A/N: BOOM guess who just figured out how to do the page space thing? I did. Like a boss Go ahead laugh I know silly Nebilas blah blah. But I got it dammit. Be proud. Regardless. Welcome to this story! Don't really know what else to say about it. I hope you like it!

Oh I remember just so you know this story is rated M for a reason. (Yes lemons I hear some of you shouting excitedly) but also there will be some dark sequences later on. And actually right now. I guess I'll post warnings before each chapter. Like this next sentence.

Warnings: Abuse

There you go that should do it. Enjoy having your heart torn to shreds I mean... Um... Carry on.

Until Next Time!

~Nebilas~

Adrien staggered out of his father's office clutching his cheek. He snagged Plagg who was so angry he had leapt out of Adrien's pocket and was trying very hard to get into Gabriel Agreste's office so he could give him a piece of his mind. Adrien knew that would only make his situation astronomically worse and just dragged the floating kwami by the tail into his room. He shut the door behind him and locked it. Plagg huffed and stalked off to his bed.

Adrien leaned against his door and slid down, tucking his chin in between his knees and folding his arms around them. He sighed and looked up at the ceiling, not really sure what to do. He had two days of high school left. According to his father he would be leaving about two weeks later. And as far as Adrien could tell, his father had no intention of bringing him back anytime soon.

Why did I bother arguing? He thought bitterly. He should have known his father would shoot him down and even then he had pushed the issue. Because truth be told, Adrien didn't want to leave Paris. Not at all. As much as he hated Agreste Manor he loved the city that he lived in.

He forced himself to stand up and prepared himself for school, going into the bathroom and glancing into the mirror. His father's handprint was still there, but Adrien knew it would fade. He began to change, exiting the bathroom and tossing the shirt he'd put on into a laundry basket. He began browsing through his shirts, deciding what to wear. He grabbed a blue one but frowned when he noticed it had the American flag on it. He shook his head.

America. What have I done to deserve this? He thought bitterly. I've been his fucking poster child for the past twelve years, and right before I turn eighteen, 'You're going to America.' No 'Hello Adrien! How did you sleep? How do you feel about going to America? You don't want to? Oh okay.' Plagg chose this moment to make his opinion vocal while chewing angrily on some camembert.

"I give you full permission to go cataclysmic on his ass." Plagg said loudly. Adrien ignored him. "Come on you can't let him do this to you kid. Kid listen to me." He floated in front of his chosen. "You need to do something."

"Plagg I've had worse." Adrien said rolling his eyes.

"Stuff it kid, I know for a fact about a third of those scars are not from when you were Chat Noir." Adrien dropped a shirt in he had grabbed in shock and glanced down at his bare chest guiltily. Small strips of scar tissue could be found almost anywhere on him. Plagg's eyes flew open. He had been completely guessing but Adrien's guilty expression cemented it in his mind. "He has been abusing you!" Plagg shrieked.

"Plagg please it's not a big deal-"

"The hell it isn't!" Plagg said angrily. "How long?" Adrien glanced away guiltily. "How long?" Plagg asked dangerously.

"Since Mom passed." Adrien muttered. Plagg was beside himself.

"Eight years?" he screeched. "Why the hell didn't you tell me?"

"I've never told anyone." Adrien mumbled, rubbing his arm, any thoughts of looking for a shirt forgotten. Plagg stopped.

"Nobody knows?" Adrien shook his head. Plagg was reeling. Adrien had always said his father wasn't great, and borderline neglectful, but this… This was beyond anything Plagg had even suspected until recently.

"Look Plagg it's fine. I'm used to it by now." Adrien said, turning around and selecting a black shirt.

"Adrien… That isn't a good thing." Adrien paused before putting his shirt on.

"I know. But that's how it is."

"What about the police?" Adrien sighed and pulled down his waistband a bit to show Plagg a particularly vicious looking scar on his left hipbone.

