Chapter 20

Marinette was angry.

Anger was an emotion that was often foreign to the young woman, but at this particular moment it was radiating off of her. Her eyes were currently doing their best to bore holes into a certain Ladybug kwami, who was going against every instinct in her body telling her to fly away as fast as she could.

When Marinette had awoken screaming, her parents had both come running, fearing an akuma. They relaxed when they discovered it wasn't, but their relief was short lived when they realized their daughter had tears streaming down her face. Thirty minutes and many reassurances later, Tom and Sabine reluctantly returned to their own room, but not before supplying Marinette with hot chocolate and cookies in the hopes of comforting her after their departure.

Marinette's calm demeanor vanished fifteen seconds after her parents closed her trapdoor, and fury had surged within her. She'd rounded on Tikki who'd come out of hiding, and the Ladybug kwami was seriously questioning her life choices. She had been hoping to put this conversation off as long as possible, but now faced with the stark reality of her chosen's anger, she reflected that keeping the truth from her about the dreams may not have been the best idea.

Marinette folded her arms and scowled. "So are you going to actually tell me the truth now? We both know that wasn't 'just a dream', as you put it two weeks ago." Tikki winced, her guilt written all over her face.

She took a shaky breath, wishing she had something to hide behind. "So as I said," she began, "When Plagg moves far away from me, my chosen starts to have dreams."

"Except they aren't dreams." Marinette said stiffly.

"No." Tikki admitted. "They're real."

Marinette huffed. "And you didn't tell me this because.." She trailed off and looked at the kwami accusingly.

"I was scared." Tikki admitted. "I didn't see the harm in not telling you either, so long as the nightmares weren't popping up."

"So you knew I would start having nightmares?" Marinette demanded, leaping to her feet angrily.

Tikki cowered on her bed, pressing herself into the corner. "No!" She squeaked out. "Well, yes, but I didn't know when!"

Marinette raised an eyebrow, unimpressed with the kwami's defense. "I could have used a little warning before watching Chat Noir rip his own throat out and getting shot." Marinette's anger seemed to ebb, and she placed a hand over her chest, where the bullet had torn through the past Ladybug. "It hurt Tikki." She murmured, refusing to look at the kwami. "I felt all of it. The bullets, the fear.. The heartbreak."

The two remained silent for a few moments, letting everything wash over them. The house was now silent, which even at this hour could be considered a rare occurrence. Marinette's eyes slid closed, letting herself be dragged back into the memory. The bullets ripping through her had felt so real. Watching Chat Noir bleed out in front of her as she herself faded.. It was horrific. Something her own personal nightmares had refused to come up with. Even now, imagining Adrien in that position, she felt like she could throw up.

"Diana." Marinette's eyes snapped open. "Her name was Diana." Tikki murmured. "She was only seventeen when that.. Happened." Teary eyes met Marinette's, and Marinette felt like crying too. "Not all of them got happy endings Marinette. A lot make it through. A lot don't. It's why Plagg tries to desensitize himself. He pretends not to care for his chosens, in the hope that if they die he won't be as affected. I don't have that luxury. I care for all of them. Some.. Some more than others, but.." She trailed off, glancing away. "I just wanted to spare you I think. I already had to live through it. I thought maybe if you didn't know, maybe it wouldn't happen. It's naive of me I know, but I always hope that I can spare my chosens from loss. I've experienced enough to last lifetimes. I just-" She began to choke on her words, tears now streaming from her eyes. "I just can't lose you too. Not you."

Marinette scooped Tikki up and held the crying kwami to her chest. She cooed softly, trying to reassure her kwami she wasn't going anywhere. Tikki fell asleep soon after that, emotionally exhausted. Marinette sighed and glanced out the window. The sky was just beginning to show the first hints of color. Marinette reluctantly slid herself under her covers, keeping Tikki with her.

Even with the memory still fresh in her mind, she soon joined her kwami in sleep, unable to keep herself awake. Tikki would wake up first, and give her chosen a quick kiss on the forehead. Marinette had her first dreamless sleep in a month.

