*Tentatively walks into room, switches on the light, dusts away the cobwebs*

Hey guys! Soooo it's been like, a year, nearly. My bad. I honestly didn't intend to not update for this long, I just don't know where the year's gone. I actually got some notifications recently of people being like 'Please update!' which was really touching, so thank you for taking the time to read this!

I hope Chapter 3 is worth the year long wait. I promise to update quicker next time...

Side note, if you want to find me on tumblr, my username is MiraculousLadyB

- Lady B x

When Adrien didn't turn up for school that Monday, Marinette was concerned but assumed he just needed another day to process everything that had happened. When Adrien didn't turn up for school that Tuesday, Marinette questioned Nino who said his friend had text him to say he was ill. When Adrien didn't turn up for school that Wednesday, Marinette was grateful they had patrol that night because she needed to know he was okay before her worry swallowed her whole.

She arrived early, her anxiety filling her brain with worst case scenarios about what had happened to him. Standing on the rooftop they'd sat on a few nights previous, she stared out at the Parisian skyline, the bright lights of the city breaking through the lingering clouds. Her heart thumped so hard against her chest it felt like thunder.

She was about to call him when he appeared from the direction of the Agreste mansion, a beaming smile of his face as he caught sight of her.

"Where have you been?!" she snapped, folding her arms.

Chat furrowed his brow. "I'm only a couple of minutes late, my Lady, could you not bear to be apart from me for so long?" he finished with a wink.

Ladybug shook her head, exasperated. "No, I mean this week at school, you've not been there, why?"

Chat looked at her, bewildered. "How did you know I wasn't at school? Wait, don't answer that. Bugaboo, I just had a bit of a cold, I'll be back in school tomorrow," he smirked. "It's very sweet of you to worry about my grades though."

Ladybug huffed dramatically. "You know damn well this isn't about your grades. We need to find a way to communicate outside of the suits, because my mind is going into overdrive worrying about you!"

Chat's eyes softened. "I know, I'd be the same if this was reversed. I'm working on it, I promise. I'm going back to school tomorrow anyway, I'm feeling better."

"Fine," Ladybug said with a sigh. "You up for a patrol?"

He smiled affectionately. "Always, my Lady."

She eyed him warily, his chipper mood somewhat out of place given the situation that had arisen a few days ago. She'd missed his smile though, so she decided to shrug it off, for now, as she followed him across to rooftops into the night.

When Adrien didn't turn up for school that Thursday, Marinette had had enough. It was only made worse when Nino expressed his worry that Adrien had barely responded to his messages all week, and any reply he did get seemed very to the point and simple. She wasn't sure what her partner was thinking, Tikki had pointed out she might be overreacting, but something in her gut told her something wasn't right. Chat had seemed far too upbeat the day before, almost like nothing had happened, which concerned her far more than if he'd been understandably miserable and angry.

Perched on the rooftop opposite Adrien's house, she peered over to his room. Most of the room was dark, the only source of light from his desk lamp where he sat doing some homework, but she could see he was alone. The rest of the house was dark, so she took her chance and swung over to Adrien's windowsill. He swung round on his chair in surprise when he heard her knocking, his expression falling to confusion and frustration. She had her arms folded, her hip cocked to the side.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Adrien asked as he opened the window. He offered her a hand into his room which she took. "You know it's not safe to be around here!"

"I wouldn't have to be here if you weren't lying to me," Ladybug quipped as she closed the window behind her. "You said you'd be at school today and you weren't. You barely respond to Nino's messages…"

"I'm not lying to you! I just felt unwell again today, I don't know why you have to make everything such a drama!"

He'd imagined her sneaking into his room many, many times over the years. Not one of those fantasies involved them screaming at each other.

