Circles & Cycles

by fr0stedFLAKES

Marinette had no idea her life would turn upside down from a simple trip to the bookshop. After unleashing a powerful being and Kwamis from an ancient book, she finds herself struggling as she adjusts to the lack of normalcy in her life. Will she be able to work together with her new partner & release him from the curse placed upon him? Had fate dealt its cards in the right place?

11. Camhanaich

Camhanaich

Marinette slowly blinked, blue eyes dared to focus in front of her.

Where am I?

Slowly, she brought her head down with a gasp.

Water?

As if magic played its hands, she stood on a vastness of water that expanded in every direction. She gradually took a step forward while preparing to sink but remained standing afloat on the lukewarm cerulean marine around her. Her hands gripped the white dress she adorned tightly, it must have been woven from the softest of silk as it crumbled under her grip. Realizing what she was wearing, she quickly gasped before covering her chest. It was a simple baby doll dress that didn't leave much to the imagination as it stopped at the mid of her thigh and had a plunging neckline. She felt much too exposed.

It was winter for God's sake, she couldn't imagine wearing the strapless dress anywhere at this time. Marinette inhaled gently as she scanned the area once more. Despite the season, she found herself thinking it odd.

It's warm.

Looking around, she believed she was somewhere out of a fairytale. The way the water expanded in all directions and the way the sky matched the blue liquid without showing any ground made her feel like she was in a dream. She had never seen anything like it before. Everything was breathtakingly beautiful. The warm air, the scenery, the light sounds of nature- it was euphoric in the sweetest of ways.

The only way it would be perfect was if-

"Marinette."

She turned at hearing her name called.

"Adrien," she couldn't help but beam at him, somewhat relieved that he was here. A few feet behind her, he stood clad in a white collared shirt and khaki pants, clothes he never wore on any other regular day. It was strange to see him adorning them now. She took careful steps towards him before running into his arms.

He grinned as he wrapped his arms around her petite frame.

Marinette lightly giggled as she took a deep breath in, the scent of his cologne had her weak at the knees. He had her weak. Pressing his forehead to hers, he pulled her closer with a sweet smile. Their energy, connection, aura. All of it was strong, it meshed and thrashed together in ways they hadn't known. Why was this feeling so strong?

He moved a strand of her hair from her cheek as he lightly nuzzled his nose against it.

With another giggle, she pulled back from his touch. "Where are we?"

He refused to let her completely pull away as he held onto her forearms. Gazing around them, it didn't seem like a place he knew.

Rather than answering, he looked above at the imenseness that was the sky. "I wish I could stay here with you like this forever."

Maybe it was his tone or the strong feelings she felt for him that provided the next words she whispered. "Then let's stay."

"You don't mean that," he negated as he took a step back. "We can't." Adrien began to take a few steps on the water, enjoying the feeling of the liquid beneath his feet.

She followed after him before stepping in front of him and bringing a hand to his cheek, forcing him to look at her. "Why not?"

She liked it here, he liked it here, what was the problem?

He took her hand from his skin and backed away from her. "For more reasons than one."

"But-" Before she could ask a strong gust of wind blew, blowing her hair all about in whips in front of her. She shielded her eyes as the wind died down. As she moved her hair from her face, her eyes focused in front of her.

Huh?

Rather than the man she had fallen in love with, a monster stared back at her. Three times her size, he was hunched over in a body that wasn't his own. Leather black fur clung to the skin of his form as his lanky arms hung low. His long tail spiraled and swung in the air as his pointed ears stood perked. Claws so large and sharp, she was sure could pierce through human flesh with ease were loosely clenched at his side.

Marinette stood paralyzed in fear. Eyes so familiar stared back at her, she couldn't fathom how the thing in front of her could possibly be her partner. Those sweet green eyes she had come to love were a deep blood red that she hadn't seen once before.

He looked like a beast.

His sharp teeth were bared with a snarl as drool oozed from his mouth.

"Adrien?" She begged, taking a step backwards.

He took a step closer, water splashed as his foot connected with the water below.

As her body moved of its own accord she could hear herself chanting words that she didn't want to say.

No! She cried out internally. One thing repeated in her head, words she didn't truly think. Words she would never say.

Kill him.

She spoke a spell she had never known. As she finished chanting her spell, a claymore double edged sword appeared in her hand. She held the golden grip tightly as magic wafted off of the sword in spirals.

Marinette readied the weapon, crouching down in the very stance he had taught her all of those months ago.

No!

She screamed it as loud as she could but as if she were possessed, movements and words that weren't her own poured out. Marinette tried everything to constrain her muscles, but nothing worked. Why couldn't she control her body? Why was Satan restraining what she truly wanted to do?

Run! She tried to drop the sword, to scream at him to flee, to hurt herself and prevent from hurting him- everything. He stayed in place as she charged at him.

No!

Marinette sat up with a pant, grasping at her racing heart.

It was just a dream.

She gulped as she tried to calm herself. Turning to her right, she looked down at the sleeping man. He was safe and snoring without a care in the world. She stood shakily before tip-toeing to the living room. Taking the spare blanket from the other side of the room, she lay on the couch playing back what she had dreamt of. Marinette held out a hand in front of her, not believing it had only been a dream.

Everything felt so real.

Too real. Had it really been a dream? The warmth, the water, and Adrien. She couldn't believe that she had woken up from such a beautiful nightmare. She had never experienced such a thing. But why?

Days had passed since Christmas and things had been rather...estranged…. between the two.

Maybe that's why I dreamt something weird…

There had been much avoiding, specifically on Marinette's part. As if nothing had happened, he had continued to lay on her lap as she played with his hair without a word. If only he knew the inner struggle he was putting her through. The next day, he had acted in the same manner, not a single care in the world. Cracking jokes, constantly trying to be around her, and holding her hand as if nothing had happened. It was odd to her and slightly disheartening. She knew how she felt about him, but the fact that he seemed to be acting normal meant it was just another day in the park for him. Give or take, he kissed her under the mistletoe. Aka: He was probed to kiss her given the connotation that comes with a mistletoe. It's not like he had kissed her randomly or out of the blue. The fact that he could do that and then act so normal right after meant it was absolutely nothing to him.

"Ugh." She grunted as she looked at the ceiling. "Only twelve more hours."

She was thankful that she had planned to visit her parents around this time. While she would miss her partner dearly, she needed the time alone. Especially now. With him around, he was keeping her from seeing things clearly and served as an object that clouded her judgement. She just had to survive training with him and then she'd be gone for the next day.

xXx

Marinette swung her bag on her back.

Only six more hours. She reminded herself.

She hadn't slept a wink since her dream, leaving her tired and ready to just call it a day. It was going on 11am and they were heading out to training now.

"Ready to go?" Adrien asked as he opened the front door. She nodded as she followed him out. "So you're leaving directly after training?" He questioned while fidgeting with his new cellphone, wanting to make sure he understood when she was leaving correctly. His cellphone had been activated for a full day now and he had to admit that it was fun to play with. Despite only having Marinette's number, he downloaded a few mainstream games that kept him thoroughly busy and occupied his time. Who knew that throwing a bird at little pigs and destroying towers could be fun?

She had only briefly mentioned visiting her parents for New Year's, but she never went into much detail. He was curious as to what kind of people raised such a girl. They must've been great.

"After a shower." She said quickly as they began walking. "Then I'm gone."

Their walk was mainly silent aside from the light conversation being had between Adrien and Plagg. Marinette didn't care enough to listen as she tried to sort out her own thoughts.

Everything will be better soon. She chanted in her head, her parents' home was a sanctuary she would be at very soon. The place where there were only people to take care of her and bake her food and make her feel at ease. It would be one day, but a much-needed day at that.

She lightly gasped as she felt his hand connect with hers. During her deep thoughts, he had grabbed her hand without a word. Any other time, it would've been fine, but now things were different. She snatched her hand out of his instantly.

Adrien looked at her, confused by her actions. They always held hands, why was there a sudden change?

Before Marinette could explain herself, he asked a question he had been wondering all morning. "You left the room last night?"

Marinette stopped in her tracks, she had nearly forgotten about her dream. "The bed was crowded."

It wasn't exactly a lie. Between Adrien sleeping in random positions throughout the night and with their Kwamis sleeping in between them, it was a little more jam-packed. The Kwamis honestly didn't take up much room considering Tikki slept peacefully in the middle and Plagg normally slept on top of Marinette or Adrien. Either was fine for him, so long as he could feed off of their body heat like a parasite.

"I would-"

"How about a race? I'll beat you there!" With that, she ran as quickly as her legs could carry her, leaving him in the dust. It only took her three minutes of running before she was hunched over in front of the massage parlor's door gasping for lost air.

"Marinette." Tikki voiced aloud, looking at her owner with an expression of concern.

They both knew it. She took running from her problems to a whole new level. It wasn't her fault though. She blamed him for not clearing things up with her.

"I just need time." She said as she walked into the shop. Time away from him.

"Welcome!" Master Fu said as Marinette entered the main room.

"Hey there." As she saw him looking around for Adrien, she shook her head. "We raced here, and I beat him."

She began moving the little bit of furniture out of the room. Like the last several times they had come to training, they had been pitted against each other as they fought to train better. Marinette had to admit, she liked fighting and sparring against her partner. It was nice to learn new techniques and practice with Tikki. She took the record player from its dresser and searched for somewhere to put it where it couldn't break.

It wasn't long before the door's bell jingled, signaling that Adrien had arrived. Looking her up and down warily, he shook his head. It was obvious she was avoiding him. For what reason, he simply couldn't understand. He took the old device from her and put it at the side of the room. Master Fu had cleared mostly everything from the room prior to their arrival luckily for them. All that was left to remove was a dresser, that Adrien worked to move out of the room alone.

Tikki floated up to Marinette and looked her square in the eyes. "You need to talk to him."

"I know."

"It's not fair to him," she pressed on.

"I know."

There was no doubt that he was just as confused as she was. She bent down and stretched, trying to work out the tension in her body. Marinette planned to talk to him when she was ready. She was sure after visiting her family, she would have a clear mind and would be able to get everything she was thinking across to him.

Adrien walked back into the room and joined her in stretching. "So," he began.

"I won," Marinette started awkwardly. "When I get home, I'll make breakfast and then head out," she said hoping this would serve as a distraction. She stretched her arm across her chest as she pulled tightly. "How does a light breakfast sound? Just eggs, bread, and fruit? I prepared the garlic and shrimp pasta last night for you to eat later. Is that okay?"

"Fantastic." He smiled. That was certainly one of his favorite dishes that she cooked. He loved it so much, he had even asked her to teach him the recipe. Despite being taught how to cook the savory meal, whenever he made it, it never came out as tasty as she made it. If designing didn't work out, she could surely open her own restaurant and make millions.

As they worked through their stretches, Marinette sat on the floor and spread her legs to the side, resulting in a wide split. She hadn't realized it before, but her body had become much more flexible since having a Kwami. The splits she was never able to do, she could finally do with ease and hold it for multiple minutes.

"Ah, I'll help," he positioned himself behind her as he pushed on her back, forcing her body to stretch forward.

Now that she was cornered, he wasn't going to let her get away. He leaned over her shoulder as he brought his face close to her ear. "Is there any reason you've been avoiding me, mi 'lady?"

Marinette was thankful that he was behind her, her face had turned a deep red. "I'm not- I mean, there's not."

He would've chuckled had he not wanted to keep his serious tone. He wasn't stupid and certainly not as dense as she thought him to be. Adrien could clearly tell that she had gotten more flustered around him as of the late. Obviously, his touch made her squirm and he was loving every second of it. To know that he could have such an effect on her served as a sort of entertainment for him. If she wasn't going to come right out and say what was bothering her, he was going to harass her until she did.

Letting his hands drift to her hips he didn't let his smile falter. "If you say so."

With his piece said, he stood and continued his stretches a bit away from her. He was more than pleased with her reaction, that was all he wanted.

Marinette refused to look up from her position on the floor as she folded her arms and rested her head in them. He's hanging around Plagg too much. As him and his Kwami spent more time together, she could see him acting more and more like his kitten eared friend. Too mischievous and playful, she wasn't sure if she liked it.

After finishing their stretches, Plagg happily sat on Adrien's shoulder.

"We're starting now?" He wished that they would go back to just meditating so he could sleep and eat in their free time.

Adrien looked at his ring before turning to Marinette. "Ready?"

With a curt nod she replied, "Ready."

"Tikki, spots on!"

"Plagg, claws out!"

Marinette's body glowed for a split second as she felt strength and power enter her body. It was always refreshing to merge with Tikki, the strength she was granted made her beyond happy. As the light died down she looked at her now cat fused partner. There was just something about seeing him in this form that she loved. Maybe it was because it was him as she had first come to know him but seeing him as so would always make her feel a little fuzzy inside.

"I'll be the villain?" Marinette asked as she tied her "akumatized item" to her leg. It was a simple red ribbon that would pose as the item that possessed her.

"Sounds like a plan." They went to opposite ends of the room.

Master Fu stood near the door, trying to stay out of their way. "On three, two, one." He pressed down on the timer.

Chat charged at Marinette without hesitation. She dodged his move and grabbed his tail before yanking him onto his back.

