17. Confrontations,Confessions,and Confusion

A/N: Hey guys, as promsied, here is the next chapter! And it is somehwat longer... This chapter is kind of a bridge between the action filled chapters and the emtion filled chapters. Hopefully from here on out we'll have a smooth ride, but I can't promsie anything because I am planning on having angst (my personal favorite thing and the one genre I can write the best).

Anyway, I still can't really grasp the concept that I have as many reviews as I do. Every ime I read a review, no matter how big or small it makes me smile and feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Then Sayuri eats them. So yeah, #FeedTheKwami!

Chapter 17: Confrontations, Confessions, and Confusion

"M'lady?" Adrien's voice sounded hoarse and weak. His eyes fluttered open, only to be immediately shut again. "Where am I?" he groaned. Marinette was frozen in place, so Alya decided to take over.

"You're at my house," she informed him. Adrien nodded stiffly, and then his eyes widened and he scrambled around like he was trying to sit up. "Don't move!" Alya hissed, putting a hand on his chest and pushing him back down.

"But what about Ladybug?" he asked weakly, shoving her hand off of him. Marinette's eyes were slowly filling with tears. After all of this happens to him and the first thing he was concerned about was Ladybug? She felt even more disgusting and dishonorable, if possible. How could one person be so selfless? Shouldn't he be worried about his injuries? His secret identity?

That thought must have occurred to Adrien too, because he suddenly gasped and groaned. "Oh crap, Alya, I can explain!" He looked panicked. "You see I was accidentally in the way of the akuma and-"

"Adrien, we know you're Chat Noir," Alya dead panned. The model gulped nervously.

"Oh, r-right," he said weakly. He peered over Alya's shoulder at Marinette. "Hey Marinette," he greeted, his voice lanced with pain. "I need to get back to Ladybug! The akuma!"

"Adrien, you aren't going anywhere while you're hurt this badly! Ladybug already took care of the akuma!" Alya told him. Relief instantly washed across his face, followed by a wince.

"Right," he responded, voice sounding breathy. "She didn't get hurt, did she?"

Marinette had yet to move. She wished she could disappear through a hole in the ground. She wished that the growing pit in her stomach would swallow her up. She wished that she could ignore the way his voice sent pangs of guilt rolling over her like waves and drowning her. He deserved more than this. He was so worried about the partner that had hated him and thought he was such a horrible person. He should be more worried about himself! Alya agreed.

"OH MY GOSH, AGRESTE! AREN'T YOU EVEN SLIGHTLY WORRIED ABOUT YOURSELF?"

Adrien looked down, moving his non-broken arm around on the sheets. "Am I…going to be okay?" he asked quietly. Alya turned exasperatingly to Marinette. This was not at all how she had imagined Adrien waking up to go. She had certainly expected it to be more….dramatic.

Like, she didn't know, the thrilling revelation of their identities, or the bitter-sweet meeting of two lovers. Maybe even a fight. Or Marinette hugging him enthusiastically. Adrien being a bit more responsive. A kiss, for god's sake!

Alya had pictured the unmasking of Ladybug and Chat Noir in a hundred different ways. Sweet reveals, cute reveals, funny reveals, angsty reveals, hopelessly romantic reveals, sinful reveals…..She had read (and written although she would never admit it) a ton of Fanfiction drabbles, oneshots, and fics focused solely on what the big reveal would look like. This shy awkward tenseness, Marinette's inability to face the music, and Adrien's little to no responsiveness was NOT satisfying her inner Ladybug fan.

"Marinette?" Alya said slowly. "You can't avoid this forever."

Marinette took a deep breath, let it out, and burst into tears. Adrien looked startled and taken aback. "I'm so sorry Adrien!" Marinette sobbed.

"Sorry for what?" he asked. He tried to shift his body a bit to look at the crying girl better, but the fire in his side and the aches and groans from everywhere else in his body quickly put an end to that idea.

"Oh Chat...Adrien...I'm so so so so so so sorry!" Marinette apologized again. She all but flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him close, burying her head in his shoulder. Adrien suppressed a groan as he was jostled around slightly, but he didn't shake the girl off. Marinette was clinging to him like he was going to disappear any second.

"What are you sorry for, Marinette?" he managed to get out through clenched teeth. He felt the dizziness returning. Marinette suddenly jumped backwards, shaking herself and trying to hurriedly brush away her tears.

"Oh gosh, I didn't mean to-you shouldn't have to deal with-I just-" Marinette babbled. She took a deep breath. "Where do I even start?" she asked in a low whisper.

