By the time school started, Adrien was filled out and slightly tanned, so he didn't look so sickly. He had picked up some slang, and had gotten better about his 'thee's and 'thou's, but he still sounded antiquated as all heck.

The first day, he arrived with a phone he still didn't know how to use, and a bag of supplies. But he had fashionable, modern clothes, and a brand new haircut that did away with what Wayhem had called 'pioneer hair'.

Without talking to him, you'd think that Adrien was a normal, albeit wealthier, kid.

He stood in the door to the courtyard, glancing around the assembled kids nervously. None of these kids had been 16 for long, had they?

A slender set of arms wrapped around his bicep and squeezed. "Adrien Agreste, right?"

"Aye?"

"Chloe Bourgeois, daughter of Mayor Bourgeois! My daddy said you would be starting at my school today!"

"Your…daddy?"

"Yep! Daddy knows all the rich benefactors in the city, and your guardian Way…whatever, said he was looking for a school to enroll you in, and my daddy said you should come here so you'd have a friend in me! I'm the best person to have as a friend after all."

"Oh, how very kind and thoughtful he is."

"Whatever. Now take a seat over on that bench, and I'll go get your schedule and stuff, new best friend!"

Adrien smiled at her as she ran off, calling for someone named Sabrina.

First day was only five minutes in, and he already had a new best friend! What luck! He took a seat on the bench that Chloe had suggested him to wait for her at.

Only a minute later, another young woman approached. Midnight black hair, enchanting blue eyes, and a smile he could see in his dreams.

"Are you new here?" She asked.

"I—" An intense tingling sensation crawled up his arm, snaking around his heart and down his spine. It was too intense to ignore, and he couldn't help but glance at his clock.

It was ticking.

His soulmate! She was here! Finally, finally after all this time!

The girl looked at her own wrist, and then back at him, her eyes sparkling. "Where have you been?" She whispered.

Before Adrien could begin to answer, Chloe, his new best friend, slid onto the seat next to him, wrapping her arms around him. "Ew! What are you doing talking to Dupain-Cheng?"

"She was talking to me," Adrien began.

"And she should know better than that. She's super gross, being 16 for ten years and still hanging around a bunch of Highschoolers? Disgusting!"

"It doesn't work like that, and you know it!" The other girl cried, her shoulders raised up to her ears. "I'm still sixteen!"

"You and everyone else can believe that, but I won't! Get lost, dirty baker girl, and never talk to my best friend ever again!" She squeezed Adrien's arm.

Marinette stared at him, eyes welling with tears. "Well, if this is the kind of person you hang out with, I want nothing to do with you. But thanks for freeing me, I guess." And she turned and stomped off.

"What was all that about?" Chloe asked. "Nevermind, I don't want to know. I just know that you're better off without someone like that in your life. Now hurry, class starts soon!"

As Adrien was dragged up the stairs, he continued to kick himself. If anyone would understand what it was like to exist longer than you were aging, it was him. Why didn't he speak up? Why didn't he correct Chloe?

Did he just lose any chance of love he'd ever get?

In the classroom, Chloe steered him to the front row. "You can sit right here, across from me!"

And right in front of his soulmate.

Miss Dupain-Cheng, if he had heard her name right, was sitting just behind him, talking to another girl. Maybe he would have another chance to smooth things over? If he could just explain that he was just like her…a longer time, of course, but still.

"Alright class, in your seats!" The teacher called. "I'm Miss Bustier, and I'll be your homeroom teacher for this year. I'm only introducing myself because we have two new students with us this year! Alya, Adrien, why don't you both come up and introduce yourselves?"

Uncertain, Adrien stood and came to the front, along with the girl that had been talking to his soulmate.

"Ladies first?" He gestured her on, sheepishly.

Alya winked at him, picking up on his nervousness. "Howdy everyone! I'm Alya Cesaire. Let's see…I've lived in Paris all my life, but on the other side of the city. My mom is a chef at the Grand Hotel Paris, and my dad is a zookeeper. I have three sisters, and—oh! I run a popular blog on soulmate clocks. So I might be asking questions about yours. I just think they're really neat!" She then passed the metaphorical baton off to Adrien.

He took a deep breath, and exhaled. "Hail and well met, fellow scholars!"

