Fake Dating

22 - The concert

Marinette felt like her head was about to explode soon. She couldn't despair anymore! After the press conference she'd been crying for an hour or so, and no words could comfort her. She was aware that despite the perfect preparation, she had let the journalists to catch her off guard. If Gabriel Agreste watched that interview, he would do everything to prevent any contacts between her and his son.

Now was the moment to pull herself together. She was to go onstage in a minute. Fans were waiting for her performance, shouting 'LadyBug, LadyBug!' She couldn't let them down just because she was broken-hearted. But how was it possible to find any enthusiasm in herself if her soul was crying – just like the sky above Nice...

Tikki glanced at her concerned.

"How do I look?" Marinette asked unsure.

"Perfect." the manager replied. "Remember, you're LadyBug!"

"Thanks! See you on the other side!" she joked as usual before each show since the beginning of her career.

"Break a leg!"

Marinette entered the stage and the crowd welcomed her enthusiastically. She loved that energy of her fans. It always gave her wings to fly. She instantly felt like she was in her element again. Like she transformed into her alter-ego.

"Who ordered the rain in Nice?!" LadyBug shouted.

Hundreds of screams answered her.

"Are you ready to have fun with us?!"

Another eager yell made her sure that people didn't care about the rain. They'd come here to spend the evening with her.

LadyBug smiled at her band and nodded. Just before the concert, when they'd seen what was happening with the weather, they decided about a slight change in the programme of the show. Instead of the usual beginning they chose "In the rain". After the first tones they immediately knew it was a brilliant idea. The fans shrieked even louder as soon as they recognised the song.

Marinette felt it would be a successful concert. She borrowed the positive spirit from the crowd and she was able to forget about her sorrows for a moment. It was something mystic in her relation with her fans. And even that rain had a purifying, salutary influence on her soul.

Singing was her therapy, but she was aware that the better mood would last as long as the show. That was the reason she didn't want to end this evening yet. She asked her band to sing two more songs that hadn't been planned, despite the fact her musicians wanted to play only one encore – the obligatory one that was the biggest hit of LadyBug.

"They've come here to spend time with us..." the singer tried to convince the rest of the band. "They've been soaking in the rain for more than two hours. Let's do it for them. To thank them..."

Everyone knew she was right. After all, the fans sacrificed a lot, not only money spent for tickets. They owed them at least those two songs more.

Yet, before the last encore Tikki stopped Marinette.

"You'll catch a cold..." she warned.

"Just one last song..." the girl repeated stubbornly, listening to her fans' shouts. "We always perform it at the end. They will leave disappointed if we don't play it."

"I beg you don't do anything stupid there!"

"I won't jump from the platform, I promise..." Marinette smiled and came on stage for the last time this evening.

The crowd reacted cheerfully, as always. And LadyBug wanted to stay here with them, forever.

Paul began playing the intro to her most popular ballad "I've finally found you" and Marinette – despite her promise given to Tikki – felt an urgent to jump to her fans and just vanish in the rain. Instead, she sat down on the edge of the platform, and a thought about her manager's heart attack occurred to her instantly. The rain was flowing down her hands and legs. But it was a good and warm rain. It was washing away the grief that had fulfilled her heart. Even though she knew all those sad feelings would come back to her as soon as she finished the concert.

She began singing, swaying with her fans. Usually people turned on their smartphones during this song and LadyBug sang watching an ocean of moving lights. But today she was watching only the rain and a forest of dancing hands. She also reached out her hand and swayed with the fans.

Once or twice she had to shake water off the microphone but she didn't care about such trifles. The most important was to feel like a part of the audience soaking in the rain. As always they were singing with her. As always she was so moved by that. As always they sang acapella the last two lines for her. As always she felt something huge and unnamed in her heart when she heard their united singing for her.

This time there was something new in a knot in her throat. She'd been thinking about Adrien during this song, giving it a new – personal – meaning for her. Yet, without a happy end in a real life...

And that was all. The end.

"Thank you! Have a good night!" she cried to the audience trying to sound cheerfully in spite of the pain in her heart. The crowd answered her with a round of applause and chanting 'LadyBug! LadyBug!' But this time it was over.

She left the stage drenched to the skin. Tikki looked at her carefully, but said nothing. She led her directly to the dressing room, handing her a towel by the way.

"Change quickly before you catch a cold." the manager commanded. "I'll take care that no one disturb you."

"Thanks, Tikki..." Marinette whispered and began towelling down her hair.

She felt totally exhausted. All she needed now was something dry to wear and a cup of green tea...