"For the last time," Marinette grumbled, exiting the venue with sleeping Emma in her arms, "There is no need for Adrien to drive us. If you can't give us a lift, I'll call for a taxi. It's not a big deal."

"But, Marinette," Nino objected. When he sprinted into the building a few minutes ago, a refusal wasn't something he'd expected, but here he was now, stuck with a girl who didn't even want to hear about a ride in Adrien's car. Glancing at his watch, Nino quickened his steps to get ahead and walked with his back forward. The time was pressing.

"Why not?" he stopped, waiting for Marinette as she adjusted the position of her sleeping daughter. "I don't understand why this is such a big deal for you? It's just Adrien, your old friend Adrien, the one whom you, may I remind, had entrusted with Emma yesterday for the whole day. Why can't he drive you home instead of me? You know that if I could, I would."

"Because I inconvenienced him enough already, Nino," Marinette insisted. "He's only been back for three days, and I've already ruined one of them with my problems. I can't do this to him again. I'm sure Adrien has far better things to do than drive me around. Plus, I don't want him to remember me as some helpless creature who can't do anything herself. Save me some dignity here, Nino."

The silence that followed was unexpected considering that Nino hadn't shut up for a while now, but even more were the words that followed.

"You're afraid of him."

"Excuse me?" Marinette stalled and looked back at Nino whose slight smirk was hard to miss.

"Either your crush is coming back, or you are afraid of Adrien for some reason," Nino added. "That's the only explanation I can think of because you never were this opposed to getting help from us, Marinette, and if I remember correctly, you did tend to freeze around him back in school. So, either you are afraid of him for who knows why or your feelings are coming back and with them all the clumsiness. That's why you are running away, Marinette, right? You don't want to make a fool of yourself."

"Nothing's coming back!" Marinette insisted, trying to hide her emotions behind a shaky smile. "And why would I be afraid of Adrien? You don't make sense, Nino."

"Indeed, why?"

Marinette pouted. "Nino, you know that crushes aren't an option for me right now, and I am not afraid of Adrien so stop it. I don't want to be bothersome. That's all," she maintained. "He is here for only a week. Let him enjoy his time the way he wants it, not get him stuck with me."

"But what if—" Nino leaned forward and quietly offered, "—what if he wants to be stuck with you?"

A thick, visible even in the darkness blush covered Marinette's cheeks. Her breath hitched for a moment before she gathered herself and silently resumed her march to the curb. Once there, she said without looking back. "I am calling for a taxi, Nino, and that is final."

"Marinette, please," Nino whined. "You can't. You know Alya would kill me if you do."

"She is about to marry you, Nino. She wouldn't kill you."

"She'll kill me if your random taxi driver would happen to be a serial killer-"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Marinette scoffed. "We used to take taxis all the time back-"

"Fine!" Nino interrupted, raising his hands up in surrender. "Fine. You win. I'll tell you what's going on, but promise me to keep it a secret."

Marinette raised her brow and signed. "Okay. What's going on, Nino?"

"Well—" Nino cleared his throat, "—let's say that I agreed to drive you only because Alya asked me and I didn't want her to suspect anything if I suddenly started to refuse. It's that simple, Marinette. I didn't have a choice but to agree to something I couldn't do."

"And what exactly Alya couldn't suspect," Marinette tilted her head to the side.

Nino didn't reply with words. Instead, he simply pulled out his cell phone and showed it to Marinette, placing a finger to his lips.

The woman glanced at the screen. It took her a minute to realize what she was looking at but when she did, she gasped, failing to contain her excitement inside.

"Nino, that's awesome! How did you get those? You know Alya would freak out-"

A low groan and a shuffle from sleeping Emma forced Marinette to lower her voice and start rocking her daughter back to sleep. That couldn't make her to keep quiet, though.

"She was buzzing about this thing to me for months now if not years. That is so neat of you to surprise her like that and on the day before your wedding!"

"I know, right?" The groom-to-be beamed with pride. "Do you understand now? You know how hard Alya is to surprise and I wanted to give her a surprise of a lifetime so I couldn't refuse to give you a lift to avoid suspicions. And since the only other person who knows about this is Adrien, it was only fitting if he would give you a lift and let me do my magic for Alya. Please, Marinette," Nino begged. "I'd feel much better if someone close to us and not a random person drives you. It's our wedding. It should be friends and family event, not a random taxi driver showing up to take you away."

A bit conflicted, Marinette sighed and closed her eyes. She wanted to avoid all of the unnecessary contacts with Adrien, for her own sanity mainly but also to prevent any more bonding between Emma and him. So far, she was pretty successful in her quest but Nino's request to let Adrien drive her threatened to undo most if not all of her hard work.