"You were much better at being the villain." She taunted. The fact that she had him on his back in less than ten seconds made her feel victorious.

"That's what you think." He kicked the back of her leg, sending her flying to the floor.

It had been like this for a good week, them going back and forth with intense training that typically left a few bruises and a hurt ego for the loser. Normally, they could fight a very tough battle, giving each other much of a hard time as they fought to the last second. On some days, Chat would win their battles, and on others, it would be Marinette- both evenly matched in strength and power. If the villain lasted fifteen minutes in battle, then the hero lost. Seeing as fifteen minutes was such a short time, they typically did about three or four of these before moving onto a different training exercise.

He pinned her down with a quickness, moving towards her leg to grab the ribbon. She quickly lifted her knee to knee him where the sun didn't shine. He covered himself and glared at her with a sigh of relief at her missing. "That's playing dirty."

Marinette didn't hesitate to shove him off of her. "Not everyone plays clean." Trying to think of a way to attack him in the empty room, she searched for anything that might aid her. It was just her, him, and Master Fu watching as referee. The goal was to hold off on using her lucky charm until the very last second if she could, but nine times out of ten it wasn't all that easy. With only five minutes remaining of their Kwamis being in their systems after using their special power, there were a few occurrences where during practice they would time out and automatically lose. She would only use it as a last resort or until it was nearing the end of their time.

Holding out her yo-yo, she rolled it up and down a few times before throwing it at Chat. He easily ducked out of the way and took out his staff before wrapping the extended string around his rod. With a tough yank, the yo-yo flew out of her hand and into his.

Chat juggled the yo-yo and staff in his hands, a triumphant smile playing at his lips. "Ha, you have nothing to help you now." He gloated.

The battle might as well be over seeing as he had the only thing that could have saved her.

Marinette rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms, they were only three minutes into the battle, there was no chance she would lose now. She watched him with mild interest as he continued to rejoice to himself. Thinking of a quick idea, she took the opportunity to bum rush him as his guard was let down.

"Umph!" He felt his breath get knocked out of him as he fell onto his back again.

"Chat, don't get cocky if there is still a second on this timer." Master Fu reprimanded.

Marinette took her yo-yo from him but left him with his staff, still wanting a bit of a challenge from him.

She charged at him before he darted and slid out of the way. Hoping to buy herself a bit of time, she threw her yo-yo at him nonstop refusing to give him even one second to breathe. With the thought that tiring him out would serve her well and pass time, she didn't hesitate to hit him. The two battled back and forth as Marinette tried to keep him from getting close to her. As he knocked away her yo-yo for the thousandth time, he hunched over for a breather. Playing defense wasn't working for him as he had yet to get within a close enough proximity to grab the ribbon during the course of at least seven minutes.

"Time?" He asked Master Fu.

"Five minutes."

She looked down at the yo-yo clenched in her knuckles. She knew she could manage without using Tikki's special power, but she felt she could take it easy if she did. Why not pick up the pace a bit?

"Lucky charm!" She tossed her yo-yo in the air and watched as a steel pipe fell into her hand. Isn't this a bit harsh for a training session? She thought as she twirled it in her hands.

"I like where this is going." Chat flipped himself up and extended his staff. "One on one sword battle," he said before charging at her.

She held the pipe out in front of her as he slammed his staff down on her, sending her onto her back with him on top of her. She used her feet for leverage to kick his body off of her and stand. Chat easily bounded off of the wall and flipped in front of her, ready to hit her from behind, but she turned and blocked herself before swinging her pipe at him.

The team went back and forth, not holding back as they aimed to enable each other. Both were covered in sweat as they attempted to tear each other down. It felt like hours on end of trying to hurt each other.

She could hear the familiar ticking in her ear signaling that she was running out of time.

"One minute." Master Fu called.

Marinette looked at her ankle. The ribbon was loosely hanging off and was coming slightly undone at this point. Despite the looseness, she didn't think it would fall off.

With one-minute remaining, she highly doubted he would win at this point. Nonetheless, she was going to fight with all of her strength until the very end.

She took her nearly forgotten yo-yo out of her back pocket and wrapped it around his staff once more. He held on tight as she yanked, but it slipped with a bit of ease from his sweaty hands.

"Good luck, kitty."

He snickered as he flexed his claws. "I don't need luck."

Even without his staff, he was sure if he came at her, she would swing the pipe in one of the wide stances Master Fu taught them, leaving her legs open and giving him the chance to grab the ribbon. With that plan in mind, he extended his claws, leaving them outstretched as he charged at her.

Marinette was ready to attack and gloat in his face after she won. She took a stance, ready to defend herself, the exact posture Chat knew she would do.

The stance she took and the pipe she wielded.

It was all too familiar. She was instantly brought back to her dream, to when she had attacked him. She froze as her mind raced with images of her nightmare, paralyzed by what played in front of her. The pipe slipped from her hands as she stared vastly, her body refused to move.

Chat's eyes widened as he couldn't stop himself. Blood splashed onto the floor as Marinette let out a shriek of pain.

He could only stare as he looked at the girl clutching her arm on the floor. He looked to his claws that were tinted with the redness of her blood and skin.

"Why-Why didn't you dodge it? You could have easily protected yourself against that!" He yelled.

"Sorry," she grunted. She looked down at her now bloody arm. The white meat of her flesh was exposed as his claws had cut slightly deep into the insides of her arm.
Master Fu came to her side and examined the damage done. This was by far the worst injury they've had during their practices. Chat sunk next to her, but she shielded her arm from him, refusing to let him see the harm done. She knew it looked bad and the last thing she wanted him to do was panic from seeing her arm in such a state. Her skin was sensitive, so while she felt it was just a minor scratch she knew he would see it as him mutilating her.

"Let's tend to your injury." Master Fu said as he ushered her to the backroom.

Chat looked at his flexed claws with an off look. This was the first time he had ever hurt Marinette since getting better acquainted. To know that he did it on purpose killed him. He all but ran to the bathroom and began washing his hands sporadically. Even with the red tint of her blood gone from his nail beds and the smell no longer in the air, he still felt coated in it. He couldn't bear to look at his claws a second longer.

"Claws in." He continued to scrub as Plagg flew out of his ring.

The slightly wet Kwami shook as he gave Adrien a look of warning. "Ahhh, better be careful with that power of yours before it gets out of hand again."

Adrien turned the water off as he looked at his scolding hands. "What are you talking about?"

"Boy has Master Fu told you nothing."

"Told us what?"

"Have you ever thought about what happens to each miraculous holder?" He asked as he lazily floated next to him. The thought had never really occurred to him. Master Fu had only briefly said that there were other people that previously held them, not much else about it. Neither him nor his partner had ever thought to ask him or their Kwamis about it. Seeing the clear look of unknowingness, Plagg decided to help him out. "Word of advice, ask Master Fu about it."

Adrien grabbed his tail. "Or you could just tell me."

"Now where would the fun be in that? Rachera rest!" He whined, feeling tired from having just being used.

Mumbling to himself, Adrien closed the bathroom door and walked back into the main room. Instantly flying to his bag and pulling out a chunk of cheese, he sighed in content. As Adrien sat next to him, he chewed on the words Plagg said. As a matter of fact, he knew nothing about this stuff. It seemed like the only time Master Fu ever told them anything was when they asked. For all they knew, they could be using up all of their life span by keeping a Kwami. Or were using dead people as Kwamis? Or were maybe even selling their soul to the devil with each use. The possibilities were endless. The more he thought about it, the iffier it seemed. Master Fu was holding out on answers whether it be intentional or not.

He turned to Plagg once more. "You're really not going to tell me anything?"

Through a mouth full of cheese, he sung, "Not a single thing."

Adrien sighed, but accepted the answer. At this point, he wasn't sure if not knowing was a blessing in itself.

Better be careful with that power of yours before it gets out of hand again.

Again?

He'd be sure to ask Master Fu, not so much for his own benefit but for Marinette's; he wanted to be 100% sure that he posed as no harm to her. Before the idea could fester any longer, Marinette walked in, all smiles and happiness as if her arm wasn't currently in a thousand bandages. As Master Fu walked in behind her, Adrien stood, ready to ask his questions.

Marinette walked up to him and he completely froze, the idea of asking dying at the tip of his tongue.

Supposing he was a danger to her? Then what? He wasn't sure if he'd be able to stay with her if he believed he was even slightly dangerous. How could he? It would be like he was saying he would stay by her side for his own selfish need of wanting to see her. He just couldn't.

She waved her good hand in front of his face. "Chaton." He shook himself from his thoughts as he looked down at the petite girl. Her arm was bandaged tightly and was held in a light blue sling. He quickly turned away from her. Seeing what he had done made him mad enough to never want to merge with Plagg ever again. Danger or not, he knew what he was capable of. Maybe he could hold off on asking, at least until Marinette was gone and safely with her family.

Instantly, he drew his attention to her arm, before turning his back to her, slightly ashamed at what he had done. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. He made me wear a sling, but I'm probably going to take it off." Marinette said promptly as she looked at his back. She stepped in front of him and frowned when she saw his face.

He was making that face again, the one she hated. The face that said he was worried about her. From his point of view, she could see why he would be worried, but at the same time she knew the extent of her wound, and she knew it wasn't that bad. Whether he chose to believe it or not, the fact the he hadn't technically intentionally tried to hurt her eased a lot of the damage he could've done. She knew the extent of his powers and she knew he could've probably sliced through her arm had he really wanted to. In her mind, he wasn't to blame. She honestly could've blocked the attack had she had a clear mind.

"Let's head home," he said as he grabbed their bags.

She waved before calling behind her, "We'll see you next week."

"I'm sorry," he said as soon as he shut the door.

If anything were to be said, this would certainly be the first. He had no intention of shutting her out like he felt like doing because of his own faults and wanted to make sure she had at least a good few hours with him before departing for her parent's house.

"Adrien, don't even apologize for this. It was my fault." She lightly patted his shoulder with a reassuring smile. "I could've blocked the attack. I just….zoned out. This is a lesson well learnt to pay more attention."

"Stop trying to spare me," he responded, slightly annoyed that she never let him take the blame for anything. He could push her down a flight of stairs and she'd find a way to blame it on her own damn clumsiness.

"Hold up, mister," she huffed as she yanked his arm to stop him from walking. "Don't take on that tone with me. We both know I could've blocked that attack. I honestly just wasn't paying enough attention."

What'd he want her to do? Lie about it? She really was just zoned out, there was no reason to blame himself for it.

"I still should've been able to stop that attack. What if it were an innocent civilian?"

She flung her good arm up in the air, fed up. "It wasn't though! It was me, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, completely distracted by her own thoughts. I feel like any civilian would be smart enough to pay attention in the face of real danger. I'm not going to fight you over this."

Darn him and his stupidity. The walk continued on in silence, not much wanting to be said between the disagreeing couple. After arriving at the house, Marinette took her shower first before preparing a few meals for Adrien as he took his shower.

"Allow me." Tikki said as she added a bit of salt to the eggs Marinette was cooking.

"Why thank you my little helper."

She was just making eggs for part of his breakfast as the last of his meals. She had prepared his lunch and dinner the night before. The only thing needed was for the food to be heated when he was ready to eat them, she hoped he was perfectly capable of using a microwave without a problem.

"He hasn't said much since you guys came back." Tikki stated as she watched Marinette turn off the stove.

Marinette took her arm out of the sling and began making his plate. He really hadn't, not that there was much time to say anything seeing as their little tiff happened during such a short walk. After Marinette had taken her shower, he went right in. Even with the little amount of time to talk, she could clearly feel something was off with him.

"I hate him for making me worry about him right before I leave for a day." She placed his plate on the table before going to the fridge. Marinette might have cancelled her plans had she not planned this for weeks with her parents. All of them were looking forward to seeing each other after such a long time. "I'll text Alya and Nino to come hang out with him earlier than planned."

While Marinette searched for a drink for Adrien, Tikki looked for Plagg's favorite juice box. After they grabbed their juices, the two sat as they waited for the boys to come out. As soon as she made sure everything was set at the dinning room table, she did a mental checklist of everything she needed to take with her to her parents and of things she had to prep before going.

Bags packed, souvenirs, rented car is out front, Chat's food is complete, his-

"Can you remind me why he can't come with you?" Tikki inquired.

She figured since they did everything else together, this shouldn't be a problem.

"Because…." Well… Why couldn't he? The thought had never even occurred to her to invite him. Sure, she knew her parents wouldn't mind, and they certainly had enough space in their house for an extra guest, but there was one problem. "I need my space away from him to think about him, you know that." It sounded a thousand times smarter in her head.

Ever since their kiss, Tikki had battered Marinette with questions until she came clean about what she was feeling. Seeing as Marinette had no one else to confide in, she felt slightly relieved to tell Tikki what was bothering her.

"Well what is there to think about?" She probed as she sat on the table.

Marinette refused to say it out loud. "You know, my thoughts towards him."

"But you already know how you feel. At this point, you might as well just confess. He wouldn't have kissed you if he didn't feel something."

Marinette's face flushed as she shook her head quickly. "Have you lost your mind?!" She never thought about confessing to him. Supposing he didn't feel the same way? Then she would have not only embarrassed herself, but she would have most likely made things awkward between them.

