The New Guardian

Chapter 17: A Team Once Again

Tea and glass shards covered the floor. Adrien stared at Marinette as she paled, still not reacting. Her silence was scary. Marinette took a step away to the side, slipping in tea. Adrien darted forward to catch her, wrapping his arms around her waist. Marinette finally blinked, relieving the burning sensation. Adrien stood her up and embraced her in a bear hug.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" He exclaimed, squeezing her tight. Marinette's mouth fell open. "You had me worried." Her eyes watered and her fist balled. "I missed you so much." Adrien let her go with a smile, holding her shoulders.

Marinette's hand shook before jolting up and punching Adrien right in the cheek. He stumbled back, holding his face in pain.

"Ow, ow, ow . . . " Adrien moved his jaw. "Why did you . . . hit me?" He looked up to see tears streaming down Marinette's face. Her fists were tight and she shook with anger. "Woah, wait what's wrong?" Adrien sprung up.

"Why did you do that?" She gritted her teeth, tears falling to the floor. "How could you do that to me?"

"Do wha-"

"This!" Marinette shouted. Her voice broke. "You're Adrien Agreste . . . "

"Is that a problem?" He asked, stepping closer and dodging shards.

"Of course it is." She sobbed. "It can't be you. Anybody but you . . . " Marinette faced her bed and buried her head in the sheets.

Adrien stood next to her. "Well that hurts a bit." He sighed. "I know it's a lot and you just woke up. I probably made a few mistakes in there somewhere. I'm not really sure what I did. I guess I was a little too excited and ended up rushing things, but I'm okay with waiting. I'll wait forever for you." He leaned against the bed. "I'm sorry if I hurt you though. We haven't talked since high school graduation, or at least not without masks, but even then, we hardly know much about each other anymore. And I'm rambling . . . " Adrien looked over, but Marinette still hid her face. Her cries were quieter now. "Who knows what we could've been or what we can be? I think we could be amazing though. After all, we were good friends before."

"That's one of the problems." Marinette lifted her head, staring at the wall. "You always thought I was your friend, but . . . I loved you. I loved you so much, yet I never told you and I just died away with my high school self. I had to move on because you never cared enough to feel the same. It took years and all I realized in that time was that I could never stop. I could never forget my feelings, but I did find someone I loved even more than you and that was Chat Noir. You were always worried for me and always by my side even if I wasn't there for you. Even if I denied your feelings for so long and put you through so much pain, you stayed with me." Marinette sniffled. "I rejected you everyday and never cared to listen. It wasn't your fault, for I was selfish, but I still wanted to blame you. Now . . . I've accepted what I've done. I know I've done you wrong and I can't make up for it. I wish I could fix it, but I can't. And now . . . you had to be both. You had to be both of my loves and both of my heartbreaks. Double the pain and tears . . . "

Adrien blinked, trying to piece together what she had said. Most of it was new and didn't make sense, but he understood some bits and pieces. "I wish I could've heard that long before we met Willow." Marinette let out a giant sigh. "And I'm definitely not mad." He formed a smile. "Even if you ran, you gotta reach the finish at some point. You can finally slow down."

Adrien looked around the room, spotting a box of tissues on one desk. He snatched it before setting them on the bed and grabbing Marinette's arm. He pulled her up before handing her a tissue. She was a little calmer than before and might be able to think straighter.

"Is this okay?" He asked.

Marinette nodded. "I'm all disgusting now." She wiped her face. "My makeup's running." She looked at the cloth. "Leave it to April to dress me like a corpse." Marinette sniffled.