I am so sorry for the delay on this chapter!

The last month has been absolutely crazy, with school, relationships and traveling, I just didn't have the time to finish editing this.

Hopefully you all have not given up on waiting for it. It felt a little rough to me, but I was unsure on how to correct the issues, so if you have any constructive criticism or tips, please feel free to tell me!


Wearing makeup had always been loathsome. Adrien hated the way his father's professionals caked it on, the way it itched and dried out his skin despite the top-of-the-line moisturizers they applied beforehand. He hated that he couldn't even scratch his face, for fear of smearing it. He knew it was a necessity for modeling, and as humorous as he found it, he really did look like a ghost without it in the camera flash. Adrien supposed his only consolation was that he was not forced to wear it off the clock.

Except for today, of course.

His father had been kind enough to have him summoned far earlier than necessary to briefly meet with a makeup artist to cover up the pronounced bruising on his face. He was lucky, they told him. His nose had not been broken, and once the swelling went down, the pain had mostly gone with it. He was lucky, certainly, but as the brunette man had wordlessly slathered foundation across his cheekbones, he decided he wasn't lucky enough.
Adrien stayed stiff, watching his father over the artist's shoulder, waiting for any sign of remorse, perhaps a hint of an apology.
It was a good thing he'd learned to expect nothing but disappointment from the man long ago. Gabriel didn't even flinch.

Natalie quickly ushered him to the waiting limo outside when the artist completed his work, his eyes briefly glancing to the dried red stain in front of the doors as they passed. How odd. Adrien thought to himself. Why didn't father have anyone clean it up? They stepped into the car quietly, Natalie's hands were stiffly clasped in her lap.
Adrien had known the woman to be very reserved, but today the silence was deafening. He internally begged someone to say something. But the assistant kept her gaze firmly in front of her, paying him no mind. The gorilla came to a slow stop in front of the school. Adrien reached down to grab his bag with a sigh. Get that model smile on, he ordered himself. Can't have anyone asking questions. He pulled the lever on the car door, swinging it open and taking slightly shaky step onto the concrete. He could do this. It was just another day with his friends.
He grabbed the handle on the door, but Natalie spoke up before he could close it.
"Adrien?"
He whipped his head to give her his full attention, hope sparking in his eyes.
"I-uh...Have a good day at school."
He smiled, and it didn't feel fake. She gave a weak smile in return.
It was a small interaction, but it had done him worlds of good.


All eyes were on him when he opened the door into his classroom. Nino grinned and quickly waved him over to his usual spot. He returned the enthusiastic greeting. With Nino catching him up on everything he'd missed, it would be easy to ignore the whispers that had erupted in the room.
Everyone had surely heard of his little disappearing act yesterday by now.

He slid into his seat, fist bumping his friend and leaning back to wave at Alya. She cheerfully waved back before focusing on something on her phone, thumbs furiously tapping away.
He turned his attention to the empty seat beside her. Where was Marinette?

Adrien winced. She was probably exhausted from their late night game of nurse and overslept. She was already sent to the principal's office once a week for tardiness as it was, she didn't need him coming along and making it worse. He made a mental note to formally apologise later that evening. How did she feel about flowers? Maybe a cute stuffed animal?

His train of thought flew off the tracks when the classroom door flew open with a bang. The subject of his thoughts stood panting in the entrance. "I'm here!" she gasped out. "I'm here! I'm not late!"

Mme. Bustier rolled her eyes. "Yes, thank you, Marinette. Please take your seat."

Alya snickered behind him.

Blushing, Marinette quickly made her way to her seat, freezing in place when she met his gaze. Her face lit up. "Adrien! You're back!"

He grinned back at her. "Hey, Mari."

Her face grew red. "He-hey! I am M-I'm Marinette!"
He laughed gently. "I know."
Her blue eyes widened in what looked to be utter horror. She ducked her head down and all but dove onto the bench beside Alya with a groan. Adrien let out a small groan of his own. He wished he wasn't a celebrity. Marinette would certainly treat him normal then.

