The Price of Revenge: Chilled Confessions, miraculous ladybug fanfic

softdust

Characters

Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Luka Couffaine, Emilie Agreste, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Alya Césaire, Nino Lahiffe, Kagami Tsurugi, Juleka Couffaine, Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Félix Fathom, Chloé Bourgeois, Lila Rossi, Nathalie Sancoeur, Sabine Cheng, Gabriel Agreste, Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Alix Kubdel, Tom Dupain, Rose Lavillant, Lê Chiến Kim, Sabrina Raincomprix, Mylène Haprèle, Ivan Bruel, Félix Fathom, Zoé Lee (Miraculous Ladybug), Max Kanté, Anarka Couffaine, Audrey Bourgeois, André Bourgeois, Lila Rossi's Italian Embassy Mother, Félix Fathom/Lila Rossi

Chilled Confessions

April 20, 2025 at 07:53 AM

weekend

Alya’s cheerful voice rang through Marinette’s phone as she lay on her bed, sketchpad in hand. “Hey, girl! So, we’re planning a trip to the ice rink tomorrow. You, me, Nino, Juleka, Rose, Alix, Ivan, Mylène… all the usual suspects. Oh, and,” Alya paused for a moment, her tone suddenly playful, “if you could, maybe you could ask Adrien to come along?”

Marinette sat up, her heart skipping at the mention of Adrien. “Oh, uh…” she began, scrambling to think of a response.

“You’re close to him, right?” Alya teased lightly. “It’d be great if you could convince him. Besides, it’s way more fun with everyone there.”

Marinette hesitated. The awkward tension from the Winter Ball still lingered in her mind, but Alya’s excitement was contagious. “Sure,” she finally said. “I’ll ask him.”

“Perfect!” Alya exclaimed. “Text me once you hear back, okay? It’s gonna be so much fun!”

After hanging up, Marinette stared at her phone, anxiety bubbling up. Asking Adrien should’ve been simple, but after everything that had happened, it felt like a monumental task. Taking a deep breath, she opened her messages and began typing. "Hey Adrien! A bunch of us are going to the ice rink tomorrow. Wanna join?"

Her thumb hovered over the send button for what felt like forever before she finally pressed it. Moments later, a reply came: "Sounds fun! Count me in 😊."

Marinette sighed in relief, her heart fluttering despite herself. Maybe this winter break was looking up after all.

Marinette smiled at Adrien’s enthusiastic reply, feeling a small weight lift from her shoulders. Just as she was about to put her phone away, another message popped up:

"Hey, by the way, is it okay if I bring a friend? She loves ice skating."

Marinette’s heart skipped. A friend? Who could it be? The curiosity was almost overwhelming. Was it someone from their class? Maybe Kagami? They had skated together before, and Kagami was incredible on the ice.

After a moment of hesitation, Marinette replied, trying to sound casual:
"Sure, the more, the merrier!"

Her stomach did a nervous flip as she sent the message. She knew she shouldn’t let her mind wander, but the idea of Adrien bringing someone—especially her—made her chest tighten.

Setting her phone aside, Marinette took a deep breath and tried to focus on the positive. It was just a fun outing, right? What could go wrong?

Marinette stepped onto the frozen pathway leading into the rink, her breath fogging in the crisp winter air. She adjusted her scarf nervously, scanning the group already gathered by the entrance. Her eyes landed on Adrien—and the girl standing beside him.

It was Kagami.

Of course, Marinette thought, forcing a smile as her stomach sank. She should have known it would be Kagami. They’d skated together before, and Kagami’s talent on the ice was no secret. Still, Marinette couldn’t help the small pang of disappointment. Why did it have to be her?

At least it wasn’t Chloe—or worse, Chloe and Sabrina—she thought, trying to cheer herself up.

But before she could revel in that relief, her moment of solace shattered.

“Well, well, well,” came Chloe’s unmistakable drawl. Marinette turned to see Chloe striding toward the group, Sabrina trailing obediently behind. “Isn’t this just adorable? A little group outing, and nobody thought to invite me?”

