Hiraeth || Miraculous Ladybug

Three - Hand

"Adrien.." Her voice broke the silence unexpectedly. The two of them sat there in silence for who knows how long, neither of them bothered to keep track of the time. 

"Yes?" His voice came soon after. 

"Do you think I could just... talk to you? Not as Ladybug, but as me. I just want someone to know what I'm like, the real me." Her voice was oddly calm, like she had exhausted herself after everything. "I am so, so tired of lying to my friends. To you." 

"Of course you can. You know that." He reached out and placed his hands on hers, but instead she hesitantly moved closer to him again, so her knees were in between his. She waited for some sign that being this close to him was okay, which he gave her by pulling her back into his arms. Adrien adjusted the way he was sitting, so she could be sideways against his chest. He appreciated her warmth, and she appreciated his comfort. He draped his arms around her and waited patiently for her to speak when she was ready. 

"As I'm sure you know, I have a lot of responsibilities. I'm the guardian of the Miracle box. I have to keep it safe. I have to keep my friends safe. I have to keep my family safe. I have to keep you safe." Her voice broke again and he heard her sniffle. "I care so much about you, and about my other friends. I couldn't imagine if anything ever happened to any of you." 

"Don't worry about me, okay? I can take care of myself." He cut her off, his heart swelling hearing her say she cares about him. 

"I have to worry about you, Adrien. You're special to me." Her voice shook as she admitted that. 

Adrien responded by resting his head in between her neck and shoulder and smiled. He loved having her this close to him, even if it was just to comfort her. He knew deep down it didn't mean anything to her like it did to him, but he selfishly enjoyed having her this close. He knew it likely wouldn't happen again, so he was okay with holding her a bit tighter just this once.

"And then there's me." She tilted her head, and in response he lifted his head off her shoulder. She admired his face, and felt her own heat up when she remembered it was Adrien she was currently snuggled up to for comfort. "I'm a clutz. It's what I'm known for."

"And that's one of the things I like about you." Adrien murmured. Marinette stood up quickly in response, catching Adrien off guard. 

"Please." She begged quietly. "Don't say that when you don't know who I truly am." There was a soft thud as she dropped her hands onto the bathroom counter, rocking on her palms, and staring at her blotchy and tear streaked face in the mirror. She hated who she saw looking back at her, a mess, a failure, someone who couldn't do one simple task: keeping the Miraculous safe from Shadowmoth. 

Adrien used the counter to help himself get off the floor, running his hands down his face and turning his back so he could open his eyes without seeing her. His face was getting tired from holding his eyes shut for so long. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to worry you. I promise it's the truth though, please believe me. Let me..." He paused and was unsure if he should continue. "Let me know who you are. Let me help you."

Marinette moved forward and wrapped her arms around Adrien's waist, burying her face against his back. She took in a deep breath and her voice filled the quiet room again. "I want you to know who I am," her voice trembled into his shirt before she pulled away again. "Just please, give me a little bit of time." 

☼ ☼ ☼

Marinette was sitting on the edge of Adrien's bed, and watched as the blonde took a seat on the couch so his back was turned to her. She had told him a few moments before that she felt too tired to transform and hoped to have a bit to rest, which he offered for her to hang out in his room if she felt comfortable enough. She took up his offer on it and used the time before her later patrol to rest with the company of her friend. She was worried what Chat Noir would think of her, she's sure the news spread to him pretty fast. She sighed and blinked away the tears that formed in her blue eyes, and tried to clear the bad thoughts. She really couldn't deal with being Akumatized right now. Tikki was asleep on the bed, the long battle during the day obviously tiring her out. She deserves the rest, after everything.

Adrien tapped his foot on the floor and hummed quietly, lost in his own thoughts. He didn't hear her come up behind him, he only noticed once he saw movement in the reflection in the glass in front of him. He quickly covered his eyes with his hands before he could recognize the girl behind him. The sun outside was starting to set, and Marinette took it in anxiously. 

"I need to get going soon, patrol with Chat Noir." Her voice was quiet and strained, like there was still so much on her mind that she hadn't said or shown. 

"That's okay," he reassured. "Everything will be okay, Ladybug. I promise." 

"Thank you Adrien, for everything." Marinette murmured in response and moved to sit on the couch beside him. Adrien's breath caught in his throat and he readjusted his hands to allow them to cover his eyes better. 

"I mean that." She rambled, a little bit more like her usual self. "You were there to help me and make sure I didn't do anything else stupid." 

Adrien smiled and turned on the couch so they faced each other, or as much as he could assume, considering he couldn't actually see where she was. "I'm happy to have been able to be here for you." He admitted, his cheeks grew slightly pink again, just knowing that it was Ladybug who had spent so much time with him in his room while she recovered. He quickly recovered and got annoyed that he was thinking about her like that. She is his friend, and his friend comes before his feelings for the superhero in the red spotted costume.

"I would like to show you who I am." She confessed, a new sense of fear and anxiety coming over her. "Please, don't laugh. I don't want you to be disappointed." 

"Ladybug, if you're not ready its oka-" 

"I'm ready, I trust you." She interrupted him and her voice trailed. Marinette leaned forward and gently moved his hands from his eyes, letting them drop into his lap. He kept his eyes squeezed closed and she let out a small laugh. "It's okay, open your eyes Adrien." She reassured. She put a hand to the back of her neck and gave him a small wave as he blinked open his green eyes. 

For the first time, he truly saw who she was behind the mask.

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1211 words