XxXxXxXx

Adrien let out a shriek as he plummeted towards the ground. He landed awkwardly, forcing himself into a roll, before allowing gravity to take hold of him. He lay on his back, breathing heavily, as an amused face peered down at him.

"You missed." Chris called out helpfully.

"Really? Hadn't noticed." Adrien retorted.

Chris chuckled and leapt off of the platform, landing far more gracefully than Adrien did. He offered a hand, which Adrien gratefully accepted.

The two were currently at a parkour gym, and Adrien was rusty to say the least. Chris on the other hand, went freerunning in his free time, which was something he'd neglected to mention when they'd walked in.

"Any other skills you've neglected to mention you possess?" Adrien asked dryly.

Chris chuckled. "I mean I picked up a guitar last week and I'm trying to learn, but other than that not really." He bent down to tie his shoe, which had come undone. "I'm decent at volleyball." He said as an afterthought.

"Impressive array of skills." Adrien complimented.

Chris smiled. "Thanks." He glanced up at the clock that adorned the wall. "Our two hours are up."

The two exited the large room and headed for their lockers. "You're headed out tonight right?" Adrien asked as he rummaged through his bag.

Chris nodded. "I am. My flight leaves at ten."

"Excited to see Amy?" Adrien asked, grinning.

Chris snorted. "Just a bit. It's only been several months." He hummed to himself thoughtfully as he pulled out his camera bag. "Kinda wish I could postpone it by a day though."

"How come?" Adrien asked, throwing on a sweatshirt.

Chris smirked. "Because then I could take pictures of you at the gala."

Adrien blanched. "I don't need pictures of me faking emotions from you. The paparazzi has it covered."

"Oh I forgot!" Chris exclaimed, diving into his bag. "There's an article about you!"

Adrien waved him off. "You know I never read those."

"Yes but this one is amazing." Chris grinned, practically shoving the magazine into his hands. Adrien sighed, and glanced at the article title.

Adrien Agreste, New Life in America

Adrien sighed. "Do I have to read this?" He asked pitifully.

"Just the caption of the second picture." Chris replied, grin getting wider.

Adrien's eyes roamed the page until the found the second photo, which was of him and Chris, chatting at a restaurant they'd had dinner at. He quickly found the caption and did a double take.

"I'm sorry what?" He demanded, suddenly scouring the article. Chris began chortling as Adrien's face contorted in shock and confusion.

"You'd think they have other things to do than speculate on the sexual orientation of models, but apparently not." Chris commented, twirling his car keys around his finger.

"So they think we're an item." Adrien said, still in shock.

Chris grinned. "No no. 'Secret lovers'." He draped an arm over Adrien's shoulders, and lifted his other hand dramatically. "We are star crossed lovers, forced to hide our burning passion because Gabriel Agreste disapproves of your true sexuality." He brought his hand to his chest, and let out a fake sob. "Such a harrowing and beautiful story." He sniffled.

Adrien laughed in spite of himself. "You're ridiculous." He eyed the article with distaste. "How did you find this anyways? You don't read this crap."

"Amy found it." Chris chuckled. "Or rather her friend did. Clara I think. Anyways, one of her friends found it and brought it to her. Apparently they both thought it was hysterical." He grinned and elbowed Adrien in the side. "As do I."

"You know who won't find this hilarious?" Adrien asked, tossing the magazine in the garbage.

XxXxXxXx

"Your father is displeased." Natalie stated.

Adrien rolled his eyes as he observed himself in the mirror. He had just finished putting on the tuxedo that he was expected to wear to the gala. "Let me guess. The magazine article reached him."

"Indeed." Natalie confirmed dryly, tapping her iPad. "Despite my assurances that you are not gay, your father has panicked. He has started searching for people who he believes would be good for your image."

Adrien sighed. "Please tell me there won't be one at the gala."

"You know I don't enjoy lying Adrien." Natalie replied, not bothering to look up.

Adrien groaned. "Who is she?"

"She's the daughter of one of your father's business associates. Angela Powers as I recall."

"So she's a model as well?" He deduced, unplugging his phone from the wall.

