All The Things You Said

By: Lara Winner

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Miraculous Series

Chapter: 5

It all started with a harmless text message.

Adrien wasn't used to sharing the boy's locker room with the boisterous track team, especially at half past seven in the evening, but their training had run late and as a result he wasn't alone as he prepared to go home. Used to changing clothing and stripping down amidst strangers, Adrien didn't pay any mind to his surroundings as he put on his Jagged Stone t-shirt and edgy ripped-knee jeans, carefully folding his fencing gear and returning the uniform to his locker. Doing one last check to make sure he had everything in his gym bag, along with Plagg and what remained of a bag of cheezits, he pulled out his new phone intending to message Nathalie about sending the car.

But Adrien paused when he saw the unread text message alert. He wasn't expecting any messages; Nino and Alya both knew he would be in fencing practice until late and Nathalie would call if there was anything important to relay from his father. Curious he swiped the screen and froze when Marinette's name appeared. His pulse jumped in excitement even as his stomach clenched with anxiety. Warily he opened the message.

Marinette: {Come by the bakery after practice}

Marinette wanted to see him…

Several emotions came to the forefront but the strongest was the surge of anger that caught Adrien off guard, and his ire only increased as snide thoughts began ranting around in his head.

So now, after pushing him away without even the common decency of an explanation, she expected him to jump at her bidding because she wanted to talk. But why tonight instead of yesterday when he'd shown up on her balcony? Or better yet, why not a week and a half ago when she first began ignoring him?

The fury became a flame that licked at Adrien's heart as if it were dry kindling, the sharp sting of it twisting his lips into a fierce grimace as he realized that he wouldn't say no. He was so pathetic, so needy and desperate for any kind of affection that the minute she trapped him with those bottomless blue eyes of hers he would be unmanned, ready to turn himself inside out if that was what she demanded. And he hated that he could already see it happening, that he wanted to be as close to her as possible because he fucking missed her so damn much that he would promise her it was okay when in truth her abandonment was not only unfair but it had damn near broken him.

Marinette had abandoned him.

Just like his mother.

The flame of rage erupted into an inferno, his chest burning as a haze of red poisoned his perception. It was too strong to contain when made up of every depreciating thought and emotion that had been weaving through his head the entire week, all directed internally. It needed an outlet...

So caught up in his anger, Adrien almost didn't notice the icy voice that slithered menacingly through the cacophony of his mind.

"Ah, so much anger but so much potential."

Adrien froze, his muscles tensing in shock against the probing sensation in his head, a forcefully uncomfortable push and pull against his very thoughts. Not even daring to breathe, he frantically tried to process what was happening but he had a sinking feeling that he already knew and the purple glow at the periphery if his vision was only further proof that he was… was…

"Hawk Moth?" he whispered with barely a breath as he choked out the words past his racing heart that suddenly felt lodged in his throat. Adrien kicked his duffle bag hard enough to gain Plagg's attention and the little kwami poked his head out from his hiding spot, his neon eyes growing impossibly wider as he noticed the condition of his chosen. Adrien tried not to look directly at Plagg but it was a wasted effort when Hawk Moth's chilling laughter echoed in the teen's head.

"Hello Chat Noir. I must say, I can hardly believe my luck. It's so nice to finally chat with you."

Silently, Adrien mouthed to Plagg, "Warn Ladybug..."

Clutching his cell phone in his sweaty grip, Adrien watched Plagg zip away, a black blur that was gone in seconds. His gaze darted around the locker room but no one was paying him any attention, the other boys talking amongst themselves. With his kwami gone, Adrien was on his own and the clammy chill of fear snaked down his spine and ghosted over his skin making him shiver, the chunky silver ring on his right hand his only comfort as he faced down his unseen enemy. "I'd ask what you want but I already know."

"Then shall I propose a trade? The Cat and the Ladybug miraculouses in return for-"

Adrien cut the villain off defiantly. "No. There is nothing you can give me that I would want."

