{A/N: I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR, LIKE, FIVE WEEKS, BUT SCHOOL STARTED THREE WEEKS AGO SO I COULDN'T WORK ON IT AND I FINALLY FINISHED PART 1 AFTER ALL THIS TIME. HAHA, NO ONE WILL READ THIS- BUT ANYWAYS, IT'S GONNA BE A TWO-SHOT.}

His earbuds blared music loudly, drowning the surrounding noise out. Adrien walked through the halls of his school, clutching the strap of his messenger bag. His footsteps were swift and quick, determined, but they had not become a sprint. His stomach rolled around and the uneasy feeling managed to wedge itself deeper into his chest as he pretended to not feel the stares of every single person he walked past.

His hands trembled at the thought of facing their glares. He didn't have to look at them to know they were scowling, whispering, and sneering at him. Of course they would, nearly two-thirds of College Francoise Dupont- students and staff alike!- had been Akumatized.

He knew what they were saying: "Of course he was helping HawkMoth!"

"I told you the Agrestes were bad news."

"Psh, is he even the prodigal son anymore? All those lawsuits demolished his Daddy's net worth."

"Don't look! Madman's son at 12 o'clock!"

"Whatcha wanna bet he becomes the next super villain to go after Team Miraculous?"

"I can't believe they only interrogated him. Honestly, if I were the police, I would've done a lot more than a search warrant and an arrest on a terrorist!"

He would never help Gabriel Agreste to achieve his goal, even if it meant finding his mother. Yet, the hurt in their words had long faded away. Now, it simply left an empty feeling in his chest.

Adrien knew that the news would be everywhere and that it would always be there, but shouldn't it have faded away by now? It's been four months, the world and the media should've been bored with HawkMoth's defeat by now, but it felt as if it hadn't faded away in the least. The world continued being fascinated by the tale of the successful man gone rogue and his son whose innocence had suppressed the stage of controversial long ago.

There was a loud burst of laughter behind him and Adrien made the mistake of glancing to the source. Instantly, the laughter died. Kim, Max, and a few jocks fell into unusual silence. They glared at him, the unwelcome clearly shown in their eyes.

"Get lost, terrorist." Kim spat loud enough for him to hear. The friendship that he once harbored for the Agreste clearly existed no longer.

The blond quickly turned his head, swallowing thickly. He pulled his dark hoodie over his head, pulling the strings to hide his face. He quickly fled, walking faster now, as the empty and heavy feeling settled deeper into his soul.

Adrien refused to let himself think of the past months and what had just happened. Instead, he forced himself to listen to the lyrics of the song playing to calm himself.

"... Listen to the wind blow, watch the sun rise,
Running in the shadows, damn your love, damn your lies..."

The former model unconsciously hummed softly to the tune, as he finally arrived outside of his school. He was close enough to spot his bus and run to it when it arrived, but far enough he didn't have to encounter many students

Adrien swung his bag off of his shoulder and sat down at an empty and old picnic table.

"... And if, you don't love me now
You will never love me again
I can still hear you saying
You would never break the chain..."

The silver of his ring gleamed in the light, sparkling on his finger, and Adrien stared down at it.

How many years had it been since he got the ring? Three?

Eventually, much to his misfortune, not even the music was effectively drowning out his thoughts.

HawkMoth was becoming increasingly desperate for the Miraculouses he desired for so long and his impatience would be his downfall. He managed to release two dangerous Akumas upon Paris, keeping Ladybug too busy to purify one of them. As he expected, the Akuma rapidly multiplied, throwing Paris into an apocalypse full of dark magic. Team Miraculous struggled to win, but after hours- perhaps even a day or two- of non-stop fighting, HawkMoth was defeated, arrested, and carted off to a prison far away. At first it had been the greatest achievement for the team, but then his identity was revealed and before they could stop it, the news of Gabriel Agreste's identity spread like wildfire that no amount of firemen could put out. Their greatest victory quickly became Chat Noir's greatest tragedy as his life crumbled before his eyes and not even knowing his Lady's identity could make it any better. Many people whose Akumatization was recorded sued the Agrestes, the company went under because no one wanted to buy from a terrorist, employees quit, Adrien was forced into hours upon hours of interrogation, warrants were signed and police were investigating every inch of the Agreste Mansion (luckily, Team Miraculous had been able to grab the Peacock Miraculous), employees were interrogated and searched, and Adrien was taken to live with his mother's sister. News outlets reported the story everywhere and soon, the whole world knew who the villainous HawkMoth was. The Agreste name was hated and soon there was no money to the name, too. Everyone in school feared him for weeks, but then their fear had dissolved and their anger replaced it. Bullying replaced their cowering. They hated him. The whole world hated him. Why? Just because he shared the last name of a supervillain? They had no idea he was one of the heroes responsible for his defeat. They just saw him as a deceiving liar who wormed his way out of punishment.

