Adrien

I spent the night in an empty trash can. This wasn't my first choice, by far, but it was the safest for keeping both of my identities hidden. Somehow, I managed to fall asleep but only for a couple of hours. I woke up feeling stiff and sore all over. Not to mention I smelled like, well, a trash can.

"And you worry about smelling like cheese," Plagg scoffed, and I rolled my eyes. He had refused the trash can and instead had stayed in a box nearby. I fought my way out of the can. Luckily, it was still night. No one was around to see me.

"Alright, Plagg, claws out."

Plagg went inside my ring, and I smiled with relief as the tight leather suit surrounded me. It was getting to the point where, as soon as I released the transformation, I was already thinking about transforming again. Thoughts of going back to my normal life were becoming few and far between. Besides, how could I? Everyone in Paris it seemed was looking for me. I still wasn't ready to face that. I wasn't sure if I ever would be.

I had started running, but pains in my stomach prevented me from getting too far. I had made sure yesterday to keep Plagg fed, but I myself hadn't eaten anything since . . . I frowned. My half-eaten lunch from nearly two days ago.

My stomach growled, confirming as much. I sighed.

Before I could do anything else, I needed to get rid of the stench of trash. Security kept watch over the park at night, so bathing in the fountain wasn't an option. There was the ocean (as much as I disliked that option), but I needed to do something.

I fought through the hunger pains as I headed for the ocean. As soon as I arrived, I dove in without a second thought. Once my head broke the surface, I groaned and swam back to shore.

After shaking myself out, I headed back into the city, moving as fast as I could. There was only one place that I knew was somewhat safe for me to go to, but I just hoped Marinette had already left for school.

I peaked inside the bakery, finding her parents roaming inside. There was no sign of Marinette. I opened the door, mustering up all the Cat Noir charm I could.

Her parents turned to me, seeming a bit surprised. I gave them a smile.

"C-cat Noir?" Tom said. "What are you doing here?"

I stepped inside. "Ladybug doesn't believe me that you make the most delicious macaroons in all of Paris, so I wanted to get a box and prove it to her."

Footsteps came down the stairs, and my heart sank as Marinette's jaw dropped. Great. I wasn't ready for this again.

"Cat Noir? What are you doing here?"

I was suddenly lost for words. It was her mother who replied. "He's getting macaroons for Ladybug to try!" As she was getting a box together, I dug through my wallet.

"It's on the house," Tom said, patting me on the back. "You and Ladybug keep Paris safe. It's the least we could do."

My voice caught in my throat, and I lost my Cat Noir charm for a moment. "Um, thank you."

I felt Marinette's eyes on me, but I couldn't look at her. Sabine handed me the box.

"Mari, aren't you going to be late?"

Marinette scampered past me to the door. "Uh, yeah! Sorry, gotta go!"

Giving her a small, sympathetic smile, I waved goodbye. I followed shortly behind her but headed in the opposite direction. Using my baton, I landed on the roof of a nearby building and opened my precious cargo. I could've eaten the entire box right then and there, but I needed to make it last a while. It was hard to say when my next meal would be. For now, I let myself eat five.

As soon as the first one hit my mouth, I wanted to drop to my knees and sob uncontrollably. It was remarkable how Marinette managed to keep a slim figure. If I lived there, I wouldn't have been able to walk.

It took every once of will power to stop at five and close the box. "I'll see you again soon, my precious."

It was weird having nothing to do. No commitments. No place I needed to be. No schedule. It was just me, doing whatever I wanted. Adrien never had that luxury. Funny how a superhero had less to do than a teenager.

As fate would have it, it wasn't entirely peaceful. Sometime later, a loud boom shook the city, and I noticed smoke coming from the Effil tower. I groaned. Naturally, near my house.

Marinette

Conveniently, Cat Noir was already in the fight before I got there. In fact, the fight looked like it was already over.

He had the guy restrained on the ground, and something was in the kitty's mouth. I took it out, and he took a deep breath, looking frantic. The thing in his mouth was a name tag.

"The akuma should be in there," he said. "I've only got two minutes left. I need to go."

He dropped the guy as I snapped the tag in half. The little butterfly flew out. By the time I was done purifying it, Cat Noir was out of sight.

Normally, I wasn't all that interested in learning who Cat Noir was under the mask, but today was different. All morning, I had wondered why he showed up at my house last night and this morning. That wasn't normal. He also wasn't flirting with me the way he usually would, and he didn't seem all that happy to see me. But, then, he could've just been worried about his transformation wearing off. I groaned. Something was up with that cat, but it was none of my business.

I returned to school after lunch. I still couldn't get used to the empty seat in front of me. I missed Adrien. What was he doing? Was he thinking about coming home? Would he even want to come home?

"There have been a lot of Cat Noir sightings the last couple days," Alya said, nudging me for my attention. "It's been about the same as usual for Ladybug."

I forced a smile. "Wow, that's weird."

"Remember when I suggested Adrien could be him?" She cupped my ear with her hand, whispering the next part, "What if Adrien isn't missing? What if he is Cat Noir?"

The pencil fell out of my hand, and for a moment, my heart stopped.

I stared at Adrien's empty seat. There was no way my sweet gentleman was the flirty Cat Noir. That just wasn't possible. Was it?

But, Alya had a point. As both Ladybug and Marinette, I had been seeing the kitty a lot more than usual outside of patrols and fighting akumas. And, he beat me to an akuma fight by at least several minutes. Was it because he was already transformed and just waiting for the next fight? Because this was his only life now?

