Marinette couldn't sleep. It didn't matter how much she tried to, it was all in vain. She felt sick, and completely insignificant. It wasn't like her to allow other people's values of her define her, but it had started to strike a nerve.

She was envious.

Adrien slept so peacefully beside her. It hurt to watch him sleep. The blunette glanced out the balcony windows, her heart feeling taut within her chest. The pale moonlight reflected off of her fair freckled skin and she glanced down at the phone at her side.

Feeling defeated against the fight for sleep, she had sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

Her feet touched the cold hardwood floor and she grabbed her phone. A mix of emotions began to course through her veins. She refused to feel pity for herself, but she had felt so disappointed and vulnerable.

She had let her guard down. She had allowed him to convince her to move here with all of this unnecessary space, only for him to abandon her in it.

She wanted to hate him, but she couldn't find it in herself to direct her anger towards him in any way. Perhaps she was just as helpless as he was. But it didn't seem fair.

Marinette sighed, accepting the fact that it was simply who she was. She always gave and gave until she was left with nothing while never expecting anything in return.

She ran a hand through her dark hair with a grimace, lines of fatigue deepening under her eyes. It had been a horrible night, a night for walking in on people. Marinette had never been so unlucky in her life.

First, she walked in on Nino and Alya, and secondly she had the unfortunate pleasure to walk in on Kagami and Adrien. She couldn't get either of those images from her head.

Her heart truly ached.

She couldn't unsee the way Kagami was wrapped around Adrien, the two about ready to do much more than what she walked in on. Marinette couldn't help but to eye the marks from Kagami's kisses on Adrien's neck throughout the night. She wasn't able to hold up conversations before bed the way they usually did.

In fact, Marinette wasn't even sure she could sleep in the same bed as him anymore. Everything was just coming down way too fast. The female bit her lip, tears pooling in her eyes. She could only allow herself to cry while he was asleep. He wouldn't be able to see her cry.

Marinette stood up, grabbing her phone and wandering over to the bathroom. She stubbornly closed the door, exhaling the moment she locked it. She placed her phone on to the edge of the sink and began to pace. Her hands gripped into her dark hair, her lips pressing together tautly as the anxiety that began to build inside of her was making her sick.

Her legs felt tingly and her toes curled into the cool tiles of the bathroom floor. She was back at square one. She was going to do the only thing she knew how to do.

She was going to run.

Tears spilled down her face, she felt so incredibly foolish. The tiny voice inside of her head scolded her for being so careless and unsuspecting. A steady and logical woman always listened to her brain instead of the heart.

Why did she make such an incautious decision?

Marinette paused, her chest tightening as she cried silently. She reached up, her digits frantically wiping away her tears. As her cheeks grew pink and her eyes swelled from crying, the young woman grabbed her phone from the sink. Marinette knew she had no place to go, but she also knew that she couldn't stay here. It was pure emotional torment.

She glanced down at her phone screen, knowing that it was too late to take back her moving notice from her landlord at her old apartment. She'd have to put down a deposit and first month's rent. She couldn't afford that price. If she started saving for that price, the apartment would likely be rented out by then.

Marinette pulled up Luka's contact, her heart thumping all the way up into her throat as her finger hovered over the call button. She bit her lip, sniffling as she felt as if every fiber of her being was completely shattered. The female shook her head, locking her phone once more. She wasn't sure if she could turn to Alya, at least not yet. Especially not after what she had walked on only hours before.

Marinette opened the door, poking her head into the master bedroom. Her blue eyes glanced upon Adrien stirring in his sleep.

She exhaled, very meticulously exiting the bathroom to rummage through her wardrobe. Marinette quickly threw some of her clothes on the hardwood floor. She kneeled down into her closet, tugging her shoes from the shoe rack.

She crawled towards the bed, very carefully reaching under the bed to pull out her suitcase. She wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. The blunette dumped as much as she could inside of her suitcase, tucking in all her favorite shirts and underwear into the corners. She closed the suitcase, latching it shut before she stood up and put on her sneakers.

