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02 August 2019

Prompt: Hurt/Comfort (Trope)

Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug

Character/Pairing: Marinette Dupain-Cheng; (Anti-)Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Rating: K / G / All Ages

Notes: So um. Yeah. Puppeteer 2. (Ugh I don't even know. I've actually been kicking this idea around for a while now, and the prompt just gave me the opportunity to sit down and hammer it out. I still may play with it more later, but given time constraint it feels rushed. Look, in the end? I just want Marinette happy. I just don't know if I really think Adrien's the one who's going to be able to do that anymore.)

I look through your window like I don't even know you.

This is the way we are now.

…

Is this what you wanted? 'Cause now you got it…

I'm giving up…I'm giving up…I'm giving up on you…

"Givin' Up" – Schuyler Fisk

"Oh, I'm sure life has many surprises in store for you, Marinette!"

Marinette heard Tikki. She did. And maybe a part of her believed the tiny god. But…if she was honest, she wasn't so sure anymore. Life had certainly given her plenty of surprises lately, but not all of them had been good surprises. This one was possibly the worst of all.

"Yeah…" she sighed. The ripping of the photo as she pulled her hand away from the bulletin board rang loud in her ears – louder than Tikki's sharp gasp. "That would have been one very silly first kiss, anyways."

She fell back on her bed, curling onto her side. Her hand fisted around the photograph, pulling wrinkles onto Adrien's perfect face. Maybe life's biggest surprise was that Ladybug, Lady Luck herself, was doomed to forever be un-lucky in love.

– V –

She didn't go to school the next day.

When her mother came up to check on her, she claimed an upset stomach. She didn't really have to try and look terrible as she hadn't really slept during the night, so her mother just smiled, brushed her hair away from her forehead, and told her she'd check on her later. If she saw the crumpled photo of a certain supermodel lying on the floor, she walked right past it on her way out and didn't say a thing.

Marinette tried to ignore her phone, but after the fifth frantic text from Alya (and Nino, and Mylène, and Rose, and Juleka), she finally sent Alya a quick, one-worded reply: sick. She knew Alya wouldn't believe her, and she knew Alya would probably be stopping by to check on her during lunch, but at least it stopped the texts. She burrowed back under her blanket and rolled towards the wall. Adrien's smiling face beamed back at her.

She ignored the clunk as she jostled the board enough to unhook it from the wall, sending it to the floor below. Tikki flew over and pressed against her cheek.

If the tears bothered the tiny kwami, she didn't say anything, either.

– V –

She woke up again well after lunch. A bowl of soup was waiting next to a plate of bread on her desk. There were three missed texts on her phone.

Alya. Saying she'd be by after school with notes and homework (and ice cream, because she was pretty sure she'd caught her sickness at the wax museum).

Adrien. Saying he hoped she felt better and apologizing again for the prank.

…and Luka. Saying Juleka told him she was sick, that he hoped she felt better soon, and he'd miss her at practice that afternoon.

She smiled, and it was enough to pull her from her bed and down to her desk to enjoy the soup.

– V –

She spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning her room. The chest of presents was emptied, the items unwrapped and carefully stacked in a box for the local thrift shop. (She did hang on to the upcoming birthday present, though, as it was what she would have done for any…friend.) The added notes specific to his schedule were removed from her own. Her desktop background was changed to a photo from the day planting trees, her closest girlfriends (plus the guys, once she had pulled them away from Adrien's party) all smiling back at her. Alya knocked on her door as she was pulling the last of the magazine clippings from her wall.

"I knew you weren't sick," Alya said, and though she tried to sound accusing she only sounded sympathetic. "Girl, what happened? What did that idiot do?"

"He's not the idiot, Alya," she sighed, looking down at her nearly-empty bulletin board. She'd left the class photo, the one of her and Alya, and the two of Kitty Section from the day at the TV station (well, one of Kitty Section – the other was of her and Luka, one Alya had shared with her later). The ones of Adrien were stacked on top of the rest, in her trash bin. "I am."

"Spill," Alya ordered as she dropped her homework on the desk. So Marinette did.

She told her about her Epic Freakout, which was nowhere near as bad as her Prank. Alya listened in mortified horror, her eyes growing wider and wider behind her glasses with every new detail. Marinette kept her eyes trained on the class photo, the last photo of Adrien on the board. The only one she'd keep. The safest one to keep, as a friend.

"Ok, so that…was bad," Alya agreed when she stopped speaking. She brushed some hair behind her ear and pushed out a breath. "But it's not the end of the world? I mean, he's kind of oblivious, Marinette. It sounds like he bought that you were...pranking."

"He's in love with someone else, Alya," she sighed. Alya winced. "In the car, he said…he said the girl he loves doesn't like his jokes, either."

"I didn't know," Alya said softly. She reached out and laid her hand on Marinette's, which were resting in her lap. Marinette glanced up at her, and Alya tried to smile for her. "Girl, I promise. I didn't know. I don't think Nino even knew. If we had, I never would have encouraged you to…I'm so sorry, Marinette."

"I feel so stupid," Marinette mumbled, reaching up to rub at her eyes. Alya sighed and pulled her into a hug.

"Stop it – you're not," she said. She rubbed her back. "Lots of people fall for people who don't like them back. So Adrien loves someone else. That just means he's not the one for you. Or maybe he is, just not right now. We're only fifteen, girl."

