《Discordant Sonata》Chapter 15: Bravura (Part 5 of 5)
Advertisement
The last period of the day went by more sluggishly than any other she'd ever experienced in her life. Marinette's mind replayed that conversation a seemingly infinite amount of times by the time the bell rang and it was time to go home. She lethargically packed up her belongings and left the classroom.
Before she reached the locker room, however, a hand gently tapped her on the shoulder, and she turned around.
It was Adrien. Of course. It just had to be him.
He meekly asked if he could talk to her in private. She agreed. They stepped into an emptied room, and he looked around to make sure no one else was present.
"I'm... sorry about the awkwardness from before, Mari," he muttered uneasily.
"It's okay, I'm just sorry you got put on the spot," she replied, twisting her hands together, her shoulders tense with discomfort.
He seemed to squirm a bit himself as he continued, "D-did... Did you see...?" He gestured towards his scarf.
Marinette froze and her gaze dropped to the ground. She couldn't get herself to speak, so she nodded.
Adrien took a deep breath. "W-would it be too much trouble if I asked you to not tell anyone? Things could get really difficult for me if- if people were to find out."
Marinette's head bobbed up and down quickly. "I-it's okay! I won't say anything! I-I don't want to get you into trouble. Anytime you need help, I'll be here."
Before she knew it, she was being pulled into a brief hug. She willed her arms to hug him back, although she couldn't really feel her body right now.
Adrien let go of her and put his hands on her shoulders in reassurance. "I promise everything is going to be okay. Everything is fine now. Trust me. Thank you, Marinette."
Advertisement
Marinette's mouth smiled back, and she heard her own voice say, "Anytime."
Adrien thanked her again, and opened the door to leave. "See ya tomorrow."
"S-see you," she called back.
The door closed behind him, and Marinette was left alone. Everything felt like it was steeped in a thick haze. As if she was stranded in a vast fog with no discernable way to go. She felt hollow, yet heavy, which didn't make a single bit of sense. A gaping, empty hole where her chest was, ripped away suddenly and without warning.
Is this... is this what heartbreak feels like?
Chat landed on Marinette's balcony and knocked on the hatch five times, as they'd previously agreed. He listened for any of the code phrases or sounds that they'd gone over and practiced. There was no answer, which could only mean that she wasn't home yet. However, since the latch was always unlocked for him now that they were roommates, he had permission to enter.
He felt pretty silly wearing a backpack as Chat Noir, so he didn't dally in her bedroom, and instead went to drop it off in his own room.
Chat wondered what could be going through Marinette's head after she saw his bruising. Had she figured out that Gabriel was abusive? She'd agreed to trust him, so maybe she believed he'd been able to work out his home situation. Did she think he still lived back at the mansion?
He plopped face down on the sofa. UGH, this all sucked. He didn't want to lie to her, but he couldn't tell her the truth, either. She was the nicest girl, and all he'd been doing lately was be dishonest with her. Not without reason, but still. He felt horrible about it.
And she'd looked so out of it at the end of school. He wondered what might have happened to her, since she'd seemed in such high spirits at the beginning of the school day. And what was that weirdness with Lila all about?
Advertisement
He didn't have to wonder long, because a few moments later, his cat ears perked up as he heard footsteps that led to the front door. He sat up and turned around, excitedly awaiting her arrival.
Marinette opened the door and entered the living area. She closed the door and silently set her backpack down. He got up to greet her, but something was wrong. Her whole aura was different. Even in the dim late afternoon light, Chat could see the weariness in her expression, the sadness in her posture.
"Mari...?"
Several long strides later and he was there, in front of her, holding her by the arms.
"Mari, what happened?!" he asked more urgently. "Are you okay??"
She looked up at him, her glassy blue eyes becoming damp. Then she crashed into him, gripping him like he was the only thing keeping her from sinking into a sea of quicksand.
She cried, and he held her. He was desperate to know what had happened, but he waited, stroking her hair, running his fingers through it soothingly, not pushing her, but always willing to listen.
