To the Time That Lost

End of the Year

The slam of lockers echoes throughout the room. It's another beautiful day, and Marinette is feeling better after her talk with Luka last night. Yet, the fear inside her remains, and every now and then it takes over her thoughts. She tries not to think about it and continues through the day. That is until-

"Oof!" Marinette falls to the ground. She looks up at the culprit only to be met with those green eyes of his. He extends his hand.

"Marinette! I'm so sorry!" She takes his hand, and Adrien pulls her up. "I'm very very sorry real-"

"Adrien it's fine." Marinette laughs. "It happens to me all the time no worries."

Adrien chuckles softly. "I'm not really myself today. I'll be more careful, promise. I'll even make it up to you some how."

"You don't have to, really it's fine everyone has bad days plus I think it's about time you got me back for all those times I crashed into you."

Marinette has learned, somehow, to talk to Adrien normally. Even though her crush on him remains, she has understood that to him she is only a friend. A good friend. He comes to her for advice, and Adrien has learned to cherish Marinette's friendship and said advice. Much to Marinette's disappointment, most of his pleas for advice have to do with Kagami. She still remembers the first time he told her about his crush on Kagami, and how they all went ice skating together. She watched the love of her life skate with someone that wasn't her. 

I can't compete with Kagami. 

And so she let him go. If she was only meant to be his friend, so be it. She would be the best friend Adrien could ask for. She would always be there for him, and she was okay with that.

"Still, sorry about that. I'll see you later, 'kay?" With that, Adrien picks up his bag and walks to his class.

From the corner of her eye, Marinette sees Alya walking up to her. "Good morning sleepy head! Well, I guess that doesn't apply today since you're here on time. Did you get enough sleep last night?"

"I did, actually. That's it for me though, tonight it's back to work!"

"No no no, I sure hope you didn't forget that tonight we're going dress shopping for the dance."

Marinette smiles, confused for a second, until it finally sinks in. "Uh..-"

"Marinette you couldn't have forgotten! And you can't bail on us now, we need your fashion sense to make us look greater than usual!" Alya places her hands on Marinette's shoulders. "You have to come, this is the End of the Year dance. Marinette, this could be your last chance to ask out Adrien."

"Hah-haha umm, I don't know about that Alya, we talked about this. Adrien doesn't love me." She feels her face flush and rubs the back of her head. Alya's eyes get softer as she looks at her friend. 

"Do you want to go with him?" She asks.

Marinette hesitates. She imagines the night of the dance. Adrien in a nice suit, waiting for her at the top of the stairway. Blinking away the image, she shakes her head. "I don't know anymore Alya. It wouldn't be the same. It should be a dream come true yet it seems so unlikely that it just doesn't feel right anymore."

Alya gives her a small smile, a sad smile. She sympathized with Marinette. But she also understood. She had to move on, hanging onto the same boy for so long must've been hard. She hugs her. "It's okay, you can be my date."

Marinette hugs Alya back and laughs, "And Nino?"

"Nah I'm sure he'll be fine if I save a couple of dances for you. So, will you come with us? I really need your opinion, and you have great taste. Maybe you could even get some inspiration for your designs?"

"Of course I'll come with you. To help you guys out though, I'm actually making my dress. I just uh, haven't started."

"What!? You designed a dress for yourself and you haven't shown it to me!?"

Marinette saw this coming, but honestly, she had sort of forgotten about the dance, and her dress. Just another piece to finish, just have to speed this one up. She pulls out her sketchbook, sits on a bench and waits for Alya to sit beside her. 

"Chat Noir! To the left!"

"Got it!"

The superhero duo split as they continue to chase down the Tracker, a villain who becomes invisible and tracks those he wants to target through prints on the ground. Ladybug has a visual on him, and Chat Noir is going in with a cataclysm straight to the boy's backpack.

"Cataclysm!" The backpack turns to dust, and out comes a black and purple butterfly.

"No more evil doing for you, little Akuma." Ladybug cleanses the butterfly, and off it went. Another day as the heroes of Paris. She returns all of the area back to the way it was before the akuma attack and turns to Chat Noir. "Nice shot, kitty. And good job today." She brings her fist up.

"Same to you my Lady. Always a pleasure." They fist bump. Ladybug tosses her yo-yo at a building and gets ready to launch herself. "Wait, Ladybug."

Ladybug?

Chat Noir almost never calls her Ladybug. It was so rare that it scares her when he calls her by her actual hero name. She turns slowly, stunned.

"It's been three years when..." He takes a deep breath. "When are we going to stop this? End all these secrets? Find Hawkmoth?"

Ladybug freezes. She had been dreading this question, since it was one that she had been asking herself for quite some time. She also didn't have an answer, which only made their situation more complicated. Her mind becomes scrambled once again.

"I don't know, Chat Noir. I.." Her words crumble. "I don't know what's going to happen. We have to be ready for whatever happens on Friday."

Friday.

His ears tilt down and he looks at the ground. "That's so soon. Ladybug, I'm scared. This doesn't feel like other times we've been threatened. This is worse than all that, even the time we had to fight all of those akumatized people."

"It's good to know I'm not the only one with the feeling." She walks up to her partner and looks him in the eyes. The fear in his eyes looks down at her, and Ladybug can't help but share her fear back. She grabs his face in her hands and places her forehead on his. "We'll get through this, whatever it is. We have help if we need it, and we've gotten out of tough situations before, haven't we?" She smiles at him trying to lighten up the mood. Chat Noir nods and smiles back at her.

"You're right. We will. Thank you my Lady. Until next time." He turns and flies off. Ladybug stands for a while watching him until he disappears. 

Friday.

Friday was the day of the dance. With a quick skip and swing of her yo-yo, Ladybug takes to the rooftops. The realization sinks in, that she might miss her End of the Year Dance.