"Yeah, he's just a sidekick, Ladybug's the real deal, that's why I'm her best friend," Lila flipped her brown hair over her shoulder. "No wonder he's less appreciated."

Adrien winced. Lila was once again trying to incite small talk (read as: trying to gossip about other people and seduce Adrien at the same time), and it was just his luck that she seemed to like smack-talking his alter ego, Chat Noir.

"I mean, look at that leather catsuit! Doesn't he have any shame?" Lila asked rhetorically with 'concern', which was really just disdain. Adrien focused on not forming his hands into fists. He knew that some websites were theorizing on the skin-tight bodysuits, but he didn't think that anyone would confront him about it, both in his civilian and hero alter-egos.

As he tried to focus anywhere but Lila's gesturing hands and blabbing mouth, Adrien glanced around the room only to find some nodding heads, agreeing with Lila's words. Drowning in social anxiety, especially since almost everyone was criticizing Chat Noir ("Oh, he isn't evil, he's just bad, I guess," Chloe said, not helping at all), he tried to make an excuse to run away.

This was to no avail, as class started moments after.

Slumping down at his seat, ignoring the concerned look from Nino and the distasteful one from Marinette, Adrien reflected on all the occurrences that just so happened to occur this week. He probably disappointed his Lady by not showing up for patrol. He had a perfectly good reason for this; he had just found out his father was Hawkmoth, which pushed him to have an existential crisis and a panic attack. Not wanting to lie to his Lady, he didn't show up to patrol. There weren't any Akuma attacks, and Adrien hoped it continued this way.

He had skipped school recently as well, only returning today because he planned to tell Ladybug the truth. The teachers had scolded him, and he simply nodded along and took the offered work.

Marinette hated him. Probably because he told her to take the 'high road', as his father always told him to. (It's your fault you feel bad," he'd say. "Take the high road. You getting hurt doesn't matter." He now saw how terrible it was of him to give that same advice to Marinette.) If he could, right now, without possibly exposing his identity, he'd tell Marinette to fuck the high road and punch the bitch in the face, 'the bitch' meaning Lila. But first, defeating Hawkmoth was a must.

He could almost recite the speech she gave him around a week ago. "You're a coward! Why can't you stand up for yourself? I don't know what I ever saw about you!" And that really sucked, because am I really a coward? Should I stand up to father more? Could I stop following his rules?

Adrien wasn't very clear on what the answers for those questions were supposed to be. He didn't have a choice in following his father's rules, rebellion was not tolerated and would be fittingly punished. And standing up to anyone was going to get back to his father, who would isolate him and make him feel alone. Not like him being targeted by his father for the magical ring on his finger right now hurt him in any way whatsoever.

It sucked. Life sucked. Adrien hoped it would get better after he beat up Hawkmoth, who was his father, which would really get some anger out.

Ignoring his surroundings(he wasn't going to learn anything anyways), the moment the bell rang he jumped up and tried to get out as fast as possible. His bad luck kicking in, Lila finished faster than him and rushed to his side.

"Anyways, did you hear about that movie, Solitude?" Lila chattered, causing Adrien to freeze and the rest of the class to lean in closer to hear her newest lie. Marinette also stopped moving, recognizing the name of the movie. Isn't that the one Adrien's mother starred in?...

"The head actress? I met her yesterday in a coffee shop! She told me that I had potential for becoming a movie star!" The class oohed and ahhed, not taking in Adrien's carefully controlled expression.

Then he spoke, danger coating his every syllable. "Which coffee shop, Lila?" The class went silent, not used to the 'sunshine boy' talking so darkly. Must be a cloudy day, Marinette thought wryly. However, ever since he gave me that 'advice' he's been acting cloudy.

"Uh, you know! The one on the corner of the street! Really popular." Lila said vaguely. "Huh. Well, Lila, next time you see her, tell her to give me a call." Adrien said, then turned to the classroom door to leave, obviously not in the mood to talk.

Lila tried to pull him back, clinging onto his arm. "Huh? Give you a call? Why?" She questioned. Adiren turned around, shaking her arms off of his. "Why? You want to ask why?!" Adrien looms over Lila now, his face still perfectly blank, any hint of a model smile he gave everyone wiped clean.

