Heavy Heart | Miraculous Ladybug

I've Been Waiting

Daiyu Xiong made the announcement among her business partners and apologized to all of them. Yet, not all of them forgave her. She still felt guilty and didn't want to forgive herself. Everything reminded her of her past. Until one day.

She found Eric waiting for it in her room standing by the sliding door looking at the sunset. "Oh, hey Eric." She said almost like a whisper.

"Hey, I came here to give you something." He walked over to the other side of the room and picked up a medium sized bag.

"What is it?"

"It's a parting gift."

The sentence triggered her. She slapped him in the face before tugging on his shirt collar angrily. "I HATE YOU, I DESET YOU! I KNEW IT. I FIGURED YOU'D BE THE QUICKEST TO ABANDON ME, ERIC!"

He pulled her hands away from him slowly speaking. "Who said I was going to abandon you?"

"You...you said 'parting'...."

"You're finally parting with the Daiyu your family wanted you to be and becoming a new new, right? Congratulations. I welcome the new you."

She jerked her hands away from him angrily as she turned to face the sliding door. "Shut your mouth. I was always scared of you the most, Eric because I felt like you were the furthest away from me. Bonds or no bonds, you always pushed me away the most."

"If I don't act carefree, I feel like I'll explode. Whenever I think or have you, you flit away to other men. You traitor. I'm selfish and childish, so I don't want to be hurt, and I refuse to lose out. Once I have you, I never want to let you go," he looked at her with a grim smile before reaching out to her. "Or let anyone else touch you."

She stepped back quickly before his hand could reach her. He set down the bag and laughed a little while starting to walk away. "That's right: if you're going to reject me do it now. I like to think I've learned a little concessions thanks to you. However...I'll give you a chance to run away. If you come to me again. You know what to expect." He said as opened the door leaving her the same way he did the night when she made a move on him.

She looked back down at the bag with tears in her eyes. She took a deep breath and clenched her fist. Maybe this was going to be the turning point of all of their struggles and maybe it was for the best.

He talks like he's never done anything wrong, but he pretends to he's indifferent, just fine with being alone. It's irritating. It makes me want to turn his head. I want to absorb his whole body. I want to get into his cells, into his bones...invade him so deeply...spread everywhere and fill every corner of him with my scent. Make it so he can't even breathe. This feeling...this desire...

She closed the sliding door shut and started to strip. She put on the kimono that he gave her and it was rather divine. She walked down the halls of the her siheyuan holding her breath. There she saw him in his usual spot out in the back garden reading one of his novels. He sat on the ground on the edge of the porch where he sat. She remembered the spot because she confessed to him there. She sat down besides him looking down.

"I told them the news that they are all free and no longer have to live with the feeling they are being hunted down. You were not there and I thought I would tell you that I told them. I talked to Marinette and she understands. I tried to apologize, but I couldn't.  If I put my apology in words, it'd sound like I was trying to get off the hook. I'm still the CEO, after all."

He still didn't look up from his novel. "So you're telling me to go along with that CEO life? After all, I've been waiting a lomb time for you to come back to me." He looked at her with a smile as he placed his hand on her cheek. "You're late. You look beautiful in the kimono."

"I love you."

"Yes, I love you. As long as you keep wanting me." He whispered before their lips inched together and ended it all back where they started it in Taiwan.

A few weeks later, things were looking okay for Marinette and Hao. They started to become close, but at the same time not. It evening at college and a few students haven't left yet.

I'm not staying after school to help with crap stuff. Hao was in a bad mood since he got stuck helping a kid clean the bathroom even though it was the kid's job.

He walked past the classrooms one by one until he saw that a classroom door was open. He walked inside the classroom seeing that Marinette was still at school only looking out the window. The sunset beamed in the room lighting it up.

"Oi." He walked up to her with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Hey." She mumbled.

He could tell that she wasn't well. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I was just thinking that....what does it feel like to die?"

"Daiyu seriously got out the manhunt thingy. Why worry?"

"But do you ever wonder?"

"Why should I death is death. I'll accept it. Even if it's now." She looked down quickly clenching her fist tightly. He freaked out. "DID I SAY SOMETHING WRONG?! I-I..."

I have to look down or I'm afraid that I'll cry.

She closed her eyes tightly as she heard him unzipping his backpack pulling out something. She opened her eyes, but still looked down at the floor. "Please, Mari. Look up."

She looked up only to see him hold his basketball jersey from their old high school that she ordered him. She reached out for it and grasped the jersey.

"Remember the day when I gave you my old jersey before you ordered me this one?" She nodded her head. "This is the one you ordered me before I gave you my old one."

"I remember...I always have."

"Keep it. Keep it close to you. Keep it to remind you that the man who gave this to you is not the same man many years back."

"I will. I will, Hao."

That night when she got home she dug out an old box that was stuffed in the back of her closet. She opened it and took out his old jersey he gave her. She kept it all those years and still kept it close to her.

Eric and Daiyu finally went on their first date which took a lot of convincing. "All right, we've finished our errands. Want to go have fun?" Eric asked while looking at his watch.

"We're going home to work." Said Daiyu.

"You're so serious."

"You're going to the send off tomorrow, so we have to do as much as we can today."

"Okay, okay. Just give me what I want tonight." He patted her on the head never feeling this happy before in his life.