The past months had been a horror and pain that not even Hell could compete with.

"Purina?" called a female voice behind him.

Adrien tensed, cringing, jumping from the picnic table. Before he could run, a hand grabbed his arm, holding his back.

Scowling, he forced himself to turn around, his eyes locking with shiny blue ones. Chloe stared at him and he stubbornly stared back. Silence fell upon the two heroes as tears formed in Chloe's eyes and Adrien refused to let her see his trembling hands.

She pulled him into a hug, wrapping her arms around his torso. Hesitantly, he hugged her back, not saying a word. The binder in her arms digging uncomfortably into his side.

Chloe sniffled, staring over his shoulder. "You have to stop," she whispered, her voice trembling. Adrien tensed once more, pulling out of the hug, and removing his earbuds.

Without really thinking to stop himself, the words slipped out of himself. "I don't know what you're talking about."

The heroine scoffed, glancing away to shake her head. She turned back to face him, her eyes glossy with tears. "You're a terrible liar," she choked, her voice cracking.

The black cat looked away, focusing on anything but Chloe Bourgeois. Guilt blossomed in his chest and he suddenly felt much twitchier than he did before.

She approached him, walking towards him slowly. "Please," she begged, a tear streaked down her cheek. She choked, "Please talk to us!" she shouted, her voice shaking as she raised her voice.

He swallowed, tapping his finger on his ring anxiously. Silent. Chloe Bourgeois never begged.

"I know what's been happening these past months have been hard for you- it's been hard for all of us!" she whimpered, sniffling softly. She scrunched her nose, struggling to withhold the rest of her tears. "But this isn't gonna help, Adrien," she said, her voice begging. "It's not!" she cried, "Avoiding your friends and teammates isn't gonna help you heal or get better in any way."

Adrien's vision became blurry with tears, but he still didn't look at his old friend.

"We're worried about you!" she shouted, breathing irregularly. Her chest lifted and fell as she breathed heavily, a few more tears trickling from her eyes without her permission. Sniffling, she wiped them away with the back of her hand. "Pushing us away isn't gonna make things better!" she sobbed. "Nino... Nino is worried sick! Alya can't- she can't-!- And Marinette can't sleep at night!" she choked, "She rarely talks and she's always looking for you!"

Adrien twitched. I didn't mean to worry you guys, he wanted to say, his mouth moving soundlessly. I just need time to myself.

And he would never say it, but he was terrified. He didn't want to face them and know what they thought of him; The hero who defeated his own father. The son of a supervillain.

He made a strangled noise, tears streaming down his face. No, I couldn't face that. He couldn't see his teammates hating him.

"What you're doing," sobbed the bee-themed hero, "it's not coping!"

"What do you know about proper coping skills?" he snapped, glaring at her, except everything was bleary and he could barely see. He turned his back on her and began to walk away.

Maybe he knew deep down that what he was doing maybe wasn't completely right or healthy, but it was the only thing he understood how to do. Besides, no one could help him. His teammates and his aunt- he loved them, yeah- but they couldn't help him. They didn't understand. They couldn't understand.

"You're right," she said, wiping the tears away. "I don't," admitted Chloe. She clutched her binder tightly, holding it against her chest, wrapping her arms around it, the ends stabbing her arms uncomfortably. She inhaled before continuing, "But I know that escaping into a third life isn't how to deal with your life turning to shit."

He whirled around, eyes widening. He stuttered, "H-ho-w-?"

"We all know," she said, staring at him desperately. "The whole team. All of us."

The former model flinched.

"Were you ever gonna tell us?" she asked but she already knew the answer.

Adrien opened and closed his mouth quietly. "No," he admitted, mumbling. Chloe glanced away, clearly hurt. "I didn't want you guys to worry-!"

"-No, you didn't," said the heroine. Her eyes were suddenly steely and her voice devoid of emotion. "You didn't want us stopping you."

He flinched, his stomach twisting into a terrible knot. She's not wrong, he thought.

