Apologies for yet another big gap between posts on this story. I'll try and get the next one up sooner rather than later. It will just depend on how creative my brain is feeling ;)

Also I've upped the rating to M for future chapters.

Chapter Eight

With the akuma fight dealt with, Chat Noir had nothing left to do but go home. Yet his brain felt completely fried. Ladybug had a boyfriend. A freaking boyfriend! When did that happen? Why hadn't she mentioned something sooner? Why hadn't she chosen him?

On that last depressing thought, Chat Noir stopped his automated dash across the rooftops and sighed. His shoulders slumped and his head drooped. Cat ears flicked backward as his tail slashed in agitation. The underlying question which ate at him the most was: why couldn't Ladybug see what so many fangirls could? And he didn't just mean the ones chasing after his alter ego. Chat Noir had a fair following of the opposite sex too.

What was he lacking that this new boyfriend had? A tormented growl forced itself through his clenched teeth and the need to punch something became overwhelming. But Chat didn't act on it. Being transformed meant his normal strength was amplified and he didn't have his partner nearby to rectify any damage he might cause.

Raking a hand through his wild blonde locks, Chat Noir began moving again. The warning beep of his miraculous had him increasing his pace. He needed to get back to the mansion, so then he could go home. It was an annoying detour but one he had to make in order to keep his identity secret. Man, he wished his father would just let him be. If his life were different and he didn't have to commit to stay in Paris for his superhero duties, he was pretty certain he would have opted to study abroad. But knowing his luck, Gabriel would have probably packed up his fortune and moved too.

As Chat Noir neared the Agreste mansion, he opted to enter via the ensuite window. He'd had a few near misses when he'd chosen to use his main bedroom window, and given his current sour mood and crappy luck, he was more than certain he'd screw up and give away his most guarded secret.

Thankfully the bathroom and his bedroom were both devoid of life upon his return. Shedding his transformation, Adrien picked up his towel from the floor where he'd dropped it and hung it on the railing to dry.

"Cheese?" Plagg stated with an enquiring look.

With a sigh, the model walked over to his still stocked cheese cupboard. "You know where they live, Plagg."

"I do but you looked like you needed to snap out of whatever funk you were sinking into."

Adrien slumped down to sit on the edge of his bed. "She's got a boyfriend. A freaking boyfriend!"

"And you've got thousands of love letters from girls you don't even know."

The model threw his hands into the air. "But that's different, Plagg. I don't feel an emotional connection to someone else. I just want her and now I don't know if that's ever going to be possible."

"She did say boyfriend, right? Not fiancée or husband. Boyfriends come and go. There's nothing to say that this relationship will last."

Adrien dropped his head into his hands, digging his fingers into scalp. "She's always been into another guy. This could be him and if it is I stand no chance."

Plagg let out a resigned sigh. "Perhaps you need to look at other options. Like a meaningful relationship with cheese. But not camembert, you need to find something other than my beloved. Maybe gouda or brie, feta even."

Adrien gave his kwami a half-hearted smile. "Plagg, I don't think it's possible for anyone but you to love cheese at that level of adoration."

The cat kwami shrugged. "True. I guess what I'm trying to say is that Ladybug isn't the only woman out there you know. Take that Kagami, she already thinks she's your girlfriend."

"I am not dating Kagami. Oh crap, I was meant to call her." Delving his hand into his back pocket, Adrien pulled his phone free and winced. Eight missed calls.

Plagg hovered at his shoulder. "Wow, that's on the verge of desperate. I take it back. Maybe you should sift through the love letters instead."

Rolling his eyes, Adrien thumbed his phone to call back Kagami. It rang twice before she picked up. Her voice was gruff. "Adrien."

"Hi Kagami, sorry for the delay in calling. My, uh, phone was on silent."

"Again?" Her annoyance was clear in that one word.

"Sorry, I had a photoshoot earlier in the day and forgot to switch it back over." Not a complete lie.

"My admirer was back. This time when I was supposed to be meeting my mother for dinner. He was here at the restaurant. I needed you, Adrien."

"Where was your mother?"

"She cancelled, had something better to do. Well, actually she said she wasn't feeling well which translates to: I don't want to go."

Adrien rubbed the palm of his hand against his forehead, closing his eyes. He could empathise on that point. "That sucks. Are you okay now? Did the guy leave?"

"I'm fine. I had to be very stern with him but he left." She paused before continuing. "Luka was here and came over to see if I was alright."

The model's molars were suddenly clenched. "Was he with Marinette?"

"They were on a date but I didn't see her until they left. It was weird, she looked like she had run a marathon or something, her face was flushed and sweaty. It's not like Marinette, she's normally well presented."

A frown settled on Adrien's face. "That is odd."

Plagg floated before him, arms crossed with an eyebrow whisker cocked.

"What?" Adrien mouthed to his kwami.

All he got was a knowing grin before Plagg zipped off to get another wedge of camembert.

"Anyway, I need to go my main meal is here and I shouldn't be talking on the phone. If you were here with me, this wouldn't be a problem."

Her pointed tone had him bristling. "I've already eaten."

"Goodbye, Adrien." And with that he was dismissed.

"Wow, that was cold." The model snapped as he glared at the blank screen of his phone.

"At least it wasn't the nasally whine of that Chloe girl," Plagg shuddered at the thought.

