You know the phrase, 'beauty is pain'? Well, some people knew that better than others.

Especially Adrien Agreste.

Diets, rigorous exercise, intense skin care routine including microdermabrasion, UV treatment, and teeth whitening.

Perfection.

And he hated it.

At this point in his life, he feared that his slew of doctors thought he was horribly vain.

Really, he was just the victim of a highly critical father.

On a Friday, Adrien prepared for school as usual. He dressed casually, lightly styled his hair, and ate breakfast.

As he came back down the stairs after grabbing his bag, his father was waiting for him.

"Father?"

"Just here to see you off to school."

That was new, and concerning, to say the least. "Oh…thanks?"

"Hmm," Gabriel hummed, stepping into his personal space. Without another word, he hooked his thumb around Adrien's chin, manipulating his head in different directions.

"What?"

"Hush."

Adrien just waited in fear as his father examined him, turning his face this way and that, and a look of displeasure was growing on his face, stronger and stronger.

Finally, blessedly, he pulled away. "That will be all. Get off to school."

"Uh…okay."

With confusion and paranoia, Adrien went to school.

—

The day continued on as normal. No akumas, no unnecessary drama, easy homework, nothing to stress about.

And nothing to bring Adrien's attention away from his father's strange behavior this morning.

The class before lunch, his paranoia picked up when Nathalie interrupted the lesson.

"Pardon the intrusion, Adrien has a doctor's appointment, and will be out for the rest of the day."

This was news to him, and he could only gape.

"Come on Adrien, get your stuff. Is one of your friends willing to take notes?"

"Marinette will!" Alya volunteered.

"Y-yeah! Of course I will!"

"See to it that you drop it off at the mansion after school."

"I have fencing after school, we have a tournament tomorrow." Adrien pointed out, while still shoveling his books into his bag.

"I'm afraid you won't be participating in the tournament, or any other weekend activities."

"What? Why?"

"I'll explain in the car, please now, hurry."

Adrien did as told, not before casting a fearful look to his friends.

—

Marinette couldn't stop thinking about Adrien.

Not that it was any different than usual, but that look on his face…

It was haunting.

The look of complete horror and loss. To be fair, if she had received the same news he had, she probably would have been blindsided as well.

The reaction at the house when she brought his homework wasn't insightful either. Just like every time she brought something for him, the camera came out, the drawer opened, and that was it. No communication, no nothing.

"I don't know Tikki, should I text him? Or would that be weird? Does he know I have his number?"

"Marinette, I'm sure he'd love to get a text from you. Just ask him if he got the notes."

"Great idea! Simple! I can't butcher it!" She took out her phone and read aloud as she typed. "Hey Adrien…it's Marinette. Alya gave me your number…did you get the homework? Let me know if anything is unclear, or if you need anything else."

"Good!"

"Would a heart be too much?"

"It might be a comfort for him? Sending him love in his isolation."

"Okay. Heart. And send!" She hit the button and nearly threw her phone in anxiety.

Then she waited.

And waited.

And waited.

An hour or so passed as she tapped her foot with tense energy.

"Whatever he was pulled for is probably still going on. I wouldn't worry about it, Marinette. Adrien isn't the type to leave someone on read."

Taking a calming breath, Marinette nodded in agreement. "You're right, I'll just suck it up! I might hear from him tonight."

So she spent the day doing homework, and a bit of various projects to stay busy.

Nearing patrol time, Plagg showed up on her desk, spooking her. "Hey pigtails."

"Ah! Plagg! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Chat? It's almost time for patrol."

"Nah, not for him!"

"This is joint patrol. It's Friday night."

"Yeah, well I'm here to let you know that he won't be joining you tonight, and I left him because I knew he was going to try to transform, and he's in no shape to!"

"Is he sick? Injured?"

"Injured." Plagg confirmed. "Not dire, and he's already been treated…though there was no reason to be hurt in the first place." He muttered that last part to himself.

"Is he okay?"

The little cat shrugged. "Eh, probably. Little trauma never hurt anyone. It's over now."

"What happened?"

"That, I can't tell you. Though I'm sure you'll see it eventually. I'd just prefer to let this play out naturally and see what happens."

"You really are chaotic, aren't you?"

He beamed. "Only the most chaotic. Well, I'm here to join you, so you aren't patrolling alone. That way he'll be happy, and you'll be happy that he's not out with an injury."

"That's bizarrely considerate of you." She snorted.

"I know, aren't I the best?"

She scratched him between the ears. "The best. Now let's go!"

—

Monday morning finally came. Marinette had finally received a response from Adrien on Saturday, which was just 'yes I did, thank you!' with a little heart as well.

It melted her a little.

But Adrien didn't elaborate any more. It was complete radio silence from him, both to her, and to Nino, who had also tried to reach out.

But now it was Monday, and hopefully he would be here.

"Chloe," Nino asked. "Did you hear anything from Adrien this weekend?"

"No!" She exasperated. "I called him like nine times, and not once did he answer! Nathalie said he was sleeping when I called her. And Gabriel didn't answer either. It was ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!"

"He confirmed that he got my notes, but didn't say anything else to me." Marinette added. "I'm kinda worried."

"Me too. He should be here by now."

Luckily, the tension didn't last long, as Adrien's extremely tired voice spoke from the doorway. "Hi guys…"

Record scratch.

He looked hideous.

Both eyes were black, with huge purple swollen bags on each cheek. It was swollen so bad, his eyes were half shut. A thick bandage rested on the top of his nose, and over the nostrils, leaving just the little pink tip poking out.

"Dude!"

"Hey…" He couldn't even smile, and looked to be in a lot of pain. He shuffled to his seat and sat down.

"What happened bro? You look like you got hit by a bus!"

"You really shouldn't even be here." Alya added. "That looks really bad."

"My dad didn't want me to come, but I begged him. I already missed half of Friday. I didn't want to fall behind."

"Yeah, but like, what happened?"

Adrien hesitated a moment, and then admitted, "I ran into a wall."

Chloe scoffed, glaring at him with an absolutely disgusted look on her face. "Sure, right."

"You broke your nose?"

"Yeah, really badly. Doctor got me all fixed up though. I'll be fine!"

Marinette wasn't convinced, however. It was weird that he had been pulled out of school for some sudden weekend event, only to show up on Monday with a broken nose.

Unless Adrien, in a desperate move to get out of the weekend plans, ran headfirst into a wall, which was admittedly kind of funny.

Or something more sinister was going on instead.

Nino and Alya continued to badger him about it, but Adrien just reassured them that he was fine.

But Marinette took notice of the bandage on the inside of his right ear too. How does one damage an ear when running headlong into a wall?

Marinette's phone buzzed, a message from Chloe, of all people.

Chloe: I can see that look on your face. Adrien is lying. I want you to get the truth out of him.

That was surprising!

Marinette: What? Why me?

Chloe: Because if this is what I think it is, he'll never admit it to me. And I need to know if I need to be disappointed in him or Gabriel.

Marinette: What are you talking about? And why me?

Chloe: It's not my place to say, okay? You're the class rep, and his friend. You're good at coaxing people to open up. Do this for me and I'll buy you some fabric or something. Don't make me beg.

Marinette considered it. Seeing Adrien look like this quieted that part in her brain that just shouted 'Adrien Adrien Adrien!' And brought out 'He's hurt, he's vulnerable, protect him!'

Marinette: You don't need to buy me anything. I'll try to talk to him, for his sake. I won't mention you at all.

