Thanks to Hesturoth for betaing this chapter as usual. Hang on to your socks, it gets a bit angsty.

Chapter 14

Ladybug arrived outside the Agreste Mansion and saw Adrien's window. She looked through her communicator to see him sitting on his couch staring into space. His eyes were closed, and it was like an arrow went through her heart. His father had done this. She looked around the mansion to see that the cameras were aimed at the gate. They were moving now, to look at Adrien's window. They hadn't done that before. She needed to time her entrance just right.

An idea formed in her head. She was already betraying Tikki and this was perhaps going to make the betrayal worse, but she had no idea how she was going to get in unless she used her lucky charm. It was now or never. With a deep breath, she cried 'lucky charm.'

Something came tumbling out of the sky, landing in her hands. It was a spotted remote. She looked at it and then to the window. She blinked as she realized that it was a remote to open the window. It opened and she swung inside.

Adrien stood up, his eyes going wide as he took in her presence.

"Ladybug, you shouldn't be here, my dad-," he said, but Ladybug interrupted him.

"Adrien, I came to rescue you. Come on. Let's go!" She reached for his hand, but Adrien pulled away quickly.

Before Ladybug could react, her earrings flashed and Tikki flew out, landing in her hands. Marinette quickly pulled out a candy and gave it for Tikki to munch on. The kwami looked at her surroundings before her eyes rested on Adrien.

"Marinette, I told you this was a bad idea." She said through bites.

"I agree. Marinette, you have to leave. It isn't safe." Adrien looked straight at her. Marinette was stunned for a second. His eyes were red, almost as if he had been crying. But the way his eyes seemed to look at her, they were soft.

"Adrien, I came all this way. Everybody's worried. I thought that if I came to rescue you..." She trailed off not sure how to continue.

"Marinette... Please, you have to leave." Adrien begged.

At that point, Tikki had finished the candy and flew up to Marientte's face.

"Adrien is right Marinette. We need to leave."

Marinette ignored her. "Adrien, please. I'm not going without you-,"

Adrien walked forward and his hands reached for hers. It was just a moment before he decided to pull away. Marinette's heart fluttered a little, what had that been about?

Before the two of them could figure out what on earth had just happened, Adrien's door began to open. Alarm appeared on Adrien's face and he grabbed Marinette by the arm. In the next couple of seconds, he dragged her into his bathroom and shut the door.

Marinette took a second to get her bearings as Tikki floated through the door. She staggered to her feet and leaned against the door. She heard Gabriel Agreste's cold voice.

"Adrien. Have you decided to tell me why you thought it would be a good idea to leave the safety of your house yet?" It must have been about how he got out for Chloe's party.

Marinette continued listening. It wasn't a surprise that Adrien had left his house. She had seen him do it before, she just wasn't sure how.

There was silence for a moment before his father continued.

"I have taken away your school privileges, your phone, and contact with your so called 'friends.' Can I make myself any clearer?" His father's voice was like a knife cutting through her skin.

Marinette gripped the door. She wanted to run out and stand in front of them. She wanted to protect him. She was a hero, wasn't she? She protected the weak and innocent. She tried to give them some hope, but she was hurt even more as she heard the words that Gabriel Agreste used, 'Useless' and 'waste of my time'. More knives.

She felt tears prick her eyes and she huddled into herself. She was supposed to be a hero. She needed to protect people. But how could she be a hero when she couldn't protect him from those knives? Her tears sprouted, and she wept. She wasn't a hero, not when she couldn't help the boy she loved.

As she sobbed, she almost didn't hear the bathroom door open. Adrien stood behind her.

"Marinette?" He asked.

Marinette looked up and sniffed. She didn't reply and just looked at her knees. She felt embarrassed. She was crying in Adrien's bathroom.

She felt Adrien move around her and then sit in front of her. There was a pause before Adrien spoke again.

"Why are you crying?"

