Author's Note: Hello to all the new followers and welcome aboard!

Edit: This chapter has been edited to correct a grievous error.


Marinette went ashen.

Moments ago, her eyes gazed on his with compassion, now they flooded with panic.

Adrien's eyes widened as far as they could go, the purr of betrayal spluttered and died.

They clung to a moment of denial, poised on a precipice of reality above a chasm of complete despair. The knowledge danced across her face, the horrible, horrible truth of who he was. Her mouth hung open and his couldn't form words to reassure her.

He couldn't move. If he moved, the moment would break and she would flee. Couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't breathe. Could he play the purr off? Pretend it was his phone. Yeah. His cell had vibrate. Would that work?

Marinette's head twitched, a tiny jerk from side to side and her eyes filled with tears.

All thoughts of denying what she heard evaporated. His hands clenched in effort to keep them still. "Hey, no, shh. It's okay."

Her lips trembled but no noise emerged.

He was very aware of Nino and Alya cooing over the fish a small distance away. "It's okay," he repeated.

She squeaked, but in the squeak was his name. His other name.

Maybe this could be a good thing. Maybe, now she knew, they could talk. No more secrets. But he had to calm her down first. "Come with me?"

A tiny shake of her head.

"Please? Just talk. Please."

She didn't answer, but she didn't say no. As quietly as he could, he rolled onto his knees and offered her his hand. Looking at his hand, Marinette sniffled, then slid her hand into his. With a small gust of relief, Adrien lifted her to her feet.

Gently tugging her from the aquarium, he led her through the dining room and stepped onto the first stair where she dragged her hand away from his. "I can't do this!"

He spun to face her. "Please. Five minutes. That's all."

The tears spilled over and she half turned to look at the door, then back at him in indecision. "Why you? It could've been anyone and it was you."

With slumped shoulders, he ached for her. "I'm sorry."

She flicked her eyes between his and the door again as she wiped at her eyes. "I need to go."

"I need to explain—"

She trembled, looking like she was barely holding herself together. "Your secret's safe. I won't tell anyone."

"I'm not worried about that," he said quickly and crammed as much conversation he could in the space of a breath. "Please. You're upset. Come up to my room. I won't come near you. I won't talk. I won't touch. Just let me make sure he doesn't come for you."

Her brow furrowed through the tears. Then, fixing her eyes on the hollow at the base of his neck, she nodded.

He held out his hand again for her, hoping to offer some semblance of reassurance, but she didn't take it. Instead she bolted up the stairs past him and ran for his room. Glancing at the dining room to check they weren't being followed by their friends, he followed her.

He found her hunkered against the wall opposite from the door, as far away from him as she could. Her face was buried in her knees and her hands wrapped over her head as she cried.

Hands slack by his sides, the only thing he could do was close the door behind him and only stare. He felt helpless.

It was the quiet weeping which hurt the most. The stifled sobs and tiny sniffles. He wanted to hold her close and support her as she cried, but he held his promise and stayed on the other side of the room.

A tiny paw on his shoulder. "You did the right thing," Plagg murmured. "I'll watch her."

"Thank you."

Plagg zipped across the room and wriggled his way into the space between Marinette's knees and chest. Adrien turned away and, one hand gripping a handful of hair at the back, began to pace.

He didn't know what to do. How to act. How to talk to her. How to calm her down. He felt lost, so very lost and alone and upset. A burning ache in the middle of his chest pushed him to move. His gaze alternated between the floor, Marinette and the windows.

He wished his mother was here. She would know what to do.

He fidgeted and twitched, his pacing becoming erratic and he found himself pacing toward her only to retreat.

Nino and Alya didn't come up as the minutes ticked on. Possibly, they had found their own distractions. Adrien didn't know. He didn't care.

Hawk Moth's akuma didn't appear and Adrien had been so certain it would. Marinette was deeply distressed, and people were akumatised for less. Plagg's presence must have prevented that and Adrien was more than grateful for it. All the cheese in the world couldn't repay his friend.