"Are you so sure?" Hawk Moth's sneering voice taunted. "I can feel how difficult all of this is for you. The great Chat Noir, savior of Paris and yet..." the disembodied voice took on a ruthless edge, "you're still the stray that no one wants."

"Stop!" Adrien hissed softly, his panic blurring at the seams where his rage began to burn once more, stoked and prodded with every carefully played word from his nemesis.

"I could make them want you; starting with that pretty little classmate of yours, then Ladybug and even your father. But love is so overrated, don't you think? Now fear... That is a powerful emotion. Fear could bind them to you far better than fickle notions of love."

Adrien tried to take calm even breaths but his growing fury would not subside. "You're one sick fuck," he snapped.

"Perhaps I am, but I'm also right. There's so much rage inside of you. If only you would let it out. I could help you focus it and together we would have all of Paris groveling at your feet."

The pressure in his head intensified and Adrien cried out in pain as he fought to keep control of his own mind. "You said we could make a deal right?" he pleaded desperately, ignoring the curious looks he'd garnered from the other students, "You want our miraculouses. I'll get them for you but you have to leave the innocent bystanders out of this. The only thing I want is to get you out of my head."

"Interesting..." Hawk Moth replied contemplatively. "You are strong to have resisted my control this long but only someone truly weak would turn down a chance at righteous vengeance. Get me the miraculouses and I will gladly leave you to your heartbreak."

"Okay. We have a deal," Adrien agreed, sighing in relief as the invading presence pillaging his mind eased enough to no longer be painful. He stumbled from the locker room and slowly made his way to the rooftop fervently hoping that no one decided to follow him. He was winging this so badly but if he could contain the collateral damage as much as possible then maybe...

"Why are you not seeking out Ladybug?" Hawk Moth demanded sharply.

Collapsing in a shadowed corner, Adrien drew his knees to his chest, curling in on himself as much as possible as if that would keep the violent tempest seething within at bay. "Ladybug will find me. Just you watch."

"By sitting on a rooftop in the dark?"

"Ladybug will come," Adrien asserted with more confidence than he actually felt.

"You had better be right."

"Tikki!"

The little red kwami jerked up from her nest of fabric scraps, alarmed as her other half phased through Marinette's bedroom wall. "Plagg! What are you doing here? Where is Chat Noir?"

"Akumatized!" the cat-like kwami wailed.

Tikki gasped in horror, "What!"

"He's akuma..." Marinette's stunned utterance trailed off as two sets of large eyes turned her way, one pair imploring blue and the other surprised green. The green eyes narrowed to slits.

"You! You're Ladybug..." Plagg spluttered jabbing a tiny paw at her rudely. "Oh well that's just fucking great," he hissed.

"Plagg..." Tikki warned.

"This is all her fault!" he yowled, sounding very much like an angry, wounded cat.

Guilt caused Marinette's stomach to twist unpleasantly but then it turned upside down as the enormity of what she was facing dawned on her. Not only was it her fault that Adrien was emotionally vulnerable but now she would have to fight him in order to save him. It wasn't the first time she'd had to face off against her partner but those times had been unexpected, she stayed in the moment and rolled with the punches with no time to really consider the situation. But this was completely different and Chat's kwami was right, she was entirely to blame.

It took everything in Marinette not to flinch away from the black kwami's baleful glare. "You're right, it is my fault. I'm so sorry..."

"Then fix it," he snarled waspishly, "because if you keep toying with his feelings you're going to get him killed. He's your partner not a fucking pet!"

Tikki flew between them taking Plagg by his paws and admonishing him gently, "Calm down. Being upset is not helping. Now where is Chat Noir?"

"He was at the school. I can sense him nearby so he's probably still there."

Tikki turned to her charge, concerned. "Are you ok, Marinette? You'll be of no use to Chat Noir if you are just as upset as he is."

"Yeah," Plagg huffed, "we sure don't need you screwing things up even more."

