One Chance at the Truth - A MLB Fanfic

Chapter V

A/N: Here's the actual... you know, recent chapter. In case you didn't hear, the intermission I recently posted was meant to be out a long time ago. Sorry. 

Anyways, this one's the more recent chapter. It's shorter than usual, I think, but I figured it can serve as a holiday season update.

Thank you all for reading!

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Adrien/Cat Noir P.O.V.

"Okay." Setting a pad of paper on my bed in the guest room, I try to get my head together by making a list of what to do now. Tikki and Plagg are sitting on the bedposts, watching me, so I direct my thoughts to them. "Let's figure this out."

Not my go-to, when it comes to this. As far back as I've known, I've been impulsive, going with my gut. It felt right. But, like many things, it was a habit I lost after Marinette left Paris and I had to take on the role of both heroes in the city.

Lately, my head is swirling with thoughts, ideas... I want to find a way to get my friends back. Even if it's taken a while, I can see why they believed Lila all this time, and I feel like so many of our old friends miss Marinette after all these months. Maybe they're starting to wonder if what happened was really all that it looked like.

I want to tell Marinette how I feel, as Adrien. But I feel like I know her best when I'm Cat Noir, and maybe that's why she fell for that side of me. And... Marinette loved me as Adrien once. We're stuck in a loop, thinking that we're different people, and it's a nightmare. It's not like I can tell her that I'm Cat Noir without facing serious consequences. That's exactly what Shadow Moth wants, so he can use her again.

I think by getting the help of my classmates, those who might have secretly been loyal to Marinette, I can gather evidence to prove that Lila is responsible for everything that happened to Marinette. I think that maybe, maybe one day, I can finally be with her like I want to, if she can see who I am. And I know that I need her back by my side if I'm ever going to defeat Shadow Moth.

But I need to focus. Hence, the list.

"I need to get Sabrina and Chloe to help again," I start, "and probably Marc, too— I know he'll be on board. If he is, then Nathaniel might be, too. They've still been hanging out lately, and Marc is pretty confident about Marinette's innocence."

Plagg yawns heavily. Tikki nudges him, rolling her eyes— she's more attentive, probably because Marinette used to do the same thing a lot. Though, she doesn't actually talk a lot about her time with Marinette, either. She's definitely quieter than I was told before.

"I don't want to make it obvious, though. We'll have to be subtle, because Lila has eyes everywhere— a lot of Marinette's old friends are still on her side." I groan. "It's going to be hard to forgive them, even if I know they were tricked."

"Remember," Tikki puts in helpfully, "Marinette had a theory about the idea of perfection. Maybe that's why everyone has been clinging to Lila so much lately."

I sigh-- it's true. Some of the people that Lila is close to now seem to have realized she's nothing like they thought— she's a know-it-all, condescending, and tends to make promises she can't keep. But when we got here, I noticed Mylène, Rose, and Juleka, who were distancing themselves from Lila before, starting to move closer to her again. Like they were trying to spare themselves from the painful truth.

"...still. It'll be hard to be as forgiving as Marinette is." Glancing down at the pad of paper, I mark down the first part of my plan. "Come to think of it, a lot of the evidence Marinette lost is still around." I perch on the edge of my bed. "Like the fingerprints, though those might not be credible anymore."