The weeping slowed. Soon the only sounds in the room was Marinette's deep, controlled breaths and Adrien's footsteps.

Finally she raised her head and stared at her knees. Adrien froze in place and waited. Plagg floated out and sat on her hand.

When she spoke, her voice was thick and heavy. "Can I go now? Has it been long enough?"

Adrien's legs lost their strength. The floor was cold and unforgiving. "But…"

"I can't," she croaked and wiped her cheek. "Not now."

"Please…"

She flicked red rimmed eyes to him and then down. "I'm not ready. I need to… think…"

He pressed because he had to. Because he couldn't let her leave without getting some form of confirmation. "I'm him, aren't I? The blind prince. The idiot boy too dumb to see what was in front of him."

She sighed and that was all the answer he needed.

"I never meant to hurt you—"

"I know."

"I know I should've told you, but I thought you didn't like me as myself. You always ran away or… were so shy… but… but this is a good thing, right?"

Marinette raised her head and looked at him.

"If I'm your prince, that means you don't have to be confused about who you have feelings for." He laughed because if he didn't, despair would well up and he'd cry. "Ha. Imagine if you were Ladybug too, everything would be perfect!"

He'd meant it to be sarcastic. It didn't come out that way and he regretted them the moment they poured from his lips and saturated the air between them.

Hurt splashed across her already broken expression and she flinched.

"That came out wrong."

She blinked slowly and not at all the way she used to slow blink at him. This blink was heavy with emotional exhaustion.

A lump sat heavy in his throat and made it difficult to speak. "Am I going to see you again?"

"We go to school together," Marinette told the floor. "It's unavoidable."

"No… I mean… What did I do, Marinette?"

She shook her head and Plagg reached out his little paw to touch her cheek.

"Everything was fine. We were great and I did something wrong and I don't know how to take it back or make it better."

The tears started again, falling from her eyes and onto her already damp shirt. "It's not you."

He stared at her. "It feels like me."

"Adrien—"

"Do you not want… me?"

Her face twisted and tore his heart to shreds. "Please, I can't do this. Not now. I will. I promise. But not now."

He hung his head. Lifting up his knees, he wrapped his arms around them. He didn't need to see her leave. Didn't want to feel. Didn't want the gaping hole in his chest. They were just getting started. He'd been excited. Happy.

He should have known he'd never be lucky enough to keep someone like her. He was Chat Noir, champion of bad luck. He'd learnt his lesson. Ladybug had the right idea. Keep them at arm's length. Never get attached.

Staring at nothing, he began the careful and meticulous reconstruction of his emotional shields. He was good at masks, hiding away his true emotions to be the perfect poster boy and this time was no different.

Plastering a fake smile on his face, he returned downstairs and interrupted Alya and Nino, claiming Marinette had gone home and he was feeling sick, would they mind if he called short the visit?

Sleep didn't come easy and when it did, he had crazy dreams. A little creature floated above his bed and spoke with Plagg in a strange, lilting language. There were tears and hugs and a comfort he couldn't find in his sleep. An endless tunnel of locked doors and he couldn't find the key. His father, standing tall in a strange purple suit, with a circular window ahead of him. So many white butterflies. A spiralling staircase which fell into black.

Sunday brought a spider akuma.

A worker disgruntled with all the pest control he had to deal with instead of his normal work and tied all his bosses and fellow employees into webs.

Chat Noir and Ladybug were completely out of sync with each other, Chat Noir constantly got in her way and mucked up every attack she made. She couldn't even look at him and Chat Noir was too despondent to care.

She was mad at him too. Everything was perfect.

Finally, Ladybug snapped, defeating the akuma in a combination of brutal kicks and punches and, using his own webbing against him, she tore the name-tag straight off his shirt.

