A Miraculous Tale: Peacock

Ch. 2

Marinette sighed heavily as she stared up at the daunting manor in front of her. She had always been intimidated but intrigued whenever she gazed upon it's massive gates, many security cameras, and modern style. Now, however, she was just annoyed.

She sighed again before lifting her finger to press the call button. A camera swiveled around right into her face.

"What are you here for?" A monotone voice asked.

Marinette scowled. She'd been wondering the same thing. "I'm working on a school project with Adrien." She said instead. The camera stared at her for a second before it swiveled back into place. The massive gates opened. After a moment's hesitation, Marinette walked through. She trudged up the marble steps and walked into the elegant foyer.

Adrien was waiting for her at the base of the staircase. He stood up as she walked in. He offered her a smile, but Marinette turned her head to study the walls instead.

The front door closed with a massive thud that made Marinette jump, and a woman cleared her throat.

"I will be close by if you need anything, Adrien." Natalie walked off. Adrien and Marinette stood there in an awkward silence that seemed to last hours. Finally, Adrien cleared his throat before taking a tentative step toward Marinette.

"I, um..." He cleared his throat again. "I just wanted to ask..." He took a deep breath and let his words tumble out. "Why-are-you-mad-at-me?"

Marinette started laughing. It wasn't the pleasant, cheerful, light hearted laugh she always had around Cat Noir. It was a scornful, angry laugh.

"Why are you laughing?" Adrien asked bluntly. Marinette stopped and eyed him. Then she turned her gaze back to the walls.

"Like I'm gonna fall for your stupid tricks again. Let's just get this project over with." She started to walk up the stairs, but Adrien blocked her. She tried to go around him, but he moved to where he was a constant, highly annoying, barrier.

"Move, Adrien." She growled.

"Not until you tell me why you are mad."

She shouldered her bookbag. "That's not gonna happen."

He shrugged. "I guess we're gonna be here all night then."

"Fine." She retorted. She walked back down the few steps she had climbed and sat on the bottom step. Adrien didn't move. They stayed that way for a long time, and tiny doubts began to creep into Marinette's mind. What if he truly doesn't know what happened? Kagami could have been lying, but she seemed so sincere. Ugg! Why does life have to be so difficult? She counted her breaths and tried to steady her thoughts, but the doubts wouldn't go away.

"Do you really not know?" She whispered; her soft voice was barely audible. She heard some shuffling, and a second later he was sitting next to her.

"I really, truly don't." He whispered back. Marinette studied her shoes. He used to be my friend. I used to trust him... would it be so bad if I trusted him one more time? Wouldn't he do the same for me? She took a deep breath and decided to take a leap of faith.

"That night, at the gala, Kagami came up to me. She said you and her were talking about me."

Adrien nodded. "That is true."

It took all of her willpower to continue the story. "Kagami said that you said you hated me." She bit her lip. "She named a whole list of hurtful things you said about me, so I went up to you and asked if it was true and you said yes."

"Every last word." Adrien finished in a hushed voice. Marinette nodded, remembering him saying those exact words to her when she'd asked him.

"When I said I meant every last word, I thought Kagami had been talking about something totally different."