Everyone Needs a Safe Place

T W O

hello, readers :) I would just like to say again that the ages in this story are raised to were they are seventeen and above, just because there will probably be a kissing moment or a tension moment in this story in the future. 

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Marinette

She watched as Alya and Manon walked away. Marinette loved hanging out with Alya, the girl was her bestfriend! But lately something was off. She had been acting differently towards Marinette almost like she didn't trust her. It made Mari's skin crawl as she remembered the words Lila said to her one day. 

"I'm going to make all your friends leave you all alone." 

When she got to the house, her Mom welcomed her with open arms. Sabine always knew how to make someone happy. The woman knew something was going on with her daughter but she didn't want to push. She wanted to see if her little girl would come to her first. It had to do something with school, that was obvious. Alya hadn't been around that much lately and she never heard anything about anyone else anymore. 

"How was your day, sweetie?" A fake smile that worked every time shinned bright on her face. She did something she hated most and lied. 

"It was great! There is a project that was given to us so I might have to hang with some friends if it turns out to be a group." 

"Oh! That's great! Just let us know when you plan the day." Her mom said happily. Sabine knew the smile wasn't real but once again, she wouldn't push. Marinette was a teenager. It would take her a while to understand she could come to her if she needed to.

"How was Manon today?" 

Marinette went into a long rant about Manon and her actions while Tom brought out their dinner. They had sat down and had a family dinner, filled with stories of their day. It was something that finally made Marinette feel somewhat normal. She walked to her room after saying goodnight to her parents. 

Tikki watched Marinette from the desk where she was eating a cookie. Lately, she had noticed Marinette's happiness going down. It wasn't that noticeable but it was enough to know that something was up. Tikki wasn't sure if anyone else had noticed but it worried here. It was no secret that living a double life was tiring. It was tiring being a superhero. In the past, the chosen ones had all been eighteen or older but these had started out at fifteen. They still hadn't found hawkmoth. 

"Are you okay, Marinette?" The girl looked at her kwami with a soft smile. She knew that Tikki noticed her emotions more than others. If anything, the little one had become her bestfriend too. A sigh came from her as she sat down at her desk before turning on her computer. It wasn't a lie that they had a school project coming up and honestly, she wanted to get it done. It was nerdy of her to work on it so early but it was better than putting it off. The screen saver she had of Adrien came up making her pause. 

"Oh, Marinette? She's just a friend." 

Adrien's words echoed in her head. She knew she would always be just the friend. Luka had told her he would be there but she didn't want to do that to him. Luka deserved so much more than her. He deserved someone that would love him back fully. The pictures on her wall stared back at her and for the first time, they didn't make her feel happy. She reached for the one closets to her hesitating for only a moment before taking it down. 

She opened the bottom drawer to her desk, she couldn't throw them away, but she couldn't handle it anymore. 

"She's just a friend." 

Tikki watched in shock as Marinette took down her pictures of Adrien. She watched as her chosen climbed up on to her bed and took down the picture wall beside her bed. All of the pictures went into the drawer. Marinette stood in the middle of her room looking at the empty walls. She moved to grab the hook that held Adrien's schedule. One last look was all she gave herself before taking it down.