"Listen," Tikki sighed with a roll of her eyes. "You are the only girl he talks to besides Alya, and she's taken. He lives in your house, holds your hand, sleeps in your bed, kisses you good night, and has kissed you. If you're not taking these obvious signs, then I don't know how else to help you."

Marinette hated to say it, but Tikki was filling her with the slight hope that maybe….in a parallel universe...on some level …Adrien may feel something towards her. Confessing was a sure-fire way to find that out, but the thought of rejection was enough to get her to hold her tongue. She felt like there were other more tedious and complicated steps she could do to find out though.

"But Tikki, Adrien is a bit ….odd. I don't know enough about his time period to know if these are just customs, him being nice, or him actually feeling something."

"Marinette that makes no sense. He doesn't even know enough about his time period." She lightly giggled. "Rather than making excuses, go for it head first and just accept the results. I have no doubt that he feels the same way. It would be a great way to end the year if you both could come clean with each other."

"But…" Marinette stopped when she heard the bathroom door open and close. "I'll chew on it."

"Don't just chew. Swallow and then act." Tikki ended.

Adrien's face lit up as he walked into the dining room. Eggs, a croissant, and a cup of fruit were laid out for him. "Thank you."

"No problem…" Marinette watched him guzzle down the food as if he hadn't eaten in days. "Hey, it's just a thought, but," she sighed, still debating on whether to ask or not. "Did you by any chance… want to come to my parent's house for the night."

He stopped stuffing his face, while setting the fork down and looking at her seriously. "Really?" She nodded her head. "It won't be an inconvenience?"

"I wouldn't have asked if it was."

"Why now though?" She had a good few weeks in advance to ask him, why do it now, twenty minutes before she had planned to leave?

"Because I thought we could have fun together?" She placed her good arm's elbow on the table before leaning her head on it. Why question her? If he didn't want to go, all he had to say was no. "I won't force you to go, but if you want to I suggest packing a bag soon. Mom and dad are waiting with fresh hot food at their bakery." She added a wink for extra measure. If food didn't catch his attention, she didn't know what would. The boy was a glutton if ever she did see one.

"Is it okay?" He asked hesitantly. Just from that small bit of hesitation she could tell he wanted to go, he only needed a little push.

Marinette smiled and softly responded, "Of course it is, you're family. Hurry up and pack your bags so we can go."

Adrien quickly finished off the rest of the amazing food before quickly packing a bag for his stay.

"Toothbrush, shirt, hair product, pajamas, underwear, pants?" Marinette listed.

Adrien rummaged through his bag, checking for the things she said. "Yes."

"Let's head out then."

They headed outside as Marinette rummaged in her bag for the rental car's keys. Once spotting them, she popped the trunk to allow Adrien to put their bags in the back. Marinette turned on the ignition and put her bag in the back as she waited for Adrien to come to the passenger seat.

This is the opposite of what I needed. The whole point for going was to see her parents and spend time alone. To think…..About him. With him coming, there was no chance of her having a clear mind. Even with those thoughts she smiled, happy that he was going to meet her parents. Adrien piled into the seat and looked around the Honda Civic, he had never been in such a new car since being in France. He took loud whiffs of the air, breathing in the fresh car smell.

Marinette pulled out of the parking lot and began the trek to her parents' house. This was going to please as interesting. Never in a million years had she ever thought of introducing Adrien to her parents. She was sure he could hold his own if she just introduced him as a friend, he more than just proved that by hanging around Alya and Nino for such a long time. She was more so worried about her parents bothering him. Her parents were some of the kindest people she knew, so she could guarantee there wouldn't be a problem with them welcoming him into the family. It was just a matter of him being of the male gender and her parents knowing she was still not dating.

She tried to push that thought out of her mind as she put on her turning signal at a light. She'd just cross that bridge when she got to it. They'd be in her hometown in less than forty minutes and Marinette was ecstatic to see her parents. It wasn't until you're out on your own and being independent that you realize just how much your parents did for you and how much you miss them. She couldn't wait to see them again.

"Do you think they'll like me?" He asked quietly from the passenger side.

She hadn't expected him to even inquire about it. "Ummm…." She turned to him, still mindful of the road. "Like you? Not at all. Love you? I know they will."

Marinette felt like she was a pretty good judgment of character, just as her parents believed she was. That being said, any friend she brought over was automatically family.

"Thanks." His eyes drifted to her arm. "Does it still hurt?"

She might have answered honestly had she thought that he wouldn't feel some way about her truthful response. Knowing him, he'd only beat himself up and make himself feel like crap over it, so she shook her head.

She was sure the wound would heal with time, but with Tikki no longer being in her body, it would take much longer than she would've liked. The pain would be gone within a week as it scabbed and healed, she was sure. It was certainly nothing to beat himself up over though.

"Just relax and look at the scenery. We pass through a pretty woodsy area, so you'll get to see lots of nature."

She turned up the music slightly, hoping he wouldn't ask her again. Marinette normally took the back way to her hometown, always satisfied with the view that mother nature provided her. Adrien turned to the backseat to see the Kwamis looking out the window as well. He would enjoy this unexpected adventure. There were pressing matters to take care of when he came back, all he could do was enjoy the time they had now.

XxX

As Marinette pulled into her hometown, she looked at the familiar landscape. The once forest green scenery was replaced with shops and houses of all colors. Chat gaped in pure amazement at the quietness of the small town. People were out and about enjoying the sales and festivities of different vendors as they made their way through the urban are. Comparing it to Paris, it was much more relaxed and serene from the looks of it.

It wasn't long before Marinette parked on the side of her parents' house and turned to Adrien.

"Just be yourself and they'll love you. I'm going to go ahead first; do you mind getting the bags?"

He quickly shook his head as he got out of the car and then opened the door for her.

Marinette took in a deep breath as she went to knock on the door. The bakery was open for anyone that wanted to come in, but Marinette normally knocked every time she came.

She only made it through one knock before the door flung open and she was thrust into a deep hug.

"Papa!" She laughed as he swung her around. Forest green pearls stared at his pride and joy. Setting her down he cupped her cheeks and placed kisses on them.

My how she'd grown beautifully, almost an exact spitting image of her mother. He ran a hand through her hair.

"You cut your hair?" Her father inquired.

"And my, does it look fabulous." Her mother sung as she came and pulled her daughter into a snug hug.

"Mom," she said softly. Had it really only been six months since she'd seen them? How was it possible? They both pulled her into a embrace, glad that their daughter was finally home. She nearly wanted to cry, if only her parents knew what she'd been up to. They surely would've killed her, no doubt it.

Marinette pulled back with a happy sigh and looked at the two people that raised her. "I missed you so much."

A day could go by and she would miss them. Time was fleeting, so every second spent with family was valuable and precious to her. All heads turned to the car as Adrien closed the trunk.

Both parents looked at each other completely puzzled before turning to their daughter. "And that is?" Her mother asked with an all-knowing smile playing at her lips.

"Ummm, a friend? I thought it would be nice if he could spend the holidays with us."

Sabine grabbed Tom's arm, her smile growing all the more. "She never brings new friends home. I would've cleaned more if I had known."

"Friend?" Her father persisted.

Marinette's cheeks flushed. "Yes, friend," she stressed.

As Adrien approached the house, Marinette went to grab her bags from him, but he stopped her. Seeing her father up close, Adrien examined him. He had only heard about her father, but certainly didn't expect him to look the way he did.

The two stared at each other, glassy green clashing with deep emeralds as Adrien squirmed under his intense gaze.

Adrien fumbled to free a hand to shake her father's. Setting his bag down, he held out one hand, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, sir."

His father stared at the hand before looking back at him. "Just call me Tom. Welcome home, son." With the same warmness, he pulled Adrien into a deep hug.

Adrien was nearly taken aback by the heartfelt greeting. "Um, thank you?"

Sabine placed the same soft kisses on his cheeks as she gave him a tender hug. "And Sabine is just fine. We're more than happy to have you here."

"Well come on in." Her father grabbed the last bag and held the door open for him. Adrien walked in and was instantly hit with the smell of baked goods. Can I stay forever?

"The house is five floors; my room is on the fourth." Marinette pointed up.

He looked at the quaint bakery. Goods littered the place as more cooked in their oven. How could one place resemble heaven so much?

"We'll give you a tour." Her mother said as she led him to the steps. Marinette smiled as her parents ushered him up the staircase. She knew they'd have no problem welcoming him at all as she followed in tow. By the time she caught up, they were making their way to the third floor.

"This is where you'll stay of course." Tom said as he set the bags on the kitchen counter.

The third floor consisted of a rather spacious living room and the kitchen.

Adrien examined the room and made comparisons to their light pink couch. It looked just as comfortable as Marinette's couch back at her apartment, he had a feeling he'd love it here. For them not expecting another guest, he found the place to be extremely clean. Polished floors, dusted windows, clean counters- it was almost as if they had predicated him.

"I can take it from here." Marinette said as she patted Adrien's shoulder. "I want to show him my room."

"Okay," her mother said as she grabbed her hands. "Please hurry so you can make your rounds, there are people waiting and I'm sure Adrien would love to see the town."

Marinette nodded her head as she led Adrien the upstairs. He quickly grabbed Marinette's bad for her before following behind her. The walk up the rickety stair case was short as she paused before her door.

"Rounds?" He questioned.

"I was also coming back to help mom and dad with the business. It's New Year's so many people have ordered desserts. I'll be delivering some around town today. Mostly to just old friends and acquaintances that don't see me often." She held up one finger. "There's only one rule before we enter. Don't judge my room, I haven't changed it since high school."

He tossed his hands up in surrender. "If I judge, it'll only be in my head."

She rolled her eyes as she continued the rest of the way. As they entered her room, he was shocked at how…...pink it was. It was a unique contrast to her white and gold decorated apartment. Everywhere he looked there was pink something. Pink rug, pink lounge couch, pink bed, pink decorations, pink everything.

"I like it," he said honestly, "I feel like I know another part of you now."

"No need to be so kind, I know it looks like a child's playground." She sat on the lounge chair, she missed laying in such a comfortable chair.

"I really do like it."

Her room felt so homey, he wouldn't mind living here if they didn't already have the apartment. Adrien sat next to her and looked around. He could picture a little Marinette running around the room and playing with dolls. It was cute to think of what she was like as a little tyke.

Now that I think about it, I only know some fragments of her past.

Aside from the basics she told everyone and the few facts about her parents he knew, Adrien could only say he knew a little about her past. Give or take, they never really exchanged former history considering he didn't know his, but he was curious about hers.

"Come on, I'll show you the best part." She stood before going to the ladder. He watched as she stood on her bed, he couldn't help but think about how unclean her old converses were and how much dirt was on them. With a smile, she motioned for him to come join her. Following her lead, he climbed the ladder to her bed before joining her. "Can you open it?" She pointed up at a latch.

"Yea." He undid the latch and pushed the door above them open before climbing up and pulling her up with him.

"Tada!"

Adrien stared at the plants surrounding the small balcony. It was lightly decorated in simple ways. Gulping down the the nice winter air in deep breaths, he looked at the town around them. There was just something about this house that was so relaxing. Maybe it was because they shared Kwamis that were connected, but he too felt at home though it was only his first time being in this house.

Marinette watched him in complete interest, she'd have to thank Tikki for suggesting to invite him later. He already seemed to be enjoying himself and the day had yet to begin.

"This is where you grew up?" He watched her nod her head up and down with a small smile, clearly proud of her town. "The place where you were once a child." Adrien mumbled mostly to himself. He was all the more curious about her now, he wanted to know everything about her.

"Marinette!" Her mother called from below.

"We can come back up here tonight," Marinette said with a wink.

Adrien jumped back into the room first and helped her down before the two headed to the bakery. Fresh cookies sat out with calpis drinks for them to indulge in on the counter. She motioned towards the cookies for the two to eat. Allowing Marinette to eat the first cookie, he followed soon after, hoping they would taste just as good as they smelled.

The chocolate chip cookies practically melted in his mouth, he wanted to cry sweet baby Jesus tears of joy. His eyes lit up as he took another, a huge smile instantly coming to his face. No words were needed, Marinette's mother was extremely pleased with his reaction. She watched him carefully, as any mother would do after her daughter brought home her first boy. It wasn't until he reached his fourth cookie that he thought he might've come across as impolite for taking too many. As he took his hand away from the fourth cookie, her mother laughed.

"Please have as many as you want, we have plenty."

He turned to Marinette for confirmation. She nodded her head as she took another herself. "Adrien, it's a bakery. We'll never run out of cookies." She placed his hand on a cookie.

They shared a laugh as he took the cookie gratefully. Her mother sighed wistfully, enjoying watching the two together. It was every mother's' dream to see their child fall in love, to see she had found someone as cute as he was served as a plus.

"So how did you two meet?" Her mother asked.

Marinette pointed at Adrien, letting him answer as she began to drink her juice.

"We met at a bookshop. After our second meeting there, we've been friends ever since." He said easily. It was the truth after all.

"Is that so? How lovely? She never brings friends home. Only ever her best friend from high school."

"Nino," Adrien stated, "he's a good guy."

Sabine didn't hide her astonishment as her eyes widened. "You know Nino?" Her smile grew.

"Marinette kindly introduced me to him."

