In which, I sit and laugh maniacally as the world burns.


Adrien ran out the doors of the theater intent on finding his friends. A strong pair of hands grabbed him unexpectedly. Adrien spun in place, trying to break free but the grip tightened and the strong hands lifted him into the air. It was then that he caught a glimpse of his bodyguard. Adrien groaned audibly and continued to struggle against the large man.

"You don't understand!" He shouted at the gorilla. "My friends need me! LET ME GO!"

The man said nothing as he unceremoniously shoved Adrien in the back seat and locked the doors. Since when had his father upgraded the car to have no inside handles?! Adrien threw his shoulder into the window trying desperately to get free but the car pulled away. He looked down at his ring, knowing this was the only way out.

"Adrien," Nathalie startled him out of his thoughts. Had she been there this whole time? "your father wants you home. Now. He is not happy with your unscheduled evening out."

"When is he ever actually happy about something?" Adrien gave her a blank stare. "I have to get out of here, my friends are still out there!"

"Your friends are perfectly safe," Nathalie said dismissively. "as long as they ran the other way when the Akuma came around."

"That's just it!" Adrien shot at her, his voice rising as he spoke. "I had to stop that Akuma from shooting his cannon-arm-thing at Marinette! If it wasn't for me, she'd be hurt really bad right now!"

"But she's safe now, yes?" Nathalie's expression didn't change, taking his rising temper in stride. "Your friends will be fine, Adrien."

Adrien looked back down at his ring. It was still a very real possibility but he wasn't sure that his bodyguard knew his family's secrets. Adrien debated with himself, not entirely convinced that he actually cared if anyone found out his identity anymore.

Sighing defeatedly, Adrien slouched back in his seat and let the car take him home. He didn't want to go but he was quite sure he had a choice in the matter. He resigned himself to pulling out his phone and texting his friends what had happened to him. None of them answered. Growing worried, he pulled up a live news feed of the Akuma attack... he immediately wished he hadn't.

Another new hero clad in green was there, fighting alongside Ladybug and Rena Rouge. When would it end? Would she just keep on adding new heroes to her team until she could freely pick and choose who she wanted to fight with that day? Were they assurance that what happened between her and Chat would never affect her in future partnerships? How was it she could push away anyone she decided she didn't like and replace them with someone new at will? He didn't know that she could call on new heroes... had she been the one to call him to be Chat Noir? Who else could get into his bedroom that high up? But if that were the case, wouldn't that mean she already knew who he was? If she knew he was Adrien then she wouldn't have been so keen on finding him when he was "kidnapped". Was it possible that there was someone else behind all of this?

Adrien shook his head to clear his thoughts. This was just too much to think about right now. Though he was completely devastated by the appearance of yet another hero – calling himself "Carapace" – Adrien was at least relieved to see that none of his friends had been in the crossfire. With the Akuma gone and his friend's texts coming in, one by one, he decided to let it go. He had other things to deal with now.

His driver pulled up in front of the house, the gate opening to let them in. Adrien stepped inside to find his father fuming at the top of the stairs. Gabriel looked down his nose at his son as he made his way to the foot of the stairs to face him.

"What were you thinking?" Gabriel hissed, his tone was deadly. "You could have gotten hurt!"

"What was I thinking?!" Adrien scoffed pressing his hand to his chest in a defensive manner. "You almost let that Akuma blast my friend to pieces! I wasn't going to stand by and let that happen! I won't let you hurt her!"

His father's eyes narrowed but then they softened, seeming more pained than anything. He pinched the bridge of his nose in an attempt to alleviate the tension headache forming behind his eyes.

"Go to your room, Adrien," was all he had left to say before turning and walking back down the hall. His tone had gone from deadly to defeated in a matter of moments.

Gabriel really couldn't find it in himself to argue with his son. He was the one who created that Akuma in the first place. He knew he needed to try harder not to create Akuma near his son. However, that was more difficult than it sounded. Gabriel thought of his son more often than not and his Akuma always followed his train of thought, latching onto a negative presence nearby. He was unintentionally putting his son in danger simply by thinking of him.

