Marinette stared at Lila as the brunette walked back and forth, giving orders to Cole. The snapped orders didn't bother her so much as the fact that the girl could just swoop in and take her job like that. With a deep breath in, Marinette called for a break and walked over to put her clipboard back in the holder. The entire time she stood there, organizing clothes and picking outfits, she couldn't keep her mind off of Adrien and Tikki. In an instant, she pulled up her social media and began scrolling through her feed in an effort to see how her blonde friend was doing. Avoiding Adrien was all well and good, but it didn't stop her from worrying about him. But there were no posts from him, with him, or of him for today. When she reached Twitter on her search, she was stunned to see quite a few tweets mentioning her name. Pressing the notifications, Marinette prepared for the worst. Since she hadn't been on Twitter in forever, she wasn't quite sure what she was going to see.

It didn't surprise her that there were a number of hostile comments about her on social media. But the fact that they were on Twitter was taking it a step too far. There were many tweets from random people who had seen Marinette at Brielle's Halloween party, mentioning the frazzled girl's state and the fact she'd almost drowned in the pool. Then there were some from a long time ago accusing both her and Adrien of wretched things.

Gabriel could end up seeing this.

Though if she remembered correctly, Adrien mentioned that his father wasn't big on the whole internet thing which relaxed her a little bit.

There were some comments asking if Marinette was okay, or defending her. There were also some private messages asking about her relationship with certain people. But the anonymous comments that asked her personal questions and accused her of things came from none other than the same Lele from before, two other people she couldn't quite recognize at first glance, Chloe, and Lila. They traced all the way back from the day the rumors started. This made the dark-haired girl reading them visibly cringe and force herself to put the phone down. They were shady and petty. There was always one mentioning her name that linked them all together, but they were still obviously all about her.

"Marinette?"

Looking up, Cole could see the sadness in the teenager's eyes.

"Do you remember everything we talked about... the other day? Do you remember... when you fell in the pool?" His face grew red and his eyebrows furrowed to show concern. Placing his water bottle on the table where Marinette was standing he placed his hands delicately on her shoulders.

"How are you feeling?"

Marinette forced a smile. "Yes. I'm feeling better now. I had to come in today to avoid suspicion anyway. T-Thank you for saving me."

"No problem," Cole responded.

"With everything going on, I'm starting to wonder if I should.. just tell him the truth."

"Well, that's what we've talked about. Have you changed your mind?"

The thought of Master Fu, Tikki, Chat Noir, and Alya crossed Marinette's mind in a flash of memory and she pursed her lips.

"I think so... I just don't know if I can.. maybe I should wait a little longer," She peered down at her phone, "Last night kind of messed it all up even more."

"I don't think you should wait," Cole said sternly. The look on his face seemed as if he was torn and jealous of what he wanted Marinette to do. The girl noticed his stress and laid her hand on his, which was placed on the table. His knuckles turned white as he balled up his fist.

"You should tell Adrien why you've been avoiding him. He'd want to know. I know that if I was him I'd want to know... You can't hide from this anymore. I'm here for you, and you have tons of people that are here as well."

Marinette blinked up at the boy and blushed. "I...I guess so."

Perhaps if she just admitted to trying to keep him safe, it would give Tikki enough strength to be able to transform her again. She just hoped that Chat Noir was doing the same. Rena Rouge and Queen Bee shouldn't be the only heroes out there anymore. What happens when Hawkmoth strikes again? Or... what if Marinette was the one akumatized? Or.. Or Adrien. She wasn't sure if he cared enough about her to be at risk of akumatization, but Cole, Alya, and her other friends were right about her keeping her friend in the dark. She was closer with Adrien then ever, and even though she still got flustered around him sometimes, she missed having him as a friend. If she was going to continue living in the mansion until her parents came back, her bond with Adrien couldn't break. And right now, she felt a crack in that bond. If she didn't fix it soon...

Hold on..

Was this really worth it?

Marinette tensed and backed away from Cole with a straight face, turning around with a quick farewell.

Was staying here, in Paris, worth all this trouble? Would California be a better place for her at the moment? She could find a place elsewhere.. she could- she could..

And look what she'd done to Tikki. Maybe.. perhaps...

Giving up being Ladybug, and taking a break from France, was the right thing to do.