"Don't give me that, you look fine, and you looked fine last night. Are you burying your head in the sand about your father? Because you know in the long run that isn't going to help…"

"Don't you dare try and pretend you have any idea what I'm going through," Adrien snapped, and he caught a glimmer of shock flicker across her face before she quickly withheld it. For a moment, there was silence between them, other than Adrien's ragged, angry breathing. Plagg watched worriedly from Adrien's desk, but said nothing. Taking a shaky breath, Adrien said. "What if he goes after my friends? What if he finds out I'm Chat Noir and uses them against me?" he paused, and he watched as Ladybug's eyes drowned in sadness. His voice broke as he continued. "I couldn't live with myself if something happened to them because of me."

He brought a hand to his face as he began to quietly sob, and Ladybug wrapped her arms around him, stroking his hair and rocking him slowly.

"Firstly, it wouldn't be because of you," Ladybug said, firmly. "Second, I promise I won't let him bring harm to any of your friends. It's my job to protect Paris, and that includes them. Is that why you're pushing them away? So, your father won't target them?" She felt him nod against her shoulder. "Well stop it, you're going to need them more than ever, Adrien, and they want to be there for you."

Adrien pulled away but she took his hands in hers, rubbing her thumb against the back of his palm soothingly. "I can't tell them about this, I'm not risking putting them in danger. Even though Alya would probably punch my dad in the face," he said with a light chuckle. "Hell, Marinette is the nicest person I've ever met," Ladybug flinched at the sound of her civilian name, but Adrien didn't seem to notice. "And I bet even she'd drop kick him."

Ladybug snorted. "She's small but she's certainly feisty. Please promise you'll stop pushing them away? Even Chloe was worried about you, she was asking who'd heard from you and then nearly slapped Lila when she reckoned you and her had been texting constantly all week."

Adrien rolled his eyes. "I can assure you I'm keeping my distance from my father's muse."

Ladybug snorted. "That seems fair, she's a pain in the ass. Promise me you'll come to school tomorrow though?"

He sighed and she squeezed his hands. "Fine, but only to see you," he said with a twinkle in his eyes.

Ladybug raised an eyebrow. "You don't even know who I am."

"Doesn't matter, I know you'll be there, and that's what counts."

She tried to hold back but the blush but he smiled in satisfaction as he watched the pink grow across her cheeks. "Oh! While you're here, I got you something."

He reluctantly let go of her hands and rushed to his desk, pulling open a drawer. He shuffled about in it for a few moments before bringing out a rectangular box.

"An iPhone?" Ladybug asked, taking the box from him.

Adrien nodded. "Remember I asked you what phone you had the other day? It wasn't some stupid plot to try and work out your identity, if anything, it was the opposite. If you get a case that's identical to the one you have, no-one will even notice you have two phones."

Ladybug looked at him blankly. "Why do I need two phones?"

"Because, my dear Ladybug, that one has my phone number in it. You may already have it on your own phone- don't tell me!- but I also have that phone's number in my phone, so we can communicate outside of the suits."

"Oh!" Ladybug said, suddenly understanding. "That's perfect. Though if people see me texting you and it comes up as Ladybug, won't they get suspicious?"

Adrien smiled softly. "Way ahead of you. I've given you a decoy name."

"Dare I ask?" she said with a smirk. He told her and she burst into laughter. "Joan?! Why Joan?!"

"According to Plagg, Joan of Arc was a Ladybug," Adrien said, nodding to his kwami who was snoozing on the desk.

Ladybug sighed. "Okay fine, Joan it is. Thank you for the phone, it'll give me peace of mind."

"It also means you don't have to show up here. I love having you here but it's just not safe," Adrien said sadly.

Ladybug smiled, though it was bittersweet. "When this is all over, I'll spend lots of time with you, I promise. But I guess I should be leaving…"

Tentatively, he stepped toward her, as if he was concerned a swift movement would scare her away. The artificial light from his desk caused her eyes to sparkle, her porcelain, pale skin dressed in the warm orange of the lamp. Against the night sky creeping through his windows, she looked like a burning star, guiding him through the darkness. "Can you stay, for now, just for a little while?" he whispered. His hands fell to her waist and he pulled her toward him gently. "This week has been really lonely."

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Of course," she said softly.