Adrien closed the door to his room and looked around at the spotless room. It had been a mess this morning, everything was torn to shreds and laying in disarray. During his time at school, his father must have had people come in and clean it, replacing all of the broken things with new things. New things just waiting to be broken too. But he restrained himself. It had felt good to destroy his room last night but today his sadness had deepened to something far more lonesome, quiet, and defeated. He didn't need to break anything tonight. He needed someone else to break his silence.

oOo

A scream in the distance. It jarred Ladybug out of her odd new reality. Rena Rogue and Ladybug turned to see the black figure of Chat Noir screaming at them from a block away. What was he doing here? Why was he screaming? Ladybug looked back at Rena for a moment then down at her fist. If he'd been watching the whole time... why was this the thing that set him off?

Ladybug turned back to him and started out towards him. She had to reach him in time. She couldn't let him get away!

Chat Noir was far faster than she had ever given him credit for. She stood at the spot where Chat had been, her hands clutching her sides.

He doesn't understand...

He doesn't understand!

"HE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND!" Marinette shot up in bed, a cold sweat trickling uncomfortably down her spine. She looked around the room frantically, searching for something that wasn't there. Tikki was next to her in a heartbeat. She was making a soothing sound like a mother would make to a crying child. "No! N-no! He doesn't understand! I have to find him!"

"Marinette!" Tikki sighed pressing a hug against Marinette's cheek. "He's not here."

The girl sat for a moment as the panic subsided, leaving an emptiness in its wake that echoed back in on itself. She felt as though she might crumble from the inside out and be torn to pieces, like a black hole. Marinette felt the emptiness so keenly that she couldn't stop her tears from trying to fill the void she herself had created. A void oddly shaped like Chat Noir.

It was getting late but Marinette hadn't slept well since her first battle alongside Rena Rogue. The evening with her friends hadn't quite gone according to plan earlier. The Akuma had been a rather unwelcome addition to her evening out. And she could hardly imagine what Chat Noir was thinking now that Carapace had joined her team.

Marinette had come home and crashed on her bed almost immediately. But not even her unexpected rescue by Adrien could permeate her dreams and save her from reliving her last memory of Chat Noir. Marinette felt as though she was getting exactly what she deserved.

Her worry for Chat Noir was keeping her awake and staring anxiously at the skylight above her bed. She had hoped so dearly that Chat Noir would come to see her last night but he didn't. For whatever reason, he stayed away and Marinette couldn't help but feel as though he would never come back. Why would he?

"I know he's not here Tikki..." Marinette said between her sobs. "I just wish I could tell him that I didn't replace him. I didn't ask for..."

There it was. The sound she had been dying to hear.

Tap, tap, tap...

Tikki zoomed out of sight as Marinette rushed to the skylight and threw it open. She was breathless, her face flushed and stained with tears. The sight of Chat Noir crouching on her balcony just outside the skylight was too much. Marinette let out a sob and threw her arms around his neck.

Without question Chat wrapped himself around her, holding her tightly to his chest. He stood up, lifting her onto the roof as he did so. She sobbed into his neck, clinging to him as tightly as she could. Her fingers dug into his shoulders but he didn't mind. He pressed his cheek against hers, suppressing his own tears. He came here to check on her, not laden her with his troubles... again.

"You're okay," Chat whispered in her ear, his arms still holding her firmly. "I'm here, Princess."

"Chat!" Marinette cried with a loud sob. "I s-saw you scream from the r-rooftop on Thursday! I've been so worried about you!"

"Y-you..." Chat felt his hold on her slacken. He wanted to turn into dust and blow away in the wind but Marinette kept him grounded. His voice was impossibly quiet. "you saw that?"

"Chat, are you okay?!" her tears... Chat had assumed that they were from being threatened by the Akuma earlier that night but he was wrong. Her tears were for him. "I'm so sorry!"

"Don't be silly, Marinette," Chat said sadly. He couldn't pretend he wasn't upset. Marinette was the only person he could ever share his true feelings and thoughts with, even if it was under the guise of a different face and name. "that's not your fault. I was the one who waited too long... I guess this is what happens when you go on strike as a hero. You don't get better pay and more vacation time, you just get replaced by two new heroes. This is what I get for not signing up with the heroes union."