She could get try to convince Gabriel to let her get an internship somewhere else for the remainder of the year...

Gathering up all the courage she could, she walked out of the room and gave up her post, made her way to the first room near the lobby, and entered without thinking. When Adrien's eyes met hers, she could practically feel herself melting away.

Was the pain really worth it?

Would it be better to leave while she still could?

The only thing she could think about in the moment was what was best for everyone else. But what if that was also the best thing for her too?

.·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·.

The look in Marinette's eyes said it all. Adrien was definitely shocked to see the girl. He thought she would hate him for what had happened the night before. He shouldn't have let Brielle hold him back, but he did anyway. He let Cole rush to her side...

Why was that bothering him so much?

The fact that she is safe is all that matters, right?

Calm and collected, Marinette walked over to where one of the staff was standing and asked them a question in which he couldn't hear.

"Adrien! Look here please!" Turning his head reluctantly to face the lens, he leaned into Brielle's touch as she struck another pose. It's not that he wanted too- he had too.

After a few minutes, he noticed Nathalie walk in and motion for Marinette to come speak with her. Yet, he had no idea what it was about. Next thing he knew, Brielle was no longer by his side, and instead he was all alone, watching confused as people pulled him to the side and gave him orders to change his clothes. Yet, he had thought that that the outfit he was wearing was the last one of the day.

Marinette tried to hide the glum look on her face as Nathalie called for one of the stylists. She half hoped that Rebecca would show up, but since she wasn't as much of a clothing stylist there was no need. A nice woman named Violet walked in with a smile. For a split second, Marinette was stunned at how young girl was.

"Hey there!" The girl chirped pulling her dirty blonde hair into a bun and smiling at her. Marinette noticed the length of her was what she wanted to keep her hair length at. A bit past the shoulders, no more no less. "My name is Violet and I'll be styling you today. I'll also be doing your makeup and hair since Rebecca is a bit busy. You've met her, yes?"

Marinette forced a smile. "Yes."

Nathalie had told her that she was to finish the collection she had started before. After the Brielle incident, Marinette was to take her place. Which meant, she had to fill the other model's shoes in the rest of the pictures as well. Hopefully, she wouldn't need to redo Brielle's first picture in the formal outfit. That might just make trick her into thinking she was with Adrien. But who was she kidding? Her mind was always tricking itself into things when it came to Adrien.

It won't be all the time. Just this once!

She didn't feel like model material, but she secretly enjoyed it. Maybe it would be fun one day to strut down the catwalk in her own designs. But that wouldn't happen for at least a few more years.

Violet started to pull out a familiar looking outfit with a pink studded jacket. "At least you'll look tougher than nails on camera. Try to loosen up." Straightening her own shoulders, Violet turned to the side to pull out her phone and start some music. Marinette listened to the instrumental piece with light female vocals in it and smiled to herself. She definitely had a taste in music...

"What's the name of that song?"

Violet grinned brightly and winked into the mirror they stood in front of. "It's an original piece!"

Gasping, Mari turned around, interrupting the woman's grip on her hair.

"Really? That's amazing! Do you have more?"

"Yes! I love music. I can play a lot of instruments. Piano, guitar, violin... I was quite the musical child and I always stuck with it. I'm not great at vocals but I can back up pretty well-" Trailing off, the blonde bit her lip.

"I should focus..."

Marinette rolled her eyes. "I can tell you're a bit nervous. You're trying not to be serious, are you, but you are definitely afraid of messing up.." The teenager twiddled her thumbs. "Just like me..."

Violet pursed her lips and switched the song per Marinette's request and grew quiet. The guitar worked well with the keyboard and for a second, it reminded her of a certain someone.

Then the vocals started.

Marinette looked into the mirror at herself, where her hair was already pulled into the pink ribbons. She definitely looked like a girly bad girl.. if that was even possible to pull off. But she could barely focus on that, she was only listening to the male sing... she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Wait a second-

"Is that Luka Couffaine?" Marinette asked in a serious tone. Violet noticed the girl's expression and grew quiet as she released the young girl's hair and turned off the music.

"I'm sorry... I know of the incident. That's why I was kind of weary of playing it for you."

How the hell did she know? But... really it was not an appropriate question. For those who lived in Paris of a young age, who didn't know? The only oblivious people were adults. And even some of them knew.

