Behind the Mask - A Miraculous Ladybug Fanfic

Chapter 8

The next day...

Kagami's POV

"That's your point. Nice job, Kagami. Looks like you win," Adrien said pulling his mask off to reveal a small smile.

It was unusual for me to beat Adrien at fencing. I could tell that he wasn't focused today, that he was upset about something. He tried to mask it, but it didn't work.

I followed him into the locker room after class and sat next to him on the bench.

"You're distracted. As much as I love winning, I like it better when you're putting your heart into the game," I admit.

"Sorry, Kagami, I just have a lot on my mind right now," he responded softly, fiddling with a charm he was holding in his hand.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I inquired.

"It's.. complicated, I think it's better to just forget about it." His response made me frown, but I didn't want to press, so I decided to change the subject.

"What's that charm thing you're holding?"

"Oh, this? It's my lucky charm! Marinette gave it to me one time when we were gaming together after school. I carry it with me everywhere I go." I noticed the way his face brightened up the moment he mentioned her name, which stung.

There was something about Marinette that Adrien was drawn to, that was obvious. My mind flashes back to the time that we went to the ice rink together, and he brought her with him. The memory made me wince. That was the time that we were skating together and he took off because he was worried about Marinette.

"Do you.. have feelings for Marinette?" I asked, without thinking about it. My cheeks heated up once I processed what actually came out of my mouth.

"Me-what? Marinette? No! Of course not, she's just a friend," he responded quickly, with wide eyes, his cheeks also reddening slightly. I wasn't convinced, but I decided not to press.

A few seconds later, he stood up. "Well, my bodyguard is probably outside waiting on me, I better go." Adrien turned and headed for the door.

"Wait!"

I'm not sure what came over me , but I ran over and grabbed his hand, causing him to freeze.

"Can we.. do something together next Friday? I know you're busy, so we could ditch fencing and go do something fun instead— to um.. help take your mind off things," I quickly added.

"Um, sure! That sounds fun, but what about our parents?" Adrien rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"They won't suspect a thing, trust me," I reassured him.

I'm going to have to come up with a convincing lie to tell Mother. That won't be easy, but for Adrien, it's worth it.

"Well, I guess I'll see you next Friday then at our normal time," he said, heading out the door, and I followed, walking over to my mom's car. I could hardly contain my excitement. Adrien and I were finally going on a date!

I had to make sure I didn't show any sort of emotion though, as I know my mother would not approve of any sort of relationship. As much as she likes Adrien, she wants me to focus on my studies. Not to mention that I would be in huge trouble if I ever got caught skipping a class. But what she doesn't know won't hurt her.

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Adrien's POV

As Gorilla drove me home, thoughts began to race through my mind.

Was I really going to hang out with Kagami? Just us two? I couldn't even go to the ice rink with her by myself, I asked Marinette to go with us last time. The thought alone made me so anxious that I got a sick feeling in my stomach. I'm not good at this whole interacting with girls thing.

Once I got home, Nathalie greeted me per usual, and then I headed up to my room. As I walked up the stairs, Plagg peeked out from the pocket of my shirt.

"What are you doing, kid? One second you're in love with Ladybug, then you go after Marinette, and now you're going on a date with Kagami??" he starts to scold me.

"For one, Ladybug doesn't love me back. I'm tired of pursuing someone who constantly pushes me away. And Marinette is... amazing," I find myself smiling, the moment her name slips out of my mouth, before the events of last night hit me all over again. "But she's just a friend!"

"Ugh," Plagg groaned. "There you go, lying to yourself again, saying that stupid F word! It makes me sicker than dairy-free cheese!" He flies out of my shirt, presumably heading to look for more camembert to feed his bottomless pit of a stomach.

My mind wanders back to Kagami. She was intelligent, confident, strong, beautiful. Even though she's a bit intimidating at times, she has a good heart. She would be a good girlfriend.

But she wasn't Marinette.

I'm a horrible person for sitting here and comparing every girl to her. None of them can compare.

Dude, Marinette doesn't even want you. She pushed you away.

My thoughts began nagging at me, once again reminding me about the harsh rejection I received at her house last night.

I groaned and collapsed onto my bed, burying my face into my hands. I couldn't stop thinking about her, and it was driving me crazy.

"What do I do Plagg?"

"Either you quit being a baby and tell her how you feel, or you move on. Simple as that. This is why I like cheese better."

"Tell who how I feel?" I ask, my eyes widening.

"You know exactly who, you dimwit! Marinette! It's so obvious you're into her." Plagg responded with a knowing tone.

"But what if it goes badly? I'm so nervous after last night."

"Then you'll know it's not meant to be and you can move on with your life instead of moping around and whining about it."

I sighed because I knew Plagg was right, even if he was always super blunt with his thoughts.

Now I just have to figure out a way to confess to Marinette.

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Marinette's POV

The entire school day was spent avoiding any sort of interaction with anyone. Alya noticed that my energy was off, but didn't press.

I had trouble keeping my eyes open, my head kept drooping down, and I knew it was only a matter of time before Miss Bustier called on me, but I didn't care anymore.

All I could think about was the look on Chat's face when I pushed him away. He didn't deserve that.

Maybe it's a good thing that I did it. We could never be together.

All it would take is one thing going wrong, and it would be enough for one of us to be akumatized. As long as we're both Miraculous holders, it's too dangerous for a relationship.

My brain wandered back to Adrien. Ever since Chat started his nightly visits, Adrien has faded into a passing thought. I sighed at the thought. Adrien was never going to see me as more than a friend either.

I'm tired of stressing about guys that I could never be with. Maybe it's time to move on to someone who feels the same way about me. Someone who cares, someone I can be myself with, someone who's safe. Someone like Luka.

Luka had been interested in me ever since we went to the ice skating rink together and I had been avoiding him because my feelings for Adrien were too strong, but maybe I could fall for Luka. He's so nice, handsome, and talented.

Maybe I could visit him tonight at Kitty Section's rehearsal. He'd be able to cheer me up. The thought alone brought a smile to my face. Yeah, that's what I'm going to do.