Of course she was still wearing her nightgown, and if it meant she'd have to walk miles and miles wearing nothing but this to get away from this, she would.

It wasn't all bad to be around Adrien, but Marinette had felt so emotionally disturbed, she really felt like she needed a break. Besides, summer was the perfect season to walk, at least she wouldn't be too cold. The blunette gripped on to her suitcase, her blue eyes lowering down to Adrien who slept with his face in the pillows. Her heart had started to feel heavy once more, but she hoped he didn't take it personal.

It was never meant to be personal.

_________________________________________

The sun warmed his skin, and Adrien was completely submerged in his soft blankets. A wide smile spread across his face the moment he turned over and sprawled out against the bed. He knew he had a pleasant dream with waking up in such a good mood.

The male yawned, stretching within the bedsheets. His hands began to roam into the space beside him. A small frown appeared across his lips the moment he came up empty.

He perked up, furrowing his brow and lifting himself up sluggishly to glance at the empty spot where Marinette would have been. He sat up, rubbing the back of his neck groggily.

"Marinette?" He asked, almost half expecting her to be in the bathroom, another room or perhaps downstairs enjoying a cup of coffee. He rubbed his eyes, sliding off the bed and dragging himself towards the bathroom. Finding it empty, he wandered back into the hallways, going through all the rooms, and coming up with nothing. Adrien began to feel a bit of panic, his heart tightening in his chest as he descended the stairs.

Everything was left the way that it was the night before. The pink pillows on the couch remained disheveled from the night he and Kagami almost made love right before Marinette had walked in. Adrien turned, walking to the kitchen in a panic.

"Marinette?" He asked, his voice echoing throughout the hall. The blonde wandered throughout the entire house, the yard and in the back where the pool was, and found no sign of Marinette.

He had seen her wedges that she wore from work by the slider doors the night before, but this time around they were gone. It was too early in the day for her to be at work, unless she had been out with Alya and made sure she was quiet before she left.

Much to his dismay, the house was empty. He was the only one in it. Adrien ran a hand through his hair, lightly tugging at his locks before he turned away and began to stumble clumsily back up to his room. With a solemn expression, the blonde swiped his phone off the bedside table. He was worried about her. He wondered if she was alright and if he did something wrong. The blonde pulled up her contact, his digit pressing into the call button.

_________________________________________

Marinette glanced down at her phone, her brow furrowing as it vibrated relentlessly in the palm of her hand. She had taken Adrien's advice the day before.

Seeing as though he was her roommate, she had assigned him his own ringtone. She didn't even have to look at her phone to know that he was calling yet again.

With no desire to even hear his voice, Marinette had pressed the ignore option and sighed. She placed the phone into the pocket of her apron.

It was mid morning, so it was no surprise to her that Adrien had just woken up. Marinette wasn't looking forward to going to work that night, but now she felt like she needed to money more than ever.

"Are you alright?" Marinette's mother asked from behind. The small woman bore a matching apron, and in fact held a tray of macaroons in one hand, and a tray of cupcakes in another. Marinette glanced back at her mother. She offered her a small smile and she nodded, immediately turning her attention to the woman.

"Y-Yeah!" She assured wearily. The blunette reached over towards her mother, very gently taking a tray from her.
"Here, let me take these from you." Sabine smiled at her daughter, reaching over to lightly caress her face.
"That's my Marinette, always helping no matter what she goes through," The woman leaned forward, pressing a gentle kiss to her daughters head.

"You're a strong woman. You need to give yourself more credit." Marinette blushed slightly, trying to relish in the pep talk that her mother attempted to give her.

It had been awhile since Marinette worked at her parents' bakery. She had forgotten how early they get up to start the day, and Marinette scolded herself at how forgetful she was. It was always this busy towards noon. Her parent's bakery was well known in the community.

Of course it wasn't going to be a walk in the park, it had always been that way since she was a child.

Granted, Marinette was still incredibly tired from the lack of sleep, but she'd feel incredibly impertinent to stay at her parents' house and not help out at their bakery during the usual morning rush.