Marinette gave both kwami a stiff nod. "I can do this." I will do this. "Tikki! Spots on!"

She felt marginally better as the pink light engulfed her, merging Tikki's essence with her own.

Plagg flew to the window with a sharp, "Follow me."

In record time Ladybug landed on the roof of the Collège Françoise Dupont, her eyes scanning the shadows in the late evening light searching for any kind of movement that might give away her partner's position. She nearly jumped right out of her spots as Adrien seemed to materialize out from the shadows, his handsome face set in cruel lines behind the purple papillion glowing around his eyes.

"Ladybug! So kind of you to grace us with your presence," the teen scoffed.

A fissure started within Ladybug's heart at seeing the sweetest boy she'd ever met twisted into the menacing stranger standing before her. It wasn't right.

Your fault...

Plagg perched on her shoulder, his voice pitched low. "You got a plan, Bugsy?"

"No. You?"

"Maybe if I transform him-"

"Adrien don't!" Ladybug cried as her partner ripped the silver ring off his finger, forcing the cat kwami to return into his miraculous. In Adrien's palm rested the unassuming black ring with a green paw print, glinting in the meager light before he closed his fist. Then purple light sizzled up his body and in Adrien s place stood...

"Chat?" Ladybug asked hesitantly. She gasped, taking a step back when his eyes opened but instead of electric green they were bloody red.

"Chat Noir is unavailable at the moment. Can I take a message?" The snarky reply could have been familiar but the long fangs indenting his lips as he spoke in a guttural tone sent a shiver down her spine.

It was then that Ladybug began to notice all of the differences; his suit was no longer jet black but grey with darker, jagged stripes along his torso, his belted tail was now studded with wickedly sharp looking spikes as was the collar of his suit and there was no longer a flirty golden bell at his throat.

This wasn't her Chaton, that much was painfully obvious.

Keeping her focus trained on his fist holding the cat miraculous she took a wary step forward. "Who are you?"

"I am The Stray. Fitting don't you think? It's what you've always thought after all."

It was true, she realized shamefully. She had jokingly called him that on many occasions but she had never expected that he would take her teasing to heart.

"Chat this isn't you. Please, you can fight this. I know you can," she pleaded, but he continued as if she hadn't spoken at all.

"You know, I can see why you never cared about him. He was so nice and good and... predictable. And stupid, can't forget that one. But it's all right, those flaws have been corrected. I'm smarter..."

The Stray stalked forward, brandishing metallic claws that appeared to be as sharp as any blade Ladybug had ever seen. She swallowed hard.

"And stronger," he took another predatory step.

Ladybug loosened her shoulders balled up her fists, bracing for impact.

"And a whole lot meaner." He lunged and the game was on.

The Stray pressed forward with unrestricted aggression, swiping his clawed hand and forcing Ladybug to maintain her defensive position as he moved with such increased speed that she was barely keeping just beyond the reach of his deadly attack.

"You'll need more than luck to defeat me," he taunted as his claws slashed within mere centimeters of her face.

Ladybug knew he was right.

They were evenly matched, counterbalancing each other as adversaries just as naturally as when they were partners, but Ladybug couldn't stop herself from holding back. Her heart may have been racing from adrenaline but her stomach was still sick with regret. With every block she willed herself to step up and knock him back but the mantra of 'my fault' kept running through her head and she couldn't stand to cause him more pain. So she held her ground without making any progress.

Until Ladybug miss-stepped, her foot slipping on the uneven rooftop and giving The Stray a clear opening. There was no time to steady her footing before he threw himself against her midsection shoulder first, forcing the air from her lungs as they hit the roof and rolled gracelessly in a tangle of flailing limbs. When the world finally stopped spinning Ladybug found herself pinned down, her wrists pulled above her head as the twisted version of the boy she loved hissed down at her with bared fangs and terrible eyes. His razor sharp claws pressed painfully into her flesh, her spotted suit the only thing keeping them from flaying her wrists wide open.