Chloe: Good. Let me know the details, alright? I'm very concerned.

Marinette: Obviously, if you're asking for my help.

Chloe: Don't get used to it.

Marinette: I won't. :)

Turns out, Marinette didn't even need to plan out how she was going to approach Adrien. He made it easy for her. At lunch, he approached her.

"Hey Marinette, can I talk to you for a sec?" His voice was nasally and groggy.

"Sure thing!" She chirped, leading him to a quiet corner. Her blood pressure spiked. Did he find out that Chloe had talked to her? Was he about to tell her to mind her own business?

"I have a really big favor to ask, and you can say no, but I just thought..."

"Whatever you need," she laid a hand on his arm. "Just say the word." Okay, maybe she was coming on too strong, but that nose…

He kind of smiled, though it looked painful. "Sorry, I'm not supposed to smile."

"Gotcha. We're serious here." She steeled her mouth into a neutral grimace.

"I begged my dad to let me come back to school, but I didn't realize how tired the...pain meds were making me. Do you think your parents would mind if I crashed on your couch until the end of the day? You're just so close to school and—"

"I understand completely!" She smiled at him, only to make that neutral face a minute later. "I mean, yes. I'm sure it'll be okay with them. You okay to come now?"

"Yeah, my chef sent me with some soup in a thermos."

"Alright, then let's go."

Over at the bakery, which was blessedly not busy for lunchtime, Sabine noticed Adrien and gasped.

"Oh honey! What happened?!"

He winced. "I Uh...I ran into a wall."

"He's already been to the doctor." Marinette clarified. "He was just wondering if he could nap on the couch for a few hours. The painkillers are making him groggy."

Tom came into the room at his wife's exclamation. "I bet it's hard to sleep with that too."

"Yes, exactly." Adrien breathed.

"Of course you can nap upstairs. You're always welcome whenever!"

"Thank you. I really appreciate it."

"You might be better off in Marinette's room so we don't disturb you."

"Is that okay with you, Marinette?" He asked.

"Oh! Yes! Of course! Wherever you want! Umm I'll show you upstairs!" And she gestured him onward.

In her room, Adrien looked around as he sat his bag down. "You still have the pictures of me." He said fondly.

She had forgotten about them in her worry. "Oh! Yep! I like to look at them for inspiration, and to support you, you know?"

He walked over to her wall and stopped to look at one. "And...if I didn't look like this anymore? Would you still like them? Like me?"

What an odd thing to wonder. "Of course. Are you worried that you're going to look different now because you broke your nose?"

He was quiet for a moment, then admitted. "Yeah."

"Don't worry, Adrien. I'm sure it'll heal just fine."

"Yeah, I trust you."

She awkwardly patted her hands against her thighs. "So...you can use my bed, or you can just use the chaise..."

"Can I steal that big cat pillow? I'm supposed to sleep sitting up."

"Oh yes! Of course!" She scrambled up to grab it for him. "Anything else I can get you? Where's your soup? I'll warm it up for you."

He gave her that warm and tender smile that made her heart swell. "You're the best, Marinette." He took out the thermos from his bag. "Could I also have some water? I'm going to take some more drugs."

She giggled, "sure thing. I'll be back in a sec."

She took the soup downstairs and poured it into a bowl, then popped it in the microwave. Then she got a glass of water and a bag of frozen peas and went back upstairs.

Adrien was reclining on the chaise with his head back, resting.

"Here's your water," she announced, sitting by his side.

"Ugh, thank you. My face is killing me."

She snickered at him. "There's a mean joke here, but I won't say it."

"You're not supposed to make me laugh, remember?"

"Oh right, sorry."

He took the water and popped a few pills. "Fair warning, this medicine makes me a wee loopy, so..."

"Well, I'll be going back after lunch, so you probably won't embarrass yourself too badly."

"Mmm, I trust you won't tell anyone if I confess my undying love for fried chicken."

"Your secrets are safe with me."

The microwave dinged and she excused herself to get it. The bowl was too hot to take out, or even hold to eat out of. So she took the time to make a sandwich for her own lunch, and grabbed an extra slice of fresh bread for Adrien.

Returning upstairs, Adrien was reclined again, with the frozen peas on his face.

"Soups on."

"Feed me..." he begged weakly.

She almost dropped the tray she was carrying. "What? I mean, are you sure? I uh..."

He made a grabby hand toward her. "Soup soup..."

"Oh," she breathed out. "The medicine kicked in fast."

"Me want soooooup." He moaned, absolutely miserable.

Seeing him so vulnerable and slightly childish was so sad.

And kinda cute.

"Okay, I've got it, but you have to sit up first. I don't want you to spill on yourself."

He moaned and groaned as he shimmied up. "Otay?"

Marinette giggled, "Otay." She set the tray on his lap. "I'm not used to high Adrien."

"Hi Marinette."

She giggled again, "no, I meant you're being goofy."

"H-yuck."

She shook her head. "Eat your soup, Adrien."

"Yes mom." He slowly spooned up his soup. He was quiet as he did so, looking like he was focusing hard on it. His eyes blinked slowly, like he was going to fall asleep at any second. Finally, he pulled away a half empty bowl and held it out to her.

"You done?"

He nodded.

"Okay." She placed the bowl on the tray and stood. "Let's get you a blanket."

His eyes closed as he settled back down.

She grabbed a fuzzy blanket from her bed and draped it over him, which he immediately snuggled into.

"Alright, you rest as long as you need to. I'll rush back here at the end of school to wake you up."

He took her hand. "Mari?"

"Hmm?"

"I didn't run into a wall." He confessed in a whisper, tears gathering in his eyes.

Immediately, she sat by his side and grasped his hand. "What happened?"

"I got a nose job."

Her jaw dropped. She never imagined Adrien as a vain person, so unless this was for his health, it kind of changed her entire perception of him.

"I didn't want to." A tear streaked down his cheek. "My dad made me. He pulled me out of school and took me to the doctor. They said my cartilage was shattered, probably from all the hits I take as Chat Noir…"

"They said that?" Her mouth was dry.

"They don't know I'm Chat…no one does. You won't tell, right Mari? Fried chicken?"

She nodded fervently. "Of course Adrien. My lips are sealed."

He nodded slowly, starting to relax more. "They had to rebuild my nose. They took cartilage from my rib, and skin from my ear. It hurts all over."

"Even with the medication?"

"I'll never be good enough." Another tear rolled down his cheek. "Not for him, not for her…no one."

Marinette was torn between the fear of him remembering and forgetting what she was about to do. Nonetheless, she cupped his very bruised cheek. "Adrien. Even if your nose fell right off your face, I…I love you. I think you're perfect."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Remember when we first met? When I yelled at you over the gum?"

"Dumb gum…"

"Yeah, I thought you were just like Chloe. Just a spoiled, pretty, rich kid."

"But I am, I'm such a brat." He nuzzled his face gently into her hand.

"No you're not. It was never your looks that made me like you. It was your kindness. Okay?"

He slowly blinked at her. "My face hurts."

Very gently, she leaned in and kissed the very tip of his nose. "All better."

"Mari lucky kiss. Just like lucky charm." His eyes fell closed. "Don't tell anyone about nose job, 'kay? Dad's not bad, he's just grieving…"

Marinette gave a long exhale. Being distant and withdrawn from society? Grieving. Forcing his son to get a nose job at 15? Insane.