"You.. sing with Luka?" Marinette felt a twinge of jealousy, the kind she felt in the past. But it shouldn't matter. Luka wasn't the person he used to be. He changed... but perhaps that's just part of getting older.

"Yes, I do. He's a good friend of mine. We used to-"

"It's.. That's enough, I'm sorry I just... I wanna focus on your music. Not Luka's."

No wonder the piece sounded so familiar.

It sounded very similar to that of the song he sang to Marinette. Yet in this version, the words were different. Did he even write that song? Mari decided to stay quiet as the woman helped loosen the shoelaces of the black boots. She could feel her own heart twitch at the thought of Luka's sudden behavior before, and the hurt of him stealing that song from someone like Violet made her sick. The lust she thought she saw. There must have been a reasonable explanation! He had always been so amazing, a genuinely good person...

But why when she thought of that incident she could only feel pure relief that Adrien had pulled her away?

She missed Luka, no doubt. But right now, she was too emotional to deal with his shit too. Right now, she needed to figure out how she was going to be honest with Adrien about what her plans were... and her feelings, or so, Master Fu said.

Ugh! That definitely wouldn't to be easy!

Violet noticed Marinette's spaced-out look and the blush on her cheeks and interrupted her nicely.

"Wanna hear a joke?" Which made Marinette smirk a bit.

.·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·.

Marinette fixed the pink studded jacket she was wearing. She finally recognized it as the same outfit she was supposed to leave out for Brielle a while ago. Back then, she had no idea that all this was going to happen. Awkwardly, she waved the woman goodbye and walked inside the room. She thought she heard a few 'ooohs' or whispers but that could have been her imagination. Naturally, her pale face turned a light pink and she stepped onto the platform on which Adrien was on. Behind them was a brick wall with what looked like graffiti on it, yet it had the name of the agency and producer of the pictures. As a fellow artist, Marinette took a second to appreciate the person who came and did it. Not all graffiti artists were criminals or delinquents, after all.

Adrien combed his fingers through his hair, which was intentionally messy and held in place by about two pounds of hairspray. It felt out of place for him, even though he'd done this before. It may have been just because he was standing next to Marinette. He never imagined her dressing like this, so it was quite a surprise.

He wouldn't lie to himself. When he saw Marinette walked in, felt himself go numb. She was, in fact, absolutely breathtaking whether she was in a dress, a swimsuit, or in a studded leather jacket. Turning his attention to the camera he felt himself smile without force this time.

But Marinette could barely focus on anything but Adrien, she couldn't even look at the camera without looking over at him first. She couldn't move closer without asking for permission. She was so scared. Marinette was literally on the verge of a stress explosion, the second time she was having this feeling in the last week or two.

"Marinette?"

"Huh?" The girl looked over to see Violet standing there with a smile. "Let me help you fix the front of the jacket."

The dark-haired girl jogged over, peering down at the jacket, which didn't seem to need to be fixed. Leaning down, the woman pretended to fix the front, but in reality, waited until Rebecca appeared behind her. Both of them leaned down.

"You know, I'm only a year or so older than you. And I can tell you that if I had someone like that standing next to me, I'd be freaking out. Good thing you outfit hides how nervous you are. Rebecca seems to have some information for you, so all I can say is good luck and talk to you soon!" With a goofy thumbs up, Violet let her hair loose and made her way out of the room.

Marinette was blushing when Rebecca pulled her to the side.

"I want to talk to you about something later, so don't leave before talking to me! And also," Becca wrapped her hands around Marinette's and smiled at her excitedly.

"You're a natural at modeling and the boss has already noticed how good you look. So go out there and knock it out of the ball... studio!"

"Rebecca," The photographer called. His voice sounded different and had an American tinge to it. Marinette noticed him as Genevieve's roommate and crush. "We should get started. Did you finish with the newbie in the other room?"

Francis, who Marinette just realized was by the camera sitting down, let out a chuckle. "Not quite a newbie. She's quite the woman, we're lucky to have her. Make sure you're polite." He said to Rebecca as she made her way out. Marinette turned toward the bright light and let out a shaky breath.

"Marinette!" Rebecca called after her. "Do well today! Don't forget to find me after the shoot."

