Edited.

Marinette's P.O.V

I collapsed onto my bed, swearing that the lumps in it had never felt this good, and burying my head in my pillow.

It had been five days since I saw Chat's mortified face when he realized that I didn't love him.

Tears stung my eyes. I inhaled deeply, sucking in all the oxygen available in my pillow, and let out an ugly sob.

"Marinette," Tikki consoled, and I turned onto my back, staring blankly at the ceiling, tears streaming down my face. "Marinette, it isn't your fault."

"It is, Tikki," I said softly, sniffing. "I should have known it. I should have tried to see that he didn't just...like me. I should have known that it might have grown to more..." I trailed off into sobs.

"Marinette. Chat loves you. You know that now, don't you?" Tikki asked. I nodded. "Rejection hurts, everyone knows that from experience. But time heals. I'm sure he'll come back because he loves you. He cares for you."

"His face, Tikki," I sobbed. "I can't forget his face..." I rolled over and sobbed into my pillow, ignoring Tikki's attempts at consoling me. I cried until I was sure I would die of deoxygenation if I didn't lift my head up.

I turned over again, my tear glands exhausted of liquid, and stared silently at the ceiling. Tikki hovered beside me, having decided that saying nothing was best in this situation.

I didn't know when I drifted off to sleep. I just know that I was startled awake by a rhythmic tapping on the sliding doors of my balcony.

I knew that tapping.

I rolled out of bed and, seeing how ungracefully I had done so, slowly made my way to the doors in a more ladylike fashion.

"Ch-Chat Noir," I said hoarsely, and then cleared my throat, rubbing my eyes as I realized that they were probably bloodshot to hell. "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to see you," he said, and my face fell. He wanted to see me; not his love, Ladybug. For some reason that made me sadder.

"You...haven't been around. Ladybug's been fighting akumas all by herself these past few days," I said slowly. "Did...did you two fight?"

His face closed off, and he shook his head. "Nothing happened."

"Nothing?" I asked. "Then...then why did you disappear? You two must have fought," I said slowly. Of course, I already knew what had happened, but acting as a normal civilian had me having to ask questions a civilian wouldn't normally know the answers to.

"We didn't fight," he said, turning around and walking to the balcony. He peered down at the busy city below, and I waited for him to continue. "Nothing happened...to us. It's me."

"You?" I walked up to him, peering at his face. Squinting through the dark, I noticed a small purple bruise just above his left eye, and gasped. "Chat, what happened to you?"

He looked at me with a puzzled expression, and I reached out to touch the bruise. The look that spread across his face made me recoil.

"Princess?"

I cringed, comprehension hitting home. There was something going on with Chat. Something that didn't have to do with Ladybug at all.

Something much, much worse.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Adrien's P.O.V

I saw her expression change from one of horror, to wonder, to worry, and my stomach clenched.

She realized something. Something I didn't want her to know. I had to distract her. I had to do something.

"Purr-incess, are you worried about me?" I said sassily, grinning lopsidedly and forcing it for all it was worth.

"Yes, I am," she said, and my grin melted away. "What's going on with you, Chat? Are you okay? You...you can tell me."

I stared at her. Her raven hair. Her sky blue eyes. Her expression that made me want to pour everything out. To open myself up and reveal my destroyed, deteriorating insides to her.

But I couldn't.

It would traumatize her. She wouldn't get it. She'd be afraid of what she saw. She'd hate me. She'd pity me. She'd be disgusted. I came up with a million other excuses.

She wouldn't understand.

"There's nothing wrong with me. I'm just sick, and I can't fight because I'm not completely well yet. That's all. I wanted to talk to someone. So someone would know what was going on, at least. I'm fine. I'm fine," I repeated, more to make myself believe it.

"Chat-"

"I'm really okay, Princess. Really. I just wanted you to know. Besides, you might see Ladybug around and tell her for me." I winked at her. "I gotta go. See you around."

"What? Wait! Chat! Chat, please!" She called, but I ignored her, leaping to the roof of the next building with the aid of my staff.

"Au revoir, Princesse!" I called, turning to look at her face one more time before I swung away.

All I saw was worry.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Marinette's P.O.V

I got ready for school slowly, my head pounding from the cry-fest I had had the previous night. As I slowly walked down the stairs, my mom rushed towards me, worry written all over her face.

"Marinette? What's wrong? Have you been crying?" She asked me, feeling my forehead. "Are you sick? What happened?"

"I'm fine, Maman, I just...didn't get enough sleep last night. I'll be fine," I lied. I wouldn't be fine. Not until I knew what was going on with Chat.

"Oh, Mari. You look sad. Are you sure there's nothing wrong?"

"Yes. I'm fine, really."

"...alright. Just go to the nurse's office at school and try to get some sleep. Falling asleep in class is one of the lesser nightmares of a student," she said, and smiled at me.

Her contagious smile, that always made me smile back.

This time, I just nodded.

"Bye!" I called over my shoulder as I ran out of the bakery, racing off to school as fast as I could.

* * * * * * * *

I awoke with a jerk as I felt a small tap on my shoulder. I looked up from my table and saw one blue eye peeking out from a mane of vivid red hair.

"Nathaniel?" I groaned, blinking groggily, and he smiled.

"Hey, Marinette," he said, and then he frowned. "Are you alright? You missed the last two periods." He gestured towards the blackboard, covered with notes that Miss Bustier was swiftly erasing with each swipe of the duster.

The notes that I hadn't copied.

"Oh, no!" I panicked, grabbing my head and watching helplessly as the board was cleaned. "T-two periods! I'm dead!"

"Hey, it's okay! Stop panicking!" Nathaniel said. He sighed, and then held up a notebook with his handwriting on it. "Alya didn't want anyone to wake you up because you looked really tired, so I took your notebooks and helped you to copy them."

I stared at him, unmoving, and he frowned again.

"What is it? Is it my handwriting?" He peered down at the notebook. "I tried to make it as neat as possible-"

"Thank you!" I cried, throwing my arms around him and smiling wider than ever. "Thanks a lot, Nathaniel! You're the best!"

"Oh...it's nothing. I just wanted to help."

When I pulled away, I noticed that he had another paper in his hand, folded neatly. He noticed me looking and smiled.

"I...also wanted to give you this, Marinette," he said, placing the paper in my hands with great care. I opened it and gaped.

It was a drawing of me.

"Oh, Nathaniel, this is amazing. Thank you. You...you didn't have to draw me."

"It's okay. I wanted to," he said, smiling, and then he stood up. "Well, I have to get my books for the next class. Try not to fall asleep again, okay?"

I laughed. "Yeah. Thanks."

He grinned and turned around, and I looked down at the picture again. I was wearing different clothes, and in neat handwriting, was my name, underlined by the string of a...

My eyes widened. I looked up and saw Nathaniel looking at me. The next thing he did made my stomach drop to the floor.

He smiled wryly and nodded once.

-----------------------------------------------------------

A/N:

Word Count: 1377.

I BETCHA TEN DOLLARS THAT YOU CAN TELL WHAT THAT NOD MEANT.

Hello again! Dazed_Sphinx here. Inspiration was kind to me today, as I have updated the day after!

I have given my fellow Wattpadders a break from the violence, but have put in a fair amount of suspense. Also I have included my baby tomato in all his perfection.

Also, all credit for the picture goes to the artist, whom I searched for like crazy but could not find the name of. (If you see a name anywhere, be sure to message me!)

What do you think?