No matter how hard Plagg tried, he just couldn't make Adrien see reason. They had spent the whole night arguing before his chosen finally shut him down. And now, the boy outright refused to talk to him.

"Erase her memories?! Plagg, you can't be serious!"

It wasn't as if Plagg didn't get it. They were still so young and just now discovering something special between them. He hated having to destroy that. And he liked Luna. Sure, he might've been wary of her at first, but he could tell she was a good kid. And a good match for his chosen. But Adrien's duties as Chat Noir needed to come first.

"We have to, kid. We can't risk Hawkmoth finding you."

"Plagg, that's... That's just not fair!"

"When has life ever been fair?!"

If there was another option, he'd have suggested it. Plagg hated seeing his kittens break. Matters of the heart were never his strong suit. It was clear he was going to need some help in this. So when the kid was in the middle of his redo photoshoot, Plagg took advantage of the opportunity.

He peeked out of Adrien's duffel bag and looked about. Sure enough, he was in the kid's dressing room with no one in sight. Plagg tentatively emerged into the room. He spied a skylight up above and shot up towards it, phasing through the glass. From there, he beelined it straight for Adrien's school, and towards possibly the only voice of reason the kid would listen to.

"Look, I know this is hard-"

"How could you possibly know!?"

Plagg hid atop the lockers and waited. The bell rang, and soon the halls were a flurry of movement. The kwami watched as they all passed by, face after face, searching for the one he needed. Finally, his eyes landed on a familiar set of pigtails. He waited for a chance to approach, but it felt like ages before the girl he was after broke away from her friends. Longer still before she was alone. Plagg followed her into the girl's bathroom and patiently waited outside her stall.

"Kid-"

"No, Plagg! I'm not going to destroy one of the best parts of my life! You can't make me do it!

As soon as she came out, her blue eyes widened at the sight of him.

"Wha..."

"Hey," the little cat said. "We need to talk."

"You're not giving me much choice."

Adrien rubbed his face. Now that the shoot was finally over, his thoughts were back on his fight with Plagg. It wasn't fair. He'd just started realizing just how much Luna meant to him, and the damned cat wanted to take that away. As if he'd just accept that! Didn't life beat him down enough as is?!

The model finished changing and emerged from his dressing room. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he almost didn't notice the girl standing on the other side of the door. Green eyes met blue, and Adrien blinked in surprise.

"Luna?" he asked. He almost didn't recognize her beneath the black ball cap she was wearing. "What are... Why are you here?"

Luna rubbed at her arm. "I need to talk to you."

"What do you..." He almost missed it. That soft green glow coming from within Luna's black duffel bag. But the more he focused on it, the more it resembled a pair of eyes he knew all too well. At least Plagg had the decency to look guilty.

Adrien looked back at the thief, trying to bite back the anger that came forth. His knuckles turned white from the death-grip he had on his bag. Why? Just why?!

"I won't do it."

Luna sighed. "Adrien-"

"No, Luna. I can't just..." He noticed a few people stopping to watch them. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he took a deep breath. "Can this wait? We've got class, and how'd you even get here, anyway?"

"I drove," she said, flatly. "And I think this is a little more important than school."

Adrien ran a hand through his hair and looked about. He spotted the gorilla waiting for him just down the hall. His back was towards the teens, but it was only a matter of time before he came searching for his charge. "I'll need to ditch my bodyguard, then."

Luna peeked over her shoulder at the towering man. "Need a distraction?"

"Would be useful."

"Alright then. Wait here."

Adrien frowned as she walked off and disappeared into the crowd. A couple minutes later, Luna came back and took his hand.

"Stay close to me," she told him, dragging him away.

"Wait, why? What did you-"

A loud bang cut him off, followed by a siren that barely drowned out a chorus of screams. Adrien whipped his head around to see a stream of black smoke rising to the ceiling. He gawked at it, mouth hung open.

"Luna, what the hell?!"

"It's a smoke bomb. Comepletely harmless."

Panic ran throughout the building, which soon led to everyone inside making a break for the exits. Luna tsked.

"Can't say the same for this crowd. We need to get moving!"

Before he could protest, Adrien found himself being dragged into the mass of people. Hands, shoulders, and elbows rammed into him more than once. All the while, he kept a deathgrip on Luna's hand. She led him out of the chaos and towards a neon blue, two-seated motorcycle. Adrien frowned.

"You can't be serious."

Luna took one of the helmets and pushed it into his arms. "You said you wanted to ditch the muscle."

"Yeah, but a motorbike? Where did you even get this thing?"

She gave him a smirk as mischief danced in her eyes. "That's a stupid question and you know it."