"You're using your Miraculous irresponsibly," she said.

"I'm not Chat Noir," he argued.

"You're using the overlapping power from the Miraculous," she stated.

Miraculouses came with many benefits, one of them being they provided minor inhuman strength, speed, agility, and durability without the Kwami. However, it's not nearly as strong as it would be with a Kwami inhabiting the Miraculous.

"How is your Kwami letting you do this?" she demanded.

"He said he doesn't approve, but it's my choice. Not his."

Chloe shook her head, "This isn't right."

"I've been selfless my whole life," he stated stubbornly. "I think I can afford to be selfish this once."

"That," she said, changing the subject, "is not part of you. Chat Noir and Adrien Ag-"

"-Don't-"

"-This isn't you, Adrien!" she cried, "You're not thinking right!"

"Have you ever considered that I've changed?" he asked mockingly. Chloe froze. "Look," he began, his voice trembling, "I'm sorry I'm not who I used to be. I'm sorry I'm messed up," he said, tears cascading down his cheeks. "I'm sorry that I'm trying to fix things the only way I know how to."

"You're running," stated the Bourgeois girl, her eyes gleaming stubbornly in a way that no one could change her mind.

Out of the corner of his eye, Adrien saw his bus drive up to the front of the school. The doors swung open and students quickly boarded inside.

Angrily scowling at his old friend, he grabbed his messenger bag, turned his back on her, and ran towards his bus. His earbuds- which were plugged into his phone in his back pocket- swung back and forth wildly, hitting his legs continuously. His lungs burned and his eyes stung, but he refused to acknowledge either of them. Without glancing over his shoulder, he stepped onto the bus, the driver closing the door just as he stepped onto the stairs.

Adrien sunk into an empty seat in the front of the bus, shoving his earbuds back into his ears to drown out the surrounding whispers.

The bus rattled as it drove, shaking the windows and everyone inside. The hero sighed, staring out the window, his music drowning his surroundings and thoughts out.

Adrien knew he was running.

The question was what was he running from?; His father's reputation? Responsibility? The truth? The consequences of defeating HawkMoth? Facing everyone?

Somehow, uncharacteristically of him, Chat Noir didn't care.

Adrien stared up at his bedroom ceiling, his hands folded over his chest, and his back sinking into the bed. His book for his book report sat next to his pillow, forgotten. Once again, music provided by his earbuds blared into his ears, not always being able to constantly drown out his paranoid thoughts.

"...I can't stop this feeling
Deep inside of me
Girl, you just don't realize
What you do to me..."

But the music faded into the background of his thoughts, repeatedly replay Chloe's words.

Ladybug is worried about me? He thought, startled at the discovery. He shouldn't have been, though, he had been partners with her since he was thirteen and she was fourteen.

Sighing dejectedly, Adrien turned on his phone, pausing his music and opening his voicemails, clicking on the one he remembered all too well.

The recording was static, the female voice was accompanied by other background noises. "Hey, minou."

His heart fluttered as he unconciously smiled softly to himself.

"It's me- um, Marinette, or- ah, Ladybug," she said, stuttering a bit. She inhaled, pausing as she thought of her next words. "I know things are bad for you right now- and kinda awkward between us and- oh, god, you probably blame me-... but... I... I'm... I'm sorry," she apologized, you could practically hear her biting her lip. "I should've-"

There was a knock at his bedroom door and Adrien jumped, ripping his earbuds out, and pausing the recording, as the plain white door creaked open.

Aunt Christie stood in the doorway, raising an eyebrow expectedly. "Dinner's ready."

She was his mom's sister and looked nothing like her with her striking resemblance to Marisa Tomei. She was a tall, beautiful women in her late thirties, with dirty blonde hair that was closer to a dark brown than it was to beach blonde. Her eyes were dark brown with a very faded green and she had a very charming and quirky grin.

"Okay," he answered, scrambling from his bed to follow her out of his bedroom. Adrien turned off the light and closed the door behind him, trailing after his aunt to the kitchen.

They lived in an apartment that was much smaller than the Agreste Mansion Adrien lived in all his life. Despite the fact that the whole apartment was about the size of his former bedroom, it felt cozy and loved.

Christie handed him a plate as he entered the kitchen. She sat down at one side of the small table, pointing the remote at the small TV on the kitchen counter to turn it on. The TV flickered to life and she quickly changed the channel to the news.