The looks of confusion and repulsion, sprinkled with a few snickers, were enough to gauge he had already screwed this up. But he could save it! Just…just follow Alya's lead and try to talk modern. "I am…totally excited to join you in class. I am also native to Paris, homeschooled up until recently. My father was a duke, and my mother, a lady in waiting to Constance of Arles. I have no siblings, but a far removed cousin who is more like a brother. As for my hobbies, I studied many languages, including English, Italian, Spanish, German, Latin, Russian, and I am now learning Chinese. I recently learned to play the piano. Oh yes, I fence, when permitted." He glanced at the room again, seeing a lot of confused faces. "I hope that we can all have a—" modern word modern word modern word "—Fergalicious year together."

At that, the class burst out laughing.

Fergalicious-definition: make them boys go loko. So maybe not the best modern word to use.

Damn Wayhem and his CDs.

"Alright everyone settle down," Miss Bustier called over the laughter. "Thank you Adrien, Alya. You can take your seats."

Adrien practically fell into his, dread coiling in his gut. This was not going well.

"Alright everyone. I'm going to pass out the syllabus. Make sure to speak up if you have any questions—oh poop!" She exclaimed, looking at the stack. "The first day and I already printed out the wrong documents. Everyone hang tight, and I'll go print out the right ones."

Adrien watched the teacher leave, and decided to just sit and be quiet.

He did glance over to Chloe, who was talking to her seat mate.

"Chloe? Miss Bourgeois? Did I say something wrong?"

She glanced at him, rolled her eyes, and looked away.

Devastated, Adrien opted to sit in silence until the teacher returned. He unintentionally eavesdropped on his soulmate's conversation with Alya.

"Oh wow, your clock numbers are black! That's really rare, you know?" Alya was saying.

"Oh really? I guess I never thought much about it, but I don't really pay attention to that kind of stuff."

"I heard it means they were waiting a really long time for you. But there's no proof to that theory."

"It could be true."

"Oh em gee! Yours is moving! You met your soulmate already? Who is it? What was it like?!"

Miss Dupain-Cheng sighed. "Sorry Alya, not to be a total bummer, but I'd rather not talk about it."

"Oh…no that's okay. I'm sorry if I hurt you."

"Do my ears deceive me?" Chloe sang in a malicious tone. "Dupain-Cheng finally found her soulmate? Good! Then she can get lost!"

"Ugh, I already told you Chloe, it's not like that!"

"Oh? Well, if it's no big deal, then you should tell your new friend how old you really are."

Adrien turned around, as discreet as possible to watch how this would unfold. If given the chance, he may be able to redeem himself.

"I'm actually 26 years old," his soulmate said. "Existence wise, of course. I aged to 16 when I was in China, helping my family. Over there, you stop education when you stop aging."

"Oh yeah!" Said Alya, "I ran an article about it on my blog. Something about them not wanting students to be distracted by soulmate hunting?"

"Exactly. So, I stopped school, and worked at my family's bakery for 7 years. Then two years ago, we moved back to Paris. I was a little behind on my requirements, since I had been out of it for so long, so they held me back a grade."

"So?" Alya laughed. "I'm supposed to be offended by this? I'm twenty, myself. That's part of the reason why I moved over here. I hadn't found my soulmate yet, and my grades were suffering from…well, my enthusiasm for my blog. So I'm basically in the same boat."

"Are you kidding me?!" Chloe shouted. "Aren't there any normal people in this school?!"

Alya put here hands on her waist, scolding her. "What are you going to do once you age to sixteen at can't find your soulmate? What if it takes years?"

"I won't have that problem! My daddy has already hired a matchmaker and she's working on it as we speak! I only turned 16 a month ago, so I'm fine!"

"That matchmaker has her job cut out for her."

The boy next to Adrien laughed and turned to Alya. "I was just thinking the same thing!"

She smiled at him, but when their eyes met, they grew wide. Alya glanced at her wrist, and then back at Nino, her smile huge. "No way!"

"My name is Nino, by the way." He smiled back as he stood.

She hugged him, a perfect stranger. "This is the best day ever! I want to know everything! Tell me all about your family and life—Adrien was it?" She suddenly looked at him.

"Ah, yes?"

"I know it's the first day. But would you be willing to trade spots with me? Just for today?"

"I…" he looked at Chloe, who was completely ignoring him. And then he looked at his soulmate. "Dost thou mind?—Er, Do you mind?"

She gave him a confused look and slowly answered, "no, I don't mind."

"Thank you Marinette!" Alya cried joyfully. "I'll make it up to you later! Whatever you want!"

