Butterfly Of Darkness

Adrien's POV

I watch as Mari runs out of the courtyard in tears and I scowl at Chloe. She is smirking and looking at Marinette run. She seems amused by the despair she caused poor Marinette.

"Chloe, I don't even know what to say besides this. I am ashamed that I have called you my friend all these years. What you just did was horrible and completely unnecessary! You should be ashamed!" I practically shout at her.

She winces at the sudden harshness in my voice and her smirk quickly turns to a frown. I know she doesn't feel regrettful for what she did, only cast down by my reaction to it. How did she expect me to react?

"But Adrikins! W-" I cut her off.

"No Chloe! I can't stand your excuses! There is none for this!" I snap.

She huffs and begins striding away before Alya stops her in her tracks.

"Oh no you don't! I got some things to say to you missy!" Her finger in Chloe's face and she is on the tips of her toes to tower over the snobby blonde.

I walk away as Alya begins cussing and yelling at her. Nino tries to pull his girlfriend away from Chloe but the brunette holds her ground. I know it isn't my fault but for some reason I still feel guilt for what happened to Mari. I walk to the entrance of the school and see Marinette bawling on the bottom step. She lets out a wail to the heavens and continues to sob.

I have never seen Marinette like this, Chloe has been cruel to her before and it hardly affected the dark haired girl. I have never seen Marinette cry, I haven't even seen her scream before. Marinette always seemed to be the constructive and optimistic type. Seeing her this way shattered my heart into a million pieces. It made me enraged and sympathetic.

I softly step down the stairs and lower my self in front of her. She ignores my presence, her head and face is buried in her arms.

"Marinette. . ." I pause and she lifts her head to look at me.

Her eyes are red from crying but the deep mystic blue of her eyes still stands out. I don't even bother finishing my sentence and embrace her in a hug. She stiffens in surprise before giving in and hugging me back. She sniffles and I rub her back.

We stand up and she cries harder onto my shoulder. I make sushing sounds to try and soothe her and continue to rub her back.

"It's okay Mari, I'm here for you." I remind her.

She takes a deep and shaky breath trying to calm herself. Her hot breath against my shoulder gives me a tingly feeling. She moves her head downward and presses her forehead against my chest.

I pull away from her gently and hold her fragile hands. She sniffles and gives me a look of question. I begin to dance with her, my arms are outstretched and still holding her hands. She begins to move with me and I spin her around. She lets out a giggle.

We continue to do this for a few minutes until she is smiling and her sapphire eyes are twinkling again.

I wrap my arms around her waist and pick her up. Marinette lets out a gasp in shock and holds on to my shoulders. I swing her around in my arms and she eventually extended her arms. The dark haired girl lets out her delightful, and adorable laugh. I set her down and she wipes away her tears from earlier.

"Thank you Adrien. For understanding and being here." She says gingerly.

"Of course. Like I told you already, I will always be here for you. That's what friends are for." I reply.

Her head lowers at my response and for a second I think I said something wrong. Her body is still against mine and her hands are holding me tight. Suddenly she raises her head up and kisses me. It was delicate and short, I didn't even have enough time to kiss her back, or I would have. She pulls away quickly and turns her head downward again.

I cup her chin and look deep into her fantastical eyes. I kiss her long and hard, nothing like her innocent peck. She tenses immediately but begins to kiss me back and soften her stance. Her hands grip the back of my shirt while I hold her hips close to me.

Marinette is the one to pull away after only seconds of kissing. I want more but respect her enough to control myself. I still hold her body close and she still holds mine.

She kissed me, then I kissed her! What just happened? I think as I remember the taste of her.

Her lips were tender and soft. They tasted like cookies, strawberries and everything deliciously sweet. I am broken from my thoughts when Marinette clears her throat.

"Adrien would you like to join me on my walk home?" She asks.

"Of course! Are your parents home?" I respond.

"No, they are at a baking convention in Lille. I have to change then maybe we can talk a bit about what happened tonight? Or watch a movie together?" Marinette says.

"If you are comfortable I would like to talk a bit about what just happened." I comment.

She chuckles and waves her hand beckoning me to follow her. Marinette has already begun walking in the direction of the bakery and I have to jog to catch up with her.

The night breeze has a slight chill to it, I see a shiver run up Marinette's spine and I immediately take off the jacket of my tuxedo. I place it over her shoulders and she quickly slips her arms into the sleeves.

"Wont you be cold? You only have a thin long sleeve." She says with concern.

"I will be fine, you are wet and its cold tonight. You need it more than I do." I reassure her.

She turns her face away, blushing again. I almost laugh at the awkwardness between us tonight. The million times we blushed, the falling into each other arms and the stuttering.

We make it to the street in front of her home and cross it. There isn't a car in sight. the city is bright and striking.

We continue walking to the entrance in silence. Neither of us knowing what to say. Once at the front door Marinette pulls out her house key.

She jiggles it in the doorknob and pushes the door open. The lights are shut off and shadows are cast all over the room. It turns the delicious smelling and sweet bakery into a haunted abandoned attic. Mari flicks on the light and the dark instantly goes away.

Mari is my light. Whenever I am with her, my sadness and darkness fades away revealing my true self. I become a better person when she is with me. Her courage and intelligence, even her stubbornness and clumsiness makes her perfect.

Marinette leads the way to her home above the bakery and we sit down in her room. The pink walls and cushions. The cleanliness of it. I smell her perfume and it fills my nose. This sends a shock of electricity down my spine.

Marinette takes her heels off while still walking to her bed. She rips off my jacket and gently places it on her dresser. She throws the heels across the room and plops her face into her pillow. I blink, puzzled.

"Are you okay Marinette?" I ask her.

She doesn't answer at first. Her face still shoved in her pillow. After a few silent moments she picks herself up to look my in my eyes.

"I am not sure. . . I mean, I am not as upset as earlier but my dress is still ruined. I am proud because I finally worked up the courage to kiss you and you actually kissed me back. I don't know what that means! I don't know how to react! I don't know even how I feel! I am confused and sad and happy all at once!" She practically screams at me, throwing her hands into the air and then covering her lovely face.

I put myself in the chair near her desk and stare at her sympathetically. She needs my support, I know it. I just don't know how to support her.

I get back up and make my way to the bed, sitting next to the confused girl. I then put my arm around her shoulders. Mari leans against me. She then begins sobbing once again, shaking and whimpering while holding tightly to me. Her grip on my shirt is firm I hold her close to me and begin rocking back and forth. I'm afraid that if I let her go she will fade away, I fear that she will leave and never come back. Judging by her tight grip to me I assume she feels the same. She needs me and I am not leaving her.

Lifting her face up I wipe away her tears. Each time I wipe them away they are replaced with fresh tears. I kiss her forehead and continue to hush her. I try in any way I can to support her.

All of a sudden I hear fluttering and tapping at the window. I slowly lift my head up and see it. You can barely see it in the night sky but there is no doubting it.

An Akuma