"Don't worry! I won't forg-" The black-haired girl turned a bright red when she noticed how close Adrien's face was to hers. How the hell did she walk so close to him that fast? Did he come near her? Was he trying to tell her something? What if he feels uncomfortable or-

"Smile!"

Mari forced a smile on her face and after a few flashes turned her cheek to face the blonde boy next to her. He was smiling. And it looked genuine.

"Get closer!" Francis ordered taking a sip of the drink he was holding. "Darren face the camera more toward the bricks."

Adrien hesitantly wrapped his hands around Marinette's waist and pulled her close to him, enough so that her hands were lying on his chest. The girl didn't have time to look at the camera either, so instead, the picture was taken when she was staring at Adrien with wide eyes and red cheeks.

Ah! That's so noticeable! Why am I feeling shyer than when I was in a swimsuit?

Maybe it was because this time it wasn't awkward. Brielle hadn't run off and started a scene. Tikki wasn't missing from Marinette's side, instead, she was in her bag safely hidden, sitting on a prop offstage. Recently the rumors were starting to clear... except for the night before. For some reason, Marinette wasn't thinking about anything other than how she could feel his heart through his shirt when she leaned against his chest.

Adrien leaned his head down and pulled Marinette into a hug, yet it was because he was trying to hide the blush on his cheeks as well.

"You're doing great, Mari." He whispered into her ear. Marinette got shivers and took a relaxing breath before falling into his arms. She leaned her head against his chest as the camera went wild. Perhaps if she just focused on him a little longer, the feeling of being watched would go away? The thought of her falling into Adrien's arms the night after the shower made her blush madly and tense, but instead of making her even more embarrassed about being in his arms, she felt braver. if it was so easy for her to get as close to Adrien as she did that night, then why is this any different?

Why have these rumors drive a wedge between me and Adrien's relationship?

"Great!" Darren's gentle voice disrupted them. This time, it wasn't Adrien's usual loud photographer. It was a man who could see the chemistry immediately. One who could keep it to himself and prevent flustering the two teens. After converesing with the director, he cleared his throat as she jotted something down.

"Is there anything else you're comfortable with doing?" He asked kindly.

Adrien pulled away from Marinette and looked at her to answer.

Marinette looked out where the few people that stood there, the technical staff, the photographers, the director, and Francis. For a second, she wished that Genevieve was in the back giving her a thumbs up, but she was not there. Half of her wanted to end it now or give them a half-assed answer, but when she looked from Francis, to Adrien, and back to the door... something inside her clicked. Modeling with Adrien wasn't as bad as she tried to make herself believe. She enjoyed working at the studio. She enjoyed being next to the boy that's been by her side her entire high school career. Marinette had been chasing her dreams for a lifetime. Right now, if she really tried... maybe she could...

Catch them?

"Up to you." The girl blurted, startling a few workers. Marinette could feel every ounce of pressure, but it didn't bother her this time. Right now, she wasn't hiding behind the persona she always did. Right now, she felt like Ladybug. She felt strong.

"I'll do anything you think will make the pictures turn out good."

Out of the corner of his eye, Adrien could see Francis smile. He couldn't help but smile too. So Adrien, in his black rocker outfit and messy hairdo took charge. Grabbing Marinette gently by the shoulders he guided her to the wall behind them. Pressed up against it, the two teenagers posed per Darren's instructions.

Every click. Every flash. Every picture taken was another step toward an even better relationship. Their hearts beat faster as they inched closer to each other. Marinette put her foot against the wall and wrapped her arms around Adrien's shoulders, staring up into his eyes. Another click. The two leaned their heads together, their faces inches away. So close that Marinette could feel his breath... if only it was sincere, and not an act...

But the way he touched Marinette, the way he held her and smiled down at her... it made the whole thing feel real. It made every silly moment, every second in which Marinette thought maybe Adrien was looking at her the way she looked at him, seem real. Everything.. seemed real.

For the last photo, Marinette dropped her smile and looked deep into Adrien's green eyes, allowing herself to fall into the role of a troublemaker. The blonde boy wrapped his hand around hers as she brought it up to his face.

Then, it was over.

And embarrassment set in.

Pulling away, Marinette took a step back and slapped her cheeks lightly. Both of them were out of breath, for their hearts were beating faster than moments after they captured an akuma. They couldn't see it. They couldn't see how close they really were...