"No!" he snarled as she wheezed for air, purple papillion appearing around his eyes, "fucking shut up already!" The Stray was talking to Hawk Moth she realized just as his left hand shifted slightly to cover hers. Feeling the press of his ring against her palm, her eyes flew to his searchingly. "What do you say we quit fucking around and finish this already," he smirked but with a malicious edge that left her longing for Chat's teasing grin.

Ladybug didn't need to be told twice; she wanted Chat Noir back, she wanted Adrien safe and to achieve that she needed to kick some akuma ass.

Swiftly she brought her feet up, planting them firmly against his stomach and kicked as hard as she could. The Stray went flying back buying her enough time to throw her yo-yo into the air. "Lucky Charm!"

From the air fell a spray bottle filled with water.

The plan lit up in red and black spots and Ladybug discovered the Akumatized object was the cell phone tucked into the open chest pocket of The Stray's suit. Okay... she could work with that.

In a flash of grey The Stray was back on his feet and charging but this time Ladybug was ready. She spritzed the water right into his ruby eyes, blinding him momentarily as she used his momentum to snatch the phone from his pocket and shove him to the side all in one fluid motion. With a victorious cry she stomped on the expensive phone, getting a little too much satisfaction from the sound of it shattering beneath her foot.

It only took a swing of her yo-yo and a tiny swirl of ladybugs to repair the damaged phone before the roof fell silent as nothing if had happened. But one look at the boy hugging his knees with his face buried in his arms told her that too much had happened, maybe more damage than could ever be repaired.

"Adrien?" He didn't move so she went to his side, sitting on her heels as she ran her fingers soothingly through his soft golden hair. His only response was to lean a little closer. "It's okay. It's over now," she promised.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked hesitantly, the question muffled against his sleeve as he refused to look at her.

Her miraculous beeped.

"No." A green eye peeked out from the crook of his folded arms and she tried for a reassuring smile. "I swear I'm fine." When he finally lifted his head she held out the black ring resting in her open palm. "Here... this belongs to you."

Adrien paled, tears welling up in his widened eyes as he reluctantly accepted the ring. "I'm not sure I deserve it anymore..."

"Let your kwami be the judge of that," she replied firmly.

Adrien's hands shook as he slid the ring back onto his finger and then flinched when Plagg flew from the silver band and right into his face. "Kid!" he cried, holding Adrien's face between his paws, "You fought Hawk Moth's mind control. You played that sucker like a pro. I'm so proud of you!"

Despite the tears spilled, Adrien's smile was blinding as he took the purring kwami in his hands and cuddled him to his cheek. "Thanks Plagg. I know I messed up but-"

"Nope, this was all her," he replied waving a paw in Ladybug's direction, lifting his head as an afterthought to glare at her, "and she better fix it."

In her ear was another beep from her miraculous.

It was difficult not to shift uncomfortably when Adrien turned his curious gaze her way, a sheepish smile curving his soft mouth. "You're taking all of this rather well. I always thought you would be super pissed off if you found out who I was under the mask."

"Yeah," Plagg piped up, "you don't look surprised at all."

"I'm just glad you're okay, Adrien," she breathed, unsure how to reply. They needed to cut this short before her miraculous ticked down any further…

As if Plagg could read her thoughts he smirked warningly, "You had better tell him, Bugsy."

Fuck! This was not part of the plan. Yes, she had apologizing to do and Adrien deserved some answers but this… revealing herself… she was not ready for this. She couldn't… No no no no… Not tonight, maybe not ever… No, she didn't want to and it wasn't fair… and… and…

"Tonight might not be the best time," she reasoned, panicking.

Plagg just shrugged. "He needs to know. Either you tell him or I will."

"What are you two going on about?" Adrien interjected, visibly confused.

Again, her miraculous beeped.

Ladybug was a clever girl, no one could deny that, so even she knew that having Adrien find out her identity from his kwami would be a thousand times worse than if she sucked it up and told him herself. But it didn't mean she had to like it, or want to do it, or… or that she would ever forgive that little black ball of evil for forcing her hand…

Glaring daggers at Plagg, Ladybug did the unthinkable. "Tikki! Spots off!"

