The Wolf - A Miraculous Ladybug Fanfiction

Episode 3 - "I Don't Love You Anymore"

Safely alone on a rooftop, the pair faced each other. Ladybug frowned, feeling a strange void in her heart that had never been there before. She fingered the material of her suit, nervous. There were words bubbling on her tongue, words she needed to say, a shift in their relationship that demanded confronting.

"Chat..." she began, shifting her leg uncomfortably. "There's something that needs addressing." He waited expectantly, his face unreadable.

"I feel like... something's changed. Our relationship doesn't feel the same anymore." Ladybug nervously awaited his response.

Chat smiled. "Of course it's different. Haven't you noticed?"

"Noticed what?"

"I'm not in love with you anymore," he said triumphantly, as if he'd conquered the part of himself that had once been in love with her. The revelation made perfect sense. Though she never reciprocated his love, and still didn't, it still unsettled her greatly.  She had grown used to the fact that he loved her, and borderline enjoyed the attention. He had loved her the way she wanted Adrien to.

He laughed sheepishly and scratched the top of his head, tousling his sandy blonde hair. "You kept rejecting me every single time... I started looking at things from your point of view and it... made sense. We're crime fighting partners; that's all we are. I can admire you, but I don't need to know everything about you. And besides, I'm in love with someone else."

Marinette almost dumbly asked, "Who?" but she caught her tongue just in time. It didn't matter. He didn't love her anymore. Now she was a normal person to him, a person capable of failures and mistakes. It scared her.

"I guess that explains it," she replied glumly.

He frowned. "I thought you'd be happy. What's wrong?"

"It's just all so sudden," she told him, covering her bitterness with a thin smile. "It's not what I expected. But I'm happy for you. I hope your relationship goes well. This is perfect really, since I'm still in love with someone else."

She was still in love with Adrien, or she thought so. But he seemed to fall further and further away from her, completely out of reach. Into the hands of Kagami. She felt only cold inside when she thought of him, slowly realizing he'd never be in love with her. He didn't see her that way. He didn't want to.

I should move on, she thought. If Chat Noir can do it, why can't I?

There was a hollow wistfulness in her chest as she thought of Adrien. He's my friend. At least I still have that.

"I hope he treats you right," Chat told her kindly.

He doesn't treat me at all, she thought, but kept this to herself. "Thanks."

Her miraculous began to blink and beep, reminding her she was about to transform back. She gingerly fingered the jewelry on her ear before stepping back and saying, "Well, bug out." Chat Noir watched her leave, content with the relationship they shared for the first time.

When Ladybug was back to regular old Marinette, and sitting in her room, she flopped onto her bed. Tikki zipped into the air beside her, in dire need of food but too polite to ask. Marinette, anticipating her needs, reached into her purse for a macaroon. She gave it to an eager Tikki who wolved it down hungrily.

"Tikki, I've decided," she announced, "I'm going to move on from Adrien. He obviously has feeling for Kagami." Tikki, her faithful kwami, was her greatest ally. She never got akumatized and was always kind. Marinette could trust her with anything, and it was only with Tikki she shared her deepest inner feelings.

She would have dated Luka, but he had met a girl a few weeks ago and they had started dating. Luka had decided to give Marinette space, put off by her obvious affection for Adrien. And now he liked someone else. All of Marinette's prospects were moving away from her right before her eyes.

"Don't worry, Marinette," Tikki said gently, sensing her fear for the loneliness she quite possibly would have to confront. "There's someone out there who will love you for who you are. Your soulmate is so close. I just know it."

"Thanks, Tikki," Mari sighed. "What would I do without you?"

Lately, even Alya had been spending less and less time with her. That was partly because of Lila, partly because of Nino. She'd been spending a lot of time with her boyfriend; they'd been together for over a year. It was also Lila's fault. The wicked little brat had been purposely consuming of all Marinette's friends' time and spreading small, unflattering rumors about Marinette. She'd even stolen her seat near the front of the classroom, so she now sat at a table alone in the back.

Marinette tucked in her knees and wrapped her arms protectively around herself. She closed her eyes, feeling the weight of the future press heavily on her shoulders.