"Chat Noir!" Marinette scolded pulling away from him just enough to look him in the eyes. "this isn't something to joke about! It's not a laughing matter!"

"I... I know..." Chat sighed, his breath creating a fog that drifted heavily on the breeze. The sky opened up then and tiny droplets of rain started scattering across the rooftops. "Let's go inside..."

Marinette stepped down into her room closely followed by Chat. He closed the hatch behind them. He followed Marinette over to her bedroom door but stopped when she lifted it open. He looked at her apprehensively.

"Will your parents be okay with me dropping in like this?" he asked. It was rather late but it was also a weekend so maybe it didn't matter?

"Don't worry about it," Marinette said, a smile barely touching the corners of her mouth. "My parents are away for the weekend. One of my mom's old friends invited them out to her villa in the countryside."

"Oh, that sounds nice," Chat followed her down the steps to the living space below. "May I ask why you didn't go with them?"

"I wasn't feeling very well so I stayed home," Marinette shrugged. It was only a little bit of a fib. She wasn't feeling great but it was due to lack of sleep and she couldn't leave because Hawkmoth had been more active since Chat had returned home. If she had gone with them, the Akuma's would have simply run amuck.

"If you're not feeling well, I can go," Chat offered though he hoped she would tell him to stay. "I don't want you to feel like you have to entertain me just because I decided to show up."

"No, no," Marinette waved her hand at him dismissively. "I don't want you to leave! You're always welcome here."

Marinette reached up into a cupboard and pulled down a neatly wrapped package. It was a bundle of cookies. She motioned for him to follow her and he did so.

Marinette set the cookies on the coffee table and scooted onto the couch making room for Chat to sit with her. He curled up next to Marinette. Feeling confident, he stayed close resting his head on her shoulder. It was strange, he felt so much closer to her now even though they hadn't seen each other in a while... well, not like this anyway. Perhaps he felt that way because he wished he was actually this close to someone? He needed someone to be near him right now. He needed someone to want him near. If he was being honest with himself, he had been needing this for a while.

He felt Marinette lean her cheek against the top of his head. She pulled a spare blanket from the arm of the couch and draped it over them. They sat together for a while, simply being close and snacking on cookies. It was more than comforting for Chat. All he wanted was to stay there with her forever.

"Chat..." Marinette's tone was quiet and cautious. He hummed in response. "are you okay?"

It was strange how off guard that question caught him. Marinette had a way of doing that to him, he noticed. This was just like when he first came back to school. No one had bothered to ask him how he was feeling or if he was okay... no one except Marinette. The words caught in his throat.

"I-I'm fine?" he berated himself for stating it as a question. "I, uh, don't know exactly what you're referring to."

"Chat," Marinette turned to look at him more fully. Her shoulder moved away making him lift his head to look at her. There were still tears in her eyes. "I want you to tell me the truth... don't hold anything back just because I'm a civilian or because you want to spare me from whatever! I need to know! Please, Chat, tell me... how are you doing?"

Chat felt like a small child being called out on a lie. His cat ears laid back and his eyes grew wide. How was he supposed to respond? He couldn't tell her the whole truth... could he? He wouldn't burden Marinette with something so trivial... would he? Or was it trivial at all? No... Not to her. He could see it in her eyes, how much she cared about Chat Noir. That was a look he got so seldom he'd almost forgotten what it was like to be on the receiving end of it. He sat thunderstruck for several seconds. His hand found its way up to push his hair out of his eyes as his breathing became more labored. Chat began to panic.

Marinette reached up and cupped his face in her hands. The tears trickled down his mask, following the curve of her palms to his chin. When had he started crying? Chat pulled away from her suddenly, wiping his face on his sleeve as he turned away. He had to get it under control, he couldn't cry in front of her! What kind of hero was he?

Then the weight of her arms draped themselves over his shoulders and he felt her press against his back. He lost it. Chat turned and reached behind her, pulling her into a half cradled position in his lap. He cried into her shoulder and clung to her in his desperation. Chat wanted her to think he was strong, the princely black cat from her story. For her to think of him as anything less was simply unacceptable, but he couldn't stop himself.

