Author's notes: Thanks for the review.

/

Cat Noir tears through the skies high about the city. He bounds so quickly, barely even touching the rooftops that to some, it might seem as though he's flying. In truth, his blood is on fire. He's screaming internally. It's pain, rage and a terrible sense of loneliness which drives him forwards into the night.

He can't stop. He feels that if he stops, then everything will catch back up with him and it'll all be over. No. Up here, at the very least, he has a certain sense of freedom. Albeit one which comes with a certain price. He's angry, furious. Even the crisp evening air isn't enough to clear his head and get rid of the terrible sense of injustice or the hole that's been left inside of his chest. He isn't even thinking all that much. There is no specific destination in his mind. His sole goal is to get away, to escape. So he runs, forces himself to go further and further until his muscles burn and his blood is on fire.

His miraculous allows him to go for far longer than a regular human being. For all that, he does eventually tire. He comes to a stop on a rooftop… Someplace… He's not too sure where he is. The Eiffel Tower is little more than a bright dot in the distance.

Perhaps now he's come far enough to be able to think a little more clearly. There's no more Gabriel to scare him. His mother isn't here to try and steer him one way or another. He can just think. He makes the mistake of changing back. It removes his protection, leaving him exposed to the folly of what he's just done. The pain from his muscles and bones however, in some strange way, allows him to focus just a little bit easier. Plagg is tired too and doesn't seem to appreciate the necessity for the run. So his partner slips him a bit of cheese in the hopes that it'll buy him a few more moments.

It's frustrating to discover that there are no stars out tonight. He remembers what Nathalie had told him. They're there. There's just too much light coming from the city to be able to make them out.

Nathalie… It's only been a few hours and still he misses her bitterly.

He knows where she lives. He could track her down beg her to let him stay with her. He won't be able to sleep in that house knowing that she's no longer there to protect him. It's silly. A part of him knows that there was only ever so much that she could ever have done to physically shield him. All the same, the prospect of finding himself alone, without her, is a truly terrifying one. He can't go to her though. How long would it be before his parents turned to her to discover just where their only son had come to find shelter? Then what… If she was right, it would see her carted off to prison. He can't do that to her… Going back would be selfish. It remains impossibly tempting however.

There's something else which lingers on his mind however. She'd been knocked to the ground. He can remember that much but how had it happened. He was the culprit apparently. At least that's what his mother had told him. She'd broken the news to him as gently as possible, almost fearfully. He doesn't want to believe it. No matter how much he casts his mind back, he can't remember committing such a heinous act. He would never- He couldn't have hurt her.

No… The teen grits his teeth as he thinks back to it, that same anger takes over. It had been his father the one to start it. He's the one who sent Nathalie away…

"Adrien..." Plagg speaks to him as she sits up. "I can tell you're all worked up-"

"I could kill him..." He growls just thinking about the man gets his blood to boil.

"You know that wouldn't be..." The kwami shook his head, forcing himself to remain calm. "You're better than that Adrien."

"Why should I be? Whenever I'm kind, it's spat back at me! How long did I spend playing the "perfect boy"?! I did everything they ever wanted from me! Then as soon as I want something for myself, as soon as I have something good in my life – if it doesn't fit in with them – they tear it away!"

The mere thought of it makes him furious. It's probably a good thing for anyone who might be passing down below that there aren't any small items that would easily fit into his hand as he feels the sudden urge to throw something. The frustration and page are building up to form an itch that he can't quite scratch. It's maddening. He wants – needs, to take it out on something but knows that it's not possible. So he breathes deeply, anger at the injustice seeping through his tightly clenched teeth. His head is pounding.

Is this what going mad feels like? He suddenly found himself thinking in a few seconds of lucidity.

Plagg hasn't given up however. He floats near to his partner, ensuring that he can look the teen in his eyes. Something about the situation suddenly strikes Adrien as being somewhat absurd in the most literal sense of the word. Since when has the kwami been the voice of sound reason and patience for the two of them? He must seriously have gone off of the rails if he was resorting to turning to his friend for life advice. Usually, the soundest advice that can be taken from the creature is to do pretty much the opposite of whatever he suggests. Still, as he fixes him, there's a softness behind his green eyes which manages to touch his heart. Calming him just a little bit.

Eventually, the creature sits down on his lap, eating the last few pieces of his cheese as he watches the young man thoughtfully.

"You're eighteen in a little over a month. Your parents won't be able to control you. You'll be free."

"I know..." It's something of a reluctant concession. "-but until then..."

"Until then, you've got me and Marinette and your friends." When Adrien looks away back towards the city, his partner floats up to settle on his hand so as to no longer be possible to ignore. "You can still visit Nathalie. They can't stop you from doing that."

No… They can't. That's a comfort. Soon, they will have no say in his life. He will be free. After that, he can go and do whatever he likes. In the meantime, he isn't alone. There are others who will be there for him. His friends, they might not know the whole story but at least he can spend time with them to escape. Marinette is always warm and kind. She'll help him through the worst of it. He knows that she will. He closes his eyes, allowing their faces to fill his imagination for a few moments.

Nathalie however, he can't think back to her without seeing the way that she had looked at him lying there on the cold marble floor. He can't and won't deny it now.

"I hurt her Plagg..." Is all that he can think to mutter.

"Yeah… You lashed out." The kwami speaks to him softly. "You didn't want to."

"I know but… I just get so angry. She shouldn't have been hurt." He grits his teeth, resentful. "It's my fault."

"Apologize to her. She'll understand. She knows you."

He wants to believe the kwami. It's cold up here on the roof. The wind blows a chill over him. Still, he can't bring himself to move. This has taken too much out of him. Plagg snuggles up to him, a little bundle of warmth on a lonely night. Macaroon's back at home but nothing else which makes him inclined to return back. There's no more Nathalie waiting for him at the mansion with comforting words and if necessary a warm embrace. He closes his eyes, the pain from his charge is slowly fading away.

For all that, he doesn't head home. Not immediately… There's too much stampeding through his mind. He's alone and yet he isn't. A contradiction in terms perhaps but to Adrien, it's the only way to describe the crippling feeling of loneliness which weighs heavily upon him.