Sneak a Peek: Sometimes you have to break the rules

*Author's note*

So sorry for the long break between chapters! I almost gave up on this fic, but your reviews and comments kept me going!

Longest chapter yet, at 22 pages and ~8000 words!

Xoxo,

Bunnie

Chapter 6

The next several days were painful and depressing for Adrien.

Unsurprisingly, he frequently overheard Alya and Marinette chatting about the double date they had enjoyed the previous weekend and the upcoming concert that Luka had invited Marinette to.

Even worse were the times he spent with his Lady during akuma attacks. Ladybug had been the only person he could truly be himself around, but since that night on the balcony he felt awkward and unsure of himself around her. Her rejection had hurt, although he hadn't been surprised by it, he admitted. Now, his puns were stale and her laughter was obviously forced with a polite smile.

In a matter of days he had been rejected by two girls; one he hadn't realized he had fallen for until it was too late.

Now, his only means of escape and freedom - running alongside Ladybug - was ruined.

Plagg, to his credit, was trying to help by distracting Adrien with encouraged nights out alone as Chat Noir.

"Just go for a run," he would say, in his small nasally voice. "I know it always helps to clear your head."

He tried to encourage Adrien with regular pep talks, but most of his good-intentioned musings ended with stab-to-the-gut phrases like:

"Luka's not that good looking."

"They went out again?"

"She did say she was over you."

Or his least favorite, "Ladybug's not that great."

While he agreed with Plagg's other sentiments, this statement had him frequently biting his tongue. He wanted to roll his eyes or complain that, no! Ladybug is that great. She's amazing.

'But no,' he thought as he spun around in his computer chair to face Plagg. The kwami was breathless in one of his inspirational ramblings as he pigged out on a plate of different cheeses. 'I'm getting over her.' He ran a hand through his hair.

"Weren't you trying to get over her?" Plagg said around a gobble of cheese, almost as if he had read Adrien's mind.

The teenager winced as the word's sharp edges cut into his chest.

"Yes," he said in a drawn out groan. "I was. I am!" He amended.

"Both of them?" Plagg asked, raising one of his tiny eyebrows.

"Yes, Plagg!" He whined. His eyes landed on the small Ladybug figurine resting on his bookshelf. To prove his point, he grabbed it and threw it into the trashcan by his desk. "Yes, both of them."

He made a mental note to remove the figure later that night when Plagg was asleep.

Plagg finished his last bite of camembert, having saved his favorite type of cheese for last, and floated over to rest on Adrien's knee. He tapped soothingly on his friend's leg. "I'm sorry, Kid. I know it's hard. I can't begin to tell you the number of times I've tried to get over Tikki."

Adrien nodded, choosing to stay silent. His kwami friend had talked about his painful past with Tikki and their previous users. He knew that, through their shared feelings and emotions, Plagg was his biggest supporter.

"Maybe you could go talk to the Master about it?" Plagg offered. "He always has the best advice. And even if he doesn't," he added when he saw Adrien's face, his mouth twisted to the side in skepticism. "He's a great listener and makes delicious tea."

Adrien quirked a small sideways smile and asked, "Is it cheese flavored?"

Plagg laughed, "I wish!" He gave Adrien's leg another tender pat before floating up into the air. "How about it, Adrien. I can show you how to get to the Master's tea house."

Adrien thought about it. For weeks now Master Fu had been meeting him to discuss the miraculouses and their history under the guise of private chinese lessons, but it was always in the Agreste manor. The Master had always been very forthright when answering Adrien's many questions and yet refused to divulged the location of his shop.

"Are you sure he'd be okay with that?" He asked the kwami skeptically. "He's never invited me there before."

Plagg brushed him off with a wave of his paw. "So what if the Master never wanted Keepers in his shop? Look at Ladybug!" Plagg poked Adrien in the forehead, "You and I both know she goes there all the time. So why can't we?"

Adrien scratched the back of his head as he averted his eyes from Plagg's bright green ones. "Well, I just figured those were emergencies."

"And this isn't?" Plagg shouted, lifting his tiny arms toward the ceiling in frustration. "C'mon! Let's go! Master Fu will understand."

Adrien looked up from the floor feeling unsure of himself and his kwami's decision making capabilities. "I don't know, Plagg." He let out a long sigh, his breath touseling his bangs and slightly ruffling Plagg's long whiskers. Of course he wanted to go. He enjoyed speaking with Master Fu and he felt comfortable confiding his romantic misadventures to him. Especially knowing that the ladybug and black cat kwami users were frequently romantically involved. "I don't want to intrude."

Again, Plagg let out a short psh sound as he flew to the large window and unlatched it. "I'll explain everything to him, don't worry, Kid."

"Claws?" Adrien asked. When Plagg shook his head in the negative, Adrien nodded and pulled part of his button-up shirt away from his body. The small kwami zipped into the space next to Adrien's rib cage, in between the two shirts; the usual hiding place for the cat-like creature.

