A/N: I have wanted to do this for a long time. I love this story and I have the last chapter but I want to fix this mess up. So stay with me as I re-write it and enjoy.
It was a dark night when Marinette Dupain-Cheng was walking home. She was hanging out at Alya's when she got a text from her dad telling her it was getting late and he and her mum wanted her home. She walked holding her bag and head low with only the street lamps to provide light to the sidewalk. She could hear faint footsteps coming from the direction she was walking. She turned to see if anyone was following her and nobody was there. But before she could turn her head back around she bumped into someone. They grabbed her forearms preventing her from falling. She looked up to meet dark brown eyes with a mop of fawn hair on top of his head. He looked well into his mid-twenties.
"I'm sorry I didn't see where I was going and I thought someone was following me so I turned around-" She was rambling.
"It's alright." He said calmly. She stopped on her long description to look back at him. He leaned down a bit and Marinette moved her head back.
"Well- um thank you for catching me. But I really have to get home." She tried to budge his grip on her arms but it was tight. She struggled and pulled her arms but he just laughed lowly. He walked forward, pushing her into a wall. She was breathing heavily and tears were stinging her eyes.
"Let me go!" She screamed.
"Make it up to me." He laughed more and lowered his head and started sucking on her neck. The man pinned her arms over her head with one hand and slipped his other hand under her shirt sliding it up slowly to her chest. Marinette whimpered and cried, she screamed for help but no one heard her.
After the man left Marinette was paralyzed and half naked. Her body felt numb and tears wouldn't stop falling down her expressionless face. Her throat dry and she could taste the salt of her tears. She dropped to the ground, down the wall her knee's bent and screamed. It hurt. Everything hurt. She knew things like this would happen, she was warned to be safe, to be smart. But she wasn't smart and now she was anything but safe. Marinette hated this feeling. Feeling empty but flooding with emotion. Feeling betrayed but like she deserved it.
Walking home was worse than anything. Entering the bakery to see her parents worried faces turn into horror as they saw their daughter with tear-streaked cheeks and bruises was worse than anything. Skipping school with her phone vibrating on her desk as she laid in bed staring at the ceiling was worse than anything.
Insomnia took her sleep and that man took her innocence. Insecurities filled her mind and low self-esteem took her smile.
She couldn't sleep and every time she even tried she woke up shaking and wondering why when she didn't have a dream, it was a nightmare she couldn't remember. Every time she tried to sleep she woke up with an empty feeling and a dark aura.
Marinette hasn't been to school for the past three weeks. Her parents called the school and explained why without going into detail and she was so thankful. But after a while, there were no more forgotten nightmares and she chuckled a little whenever her dad cracked a joke.
She came to school early on Monday. When the class filed in and saw her in her assigned seat they raced to her asking her questions about her sudden disappearance and why whenever they visited she didn't want to see them.
Alya walked in and everyone stopped. Well, to Marinette. She still hasn't explained why she's been ignoring her. 'Will she forgive me?' She asked herself. When Marinette saw Alya's face she died a little more. Alya looked pissed. She was trying to get to her seat through the crowd but when she saw Marinette's face she paused and her eyes widened.
"Move it!" She demanded to the people around her. Alya ran to her seat and jumped with wide arms. She wrapped her arms around Mariette and squeezed tight.
"You're okay." Alya whispered. Marinette froze and didn't say anything because she was far from okay.
The teacher walked in and told everyone to take their seat commenting on how wild they were. When she saw Marinette she looked shocked but didn't say anything besides giving Marinette a warm smile and a polite nod. Marinette was thankful for not getting any more attention than she already got.
Classes were alright. Marinette tried her best to pay attention and not let any thoughts she knew were bad invade her peace of mind. But that all changed when Marinette was in the library with Alya. She put her head down for two seconds and she was asleep. It happened again. The forgotten nightmare. It scared her so much she couldn't wake up. Alya shook Marinette's arm and called her name. Marinette sprung up almost screaming. She let out a high pitched screech that drew attention from the people around them. It was the first time she ever screamed from a nightmare. 'Why was it different?' She wondered.
"Marinette." Marinette looked at her best friend and couldn't take the look she was giving her. The look on Alya's face wasn't something she wanted to see. She didn't want to be reminded she wasn't okay, that something was wrong, that she wasn't her. Marinette pushed her chair back and bolted out of the room making her way to the bathroom. Alya shouted her name calling for her to come back. She followed Marinette's lead and swung the bathroom door to hear whimpers and heavy breathing.
"Marinette?" The sounds stop but it was still clear that someone was crying. The pause answered Alya's question and she knocked on the only closed stall door.
"Open up." Alya said. Her voice soft and kind but firm. It was something Marinette admired of her friend. She could never be like that. She couldn't be strong. She couldn't be firm or demanding. She was weak and she hated that.
