A thank you to Khanofallorcs for being the beta for this chapter!


Chapter Six

"Well, girl, did you read my latest article?" Alya asked the moment she walked into class.

Marinette blinked. "No? I thought I had notifications on..." She pulled out her phone as she sat down, but saw nothing about the BeetleBlog. "When did you post it?"

"Late last night," she made a face. "Looks like there's still a few bugs to work out if you didn't get a notification."

In the seat in front of them Adrien let out a small snort. "Bugs."

"Huh?"

"The BeetleBlog has a few bugs," he said with a grin, turning to face them, and Marinette had to fight the urge to roll her eyes.

"Really?" She asked– but of course Alya chuckled as well.

"Hey, I'm not the one that said it," he said with a shrug, before winking. "I just spotted it– that's all."

"Hey, Chloe, do you want this seat back!" Marinette called.

"Why, is that seat infested by puns that are bugging you?" Adrien said with a completely straight face, and this time Nino began laughing as well. "I don't see the problem, I think they're quite punny myself."

"Puns are only funny when they aren't forced," Marinette replied, crossing her arms. "And I'm afraid we have long crossed that point now."

"Is it okay if I steal your first one as the error message for my blog?" Alya asked Adrien. "That one was pretty clever."

"Technically you're the one that said it first," Adrien replied. "I just happened to spot it."

"You literally just used that one!" Marinette cried, but her friends merely laughed in reply, and of course that was when Miss Bustier walked into class, so she couldn't argue the ridiculousness of their so-called humor further.

The school day was pretty uneventful– but for school that was always a plus. A day without pop quizes or an akuma attack was always more than welcomed. She helped her parents at the bakery for a bit when she got home, leaving Plagg with several squares of feta cheese up in her room, which the kwami seemed more than happy about.

Afterwards she headed up to her room with the promise of doing homework, but with the actual intentions to relax. She let out a sigh as she climbed up into her loft, laying down on her bed. She reached for her phone, but it wasn't where she had left it to charge. She frowned, but after a moment of searching she found it at the foot of her bed. She looked through her handfuls of notifications, but there was nothing to note. She took to scrolling through Instagram instead, not truly looking at anything until a text from Alya came through.

hey girl, everything okay? it said you read my message?

Blinking once, Marinette opened her texts with Alya, and sure enough found one that came from her earlier:

my latest post is doing really well! the first one that doesn't involve footage of an akuma attack– please let me know when you get the chance to read it, I added an update to it as well!

She opened her notifications once more– nothing about Alya's text or about an update from the BeetleBlog. Marinette held back a small groan of frustration, before flipping back over to the texts and sending a quick reply.

I swear I'm not ignoring you! I think there's something up with my notifications on my phone– it told me about your last text and not the first one, and nothing about the blog. I'll go read it right now! :)

gah, that sucks, hope it's something you can fix! also, let me know what you think of the post!

Marinette pulled up the BeetleBlog, the newest article being one titled: 'Crimson Beetle and Lady Noire– A comparison'. At the top was a photo of the fight with Stormy Weather. "This should be interesting."

Plagg let out a yawn on her pillow. "Whadda talking 'bout?"

"New post on the BeetleBlog that Al wants me to read," she said– and this seemed to snap Plagg out of his daze. His ears went straight up– and suddenly he bolted towards her, snatching the phone out from her hands, flying off to the corner of the room. "Hey!"

"Don't you have other things you should be doing," he said, holding the phone tightly. "You can... worry about this later."

"Plagg, give me back my phone!"

"You don't need it right now!"

"This isn't funny," she said, moving towards the edge of her loft. "I'm telling you to give that back to me."

She was slightly surprised when Plagg immediately came over to her, dropping the phone into her hands, she thought he would have put up more of a fight. He was shaking slightly, but didn't question it as she got settled once more, flipping back over to the BeetleBlog, before pausing, remembering how her phone had been lying on her bed– not where she had left it.

"Plagg... have you been messing with my phone?" She asked.

"Nah," he said, the word drawn out. "Why would you think that?"

"Have you been deleting my notifications?" She asked, and the look on his face was the only answer she needed. "Are you serious? That isn't funny, I thought there was something wrong with my phone!"

"Yeah, jump to the worst conclusions, why don't you," he muttered, sneering slightly. "Just doing you a favor."