Adrien gasped and Marinette's heart did a summersault then sank like a brick straight to her toes. It had taken her quota of courage and then some to drop her transformation so she focused on Plagg and grit her teeth when the cheeky little bastard winked at her.

"Marinette?" Adrien voice was so quiet, so uncertain that she had to know what he was thinking but she wasn't prepared for his stricken expression as he rubbed the back of his neck, clearly distraught.

"I'm sorry... I'm so so so sorry," but whether she was apologizing for the past week or for being a total let down under the mask she wasn't certain.

"This is really happening," he laughed sounding as if he were about to cry.

Telling Adrien was a bad idea. It had always been a bad idea and this was quickly becoming the worst case senario of reactions that she had always dreaded. Maybe if she calmed him down... "I never meant for you to find out like this," more like I never wanted you to find out at all, "and I have a lot of explaining to do-"

"That's right," Plagg agreed, "and you can start by explaining why you tossed Adrien aside like a piece of garbage."

"Plagg!"

Ever the responsible kwami, Tikki flew forward giving Adrien a polite wave before grasping Plagg by the tail and pulling him away. "Come on. They need to talk by themselves," she sighed, shaking her head at her other half.

Once Marinette was left alone with Adrien the silence became down right suffocating.

"Marinette... I wanted it to be you." Her head snapped up and Adrien smiled weakly. "I noticed similarities between you and Ladybug but I could never be certain. I told myself it was wishful thinking but it didn't stop me from hoping," he admitted shyly.

Why are you so perfect?

Adrien chuckled awkwardly and Marinette flushed realizing she'd spoken the thought aloud.

"Obviously I'm not. Not even close. You should know, you haven't wanted me around lately."

She hated that her actions had made him feel unwanted when that was the farthest thing from the truth. "The malfunction was me, not you."

"Bullshit!" he bristled.

"It was because of Ladybug, okay. You and Chat, you both love her and I'm not sure I can live up to that. Ladybug... she's everything I wish I could be, like all the time, but Marinette is awkward and inadequate and when I look in the mirror that's all I see," she admitted, willing away the tears that stung her eyes.

Adrien's tone turned sad as he discerned her reasoning. "If that's how you felt then why didn't you just tell me? Why did you completely push me away?"

"Because I thought," it sounded quite ridiculous now, "I thought it would be better this way."

"So you made that choice for both of us?" Only Adrien wasn't asking, he was berating her.

Marinette pouted. "I know and I'm sorry. It just felt like I was lying to you about who I really am."

"You are Ladybug. You're the same person in all the ways that matter." Adrien was so earnest that she almost believed him, especially when he leaned closer to cradle her face in hands, his thumbs stroking the apple of her cheeks. "I love you, Marinette. So much that it hurts to breathe because I miss you all the damn time. This has been hell and if you would have just talked to me I would have told you a week ago the same thing I'm telling you now."

There was no denying the waterworks this time because how could Marinette stay cool and composed when Adrien was baring his heart and touching her as if she was the most precious thing in his world?

"I freaked out when I realized you were Chat Noir I didn't know how to deal-"

"Wait! You knew before tonight that I'm Chat Noir?" In the dim lighting she could have sworn Adrien's fair skin paled as his face fell. "So that's what started all of this. And if not for Hawk Moth I still wouldn't know that you are Ladybug. Were you ever going to tell me?"

Marinette's gaze dropped guiltily.

"I didn't think so," he muttered and started to pull away but Marinette stopped his retreat by clutching at his wrists.

"I don't trust myself to be enough."

"And I'm telling you that you are. But you don't believe me because you don't trust me." Before Marinette could protest Adrien freed his left hand from her grip and placed a finger against her lips. "You trust me with your life but that doesn't mean much when we both know you can take care of yourself. You don't trust me with your heart. You never did. And trust the most important thing in any relationship."