"Tried that once. Unfortunately he had made a rather large donation to the police force and they weren't exactly thrilled with the idea. Long story short Dad found out and this happened."

"When was this?" Plagg whispered.

"Month before I met you." Adrien said, voice casual.

"Adrien stop trying to make this out like it isn't a big deal. That's bull. I know you love him because he's your father and you don't want to lose him... " Plagg came to a startling realization. "That's why you won't tell Marinette how you feel!" He shrieked pointing a paw at Adrien accusingly. Adrien winced at the accusation, which was 100 percent true.

Marinette… Somehow the bluenette had managed to worm her way into his heart without even trying. Once she had gotten over her stutter around him, they had been able to start talking, and they talked all the time now. His visits to her as Chat had also become more frequent, and while she claimed to be annoyed by his appearances, he could see the pleasure in her eyes. His feelings had grown astronomically over the span of the previous summer, and he had finally admitted to himself (and Plagg albeit grudgingly) his feelings for his classmate.

But every time he wanted to tell her how he felt, he panicked. Something held him back. And he knew what it was. He was terrified of another rejection. Another person he loved turning their back on him. His mother had died, leaving him with his father, who immediately turned his back on him, and Adrien wasn't sure if he could survive a rejection from his best friend. So that's how he kept their relationship, hoping his feelings would become more of a friendship love. But the more he had tried to do this, it almost seemed to become worse. In fact the only thing this had accomplished was him accepting that he would never be with Ladybug. He had now long accepted she was now only a friend and partner. A friend he loved but no more than that. But with Marinette… There was a point about three weeks ago when everything had almost changed. When he had almost slipped.

"Bye guys!" Mari laughed. Alya and Nino waved back and ran off, trying to catch up to the rest of the Cesaire family. Adrien smiled at the bluenette, his heart hammering in his chest. Now was the perfect opportunity. He could tell her how he really felt. But he didn't want to risk it. He couldn't. He sighed and sat down on a nearby park bench."You okay Adrien?" Mari asked, plopping down next to him.

"I'm fine." he assured her. "Just some stuff on my mind."

"Like what?" Mari asked.

"Like I lo-" Adrien froze. He hadn't meant to say that out loud. He had almost said I love you.

"What?" Mari asked, giggling at the abrupt halt in conversation.

"Nothing. Just thoughts." He said nervously.

"I know the feeling." Mari sighed. Adrien glanced at her, relaxing a bit. She hadn't picked up on it. Wait was she… Blushing? His heart jolted a bit with newfound hope. Maybe… He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. 'No. Don't take this chance.' Suddenly Marinette turned to him. "Adrien… Can I be honest with you for a moment?" Adrien cocked an eyebrow but nodded. "I…" She suddenly looked very nervous.

"Take your time Mari." Adrien said with a smile. Mari nodded and took a deep breath.

Which was when an explosion ripped through the park completely killing the conversation.

Adrien frowned. The memory still made him angry. It of course had been an akuma forcing him to hide Mari then transform. She had been about to tell him something, but every time he asked her about it now, she flushed red and changed the topic. It was not the first time this had happened and in fact, Chloe had interrupted Marinette telling him something or other several times. He had started to hope it was her about to confess but he had no proof and being the coward he was… He let it sit there. He turned his attention back to his Kwami who was glaring at him.

"Well it doesn't matter now does it Plagg? I'm leaving Paris." Adrien said grumbling tossing a stray pencil into his bag as he entered his room. Plagg sighed knowing his chosen had a point. But he knew how much Adrien cared for the girl, watching their relationship blossom from afar. He watched as his chosen packed up his bag with a frown. If anyone deserved to be happy it was Adrien. He shook his head and moved down to join his chosen. Adrien picked up his bag and Plagg entered it. Adrien glanced into the mirror as he passed it. The handprint was fading. It would be gone by the time he got to school.