Strapping on her own helmet, Luna mounted the bike and stood to let the model on behind her. Adrien took one more look at the machine before shaking his head and climbing on.

"You're gonna wanna keep your body aligned with mine," she told him. "If you lean too far, it'll throw off the weight."

"Got it." He slid his arms around her petite waist and pressed into her.

"And don't be so tense. I know what I'm doing."

Adrien tried to let his body relax. "Right. I know that."

Luna snickered as she started up the engine. The bike roared to life, sending a deep vibration into the boy's chest. A giddy grin spread across Adrien's face. Even if it did make him nervous, he couldn't help but be excited. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his bodyguard emerge from the studio. A look of horror hit the gorilla before shifting to pure rage. Adrien blanched.

"Luna..."

The thief looked at the bodyguard and grinned before popping down her visor. "Hold onto your underwear, pretty boy!"

"My what?"

Luna gunned it just as the bodyguard began to charge for them. Dirt flew as they took off, and before they knew it, the teens had left the poor man eating their dust. A curse passed through the hero's lips as he jerked back. He tightened his hold on Luna's waist while she laughed. And despite his reaction, Adrien found himself grinning along with her. Wind whipped at his face and stung his eyes, but he didn't care. This was amazing! His heart pounded from the rush of adrenaline and the little bit of dread in his stomach.

His dad was going to kill him, later. That thought scared and thrilled him.

Luna weaved through the streets like an expert, taking them outside the city limits. Buildings and houses gave way to trees and valleys, and the scent of fresh air clung to the wind. Adrien became all too aware of the girl in front of him. He had his chest to her back, and her warmth was calming. It was just a small bit of intimacy; something he hadn't realize he needed.

It wasn't until they reached an old abandoned shed that they finally came to a stop. Luna killed the engine, and the two dismounted. As she set to work hiding the bike, Adrien took in the beauty around them. He couldn't make out his city among the trees, which was a bit of a shock to him. The quiet sounds of nature were a vast difference from Paris' hum of life and movement. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Feels good, doesn't it?"

Adrien blinked at the girl, shaken from his trance. "Huh?"

"Being out of the city," Luna said. "It's nice."

"Technically, we're not outside of Paris. This is just a rural outskirt."

She rolled her eyes. "You know what I meant."

Adrien chuckled. "Yeah, you're right. It's nice."

She smiled at him. "I always loved places like this. Every year, my family would meet up in the Maine mountainside. We'd go hiking, swimming. Skiing, if we happened to meet up in the winter." She looked up at the sky. "We'd mostly meet in the summer, and sometimes we'd camp out under the stars. There were always so many. You don't get to see that in the city."

Adrien watched her, mesmerized. He didn't know how he couldn't see it before, but she really was beautiful. Her eyes turned back to him and held his. For a moment, neither one spoke. They didn't need to. That one look said so much, held so much weight that words just felt meaningless. The tension between them was suffocating. Painfully so. Adrien's chest ached as she finally looked away. He balled his fists.

"You really agree with him." He didn't mean for his words to have such a bite to them. Still, Luna seemed to take it in stride. She rubbed at her arm as she spoke.

"If you actually gave it some thought, you would too."

"How can you say that?" Adrien snapped. "Luna, how can you entertain the idea of losing a chunk of your memories?"

She sighed, looking at her feet. "Believe me, kitten, there's a lot I wish I could forget."

"And I guess I'm one of those things, then."

Luna groaned in exasperation. "No, of course not!"

"Then, why?! How can you be okay with this?!"

"Because Plagg's right! I'm a danger to you! A risk you can't afford to take!"

"We don't know that!"

Plagg zipped up to face his chosen, ears back. "Kid, listen to her!"

"Shut up, Plagg!" Adrien snapped. He gave the kwami a smoldering glare. "No one asked you!"

"Kitten..." Luna groaned in frustration. "You have to look at the bigger picture, here."

"What bigger picture?!"

"Paris! Your duties as Chat! That's what's important right now!"

"Luna, you are just as important to me! I shouldn't have to choose between you and Paris!"

"What other choice do we have?!"

"We'll think of something! I mean, whose to say Hawkmoth is even gonna come after you, again?"

"The akuma was never purified! You told me what happens if we let that go!"

"That was days ago! If the stupid thing was multiplying, we'd see the damage by now!" Adrien rubbed his temple as he thought. "You said you fought him off, right? Maybe it didn't have time to attach itself to you. It might not come back at all!"

"What if it does?!" Luna shook. "What if Hawkmoth's just waiting for me to break down, again?! We can't just trust that I can deny him! I don't even know how I managed to do it in the first place!"

Adrien grabbed her shoulders. "Then let me protect you!"

She shoved him away. "You can't protect me from him! When have you ever prevented an akuma from possessing someone before?!"