"I... I..." She wanted to deny it, she truly did, but the raw ache in her chest was proof that he was right. Her vision blurred as a sob ripped from her throat.

"You've got me Marinette, I'm all yours. But I can't be in this deep by myself. Either you're in this with me, with everything you've got or..." Adrien's voice cracked and she thought he might be shedding a few years of his own. "Or it's all been for nothing."

No, no that sounded so final.

"Adrien..." Marinette clutched at his shirt, panic engulfing her at the possibility that this was the end of everything between them, that because of her fear she may have destroyed the very thing she was trying to salvage.

Adrien leaned closer once more and she felt his lips press to her brow and then he was gone from her desperate grasp, a brisk, "Plagg, claws out!" before he disappeared into the night.

For a good five minutes Marinette could barely breathe through the anguished sobs that shook her entire body. Tikki stroked her hair and patted her shoulder but there was nothing her kwami could do to ease the way her heart was breaking all over again. And the salt in the wound was that she'd done it to herself.

When her tears slowed enough for her to draw a breath, she echoed the most prominent thought in her mind. "Tikki, what have I done?"

The red kwami sighed, her eyes sympathetic and her voice soothing. "Nothing that won't be set to rights in due time, Marinette." Patting her chosen's cheek she offered, "For now, let's go home."

Being akumatized took a lot out of a person, Adrien now knew that with firsthand experience.

Finding out the extraordinary girl he thought was out of his reach and the vivacious girl that he had become his anchor were the same person, well... that was an altogether different game of hardball and it left him emotionally sore and completely mind-fucked.

It was safe to say Adrien had functioned on auto pilot those first two days; pretending to be sick the entire weekend in order to hole himself up in his room to do homework, play video games and anything else that required his undivided focus. He itched to do something physical, like go for a long, exhausting, muscle tearing, bone jarring run but he could hardly bring himself to look at Plagg much less become Chat Noir.

It wasn't just guilt that plagued Adrien; it was disappointment in himself for being so vulnerable that it allowed Hawk Moth to compromise him. Plagg repeatedly told him that he'd done well, that no other akuma had managed to spare innocent civilians and fend off major damage to the city while under the sociopath's influence. It proved that Adrien was strong and did indeed have the heart of a true hero.

However, Adrien wasn't sure he agreed. Ladybug would never have allowed herself to become Hawk Moth's pawn. She was better than that, obviously. He was the weak link, always had been and it looked like he always would be.

In trying to deal with his mixed emotions on taking up the black cat mantle one more, his thoughts inevitably turned to Ladybug- no, Marinette... and that was a cluster fuck of negativity that he wasn't ready unravel.

Adrien had laid all his cards on the table and there was nothing left to say. When he'd touched Marinette- no, Ladybug... for what might very well be the last time in the moonlit darkness of the school's rooftop, the moment of reckoning was upon them. All of their secrets were exposed and yet the divide between them had never seemed more unbridgeable. If she couldn't entrust him with all of herself, flaws and all, after everything they had been through as partners and as friends... then he was done. He had to be; a one-sided relationship wasn't healthy or logical.

There was no way Adrien was walking away from this mess unscathed and with no resolution in sight, he forced himself not to dwell on where he and Ladybug- no, Marinette... where headed when the choice was out of his hands. And that strategy worked until Monday morning rolled around. Adrien couldn't afford to miss another fencing practice, and by default a day of school, so he put on his best game face and entered the school with a confident stride and a photo worthy smile.

Fake it until you make it; that was the best piece of advice his father had ever given.

Seeing Marinette- right now she's not Ladybug, stop it... had beat him to class caught Adrien by surprise. She was never early and when his gaze drifted over to the empty seat only to find it not empty like it should have been, his stride faltered and for a split second she was all he could see, her pretty face drawn and pale with dark circles under her wide eyes that had never looked more blue...

