Adrien didn't show up at school for most of the next week. He wasn't even responding to texts from friends. By Wednesday Marinette overheard Chloe answering Sabrina's questions as to his whereabouts. Chloe said he had barely come out of his room all week. She had told him he was being 'utterly ridiculous,' and had at least convinced him to take some of the food her personal chef had made into his room. "Still," she admitted to Sabrina, "I'm getting worried about Adrikins. It's not like him to actually want to be alone."
This worried Marinette a lot. Even when his father had been arrested as Hawkmoth, Adrien had still showed up for school. He had actually stayed more in touch with friends than ever. Just last week he had seemed to be going so well. She had to make sure he was okay!
That night she excused herself after dinner with her parents, claiming she was off to bed early. This was a tried and true excuse she had used numerous times she needed to sneak out for a evening patrol with Chat Noir. But she didn't have plans to see Chat till that Friday night (After what had happened in Nunavut she had sent messages to check up on Chat Noir, but had only received one word responses. She hoped by Saturday she could lift his spirits somehow too). But for tonight...She had different plans for tonight!
Actually deviating from her normally convoluted plans, the only plan of attack on Marinette's mind was "make sure Adrien is okay."
It wasn't until she was suited up as Ladybug on the roof of the building across the street from the hotel, looking across to his bedroom window that she realized she didn't really have a plan as to what to do next. It seemed that there was a light on, and it wasn't too late...surely all indications he was still awake. The longer she stood on the roof, the more her courage dissolved.
"This was a horrible idea," she muttered to herself. Why would Ladybug come to a civilian's window at night. There were not even any akumas these days to use as an excuse. Sure there were a number of times Adrien had interacted with Ladybug...but usually that was in a crisis.
Ladybug was about to leave and abandon her ill conceived notion...but then she saw him. Adrien. He opened the window and slumped his elbows down on the window sill. He breathed in deep, and then put his head in his hands. That did it. She couldn't leave with Adrien looking so devastated. Before she could second guess herself she had swung herself to the balcony adjacent to his.
"Uhhhello?" She called softly.
Hearing her voice Adrien dropped his hands and looked around in surprise.
"Ladybug?!" he asked, "is everything okay? What are you doing here?"
"Sorry to just drop in like this, I...well, I just was swinging by and thought I recognized you. I um...are you okay?" she pieced together.
He looked at her closely, as if trying to figure something out or trying to decide how much to say, then he looked down again and sighed. "No, I guess I'm not feeling so great. As of course you know my father turned out to be Hawkmoth...I guess sometimes things just get overwhelming and I realize I don't really know how to process it," he glanced back up at her to gage her reaction
I am so sorry that you have been through so much in the aftermath of his arrest. It was such a shock to everyone. I had to stop him though...you're not mad at me for everything that happened with your Dad are you? she asked.
"No, no of course not!" Adrien answered in shock that she would think such a thing. "You are the last person that should be apologizing! We needed to stop him...I mean...all of Paris needed to have him stopped."
"Still, it has been hard on you," Ladybug said softly, crossing over to his balcony.
Adrien breathed in sharply as she came closer. "It has..." he repeated, then mentally shook himself "...but I can get through it. I don't need to burden anyone with it."
Ladybug hesitated, but then placed her hand gently onto Adrien's. "You are not a burden. Your friends want to be there for you. Even though they can't understand what you're going through, they care about you, they...they love you," Ladybug's voice broke for a moment.
Adrien's eyes searched Ladybug's.
Then his shoulders dropped, and he put his other hand over Ladybugs. "Thank you Ladybug...I'm glad you found me tonight."
"You won't keep ignoring your friend's texts?" Ladybug challenged with a smile.
"How did you know I'd been ignoring...?" Adrien started to ask, but Ladybug just pointed to his phone which was lighting up and pinging with incoming messages.
Adrien briefly looked down at his phone and grinned back at Ladybug. "Okay, I promise I won't become a crazy hermit and brush off my awesome friends."
"Good!" Ladybug nodded satisfied, "because they need you too."
Before she turned to go, she was suddenly swept up into the arms of Adrien. He hugged her tightly. Not knowing quite where to put her hands, she froze rigidly. Then enjoying the fact that Adrien didn't let go right away, she coordinated her hands safely around his back.
"I don't know how you do it," Adrien mumbled into her hair.
"What do you mean?" She asked with a gulp.
"Find more ways to show how amazing you are," he said, regretfully letting her go.
"Uhh thanks...Adrien...I...," she stumbled, backing up against the railing of the balcony, and catching herself before reeling backwards over it.
"Careful," Adrien said, grabbing her hand to steady her, and smiled, "Don't want you falling head over heels for me."
"Too late," Ladybug mumbled under her breath.
"What did you say?!," Adrien's eyes popped open and he nearly fell back over the open window sill back into his room.
"Ahh...I said it's too late...I should really be getting back home! *fake yawn* Yep late in the evening...big day ahead...Gotta get you into bed...I mean me...I mean...Okay bye!" She rambled, finally casting her yoyo as far as possible and dragging herself away from any threat of further embarrassing herself by opening her mouth.
Ladybug may not have spent the rest of the night berating herself for her blunder, had she looked back in that moment to see Adrien's face. He was positively beaming.