Second Place. Number Two. Deux. So damn close to getting what Marinette Dupain-Cheng wants yet so far away.

Adrien Agreste is completely unattainable at this rate. He doesn't get any of her hints, and he's always talking about Ladybug. If Marinette didn't have to keep that a secret, she would have revealed it by now. She's just so tired of trying anymore.

Patrolling the city eases her mind a little, and seeing Chat Noir cheers her up. He never fails to make her smile, even if he can be a little annoying.

Maybe… maybe she could… no.

It would be pure idiocy to try and go after Chat. Sure, he's absolutely in love with her, but trying to date as superheroes? Unable to know civilian identities? Only getting fleeting moments between protecting their home from Papillion? It's utterly ridiculous, yet…

"M'lady? Is there something on your mind?" Chat prods, waving a hand in front of her face. They're taking a short break from hopping from building to building, sitting on top of what looks like a department store. "I know I'm devilishly good looking, but I never thought it would distract you that much!"

Ladybug sighs. The Marinette inside of her sighs, too. "Chat, I'm… conflicted." She pauses to take in a sharp breath, eyes darting to quick movement. It's only a pigeon. "The… the guy I like, well, he likes someone else. And I'm tired of putting my heart out there only for it to be crushed to bits. And… I think I might be willing to accept your affections. I know, it's stupid and selfish, but I don't think I can survive one more day of him completely disregarding my obvious feelings!"

Chat shakes his head. "No, no, no, Ladybug, I don't want you to be with me just because you're desperate. I… I want you to love me, too." He turns away, and his voice is barely audible. "I don't want you to pity date me."

Did it really sound like that?

"I do love you, Chat. I just. I need something. It gets so lonely." Ladybug rubs at her eyes. A lump in her throat forms and she just wants to tear her vocal chords from the column of her throat so she stops saying stupid shit. "Please."

Chat looks conflicted. He rests his hand on hers, eyes downcast. "No, no you don't." He stands, bounding away into the distance from rooftop to rooftop.

Marinette goes home to cry into her pillow, skip dinner, and ignore all of her texts.

Adrien goes to school the next day to find Marinette not there. He's worried - of course he is. One of his best friends isn't at school after a night of not replying to any of his texts. He glances at said messages, hoping for something new.

[5:47 PM] noirwannabe: Hey!

[6:30 PM] noirwannabe: Marinette?

[7:02 PM] noirwannabe: Are you okay? Alya is worried.

[9:50 PM] noirwannabe: I'm sorry if I did something to upset you. Can you please just let one of us know if you're okay?

[1:33 AM] noirwannabe: I'm sorry.

[7:45 AM] noirwannabe: Hey Mari! Coming to school today?

[8:27 AM] noirwannabe: Alright, hope you feel better soon.

Seen

Great. So she's absolutely ignoring him. He rests his head in his hands, still staring at the texts. What could he be doing wrong? All he wanted was to be a good friend to Marinette and this is how it went. Even Alya is confused as to why Marinette isn't replying to anyone. She's always on her phone if she isn't busy doing a sketch.

Adrien jumps when Nino pats him on the back, scrambling to turn off his phone. Now he not only seems like a shitty friend, but a lunatic, too.

"Hey man, I know you're worried, but Ms. Bustier is gonna be pissed if she sees you on your phone," Nino whispers, passing the notes over to him. "I wrote down the notes for you."

"Th… Thanks, Nino," Adriens whispers back, starting to copy the notes mindlessly. He's not taking in any of the information, but honestly? He doesn't even care. Fuck his dad's high expectations. He can have one day to slack.

[9:57] noirwannabe: I'm coming over after school.