Author's note: Thanks again for all of the reviews. I'm afraid I forgot to answer your question Guest when I posted the last chapter, regarding Felix and Amelie. When Building on Rubble was written, they hadn't appeared in the series yet. Even in retrospect, I don't think that they would have fit into the fic all that well. As for this one... Well, spoilers.

/

The vacation doesn't end quite fast enough for his liking. What should only be a matter of days seems to drag on for months.

He avoids his parents to the best of his ability, both of them. He refuses to eat in their presence so goes to the chef himself to get his meal. The man is confused but ultimately doesn't argue with a member of the household, especially not one who seems to be as permanently angry as Adrien is right now. He's still getting his food though which presumably indicates that neither Mr. nor Mrs. Agreste have it in them to cut of his supplies. Perhaps they worry that he would rather starve than eat with them, maybe he would. His hatred isn't rational or predictable enough for him to think that far ahead or give any certainties. He's only seen them on a handful of occasions and they've yet to exchange more than a handful of words.

That suits Adrien just fine. His current plan is just to try and forget about them and pretend that he's living alone. It's not that much of a challenge in a place as big as the mansion. So long as he's either locked safely in his room or outside walking the dog, he's fine. It's at night that he struggles the most, when the nightmares come back to haunt him. Plagg does what he can and Macaroon is as usual an anchor, something real for him to hold on to. Still, he misses Nathalie. Even those times when she hadn't said anything, just settled next to him and waited the worst of it out, no matter how many hours she ended up sitting down in the moonlight waiting for the teen to pull himself together… Now he wakes up and feels alone. It's as if one of his nightmares has become real.

He still talks to Marinette but has been reluctant to abandon the fortress which has become his room for any amount of time for fear that he'll end up dragging her into his own problems. He doesn't want his parents going after the Dupain-Chengs the same way as they targeted Nathalie. So most of his communications with her have been over the phone.

The morning that he's due to return to school, he gets up early, grabs a few viennoiseries from the kitchen, some orange juice and some milk. Eats them in his bedroom after feeding Macaroon. He takes the dog for a walk and then slips out once more. All of this he manages without being spotted by his parents. Perhaps they do know and simply aren't inclined to give chase or hunt him. He doesn't particularly care. So long as they stay away from him.

Marinette is waiting for him by the gates; eager, anxious.

He sees her eyes widen upon seeing him an instantly knows that it's not good news. Something's amiss. His fears are confirmed a moment later. She rushes over and puts her arms around his neck, pulling him in close. He welcomes her embrace, it's the warmest he's received in a while. The young man tries to lose himself in it but can't quite manage to do so. It's probably because of the curious and prying eyes.

"You look terrible..." At least she's honest.

"Do I?" He's not too sure if he cares or not.

He feels his girlfriend reach out and stroke her cheek. The somewhat rougher than normal sensation, although she is being very delicate, informs him that he hasn't shaven in a day or so. His mind has been distracted, such things seem unimportant.

Try as he might, he doesn't get the same feeling of comfort as he usually would from Marinette. He feels… It's a strange sensation really, one which he struggles to put to words, even inside of his own mind. It's sort of a disconnect really. The space between his dreams and the place which he deems and believes to be really is wearing thin. As a result, everything has been taking on something of a surreal or maybe unreal aspect. He finds himself growing numb. Maybe he's just tired. It's not as if sleep comes very easily to him anymore and that which he has is often disturbed one way or another.

Marinette must sense his heaviness, that he's functioning more slowly than usual. She doesn't insist. Instead, she reaches into her bag and hands him a small box. He can already tell what it is or rather they are. Sure enough, upon inspection, he finds himself faced with five passion fruit macaroons. Looking up, the teen gives her a grateful smile:

"Thank you..."

"You're welcome. Look, I know that-" The bell goes, causing Marinette to let out a frustrated sigh before telling him: "We'll talk about this over lunch."

She doesn't give him any choice about that much and he doesn't argue. He'll follow orders from Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Throughout the next four hours, he manages to work his way through the box. They're a pleasant reminder of what he's missed. They're sweet and bring him all the memories of the past that he's almost forgotten. In short, they manage to cheer him up. He discretely shares a few pieces with Plagg. He eats them, although he'd prefer some cheese. One day, Marinette will perfect the Camembert macaroon. Until then, he's trapped with stinky dairy products in his pockets.

The teen drifts through his lectures. He reasons that he must look quite bad as one of his teachers actually stops him at the end of the lesson and asks if he's alright. Initially, he gets the feeling that they think that he's ill. Then, the question discretely moves onto his family. Adrien has, over the years, perfected the art of lying. Ironic given that he loathes doing so, unlike Lila who always seems to take some pleasure in it. All the same, he's more than capable of mustering a smile, assuring them that everything's alright and that he's just a bit tired and preoccupied by the end of year exams. He's not convinced that the excuse flies but he is treated to a ten minute reminder that he needs to take care of himself.

