Marinette woke up with a start. For a few moments she panicked. It was extremely dark in the room she found herself in. As she began to take in her situation, she began to relax slightly. She wasn't tied down, and she was on a bed. A very comfortable bed. The room she was in was absurdly large for a bedroom, if that's what this was. The moonlight shining in through the ceiling to floor windows was enough to prove that. She sat up, hissing as pain flared through her side.

"You should lie back down." A voice murmured from the darkness. Despite how quietly the figure had spoken, she heard him quite clearly, but she decided to ignore him.

"Chat?" She asked, more than a little surprised that he was there.

"Yeah."

"What happened?" She asked.

"Don't you remember? You got blasted by an arrow trying to save Alya." Suddenly Marinette did remember. Her throat constricted. "Was I successful?" She asked, terrified of the answer.

"Yes. Barely. Though you almost got yourself killed in the process." His sigh was audible. "I had to run in and get you out before he stole your miraculous."

"Why were you there?" Mari asked bluntly. There was silence for a few moments.

"I didn't see who you are either. I had your kwami tie a cloth around your face before I bandaged you up" Mari felt her side and there were in fact bandages.

"All well and good Noir. But why were you there?" More silence.

"Just passing through." He finally responded.

"Bullshit." Came a third voice.

"Plagg shut up." Chat hissed.

"No fuck that. Tell her why you were there. Or do I have to?" When Chat made no progress in replying, Plagg continued. "He's always there." Silence. Whatever Marinette had expected it wasn't that.

"Excuse me?" She asked dangerously, glaring at where she knew Chat must be.

"Way to go Plagg. No camembert for a week."

"Fucking worth it." Plagg shot back.

"What part of we are through did you not understand? What part of get out of my life was too complicated for your tiny brain to understand? WHICH PART?" She roared. Chat didn't respond.

"Ok you know what ladybitch? Get off Tikki, no this speech has been a long time coming." Plagg drifted up to her and got in her face, eyes going wide when he saw who she was. "Seriously? You? I thought you were nice. Guess we all have a side we like to hide." He said, sneering. Marinette flushed and couldn't help but feel the guilt that had been clawing at her since she had told Chat to leave. "Chat has been watching over you since you first shoved him away. He's saved you at least five times. He's been at every fucking akuma battle, not even always as Chat. As his civilian self too. And do you know why? Why even after all you've done to him? Even after you got rid of him?"

"Plagg don't say it."

"HE LOVES YOU!" Plagg screeched. Deafening silence. Nobody moved. And then, incredibly, impossibly, Marinette started laughing. Tikki looked at her chosen in horror, while Plagg looked like he was going to explode with rage.

"Loves me?" Marinette forced out, still giggling. "That's rich. What with all of the girls he's been with? If he loves me has a funny way of showing it."

"NONE OF THAT IS REAL!" Plagg roared, making Marinette flinch. "Tabloid news! All of it! Every time he saw one of those, he died on the inside because he knew if you saw it you would assume."

"Bullshit." Marinette said flatly.

"Ok Marinette what the fuck?" Tikki said angrily, flying into her field of vision, glaring at her. "Why are you so quick to judge Chat but whenever Adrien has supposedly been 'sighted' you immediately discount it.

"Because Adrien isn't a pile of shit like Chat Noir is." Marinette snarled. Then she heard laughter. It was soft at first, but it soon turned into raucous laughter. "What are you laughing at Shit Noir?"

"Marinette?" Chat asked, playing with then name as he said it. Marinette glared at Tikki, who instead of looking chastised, looked smug. "As in Marinette Dupain-Cheng?"

"Nice Tikki." Marinette snarled. "Way to go."

"And Adrien? As in Adrien Agreste?"

"Yes." Marinette growled.

"Adrien Agreste, with blonde hair and green eyes?"

"Yes him."

"Adrien Agreste, who is exactly 5 foot 11, 165 pounds?"

"169. Where are you going with this?"

"You're a fucking fangirl. Jesus Christ that explains so much. Also I lost weight so no, I weigh 165."

"Fuck you I'm not a-" He throat constricted as she realized what he had just said.

"There it is." He said, turning on a lamp next to him, revealing that he was in fact Adrien Agreste. "Are you not, Marinette? Are you not a fangirl?" Marinette couldn't bring herself to respond. "Because fun fact. I feel much more like myself when I'm Chat Noir than I do when I'm myself. Am I over the top? Yes. Do I flirt more, and pun more, and do more flips than necessary? Yes I do. Did you ever stop to consider why? That maybe it's because I hate all of the restrictions my father has on me so much, that the instant I got freedom I grabbed it and ran?"

"And never stopped." Plagg murmured.

"You're just like the rest Marinette." Adrien said sadly. When Marinette forced herself to look up, she could see the sorrow in his eyes. "All you see is the pretty face. All you see is the societal prince that my dad wants everyone to see. Nino doesn't. Alya doesn't. And I thought.. For a while that maybe you didn't either. I guess I was wrong." Adrien sighed and stood. "There are some chocolate chip cookies for your kwami in my bag. I apologize by the way. Your clothes may smell like camembert for a bit. I have a photoshoot in an hour, so you can let yourself out at your leisure. Just don't use the front door please. Also watch out for the cameras in the yard. Take the third window pane from the left and you should be clear. See you at school." And with that, he and Plagg left, leaving a shell shocked Marinette behind them.