A.N.-I'm back with another chapter. I had several people offer to pick up the beta position and I'm grateful to have readers like you. You all are so supportive and it means the world to me. That being said. I apologize in advance for this chapter ( for those who actually read these author notes anyway). Not because of the quality of writing, but more because of the feels that you will probably experience in this chapter. You will know exactly what scene I'm referring to once you start reading. You can be angry, just know there's a process.

"So what are you going to do about it?"

"Nothing." The word pained Adrien more than he would like to admit, but just because he had feelings for Marinette didn't mean that he could act on them at that moment. He watched his best friend as he recoiled stumbling back a couple steps.

"Nothing?" Nino parroted back in disbelief. "You have come to this life-altering revelation and you're not going to do anything about it?" His options were limited. He couldn't just tell her his superhero identity because the shock alone might cripple their friendship. He needed to be smart about this, he couldn't lose her.

"In case you didn't hear the news, she's with Chat Noir now. I can't just waltz up to her and confess everything to her." Adrien didn't imagine he had many people who were stuck in the little loop that he placed himself in.

"Why not?" Nino asked catching Adrien off guard. "I mean as exciting as dating a superhero must be, it's not sustainable in most cases."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it, let's say you were Chat Noir." Adrien couldn't help but grin at the irony, not that his friend noticed. "It's superhero 101 that you don't reveal your identity to anyone, otherwise the villain can use it against you. My guess is Chat hasn't told her because he wouldn't forgive himself if Hawkmoth got his hands on her."

"I don't think that's the universal rule, I mean look at Batman." He had read his fair share of comic books to know that there were exceptions to the rules.

"What like Batgirl or Robin, that's different. They're superheroes too unless you're suggesting that Marinette is actually secretly Ladybug." Nino chuckled at his own suggestion. "Trust me, Chat Noir not revealing his identity will put a strain on their relationship and when the excitement will wear off. That's where you swoop in."

"Swoop in?"

"Tell Marinette how you feel, if she's not feeling it then say that you're happy being just friends. Then when things fizzle out between them, you can be the person providing the support and comfort that she needs."

"And if she does return the feelings then..." His voice faded out. Then what? He knew he shouldn't let him dream that far. Why would Marinette pick boring old Adrien over Chat Noir? Nino offered a reassuring smile.

"Then something things don't change. She was crazy for you in high school."

'A fact that you conveniently left out.' Adrien added bitterly. They had wasted so much time, but at this point, he didn't have much to lose.

"And between you and me," Nino threw his arm around Adrien's shoulder. "Chat Noir is a cool guy and all, but I think you could take him."

"I'll keep that in mind," Adrien shot back a mischievous smirk. "Do you know where Mari went?"

"It just so happens that I saw Alya follow Marinette outside."

"Thanks Nino," the blonde patted his shoulder. It was now or never.

"Careful Marinette," Alya hissed through her teeth. "Unless you want to explain to everyone how you rendered Rena Rouge useless in a fight." Something was wrong, Alya knew it the second her best friend grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the party. They had made it outside, but Marinette had yet to say anything at all although she did finally relinquish her arm.

"Chloe knows." It took a couple seconds for the news to sink in, but suddenly, Alya understood why Marinette's body was shaking.

"She knows you're..." Her voice faded out her mind turning. "How, when?" She demanded.

"I don't know, she left before I could ask her. She mentioned Ladybug taking Pollen away. Then she told me that she didn't blame me for taking her miraculous away." It wasn't for a lack of trying that she hadn't received the answers from Chloe. Marinette had searched the party four times through before nabbing Alya.

"You do realize that you are talking about Chloe, right? The girl who made it her mission to torture you in high school," the redhead said. Marinette was positive that she could never forget the past even if she wanted to, but the Chloe who spoke to her tonight wasn't the same person.

"Some people change Alya." She allowed her eyes to wander back to the party. The memory of the day she took the blonde's miraculous away started playing through her mind once over.

"What else did she say?" Alya always had the knack for reading her well, Marinette supposed it came with the territory of being best friends for years.

"You wouldn't believe me."

"Try me," Alya quipped.

"She said...she said that Adrien is still in love with me." It sounded even more ridiculous coming out of her mouth. Chloe had given her several reasons not to trust a word she said. This shouldn't be any different...but it was. "But that can't be true."

"Why not?" Alya countered. "You did say he was acting weird lately."

"That's not the same thing." Adrien had been acting weirder than normal when she was around but that was far from a love declaration. If anything, Marinette thought he was trying to find a place in her life as her friend.

"Chloe's theory is starting to sound legit to me. Adrien has got it bad." Alya's sing-song voice fluttered through the air as she crossed her arms. Marinette was starting to regret telling her in the first place. She had to come up with another reason if nothing else to get her to stop investigating.