There was just a lot in this conversation that was too much to unpack in the first place.

File the whole 'Adrien is Chat Noir' thing away to freak out about later.

"I promised, I won't tell a soul." Except Chloe, because it seemed like she had guessed it already.

"Night night…" He mumbled, letting the drugs pass him into the world of slumber.

She petted his head. "Night kitty."

He didn't say anything else after that, so she safely assumed he finally fell asleep.

With the calmness that only comes to someone in shock, Marinette collected the dishes and took them downstairs, placing them in the sink.

Plagg and Tikki quietly followed behind, watching her with concern.

When the dishes were safe, she slowly turned around, spotting them floating there, gazing at her.

"I…" She began. "Where to start?"

"Well, for one thing," Plagg began. "He hasn't been that talkative to anyone else all weekend, so he must really trust you."

"A nose job! A freaking—plastic surgery! He's 15! What the hell—who does that!? To their kid!"

"Oh good," said Plagg. "She's not freaking out about the other thing yet."

"I mean, if it was a medical thing, like a deviated septum or something, I'd understand, but it didn't seem like that all! Was it like that? Is he just delusional? Tell me he's delusional, Plagg."

"Well…he is delusional. But his dad said his nose was developing an 'unsightly hump' to it."

"A hump! A HUMP!? What if this surgery is botched!? What then, Gabriel!?" She gasped and grabbed Plagg. "PLAGG!"

"Yes?"

"YOU'RE HERE!"

"Yes?"

"HE REALLY IS CHAT NOIR!?"

"Shout a little louder, I don't think they heard you in Los Angeles."

"Ohmygodohmygodohmygod—"

Tikki flew up in front of her face. "Marinette, you're the guardian now. You had to find out eventually."

"Yeah, but not while he's high on painkillers! He's already had his nose ripped away from him! He didn't need to lose his identity too!"

Plagg phased out of her hands. "Why don't you take a nice calming breath."

"I AM CALM!"

"Yeah, I like to scream when I'm calm too."

She sunk to the floor, hyperventilating.

"What's the big deal anyway?" Plagg asked, lounging on her thigh.

"What's the big deal? What's the big deal!?"

"Repeating my question is not an answer."

"The 'big deal' is that Chat Noir and Adrien are the same person! The love of my life, and my partner! The same!"

"So this is a happy freak out?"

"No! Yes! I don't know!" She slapped her hands over her face. "I'm confused."

"Obviously."

"Okay Plagg, lay off. This is a lot of information to deal with." Tikki pacified. "It's a good thing, Marinette. You know, it might be a good idea if he knows who you are. Once he feels better though."

"I think my brain is about to explode."

"Join the club. Man, you got a set of pipes."

Marinette took a shaky breath. "Okay, okay, I'm calm. I'm cool! Just…I'll worry about Chat Noir later. What should I do about Adrien?"

"Stutter like a moron?"

"Plagg, seriously, stop."

"Killjoy."

"What about Adrien?" Tikki urged.

"Should I call the police or something? Is it legal for a 15 year old to get a nose job?"

Plagg got up and started to float around the kitchen. "It is for the right price."

"Chloe wanted to know who she was supposed to be disappointed with. Should I tell her? Do you think she would know what to do?"

"You really want to ask Chloe for advice?"

"This is so out of the realm of what I know!" She threw her hands up. "I know superhero and Miraculous stuff, and designing and fashion, and you know, normal teenage stuff! I don't know anything about the legal ramifications about illegal nose jobs on minors!"

Tikki patted her hand. "I think you should talk it over with Chloe. I know you're pretty disappointed in her because of Miracle Queen, but Adrien is really her only friend. She might be respectful of him. Either way, someone needs to know about it. It's not okay."

Marinette nodded. "Yeah, I suppose she is the best to talk to right now." She winced. "I can't believe I'm going to Chloe."

"I'll stay behind with Adrien," Plagg assured. "Not that I'd want to be anywhere else."

"I wouldn't want you to be anywhere else either. Thankfully my parents are home. I'm sure they'll check on him periodically."

"Then all that's left to do is to go back to school and act like you only got one piece of life changing information instead of two." Tikki grinned.

"And who's better at fibbing than me?" Marinette put her hands on her hips.

"Ummm, everyone else in the world? Is that a trick question?"

Marinette groaned. "Just get in the bag."

—

Back at school, as soon as she walked in the door, Marinette was grabbed by the wrist and yanked off into a solitary corner. She had expected to be shanghaied by Chloe, but not quite so violently.

"Soooo?" She asked, once they were alone. "Where's Adrien? I saw you guys leaving together!"

"Relax," Marinette hushed. "He needed a place to lie down for a while and didn't want to go home. Also, he didn't want to go far."

Chloe pursed her lips. "I suppose that makes sense. So? Did you get it out of him?"

"Look Chloe, he did tell me what happened, but he asked me not to tell anyone. So I will not confirm that his father made him get a nose job."

Chloe grunted, balling up her fists. "That piece of—" a string of swears came out of her mouth that were completely unladylike. "Alright, what are we going to do?"

"I was hoping you had something in mind. I'm not sure what we even can do."

"I know Gabriel will weasel his way out of it if we go to the authorities. And even if we did, Adrien would hate us for getting his father in trouble."

"Yeah..." Marinette sighed. "Is it Stockholm syndrome?"

"What?"

"When you're locked up for so long you start to care for your warden instead of waiting to leave? Or else Gabriel is secretly affectionate and we never see it."

"He changed a lot. He used to be...at least a little warmer. Gentler. But I'd never call him a good dad."

Marinette frowned. "I...have an idea. It's not a good idea. In fact, it's a really really bad idea."

"Let me hear it."

"What if..." she scrunched her lips. "We'd have to convince Adrien, but what if we botched the surgery?"

Chloe's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"Like...we fiddled with the recovery, and made it look like the surgeon did a bad job? Then the surgeon who operated on a minor would get in trouble, and Gabriel would be forced to recognize that his meddling ruined Adrien's nose."

Chloe grimaced. "That's pretty devious, even for you Dupain-Cheng."

"It's all I got at this very second."

"Isn't that dangerous too?"

"Look, I said it was a bad idea."

"But..."

"But...?"

"It would get Adrikins out of modeling for a little while. At least until it heals. Then Gabriel will be forced to shell out more to get it properly fixed..."

"Forget it, this is a bad idea."

"No no," Chloe insisted, a malicious smile in her face that only came with her dastardly ideas. "This could work. You mention it to Adrien. Caution all the dangers and what not, but if you plant that seed in his head...we can go from there."

"Why don't you do it?"

"Because I'm not supposed to know about the nose job, duh!"

She had a point.

"Now let's get to class before anyone thinks we're friends or something."

—

After school, Marinette rushed out of the building to get to Adrien before his driver came.

But it was no use, the Gorilla was already waiting in front of the school.

Dare she even attempt to sneak Adrien back over? Or should she just let the man in on the secret?

Believing that honesty was the best policy, Marinette approached the sedan and knocked on the window.

The gorilla rolled it down, giving her a patient look.

"Hi! Um, Adrien is at my house." She pointed to the bakery. "At lunch, he got drowsy from the painkillers and asked if he could nap on my couch. I don't think he wanted to go home—"

But the bodyguard understood, and beckoned her on, then started the car.

Marinette hurried back to the bakery. Inside, she greeted her mother with a kiss.