"Marinette..." he sobbed quietly pulling her even closer. "I'm sorry... I'm s-sorry..."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, mon Chaton," Marinette said quietly, one hand rubbing his back soothingly, the other running fingers through his hair.

"I should be s-stronger th-than this..." Chat shook his head still pressing his face into her shoulder. He was sure he was soaking her shirt. "it j-just hurts-o much..."

"You have been more than strong enough," her voice hummed in his ear. The sound wrought goosebumps over his skin and made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. "let it out."

"Ladybug replaced me!" he cried out at long last. His body shaking with his sobs. "She said she could do it without me but then she just replaced me! I mean nothing to her! Nothing at all! I was going to go back! I was going to talk to her and try and sort things out but then... she... replaced me... how could she do that to me?"

Marinette didn't offer him any words of comfort. She didn't say anything at all but her very presence there with him was affirmation enough. Chat needed her to listen, he needed to know he wasn't wrong in feeling this way. Sitting in the dimly lit room surrounded by warmth and acceptance, Chat Noir finally confessed his pain.

Once started, Chat's tears seemed to have no end. He cradled her so close that he was sure he was crushing her or at the very least making her uncomfortable. It wasn't until Marinette tried to adjust her seating that he finally released her from his grasp. Chat leaned back against the couch cushion, his hands wiping away at his face. His head ached and he felt a little light headed from crying so much. How long had he been there with her?

Chat looked around for a clock. It was almost one in the morning. They'd been sitting there for nearly two hours! He turned his attention back to Marinette as she adjusted in her seat. Chat Noir observed her face, taking in the puffiness of her own eyes and the dark rings around them. She looked so tired.

"I can go," Chat said, his voice a little hoarse. "you must be really tired."

"I don't want to be alone," she said sleepily with a yawn. "You can stay here, with me... if you want to."

She curled up against his chest and he felt his heart might explode. This girl was truly something else. Something in her tone made him feel certain that she meant that she didn't want him to be alone and the thought made his heart swell even more.

"I-I'll stay then," Strange though it was, Chat suddenly found himself nervous to be around her. His cheeks heating up with the blush he knew was inevitable. "b-but only because you don't w-want to be alone."

Chat lifted her in his arms and carried her to her bed. Luckily her blankets were still on the floor from when she shot out of bed to let him in. He laid her down and pulled the covers up to tuck her in. Marinette took his hand before he turned away. She scooted over to the far side of her bed and tugged at his hand gently.

"Y-you want me to..." he gaped at her. Was she really doing what he thought she was doing? Or was she going to slug him in the face if he tried to climb into bed with her?

"I said I don't want to be alone," was her only reply. She released his hand and waited.

Chat could swear he had started to melt from the amount of heat steaming out from under his collar. Why was he so gosh darn nervous?! It's not like anything weird was going to happen! Marinette wasn't that kind of girl! He shook his head to clear his thoughts, a moment later he began climbing into the bed next to her.

Marinette curled up next to him under the covers, resting her head on his shoulder and draping her arm over his chest. Several minutes passed and Chat eventually calmed down enough to remember how sleepy he was. He turned his head to the side and rest his cheek against her. The smell of her hair filled his nose and he turned farther into it until he was pressing his lips to her forehead. He kissed it.

Marinette pulled back just enough to look at him. Chat suddenly realized that was a rather inappropriate thing to do whilst laying in bed beside her. He barely had time to panic over the consequences before she leaned forward and returned the gesture in kind, only favoring his cheek instead.

"Goodnight, silly Chaton," she breathed as she rested her head on the pillow next to him.

"Goodnight, my Princess," he whispered back, he watched her face as he spoke, her lips turning into a light smile at the nickname. Not a minute passed before Marinette fell fast asleep. Chat watched her fondly as he waited for sleep to take him too.

The next morning he opened his eyes blinking and yawning and stretching the sleep away. He looked over to where Marinette lay and smiled at her. Her eyes were wide but he figured she might have forgotten that she'd invited him to stay with her. After a moment of staring Marinette parted her soft pink lips and knocked the wind out of Chat Noir with a single word.

...

...

...

"Adrien?"