All the way home, and to his room, Adrien was thinking. Sure, he was really happy he had finished the letter and could finally tell Ladybug how he felt, but he was also really worried. Marinette had looked really sad all day, and he hadn't noticed until it was almost time to leave. It wasn't just the fact that he hadn't noticed, it was the intensity of pain and sadness in her eyes and how much effort she was putting into trying to conceal it from him.

Not that trying to hide the reason will work. If she didn't tell Adrien, she might tell Chat Noir. who could be more trustworthy than a superhero? Not that Adrien wasn't trustworthy enough. Maybe she was just shy. She did act kind of awkward around him when he was Adrien, though he didn't know why. He gave Plagg a piece of camembert so he would have enough energy for later. He went over to his foosball table and started playing. It was his routine. If he had lied down in bed to think, Nathalie would have told his father and called the doctor, in other words, made a mountain of a molehill. After a while he got bored and started playing video games. At nine, Nathalie came and told him to go to bed. At 9:15 she came to check on him, as he knew she would, and left for the night when she saw him in his bed, supposedly asleep.

The blond model waited ten more minutes before stealthily getting out of bed. His kwami was sleeping in his drawer as if he was the one who had been working and thinking all day. "Plagg, get up," Adrien said, gently poking him. Plagg rolled over and mumbled something that sounded like camembert. "Plagg, c'mon," his holder said, poking him again, harder this time. When he still didn't wake up, Adrien slowly pulled out a piece of camembert from another drawer and held it above Plagg's nose, just out of his reach. Plagg slowly opened his eyes and reached for the cheese, which Adrien had pulled behind him as soon as his kwami had shown the least sign of movement.

"Hey , gimme that!" Plagg said, hovering in front of Adrien with his arms crossed. "You'll get it when we get back," Adrien said. "Do we have to go? It's late and I'm sleepy. I was just having a wonderful dream about a beautiful piece of camembert, and I was sharing it with-" Plagg abruptly stopped, realizing he had said more than he has meant to. Adrien was surprised, and intrigued. Who could possibly be in Plagg's dreams apart from camembert, if kwamis could even dream. "Who were you sharing it with?" the blonde asked his kwami with curiosity-filled eyes.

"No one. Why did you wake me?" Plagg replied, unsuccessfully trying to change the subject. "That can wait a minute. Who were you dreaming of?" Adrien asked. Plagg sighed. It felt wrong to be keeping secrets from Adrien, he was his holder, and he knew Adrien would threaten him with no cheese for the next week or so if he didn't tell him, and Plagg couldn't afford that.

"Ok, I'll tell you, but only so you won't stay awake all night out of curiosity."

Adrien rolled his eyes. Of course Plagg would say something like that. "Tikki," Plagg said. Adrien blinked at his kwami. He had no idea what in the world 'Tikki' was. "What's that?" He asked blankly. "I didn't tell you about Tikki?" Plagg asked. He looked surprised too. "Uhh, no?" His holder said sheepishly. Plagg looked at him and said, "She's the Ladybug kwami." Of course, Adrien thought it was natural for Plagg to dream about Tikki. She was literally his other half. "Well Plagg, you can dream about her later," Adrien said. "Right now, there's somewhere we need to be. Plagg, claws out!"

Marinette was is her bedroom, brushing her hair. Tikki was already in bed, tucked up in her comfy bed in the dresser drawer which Marinette had made for her from a tiny cushion and a piece of really warm velvet as a blanket. Suddenly, something moved in the reflection of her balcony. Someone dressed in black was standing half hidden on her balcony. She calculated the distance and position of the figure from the reflection and, without any warning, turned on the spot and threw her hairbrush at it. It hit the figure in the middle of the chest, an inch or two higher than she had aimed. There was a loud "oof" as the shadow fell to its knees. Marinette's eyes widened as she realised who it was.

"Chat!" She exclaimed and hurried over to the bending figure. "What are you doing here? Are you okay?" She asked worriedly. "Princess," he said slowly lifting his face, "That was a perfect throw." Marinette rolled her eyes and stood up with her hairbrush in her hand and walked over to her dresser. She parted her hair and tied it with her hair elastics, all the time keeping an eye on Chat. "Aren't you worried about me anymore?" Chat asked her. "Nope," she said, tying the other half of her hair. "Why?" he said, crossing his arms like a three year old. "You were freaking out half a minute ago." She turned around and said, "That was when I thought you were hurt."