"I checked on him an hour ago," said Sabine. "He was still sleeping."

"Thanks Maman!" She called as she was already halfway up the stairs.

In the apartment, a little voice in her head reminded her gently, "Adrien is Chat Noir," as she started up the stairs to her room.

She did a u-turn and came back down. "Oh I'm not ready..." she lamented.

"You don't have to be right now," Tikki provided. "You just have to wake him up so he goes home."

"Yeah, yeah okay. I can...how am I supposed to wake him up?"

"With a kiss?" Tikki batted her eyes, mocking her.

"What! No! No I can't!" She covered her red face. "I'll just—shake him!"

And she trudged up the stairs.

Seeing sleeping Adrien, however, melted her heart. He was propped up, though slightly leaning towards the trap door. At some point during his nap, he (or Plagg) had snagged the Ladybug plush from the box in the corner, and he was now cuddling it. His mouth was open to breathe and he snored ever so gently.

He was precious.

Pushing away all hesitation, Marinette stepped forward and swept the bangs from his forehead. His eyes twitched at the touch, though he continued to sleep.

Daintily, she pressed a kiss to his forehead, lingering for just a moment.

"Wakey wakey, my Prince." She said fondly.

Adrien's face screwed up, and then he moaned in pain from moving his nose. "Huh?"

"Adrien?"

"My Lady?"

"It's Marinette."

He opened his eyes, blinking rapidly to focus them. "Oh…Marinette?"

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty."

"How long was I out?"

"Well, schools over. So about three hours."

He shut his eyes. "It feels like it was only 15 minutes."

"Well, I explained everything to your driver and he's waiting outside. You can go home and go back to sleep."

He opened his eyes again, and looked at her. "Not gonna lie, I really liked sleeping here. It was…warmer. Cozier."

"Well, if you decide to try to go to school again tomorrow, you can nap here again…or anytime you'd like to. If you need to. You're welcome whenever, that is."

He sat up and stretched, his shirt riding up and revealing his tummy.

She did not look.

(Yes she did.)

"Hmm…I think I'll try out your bed next."

Her eyes blew wide. "Wh-what?"

"This was comfortable, don't get me wrong. But the bed would probably be better." Then his sleepy words finally clicked into place. "For a nap! By myself! But the chaise is fine! I should be lucky you let me over here at all! It's the drugs!"

Seeing him flustered was new, but very fun. She smiled at him. "I know what you meant. I was just…not expecting it is all."

"Right, so…"

"So…"

"I should probably get going…"

"Right. Don't want to make your driver wait."

"Right…" He rubbed his hands together, then fidgeted with his ring. "Listen, Marinette?"

"Yes Adrien?"

"Um…about earlier…when I told you I was Chat Noir?"

"You remember that? I thought you were completely strung out on meds."

"I mean, I was, a little. It's a little fuzzy, but still…can you keep that a secret?"

"What, that you said it in your pain med haze? Of course."

"No I mean—" He bit his lip, looking at her earnestly.

"Wait, are you really—?" She had given him an out, and he hadn't taken it. He could still back track though!

"Marinette, I…" He closed his eyes, his brow furrowing in thought. Finally, he opened them again, tears gathering at the corners. He whispered, "Lying to you would just hurt worse. I can't, not to you. I'm sick of lying. I'm sick of secrets. Please don't tell…please don't tell…"

"I won't," she assured. "I won't." Marinette rested a hand on his forehead, worried that he might be getting a fever by how vulnerable he was speaking.

He felt fine, but pressed his head into her hand, seeking out contact.

"I'm scared." He whispered.

"Of what?"

"Of him…my father." He drew a shaky breath. "I've been meaning to tell Ladybug…but I know how protective she is of our secret identities. She's right, of course…but…"

"You should tell her anyway. Make her listen. If she cares about you, she will." She hadn't even noticed she was still touching his head until he leaned away. She lowered her hand, only for him to grasp both of hers.

"Thank you, everyday Ladybug. I owe you big time."

She shrugged. "Just talk to Ladybug, and we'll call it even."

"Okay," he smiled weakly and pulled her into a hug.

It was strong and firm, even a little painful with how tight he hugged her. A hug that drew strength, that was trying to savor a feeling.

That they both hoped would last.

"I'll see you later, okay?" He asked when he finally pulled away.

"Sure. You know where I live. I'll leave the trap door unlocked."

He breathed a relieved sigh. "Just having the option is the best news I've gotten all day." He stood. "I really do have to go now though. He'll get suspicious. I'm not going to practice after all."

"Go, I don't want you to get in trouble. And make sure to talk to Ladybug at patrol tonight!"

"I will!" He assured, hooking his bag over his shoulder. "Thanks a ton, Marinette!"

It was only after he left that Marinette realized he had never told her he had patrol tonight.

Maybe he wouldn't notice.

—

Marinette had the volume on her phone turned up all day. She didn't want to miss anything from Adrien. Whether it was him noticing her slip up, or just needing someone to talk to.

She supposed, now that she knew how mischievous he could be, he might just drop in from the trap door.

But given the pain and exhaustion from his nose, he might not be so willing to transform.

After she had dinner, but still a few hours before patrol, her phone dinged.

She swiped it up.

Adrien: I was thinking about it all day. I'm really happy that you know my secret. Secrets are funner between two people. :3

Marinette: You mean three right? You're going to tell Ladybug, right?

Adrien: Of course. I will tonight. But for right now, it's just you and me. Adrienette secret.

Marinette: Are you high on meds again?

Adrien: No. I took some more after I came home, and then took another nap. Nathalie woke me for dinner. I think I'm going to stay awake and do some homework/look over your notes before patrol

Adrien: Why did you ask if I was high?

Marinette: I just thought you were being goofy

Adrien: That's my secret cap. I'm always goofy.

Marinette: XD

Marinette: hey does Kagami know?

Adrien: That I'm goofy?

Marinette: Lol no that you're cat boy

She doubted it, since it had taken him getting high to admit it at all. But she did wonder where he drew the line. Chat was always more relaxed when it came to Identities. Did he want to tell Kagami? Should she tell him about Ryuko?

Adrien: no, why would she?

Marinette: she's your girlfriend?

Adrien started and stopped typing a few times, the little bubbles popping up over and over.

Finally, he just called her.

Which was just great. She wanted to stutter like a moron today. She had missed not doing so earlier! "Adrien?"

"Hey, hi, sorry, umm...it's kinda complicated. So I didn't want to text it out."

"Oh, sure. I understand."

"Are you busy?"

"No. Just sketching."

"Do you mind if I rant a little?"

"My ears are yours." What a weird thing to say. He was going to hang up now.

Or giggle, that was fine too. "So...Kagami and I never actually started dating. She thought we did, and when I said we weren't she got really mad and we argued about semantics…She said I was leading her on, and I said I was just being nice, and she said I was being a people pleaser and fake…I said she was jumping to conclusions. She said it was implicit permission and I said I needed to give explicit permission…"

Marinette winced. "Yikes."

"Yeah, um, don't tell her I said this, but I'm pretty glad it didn't work out."

"Really?" She dared not to hope.

"Yeah. We both had expectations that the other couldn't meet. I wanted someone who was willing to just listen to my problems and show me affection. Kagami grabs the bull by the horns and she's not a hugger. She wanted me to solve her problems with her mom and to be an escape…but with my dad, it was the same exact problem."

"Oh, I see what you mean. That is hard."

"And also…being with her was…really boring."

