"Why?! Why, why, why, why?! Why did he just happen to show up in my life now of all times? WHY?!" While I was pacing back and forth in my room experiencing a mental breakdown, Plagg was on my sofa stuffing his face with Camembert. I suppose Adrien must have suspected something was wrong when we last talked on the phone and sent his kwami to investigate. Plagg never cared much about our previous romantic nonsense, instead deeming scarfing down cheese a better use of his time. He just ate and ate and ate as I rambled on like a lunatic, afraid the world might come crashing down on me at any minute.

Plagg just finished chewing his what, seventh, piece of Camembert? I'd lost count by this point. He let out a little satisfied sigh and turned his head back my way. "What's the big deal?" He couldn't have sounded more laid-back if he tried. I shot him an incredulous glower. "What's the big deal?! Luka's still in love with me, Plagg! We haven't spoken in two years and the first thing he does is announce his undying devotion to me? You don't see a problem there?!" My arms flung up, completely done with everything.

The black kwami simply picked up yet another piece of smelly cheese. "Just tell him you're not interested. Problem solved." "No; not problem solved! He's clearly not getting the message! You remember what he was like back in undergrad. Luka was unrelenting!" "Heh, sounds like someone else we know," grinning, he threw the cheese slice up in the air, catching the whole thing greedily in his mouth. My frown grew with disapproval.

"My situation with Cat Noir is completely different." "No, it's not. He refused to break up with you back when you first moved to Adrien's house. He's just as persistent as Luka's being." "Yeah, but the major difference is that Cat Noir and I are a couple! We've been a couple for nine years! Luka and I have ever only just been friends; his love for me is entirely one-sided. He knows that! God knows how many times I've told him….." Plagg wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Maybe he's watched one too many romance movies. You know, the ones where the guy always gets the girl in the end no matter how many times she says "no"." "You're not helping, Plagg."

"You worry too much. Just tell Adrien; Cat Noir will take care of it," the kwami turned his attention back to his stupid cheese. I, meanwhile, gawked at him again disbelievingly. "He can't do that! Luka's already too suspicious of Cat Noir's feelings for me." "Heh, yeah. Boy, it was fun watching those two nearly rip each other to shreds all those years ago. Cat Noir's claws really came out then." "How would you know? You only saw snippets of it," I quipped back irritated. "Duh, I'm Adrien's kwami; I heard it all second-hand," he said, making my eyes roll.

Sucking in some much-needed air, I proceeded to pinch the bridge of my nose with the tips of my fingers. "What am I going to do? How can I make him understand?" "I still don't see why you don't set Cat Noir loose on him. I'm sure he'd be more than happy to scratch Luka's eyeballs out." "You know I can't do that, Plagg. No one must know that Cat Noir and I know each other, much less are going out. Ugh, and now Luka's not gonna let this go! He's just going to keep showing up and looking at me…. Looking at me with those hungry eyes." "I thought you two were friends?" He cocked his head to the side. Our visions met again. "We were, until he asked me out at graduation for the millionth time. I swear, he's worse than Jacob from Twilight! And that's saying something." The black kwami chuckled to himself. "Boy, I'm sure glad kwamis can't fall in love; it sounds horrible." That's when my eyes lowered on him gently. "It's not….

Not with Cat Noir."

Plagg burped, ruining the moment. Looked like he was finally full- finally. "You're going to have to tell Adrien eventually." "Of course I will. I'm just…. not sure else to do. I don't want to hurt Luka any more than I already have either," despite everything, there was still a platonic seed of friendship stored away in my heart for him, right there beside Alya and all our other friends. That's why I cut all contact in the first place…. I knew I couldn't give him the kind of relationship that he wanted. I was hoping he'd forget me and move on with life. But boy, was that wishful thinking I see now. My hand lifted up to cover my tired face as I momentarily shut my eyes. "I don't know what else to do. How can I make this better?" "Well, you can start by getting me more cheese," he belched again. This lighted an annoyed fire deep inside my stomach; he wasn't taking this seriously at all! "Listen, here! You've had more than enough! I'm not getting you anymore….!"

"Anymore what?" The sound of Adrien's unanticipated voice made me practically leap for a pillow. He opened my bedroom door, standing under the door's threshold confused as I covered Plagg with the cushion I just grabbed. "A-Adrien! O-Oh, nothing! I was just talking… er, thinking out loud. I mean I was talking to myself," yeah, cause that's sooooooo much better. Eying me for a minute, Adrien grinned and shut my door behind him. I didn't move an inch as he made his way over toward me in a casual fashion.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" "W-What?! N-No! No, you're not. I just got home from Versailles!" "I just got home not too long ago myself. Did you have a good day, Marinette?" He inquired, his tone soft and tender. Mine was decidedly not. "Have a good day….? Oh, sure! I mean, yes! I mean, it wasn't the worst day I've ever at the workshop. I mean…." My words pittered off here. His expression suddenly grew graver. "Are you sure your day was ok? You sounded pretty anxious when I called earlier." "Did I?! I didn't mean to….. That is, I… I…."

