That afternoon ended like it had in the past. Chloe danced the rest of the day with him and then he went home. He bid his classmates a subdued goodbye, mind burning with questions and feeling highly confused.

As far as he was concerned, no one spent anywhere near a sufficient amount of time wondering about her sudden exit from class that day. Days passed and Marinette never showed up to class again. He was extremely worried, but asking his classmates for clues left him at the start. No one knew anything that had happened outside of what he knew. She left, just as they all saw, and hadn't shown back up. His father said nothing about it, and he was kind of scared to ask.

He didn't know if he wanted to know the reason or not.

Anxiety had his stomach in knots as the hours passed. Three days went by and he was growing worse. Every class hour that flowed, as if breaking him from a dream, made him wonder if it even happened at all. Surely, the last few weeks hadn't been in his head! He didn't imagine such things either! The other new students that were accepted along with Marinette were still there and the graduates still gone. That told him that something big was going on and he just didn't know what, but he was going to find out! This unknown was killing him and he hated not knowing what was going on.

The longer he stayed away from the truth, from hearing what was going on from her own lips, the more his imagination ran away from him. He had initially thought that perhaps something serious with her family had happened. Then it escalated to her and all sorts of terrible things involving her. They all worsened his paranoia to the point where he couldn't take it anymore.

When class ended and he finished dinner, he thought it would have been a good idea to check on her. It was a perfect excuse: the owner's son was going to go visit the new student on the pretense that she was ill because she hadn't attended class for days now. It was innocent, it was easy to play with should questions arise, and the level of risk was low.

He didn't even get past the doorway from the dining room, barely halfway into the main hall, before the door across the way opened suddenly.

He jumped, but paused and waited to see who was opening the door. His father honestly was the last person he ever expected to see. Sure, they lived in the same house, but it was a huge place and the odds of them ever seeing each other were usually low enough that he never had to worry about being bothered or bothering his father with his work.

"Where do you think you're going Adrien?"

His body was still aligned with the front door, so the assumption was a correct one. He turned to face his father, story ready. "I was just going to go out for a bit. The new student, Marinette, hasn't been to class for a few days. I was going to visit and see how she is. I'm worried that she's sick or her family is."

Gabriel didn't move from his spot in front of the doorway he had exited from. He stared across the way, reading into his son's words and posture. The longer he stared, the more he could see tiny changes flitter through almost unwillingly. They were covered up well, but they still escaped.

Gabriel's eyes closed with a quiet sigh. Words demanded to be said, mostly to satisfy his own desires, but the logical part of his mind didn't want to say them. What was the point? Life had returned to the way it had been and there was no point in hashing over it. But, at the mention of Adrien still too taken with that girl had his protectiveness reeling a little.

"That won't be necessary."

There was something hidden in those words which forced him to take a step forward, brows thoughtfully coming together. "Not...necessary?" He echoed, head tilting. That wasn't something he had expected. "Do you...know what happened to her then? You were probably the last one to see her after all... Is – is she okay?"

Whether the act was real or not was unknown. There was a sense of sincerity in those questions, in the slight urgency which shone through. Gabriel wanted to close the door as quickly as possible on this and get his son past this girl. Involving himself, and continuing to do so, would not be good; history had already proved that. "I was the last one to see her. I had quite the conversation with her in my office before she left school."

Something cold poked his spine at that last part. Left...? Why would Marinette leave school when it was still in session? Worry of a different sort ate at him and he directed it his father's way...not liking this at all.

A scenario he would have never comprehended in a million years breathed in his ear, making itself known in a terrible way. "Y...you...what did...you do?" He heard himself ask.

Gabriel's chin rose just a little at the accusation. "It's not what I did Adrien, but what she did. I found out many things that concerned me greatly concerning that girl. I became privy to her secret lately and confronted her on it. I made her quite aware of how her actions had affected you and just what they had done to you. I refused to let someone, someone who hurt my son, ever be near you and step foot in my school ever again. I ordered her to leave and not come back if she didn't want to face the consequences of her actions. If she ever goes near you again, I'll find that hovel of hers and destroy it, along with anyone in it."