"Nino-" she didn't even know what to say, all of the excuses sounding ridiculous by now, so maybe just one more groundless refusal would help.

"And don't forget that you promised to repay me for all that Emma babysitting," Nino shamelessly stated. "Marinette, please. I'm really in a hurry here if I want this to succeed."

"I'll be safe in a taxi-"

"You'll be safer with Adrien."

"Nino-"

"Marinette, please. Do I need to get on my knees? Because you know I will. I need to leave in about three minutes. It would take at least ten for a taxi to get here, and I'll never forget myself for leaving you alone in the dark with a small child in hands to wait here instead of safely sending you off with a friend. Or are you avoiding him after all?"

Marinette stiffened under Nino's gaze. She couldn't exactly explain why she didn't want to go with Adrien. It was too complicated for a three-minute talk. In her arms, Emma turned again, murmuring something in her sleep. She was tired and needed to be in her bed soon.

Maybe, just maybe one more time wouldn't hurt. She could handle another thirty more minutes or so.

Slowly, she exhaled. Going home with Adrien wasn't the best situation to place herself into but, in a sense, Nino was right - she didn't want to make him and Alya worry about her safety when they could be enjoying their romantic getaway. They meant too much to her for that.

"Marinette," Nino whined somewhere in the background. "Please."

"Fine, Nino," she finally gave up. "But let's be clear about this – I am not afraid of or crushing on Adrien. I just don't want to inconvenience him, and I am doing this solely for Alya, but now it is you who owes me big. Do we understand each other?"

"Of course we do," Nino grinned and pointed in the depth of the parking lot. "This way, my friend. Your carriage awaits you."

"You have a car seat?" Marinette was staring in dismay at the highly unusual accessory for a young, single man installed at the back of his car. Emma, however, felt just like home, already climbing into the hot pink, black polka dots seat. The girl woke up the moment she heard Adrien's voice and was back to the full energetic self, effectively spoiling all of her mother's plans to keep the duo apart.

"Um…" Adrien's hand reached behind his neck in an unconscious move. "I got it yesterday when I looked after Emma. I wanted her to be safe in my car, but at the same time, we didn't want to bother you with such a tiny detail when you already had more than enough on your plate."

"Isn't it gorgeous, Mama?" Emma squealed in the background. "Uncle Adrien wanted to buy me a black one with green stripes, but I wanted pink. He also got me these. Do you like them?"

Marinette glanced over and almost groaned, watching her daughter pulling a few books and stuffed animals from somewhere behind her seat. Also, pink. Really fluffy. Definitely not cheap.

She forced a smile. "They are charming, sweetheart." She turned to Adrien, "While the car seat is quite convenient for us right now, promise me you'll return it to the store tomorrow, Adrien. You've already spent more than needed on us."

"I promise I'll deal with it when I don't need it anymore," Adrien agreed yet unmistakable sparks of mischief twinkled in his eyes. Marinette sighed and proceeded to buckle Emma in. This day was already too long, and she was too exhausted to argue with someone who was obviously going to do what he wanted, not what made sense. If Adrien wanted to waste his money like this, who was she to argue? It was his money. He probably had more than enough anyway. Resigning to her fate, Marinette settled in the front passenger seat and prepared for the ride she hoped won't be too awkward, which was an understatement because the whole way to their house Emma's chatter didn't seize. She described her secret mission for tomorrow, explaining her plans in details, asked questions and answered them herself, completely ignoring her Mama's embarrassed sighs and appeals to slow down or stop altogether. Emma retold the story Adrien made up for her, making an emphasis on her being The Coolest Princess, while her mama was only The Prettiest one, prompting a light blush on Marinette's cheeks. Then she switched to telling Adrien all about her toys and her favourite dresses, her room, her dreams full of wonders, her babysitter Mlle. Bella and how she wished she could go to Disneyland Paris this summer. Only when about a couple of minutes were left before they reached Marinette's home, silence finally enveloped the car's interior. Afraid to wake the girl up, both adults remained quiet for those last few moments.

"Thank you very much for driving us, Adrien," Marinette quickly whispered as they arrived. "It was quite nice of you to help Nino out with his surprise for Alya. She will absolutely love it. Thank you again, and I'll see you tomorrow at the wedding. Good night."

Not waiting for his reply, she quickly unbuckled the seatbelt and was about to climb out of the car when Adrien caught her wrist.

"Wait, Marinette. Let me help you." His hand was gentle on her arm, yet it burned the skin. "You can't possibly carry Emma, your bags and open a door at the same time."

"I've done it before," she replied with a voice a little bit too high pitched not to betray her inner state. "It isn't that hard actually, and while I appreciate the offer, I'll be fine. Thanks."