"Boring? Kagami?"

"We have the same life experiences. Allowed to watch the same movies, read the same books. There was nothing to add. We're too alike."

"Huh."

"And truth be told…" he winced, hesitating, but then admitted, "I'm still desperately in love with Ladybug."

Desperately. Desperately!

"I know she doesn't feel the same way about me. So I tried to move on. I know it's not healthy to date someone else to get over someone, but Kagami was just so…insistent. And I don't know, it made me feel awkward." He sighed. "I'm really tired of girls fighting for attention, when the one girl I want brushes me off."

Marinette clenched her fists.

I have messed this all up.

Oblivious to her pain, he continued. "I wanted to give Kagami a chance because she's my friend and she's nice. Every other girl who's wanted me has just wanted 'Adrien, teen idol' not 'Adrien the boy with thoughts and feelings'. They just talk at me, and cling to me. Like Lila…and Chloe, unfortunately."

"You deserve someone who listens to you." She assured, swallowing her sorrows.

"That's why I like hanging out with Ladybug. She's so cool and kind! But we have some really deep conversations. As Chat Noir, I'm not 'Adrien, teen idol.' I'm just me. She sees me as an equal. She's my best friend, Marinette. I can just talk to her, you know?"

"Yeah." She whispered.

"I—I'm sorry." He suddenly cut himself off. "It's pretty unfair to you to hear my woes about my love life."

"No, it's okay. I promised to be a pair of ears to listen."

"I know but…earlier today…" He paused. "Didn't you say you loved me?"

Bad. Bad. Awkward. Oops oops. Abort!

"I—I did."

"Did you mean it like…?"

"Like however hopes the most."

"Uh huh. Please be honest with me, Marinette. Please."

How to play this? He had just gotten over a rant about girls fawning over him. Wouldn't it be awful to lump herself in with them?

Especially since she hadn't revealed herself yet. What if she doomed herself now, and then later doomed Ladybug?

"I…I love you. Adrien. I enjoy spending time with you. I love your laugh, and my day is brighter with you in it. You're my favorite person. It doesn't have to be romantic. I just want you in my life."

Marinette held her breath before a pleasant hum came from his side of the phone.

"Then I think…I love you too."

She tried not to scream.

But she did mime the action to Tikki, who responded in kind.

"Would you still love me with my old janky nose?" The question was sad, but his tone was light.

"Your nose was perfect! I think your old man just needs new glasses!"

"No way, if he gets new glasses, he'll just find something else to fix. 'These cheekbones aren't sharp enough! Nathalie, bring me the cheese grater!'"

"Nooo! Stay away from Adrien's cherubic cheeks!"

"Cherubic?!"

"Like a newborn baby!"

His wonderful sunshine laughter burst from the speaker before it broke off in a moan. "Ughh you're not supposed to make me laugh!"

"Oh, sorry. I forgot."

"You just like to see me suffer."

"Absolutely not, Adrien. You're baby."

"You heard it from her, folks. I'm baby."

"And don't forget it."

They talked for a while longer before Adrien relented to do his homework.

"Are you going to try to come to school again tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I know I can crash at your place again, so I'll try to make it through the morning classes."

"Good. Then I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye Marinette, love you."

"I love you too."

And he hung up.

And Marinette fell off her chair with a scream. "Tikki! He loves me! He loves me! Both of me! He's desperately in love with Ladybug! And he wants Marinette in his life! He loves me!"

"And you're going to return the favor tonight during patrol?"

"Can I?"

"It's up to you. There's always the threat of secret identity mishaps, but personally, I think you'll be stronger together if you reveal yourself. He obviously needs you. Especially if things like this nose job are going to become a recurring problem."

"God, I hope not."

"So what are you going to do about it?"

"Besides revealing myself? I don't know. I still have that awful idea that Chloe and I had. I just worry about how deep that problem could become."

"Well, you've got a little time before patrol starts."

"Yeah, I guess I'll brainstorm."

—

Despite her best efforts, the only other options included calling in an adult. And if Gabriel was deranged enough to force a nose job on Adrien, then he would surely blame him for getting busted.

Maybe talking with Adrien would prove fruitful.

And with that, she left to meet with him.

Chat Noir, that is.

She arrived first. The high rooftop offered a full view of nighttime in Paris in all its splendor, without being visible to civilians.

A perfect meeting place if she said so herself.

The minutes ticked on, and Adrien was still AWOL. Was he that nervous? Or maybe he fell asleep. Or maybe his nose was hurting too much?

Would Plagg know where to find her?

She took out her yo-yo and flipped open the screen, his paw print appearing on the grid. He was transformed and out and about. She watched as the paw print bounced around from block to block. He was not heading towards her. What was he doing?

It took a while, but eventually he started making his way towards her. This gave her a few minutes to get her story straight.

Then he arrived, holding onto the top of the staff and riding it to the roof like an elevator.

"Evening my lady," he greeted, lacking any flirtatious tone and scarily neutral. "Sorry I'm late...I needed to clear my head."

"Hey kitty. How are you feeling?"

"Um...I've been better..." the mask formed over the bandages, but did nothing to hide the shape or the bandages over his nostrils.

"Broke your nose?"

"...yeah, something like that."

She waited. Normally Ladybug would jump right into patrol, but she knew they had to talk. She was just trying to give him the right moment. "Do you...want to talk about it?"

He gripped his arm and looked away from her. He was still out of arm's reach and only felt farther as the time stretched on.

"I...something happened. And I need to tell you but...I don't want you to be disappointed with me."

She sat, leaning her back against the lip of the roof. "I could never be disappointed in you kitty. Let's talk."

He didn't look so sure, but sat next to her regardless. He pulled up his legs and rested his forearms on his knees.

She waited.

"I um...I messed up. I told someone my identity."

She kept her face neutral, allowing him to continue.

"I was really scared and in pain...she let me nap at her house and she made me feel safe. I had some pain meds, but I let it slip that I was Chat Noir. Later, she gave me an out, saying she assumed I was just loopy from the meds but I couldn't deny it. I had to tell her the truth. She's one of my best friends, and she's so trustworthy! I'm so sorry Ladybug...I just...it just came out..." He trembled as a tear rolled down his cheek. "I don't regret it. But...I know I have to give up my ring. I'm...I'm so sorry." He covered his face with his hand. "I wanted to be there for you while you were the guardian, but I already blew it. I'm such a mess..."

Ladybug wrapped an arm around him and pulled him into a side hug. "Chat, I'm not going to take your ring. You're still my partner, and I want no one else."

Chat shuddered and began to cry in earnest, letting out all that he was trying to conceal.

Ladybug tried not to cry too. After all, there was more talking to be had. She rubbed his back and across his shoulders.

"Marinette told me everything." She whispered.

Chat's eyes blew wide as he whipped his head to look at her. "No...no no she promised...she promised she wouldn't tell!"

"Shh, hey hey, it's okay."

"No! She gave me her word she wouldn't tell! I told her everything! I trusted her!" The absolute betrayal in his voice broke her, and she found her eyes stinging with tears.

"Chat...she told me it was an accident. She begged me not to take your Miraculous away. She said you needed me. You needed a friend. She was concerned, Chat. She loves you."

He hiccuped and sobbed.

"She told me about your injury, and that you don't feel safe at home. She told me that you're still in love with me...and she said she couldn't ask for a more perfect partner."

His haggard breathing stuttered at that. "W-what?"

