Adrien broke his own rule. Clicking out of his work, about a month following the press conference, he opened up the Ladyblog and watched some of the videos of Ladybug working with Silver Claw.

He snorted at the name.

He hadn't noticed just how grown up she had become when he saw her standing behind that podium, and so very beautiful, too. It felt like an arrow pierced his heart as his eyes took her in. But he continued on with the videos.

Ladybug was as serious as she always had been about saving the city, maybe even more so now. She was a bit stiff around people, especially her new partner, but she was still polite. Somehow though, her warmth was gone. She didn't smile much anymore, and when she did, it didn't appear very genuine.

Then he came across another video that featured Viperion. Adrien moved his mouse to hover over the video, hesitant to watch. But he convinced himself to click, having already broken his rule. Might as well feed his curiosity. He had mentally prepared himself for whatever he may see on the Ladyblog, too.

The first thing he noticed was that Viperion was a lot taller and much more muscular than he remembered Luka to be. Then he remembered he wasn't the 16 year old guy he knew, but rather 20 now. Adrien tapped his finger on his mouse impatiently as the video loaded.

Ladybug, Ryuko, Viperion, and Silver Claw were hiding from the akuma. He inhaled sharply when he remembered that not only was Viperion Luka, but Ryuko was Kagami as well. It had been over two years since he'd had any communication with her. Kagami and Marinette had become really good friends. And while Kagami wasn't one to gush about other people, he was sure she'd bring her up too often for comfort. He wondered how she was doing. She had grown her hair out some and tied it back in a short ponytail. At least, that's how she chose to wear it as Ryuko. Adrien smiled slightly, then let out a sigh.

He pressed play.

"I'm just saying, it'll help defeat the akuma faster," Silver Claw said. His lady's eye twitched.

"That's putting all of us at unnecessary risk, Claw." Ladybug replied sharply. "We should stick to the plan, I'm running out of time and Viperion's getting tired."

Viperion smiled when Silver Claw shot him a look, but Adrien recognized the exhaustion in his eyes. He could tell he went back way too many times. "Don't worry about me." Then he turned to Silver Claw and crossed his arms. "Ladybug's right though, we've tried your way numerous times, it never worked."

"Ladybug's never let us down," Ryuko cut in. "I learned the hard way to follow her plans. She knows what she's doing."

Silver Claw huffed. "Fine. I don't care anymore. We'll do it your way if you're so sure it'll work. I have things to do." Once he was off screen, Viperion and Ryuko glanced back at Ladybug. She closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Come on guys, we've got an akuma to bring down."

Viperion and Ryuko exchanged concerned looks before following her.

The footage cut off to Nadja Chamack.
"It would seem Chat Noir's replacement isn't getting along very well with our beloved hero. How will this affect their ability to keep Paris safe?"

With a huff, Adrien got changed and set out, wearing a dark sweatshirt with a hood that he tightened around himself. Luckily it was cold out, so nobody would notice or care.

He was intending to go to Master Fu's place, but somehow while he was lost in thought, his feet carried him to the bakery. It wasn't until he heard the jingle of the bell that he noticed he was off track. He watched figures step out of the bakery and scrambled against the wall to remain out of sight. Then they spoke.

"What's she gonna do?" Nino asked, taking a bite out of a flakey pastry. "It's a tough situation to be in." Adrien sunk down the wall after hearing his best friend's voice again.

Alya was with him, Adrien watched as she motioned for them to go over to the park next door. "She better say yes to Luka. I doubt she'll find anyone that can make her happier than him. You know, except…" Alya trailed off sounding distant.

"Except he wrote us all off years ago," spat Nino. He was still angry and felt very betrayed. And it wasn't enough that he hurt him, but poor Marinette had, and still does, suffer from his decision. Nino wasn't sure which angered him more.

She sighed. "I know."

They walked too far out of hearing range after that, but his heart was beating wildly at the brief bit he did overhear. Of course, part of that was seeing his friends again. But they were talking about him, right? Nino was very angry with him, and rightfully so. If the "he" they spoke of was in fact himself, that meant he was also the "except" Alya mentioned. So...they think he would be able to make Marinette happy?

Adrien shook his head aggressively. No, not after everything. She was probably hurt and furious with him just like the rest. She has Luka, she doesn't need or want him. And even if she did, it'd put her in danger and change her future.

Adrien quickly turned the corner and started walking away from the bakery and in the direction of Master Fu's. But an overwhelming feeling washed over him to turn back around and glance up at the balcony. Every step he took that brought him away from her, the feeling in his chest burned more intensely and his legs stopped wanting to carry him.