"We'll need to go undisguised for now." Plagg said, his voice muffled slightly. "It'd be a little strange to see Chat Noir entering a tiny tea shop, no?"

"Right," Adrien nodded. He carefully climbed onto his desk, out the window, shimmied across the narrow ledge, leapt to the brick wall, and finally landed easily onto the empty sidewalk outside his family's estate. "Tell me the way, Plagg."

He hoped talking to Master Fu would help to put him at ease and to help him move on from the two girls in his life. The two which held tightly to the ends of the tangled knot in his gut.

When the two of them first arrived at the small, nondescript tea shop, Master Fu was just escorting a customer out of the thin front door. His eyes widened slightly when he saw Adrien, but he beckoned him in with a large smile nonetheless.

Master Fu began rolling up a thin yoga mat and collected a series of thin acupuncture needles, which he slid safely into a small jar and placed onto a tall bookshelf.

"So," he started, not unkindly, as he was putting the various materials away. "I take it this was Plagg's idea?"

No sooner had he began talking than the aforementioned kwami zoomed out of his hiding place and began zipping around the room, affirming that, "Yes, it was my idea."

Adrien smiled shyly and apologized for disrupting the Master's privacy. "I thought you ran a tea shop?" He asked politely, gesturing to the yoga mat.

Master Fu laughed gently as he put away the last of his trade and motioned for Adrien to join him on the floor mat.

"Ah," Master Fu said with a smile. "That gentleman is a regular here for weekly acupuncture treatments. Others come for massage, essential oils, eastern medicine, and yes, tea."

Adrien nodded politely as he took in the room. It looked as if he had stepped off the streets of Paris right into the Orient. Several wooden cabinets lined the walls, each with beautifully painted gold panels. Atop one sat a small gong with an intricate mortar and pestle next to it.

'Probably for tinctures,' Adrien thought.

On another sat a large, ornately carved phonograph, covered in what appeared to be Chinese characters.

More yoga mats, pillows, and futons were stacked along another wall, evidence of his massages and acupuncture practice.

"Jack of all trades and master of none, sir?" Adrien asked with a smile.

Master Fu laughed heartily at this, "You got it, my boy. When you get to be my age, you learn what people need."

"And why not profit from it, right?" Plagg asked loudly as he returned to the room - from where, Adrien had no idea - and landed softly in front of Master Fu, who in turn began scratching him under the chin.

"So what brings you in, Adrien?" Master Fu asked finally. "Everything is alright, I hope?"

Adrien closed his eyes and took a shaky breath, gathering his nerves and his thoughts.

Master Fu and Adrien's conversation flowed easily and lasted throughout the day. Just as Plagg had said, the Master was receptive to Adrien's feelings and reassured him that what he was going through was normal. Not only was he following in the footsteps of his Miraculous predecessor, but he was experiencing life as a true teenager. Master Fu advised him that to get over Ladybug or Marinette would be a mistake, but to instead embrace his feelings, the good and the bad. To accept them was to experience life.

Master Fu pointed out that while Adrien felt as if he were drowning and hopeless, he was actually thriving. He remarked that Adrien recognized his emotions, instead of shutting them inside. Rather than passing blame and anger toward Marinette or Ladybug for their rejections, Adrien acknowledged their feelings and his blind mistakes. He had continued to chase after Ladybug, even though she never reciprocated his flirtations. Marinette had been fawning over him for years, but he was blinded by his adoration for Ladybug to even notice.

He hadn't just let himself down, he had let Marinette down too. He had probably been making Ladybug feel uncomfortable this entire time and hadn't noticed.

"These feelings," Master Fu was saying, "will help you to grow. They will help you through life. I am most impressed in the maturity you have displayed in your concern for the two young women's feelings and not just your own."

Adrien's neck grew hot with embarrassment and he rubbed at it subconsciously. "Thank you, Master. When I think about it, both Marinette and Ladybug were my first real friends outside of Chloe and my house and my father's control. I hope I didn't ruin anything."

Master Fu shook his head and smiled. "No, I don't think you did. You can use this experience to learn. It's not something you're likely to repeat, am I right?"

Adrien shook his head slightly and returned the older man's smile. "No, sir. I'll pay closer attention to my friend's feelings and I won't act on my impulses either."

Master Fu twitched his mouth in thought. "Well, that's a start, my boy. You're on your way. After all, you fight the hardest for what is most important to you."

Adrien smiled and nodded. He gently rubbed at Plagg's ears, who had curled into his lap hours earlier and was now stirring into wakefulness. The sun was beginning to set and long shadows were stretching across the room.

