Dearly Despised, (I love you)

The Rejects Club

A/N: TWO CHAPTERS FOR VALENTINES DAY WOOOOOOO (cos you're here. reading fanfic. on valentines day. we all know it.)

Guys, these last 2 chapters just did not want to be written. Took so. long. My roof even broke, water cascaded through it for hours, the power went out, but i was on a MISSION to finish them today.

But anyways i realllllly wanted this one to REALLY sucker-punch you guys in the gut, respectfully

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The sky had beaten her to a breakdown by mere seconds. From zero to a hundred the area became a soppy water park, but since she and Adrien had been in their own dystopian world, families and dog walkers wisely vacated earlier.

Adrien slid off his overcoat as he stood and threw it around Marinette, pulling her up and tugging her out of the park. They sprinted through the streets dotted with hurrying shopkeepers to the Boulangerie bakery. The bell chimed as they rushed in past her surprised parents before they could greet them. Violent emotions clashing inside her head, she took the lead and tugged on Adrien's hand to follow her up to her room hoping the hominess would ground her.

But when the trapdoor clicked, the turmoil unravelled off her suffocating heart.

"I was rejected last night."

Adrien stared at her, a little winded, a little wet. Water beads slid off the ends of his browning hair. "What?"

"This boy. I... I..."

He stepped forward. "There's a boy?" An unfriendly heat started in his eyes.

"I— He... I had this whole speech but— Oh why would you care!" She tossed her hands and looked down at the puddle they were forming. "I'm just tired and saying nonsense to anyone, apparently."

With a swelling heart, she tried to blink away the glossy film over her eyes. The world lifted as she'd let out her grief – her other friends couldn't know, Alya was all Nino's anyway since they'd both gotten "boyfriends", and the build-up had been eating her from the inside out. But why would she admit her rejection to Adrien of all people? Who would load an enemy's gun with bullets?

"No, I get it," he finally spoke. His hair was damp but in a way you'd think it was styled for a rugged commercial. Goodness, how could he still look like that after being drenched? She was sure her mascara ran and she felt her ponytail sticking to the back of her neck. It would make the upcoming bullying more humiliating. Yet instead he said, "I was... I was rejected, too."

"I'm not talking about art club, Adrien."

He bristled. More firmly, more vulnerably, he said, "I was rejected by the girl I'm in love with last night."

Anger seized her. "Wow. Very funny. Very funny, Adrien. Thank you, dear fake boyfriend, for your empathy—"

"Marinette, I'm serious." He gripped her shoulder, looking down at her. "She stood me up, then rejected me. That was my night."

She stared harshly back waiting for him to admit he was pranking her. The severe look softened frame by frame until she whispered, "That's so pathetic."

His brows lowered. "Thanks."

"No, I mean – Well, I do mean pathetic. For her." An intense loathing bubbled within her against Adrien's girl. It sickened her stomach and she didn't want to think about why. "It's just, the chances. You're you. You're a model. And you just... what? Poured your heart out for her? And she must be... crazy..."

A lopsided grin stretched over his mouth as he realised the equation she was working out. "Are you surprised someone rejected me?"

"Yes. No." She squinted, confused with herself. "Yes? I'm just... I'm sorry."