Marinette sat between Adrien and Jeanne as she anxiously waited for someone to say something. Nothing but unrelenting silence filled the room as the blunette stole a few glances at the blond.

As she sat in the unnaturally quiet room, she unconsciously brushed a hand over the bandage that covered her forehead.

The three of them were able to find a first-aid kit. And to their surprise, it had everything that was needed to disinfect a wound.

Marinette's head was still very sensitive, but she tried to ignore the pain, since it was the very least of her worries. Right now, all she was concerned about was the fact that there was a lot she still didn't know about Jeanne or even Adrien.

She opened her mouth to say something, but quickly closed it when the model unexpectedly spoke up.

"Marinette..."

His tone was surprisingly sad, which made the talented designer look at him with unsure eyes. She had never seen him look so defeated, and that concerned her a little more than she had expected.

She didn't know what to expect, and for some reason, that made her feel really nervous. She shallowed hard, and her fingers trembled ever so slightly.

"... There's a lot you don't know about me, but it's time you do..."

"What?" Marinette quietly asked; not sure if she heard correctly or not.

The blond frowned as he glanced over at the dark-skinned girl who sat beside Marinette.

"It's hard to talk about, because I've never told anyone about my terrible past. But because I trust you and you seem really curious..." The anxious teenager rubbed his neck in shame; avoiding eye contact at all costs. "You deserve to know..."

The girl gave her friend a confused expression as she tried to understand what he was talking about.

"Know what exactly?"

Ignoring her question, he gave her a small smile before turning his head forward and resting his elbows upon his thighs.

"As a young child I didn't have many friends. My father was a caring man who always wanted the very best for his family. Yes, he was very overprotective, but it was for a good reason. But something tragic happened, which caused his entire demeanor to change completely. He became cold and conceited, and I could hardly even recognize him. I was just a kid back then, so I couldn't understand-"

A sudden warm sensation caused him to stop talking. He glanced down at the hand that gently rested over his, before smiling at his childhood friend.

"Don't worry, Adrien. You don't have to say anything, if you don't want to-" Jeanne gave him a concerned look as she attempted to ease his restlessness.

"But I do want to. I've kept my emotions bottled up for years. I just can't keep it in anymore!"

The hazle-eyed girl gave her friend's hand a tight squeeze and smiled as she looked into his longing eyes, "Of course."

Turning his head back in Marinette's direction, he tried his very best to not meet her very intriguing eyes; in fear that he would unwantingly break down right in front of her.

"My cousin, Félix died when I was ten."

Adrien quickly gave Marinette a reassuring look when he felt her body tense up beside him.

"Don't worry. It happened so long ago... It doesn't really bother me anymore... But anyway, when we heard about the news, we were all heartbroken. But the news seemed to affect my father the most. It was a little unusual, because he didn't seem to even like Félix that much. But looking back now, it all makes so much sense... "

Marinette remained silent as Adrien spoke. She was feeling nervous the entire time, and couldn't seem to calm her racing nerves. She had only ever lost one relative before, but she was too young to even remember the event. So she couldn't even imagine how terrible that must have been for him.

"But anyway... My father seemed to get over it... Or he just found different ways to hide his pain better. And as the months passed by, he eventually started a partnership with Jeanne's father. He told me that it was a fashion company and he made it sound really convincing, so I believed him."

The blond model stopped talking for a moment as he let his thoughts take control. He seemed angry, disappointed and somewhat sad? Marinette was having a difficult time trying to read his facial expressions, and didn't know what to do or say. She gave him a very sympathetic glance, while gently rubbing circles along his shoulder blades.

The sudden sensation caused the young male to freeze before looking back at his friend. He didn't know why, but he felt warm inside. Marinette was such a kind, understanding person which made his heart beat a little faster. All he wanted to do, was to reach over and hug her tight. And maybe even kiss her... But he stopped himself...

He couldn't bring himself to do that. It would be too awkward with Jeanne there. And the worst part of it all, was the fact that Marinette didn't feel the same way...

"Adrien and I quickly became friends," Jeanne suddenly spoke up, which caused Marinette to look at her, as she waited for the story to continue. "I was two years older than him, but he was the only other child around. My father was a ruthless dictator who would abuse me if I disobeyed him. And if our fathers weren't work partners, I wouldn't have even been able to be Adrien's friend...."

The blue-eyed girl felt terrible hearing that. She knew that some people were bad parents, but that was seriously uncalled for! She could feel her jaw clenching due to the unnatural anger that began to consume her.

"Oh my gosh... I'm so sorry. I-"

Jeanne quickly cut her off, "Don't worry about it. I'm safe. For now..."

Adrien quickly turned to his childhood friend, "Don't speak like that! He might be smart, but he'll never find you! It's been four years, and he hasn't found you yet."

"I know, but there's always a slight chance he becomes successful..." The girl looked like she was about to cry, but she quickly wiped away the remnants of her unseen tears.