Fortunately, I didn't get to respond because our teacher was already talking by the time I snapped to attention.

On the way home, I stared at the ground, not watching where I was going, but for once I didn't run into anyone or anything. Tikki peaked out of my purse.

"What Alya said . . . could it be true?" I asked her. "Is that why you were worried when Adrien disappeared?"

She sighed. "I don't know, Marinette. But, we can't rule out the possibility."

I frowned. Everything was kind of suspicious. Adrien disappears and suddenly Cat Noir is everywhere. Cat Noir had never showed up at the bakery early in the morning for food, either. And conveniently, he found Adrien's note . . . .

No. This couldn't be happening. They were too different. But, the little voice in my head said it wasn't a complete impossibility, and as long as it wasn't, I had to consider it.

"I'll just have to pay Cat Noir more attention," I said. "Maybe that'll give me the answers I need."

Adrien

I was on top of Marinette's room, where I had been for the last hour or so. It was dark out, so no one would notice me. For some reason, of all the places I had been these last few days, this was where I felt safest. Just being close to Marinette made me feel comfortable, no matter who I was.

I had only a few macaroons left. They wouldn't last much longer, I was sure, but I didn't know what I would do about food afterward. Marinette would grow suspicious if I kept popping in every day.

I was growing antsy. I didn't talk to anyone today besides this morning, and I just . . . really wanted someone to talk to. Marinette seemed like the purfect choice, but I didn't want to keep bothering her. On the other hand, this was the best way of getting to know my shy classmate and find out what I had been missing.

No. This was a bad idea. The more I stayed away from Marinette, the better off she would be.

Her balcony door opened and she stepped outside. I jumped back. She looked up at me and smiled.

"Come here, kitty," she said. "I was just thinking about you."

Regaining my composure, I jumped down and grabbed her hand, kissing the back of it. "Good thoughts, I hope."

She smiled, pulling her hand back. "Come in. I want to talk to you."

I followed her inside, and she sat on the couch, motioning for me to join her.

"So, Princess, what brings me here?" I asked.

A light blush spread across her face. Interesting. Cat Noir never made her blush before.

"I want you to try something," she said. "How did you like the macaroons?"

"They were . . . possibly the best things I've ever put in my mouth."

She giggled. "Well, since you like them so well . . . ." She scurried down from the trap door and re-emerged moments later with another box. "I made eclairs. Would you like to try them?"

I did my best to keep a straight face and not lung for the box. "Sure, I'll try one."

I took one from the box and devoured it almost instantly. "Amazing."

She set the box on her bed. "Good. You can have the entire box."

My eyes widened. "Are . . . are you sure?"

She nodded, smiling. "They're for you, and of course, Ladybug."

I looked away, nodding. "Thank you, Marinette."

"You're welcome." She smiled. "Anything for Paris' superheroes." She paused. "And my favorite kitty."

Just when I thought I was about to cry from happiness, a smile tugged at the corners of my lips. "Are we feeling sentimental today?"

She looked away, her expression suddenly serious. "I guess . . . this whole thing with Adrien made me realize I need to make sure my friends know that I care about them so that no one else goes missing. I mean, it's too late for me to tell Adrien, but it's not too late to tell everyone else."

I sighed. "Princess, I think it's better for you if you forget about Adrien Agreste. He doesn't sound like someone deserving of you." Or anyone for that matter.

She frowned. "Don't you ever say that. He's a good person."

I groaned. "Marinette, maybe you don't know him as well as you think you do."

"And maybe you don't know him at all." Her body shook, tears streaming down her face. I wanted to leave and knew I should, but . . . I couldn't leave her like this.

I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her into my chest as she sobbed. She didn't try to escape my grip.

"H-how could he have not been found? Everyone is looking for him! How could he just disappear, Cat Noir? How?"

"I . . . I don't know." I rubbed the back of her head, feeling tears pooling in my own eyes. "I'm sorry for upsetting you. I never meant to." As both Adrien and Cat Noir.

She gripped my shoulders tighter. "It's okay. I've been overemotional these last few days, but it's fine."

I shook my head. "No. It isn't. It seems like all I do is cause people I care about pain. I should go." I pulled away from her and stood up.

She wiped her eyes. "Wait, Cat Noir." She grabbed the box from her bed and handed it to me. "You're welcome to stay."

I shook my head. "I shouldn't." Before she could say another word, I opened her balcony door and headed out into the night, desperate to get as far away as possible.

I wasn't anywhere close to being ready to detransform, but I could almost hear Plagg's voice saying "I told you this was a bad idea". Visiting Marinette was, that much I would admit. Now, if I did ever decide to go back to being Adrien, how would I be able to face her? I wasn't even sure if I could face her as Cat Noir again.

I collapsed on the roof. I was right about one thing: all I seemed to be able to do was hurt and disappoint people, and being Cat Noir wasn't going to change that. But, Cat Noir could run from it.

The air around me suddenly felt unusually cold. Run away from everything and everyone who reminded me of Adrien . . . Run from everyone who personally knew Adrien. Especially Marinette. Could I do that? But, then, what about Ladybug? She cared about him, too. Everyone else would be easy. I had done it so far, but those two were the only ones I wasn't sure about.

Ladybug was my partner. I would have no choice but to see her. But, to Cat Noir, Marinette was just a girl I had protected a few times who happened to live on top of the best bakery in Paris. As Cat Noir, I didn't owe her anything. I had no obligations to her. Cutting her out should've been easy. So, why wasn't it?

Thanks for reading!