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck and let out a shy laugh. "I think we did well."

At the sound of his voice, Mari looked up and smirked. "Yeah, that was totally unnatural for me."

"No way, you did great. Couldn't even tell you'd never really done it before." Adrien walked off the platform with Marinette trailing behind him.

"You say I did great when in reality you're the one that's been modeling your entire life."

"Aw, well I'm not that good at it-"

"Jeez Adrien, don't even start." Marinette giggled, slapping him playfully on the arm.

"You guys, would you like to see the pictures?" Darren asked politely, pulling his camera off the stand.

It was weird, especially for Adrien, since he's never been allowed to see the pictures before they were reviewed by half the people involved. Holding the camera out, the man smirked.

They turned out pretty great. Marinette could see the blush on her cheeks in the photo but felt better once she realized Adrien's were too. Thank god. It must have been the lighting that made their faces look red. Her eyes trailed the rest of the photos as Darren flipped through them.

Marinette felt herself speak when one photo came into view. "Woah, wait!"

"Wait!" Adrien spoke too, causing the two teens to look at each other. After a second of silence, they both went back to talking.

"Can you-"

"I want tha-"

Darren tried not to laugh as the two teens grew confused again.

"I like-"

"I like-"

Adrien and Marinette stopped talking completely.

"You guys are like... connected at the seams. One at a time?" Darren asked. Blushing, Marinette got the signal from Adrien to speak first.

"I-I was just g-going to ask if I could have a copy of that p-photo."

Darren nodded. "Alright. Adrien?"

"M-Me too..."

The photographer smirked. "Alright."

The photo was of Adrien and Marinette against the brick wall, the graffiti clearly in the back. The black-haired girl had her face tilted up towards Adrien, her lips parted, and her gaze looking directly at him. Adrien, on the other hand, had his hand pushing Marinette's hair behind her ear with his eyes half closed. It looked almost like-

.·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·.

"It looks like he wants to kiss you!" Alya spoke into the phone as her eyes grazed the text message.

Marinette blushed furiously and squealed into the phone. "N-No it doesn't!"

Alya huffed. "There's gotta be a reason why he wanted to keep the photo too! IT's because you guys are fucking HOT! Stop denying it! There's chemistry! C-H-E-M-I-S-"

"Alya s-stop!" Marinette cried, "You're making this so much harder."

"How?" Alya questioned.

"I can't even look at him, oh my god! I mean after we did the modeling, we talked like we had before. I won't lie and say I haven't missed it, but I'm doing what's best! Right now it doesn't even matter to me that I can't be close to him in public. But what if it matters to him? All I want to do is explain myself. Afterward, I'll be able to stop ignoring him at the mansion. It won't be confusing anymore... But what if he's mad anyway? What if he says he doesn't want to be my friend anymore at all?"

Marinette stared at her feet as she looked out the window. It was about 3:00 PM. Marinette was only able to stay for a few hours when Adrien had been there since 6 in the morning. He was probably really tired. She shouldn't bother him with this tonight...

"Marinette, you know that's not going to happen. Stop stalling. Just tell him you like him-"

"I'm not going to tell him that." The girl said sternly.

Alya, who didn't feel like arguing, sighed into the phone, "Alright. At least just tell him why you are avoiding him."

"I do think that part is a good idea. I don't want him to think that because I talked to him after the shoot that I'm not continuing this act. The ride home wasn't even awkward... and he didn't look depressed like he usually does."

The redhead cursed under her breath, but quiet enough for her best friend not to hear. "I don't agree with this. At all. But if you feel like you want to keep doing it, then so be it. I just hope you'll realize what the right thing is to do."

Marinette thought for a second about Master Fu. He did tell her to admit her feelings and talk to Adrien about how she feels, but, he never said that she couldn't keep ignoring him like this.

But did I even tell him these details?

Squinting her eyes at the ground, Marinette spoke once more into the phone.

"I'll figure it out. I always do." Hanging up the phone, Marinette undid the ribbons from her hair. Inside her head, she made of list of what she needed to do.

She wanted to talk to Violet again for sure, she needed to visit Master Fu so he can check on Tikki and see if her condition is improving. Marinette also wanted to see if the guardian could give her any information on Chat Noir's condition. Next weekend, she needed to start selling croissants to keep the regulars happy. Maybe she could ask a friend to help her make them, which would most likely be Alya if she wasn't busy.