He wasn't aware that he was still standing or how he was even able to. His fathers words penetrated his brain, his heart, his veins, his muscles. He lost control of every possible ability he possessed at knowing the truth of what happened to his beloved lady, his Ladybug...his Marinette.

Or that he had probably helped somehow.

Breathing had quickly become a chore with as tight as his chest felt. "You...you...didn't!" He choked out, face contorting in anguish. He was barely aware that he was trembling.

Her dream...gone. She was never going to be able to step foot in his father's school because of the power Gabriel Agreste had. His father was true to any word he spoke and his actions backed up his words. He didn't doubt that the Underground would be crushed and turned into an item of contempt for all due to his father. Her honorable creation would be turned and twisted into the opposite of what it was meant for.

"Why?! Why did you cast her away for something like that?! You threw away such a person for your petty reasons! She has serious talent! How could you overlook something like that?! How could you let her other styles blind you?"

"I am not blind to anything." Gabriel looked away. "I see everything very clearly Adrien, whether you believe me to or not. That girl invited you to go to such a place and I know how excited you can get about things. You would never have ignored such a thing with the mystery that surrounds that place. Don't think I'm still unaware of the rumors. She ignored everything about your life and all the responsibilities it contains to bring you there."

"I know how much you liked it from the way you acted and how often you must have snuck out. Keeping her away is the safest route for you to get on with your life and forget her. I don't want you going near her ever again. She's the one who reduced you to a hospital bed...or have you forgotten that feeling when you had to sleep for two days to recover the ability to remain awake?"

Guilt. It washed over him for reasons not akin to what his father was trying to throw his way.

He stared at the floor, heart thudding hard in his chest. He wanted to be angry, he wanted to scream, he wanted to argue back for her sake, but he felt outside his body.

For his sake.

His father tried to help, but the man only succeeded in making things a million times worse. The past was the past and because Marinette was near him, he would have done absolutely anything his father wanted because she was at ballet school!

At least...until this moment he would have...

He didn't know how he found the strength or the ability to move his legs. He turned to a sense of privacy, to find himself in a place that was his, and whirled for his room. He bolted up the steps and slammed the door shut. He locked the door despite knowing his father wouldn't chase him to make him understand.

There was no need; he understood exactly what was going on.

He was the one who caused such things to happen. This was all his fault!

He didn't blame his father for most of this. This was all on him. He idly stared out the huge expanse of windows as that thought encompassed him.

He had caused all this because he hadn't been careful enough. He hadn't planned enough, hadn't foreseen what would happen to him this far in advance. He was too stuck on his own feelings that he couldn't see past his own nose into the future. He didn't consider anyone other than himself. He had only appeased his feelings to feel better about her, to be able to get to know her better. In the process, he had sold her out to his father and erased the dream she had been chasing so faithfully for years!

Hands covered his face as he slumped to the floor on his knees. He felt like dirt. No, dirt was sturdier than he was. He felt like a pit of quicksand, sucking in all the good which had been in her life. All those smiles, the easy laughter, the shy blushes, the conversation with his classmates, the hard work he saw from her every day...it was gone. It would never be again...all due to him.

Hands suddenly shot away from teary eyes, resolve shooting through him. No...it wasn't over! Nothing was ever over. Life altered and changed like water, but it never evaporated into nothing forever. It would only take another form until something helped it become the way it was again. He would be that help; he would find her and set things right. He owed her that much.

Provided she would talk to him...

01010

Wearing the hoodie was strange. He didn't really know why he put it on, but the sense of nostalgia hit him like a sledgehammer. He wasn't going to dance; that never occurred to him. He didn't even realize he was done with the Underground until he was slipping his arms through the sleeves. This was about her and him...whatever was there.