"But I am hurt. You threw a hairbrush at me, and it was really hard," the cat-themed superhero whined. "Well, that's your fault," The dark haired girl replied with an attitude that was quite unnatural to her, "You were the one lurking in the shadows of my balcony. You should've been careful."

Chat was surprised, to say the least. This wasn't like Marinette. The Marinette he knew would have apologized and given him a treat to make up for hurting him. He slowly walked up to her, put his hands in her shoulders and looked into her beautiful blue eyes. "Mari, are you okay?" Now it was Marinette's turn to be surprised. Firstly, she had to put up with the attitude mask to conceal her real feelings from him, and she certainly hadn't expected him to see through it so soon. secondly , because the only other person on the planet who called her that was Adrien, the guy she was trying very hard to not think about. "I'm fin Chat," she slowly said, with a smile on her face. Chat recognized it as the sad smile she had given Adrien in the evening. "Don't lie to me Princess," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "I know you're upset about something. You can tell me."

Marinette wrapped her arms around herself and hung her head, barely trying to hide her pain. He placed his right hand under her chin and made her look up into his eyes. "You can trust me," he said. She smiled "I trust you Chat, but it's somebody else's secret, and they trust me." He was intrigued by this revelation. Who could've asked her to keep such a painful secret, and what could it be? "You can't tell me," he said softly, "but let me help you." She looked at him confusedly. "What do you mean?" he smiled at her and slowly, gently, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into him. "My mom used to say that a hug is one of the best things you can give to someone who's worried or upset," he whispered in her ear.

Marinette was surprised at first, but gradually eased into him. "She's right," the half-chinese girl whispered into his chest. They just stood there, the only sound was their gentle breathing. Slowly, Marinette started getting drowsy. She hadn't thought she'd be able to sleep that night. But Chat had calmed her, just knowing he cared made the day more bearable. It had been a long, hard day, and the strain on her nerves was beginning to tell. Little by little, she began to fall asleep, and Chat noticed it. He scooped her up in his arms and gently laid her down in her bed, and tucked her in. as he was about to leave, she grabbed his hand. "Please stay with me," she said, half-asleep. He knew she wouldn't have had said it otherwise.

He gently sat down beside her and, taking her hand in both of his, started stroking the back until she fell asleep. When he was certain he wouldn't wake her up, he gently laid down her hand on the bed and slowly stood up, with some reluctance. She looked sad and troubled in her sleep, and Chat didn't want to leave her. He felt as if she's be unprotected and vulnerable without him. But he had to leave. Someone could come to check up on him, and he'd been missing. He bent over her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Goodnight Princess," he whispered, his face nearly touching hers, and went back home. That night, Adrien dreamt of two blue-eyed and dark-haired girls instead of just one.

Marinette woke up at about 4 in the morning. She stayed in bed, trying to recall her dream. It wasn't a nightmare, but it wasn't a good dream either. It left her with a feeling of pain and emptiness but no matter how much she tried, she couldn't remember it. Slowly, she remembered last night, and a soft, pain-filled smile started playing on her lips, but soon it left. Chat had successfully soothed her and had made her feel better, but only temporarily, although she could still feel his lingering touch on the hand he had held. She smiled again, a bit less painfully this time. Her parents had come home about an hour before Chat had come, and would be getting up in about an hour, and if they figured out she had been awake, they'd get really worried. She tried to go back to sleep, but she was awake now, and her thoughts kept going, painfully, back to Adrien.

She wondered who the letter was for. The time he had met the girl for the first time was about the same time when he started school, so maybe it was someone she knew. Before she knew it, an hour had passed, and she could hear her parents downstairs. She decided to go downstairs. It would divert her attention, and she was a bit hungry. As she got out of her room, her ears caught the sound of her father's singing. His voice wasn't exactly melodious, but it was deep and strong. She couldn't help smiling. Sometimes, she wondered what she had done to deserve such amazing parents.

"Honey, you're up early," her maman said as she reached the bottom of the stairs. "I was hungry," Marinette replied. It wasn't exactly a lie, it was just part of the truth. "I'll make you some breakfast, then you can help us arrange the bakery," Tom said, tying the apron Marinette had made him for his birthday. Marinette smiled and nodded her head. Last night they had been tired, but now Tom and Sabine noticed that something was wrong. They looked at each other wordly, and Sabine out her arm around her daughter's shoulders while Tom pretended to be out of earshot and working.