"Even to Nino?" She muttered to herself. She went to the fridge and pulled a memo off of it before handing it to Marinette. "Why don't you grab your bag and head out to make your rounds now? The quicker you get done, the more free time you have to show Adrien around."

Marinette nodded as she pointed upstairs. "I'll just go get my bag."

Being left alone with her mother was something he hadn't expected to do so early after arriving. Though she had been nothing but kind, he could feel himself sweating as he nibbled on another cookie.

"My daughter must really like you for her to not only introduce you to Nino, but to bring you to our home." She said gently.

It's not like she had a choice with Nino though. He thought. Not sure of what to say he sided for, "She's an amazing girl. Marinette means the world to me, thank you for raising her and for allowing me to meet her."

He didn't need to say anything, she could tell just from looking at him that he really adored her daughter. She didn't see much interaction between them, but the chemistry was there, and it didn't take a genius to see it.

"You're always welcome in this home, Adrien."

Marinette walked down the stairs with a pep in her step, ready to get the day started. She looked over the list before turning back to her mother, confusion evident on her face.

"This is it? There are a lot less people than last year."

Her mom placed ten boxes of varying sizes in a bag, they contained all sorts of baked goods for families to eat.

"Your father will take care of the rest," she said with a wink. "We have a guest this year and it wouldn't be fun to work all day."

"Thank you, mamma." She said as she pulled her mother into a hug.

"Hurry out, just be sure to come back around six. We'll have dinner around that time."

"Okay," she went to grab the bags, but Adrien stopped her and began taking them for her. "We'll see you soon."

Adrien nodded his head with a small wave. "Bye, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng."

She waved as the two walked out. Marinette went over the list once more, trying to determine which location was closer. To say she was excited would be the biggest understatement of the world. A few of the people on the list were friends that she had grown up with and couldn't wait to see them again. The rest were all long-time family friends that had watched her grow and develop throughout the years, she was sure seeing the adults after so long would be a fun experience.

"We'll walk to each place, they're all fairly close together. Let's hurry, I really want to show you around town, I know which place we'll stop at last. Oh, and thank you for helping me."

It wasn't a question of if he would help her, it was just a matter of doing it. He was sure she couldn't carry all of these boxes alone, especially with an injured arm. He shook his head, dismissing it as something he automatically felt he should do.

"So what do you think so far?" She asked as they walked across the street.

He thought about it before replying, "Your father welcomed me in as his son and your mother said I'm always welcomed here. They're too trusting of a stranger in their home."

Marinette laughed. "My parents have a good sense of judgment, it's not that they're too trusting. They would've made it clear if they had any reservations about you, that's just how parents are. It's like they always know things you don't know, it's so weird."

He nodded his head, taking in the information he was given. "I wonder what my parents were like…"

He had that far off look again that meant he was thinking about his past, a past he couldn't remember. His face stayed stoic as thoughts came and gone. With a sigh she elbowed him a bit roughly, immediately pulling him from unfully formed thoughts.

"Well, they must've been some great people to bring you into this world. I owe them the world for giving you to me."

His footsteps slowed before he completely stopped walking. She slowed to a walk, puzzled by his actions. This carefree girl was thanking his parents for that? Wasn't it the other way around? He hadn't done a single thing for her, and yet she was more than thankful to have him in her life? What a topsy-turvy world they lived in. He shook his head as he thought of how amazing fate was. It had brought him to the girl he loved. Centuries later at that, the fact that he was here with her was amazing in itself.

"Thank you."

"No reason to thank me," she answered as she shrugged her purse higher on her shoulder. "Now, we turn here."

Luckily, she lived in a relatively small town, so it wouldn't take any longer than two hours to deliver the desserts. She was more than just excited to go to the first place. It was down an ally way that Marinette was sure she'd be scared to go down alone at night. Adrien followed her up the small inclination, curious to see the people around the town. They walked for twenty more minutes before they reached the small apartment complex.

Marinette knocked her knuckles lightly on the wood of the apartment door, she could feel her heart racing with each second. The apartment belonged to two long time friends that she hadn't seen since her last visit in town.

Adrien watched her carefully, curious as to why she looked as excited as she did. As the door opened, steely gray eyes locked on her before roughly grabbing her and pulling her into a hug.

She let out a squeak at the surprising gesture.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, well I'll be damned. I haven't seen you in eight months!"

Kim Lê Chiến towered over Marinette. The Vietnamese man gladly accepted his friend into his home as he ushered her the rest of the way inside. They had a rather rough relationship, literally. Arm wrestles all the time back in middle school and high school, even leading up to this very day. He enjoyed calling people out and challenging them for the oddest of things. Marinette was certainly no exception as she always met him head on. Despite having such a strong physique and a rather cocky personality, after being around him for so long she knew that deep down he had a heart of gold. He swung her around in the hug, excited to have the petite girl in his arms once more. She could feel herself getting whiplash from being swung around in the hug.

Careful to mind her arm, she swatted him off. "Six months!" She corrected him with a pointed finger.

Over his shoulder, she laid eyes on his housemate and another dear friend. "Max! Ivan!"

Kim was like an annoying older brother to her. All of the guys were. There was Max, the older brother that tended to keep to himself while having an IQ that was certainly bigger than all of their IQ's combined. And then there was sweet old Ivan, the giant teddy bear you couldn't help but love. He was the dense brother that was just as sweet as candy and really liked seeing everyone happy. Lastly was the older brother that picked on her, but would literally kick anyone's ass if they ever stepped up to you. It was an interesting dynamic to grow up in.

The two placed greeting kisses on her cheeks.

"It's been two long." Max said as he took a step back.

"I thought you were going to visit months ago!" Ivan swept her up into yet another back-breaking hug.

"She clearly only cares about her friends in Paris now." Kim said with mock hurt.

"Oh, hush, Kim." Marinette said with a roll of her sweet blue eyes as Ivan put her down.

"I wouldn't complain if you'd come when you say you would." He said as he began to noogie her head.

Adrien stood near the doorway, completely forgotten in the background. He was watching all of the interactions around her play out. She seemed very loved by the people in front of her, and yet he wasn't pleased, not in the least. She had many friends, that was evident from the way people treated her. The only problem was that he hadn't considered the number of male friends she had. Nothing but men. Did she not see this? Had she really grown up around them?

"Stop it," she ended with a fit of giggles as she elbowed him in his gut lightly. She turned to Adrien, eyes still glimmering with laughter. "I'd like you guys to meet my friend, this is Adrien."

All three men looked at Adrien, faces void of all emotion. They carefully examined him, not really sure what to think of the new comer. Kim was the first to react, eyebrow raised in mild amusement.

"Who is he, your boyfriend?"

Marinette felt her face burn. "No, you heard me say friend. Specifically, friend, as in just a friend."

He pointed at her and commenced to laughing. "Do you guys see this? Her face is as red as a tomato."

She swatted his pointed finger out of her face with a scowl, not wanting to embarrass herself any further. "Drop it, okay? I don't bring up you and Alex."

That immediately shut him up. "Kubdel and I aren't a thing."

"Yes, and the sky isn't blue," she responded with sarcasm.

"Looking for a fight?" He asked as he lightly shoved her, a playful tone still heavy in his voice. They typically had a few mini play fights when they met.

"And if I was?" She asked as she lightly pushed back.
He pushed her slightly once more. "Then you'd have one."

Adrien grabbed her hand and pulled her to his side while giving Kim a look. It was simple. He didn't care what kind of friendship or relationship they had. There was no way he knew her arm was injured, and he didn't want that kid pushing on her arm that way. Marinette looked down at their hands, her began to heart race at the small action.

"You sure you guys aren't dating?" Ivan nit-picked.

"I'm positive!" She snatched her hand out of Adrien's and grabbed two boxes of dessert before roughly shoving it in Kim's hands. She dug in her bag for the receipt before handing it to him to sign.

"Oh, come on, don't be like that," he said as he lightly nudged her cheek. "You know we're just kidding."

Max nodded his head, despite not inquiring about their relationship. "Why don't you stay for a while?"

Marinette shook her head and linked arms with Adrien. "Sorry but we have deliveries to make." To aid her point, Adrien held up the remaining bags of desserts. "I'll come back in a few weeks and we can all hang out then."

She honestly could've stayed, but she really wanted to show Adrien around the small bit that was her home town while she still could.

Max took the dessert and opened the box, more than pleased with the cake in front of him. "We'll hold you to it."

Marinette gave parting hugs and kisses to Max and Ivan before punching Kim in the arm.

"Hey!"

"Au revoir!" She quickly rushed Adrien out the door, before they skipped down the steps.

With a laugh, she said, "They may seem a little rough around the edges, but I promise their great people."

The only one he found to be a little rough was her at the moment. "Do you always play like that?"

Marinette thought about it as she began leading the way. "Yea." It just seemed natural to her.

He tried to ask his next question carefully without it sounding a little off. "…Any other friends?"

She tried to think of all of her friends. "Well….Kind of….There's Alex, though we never really talked much...And Mylene, but I only really know her as Ivan's girlfriend…" She hadn't realized she had been so lacking in the friend department. Of course, when she moved to Paris, she made more friends like Rose, Juleka, and Nathaniel, but other than that growing up she had just always hung out with the same main people. "Nino, introduced me to his friends, and then we all just kind of hung out like that."

He wasn't jealous, he refused to be anything of the sort. It's just that he had never really thought of any males besides him and Nino as close to her. Now here were whoever those three were, he already forgot their names.

"There's so much I don't know about you." Adrien said softly as he looked down at her.

The tone of his voice as he said it made her believe something was slightly amiss. "I'm an open book, there honestly isn't much to say though. When we get home, I can show you some photo albums."

Now that she thought about it, he didn't know all that much about her, did he? This was the perfect time for him to learn more about her.

He smiled. "I'd really like that."

"Then we'd better hurry." She patted the remaining boxes. "We still have a waysssss to go."

xXx

Adrien held the door open for Marinette and allowed her to walk through. The day had been long, leaving the two slightly exhausted. Despite wanting to see more of the city, the two decided a small break would be nice after delivering the last of the desserts. Between them going all throughout town to deliver everything and meeting and greeting her family friends, Adrien felt he had seen a good portion of the town at this point. The two walked up to the front counter.

"You're back? It's so early." Sabine asked as she stretched to reach for a jar of cocoa on a shelf. She hadn't expected them to come back for at least another hour.

Adrien went to grab the jar for her short mother, before going back to Marinette's side.

She smiled up at Adrien. "We got tired." She placed the receipts on the table.

Adrien compared the two against each other, she was definitely her mother's child. Even with the different eye colors and Marinette towering over her mother, they shared so many similar features.

Her mother patted her bottom. "Get more sleep, that's why you're so tired."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind, mom."

Her mother placed a warm cup of hot cocoa in front of Adrien before going to make Marinette's cup.

"Did you need help with dinner, ma'am?" Adrien asked politely.

"Thank you for the offer, but dinner will be ready very soon. By the time Tom gets back, we'll be ready to eat."

"Mom, where are the photo albums? Adrien wants to see."

Her mother put a finger to her chin as she thought about it. "Try the living room. The bookcase behind the sofa should have all of them."

Marinette pointed up stairs. "Adrien, you can head to my room first and I'll be there in a second."

Adrien grabbed his drink before heading up stairs and tossing off his jacket. Wanting nothing more than to sit down, he all but threw himself on her bed. Plagg floated out of his coat and sat on his shoulder. Being in her hometown and experiencing all that she had lived in made him think about his past. Surely, the place he called home must have felt like this. Warm, inviting, tender, and full of love.

"Plagg, I have a question." He asked before leaning back on her bed. Smells like summer's breeze. He thought as he took in a deep breath.

"I can't guarantee I'll have an answer."

Green eyes followed the lazy cat Kwami as he floated around the room. "Why won't you tell me about the past Kwami holders? You made it a point to bring it up, why not just tell me everything?"

"Numerous reasons. If I say one thing about it, you'll have a thousand questions that I won't want to answer and that I most likely can't answer. If you want answers, Fu has got them, not me."

He sat up with a huff. "But it pertains to you! How could you not know?"

He wanted answers more than anything in the world right now, the fact that his Kwami wouldn't even try to answer a single one was agitating.

Plagg shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "Don't yell at me. It's not just that. When you find out the answers, you're not going to be happy. No reason to ruin the trip when we've just gotten started."

With a heavy sigh, Adrien hated to say it, but he agreed with him. He was completely right. Supposing Plagg did open his mouth. If he heard something he didn't want to hear, which seemed to be the case, it would certainly ruin the fun he'd been having so far. No reason to do that, right?

"Just ask Master Fu," Plagg repeated. "Better yet don't ask at all and keep going on with the way things are."

"But…"

That was the problem. He honestly didn't want to continue in a stagnant manner. He wanted things to change. Any idea of progressing his relationship with Marinette was out the door if he posed as a potential threat to her. Everything was falling into place, just the way he wanted it.

Being with her, kissing her goodnight, holding her hands. Holy hell, even kissing her on Christmas day. The whole Kwami mess was the only set back.

He threw himself back on the bed and squirmed. I've fallen hard.

Harder than a ton of bricks hitting the floor. He loved her, and he wanted her in more ways than one. Everything was happening too fast for even him to comprehend. It was hard to believe he had once hated her, now he wanted nothing more than to be with her.

