Forgotten
ANGST? HURT &COMFORT fic:
Marinette.... was gone.
Not in the way most people expect. She didn't leave the country or gain new friends and forgot about her old ones. She didn't even do anything out of the usual. But that spark, the joy and life that seemed to surround her everywhere she went... it was gone. And in it's place, there was only a hollow shell, devoid of the once-bright and happy soul it housed not that long ago. She wasn't the only one. Ladybug seemed to have lost that drive, too. In fact, she seemed much more suited to Plagg now than bright and ever-cheery Tikki. So why hadn't anybody noticed?!?!
Adrien had found her in an alleyway. She had bruises all over, some clearly ones from other people... including the ones that looked eerily like hands wrapped around her throat, large, Tom sized hands, and one other set. A woman's hands. There was even some blood from what looked like a minor concussion on one side of her head. But most horrifying were the deep, still bleeding gashes all over her arms. The kind that only self-mutilation made. And there were scars, too, multiple scars upon scars upon scars. Indications that this was not the first time, nor was it anything new to the bluenette. Adrien choked on his air as he transformed and gently slung her across his shoulder, heading towards Master Fu's massage parlor. Yes, he knew where that was, a few months ago, His Lady had brought him there, something about him needing to know where to go if ever she... fell in battle.
Master Fu went quiet at the sight of her. He asked no questions, just patching her together like he had done this before. Maybe he had.
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The next day, and the week after that, Adrien watched Marinette. Or rather, he watched the shell she had become, and wondered why he never noticed before. His Princess was suffering, and no one seemed to notice (His Lady also seemed to be the same way... the exact same way....). Hell, he needed to find her bleeding out in some random alleyway to notice!
When had she drawn away? Adrien desperately tried to recall the last time Marinette had showed up to any of the planned picnics and parties of the class; picnics and parties she had organized for them. When that failed, he tried to remember any time when he or his classmates had even talked to her civilly, or asked how she was doing. All he remembered were images of Alya yelling at her, accusing her of things he knew she didn't do, and probably would never do, even slapping her lightly a few times. In fact, the last time they had talked was.. Adrien sighed and let his head fall into his hands as he recalled that memory.
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"Adrien!!!" He turned to see Marinette behind him, her posture and the way she was wringing her hands and looking like she was preparing to bolt making her look almost painfully shy.
"Yes?" He inquired, giving her a polite -but genuine- smile. He was late to fencing practice, but he could spare a few seconds for a friend he hadn't talked to in a while.
"W-w-will you g-g-gogeticecreamwithme?" She stuttered, than, rushed out. "I mean, as friends! As very good friends who just want to hang out! Nothing more!"
"I'd love to, Marinette, but I have fencing practice right now. In fact, I'm actually late now. See you later?"
"S-s-sure! Can we g-get the i-i-ice cream later? After practice?"
"I'm sorry Mari, but I actually have an outing with Lila and Alya after practice. Maybe tomorrow? He could have sworn he saw the smile falter on her face, but it was back full force the next moment.
"Uh, never mind! SorryIhavetogonowseeyoulaterbye!" And she was gone, as he turned to head towards his long-belated fencing practice, he caught a flash of too-bright orange in his peripherals, but it was gone before he can call out.
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The next day, she had arrived with a huge bruise on her jaw and no warmth in her smile as she tried to hide in her new outfit of faded jeans and an over-sized midnight-blue hoodie paired with a Black T-shirt. He remembered asking her about it, but she just flinched and said "Nothing!" while running away too fast for him to call her out on her blatant lie.
In hindsight, that should have been a warning flag even to his inexperienced eyes. He cursed his past self for just ignoring it and not trying to talk to her or figure out what happened. That was when everything had changed. That was when... when he could have helped, and maybe there wouldn't be scars all over his Princess's pale arms. When he had failed her when he had promised to be on her side.