"She is."

Adrien scrutinized himself one last time before turning to Natalie. "Is she aware that I'm being put up to this?"

Natalie's ever tapping finger hesitated over the screen. "I'm not sure." She admitted after a few moments. "She's fluent in french though, I know that. So at the very least you'll be able to hold off on your english for a few conversations."

"Oh good." Plagg commented. "English gives me a headache. And Chris doesn't speak French."

"He's still bilingual." Adrien pointed out unsympathetically. "Talk to him in Spanish if it bothers you that much."

Plagg harrumphed and took a large bite out of the cheese sitting next to him. Adrien wasn't quite sure how the kwami was doing it, but somehow Plagg was chewing passive-aggressively.

"Alright come on you two, let's go." Natalie called, collecting her car keys.

Plagg quickly devoured the rest of his cheese before floating off of the nightstand and into Adrien's inner pocket. "I could just stay here." He mumbled.

"Do you want to?" Adrien asked.

"... No." he admitted reluctantly.

Adrien chuckled. "Then let's go."

Natalie was waiting in the car when Adrien walked outside. He slid into the passenger seat next to her and changed the radio station. "Alright let's go." The drive wasn't too long, in fact it only took fifteen minutes to get there, in which not one more word was exchanged.

Natalie didn't take it personally. She had been around Adrien long enough to know he didn't want to speak before these events. As they pulled up, she turned her gaze to the teen model, wanting to see his transformation. She'd seen it multiple times but it still fascinated her every time she witnessed it. Adrien took a deep breath and pulled down the sun visor from the ceiling of the car. He stared into its mirror and exhaled slowly. He schooled his expression into perfect neutrality, before flashing a brilliant smile into it. Then it was gone just as quickly as it had appeared. He rolled his shoulders and sat up a little straighter in the seat. He cleared his throat and smiled one last time, and then let himself be neutral.

"How do I look?" He finally asked, adjusting his bow-tie.

Natalie gave him a once-over and sighed sadly. "Flawless." She said.

Adrien's lip twitched up, and he shook his head, letting out a huff of bitter amusement. "So exactly how Dad wants?"

"Your hair is perfectly styled, your bowtie is on straight, and you looked neither overly pleased nor upset to be here." She listed off.

Adrien nodded to himself a few times, before closing the mirror and putting the sun visor back up. "Flawless." He murmured to himself. He opened the door, but then hesitated. "Natalie what would happen if.. I wasn't?"

Natalie's head snapped up and she stared at him. "You mean.."

"I mean.." Adrien swallowed nervously. "What if I said to hell with the facade?"

Natalie took a deep breath. "Your father would-"

"I don't care what he thinks Natalie." Adrien said vehemently. "I haven't cared about impressing him in a long time. What if, just for once, I was.. Me?"

A smile began to grown on Natalie's face. "I think that's a wonderful idea." Adrien's face immediately relaxed, and he offered a much more natural smile than the ones he'd been practicing in the mirror. "Better." She complimented. Adrien pulled down the visor and flipped open the mirror. He ran a hand through his perfectly done hair and ruffled it. "Much better." Natalie said, smile growing even more. "You look like a blend between your two selves."

Adrien nodded. "That's what I was going for." He admitted. "Think it'll fly?"

"You look like a well dressed greek god, and Marinette is probably going to faint when she sees the pictures. Let's go." Plagg called from his pocket.

Adrien laughed. "Thanks Plagg." He again closed the sunvisor and grinned at Natalie.

Natalie gave him a smile. "Knock 'em dead kiddo."

"Thank you Natalie." Adrien said earnestly. He stepped out of the car, and Natalie heard the clamoring from the paparazzi, questions being shouted, cameras flashing. Then Adrien closed the door, and it was silent.

XxXxXxXx

Marinette took a deep breath, and observed the scene before her. "I would like to point out I was having a good day before this." She said to nobody in particular, stepping to the side as someone sprinted past her at breakneck speed.

"We need to transform Marinette." Tikki said worriedly, surveying the destruction in front of them.