"Awww, is lover boy feeling fed up with his unrequited love?" Plagg asked with a pout as he hovered over Adrien's head.

Adrien swatted him away. "Shut up, Plagg." He could feel his cheeks warming at the thought, there was no reason for Plagg to even bring it up.

He snickered. "Well it's obvious to everyone but that girl."

Adrien threw a pillow at Plagg, which he easily dodged. "Mind your own business."
None of it mattered anyways. He wouldn't say a single thing about it if she was too dense to see. Fate brought them together in the oddest of ways. If her not catching his drift was a part of it, then he'd let it play out. Fate hadn't been wrong so far, no reason to second guess it now.

"Not my fault she's dense."

With a roll of his eyes, Plagg mumbled, "Not my fault you're just as dense too."

"What was that?"

"Nothing." He said. With a dramatic sigh, Plagg threw himself next to his owner. "Brieeeeeee, brieeeeeee."

He patted his pockets and shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry buddy, all out. I'll have to ask Marinette to get it for you."

He could hear Marinette run up the stairs before popping her head up from the doorway. "Adrien, dad is back so we're going to eat dinner now." She slid a plate of cheese and a bowl of ice cream on the floor towards their direction before opening her purse. Tikki flew out and happily went to the bowl. "Try to keep quiet while we eat, okay?"

"We'll be on our best behaviors." Plagg said with a smile as he commenced to digging into the plate of cheese.

Marinette looked at him warily before heading down the stairs. The fact that Plagg was the one to say that had her all the more nervous. Adrien followed in tow down the stairs. Upon arriving at the small dining room table, he looked at all of the food that was laid out in front of him. Various Chinese and French food was spread before him, there were maybe two dishes that Marinette had made for him previously, but other than that he didn't recognize many of the dishes.

"Mom could be a head chef if she wanted to." Marinette said as she elbowed him, somewhat happy to see the drool foaming at the mouth.

"Don't flatter me too much, I'll get a big head." Her mother said with a giggle as she set out glass cups in front of them.

Her father walked in, seeming just as happy to see all of the food spread out. He planted a tender kiss on his wife's cheek before helping her set up the rest of the table. Adrien felt like he was watching a show. Between watching Marinette interact with her friends, seeing her interact with her mother, and now watching as her parents interacted with each other- it was all new information coming to him.

It was the small things they did, like her father grabbing things high on the shelf that his wife couldn't reach, the laughs and jokes they shared while setting the plates, and even the way he looked at her lovingly. He'd never seen adults, parents at that, to be so in love. Even in movies, seeing it and feeling it up close was a completely different thing. He turned to Marinette, whom had finished setting out the utensils. He eyed the arrangement of utensils in front of him. Spoons of varying sizes, forks, two knives, and chop sticks were spread out.

Is this what she wants?

At a time, she had made it a point to say that him coming into her life had altered how she normally lived. About how he had changed everything and seemingly ruined it.

"I'm twenty-one years old just trying to establish my life and make my family proud. I don't have time to go around chasing Kwamis and trying to save the world or do any of this."

She had said all those months ago, the second day they met to be exact.

This is the family she meant. They each took their places at the table.

This was the family she wanted to make proud, this is the simple life she wanted to return to. It wasn't until now that he completely understood what she meant. The normal life she had where she could easily meet her friends and family when she pleased, the times when she could do everything within routine and stride- him coming into her life had modified it all. He didn't blame her for thinking negatively of it at first, he might've reacted the same way if he came from a lifestyle similar to this. She had probably had it in her mind to have a stable life, an income to support herself, and probably a significant other that she could build and grow with. He'd taken it from her. And yet, he felt stingy and selfish for not regretting it. The time spent with her was something he wouldn't trade for the world. Even if it meant slightly messing up her life, they were going at a good and steady pace together.

So, he smiled and pulled out the chair for her mother. "Here you are, ma'am."

Her mother looked nearly taken aback by his gentle and sweet nature. "Thank you."

He did the same for Marinette, which earned a smile from her. Her parents seemed to genuinely like Adrien, and she loved it. The thought of them not accepting him into her home never crossed her mind, but she didn't know what she would do if they hadn't.

"Let's eat." Tom said as he reached for the noodles in front of him.

Adrien looked at the plate before him. It was a pure culinary delight. He turned to Marinette whom had already started eating. She ate like a queen prior to leaving home to live in Paris. It was no wonder she cooked such delicious meals at the apartment, it's all that she knew. He had no idea what the food in front of him was, but it looked delicious.

Carefully, he took the piece of meat in front of him and bit into it. His cheeks instantly tingled with a flavorful sensation. While Marinette's cooking was great, she had never made anything like this before.

He turned to her mother. "This is absolutely delicious, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng."

"That's pork belly, fermented in salted tofu." Her mother said, beyond pleased with his reaction. "Try this too." She took her chopsticks and placed noodles in the bowl in front of him. "This will bring you happiness in the upcoming year."

Marinette reached for the fish across from her. "Mom cooks like this for New Years and Chinese New Years, so we get to eat this twice." She told him.

The thought of coming back to this home and eating such amazing food nearly had him dancing in his seat. He'd barely even gotten started and the food was already pure gold. Tom passed Adrien a box full of dumplings he had made, wanting his opinion on the food.

Seeing where this was headed, Marinette took the box from him and helped herself to one. "Don't force it all on him at once. He has enough stomachs to eat everything, plus we can take leftovers."

Her parents had always been like this. A happy stomach made for a happy person, so it wasn't unusual for them to want to feed him everything they had in the house. Plus, she knew they really wanted his opinion. She hated to say it, but she was the same way when she cooked for him at home. His reaction was always open, and he never held back with critique for the food she made. Marinette loved for nothing more than his compliments as he ate the food, so it was no surprise her parents wanted him to try everything.

Adrien happily took the box from her and took a dumpling before eating it. If possible, he wanted to try all of the food on the table.

They continued to eat on, Adrien dousing her parents in compliments and Marinette watching her parents bask in the kindness he gave. By the time they were mid-way through the meal, Adrien had consumed all of the food at least once. If he had to choose a favorite, he honestly couldn't. Her parents had really out done themselves with all of the culinary international food.
He reached for the beef stew and helped himself to some. The flavors melded together to create the perfect balance.

"This is amazing. Can you make this?" He asked Marinette, really wanting to have it on more than just two occasions. "Or even the recipe is good?" He suggested, he would love to have it for himself to make if she could teach him.

Marinette handed him a bun to dip in the stew. "I can teach you when we get back."

Her parents exchanged happy glances as they looked at the two. Marinette's mother passed her another helping of French dip roll ups. In Chinese she asked, "Are you sure you aren't dating? Marry him! He's absolutely adorable."

Marinette's eyes widened as her face reddened. She understood perfectly, the only problem was that she wasn't the only person that understood. She turned to Adrien who looked away with a slightly pink face.

"Mom," she mumbled wishing her mother wouldn't say anymore.

The exchange didn't go over Sabine's head. "You can understand Chinese?" She asked, clear excitement shown on her features. Adrien nodded his head, causing her to clap. "Definitely marry him!"

"Mom!" Marinette wanted to dig her own grave and jump in. She knew her face was blood shot red now.

Her mother took that as her chance to speak to him in Chinese. She asked about how he learned, to which he responded in perfect Chinese about how his parents had made him study the language as a cover up. Marinette had never really heard him speak Chinese prior to this moment. The one and only time her ever said anything in Chinese was when he read the label on the medicine Master Fu had given to her. It was absolutely beautiful. He sounded nearly fluent with the way he enunciated each syllable to form words. She didn't even sound that good when she spoke Chinese on rare occasions. As if setting of an alarm, Sabine commenced to speaking to him in fast Chinese that left Marinette and her father out of the conversation.

As they laughed and carried on a discussion, Marinette looked at her father, whom seemed very interested in the friend she had brought to their home. They already thought he was a dream before, now they'd dreamt and gone to heaven with his almost native Chinese.

"He's a keeper." Tom said with a wink.

Marinette just sighed as she went for the shrimp dish. Now her parents shipped them together and she was sure they wouldn't let her hear the end of it. Bringing a boy home had practically signed his fate to her.

It wasn't long before they began to feel full and began cleaning the table after a well-made meal. As Marinette and her mother washed the dishes and Tom packaged the food, Adrien wiped off the table. Looking at them, they seemed like such a happy family. Not seemed but were. He had wondered what kind of people had raised Marinette and now he knew. The kind that crack jokes and laugh about even the smallest of things. The kind that blow bubbles at you as you wash dishes. A family that packs you what looks like hundreds of leftovers to take home so that you won't go hungry until the next New Years. They loved and cared for their daughter more than anything in the world and it was easy to see that. It was no wonder Marinette turned out the way she did. With the love and tenderness of such a family, how could she not?

He finished wiping the table and began to pick up each place mat. Marinette approached him and placed a wet hand on his cheek.

"Come on, my parents have it from here." She dried her hands off on her shirt before heading up stairs.

He gave a simple wave towards her parents before following her. She stopped and grabbed a few photo albums before they completed their walk upstairs. Marinette handed it to him before flipping the floor door down.

"Your parents are great." He said as he sat on her rug.

She grabbed her old iPod before putting on some music and joining him on the floor with a shrug of her shoulders. "They really like you." Marinette looked up at the alarm clock near her bed. It was going on seven pm now.

This had to be one of the more normal days they'd had, knock on wood. No akuma attacks, nothing dealing with magic aside from their morning training, and just them visiting her family. Tikki floated next to her.

Marinette giggled as she licked her thumb and wiped a tiny bit of chocolate from her face. "The cookies were delicious, thank you."
"Where's Plagg?" Adrien asked as he looked around for him.
Tikki pointed up. "Sleeping on the bed."

Of course he would be. Adrien thought with a shake of his head. He looked at the cover of the Photo Album. The pink album had some of the sloppiest handwriting on it that said, "Famliy Aulbum", no doubt from a young Marinette that wanted to write on it. It was rather big and was overflowing with pictures.

She ran a hand down the cover of the book, somewhat excited to see the photos. She hadn't gone through them since she was a child, so she was quite curious to see what pictures it held. It would almost be like going through it the first time.

He flipped open the book and instantly laughed at the first picture. A baby with barely any hair sat in a tub with the grumpiest of expressions on her face, a small poop floated behind her in the water. Looking between the picture and the actual girl, he laughed even harder. She still had that same pout when she wasn't happy with something.

She rolled her eyes and turned to the next page. "Ah, I remember this!" She pointed at a photo on the left page. It was her looking flustered and like she wanted to cry while wearing a teal dress and wings on her back. "It was my first recital in elementary school, I cried so much that day. I had the worst stage fright when I was kid."

Just thinking about how she was forced to be the dragonfly in her school play caused laughter to bubble in her stomach. She had only had one line to say. A simple, "Here I am!" And yet, she was too nervous to say even that as all eyes were on her. It was hard to believe that she had come such a long from crying on stage to giving her very own speech during a famous showcase.

Adrien joined her in laughter. "You look cute though."

She began scanning through the rest of the photos. "I was nervous. Ah, look here!" She pointed at another picture. "This was when I was born."

Adrien looked at the picture, slightly confused. She had tubes coming in and out of her as she was placed in an odd contraption that he hadn't seen before. It was some sort of glass box to keep her in. She was no doubt the smallest baby he had ever seen, he was sure she would fit in the palm of his hand and weigh nothing. "What happened?"

"I was premature. By two and a half months. It looks bad, but it wasn't all that bad."

"So you've been a fighter since birth, huh?" He asked as he watched her turn the page.

She moved a strand of hair behind her ear. "You know it."

Speaking of birth, he realized he had never asked. "When is your birthday?"

"June 21st," she answered slightly surprised that he had even bothered asking.

"Let's do something fun for your birthday." If he could, he wanted to give her the best birthday like she had given him. He'd do something to make her feel like the happiest woman in the world.

She smiled as she lightly nudged him before turning the page once more. "Trust me, if you're with me I can already tell it'll be the best birthday in the world."

She shouldn't say things like that, he'd get ideas. He returned the smile with one of his own as he pointed at another picture of Marinette. She was sitting on what looked like a young-looking Nino's shoulders as she held up a banner, completely full of smiles and laughter.

"Oh god, that day was so much fun." She said before she commenced to telling him about that memory.

He listened to her talk enthusiastically as the music changed. This was oddly calming and very nice. It was exactly what he had wanted. Hearing about her memories and the fun times spent before meeting him made him happy. He only wished he had met her earlier so that they could've spent even longer together.

As they neared the end of the last photo album, they were going on two hours of traveling down memory lane. Time seemed to fly as he learned more about her.

"This last one was the day Nino and I left for Paris." She said as she pointed at a polaroid, no doubt taken from the camera he now possessed. All of the boys he had met earlier, and a couple of girls he didn't know stood in the picture looking as happy as can be. With Marinette and Nino in the center, they looked extremely cheery as well. "It was Ivan's idea to throw a party for us before we left. It was so kind of them to plan it out, Nino and I were completely surprised." Even with the happy expression on her face, he could definitely see her being teary eyed at the sweetness of it all. She really did seem to be delighted that all of her friends had come together for such an occasion.