"Making my friend think I was ignoring her?" She growled. "Yeah, some favor that was."

Her frustration pricked at her, though she tried her best to ignore it as she settled down and finally began reading Alya's article about the heroes. It started off basic enough– pointing out differences in their outfits and appearances, before moving onto what abilities they seemed to have. It included the obvious ones of their opposing powers– but it also listed off some more minor things that Marinette hadn't really thought of herself, such as how Crimson could run up walls like an actual bug, while her climbing resembled more that of a cat. Alya wasn't too sure if it was an aesthetic choice of their magic or one linked directly to their powers, which made Marinette smile.

Finally the article ended with differences of their fighting styles, and again Alya was again trying to draw links between them and their animal themed costumes– how Crimson Beetle seemed to be more bold and direct, while Lady Noire often lingered back and struck from the shadows. At first Marinette didn't think much of it, but the closer she got to the end of the article the more uneasy she felt. Tiny phrases such as 'striking like a predator' and 'clinging to the darkness of the shadows', just seemed unnecessarily heavy.

The last part of the article showed a gif from Alya's recording of the Pixelator battle– showing her slamming the akuma's head into the ground to break the camera. The gif was short enough that it didn't show the butterfly coming out from the shattered camera, but the just repeating gesture of her costumed self repeatedly slamming the man's head down.

Just like the domestic cat is known to be one of the most deadly predators, Lady Noire shows a very ferocious fighting style, often making the final blows to release the 'akuma butterfly' compared to Crimson Beetles more defensive and decisive roles when it comes to the battle, always finishing the fight by releasing his healing magic, the 'Miraculous Ladybug'.

Marinette wasn't quite sure what to think as she finished reading the article. It... it wasn't wrong– Crimson did tend to be the more direct one, luring the akuma while she went for the object– but there had only been a handful of akumas at this point, and those plans were what worked best! It wasn't like she was excitedly waiting to jump into the fight and beat up the akuma.

Her phone alerted her as another text came through.

well? did you read the article?

Yes. I didn't notice a lot of those comparisons. good eye.

I'm getting so many comments on it– this is awesome!

Marinette flipped back to the article, scrolling down the newly added comment section, scanning what had been said. Her stomach twisted slightly in knots as she read over the first few comments, and immediately flipped back to her texts. She hesitated, typing out several different messages before pressing send.

People actually seem to be scared of Lady Noire?

do you blame them? you've seen my footage of her in battle!

But she's fighting the akuma, Crimson fights just as hard as well and no one is saying anything. That doesn't really seem fair.

well just look at what happened last fight, Crimson Beetle isn't physically beating them down all the time. plus lady noire has that destructive energy– that alone makes her like ten times scarier.

I think it's clear that the reason why she broke the object like she did against pixelator was because she didn't want to use her destructive energy on someone– that's the opposite of being aggressive!

I mean I guess that could be a reason? Doesn't seem "clear" to me though

Why don't you ask her then?

oh man, an interview with the heroes would be amazing! I'm sure that would make my blog explode as well, no one has been able to get more than a few words out of either of them! how hard do you think it would be to score an interview with Crimson Beetle? I mean he does leave pretty quickly after the fights.

guess you'll just have to keep trying and see what happens. I gtg now, I have homework to do.

talk to you soon girl!

Marinette set her phone aside, staring straight ahead for a moment, not quite sure of what to do. Finally she looked down at her ring, fiddling with it. It was a hard pill to swallow, seeing people write things about her like that... but there had only been four akumas at this point! People had barely seen her and Crimson, they were going off of limited information. There was no need for her to overreact or take things personally, she just needed to give it time.

These thoughts didn't reassure her as much as she wanted them to, but still she forced herself to climb down from her loft and retrieve her backpack, pulling out the assignments she needed to complete.

Plagg stared down at her from a corner of her room, gaze unreadable.


"Happy birthday!" Tikki cried in an excited voice, poking his cheek. "You need to wake up, Adrien, it's your birthday!"

Adrien stiffened a yawn, opening his eyes to see a red figure hovering in front of him. He jumped back slightly, startled, and found Tikki grinning down at him. He smiled as he slowly woke up, rolling out of bed. Tikki was literally humming in excitement, darting about the room as he went to get ready for the day.

"How did you sleep?" Tikki asked, following after him.

"Good," he replied, looking for a shirt. "And you?"