"Lunch," Marinette decided. "You can treat me to lunch."

"Perfect! And Nino and Adrien should come too! We're all friends now!"

"Gee, he shouldn't feel obligated…" Marinette mumbled.

"I would not want to intrude," Adrien insisted. "Moving a seat is a minor favor, surely not one deserving of a meal?"

"Dude, why do you talk like that?" Nino asked, good naturedly.

Though there was no accusation in his tone, the question still made Adrien grip his wrist in embarrassment. "I…was homeschooled." He answered, like that explained anything.

"So it's settled, we're eating lunch together!"

They swapped seats just as Miss Bustier returned to the room.

"Okay, now I have the syllabus! Take one and pass the stack back!"

Marinette Dupain-Cheng. That was his soulmate's name.

Sitting next to her and not staring at her was a real challenge. Maybe he was biased, but he was sure he had the most beautiful soulmate ever.

Her bangs fell so daintily over her forehead, he wanted to just tuck them away with his fingers and kiss the skin that was hidden.

But he couldn't. He didn't know if he'd ever be able to. She hated him, after all.

He put all his concentration into class after that. After all, he could worry about Marinette later, but this was all so new and different, if he didn't pay attention, he'd get lost.

So he took notes. Wayhem had gotten him a lined notebook, and thankfully a nibbed pen so he could read and write the way he was most comfortable.

Marinette glanced over at him briefly and spotted his notebook. "Oh wow, your handwriting is amazing!"

Startled, Adrien looked at his page, and then back at her. He briefly looked at her own notes. Her handwriting was neat, thin lines, in pink ink with loopy bubbles. His was thick, black, and jagged. It was how he was trained to write as a child, and as hard as his teachers had tried to get him to do otherwise over the years, it was his default.

"It is quite different, I know. I thank you for the compliment."

"Whoa!" Said Alya, overhearing the commotion. "You write in blackletter!"

"Aye, that I do. Tis the way I was taught. Antiquated, I suppose."

Alya's eyes grew wide as a confused smile stretched over her lips. "Okay…but it is really cool! Can I commission you for a project?"

Adrien peered up to see Miss Bustier looking patiently at them. It was the first day after all.

"Ah, perhaps at lunch?"

"Awesome!"

The rest of the morning ticked on without incident. Adrien was able to fly under the radar by not raising his hand to ask or answer any questions. Marinette didn't seem outwardly hostile anymore, but she also hadn't offered to help him when he struggled with his tablet.

Once lunch came, the students began to gather their supplies. Alya bagged her stuff up and stood next to their desks.

"So where are we getting lunch? I don't know the places around here."

"I know a good Japanese place. They have sushi and udon, really good stuff!" Nino offered as he stood next to her.

"That sounds awesome! Are you in Marinette?"

"Sure, I'll come. I usually just go home for lunch, anyway."

"And you, Adrien?"

He looked to Marinette, who looked away. It seemed she still wasn't keen on him. Well, no need to rush it.

"Thou art—I mean, I am going to eat with Chloe. At least, I believe so. Perhaps next time, I shall join you."

Nino gave a thumbs up. "Anytime dude. Have fun, we'll catch you later."

"You guys go ahead," said Marinette. "I wanted to write some reminders down before I forget."

"We'll grab a table!" Said Alya, with enthusiasm.

Not to bother his poor soulmate again, Adrien whisked passed her and went over to Chloe. "Hello Chloe. Would you like to get lunch together?"

She gave him a blank face, before casually unscrewing her thermos. With not an ounce of vitriol, she tossed the contents, lukewarm coffee, at his face. It dripped down and stained his white shirt.

"Oops!" She sang. "My bad, Adrien! Looks like you'll have to go home and change! No lunch for us!"

"I understand not. Only this morning, you said we were best friends. What hath thou done to deserve this treatment?"

"Talking like you're narrating the King James Bible is what you did. I thought you were normal. But I guess that's what I get for assuming anyone at this school is. Anyway, good luck making friends, ye olde weirdo!" She and Sabrina laughed as they flounced out the door.

None of the other classmates rushed to help. The most he got was pitiful looks.

But none was more painful than Marinette's. She just looked so sad. Eye brows upturned, mouth slightly open.

He was ashamed, and tore from the room before his tears could come.

What a fool he had been, to think he was ready for public, modern school. Sure, he found his soulmate, but surely she must be disgusted with him by now.

And he missed out on the only opportunity to make new friends by declining that invitation. How sad!