Adrien scooped his food onto his plate before sitting on the opposite side of the table, munching quietly on his food.

"Welcome back," greeted a newscaster after the commercial ended, flashing a pearly smile at the camera. They sat behind the desk, shuffling their papers subconsciously. "In today's news, one of Paris's renowned heroes, Chat Noir-" said superhero glanced up at the TV immediately, "-remains MIA four months after his initial disappearance."

A grainy picture of a blond teen wearing an actual cat suit appeared on screen.

"Paris's beloved superhero and global teen heartthrob was last seen in the aftermath of the invasion."

The newscaster was replaced by an even grainer, full-screen photo of Chat Noir walking away from mounds of rubble and preparing to jump onto the rooftops. His face was covered in scratches and his hair was ruffled, but the magic made him appear relatively unharmed. He was glancing over his shoulder to someone off screen, unaware of the camera that had snapped the picture.

"The rest of Team Miraculous, however, continues to remain in the public eye, assisting in cleaning the collateral damage that Ladybug's Miraculous was unable to fix," informed the meteorologist. "The team has confirmed their partner is alive, but refuse to give answers to his whereabouts, along with neither confirming nor denying his motives for his continued absence."

The photo disappeared, replaced with the smiling face of the same newscaster. "In other news, the mysterious vigilante- who continues to roam the streets of Paris- is still unidentified. The vigilante appeared over three months ago, ruffing up and terrorizing local criminals at night."

Adrien frowned, scrunching his nose up. Terrorizing?

A very low quality picture appeared on screen of a figure partially illuminated by a street light. They could barely be seen due to the darkness and their movement. They wore indescribable, dark clothes. The only recognizable or visible feature was a muzzle-like mask covering their mouth and a pair of steampunk goggles.

"Since their first known appearance, the unnamed vigilante has sparked controversy amongst many people," said the newscaster, smiling. "And today, we have a reaccuring host from KIDZ+ studios and our guest, an officer, to talk about the mysterious criminal lurking throughout Paris in the night and the difference between heroism and vigilantism."

Immediately, the screen panned out, the scene quickly changing. Alec from KIDZ+ Studios and Officer Raincomprix sat in a different room sitting in two identical chairs opposite from each other.

"Hello!" grinned Alec brightly, winking at the camera. His name appeared on the side of the screen. "I'm here with Lieutenant Raincomrpix from the Paris Police Station."

The camera switched to Sabrina's father who tipped his hat. "It's a pleasure to be here," said Rogers as the camera zoomed out to see both of them,

"The pleasure's all mine!" beamed Alec a bit too happily to be genuine. "So, today, you're here to talk with us about The Vigilante."

The officer shuffled his shoulders a bit uncomfortably before saying in a firm voice. "Yes, I am."

"Despite this vigilante-" Alec glanced to the screen amusedly, "- beating up petty criminals a bit more than they should, some people firmly believe the vigilante is a hero." he informed, raising an eyebrow. "What do you have to say about that?" he asked, "Why are they being labeled as a criminal while Team Miraculous aren't?"

"The line between heroism and vigilantism is bleared a considerable bit because of their portrayal in the media," began the lieutenant. "In many modern superhero shows and movies, the protagonist is often called a vigilante even though they are good, respectable people. They bring a positive outlook to the word 'vigilante', but that's not the case in reality," he informed, talking slowly. "Vigilantes are citizens or groups who operate outside of the law, which- no matter who that is- is unacceptable."

"So," said Alec, sitting up straighter in his seat, "why are Team Miraculous acceptable?"

"Akumas are outside of the law," admitted Roger. "There is no law mentioning them, meaning Team Miraculous is fully capable of operating to fight them."

"Except, there will be no more Akumas."

Roger nodded, "That is correct," he said. "The national government has properly handled the situation."

Alec nodded. "Correct me if I'm wrong," he began in a tone that pointed to he knew fully well that he was right, "but the moment Team Miraculous starts fighting criminals who are not super-powered- say, bank-robbers-?"

"-They will be immediately considered vigilantes, yes," he nodded solemnly. "It is harsh, but it is the law."

Alec tilted his head. "No exceptions?"

"None, I'm afraid," concluded the officer.

He turned to face the camera, flashing a pearly grin. "Well, that's all for now, folks!" he shouted as music began to play. "If you have any information about The Vigilante, immediately contact the police station," he said, standing up from his chair and shaking hands with Liutenent Raincomrpix. He turned his body to the camera, winking, "When we return, sports and a viral video gone wrong!"

