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Adrien's P.O.V

   I opened the trapdoor, noticing Marinette sitting at the table. I tried thinking of ways on how to sneak out but wasn't confident in any of the plans. They all ended in me being caught. It seemed fate was on my side at that moment.

   Marinette had walked off somewhere deeper into the apartment. This gave me the perfect chance to quietly sneak out. I raised the door and quietly slipped out, softly shutting it. With stealthy feet, I made a beeline for the door and managed to escape out the bakery's side door without any problems.

   "That was too easy," I mumbled under my breath, "A little too easy..."

   I cautiously looked around, seeing if any consequences may need to be paid. I am the embodiment of bad luck. Things like this usually don't go this well for me. It's kinda scary. Still, I found nothing needing to be worried about. I guess I'll find out later if my choice had any terrible results.

   I crossed the road with my hand in my pockets and stared down at the road. My finger felt empty and cold without the ring hugging it. It made me aware of those same feelings within myself too.

   The awful feeling of loneliness.

   I miss him already.

   I gulped down the forming lump in my throat before taking a shaky breath in. I can't go back to school in this state. Everyone will start questioning me. Lifting my head, I took a moment to put on my cheery mask that I'm so used to wearing. At least...I was until he came into my life.

   I really need to stop thinking about him. It's already terrible enough that I can't even bear the thought of his name in my head. I headed toward the school's stairs with stiff shoulders and a hurting face from the forced happiness.

   I nearly jumped when a car honked. I twist around with a racing heart. Parked on the side of the curb was the limo, the window rolled down to reveal a displeased Gorilla.

I scratch the back of my neck and grimace at my bodyguard.

"I'm in trouble," I thought, completely forgetting that I had to go home for lunch today. Grudgingly, I shuffled over and got into the limo. I began to fidget in my seat, worry coursing throughout my being.

I messed up...and I'm sure father will hear about this. Ever since I found out about his identity, I haven't seen nor talked to him. I've been doing my best to avoid him as much as possible which meant I had to be on my very best behavior.

But he won't let my mistake slip by like brushing some dust off the shoulder.

He'll want to know why I was late coming home. Where I was. Who I was with. What I was doing. Everything.

Honestly, I don't think I'm ready to face him yet. I don't have a choice in that though.

   When did I ever get a choice?

   The limo came to a stop, making me tenser than before. I stared at the giant doors and was frightened of what lay behind them waiting for me.

   If I was still in blissful ignorance and didn't know of my father's villainous side, I would've been upset. I would've prepared to get yelled at and face the consequences of my actions.

   Yet, I'm deeply distressed and afraid of that very man now. I know he doesn't know my awareness of his secret identity. I'm safe so long as I keep my lips sealed. I don't think he would be so cruel to hurt me even if I did know the truth.

   But honestly...I don't actually know him anymore. I feel like I know him less than before.

   I can't help wondering why he puts so many innocent civilians in danger and weaponizes people who are hurting. Using them for his own benefit. Have them do all his dirty work.

   It's sick and twisted.

   How come I've never noticed? I know Nathalie knows and the worst part, she is helping him. Does Gorilla know about Hawkmoth?

   Why is my father doing all this? Why does he want the ladybug and black cat miraculous? He has to have some sort of reason—something that isn't as small-minded as taking over the world.

   I began to head inside the mansion once I had composed myself. Nathalie is patiently standing inside and going through whatever is on her tablet. I carefully looked at her, seeing if there are any signs of her that give it away. Although, it's hard to tell what her emotions are when she's better at keeping a stoic face than I.

   The same goes for my father. They're both heavily locked books and are good at keeping to themselves. They make a great team. I'll give them that.

   Nathalie finally looked up from her tablet to me. I felt my eye twitch a little.

   "Adrien, your father would like to discuss something with you," she informed me. My stomach begins to churn and my mouth goes dry. I nod my head, not trusting myself to talk just quite. Nathalie and I walk over to my father's office.

   She opens the door, revealing father standing in front of mother's portrait. He has a longing look on his face while staring at it. I have caught him staring at the portrait many times before I come in here.

  And that's when realization struck me.

   Father was madly deep in love with Emilie.

   He misses her.

   He wishes for nothing else but her return.

   I thought he was moving on to Nathalie...but it turns out I was wrong.

   He wants his wife back.

   Somehow, the miraculous can bring her back.

   In a way, I can understand. I love mom too and would do anything to get her back. But not like this. This is wrong. He's taking it too far.

   I need to stop him.

   Father turned around.