Adrien closed the book, pleased with his new knowledge of her.

"Happy?" Marinette asked as she laid back on the floor. Since he had complained about not knowing more about her life, she felt this would satisfy him.

"Jubilant."

"Marinette!" Her mother called.

"I'll be back." Marinette sighed as she stood and walked down the stairs.

She was surprised to see her parents putting on their jackets. Her father handed her mother a scarf as he put on his own. "Where are you guys going?"

"Off to Mr. Deod's house to countdown for New Year's."

Typically, Marinette counted down with her parents each year, so she motioned to go upstairs. "Should I grab Adrien for us to join you?"

Her mother winked at her with a giggle. "Don't worry about it, we'll be going on our own. You've never brought a man home, and a charming one at that, so have fun."

Marinette's eyes narrowed as she caught wind of what her mother meant. "Mom, he's just a friend."

"So were I and your mother at one point." Her father said as he placed a strong arm on his wife's shoulder. "Things change."

"Papa, not you too," she said with a roll of her eyes. "He really is just a friend."

"Of course, of course." Her mother hugged her. "I'm just saying we'll be out of the house for the rest of the night." She finished preparing for the cold weather as she looked at her husband, ready to leave. "Make sure to watch the house. The bakery is closed down, so it's all yours."
"There's food in the fridge and a fresh batch of cookies on the counter."

"Yes, yes." Marinette said as she nodded her head and walked the two out. Looking at them, she saw just how great they were together. She really did love her parents more than anything in the world and was happy to be back home. Next time, she'd probably come alone to spend some quality time with them.

"Oh, and one more thing." Her mother said with a serious undertone as they stepped outside.

Wanting to close the door so as to stop the cold from coming in, Marinette nodded her head quickly. "Yes?"

"Don't do anything your father and I wouldn't do." Marinette's face flushed. Her mother leaned in close before whispering, "And we've done everything."

"Mom!" Marinette all but closed the door on them. She could hear her mother laughing through the door. Of all the crazy things for her to insinuate, that was it. She had never even thought of…something like that… and in her parents' house at that? Had her mother lost her ever loving mind? Marinette could feel her heart racing.

God, I just figured out how I felt about him. Mom is jumping the gun. She looked at the cookies her dad spoke of and grabbed them before going back to her room and plopping them down in front of Adrien, whom was messing with her iPod with Tikki and the now fully awake Plagg.

He happily helped himself to one of the cookies before looking at her with stuffed cheeks. "Why's your face so red?"

At that she floundered. "Just-uh-I-don't-don't ask, it's just a little cold in here."

He held his hand in the air to see if there was a draft of some sort, of course the room was heated to a comfortable temperature. Even so, what she said made absolutely no sense to him in the slightest. She said not to ask though, so he wouldn't.

"We have four more hours until New Years, what do you want to do until then?

Once Marinette was sure her face was no longer red, she turned to the three on the floor. They really did have some time before the countdown. She looked around her room. "I have my old game system in here….or we could watch a movie…"

"It's up to you, mi 'lady...bug."

That got her to laugh. She joined him on the floor. "Mi'ladybug? Really?"

He looked at Tikki, who had also caught the laughing bug. "Well, her counterpart is based on a ladybug, so it seemed natural. I mean you call me kitten and Chaton so it's only fair that I give you a name too…. Bugaboo…."

She commenced to laugh even more, these names were absolutely horrible. She never would've thought of something like that. She hated to admit it, but he was actually good at puns and things of the such. On some level, she felt people that could make puns as well as him were very smart, it took a certain level of knowledge to make them. Not that she would ever let him know though, no reason to give him motive to start saying puns in every sentence. "How about this, Chaton? We can just lay in bed and play the question game." She said with a smile. It would be nice to just chill and relax rather than do something. "Once we get tired of that, I'll think of something else for us to do."

"Sounds like a plan." He stood and offered her a hand to take. She took it gratefully before heading to her bed.

Tikki nudged Plagg, giving him a look that spoke volumes. "What?" He responded.

"Plagg and I really want to see the town for ourselves, so we'll be heading out."

His face twisted. "No, I don't." Why in the Sam hell would he would to venture out into the cold night when he could lay here and relax in a warm room?

Her eyes widened before she looked at their owners and then back to him. He nodded his head before repeating once more, "No I don't."

She sighed before grabbing him. "He means we'll be heading out to explore."

Marinette gave them a worried look. "Alone?" She turned towards Adrien with the same look of concern, not exactly liking the idea. What if something happened to them? "Without us?"

Tikki giggled. "We can take care of ourselves, promise." She edged towards the window with a complaining Plagg, he clearly did not want to leave the comforting house.

"Umm, come back soon?" Marinette had nearly forgotten that the Kwamis were much older than her, there was no doubt they'd be able to manage themselves around town.

"We will." With her piece said they left quickly.

Marinette watched them go before turning back to Adrien and lying next to him on the bed. It struck her as odd that the two wanted to leave now, but in a sense she understood. They had been stuck in the house or in her purse and in Adrien's coat all day, they probably wanted to explore rather than listen to boring human talk. She turned to Adrien and laughed at how at home he made himself. He looked like he could just fall asleep with the amount of comfort he was in.

"Can I ask the first question?" She turned from him to stare at the ceiling as if something had caught her interest.

"Of course."

"Have you ever been scared in the middle of a battle?"

Without much thought, he answered, "Yes."

"Well elaborate." She said as she elbowed him. "You can't just give straight answers. The only rules of the game are to elaborate on your answer, no repeating questions, and only one question per turn."

"You didn't say we had to be specific. If I must say, in combat you are a rather unpredictable person. I don't know what you're going to do in battle next. I've never been more ...nervous in my life than in the battle with that man the one time I left the apartment and didn't come back."

She thought back to that time and found that to be a rather easy battle when compared to all of their other ones. The first confrontation was the hardest in her opinion. "Why?"

He shook his head. "I elaborated, now it's my turn to ask a question. We can ask anything, right?"

She looked at the green-eyed man, his face was void of emotion. She wasn't sure if she liked the idea of 'anything' but then again, she was an open book and felt she didn't need to hide a single detail of her life from him. "Yes… My turn…"

With the ability to ask anything, what could she ask? She couldn't ask about his past and she wasn't exactly sure what to ask now.

Maybe how he feels about me? But….Even for her it was too bold of a move. There had to be a specific time and setting for those types of things. She highly doubted he would give the answer she was looking for anyways. Probably just something about how great of a friend she was.

"Your turn?" He inquired, signaling for her to ask her question.

"What do you think you were like in the past?" Hoping she hadn't struck a chord, she asked him carefully.

The same expression remained on his face as he thought about what he was like. "The same? I believe that everything happens for a reason, good or bad. I must've done something right to be given to you."

Marinette could've cried tears of joy, that was such a sweet and innocent answer. Did he have to be so charming? She had never met a man such as him. Give or take, his time period played a role as to how he became so...him…..but still, how did she get so blessed?

"I think so too, I can't imagine you being any other way but like this. Don't ever change."

Her sweet, happy kitten, she wanted him to always stay this way. Happy, healthy, and with her. After all, this was the man she had fallen in love with.

"What do you think is the hardest part about having me come into your life?"

"The hardest part?" She repeated. "Nothing is really hard, so to say, but I think in the beginning I really just struggled with the thought of living with another person. At first, I felt uncomfortable in my own home, but after we got better acquainted everything was okay."

He took in her answer, admitting to feeling the same way. Fate was just such a crazy thing, he'd never be able to understand it.

"What will you do after all of this? Like if you could do anything with the life you have now, what would you do?" She asked as she sat up. If she was being honest with herself, she was extremely curious about this particular subject. Maybe a little worried more so.

There would come a point in time where they would stop fighting and gain normal lives in tow. There was no right answer to this question, but she knew how she would have preferred for him to answer.

"That's a tough question. We don't know what will happen after all of the Kwamis are returned."

"Any answer works. I should say rather, what do you want to happen if you could choose?"

He sat up as well, thinking about all of the possibilities. "If I could have my way, I would want to stay here and create a life for myself. I most likely would not live with you though." Of all of the answers Marinette had expected, it was never something such as that. She felt her heart drop at his proclamation. He continued quickly after seeing her saddened expression, waving his hands to stop her from thinking too much about it. "Think about it, it-it's been four months since we've been together. I was forced into your life when you least expected it, I think you've earned a little time to yourself. I would probably try to stay with Master Fu and-"

"What if I said I don't want that?" She blurted it out before she could stop herself. It was her honest opinion though. She hadn't complained about him living with her in a long time, why was he trying to be so courteous towards her now? If he was going to try thinking of what she had earned, the least he could do was say an option that made her happy.

He seemed just as surprised at her outburst. "Well….This is hypothetically speaking...I would still be around you. If you would have me, I would stay of course. But," he sighed. "If I'm being realistic, it doesn't make sense. I honestly don't think I'll be here after the last of the Kwamis are found. My fate is sealed to the book as of the moment, until we can figure out why this happened to me, I may be forced back into it." The thought had Marinette near tears. She had only thought about him staying with her after everything finished. Now she was hearing that he not only hadn't thought of staying with her, but he also didn't think he would stay in her time period? Why was all of this being spoken about now? He had never mentioned any of this to her. Seeing the way her eyes glazed over and her mouth was poked out in a slight pout, he continued once more. "Don't make that face. These are just my current thoughts, I think we'll be able to get all of the answers we need to work through this." He lightly pinched her cheeks. "Don't worry, we have a long future together."
She swatted his hand away. Even if she wanted to, she was sure it would be hard to get the idea out of her head. In a sense, it served as more motivation to save him from whatever curse was placed on him.

"Okay, I won't worry about it for now."

He was reassuring her that they would be together for the longest of time. If he honestly believed they would and if it was something that he wanted then they would surely find a way, no doubt about it.

"Have you ever been in love before?"

What was this devilish game they were playing? Marinette had suggested the game with the idea of asking basic questions such as 'what is your favorite color' or 'when was a time you were embarrassed'. The questions they were asking were rather heavy emotionally. Give or take, she was the one that started it, but still. This was yet another question she hadn't expected.

He said before...not now. She wasn't sure if it was a good thing that he had worded the question that way. If it was slightly different, she may have been given the chance to confess right here and now. "No," she replied honestly. "In my past, I've only ever had small crushes here and there...It just means I've liked different boys before, but never very deeply." She explained.

"Well how do you know when you're in love?" He pressured, wanting to know more.
Marinette lightly thumped him. "You can't ask two questions in a row."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine, then ask your question, so I can ask mine."

"Okay," she replied with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders. "How do you, Adrien, know when you're in love?"

He sputtered at her repetition with pink cheeks. "You can't do that!"

"Who says? There were only three rules, and this wasn't one of them. Now answer." He had fallen right into that trap, he should've waited his turn. This was probably the question she was most interested in though. She knew she was in love with him, how exactly did he view love? Did he even believe in it?

Adrien sighed, if only she knew how embarrassing this was for him. He'd basically be talking about love with the dense girl he was currently in love with.

"Do you want my honest answer?"

"I wouldn't accept anything but an honest answer," Marinette replied, greatly anticipating his response.

"The amazing and terrible thing is that you don't know. When or how it happens is something I could never answer. You just wake up one day and realize that there's one special person that you wouldn't mind spending your entire life with...I'm guessing?" There was no reason to allude too much to his true feelings. This was certainly not the time to confess anything to the blue-haired beauty, not until he talked to Master Fu and figured some things out. "That person becomes your everything and you can't think or breathe without them somehow coming into the equation. When it hits how you finally feel, you feel light inside, like the thought of being soul mates and connected with someone on a deeper level that goes beyond a basic connection can take your breath away, I think." He added. "It just all goes to say that I believe a person may know that they're in love when the thought of spending an eternity with someone seems too short of a time."

Marinette took in his answer, slightly stunned that the man had explained exactly how she felt in a few sentences. She was more than thankful that he didn't ask her that question because she could never come up with something as eloquent as that.

He kept saying he guessed and he thinks…. She wasn't sure how she felt about that part. On some level, maybe he truly only viewed her as a partner. Even so, a smile found its way to her lips. The fact that she knew she was in lovefor the first time with someone so amazing made her feel fuzzy inside. Seeing her smile, made him smile.

Just wait a little longer. He thought.

They continued the game for the next few hours, only ever stopping to eat a cookie here and there or if Adrien ever inquired about a song that was playing in the background. Young Marinette had interesting taste in music in his opinion. There was no clear category that she seemed to like as the songs varied in genre and language.

As one of the songs died down, he asked. "Well what about that song?"

"That was a Russian song. I honestly have no idea what they said, I only downloaded it because the melody was very pretty."

As a new song cued, his ears perked up. This was the first song out of all the songs played to have a very vivid piano melody. It was soft and yet it had immediately caught his attention. As the chords picked up pace and played out he turned to Marinette with excitement. "What song is this? It's beautiful."
"It is, isn't it? It's just an old song from a show, I believe it's called Love Like You, the extended version. I never watched it, but I came across this song by chance and really liked it." He stood up and tugged on her skirt before going down the ladder. "What are you doing?"

"Come on, it'll be fun." She followed in step, not sure exactly where he was going with this.