Adrien fought the urge to scratch his makeup coated face while Mme. Bustier rambled on about the wondrous romance of Romeo and Juliet.
Yeah, that totally ended well for all parties involved. He rolled his eyes.
He didn't want to hear about love right now. He was beginning to wonder if it even existed at all.
Clearly it wasn't there to stop his mother from leaving them, his father made it quite clear last night that Adrien was nothing more than an employee, Ladybug did not return his affections, and most sadly of all, the boy who currently claimed Marinette's heart was too foolish to see what was in front of him.

No, he decided. Love wasn't real. At least not in his world.


The rest of the day dragged on, and Adrien was most definitely ready for it to be over. Nino's constant prying over his discouraged mood had been nothing but draining, even if he did appreciate his friend's support. Chloe, of course was completely unaware of his sour mood. His practiced smiles and responses fooled her all too easily. And for that he was glad. Chloe would lose her damn mind if she found out her dear "Adrikins" was troubled. He really didn't need that today.

The bell rang finally rang like a hallelujah chorus in his ears and he hastily packed his belongings back into his bag, pointedly ignoring Plagg's concerned stare.

He hadn't mentioned the mirror incident to the kwami, but somehow he felt the little god already knew.

But honestly, Adrien wasn't entirely sure if it had actually happened. Certainly, it wasn't out of the ordinary for one to imagine their reflection moving on it's own, especially with his lack of sleep and heavy emotions.

Regardless, the ring felt decidedly different, almost heavy on his finger.

No, he shook his head. He was imagining that too. Nothing had changed. He was fine.

But he still fully planned to avoid any reflective surface for the next few days.


Pink roses were nice. Hopefully they were appropriate for a thank you/apology gift? Ugh! He actually had no idea. He ran his hands through his hair in frustration, messing the locks.
It had seemed like the right choice when he had bought them (earning a very skeptical glance from Natalie), but now as he stared at them in his room, doubt filled his mind.

"I knew I should have gone with the stuffed cat, Plagg. What if she thinks I'm making a move on her or something?"

"Aren't you?" Plagg asked dully as he floated by.

"No! Of course not! I just wanted to thank her for being such a good friend and helping me out. And to apologise for imposing on her like I did."

"Sure," the kwami replied, unconvinced.

Adrien groaned. "Don't even start. Here, I'll just write a little note and then she won't think anything of it."

He stepped over to his desk, plopping down in the chair. Grabbing a green sticky note and a pen, he quickly scrawled down the message:

Hey, Mari!

Just wanted to thank you FUR being such a team player last night and helping MEOWT. You'll be happy to hear that my nose is not broken and will be all better in a few weeks. I'll try not to drop in with anymore late night emergencies. (I'm actually really sorry about that, by the way…)

Hope these brighten your day!
Yours truly,
Chat Noir

Adrien gave a nod of approval. That sounded right.

Now all he had to do was deliver them.

"Plagg, claws out!"


Chat gazed at her home from a few houses away. I'm not even gonna talk to her. I'll just leave them on her balcony. She waters her flowers every morning. She'll find them before they welt.

He grit his teeth in determination. He could do this easy.

He just wished the prospect of not seeing her wasn't so damn disappointing…

Chat silently jumped from rooftop to rooftop, flawlessly landing beside her trapdoor. Okay, he thought as he began walking around, studying. Where's a safe place to set these? Probably something to cover them, in case it rains. But it's gotta be easy to see…

"Chat?" a soft voice asked.

The boy in question yelped, whirling back around to face the trapdoor. Marinette peaked up, holding it open with one arm.

He laughed sheepishly. "Yes, it's me. I'm sorry, Princess, I didn't mean to disturb you. I just wanted to leave these." he held up the roses with an embarrassed shrug.

She tilted her head in a way that he shouldn't have found as cute as he did. "What for?" she asked with genuine curiosity.

"A thank you and apology gift." he explained. "I uh, really appreciate what you did for me last night."

