"I-I think that I want to just fall." The voice on the other end trembled, and suddenly, her heart broke.

"What's the matter?" Her voice fell softly onto the receiver of the phone as she stared out her window, still in awe over who this could possibly be on the other line; she'd answered on a whim this unknown number, half hoping that it was Gabriel Agreste or his security or someone accepting her job application and interview as if they wanted her.

"It's just, it's become too much since Mom died or got lost, but I think she really is gone. Dad's just not around much anymore. He works all day, and I barely see him." The male voice on the other line stuttered, and Marinette held her breath when she heard what sounded like a window opening.

"May be he just misses her too." She murmured; her voice a stuttery, almost purr, mind in a whirl, worrying about that pesky open window.

"Doubtful. He doesn't even see his only son, his only child. I just look too much like her, and I wish that I didn't. I hate this." His voice drew off to a long sob; was that what she was hearing?

"You know, your mom had to have been a great woman." She tried another approach, hating the way that her stomach dropped when she heard what sounded like sneakers knocking against a window sill. He wasn't going to jump, was he?
"She was the best. It hurts to be without her. It's like we're broken and not going to get any better." His voice was soft, and she listened to the faint blowing of the Parisian wind from his end.

"What's your favorite memory of her?" Marinette's hands trembled; should she call for help? She had no idea who was reaching out to her or whether her words were helping or just fickle reminders of pain.

"I-A few years ago, we snuck into the kitchen and tried to bake cookies. She grew up wealthy, you know, and neither of us knew what we were doing. Dad caught us, covered head to toe in flour, and laughing over the lumpiest, chocolate chip cookies you'd ever seen. Our chef was horrified by the mess; he was just behind Dad." His voice grew soft, and she was pretty sure that was the sound of his feet retreating.

"That's amazing." She murmured softly, "If you want to try baking again or anything like that, you can come to my place. It probably won't be the same, but I help out with my parents' bakery a lot, and I can help you make some chocolate chip cookies or whatever you like."

"Dad wouldn't like it. He keeps me on a model diet. He doesn't seem to see me really, not for more than a pretty face." It sounded like he'd begun kicking his tennis shoes against the window sill, but at least he wasn't jumping on to it.

"Does he?" She murmured, "May be we can ask him if you can come visit." She suggested.

"He doesn't like it if I have friends, just colleagues." His voice sounded breathless and almost whiny though he didn't seem to have much energy beyond a small, breathless sound.

"Oh, just tell him that I work with you." She suggested, "I'm trying to make it as a fashion designer, and you can just say that if you're a model, I'm a new designer helping out."
"I wish, but Dad's the head designer of his company." He whined softly, and all she felt like doing was reaching out somehow and pulling him against her in a hopefully reassuring hug.

"Oh, I could be a new recruit. I'm not much, but may be I can help out a little?" Marinette felt nervous, but she wanted to help him out just enough for him to get over this bump; hopefully, this will be the last time that he stands at that edge and wants to jump off.

"What's your name?" It was weak, but it was another response which Marinette was thankful for.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng." She chirped in, "What's yours?" She asked, softly, tentatively.

"You'd laugh." He grumbled.

"No, no, I wouldn't." She took a deep, soothing breath, trying to find the words to say, "I promise you, I won't laugh."

"Adrien Agreste." He mumbled sullenly.

She bit her lip to keep a gasp in check, "I'm here for you, Adrien." Her voice was soft, almost a whisper as she tried to reassure him.

"Okay, thanks." He murmured.

"I applied for your dad's company a few weeks back, so may be he'd believe the colleague's excuse for you to come visit." She murmured, hoping that it would be soothing enough to hear.

"Did he accept you?" Adrien's voice was soft and broken as he asked her this.

"Not yet, but I did have an interview a few days back." She tried to stay optimistic; he needed to hear this.

"That's farther than a lot of people get." Adrien muttered, sounding half-hopeful now.

"Yeah, I thought that it might be." She muttered; she didn't want to sound arrogant, because she'd been half sure when she'd first applied that he wouldn't even dream of accepting her.

"Yeah, I hope you get in." His hands started tapping against the phone in his hand or at least it sounded like it: nervous energy. "What do you look like?"

"I'm short with kind of blueish black hair." She smiled, "My hair tends to be in pigtails, but for work, I'm going to always try to wear it up in a bun. My eyes are blue."

"Ocean blue or sky blue?" He asked.

"A bit of a mix." She hummed, "Probably more oceanlike, I think, because they just aren't what I say is the perfect sky color except right before dusk while the sky's still darkening." She shrugged, "I've never thought of it before."

"O-Okay." He murmured.

"So what do you love doing?" She asked, feeling nervous as if she could still say the wrong word any minute now.

"I like Physics. I probably can't do anything in it for a career or anything, but I really like it. I'm supposed to take over Dad's business one day. You know so, I have to model for now and study business among other things." His voice seemed faintly nervous now.

"It's okay to like something different than what your dad likes." She smiled, "I'm not the greatest at Physics, but may be you can teach me when we hang out. I'll help you with baking, and you can teach me a thing or two or a lot about Physics."

"Oh, s-sure." He seemed nervous, "What's your favorite thing to do, design, right?"

"Yeah, and I really like baking too." She smiled, "I grew up with it, and I've just always helped my parents out. I really love video games though."

"Me too. Err, the video games part. I love to game; I like to think I'm pretty good at it too." He seemed to be gaining a little bit of cheer to his tone of voice as he spoke to her now.

"Oh, can you take me on?" She teased, hoping that her voice wasn't too strong; she didn't want to frighten or threaten him back to that old place.

"Y-Yeah, do you think I can somehow sneak over or if you do get a job here that you can visit me?" It sounded like he was fidgeting with something: clothes, his hair, a piece of jewelry? Something was rustling under the quiet fidgeting.

"I'd love to." Marinette smiled even though she ignored the slight ding of a text from her best friend, Alya, asking what's up.

"Okay." The window slid shut on his end with a soft swoosh of a sound that reminded her that his window had previously been open; a relieved smile graced her face at the sound.

"You know you can call me whenever? I'll pick up as soon as I hear it ring or you can text me; I'll respond as quickly as I can." She told him, wanting him to know before either of them had to hang up the phone.

"Yeah, if you're okay with that. I was trying to just call for help, but I think I pressed the wrong number and got you." He took a deep breath, "But I'm glad that I did. I know that you can't be used to calls like this, so I'm sorry if I'm bothering you."

"You're not bothering me. I'd rather you call me whenever you need a listening ear. I'll always get back to you." She smiled.

"Thank you." He murmured, "I probably should go and get ready for my next photoshoot. It's in fifteen minutes."

"Okay, talk to you later." Marinette hung up only after Adrien did, and as she was saving his number into her phone, she caught sight of one missed call from Gabriel Agreste; she'd forgotten that she'd had her future employer's number in her phone already.

For once, she was thankful to have forgotten something like that even if it meant that she could have lost a potential job for her; it was more important to talk to Adrien when he felt at his low than ignore him for favor of his father.

She dialed back and bit her lip as she listened to Gabriel berate her and assured him that she wouldn't be that unreliable again; he'd been calling her personally to tell her that she'd been accepted.

He still gave her the job, but despite what she thought she'd feel in that moment, all she felt was relief that she would see his son and be able to offer her support in person.

When she was free again, all she typed to Alya was, 'I got the job.'

For her dream job, the excitement didn't become palpable, and she kind of hoped that Alya could bring some excitement back into her future prospects, because all she could see was a boy hurt so bad and in a place that she understood all too well.

"It will be okay," She whispered to herself and hoped that it would carry over to Adrien somehow despite everything.