Adrien had an unimaginably rough night. His father had promised they'd share a meal together for the first time in a month, but he cancelled last minute. It had been a particularly rough week with akumas, too. Ladybug had been keeping him at a distance and he couldn't figure out why. At school, Alya and Nino were hanging out more, without him, and Marinette was as nervous as ever; like two years of progress-POOF-gone. He felt like his entire support system was crumbling and he didn't know how to fix it. Was there something wrong with him? As a person? Sure, he could have any girl in Paris to treat him as a prized object, a trophy. No one loved him.

He was lying in bed, tears threatening to spill over, when he got an idea. Chat. His best option as far as friendship was Marinette, but she couldn't talk to him as Adrien. She could talk to him as Chat.

Marinette was lying down in her bed, surfing the latest fashion news, when there was a thump on her porch. Oh no. Chat.

In the last few weeks, Chat had been flirting extra heavily with Ladybug. He'd been much more affectionate. It was messing with her head and she just couldn't allow herself to fall for him; even though, truth be told, she'd been feeling much more open to returning his desire for intimate affections. Now he was here at her house.

"Chat?" she opened the trapdoor and Chat was sitting there staring at her with an intense green gaze. She gulped, "Chat?!"

"Can I come in?" he asked timidly.

"Of course," she stepped back and allowed him to drop onto her bed.

Chat looked around her room like he was trying to find a way to ease some anxiety he was having and Marinette became concerned.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

He sat there for a moment, fiddling with his thumbs, when he shrugged. She reached out and put a hand on his back. At her touch, he slouched and began to shake, burying his face in her neck, "No."

Adrien felt his emotions come spilling out of him at the warm, friendly gesture from Marinette. It was like she'd obliterated his walls with her soft touch. He couldn't even control it anymore as everything hit him at once, like a truck.

"Oh, Chat," she whispered, gently holding him against her in a soft hug. This was not what she'd expected. It scared her to see him in pain and hurting so bad. "What's wrong, Chat?" She realized she was opening up a can of worms here, but honestly, the reward was worth it. She'd never seen him lose it like this before. Would she rather not see him ever again or risk finding out who he was? Honestly, no contest. Identities be damned. This was serious.

Chat kept his head buried as he fell apart in her arms. Wave after wave of wracking sobs before he finally stopped and she barely caught his broken whisper, "A-a-am I un-unlo-lovable?"

Marinette gasped. How could this amazing, beautiful, special person feel unloved?! What kind of asshole civilian friends did he have that would allow someone like him to EVER feel like he was unloved? Could it have been her as Ladybug? "Oh, Chat," she cooed, "No, you're not unlovable."

What could have made him feel this way? Sure, he didn't always get his due and was called her sidekick, but she'd told him it wasn't true.

"I feel that way. Maybe Paris would be better off without..." There is no WAY he was going to say 'me.'

Marinette's eyes widened, "CHAT!" she gasped in shock. "You're not thinking about hurting yourself are you?" His downcast eyes answered that question and she felt like she was going to throw up. "I love you!" she exclaimed suddenly.

He whined, "No you don't."

"I do!" she nodded fiercely, insistent, "You're such a special person, Chat. You have to know that."

"You don't like me, Marinette," he whispered. It was a hollow, sad statement like he was stating a fact.

She pulled back a second and looked at him, "Do I know you, Chat?" She didn't really want to know, as Ladybug, but now she was DYING to know as Marinette. Had Marinette done this?! Had she reduced the most important person in her life to this mess? She'd never forgive herself.

"Yes," was his single, hoarse whisper.

"Oh, God," she held him tighter and rocked him back and forth, "I'm so sorry, Chat. I'm so so sorry. I don't know what I did, or didn't do, but know that I DO love you. Do you hear me?"

"You love Chat," he nodded and gulped on more sobs that came erupting out of him, broken and rasping, "No one loves Adrien." He crumpled against her.

Marinette's eyes widened in shock. Adrien? Surely she'd heard him wrong. Surely. How in the world could someone like Adrien Agreste feel unloved? If he did, she didn't know him at all. If this was the case, she'd make it her mission to remedy that as soon as possible. "Adrien?" her whisper was nervous. She was scared as she kept thinking what if he hadn't come to me tonight.

"I'm sorry, Marinette," he stilled and started to pull away. She could tell he felt guilty and that he hadn't meant to say that. It only confirmed what he'd said. "I...you don't...I shouldn't have..."

She grabbed a hold of him tighter and pulled him back to her. There was no way she was letting him go anywhere when he was in this state of turmoil. If he thought she was going to let him drop something like that in her lap, and run, he had another thing coming. "You are loved, Adrien. Do you hear me?" She lifted his face in both of her hands so she could get a good look at him, bloodshot eyes and all, her heart clenching uncomfortably, "I love you. With AND without the mask." She wrapped her arms back around his shoulders to emphasize her point as she pulled him back with her to lie on the bed. "Christ, I'm sorry. We're all a bunch of fuck ups if you don't know it, huh?"

She'd imagined lying with him in her bed thousands of times, but nothing had prepared her for this. There was no excitement in it, but she couldn't deny there was a lot of love.

He whined sadly and sniffled. His silence punctuated the intensity of the sentiment.

"And I'm more to blame than anyone," she huffed humorlessly. Tears dripped silently down her cheeks and she began to shake, "Cause I love you more than everyone put together, and you should NEVER feel this way, if I have anything to say about it." He looked up at her in confusion, "TIKKI! Spots on."

With a flash of red light, Marinette was shrouded in her Ladybug costume and she whispered soothingly as she ran her fingers gently through his hair, "Don't cry, minou. I love you. I'll say it as many times as you need me to for you to believe it. You're the most important person in my life and I'm not going to let you forget it."

His eyes widened in shock, but the first glimmer of relief flashed across his face as he leaned forward and nuzzled his head against her collarbone and let out a shaky sigh, "I'm so alone all the time. I don't know what to do. Everyone pushes me away and avoids me."

"Oh, kitty," she cooed as she tried to think of what to say to that, "I was terrified you'd push me away. I adore you, honest." She lets out a heavy sigh, "Ironic, that's exactly what made me avoid you. I didn't know how it was hurting you, I swear. Now you won't be able to get rid of me if you tried."

Chat lifted his head up to look at her and could only see sincerity there. Marinette couldn't stop herself from leaning down and placing a sweet kiss to his nose.

"I love you," he said, finally allowing himself to say it. There was a heavy sigh before he smiled and nuzzled her neck again, "Can we hold each other forever?"

"I wish," she smiled against his temple, "I'll never let you go...figuratively speaking. We have a lot of talking to do, but we will still have to part at some point."

"Will you marry me?"

Marinette's breath caught and she glanced down at him. Was he serious? He pulled back to look at her, a sheepish expression breaking out out on his face.

"Uh...that just came out. Because you're my best friend. I-If you don't want to you can just ignore that I asked-"

"Of course, I will," she smiled. They snuggled together with a kiss and eventually fell into a dreamless sleep. Adrien was drained. Tomorrow they would talk. He'd be okay. They'd be okay.