eye right now, that his throat was choking on the words that could fix this mess, that there was no way to give what wasn't there to begin with…

"I.. Mari… I'm sorry."

Was that his voice? Weak and quivering with barely suppressed tears?

To Marinette's credit, she held herself with dignity. Her eyes were clear and sad but there was a small smile twisting her lips, it looked sympathetic but he would bet anything that it was more to mock her own naiveté.

"It is what it is," she sighed, gripping her elbows tightly, as if trying to hold herself together, as if he weren't the one ripping her apart.

She was so tiny. So fragile.

He couldn't pretend and his heart refused to settle. And it wasn't fair. He hated this… all of this… and if he could tear the damn thing out of his chest he would. If that could make her smile and mean it, he'd do it. Because what good was his heart when it wouldn't let him love all of her?

They'd been dancing around this conversation for weeks. The night they'd dropped the masks was when reality decided drop a final fuck you as well. They'd stared at each other wide eyed, Marinette surprised and giddy while Adrien was surprised and… wanting to run.

Adrien had know then. The inevitable ending had been crystal clear as he'd realized that he was the liar. That he'd been the real liar all along. He'd always promised he would love the girl under Ladybug's mask. He never thought to ask himself what would happen if he didn't.

He tried to tell himself they were the same person. He tried looking for his larger than life partner inside his everyday ladybug and he caught glimpses of her here and there, but Marientte was the bigger picture. At the end of the day she was only herself and she deserved to be loved for that alone.

He wasn't in love with Marinette. Never had been. It was never her.

Ladybug was Marinette. Marinette was not Ladybug. And fuck if he didn't hate himself for feeling that way, that in some ways, Marientte was less.

"I get it… if you don't want me around for a while," he swallowed thickly, "or ever? I don't know how to not make this worse."

"A while might be good. I think some time away from," she motioned one hand vaguely gesturing at everything, "all of this, especially each other... would probably be a good thing for both of us."

Adrien nodded, jamming his hands further in his pockets so he didn't give into the urge to hug her. It would mean something different to her and he didn't want to throw her feelings back in her face. He would never purposely hurt her. He'd never wanted to hurt her at all.

He tried to smile reassuringly and in some way let her know that it would be okay. But the scalding tears that began slipping down his cheeks were the truth. He was losing his best friend and no matter how many times he told himself it was the right thing to do, he was never going to be okay with it. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, scrubbing at his eyes.

"I'm not mad. You didn't do anything wrong-" Marinette sucked in a deep breath but not before he heard the crack in her voice, "You can't help how you feel any more than I can. Like I said, it is what it is." That sounded like a fucking excuse. Even more so when she admitted, "I know you care about me and that you want me in your life, and hell... maybe you even need me… but it's not enough. And that's on me, not you."

They could trade the balme all they wanted. It didn't make the outcome better. It didn't make the pain bearable.

"I never wanted to hurt you." If nothing else, she needed to know that.

Marinette looked down at her feet, scuffing the toe of her ballet flat against the concrete, ignoring the splashes of salt water that hit the ground. "I think... I hope... that in time, I'll be able to love you and not be in love with you. I'd like to think that the last two years meant something."

That stung far more than it had any right to and Adrien winced, "I'll give you all the time in the world. I'll give you space. I'll do anything you need me to do…" but he couldn't love her and really, that was what she needed from him the most.

He'd failed her in the worst possible way and he would have to live with that for the rest of his life.

"I know." Marientte smiled sadly, still not meeting his eyes, not even trying to wipe away her tears. "I think I better go now. Take care of yourself. Please."

As Adrien watched her walk away, he didn't realize that Marinette was teaching him another valuable lesson. That sometimes there was no point in looking back.

A.N.- Sooo...

*ducks flying sharp objects*

Yeah... um... I'm sorry for this. Heard the song on the radio yesterday and this little scene has been fluttering around my head ever since. I had to get it out. I kind of feel this is how a reveal would go down if the show doesn't give us some kind of love square development at some point...