"So how have you been feeling lately?" The familiar voice echoed in Adrien's brain. Every Wednesday he met her, her soft-spoken voice soothed his frantic mind.

"I have been okay, I guess." Adrien knew she wouldn't like that answer, it was the answer she heard every time.

"Adrien, I want to know how you've been coping with this," she breathed in, "the wounds are still very fresh. No one can easily overcome a situation like this."

"It has been rough," Adrien decided that perhaps he shouldn't waste another session, "the Gabriel brand is no longer a source of income for me, considering no one wants to wear it due to my father tarnishing its name." He twiddled with his thumb and listened to her pen scratch the papers on her clipboard.

"You are experiencing money problems?" She sounded confused.

"Not yet, but I don't know how much longer I have until the trust fund runs out. I have dissolved the company but a large chunk of the assets had to be sold to pay for the lawyers. I can't find anyone to buy the house, at least for the price I need it to be sold for. The only people who want to buy my mansion are those who are fascinated by my father's actions. They want to make a revenue by making my home a museum and I-"

"You don't want to have people make money off of your childhood home, or off of your father's actions?" She asked after Adrien failed to finish his sentence.

"Both I suppose. I would prefer to not leave the mansion, it was the last place we were together as a family. The last place I saw," he paused, his voice a mere whisper, "my mother."

The therapist moved in her seat and stared at him, "I haven't tried to talk about your mother because whenever I bring her up you always shut down, but today you seem to be open to the idea. Would you perhaps want to talk about her?"

Adrien gulped, he didn't want to talk about her. "I guess we can if you think it will help me."

"It needs to be addressed. Your situation is - unique - to say the least. I can't imagine you are coping well with it." The therapist tapped her pen on the clipboard.

"I was okay with her being dead - I" Adrien felt water well in his eyes, he blinked them away, causing small tears to cascade down his cheeks, "I had long accepted that she was gone forever. I was finally adjusted to life without her..." The therapist stared at Adrien but said nothing. "Then he goes and-" Adrien sobbed. He tried to fight back, he tried to talk about her, but he couldn't. "I am sorry, I am not ready to talk about her."

She scribbled on her clipboard, "I will wait until you are ready. Let us talk about something else," she scanned the papers in front of her, "how about school? Are you ready for your university to start?"

He blew his nose with a tissue and slumped back into the couch, the crumpled tissue in his hand. "I am excited about it, actually," Adrien said, life returning to his voice, "I was planning on studying business because of my father but," his voice dulled. He hated mentioning his father, the idea depressed him. Adrien powered through the emotions swirling through him, "since he is no longer an influence in my life, I am getting a degree in math education."

"I am glad that you are pursuing your own goals, Adrien," the familiar sound of her pen was heard once again, "I think going to school will be good for you. Go out and party, honestly. You lived your whole life under the guise of your father, go and have fun."

"I know, I am going to try," Adrien breathed in, "but it is going to be hard. Ever since everything went public I have been a social outcast. Sure, I wasn't the supervillain who terrorized Paris, but I was his son. No matter how I explain people are sure that I helped him." Adrien wished he could show the world that he was Chat Noir, but Ladybug reminded him that they know there will be a new Hawkmoth in the future. Revealing to anyone would be risky.

"I know it is going to be difficult, especially with all of Paris thinking you are an accomplice to your father's crimes, but I advise you to make friends. You are a social person Adrien, I know that. You deserve to be happy."

Adrien needed to hear that, "I do have friends, I just haven't been able to reach out to them... how do you talk to your friends after something like that."

"Just talk, Adrien. If they are friends like you say they are, I am sure they are worried for you." The therapist breathed in, "I always give you a task at the end of our sessions, you know that by now right?" Adrien nodded, "I am going to ask you to reach out to your friends."

"I don't know if I can do that." The pictures of their disappointed faces appeared in his mind, who would want to be friends with him now?

"I promise, if they are good friends they won't care about your father. You don't have to have a deep conversation or anything, just hang out with them. Go to the park, go for a coffee, I do not care. I just need you to go out and do something, anything besides wallowing alone in your house."

Adrien knew she was right, she always was. Maybe they wouldn't blame him, "I will try."

"Thank you, that is all that I ask." The therapist shuffled through her notes, "one last final thing before our session is over for today, are you going to your father's trial?"

Adrien froze, he couldn't attend if he wanted to. He was already attending as Chat Noir. "I can't go."

"You can, maybe it will give you closure."

"If I were to attend, I couldn't attend as Adrien Agreste."

"You don't need to. I already know that you refused to testify, but if you need you could attend as a bystander, disguised. I really think that if you are up to it, attending the trial will help you get reassurance."

"You think? I just- I don't know how I could handle seeing all my father's crimes put on the stand. The charges are going to be numerous, and the room is gonna be full of people who hate him... and me."

"Adrien, I know that these past few weeks have been filled with people blaming you and making theories about your involvement, but the detectives believe you, and I believe you. I am sure there are more people who believe you than who blame you. The issue that you have with your father is that you blame yourself for his actions, but in reality, he made that decision all on his own. You are not to blame for your father or your mother. I think seeing him one last time during the trial will help you accept that."

"I will have to see how I feel..."

"I am not pressuring you in any way Adrien, take your time with the decision. I will support you no matter what. Just remember to breathe, and if you do go, remember that you can leave anytime," the therapist was satisfied with how the session went. "I am glad that we finally made progress today. I want you to have fun for once, Adrien. Talk to those friends of yours, I am sure that they are eager to hear from you. I will see you next week." The therapist got up and set her clipboard on her desk. She walked over to the door of her office and opened it. Adrien got up off of the couch and walked through the door.

"Thank you for taking me on so soon, you have really helped me... even when I wasn't a willing participant in your therapy," the therapist smiled at Adrien, "goodbye, see you next week. I will talk to my friends."

Adrien walked out of the building to be greeted by bright sunlight. He breathed in the Paris air and headed home.