"Because-, your dad, the way he spoke to you. Why would he speak to you like that?" Marinette sniffled and wiped one of the tears away from her eyes.

She looked up at Adrien. He reached out and rested his hand on hers.

"I'm sorry you had to hear that. I've gotten used to it." He mumbled, looking over at the shower.

"Adrien. Nobody should speak to anyone like that. It's wrong." Marinette replied.

Adrien looked at her again. His sad smile was back. He was just a lonely boy and she knew it, but he kept hiding it underneath that lonely smile. She hated it. She wanted the smile that he gave when he was with friends. She wanted to make him happy.

"It's how he's been since Mother disappeared. I don't think that he's going to change anytime soon." He squeezed her hand.

Marinette looked up and she was struck again by how green his eyes were. She could lose herself in them. Adrien moved closer and his hand stroked her cheek. It was almost like a magic spell washed over them.

He reached forward and then suddenly Marinette didn't care. She reached up and their lips met. Kissing Adrien was nothing like what she had imagined, it was softer, sweeter, like a breeze on a summer's day. Adrien stroked her hair and pulled her closer. She wanted to never let go.

Then she remembered. This was wrong. Adrien was in love with Ladybug. A hero. She wasn't the hero he needed. She opened her eyes and pushed him away with her hands.

"Marinette?" Adrien asked, stunned.

Marinette's breathing began to get quicker. "This is wrong, Adrien. This is all wrong."

"What do you mean?" Adrien said, his voice almost breaking.

"You love Ladybug, not me." Marinette said.

"Yes, and you're Ladybug. I love you Marinette."

If this was under different circumstances, she would have melted hearing him say those words. That the boy she loved, loved her. But she wasn't the hero he saw. She was poor Marinette who couldn't save the boy she loved from his father.

"I'm not the hero you see me as Adrien." Marinette said as she started to stand up.

Adrien stayed on the floor and looked at her. "Marinette-,"

"No. I couldn't save you Adrien. I'm sorry. You're right I shouldn't have come." She looked into his eyes and saw the pain and suffering because of his father, because of her. She needed to go. It was all too much.

"Tikki, spots on." She cried.

In the next few moments she pretended not to hear Adrien's protests. It didn't matter. She got the remote from her lucky charm again and launched herself out of the window. She only had five minutes before she changed back. She didn't think. She just kept on running and running.

When her earrings flashed again, she stopped on a rooftop. Tikki appeared before her looking weak. Her eyes dark. Marinette passed her a cookie this time, which she slowly started to eat. Marinette could hear people walking down below and cars honking as they went past. She wanted to cry again. She remembered the kiss with Adrien. She hadn't wanted to stop.

"You were right, Tikki. I should have never gone there." She said looking across at her kwami.

"It doesn't matter now Marinette. What does matter is you." Tikki flew up to Marinette's cheek.

"I'm fine Tikki." Marinette said wiping her tears away quickly.

It was obvious that Marinette was not fine, and Tikki knew it.

"Marinette…"

"I'm supposed to be a hero Tikki. I'm supposed to protect people. Yet when Gabriel Agreste was saying all those mean things to Adrien, there was nothing I could do. I felt weak. I can take down villains easily, but when it comes to that? I'm not a hero." She pulled her knees into her chest.

Tikki smiled. "I think anyone would have done the same in your situation. There was probably nothing you could do."

Those words didn't seem to help. Marinette began to cry, her eyes becoming redder.

"I just want to be left alone." Marinette mumbled and started to cry into her knees.

Tikki frowned as she thought that this was only something that perhaps Adrien could solve, or even Chat Noir. Marinette needed Adrien. She knew that doing something that like this was very risky for someone like her. But Marinette needed his help.

With a nod, she flew back towards the Agreste Mansion. As she left, she failed to notice what was on the other side of the building. It flew over rooftops and chimneys, heading straight for Marinette. Flapping its wings, was a single black butterfly.