   "Nathalie, can you please leave. I would like to talk to my son in private," he said.

   "Yes, sir," she replied, following my father's orders. Once she is gone, father places his attention on me. I try to keep my face neutral even though I wanted to glare at him. My hands clenched into fists, trying not to break my skin open again.

  "Would you care to explain why you did not come home for lunch?" He asked with a sharp tone.

"Sorry, father," I apologized, holding back a growl, "I got caught up with some paparazzi and fans."

Father's eyes narrowed suspiciously at me. I stared back at him, concealing any resentment and lies within myself. The room was disturbingly silent and the air was as thick as a foggy day. Eventually, my father let it slide and gave me a curt nod.

Yet, he didn't release me. His gaze seemed to wander down somewhere. Then, he raised an eyebrow.

"What is that wrapped around your hand?" Father asked. I instinctively brushed my thumb over the bandages around my palm. A nice reminder of what Chloe did for me and how she wants to try to be a better person.

"I accidentally hurt myself. It's nothing to worry about," I said, truthfully. I'm a bit surprised he even noticed my injury. Maybe, he does care a little bit about me but that's not going to make me any less frustrated with him.

He hummed in acknowledgment.

"Can I go back to school?" I asked.

Father thought over it for a few seconds before answering, "Yes, you can."

Once again, I'm shocked. Not wanting to give him a second to change his mind, I returned to the limo.

That conversation didn't go as badly as I thought it would. Usually, he would punish me and send me to my room. It's weirder that he even allowed me to return to school for the rest of the day. Is he in a good mood? Although, I'd still be in trouble even if he was in a good mood.

I don't know whether this is troubling or nothing to worry about. I fiddled with the finger my miraculous used to be on, wishing it were here right now. Wishing Plagg is still here with me through all of this chaos.

I made the right choice. Plagg will be safer with Marinette than me.

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Marinette's P.O.V

"Adrien?"

He just stood there bug-eyed and mouth gaping like a fish out of water. It's like he wasn't expecting to run into me. He's acting really strange and it's concerning to me.

   "Adrien, is everything okay?" I questioned, "You disappeared after lunch and missed class."

   "I...uh...father need me and jigglypuff—just stuff!" he stammered before quickly correcting himself, "He just needed me for some stuff!"

   Adrien sighed like that was the hardest thing he could say. I blinked, unsure how to process Adrien's...odd change. I searched his face for any answers to why he's acting so weird around me.

   "He kind of sounds like me when I had a major crush on him," I thought.

I immediately shake that crazy idea out of my head. There is just no way Adrien feels that way about me. I've already tried for such a long time to gain his attention. I've given so many hints and was pretty obvious most of the time (okay, maybe all the time).

Yet, it would be a very big coincidence—too big and an unrealistic coincidence—that he finally likes me back after I've moved on to someone else.

It probably has something to do with whatever is going on in his life right now. This situation kinda feels like déjà vu. Adrien helped me after everyone turned their backs on me and my mother's passing. Although, he didn't know about that second part until later.

Even when he didn't know my situation, he was still there for me. So, I want to return the favor for being such an amazing friend. I want to help him with whatever is going on with him. I want to be there every step and a shoulder he can lean on as he did for me.

Adrien is scratching the back of his neck and avoiding eye contact. He doesn't look too well. I can see the dark circles lining his bottom eyelids and if I look close enough, there are two lightly faded trails on his cheeks. His gaze seems to be far away.

He acts so differently from the innocent, oblivious boy that had stolen my heart. He was cheery and so social.

Now, it's like he's a completely different person.

I step closer and rest a hand on his shoulder. My touch brought him back down to earth and made him jump slightly. His green eyes meet my bluebells. I'm concerned for a moment before giving him a reassuring smile. Adrien finally relaxed after a minute.

"I don't know what's going on and I'm not going to pressure you into saying anything. Just know, I'm always here if you need somebody to talk to," I promised. I could see the faintest of smiles form on his lips but the rest of his facial features expressed another emotion.

Heartbreak.

"Uh...yeah, I'll keep that in mind," he replied. I can hear a waver in his voice. He sounds really skeptical about accepting my offer. I wish he didn't feel so unsure about talking to me. I wonder how I acted with him when I was in this state.

I stepped closer and placed a kiss on his cheek. Once I stepped away, I watched his expression morph into one of surprise. His tiredness seemed to be swept to the side and the slightest spark ignited in those green eyes.

"I hope you do," I genuinely said before walking around him. I begin to walk backward while adding on, "Just yell and I'll always come running."

With that, I headed to my next class.

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