Adrien rushed into the bathroom, the tears freely rolling now. He ran to the sink, and began to wash his face off.

"Oh dude, what happened?" Nino's voice startled him, and he splashed the mirror.

"I thought thee t'were to a cafe?"

"I am, we are, I just needed to pee first. You okay, dude?"

Adrien shook his head. "Chloe is not a friend, like I had foolishly presumed. I must go home, and change these soiled linens." He took out his phone, and stared at it for a moment. "But thou dost not remember how to make such a device work."

"I can help you, man." Nino said casually. "No worries." He peered at the phone and tapped the home button, but the screen stayed off. "Oh, you must have it turned off."

"Oh, that is correct! So that it would not ring while in class."

Nino showed him how to power it on. Then a quick reminder of how to get to his contacts. Adrien knew, he just needed a little nudge to remember. He called the Gorilla and asked him to pick him up. All the while, Nino stayed and made sure he was alright.

"I thank thee. Twas so flustered, I remembered not how to do such a simple thing."

"Don't worry about it, dude. I take it this is your first phone?"

"I had a rotary phone a while ago, but only dialed my caretaker when I needed things. Such different from a smartphone."

"A rotary? What's that?"

"It has a dial on the face. You dial the number, which is where the phrase comes from, by spinning the dial." He gestured, twisting his finger over in a circle. "I fear I describe such a thing poorly."

"I think I've seen one before. I get the gist of it."

"Ah…cool."

Nino snickered. "Sorry, it was just weird to hear you say that after everything else you said."

"Thou art weird, soothly?"

"Huh? A little, I guess. But so is everyone. So you talk with archaic words. So what? I dance when I'm listening to music, no matter who's around or what else I'm doing."

Adrien looked unconvinced, but smiled for Nino, in gratitude.

"Look, whatever Chloe said, don't let it bug you, okay? She's literally the meanest person in school. We've all been bullied by her."

"How awful. I am glad to know that I am not the only one." He scuffed his shoe on the floor. "Again, I must thank you, and apologize for taking up your time. I must change." And before Nino could respond, Adrien fled. He just felt gross. Like he didn't belong.

Maybe his father was right, all those years ago. Maybe his heart was too weak for this world.

Outside the school, Adrien spotted the car the Gorilla always drove, and began to rush towards it.

Before he opened the door, however, he heard the clatter of a stick on the ground, and turned toward the sound.

An old man had fallen, and his cane had skittered across the sidewalk.

Putting his hurt aside for the moment, he went to help the man. Besides, he may as well do one more good deed before locking himself back up.

He grabbed the cane and knelt to help up the old man. "Art thou alright?"

"I'm alright, just tripped is all. Thank you, young man."

"Twas nothing."

"My, looks like you had quite the spill yourself," he gestured to Adrien's coffee stained shirt.

"Aye, today has been one of trials."

"Well, the fact that you would help an old man while having your own bad day speaks a lot to your character. Here, I want to give you something."

"Oh please, I do not require favors," Adrien protested.

The man placed a black and red octagonal box in his hand.

"What is—"

"Open it when you are alone." He gave Adrien a friendly pat and began to leave. "I hope you have a better day, Adrien."

Adrien was so transfixed on the design on top of the box, he didn't at first register what the man said. "Wait, how did thou know my name?"

But the man was already gone, with no answers to give.

Now spooked and confused, Adrien made his way over to the car, tucking the gift away in his bag.

Wayhem was inside, looking concerned. "I was worried when I heard you called. I thought for sure you would tag along with some kids for lunch…what happened to your shirt?"

Adrien slid in the car and closed the door behind him. "Thy heart is not strong enough for this world." He choked. Then he laid it all out. How Chloe had hurt him, how he had met his soulmate, how everything was ruined.

"Aw, Adrien…I'm sorry that happened to you. But you finally found your soulmate!"

"Happiness is not my fate! She rejected me harshly. She even witnessed my shame in having coffee thrown in my face. How could I face her?"

"First of all, my boy, you have the right to choose who you want to be friends with. Even if someone comes up to you and says 'we're friends now' does not mean you have to be friends with them. More so, if they do something you don't like, you don't have to be friends with them anymore. Of course, you shouldn't end a friendship over petty stuff, but I would have dropped Chloe the minute she was mean to your soulmate…Marinette, was it?"

"So, in truth, you think Marinette hates me because I did not discard Chloe earlier?"