"Good too~" She chirped. "I'm so excited, today is your special day! A birthday! We kwamis don't get to celebrate our cycles as often as you guys do. Aren't you excited for your birthday?"

He gave her a small smile. "We'll see. I'm going to hop in the shower, I'll catch you in a little bit."

Tikki frowned as he closed the door, staring at where her chosen had gone. She had been looking forward to his birthday since the moment she had seen it on his schedule, waiting for the chance for Adrien to break from this routine he was forced to live in, which he clearly didn't enjoy. She paced nervously, darting back and forth across his room.

She didn't get to say much by the time he came out, because Nathalie was there to guide him to the dinning room like always. She was tense in Adrien's pocket– because the woman had yet to treat it like today was a special occasion. She knew it was Adrien's birthday, right? She's the one that kept track of the schedules after all!

Tikki sighed in relief when she caught sight of Gabriel Agreste though, a man she had seen very little of in the month she had been with Adrien. But his father was here to eat breakfast with him– which she knew Adrien wanted.

She had no idea what to think as Adrien sat at the other head of the table like usual, a gaping space between father and son. She quivered uncertainly in Adrien's pocket, who laid a reassuring hand over it as he sat. She peered out as much as she dared as a chef brought out Adrien's breakfast, Nathalie standing off to the side near Gabriel.

"Good morning, Father," Adrien said as he began eating.

"Good morning, Adrien," he replied in the same fashion. "I do not have much time today, but I decided to spare several minutes while you eat because of the occasion."

"Thank you, Father," Adrien replied, and Tikki went still in his pocket.

What. In. The. Guardian's. Name?

"As for your request last night, I don't think a... 'birthday party' would be appropriate," Gabriel continued, and this time Adrien was the one who went still. "Birthdays have always been a private affair in this household, and the concept is much too immature for your age anyway."

Adrien swallowed. "I don't want anything fancy or crazy, Father, just some time to hang out with my friends, you know?"

"I said no, Adrien."

"Yes, sir," Adrien muttered, poking at his plate.

"Also your chef has reported that you have been asking for an increase of sweets as of late," Gabriel continued. "Your dietitian has not reported anything strange however, so I believe you are going through another growth spurt– so you will have a meeting with your dietitian tomorrow to adjust your diet. You may order fruit from the kitchen if you wish to satisfy your sweet tooth."

"Yes, sir," he said again.

"Nathalie has your schedule prepared as usual, she will brief you on what will be expected of you in the next few days," Gabriel pushed himself to his feet. "You have no photoshoots scheduled today as per your request, but do not think of it as an excuse to dally on piano practice."

"Yes, sir."

"Goodbye, Adrien," he said, adjusting his jacket. "And happy birthday."

"Faither, wait–" Adrien called as the man went to leave the room, and he paused, turning to look back at his son. "Will... will I see you at dinner tonight?"

"I doubt it."

"Can I... can I eat lunch at school today?" Adrien asked hesitantly, speaking quickly when he was met with silence. "I'll bring lunch from home and stuff, I just want to hang out with my friends. It's my birthday and all..."

"Very well," Gabriel said, and Adrien's face lit up as he left the room.

Nathalie looked at Adrien. "...I will try to see if I can have his schedule cleared for dinner, though it is probably unlikely."

He gave her a small smile. "It's okay, Nathalie. Thank you for trying, though."

Tikki was humming with anger as Arien finished his meal, it being the exact same as it was every morning save for the simple 'happy birthday' Nathalie offered as he headed out the door. Her tension didn't lessen as they got into the limo, biting into the biscuit Adrien had snuck for her with an angry crunch as they drove to school.

His bodyguard, the man Adrien referred to as 'the Gorilla', grunted as he went to step out of the car. Adrien paused, looking back at the man, and he pulled a small wrapped gift from his pocket, offering it to Adrien. He beamed happily as he took it, offering a soft thank you, and the man just merely nodded.

"What did he get you?" Tikki asked in a voice that was trying to be sweet, but she wanted to go back to the mansion and give Adrien's caretakers a piece of her mind.

He unwrapped the small box on his way up to the school. "Pokemon Omega Ruby– awesome."

"That's one of those video games you play, right?" Tikki asked, trying to get a better look at it without coming out of his pocket.

"Yep, and this game isn't supposed to be released until next month. He's always able to get them early– I don't know how," he slipped the game cartridge into his pocket with her. "Watch this for me, will you? I don't want it to get lost."