Master Fu stood up and began to clear the tea tray and cups. Adrien started to move to help, when he noticed something small on the other side of the room, embedded in the rug and glinting in the setting sunlight. Adrien gently placed Plagg down, who was rubbing his eyes sleepily, and reached to pick up the glittering gem. It looked like a small glass-like rhinestone.

"Some of mine have fallen off…"

Her small voice shot through his mind.

"I put these on myself."

"My mom and I glued them on…"

He remembered her fingers as they gently ran over the rhinestones on her Gabriel shoes; rhinestones were missing in some places.

Small, glass-like rhinestones.

"Master," Adrien called suddenly, his dry mouth making his voice sound cracked and raspy. He held onto the rhinestone tightly as he quickly stooped to help pick up the trays and plates and walked into the small kitchen.

Master Fu was just turning away from the sink, his eyebrows raised. "Yes, my boy?"

Adrien set the tray down gently and showed Master Fu the rhinestone. "Master, I found this on your floor just now. Does it belong to you?"

Master Fu looked at it and stroked his chin. "Hmm," he said slowly, "I don't believe I own anything, er, quite so decorative. Perhaps it came from one of my customers?"

Adrien looked at the rhinestone again placed it into his jeans pocket. He shook his head to clear his mind. "By any chance, is Marinette one of your customers? She has stones just like these on her shoes."

Master Fu smiled kindly and reached to place a soothing hand on the teenager's shoulder. "Adrien, remember what we talked about. Use your courage and emotions to reflect on what happened between you and that young lady. Don't let your imagination run so wild you can't catch up. That decoration could belong to anybody."

Adrien nodded and let out a slow breath. "Thanks, Master Fu." He hugged the smaller man and made his way to the front door. "Thanks for everything."

"Fanks Maffer!" Plagg said happily as he phazed through the fridge door, his mouth full of what Adrien could only assume was cheese. Plagg swallowed loudly and waved at the old man before zooming into his safe spot under Adrien's shirt. "C'mon, Kid! Let's head home."

Adrien waved one last time at Master Fu as the door clicked softly closed behind him. He was happy Plagg's mouth was full of cheese, as Adrien was too lost in thought to talk. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, his finger and thumb pinching the rhinestone tightly. He knew the Master was right. If he let his imagination get away from him, he'd only get his hopes up. Everything that had happened in the last few weeks, all of his sadness and frustration and anxiety over Marinette and Ladybug, would have been for nothing. He wouldn't have learned from his experiences, like the Master said. He wouldn't have grown.

He was about to turn the corner onto a busy street, heading back towards his home, when he heard a familiar sound enter the small street from behind him. He quickly dove into a small alcove and peered around the corner, toward the sound of the laughter. It was a small, thin girl, walking alone.

As she approached the door he had just exited, the light from Master Fu's tea shop spilled out and illuminated the raven pigtails and bright blue eyes.

"Marinette?" Adrien whispered in confusion, as she greeted Master Fu and disappeared inside. "She does go to his shop!"

His grip on the rhinestone slackened as he accepted that it was her rhinestone afterall. Her mother was Chinese, so it made sense if her and her family were customers.

He was about to walk back toward the busy street, and back toward his house, but his feet wouldn't cooperate. Instead, they stood cemented to the ground.

There was something about the quick glimpse he had of Marinette as she stood outside of the door. For the split second that she was half hidden in the dusk and half illuminated by the shop's lights, she had looked like...

"Ladybug," he whispered. His feet finally moved, but they were moving toward the shop. His mind was racing now. His eyes had caught on the glimpse of her hairstyle, the flash of her blue eyes, and the sparkle of her earrings. She had looked like Ladybug.

He knew Marinette was a fan of the superheroine and tried to remind himself that she was just following the latest trend in Ladybug fashion.

But his feet wouldn't stop.

He found himself crouched below Master Fu's window. It was cracked open slightly, to allow the warm night air in. He could hear them talking inside; Master Fu was complimenting her on her macarons.

"Oh, they're delicious, Master!" Came a bright, cheerful voice.

Adrien only had time to wonder who the voice belonged to before Plagg raced out of his shirt He barely managed to wrap his hands around the small kwami, preventing the black cat-like creature from flying into view.

"Tikki!" Plagg squeaked, his voice muffled by Adrien's finger. "Let me go, Adrien. It's Tikki!"

Adrien's eyes were huge in surprise and he hesitantly let Plagg go in his shock. To his relief, Plagg didn't fly through the open window, but instead quietly peaked over the sill and sighed.

"Oh, Tikki, my love!" He whined quietly. "How I miss you."

"Plagg," Adrien said, his voice shaky. His temporarily mobile feet were now rock hard cement again as he stared in shock. "Are you telling me that Tikki…"

"Yes."

"That the Ladybug kwami…"

"Yes."

"That Ladybug's kwami…"

"Yesss!"

"That Ladybug... that Marinette, is in there?"

