Chapter Twelve – Time

Adrien lay across his unmade bed, trying for the hundredth time to think of what he should write while he blinked back tears.

Adrien: Hey, I hope you're having a great day. Mine would be great if I could see you! Are you free? 😊

No, that one was way too cheerful. He deleted it, getting morbid satisfaction from wiping out the happiest words he'd seen or heard all day, and tried again.

Adrien: I feel horrible and you're the only person in the world who cares about me. Can I please see you?

Yeah, right. There was no way he could send Ladybug a needy text like that. If she knew what an emotional wreck he was right now, she would probably avoid him.

Finally admitting that it was a lost cause, he threw his phone on his pillow and pushed himself off the bed, then paced, walking fast enough to take his mind off the tightness in his throat.

It was a bright and cheery Sunday afternoon. All his tutors took weekends off, so he had nothing to do. His bodyguard was off duty, so he was stuck at home. He'd told Nino he was fine, and he hadn't thought to ask if Adrien was lying. Even Plagg, sensing his mood, had been giving him space all day, trying to be less irritating, though Adrien would have preferred being annoyed to feeling completely abandoned. He could have told Plagg that but...

He stopped in front of the large windows, blinking hard. Leaves were falling outside, covering the walkways around his house, scattering in the wind.

It wasn't unusual for him to be trapped at home on a Sunday, but this one happened to fall on the worst day of the year: the anniversary of his mother's disappearance. The house was empty, he couldn't go anywhere as Adrien, his father was hiding in the house somewhere and obviously avoiding him, there'd been no akumas, no distractions, no friends, no Ladybug. She hadn't even texted him once. Not once! Didn't she care?

He resumed his pacing, stomping back to his bed.

He had no idea what he would have said to her anyway, so maybe it was just as well. Jokes and cat memes were too happy, and it wasn't like he could tell her what was wrong without giving away his identity. He kicked the bed frame when he reached it, and his phone slid off the pillow.

Ladybug did tell him to let her know if he needed anything. What he really wanted now was time and attention from someone who loved him. He picked up the phone and tried again.

Adrien: You said I can ask for a hug if I need one. What if I need more than one? What if I need a hundred?

He sighed. How many would he delete before he gave up for good?

Adrien: It's a nice day outside. Patrol?

Adrien: Guess what? Your boyfriend needs some hugging action.

Even if he could get the words out, she was never going to say yes. She was sweet to him during patrols when she thought he was upset, and it was nice to have an open line of communication with her, but it ended there. She wasn't about to spend time with him for no reason.

While one half of him screamed that he was abusing the gift she'd given him by asking for her time, that she'd reject him and block his number, and he'd be forced to watch their entire friendship go up in flames, the other half begged him to try one last time. He really, really needed someone right now.

Adrien: I'm having a rough day. Can I see you?

He hit send.

There were a million ways she could turn him down. Saying she was busy right now, or that she couldn't get away from her civilian life, or just that she didn't care about him enough. That last thought sent a stabbing pain through him. He clenched his jaw, fighting hot tears. His fingers hovered over the keyboard, ready to type "Never mind."

Before he could hit "N," her reply popped up.

Love of My Life: I'll be at 17 Rue Gotlib in five minutes. Hold on, Kitten!

Adrien read the message six times before he believed it. Then he ran for his window.

Author's note: I channeled every time I beat myself up over something stupid into this chapter.

Ladybug to the rescue in the next chapter! Which should be longer than these last two. Want a rundown of the sap to angst ratio for the rest of the fic? So there's eight chapters of sap, followed by five and a half chapters of angst and drama, and then six and a half chapters of pure, fluffy sap.

Thank you to everyone who suggested places. I was really drawing a blank on that!