He didn't care what happened to her Underground. It had granted him the one thing he needed, but it had given him so much more. It brought her to him and he was thankful, but now that time was over.

He left just after eleven. It was as easy as it had always been, but perhaps more so than before. His father wasn't even thinking that he would ever try such a stunt again because he had given his word, what he was now breaking. He didn't like to promise something and then break it. Usually, that would have been the case...but this time was special. This time was steeped in a sense of urgency unlike anything he had ever felt. He HAD to get this resolved in a positive way because three days had passed.

Three days of festering and sitting in such a conclusion.

He was massively concerned for her and what she had been experiencing, feeling, since her conversation with his father. He didn't want it to end this way. Every part of him, what was seriously connected to her, screamed at him to move faster. He had to fix this in any way he could. He refused to let her life become shambles because he may have stupidly let something slip after that morning when his father found out where he had been for months.

He rushed past the darkened streets, the location still fresh in his mind. Despite it being a month or so, it felt like eternity since he had done this. The directions moved his feet for him, his emotions propelling him on and helping him move...giving him strength and innocent hope keeping his heart beating.

"I'll find that hovel of hers and destroy it, along with anyone in it..."

"Apparently, there have been some relocations since it started because some idiots go snitching to everyone. Some have said they've gone the next day and the entire place is wiped clean like it never existed."

He reached the door to the basement, suddenly wondering if everything would still be there. Would the Bubbler's dj equipment still be set up in the corner? Would The Illustrator's paint still be splattered everywhere? His hand gripped the knob, teeth biting his lip as he prayed it was.

He turned the knob and inched the door open, but heard nothing. Not that he expected to. He was earlier than he had ever been; nothing was probably going yet. It seemed that the best times started around midnight and went until morning. He kind of wanted it that way; he needed to find her and talk to her.

He suddenly hoped that she was even here!

The light at the bottom was still on, the words 'this way' were still on the wall. A sense of relief hit him. If the place had vanished, those things would be the first to go. Maybe he was still in time...

He pushed the door open, hearing silence. His brow furrowed, hoping ANYONE was here. The lights were on...that had to account for something!

He inched into the room, head whipping in every direction and ears poised. He quietly shut the door behind him as much as he could amidst the creaking. He walked to the first room The Illustrator used for face painting as the first place to search. The onslaught of voices to his ears met him with relief and quickened his steps.

He hid behind the open archway and took in those in attendance. The Illustrator, Lady Wifi, the Bubbler, and Marinette were there. They looked to be having something of a serious discussion and he watched for heartbeats to feel out the situation. They all looked grim and slightly unhappy at whatever had been going on before he entered and his feet brought him into the threshold on their own.

The slight scuffle of sneakers on dirt was louder than it ever needed to be. The quartet whirled to the noise, looking on in slight shock and confusion. There was a moment of tense befuddlement before a harsh 'tsk' sounded. A pair of blue eyes narrowed in utter disgust before tennis shoes scuffled across the way as she hurried over.

She was in her usual Ladybug wear, but her face wasn't painted. Neither were the other's. It had been time to have 'the talk' about many things now that she had been able to speak words and not break. Early had been a good idea.

Now it seemed like a bad one.

Hands lashed out before she could think, unable to do so, and grasped black cloth. She cruelly yanked him down to her face, ignoring his stupor and glaring at him for all she was worth. "What are you doing here?!" She demanded, shaking him a little.

He had fathomed that she may be angry with him for what happened, but the level she was showing him had him astounded. He couldn't pick his brain up with the storm in front of him and lost himself in front of the whirlwinds that were her eyes. His mouth gaped open as if to say anything, but he didn't even get the chance to speak.

She shook him again, veins burning with the fury that took hold of her. Just when she thought things could return to some sense of normalcy, what she had forced to return to the depths, he was here!