To get away as soon as possible was all that she wanted now because that conviction that she could handle some miserly thirty minutes and not fall in deeper was proved to be wrong multiple times over the course of the last half an hour. Adrien's kind proposal to drive them to help Nino, the way he smiled and laughed at Emma's stories and excitement, a couple of times she caught his eyes focused on her instead of the road - this all was slowly pushing her closer and closer to the edge much faster than she would've liked.

"Marinette," he quietly pleaded as their eyes locked on each other again. The butterflies went mad in her stomach. Him holding her hand didn't help at all.

"I'll be fine," Marinette repeated. "You've been kind enough to me already."

"Marinette, please. Let me help you." Adrien almost begged, refusing to give up that easily. Marinette needed to know the truth. He had to tell her because as naïve and pathetic he was, he dared to dream that she'd forgive and accept him. In his foolishness, he wanted to believe that they could be together and he would never let her go again. He couldn't let her go. Not now, not this time, never again. But for that to happen Marinette needed to know and now when they were alone and Emma was asleep was the perfect opportunity.

"I'm sure you can do it all yourself," Adrien added, terrified of losing his chance once more. He quickly exited the car after Marinette gently pulled away and rushed over to the other side. She was already unbuckling Emma from her car seat. He touched her shoulder lightly.

"You are very strong and amazing, I admit it. But what kind of a gentleman would I be if I wouldn't help my friend? I think I can call myself your friend, can I? And I bet that Emma is bigger and heavier from the last time you carried her like this. Let me take care of her for you or I can open and hold the door if you'd prefer to take her yourself."

Marinette straightened and looked at Adrien. Both, her breath and her heart stopped for a moment because it wasn't Adrien in front of her right now. At least, not the one she got to know the last couple of day. Instead, there stood a green-eyed boy with an outstretched hand, offering his umbrella to a complete but rude stranger. There was no thunder in the sky, but just like the first time, at this exact moment, all of her resisting and reasoning vanished. She looked into his eyes, glanced over a slight smile and found herself in love all over again. Years later, head over heels in love with the same boy, yet just like the first time, Marinette didn't have a chance.

Her heart rate rapidly picked up. Falling for the same guy way out of your reach for the second time? Pathetic! There must be something wrong with her because she couldn't blame Adrien for leading her on. How could she? He was the perfect gentleman. All this time he never tried to make an obvious move on her, to kiss her, embrace her, get close to her or anything like that. He respected her wishes and was trying to earn her trust unlike a lot of people she knew in the industry. He physically touched her a couple of times but so did many more people every day. He paid her a couple of compliments but most of her friends and colleagues, both male and female, often did so too. It never bothered her before. In fact, she was often flattered. Apart from being himself, Adrien did absolutely nothing to make her fall in love with him. He even stated a few minutes ago that he considers her a friend.

Just a friend.

Marinette stalled. Stupid! So blindly dumb and stupid! Adrien considered her to be his friend yet she, caught up in her feelings, kept pushing him away for no reason. It isn't fair to him. He did nothing to deserve such treatment. Friends don't do that to their friends, and Adrien didn't have a lot of those as is. How could she, as one of those few, behave toward him as a selfish jerk? She needed to keep her emotions under control and be a friend he thought she was. For Alya and Nino. For Adrien. How could she claim to love him and hurt him like that? Because it was hurt reflecting on his face just now. Adrien deserved better. Gathering all of the strength she had left, Marinette smiled.

"You are not going to give up, are you?"

"Nope."

"You are too kind for this world, Adrien," she responded softly. "Alright then. I'll carry the bags and open the door. You can take Emma."

With a soft smile on his lips and excitement in his eyes, Adrien carefully took the sleeping girl in his arms and followed Marinette. Her house looked immaculate and comfy even from the outside. It wasn't as big as his father's mansion, but it was a nicely sized, two-story building in an excellent neighbourhood surrounded by lots of mature trees and flowers. Even from the outside, it looked and felt like home to him. Marinette opened a front door and let Adrien inside a tastefully decorated foyer. She put away her bags, removed her shoes and took sleeping Emma from his arms careful not to wake her up and cause another spontaneous session of nonstop chatter.

"Thank you, Adrien," she smiled. "Again, I am very sorry for inconveniencing you so much. Count on me to force you to come up all the way up here so far away from your home."

"That's fine," Adrien looked at her with a bold determination in his eyes. Now or never! Marinette was obviously getting ready to kick him out, so he needed to be straightforward and bold if he didn't want to be pushed out of the door instantly.

"It's nothing that a cup of coffee won't fix."

Surprise and confusion on her face were hard to miss. That bold statement was probably the last thing Marinette had expected. She knew school age Adrien, the one who was shy and yielding, not the one who was plainly inviting himself over for a cup of coffee at the hour more fitting for the sleep than conversing. That was his Chat Noir side, but Marinette didn't know that. He hoped she would recognize it, though.

