When Adrien was called to the principal's office everything came rushing back. For a glorious half hour he had almost been able to forget that the world had ended, just playing video games and laughing with Marinette. Marinette. She had always seemed so nervous around him. Always kind, but ill at ease. Not interacting as effortlessly as she seemed to with everyone else. He enjoyed spending time with her in group activities but one-on-one she was different until today.

She had defended him. Brought him treats. Acted like everything was normal even though nothing would ever be normal again. Sure, Nino had tried to ward people off but hadn't succeeded. Marinette was capable of getting people to listen to her. The protection she offered meant the world to him.

"Monsieur Agreste," Monsieur Damocles said. "We have a Mademoiselle Masson here to see you."

Adrien blinked up at the unfamiliar woman whose tight bun and pencil skirt gave off the impression of sternness, much like his father's assistant Nathalie. Who had ended up being in league with Hawk Moth so she was gone too. Gone forever.

"Since your father has been arrested and bail has been denied due to flight risk and you have no other family, you are now a ward of the state. One of my people will escort you home to pack your things and we will be on our way to a foster care facility," Mlle. Masson said primly.

No way. They weren't taking him anywhere. Sure, his house was colder and emptier than ever without his father and Nathalie there but they couldn't make him leave. It was the last link he had to his mother. He had to come up with a plan!

"Okay," he said dully. He'd find a way to talk to Plagg, they could figure something out. He was NOT going into foster care and potentially changing schools, leaving behind the only people who cared about him: Nino and Marinette.

Marinette! She said she would be there for him. Her home was a safe haven, the kind of atmosphere he'd always dreamed of having but never did. He could go to Marinette, she'd help him.

Mlle. Masson led Adrien out to a car that took him to his father's mansion. Not home anymore. He might never see it again. He grabbed a suitcase and began filling it with clothes, his favorite video games, a flash drive filled with pictures of his mother, and all the camembert in the house.

"Adrien," Plagg hissed from inside his shirt. "You aren't really going to let this lady take you away without a fight, are you?"

He snorted. "Of course not. I'm just grabbing some stuff before heading to Marinette's."

Plagg was skeptical of this plan. "Adrien, if they find you at Marinette's they're going to take you back."

He froze in his tracks. Why hadn't he thought of that? Well, he thought with a devious grin. They could catch Adrien Agreste, but they couldn't catch Chat Noir. "Not if they don't know it's me."

"Kid—" Plagg cautioned.

"Claws out!"

Plagg was sucked into the ring and the suitcase Adrien was holding melted into the suit. Convenient. He was out the window before any of Masson's people could notice and vaulting over the handful of rooftops between the mansion and the Dupain-Cheng bakery.

He landed silently on the balcony and was thankful to find the hatch unlocked. Well, why wouldn't it be? Who else could sneak in through the roof? He jumped down and landed on Marinette's bed with a soft flump.

A light was turned on, momentarily dazing him.

"Chat Noir?"

"Hey Princess," he said sheepishly once he saw the look of disbelief on her face.

"What are you doing here?"

His cat ears drooped. "I have nowhere else to go."

Her initial shock faded and was replaced by a look of concern. She sat down on the bed next to him. "Why don't you tell me what happened."

Adrien hesitated. What if it gave him away? How many other people had been arrested recently? He decided to be vague. "My parents aren't around anymore. Social services came for me and I couldn't do it. My whole life just got turned upside down; I couldn't go somewhere strange where I might never see my friends again. They're all I have left."

Marinette's bluebell eyes widened. "Oh, Chat, I'm so sorry. But why me? What can I do?"

He deflated. Had he misread her kindness earlier? Was she not going to help him? He didn't have any other options! "I don't have a way to contact Ladybug—she'd know what to do—and you were the first person I thought of." He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Can I stay with you until I find her and figure something out? They're probably looking for me—the other me—right now so I can't detransform and home isn't safe and—"

His words were cut off when Marinette threw her arms around him. "Of course you can stay here! It's the least I can do for one of the heroes of Paris. You'll have to be sneaky though, if my parents find out we'll both be in trouble."

Adrien nearly melted in relief, reflexively kissing Marinette on the top of her head. "Thank you thank you thank you! I'll be a good kitty, I promise. You won't even meow I'm here."

She looked up at him, a slight smirk on her face. "I think that's pushing it a little."

He shrugged, relief still flooding through him. She wasn't turning him away. He knew he could trust Marinette! "Where should I put my stuff?"

Her eyebrows scrunched in confusion. Oh right, his suitcase had melted away with his regular clothes. "Um, I'd have to detransform to get my suitcase. Could I use your bathroom?"

She bit her lip. "It's down the stairs but I'm not sure whether or not my parents are in the bakery right now. Be careful."

"I'll be the picture of stealth," he promised and crept down the stairs, quietly shutting the bathroom door behind him. "Claws in!"