Crap! Rebecca wanted to speak to me!

Grumbling under her breath, Marinette checked herself in the mirror and picked up her bag. In one hand, she opened it, while in the other, she texted Rebecca and apologized for not waiting. Hopefully, it wasn't too important.

"Marinette?" A voice asked. The familiarity made her smile immediately.

"Tikki!" Marinette exclaimed, looking inside. The kwami was staring up at her owner with tired looking eyes.

"How are you feeling? Better? You were asleep for a while. I didn't want to bother you, I'm sure you're hungry."

"I'm just tired Marinette. Have you worked on what Master Fu told you too? I don't want to be a bug, hence the irony, but I'm afraid something bad's going to happen soon... And I'm still too weak to transform you into Ladybug."

The words that escaped the little red kwami's lips made Marinette finally decide what she was going to do.

She was going to go talk to Adrien, now.

Hopefully, at the moment, she'll be able to clear up things enough to heal Tikki.

"If I go tell Adrien the truth, will you be okay?"

"I can't say for sure, Marinette, but I do know that depending on how truthful you are, I may be able to handle one transformation, if there's an emergency."

"Alright. Here I go!" Wrapping the bag around her shoulders, Mari felt herself calm down a bit now that she had Tikki back with her at all times.

"Here I go-" Walking to the door, the teen stopped.

"I don't know, I'm so scared..."

Checking her phone notifications, Marinette backed up and sat on the bed. It was nearing 3:30. If she wanted to see Master Fu today, she needed to do what he asked of her now.

After a few more minutes of pacing, Marinette finally felt the courage to head to Adrien's room, where she could hear the piano playing.

.·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·.

Knocking lightly on the door, the dark-haired girl fixed the bottom of the skirt she'd just changed into. Her heart was beating fast and her palms were sweaty, still, she covered it up as much as she could. A small squeaky voice came from her side and she acknowledged Tikki's cheering. All she had to do right now was tell him the truth.

The more honest she was with Adrien and herself, the better she'd feel.

And the quicker her problems would be fixed.

"Come in." Adrien's voice said from inside. Turning the knob and pushing the door open, Marinette stood waiting for the okay to enter.

"Marinette?" Adrien scrambled up from his seat behind the piano, hitting his hand against it in an attempt to shut it.

"H-Hi."

"C-Come in-"

Adrien scolded himself for saying the same thing twice.

"Alright..." Marinette reached behind her to close the door but remembered the rule. Thankfully, the young model's bodyguard wasn't upstairs.

"What's up?" The boy said casually, leaning against the foosball table, waiting for Marinette to speak.

"I need to talk to you... about something."

"Okay," Adrien said with a smile. Marinette paced a little, twirling her hair around her finger. There was no way to back out now... was there?

Can't do this.

"Actually, we can talk later-"

In the back of her head, she could already hear Alya's voice.

"Girl you get your ass back in there right now, I ain't playing."

Adrien lunged forward slightly, "W-Wait! Please, I'm willing to listen."

"I... I don't know."

"I-I'm trustworthy." He blurted awkwardly, giving himself quite the scared. Marinette stopped walking away and turned around.

"I wanted to let you know why I have been avoiding you."

Adrien tensed as Marinette looked away. "I just want to do what's best for everyone..." She whispered.

The blonde boy raised an eyebrow, "If you don't want to spend time with me, just say so... I would understand."

"N-No!" Marinette said, curling her hands up into fists and looking up at him, "T-That's not it!"

Adrien gave her his full attention.

"I've been doing this because... I'm trying to protect you."

"Protect me from what?"

"From me."

"What do you-"

"I'm a really toxic person to be around. And I know the rumors are still out there. I mean, you could have been... in so much trouble. I didn't want people to think I was using you for your money.. or that you were hiring me as a prostitute. All those things could tarnish your reputation and it's not worth it. I'm not worth all of that right now." Adrien didn't speak, so Marinette continued on.