"Certainly, you must have some other, more interesting places to be at right now, Adrien," she timidly suggested.

"With whom and where?" the man responded with a hint of bitterness. "In my empty house with my ever-absent father? No, thank you, and I am pretty sure that neither Alya nor Nino would be happy to see me right now. Besides them, I don't think I have anyone else to catch up with, except you, Marinette. So, if you'd have me, I'd love to spend what's left of this day with a cup of coffee and a good friend like you, unless you had other plans, of course. Then I won't intrude."

His words resonated deep inside Marinette's heart as she remembered just how lonely Adrien's life had always been. He had never really complained about that, but they knew. They saw it in his actions, his words, even in his eyes. The guilt about pushing him away nagged at her anew. Adrien didn't deserve the treatment she was giving him these past few days. Not in the slightest. Even if it was for her heart's and her child's protection. Biting her lip in hesitation, Marinette looked at Emma. Her baby was deeply in her slumber, so maybe she could let him stay for just a little? A cup of coffee might make his day just a little happier, and despite everything, that was precisely what Marinette wanted in her heart all along - to make Adrien happy.

"Then, would you like to stay for some coffee, Adrien?" she asked.

"I'd love to," he smiled back. "Thanks."

"I'll go put Emma in her bed. You can wait in the living room or the kitchen, whenever you feel more comfortable."

"Of course," he nodded. "I'll wait here."

Silently Marinette went upstairs, changed Emma into her PJs and tucked her into her pink and fluffy bed without a single word. Then she sat on a floor for a minute or two, leaning on Emma's bed, lost in her thoughts, listening to the soft breathing of her child.

"What am I doing, kitten?" she whispered in a while. "I need to stay away from him, but at the same time, if I'd be honest, I wish he would stay with us forever. Too bad, that isn't going to happen because he'll be gone soon, and we'll probably never see him again… Just like Chat… Just like your Daddy." She paused for a second, memories of the one she was betraying by falling for Adrien stirring up. She was pathetic, really, loving only those men with whom she had absolutely no chances or was bound to ruin the ones she had.

A stray tear rolled down her cheek. "How am I supposed to spend an evening with him and not get even more heartbroken? When will I learn to protect myself, sweetheart?" Marinette whispered, wiping the moisture away. Her voice cracked. "When will it be my turn to be loved and cared for? Will I even be happy one day? I am so tired of tearing myself up in every direction- of being alone- of- I just want…"

Marinette fell silent. In a moment she got up, wiped her tears away and left the room.

I have to be strong, she was trying to convince herself, walking down the stairs. I'll just have to bear for one more day. A cup of coffee won't harm me, but it will make the one I love happy, so I must be strong. For him.

She found Adrien in her living room, looking at the picture frames on her walls. Most were of Emma at the different stages of her life and her significant milestones. Others featured Marinette's family, Alya, Nino and her at their happiest moments.

"So, coffee?" Marinette asked, intruding into Adrien's reverie when he failed to react to the sound of her steps. Instead, he seemed to be entranced by one of the pictures of Emma and her.

"Yes," Adrien replied quickly, immediately taking his eyes off the photo. "Yes. I am sorry. I got distracted. This—" he pointed to the frame, "—is an excellent shot."

"Thanks," Marinette smiled and headed to the kitchen, beckoning Adrien to follow. In her heist, she never noticed the pained expression and lingering moisture in his eyes. He never voiced the thoughts of just how much he missed due to his own poor decisions.

"Pumpkin spice?" Adrien couldn't contain his surprise when Marinette handed him a cup of his favourite drink and a piece of an apple pie to go along.

"If I remember correctly you used to like it?" Marinette shied away. "I can make you something else if you want-"

"No! No!" Adrien protested. "I was just surprised since rarely someone keeps ingredients for the best drink in the world in their house. That's all."

"I actually make it quite often," Marinette shrugged. "I had a friend who was constantly bringing me one, claiming that it was the best drink in the universe until it grew on me and I started to like it myself."

"Is that so?" Adrien's lips stretched in a smile. That was the first time Marinette admitted that his efforts were successful after all. "Your friend has a good taste."

"He did," she whispered and changed the topic because talking about Chat Noir when drinking coffee with Adrien didn't feel right.

From that moment on the evening went pretty smoothly. The pair chatted about their former classmates, mostly discussing Nino and Alya's impending wedding, joked a little and even shared a few details of their lives in the past few years. Stories about Emma and her adventures were constantly brought up either by Marinette herself or asked about by Adrien. So, when sometime later he remarked that she did a pretty impressive job raising Emma on her own Marinette wasn't surprised. Yet accepting a compliment from Adrien was something she could never get used to.

