Warning: Mature language will be used. Reader discretion (I just looked up the definition of that, so yes I know what it means :]) is advised.

"... She's really brave, and strong, and graceful, and amazing! I really like her! Nino, I might even love her..." Adrien's voice grew louder and faded as Marinette walked past to the bathroom, carefully wiping her eyes and trying to control her emotions as she caught his words. Nino noticed her and shot her a sympathetic look, which she returned with a sad smile before darting away as Adrien turned, confused as to who Nino was looking at so sadly.

He caught a glance of the blue-black haired girl's broken expression before she ran away, and was thoroughly befuddled. Why would Nino look at her like that? Why did she immediately run away as soon as he turned around? Why... why was Alya running up to them?

"Nino! Marinette texted me, saying she felt ill and went home. Didn't you just see her?" She said, panting, completely ignoring the blond standing patiently next to her. Nino leaned over and whispered something in her ear, and she suddenly faced him, eyes wide and furious.

"Alya, no, he doesn't know, and she wouldn't want you to tell him." Nino panicked, holding the angry girl back. Adrien took a step away, startled.

"What if she gets akumatised, though?! It'd be HIS fault!" She bites her lip, her fists clenching, trying to hold back from straight out punching the now scared model. 

"No, it wouldn't be his fault, because he didn't know what he did. The best thing to do right now is give her space to heal, okay?" Nino rubs her arms comfortably and stares at her brown eyes, in which the anger starts to simmer. Shooting Adrien another mad look, she takes a breath and smiles.

"Okay. Thanks Nino. I'll see you later." Stalking off and leaving Adrien very confused, she whips out her cell and tries to call Marinette.

Marinette

Her phone rang. She was fully aware that Alya was freaking out, trying to find out if she was okay. Well, she wasn't. Curled up into a ball, Marinette was sitting against the wall surrounded by a million ripped pieces of paper, each one another piece of a poster of the person who accidentally broke her heart. He never knew he had it in the first place, did he? And she couldn't be more obvious.

Brave, strong, graceful, amazing... things Marinette wasn't. Things Marinette would never be. But things Ladybug was.

He loved Ladybug.

Tikki had understood exactly what she meant when she wanted space. She had taken off her earrings, and carefully hid the box in which her miraculous had appeared, in order to keep Tikki safe. She didn't need Ladybug right now. She didn't want Ladybug right now. Chat could deal with tonight's patrol alone, and he would insist on patrolling alone if she said she was broken. 

Of course he loved Ladybug, of course he didn't love Marinette. A perfect girl for the perfect boy. The most idolized woman in Paris for the most longed-for man. Marinette was too flawed, too imperfect, too low, to even be considered for a boy like him. Maybe Chloe was right, after all.

Suddenly angry, Marinette picked up a small snow globe, which had his name engraved in it, and threw it at the wall opposite her. The shattering of the glass and ceramic base was so satisfying, yet she sobbed again. She meant nothing to him. Nothing.

Her mother checked on her once, and seeing her daughter's state, frowned sympathetically and left her alone. Sabine knew what it was to be heartbroken. She only hoped the young girl would get over it, eventually, like she did. 

Tears rolled from her blue eyes, rolling over her cheeks, rolling down her arms, soaking her shirt. Stupid, flawed, broken, cracked, clumsy, try-hard, overreacting, insane, stupid Marinette. How could she think he'd like her? How could she let herself build her hopes up, only to have them crash down? How could she believe she'd ever be enough?

Three taps came from her window, only to have it ignored. She heard it slide open, and footsteps padding against the floor, crunching slightly on the glass. She felt hands lift her face, gently stroking her cheek, wiping away her tears. 

Green eyes. Dilating pupils. Blond hair. Messy hair. Kind smile.

Too much like him.

She bit her lip, before bursting into tears again and wrapping her arms around Chat Noir, gripping him tightly, needing comfort. He pulled her closer, stroking her hair, murmuring soft nothings in her ear. He still had no clue as to why she was crying, yet held her anyway. She pressed her face into his chest, feeling the familiar feeling of tears slipping down her face. 

"He likes her, Chat... of course he likes her... who wouldn't like her, if they had to choose? I... I thought he might have been different, able to see that she isn't real, but he wasn't different and he can't see... And it hurts so much more because she's not who he thinks, she isn't perfect, she's flawed, he loves her mask..." She whispered, still sobbing. "She's everything I'm not... and I should've expected it, I should've known, only she's good enough, not me... Brave, strong, graceful, amazing... I never knew how much I hated those stupid words until they came out of his mouth..."