"I understand why now," Chat Noir said, afterward. His ears dropped and his tail dusted the ground. "I should've—"

"Give her time."

He snapped his head up. "You saw her? Is she okay? Did she say anything about—"

Without letting him finish, Ladybug tossed her yo-yo and zipped away.

Monday arrived without fanfare. He didn't speak a word to any household staff and no one seemed to notice or care. Even with Plagg buried in his jacket pocket, Adrien felt terribly alone.

It was a struggle not to look for her as he exited his car. She lived so close to the school, but he didn't turn his head to see her home.

"Adrien!" came the call and he had scant moments to brace for Chloé. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "You were so sick. I would have visited but I know you wouldn't have wanted me to catch it."

He disengaged her arms from his neck and stepped back. "Of course, Chloé."

There had been a time where she was his only friend. A heavy sense of loyalty hung between them. Chloé's friendship always came with a catch. Now he was aware of the different kinds of friendships, ones which shared instead of take, the bond between them had weakened.

A sad and lonely thought occurred to him, wreaking havoc on his psyche. Chloé's version of friendship resulted in the least amount of emotional pain because her attachments were based on what the other person could bring to her, not what they both could give. With Chloé, he always knew where he stood. There was no real guile in her, she was completely open about what she wanted from someone. Her friendship was safe.

"I should have my father pass a law to outlaw rain," she said, grinning at him and he saw her misunderstood sense of humour rise.

He smiled. "Thanks."

Her eyes narrowed. "I know that look," she said and he knew she would. She helped him build it. He had his shields and she had hers. "What he do this time?"

"Don't worry about it. It's not important."

She tossed her head and planted one hand on her hip. "I should have my father outlaw fathers."

"Now that would be an achievement."

"I insist we go and have some retail therapy. I'll order the mall closed and Sabrina can carry—"

"I'm fine, Chloé," he said and patted her shoulder as he moved by her. "Thanks."

As he arrived in the classroom, Nino animatedly flirting with Alya as she sat at her desk behind him. Marinette's spot was vacant.

"Adrien! Dude," Nino said as Adrien slid into his seat. "Your place is seriously tripped out. We had a blast."

Alya rested her elbows on the table and her chin between her palms. "That aquarium of yours is amazing. Are you feeling better?"

Adrien nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." He followed along with small talk, adding nuances when Nino and Alya's happy chatter dimmed, but mostly he remained silent and watched the door.

Marinette burst into the room five minutes after class started. She stopped at the doorway and planted her hands on her knees so she could catch her breath. "Sorry! Sorry Miss Bustier," she blurted and her eyes snapped to Adrien's. "Sorry."

Adrien stared at her, then turned his gaze to his desk.

She flinched and flicked her eyes back on their teacher. "I had a delivery; it was Ms Lefebvre and she needed some help with her plants and I wanted to be here early but—"

"It's alright, Marinette," Miss Bustier said, holding up her hand. "Take your seat."

She moved through the room and Adrien felt her eyes on him as she took her seat. Right behind him. His shoulder blades itched and it took all his concentration not to turn around.

"Mrs Lefebvre again?" Alya whispered.

"She needed her petunias moved," Marinette whispered back as she removed her school gear from her bag. "She won't leave them in the sun and they're starved. Then she expects me to spend my morning moving pots. I really tried to be here early."

"So, the bag absolutely doesn't contain fabric from the shop near her that you happened to see while you were there."

A rustling of a paper bag. "Here. Feel."

"Oh, that's gorgeous."

"It's perfect," Marinette said. "Cuddleskin for the lining. It was so hard to find in black, but when I saw it, I knew this was it."

"Must've cost you."

Adrien resisted the urge to turn his head and look at what they were cooing over. A special kind of fabric and he guessed it was for the jackets she was designing.

"That's why I do deliveries." The bag rustled again as she put it away. "And odd jobs. We can't afford it otherwise."