There was so much she wanted to say to him right now, but where could she even begin? 'Hey Adrien, sorry that I assumed you had kidnapped yourself and because of me you're so hurt we're not even really sure you can fully recover, and by the way I'm Ladybug, your partner and the one person who should have seen this was a set up and saved you, and so now I'm finally realizing how selfish and despicable I am and I'm giving up being Ladybug for good, so goodbye'?

"I would suggest starting with your alter ego, so as to avoid confusion," said Alya exasperatingly. She understood what her friend was feeling, she really did. Mari had screwed up. And the one thing Alya knew about Marinette was that if she screwed up, she beat herself up for it over and over again, unwilling to let it go and get over it even after the problem had been fixed or she'd been forgiven.

"Alter ego?" Adrien questioned. Was his confusedness because of his dizziness, or his pounding head, or because something bigger that was happening here that he didn't understand? He didn't know how exactly the girls had gotten him to Alya's house. He knew it was a few blocks away from the akuma attack, though.

Maybe Ladybug had requested that they take care of him? Maybe she had just left, knowing that eventually paramedics of some kind would come. He had no idea. He didn't want to be a burden to Alya, but he could barely move so he really had no choice at this point. And he still didn't know what Marinette was sorry for. Marinette had never really been able to talk to Adrien. He hoped it wasn't because of the gum incident. He thought that they had worked that out...

Tikki finally decided to make it easier on Marinette. She flew right in front of Adrien's face and introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Tikki. I am Ladybug's kwami!"

If it was possible for Adrien's face to get any paler, it would have. "But...Ladybug...then..." his voice trailed off as he looked up. "Marinette?"

Finally, Marinette couldn't take it any more. "Adrien I'm so sorry! After we had that fight I was really angry and I wasn't thinking and then Adrien disappeared and I couldn't find you anywhere and I thought you-uh-Chat Noir, had kidnapped Adrien because I'm such a horrible person and I completely doubted how amazing and kind and selfless you are and then I got some kind of ransom note signed with Chat's paw print but in Adrien's blood..." She paused to take a breath.

"And then I was really convinced that Chat Noir had kidnapped Adrien and so I hated you and I never even thought about the fact that you could be in trouble and that it was a really a set up the whole time to make me think that you had kidnapped Adrien when you were Adrien and I should have seen through the facade and I didn't because I was blinded by my own selfishness and you got so badly hurt and it is all my fault and I am so, so, so, soooo sorry!"

The tears that were streaming down her face returned in ten fold and she choked on a sob, burying her hands in her face as she turned away from him. "And...and you can h-h-hate me for this," she hiccuped. "And I w-won't ever l-l-let you down again because I'm giving up being Ladybug to someone more worthy than I am!"

Adrien stared in horror. The fact that Marinette had thought that Chat Noir, her partner and best friend, had kidnapped someone did sting a bit. But just a bit. First of all, he had to wrap his head around the fact that sweet, shy, stuttering, clumsy Marinette was the bold, sassy, confident Ladybug. But it made sense. Her hair, eyes, the way she carried herself... how hadn't he noticed it before? Marinette was brave and stood up for what she believed in.

Second of all. Ladybug, the person he had fallen in love with since day one, the person he admired most in the world for her bravery and self-sacrifice, who was his classmate and the one girl he had actually noticed and might have considered loving if not for Ladybug, wanted to give up her miraculous because she thought she was selfish?

Pain be damned, Adrien reached over and grabbed Marinette's arm, yanking her down to eye level and staring straight into her pretty bluebell eyes. "Listen to me, Marinette, Ladybug, whichever you prefer, you aren't selfish. You chose to sacrifice so much of yourself and your life when you became Ladybug. There's no way you could ever be selfish enough to make a difference in how I, or Paris, sees you."

"But you got hurt! You could have died, kitty! I was holding you in my arms and there was blood everywhere! I should have realized...I should have prevented it!" Marinette insisted.

"There was really nothing you could have done, Marinette. You wouldn't have been able to find Hawkmoth's lair even if you did realize what was happening. You and I have only been searching for what, two years now?" he consoled her.

"Besides," he continued. "Receiving a note with my signature, something only you and I have seen, in Adrien's blood only backed up your theory. I don't blame you. You didn't know my secret identity," he fidgeted a bit. He felt really tired, and he wanted to go back to sleep, but he wouldn't let himself. Not when Marinette was on the brink of giving up her powers.

"But if I had just trusted you enough to reveal our identities, then none of this would have happened," Marinette blurted out.