Plagg placed a paw on either side of Adrien's mouth and squeezed, nodding the teenager's head violently. "Yes, lover boy! Yes! I can't say any more. I can't," shake, "say," shake, "it," shake, "but yes!" Followed by a very violent nod, before he let go and hovered back by the window.

"She's Ladybug?" Adrien asked quietly. "This entire time, she was Ladybug. Marinette is Ladybug. Ladybug is Marinette. They're the same person."

"Adrien," Plagg said in a harsh whisper. "Quiet, kid! I think she's leaving. We need to go!"

Adrien's feet were still rooted to the spot, but his head turned slightly to look at the black kwami. "Leave?" he asked. "I can't talk to her?"

"Not now, Kid!" Plagg said in frustration. "You're not ready. You're in shock. C'mon!" He was pulling at Adrien's ring hand now. "Let's go home and we can figure out what to do from there. Come. On!"

Of his own accord, Plagg flew into the miraculous ring and Adrien transformed into his alter ego. Plagg's excitement seemed to overflow into Adrien and he was finally able to move his feet. He leapt toward the nearest stoop, a window overhang, and then the roof of the nearest building. Finally he ran across the rooftops, a wild, manic grin on his face.

No longer was he depressed and sagging under the weight of his own hopelessness. Now, he was light on his feet with a bounce in his step.

He had found his Lady.

He had found his love.

They would be together in the end.

The rest of the night was spent excitedly discussing their accidental discovery. Plagg and Adrien decided to fully embrace their knowledge of Ladybug's identity.

To hell with secrecy.

Adrien had decided that at the soonest opportunity, he was going to visit Marinette on her balcony as Chat Noir and confess his identity while revealing that he knew hers. He could easily visualize it in his mind's eye.

She would forget all about Luka and would fall into his arms. They'd share a passionate kiss only to be interrupted by words of love. They're souls would mesh and entwine, never to be separated.

Unfortunately for Adrien's master plan, his studies, modeling, and extracurricular activities seemed to have other ideas.

His father had suddenly taken ill. Despite his acute resentment toward Gabriel, Adrien still worried about his father. In the aftermath of the Style Queen attack, his father had begun to dedicate every evening to his son over dinner. The older man's sudden presence at the long dining room table wasn't hard to miss and the awkward, forced conversation was even harder to ignore, although Adrien appreciated the effort.

They were beginning to form some semblance of a relationship when, just as suddenly as he had appeared, Gabriel claimed to be suffering from a cold and refused to leave his room. As a result, Adrien was asked to sit in for his father at the daily Gabriel Fashion board meetings, which cut into his morning classes.

It had been nearly a week since he discovered who the girl beneath the mask was.

A week of photoshoots and commercials.

A week of board meetings.

A week of classes, tests, and assignments; Marinette's close proximity not unnoticed or unfelt.

A week of overheard conversations about Marinette's latest texts and dates with Luka.

A week of Plagg begging to see Tikki.

But tonight was the night. After a long Saturday involving an early morning photoshoot on the Seine, hours long commercial filming at the Louvre, another father-less dinner at the empty table, and a virtual study session with Nino over video chat, he excitedly transformed into his leather-clad alter-ego and vaulted through the air, hopping from rooftop to rooftop easily.

This wasn't the first time he had visited Marinette's balcony since discovering she was Paris' spotted saviour. He had transformed and gone to the small garden-like enclosure every night for the last week. Despite his strong desire to rap gently on her balcony trapdoor, he would instead sit and listen to the quiet music or soft conversations that drifted through her open window.

Tonight was different, however. As he reached the rooftop opposite of her house, he immediately noticed her usually illuminated room was dark and lifeless. He contemplated vaulting to her balcony, but spun around in curiosity when laughter reached his ears.

He lowered himself onto his stomach to easily peer down into the street below. Marinette was just arriving home, arm in arm with Luka. Chat Noir's eyes narrowed in jealousy. It should be his elbow she was attached to, not Luka's. He closed his eyes and steadied his rapid breathing.

'It's okay,' he told himself. 'She's Ladybug. We're meant to be together. She'll change her mind when I tell her everything.'

He opened his eyes again, a smug smile playing on his lips, as he concentrated his miraculously heightened hearing on their conversation.

"I still can't get over that concert!" Marinette was saying. "I can't believe you knew someone who got us up on stage!"

"I know, ma choupinette! That concert was amazing!" Luka laughed and Adrien rolled his eyes at the stupid pet name. "I'm happy I could surprise you."

"I know," Marinette whined playfully. "But if I had known before hand I could have worn something more..." she paused, looking down at herself self-consciously, "I don't know… stage worthy."

Luka studied Marinette as they approached her front door. Chat's skin shivered in jealous revulsion as Luka's eyes roved Marinette's body head to toe before gazing into her eyes.

"I think you look worthy to be on any stage," Luka whispered as he pulled her close.