"Are you sure I can stay here?" She asked timidly. "I hate to have to keep you guys up at ungodly hours because of my shifts at work. The last thing I want to do is put you guys back to when I was living here the first time."

Marinette's voice trailed off with a grimace. Her life had turned so far upside down since then. It was almost as if she was being flipped constantly. The pressure was so bad that it felt like her head was spinning in circles.

Marinette had half a mind to call Luka, but decided against it. He seemed like a nice guy, but, then again, Marinette didn't exactly know him. She had been making so many careless decisions lately, she wasn't about to do it again. Going back to her parents seemed like the only logical choice at the moment. She didn't expect it to be permanent, but it was until she figured out what she was going to do.

"It's not an issue at all." Her father interjected, turning as he pulled fresh bread from the oven. The man placed the loaf onto the counter, the sweet smell surrounding the area.

"It's actually really nice to have you around again. It's almost like when you'd come home from school and it would take forever to get you to agree and play a game with us." Both Sabine and Marinette giggled at his remark, before her mother turned her attention to her once more.

"You can stay as long as you need to..." the woman assured with a warm smile. "You'll figure things out with Adrien. Don't think too much on it."

Marinette smiled weakly, the sound of Adrien's name shooting daggers straight into her heart.

She couldn't even bring herself to tell her parents that Adrien was planning an immediate divorce as soon as his father was gifted the jewels. It almost felt like a shameful topic. She was their only daughter, and apparently became the black sheep of the family.

That fact upset her; the idea that she was dumped yet again from an Agreste, only this time it felt ten times worse. Marinette was almost positive that after this all was set and done, she wouldn't want to see another Agreste for as long as she lived. That would be made clear with Adrien the moment she saw him. Marinette knew there was a possibility that she was going to the extreme, but it was the only was she knew that prevented her from getting torn apart again. She was hanging by a thread and she worried that anymore damage to her self esteem would truly break her.

"I'll try and be as quiet as I can when I finish work tonight," She breathed softly. "I really do appreciate this. You haven't the slightest idea."

"You're our daughter," Sabine replied, running her hand through Marinette's hair. "We'll always be here for you."

Marinette exhaled softly, knowing that at least for now, her parents had her back until she'd figure out how to face Alya after what she had seen. For now, Marinette tried to relish in the idea that everything was going to be okay, even if she dreaded having to sign the marriage license the next morning. It was going to be certain agony.

•○•○•○•○•

Marinette sighed, a little glad that the rush was over and the time had passed by faster than she thought it would. The young woman pulled off her apron, setting it to the side as she sat atop of her bed. Marinette quite liked her old room. It brought back so many memories. The walls were still pink, her bedding still had the large cat on it, and her walls were still decorated with glowing stickers.

She very much appreciated that her parents never came up here and moved things out, but Marinette assumed that it would happen eventually once they knew that she was never planning on returning home. That seemed like a teetering choice. Nothing ever really seemed to be set in stone.

The blunette glanced down on the lower leverage of her bedroom. Now that she is older, she figured she could probably do without the ladder. She hated having to climb up to get some sleep every night. A drunk night would be a night she'd sleep on the chaise. The last thing she needed was to fall off the ladder. Marinette still enjoyed the view of the street from her balcony.

She was still in love with the place des vosges, which was easily viewable to her right, and the Notre Dame straight ahead from her left. The sight was beautiful from where she stood. She wouldn't trade that view for the world, though she had to admit the view from the bedroom in the house she shared with Adrien was nice as well. With the pool set up and the beautiful garden the property had to offer, it was certainly a sight for sore eyes.

Marinette recalled being here only a couple years ago. She was in her first semester of school when she started dating Felix. She had a lot of things she left behind that she never brought with her. The blunette climbed down the ladder, wandering towards her chest by the window. She had kept all of her old designs concepts in there. She couldn't believe she had left all of her fabrics, her needles, and her sewing machine behind. She could only assume that life caught up to her. She had stopped sewing for a while. It was indeed therapeutic. Perhaps she could try and figure something out.