"That does appear to be the current situation." Marinette said blandly, and she began strolling over to an alley.

"Um.. Marinette?"

"Mmhmm?" Marinette asked.

"Maybe pick up the pace?" Tikki asked. "Akuma and all that?"

Marinette sighed. "Sorry Tikki, I just.. I feel weird. Like something bad is about to happen."

Tikki looked at her, concerned. "I don't feel anything," She murmured "and I usually can when my chosens feel it."

"Maybe it's nothing." Marinette decided, though she didn't really believe it, and neither did Tikki.

A few minutes later, Ladybug was tearing through Paris, searching for the cause of the destruction. Buildings were in ruin, streets had fissures splitting through them, and nearly every car she encountered had been damaged in some way. As she rounded a corner, she felt the ground rumble beneath her, and she staggered, smacking into the wall. She growled and kept herself moving forward, going against the flow of civilians racing the opposite direction.

"Behold!" A voice thundered. "I am Neptune!" Marinette rounded one last corner and was greeted with an unwelcome sight. The akumatized person was hovering thirty feet off the ground, and had streams of water flowing around them. As Marinette watched, a trident formed in the akuma's hand, and he flung it to the ground. When it contacted, the ground rippled, and Marinette had to leap in order to avoid it.

With a growl, she propelled herself forward, hoping to end the fight before it truly started. Unfortunately, the akuma seemed to sense her, and he summoned a wall of water in her path, which she was unable to avoid. The water halted all of her momentum, and she dropped to the ground.

"Ladybug!" Neptune said smugly. "I might have known."

"Any chance we could talk this out?" She asked hopefully.

Neptune scowled at her. "Never! I must prove that the Roman Gods were an important part of history! I worked on that exhibit for months." He growled. "And then he cancelled it! A week before opening!" He threw his head to the sky. "The city of Paris will feel the wrath of Neptune!" He roared, and it suddenly began to pour rain from the sky.

"Ah. Wonderful." Ladybug sighed. Neptune grinned and leveled his trident at her. Ladybug leapt out of the way as a jet of boiling water flew at her, scorching the ground where she'd been standing a moment before. Ladybug swung around the akuma at a frantic pace, trying to get in close enough to find what his possessed item could be, but between dodging the water blasts and the earthquakes when she was on the ground, she was too busy to make any progress.

She knew it was only a matter of time before she made a mistake, so she made a tactical retreat onto a nearby roof, hoping he would hold off from the earthquakes for a time. Neptune bellowed in anger when he realized he'd lost his target and swung off to his left, intent on causing mayhem. This caused another group of civilians to scurry out of cover and flee down the street. Marinette winced as he gleefully sent a jet of water, sweeping several people off their feet.

"We need a plan." Hissed a voice from behind her. Marinette glanced back.

"Glad you're here Rena." She murmured. "This one seems.. Fun."

"I noticed." Rena replied nervously, eyeing Neptune as he sent another geyser of water after some civilians. "Do you have a plan?"

"I'm working on it." Ladybug said tiredly. She put a hand to her head, trying to shake off the weird feeling she'd been feeling from the beginning.

"Ladybug?" Rena asked, becoming concerned for her friend. "Is something up?"

Marinette shook her head violently, trying to clear her thoughts even more. Her head was starting to throb. "It doesn't matter. I need you to create an illusion."

Rena nodded and pressed her flute to her lips. "Er.. Illusion of what exactly?" She asked awkwardly.

Marinette hissed in pain and clutched her head. "Rena so help me just do it please."

Rena looked contemplative before nodding. She blew three notes, crystal clear in the morning air, slicing through the shouts of Neptune.

"NEPTUNE!" A voice roared, shaking the building they were crouched on. Neptune whirled around and his face contorted in rage.

"Jupiter." He breathed. He pointed his trident at the illusion of the fifteen foot god who sneered at him.

"Come now brother mine." Jupiter taunted. "We both know you have no hope of winning this battle."

Neptune growled. "I know no such thing." He slammed his trident into the ground. "I will dethrone you if you stand in my way!"

