Author's note: Thanks again for all the reviews and welcome to new readers (Guest).

/

It doesn't take too long for Dylan to get roped into another plan. This one he consents to surprisingly willingly, taking Marinette by surprise. He has nothing better to do, he claims.

So he finds himself outside of the Dupain-Cheng bakery on a Saturday morning. Tom is handing out boxes of macaroons to his daughter and her newly designated helper. He takes half a dozen himself, slipping them into his school bag. The family of bakers must have put hours of work into preparing this many treats. The baker thanks the young man for his help, offering him a box to take home for his own family. Too surprised to react otherwise, Adrien accepts. Nathalie won't complain.

After a few minutes being reminded to be careful, the two teens are off.

It's a school fundraiser. Well, part of one at any rate. Everyone's doing something. Chloe's holding some sort of party do at her father's hotel and Lila's been called off to some sort of meeting with Prince Ali apparently… Nino and Alya are hosting some sort of DJ event in the school later on in the day along with Kitty Riot. As per usual, Dylan was about the only person who didn't have a plan. So naturally, helping Marinette had seemed like the best solution. She was only too eager to have an extra pair of hands with her macaroon run.

"Who knows, you might even enjoy yourself…" She tells him as they wall down the street.

"At least it's for a good cause." Dylan responds, leaving a pause before asking. "What's the money going towards again?"

"The school trip to Alsace and the end of the year dance, remember?" She's told him this before.

"Oh… Yeah, right."

He already knows that he can't afford to go to Alsace with the others. How could Paris possible cope without Cat Noir? It will be an interesting test to see just who stays behind and who leaves. Ladybug, if his father's hunch is correct and she's in his school, possibly his year, will also have to find some way of getting out of the trip. It might offer him some potential insight into candidates for his ally's true identity. Then again… Does he really want to know? It's probably better for safety reasons that they remain strangers.

He's brought out of his thoughts when they stop at the first house. Right now, he's acting more as a pack-mule. He doesn't complain. Allowing Marinette to do the talking, smiling and sales pitch. She's successful, selling off the first box with little to no effort what-so-ever. She takes note of how much has been given, jotting it down in a little notebook before they continue on their way.

The two teens go door to door like that. Some people buy two boxes, others none. Dylan stands back, preferring to watch than take an active part. He's quite content to carry the boxes and hand them to her wordlessly when she requires them. As per usual however Marinette is reluctant for things to remain cold and silent between them and periodically tries to strike up a conversation with him.

"So what did you used to do down south?"

"What do you mean?" Dylan plays somewhat dumb.

"I meant you and your mom." The teen clarifies. "What was your life like?"

"Big question."

"We could be at this a while."

A few months ago, he would never have figured Marinette for the nosy type. It occurs to him that her interest seems genuine, trying to understand him better as opposed to belonging to fishing for information to spread around some manner of gossip circle. These days, he doesn't argue much with her. Tease? Yes but he doesn't pick a fight. It's a welcome change apparently. It makes the atmosphere between them somewhat less strained when one of them isn't living in fear of the other suddenly snapping.

All those weeks spent plotting and planning with Nathalie come to fruition. He's able to tell her the lie of an entire life: where he was born and lived the first 14 years. His life was a simple one. He had been born onto the same farm as his mother and her mother and her mother's father… It was all his family had known. Now however some goats, a vegetable patch and a handful of chickens weren't enough to allow a single mother to support a son. So she'd gone in search of work and the easiest place to find that was the capital.

Marinette's curiosity is a good example of just why Nathalie had been so insistent that he learn what at the time had seemed like useless facts. Whilst he'd never said it to the woman's face, he'd thought that she was mad for having him read up about the basics and practicalities of goat farming but no… He actually finds himself explaining to the baker's daughter just how to milk a goat. Ironic given that he's never even touched one before.

"Do you think they make goat's milk butter?" Marinette questions as they stop at yet another house.

"I can't see why not." He replies with a shrug. "Why? Are you looking into getting into agriculture?"

"Not really my scene." She admits looking down at her feet for a moment.

"Then why ask about it?"

"Well I'm curious!" The girl defends herself. "I was hoping to get to know you better?"