Once they were both safely on the floor. He pulled her close and positioned her arm on the upper part of his arm before taking her other hand and holding firm, careful not to hurt her injured arm.
"No, no, no, I can't dance." She frowned as she retracted her hand. In hindsight, could he even dance?

He pulled her closer with a soft smile. "It's just for fun, it's really easy. I'll be leading so it won't be too difficult." He positioned her in the same way before gently pushing her forward and taking a step. "Perfect! Now just repeat it and dance." They repeated the simple movements a few times as the drums picked up.

Even though she had done fine with the few steps, it was somewhat embarrassing for her. "Chaton, I-"

"The intro is coming on." He shushed her happily before leading her. "One-two-three, one-two-three..." He guided softly as she fell into his rhythm.

If I could begin to be
Half of what you think of me
I could do about anything
I could even learn how to love

Falling into the steps, Marinette was beginning to enjoy the simple dance moves. It was quite easy with him leading her each step of the way. She had been concentrating much too hard on her moves, it was almost exactly the same as when he had taught her steps in training a few months ago. Taking the initiative, he guided her chin up and forced her to look at him. Oh, how lucky he was to stare into those beautiful cobalt eyes.

When I see the way you act
Wondering when I'm coming back
I could do about anything
I could even learn how to love like you

Right when she thought she had been doing well, she stepped on his foot. She instantly pulled back.

"I am so sorry!" Marinette said with a gasp. She had two left feet, so she was surprised she had made it that far without nearly killing him.

He laughed as he took her in his arms, "No worries, shall we continue?"

She grinned, happy he still wanted to continue. She actually enjoying the spontaneous dancing with him.

With the sweet melody playing out, it made him realize for the thousandth time how truly blessed he was to bask in her presence. Like this moment, it was a first for the both of them, he wanted to spend the rest of his life having many firsts with her.

As the song persisted, she got comfortable to the point of even resting her head on his shoulder.

If I could begin to be
Half of what you think of me
I could do about anything
I could even learn how to love like you
(Love like you)

It was just them, alone, happily goofing off and having fun. This was how things were supposed to be. Without Kwamis or akumas or any of the magical mess they had gotten themselves into, they could live a life like this. This was the life he wanted most of all. A life where it was just him and her happily in love.

I always thought I might be bad
Now I'm sure that it's true
'cause I think you're so good
And I'm nothing like you
Look at you go
I just adore you
I wish that I knew
What makes you think I'm so special

Is it possible for a song to play exactly what I'm thinking? He thought somewhat woefully.

Listening to the lyrics, he found this song to perfectly describe them. He'd never viewed himself as the best of people, but she always managed to make him feel like he was on top of the word with the care and happiness she gave him.

He gently picked her up and swung her causing her to laugh. They fell into step perfectly before resuming the same simple dance moves. She was as light as a feather despite how much food she cooked and ate on a regular basis, he chuckled at the thought.

What does she see in me? Why does she keep me around? He just felt that they were opposites in so many ways and yet she still viewed him as a good person. She was the truly good one out of the two of them. It was true he respected her and thought the world of her, he hoped she knew it. But what exactly did she see? How exactly did she feel for him?

If I could begin to do
Something that does right by you
I would do about anything
I would even learn how to love

It was scary just how on point this song was. He wanted to love her. He regretted not waiting to ask his question. How did Marinette know when she was in love? Especially since she's never been in it before. What did he have to do to make her feel that way and gain the love in her heart? If she allowed him to love her, he would be the happiest man in the world. What would it take?

When I see the way you look
Shaken by how long it took
I could do about anything
I could even learn how to love like you

(Love like you)
Love me like you

As the song drew to a conclusion, he slowed his steps before completely stopping. Gently, he took her hand and kissed the back of it.

"Thank you for the impromptu dance, mi 'lady."

She giggled as she grabbed the corner of her skirt and curtseyed. "The pleasure was all mine, we should do it again one day."

A whistle was heard behind her, drawing both of their attention to her window. Her face flushed at seeing the two Kwamis smiling.

"When did you guys come back?" She asked as she dropped his hand and walked up to them.

"We said we would come back right before the countdown. We have five more minutes until then." Tikki reminded her.

Marinette looked at her watch. She couldn't believe they had spent the last hours of the year simply talking and listening to music. It was such a peaceful and happy way to end the year.

"Come on, let's go to the balcony. Sometimes families go to the park and shoot fireworks after the countdown." She said as she pointed up. "You can see it from my house."

"Gladly."

Despite it being winter, the two settled for just cardigans to wear as they were still warm from their dance. Marinette sighed in content at the refreshing air, winter was probably one of her favorite seasons, if not her most favorite.

The two waited patiently as the minutes on her watch dwindled. Sure enough, there were plenty of people crowded around the park, ready to count down together and shoot fireworks into the sky. Adrien could feel excitement bubbling inside of him. They were going to start a New Year together, a new future together.

"Don't forget to make your New Year's wish." She said with a small nudge as she watched children run around the park.

"New Year's wish?" She hadn't mentioned that before.

"As soon as the last second is done, if you say a quick wish it'll come true." She replied as she stared at her watch eagerly. In a mere two minutes, they would be in a new year, together. "That goes for you too, Tikki and Plagg."

"We're going to go closer to the fireworks." Plagg said before he and Tikki flew across the street to the park.

Adrien and Marinette crowded around her watch. 60 seconds remained. They could hear people in the park counting down to their final seconds of the year.

Time seemed to ebb slowly for Marinette as she thought about all of the changes that happened this year. Up until four months ago, she had done the same routine all year. Wake up, go to her internship, study fashion, go home, and then go to sleep; all with a few minor moderations every now and then. With Alya living with Nino and Adrien living with her, everything had changed.

For the better.

She wouldn't change a single thing for the world if given the choice.

10

9

8

Marinette gripped Adrien's hand, happy that he was by her side.

Not a single damn thing.

7

6

5

He pulled her closer, feeling the exact same way. How merciful was fate?

4

3

2

How could he hold back any longer?

1

Without hesitation, he held her as close as he could before pressing his lips to hers. This kiss was different from the last, there was slight pressure put into it with the thought that this may be their last kiss. Until he knew what he was and how he affected her, they just couldn't move forward with their relationship. And even after that, if he confessed…when he confessed, who was to say she would even respond to his feelings?

It was a silent wish, just one he would request to all of the Gods in the world.

When this is all over, please let me stay be her side.

If he could, he would take all of the Kwamis and make this single wish. She was the only thing he wanted. The only thing he needed.

She relaxed into the kiss as her eyes drifted closed. Everything was perfect. What more could she ask for? With the fireworks bursting with bright light behind them and him holding her in his arms, it was a scene from a movie.

Everything just felt right. This was it, this was the feeling she had wanted, the timing she had been waiting for all day.

She pulled back from the kiss breathlessly, how did he always manage to leave her breathless? "Chaton, I…" She started, unsure of where to begin. She had never dared confess to anyone. The weight of it being the subject of love left her uncertain of how to start. "Chat, I lo-"

Adrien pressed a gentle finger to her lips before looking her in the eyes. Dropping his hand to caress her cheek, he smiled. "Please," he begged, "just wait until later today." The smile he gave her was reassuring so as to ease the petrified look she was giving him. "Later today I can tell you everything."

He needed to see Master Fu before saying anything more. He hoped that she trusted him enough to wait the several hours until they were back home. It was taking everything in him not to jump for joy and scream happiness to the Gods. If what he believed she was going to say was what he thought it was, then maybe, just maybe, things would work out in his favor. Adrien had it in his mind to confess to her first though, to tell her everything that he felt. She deserved to be confessed to rather than the other way around.

It was something about his smile or something about the way he asked her to wait, but in her heart she felt that he felt exactly what she was feeling. She could wait a lifetime if that was what it meant. He pulled her into a tight hug. She could hear his heart drumming against his ribcage.

If he didn't feel love for her, there was a least something there. That was all the answer she needed.

For that simple fact, she could wait a lifetime.

The rest of the night continued on in the calmest of ways. By the time both were ready for bed, it was going on two in the morning. After showering and just talking, Marinette yawned as she looked at Adrien tiredly. Not much was said between the two as Tikki and Plagg returned soon after.

Marinette placed four candles in a row before lighting them and waving them over. "This is the last tradition that I do on New Year's. We just make a simple prayer for those that we love, those that have passed, and people that have impacted our lives."

They watched as Marinette closed her eyes and folded her hands before copying her actions. It only took a few seconds for their prayers to be said.

"Now what?" Adrien asked.

"Now," she said as she held up the candle. "We blow out the candles to seal our wishes. We have magic in us, so on some level this has to work." She lightly blew the candle out before setting it back on her dresser.

Marinette happily watched as they did so, though Adrien helped Tikki and Plagg blow out theirs.

"Who did you pray for?" He asked Plagg as he sat on her lounge chair.

"Cheese, it's had the biggest impact in my life."

Adrien rolled his eyes. Choosing to ignore the simplistic Kwami, he turned to Tikki and asked, "And you?"

"You and Marinette of course. As well as Wayzz, Master Fu, and Plagg."

He smiled at her answer, there was something just so sweet about her response. To know he had her good wishes warmed him. "What about you, princess?" Adrien turned to Marinette, whom had finished placing the candles in her drawer.

"Well, everyone in this room and everyone we met this year. I also prayed for my parents, and yours." Adrien didn't bother to hide his surprise. He hadn't expected her to pray for his unknown family as well, he didn't even pray for them. "I- just mean," she started when she saw his reaction. "Without them, I really wouldn't have been able to meet you, so it just seemed right to pray and thank them, ya' know'?"

He nodded his head, his smile growing at the consideration behind the girl. He stood and hugged the young woman, wanting her to feel just how warm she made him feel inside. "I will see you in the morning then." Adrien said as he placed a gentle kiss on her hand.

Her hand held tightly onto his, refusing to let him walk away. "Where do you think you're going? You can sleep in here."

Adrien shook his head profusely. "And face your dad's wrath in the morning? I think not." He didn't care how much her parents seemed to like him, he still wanted to show the upmost respect in their house.

She laughed before pointing at her lounge chair. "I'll sleep up there, you sleep here, no harm done. We can even leave the floor door open. If they ask, which they won't, I'll just say this little kitten was scared of the dark." She said before opening the door.

He really wanted to argue her down about it, but at the same time he wanted to stay longer just as much. It was warm, and the room had her in here. Why would he want to go down there?

"If they come for blood, I'm throwing you in the line of fire."

Marinette began to climb the ladder to her bed. "Then I'll gladly take the pain."

Once she was safely upstairs and Tikki was next to her, he turned off the lamp. "Good night, Marinette."

"Good night, Adrien."

xXx

"Oh, how I'll miss you." Her mother said as she held firmly onto her daughter, never wanting to let her go. Had a day already passed? Where had the time gone? She felt like she had hardly spent even a second with her pride and joy.

"Mom," Marinette patted her mother's back. Goodbyes were always the hardest part of leaving her hometown. Time had passed much too fast and now it was time for her to part. "Thank you for everything."

"You'll come back soon, right?" Her mother insisted.

Marinette nodded her head as she pulled back from the hug. "Of course. I'll be back next month for a longer period of time before I start work again."

"Time won't pass soon enough to bring you back to me." It was always so bittersweet to see her daughter leave home no matter how close she was to them in distance.

"Make sure to eat well." Her father added.

Adrien held up the numerous bags of leftover food he carried. Her parents surely wouldn't have to worry about her eating well. "She'll be okay."

Tom turned happy eyes onto the younger gentleman. "And as for you, lad." He patted him on the back.

As Adrien felt her father's hand connect with his skin, he felt his soul leave his body. He was sure to have a mark or two from the weight of his heavy hand. Does he not know how strong he is?

"You keep an eye on our girl, she can be a bit troublesome." They both watched as she laughed with her mother. "She's a good girl though."

"I know," he couldn't help but admire her. "She's truly the greatest."

At seeing the man all dreamy eyed for his precious daughter, he laughed. With one last pat, he said, "Don't fall too hard."

As Adrien tried to regain his breath, he stood confused by what her father had said. Before he could ask of the meaning, Marinette waved him on. "Let's go."

After putting all of their luggage in the car, the two-piled inside, ready to start the journey back home. As they pulled off, Marinette and Adrien waved at her parents, wishing that they could stay longer but needing to head back. It wasn't long before they were back on the same streets they had walked through out to deliver desserts just yesterday.

"So," Marinette began, "Why the sudden interest to go home early?" She had wanted to ask him earlier though she never got her chance.

He hadn't planned to answer at first as the beautiful scenery that was France passed him by. Refusing to break eye contact with that around him, he responded, "I put off taking care of something I should have already taken care of."

It was the truth. He had held off on seeing Master Fu because he was frightened by the idea of knowing what Plagg truly was. Now so more than ever, he needed answers. There was no way of getting around it.

"Is that so?" Marinette questioned. "Anything I can help with?" What could he possibly need to take care of? Maybe more studying on his part?

"Nothing you can help with"
She looked at him through her peripheral. They hadn't said a single word about last night since waking up. She could wait until he returned home, she didn't have a choice. But it was still heavy on her mind that he had asked her to wait until today. What would happen later that would allow her to tell him her true feelings? Did the thing he needed to take care of have anything to do with this?

