The Peacock's Revenge

~Chapter Five: The New Enemy~

"What happened?" two urgent voices asked simultaneously as Sabine opened the door to the living area of the bakery and Tikki phased through the trapdoor right in front of Marinette. Sabine looked shocked for a moment and jumped back when she saw Tikki. Since Marinette was stuck as Ladybug the majority of the time her parents knew her secret, the subject of the Tikki's existence hadn't been discussed between the two of them yet. But Marinette did not have time to explain, there were more pressing matters to address.

"I'm alright mom, but I have to talk to Tikki for a minute so you can head back down to the bak-"

"Excuse me," Sabine interrupted, " but I know my own daughter well to know how you lie, something happened with Nathalie that you don't want to tell me about."

Marinette hesitated, resisting the temptation to make a comment about how she lied to be Ladybug for over a year before they figured it out, she knew that wouldn't help in this situation. "Mama I love you but this is important, I have to go. I will tell you later if it's safe," she said quickly while walking halfway up the stairs to the trapdoor to her room.

Her mother looked for a moment like she wanted to say something back, but she had decided a long time ago that she wouldn't interfere with Marinette's heroic responsibilities or ever make it harder for her to live two lives. Instead, she nodded and wore a gentle smile to show agreement and trust. Marinette quickly nodded back and made the rest of the way up to her room, shutting the trapdoor quickly behind her.

"Tikki she knows, she knows everything and she threatened me. Worst of all she threatened Adrien! What am I going to do!? I can't purify any amoks and she'll terrorize the city if I don't give her the miracle box!" She spat out with heavy breaths and fear in her eyes. There seemed to be no solution, no way around this problem or any idea of what could help them, except maybe.....

"You could just tell Adrien, that way he could be on guard against Nathalie, and maybe he knows something about her too that could help us?" Tikki suggested with a hint of apprehensiveness in her voice, she knew this is not what her owner liked to hear. Marinette took a breath, she was already agitated and didn't want to make herself worse by getting annoyed at Tikki "I'm not going to tell him, not just yet. He's more of a target to Nathalie the more he knows."

"But Marinette!-" Tikki began, but was interrupted by the dinging of Marinette's phone from across the room, which she promptly walked over to. Opening it, she read a single text from the boy she'd been thinking solely about, sent to a group that included all their school friends;

AA- Hey guys. With everything that went down with my dad, Nathalie says she doesn't want me going to school anymore and is making me be homeschooled again. Hopefully I'll still be able to hang out with you guys but I don't know yet. I'm sorry, thanks for being such great friends"

Marinette starred, jaw wide. She knew too well that this had nothing to do with Nathalie not wanting Adrien to go to school, Nathalie was using this as a way to send a message to Marinette; to prove she fully intended to keep her word. Adrien was already being punished because of her, and he had no idea.

The rest of her friends began texting back in the group consoling and sympathetic messages, but Marinette couldn't bring herself to respond, to pretend she was surprised and disappointed at this news when she should have just expected it, and she was angry. Was it time to tell him? Would things only get worse from here the longer he remains in the dark? But if he really knew....if he knew his own father was hawkmoth......if he knew his only mother figure left was Mayura...... No. She couldn't reveal that to him. She couldn't watch him hurt any harder if she could help it, and she couldn't bring him in and risk putting him in danger more than he already was. She couldn't. Not yet at least. For now Adrien would just have to remain blissfully ignorant of the troubles that would no doubt affect his life soon enough.

It was too much for Marinette, it seemed just a day ago she was back in her old life being a teenager with a content sense of safety and just living normally as a non-superhero would. Now all of that was thrown away, and she couldn't help but become so overwhelmed by the fact that, once again, she would have weight on her shoulders nearly impossible for any others to understand, just like that.

"oh Tikki," she said, holding up the phone for her kwami to clearly read, "here we go again."

~

Marinette barely made it into the classroom the following morning before she heard the shriek she was dreading.

"Oh, this is AWFUL!" Lila said loudly through forced sobs, with the entire class gathered around her by the back of the room. "One time when I was living in Vienna with my mom my best friend was forced to move away from us, I was heartbroken for months! And this is even worse!" She continued, clearly thirsting for all the attention she could get, which was working pretty well,

"Adrien has been my closest and most trusted friend ever since the first day I came here to school, and he always trusted me back with his struggles and his secrets, I just wish I could still be there for him!" The lies continued as Marinette just rolled her eyes and took her seat. Part of her was glad everyone was distracted by Lila, since she didn't much want to talk about Adrien's situation herself; yet she was also quite annoyed to have to listen to words she knew would annoy Adrien if only he were here. To Marinette's surprise, she wasn't the only one completely disinterested in fawning over and sympathizing with their deceitful classmate, Chloe sat alone on her own bench just across from Marinette.

She looked upset, but not like she wanted attention for it the way Lila did, just full of genuine worry and discouragement from the situation, kind of like how Marinette felt herself. Although her first instinct was to ignore Chloe, Marinetted remembered the moment a few months back when Chloe consoled her in her time of distress, when she'd just found out she was going to be stuck as Ladybug. She knew it was time to return the favor, and got up making her way over to the empty seat usually occupied by Sabrina on Chloe's bench.

"What do you want, loser?" Chloe began, but there was a hint of insincerity in her voice that Marinette was able to pick up on, she did want someone to talk to.

"Chloe, I know you're upset about Adrien and that's alright, I want you to know I'll be here in case you need to talk about it, I guess." She paused for a moment, "at least I know you've actually been lifelong friends with Adrien, unlike liar over there." She finished, playfully rolling her eyes and smirking toward the back of the classroom where Lila's fake cries were. Chloe took a moment to catch her words, even if she'd never been open with Marinette before, she knew in this moment that she could trust her.

"He's always there for others," Chloe started, "And I know easy it is for him to get lonely and how hard it is, I saw it when-" she paused, "I saw it whenever you disappeared, Adrien was so lonely and missed you so much, I just don't want it to have to be like that again for him."

Marinette was shocked at her words, she knew Adrien had missed her but didn't realize it had gone so far that even Chloe recognized his hardship. She couldn't, for a moment, even think of a reply, which Chloe took as a cue to keep going.

"You know Marinette, the fact that you're in love with Adrien is utterly ridiculous! But.... I know he'll never love me like that....and I know he cares a lot about you.... I just really don't want to lose him as one of my friends."

Still shocked, Marinette hardly had the words, but she quickly came to her senses so she could be there to comfort Chloe as she intended, "Adrien will always be our friend Chloe, he'll always be your friend. We'll make sure he doesn't get lonely, we'll-" but before she could finish her thought, her ears were pierced by the blaring of the school akuma alarms, the ones she hadn't heard last since Lila was akumatized many months ago.

This couldn't be happening..... nonono there can't already be a sentimonster on the loose, what was she going to do?!

"I HAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM" she screamed unnecessarily loud just as others were beginning to register the alarms, but before she could be questioned by her concerned classmates, she had made her way out the door. 

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lol hi guys it's been over a year does anyone even exist anymore? I got super big inspo from hitting 100k reads on Ktm this past weekend so now I really want to finish this book ahhh but i don't think anyone even reads it anymore but also that's fine I'm having fun so hi anyone who is here!