Rena and Ladybug used this exchange to sneak behind Neptune, crouching behind a car as the two fake Roman deities shouted at each other.

"Where is the object?" Rena mused.

"My best guess would be the trident." Ladybug suggested. She gritted her teeth as her head began to throb in earnest. She violently shoved the pain to the back of her mind, and focused entirely on the task at hand.

"We should end this quickly." Rena murmured, wincing as Neptune slammed his trident to the ground in anger.

"Then let's get it." Ladybug growled. The two leapt from behind their cover, and sprinted towards the akuma. Marinette flung her yoyo perfectly, wrapping it around Neptune, who shouted in confusion, before realizing he'd been tricked. He made to slam his trident down, but Rena beat him to it, kicking him in the chest, sending him sprawling. He made to rise, but the yoyo prevented him, and he resorted to desperately thrashing against his bonds. Rena reached down and ripped the trident out of his grasp, before snapping it in half.

Sure enough, the akuma fluttered out, hovering around the akumatized man for a few moments, before trying to make a break for it. Marinette quickly released Neptune from her yoyo, and snatched the butterfly out of the air. "Gotcha." She smirked triumphantly. A few seconds later, a purified butterfly was flying off into the Parisian morning. "Goodbye little butterfly." She spat. She winced as her head reminded her of its presence. "Why do you still hurt?" She demanded of it. "I did the thing! I purified the akuma!"

"Ladybug?" Rena asked with a bit of trepidation. "Can we maybe take this somewhere else? You're beeping."

"Yeah, good idea." Marinette replied, realizing that she was in fact running out of time. "Meet at mine?"

"Will do." Rena agreed, turning to help the man who had been Neptune.

Marinette turned and began to head back to her house, hoping she would get home before Tikki dropped the transformation. Her head had started to calm down a bit, but it still sent the occasional stab of pain through her skull and she didn't appreciate it in the least. She reached her balcony and slid inside her room, dropping her transformation and flopping onto her bed with a groan.

Tikki zoomed over to the cookie stash and began chomping away. It took another ten minutes for Alya to show up, during which Marinette did not move or speak. She simply lay there breathing, with the horrible feeling still looming over her for no discernible reason.

"Hey." Alya greeted, shedding her transformation as well. Trixx flew across the room to join Tikki. "What was with you today?" She asked bluntly, settling herself on the bed next to her best friend.

"I don't know." Marinette murmured despondently. "Just a feeling."

"What kind of feeling?" Alya asked, confused.

"The gut-feeling kind." Tikki called from her corner. "My chosens often have that.. Well I wouldn't say 'ability' per se, but they can sense when something is off, or if something is brewing."

"It's different though." Marinette whispered, almost to herself.

Alya looked perplexed. "So you have a feeling that something bad is going to happen, and it's causing you actual pain?"

"That has also happened before." Trixx called out helpfully.

"You sure you didn't get hit?" Alya asked, not entirely willing to believe that nothing could be done about Marinette's situation.

Marinette groaned as another stab of pain hit her. "No.. No it isn't that." Her head snapped up with a sudden realization. "Something already has happened."

Alya frowned. "Well if that's true, it didn't happen to us."

XxXxXxXx 3 Hours Earlier

"It was lovely to meet you as well Mr. Bishop." Adrien said politely, shaking the man's hand, before turning around and heading to the bar. He approached, humming softly to himself as the bartender gave him a wary eye.

"Do you have ID sir?" The bartender asked.

"No need." Adrien reassured him. "I'm here for lemonade." The bartenders expression cleared and he gave Adrien an almost grateful smile, before turning to find the drink.

Adrien leaned against the bar, casually surveying the ballroom. The location itself was beautiful. Large crystal chandeliers adorned the hall, illuminating the room beautifully. Many people stood off in groups, chatting away about their businesses, or in some cases gossip, if the inconspicuous stares around the room were any indication. To Adrien's right was the dance floor, where a few people were dancing rather stiffly in his opinion. The dance had an almost eerie feel about it. The dancers all moved as one, swaying back and forth with flawless precision.