"I want you to know that that was why. I don't hate you, and I... I really miss being your friend, but... It's what's best right now. Please know that I won't avoid you at home anymore. Now that you know, there's no reason for me to not talk to you in private too-"

"Marinette," The sound of Adrien's voice made Marinette want to run away, for he did sound like he was irritated. Without another word, Adrien walked over and shut the door, leaning his head against it for a minute. Walking back over to where he was standing before, he looked at Marinette before speaking clearly in a serious tone.

"Since when do you think you know what's best for me!?"

The dark-haired girl took a breath to prevent her emotions from taking over.

"Since when do you make decisions for me?!" The boy said, his voice cracking. Marinette looked up to see him on the edge of tears.

"You don't think that I spend time in my room thinking of ways of how to stop this from happening from you? I'm sorry this has happened but... but-"

"Why do you care what people think? As you said, they're all lies. I don't care what they say, I don't care if they-"

"It'll ruin you! It can ruin your father!" Marinette shouted.

"I don't care!" Adrien screamed, his head toward the ground and his blonde hair looking messier than ever. "I won't let lies keep me from you!"

Marinette felt her heart stop. "W-What?"

Adrien didn't answer. At that moment, he didn't know what to do with these emotions. Why was it so hard to just figure himself out? Why couldn't he fix this? He was useless. He'd always been. Now, standing in front of him... Marinette was telling him she was protecting him by giving him space in public. That's always how it had to be. He always had to put on an act when in front of the camera. For the paparazzi. He always had to look like the perfect student- the perfect son! But he didn't want that... he didn't want to pretend to be something that he's not.

He's not this perfect boy. He's wild and crazy, fun and makes bad decisions sometimes. He's Chat Noir. He's a hero. He has more than just this stupid responsibility as Gabriel Agreste's son.

He was sick of it!

"We can still talk at home... I just want these to go away before I'm able to be-"

"I don't want that! I don't want to pretend not to be your friend in front of people! I want to be able to have your back. I want to be able to give you a hug without worrying about someone taking a picture... I want..."

Where was he going with this?

How was he supposed to tell Marinette how he felt? How was he supposed to heal where he was broken?

"I've had to go through this my whole life, Marinette. I've never been allowed to be close to anyone until I went to school and met Nino. I never had a real friend. Not even Chloe could top him. But then, I met you... and we..."

"I-"

The tears spilled onto Marinette's cheeks. "This is so hard! I hate this so much!"

I hate being Ladybug! I hate having this responsibility! The weight on my shoulders! I want to be with my parents! I want to be at home!

But she couldn't say that to Adrien... She couldn't tell him how much she loved him. The words wouldn't come.

Nor would they come for him.

"I don't like this weight on my shoulders." She sobbed, "I... I want to be able to- do all these things but I lack the courage. I'm scared of what could happen!"

Adrien approached Marinette and laid his hands on her shoulders. She looked up at him from the same distance apart that she was in his arms on the stupid platform. But now, it wasn't in front of a camera. It was genuine. He was trying to calm her down, but it wouldn't fix the problem.

"You're my friend, Marinette-" The boy spoke, hesitantly, not sure of what to say.

"I don't want to be just friends!" Marinette squealed.

And that was it. Adrien knew.

Finally, he knew.

He knew how he felt.

All this time...

Lightly, he placed his hands on hers and lifted her chin so she was looking at him and not the ground. Her face was red, but she wasn't embarrassed. This time she was relieved. She could feel it... She could feel worry drift away. And then...

The boy leaned down on instinct, without much thought. Her lips were parted, her eyes that always reminded him of bluebells and the tears made his heart ache. There was nothing but the two of them. There were no cameras. There was no pressure.

Their eyes fluttered closed.

Their breath mixed together.

But before anything else happened, a loud boom sounded and they went tumbling to the floor.

.·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·.

A/N: It ALMOST happened. It almost fucking happened. I'm so sorry to the readers who are frustrated with the lack of timing, but... she did it! Marinette confessed! Hm, but what about Adrien? Find out soon in the next chapter *winks*...

Song Choice: Hear Me Now By Bad Wolves (Feat. DIAMANTE)
Literally was listening to this for a good while when writing this chapter.

Word Count: 6353

SPECIAL CONTEST WINNER NUMBER 1: XxVioletCandyxX

Thank you so much for reading my book!
There will be more winners, do not fret. In fact, I need a ton of OCs for my new fanfiction, so stay tuned!

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