The kwami had a point and Adrien gave a nod of agreeance. With the phone call over, he picked up his sachet bag containing his dirty clothes and exited his bedroom. As a curtesy he knocked on his father's studio door. "I heading home," he said as he cracked the door open.

Gabriel was standing poised before the painting of Emilie, his hands behind his back. "This is your home."

"Was my home," Adrien added, keeping his tone as light as possible. He didn't want to evoke his father's wrath again. To him, the mansion was about as homely as a mausoleum.

The senior Agreste let out a snort of annoyance. "Make sure your bodyguard drives you home. You are not to take the train again."

Fighting an eyeroll, the model conceded with a nod. "Very well, father."

It was only as the ominous front door closed behind him that Adrien expelled the breath he'd been holding. This place hadn't been a home since his mother had vanished from his life. With an absent nod of greeting to his bodyguard, the model slipped into the backseat of the dark grey sedan and put on his seatbelt.

Impulse had him pulling his phone from his pocket, scrolling through his contacts until he stopped at Marinette's details. For some unknown reason he really wanted to call her. But it was stupid. She would be with Luka. Probably making out or possibly making love. His whole body tensed up at that thought. The idea of her being with Luka like that felt so fundamentally wrong to him yet he didn't understand why.

Before he could really analyse his thoughts, the phone in his hand started to ring. Surprise lit his features as he saw the call was from Juleka. "Hello?"

"Hi Adrien, just thought I'd let you know the band won't be practising tomorrow. Things between Rose and I are bad. I think we broke up tonight."

The evident strain in Juleka's voice had him sitting straighter in his seat. "Are you alright?"

"Um, no not really but I'll be okay."

"Juleka, I can come over and keep you company if you want."

There was silence on the other end of the phone. "Actually, that would be really nice."

Adrien quickly turned to his driver and gave him Juleka's address. "I should be there in ten minutes," he confirmed to her.

"Alright, I'll see you then."

Soon enough the town car rolled to a stop before a narrow building. Adrien strode to the front steps and hit the call button. Juleka buzzed him in and he quickly made his way to the second floor flat. Much to Adrien's surprise it was Luka who opened the door. "Uh, hi." Adrien stuttered as he stepped across the threshold.

"Thanks for coming. Apparently, I keep saying all the wrong things."

The model looked at him blankly, his brain jetting off on two different tangents. The main one focussing on the fact that Luka wasn't with Marinette, meaning they weren't in bed together resulting in a deep sense of relief on his part. The other one was processing Luka's words. "What did you say?"

Luka shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans, looking resigned. "That they can work this out. That they've been friends for years and their relationship is not worth throwing away. Seems that's not what Juleka wants to hear."

"You're right," she confirmed as she walked into the cosy living space, pulling her hair back into a ponytail yet leaving her trademark purple streak free to hang over one eye. It was a look she'd owned for as long as Adrien could remember. "I don't want to hear it. It's hard enough knowing that I'm losing not only my lover but my best friend. The thing is, I don't know if that person even exists anymore. Rose isn't the same. Or at least we don't want the same things, we don't share the same passions. Heck, she changes her mind about what she wants on a regular basis."

Adrien placed a supportive hand on her shoulder. "What is it that you want?"

Tears pooled against Juleka's lower lashes. "I just want to be happy. I'm sick of feeling like I'm trapped with a person who wants to change me into something I'm not. Who won't love me for who I am but what she expects me to be. I want someone I can talk to who listens and cares about what I have to say. Over the last few months I've noticed that whenever we talk she turns everything around so it's about her. She doesn't show an interest in my life except when it affects her. The rest of the time, she simply glosses over the tough stuff like our finances. If we can't communicate, how can our relationship possibly work?"

"Have you told her this?" Adrien asked.

"Yeah, in a roundabout way but as I said, she twists everything so it's about her. She's always the victim, I'm holding her back and so on. I've let her pursue her dreams, I've never stopped her doing anything yet all she does is criticise me. How can you get someone to understand your point of view when they won't even hear you out?"

Luka moved to stand beside Adrien, giving his sister a sympathetic look. "What if I talk to her? Maybe that would help."

Juleka frowned. "I don't know. To be honest, I'm not even sure I want to fix this. While I was upset that she left tonight, a greater part of me felt relieved. Like I can breathe again."

"Sounds like you need some time apart, if nothing else but to think about what you want." Adrien added.

"I think you're right. Although I feel like this is the end and I'm okay with that."

Luka reached out to squeeze her arm. "We'll work through this. Whatever happens."

"I know," she said with a watery smile, leaning forward to hug first Luka and then Adrien. "You guys are the best."

"So," Luka said with a warm smile, "how about we raid Rose's tin of brownies and I'll make hot chocolate?"

"Sounds great," Juleka said wiping her thumb along her eyeliner in attempt to keep it from running.

Adrien could only watch the siblings with admiration, wishing he had the same strong connection with his own family. But then he realised that family didn't have to be restricted to blood ties, it could also be those you were bonded closest to. In that moment Adrien truly appreciated what great friends he had too.

Things aren't looking good for Juleka and Rose, while Adrien still has no clue as to why he's reacting so strongly against Marinette and Luka's relationship. Plagg has his very own personal soap opera to keep him entertained. You've got to wonder if he compares notes with Tikki when given the opportunity.

As always, thanks for reading and your support - I know this story has been a slow grind so far. Cheers :)