[2nd PLACE WINNER OF THE ANNUAL LUCKY CHARM AWARDS 2021 IN 'MARICHAT']
[SEQUEL OF DARK WINGS RISE]
*
"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I entrust to you, the Miraculous of the Mouse, until Lady Iris returns. After that, you will give me your miraculous back...
"I'll tell you why I hate Adrien so much. As promised."
Marinette gulped.
This wasn't necessarily a serious conversation. It didn't have to be.
But the way Lila said it, and the atmosphere of their exchange made her feel that it held weight. Her eyes were grave, tongue passing over her rather dry-looking lips as she began.
The air was heavy. The tension could be cut with a butter knife.
"HE'S SO DUMB AND IDIOTIC AND SUCH A CHEESY LITTLE RAT, I HATE HIM AND HIS STUPID GORGEOUS FACE AND HIS STUPID GORGEOUS EYES AND THE FACT THAT HE HAS SO MANY PEOPLE SIMPING FOR HIM BUT HE'S TOO FLICKING BLIND TO NOTICE IT AND THE FACT THAT THERE ARE MORE THAN 2 TRILLION GALAXIES, 9 PLANETS, 195 COUNTRIES, 7 BILLION PEOPLE ON EARTH, THAT IDIOTIC AUTHOR ENDED UP FALLING FOR A NON-EXISTENT CHARACTER AND-"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"I have a lot of feelings."
*
"You know, thinking back, it isn't really his fault."
Marinette nodded, encouraging her to go on.
"It's his lineage."
"His lineage...?"
She nodded, hands crossing over her chest, "It was probably around the time I was six. I didn't know much and I only heard about it from my mom and sis. Although they always were reluctant to speak. So I probably don't know as much as they do. This makes my reason feel so hollow. But they aren't."
She paused to take a breath, "We were happy. Our family of four. Mother, father, big sis, and me. We're a family of three now. Papa's no longer here."
"Lila, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have—"
"It's alright. You're my friend. I can tell you this much. Maybe you should say it to Adrien too, at least he'll know why I don't particularly like him."
"..."
"It was his fault Papa died. It was Gabriel Agreste's fault."
Marinette's eyes widened just a bit, gasping lightly as she processed the newfound information.
Lila motioned for her to keep stitching, her doing the same, they had a project to complete, after all.
Hesitantly, Marinette lifted the materials back up and listened more.
"He too was to blame though. I'll admit that. Apparently, he and Gabriel were involved in some shady business, something about counterfeit or whatever, like I said, I don't know the details. They were caught too—"
"But I've been following the Agreste company for a long time, even if Gabriel Agreste was involved even before I was born, I'm sure a company like 'Agreste's name would be tarnished. There has to be something written in the newspapers too, their records are as clean as clean can be—"
"That's the thing. The Agreste company was rich. Had the power to control media. All it took Gabriel was a little money to completely clear his misdeeds. It was all kept a secret, and 'Agreste' was safe. But what about the actual thing? Public needs to be given a name to harass, to blame on, and guess who that was?"
Marinette's head was filled with a lot of emotions. The only other time she's felt these surges of feelings was when she received the miraculous first time five years ago.
"It's not Adrien's fault. I don't want to hate him but—I can't. Even if I try and think of him as someone completely different, that flash of being an Agreste, the realisation of him being connected to that murderer makes my blood boil. I don't want this either but—"
She took a deep breath.
"It was my father they pinned the blame on. And after a few weeks of being crushed under the public's harsh words and being treated like an outcast, an untouchable, he'd had enough."
"Don't tell me—"
Marinette did not want to hear it.
"He committed suicide."
"Lila—!'
"I know, but don't pity me for that. It's too late, and the wounds aren't as fresh. It's too late to say, 'I love you, Papa.' anymore. It's too late to hug him. It's too late for anything now—"
"I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have—"
"It's okay, I told you. I don't mind you knowing about this. You were my first real friend after all." She smiled sadly.
Marinette fought back tears. She couldn't believe she had been so terrible to Lila the first time they met. She knew why she was like that in the beginning. Lila was broken.
She engulfed her in a big hug, encouraging her to let it all out.
And she did.
Their materials fell to the ground, lying there, forgotten, as the walls of the room echoed with Lila's sobs. Lila's tremors, in turn, trembled Marinette as she patted her back, telling her she was there.
"I miss him so much." She cried, clutching Marinette's sleeves tightly, almost painfully.
"I couldn't even say goodbye." She sobbed, " He mentioned in his suicide note, how much he loved us, and—"
Marinette felt even worse now. This would have never happened if her curiosity never got the best of her. She was so stupid.
"I'm so so sorry, Lila," Marinette whispered, tears spilling on her cheek.
The girls held each other in solitude, crying.
Maybe what Lila really needed was a little more help.
More support.
And more love.
*
Marinette's day was full of surprises.
She did not expect what happened next.
"Hey there, Marinette. Missed me?"
*
I am SO sorry for the short chapter. Really, terribly sorry.
I had to end it there!
I'll make it up to you by an early update?
And a little peek of what the new cover could be!
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