"No, really," Adrien insisted when Marinette refused to take all of the credit. "She is an amazing girl. You did incredibly well."

"But it wasn't just me," Marinette argued. "My parents, Alya and Nino, Mme. Bella- Everyone helped as much as they could."

"Still the main work was yours, Marinette," Adrien maintained. "You aren't used to getting praised, are you? Just agree with me because I'll spend this whole night telling you how amazing you are until you believe it yourself."

An adorable blush covered Marinette's cheeks again as she quietly mumbled her thanks and Adrien's breath stumbled. That was it. The right moment, the right mood and, hopefully, the right place. The fear and the urge to run seemed to disappear from her eyes, replaced by something that didn't look quite like a dislike towards him so, starting from afar — blatantly dumping the fact of his paternity on her wasn't the smartest idea in his opinion — Adrien decided to plunge.

"Can I ask you a more personal question?"

Marinette stiffened, her eyes widening a little - a step back from the relaxed girl that sat there an instant ago but it was too late to back down.

"Okay," she responded in a moment. "I can't promise you an answer, though."

"Fair enough." Adrien placed his cup down. "I know it's none of my business, but I was wondering why such a beautiful and amazing person as you doesn't have a special one in her life?"

The transient expression of pain on her face didn't escape his attention before Marinette looked to the side, her eyes glazed with sorrow. "I would rather not talk about it."

Adrien paused. He could retract, apologize and hopefully go back to the easy conversation they were having but, at this point, it wasn't an option he seriously entertained. He couldn't stop now; not when he finally had her all to himself and without available escape routes. Marinette had to know the truth, so he couldn't stop. Slowly but surely, he pushed forward.

"I am sorry if that was too personal. I am just curious. If it makes you feel better—" Adrien weakly smiled, "—you aren't alone in the situation like this. I, for example, had never had a girlfriend in my life."

Marinette's eyes snapped at him and, after a momentary struggle, much to Adrien's surprise, she failed to contain a giggle.

"I am sorry," she burst out laughing a second later. "I just remembered the American gossip magazines we used to read at the office. Your father hated them so much that we had to sneak around any new magazines with articles about you." She paused, inhaled deeply and mocked her best reporter's expression. "Why does Adrien Agreste, an established model, a rising star and a merciless, worldwide heartbreaker cannot seem to find a lady for himself and settle down? Why no woman yet had been able to capture his heart? Could it be that he isn't looking for a lady but a gentleman?"

"Not funny," Adrien pouted and frowned. "You have no idea how miserable they made my life. Paparazzi were everywhere I went. Like literally, everywhere. Work, stores, restaurants, even my morning jogs. Some days I even suspected they had a hefty bounty on my bachelor head or some sort of prize for any information containing my name and a 'confirmed girlfriend' in one sentence that would not be proven false. Not a fun experience at all. Believe me. But hey!" His head tipped to the side. "I hope, you know that there is a simple explanation for my single extended status."

"Like what?" Marinette stopped laughing but continued to tease. "Try to convince me, Monsieur Agreste, if you can because those reporters were pretty dead sure about their facts and let me tell you - they were pretty convincing."

Instead of pouting and picking up the game, much to Marinette's surprise Adrien suddenly became serious. His eyes filled with softness and gentleness she had never seen on his face before and focused on her. A thick layer of crimson flooded her face just from that alone.

"I fell in love with a girl when I was fourteen or fifteen?" Adrien started, his voice quiet and gentle. "I don't even remember when now because to me it feels like I've loved her my whole life. I still love her to this day despite trying to get over her for years. I even went on a couple of dates trying to prove to myself that there were other women and surely there would be a few I'd like just as much. But in the end, I couldn't do it. All I could see was how they weren't her – wrong height, wrong built, different hair colour, not her eyes, the character isn't hers, different laugh, not her. I've never had a second date, and after a while, I just gave up and accepted my fate to always love her."

All throughout his speech Marinette was keeping a brave, impartial facade yet deep inside a knife was ripping through her heart, carving it in, plunging her entire body in excruciating pain at his every word. All those years! All those years she was in love with Adrien all while he loved someone else. All those nights she didn't sleep. All those tears she cried for him were useless. Adrien Agreste's heart was taken a long time before that. Maybe even before they've met. Because of him, Marinette lost Chat. Because of her feelings for Adrien, she pushed her partner away. She hurt the man who loved her more than anything because of her stupid "love" for someone who had his affections somewhere else all along.

Adrien didn't need to leave the country in a few days to break her heart. Not even knowing it, he was crushing it already- in her own house- by her own permission.