"Don't, Alya, please," Marinette begged, pushing her face against Alya's shoulder. She was tired, if she was being honest. It wasn't the first time she had questioned her stubborn pursuit of Adrien Agreste, it wasn't the first time she had thought it best to move on, and it definitely wasn't the first time someone (Tikki, Alya, even Luka…) had tried to convince her otherwise. "I can't…I don't…Adrien's a friend."

"Not a very good one," Alya huffed, rubbing her back a bit more forcefully in her agitation, and Marinette paused.

Wasn't he, though? She had told herself time and again that he was perfect: the perfect friend, the perfect student, the perfect model, the perfect gentleman, the perfect son…but was he, really? He had said it himself: he wasn't very good at this friend thing. And it wasn't his fault – it was his father's, if anything, for keeping him out of social situations for so long. But that didn't change the fact that…was Adrien a good friend, really? He was polite, sure. He was kind. But…had he ever actually stood up for her? Yes, he'd called her their Everyday Ladybug, but then he'd kept her from calling out Lila – even when Lila had outright threatened her. He'd always sided with Chloé over her. And…how well did he know her, really? They went to school together. They hung out on occasion because their best friends were dating.

Adrien didn't know her, not really. No more than she really knew him.

Could she really call him a good friend?

"He's a friend," she finally said, shaking her head. "And maybe that's all he's ever going to be able to be."

– V –

That didn't keep her heart from doing a little jump-skip-flutter when she saw him talking with Nino on the school steps the next morning. It didn't keep the heat from rising to her cheeks when he saw her and waved, calling her name. Alya gave her an encouraging smile as she nervously laughed and waved back, and her best friend stayed by her side as she walked over to the boys.

"Marinette! Hi!" Adrien said. He turned that mega-watt smile on her, and for a moment she forgot about the box she was taking to the thrift store that afternoon. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

"I…uh…yeah!" she said, laughing slightly. "Dad was uh...trying a new recipe."

Adrien and Nino shared a look, and another nervous laugh escaped Marinette.

"Between us, he should leave the curries to Mom," she said, placing a hand on her stomach. She shrugged. "I'm feeling much better now, though."

"I'm glad," Adrien said. The bell rang, and the four turned to enter the school. Adrien hung back so that he could walk beside her. Alya gave her an encouraging smile before tugging Nino ahead. "I was afraid I had upset you again. Not that I'm glad to hear you really were sick, but…I'd hate to think you skipped school because of me."

Her smile was only a little fake, if she was honest.

"Never," she said. She hated herself for lying to him, but she told herself it was best. For everyone concerned. "We're friends, Adrien."

It was easier to say it that time. His answering smile still stung, though.

– V –

After school, she packed up her box of Adrien Gifts, put the box with Kitty Section's new costumes on top, and made her way to the docks. Alya had offered to go with her (moral support), but she had politely declined.

"It's something I have to do myself," she'd said, and that was that.

She arrived at the Liberty before most of the band. Luka was on deck, picking at a bittersweet melody she'd heard him working on for a while now.

"Luka!" she called from the street, waving to catch his attention. Her heart might have jump-skip-fluttered again when he looked up, his face splitting in a grin as he saw her and waved back. "Permission to come aboard?"

"Always!" he called back. He met her at the top of the gangway and immediately reached for the boxes. "Here – let me help."

"The top one is yours," she said, and he nodded before taking it. She placed the other on the deck. "That one's donations. Where is everyone?"

"Practice isn't for another hour yet," he said. "Juls and Rose went for snacks, and Ivan had to help Mylène with something before coming. You look good, by the way."

"Th-thanks," she said. She looked to her feet when she felt her face growing warm. "Sorry about yesterday."

"No sweat," he said as he placed the box on a chair by the stage. He grinned as he pulled out one of the shirts. "Marinette, these look great! You really outdid yourself!"

"Thank you," she said. "I'm glad you like them."

"I like everything you do, Mari," he said with a chuckle, "but these really are great. You're the best, you know?"

Her smile was bittersweet as she looked back to her feet. She shrugged a little and thanked him again. He frowned when he looked back to her.

"You ok?" he asked. She laughed maybe a little too loudly and waved him off.

"Me? Yeah! I'm great!" she said quickly. "You know me – always great!"

He still didn't look convinced. He reached for her hand, and she froze when he gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"Hey. You know I'm here, right? If you need to talk?" he asked. Her smile was a little less manic when she looked back at him. She squeezed his hand in return.

"I know. Thanks, Luka," she said, "but…I really don't want to talk about it just yet, if that's ok?"

He looked sad at that, but understanding. He was always so understanding. He nodded after a moment and continued going through the costumes. She bit her lip uncertainly.

"Hey, if you've still got some time before practice…" she started, making him look up again. "That is…the thrift shop isn't too far away, and…I mean…I don't want to talk about…but I wouldn't mind the company?"

Her heart did that annoying skip-flutter-jump again at the smile he gave her.

"Sure," he said, closing the box and reaching for her hand, "I'd love to."

– V –

Later that night, Marinette rolled over in her bed and found herself staring at her new bulletin board. She had printed out her new desktop, and it was now the largest photo in her collage. She smiled when her eyes fell on Luka, his face between hers and Juleka's (his arm around her shoulders and his other hand giving his sister bunny ears), and she found herself smiling again.

It was easier to smile, with him.

Maybe that was one of life's surprises, too.