"She said your puns are hilarious, just ill timed. Your fighting skills are second to none. And that despite all that you go through everyday, Adrien, that you still continue to be an encouraging anchor to her. And most importantly, as the guardian, she says she can not pick a better Chat Noir."

He swallowed harshly. "My...my lady?"

"Yes kitty."

"Marinette?"

She nodded. "I didn't break my promise. Mums the word."

The next moment, Ladybug was on her back, as Chat had thrown himself at her, his arms tightly wound around her. "My lady!" He sobbed. "My beautiful lady!"

Ladybug just patted his head and pressed a warm kiss to his forehead. "Yes kitty. I'm here. I'm here and you're safe. I'll keep you safe."

"I knew it was you." He breathed. He leaned away to look down at her, affection pouring from his eyes. "I don't know how, but my heart knew. You wonderful girl. I wouldn't want anyone else."

"Chat..."

"I love you, Marinette. You're everything I ever wanted."

Her face burned as a few happy tears leaked out. "I love you so much Adrien...but..."

"But?" He asked, voice small.

"Don't put me on a pedestal. I'm not perfect."

He scoffed. "No one is. But you're perfect to me."

She smiled sadly. "I meant, there's something else we need to talk about."

"What? I get to stay Chat Noir, you love me, you're the most amazing, kindest, sweetest, trustworthy girl—"

"I kept my mouth shut about nearly all your secrets. All but one."

He furrowed his eyes. "Wait what? To who? Tikki? She doesn't count!"

"No, not Tikki." Ladybug pushed off the ground so they could sit and talk again. "Listen. Chloe cornered me when I came back to school. She already had a hunch, but...I confirmed the truth about your nose."

Chat didn't respond, just stared at her.

"I'm sorry. I know that was the thing you specifically told me not to tell about, but...it's just not right, Adrien. This is wrong. Like, really really wrong."

He frowned at her slightly and turned away. "I kind of figured Chloe had me figured out. She's seen her mom get enough rhinoplasties to know what it looks like." He scratched the back of his head. "But like...just because you're not used to it doesn't mean it's wrong. My dad is just a little more critical of me. That's our normal."

"No no no no no! Bad kitty!" She grabbed his hand tightly. "Never ever, for any reason, is it okay for an adult to force their child to have elective surgery. You said you were scared earlier! Don't try to justify that behavior!"

"Well...it's not great, but he's my dad and he's grieving..."

"Adrien Arthur Alphonso Andrew Absolon Athanese Agreste, you know better than that."

Chat gawked at her.

She held his cheeks in her hands and forced him to look at her. "This stopped being a grieving process. It's abuse."

"...I just didn't want to have an abusive father."

"No one does, kitty cat." She whispered, rubbing her thumb over his cheek, careful not to bump his nose. "But justifying his behavior isn't going to help. It's just going to make it worse."

"I don't know what to do."

Ladybug screwed up her lips. "Chloe and I...may have come up with a horrible idea. I wanted to talk to you about it to workshop it."

"Okay. I'm listening."

She bit her lip and answered haltingly. "We could...purposefully...botch your nose."

He narrowed his eyes. "Botch my nose...? Why would we do that?"

"If your bandages come off and your nose is 'worse' than it was before, your dad will take it out on a doctor that was willing to operate on a minor, and your dad will have to realize it was his fault this happened."

"You don't think he'd suspect me of tampering with it?"

"Would he? Knowing that it's your nose on your face that you'd have to live with?"

"I don't know..."

"Like I said, it's a terrible, awful idea. A huge risk. But it's all I got right now."

Chat frowned, bringing his hand to his chin. As he considered this, his brows twitched and his lips screwed up. Then, his whole face relaxed and a smile slowly overtook it. "The surgeon said it would take a few weeks for it to heal on the surface, but a year or two to heal on the inside before it would be safe to operate on it again. If it's botched…I could get out of modeling for at least a year."

"Is that what you want?"

"To not have to miss class for photoshoots? To not wake up early, or have my free days taken? To have to say no to hangouts? To not have a rigid diet? To not have my flaws pointed out by my father, makeup artists, and photographers? Gee, how will I survive?"

She smiled a little at that. "I can't emphasize how dangerous messing with this is. You could have breathing problems, headaches…"

"With my crippling anxiety and self-doubt, I already have breathing problems."

It probably meant it as a joke, since he said it so casually. But there was just so much weight to it that he couldn't be lying.

"Adrien, do you need to see a therapist?"

"Eh, probably."

"Did you see any therapists after your mom disappeared?"

"No, father said it wasn't anyone's business what happened to our family."

"Christ on a motorbike…okay, once your nose gets revealed, I want you to act as traumatized as you can and demand that you see a therapist. I really think it'd be good for you. Does that sound fair?"

"Yeah…I think you're right. It might be weird though…"

"Sure. But I just want you to be happy, okay?" She rested a hand on his cheek. "I'm asking you to do this not because it's what I want. I'm asking you to put your mental health first."

He shimmied over so he could hold her, and rest his head on her chest. "I believe you. I love you."

"I love you too, Adrien." She whispered, her lips caressing his forehead. "Oh should I say, 'other boy'?"

He looked up at her. "Really? Me?"

"Since the moment you gave me your umbrella."

"Aw Bugaboo! That was the day I fell in love with you too!"

For a long time, they stayed just like that. Embraced, safe, content, and basking in the affection they'd been denying for so long. Broken hearts mending, battered souls finding reprieve.

"So," Chat began. "How are we going to bust my nose?"

"Wait, you're serious?"

"Unfortunately, it makes a lot of sense." He pulled away from her, begrudgingly, and stood. "I'll stand here, and you go to the other end, and then just chuck your yo-yo at my face as hard as you can."

"I can't do that!"

"It'll be fine, my lady."

"No it won't! There's no way to control it! What if I cave your nose in completely!?"

"You won't. I have silicone braces in the nostrils. If you shatter the cartilage, it should stay in place. The doctor took cartilage from my rib and rebuilt my nose. We need to break that."

"Or just dislodge it." She suggested. "Wait, I'll try for a clean snap in the middle."

"You can try," he chuckled.

Ladybug hopped to her feet and took her place a good twenty feet away.

"I'm going to close my eyes. Don't tell me when you're throwing it so I won't flinch."

"Okay!"

Then silence.

He waited with bated breath, flexing his fingers.

Then there was a whistle and he turned his face reflexively, taking the impact to the side of his nose.

CRUNCH

And he hit the ground.

"Chat!" Ladybug rushed over to him.

He gave her a weak thumbs up.

"I'm so sorry! That looked so painful!"

"You held back." He teased.

"Because I didn't want to kill you! I know it was my idea, but that was terrible!"

The bandages under his nose were nearly soaked with blood already. "It didn't hurt that badly…"

"Let's take you home and redress your nose. Okay kitty?"

"Only if you do it for me, My Lady."

"What do I look like, a nurse?"

"No, but you are the one that broke my nose."

"Oh great. Now you're going to lord that over me?"

"Always, my darling bug."

—

Back at Adrien's room, he dropped his transformation and turned to look at Ladybug.

"What's with that look?"

"I just…it's one thing to hear it, and another to see it." She also dropped her mask.

"Oh…I see what you mean. Despite the pain in my nose, I'm just…really happy to see it's you."

Smiling gently, Marinette took his hand and guided him into the bathroom. "I'd say we're pretty lucky."