"Be-because he's dating Amelie," she stuttered casting her gaze to the ground. "If he was really in love with me why would they be together?" Or better yet, start dating in the first place. Even if Adrien had an ounce of romantic feelings towards her it was probably buried under everything he felt for her roommate.

"They could break up," Alya suggested resting a finger on her cheek. Chloe's words rang in her head, she didn't know what she would do if she was the cause of their break up.

"That doesn't matter...in case you forgotten, I'm happy with the guy that I've got already." Chat Noir had been nothing short of perfect in her time together. If she felt anything less than grateful, it would be selfish.

"What does that matter? People can like two people at once. Aren't you the tiniest bit curious if your cat is still carrying a torch for his lady?"

"N-no." Her voice wavered as she was losing confidence. It had been a concern since she started dating the superhero. After all, only she knew exactly how hard he had fallen for Ladybug in the first place. What if he only moved on to her because he couldn't woo his first choice.

"Or maybe you're dismissing that Chloe is right, so you don't have to face that you might still have feelings for him."

"Alya!"

"Well don't look now, but it seems that your just-a-friend Adrien Agreste is headed this way now."

"Marinette doesn't want to speak to anyone right now." Adrien couldn't help but admire Alya's fierce devotion to her. She didn't need to be concerned. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. He glanced over her shoulder to see that he had gained Marinette's attention.

"Please Alya, it's important." When he tried to take a step around her she mirrored his actions blocking her again.

"I'm not sure now is the best time," she stated crossing her arms over her chest and eyes narrowed. He had known Alya for a long time and if he learned one thing, it wasn't wise to piss her off. Even if he was Chat Noir, he didn't want to take that chance.

"Alya...it's okay." Marinette's voice brought the two out of their staring match. The dark-haired girl had moved off her spot on the bench and walked towards them.

"Are you sure?" Alya asked. Marinette simply nodded and instantly Alya's aggression died and she stepped to the side. The two walked back to the bench and took a seat before either one of them spoke.

"Why are you out here when there's a whole party inside for you?" He inquired. It didn't seem smart to open a conversation by asking why she told Nathan that they were together. It was something he had to build to.

"I just needed to get some fresh air." He watched her hand reached down to the bracelet once more. The fact that she had worn both the pearl necklace and bracelet was enough to cause his heart to swell. Not that she knew both were from him.

"You're waiting for him, aren't you?" He didn't regret the question. It was dangerous to toe the line he was but there was a satisfaction in watching her wide eyes snap to hers, besides it would be a way to test Nino's theory.

"I-I was hoping that he would have come but, he must be busy saving the day." She sighed forcing her hand to stop fidgeting with the pearls. "Some birthday wishes don't come true."

It was clear that she wasn't angry with Chat, maybe more disappointed? It took all his self-control not to reach out and hug her tell her that he was here, that he was proud of her, and he loved her.

"I'm sorry," was the only thing he allowed to escape from his mouth. Her nose crinkled at the apology.

"It's not your fault." She replied.

But it was.

A new silence stirred between them and Adrien was sure she could hear how rapid his heart was beating.

"Marinette"- His phone started to vibrate in his pocket cutting him off. He pulled it out and the display was a picture of Nathalie.

"Aren't you going to answer that?" She asked.

His father and Nathalie both knew that he would be at the party tonight. He specifically told them not to call him with work. But true to form it seemed like his father never listened.

"I'll call back later. It's probably about a photo shoot I have coming up." He shoved the phone into his pocket but had lost the nerve to ask her about Nathaniel. His mind began turning until it churned out an idea.

"Let's dance." The abrupt suggestion forced her out of her thoughts.

"Wait, what?" Maybe she heard him wrong, it was just the two of them and no music. But any doubt evaporated when he stood and offered out his hand.

"Dance with me." He repeated.

"Are you serious? Adrien, there's no music." That technically wasn't true, if she closed her eyes and focused she could hear the music from inside.

"So? Never stopped me before." Even his eyes gleamed with mischief. It caused her heart rate to quicken when his whole body was leaning into her space. "It's just a dance, Mari." They had danced on several occasions before as friends, this time wasn't any different. Adrien was just trying to cheer her up for her missing cat.

"Why can't I ever say no to you?" She replied coyly. She placed her hand in his and he helped her off the bench.

"Because of my irresistible charm." He waggled his eyebrows earning a laugh from his company.

"And here I was thinking it was because you were a giant goofball." She shot back playfully. There it was a glimmer of their old friendship. When they were younger in a less complicated world.

"If I remembered correctly, Miss Dupain Cheng, you had a thing for my charm back in the day." He smirked. "Or so I was told."

"I was young and naive," she wrapped her arms around his neck. The familiar feeling rushing through her veins when his hands ever so slightly grazed her sides.