Even from the roof, Chat could see Marinette's cheeks tinge pink and could hear the shortness of her breath.

"Luka, I…" she began, but the older boy cut her off as he pressed his lips to hers, leaving not a single gap between their bodies as he deepened the kiss.

Chat Noir cringed and slid away from the roof's edge, hiding the couple from his view. Hot tears stung his eyes and he rested his forehead against his crossed arms. He took several deep breaths to calm his rising jealousy, anger, and resentment. He cursed his miraculously attuned hearing as the sounds of romance from the young lovers below reached his ears.

'It should be me,' he thought miserably, as more tears stung his eyes. He watched bleakly as his tears splashed onto the roof tiles before burying his face deeper into his arms. 'It isn't fair. I just found out about her. What we could have. It isn't fair.'

Several long moments passed before whispered good-byes and the soft closing of a door reached his ears. Chat Noir carefully crawled forward on his stomach and peered down to the street below. He watched as Marinette's bedroom lights flickered to life. The faint glow illuminated Luka, who still stood outside the bakery, his face turned upward with a large smile playing on his lips.

Chat watched the older boy for several excruciatingly long minutes, his jealousy growing the longer he waited for him to leave. Finally, perhaps because Marinette didn't reappear at her window or perhaps, as Chat angrily thought, he realized how dumb he looked, Luka finally walked away from the tall home and down the dark, lamp-lit street.

Without another moment's hesitation, Chat Noir vaulted across the street and landed silently onto Marinette's rooftop balcony. His jealousy and protectiveness was driven by his strong belief that he and Marinette were drawn together by fate. She was his Lady and he was her Chaton. For millennia the ladybug and black cat miraculous users had been entwined and fated together, so of course they would be too. Luka aside, Marinette was his.

Chat took a deep breath and tried to slow his swirling thoughts and feelings. As he raised his fist and lightly rapped on her trapdoor, he convinced himself that he would reveal his identity and his knowledge of hers.

But as the trapdoor opened slowly and his green eyes met her astonished blue ones, all of his bravado escaped in a single, lame stutter, "H-hi."

"Chat Noir?" She asked in confusion as she climbed up the ladder and onto the small balcony. She wrapped her arms around herself and looked around. Chat noticed she was wearing thin pajamas and immediately felt terrible for bringing her out into the cold. "What are you doing here?" she continued.

The blond hero laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Well, I uh," he began lamely. He knew what he wanted to say. He knew what he wanted to confess. But the words got lost in his throat the longer he stood before her, her goosebump covered arms crossed tightly over her chest. The longer he stared at her the worse he felt about pulling her outside and the more he wanted to just spit it out. But the more he wanted to just yell to the universe that he loved her, the harder and harder it was to get the right words out.

And that's when he saw it. He saw the thumb-sized blemish on her neck, just above her collar bone, and his insides turned to jelly. It should have been his lips that made that mark. She was his.

"Chat Noir?" She asked again, some concern in her voice. "Are you okay?"

He jumped out of his reverie and locked his eyes with hers. "Do you love him?" He asked suddenly and he saw her jump and step back a little in surprise.

"Love who?" she asked, but the confusion in her eyes quickly turned to suspicion. "Were you watching us?"

Chat shook his head dismissively. "I was passing by and happened to see you two."

"Passing by," she replied dubiously, one of her eyebrows arched.

"You and Luka," he continued, trying to ignore the sour tone in her voice. "Are you two together?"

Marinette crossed her arms even tighter and rolled her eyes, despite a small smile spreading across her face. "Not like it's any of your business, Chat Noir, but yes. Luka is my boyfriend."

It was like a punch to the gut.

"But I thought," Chat said quietly, annoyed that he could hear is own desperation seeping through.

Marinette looked at the tall super hero again, curiosity alighted in her eyes. "Thought what?"

Chat gazed at her. Searching her. She didn't know who he was. She didn't know how much he knew about her. How brave and cunning she was as Ladybug or how creative and funny she was as Marinette and that he loved both of them. He loved her. She didn't know. She had rejected him. After everything they'd been through together as Ladybug and Chat Noir, she had rejected him.

But she loved Luka.

Would knowing who he was really make a difference? If she couldn't love Chat Noir, how could she love Adrien?

She loved Luka.

If she knew that he knew she was Marinette. That he was in love with both Marinette and Ladybug. Would she love him then?

She fell in love with Luka.

"I am most impressed in the maturity you have displayed in your concern for the two young women's feelings and not just your own." Master Fu's words drifted from the recesses of his mind.

Marinette was Ladybug and she chose Luka.

Gazing at the raven haired girl now, Chat could see the glow in her eyes, the rosieness of her cheeks, and the ever present smile on her lips. He had seen that same look over the last several weeks and he knew, as much as it pained him, it was because of Luka. Luka made Marinette happy.