Why was he here?! She didn't want to see him anymore; didn't want him to be apart of her life anymore! She was tired of him entering and exiting, always turning her emotions upside down and then leaving her to deal with the aftermath of them on her own.

Her teeth grit as she held his hoodie in a vice grip. She wanted to do too many horrible things, say too many horrible things, to him right now and only didn't because she couldn't figure out what she wanted to do first. Her arms shook in attempt to move, but were only restrained because she didn't know if she wanted to shake him or hit him.

"You...you..." She growled out. "This...this is your fault!" She shook him again, harder than before. "You and your stupid need to know! You ruined everything! You took it from me and now I'm done! You shouldn't even be here right now! Do you even know what'll happen if you're found out this time?! You just put us all in danger! He won't hesitate to ruin all of us! Don't you ever think of anything outside yourself?! You're so stupid!"

He mentally shook himself in unison after her angry tirade paused. His hands came up and gingerly covered hers.

"You're wrong my lady! I never told a soul about this place; about you!" He leaned forward, bypassing the look of disbelief and scorn she directed his way. "Please...you have to believe me! I would never violate the trust you gave me! I have no idea what happened or what you're talking about, but I came to find out and get the truth!"

She scoffed at the plead in his voice, the sincerity to his words. She refused to accept them this time. The last time she had led to these issues and she was done letting her feelings for him direct her decisions.

"You have no idea what you made me suffer..." She hissed. "The humiliation...the knowledge that such a person knows what else I've done over the years... I can't take that back!"

She knew there was no point in giving him details, but when she told him of the meeting in his father's office, watching his shock and guilt unfold, she felt justified in a perverse sense.

"There's no way he could have known otherwise." She harshly concluded. Her hands yanked at him again. "You're a liar; a filthy liar! You're complete scum for saying you'd assist me, get me in, and then help take it all from me! An entire month! Do you have any idea how disgraced I felt?!"

He grasped at her hands again, this time with much more urgency. He didn't care if she pulled away from him, unlike the first try; he needed to make her see! She wasn't seeing anything but red right now and he had to say anything to help clear it.

"I have no idea what you're talking about! I would never ever let you go through such a thing if I had known it happened! Do you think so little of me after everything we've been through together?"

She scoffed, not happy at being reminded of the days and nights they spent together after he ran away. The hours upon hours of practice that she enjoyed more than she should have. The emotions she let herself feel, let herself open up to again...

A small growl left her and she resisted an urge that she didn't to let herself give in to. "What are you doing here?" She quietly reiterated, voice dangerous. "There is no more need for your presence in our lives...in mine. I was thrown out of your school; my time there with you is done. We are now different people with separate lives and have nothing else to do with each other." She shook him, cutting off anything he may have to say again. "You're just a pawn! You don't even belong here! Inviting you was a mistake!"

"No, you -"

The urge she had been fighting for the longest time finally happened. She wanted to hate herself for giving in, but it felt oh so good to do. She gave in and slapped him as hard as she could across the face in the same manner that had happened to her.

She watched with a horrible sense of satisfaction as he acted much like her, but seeing sadness and shock cross his features instead of anger. She ignored them as coldly as Gabriel had stared at her much the same way. "I'm returning the farewell 'present' your father gave me during that meeting in his office." She bit out, whipping around.

The others stood watching the entire thing with subdued, concerned faces. Her friends who meant more to her right now than he ever would. The history she had with them, the things they had done...she had to do this to them again. She felt bad for them and everything that had been built up in this place. Again, they had to do this despite her better judgment. It was for the best...even at the cost of the amount of work they were going to have to do soon.

"The Underground is going to have to move because of your father. He won't hesitate to ruin everyone that goes here, even if they have never had anything to do with your problems. I won't let that happen. Those people don't deserve his scorn. If you don't want to make everyone else's lives miserable for your continual selfishness, you won't come back. I don't want to ever see you step foot in the Underground ever again. After we move, you're done. Don't think I'll ever invite you back after this. Return to your glorious world of ballet and wipe this place from your memory."