"Marinette, sweetie, is everything okay?" The petite woman asked her daughter. If Marinette was surprised, she hid it very well. "Everything's okay maman," she replied smiling, but Sabine knew her daughter well, and even though she wasn't convinced, she also knew Marinette could be extremely stubborn when she wanted to be, and she could see a shadow of that stubborness in her daughter's expression. "We won't press you to tell us anything honey," Sabine said with a kind smile. "But if you want to talk, we'll be here for you." Marinette's smile softened, and the pain in her eyes became clearer for a second before hiding behind a veil once again. "Thanks maman," the half-chinese girl said, hugging her mother. "I know you will." And then, quote to her parents' surprise, she added, "I know you can hear us Papa."

Tom turned around and laughed an infectious laugh. He walked over to his wife and daughter and pulled them in his arms. Marinette closed her eyes. Maybe, just maybe she could get through this ordeal.

Adrien woke up at precisely 7 am. If he didn't get out of bed in the next five minutes, Nathalie would call the doctor. He showered, changed, woke Plagg up, and hid him in his jacket just as Nathalie came in. "Breakfast is ready," she announced in her monotonous voice. Sometimes, just sometimes, he could catch some emotion in her eyes, and it was usually in the morning while her brain was waking up, but he could never name it. He followed her downstairs, like everyday, and sat down in his regular seat beside his father, who barely noticed him.

From 7:30 to 8:30, Nathalie gave him a lesson in advanced chemistry. Every morning, before school, Nathalie gave him an hour-long lesson in advanced something because Gabriel thought his son wasn't learning enough at school. At exactly 8:31, Adrien was in the car and was being driven to school by Gorilla.

As they were driving past some shops, Arien had a sudden idea, and abruptly told Gorilla to stop, who did as he was told. Soon as the car stopped, Adrien jumped out and half-ran to a shop with a little way back. He came back about five minutes later, stuffing a little square box, about ten centimetres in length and 4 in height, into the inside pocket of his jacket.

"Sorry about that," he said to Gorilla as he got in. as he was later than usual, he just had time to get to class before the bell rang.

He was extremely busy the whole day, but whenever he managed to sneak a glance at Marinette, her face would be a mask, but he could see the pain and sadness in her eyes, because he was looking for it, it wasn't visible to anyone who wasn't looking for it.

Years later, when he was reminded of that picture of the dark-haired girl with a forcefully maintained straight face and pain-filled eyes, he mentally tortured himself for being the cause of it.

But Marinette and her worries were the thoughts that came and went, like flashes of light. His main thoughts were concentrated on another dark-haired girl. This girl had a confident face,with eyes filled with courage and determination. He had decided to give Ladybug the letter the next time he saw her, and nothing could change his decision. Little did he know, his priorities would soon change.

He finally got a chance to talk to Marinette. After the last bell rang, everyone left, but Marinette was packing her stuff and Alya was waiting for her. Marinette's face was still emotionless, although her eyes displayed at least to him, all that she was trying to hide. Alya seemed oblivious of the emotion in Marinette's eyes, but she did look troubled. Adrien went over to them, his anxiety for Marinette coming back.

"Hey Mari, hey Alya," he said. Nino had already left as he had to help his mother with something, and Alya could tell that Adrien wanted to talk to Marinette, so she quietly moved to the side, but was within earshot.

"Marinette, I just wanted to thank you for yesterday. You have no idea how much this means to me. I'm going to give her the letter as soon as I can, and I never would've been able to finish it without you. I really can't thank you enough, and if you ever need me, I promise I'll always be there for you. You're an amazing person Marinette, and I wish I had better and bigger words, but all I can say is, thank you."

His face was beaming as he said this, and with every word he said, Marinette felt a pang in her chest, each stronger than the last. Her soft, sad smile reminded him of last night, and a shadow came over his face.

"Mari, if there's anything you want to talk about, I'm here to listen." he out his hand on her shoulder, and gazed into her beautiful blue eyes, and felt something stir in his stomach, without knowing why. He turned to leave, and as an afterthought, added, "You can tell Alya about the letter. She's probably dying to know." he flashed one last smile at her and left.