"Well, I hit the jackpot." He joked. "I think you just got the consolation prize."

"Nonsense. You're the perfect trophy husband." She reached up and gently removed the tape holding the bandage in place, and then eased it off.

Adrien watched her reaction, his heartbeat quickening when her eyes widened in horror and her jaw dropped.

"Is it bad?"

She nodded. "Can you breathe okay?"

"It's hard with the splints, but it doesn't feel any different from before."

"Okay. Well, that's...good? Um..go ahead and look."

Adrien turned to face the mirror, and tears sprang to his eyes. His face, his nose, what he was familiar with, was wrong. The bridge was broken, and very visibly bent like a parenthesis mark. No doubt about it, the surgery was botched.

But he wasn't expecting to be so startled by it.

Marinette's arms wrapped around him from behind. "It's okay kitty. It's alright."

Adrien nodded, his nose throbbing. "I should probably redress it."

"Do you want help?"

"It's alright my lady, I've been doing this all weekend."

Very gently, she turned his face toward her. Then she kissed the corner of his lips to avoid bumping his nose. "Roman statue, Pinocchio, Jimmy Durante, no matter what your nose looks like, it's perfect to me, and to Nino and Chloe and all of your friends. Because it's yours."

He embraced her, leaning his cheek on top of her head. "Thank you, Marinette. That means a lot to me."

"Of course kitty. Anything for you."

There was no talk of what came next for them. Adrien redressed his wounds and took some pain medication. Then Marinette tucked him into bed before transforming and going home to sleep herself.

—

The bruising was even worse the next day. He looked like he got stung by a bee, he was so swollen.

"Dude..." Nino whistled lowly.

But Adrien ignored him in favor of Marinette's shoulder. He snuck up from behind and dropped his chin on her, embracing her around the waist at the same time.

"Oh! Adrien!" She squeaked, unprepared for the hug. "How do you feel today?"

"Like Ladybug hit me with her yo-yo."

Marinette chuckled despite herself. "I'm sure she'd never do a thing like that. She's far too nice, and I think she has a crush on you."

"That's good," stated Nino, eavesdropping. "Adrien's got a mongo crush on her too."

"Hugh Mongo?"

"Hugmongus Dungous."

Alya was alert the second Adrien dropped his chin on Marinette. "Okay, well for someone crushing on Ladybug and dating Kagami, you're certainly chummy with Marinette."

"Kagami and I aren't dating. We never did. And Ladybug is better off with Chat Noir."

Marinette patted his hands in mock consolation.

"That still doesn't explain why you've decided to use Marinette as a pillow."

"She let me crash on her couch yesterday at lunch. After she left, I found her diary and read the whole thing. I found out all about her gigantic crush on me."

Nino let out a violent sigh of relief. "You mean we don't have to hide it anymore?! Finally! Dude, it was getting so embarrassing!"

"Completely unbearable!" Agreed Alya. "Did you see the calendar?"

"Calendar?"

"Alya..." Marinette warned, her face turning red.

"Yeah! She has your whole schedule written out! It's adorable!" Then she added under her breath, "and borderline creepy."

Adrien hummed and hugged Marinette a little tighter. "That's nice. You'll have to share that with me. I'm so bad at time management."

Chloe had been listening for a while as well, but decided that this was a good time to interrupt. "Adrikins? Can I borrow Marinette for a moment please?" Her voice was so sickeningly sweet, as if she were asking daddy for a pony.

Adrien sighed and released Marinette. "Be nice," he warned.

"Of course!" She beamed, before grabbing Marinette's wrist and hauling her off to a corner of the courtyard again. "You two are awfully close this morning! What gives?"

"Well...last night he called me and we had a good talk. Then I told him of the idea we had. He wasn't thrilled initially, but the more he thought about it, the more he came around. He eventually agreed."

"And then?"

"And then I went to sit on my balcony, and saw Ladybug and Chat Noir patrolling. So I flagged them down and told them the whole sad story. As Adrien told me, they showed up at his house and Ladybug broke his nose with her yo-yo."

Chloe screwed up her face. "Ladybug, Huh?"

It was obvious she was still having some reservations of the hero ever since Miracle Queen. Maybe Marinette shouldn't have mentioned Ladybug in the first place.

"Did she mention me at all?" Chloé asked.

"I said you and I came up with the idea to botch Adrien's surgery. She kind of laughed and said we were crazy, but she respected how much we both cared for Adrien."

"She didn't say she was disappointed with me?"

"No, should she?" After all, Marinette wasn't supposed to know about Miracle Queen.

Chloe was quiet then shrugged. "Maybe. Not your business though."

"That's fair." Marinette amended.

"So she broke his nose?"

"Yeah. But she said we're not allowed to tell people she's responsible for it. Adrien doesn't even want people to know it was a nose job."

"Here's a bit of inside information from the world of the rich and famous. No one ever wants people to know they've gotten a rhinoplasty. If they have surgery, they disappear until it's healed. Then they emerge and all the rich and famous friends so "oh wow, did you get a haircut?" But never, never, is it talked about with men. You see?"

"Huh. So if anyone notices he has a crooked nose?"

"Gabriel will probably make up a story about him being in an accident, to drive up the tragedy."

"He's a real piece of work."

"That is something we can agree on."

—

Adrien stayed until lunch again, before going to crash on Marinette's bed. The next day was much the same, and the day after that. By Friday, the swelling had gone down significantly.

"I'm not going to have to crash at your place today, My Lady." Adrien said by way of greeting.

"Oh, do you feel better now?"

"No, I have an appointment at lunch. One week post op. Fingers crossed."

"Let me know how it goes, okay?"

"Absolutely!"

And so at lunch, he pressed a kiss to her cheek and left with his driver.

It was less than an hour later when her phone buzzed with a message from Adrien.

Adrien: going in. I'm about to destroy this man's whole career

She burst out laughing, startling Alya and Nino who were eating lunch with her at her house.

About 15 minutes after that, her phone dinged again.

Adrien: where are you?

Marinette: At my house. Lunch is almost over. Why?

Adrien: we're going to a different doctor and I need an 'emotional support friend' with me. Can we pick you up?

Marinette: Absolutely! I'll be right down!

Marinette explained the situation to her parents, Alya, and Nino, and prepared to meet the sedan outside the bakery.

The car pulled up and she wasted no time getting inside and sliding right in beside Adrien.

"I apologize for asking you along on such short notice, Miss Dupain-Cheng." Said Gabriel from the passenger seat. "The reveal of Adrien's nose was understandably quite upsetting to him. It appears the doctor who did the first corrective surgery did so poorly, and Adrien's nose is ruined. We will be going to a new doctor to see what our options are. He's requested someone come along to comfort him. I don't blame him, I'm extremely upset myself."

Marinette turned her attention to Adrien, seeing his eyes red from tears. He may have gotten actually emotional, or just from watching his father get angry.

"I understand, Mr. Agreste. It's really no problem. I want the best for Adrien."

"You're an artist with a keen eye. His nose is clearly crooked, right? That foolish quack had the audacity to say that it was fine! Swelling he said!"

Marinette turned Adrien's face toward her to get a better look.

His nose was even worse, if that was possible. It might have been swelling, but no doubt about it, the bridge was pointing left.

"It's...it's a little off..." she said sheepishly.

Boy, she did a number on him.

Adrien simply took her hand and squeezed.