The first step she took away from him had him in a panic. Fear ran through him at breakneck speed and his hand reached out on its own. He gasped at the second step she took to the others and his sneakers shuffled after her.

This was it. She was serious! She was pushing him away in more ways than one, from as many aspects of her life as possible.

"W – wait! I'm not what you think! I'm not here to ruin you!" He begged, voice shaking. He tried to still the choppiness of his breathing, slightly happy when she halted. "Y – you don't believe them...right? I – I really didn't come to spy and ruin this place. You believe me, r – right?"

She stared hard at the ground, jaw tight. Her hands clenched and shook. Their history washed over her as his past smiles, his laughter, his kind words, his feelings toward her all tried to drown her. His voice sounded broken and a thread of her wanted to take pity on him...the thread that belonged attached to her emotions. It wound around her heart and chipped off some of the ice encasing it...and she hated herself for letting it happen.

"I'm sorry... T – the others need me...right now..."

She left him standing there, an utter mess of emotions, as she also was. She stopped in front of Alya and looked to her friend in apology. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to make you use your resources to find us another location." A hand slowly rose and landed on her friend's shoulder. "I hate to put you up to it; I know how annoying it can be for you."

Without letting her friend say anything, she turned and stopped in front of Nathaniel. She heaved a sigh before looking to him. "As you know, we'll have to clean your beautiful artwork off the walls before we leave. I hate having to do so; it's always the best I've ever seen you do."

A hand rose and lightly patted her shoulder with a small smile. "It's no biggie. I can always redo it."

She looked to the floor. "It's going to be hard to get all your equipment up the stairs, but the basement is always the most soundproof. Thankfully, you've got this down to a science now." She ignored the amused snort of her third companion and turned to look across the way.

To the utter sniveling mess of emotions asking for repentance.

She glared at him through the distance; as if he could ever get such a thing now!

Standing in front of her friends, the leader in this whole debacle, gave her a shield that she relished. She was Ladybug, the creator and main owner of this place. She was merely kicking out yet another dancer who was causing problems for the others. This was not the first time she had to play this role.

"It's time for you to head home now Adrien Agreste."

A hand whipped out, finger pointing toward the exit archway. She met his eyes, feeling hers tear as his emotions reached out to her in attempt to keep him here. She faced him, heart breaking just a little more after seeing him again.

She stood in front of her friends and stole their strength to keep from breaking down. Their past bond helped keep her hand poised in its position. Her chin rose a little, serious in her statement. She harshly swallowed her feelings away and stared at him with scorn.

He stared at her for heartbeats, willing her with his eyes to change her mind. She was stone where she was and those around her looked at him just as reproachfully.

His legs finally found the will to move as he tore off through the hallway and up the stairs. He ran through the streets for his home, hood falling back to expose his hair to the fall winds. His chest burned in shame and anger.

This wasn't over; he wasn't going to let their story be written like this!

He had finally found happiness and thought all was right with the world. How could it be snatched away from him like this?! How? Why? When did it all happen?! It was so sudden and everything bled away to total negativity and he didn't know why!

He didn't...but he would.

He stopped at the back street to his home and stared up at his window void of sheet, chest heaving. Now that he knew how to get up without it, he didn't tie it to help him down in case someone tried to check on him for whatever reason.

He stared at the railing, chest burning and eyes narrowing. He fully intended on confronting his father over that meeting with Marinette and how unfairly she was treated from start to finish. He mentally vowed to get to the bottom of how she was snitched on and deal swift payback to whoever instigated such a thing and caused her the pain he witnessed. His own he didn't care about. He would ignore it, alter it and use it to his means as vengeance to help see this through.

Confrontation scene inspiration: sorarts tumblr com/post/140959497170/compilation-of-all-my-late-night-doodles-with