Marinette felt the need to gasp for air as a knot stuck in her throat and pain continued to pulsate through her whole being yet Marinette continued to keep a straight face. She couldn't show her agony to Adrien. She was his friend first of all, and as such she couldn't complicate things even more with her stupid feelings and inability to not fall for him. Maybe it was for the best after all that she had never confessed? Spared both of them some awkwardness and embarrassment. Gathering all of her strength and fighting her lingering tears at the same time, Marinette continued the conversation.

"That girl must be very lucky to be loved that much."

"I think I'm the lucky one," Adrien protested. "Lucky to have met her because she is incredible. Amazing and awesome. Talented, kind and brave. She isn't perfect but always owns to her mistakes, a bit stubborn but that makes her that much more irresistible. She makes me feel like my life is worth something; like I am worth something."

"Why aren't you with her then?" Marinette stood up under the pretense of getting more tea and turned a little sideways, turning the kettle on to boil some more water. Adrien didn't need to see the storm of emotions threatening to burst out. "Have you ever told her about your feelings?"

"I did," Adrien sighed sadly. "She said that she already loved someone else and that I only confused her and messed everything up with my confession. She said she dreamed of being with that other guy for ages and now I was forcing her to choose, and that was unfair. So-"

Adrien paused, his eyes focusing on Marinette and only when she looked back at him concerned by his silence he continued. "I left. I know this wasn't my best decision but I honestly only wanted for her to be happy and if my presence was making things hard, I was willing to remove myself from her life so that she could be happy. All those years—" he paused, lowering his eyes to look into his mug. "—there were times when I survived only by the thought that she was happy. Not with me but still happy. With that other man she liked so much."

Not being able to look at him anymore, Marinette turned away. She filled her mug with more coffee and cupping it faced the window, looking outside, gently blowing at the steaming liquid in front of her. Adrien wouldn't know that she didn't see anything through a thick veil of tears in her eyes.

How could he, thoughts raced through her mind. How could he say all of this to her so easily? What kind of person would go around telling people who are in love with them that they live only by loving someone else? Didn't he realize just how much he was hurting her?

Marinette sadly chuckled to herself as she remembered that she had never confessed her feelings to Adrien, so no, he didn't realize. He was utterly oblivious in a true Adrien Agreste's fashion.

"Why didn't you stay? Maybe she would've chosen you?" Marinette blurted out. It would be a little rude to kick him out and go cry herself miserable without an explanation, explanation that she wasn't going to give him.

"I was—" Adrien thought for a second before continuing, "—I thought I was a momentary weakness or a fleeting misunderstanding to her or maybe we just drunk a little more than we should've? Who knows? In any case, when everything was said and done, I didn't want to ruin her life and her dreams." He paused again, the memories getting the best of him, his voice cracking under their weight. "Even thought of being with me caused her so much pain…" he whispered. "I didn't want to torture her, and she said she was in love with that other guy. I was in the way of her happiness. I would've never forgiven myself if I caused her to be miserable her whole life. That's why I left."

Marinette's heart went numb. Forgetting her own pain, she suddenly could feel his. Adrien was hurting. He was hurting immensely. She could sense it now. All those years he was alone in the States and heartbroken. For a moment, she wondered if his pain was worth it? Was that stupid girl who made him suffer so much even happy? Was she worth it?

"I hope, that your sacrifice made her happy, Adrien," she sighed and risked a glance at him. He caught her eyes immediately. "It was very honourable of you to do."

"I saw her recently," he rushed to add once her sight slipped back to the window. "I think she is happy. At least she looks happy, though she is still single."

"Then, maybe, you still have a chance," Marinette whispered, thanking everything on Earth and heavens that the lights were dimmed and she wasn't facing Adrien at this moment because from this angle he couldn't possibly see a stray tear slipping through her defences.

"I hope I do." Adrien stood up and took his mug to the sink. "I am already trying." He walked closer and leaned on a wall beside Marinette. "But what about you? Why are you still single? Don't tell me it's a shortage of interested guys. I'd rather believe that Alya spooked them all away than that there were none."

Unexpectedly, Marinette giggled. Unnoticeably to Adrien, she wiped her face and turned to look at him.

"Alya isn't that bad, Adrien. She only chases away the bad ones. The rest she leaves up to me."

"And you didn't find a single, worthy candidate in the crowd that she had allowed to court you?"

"If you don't mind—" a little spark of joy that was just there vanished. "—I really don't want to talk about it."

"Do you still love him?" Adrien pushed despite, his whole being just screaming inside. He was so close, so close. He wanted, needed to know if there was still a chance for him. If not, he'd accept it and approach the issue from a different angle, but for now, the only question that pounded in his head was the one he just voiced against his better judgment.