XxXxXxXx

Marinette Dupain-Cheng took her Kwami seriously. Which was why when Tikki told her that Plagg was livid, Mari was concerned. She wondered if Chat had done something to piss off his Kwami. Chat had on several occasions asked her what she'd done to make Tikki "So damn happy" because Plagg had commented on it.

Tikki had explained that they couldn't really talk to each other but they could feel emotions. So now that she said Plagg was angry... Marinette wondered what had happened.

"Do you know why?" Mari questioned. Tikki shook her head regretfully.

"I just know that he is. I hope Chat hasn't done something to make him angry." Mari nodded in assent. She focused on her bag again and frowned, knowing she was missing something. She realized her sketchbook was across the room and she retrieved it and added it to her bag. She slung it over her shoulder and opened her trapdoor as Tikki flew into her pocket and disappeared from view.

"Good morning Mari!" her mother greeted with a smile.

"Morning Mom." Mari said returning the smile. She glanced around. "Is dad making a delivery?"

"Yes. He'll be back later." Sabine said, moving around the corner and fetching a plate of eggs for Mari along with a glass of juice. Mari smiled warmly and took it to the table where she say and began to eat. Sabine was staring at her from across the table.

"Yges mahgm?" Mari swallowed her food as her mother's lip twitched upwards. "Yes Mom?"

"Your last year of high school is almost over." Mari nodded, unsure of where this conversation was going. "And you have grown into a remarkable young woman." Mari flushed at the praise. "However, I have noticed one thing that has not changed in the past three years." Mari frowned, trying to think of what her mother was talking about. "Your crush on Adrien dear." Mari immediately turned even redder and drank too much juice, making her cough. Once she recovered from her coughing fit, she tried to formulate a response.

"I… Well… Yeah." she said lamely. Sabine smiled.

"And as far as I can tell from when he's here, he feels the same about you." Mari was sure her jaw was hanging on the floor. "But I highly doubt he will be willing to tell you. He's afraid of losing you." she explained as Mari made a confused expression. "And your time is running out. I think you should tell him."

Mari could not believe this. Tikki had always encouraged her and her mother always listened when she needed to talk about it but this was the first time Adrien had been brought up in this kind of conversation by someone other than herself. She swallowed.

"I've tried though Mom. Something always gets in the way. An Akuma, a rainstorm, Adrien's bodyguard, Adrien's manager, and Chloe on three separate occasions." She said, sad and a little bitter.

"Try one last time Marinette. Tie him down if you have to. Tell him how you feel. And if he says yes maybe you can leave him tied up."

"MOTHER!" Mari screeched, burning red at the implication. She promptly wolfed down the rest of her breakfast trying to avoid eye contact. Sabine merely watched with an expression of amusement. Once she left (it had felt like hours but had really been about five minutes) Tikki popped out of her bag.

"Even your mother wants you to get some." she teased. Marinette was in a foul mood on her walk to school.

XxXxXxXx

Adrien was glad to be away from his house today. Another confrontation was not something he wanted quite yet. Fortunately, despite everything he wasn't in a terrible mood and Alya had just sat down behind him. Adrien sighed and reclined in his chair coming face to face with Alya, though she did appear to be upside down.

"Hullo Alya!" he said with a grin.

"Hey Blondie. Having fun there?" Adrien nodded serenely, making Alya laugh.

"A lovely time. Um have you seen Mari today? I need to talk to her." Adrien asked, feeling his nerves start to come back into play.

"Ooooh what do you want to talk to her about?" Alya asked, her reporter senses tingling.

"Nothing." Adrien said, turning pink.

"Your cheeks say otherwise. But regardless she just entered the room." she grinned pointing at the door. Adrien snapped his head up and waved casually at her with a smile. Why does she look so nervous? He wondered as she walked over to him.

"Um… A-Adrien can we talk after school?" Adrien raised his eyebrows. She hadn't stuttered around him in forever. What could she want to talk about?

"Yeah sure!" he said with a smile. "My locker?" Mari nodded and smiled back.