Plagg whizzed out of the ring and looked at him skeptically. "You really plan to stay here when all of Paris will be looking for you."

"Yes," Adrien said defiantly. "I'm not going back. A few more months and they won't be able to hold me anyway. I'll be 18 and able to live on my own."

"You're going to stay here for a few months?"

"I don't know!" Adrien threw his hands in the air. "I need to find Ladybug, maybe she can help me. This is just temporary until I figure something else out."

The kwami shook his head slowly. "I think you're in over your head, Adrien."

"I'll be fine," he insisted. "Here, eat your stupid cheese and then we're transforming again."

Plagg chowed down on the camembert and Adrien made sure he wasn't touching the suitcase when he transformed back. He crept back up the stairs with the suitcase in hand and Marinette looked relieved when he was back.

He shook his head in mock sadness. "So little faith in me, Princess."

"You were taking a while and I got worried," she explained. "You can put it under my desk."

He did so and sat cross-legged on the ground. "So, what does a cat have to do for entertainment around here?"

"Um, I have some videogames and some books in here but the TV is downstairs and I actually have to study for a test right now," Marinette hedged.

The chemistry test. They'd talked about it earlier. Man, that seemed like in a different lifetime. He supposed it was. "Right. Well I guess I'll just purr-owse your room then."

"Just don't move anything," she requested, cracking open her chemistry book.

"Cat's honor," he said, holding up a clawed hand before starting to look around. It was very pink, and there were some discolorations on the wallpaper as though posters had been taken down recently. A sewing machine and pile of fabrics sat on a table in the corner with some sketchbooks. "Can I look through these?"

"Huh?" she turned and saw he was holding the sketchbook. "I guess. Just don't laugh."

"Why would I laugh?" he demanded as he flicked through some of the designs. "These are really good!"

"You think so?" she sounded surprised. "Thanks!"

"You're welcome. So is this just a hobby or do you want to be a fashion designer?" He was curious. He knew Marinette designed, he had seen some of them during his father's hat competition a few years ago.

Her eyes lit up. "I want to be a fashion designer more than anything! I get to start applying for schools soon so I've been trying to round out my portfolio and I might do an internship over the summer but my designs have to be perfect for my submissions and I'm boring you, aren't I?"

"Not at all," Adrien said sincerely. He might not be the biggest fan of the fashion industry but it was cute seeing her be so excited about something. She looked happier talking about fashion than he'd ever seen her.

She flushed a light pink. "Oh good. I know I can get a little overexcited. Anyway, I should get back to studying."

Once he finished his perusal of her room, he lay down on the chaise with his hands behind his head, basking in the warmth of Marinette's home and trying not to think of his father. The last thing he wanted was to break down in front of her.

"Marinette! Time for dinner!" Sabine called, jolting Adrien from his half-asleep state.

"Coming!" Marinette yelled back. She turned to him. "I'll bring you something back."

His stomach growled. "Thanks."

When she came back, she had a plate full of pasta and a couple of breadsticks. He tore into one and moaned appreciatively. "These are so good!"

Marinette frowned. "Have you eaten anything today?"

"I had a sandwich for lunch but that was it. It's been a kind of busy day, being on the run and all."

"Well, there's plenty of food here. You're safe, chaton."

He smiled at her gratefully. "You have no idea how much you doing this means to me. Thank you."

She returned his smile. "You're welcome. I still have some studying to do but when I'm done I can kick your butt in Ultimate Mecha Strike V."

He grinned, thinking of when he beat her earlier. "You're on."

Studying for her test took another hour and he found himself reading one of her books to keep busy. When she finally announced she was done, he jumped up eagerly and pulled out the controllers.

"Someone's eager to lose," she teased.

"This cat's moves may surprise you."

Marinette won the first round and Adrien saw his name on the leaderboard. "Who's that?" he asked with a smirk, knowing full well it was him. "The only other name on the leaderboard is yours."

"He's a friend from school," she said dreamily with a blush on her face. "We played earlier today and it's the first time I've been beaten in over a year."

"Looks like I have some competition," he mused. "Another round?"

"You're on!"

It took a few more tries but eventually Adrien beat his own high score, adding 'Chat Noir' to the top of the leaderboard. Marinette scowled. "You play dirty."

He flexed. "You're only saying that because I annihilated you."

She pouted. "I think it's time for bed."

"Already?" he whined.

"I have school in the morning," she replied with a yawn. "I'm going to go get ready. You can sleep on the chaise."

She came back some time later in a pair of pink pajamas with her wet hair down and an extra pillow and blanket in her arms. "Here, these are for you."

As she turned off the light and crawled into bed he thanked her again. "You're the best, Marinette. A lifesaver. Really."

Her voice rang out in the darkness. "You help people all the time. It's about time someone helped you."

With that comforting thought, Adrien drifted off to sleep.