Marinette looked at him in surprise. "Who?"

"Emma's father."

As if shocked, Marinette stared at Adrien in silence. The storm inside her grew into a hurricane as new and new questions bombarded Marinette's heart. The story he had just told her shuttered her heart into a million pieces. The questions he asked brought back memories. The feelings avalanche rushed down on her exhausted soul, baring all the pinned-up emotions, pain, and guilt. In that single moment, it all became too much.

Marinette broke.

A single tear suddenly became a flood as the mug almost fell out of Marinette's shaking hands. It disappeared before she knew what had happened, but she didn't care. Marinette couldn't handle it anymore. She couldn't keep it inside her for much longer. All those years of solitary suffering with not a single soul to share her whole story with- it all became too much. The floodgates were open, and now there was no way of shutting them back up.

The girl burst into tears, covering her face with hands, feeling more vulnerable than she'd ever felt before but not caring anymore. She felt Adrien wrapping his arms around her trembling frame and pressing her closer, cradling her shaking body, whispering something in her ear she couldn't decipher at the moment. He held her close until she was able to control herself again and only then she heard, "Did he hurt you that bad, Marinette?"

In an instant, she ripped herself away and glared at Adrien with pure anger in her eyes.

"Why does everyone think that he hurt me, Adrien?" she snarled. "It isn't him! He didn't do anything! It's me! Me! I hurt him!" His eyes grew wider as she talked. In all the years of their acquaintance, Adrien has yet to hear his Lady speak so passionately. "I hurt him so bad that he—" the sobs were quickly coming back, interfering with her speech, "—he left the city! Left his family, friends, everything because of me. Just think about it! How cruel I must have been to make him leave everything behind and move away! The words I said to him- I'll never forgive myself for them." She hugged her middle with her arms and curled in on herself. Adrien reached out, wishing for nothing more than to take her back into his arms, to comfort and to protect, but Marinette turned away. This time he didn't push. It wasn't the time to press anymore.

"I searched for him," Marinette continued when her voice evened out a little. "While I had the opportunity, I searched everywhere I could think of, but never found even a trace. He never came back and, to be honest, I don't think I have much hope left that I'll ever see him again. But all those years I lived knowing that there is a man somewhere out there whom I've hurt really badly- and- and I can't even find him to tell him how sorry I am—" tears rushed down her face, "—to tell him that I- I still love him- I- I want him back in my life. I can't- I can't even do that."

She suddenly stopped and raised her eyes at Adrien. "He doesn't even know he has a child. He doesn't know about Emma," she whispered. "And Emma- she- more than anything Emma wants her daddy- and I can't- I can't give it to her- How am I supposed to tell her one day that she doesn't have a father because I couldn't sort out my feelings? How?" Her eyes filled with desperation, her body shaking violently. "How am I supposed to tell my baby that she doesn't know father's love because her mother couldn't give up on someone who never really cared for her anyway? How, Adrien? Tell me, how?"

In tears and trembling, Marinette closed her eyes and covering them with her hands slipped down to the floor. "She'll hate me," she whispered. "I hate myself already…"

Adrien couldn't move. He hadn't expected such a violent breakdown, but, thinking about it later, he was hardly surprised. When Chat Noir decided to leave, he hadn't considered Ladybug's point of view. He had never considered that she might want him to stay, that she might love him more than the other boy. He had never thought that maybe a momentary mistake and a fleeting misunderstanding weren't him, but the battle that was raging in a young girl's heart, faced with a sudden change and flooded by doubts when giving her heart to him after years of resistance and pinning after another. Here he was blabbering about how honourably he acted by giving up his happiness for her sake, yet it was him who by that same action he was so proud of, and that was supposed to make her happy, ruined his Lady's life.

He was such an idiot, a stupid moron. He didn't deserve a second chance. He dared to hope of being accepted and dreamed of possible happiness- but now Adrien finally saw just how much he messed up, how much he hurt the one he claimed to love more than anything. He should've stayed and fought for her. They would've figured it all out eventually. Instead, he ran- ran like a loser and a coward he was.

"I'm sorry, Marinette," Adrien rushed to her side and wrapped his arms around her shivering body. "I'm so sorry. Please, forgive me—" his voice cracked. "—I should've never-"

A sudden, terrified scream for help broke through the air. Marinette froze and stood up sharply, a barely audible sigh slipping from her lips.

"Emma."

Without a second thought, Marinette rushed outside. Adrien followed. The view shocked them both. Their little girl was desperately clinging to one of the second-floor windows. Her tiny hands were barely holding onto the edge of the frame as she cried and screamed for help.