The young woman pulled out her old sketchbook, a small smile graced her lips as she did so. Her blue eyes paused once she spotted a design she really liked. It was a sleepwear design that she had designed to show off in front of Felix. Granted it wasn't too sexy, but it was enticing enough.

Marinette really loved the Ladybug pattern she had shaded it in. She bit her lip, not sure if she was having a rebellious bout, but for some strange reason she really wanted to change.

She wanted to be someone that was calling the shots. If she were going to be an Agreste, perhaps she should be as high end and as snobby as some of them. Marinette stood up, placing her book down against the computer desk. She had a lot of sewing to do before she had to show up for her evening shift.

With the way she was feeling, Marinette was sure to get a couple of things done before then. Without an intention to harm or fool anyone, Marinette had the desire to give both Adrien and Kagami a run for their money. Marinette returned to her chest, pulling out all of her old dusty sewing equipment. She grunted, bringing her heavy machine back towards her computer desk. The young woman pulled out yards and yards of linen and silk. She set out all of her items in front of her, her blue eyes glancing back and forth between the design and the fabric.

Marinette had a hunch that she was being too bold, but she couldn't let people walk all over her anymore. Curiosity got the best of her, and Marinette may have found herself obligated to ask Alya some questions when the two women spotted each other for their shift that night.

_________________________________________

The music emanated throughout the entire club. Marinette felt empty, she simply stared into the void, her hand simply gripping tightly on the sanitized cloth as she cleaned the bar top. She could faintly hear the music playing around them, and Marinette impassively filled drinks, setting them out towards the patrons who ordered.

Adrien had stopped calling her, and eventually resorted to text messages but to no avail. Marinette had no desire to talk to him. She curiously glanced up around the dancefloor, her blue eyes gliding across all of the faces she could see. Part of her wondered if Luka would return as she had some inquiries she wanted to propose.

She couldn't stop seeing the way Kagami was wrapped around Adrien. She could see how hot and needy she had become. She noticed how tight Adrien was holding her. She even noted how flushed their skin was as opposed to the color of her favorite sofa.

Her favorite white sofa with the pretty pink pillows that she stitched herself.

Marinette clutched onto the cloth, the empty feeling immediately washing away, and replaced with pure rage in its wake. She pressed her lips together, her chest feeling tight. Anxiety stepped in and Marinette tried to fight off the thoughts of self deprecation that immediately began to swarm her brain.

Marinette told herself that she wouldn't hate Adrien, but she couldn't help but to feel so angry with him. She sighed, stepping back and throwing the towel into the bucket of solution underneath the bar.

It didn't seem like Marinette was going to see Luka tonight, but maybe she would call him another night, or at least try to text him. The blunette didn't see Alya yet, but it was never really a surprise. Alya was always late, but Marinette was watching the entrance like a hawk on prey.

"Are you okay?" Rose asked softly, approaching Marinette from her left. "You seem less bubbly than usual. I saw you running out of here screaming the other night, I was worried something had happened to you."

Marinette glanced at her friend, the young woman inhaling and offering Rose a dry smile. The gesture didn't quite touch her eyes, and that was evident. Marinette was trying to be and feel like her normal self, but she was much too depressed and rebellious to it. Marinette felt an internalized desire to prove herself. She didn't know to what or to whom, but she was going to get a message out there.

"I'm fine," Marinette replied, reaching up to tuck some hair behind her ear. "I just didn't get much sleep. I thought I'd set up the jello shots again in case Alya doesn't show up in time, I can just go out and sell them."

Rose nodded subtly, her blue eyes glued on to Marinette's half hearted smile.
"I really hope the flower was good luck. I guess you really meant it when you said you needed it. Give it a few weeks and let me know if it works." The blonde female winked at her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Marinette chuckled softly, her heart squeezing in her chest as she recalled how she bled on the flower by accident. She had walked in on Adrien and Kagami in a compromising position and it caused her so much distress she had snapped the vase it came in.

