Seven Seconds

Not So Heartless

Adrien's stomach didn't feel any better that evening. Actually, it felt much, much worse. Especially after talking with Plagg.

Once they were in his bedroom, the kwami flew up right in front of his face. "So," he smirked. "You and Marinette, huh?"

Adrien put his palm to his forehead. "I just made a huge mistake."

The smirk disappeared. "A mistake? Why is going out with Marinette a mistake?"

"You know why, Plagg," Adrien groaned. "Because I don't want to date her."

"What's wrong with Marinette?" Plagg asked defensively.

"Nothing! There's nothing wrong with Marinette. She's awesome. But I'm in love with Ladybug."

"Then why did you say that you would go out with her?"

"I don't know," he replied, shaking his head. "I don't know what happened. My mouth said 'yes' even though my brain was saying 'no' over and over again."

Plagg snorted. "Maybe your mouth is trying to tell you something that your brain doesn't want to realize."

He scrunched up his face. "What?"

An exasperated sigh. "That you're in love with Marinette," Plagg offered like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Adrien shook his head. "I'm not in love with Marinette," he insisted.

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that," Plagg muttered as he flew off, too frustrated with the conversation to continue.

Finding himself alone, Adrien took out his brand new phone. He was going to call Marinette and tell her that he made a mistake. It would be tough, but it needed to be done. But before he pulled up his list of contacts, his finger somehow made its way over to his video files.

And he turned on a video that was now in a safe place. Scrolling to the end, he listened to the seven seconds that started it all.

"Adrien, I love you. I'll always be there if you need me."

Once again.

"Adrien, I love you. I'll always be there if you need me."

And suddenly he had to turn his phone off. He couldn't do this, he couldn't take the coward's way out. Breaking up with someone over the phone was a heartless thing to do, and Marinette deserved so much better than that.

So he would wait until the next day when he could tell her to her face.

************************************

It was a long, sleepless night.

Adrien's thoughts tormented him as he lay in bed, not letting him get a moment of reprieve. And to top things off, there was an akuma attack just before dawn. So he reluctantly transformed into his superhero alter-ego Chat Noir and left his house in pursuit of the villain.

Feeling completely horrible, and not just from the lack of sleep, he wasn't very effective during the fight. Fortunately for him, Ladybug was in her element and they were able to defeat the villain quickly.

"Something the matter, Chat?" Ladybug asked him, her face full of concern after their celebratory fist bump.

"Some personal problems," he admitted weakly.

Ladybug's eyes widened. He just had an opportunity to use a pun, and didn't take it. It should have been 'Some purrsonal problems.' But no, he didn't say it.

Something was seriously wrong.

"Chat," she said quietly, stepping up to him and placing her hand on his shoulder. "Is there anything I can do to help?"