"I thought you were going to work on your designs yesterday?" Alya whispered. "Weren't you going to have it mostly done?"

"I was… distracted."

Alya snorted. "I bet."

Adrien leant forward and put one elbow on the desk so he could rest his chin on it.

Time moved slowly. The hands of the clock almost seemed to rewind on occasion. Adrien found his mind constantly wandering as he struggled not to pay attention to the girl behind him. Miss Bustier's voice, while it had always been soothing and gentle, had a quality to it today which made it difficult for Adrien to concentrate.

French and Literature gave way to Ms Mendeleiev's Math and Physics, normally his favourite subjects but again, he couldn't concentrate on class, something that Ms Mendeleiev's picked up on immediately. He was usually one of her best students and he hated himself for being so distracted.

He wondered if Marinette was fairing any better.

Lunchtime came and Adrien remained in his seat pretending to fiddle with his bag as the rest of the class filed out. Nino cast a conspiring glance between him and Marinette, then called for Alya to join him for lunch. A wink and a grin at Marinette, Aly followed Nino with a spring in her step.

The classroom door closed and the room dipped into a stifling silence.

Adrien waited.

Marinette didn't speak.

He knew she was there, as he stared straight ahead. He could hear her fidgeting. Pulling at her fingers. Clenching and unclenching her hands. Opening her mouth then closing it again. A swallow which was unnaturally loud in the room.

But she didn't speak.

His phone beeped, signalling his driver had arrived and Adrien sighed as he reached for it. Checking the message, he took his time putting the phone away. "Well," he told the empty room and pushed away from the desk. "Guess that answers that question."

"I don't know what to say."

He stopped a pace before the door and kept his back to her. "Saying nothing isn't the solution."

If he looked at her, he'd break. If he looked at her, he'd probably forgive anything as long as she'd smile at him.

"I practiced," she said, her voice no more than a whisper. "I practiced and I wrote it down and I can't remember any of it."

He wanted to look at her.

"There you are!" Chloé said, bursting through the door. "Come on, Adrien. I'm treating you to lunch. I've already cleared it with your driver." Chloé's eyes slid to Marinette and her smile went sinister. "We don't need to waste time on her."

He wanted out. He wanted away. He wanted a place which didn't hurt. With Chloé here, Marinette wouldn't speak again and, in his current state, he didn't know how to make Chloé leave. So he said, "Yeah, okay," and walked away.

Chloé looped her arm in his elbow, chattering as she pulled him toward the stairs. "We'll go to the hotel. My father's organising a table for us, it'll be just like old times. Can you believe Rose actually believes dreams matter? They have hidden meanings or some other deluded crap."

"Mmm-hmm."

"Like if you dream about a puppy, you're going to be attacked by a dog. Or dream about bees secretly means you're allergic to honey. I told her she was stupid to buy into that sort of propaganda. And Max! He's all buying it and defending her and getting pissed off about the whole thing and Juleka's like 'dreams are rad', seriously does that girl not have any other word in her vocabulary? I really wish Daddy would send me to a school with more sophisticated classmates, but then I wouldn't have you or Sabrina and—"

Adrien's eyes drifted, looking out of the school and down the steps at the front. Chloé kept a grip on his arm, continuing to degrade their classmates and Adrien couldn't find the strength to resist.

A small, metallic ball plinked down the stairs behind them. Adrien took one look at it and bolted, pulling Chloé away with him. The ball popped and yellow gas bloomed from it. Around the school courtyard, several other balls popped open, delivering the same yellow gas. Adrien threw himself and Chloé to the ground to avoid the gas. They slid, hitting the far wall beside the door and Adrien cushioned Chloé as much as he could.

Around them, students and teachers caught in the gas dropped to the floor. Those not caught, screamed and ran, dragging those student they could reach with them.

Someone on the level above laughed and one single thought gripped him.

Marinette.

Author's Note: Only one Chat Noir was hurt in the making of this chapter.