"Oh," she replied. "That's not necessary. It was no big deal."

"No, Princess. It was, for me at least. So please, take them."

She nodded. "Okay. Come on in. I'll get a vase."

"Oh! No that's okay-"

But she had already disappeared back inside.


Marinette had already vanished downstairs when he plopped on her bed, mindful not to squish the flowers.

Chat tapped his fingers on her comforter tensely. He knew he shouldn't be here.

But it felt so right. Was this what home was supposed to feel like?

A soft buzz interrupted his thoughts.

He turned his head towards the sound automatically. Mari's phone blinked with a new text. He didn't know why, but he picked up the phone.

Chat switched on the screen.

Alya: Gurl, you're hopeless. Just talk to him like he's a regular human being (which he is!). I swear, you need like a practice boyfriend or something to prepare you. Cause if he asked you out now, you'd probably die.

Chat chuckled. So apparently Alya knew all about Marinette's mystery boy. His curiosity ebbed him on, begging him to open up the conversation and figure out who he was.

The hatch into the bedroom opened, and he quickly switched the phone off and tossed it away with a quiet yelp.

"Here, Chat. Bring the roses down. I think this one will work."

Clumsily, he scrambled down the ladder, shame from his snooping crawling up to his cheeks.
She seemed not to notice his flustered state, leading him over to her dresser, a tall white vase in hand. She took the flowers from him, removing the packaging and cutting off the ends of the stems. They slide into the vase easily, and she arranged them. She smiled at her handy work. "They're perfect, Kitty. Thank you."

Chat rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh, no problem."

"Hold on, they still need water. I'll go get my watering can."

Marinette turning back towards the ladder, headed back up to the balcony.

He swallowed, hoping she wasn't observant enough to notice her phone wasn't quite where she left it.

He needn't have worried.

She returned moments later, seeming completely unaware of his guilt.

Carefully, she began to fill the vase with water. "I have to say, Chaton, this is a surprise. Not many boys stop by to give me flowers these days."

"Well, they should," he replied seamlessly. "They should be lined up at the door."

She laughed,setting the watering can down. "I'm glad they don't. I'd have no idea how to respond."

Chat laughed with her. "You responded just fine with me."

She turned to him. "That's because you're you."

He faked an offended look. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Stand down, Kitty. I just meant I'm comfortable around you."

His heart swelled. He made her feel safe?

"Really?" he asked, somewhat amazed. "What makes me different?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. You just are."

"So let me get this straight, if i asked you out, you wouldn't freak out?"

"Nope," she laughed. "But I still turn you down."
Briefly, Alya's text flashed across his mind. Practice boyfriend.
Maybe this could be how he could make everything up to her!

"Sure," he started as casually as he could. "But what if I asked you out to, I don't know, just practice?"

"Practice?"

"Yeah, like practice a relationship. You said your crush makes you nervous, so maybe you'd feel better if you had some experience."

She stared at him like he'd grown another set of cat ears.

"What are you talking about?"

"You said you're comfortable with me, so I could be your practice boyfriend. I could teach you. No one would know, and no strings attached. Well, unless you wanted to." he gave a flirtatious wink.

Marinette blinked. "You're crazy, Tomcat," she paused, chewing her lip. "But what about the girl you like?"

He froze. What about Ladybug? "I didn't think about that," he admitted.

Marinette said nothing.

He ran a hand slowly through his hair. "I don't uh-I don't think she'd mind."

"But what about you? Would you be okay with it?"

He paused. "Why wouldn't I be okay with it? It was my idea after all."
He had to admit that part of himself was tugging at his brain, telling him that this definitely was a very bad idea, but a much larger part shoved him towards it. Chat realised that if he was being honest with himself, he didn't actually know why he felt so inclined.

But no feelings would be involved, Mariette would surely get her prince, he might even learn a thing or two. What could possibly go wrong?

Marinette stared intently at her floor. "Well I-"

"Marinette?" a voiced called below them. "Who are you talking to?"