The TV immediately began to play commercials and Aunt Christie grabbed the remote, quickly turning the volume down.

So much for the "not every Agreste is a criminal" thing, Adrien thought bitterly to himself, scowling.

Aunt Christie glanced to him, raising an eyebrow and frowning slightly as she watched him pick at his food. "Is it not good?" she asked, squinting quizzically at him. She ran her fingers through her long straight hair. "I don't have to make this recipe aga-"

Adrien looked up, startled. He spluttered. "Um, ha, no- I mean, dinner's great," he said nervously, forcing himself to smile uneasily.

She nodding, standing up from her chair, taking her plate, cup, and utensils to the sink. Christie walked back to her nephew, standing behind him, and rubbing his tense shoulders like a massage.

"A lot on your mind?" she asked.

"Yeah," he muttered quietly, struggling to prevent his voice from cracking.

The world will always talk about him. There is no escape.

She smiled softly, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead, and ruffling his hair, not noticing her nephew's distress. Christie walked out of the kitchen and then reappeared in the doorway, holding a full laundry basket of dirty clothes to her waist.

"It's your turn to do the dishes," she said. "I'll be back. I'm gonna head down to the laundry room." She raised the basket a bit to make her point.

Adrien nodded. "Yep." He shuffled in his seat awkwardly.

Christie smiled briefly, tilting her head before leaving the apartment, quietly closing the door behind her.

The blond sighed, standing up from his chair, grabbing his dishes and placing them in the sink. Hot water gushed from the faucet, dousing the dishes and his hands, and the sponge felt rough against his skin as he absent-mindedly scrubbed a plate.

Marinette is worried about you, whispered the traitorous voice inside his head.

No, she doesn't.

Ladybug is worried.

She's better off without me.

You love her, don't you? If you love her, stop making her worry. Stop hurting her. Talk to her.

Adrien's heart dropped in his chest and he shook his head, N-n.. no! I-... I can't- He thought desperately, his heart pounding wildly. He chewed his lip, his fingers twitching.

Why?

I just can't! I can't!

You're scared of what she thinks of you. You can't look at her- or any your friends- without fearing what they think of you; Adrien Agreste, the son of a terrorist who carted his own father off to jail-

Shut up!

-You refused to help find your own mother. What type of person does that?

SHUT UP!

You're a coward-

-I'm a hero!-

All you do is run. Run from your family, your friends, the love of your life-

Adrien could feel his body begin to shake as his hands trembled. His vision began to blear and he gripped onto the rim of the sink, breathing heavily.

Face it, Chat Noir. You're nothing.

The superhero slammed the faucet off, running towards his bedroom. Without hesitating, he shoved the door open and it slammed to the wall, banging loudly.

He ignored the Kwami who was now snoring loudly on his pillow.

Adrien rushed around, ripping a pair of- surprisingly flexible- dark jeans and gloves out of his drawer, a black hoodie shoved into the back of his closet, and a mask and goggles hidden behind a pile of textbooks. Adrien pulled the hoodie on, pulling the hood over his head. He quickly changed his pants before he slammed the mask onto his face, pulling the goggles onto his face, and quickly making sure they wouldn't fall off.

Without really thinking, he shoved his bedroom window open and jumped.

{Firstly, with the way my schedule and procrastination works, part two will probably get here in December. Secondly- Ahhh, everyone is really OOC in this. Forgive me. Yeah, it has post-Redemption Arc!Chloe. Yeah, it has an incredibly OOC Plagg who would never allow Adrien to do such things. Thirdly, I will explain why Adrien is doing what he does in part two- HAHA, THIS IS SO AWFUL AND THERE'S PROBABLY A SHIT TON OF ERRORS EVEN THOUGH I'VE SPENT FOREVER ON TRYING TO PERFECT IT. What else? Um... WELL, BECAUSE ADRIEN IS BEST BROS WITH NINO LAHIFFE, THERE IS NO WAY HE WOULD BE ABLE TO AVOID NINO'S LOVE FOR MUSIC. I like to think Adrien is a huge fan of late 70s pop songs, like the ones in the "Guardians of the Galaxy" albums. Also, if you have any questions about not understanding the timeline or anything, feel free to comment your point of confusion and I'll attempt to explain it :).

-Book117Worm
Ellie}