When he was out of sight and earshot from the classroom, Plagg zoomed out of his jacket and hovered in front of his holder's face. "You didn't give her the thing you bought her." Adrien mentally face-palmed at his own stupidity and turned back after Plagg was safely back in his jacket.

The first thing he heard when he was outside the classroom was Alya's annoyed voice.

"Marinette, he absolved you from your promise, you can tell me. Why don't you?"

He knew he shouldn't be eavesdropping, but his curiosity got the better of him. He was intrigued. Why wasn't Marinette telling Alya about the letter? It wasn't that big of a deal, was it?

From where he was standing, he could see Alya and Marinette from a side angle, but he could see Marinette better as she was facing more towards him. She had her arms wrapped around herself with her head hanging, like last night, except the pain and sadness were more intense. He had a sudden lounging to take her into his arms again.

He saw Alya reflect his shock when he raised her head and the tears in her eyes becomes visible.

"He asked me to help him write a love letter to the girl he loves." If Alya was shocked before, she was dumbfounded now. He couldn't see her face, but he was almost certain her eyes were huge, and he couldn't see what was wrong if he loved someone.

"And you helped him?" Alya somehow managed to ask. She sounded completely lost, and Adrien was getting more confused by the minute, more like second. Marinette nodded slowly, painfully. He saw her dig her fingernails in her arms, and Alya seemed to be coming back to her senses. Alya shook her head, as if to clear her thoughts.

"But," she said, very slowly, very cautiously, the way one approaches and injured bird, "I thought you loved him." Now it was Adrien's turn to be dumbfounded. He felt something fall on him, and he almost fell backwards. Marinette loved him? But she had helped him write a letter to a girl she didn't even know. How could she do that, unless….

His mother's voice came back to him over the span of almost two years. The night she had disappeared, she had come into his room. He was almost 12 then. She had sat beside him, with her arms lovingly around him, and his head leaning against her shoulder. She had said many things, but he hadn't understood anything at that time. But now, something was coming back to him. And he began to make sense of what she had meant.

"M'enfant," she had said, " There will come a day when you will find love. Don't blush, my child, listen. There will come a day when you will find love, and you will be confused whether it is real or not. You will think it is real, but I will give you a way to recognize it. Remember it Adrien? Don't forget! True love, m'enfant, is a selfless thing. When you truly love someone, you don't care what happens to you, as long as the one you love is safe and happy."

He was brought back to the present by Marinette's barely audible voice.

"I love him, Alya," she said. "I love him with all of my heart." There was desperation in her eyes. Adrien was still in shock, but he could comprehend what was happening.

"Then why did you help him?" Alya exclaimed. She sounded confused and frustrated. "I told you ALya," she said, a soft smile on her lips, "I helped him because I love him."

"Marinette I don't understand. I, I'm so confused," Alya said. Marinette smiled a bit more, this time, her smile was a knowing and wise smile. "There are somethings, Alya," she said, "That you learn with experience. It's one of these things. I learned that love, true love, is a selfless thing. When you truly love someone, you don't care what happens to you, as long as the one you love is safe and happy."

Alya stood still for a minute, then pulled her best friend in a hug. Adrien felt weak. He backed against a wall. He could barely think. He looked back in the classroom where Marinette was gently pulling herself away from Alya.

"I should get home," the half-chinese girl said. As soon as Adrien heard this, he cautiously took a couple of steps back, and began to run. He ran all the way down, until he was almost outside, then he leisurely walked into the car, so Gorilla wouldn't be suspicious.

He closed his eyes the moment the car began to drive, and his mind started processing what had happened. Marinette loved him. Marinette loved him. That explained everything. The pain and sadness in her eyes, and how hard she was trying to hide it from him.

Then it struck him. Although he had done it unintentionally, he had broken her heart, and yet she had helped him write a love letter to a girl she didn't even know. How could anyone be more selfless than that? She had described love in the same words as his mother had done long ago. There could be no doubt about it. She truly loved him, and he had ruthless;y torn her heart in a million pieces, and he hated himself for it.

What have I done, he said to himself, talking in his head in his hands before leaning back in his seat and staring at the ceiling. What have I done?

Curiosity killed the cat, that was an understatement.