Hi again! I'm posting again today because I don't like posting on Sundays… so I decided to give it to you a little earlier rather than a little later. The same thing goes for the 8th/9th.

I hope that you enjoy this LOVEly chapter.

Ladrien

Adrien couldn't express his relief upon slipping from the crowd into the car he regularly rode in.

As if modeling and more extracurriculars than he could bear wasn't enough. His father also just had to make him go to events like this.

Adrien wanted to see the good in his father, but the man was making it really, really hard.

Sure, he could see from a logical standpoint how it encouraged the fanbase, helping sales within the brand, blah, blah, blah… but, why did Gabriel subject his very own son to being the face of the company in the first place? He was sixteen.

Adrien leaned back, sighing. He wished he had some way to escape this. Yes, there was some escape as Chat Noir and with his friends at school- since any novelty had long since worn off. But he wished he could just walk around and explore the streets of Paris without needing his bodyguard to hold off the crowd.

A thousand- probably more- fans. None of them really knowing him. Only his friends, which included Ladybug, really knew who he was, loved him. For Ladybug, it might not be in the way he wanted, but she still did love him, and she made sure that he knew it.

From his house- well, mansion- he felt the most care from the Gorilla, some from Nathalie, and… he often felt that his father could care less whether he actually lived there or not as long as his company did just as well.

That was disheartening.

…And he was getting like this again. Feeling unloved. Adrien still knew all the people who actually loved him, but it never felt like it in the moment. It was one thing to know something, and altogether another to feel it, especially since he was usually separated from that love at the time.

But dealing with those fanatics usually did this to him. Feeling valued only for his face. Like a robot could take his place and no one would be the wiser.

They pulled up in front of the house that felt less and less like a home everyday since his mother died and Adrien went inside.

Once in the safety of his room, Plagg flew out. "Finally. I thought those girls would never let you go. It was getting-" He cut off upon seeing Adrien's face. "Oh, great. You're in one of your moods."

"Since when do you care?" Adrien grumbled.

"Since you don't give me cheese when you're like this," Plagg retorted.

The boy flopped on his bed. "Even you don't really care about me."

"Of course I do. You give me Camembert. Not every holder does that for me."

Considering this was coming from Plagg, it was very meaningful. "Thanks, Plagg."

The kwami flew up to him. "I'm not as good at advice as Tikki, but she'd probably say something disgustingly inspiring like, chin up. Or tell you to work on your plans to woo Ladybug or something."

Adrien sat up. "That's not a bad idea, Plagg. I can get some flowers for our patrol tomorrow… maybe do something with this heart confetti I saw at a store on Wednesday… though I better get started on the flowers. I wonder if I should do roses again, or…"

Plagg stopped him as he started heading to his desk. "Great. You're happy again, looking forward to seeing Ladybug or whatever. Now, you should give me extra-gooey Camembert for helping you."

Adrien sighed, but it didn't hurt to let Plagg have his cheese. After feeding the kwami, he started heading over to his desk, but not before seeing Ladybug going by his window. It was her night for patrol, and he sighed smiling as he watched her go by.

"I love you, and I hope one day soon, you'll love me the same way I love you."

"Stop being the wrong kind of cheesy!" Plagg shouted.

Adrien spared his kwami a glance before heading to his desk to pick out and order a bouquet for tomorrow. Even Plagg couldn't get Adrien's spirits down now.

Marinette couldn't do it. Nope. She just couldn't.

"Nope. Nope. Nope." She shoved the box back into the fridge.

Tikki gave a dramatic sigh. "Why can't you give them to Adrien?"

Marinette glanced nervously back at the kwami. "Because he might reject me!"

Tikki raised an eyebrow- or at least made an expression that would have resulted in that if she had eyebrows. "I seriously disbelieve he would deny any sweets."

"But…"

"Why did you make them?" Tikki interrupted.

Marinette crossed her arms and pouted. "Because Chat challenged me to."

The kwami sighed. "He challenged you to do something like this because…"

"I… haven't confessed to Adrien."

"And…?

"...I love him," Marinette finished. "What are you trying to say, Tikki?"

Tikki flew up and bopped the girl on the head, though with her small size she could barely feel it. "I'm trying to get you to realize what! Think! Since you love Adrien, what do you want?"

"To confess my feelings and hope that he returns mine," Marinette sighed. "But, more than that… I want him to just be happy."

"And what would giving him the chocolates do?" Tikki prompted yet again.

"Make him happy!" Marinette perked up. Then her face fell. "But what if I give them to him and he doesn't return my feelings and I'll be heartbroken and he'll feel guilty that he did that to me because we're 'good friends' and he won't be happy and then it will be pointless because we both got hurt and-"

"Marinette!" Tikki shouted. "Who said you had to do it in person?"

Marinette finally got what her kwami had been trying to tell her all along. She blinked. "Tikki, have I ever told you that you're a genius?"

"Not often enough," Tikki grumbled.

Marinette ignored the comment and headed up to get ready for bed. She had to wake up early tomorrow morning, after all.

~ngh~

Tikki kind of annoyed me, but it was more because Marinette was stubborn about being scared. But I liked that bit of grumpy Tikki at the end. For some reason, I have a soft spot for that.

This was a minimal Ladrien chapter, though there will be chapters later on that are properly Ladrien. For the next two chapters, you'll have to survive with MariChat, LadyNoir, and sprinkles of Adrienette.

I'm not sure how obvious what the plan to get Adrien the chocolates is, but I didn't want to come right out and say it. Otherwise, you'll just have to wait right along with Adrien to see what happens on Monday morning.