My lip flapped there uselessly as the day's events rapidly and quite involuntary flashed through my mind. Everything whirled past, leaving me in a daze. And as I continued to stare at this perfect, absolutely beloved man, I felt my mouth unable to close. "God, I've missed you, Mari. I've missed the colour of your eyes, the sound of your voice…. All of it; I've missed you so much." It was too much; all this was too much to bear.

"Actually Adrien, the truth is…. I ran into someone at work." Adrien's eyes immediately lit up in abject terror. "It wasn't Chloe again, was it?! She didn't come to your workshop again, did she?" The fear in his tone was palpable, but I knew that would change to anger soon. My eyes skirted down a little, reluctantly so. "N-No. Y-You haven't met him yet, but…. but he's an old friend…. from undergrad," pretending that Adrien had no clue who Luka was tore at me inside. But I had to keep up the façade as Plagg instructed; I had to maintain that Luka and Adrien had never met in real life before, which wasn't entirely untrue. Luka's only ever seen me with Cat Noir before; not my future husband….

Though Adrien didn't say anything right away, when I summoned up the courage to peer back into his eyes, I could already see them seething with rage. Admittedly, he did a bang-up job of keeping his composure on the rest of his face, but his eyes gave him away. One look told me that he already knew who I was talking about and was rightly pissed off.

I think it took everything in him to fain ignorance a tense, bristly minute later. "Oh. Just an old friend?" His voice sounded so strained that it even hurt my throat. My lips snuck out a sigh. "Not just an old friend, per se. He's…. kinda got a thing for me."

Silence. I felt like my head was going to explode. Oh my god! What the hell are you doing?! Fix this, Marinette?! Fix this, god dammit! My back arched, my cheeks strained tight across my face. "I-It's no big deal! I told him that I'm engaged, and I'm not interested in anyone else! Y-You don't have to worry! I would never….! I'm not that type of girl, I swear!" "Marinette," Adrien began, but I cut him by spinning around on my heels. Both my hands lifted up to cover my cheeks by this point. I honestly thought I was going to burst out into a flood of tears any second. "N-Nothing happened! W-Well, he did hug me…. But I didn't hug him back! I promise you, I wouldn't! Not with him," or anyone else. "Marinette…." My fiancé attempted again, but now that I was on a roll, I couldn't stop myself. My eyes winced shut in pure agony. "I'm so sorry, Adrien! You must think I'm a horrible fiancée, but I really didn't think he'd just show up at Versailles like that! Please don't be mad! I'll block his number if you want, and….!"

The world suddenly transformed into this intense, deafless space when a hand reached out over my shoulder. Eyes now very, very wide, my head flew back around in Adrien's direction. He was standing very near me with his hand firmly- yet lovingly- holding my shoulder. To my utter disbelief, he was smiling….. He shown a radiant, calming smile down onto me. It all happened so quickly; it was like something out of a movie. He put his hand on me, and I instantly forgot where I was. I forgot everything…. except the fact that Adrien was touching me, and he was smiling.

His hand gave me a reassuring squeeze. "Marinette, stop. I'm here; I'm here with you now." "A-Adrien," my lips trembled and quaked with such stunned sincerity. His grin blossomed so affectionately, so genuinely….. "Remember what I told you before: we're together. We'll leave together from now on. You're not alone…. You're never alone with anything anymore. I'm not mad; of course I'm not mad at you. You did nothing wrong- I know that." "Adrien…." This teardrop dribbled down the right side of my cheek.

His free thumb drew up so to wipe it off my skin as his smile turned a lighter shade. "Don't worry, Marinette; I trust you. We… may not have known each other for very long, but I trust you. You seem of the loyal sort." Loyal? My eyes widened a sliver. That's right; he's said something like that to me before, back in the garden of Versailles….. "You are loyal to me! You've been nothing but a loyal girlfriend." Adrien…..

My fiancé gave my shoulder yet another tender squeeze. His fingers curled onto me so protectively…. "I know you're worried, but please don't be. Never forget that you have me now, Marinette; I'm always here for you. That's what marriage is all about. If you need me, I'm here.

And if you don't, I'm still here."