Adrien Agreste walked into the dimly lit entrance of his giant house. Times like these, when both of his identities weren't needed by anyone, really reminded him of how alone he was. The last time his father had spoken to him was a month prior during a fashion show, and that was only to instruct him. After being rejected by not only his father, but his mother, friends and now Marinette, all Adrien wanted to do was disappear into a hole.

He had thought that, since she had liked him for so long, she would accept him. He had too much faith in Marinette. That much was evident. And he had almost told her that he loved her. And he did love her.

Too much.

It wasn't enough. Not for her. Because Chat and Adrien were too different. He was the same. How could she not see that? How could she not know?

Adrien dropped his bag on the floor, not caring about where it landed. A maid would pick it up later anyways; it wasn't like he would get punished for it. It wasn't like he got punished for anything normal.

No, Adrien was punished for making friends, for looking at girls… for anything that a normal teenage boy did. He was meant to work for his father, keep a certain appearance, and make sure the tabloids said nothing bad about their golden boy.

He hated it.

He made his way up the excessively long staircase and into his dark bedroom, cursing his father for buying such a mansion. Especially when it was usually just Adrien home for the majority of the time.

He flipped on the lights, glancing around at all of his things. The giant computer, the giant bed, the giant television… He didn't need any of it. He didn't even want any of it. He craved a home, a loving family, a mother. But it was impossible. He didn't blame her for leaving; his father was cold, cruel… if he could, he would leave too. He was just too young. So he counted down the days until his eighteenth birthday. Just three years. It wouldn't be so bad.

He hated the silence. He craved noise. He craved affection. Everyone pushed him away. Nobody loved the actual him. Nobody at all. They all just loved the idea of him. The idea of Chat Noir or Adrien Agreste. He was worthless. Unlovable. Stupid.

He transformed into Chat Noir, visions of himself running around the city passing time flashing through his mind. He hesitated, turning to his computer. He checked the LadyBlog, just to see if Ladybug had been seen lately. She hadn't. They hadn't seen an akuma victim for quite some time, but that didn't stop him from running around as Chat.

Filled with heartache, he didn't notice the open window. He didn't notice the black butterfly flying into his miraculous.

A voice burst into his ears.

"Hello, Chat Noir. I am Hawkmoth. We finally meet… how unexpected your sadness is. And because of Ladybug… She rejected you. She gave you up. Her most trusted friend and partner… All the praise of saving the city goes to her. Doesn't that remind you of something? The feeling of being used and unwanted? No one needs Chat Noir. But I can help you take revenge on all of those who have hurt you. My beloved Chat Noir, together we can crush Ladybug once and for all. We can get rid of her, and you can have the freedom you desire. I can make you stand out. You can force everyone to see you."

Chat felt disgusted. He was Chat Noir, a hero. He shouldn't be in this situation. He didn't understand what was going on. His head filled with rage as he began to think about all of the people who pushed him around. All of the people who hurt him.

"Your name is now Chat Blanc. Rise, and we can show the world who you really are."

A cruel smile spread across his face. "Yes, Hawkmoth."

Marinette arrived at school early for the first time in a long time. It was her first day back after the ball, and she had only gone because she wanted to see Adrien. She wanted to apologize for all of the things she had said. She was acting so stupid and so selfish.

She had idolized him for the longest time, and it wasn't fair to him. Especially when he was confessing his feelings for her.

Truthfully, she had begun to actually fall in love with him. It scared her. Not because love was a scary aspect of life; no that wasn't it at all. It was because falling in love with him required allowing him to break her if he wanted to. It required getting over her fears and getting over herself.

She had apologized to all of her friends all morning, offering them weak explanations for her absence. They didn't need to know the real reason. Not even Alya, although she did have her suspicions. Marinette just smiled and pretended everything was just great.

It wasn't. She felt so bad for hurting Adrien. She felt so, so bad. She wanted to be with him. She really did. She just needed the time…

She refused to consider the fact that it might've been too late. She refused to even acknowledge it. It couldn't be too late; Adrien was the one for her. She had always known it. Nothing had changed… except for everything. If she could see him… if she could explain everything to him…

Everything would be okay. It would all be just fine. She could wake up happy instead of miserable. And so would he.

So she waited. She sat outside, ignoring people. Waiting for him. When the bell rang, signaling class was about to begin, her heart sank. She went to class, and spent the day waiting for him to show up.

He didn't.

After school, she decided to walk to his house. Just in case.

It took her a while, but during the walk she planned out all that she would say.

Hi, I love you.

I'm sorry, I love you.

You don't have to be alone anymore. I love you. I'm here.

I was stupid.

Please forgive me, I can't be Ladybug without you.

Nothing was right. Nothing would be enough.

When she finally arrived at his door, she hesitated. What if he turned her away? Doubt covered her like a cloud on a rainy day. She pushed back all of her thoughts, and pressed the bell.

No answer.

She rang again.

"Yes?" It was the woman who answered before when Marinette had dropped off Adrien's birthday present.

"Is Adrien home?" Marinette asked, lacing her fingers together behind her back.

"No. He's out with a friend." The woman answered.

Marinette stiffly said goodbye, and began her long walk home.

Something fell behind her, startling her. She turned, facing someone… familiar.

It was Chat Noir, but it wasn't. He was in all white, looking very sinister. He slinked closer to her, eventually stopping to lean against the light post next to her. He stared down at her, a smug grin on his face.

"Hello, little princess."

So so so so sorry for such a long wait. I was studying for SAT's but now that that's over, I'll be updating frequently. I have another chapter written that will be posted tomorrow. It's a long one. J