"S-Sure. I'll let you know how it comes along," Marinette replied, tucking her arms behind her back so that the wound on her hand wasn't visible enough for her coworker to see or suspect anything. "Thanks again for the gift. It went beautifully in my kitchen. I'll make sure to make some more arrangements. Maybe I'll have them for my wedding." Marinette inwardly flinched at her last sentence. She didn't want to marry Adrien when she met him, now she didn't want to marry him because he was such a naive jerk. His girlfriend drained the enjoyment out of his company, and Marinette feared the moment she'd arrive at the wedding.

Rose gasped, wrapping her arms around Marinette and tugged her close. The blonde squeaked, jumping up and down in a fit of giggles.

"It will look beautiful, Marinette!" She exclaimed. Marinette smiled weakly, slowly reciprocating the gesture as she wasn't really feeling into the excitement for tonight. Her blue eyes glanced up, her heart squeezing as she witnessed Alya enter through the front doors.

"O-Of course," Marinette replied, subtly pulling back from Rose as she needed to get to Alya as soon as possible. "Thank you so much." She smiled at Rose, carefully stepping away.

Marinette rushed towards the back, her heart thumping in her chest as she tried to catch up with Alya. Alya entered the back staff room, placing her bag on the bench before she opened her locker to place her items inside. Marinette stood in the hall, her heart nearly threatening syncope by its palpitations.

The female pressed her lips together, wondering if this was a bad idea to approach her. She wondered if it would only make things awkward between the two of them. Marinette was just all over the place.

"A-Alya..." Marinette spoke, timidly stepping into the staff room with her hands clutched to her chest. Alya paused, glancing up at Marinette before her eyes widened.

The pair remained silent, simply staring at one another as they tried to formulate the proper words to continue.

"I-I'm sorry," Marinette murmured, a deep blush spreading on to her cheeks as she spoke. "I didn't mean to walk in on you and Nino. I just heard you, and I thought you were in trouble-"

"Don't apologize for that," Alya interjected, a small blush on her cheeks from the embarrassment that Marinette had walked in on them in the first place. "I'm sorry you had to find out that way. I knew you and Adrien were always teasing me about it, but I wasn't ready to talk about it officially."

Marinette frowned and she stepped closer to her friend, almost wanting to wrap her arms around her.
"You didn't have to keep it from us. I mean, you know I didn't mind that you and Nino had a thing. It has been awhile since I've seen you so happy."

"I was worried that it would have been inappropriate. I know you and Adrien aren't officially dating, even if you're being forced into getting married, but it worried me to think I was fucking your husbands best friend. Here you were, obviously upset that you had to do this, you cried on my shoulder for nights," Alya replied, sitting down on the bench behind her slowly. "While I was happy and getting off on his best friend. I felt like such a horrible person- like I had to keep it from you so you wouldn't think that I was a bad person too."

Marinette immediately shook her head, her heart sinking at her friends words. The blunette sat beside Alya on the bench, placing her arm around her shoulders.

"Alya, no - I want you to be happy," Marinette reassured. "I'm glad you found someone that makes you happy. You can't help how you feel about someone." the bluenette rested her head on her shoulder awkwardly.

"Don't worry about things between me and Adrien." Marinette murmured, her voice drawing out as she remembered that Adrien wanted to divorce her immediately after they were married. It was a topic she was sure Alya knew nothing about, and certainly it wasn't the time to discuss it either.

"We have things figured out," Marinette glanced up at Alya with a small smile. "What matters, is that you and Nino are happy."

Alya glanced down, a small blush on her cheeks as she closed her eyes.
"I know I've only known him for a short while, but... I... I love him. When you love someone that deep, you give yourself to them. I guess that night we were so in the moment we didn't care where we were." Alya explained, her heart fluttering at her confession.

Marinette widened her eyes. It was the first time she had ever heard her friend claimed to be in love with someone. This had to have been the real deal.

"Y-You gave yourself to him because you loved him, right?" The blunette asked timidly, suddenly feeling like a middle school girl with an inquisition.