"No no no," Wayhem chuckled. "I think you need to tell Marinette the whole story. She has no idea what you've gone through. Just…explain that this is all new. You aren't used to socializing and making friends. And tell her Chloe isn't your friend at all. Start there and see what happens."

"I fear she may never give me the chance. Why wouldst she let me talk?"

"Because most people are polite and are willing to give someone a second chance. Especially a soul mate!"

"Perhaps you say truth. If only my shirt were not soiled, I would meet them at that Cafe."

"Cafe? What cafe?"

"I Dost not know. They serve Japanese, if recalled correctly."

Wayhem leaned forward to speak to the driver. "To Lucky Cat cafe!"

"But—but my shirt!"

Wayhem took his off. "Take mine!"

"I cannot!"

"You can and you shall! This is your soulmate, damn it! Go get her!"

Adrien finished buttoning the last button as the car pulled up to the curb. He called out, "I thankth thee!" Before rushing into the restaurant.

But maybe he shouldn't have rushed. Wayhem seemed to think this was all a misunderstanding, and if they just talked, then it would be okay.

But Adrien knew he made a bad first impression. Would he ever be able to overcome it?

He walked in the Cafe, at first overwhelmed with the decor. It was the first time he had seen Japanese interior design. It was neat, with warm beige bamboo dividers, green walls, and white paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling.

So distracted was he, that he hadn't noticed the people he was looking for.

"Adrien! Over here!" Nino called out to him.

He was startled at first, and then shyly approached. "Greetings, I hope I am not intruding. Does the invitation still stand?"

"Of course!" Said Alya, beaming with glee. "It's awesome that you decided to join us!"

Adrien contemplated the seating arrangement. Alya and Nino on one bench, and Marinette on her own. He'd have to sit by her.

"Here," she said, scooting to the inside more. Then she patted the open seat.

Well, that certainly wasn't a sign of hostility.

Sheepishly, he slid in beside her.

"We already ordered, but here's the menu." Nino passed the paper over. "What kinds of stuff do you like?"

"In truth, I have never had Japanese cuisine. I am most excited to partake in it."

"You've never had sushi?"

"I have heard of it, but never eaten any. Is it good?"

"Get some and try it! It's rice, seaweed, and usually some kind of fish."

"I ordered plenty," said Marinette, "if you want to try some of mine. It's not for everyone."

"Thou would most appreciate it, My Lady. What other options are there?"

The group walked him through the menu, and he eventually landed on a beef yaki udon. Once they figured out what he wanted, they beckoned the waiter to add it in, and then the conversation resumed.

"You changed quickly. Do you live that close to school?" Asked Nino.

"Ah, no. My guardian was in the car. I told him I had been invited to lunch, and he gave me his shirt. He is the kindest man I know."

"Your guardian?" Asked Alya. "I don't mean to pry, but…your parents are gone?"

"They passed away many years ago. It dost not bother me anymore." He tilted his head, "did Nino speak of my torment?"

"That Chloe suddenly decided not to be friends with you anymore? Yeah, he and Marinette told me about it. Sorry that happened to you."

"Twas an invaluable lesson. After the way she spoke to Marinette this morn, I should have made the decision to terminate our premature friendship. However, friends are a rare occurrence for me, so I am hesitant to cast them off. Betrayal, however, is something I am rather well acquainted with." He thought back to all the cousins that had assured that they would be different from their ancestors, only to perpetuate the abusive and neglectful behavior, year after year.

"You see a lot of betrayal, and you were homeschooled?" Marinette asked, since it didn't make a lot of sense.

"Family…Dost not always have thy best intentions at heart. That is all I shall say, to avoid ruining our outing." He desperately looked to change the subject. "What was this project you desired my handwriting for, Alya?"

"I'm not even sure," she laughed. "I just saw your handwriting and knew I wanted to have you do something for me. Maybe like Christmas cards! Or wedding invitations! Or something for the blog! I don't know, but this is a skill that needs to be shown off!"

"Well, I am certainly willing to help thee, when you've chosen the project."

"What do you think, Nino?" Alya asked, bumping his side.

"Huh? Oh sorry—I was distracted."

"With what?"

He laid his arm flat on the table, so that everyone could see his clock. It had digital numbers in a sunset orange. "Now that I know who my soulmate is, I was trying to figure out if the color means anything."

"Orange is my favorite color! Is yours forest green?"

"Yeah?"