She clutched the only present he had gotten that day closely, shaking in anger as he went to go meet up with his friends. She had seen the lonely life Adrien had lived in their short time together– but this was beyond what she had expected. Someone's cycle was an important day! His family had no right to push it aside as they did.

"Hey, dude!"

"Hi, Nino!"

She hoped that his friends would be there to pull him through today, as they normally did.


"And he just said no?" Nino said, a slight growl in his voice. "That's not cool, man."

"Guys, really, it's fine," Adrien said awkwardly from his seat, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Fine?" Nino said with a scoff. "Nothing about this is 'fine'! It's your birthday– and you aren't allowed to have a party? That's just a crime."

"Parties aren't Father's thing unless it's a formal event."

"Well it's not like we were planning on inviting him," Alix sneered, arms crossed. "So, does anyone have a plan on sneaking Adrien out of the mansion?"

He jumped. "What?"

"We aren't leaving you hanging," Kim said. "We said we were going to give you a party, so that's the plan. Hey, Max– how hard would it be to get Adrien out of the mansion?"

Before Max could run the calculations there was a clicking of heels Chloe making her way up to the small group surrounding Adrien. "Don't even bother, four-eyes," she said with a sneer. "The security at the mansion is beyond what you could dream of ever getting by. Adrikins has never been allowed friends on his birthday, not even moi. We always had to find another day to get together to celebrate."

"She's right," Adrien said. "I tried asking in hopes that maybe he'd change his mind, but he said no. He did say I could stay for lunch today then, so I can still hang out with you guys."

"There's our solution," Marinette said, pouncing forward. "We're having a party during the lunch break then, I'll call my parents and see if it can be at the bakery and if there's a cake we could serve."

"Wha–" Adrien blinked. "You guys don't need to do that–"

"I have Adrien's favs on a playlist– Max could I borrow one of your good speakers?" Nino called.

"I'll take pictures!" Alya volunteered.

"I have air horns in my locker," Kim said. "No party is complete without some noise."

"I have a few card games in my locker we could play," Alix offered.

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Ugh, I'll put down some euros to make sure we get some proper decorations for his birthday. And yes, I'm coming even if it's at the bakery– I'm his first friend."

Everyone looked at Marinette.

"Of course," Marinette replied. "It's for Adrien's birthday after all– but it's my house so don't you dare pull any of your crap."

"Guys, wait–" Adrien said, standing up. "You guys don't have to go through all this trouble for me, I'll be okay, I promise."

"You're crazy, man," Nino said. "You're getting a proper party whether you want to or not."

"My parents say it's okay!" Marinette said, reading a text from her phone.

"Woo!" Kim shouted. "The party's on!"

Adrien stood there, stunned.


The party wasn't a long one– they only had an hour for their lunch break– though strangely Miss Bustier had let them out early to lunch, and mentioned she might be a bit late afterwards, a smile in her eye as her class headed out the door. Everyone in the class was coming, even those Adrien wasn't that familiar with, like Nathaniel, Max, and a lot of the girls in the class. The only one who hadn't come was Ivan, who darted out the moment they were excused, even as Marinette went to talk to him.

Speaking of Marinette, her parents were amazing.

Sabine was a short woman with kind eyes, who had closed up the bakery in preparation for his sudden party. Adrien hadn't known what to do, even more so when Tom had brought out a cake with his name scrawled across it in blue frosting. He had continuously snuck Tikki bits of the cake while they were eating, and Nino was sure to keep the music blasting at a volume that was a bit louder than what Adrien was used to.

They tried to play some games Alix had brought, but it had mostly descended into talking with the limited amount of time they had. Alix had been more than happy to show off a few tricks and flips, while Rose had led them all into an improv of karaoke with Nino's music. They had to go back to school before presents could be opened (something he hadn't even realized his friends had bothered to get him), but once they made it to class Miss Bustier suddenly remembered she had left her lesson in her office and had taken her sweet time to go get it– leaving those who had bought him a gift to crowd around Adrien's desk to hand them his presents.

It was honestly something he had never experienced before, everyone gathered about close, laughs and chatter echoing through the room. It was like Christmas, but with more energy as he went through each gift.

