@lenoreofraven *Slips out of the fluff hanger back into the Angst rooms. Pulls out writing and hands it over* So on a discord, @gajer-1226 sent the prompt ‘What would happen if Marinette discovered Adrien's apology wasn't as genuine as she thought it was??? What would happen if she discovered, Adrien only apologized to her just because Nino told him to do it in order to be in good terms with the rest of the class??? What would happen that if it wasn't for Nino Adrien never would have apologized on the first place???’ And then asked an angst writer to write it.
It didn’t follow exactly, but ya’ll can’t just say something like that and not expect me to run with it.
Marinette had forgotten her notebook in her classroom. Or, she hoped she had. She had bolted once the bell rung, and then not noticed it was missing. She hoped it hadn’t actually been stolen by Lila or Chloe.
She paused when she spotted Adrien and Nino through the windows. She braced herself and neared the door. Hopefully Nino would be too focused on Adrien to notice she had come back.
“Sorry I pushed you to apologize to Marinette at the start of the year, Dude, I really thought it’d be better for you if you were on good terms with her. If I had known she was this mean, I wouldn’t have even suggested it.”
Marinette froze. What was Nino saying?
Lila had driven a stake between them, yeah, but was he telling Adrien that becoming her friend was a mistake? No. Nonononononono she couldn’t lose him too.
Adrien made a noncommital noise.
“I guess you were right at the start of the year when you didn’t want anything to do with her.”
“I didn’t say I didn’t want anything to do with her,” Adrien replied. “And she’s been a good friend since! Excluding the Lila thing.”
“Eh, that’s just because she likes you.” Nino answered. “She duped you just like the rest of us.”
Marinette wanted him to defend her. Heck, she wanted to dash in there and defend herself, but her feet couldn’t move.
And then her heart shattered.
One word, one agreement from Adrien, and she suddenly felt like she was drowning. He said okay. He didn’t defend her, not even weakly.
“I guess she does have her moments of acting unacceptably.”
She was suddenly able to move again, but she ran the wrong way. She didn’t care about the notebook anymore. She just had to get out.
He had said he was on her side. He had said he had her back. That they could get through it together. He was the only one who had even listened in any semblance.
And he just…. Abandoned her. Stabbed her in the back, so to say.
A part of her said he might have just said it to appease Nino, but that hopeful piece was squashed by tears a moment later. Even if he had, he still- He’d said they were in it together. That wasn’t being in it together.
Marinette ran. She didn’t know how far she went, or where she stopped, just that it didn’t feel like it was far enough away.
She collapsed against an alley wall, and cried. Tikki flitted around her head, doing her best to help, but it wasn’t actually doing anything.
Had he even wanted to be her friend in the first place? Was he just by her side because he pitied her?