"Marinette, when Hawkmoth had me, he tortured me to try and find out your secret identity. If I had known what it was, I might have broken. Especially if he had used my father or someone else as persuasion. Then you and all your family and friends would have been in danger. You didn't want that to happen," Adrien sighed. It hurt to talk. Screaming so much had really torn up his throat.

"I know, but its still my fault," Marinette sniffled.

"Technically Marinette, its my fault. I went to check on you when you were fighting the akumatized Trapper, even though you told me you never wanted to see me again. That's how I got captured," Adrien admitted with a sigh.

"The rooftop...the vent...those marks...your claws..." Adrien nodded. "Why did you come to the fight, you stupid cat?" Marinette's lame attempt at a joke felt wrong on her tongue, especially because of the despair in her voice.

"I couldn't let you get hurt," Adrien said weakly. "I love you too much..."

"I don't deserve your love," Marinette mumbled.

"Well, that's just too bad, m'lady. Because now you're stuck with it. We'll get through this together, you'll see. You'll feel better later. The last few days have been rather cat-astrophic."

Adrien was surprised when Marinette pulled him close for a bone-crushing hug. She buried her head in his shoulder and ran her fingers through his hair.

"I don't deserve this forgiveness," she whispered into his ear.

"Too bad, because you've got it," Adrien murmured back.

"Chaton, I have a secret."

"Oh, and what is it?"

"I actually like your puns," Marinette admitted in a whisper. Despite the pain that was still running through his body, Adrien felt a grin spread across his face.

"I knew it!" he announced triumphantly. Then he cringed and hissed in pain. Marinette immediately released him and backed up. "Sorry," he apologized through clenched teeth.

"For what? It's my fault that you got hurt. I don't care what you say kitten, I'll never forgive myself," Marinette said, looking at the floor. Adrien didn't respond. A wave of dizziness washed over him as he sank back down and laid his head on the pillow. He felt nauseous.

"Adrien?" Marinette said. Adrien groaned in response, twisting a bit and biting back the scream that arose in his throat. His side burned. His wrist ached. His leg felt as though someone had just run a fork over his wound. "Chat? Chat!"

Adrien watched as the world disappeared and became a bunch of blurry images, hardly recognizable blurs. Words were just noise, and they held no meaning as they rang in his ears. He looked up drowsily. Blue eyes...Marinette...Ladybug...

Meanwhile, as Adrien went glassy-eyed Marinette went into full on panic mode. Alya and Tikki, who had been having a silent conversation in the corner, immediately came over.

"Adrien is in bad shape, Marinette," Tikki told the girl. "And so is Plagg. But if we can get Plagg to Master Fu and heal him, then Adrien can transform into Chat Noir and the suit will help him heal faster. But we need to hurry. Every minute we wait they both get worse!"

Suddenly, a voice interrupted their conversation. "Alya! Time to get up for school or you'll be late!"

"Shoot, my mom!" Alya said. "Okay, plan. I go downstairs and act like there's nothing weird going on, you transform and sneak out my window. You take Plagg to this Master Fu guy-"

"I'm not leaving him!" Marinette interrupted, cradling Adrien's head in her lap. His eyes were closed, but his chest was rising and falling unsteadily and each breath seemed like an effort. Alya huffed in annoyance.

"Fine, I'll take Plagg and Tikki downstairs with me, pretend I'm leaving for school, and then take them to Master Fu. You can stay with your kitty cat," Alya said. Her eyes widened. "Shoot, what about your parents?"

"I'll text them and say I went to your house last night and I ended up..falling asleep and now I have to head to school with you or I'll be late."

"Okay, perfect," Alya agreed. "Okay, come on, little kwaji, or whatever you are."

"Kwami," Tikki corrected.

"Whatever. Where can I put the unconscious one, Plagg?"

"We can just ride in your bag," Tikki said. She lifted Plagg up and gently set him inside of Alya's bag.

"Hurry," Marinette said. Alya nodded, determination lighting up in her eyes. She headed down the stairs, making sure to shut her bedroom door behind her. Hopefully none of her siblings would decide to get nosy today.

Once she was gone, Marinette looked back down at the unconscious boy in her lap. How could she have done this to her best friend? Her partner? He had trusted her, and she felt like she had stabbed him in the back. She wasn't the person who injured him, but she might as well be.

Marinette sighed. The road to recovery would not be an easy one. They would have to take it one step at a time. Together. If they ever even trusted each other again. Only time would tell if both the physical and mental wounds would ever truly heal.

A/N: And there you go! I hope you enjoyed it! For any of you that may be confused or disappointed with this chapter, I tried to write what I feel the realistic situation would be like, some some perfect reveal or completely awkward free situation. Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing and have a great day!