"Your drink Mr. Agreste." Adrien didn't bother to ask how the bartender knew his name.

He turned back and collected his lemonade, handing him a ten dollar tip which the man happily took. Adrien sighed into his drink, happy to have a few moments alone from the chaos of fashion buffs trying to make connections. As much as he admired fashion and the work that went into it, the logistics bored him to tears. He would happily skip over the finances and meetings just to get a conversation with a passionate designer. Like his girlfriend.

Adrien took a long drink of his lemonade, wishing that there was alcohol in it instead. He let out one last self pitying sigh and resisted the urge to pull out his phone and text her. He was all too aware of the potential ramifications that came with pulling out a phone at these gatherings.

"That was quite the sigh." An amused voice said from his left. Adrien turned and found a young woman with curly brown hair grinning at him. If Adrien had to guess, he'd say they were about the same age. Her hair was perfectly styled to accentuate her facial features which drew attention to her eyes, a startling blue. "Not enjoying yourself?" She queried.

Adrien took another drink. "Not as much as I would like. If I were enjoying myself I wouldn't have to wish I was 21."

She giggled in agreement, before catching the bartender's attention. "Shirley Temple please."

Adrien cocked a brow. "Not legal either then?"

"I am in Europe." She replied. "I just spent a few months in France. It was nice to be able to order drinks whenever. Not that I'm an alcoholic." She said, rushing to assure him.

Adrien chuckled. "Adrien Agreste." He said, offering a hand.

She shook it. "Angela Powers."

Any good mood Adrien might have found suddenly vanished without a trace. This was her. The girl that his father wanted him to date. Angela took in his frown, and her smile faded into nervousness.

"I.. Take it you've heard of me?" She asked worriedly.

"Model wise no." Adrien confessed. "But uh.." He sighed and raked a hand through his hair. "This is hard to explain. You know who my father is yes?" Angela nodded. "So, he kinda sucks."

Angela giggled, but then seemed to realize that Adrien was being serious. "How so?" She asked.

"Who suggested you come talk to me?" Adrien asked bluntly.

"My father. Why what are you-" Angela stopped as she realized what he was implying. "I'm gonna flay him." She growled.

"As entertaining as that would be," Adrien said, grabbing Angela's arm with a grin, "I think we should actually talk."

Angela eyed him suspiciously. "About what?"

Adrien put his hands up in a surrendering position. "Just talk? Get to know each other better?"

"Try to woo me?" Angela asked dryly.

Adrien shook his head vehemently. "No. I promise. I was just hoping to speak to someone my own age here."

"Hmph." Angela sniffed, doubt etched on her face, but she relented. Forty-five minutes later, the two were still talking, and both had long forgotten their father's attempted manipulations.

"And then she dumped it in the pool!" Angela proclaimed, laughing.

"No!" Adrien gasped. "What happened then?"

"Oh she threw a total hissy fit. It was incredible." Angela said, coming down from her giggles.

"That's amazing." Adrien laughed. "I wish I could've seen it."

"There's a party next week." Angela suggested. "Do you want to go?"

"Hell yes I want to!" Adrien said, as though it were obvious.

Angela grinned "Sweet! Here, I'll give you my number." Adrien pulled out his phone, fairly certain that if somebody saw it in this context, his father would approve.

"So.." Angela said, eyeing him. "Are you single?"

Adrien choked on his drink. "I'm sorry, I thought you weren't interested." He teased after recovering.

Angela flushed. "I'm not!" She protested. "Truth be told you're not really my type." She admitted, blush growing.

"I'm not?" Adrien pouted. He wasn't disappointed, in fact he was rather glad, but he'd certainly never been told he was.. Unattractive.

"Wait! No that sounds bad!" Angela spouted, quickly backtracking. "It's just.. I.." She sighed and looked back over where she had come from. Adrien followed her gaze. His eyes fell on another girl around their age, possibly a little older. She gave a timid wave to Angela who waved back.

Adrien gave Angela a smile. "So you two are-"

"No!" Angela hissed, clapping a hand over his mouth. "Nobody knows. She doesn't know either."