Chat took a deep breath, hating that he was a walking cliche. All he wanted was for Marinette to be happy.

Tears pricked at his eyes again and he stood up straight, rolling his shoulders back, and fought to look like his normal, debonair self. "Never mind, Purrr-incess. It's nothing."

She tilted her head to the side and punctuated her tsks with her finger. "Really, Chat Noir?" His bravado was clearly not fooling her. "You obviously came here to tell me something, so out with it."

"Don't be silly, M'la-rinette!" Chat leaned on his staff like a tap-dancer on a cane, hoping she didn't catch his near slip. "I just happened to be passing by and saw you two love birds."

"Mmhmm," Marinette hummed suspiciously.

Chat laughed and shrugged, "I saw your light on and thought I'd stop by and do some snooping," he added a wink and a finger-gun in her direction.

"Snooping?"

"Look," he said, trying to keep his true emotions at bay, "I've heard Luka's a good guy, but isn't he a little old for you?"

Marinette moaned and rolled her eyes. "Not you too." She pointed a finger into Chat's chest. "Look, I've heard enough from my parents, I don't need to hear it from you too. Besides it's none of your business."

"N-no," he stuttered, his composure shaken by her abrupt change in attitude. "Of course not…"

"He's only two years older," she continued lifting her hands into the air, palms up. "And I'm happy! Doesn't that matter?"

Chat nodded and placed his hands on her shoulders in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. "Yes, Marinette, your happiness does matter."

"Thank you."

Chat placed his arm lightly around Marinette's shoulders in an attempt to keep her warm and to comfort her, although he admitted to himself it was partly to feel her close to him one last time before he pushed his feelings out of his heart.

He directed her toward the railing where they leaned together platonically, gazing at the stars. "I think," he said, "that as long as someone takes care of you and makes your happiness their number one priority and that you feel the same way toward them, well, that's what matters most."

Marinette hummed in response, nodding her head in agreement.

The two were silent for several long minutes again. The blond youth fought to keep his breathing even as he struggled to dismiss his amorous feelings.

Finally, Marinette asked, "Do you have a girlfriend, Chat Noir?"

Chat smiled and gazed down at her smooth, black hair. "I thought I might," he said quietly, "But I don't think it's going to work out."

After he wished Marinette good night, Adrien detransformed and strolled slowly along the Seine well into the early hours of the morning, Plagg resting softly on his shoulder. Cafes were just beginning to open and Adrien quickly took the opportunity to buy himself a large cafe au lait and a cheese danish for Plagg.

They didn't talk while he walked, but simply took solace in each other's company as they lost themselves in thoughts of their beloveds.

Plagg had quickly reassured Adrien, just after the black cat persona had melted away revealing the kwami, that Luka was simply a bad-boy phase for Marinette and that it would pass. When it did, he and Plagg could swoop in once and for all.

As much as Adrien wanted to agree, he argued with himself that Plagg hadn't seen how happy Marinette looked. She was practically glowing. Plus, he hated to admit it, but despite Luka's alternative appearance, he wasn't a bad-boy at all. He was an upstanding young man and although it was common knowledge that Luka didn't take school seriously, his amazing guitar skills would definitely carry him into a great musical career.

What did Adrien have? Modeling? His father's business?

He didn't have any hobbies like Luka.

Sure, he could play the piano, but that was because of his father.

Of course modeling in high fashion would ensure he would be financially stable, but the life of a career model was short. Models were frequently fired or overlooked for younger and fresher looks.

He could run his father's business and while he knew he'd be good at it and his father had prepared him for it, he had no enjoyment in it. He'd be miserable.

He was miserable.

The only thing that made him happy was running from rooftop to rooftop next to Ladybug. He took pleasure in the Parisian air whistling through his hair as the ground, river, parks, and buildings blurred together underneath their swift feet. That was something Luka would never be able to have.

Only he, Adrien, could have Ladybug.

And he relished in it.

Plagg was right. Some day he could have the life he dreamed of with both Marinette and Ladybug. But for now, simply seeing her happy and safe was all he needed. He could watch Marinette from a distance while luxuriating in Ladybug's presence as only he could, as Chat Noir.

Bzzt bzzt bzzt

Adrien was snapped out of his sleep deprived reverie as his phone began vibrating incessantly in his pocket.

'Oh great,' Adrien thought with a grimace as he looked at Nathalie's illuminated name. How was he going to explain his late night, or rather early morning, venture?

"Hi, Nathalie," Adrien said quickly, "I was just out for a morning run. You know, keeping up my exerc-"

"Adrien!" Nathalie sounded uncharacteristically shrill. "You need to come home this instant!"

He held the phone away from his face in surprise. Partially to relieve his aching eardrum, but to also double check the number of the caller. It was definitely Nathalie's phone number.

He held the phone back up to his ear in time to hear his name in the speaker. "Yes, I'm here," he said. "Nathalie, what's going on?"