Adrien swallowed hard, biting back the greeting he wanted to give; worried the longing that filled him to the brim was spilling over for her to see. He refused to influence her decision on their future with his overbearing feelings. She had to meet him halfway because he had nothing left to give. Lowering his gaze, he dropped into his seat and willed himself to ignore the stare boring holes in the back of his head.

And that was how the week continued; with Marinette not exactly avoiding him per se but not seeking him out either, and when their gazes did meet it was brief and loaded with all that remained unresolved between them.

Late Thursday evening, lying in his bed after a grueling work out and bracing himself for an even longer training day on Friday where he would not be attending class at all in lieu of D'argencourt's last minute practice regimen; Adrien occupied his overactive thoughts by texting Nino who was bored out of his mind while keeping Alya company as she babysat her younger siblings.

Nino: {Gotta give my girl props, she builds a damn good blanket fort.}

{A blanket fort?}

Nino: {Seriously? How do you not- nvm, I'm guessing your old man didn't have time to do fun things with you when you were a kid?}

{Um… that would be no.}

Nino: {That's so harsh bro.}

{Eh, I'm used to it. Did I tell you he's flying out to New York Saturday morning?}

Nino: {He's not even coming to the meet? What kind of douchery is that?}

{Is douchery even a word?}

Nino: {In my vocab it is. :p}

Nino: {Don't worry, we got your back. Alya and I will be there to cheer you on.}

{You guys are the best. I mean that.}

Nino: {No sweat. Um, I do have a question though. Marinette would like to come too. Is that cool?}

For the first time in their conversation Adrien had to weigh his answer carefully. His first reaction was to say "Yes please," but after a little more consideration he had to admit that it might not be the best idea. There had been a couple of times in class where he could have sworn Marinette had wanted to speak to him but every time she looked away and said nothing. He didn't want to count on her attending the meet and get his hopes up only to be let down again. But if this was Marinette's way of trying to make an effort to fix them, then maybe this could be the starting point he'd been praying for.

{Yeah. It's cool.}

Nino: {Feel free to tell me to shut the fuck up… Have you guys talked any?}

{She explained what's going on. I don't like it but she's… working it out, I guess.}

Nino: {She was hesitant to ask about the meet, like she thought you might not want her there.}

{No, I want her to come. More than anything.}

Nino: {Well this is progress, right? Because Alya and I were seriously considering locking you two in a room until you guys worked it out."

Just the thought made Adrien wince.

"That was definitely not a good idea."

Nino: {Worked for Alya and me. Granted it was a cage at the Zoo and her dad was akumatized and I was being a total dork about Marinette… Anyhoo, my point is small spaces with no place to run can really help a relationship."

{Oookaaay… out of context that would sound totally creepy. Just saying.}

Nino: {lol}

Nino: {Look on the bright side. Things can only get better from here on out.}

Later that night as Adrien settled under his covers with Plagg nestled in his hair; he turned Nino's words over in his head one more time. His friend had a point, he and Marinette had hit rock bottom and either they would come out of this stronger than ever or they would end up partners and nothing more. From where they stood now, the only way to go was up. He just hoped with all his heart that Marinette would be there by his side because he was so tired of facing his demanding life alone.

A.N.- I originally had two more scenes planned for this chapter but it was running way longer than I anticipated so this fic will end up being 7 chapters instead of 6. That should make some of you happy.

So akumatized Chat Noir… I really tried to be original with this because there's so many Chat Blanc fics out there that I didn't want to make the story any more of a cliche than it already is. Hopefully I did the scene justice because that was the turning point of the fic. Also a few reviewers mentioned surprise that neither Adrien or Marinette had been akumatized despite all the drama going on and I was hoping I didn't give the next step in the plot way. So I dare say the worst is over. From here on out it's mostly going to be these crazy kids working it out.

Oh and for the sake if this fic Hawk Moth is not Gabriel Agreste. Just going to clear that up now. Also in the series Adrien does not fence competitively but for this story he does.

So until next time my lovelies, thanks for reading!