She repeated exactly what he said earlier, about Ladybug. She likes him. And he so blatantly rejected her without realizing. He had done this. He had done this to her. 

He wasn't different? He couldn't see?

"See what, Princess?" He mumbled, hoping for an answer from the shaking girl.

"He doesn't know who she is, he doesn't know all her insecurities, her flaws, her failures, the fact that she's actually a girl who's hopelessly in love with him, and he doesn't love her for her, and I swear to God, Chat, you're no different than him." Eyes blazing, throwing fire, she sat up, abruptly pulling herself away from his grip. In that instant, Chat Noir didn't see Marinette, he saw Ladybug, and she was angry. "You are him, aren't you?!"

Gulping, he moved back slightly as she poked his chest accusingly. Her eyes were rimmed red from crying, giving her an almost demonic look, and making her look furious. He would be lying if he said he wasn't scared.

"I just spilled everything to you and you didn't think ONCE about leaving?! You're the whole reason I'm like this, Adrien Agreste, and don't you dare think you're getting out of this one!" She growled, before pouncing on him and pinning him down. He was surprised at her strength - no-one should be able to hold him down, especially while he's Chat. He tried not to stare at her shirt that was hanging off her slightly.

"Marinette, please get off me. I need to go on patrol with milady." He said smoothly, letting Chat Noir cover up his internal freak out. How in the name of all hell did she figure it out?!

"She won't show up because she's busy pinning her idiotic partner and trying not to fucking cry because some idiotic dickhead couldn't see how much I loved him and how much it hurts to know he loves a girl who isn't real." By the end of her sentence, tears once again fell from her eyes and she collapsed on Chat, hitting his chest periodically, cutting up her words. "You... idiot... Ladybug isn't... who you think... she is... She isn't real..."

Staring at the girl on top of him, he slowly connected the dots, and knew why she was so upset now. Ladybug wasn't brave or strong or graceful under her mask. She was Marinette. Ladybug wasn't a real person, she was the ideal hero. And Adrien had fallen for her. How much was that hurting her? It was like falling for a painting, loving a character of a movie. It could never be.

"Please get out of my head... my heart..." She whispered, still pressed against him, now holding in her fists his cotton shirt.

"Did you take your earrings off?" Plagg's unusually gentle voice caused her to look up. Nodding, she wiped her tears and stood up. She walked over to her desk, took out the box with which all this had started, and put on her earrings once more, only to have Tikki hug her cheek immediately after being released. Even Plagg was staring sadly at the two.

"Oh Marinette, I'm so sorry I brought this on you, but you were chosen and I couldn't find anyone better and I-"

"Shh, Tikki. It's okay, it's not your fault." Marinette cut off the rambling kwami in order to smile comfortingly at her. Tikki looked up at her with her big blue eyes, almost the same shade as her holder's, and silently thanked Master Fu for giving her to such a kind person.

"Marinette, I'm sorry, I couldn't tell him. I knew this would hurt you." The black cat floated over to the girl, who just smiled again and gently stroked his head.

"It's not your fault either. What's your name?" Plagg grinned, happy to be in the presence of the only Ladybug who had ever forgiven him in such a situation, which happened more often than not. 

"Plagg, at your service, miss Marinette!" He rubbed into her palm, asking for more pets, which she gave. Giggling softly at the very cat-like kwami, she gazed affectionately at the two floating by her head. 

"Can I ask a favor of you, Plagg?" He nodded, eager to earn her affection. "Make sure he takes care of himself, okay?" For the first time, she stared directly into the green shocked eyes of Adrien Agreste. And he stared into the sad, whirling, blue pools that were the eyes of Marinette Dupain-Cheng. "This is why I wanted to keep our civilian and hero lives separate. We can't afford to let feelings affect us while fighting, we need that unconditional trust and partnership. I thought you were smart enough to figure that out without me spelling it out for you, but apparently not." Her voice dips into a cold tone to finish her words, impacting him in a way she hasn't before.

Before, she's sparked love, affection, happiness inside him. Now, it was fear. Fear he had lost her forever because of those stupid words. Fear that she was going to leave him.

Those damned stupid words.

I'm seeing a pattern of sad/angsty one-shots here... I'll try to write happier ones, promise!