The blond reached for her hand, and gave her a knowing smile.

The sudden gesture caused the blunette to feel a little awkward. She couldn't understand it, but all she knew, was that she didn't particularly like it. She was confused because it was almost as if she was jealous, but she knew that that was impossible, because she didn't have any feelings for Adrien... Right..?

After a moment of silence had passed, the model turned his attention back to his very curious friend.

"It turns out that Félix was actually my twin brother... My aunt and uncle couldn't have children, so when my mother became pregnant, and found out that she was going to have two babies, and not just one... My parents made the conscious decision to give one away."

"What!?" Marinette couldn't control her sudden outburst. She instantly covered her mouth with her hands when she received a few uncomfortable stares.

"Ohmygosh... I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to shout... You just caught me by surprise..." The clumsy girl turned her gaze to the ground; wishing that it would just open up and swallow her whole.

Adrien softly chuckled, "It's okay... And that's why my father had such a hard time overcoming Félix's death... It was his own child after all..."

"And the clothing line was legit, but Mr Agreste used that as a diversion. He contacted my father because he believed that he could bring his son back to life."

"How? Is your father a healer or something?" Marinette uncomfortably questioned.

"Yes and no. He's actually an assassin..." Jeanne casually admitted.

"An assassin!?"

"Yeah, but he also knows these weird ancient Indian healing techniques, which would often work-"

"And after months of continuous research, my father came across a single ray of hope... He needed his son back, no matter the cost. And from that moment onwards, everything changed," Adrien sadly admitted.

"But it didn't work..." The tanned girl gave the two friends a sad smile, knowing that Félix was never coming back.

There was an intense silence that filled the room, as the storm began to settle down a little. Marinette had so many questions, but she didn't even know where to begin. But just as she was about to ask a question, her blond friend suddenly broke the silence.

"And when my mother died, my father had had enough. He couldn't take the fact that two people he loved so dearly were taken from him. He decided to pair up with Mr Patel, Jeanne's father to get her back. He kept me in the dark and I had absolutely no idea, until Jeanne told me that she was leaving... " He sighed as he remembered that day as if it was just yesterday. "I was so shocked, and almost passed out when she told me why she had to leave."

Jeanne gave Adrien an understanding glance as she tried to forget the unforgiving past, "My wicked father told me that if I didn't assassinate Emily Agreste's killer, he would kill me. I was trained from a very young age to fight in war and protect myself, but I just couldn't do it. I wasn't a murderer... Right there, I knew that I couldn't stay. I packed a few things, went over to my friend's house, said goodbye, then left without a trace. "

Marinette thought for a moment. She was unbelievably curious, but at the same time she felt very sympathetic towards her acquaintance. She couldn't even begin to imagine how terrible it must have been for a child to have to live such a dangerous life. And on top of it all, Jeanne's father didn't even love her...

"That's why you attacked me... You thought I was... him?" The young baker hesitated.

Jeanne sighed in defeat. She felt terrible for what had happened to her, and wished she had never done that. She cautiously nodded her head as she turned to face Marinette.

"Yeah... I'm really sorry, Marinette... I honestly don't know what I was thinking..."

"It's okay... These things happen. I'm just grateful that we were able to find a first-aid kit. And I'm lucky that Adrien was able to assist me with everything," she blushed a slight shade of pink as she remembered how he was so kind, and didn't even hesitate to help her.

Even after reassuring him that she could manage on her own, he took everything and immediately started placing the ointment on her wound. She was taken back for a moment, but she quietly sat still while he gently helped her with the task.

As she quickly became lost in a deep trance, the girl with the hazel eyes stared at Marinette before slightly glancing over at Adrien. Jeanne silently questioned their odd behavior, before deciding to verbalize her curiously.

"So... Are you two together?" She unexpectedly piped up, while gesturing to the both of them.

As soon as his childhood friend said those exact words, Adrien aggressively shook his head in disbelief. Why did so many people ask that specific question?

Deep down, he was hoping and praying that Marinette wouldn't be able to figure it out. He knew that she was in love with someone else... So he couldn't even begin to imagine how she would react if she had known about his true feelings for her.

"Uhm... Yes- I mean no! We are together in the sense that we are just friends... But we are not together, together.... You know?" Adrien tried to sound confident, but he had doubts. He honestly didn't know if he even believed it himself.

"Yes... He's right. We are definitely not a couple!" Marinette crossed her arms, signaling the fact that she agreed with her friend.

She glanced up in all possible directions, in attempt to stop herself from accidentally looking into his very distracting, gorgeous green eyes. If she found them, she knew that it would instantly be over, and she just wouldn't be able to stop herself...

"Are you sure? You seem-"

"Yes! We are not together... Definitely not!" The bluenette nervously giggled, hoping that the subject would immediately change to something else.

Jeanne gave them both a strange look, but chose to remain silent.