"Like this?" She laid her arm on the table, and sure enough, her digital clock was in forest green.

"Dude! That's so cool!"

"According to my research, the color and font often have something to do with the soulmate. Either their favorite color, an identifying feature, or sometimes an unrelated indication. Like Marinette's! Black is rumored to mean that her soulmate has been waiting to find her for a long time. But he might also like the color black, or wear a lot of black."

Marinette, wanting to fit in, laid her arm down on the table, and let everyone look at it. Digital numbers, across in a straight line, counting down the years, days, hours, minutes, and seconds. 16:00:05:37:42. And the seconds kept counting up. It was almost the same as Alya and Nino's, just a different color, and the font of the numbers was a little more jagged and angular.

Like Adrien's handwriting.

"You met him though," said Alya. "Was he goth or something?"

"I…didn't really talk to him," Marinette responded sheepishly. "I honestly don't know enough to make a guess."

"That's fair, and I promised I wouldn't bug you about it. So I'll stop." Then Alya turned her determined gaze to Adrien. "There's one person at this table that hasn't shown off their clock."

"Don't feel pressured," Marinette assured, placing a hand on his shoulder.

What kind of friendship would this be if he continued to hide his existence? Would he just never talk about the last thousand years? If he wanted the companionship he had always craved, what good would it do to keep hiding?

Like ripping off a bandaid from a festering wound, Adrien rolled up his sleeve, and showed everyone his clock.

Shock and confusion, as he had expected.

They all stared down at the completely foreign timepiece, watching the center dial rotate slowly to line up with the hand on the top.

"Now…" Nino started, after staring for a while. "My grandpapa was older, and I saw his clock. It was analog, like the one in the classroom…but it had regular numbers on it, and not roman numerals."

"That's because that was the most common timepiece at the time. Soul clocks always match the era the owner is born in." Alya educated. "I've had several analog soul clocks on the blog, from older folks. But…I've never seen one like this."

Marinette raised a shaky hand to rest on his wrist, her eyes wide with horror. She had figured it out, it seems. With the reveal of the clock and his speech pattern, there wasn't much else to hide. "Adrien?"

"Aye."

"How long have you been sixteen?"

He sighed, resting his freehand over hers. "I will actually be a thousand years old in December."

"Why? How?" Asked Alya, eyes wide and full of tears. "How could you have gone so long without finding a soulmate? It's not like there's only ever one!"

With a heavy sigh, Adrien began his tale of woe. How his father declared him ill, and every Agreste after him treated him like an heirloom, and not family. How he was forbidden from leaving his room and how never was allowed to meet anyone.

How he wasn't even allowed to see the sun.

At the end of it all, his friends were weeping. Nino and Alya had reached across the table to hold his arm, while Marinette clung to his side.

It was the most amount of physical touch he had ever received, and it brought him to tears. He felt so warm and loved.

And his soulmate, she was holding him! After everything she had witnessed, she was freely pressing herself against him.

"Marinette?" He asked softly.

"Yes?" She sniffed, pulling away, but not removing her arm from his shoulder.

"Dost thou—I mean, do you…not hate me anymore?"

Alya and Nino looked between the two with confusion.

Marinette spared him a little smile and kissed his cheek. "Thou art my soulmate, and I'm sorry for the way I treated you this morning."

Alya squealed. "OH EM GEE! You guys are soulmates too!? Why didn't you say so earlier?!"

Marinette admitted, "it was Chloe that ruined it for us. She said that Adrien was her best friend and I wasn't allowed to talk to him. I assumed that anyone that would want to be friends with Chloe would be just like her. I didn't know." She looked at Adrien, her lower lip quivering. "I didn't know."

Doing what he had so desperately wanted to do earlier, he swept the bangs from her forehead, just gently playing with her hair. "I know you did not. How cruel would it be to hold it against you?"

"Thank you," Marinette said with a sigh. "I'm glad this was solved. I was worried I had lost my only chance at happiness."

"Tis my greatest wish to bring you happiness, My Lady. I hope thy past won't ruin our future."

"I'm here whenever you need me. If anything doesn't make sense, or you need help, I'm here."

"I thank thee, most ardently." He raised her hand, and pressed a kiss to the back of it.

"Blurgh, it was cute for two minutes, but now it's just gross. Are we going to be like that, Nino?" Alya asked.

Nino took her hand and raised it to his lips. "Only if you desire it, My Lady."

She swatted the bill of his hat. "It's weird when you do it."