"You need to come home right away, Adrien!" She said again, her voice slightly more controlled. "Your mother has been found. She's been in a coma. Your father... " she broke off with what sounded like a small sob. "Just get here."

Click

Adrien didn't hesitate. He had already begun sprinting towards his home, one hand clutching his phone the other holding Plagg close to his body, before Nathalie had finished speaking.

They found his mother.

She was alive.

They found his mother?

All of his angst and confusion and romantic struggles felt so insignificant and immature to Adrien as he raced through the streets of Paris. He'd grown complacent in his mother's disappearance. As the years had passed the more he accepted that she had moved on from him and his emotionally distant father. She had found something better.

In a coma?

Why hadn't he fought harder to find her?

She hadn't moved on, but he had.

She had been lying unconscious who knows where, while he traipsed about Paris in a skin-tight suit and wondered whether or not his crush liked him.

He was disgusted in himself.

Adrien ran at full speed around a corner and past a crowded newspaper stand when he a familiar sight caught his eye. He stopped on a dime and wheeled around to the small television screen that sat on the corner of the newspaper stall. Several other people peered at the small screen and whispered angrily to each other.

There, standing on the familiar steps of his house, was his father. The volume, although turned up as far as it could go, was still hard to hear over the murmurs of the crowd. Below his father's image, a red ticker tape scrolled along the bottom of the screen.

It read:

GABRIEL AGRESTE IS HAWKMOTH

HAWKMOTH FINALLY CAUGHT

AGRESTE TURNS HIMSELF IN

Adrien's tired eyes flicked back up to his father as he registered what his father was saying.

"I deeply regret everything I have done," Gabriel said, his voice uncharacteristically quavering with emotion. "Several years ago, I lost my wife. I have spent the last several years, imbued by the power of the butterfly miraculous, searching for a way to bring her back. However, now that she has been found, I-" his voice shook again as he looked down at his feet. The crowd was tense as they waited for him to continue.

"Style Queen's merciless attack on Paris opened my eyes to the monster I had become. I have only myself to blame for placing not only my city in danger, but my one and only son. I was blinded by love and desperation, but now that my wife has been found, my eyes have been opened to what I've done.

"I've hurt the people of Paris over the last three years. While I know that none of my Akumas ever killed anyone, I do acknowledge that the trauma following akumatization and subsequent attacks have caused the Parisian mental health rate to deteriorate, drug use to skyrocket, and the suicide rate to rise exponentially.

"Because of my attacks, thousands of Parisians have suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or other form of depression. I know that nothing I can say or do will ever make up for the hurt and betrayal I've caused. Because of this, I will be creating the Butterfly Effect Program. A free program for any and all persons affected by these attacks who seek rehabilitation or counseling. Funds for the Butterfly Effect Program will also go toward PTSD research. A large sum of my fortune has already been set in place for this Program to begin upon my arrest and forthcoming imprisonment."

Finally, Gabriel looked up from the crowd and stared directly into the camera. Directly into Adrien's eyes.

"Son. Adrien. If you're watching this. Go to your mother."

The whispering of the surrounding crowd grew louder as the News anchor reappeared on screen. The crowd undulated around Adrien and he felt claustrophobic. His instincts told him to transform. To escape the crowd. To get to the rooftops. But he bit his lip and fought through the crowd to fresh air.

As he escaped the crowd he felt a small pressure in his rib cage. Plagg had heard everything, Adrien knew.

"Thanks, buddy," Adrien whispered to his friend as he began sprinting along the streets again. "Hold on tight."

The run home was fast, but his legs felt like jelly and he had a cramp in his side. As he slowed his pace he felt hot tears running down his cheeks and quickly wiped them away.

When he rounded the corner of his house, past the sidewalk where he had happily escaped his confines only the night before, he saw news trucks packing up their equipment and several police squad cars barricading the road.

Adrien tried to ignore his sore feet and painful rib cage as he jogged up to his home. As he approached the largest police truck, he saw his father's silver head disappear into the backseat, his arms cuffed behind him painfully.

"Father!" he yelled, pushing the police out of the way. "What's going on?"

Gabriel jumped, startled by his son's voice, and stared sadly at his son from the backseat window. "I'm sorry, son." He said quietly. Then with renewed urgency in his voice, he leaned closer to Adrien.

Adrien noticed that the police were beginning to start their cars and the truck was moments from leaving. From separating him from his father. From the one person who held all the answers. He placed his hands on the truck as if to keep it from leaving and he felt his father's breath on his fingertips before the window rolled up.

"Go to your mother!" Gabriel yelled through the thick glass. "Nathalie will take you. She has the miraculouses!"

The truck began to roll away as another police officer pulled Adrien away from the truck. "What's going on?" he yelled again, but it was too late. He watched the truck disappear around the corner and felt the grip on his arm loosen.