"At least let me try! Luna, you're asking me to destroy one of the best things that's ever happened to me." He cupped her cheek. "I just started falling in love with you. I can't throw that away, now."

Luna touched his hand, trying to fight back her tears. "I am not worth it, kitten. Trust me."

"Luna..."

She shook her head. "Adrien, you have a responsibility to protect all of Paris, no matter what the cost is. You chose to be Chat. Heroes don't get to be selfish."

"But I guess thieves do." The words were far more bitter than he meant them to be.

Luna bristled. "I am not the one being selfish, here."

"Oh, right! Of course not!" Adrien threw up his hands. "I'm the one being unreasonable because I don't want to lose you!"

"I'm not going anywhere!"

"That's not what I mean, and you fucking know it!"

"Stop being a goddamn child!" Luna hated how her voice broke. She hated that she was shaking right now. She needed to hold herself together. One of them had to be the voice of reason. She couldn't let herself break down, now.

Adrien gripped his hair and closed his eyes. Taking deep, long breaths, he tried to pull his anger back under control. He'd sworn he wasn't going to do this to her again. Yet, here they were. But, who could really blame him? He wanted so badly just to scream. The need to do so made his voice hoarse when he spoke again.

"You know, just once I'd like to have some sort of control over my life." He looked at the girl, eyes pleading. "Just one little spark of happiness I can hold onto. Is that really too much to ask for?"

Luna wiped at her tears and hugged herself. "I don't know, kitten..."

Adrien's vision blurred. He didn't bother trying to wipe away his own tears. Instead, he let them stain his face as he tentatively reached for Luna's hand. When she didn't shrink away from his touch, he pulled her into his arms.

"It's not fair, Luna." His throat was tight, nearly making him choke on the words.

"You think I don't know that?" Even as she spoke, the girl wrapped her arms around him. "I don't want to lose you, either."

Adrien pulled away just enough to look at her. "Then let's find another way."

"What other way?" Luna sniffed. "Adrien, we don't have a choice here."

"There's always a choice."

"Not always, kitten."

Adrien ground his teeth. "I can't just accept this."

"I know... I'm sorry..." She stared up at him for a moment. "Do you really think I'd want to hurt you?"

Adrien sighed. "No. I just... I love you."

Luna looked away in shame. "I wish you didn't," she whispered.

Adrien closed his eyes. His chest ached. Even now, while she was in his arms, he could feel Luna retreating behind her wall. She was shutting him out. And it hurt like hell. He laid a gentle kiss on her temple.

"It doesn't change the fact that I do," he told her.

Luna sighed, burying her face in his chest. "Well, you're an idiot."

He grinned. "I could be your idiot, though."

Her only response was a hum, which made Adrien smile even more. They held each other for what seemed like ages. As the sun began to set, the pair found themselves walking hand-in-hand down a dirt path. Plagg managed to get his chosen's forgiveness and was now resting on his shoulder. Adrien stroked the kwami's head, absentmindedly.

"You're not gonna budge on this, are you?" he asked.

"It's the right thing to do," Luna told him.

"It sucks." Adrien ran his thumb over her knuckle. "Why can't there be a better option?"

"Short of you giving up your powers, I don't see how there is." She didn't miss the little flicker in his eye. "You're not actually considering that."

Adrien shrugged. "Why not? I mean, it could solve everything."

"By giving up a chunk of who you are?"

"How's it any different than us erasing your memories?"

Luna opened her mouth only to hesitate. She took a deep breath. "Adrien, I know how much Chat means to you. I couldn't ask you to give up your freedom for me."

The blond sighed. He really couldn't argue with that.

"And, it wouldn't even fix everything," Luna continued. "We'd have to convince Ladybug to do the same thing."

Adrien stopped dead in his tracks. "Wait, what?"

The thief bit her lip. "Yeah, guess I forgot to mention that."

"How do you forget something like that?"

"Sorry if I was a bit preoccupied at the time. I wasn't planning on telling you, anyway."

"Why the hell not?!"

"Because it's not my place, Adrien. You two need to figure it out for yourselves."

The model gritted his teeth. It was one thing if it was just him, but if Luna knew who Ladybug was, too... That was a whole new mess. He rubbed his neck as he thought of what to say next.

"...How long have you known."

Luna scratched her brow. "I found out during all the opera bullshit. Just happened to be in the right place at the wrong time."

Adrien couldn't help but laugh. "Of course you were."

She looked at their still joined hands. "...She was jealous, you know."

"Jealous?" he asked with a frown.

"About the kiss. I overheard her talking to her kwami about it. Timi, or something?"

"You mean Tikki?" Plagg asked.

"Yeah, that sounds about right."