"And now you are?" He asked as his eyes searched hers.

"Just young," she smiled before resting her head on his chest. The two began to sway back and forth with occasional turns to the sounds of Paris's nightlife in the distance.

Adrien leaned forward his mouth lingering outside her ear. "Do you wish you could go back and change something back then?" Marinette's pulse increased. With the knowledge that she knew now, there would have been several things she would have wanted to change. One of the biggest ones involved the boy she was currently dancing with.

"I wish I would have had the courage to ask you to prom after giving me my birthday present." Her words caused them to stop and she felt his body grow rigid. He studied her what seemed like forever but only lasted a couple seconds.

"You knew?" He felt silly. She knew he was going to ask her to prom and he had chickened out. "How?"

"Alya couldn't help herself, it slipped. I didn't believe her at first, but then you started acting unusual and everything clicked." He decided that he might want to limit what he told Nino for fear that it might travel through the grapevine.

"Why...why didn't you ask me if you knew?" Their eyes connected, and Adrien felt his mouth grow dry while waiting for the answer.

The slow roll of thunder echoed thick in the air. Before the two could say anything, the heavens opened above them and the rain came pouring down. Marinette let out a shriek and the two started to make a run for it. They weren't strangers to this type of weather but this time there was no umbrella to shield them. She could feel Adrien following her as they raced back to the shelter of the country club roof. They collapsed against a nearby wall as Marinette heard her heart pounding against her chest from the adrenaline ringing in her ears and she wondered if he could hear it too.

"I'm soaked." She heard Adrien say, running a hand through his hair.

"It came out of nowhere," she said, keeping her focus fixed on the rain. The comment earned the blonde's attention. She expected him to look away, but his heated gaze was locked on her. It took her only seconds to realize something was different, warmth among the rain's cold offering, their hands were still laced. She froze for a second, unsure of what to do. Her mind screamed to let go, but she couldn't bring herself to. It was hard to determine if their hands actually fit together perfectly or if she was just imagining it. Either way, Adrien hadn't attempted to remove his grasp from hers.

In fact, she could have sworn that he got had gotten closer. She caved and turned her gaze to meet Adrien's. The sound of the rain suddenly faded away as her green pools searched hers. Her mouth grew dry, and she wasn't even sure she could say something if her life depended on it.

"Mari…" Adrien's voice was just above a whisper and Marinette felt a lump grow in her throat. The model always had a gravitational field drawing her towards him regardless of what she wanted. She couldn't ignore the way that his eyes flitted to her lips before returning to her eyes. Nervousness should be the last thing that she should be experiencing, it was just Adrien, her friend. All they would have are fleeting moments like this where they would entertain the "what-ifs" that fate taunted them with.

She flinched when his fingers brushed back the dripping hair out of face leaving fire touches in their wake. Her hand flew up to stop him, but her fingers went limp the second she touched him. They continued to search for answers in each other's eyes to the questions they were too afraid to repeat out loud, the what if.

So when Adrien leaned in and closed the gap between them, Marinette found herself leaning into him. There was a familiar sensation that she couldn't place before Adrien pulled back. Marinette ignored the pit that dropped in her stomach. Years of dreaming what that would be like and she finally had her answer, now maybe she could continue on with her life as planned.

"Adrien..." When her eyes fluttered open his gaze was back on her, this time darker. Full of desire. It made her knees start to tremble. Chloe was right, she had never seen him look at Amelie-

Before her mind could finish the thought, Adrien's lips crashed hungrily on her once more.

His hands moved up to her face fingertips laced within her hair. Her world began to spin, she didn't know if it was the kiss itself or lack of oxygen, but she couldn't feel herself on the ground. She wanted more. Her lips parted willingly allowing Adrien's tongue to greet hers. Her hands snaked themselves around his neck pulling them closer. Somehow the distance between them was still too far.

It was if all of her feelings for the boy were poured out in a single moment creating a high that she never wanted to come down from...but eventually did.

She shouldn't be doing this. She used any remaining willpower to shove him violently away. Her hands flew up to her swollen lips trembling. What had she done?

Amelie would never forgive her. She would have to move out, potentially back to her parent's house which was slightly embarrassing in itself. Chat...would break things off and she wouldn't be able to blame him. She hurt him. Then there was the ladybug situation because she was sure that she wouldn't be able to act normal around him ever again. Hawkmoth would take over Paris and-

"Mari?" Adrien took a step closer as his eyes knitted together in concern. Marinette held her hand out and stumbled back a couple steps herself furthering the distance.

"Stay back." If he got close she knew she would cave again. "We shouldn't have done that." She had taken a bite of the forbidden fruit and now she couldn't help but want more. "You-you have Amelie and I have-" she cut herself off. "Someone I care about deeply."