Finally, he decided to take a quick look and move on his way. So he slowly turned to glance up at the balcony, and sure enough, Marinette was there overlooking the city.
Adrien smiled sadly as he saw her. She dressed differently than he remembered, and her hair was significantly longer as it fell in a ponytail down her back. Wow, was she ever breathtaking…

He hadn't realized how long he had been looking at her. Because Marinette noticed him after a couple of minutes.

"...Chat Noir?" he heard her voice carry down from above. Uh oh.

Turning on his heel, Adrien rushed for a place to hide. How he was going to outrun and hide from Ladybug, he didn't know. But it was imperative he did. Or figure out a way to get out of it if she caught up with him.

At first, the only sounds he heard was the sound of his feet pounding on the pavement and his heavy breathing. But then the whistle of Ladybug's yo-yo joined in. He gulped.

"Stop!" she cried. He heard her yo-yo again and felt it wrap around him tightly. Then she tugged, bringing him closer, his back facing her. "What do you think you're doing?"

Adrien remained silent.

"Chat Noir," Ladybug almost growled.

He sighed. "I was just passing through. I didn't think you'd actually be..." but he didn't finish. Part of him did believe he'd see her there. What a mistake he made breaking his rules.

Suddenly, he could feel the yo-yo's grip on him ease. Ladybug lunged forward, wrapping her arms around him as she buried her face in his back.

"M'l- Ladybug - Marinette, please," he begged, trying to squirm free. "You're making things worse."

"I'm making things worse?" she asked, taken aback, but didn't lessen her grip on him. "I've been trying to find you for years. I don't know if you've noticed, but things are really bad, Chat. We really need you back. I really need you back."

"But you're still safe from Hawk Moth, because your identity is still a secret from the team. Unless Viperion knows…" she could feel him flinch. "Even if he knows, Luka isn't prone to falling under an akuma villain's control like me. He isn't impulsive like me. If something goes wrong, he can go back in time to keep it from happening. He can protect you much better than I ever could. Nothing bad can happen to you, Marinette."

"But-" she began, though didn't finish. Adrien had spun around and wrapped his arms around her, making sure she didn't see his face.

"Listen to me, Bug," he whispered in her ear. "You need to let me go. Once and for all," he said forcefully.

He heard her huff. "That's not possible, Chat."

Adrien ignored her. "I was on my way to Master Fu's, but I'll just tell you instead. I saw the clip, the one where Silver Claw isn't gelling with the team. It probably sucks for him to be a replacement, you know? And you seem so uptight and tense with him. Loosen up a bit. Don't see him as my replacement, but as a new team member and friend."

"Maybe I've been a bit… harsh with him," she pinched the bridge of her nose. "And it's unfair of me. But he also has a huge attitude problem…" she sighed. "You're right though, I need to try to make the relationship between him and us better. Maybe it'll make a difference. Thank you, Chat."

Adrien let go of her, moving sideways instead of stepping back. He took a few steps forward so when she'd turn around, she'd still see only his back.

"Chat," she began. "The messages you leave for me with Master Fu… they help, more than you know." Ladybug wanted to know if his insistence on letting him go meant he was going to completely be out of her life. Hopefully he'd read between the lines, because she was too afraid to ask.

"I'll do whatever I'm capable of doing under these circumstances to help you, Ladybug," he assured. "But I won't come back. Not as Chat Noir or with another Miraculous. Master Fu only tells me when you're… having problems, so I can offer my help since Master says it makes a difference," he edited what he was going to say. "Usually that's just in the form of a letter, though, so I've always thought it's the least I could do. I don't watch the news and I don't get out much, so I really don't know much of what's gone on and I want to keep it that way," he ended with a warning.

"I understand," she replied. And she did, in a way. But she still thought that this was unnecessary and crazy. She could handle herself, and she was getting to the point where she didn't care if Hawk Moth knew who she was or not. If it helped bring everything to light so they could bring him down, then so be it. She just wanted him to come back and Hawk Moth was in the way.

Adrien cleared his throat. "I should be going now, I'm sorry for interruption." He took a few steps and realized there was one last thing he wanted to tell her. "I saw your friends leaving the bakery and overheard what they were talking about. Luka asked you to marry him, right?"

Her face grew hot and she let out a squeak.

"I don't know how you really feel about him, and it's none of my business. Just… try to see who you've had at your side all along, okay?"