Adrien tapped his pen repeatedly on the paper of his notebook, pretending to be thinking of the solution to the equation under Nathalie's supervision, while in reality he was daydreaming. Well, not really daydreaming, but thinking of her.

Science had always been a favorite of hers, which was probably why he was gifted with a beta mind. He loved looking at the stars, solving simple math questions on television or reading books that were actually way too intricate for him.

But why he loved doing those things most of all was because he got to do them with her. Which wasn't possible anymore.

He gave up pretending to still be doing homework and dropped his pen. Nathalie raised her eyebrows, but he wordlessly moved past her, ignoring her calls for him and heading straight for his room. He laid down on his bed and stared at the ceiling.

"You good?" Plagg asked, appearing from wherever he liked to hide.

He shrugged as his answer.

"Just tell me what's wrong."

He still didn't respond. He turned on his side, his eyes landing on his computer screen. He let out a deep breath.

Plagg followed his Chosen's eyes, then frowned when he realized what the problem was. "Look, I'm not really good with this kind of stuff… but I'm here for you, Adrien. You can talk to me." He wished he could ease his mind, tell him everything he deserved to know, but he promised to keep his mouth shut, for her safety and Adrien's.

"Adrien." Plagg shot away with a silent yelp, not hearing the door opening or someone entering. Plus, the booming voice of Gabriel Agreste was startling on its own.

Adrien hadn't heard his father coming in either and leaned up on his elbows with a confused stare. "Father?"

"What did I hear from Nathalie? You just decided you were done with your homework?"

"No, Father."

"Then why are you here?"

"I wasn't thinking clearly, Father. I'll come down again in a minute. I'm sorry."

He raised both eyebrows, not missing his son's glum state and soft voice. "Is something the matter?"

"I'm okay, Father." He couldn't help but steal a glance at his computer again.

This didn't go unnoticed. "You don't seem 'okay'." To Adrien's surprise, Gabriel sat down next to him on the bed. Adrien sat up straight now, wondering what the man was about to say. "How are you feeling?"

"Pardon?"

He let out a quiet chuckle, barely audible, but there, which wasn't Gabriel at all. "You miss her, don't you?"

"…Y-yes, Father. A lot."

"That is understandable, but we can't permit that."

Of course he would say that. And it even started out so well. "I know, I'm sorry."

"Good, don't let it happen again. Come down when you feel ready again." He got up from his spot and moved to the door. If Adrien was listening closely, he could have heard a soft 'Just you wait, son'.

Before his father could open the door, Adrien jumped off the bed and. "Thank you, Father. For, eh, talking with me."

He dared to show a smile. "Well, like I said before, we need to be able to trust each other. We can't do that without proper communication. Know that everything I do is for you, Adrien." With that, he left the room.

Adrien sat down on his couch, bending his arms behind his head. His family wasn't perfect, far from it. A cold, distant father who didn't seem to care about his son's wishes, who'd often made wrong choices considering parenting, but he meant well.

A mother who had never seemed happy despite her wealth, only showing a smile when she was with her son, who had now disappeared, and that was the right word. No one knew exactly what happened and if people did, they left him in the dark.

And at last, a son whose life was seemingly perfect. Only the people closest to him knew what went on behind the big walls of the mansion. He loved his family dearly, although his father gave him struggles to do so, but he would never see him as a bad man. And his mother, the only constant happiness he had, was gone.

And though he was reserved, he had made a new family. Chloé had been in his life as long as he could remember. She was an unusual character indeed, with a strong personality that wasn't always appreciated, but she had a special place in his heart. Nino was like the brother he'd never had, a shoulder to lean on, and he loved him very much. His class in general was very nice to be with and the few people he was closer with like Alya or Marinette, he also held dearly.

On the other hand, Ladybug was unreachable, yet one of the most important people in his life. He couldn't imagine not knowing her, even if he only knew so little about her. She was breaking down the wall she had created ever since they met, and he couldn't wait to know what was in store for him. He already thought of all the little quirks and secrets she would share with him over time, and eventually, hopefully, share the biggest eluding thing of all; her identity.

And perhaps, when it was time for him to start a family of his own, and he would know who his love really was behind the mask, she could be part of that.

Not that he thought about that, no not all, especially not often or when he was asleep or when he was staring at her during patrol or-