Ayo? My Miraculous Academia

Chapter 32: The Complication of the Matter

Her voice trails off as she can no longer take it. She runs away, back towards the dorms, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

Marinette's POV

I just kept running. I didn't stop till I got back to the dorms. I wanted to get as far away from the situation as possible. I couldn't believe what was happening. I mean, I kinda did, but I just wanted to ignore it. I didn't want to face my feelings. I've been pushing them down since we got here, the ones about each other. This was not the time, nor the place for it. And now here I am, at the door of the dorms. When did I get here? I have to calm down.

I stand there outside the door, taking several deep breaths in and out. Once I believe I have a good head on my shoulders again, I walk in.

"Hey gurl, where have you been?" Mina said, seemingly popping out of nowhere.

"Yeah, we missed you the rest of the walk back." Uraraka chimed.

"Yeah, I don't know where you want your stuff." Momo said.

"Sorry, Adrien wanted to talk to me back there. You can put my stuff in my room." I said, hoping I answered all their questions.

"Oh, I see. " Mina said in a seemingly soleful tone. I guess I wasn't hiding my emotions as effectively as I thought. Because after I opened my mouth, the three of them seemed to know.

"You know what. Let's go help you find a home for all this stuff in your dorm!" Momo exclaimed.

Then, suddenly, Mina and Uraraka grabbed my arms and started guiding me. It felt nice. Like something Alya and the others would do back at home. Momo was in the front with my stuff. Everyone else seemed to have already been taken care of. The girls had a nice energy about them that kept me from arguing with them. Before I walked into them, I would've said I just wanted to be alone. But right now, this seems right. And before I knew it, we were back at my room.

We went in, and I just collapsed onto the bed, shoving my face into the pillow. Then, I deeply and audibly let out a huge sigh. After a moment, I got back up and was ready to put everything where it should go.

"Alright," I said, rubbing my hands together. "Let's do this." Faking a smile as best I could. But as time went on, we were putting clothes and food where they went. The smile increasingly got less fake until I was genuinely happy, and eventually, we were finished.

"So -" Mina said. "You want to tell us what your poor mood was about?"

"Oh" I paused as it all came rushing back to me.

"You don't have to tell us if you don't want to," Reassured Momo.

"No- it's fine. I just- Adrien.... kinda confessed his feelings to me back there."

"Oh my God! That's amazing!" Uraraka said.

"Nah, if it was amazing, she wouldn't be so sad." Mina replied.

"So what is wrong about it?" Momo asked me in a comforting way.

"Well. He didn't like me before he found out I was Ladybug. I was nothing more than 'just a friend' to him. The qualities he described himself liking in me were only qualities I show when I'm ladybug. He's not looking at me, he's just looking at Ladybug!" I say, almost beginning to yell. It's kinda frustrating.

"I see. So you see yourself and Ladybug as two different people?" Momo asked.

"Well - yeah. Kind of. Who I am behind a mask is very different from who I am without one."

"Do you ever think that the mask allows you to be who you truly are?"

"Well- no. Not really. I have to be someone else. With a huge responsibility. So I have to be someone stronger than who I actually feel like I am."