Lunchtime comes around. Once more, he's forced to put on an act as he finds himself sitting at the same table as Alya and Nino as well as his girlfriend. His story is more or less the same, although he does put some of the blame on his father and the man's high expectations. Why not? It's about time that he takes some of the blame for what's going on in his son's life. They express their sympathy.

It's a while before he's able to spend a few moments alone with Marinette. The young woman doesn't make any attempt to conceal her concern. They find a secluded park bench in a nearby park and settle down there. She doesn't snuggle up to him as she might usually have done. For all that, she stays near to him. They spend a few moments in silence, to an extent where he doesn't know if she's expecting him to open up to her without any prompting. If she is, then he disappoints her as he has no particular desire to. It's not any feeling of secrecy which grips Adrien so much as a lassitude. He simply can't be bothered… it doesn't seem all that important.

"Nathalie told me what had happened… Well… Emailed me the story." She lets out a soft sigh, folding her hands on her lap. "I'd ask how you're holding up but I think I can tell."

"It's rough." He doesn't attempt to conceal that much from her. "I miss her."

"Have you talked?"

Adrien just shrugs. He's a bit nervous. The last time he'd seen her, he'd knocked the woman to the ground. He doesn't know how to approach her after that. It's shame that grips him, prevents him from running to the side of the woman who has cared for them these past few years and whom he loves as a mother.

He realizes that it's not exactly what Marinette wants or had been hoping to hear. She probably hadn't been expecting to be told that everything was hunky dory with him. This was no doubt a little bit worse than she had been expecting. At least with Nathalie, there was some sort of sense that if things truly got out of hand, he wasn't alone and there would be someone present to make sure that he was safe. Without her, it's a bit like their legs have been knocked out from underneath them. Ladybug has already discussed matters with Master Fu. He isn't comfortable. This all seems like something of a trap of some description. Adrien is now at home, helpless and essentially at the mercy of his parents without his other guardian to watch over and protect him. There's Plagg of course but he's tied to the ring.

She lets out a soft sigh and reaches out. Gently, she places both of her hands atop of one of his. It draws his attention and pulls him out of whatever distant place he had been trapped. He's back with her, if not 100% then at least mostly.

"Promise me you'll talk to her..."

"I will..." His gaze softens ever-so-slightly as he fixes her.

"And..." Her voice trails off. This is the question that she dreads asking. "What about your parents?"

He tenses up almost instantly. The affection is gone from behind his eyes, replaced instead with a darkness. It's not directed towards her, much to her relief. He's quick to look away however, instead turning his gaze so that it faces out in front of him. Has she upset him? Almost certainly. Perhaps a better question would be to ask if he actually resents her for asking. He's on edge to such an extent sometimes that she plainly doesn't know how to handle matters. She's afraid of pushing him just that little bit too far. She's never done it… But there's something about that harshness which takes over and that she gets the feeling that it could be terrible if unleashed.

He snarls. It's an ugly sound that just comes out:

"What about em'?"

"Are you talking?"

"No!" The mere notion seems to be abhorrent to him. "As if I would! I couldn't-"

"Easy..." He's raising his voice, losing control. So she does her best to calm him. "I was just asking..."

Adrien looks surprised. Not by her words but rather by his own actions. Is he even in control of them anymore? For the first time, Marinette finds herself not entirely comfortable around her boyfriend. She's not afraid, not quite yet but she is cautious and it's not just his welfare that she has on her mind. The girl pauses the time to catch her breath and to try and clear her head a little bit. She wants and needs to be thinking clearly before she dares to proceed. As much as she would like to leave things where they are and move on to happier and easier subjects to discuss, she knows that she can't quite, not yet.

The matter which remains to be addressed is both a serious one but also something which she dares to hope might serve to ease some of his worries. She leaves it a few moments, still holding onto his hand.

"Listen Adrien… If you think that your parents are trying anything, you call me okay or come and see or Master Fu or something..." She stops herself when she realizes that emotion is getting the better of her. "What I'm trying to say is please, don't hesitate to come to me..."

"I would never..." His voice cuts short suddenly, caught with emotion. There's some water behind those green eyes of his. "Thanks Marinette."

She holds off of hugging him, sensing that he doesn't necessarily need it. Her presence is enough for the time being. She doesn't release his hand as she gets to her feet, pulling him somewhat in the process. He puts up only a little resistance, not because he's particularly attached to this bench but simply as a result of the general lassitude which has taken hold of him. She smiles understandingly but insists none-the-less. After a few instants, he pulls himself together enough to actually stand. She doesn't give him enough time to contemplate the matter any further than that. Instead, the young woman slips her arm through his, pressing her cheek against his side. He blinks at her a few times, evidently surprised.

"Come on… I don't care what your schedule is now, a girl's got to be able to spend some time with her boyfriend..."

It doesn't take much more convincing for Adrien to smile and allow himself to be lead along.