From behind him he heard a grunt. Adrien felt like he was in a whirlpool, his attention and thoughts being pulled in several different directions. He turned toward the grunt in a haze, part of his thoughts still following the truck that took away his father. Took away Hawkmoth. Took away his enemy.

The grunt had come from Gorilla, who was holding the door to the limo open.

"To hospital," he grunted. "Nathalie gone."

Adrien nodded numbly as he climbed in. "Y-yeah," he mumbled. That's right, his mother was found. He was on his way to see her. His mother was alive.

"Miraculouses…"

'Miraculouses?' Adrien thought, his mind replaying his father's words over and over. 'He had multiple miraculouses?' Then another thought hit him, strong in the gut, making him heave all over the floor of the limo. 'My father was Hawkmoth? My father was Hawkmoth? My father was Hawkmoth!'

"MY FATHER WAS HAWKMO-AUGH-" he threw up again. And again. And again.

His father had been actively trying to kill him. Had been actively trying to kill Ladybug. He and Ladybug had been actively trying to stop Hawkmoth, through any means necessary. Would they have resorted to murder?

Did Ladybug know? Had Marinette seen the news yet? His whole school would know.

He threw up again.

He was a freak.

His father was a homicidal maniac and his mom had been lost for years only to suddenly reappear in a coma.

He could never go back to school.

He never wanted to go back to school.

Adrien retched over and over, but his stomach was long empty. Only bile spilled onto the carpet of the limo. He felt the car rock to a stop and felt the life-giving gust of cool air hit his face and neck as Gorilla opened the back door. He heard another grunt from the bodyguard and then felt himself being lifted out of the car and set on the ground.

"S-sorry about the-"

Adrien was interrupted by the strongest, most awkward hug of his life by his usually stoic guard.

"Go see mom," Gorilla grunted, handing Adrien a napkin.

Adrien walked on shaky feet into the hospital and up the elevator. The receptionist had been pleasant, but it was obvious she had seen the news based on her obvious stutter over his surname, "A-agre-este?" before releasing the number to his mother's private room.

The elevator vibrated noiselessly as he rose to the highest floor. This was the first moment of quiet since seeing the news of his father's confession and surrender. Adrien felt outside of himself. Nothing seemed real. He had experienced such an intense emotional rollercoaster over the last twenty four hours that he felt as if he lost his physical connection with himself and his consciousness. The only thing that kept him tethered to his new reality was the familiar pressure of Plagg against his rib cage. He could feel his friend's soothing paws press into his side as they stood together in the small space.

Adrien's mind was a whirlwind as it processed everything from the last day in a series reminiscent of an old fashioned movie reel.

The hours of business deals, photoshoots, and commercials. Drawn out by his strong desire to see Marinette and confess his feelings.

He and Plagg rejoicing over the discovery that they could finally be with their beloveds.

Luka and Marinette kissing.

Marinette's subtle rejection.

Chat Noir's disappointment.

Adrien's resolve to protect Marinette from afar while relishing in Ladybug's presence.

And then his father. And his mother.

He had lost his father, just as the two were perhaps on the way to mending their relationship.

He had regained his mother, who had been lost to him for years.

Diinng

The elevator shuddered slightly to a stop and the doors opened. He took a deep breath. He was on his way to see his mother.

'Nothing else matters, now,' he thought as we walked down the brightly lit corridor, keeping a close eye on the room numbers as he passed.

He was thankful that his mom was given a private room. Based on the receptionist's reaction, he knew it was only a matter of time before reporters began showing up. He reached her room at the end of the hall and was relieved to see that two security guards were stationed outside. Only the naive would think hospital patients would be safe. Especially a patient who was directly tied to Gabriel Agreste. Adrien knew he should expect small angry mobs of Gabriel's victims to begin forming in the following days.

'Nothing else matters, now,' he thought again as he was led into the room by one of the burly security guards.

The room resonated with low beeps and hums from the various machines. The large suite was bright with the day's sunshine and Adrien's eyes immediately fell on the petite figure of his mother, sitting up in bed. The sunlight created a halo of warmth around her lithe body.

His smile was so big and his emotions so fresh that his cheeks burned with heat as he raced to his mom's side.

"Hi, mom," he squeeked, fresh tears threatening to spill out. He felt like a child again.

"Hi, baby," Emilie said softly, enveloping Adrien in her arms and against her chest so that mother and son's heartbeats reunited as one.

To be continued…

*Endnote*

Well! That was it! Technically the last chapter! All that's left is an epilogue.

I do have plans for a sequel when Marinette and Adrien are adults. That fic will be much more adult oriented with more romance, drama, and crime fighting.

I plan to get the Epilogue up soon so I don't keep you guys waiting! Plus, the sooner that's up the sooner I can start work on the sequel, C'est La Vie!

Next up:

The Epilogue

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