The girl's face flashed with panic. "Go!" she whispered urgently, eyes darting up to the trapdoor above.

He didn't need to be told twice.

Turning tail, he scampered up the ladder.

"Marinette?" the voice called again.

"Y-yes, mama?"

"Are you on the phone?"

"Um, yeah! I was talking to Alya. We just hung up!"

The conversation faded from his ears as he made his silent getaway. He leapt from her balcony, dashing from rooftop to rooftop, making sure he was well out of sight before he paused to catch his breath.

Then he remembered.

He never got her answer.


Coming back to the mansion in the dark seemed to make it all the worse. The memories seemed far more potent in the shadows.

I don't have to see him. He reminded himself. He doesn't even know I went out. I just gotta sneak back into my room.

Oddly, he's own reassurances refused to calm him.

Honestly, he was a little surprised the episode of anger had troubled him so. Normally, he could shake off his father's outbursts without much thought. His only guess was the stress from the miraculous bleeding over but something about it still felt different. Gabriel had been colder, somehow. More sinister.

It left a bitter taste in his mouth that was suspiciously like blood.

The room was thankfully dark when he slipped back in through the purposely open window. A rhythmic blinking from his computer monitors was the only thing to welcome him home.
Releasing a breath he hadn't known he was holding, Chat dropped his transformation. Plagg flew from his ring in a blur, staring at him oddly. The kwami's gaze lacked much of his usual mirth.

He looked uncharacteristically concerned. "Why'd you do that, kid?"

Adrien looked taken aback. "Do what?"

"Offer to be a "practice" boyfriend."

The boy swallowed. "To be a good friend, of course. I owe her."

"This is some risky business, which normally I'm all for. But this has heartbreak written all over it."

Adrien brushed him off. "Relax, Plagg. I'm not her crush. I made sure of that."

"That's not what I'm worried about."

"You think-you think I like her? Oh, c'mon. You know my heart only belongs to Ladybug."

"That's what you keep saying. But are you absolutely sure? She never really gives you a second glance and Marinette does…"

"Seriously Plagg. There's nothing to be concerned about. I know what I'm doing."

The kwami still looked unconvinced. "I know I can't stop you. Just please be careful." his eyes flickered to the ring. "You really can't afford a broken heart right now."

"I'll be fine. Really." he poked the kwami playfully. "Besides, when did you start caring about anything other than cheese anyway?"


The firm knock on the door sent startled jolt through his half awake body.

Was it morning already?

"C-come in, Natalie!"

The door swung open slowly, but it wasn't Natalie who entered.
Gabriel stepped through, glancing at him briefly before making his way to the dark windows. "Good evening, Adrien. I hope I didn't wake you."

Adrien peered at the alarm clock beside his bed. It read 10:32 pm.
It had only been an hour since he returned from Marinette's.

He swallowed. "Hello, father."

"I won't be long, I just wished to inform you that tomorrow afternoon I will be holding a couple interviews to find new a seamstress. I would like you to be present so you can see what qualities to look for in new employees. It's the least you can do to redeem yourself."

Adrien blinked. "Don't you normally have other people do the interviews?"

"You are correct, but I have found some of those hired have been… less than satisfactory."

Miriam…

"All she did was prick me a bit, you know. That was a mistake anyone could make."

Gabriel whirled around. "I think you should educate yourself on a matter before you speak on it. That is not why I fired her."

"But that's what Natalie told me?"

"That's because that is what I listed on the record, and that girl should thank me for it. I did her a favor."

Adrien gripped his bedsheets, suddenly feeling far more uncomfortable than he did a moment ago.

"What...what did she do?"

His father turned back to the window. "It had been brought to my attention that Ms. Dumont harbored inappropriate feelings for me."

Adrien balked. That was the terrible crime she had committed? A simple crush?

"You fired her because she liked you? Seems a little harsh."

"Don't speak on things you don't understand, Adrien. It would seem the feelings were quite intense. It would distract her. There is no room for love in a professional setting. She needed to know that."
Seems like there's no room for love with you at all.