Nino had gotten Adrien a giant container of bubbles (he had been horrified weeks ago when he had learned that Adrien had never played with bubbles growing up), while Alya had gotten him a big bag of candy that he would need to hide from Father and Nathalie. Kim had given him a basketball signed by himself. Alix had given him an assortment of makeup– which for some reason she seemed pretty confused on when he had genuinely thanked her for it. Nathaniel gave him a sketch of him he had drawn during the party, and Chloe had handed him a small box wrapped with a yellow ribbon.

Everyone pressed a bit closer as he opened Chloe's present, clearly interested– and he wasn't sure if it was from the fact that they weren't used to a gift-giving Chloe, or just because of the potential money she could have put behind it.

Adrien enjoyed the confused stares from his classmates as he pulled out a pinecone, sitting on a little gold stand, his name engraved on it. He just merely laughed, flipping it over, finding his age carved on another side, 'BFF' on the third, and then finally 'also we're going out to lunch Friday' on the final side.

"And so the collection grows,'' he said with a laugh, setting it next to his other gifts.

"Stop staring at me," Chloe snapped as everyone's gazes slipped towards her, clearly in hopes of an explanation.

"What do you expect?" Nino asked. "You gave Adrien a pinecone."

"I picked it up off the ground for Chloe!" Sabrina said excitedly. "She's the one that picked it out."

"It's on a gold stand. It's more expensive than anything you can afford."

"Why did you put a pinecone on a stand in the first place?" Rose asked.

"Because I wasn't just going to give him a pinecone!"

"So why did you give him a pinecone?" Alya asked.

Adrien grinned. "It's a funny story."

"Adrien. No." Chloe growled.

His grin only widened at the glare. "So, it was the day after my sixth birthday, and me and Chloe were hanging out, and I mentioned that it was my birthday yesterday– and she started freaking out on me," his voice shifted to a higher pitch. "'How dare you not invite me? How could I miss your party? I thought we were best friends! You're not invited to my birthday party!'"

"I did not sound like that," Chloe said with a huff. "But he told me that his father didn't let him invite people outside of his family to birthdays, and obviously I couldn't let that slide,"

"But Chloe being Chloe felt that she had to get me a gift right then," Adrien said with a smirk. "We were out in the hotel gardens, and so she picks the first thing off of the ground that she saw– and I'll give you two guesses on what it was."

"I was five!" Chloe said with a huff.

Adrien was trying to hold back a laugh. "She told me it was a 'great and magical pinecone', and that I should be honored she was giving it to me. So of course I treasured that gift, and wanted to return the favor– so Mom helped me to find a 'magical' acorn that I gave to her on her birthday– and it's been tradition ever since. Pinecones and acorns," he looked up at Chloe. "Though I noticed you're going more and more extravagant each year."

"I'm not just going to give you a plain pinecone."

"Too bad~" Adrien said, picking up the golden stand with the pinecone. "I'm going to treasure this forever."

"I bet you half of your fangirls would faint if they realized you were just a big dork."

"If it would get them off my back then sign me up!"

"Like I'd ruin your reputation," Chloe said briskly. "Like you're doing with mine right now going off about silly pinecones."

"Because we already had such a high opinion of you," Alya said dryly.

"We can't forget about Marinette's gift," Mylene said, pointing to the blue package that had yet to be open. "Hers are great."

"Bet you hers doesn't have any gold in it," Chloe muttered.

"Bet you hers doesn't feature a pinecone," Alix said, earning a laugh from among the class.

"Thank you," he said as Marinette handed him the package, which was tied up in a pink ribbon. The package was soft, suggesting some sort of cloth inside, and he ripped open the paper to find a bundle of blue.

Adrien pulled out a scarf, which had carefully been knitted out of a light blue yarn. He smiled as he held it up, recognizing the quality of the stitching right off. He wrapped it around his neck, and even though it was pretty warm in the school, the autumn chill was starting to set in outside.

"Thanks, Marinette," he said brightly. "Where did you get this? It's really nice."

She smiled, shifting slightly. "Um, actually I made it myself."

He paused. "You made this? For me?"

"Of course," she beamed. "My mom says homemade gifts are the best ones, and I notice you really only wear your father's brand, and while it is nice I thought you might want to switch it up a bit."

He touched the scarf once more, feeling touched. He got clothes often, all of them tailored to fit him perfectly– and yet she had taken the time to make this just for him. Not for a shoot, not for his professional appearance, and not because she was getting paid– she had made it for him with him in mind.