Finally, after a few moments, she spoke. "There's someone else," she whispered simply.
Then he understood.
Chat held her, and she sobbed quietly, and together they slumped to the ground. She didn't need words of comfort, or any reassurance that she didn't need this guy, or to be told that she was too good for him, or that there were other fish in the sea. She didn't need to be told any of those things. All they needed at this moment was each other. And that was enough.
*~*
~*~*~
This chapter was soooo hard to write! Writing Lila sure is fun though! You get to tap into the evil side of yourself that just wants to cause a bit of trouble! XD
Speaking of which, here is some art of what older Lila looks like in this AU! >:3
Thank you guys for reading!!
Advertisement
- In Serial533 Chapters
The Last Primal
Darkness. The ultimate ruler, the true One-Above-All. Everything starts from it, and everything returns to it eventually. People say that in your final moments, darkness seeps in your very existence, engulfs your whole being. They say it’s an incredibly relaxing feeling that takes you on your journey to your afterlife. They say that in the very darkness, the ‘nothingness’ your weary soul will finally be able to rest and relax. This brings up some very philosophical and existential questions. Do you even exist?
8 392 - In Serial12 Chapters
Starlight Road II
College shut-in Thomas signed up for Starlight Road II Beta without reading the contract. Now 'voluntarily' stuck in the game, he woke up as Ray, or better known as Mr. Tragedy. How will he hide his true identity without knowing much about Ray? Will his experience in Starlight Road I and bug-like high INT stat be adequate to keep him alive?
8 180 - In Serial8 Chapters
Fate/Defiance
Reincarnated into the Nasuverse as Icarus during the Age of the Gods. Will this new Icarus carve his own legend into the Throne of Heroes or end up like he was destined, reaching for the sun…..only to fall short of his ambition? This is a fanfiction that takes place in the Nasuverse, a franchise that relates to works by the company TYPE-MOON, such as Fate/Stay Night, Fate/Grand Order, and Tsukihime. Update Schedule is once every Sunday.
8 140 - In Serial30 Chapters
No Matter What, I Will Get Back Home!
Yokoyama Kamiko is just a seventeen year old NEET, living her life in a self-destructive way and letting herself go deeper into a cycle of self-hate. One day, after a terrible incident, she meets God. She is then given an ultimatum: be transported into her favorite RPG 'Chronologia: Alter Salvation' and defeat the big bad boss of the game for the chance to be returned back to Earth, or be forever damned. After finding herself stuck as a baby, she knew that to survive and get back home she would have to clear the game. By any means necessary.
8 135 - In Serial29 Chapters
THE INVISIBLE MAN (Completed)
The Invisible Man is a science fiction novella by H. G. Wells. Originally serialized in Pearson's Weekly in 1897, it was published as a novel the same year. The Invisible Man of the title is Griffin, a scientist who has devoted himself to research into optics and invents a way to change a body's refractive index to that of air so that it neither absorbs nor reflects light and thus becomes invisible. He successfully carries out this procedure on himself, but fails in his attempt to reverse it.
8 131 - In Serial19 Chapters
The Lucky Secret
Five years ago, the Tower appeared in the Arctic circle, and people started to disappear. Not that any of this affected Cillian James, who was too busy keeping the lights on with webnovels he didn't want to write to really concern himself with some omniscient tower kidnapping people at random.That is, until Cillian is kidnapped himself, and now he has some very big problems on his hands. Namely, surviving the Tower and its homicidal salamanders and zombies and weirdly affectionate cats, and learning the truth behind the existence of the amulet titled "The Writer's Secret". Cilian isn't particularly athletic, given he spent six years glued to a computer chair, and the Tower can only give him so much strength before he's considered a lost cause, and he's not prepared in the slightest for this. He's a bit weak, he hates killing, and spends more time screaming than he does actually fighting, but if there's one thing he's got going for him, it's his impressive self-perseveration skills. But is surviving truly enough, if it changes you into someone you don't recognize? How much will he have to sacrifice before he can even call himself Cillian?
8 345