"If you say so," she replied. Marinette wouldn't ask. He was a grown man capable of handling anything he had to handle, whatever it may be.

The rest of the ride was relatively quiet as the two were trapped in their own thoughts and their Kwamis had fallen asleep. Just like yesterday, today seemed like it would be a relatively quiet and calm day. That was all she could ask for.

It wasn't long before they were grabbing their bags and were heading inside the apartment. As Marinette went to grab his bag, he held it out of her reach.

"How is your arm?"

She pulled up her sleeve and wiggled it around. It was wrapped in fresh gauze, so he couldn't see much, but with the way she was waving it around all about had him slightly nervous. There was no doubt in his mind that it still hurt on some level, she just received the scratch yesterday. He grabbed her arm to stop her from flailing it around. It was fruitless to ask. Her arm could be falling off and he was sure she would still say she was fine simply because he was the one that had wounded her.

"Point taken." He took two trips between the house to get the rest of their bags.

As soon as he set his bag in their room, he stood in the doorway. "We'll be heading out now, we'll be back soon." Marinette stopped unpacking the leftover food and walked up to him sporting a frown. He had told her before that he would be leaving, but she felt like a spoiled child. She wanted to talk now, not later. Seeing her small pout, he laughed and patted her head. "We'll be back soon." While pulling her into a hug, he whispered, "And then we can talk, about everything."

Reluctantly, he pulled back and forced a smile. She returned the smile with one of her own. He was just as childish, it was clear he wanted to do nothing more than stay and discuss what they needed to talk about. Whatever he was going to do must have been extremely important.
"Then I bid you adieu."

"Until we meet again," he gently kissed the back of her hand before leaving.

Plagg flew out of the inside of his coat and snuggled under his beanie. "Are you sure you want to ask Master Fu?" He would ask one last time before his owner made the decision.

"Are you going to tell me?"

"No. I believe blissful ignorance will get you much further in life than knowledge."

Adrien stopped walking and held out his hand for Plagg to sit on. Once Plagg was on his hand, he shook his head. "Where does this ignorance stop? We've been doing this for months now and I doubt we even know a fraction of what the hell we're getting ourselves into."

"It doesn't stop, and there's a reason for this. If you won't listen, then hear me out….Just don't do anything rash." With his piece said, he flew back into the warm hat. He could feel it in his bones, this was the wrong thing to do, but he knew Adrien wouldn't listen to him.

Adrien broke out in a run to Master Fu's. The thought that Marinette was patiently waiting for him was enough to fuel his fast pace. In mere minutes, he would have the answers he was looking for and then he could finally be with Marinette.

Once he was at Mater Fu's parlor, he opened the door and walked to the main room where Master Fu typically sat. Seeing the out of breath man, Master Fu grinned.

Adrien didn't return his smile as he stood in front of the man, "I want you to tell me everything."

xXx

"I'm getting worried." Marinette said as she watched the rain drum outside. It had been hours, much longer than Marinette had ever thought he'd stay out after he said he would come back soon. Time waned to bring them to 11pm and it seemed odd that he had yet to show face or call. With the rain getting heavier and the night getting darker, she was worried that something might have happened to him.

"He'll be back soon." Tikki reassured her.

"I just can't imagine what is taking so long," she mumbled under her breath.

"Someone's ready to confess, now aren't they?" Tikki giggled.

Marinette joined her in laughter. Yea, she was excited. Who wouldn't be?

Despite the rain, with their joyful laughter and the warmness of the house, it was far from gloomy in their home.

Marinette gasped as she heard the front door's key lock jingle. He was back. The time she had waited for had come. As he entered the house, Marinette's smile instantly dropped. Something was wrong.

He was dripping in water, completely soaked to the bone with a grave expression on his face. She couldn't pinpoint why his eyes had lost the luster they always held.

"Ti-Tikki, sorry but...can you give us some time alone?" Marinette asked. He looked as if he had been through something traumatic with the way his eyes were glazed over, what had him so shocked?

"Of course. I will scour the city for some time." Tikki obeyed as she flew out of the cracked front door. A part of Tikki wanted to stay to find out what had happened, but she knew no good would come from that.

"You're dripping wet." Marinette said as she rushed to the bathroom and grabbed a towel. She ran up to him and began to pat his hair dry, but he grabbed her hand to stop her ministrations.

"Don't touch me." It was the harshest of requests, but he used the softest of tones to say it.

Her heart practically stopped at his cold demand.

Blue eyes drifted to his shivering hand that clutched hers before she all but snatched her hand back. His hand was bare. The steel ring was missing from the hand he normally kept it on. "Where is Plagg?" She whispered. He averted his attention to the floor, refusing to answer her. She grabbed his shoulders as she asked once more, "Where is Plagg?" Her tone was serious as she refused to accept anything but an answer.

"Stop!" He yelled as he shoved her off of him.

Marinette stumbled back, frightened by his tone. What had happened that caused him to end up like this? He looked just as shaken at what he had done, slightly trembling and breathing heavily. It was like he hadn't meant to be so harsh to her, and yet the actions came fluently.

"What has gotten into you! ?" Her voice rose gradually with the question. Marinette could care less that he had shoved her away, but something serious must have happened. This kind of outburst just wasn't like him. He refused to answer as he turned his back to her.

Marinette could feel her own anger began to boil at what he had done. Why had he taken off his ring? What had he done with Plagg?

"Well if you're not going to answer that, then at least just tell me what's going on. You knew I was here waiting for you all day and you decide to come back like this? What happened?" Maybe this would spark some answers as to his current demeanor.

She seemed to have struck a chord as he whipped his head around to glare at her. "You think I want to be like this?"

"Just sit down and talk to me." She answered gently as she pointed at the couch.

He shook his head profusely as he backed towards the door. "I can't do this, I'm done."

"What?"

What was this man thinking? Marinette was so confused, too confused to even begin sorting her own thoughts. "You-You heard me." He whispered.

This was the man that had said he would always stay by her side. The man that had claimed her heart...right? This couldn't possibly be him. Her world was practically frozen as his words resonated in her head. Anything she said next, she couldn't be held accountable for.

"I don't get it." She said calmly as she shook her head. "What changed during these last hours that makes you want to stop?"

"Marinette, that's the problem." He knew she would hate him for saying this, but it was the truth. "You're the one that wants to change things." They both knew what he was alluding to and it broke her heart into pieces.

The blood that had once been boiling a few seconds ago ran colder than ice. He had made her wait, to say this? Why couldn't he say this before? "Then why did you kiss me?" She wanted answers, she demanded them. What was his motive? Was he just playing with her the whole time? She could feel tears welling up behind her eyes, but she would hold them back for as long as she could. "What was the point of all of this! ?"

"I don't want to change things! Things can't change!" Why couldn't time have just stopped yesterday? There was no going back from this moment, no going from forcing these negative emotions into her, from breaking her heart. He had to push her away.

Something wasn't right, this had to be a joke on his part. He was just messing with her, right? Or maybe she was dreaming? It was definitely a nightmare. This was just so out of character, she couldn't help but feel puzzled by all of this. Why?
"But Adrien, I lo-"

"Stop!" He couldn't handle hearing her say it. They both knew what she was going to say. If she were to voice it out loud, it would make his decision all the more difficult.

At the roar of his voice, she felt her world crumble. He was serious, this was reality. She gripped onto his shirt for dear life as she begged, "Just sit and talk with me, please." This couldn't be true. She let her tears fall freely as she pleaded with him. What had changed? "Please, we can fix this if we just talk it out. I can help you with whatever is wrong."

His eyes widened as he looked down at the sad girl. Here he was pushing her off of him and yelling at her, and she was trying her hardest to reason with him? This would never work, she would never understand. How stupid could she be? This was all his fault and yet she was still being generous with her words as she begged him to speak reason.

He took her hands off of his shirt before tossing them to her side. "This is exactly what I'm talking about." He muttered under his breath. "I'm leaving." For having such a soft heart, it was bound to get broken at some point, and he felt horrible to be the person to do it. No matter what they did, whether they tried to solve it or not, everything would change. Because of him. He had never seen such a look of despair on her face, and to know he was the reason she was feeling this hurt him just as much. If he was going to be cruel, he'd have to do it without hesitation.

Marinette looked for any sign, anything to help her understand him. She could only feel her emotions, none of his. She couldn't read him, and it frightened her to no end. The man that stood directly in front of her had never seemed so far away than in this moment.

He shoved himself past her as he went to their bedroom. The same bag he had taken to her parents' house, full of varying clothes and hygienic products were in his hand. He wanted to leave. To escape from this house. Was it possible to feel the world crash around you but feel numb at the same time? Marinette couldn't make sense of her own feelings.

She grabbed the bag quickly. "Chaton, we're partners, you're really thinking of leaving? But I-"

"But what?!" He all but yelled as he snatched his bag back. "I can't breathe another second in this house. Not with you here."

Marinette grabbed onto his shirt once more. There was no way she could let him leave without getting answers. She didn't want it to be like the first battle where they argued and had too many misunderstandings to count. Where was the sound ground? Where was the logic? Why was this happening? "Adrien, I love you!" She blurted it out before she could think. The problem stemmed from this, right? From her feelings? He didn't want things to change but things truly couldn't remain the same after they got passed this. She could try to force it though. She'd get it out of her system now and then forget she ever had feelings for him if it meant he wouldn't leave her. He could continue to stay with her and they could resume their normal lives together. The whole thing was making her crazy, she wasn't sure what to do to keep him from leaving.

He looked at the broken young woman gripping onto him for dear life. It shocked him to see that in a matter of three minutes, he had completely destroyed her, had reduced her to feeling like she meant less than scum on his shoe to him. There really was no turning back from this moment. Nothing he could say would make sense to her, or himself for that matter. He could've laughed at the scene before him. To think all this time, he had thought he never wanted to hurt her, but now it was the only thing he wanted to do. This was irony at its best. Anything to make it easier for her to let him go. Adrien took a shaky breath in, debating the next words that would come out of his mouth. There really was no going back.

"Marinette, I don't love you." If he could have stopped himself from saying those words he would've, but what was done was done. The look of depression that instantly graced her features as her grip loosened on him had proven that he had done the one thing he never thought he would do to her. He had broken her heart. Adrien wouldn't stop now. "I'm...sorry."

He couldn't handle seeing her like this. Adrien quickly opened the door, ready to bound out. He made the mistake of turning back to look at her one last time. Her face was full of puzzlement as tears danced down her face. So much pain was laced in her eyes as she tried to understand what was happening. Her body shook as she tried to hold in sobs in an attempt to not look as pathetic as she felt.

He honestly couldn't bare it.

Adrien ran out before slamming the door behind him. He was furious, he begged her not to say it and she had said the only thing he didn't want to hear.

Marinette could only stare at the door as her tears refused to seize. She could barely breathe at the moment. It was a matter of five minutes. In five minutes, something she never thought would happen had played out before her. She sunk to the floor as she broke down crying. The tears refused to stop pouring from her eyes. How was this possible? Where had things gone wrong? Why had things gone wrong? She just couldn't understand.

Things would never be the same between them again.

With that thought in mind, her tears persisted. She swiped at them furiously, but they continued to fall.

"What have I done?"

She tried to calm herself down but found it difficult as her last moments with Adrien played continuously on repeat. Tikki would be home at any second and seeing her in such a state was bound to bring questions that Marinette didn't want to answer.

She leaned her back against the couch as everything crashed around her. Oh, how things had changed. For the worse that is. There was no going on from this moment. He was gone, and she was left without resolution and answers.

"Huh?" Though her tears, she could see bright light coming from the spell book on her table. With a sniffle, she picked herself up and flipped to the page the light was coming from. Her tears dripped down onto the book before sliding off of the pages and onto her table as she stared at the new spell. It was one word; a simple word Marinette had never heard before. She begged it was one that could reverse time or bring him back to her.

"Ca..mha..naich." It sounded pitiful as she tried to say it clearly through her tears.

Instantly, a small red and white light bubbled in her hand. She used her other free hand to touch it. It was mere light, nothing more and nothing less. She flipped her palm upwards and watched as the light burst from her hand and into the air. The light fell in a beautiful array around her as it danced until it hit the floor and disappeared. Much like the rain that fell outside, it spread around her in pure beauty. This must be what Tikki was talking about. This spell was useless, it only seemed to serve as a source of splendor.

If it was any other day.

Any other time.

Maybe, just maybe, she could have truly seen the beauty in this. But as of the moment, the only thing she could feel was pain.

Her cries persisted much harder than before as the light continued to fall. The fact that she could not find happiness in something she would've loved to have seen prior to this moment made her feel sorry for herself.

The only thing she wanted was to see Adrien and she knew he wasn't coming back.

How could fate be so cruel?

x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x.X.

---

Hey, remember how I told you I wasn't good at writing about love? Yea...so...I just decided to get rid of it all together. It's much easier (^-^).

This story is super-fast paced I am sorry (you'll see what I mean in the next chapter). WE'RE ALREADY HALF WAY THROUGH!

And sorry for the poor edits. I literally read through it twice, by the third time (aka:right now) I was too tired...

Chapters: 13/26

Arc 2: 3/5

41 pages, About 25,400 words! I think this is the most I've written so far!

See you guys whenever I update next time! :)