"Marinette," he pleaded again taking another step forward.

"We-we just caught up in the moment." She was grasping at excuses. Anything to silence the desire to kiss him again. "With the rain and the dancing. It didn't mean anything." She turned not to be drawn in by his piercing green eyes again in favor of watching the rain.

"It did to me." It was her turn to freeze at the comment. She could feel his eyes on her burning a hole in her skin. Surely he didn't mean what she thought he meant. "I did what I should have done that night at the club." At first, her heart melted, it couldn't be helped. Those were the words that she yearned to hear for so many years, but now they were a couple months too late.

"You're not allowed to do that." she snapped a new swell of angry rose from her gut. "You can't play with my emotions for months on end and then kiss me and say that you've always wanted me. You're in a committed relationship with Amelie, and I can't be the reason that you two don't work." She didn't understand where any of this was coming from, what made him decide to finally confess. "How do I know that any of this is real?"

"You want to know what's real? That kiss was real." She felt him gently cup her face in his hands, but she made no effort to remove it. "My feelings are real. You telling Nathaniel that we were dating, that happened, you could have told him the truth. When you kissed me back...you can't tell me that you didn't feel it." She closed her eyes as he rested his forehead against hers.

"What about Amelie?"

"She's not you...don't you see Mar, I'm fighting for you." More bittersweet words had never been spoken. She pushed him back and her eyebrows knitted together.

"Don't you see that I'm doing this for you?" She was fighting for his happiness even he couldn't see this. "The way to hurt the least amount of people is to forget that this ever happened and live on with our lives."

"Will you ever stop taking everyone's happiness into consideration and think of your own?" He shot back defensively.

"I can't." Didn't he know how hard this was already? He was practically pouring his heart out to her.

"Give me one good reason why."

"Because I'm-" she stopped herself short of the confession that plagued her lips.

Because she was Ladybug. The thought was never a more bitter pill to swallow.

As dangerous as it was for her to be dating Chat Noir at least she could sleep knowing he could defend himself against Hawkmoth. But Adrien?

She could imagine him fighting the best he could, but eventually, would he lose the upper hand. She could never forgive herself if something happened to him. Even if Amelie wasn't in the picture, she couldn't pursue her feelings for the blonde. She wasn't willing to put him in danger just so that she could be happy.

"It won't work." The words clung desperately to her throat burning as they spouted out of her mouth.

"Marinette, if I-."

"Please don't make this harder than it already is." A pang split through her chest, maybe that's how it felt for her heart to crack. "Just move on and forget about silly old me." It was no use holding on him, especially since he wasn't hers to keep. He would be happy with Amelie or some other girl. He needed time. He used his finger so her blue eyes met his green tear-filled ones.

"I can't." The worst part was that she believed him.

"You have to. I'm...happy with Chat Noir. You deserve to find someone you're happy with too." The knowledge that he would be happy would be enough. He deserved someone great that saw him for who he was.

"But Marinette, you don't understand I'm Cha"-

"I can't do this. I'm sorry." She brushed past him back to the party, hoping that everyone would be so involved with themselves that they wouldn't notice her slip into a room to cry out everything she was feeling. If she was lucky, Adrien wouldn't follow her, she wouldn't know what to do if he did.

His eyes never left where Marinette had left minutes before. He would have run after her if he thought he could will his body to move or that he would do any good. He screwed up. What was he thinking, kissing her like that?

It was simple; he wasn't. Watching her catch her breath in the rain, he was drawn to her. He kissed her because he wanted to test how she would react to Adrien instead of Chat Noir...and she had kissed him back. There was at least a small part of her (no matter how much that Marinette would deny it) that still liked him.

There, however, was nothing Adrien Agreste could do for the situation. In fact, if he tried he would probably make things worse. Maybe later that night he would swing by as Chat Noir and find out exactly how much damage he had caused so he could go about fixing it.

The phone buzzed once again in his pocket. He pulled it out and his mouth grew dry at the 10 missed calls from Nathalie with multiple voicemails. His stomach dropped, normally he wouldn't have received this many calls unless it was important.

"Message 1: Adrien! Why haven't you been answering your phone." Nathalie's concern voice burst over the phone only to be drowned out by the sound of alarms echoed on top of her. "There's been an incident with your father. You need to come to the hospital now."

A.n.- This would be a good time to mention if you didn't read the author's note in the beginning, I DID warn you all. Before I get a ton of comments on the matter, while things didn't go exactly like Adrien wanted, he's not going to be backsliding anymore. He knows what he wants ( or getting a really clear picture of it). There are several more twists and turns ahead. Just stick with me. IT WILL BE WORTH IT. That being said, on a scale of 1 to 10, how destroyed are your feels right now, let me know.