Adrien was feeling unbelievably awkward, and decided to find an excuse to leave the room for a moment. Hopefully by the time he returned, the girls would be discussing make-up, fashion, or anything else except for his or Marinette's non-existent 'love life'.

He quickly stood up and pointed behind him, "It's getting really late. I should... Uhm... You know? Get a blanket or two. Besides it's already pitch black outside, so we'll probably want to sleep soon. Would you guys like something?"

The girls gave each other an unsure look before turning their attention back to their mutual friend.

"Uhm... I think we are fine, thanks Blondie."

"Seriously Jeanne... I even forgot about that name..."Adrien groaned in annoyance, wishing that his classmate didn't hear that very embarrassing nickname.

But before she could reply, Adrien was already gone.

"Blondie?"

"Yeah... When we were still kids, I would call him that because he reminded me of Rapunzel-"

Marinette instantly burst out laughing, and playfully nudged her acquaintance in the side, "You are so right! The green eyes, blond hair, always grounded, witch of a mother. Well father in this case..."

Jeanne rubbed her happy tears away, "I'm glad someone else also sees it..." She honestly admitted, "I really missed him a lot. I was absolutely heartbroken, knowing that I would never ever see him again-"

Marinette knew that expression. She gave her a slight smile, as she began putting on Adrien's black jacket. The temperature had dropped tremendously in such a short while. And since the piece of clothing was finally dry, she decided to use it to her advantage.

When the jacket covered most of her body, she pulled it towards her face, before unconsciously sniffing it. It smelt really good, which caused the teenager to blush a little.

Marinette's unexpected action caused her new friend to smirk and raise an eyebrow, while playfully nudging her in the gut.

"But knowing that he has you, my anxiety is a little bit less..."

"Uh... What do you mean by that..?" The blue-eyed girl raised an eyebrow.

Jeanne sighed before turning to look into Marinette's big, bluebell eyes, "Don't you see it? You both tried to ignore it earlier-"

"Hide what, exactly?" She hesitated; afraid of hearing the truth.

She had a very good idea of what Jeanne was implying, but she wasn't sure if she was ready to hear it.

"The fact that he loves you!?"

Marinette was speechless. She was struggling to grasp it, and shook her head in disbelief. Adrien didn't love her... Did he? And what about her? She loved Luka. Right..? Then why did she blush when Adrien was around?

She was so confused, and didn't know what to say or think.

All the signs were there, but she hadn't realized it till now. Maybe she knew it, but she was just too stubborn to admit it.

"And the reason why I know that he loves you is because that's the same way he used to look at my sister..." Her tone was sad yet emotionless.

"Your sister?" Marinette was dumbfounded. All this time she thought that Kagami was the only girl he had ever loved...

"Yeah. She was really pretty, and very confident. No one would ever make decisions for her, and she knew exactly what she wanted! There was just something about her that made him fall in love with her... At the time I was jealous, because I also wanted attention, and no one ever looked at me the way he looked at her. But I quickly got over it-"

Before she could continue her story, the blond teen came marching down the stairs with a few blankets in his arms. The girls immediately stopped talking when he entered the conversation.

When his eyes found Marinette, he felt his heart instantly skip a beat and his face felt really hot. She just looked so cute, which made his emotions run haywire. He was struggling to think straight, and his words seemed to have gotten lost somehow...

"... You- I... Uh... managed to find these," he tried to say something, in hopes to defuse the unrelenting awkwardness.

"So... You want to go to bed now?" Jeanne questioned his unusual behavior.

"Yes? I mean no..?" Adrien quickly changed his mind when he saw them both frowning.

After a moment of silence had passed, Jeanne spoke up, "You can sleep if you want to... You look really tired, so I'll leave you two alone and we can catch up tomorrow?"

Her back was facing towards him as she began to walk away. Her sudden behavior made him feel a little strange. Did he say something wrong, or make her feel uncomfortable in any way?

"Are you sure? I don't mind staying up..."

"No- It's okay... I'm a little tired myself, so I was going to head to bed soon anyway... But please, make yourselves at home-" Jeanne turned around for a split second, before turning back around. She made sure to hide her disappointment from her guests.

"Jeanne, wait... Are you... Okay?" The bluenette hesitantly asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks for asking. Do you guys need anything? And are you comfortable sleeping on the couches? I'm sorry, I don't have any spare beds. I wasn't expecting to have any guests-"

Adrien immediately cut her off, "Thanks, but don't feel bad. We'll handle everything, and thank you for your hospitality. It was very kind of you to allow us to stay here for the night."

Adrien gave Jeanne a friendly smile before looking at Marinette for confirmation. When he saw his friend's face light up, he relaxed and waved goodnight to her.

With that, Jeanne slowly climbed up the stairs without looking back.

The two teenagers felt really awkward after the incident that had happened just moments before, and anxiously tried their very best to stay calm.

But after Marinette's hand accidentally brushed against Adrien's, he instantly knew that tonight was going to be a very long night...

***