"Thank you Marinette," he said softly, his face feeling warm. "It's really nice, do you knit a lot?"

"Not too much, I'm more into design and sewing and stuff," she replied.

"Well, my father has a hat competition coming up," Adrien said, running his fingers across the stitches. "For our age group too; you should enter."

"Well, I'm definitely going to enter," she said with a smile, and Adrien couldn't help but look at her for a moment.

She just looked so... happy. He didn't know how else to describe it, but just the simple joy on her face made him feel so warm. Perhaps it was the fact that she smiled so freely, each one genuine– it was something that had been missing from his home ever since...

"Someone's got it bad," Nino muttered with a knowing smirk as they all returned to their seats, Miss Bustier having come back. Adrien flushed slightly in reply, scarf still firmly around his neck, his other gifts lying on his desk.


Nobody was there to greet him as he went inside the mansion, so Tikki was free to float by his side as they went up to his room. Adrien didn't say much, his scarf around his neck and the rest of his gifts tucked into his school bag as he went up the steps. The first thing he did was stuff the bag of Alya's candy into a cupboard where hopefully no one would find it, before laying out his other gifts, smiling happily at them. Chloe's pinecone joined the shelf of her other birthday gifts from over the years, each one featuring something more, but this one was clearly the most expensive.

It took some time for him to find places for his other gifts, most of them ending up tucked away out of sight, and Tikki bristled. This may have been his room, but there were expectations for how it was supposed to look– though it was rare that anyone outside of himself was in here. She watched as Adrien smiled down at the sketch that Nathaniel had given him, before sliding it among his many books with a sigh. Tikki wondered if he even had any say when it came to the decor in his room.

"I have a gift for you too, Adrien," Tikki said, fluttering above him.

"Really?" He said, looking up at her hopefully.

Tikki spun about in the air, letting out a small hum as she danced a dance she had done many times before. She felt an energy building up inside her, and as she did one more twist she dove towards Adrien, spitting into his hand as he jumped back in surprise. She wiped her mouth, looking down at him happily, her glowing spittle hardening into his hand.

"It's a Kwagatama!" She said proudly as it slowly solidified into a jewel. "It's a gift we kwamis give to our good holders on special occasions– happy birthday, Adrien!"

Adrien brought the little kwami into a fierce hug. "Thank you, Tikki, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

She nuzzled his cheek. "You're a wonderful Ladybug, Adrien."

They held each other for a minute, and when Adrien did pull away it was only to take a closer look at the Kwagatama. Tikki watched as he looked over it carefully, looking the happiest she had seen him in weeks. Her antennae drooped slightly at this– because the only reason his birthday had been any different from another day had been because of his friends.

"Adrien," Tikki said, and he looked up at her. "You know how I said that the Miraculous shouldn't be used for personal gain?"

He paused. "Have I been using it that way? I'm sorry, Tikki, I'll be more careful–"

"You didn't let me finish, silly," Tikki said, smiling. "What I was saying is that the Miraculous shouldn't be used selfishly, for personal gain– but that doesn't mean you can't use it at all. If you ever need to get out of the house, go for a run across rooftops, don't hesitate."

He hesitated. "But you said that wasn't right–"

"Using it selfishly isn't right," she corrected. "But I don't think trying to live a good life is selfish. If you want to know what's really wrong it's how you're treated in this place you call home," she drifted in close. "You have the right to enjoy life, Adrien, don't you forget that. Stay close to your friends– they know what's good for you."

She let out a small yelp of surprise as she was suddenly brought into another hug, before humming as she nuzzled up against him once more.

It took a bit longer for Adrien and Tikki to notice the small package that had been left on his bed, a simple white box with a silver bow. Adrien frowned as he picked it up, no note of any kind on it as he slid open the small box. Tikki peered down at the pin resting inside– thin and golden, in the shape of a flower. It was simple, but pretty– though Adrien gasped when he saw it.

He scooped it up, shaking as he clutched it close. Tikki watched in worry as she found her holder crying– tears pouring down his face, and panic rose in her.

"Adrien?" She cried, zipping about him. "Adrien?"

He looked up at her, green eyes glossy. "This was my mother's," he whispered. "She would always wear this."

"Oh Adrien..." she said softly, as he clutched the flower pin to his chest once more.