Adrien thought it over. "Jealous, huh? That's pretty hard to believe."

Luna tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "Is it, though? I mean the whole secret identity thing could be the only reason she hasn't given you the time of day. Maybe she just doesn't want to admit she likes you."

Adrien wasn't really sure what to do with that information. If he'd known a few days ago, he might have been ecstatic. Now, though... He wasn't sure how he felt about it.

"Maybe," he muttered.

"So, maybe you still have a chance with her?"

"What? Why would I..."

Luna hesitated to look at him. "... Because you still love her."

Adrien stared into her deep blue eyes. Did he? A small part of him still said yes, but it was much duller than before. He pursed his lips.

"I love you, more," he said. And he meant it.

Luna shook her head. "No, kitten. I'm just what's easier right now."

"That's not true."

"You've loved her for over a year. And the way looked at her the other night..." She stared at the ground. "Feelings like that don't just go away. The only reason you're interested in me is because you think she's unobtainable. I'm just the consolation prize."

"No, you're not." He caressed her cheek. "We wouldn't be here right now if that was at all true."

She refused to look at him. Adrien guided her face towards him, bringing his forehead against hers.

"You have never been second best to me, Luna. Ladybug has nothing to do with this. I love you because of who you are. So please, don't think less of yourself."

A soft blush colored her cheeks as she tsked at him. "Do you have to be so charming?"

"Would you love me if I was anything less?" he asked with a cheshire grin.

Luna giggled. "You're terrible."

Adrien hummed, rubbing their noses together. "Luna, don't ever doubt how much you mean to me."

Her heart skipped as their lips brushed. She was so tempted to pull him down and taste him. Her fingers curled around the collar of his shirt with the very thought. She felt his hand slide across the small of her back, and she let him press their bodies together. Fear crept into her stomach, but his gentle touch kept her from pulling away. It scared her how much she trusted him. How easy it was to let him in. No matter how much she tried to fight and deny it, she knew she was falling for him. It was absurd. They were a disaster in the making. Yet, she wanted so badly to pretend they weren't going to end up hurting each other. Luna closed her eyes and, against her better judgement, waited for the kiss to come.

Adrien's phone chose that exact moment to start ringing. The teens blinked at one another before pulling apart. Digging into his pocket, Adrien fished out the offending device and read the screen.

"Son of a bitch," he said under his breath.

"What?"

"It's my dad. I am so screwed."

Luna groaned. "You've gotta be fucking kidding me." Before he could stop her, she grabbed the phone out of Adrien's hand and chucked it into the trees.

"Wha- Luna!" the boy said with a glare.

"Your old man can wait to tear you a new one," she said before grabbing his collar again. "You need to finish what you started, pretty boy."

A goofy little grin found its place on Adrien's face. "You sure?"

"Shut up and kiss me, already."

"Well, since you put it that way."

The world vanished as their lips met. And this time around, not even Plagg's disgusted grumbling could ruin the mood for them.

Guys, I need you all to very calmly put down the torches and pitchforks. I know a good deal of you are pissed, right now. I fully expected and accept that rage. I've said time and time again that this might not end well. For me, a satisfying ending isn't always a happy one. I'm sorry for that.

I will say this: there is a sequel coming. Just because I'm ending this book on a bad note doesn't mean I'm leaving it there. There are too many loose ends that I can't tie up just yet. So, please. Bear with me on this. I am not done writing by a long shot.

Also, sorry for the impromptu hiatus. Life decided to screw me over so my muse was shot for a bit. I'll keep from making anymore promises about upload times.

Tin Man: I wouldn't say I scrapped it. At least not entirely. These characters are still very young and haven't fully developed what love means to them yet. We could even argue that Adrien isn't really in love with Luna, either. Think about it. In the span of fourty plus chapters, the timeline isn't much more than a few weeks. That's how long they've known each other. There isn't much time to actually grow that deep a connection, is there?

Sophie: Don't know how to tell you this, but Luna is one of the main characters here. And it's not as though I'm just mashing her and Adrien together. I don't believe in love at first sight. Having a relationship requires a deep connection that you don't get from just one or two meetings. As great as the love square is, it's based almost entirely on the concept of love at first sight. To make matters worse, both Marinette and Adrien are only interested in one part of each other to the point that they're blind. They are infatuated, not in love.

The rest of you more or less said the same thing, which I already addressed, so yeah. Thank you all for patience, and I hope to see you soon.

Playlist:

Kyouran Hey Kids- The Oral Cigarettes

Clarity- Zedd Feat. Foxes

Unravel (Violin Cover)- Sefa Emre İlikli

Go Your Own Way- Fleetwood Mac

White Reflection- Two-Mix