Adrien's mouth dropped. "Nobody?"

Angela shuffled awkwardly. "My father has.. Expectations. He's been pressuring me to get a boyfriend for a good while. And.. I wouldn't say he's homophobic, but I.. I don't know." She looked back across the room forlornly.

"What's her name?" Adrien asked, smiling comfortingly.

"Mackenzie." Angela replied softly. She looked at Adrien nervously. "Are you.. Not going to freak out?"

"No." Adrien said, confused. "Why would I?"

Angela let out a sigh of relief. "I don't know. I didn't even plan on telling you honestly." She scrutinized him. "I think you just have one of those faces."

Adrien chuckled. "So I've been told." The two stood in comfortable silence for a few moments. "You should tell her." He blurted.

Angela whirled on him. "What?"

"You trust her right?"

Angela frowned. "Well yes but-"

"You love her right?"

Angela blushed. "W-well I wouldn't say l-love but-"

Adrien grinned. "Is she homophobic?"

"What? No!"

"Then what's the danger?" Adrien asked logically.

"She could say no, for one." Angela grumbled. "And I don't want to lose her as a friend."

Adrien snorted. He'd had this exact same conversation with himself many a time. "That was my excuse too."

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Angela asked, suddenly looking interested.

Adrien hesitated, and then sighed. "How good are you with secrets?"

Angela looked surprised by the question. "I.. I don't know. I don't go blabbing things to the paparazzi if that's what you mean. I like to think I'm good with secrets. Certainly my own."

Adrien stared at her, contemplating. If she was telling the truth, she could be very helpful, but if not, it could be disastrous. "Alright. Come with me."

Adrien led her to an empty conference room, and shut the door behind them.

"So.. What's so important?" Angela asked, curiosity well and truly piqued.

"This doesn't leave the room."

"Yes yes." Angela said, crossing her heart with an eyeroll.

"I do have a girlfriend." Angela grinned, and looked like she was going to start demanding to see pictures, so cut her off. "My father doesn't approve. And by 'doesn't approve', I mean he's demanded I say I'm single before dating someone else."

Angela eyed him, before sitting down on one of the many chairs strewn about the room. "Your dad does suck." Adrien shrugged in response. "But why'd you drag me in here?" She asked quizzically. "I didn't drag you in here for my secret."

Adrien sighed. "I can't afford anyone overhearing it. There would be.. Consequences. Real, serious consequences."

Angela frowned. "Such as.." She let it hang, expecting him to fill in the gaps.

Adrien shuffled nervously. "It's.. I can't. I can't talk about it."

Angela crossed her arms and frowned. "Alright. If it's that serious I'll let it go."

"Thank you." Adrien said, relieved. The two stayed in the room for a few more minutes, idly chatting, until Adrien excused himself to go to the bathroom. "I'll be back." He promised. "You can introduce me to Mackenzie." Angela smiled and nodded, and the two exited the room and walked back into the ballroom.

Adrien's phone buzzed in his back pocket, and he pulled it out. He opened it, and his face lit up with pleasure.

M: Bonjour minou.

Adrien smiled as he sent a good morning text back. Had he been paying more attention to his surroundings, he might have noticed the group that entered the hall. A group wearing black suits, sunglasses, and masks. His first warning that they were there were the two gunshots and the screams that pierced the air.

A/N: For clarification, the text from Marinette comes before the fight with Neptune. :) If I edited I could make that obvious, but I won't because it took moe forever to get this chapter okay for me in my head so wheeeee.

So yeah this chapter is super long for me. Easily the longest of this story, maybe the longest I've ever posted. It wasn't supposed to be, it just kinda ended up like that. Whoops. I could probably divide it in half if I wanted. Idk gimme your feedback.

It's 2:30 as I write this. My head hurts, and I have work tomorrow. I'm a fucking idiot, and I'm going to bed now. I hope you like.

If you do, PUNCH THAT LIKE BUTTON IN THE FACE, wait no that's a different thing.

Oh well.

Follow, fave, ow my head frick, Comment please, i need feedback. It helps.

Until Next Time!

~Nebilas~