Soon they arrived at the new doctor's office. A plastic surgeon, specializing in rhinoplasty. The office was emasculate, marble flooring, chandeliers, it looked more like a hotel than a doctor's office.

Gabriel strode right up to the front desk. "Gabriel Agreste. I called a little bit ago about an emergency consultation with Dr. Nosestiff for my son."

Adrien and Marinette looked at each other. Nosestiff? There's no way that was a real person.

"Of course. He was able to squeeze you in. He'll be with you in a moment. Please take a seat."

They sat down in the empty waiting room, Gabriel tapping his foot impatiently.

"I hope that the other doctor loses his license." Said Gabriel, to no one in particular. "It was supposed to be a simple surgery. That's what he promised. I paid 100,000 euros for my son to look like a boxer. Unbelievable."

Adrien had not yet let go of Marinette's hand, and he trembled at his father's anger.

Marinette rubbed a hand down his arm soothingly. "It's going to be alright." She whispered.

"Alright? Alright?!" Gabriel barked at her. "No it's not alright! Adrien's future as a model is ruined! That's not alright! And all because—" he stopped and hung his head.

All because of me. Is what he didn't say.

"Agreste?" Called the nurse.

The group was led back to an examination room where two doctors were waiting. Adrien was urged into a chair.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Nosestiff, and yes, that is my real name." He shook everyone's hands. "This is my colleague Dr. Zasio."

"Gabriel Agreste. This is my son Adrien, and his friend Marinette."

"From what I heard on the phone, Adrien has had...an accident?"

"As you can see," Gabriel gestured to his face. "The doctor was supposed to be performing a rhinoplasty, but instead decided to turn my son into a rhino!"

Adrien turned his face from side to side.

"Yes, that is a severe complication. He still has a lot of bruising and swelling, did you just come from the other doctor?"

"The one week follow up, yes."

"What doctor did you go to? Was it a plastic surgeon?"

"Yes, a cosmetic surgeon."

"Well, a cosmetic surgeon and plastic surgeon are not the same thing. Cosmetics can do lip fillers, Botox, and rhinoplasties, but they should not be doing septoplasties, which obviously happened to Adrien. Rhinoplasty is surface level. Nostrils and the tip. But a septoplasty deals with the septum and the bridge. That doctor shouldn't have even touched Adrien's bridge."

"He said his cartilage had been shattered and that it needed to be rebuilt."

"Again, not in his area of expertise. Adrien, did you have some sort of face trauma?"

"Uh—" Adrien started, but Gabriel interrupted.

"No. It must have happened when he was born. Adrien hasn't even been in any situations where he could get hit in the face."

The doctor frowned at this.

Dr. Zasio spoke up. "What was the goal of the first surgery? Surely you didn't know about the shattered cartilage?"

"Adrien developed a bump on his nose that was unsightly and uneven. Here's a photo from his last photoshoot." He handed over his phone.

The doctors both stared at it in shock. "Oh my god!" Exclaimed Dr. Nosestiff.

"See? It's quite distracting—"

"That's a perfect nose! Absolutely gorgeous! People would pay millions of euros for this nose! Why on Earth did you want to change it?"

"I uh…" Started Adrien, yet again, Gabriel interrupted.

"This bump, right here." He pointed to the screen.

Dr. Nosestiff pinched his own nose and frowned at Gabriel. "Look Mr. Agreste. I'm going to have to ask you to sit in the waiting room."

"Excuse me?"

"It's obvious that you're upset about this, rightfully so. But I need to speak to Adrien, and you haven't let him have a word edgewise. I think you might be a little hysterical right now."

No, that's just how he always is, Adrien thought.

Gabriel balled up his fists and jutted out his jaw, the impending explosion gaining pressure. But instead he huffed and raised his chin. "Fine. I will go wait out in the lobby." He snapped, and walked out.

Dr. Nosestiff exhaled once he left. "Wow."

Adrien and Marinette exhaled too.

"So what's really going on?" asked Dr. Zasio. "I've seen your ads. They're everywhere. I've had patients bring in your picture asking for your nose. What gives man?"

Adrien swallowed. "I didn't want surgery. I liked my nose. I didn't know there was anything wrong with it."

The two doctors sighed dejectedly. "Disgusting. your father put you up to this?"

"Yes." He confessed, sheepishly.

"What did the doctor say to you at your consultation? Did he ask what you thought?"

"I never talked to the doctor before the surgery. I was pulled out of class without warning, driven to the operating room, and put to sleep. When I woke up, my face was totally swollen, and the nurse said I was 'all better.'"

"Yeah, all better," scoffed Dr. Zasio. "Who was this doctor? Picasso? No one should operate on a minor unless it's an emergency. You weren't having any difficulty breathing, were you?"

"No."

"Thought so. Well, he messed you up real good."

"Um," Marinette spoke up for the first time. "There's something else you should know."

They both looked at her, listening.

"Adrien confessed to me what happened, and we…well, I had…a really terrible idea."

"Which was…?"

"I'm the one that screwed up his nose. I hit him. We purposefully botched the surgery to make Gabriel feel guilty."

Dr. Zasio buried his face in his hands as Dr. Nosestiff just stared.

After a long beat of silence, Dr. Zasio finally just chuckled. "I mean…I guess you accomplished your goal? Waste his money, and make him live with the fact that his risk put Adrien in jeopardy. Honestly, it's better that you did that this time instead of seven surgeries down the line when he starts to look like a ken doll."

"What you did was extremely stupid and risky." Scolded Dr. Nosestiff. "But, it was clever. This isn't the first time a narcissistic parent has forced cosmetic surgery on a child. But I have a feeling it will be the last for Adrien."

Adrien smiled a little at that.

"Now, let's talk about fixing that nose. How's your breathing?"

"It doesn't feel any worse than before."

Dr. Nosestiff tilted his chin up and shined a line in his nasal cavity. He poked and prodded with a long q-tip. Then he gently felt the bridge of his nose.

Adrien winced.

"That hurt?"

"Yeah."

"Still broken, of course. I'm actually optimistic about this. The skin of your nose is thick, so breaking the cartilage and resetting it should solve most of the problems. If the other doctor had to reconstruct it, that probably means he took out all the old cartilage to begin with. Now, the golden question: Are you planning on continuing whatever activity it is that shattered the cartilage in the first place?"

Adrien and Marinette shared a look.

"I kind of have too."

"Okay. Well, try to be a little more careful?"

"I've been telling him that for a while." Teased Marinette.

Adrien just fondly rolled his eyes.

"Now for the news that's going to make your dad really mad. I don't operate on minors without due cause. Since you can breathe fine, I don't see a need to get you in here as soon as possible. How old are you?"

"I just turned sixteen."

"Perfect. In two years, come back, and we'll fix this. I'll tell your father too. You need to fully heal before any more surgery happens. If anyone goes digging in there, the risky for a horrible, life threatening complication goes up. Gabriel Agreste will just have to deal with having an attractive son with a slightly bent nose, over having a son with no nose."

Gabriel was brought back into the examination room to hear all this himself while Marinette and Adrien waited in the lobby.

Adrien just sat with a fond smile on his face. "You know what? I'm also okay with a slightly crooked nose."

"I think it's cute."

"I think you're cute."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Hey, I was thinking…next weekend, if you're feeling better, do you want to go on a date with me? Maybe get some ice cream?"

"Oh my lady, I'd love to…but I have to check my schedule. I might have a photoshoot—JUST KIDDING I'M FREE!"