He's figured that much out by himself. Trust Marinette to be the reasonable one, keen to get to know even the coldest of individuals. Dylan's gotten used to her stubborn persistence. Their relationship, such as it is, now seems to strike their classmates as comical more than anything else. He gets irritated when they laugh and tease for how easily the girl seems to be able to work around him, one way or another getting him to play ball. Then, of course, she comes to his defence, requesting that the others leave him be.

It's all very confusing to Dylan who struggles to recognize the girl Adrien once knew.

"Still on your tireless quest to befriend me, eh?"

"Would that really be so terrible?" There's a softness to her voice, almost pleading with him.

"Maybe for one of us..." He glances at her out of his peripheral vision. "Tell me Dupain-Cheng, what is it to you anyhow?"

"What do you mean?" It's her turn to appear confused.

"Are you afraid I might end up akumatized? Why are you so desperate for me not to be alone? Most other people would have – have walked away. Why not you?"

She looks uncertain. His question has put her on edge somewhat. She averts her gaze, a slight blush creeping onto her features in the process. It's not something that he's asking simply to play the role of the jerk and because he enjoys making the girl uncomfortable. For once, he's genuinely curious. He'd always associated Marinette with being incredibly kind, considerate and always eager to do what was right but also being shy and easily flustered. When faced with Dylan Lebrun – someone he would have assumed she would hate and therefore avoid like the plague - however, she's been anything but displaying a more confident and forceful side to her that he isn't quite accustomed to dealing with.

His only question is: why?

For a moment, he thinks that she might be about to ignore him. It would be her right. She glances up at him uncertainly, evidently wondering if it's worth the risk and if she can trust him with an honest and sensible response:

"Promise not to bite my head off?" He gives her a smirk, letting her extrapolate from that what she could. She lets out a soft sigh, explaining herself. "You seemed lonely… I guess I thought that might have been what was making you angry."

"Maybe I like being alone." He argues back, keen to play devil's advocate.

"Nobody's mean just for the sake of it."

"Tell that to my father..."

Nathalie would kill him. He's not meant to know his father!

The words had just slipped out. A product of the bitterness which still exists between him and his parent. Even before the man was Hawk Moth or rather before he knew that he was, he knew that unfortunately his parent had something of a cruel streak inside of him, meanness for lack of a better word. His father intentionally inflicted pain on others in the hopes that it would create an akuma. In that respect, what he had said was incorrect. His father was 'mean' for a reason.

It's too late now. He's certain that she heard what he said. The somewhat troubled and horrified way that she's staring at him confirms that much. He tries to ignore her, his mind working quickly to justify or rather correct what he just said so that it doesn't drift so far off of the status quo that he had been so painfully established with Nathalie. He speeds up so as to no longer be by her side, sticking his hands into his pockets so that he doesn't start fiddling with his ring.

Slip ups are mercifully rare but every time that they happen he cringes, imagining his disguise crumbling to dust.

There's a silence which lingers between them. Painful and awkward. What can he say? He knows what it sounds like he was implying. He has to try and salvage the situation to the best of his ability. So he tries to play the nonchalant card to the best of his ability.

To his surprise, a couple of hands grab his arm, stopping him gently. He turns around to face the young woman. She seems troubled. Her eyes are fixing the ground, her expression sorrowful. She speaks without looking up to see him:

"Dylan…" She speaks quietly under her breath. "You know you can always talk to me, right?"

He remains standing there somewhat speechless.

Neither Adrien nor Dylan know what would be considered an appropriate response. One almost wants to give the girl a hug. The other, if he were to stay in character would pull away and tell her to mind her own business. His troubles are his own and nobody else's, she should keep her nose where it belongs. This girl is too concerned about his well-being for her own good. He's given her no reason to act like this. She evidently sees him as a soul in some desperate need of help and that it's her duty to give it to him, no matter how much he might protest or make her life a misery in the process.

It's so very different from how they once were. It's a shame he's the only one to know that.

"What did I ever do to deserve you Dupain-Cheng?" She frowns, confused by his statement. The boy shakes his head, refusing to explain himself any further, a strange and sad little smile seems to be tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Come on… We've got plenty more macaroons to sell."

The girl stares at him as he begins once more to walk off before indulging in a slight smile herself and following.

A silent understanding passes between the two of them.