Marinette has had the whole 'when you love someone' talk, but it never really went much further that just that.

Alya nodded, adjusting her glasses on the bridge of her nose.
"I mean, I've had other partners before. Not too many... But this one is different."

Marinette nodded, her heart feeling strange in her chest as she pulled away and straightened up. Marinette had a few bizarre plans in mind, but she wouldn't let Alya in on it. However, Alya did know more about certain things than she did and Marinette wanted some indirect advice before taking that approach.

"W-What does it feel like?" Marinette asked, reaching up to rub the back of her neck with a deep blush. Marinette almost felt ashamed for asking such a thing, but she felt like she really needed to know.

Alya furrowed her brow, glancing at Marinette curiously.
"What? Love? You've been in love before, haven't you?"

Marinette blushed even deeper, and she dropped her hand to the space beside her, finally able to push her pride aside.

"No... I mean... I mean sex. What does it feel like? Does it hurt the first time?" The blunette asked, glancing back up at her friend.

Alya widened her eyes, a deep blush on her face as she glanced at her friend thoroughly. It wasn't long before her eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms.

"Why? Are you planning on something?" She asked, perking a brow as she speculated.

"W-What?" The blunette retaliated, moving away from Alya awkwardly. "I'm not planning anything! I'm just genuinely curious. I've never had done something like that before. and I want to know what I'm getting into. I mean, obviously when I find that special someone like you did."

Alya paused, listening to Marinette's explanation. The female bit her lip, feeling like a mother having to have the sex talk with their child.
"W-Well," she started, clearing her throat and straightening up. "For everyone it's different. For some people it hurts, for others it doesn't, and sometimes it can hurt but feel good."

Marinette blinked, her brow furrowing as she glanced down.
"Both? How can you make it not hurt at all?" She asked, shifting her gaze back to Alya desperately. "Is that possible?"

Alya sighed, reaching back to rub her neck cautiously.
"Well, I mean you could try. I hear a lot of foreplay could help, but that doesn't guarantee that it won't hurt."

Marinette frowned, she didn't want to stress over it either. She wanted to try and perhaps she was being unreasonable in a bout in attempts to prove something to herself, but she didn't want it to hurt either.

"Aren't you afraid of getting pregnant? I know you have condoms, but I hear scary stories that they break." Marinette confessed, her heart racing.

Alya shrugged, lolling her head towards Marinette with a warm smile.
"Its rare that a condom breaks during sex. But it's not a bad idea to have a backup. I carry a bottle of morning after pills in my bag. It's still smart to just use a condom."

Marinette chuckled, feeling silly about her speculation. The blunette simply nodded, a small blush on her cheeks.
"You're right." Marinette shrugged, reaching up to run a hand through her hair.

"What's important is that you don't rush it. Take your time," Alya replied, hugging her friend gently. "Remember that you can't redo your first time. It's also not as glorious as the romantic movies make it either."

Marinette nodded, taking her words into consideration. Marinette didn't know much about foreplay, but that didn't mean she couldn't look it up online. The blunette watched her friend stand up and fix her uniform.

"Let's go. Rose would have a zoo if we left her to tend the bar by herself."

Marinette stood up, her blue eyes shifting toward the door of Alya's locker.
"You're right," she bit her lip. "But I have to use the bathroom first. I'll catch up to you in a bit." Marinette fibbed with an awkward smile.
Alya glanced at her strangely, before eventually giving in.
"Alright. Well, I'll see you on the floor."

Marinette smiled sweetly, watching her friend leave before waiting. When the coast was clear, she stepped awkwardly towards Alya's locker. She didn't have time to feel guilty as she began to dig through Alya's bag. The bluenette was able to successfully pick out a few condoms and a few pills. She glanced around suspiciously, sticking them into her palm and wandering off to her locker to shove them into her bag. Marinette bit her lip, unsure of what size condom she'd need, but she figured she would just find out when she crossed that bridge. She reached into her locker for her bag, gripping her phone into her hand to pull up a contact.

Perhaps, Luka would end up having condoms of his own.