Marinette felt her heart freeze. Her breathing hitched and the body refused to obey. Unable to move, petrified, she found herself helplessly looking at the terrifying scene for a few moments that lasted an eternity. Then suddenly the instinct kicked in and Marinette sprinted into action, only to discover that Adrien was already scaling the building. That rock-climbing wall in his room and years of Chat Noir-ing had finally paid off at this very moment. Quickly he reached the window, scooped Emma up in his arms and climbed onto the roof without thinking about it twice. It seemed safer for them to go up on the roof than down to the ground, so Adrien did just that.

As soon as he felt a solid surface under his feet, Adrien collapsed to his knees, pressing Emma tight to his chest. His child's tears soaked his shirt almost immediately while his own fell to the top of her head. Softly he began to whisper words of reassurance to her, trying to calm the girl down, trying to compose himself as well. When he finally did, he heard Emma's whispering back to him through her tears.

"You finally came, Daddy. I saw you in my dreams. You saved me every time, just like now."

Her little arms wrapped around his neck, as she continued to cry and repeat over and over again, "Please, please, don't leave me again. I promise to always love you. I will be a very good girl. Please, Daddy, don't leave me again."

Having climbed the fire escape stairs, Marinette ran up to them at that exact moment. Barely being able to see anything through her tears, she grasped Emma from Adrien's arms and hugged her tightly.

"Emma- sweetheart- are you hurt? Don't cry, kitten- Mama's here. My baby- You'll be fine now-"

At first, too stressed and shocked from all the events, Marinette didn't hear Emma's persistent cries, but once she calmed down just a tiny bit, she noticed that her daughter was trying to break away, reaching towards Adrien. Only then she listened to what Emma kept repeating.

"Mama, it's my Daddy! It's him! Let me go! I have to ask him to stay with us, please Mama! It's him!"

Marinette glanced over at Adrien who not being able to utter a single word as he struggled to breathe, silently stared back at her.

"Emma." Marinette turned back to her daughter. "Sweetie, I am sorry, but Uncle Adrien isn't your daddy. That's not him, kitten. He isn't him."

Her words made no difference. The girl continued to cry, trying to escape.

"It's him, mama! I saw him in my dreams. He saved me on a roof. It's him, mama! Tell her, Daddy! Tell her it's you!"

Marinette swallowed and without even looking at Adrien said, "I think it's better if you leave, Adrien."

Her harsh tone brought him back to the reality of the situation and his quest. "Marinette, wait. Can we talk?"

"There is nothing to talk about. Please, leave."

She couldn't look at him, trying and failing to control her rising anger. That! That was precisely what she was trying to protect Emma from! That was exactly the reason she didn't want Adrien near her child. First, he broke her heart, and now he was about to destroy Emma's. Marinette may have loved Adrien more than she could express but she loved her child more. Emma would always come first, and Adrien had to leave! Enough damage was done already, and his reluctance to comply with her request just made her that much angrier with each passing moment.

"But what if I am her father?" Adrien almost shouted. "Marinette- "

"Adrien, please," the woman spoke through her clenched teeth, forcing herself not to yell at him for the sake of her baby who was still crying and trying to get out of her embrace. "Don't make it harder than it already is. You are not her father, and you know it!"

"But Marinette, please, listen to me-" he pleaded.

"No, I won't!" she raised her voice just enough for him to get the memo. "I won't because you don't make sense, Adrien! This doesn't make sense! You know where kids come from, right? You cannot seriously claim to be her father because we've never been that close. You—" her voice cracked with pain, "—you've never even noticed me as a woman before, Adrien. Never. I was always just a friend, wasn't I?"

"Marinette-"

"Go away, Adrien," she whispered, hiding her eyes away. "I am not stupid. I know who Emma's father is, and he isn't you."

"Can you name him then?"

Marinette turned to face him sharply. Her hold on Emma tightened as she searched his face. In a moment, she sighed bitterly. Of course, Nino would tell him her secret but how dared he to use it against her? Her voice became cold and distant, her face matched.

"I would've known if you were him, but you aren't. You can't be him. Leave, Adrien. Please."

In an instant, Adrien's heart shattered into a million pieces. He wanted to tell her. He wanted to scream it out loud. He wanted to prove that she was wrong this time. Yet he couldn't. The time was wrong. The place was wrong. The mood was the worst. Marinette had almost lost a child just now. She won't listen. She wasn't listening already. Not right now. Not in the state she was in at this moment.

"Let me at least help you to get down," he whispered.

"You've helped me enough already today," she snapped back.

"Marinette-"

"Just leave, Adrien."

He didn't say anything more. There was no use. Marinette's defences were up, and they looked impenetrable. Silently, Adrien got up on his feet and left without looking back. Emma's crying echoed in his heart for hours past. Marinette's tear-streaked face haunted his mind just as long.