"Thanks." she moved up the stairs to join Alya at their table. Nino entered the room a few minutes later, about thirty seconds before the bell rang. He quickly ran up to Adrien and they tapped fists before he sank into his chair.

"That was close." Nino said, relaxing. He leaned back so he was looking at the girls and Adrien joined him.

"Hey babe." Nino said, wiggling his eyebrows at Alya.

"You two are dorks." Marinette giggled.

"And proud of it." Adrien grinned. The bell rang, signalling the start of class and Ms. Bustier walked in, closing the door behind her. Class began, but neither Mari or Adrien could focus, and unfortunately for the two of them, the problem persisted throughout the day.

Mari couldn't draw to save her life that day, and Adrien kept dropping things, which he never did. Alya and Nino did not miss this and Alya had actually wriggled the truth out of Mari and the two were waiting in anticipation of what was going to happen. Nino had no doubt Adrien would say yes but Alya was nervous for Marinette.

The final bell rang and Adrien stood up slowly. He prolonged his walk down the hall towards his locker, wondering what Mari could want to talk about. He was grateful that Chloe had decided not to show up for school. She had a habit of interrupting moments between he and Marinette. He reached his locker and collected the few things he needed for the night and he waited. He swallowed nervously when Mari finally turned the corner.

For her part, Mari thought she was holding herself together pretty well. When she turned the corner, half of her brain screamed that this was a terrible idea while the other half egged her on. She took deep calming breaths as she walked, trying not to panic. You can do this. Just tell him how you feel. She told herself.

You can do this. Just don't blurt out how you feel and you'll survive. Adrien told himself. He saw her smile shyly and brush a stray hair away from her forehead. He froze. I can't do this. God why does she have to be so cute.

"Hey." Mari said quietly.

"Hi." Adrien said trying to be casual. He shut his locker and gave her a smile. She seemed to take encouragement from this and smiled back. "So.. What did you want to talk about?"

"Do you remember three weeks ago when I asked if I could be honest with you?" Adrien nodded and she took a deep breath. "It's about that." She looked up at Adrien who nodded, still smiling. "I…" She looked like she might throw up.

"Hey Mari relax. It's okay." Adrien instructed, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Breathe. But try to tell me before an akuma strikes this time." This at least elicited a small laugh from the bluenette, making his heart throb. He loved that laugh. She stayed silent for about five seconds when she looked him in the eyes.

"I love you." Adrien's world stopped. He staggered backwards a step and his back hit a locker. This is my luck. He thought in shock. Adrien had not seen this coming. Not really. He had certainly imagined it happening, but deep down he had always assumed he was interpreting her actions the way he wanted to see them. And now it turned out that she held the same feelings as he did.

But of course it had to be now. He thought, starting to feel numb. Nine hours after my father tells me I'm leaving the country, probably forever. Adrien shook his head back in forth in dismay and heard a gasp. His eyes flew open and he met Marinette's eyes, whose eyes were starting to fill with tears.

"So… No?" She whispered. Adrien can't stand another second looking into her crystal blue eyes and pulls her into a hug. He feels tears in his own eyes.

"Marinette… I would love nothing more than to say yes." His heart felt heavy with the weight of his next words. "But I'm leaving France. My dad told me today. He's moving me to America." He felt her freeze before she jolted out of his embrace and stared at him eyes wide.

"What? No…" Adrien's heart promptly fell into pieces at the despair he saw on her face. She was struggling to keep the tears at bay. "When will you be back?" Adrien shut his eyes. He couldn't do this to himself or her. He couldn't see her cry.

"If things go the way my father wants them to… Not for the foreseeable future." He opened his eyes again and found Mari standing there looking shellshocked. She had wrapped her arms around herself. She was on the verge of tears. Adrien crossed the space between them and pulled her into another embrace. This was too much for Mari and she burst into tears, sobbing into Adrien's shirt.

Neither noticed two Kwamis peer out of their bags and look at their chosens, heartbreak etched across their faces as well.