Her smirk widened as she surveyed the gathering, her icy gaze briefly landing on Marinette before flicking to Adrien.

Marinette groaned internally. Of course Chloe showed up uninvited. But before she could even process that headache, another familiar voice chimed in.

“Oh, what a coincidence!”

Marinette’s head whipped around, and there she was—Lila. Wrapped in an oversized coat and sporting her trademark fake smile, Lila waved cheerfully as if she wasn’t the most unwelcome person in the group.

Marinette clenched her teeth. She should have expected this. Why wouldn’t Lila crash their outing? She always found a way to insert herself.

“This is going to be fun,” Chloe said, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she looked Marinette up and down.

Marinette sighed. It was supposed to be a peaceful day of skating and bonding, but with Chloe, Sabrina, and Lila here, it felt more like the start of a disaster.

Kagami, meanwhile, stood calmly by Adrien’s side, her composure unshaken by the chaos. She gave Marinette a polite nod, her demeanor as cool as the icy rink. Adrien, ever oblivious to the underlying tension, waved cheerfully at Marinette.

“Hey, Marinette! Ready to skate?” he asked, his smile bright enough to melt the frost.

Marinette swallowed her unease and nodded. “Y-Yeah, let’s do it.”

No matter how the day unfolded, she’d try to make the most of it—even if it meant sharing the rink with unwanted company.

Marinette sat on the bench near the edge of the rink, staring down at her skates. The festive chatter and the sound of blades gliding across the ice blurred into background noise as she tried to shake off the gloom that had settled over her. She told herself she’d only sit for a moment, but her heart wasn’t in it anymore. Seeing Adrien with Kagami, and then Chloe and Lila barging in—it was just too much.

“Marinette?”

She glanced up to see Adrien approaching, his golden hair catching the light like a beacon. His skates crunched softly against the snow-dusted path as he took a seat beside her.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his green eyes full of concern.

Marinette’s heart skipped a beat, but not for the usual reasons. She didn’t want to burden him, and she certainly didn’t want to explain the real reason she was feeling down. Her mind raced for an excuse.

“Oh, um,” she stammered, clasping her hands together. “It’s nothing, really. My mom’s just... a little sick, that’s all. I guess I’m just worried about her.”

Adrien’s expression softened, but then his gaze dropped to the ground, and his smile faded.

Marinette’s stomach twisted as realization hit her like a ton of bricks. Right. Adrien didn’t have a mom, and she’d just casually brought hers up in a weak excuse. She felt like the worst person in the world.

“I—I’m so sorry, Adrien,” Marinette blurted, her voice shaky. “I didn’t mean—”

“It’s fine,” Adrien interrupted gently, though his tone carried a weight that said otherwise. “Really, Marinette.”

He hesitated, then sighed, leaning back slightly as his eyes drifted to the distant ice rink. “You know, I get it. Worrying about family, I mean. I used to... I used to think about my mom all the time. About how she would have been there for me, for my dad, if she hadn’t...”

Adrien’s voice trailed off, and Marinette’s heart sank even further. She wanted to stop him, to take back her careless comment, but he kept going.

“Sometimes it feels like she’s still here, you know? Like, if I try hard enough, I’ll catch a glimpse of her out of the corner of my eye. But she’s not. And my dad... well, he’s not exactly the easiest person to talk to.” Adrien’s voice wavered, and he laughed weakly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to go all heavy on you.”

Marinette shook her head quickly. “No, Adrien, don’t apologize. I... I didn’t mean to bring up something so painful. I just...”

He turned to her then, his sad smile cutting through her like ice. “It’s okay, Marinette. I guess... I guess it helps, sometimes, to talk about it.”

Marinette didn’t know what to say. She wanted to comfort him, but nothing felt like enough. All she could do was sit there, her heart aching for him, as the noise of the rink seemed to fade away completely.

“Thanks for listening,” Adrien said quietly after a long moment, his voice barely above a whisper.

Marinette nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. “Anytime,” she murmured.

They sat in silence for a while, the weight of unspoken emotions hanging between them like a fragile thread.