"Tell me what's wrong." That made Marinette think. How could she say that she wasn't okay because she couldn't protect herself and someone took advantage of her in the most normal way possible? She couldn't, but she tried. Marinette slowly unlocked the door and opened it, the door slowly creaking to reveal her friend in glasses standing in front of her with a curious and worried face.
"That night I left your place something really bad happened." Mariette looked at her shoes unable to look at Alya. Her breath still uneven but she wanted to keep going.
"Th-there was this guy who I bumped i-into... I didn't g-get home safe." Marinette looked up and saw Alya with tears in her eyes. Marinette could barely see through her own tears. Marinette couldn't hold the weight anymore and she didn't have to. She finally told Alya and that was something Marinette didn't have to worry about anymore. Her knee's started to tremble and Alya hugged her. There, they both cried.
"You're okay now. It's over. You're safe." Alya whispered repeatedly.
Even though it was over she was far from okay. And she hasn't felt safe in a long time.
The two girls were late for their next class. Alya didn't care but Marinette for some odd reason felt flooded with guilt and wanted to cry again. The rest of school felt like forever for Marinette. Each minute in slow motion as she paid attention and wrote whatever the teacher said to. She hated this feeling. One she couldn't describe but she knew of and it somehow controlled her life. Like it was her life. She didn't want to live the rest of her life like that. Like she had to because there was no other choice.
The painful classes of school finished and Marinette was scared for whatever was next to happen. Alya wanted to walk Marinette home but she said no and Alya's mum called her saying she needed to babysit. So, Alya left her friend and Marinette walked home paranoid of every person that passed her. Passing a building with an open door she heard grunting and she really needed something to distract her. Marinette walked into the building to see two people in a fighting ring. Both male and shirtless. She recognised one as the school's bad boy Adrien Agreste. Whoever he was fighting against he was beating the crap out of.
Marinette stood there watching the two fight. For once something wasn't in slow motion and it didn't cause any dark thoughts or a feeling of unknown. Instead, it lit a fire in her chest and she felt a need. It was something she couldn't describe and she wasn't scared of that. Adrien could feel someone watching him and when he glanced at Marinette he smirked and she blushed. She looked over to see a counter with a lady in a chair on her phone. She walked over and cleared her throat gaining the attention of the lady. The lady got up with a smile on her face and walked closer to the counter.
"What can I do for ya' darling?" The lady asked.
"I'd like to join." Marinette said quietly. The lady nodded and gave her a few papers.
"Sign these and then get changed in the changing rooms over their." The lady pointed towards a door that led to what Marinette guessed was the changing rooms. Marinette did everything the lady told her to do.
"What do I do when I get changed?" Marinette asked taking the membership card she was given.
"Wait in the ring and your instructor should be there."
Marinette got changed in the changing rooms into a white crop top and black shorts and tied her hair back into one pigtail.
When she walked under the rubber ropes and into the ring she got tossed a roll of tape. She looked up not expecting Adrien Agreste to stand in front of her.
"Wrap it around your hand to your wrist." He said. After she did that that he walked up to her and put his hands on her hips. She jumped back and shoved him.
"Jeez. I was just trying to help." He put his hands up.
"Help with what?" Marinette barked.
"Your stance." Marinette blushed a little at her foolishness.
"Let me see it."
"See what?" Adrien laughed and tilted his head back.
"Your stance."
"Oh." Marinette moved her right foot back and raised her knuckles in front of her. Adrien analysed her. He walked over and adjusted her into fixing the way her feet were putting them shoulder-width apart. He raised her fist to be in front of her face instead of her chest.
"Okay, so first off I want to see if you can throw a proper punch, make sure your knuckles are straight and keep your arm straight when you hit." He said adjusting her hand slowly pulling out her arm showing her how to do it. She threw a punch at his face and Adrien leant back dodging it. He felt the air slice when her fist past him.
"Damn for a little lady that's a pretty big punch." Adrien said with a smirk.
"For a little lady, I bet it hurts harder than it looks." Marinette responded dropping her smiled and handed her boxing gloves. The rest of the hour he showed her simple moves and they had sparred a little at the end.
"And that's the end of the first lesson." Adrien said packing up.
"One more hour at least." Marinette said out of breath.
"It's past closing hours." He replied.
"So?" She said huffing.
"Are you trying to learn how to fight or get more time with me?" He said with a smirk coming so close to Marinette there was barely any space between their chests.
"Are you letting me stay cause you want to spend more time with me?'' She fired back smirking and looking up at the blond boy. He rose his eyebrow impressed with the comeback. He hoped his facial expression deceived the inner turmoil in his chest.
"J-just pack up." He said turning around. Marinette smiled a little and unwrapped the tape around her hands. She got changed and left the changing rooms to walk out with Adrien.
"See ya short stuff!" Adrien said walking in the different direction.
"I'm not short you're just a jerk!" Marinette shouted.
An hour with a person could do a lot to you. Marinette walked the short distance to her house feeling worn out and herself again but it didn't last long. The sudden change in her emotions made her question why. Just what she needed. More confusion on top of it all.