Forgiveness ✓

The Diary

Adrien's POV

Tikki? Who's Tikki? It takes a couple seconds to realize who he is talking about. Marinette's kwami. Maybe she knows what happened, but why is Plagg so worried? I take one look at his terrified face and decide to ask questions later. I cry out my transformation words and run into the night jumping from building to building to get to Marinette's bakery. Thankfully, her parents aren't home right now.

I leap onto her balcony, disappear under her trapdoor, and release my transformation. I frantically look around for the lost kwami and Plagg joins in. We look around, on, and under everything and there is no kwami in sight. We then here a quiet sob from somewhere in the room.

"Tikki!" Plagg cries and he starts looking for her in that general area. The sobs get louder and I head over to the area too. I figure out that it's coming from a pink-dotted box. Plagg floats into the box and unlocks it. Inside we find a notebook, a pair of black earrings, and an upset kwami.

"Marinette!" she cries "I won't let you have the earrings! It's not like you!" She wraps her tiny arms around the two black earrings. Plagg floats over and place a small paw on her own. Tikki looks up at him with teary big blue eyes and her eyes light up. 

"Plagg!" She cries as she hugs him so tight Plagg might burst. Plagg then does the unexpected. He doesn't float away or utter mean comments. He hugs her back just as tightly and pats her back. I've never seen this side of Plagg before. It's adorable and I can't help but laugh.

I stop when Tikki gives me the scariest glare I've ever received in my entire life. She must be angry at what I did to Mari. I can't blame her though.  I turn away and take a minute to actually look at Marinette's room. I've been in her room a few times. A couple times as Adrien and a couple times as Chat Noir. I've never actually taken the time to fully take everything in. I remember seeing her room on television when her dad was on that show. The cameras had shown multiple pictures of me on the wall. They didn't exaggerate it either. There are pictures everywhere with hearts drawn all over them. She said it was because of fashion but now I realize the truth. I keep walking and find a string and I pull down on it. 

It's my entire schedule. I find notes attached to it and realize they're ways to confess her love. To me. Her computer screen is also on and there's a picture of me with hearts around it. I sigh. How could I have been so blind? I turn around and find Tikki behind me. She's holding the pink book that was in the box Tikki was hiding in. I take it and look inside.

It's her diary. Everything about her is written in here.

"Should I be reading this?" I ask Tikki not wanting to invade Mari's privacy. 

Tikki nods "You need to know what she's been feeling."

I cautiously open the book and start reading. I read about how Marinette got her miraculous. Her first thoughts of me as Chat Noir and her first thoughts about me as Adrien. I read about how she fell in love with both sides of me. I read about how  she made be the scarf for my birthday and she wrote me the valentine. I then hear about her failed attempts to confess to me. I hear about her problems with Chloe, Lila, friends, ME, being Ladybug. I realize how hard her life has been. I figure out how stressed, sad, and overwhelmed she felt when Lila turned everyone against her and how she felt when she was revealed to everyone.

I find out how much she trusted Chat Noir when her identity was revealed and regained trust from her friends. I then read about how she felt when I revealed myself to her:

Dear Diary,

I finally know who Chat Noir is! I can barely contain my excitement! Adrien is Chat Noir! Chat Noir is Adrien! I fell in love with the same person twice! I love him! I love my sweet, dorky partner, and my kind, handsome Adrien! I just can't be believe how lucky I am! I have the most amazing, kindhearted boyfriend and we get to spend everyday together! I can't wait to see him tomorrow and give him a big kiss! I'm so thankful for everything and nothing can change how I feel! I can't wait to tell Adrien that I love him so much and would do anything for him!

That was the last entry. All the other pages are blank. I feel the tears pricking at my eyes and the lump in my throat is huge. She loved me. I ruined it all just because my identity which I was so careless with before. Tikki stares at me with a softer expression.

"She loved you Adrien. She would've done anything for you. You should have seen her that night after you revealed herself. She couldn't sleep all night." Tikki comes over and gives me a reassuring pat on the shoulder. I smile at her and feel  tear running down my cheek.

"Then I'll do everything I can to get my partner back." I say with less confidence than I intended. Tikki smiles and floats over to Plagg. 

"Tikki why did you think Adrien and I were Marinette?" asks Plagg in a quiet tone of voice. It takes Tikki a minute to figure out what to say.

" Marinette was smart enough to take out her earrings. She handed them to me. She's been akumatized for almost a week and I've heard everything she's been planning. She's been trying to get the earrings from me too."

"What's her plan?" I ask Tikki.

"Adrien, she's not really mad at you she wants everything to be back to normal. ( A/N Chat Blanc Memories) She plans to make Paris her kingdom with you as the king. She's making an army of akumatized victims and is going to destroy Hawkmoth!"

I gasp. On the plus side Hawkmoth would be gone but Marinette would be dangerous still akumatized.

"Well I guess we'll have to get back together the hard way!" I answer gaining more confidence.

"Adrien, it's not that easy. Lady Butterfly might want you back but Marinette is still angry. She waited months for this to happen and it was all messed up."

I sigh. "Guess it will just take some convincing."

"Adrien." Tikki says in a louder tone of voice. "What really happened with Lila? I know you're not in love with Lila and that you love Marinette. So, what happened?"

"Lila saw me detransform!" I blurt out. Tikki gasps and I continue "She went and told my father and they showed me the footage and said if I wanted to keep Marinette safe I'd have to date Lila! Then, we came up with what I'd say to the class! Now Lila won't let me do anything without her!"

"That witch!" Tikki growls. "Wait, why would your father want to hurt Marinette?" Tikki asks.

I ponder this question too. At the moment I was too absorbed in my own problems and didn't think of it.

"Let's figure it out tomorrow." I answer quickly not trying to jump to conclusions. "Come on Tikki, let's get you to my house!" 

"Adrien it's too dangerous! Marinette will come for your house soon! Why don't we stay at Nino's house?"

I transform and grab one of  Marinette's purses putting Tikki, and Marinette's diary inside the bag. I run to Nino's house frequently looking behind me checking for pursuers. We make it safely and I detransform falling onto Nino's bed. His family must be out or akumatized because the house is empty.

I walk to his kitchen grabbing a sandwich, some cheese, and a cookie and walk back to Nino's room. Later, as I lay down ready to fall asleep for the night and realize I have a question still fighting to be let out.

"Tikki, where's the akuma?" I ask quickly "If it's not in her earrings or purse where is it?" 

"Adrien." Tikki's face goes serious as she speaks.

"It's in her heart."