"Tell her to give me a call, because I'm sure she'd like to hear from her son, who would like to know where the fuck she went when she disappeared for months on end. Tell her to give me a call so that I can tell my father to stop trying to get the goddamn miraculous to grant that stupid wish, so he can stop trying to kill me and my partner! Tell her to give me a fucking call, because you're a liar, and a bad one too! Fuck the high road, you can go suck a horse off! So pardon me, I'm going to get out of this class, get out of this school, and then wait for m'lady somewhere."

Adrien threw his arms in the air at the end of his rant, completely done with everything, and stode out of the room. He didn't make it far however, making a detour to the bathroom to throw up in the toilet bowl.

The class behind him had gone silent. Marinette was gobsmacked, especially by his statement of 'fuck the high road'. She had thought that he was going to stick by his advice and not change his mind. And what was that about 'his lady' and 'his partner'? Surely he couldn't be… But it would explain so much. Especially if she understood the implications of his words. His father is Hawkmoth? Oh crap.

After a few seconds of silence, everyone except for Marinette just about imploded in surprise. "SUNSHINE BOY?!" Ayla yelled, staring at the doorway that Adrien had walked through moments before. "Dude! What!" Nino exclaimed, though not as loud as his girlfriend.

Lila's arm was still in midair, grabbing at where Adrien's arm once was. "Are you happy, Lie-la?" Marinette asked, gathering her things. Narrow olive green eyes looked towards the girl with blue pigtails. Now standing up, Marinette says, "Are you happy now that you pushed him too far?" Marinette strode out the classroom with contempt, leaving Lila to her classmates who circled around like sharks, closing in on the lies.

"Adrien?" Marinette called out in the hallway, answered by a weak groan and what sounds like the slam of a locker. "Adri- oh my kwami, are you okay?" Adrien was slumped against a locker, his hand having banged on the locker when he fell down.

"Not really." Adrien sighed, then attempted to push himself up. "No! Mon minou, there's no need to hurry. Stay here, I'll get some water for you to drink. You're stressing yourself out!" Adrien just nodded, still looking at the ground.

Hurrying to the cafeteria, Marinette grabs two bottles of water and rushes back to the blonde's side. Adrien uncaps the plastic bottle with some difficulties and takes a long swig. "Are you okay?" Marinette asks gently.

"Yeah. I guess. What about you? Wait, sorry, I didn't get to apologize yet and you've gotten water, sorry-" Marinette cut Adrien off with a finger to his lips. "Stop saying sorry, kitty." Adrien drooped his head, still disappointed in himself, before registering Marinette's words.

"...oh my kwami…"

"Mon minou…"

"...kitty."

Adrien sat up straight as a ramrod.

"You're- I let down- wait- m'lady?" Adrien stammered. Marinette nodded, letting him take in the realization. She didn't expect Adrien to collapse sobbing into her arms, apologizing in every way known to mankind.

"Sorry, I didn't patrol and I didn't answer your calls or messages or texts through the baton and I found out something really bad and I'm really, really sorry that I didn't see it, screw the high road let's sucker punch Lila and I didn't mean to disappoint you, I'm so-"

"I'm sorry I made you feel that way, Chaton. I'm not disappointed at all, and you had a perfectly good reason. I pieced what you were trying to say together in the classroom, and it'll be okay, Adrien. It won't be perfect, but it'll be okay. Not today, not tomorrow, but someday, okay? You're alright. I won't deny that it hurt, but I know you've seen why it's wrong."

Adrien sucked in a breath, looking up at Marinette. He could see now how she was Ladybug, how she helped others in and out of the suit. How could I have missed it? "You- you really mean that?" He asked, desperate for forgiveness.

"Yes, I forgive you, Chat." Adrien let out another sob, burying his head into Marinette's shoulder. "I'm not opposed to sucker punching Lila though."

Adrien let out a watery, cracking chuckle, but it was enough. They knew that they could make it through anything, and it couldn't be okay for a while, but one day it would.

~o0o~

Author's Note:

Sorry I haven't updated much, I've been busy with a lot of work lately.

And procrastination has been attacking me. A lot.

But I've gotten some more inspiration! Namely, Aspik.

You can't tell me that Adrien didn't suffer some sort of trauma through having his crush murdered in front of him 25,913 times.

Oof.

Peace out!