Adrien honestly didn't think he had smiled once in the last couple of days, not even when Plagg tried to cheer him up—which was rare because Plagg rarely cared about anything else other than himself. And even though Marinette didn't know it, he really did need a night out with a friend.

He let out a sigh as he pushed his phone away and continued to stare at the shark tooth necklace on his desk. Admittedly, he had tried everything he could just to make a dent or even a scratch in the tooth, but nothing could penetrate it. Nothing except...

Holding his hand up to the light of his lamp, he stared down at his fingers and frowned. Cataclysm could break it but would it be worth it?

A knock sounded at the front door of his apartment and thinking it was just Nino popping in for a second, he didn't bother moving. Instead, he just continued to inspect the necklace underneath the light.

"Come in!"

The door opened and closed, and he still didn't move, being too engrossed in trying to figure out why these akumatized items were so much stronger than they used to be years ago. Clearly, the akuma was still trapped inside, not being able to be released unless the artifact broke or someone else put the necklace on.

"Adrien?" a small female voice said behind him.

Adrien jumped a foot and scrambled to swipe the necklace back in the drawer with his hand, but in his haste, he knocked over his lamp and the lightbulb flickered out. "Marinette, hi! Sorry! I didn't realize you'd be here so quickly." He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment as he righted the lamp once more. Could he look any more stupid and idiotic in front of her?

Surprisingly, Marinette just smiled and gave him a warm hug. "You looked pretty focused there. What were you up to?"

"Just a project for work," he lied. "Anyway, are you thirsty? Hungry?" He led her to the kitchen and his embarrassment became even worse as he realized that he hadn't taken the chain off of the refrigerator door like he usually did when guests came over.

Marinette raised her delicate eyebrows at him. "On a diet?"

Adrien chuckled nervously and shook his head all while using his key to unlock the fridge. He kept it locked because Plagg would raid his fridge dry behind his back if he wasn't careful. Plagg was like a three-year-old who constantly needed to be watched. "If anything, I need to eat more. Actually, the door is broken so I have to keep it locked." He took out a bottled water and handed it to Marinette.

"Camembert?" she teased. "You must like that stuff if you have a dozen packages."

"What can I say?" he chuckled. "I love cheese."

"Camembert...!" Plagg moaned from inside his sweatshirt pocket.

"What was that?" Marinette asked, looking confusedly around the room.

"Umm... My stomach! Let's go get some food. I'm starving!"

Unfortunately, Adrien still felt completely taken off guard and flustered, so when he made a move to stoop down and put on one of his shoes, he lost his balance and hopped on one foot until he tripped over the coffee table and landed in a heap on the ground, several objects from the table landing on top of him. Oh gosh. He felt just like Chat Noir getting all flustered over Ladybug.

Very quickly, Marinette rushed over to his side and helped him to his feet. "Adrien! Are you okay?!"

He sighed and ran a hand down his face, his expression becoming somber at the thought of how Ladybug completely crushed his heart into pieces. "Sorry, Marinette. I've had a horrible week. Can we start over? Hi, Marinette. It's great to see you! Do you want to go get something to eat with me?"

Instead of her smiling at his little joke, she looked more concerned than anything. "Are you alright? What happened?"

Adrien shrugged and finally managed to put on his shoes without further incident. "I don't really want to talk about it." And he couldn't talk about it, either. "There's a bistro just around the corner. Mind if we walk?"

He didn't mean to sound so glum—he just couldn't sound chipper when he really didn't have the heart to.

Marinette just nodded and together they made their way down the street and found a table outside under the stars. It was a beautiful, warm winter night—nice and quiet, and dare he say, a little romantic. Stars twinkled in the sky and the music from the bistro created a calm and serene atmosphere. He felt overly grateful that Marinette wanted to spend this night with him. He'd drive himself crazy if he was alone with himself for much longer.

After they ordered, only then did Marinette try to talk to him about his gloomy attitude again. "Is it your dad? Is he alright?"

"He's fine. You don't have to worry about him."

"But I'm worried about you. Is it Alyssa? Did she break your heart?"

He couldn't help it—he snorted with dry laughter. "She never had my heart to begin with, so there's nothing for her to break."

"Did something else happen—"

"Sorry, Marinette," he interrupted. "It's really not something I can talk about. I just want..." He swallowed and looked away from her as he tried to control his emotions from breaking through. "I just want to have a nice evening with a friend. If that's alright."

She nodded and they fell quiet until their food came. He really meant it when he told her he hadn't eaten all day. His heart felt too broken to eat anyway.

"How's your project coming along?" Adrien asked, trying to lighten the mood.

Marinette laughed and shook her head. "It would be done by now if I didn't keep getting distracted. I'm almost finished with it but it needs the last final touches. If I remember correctly, you said you would model it for me."

The corner of Adrien's mouth twitched at her joke, but still he didn't smile—which was strange for him. He was a naturally happy and smiley person. But he had never been this broken before.

"I never made that promise," he joked back. "If anything, you were going to model it for me. That's how this works."

"I don't know..." she said a little shyly as she blushed down at the table. "I'm not sure how great it would look on me."

Adrien raised his eyebrows at her. "You're joking, right? I don't think there's anyone it could look better on than you." He reached across the table to gather her hair in his hands, her whole body stilling against his touch. His fingers brushed her neck as he pulled her hair to one side and gently twisted it around on one hand. "You could curl your hair and maybe drape it to the side. And that hair piece I gave you would look really nice too."

His heart sank as he realized that her colors would be red and black—just like Ladybug. Was he really that repulsive to Ladybug? Sure, she snubbed him again and again, but she had never been so...nasty to him about his attempts. He would never use her as a publicity stunt—she meant too much to him. But clearly, his feelings for her were unwelcome. The only awkward part about it all was that they'd still see each other when trouble arose. At the moment, he didn't want to be anywhere near enough for her to break his heart again.

Standing up suddenly, he changed the subject to help distract himself from Ladybug. "Do you want to go on a walk? The path through the park leads right back to your house."

She nodded and he paid for both their meals before taking the lead toward the park. Tonight felt so warm despite the snow piled on the edges of the path through the park. Each snowflake sparkled beautifully underneath the romantic moonlight.

"Are you cold?" Adrien asked but Marinette shook her head. "The cold has never really bothered me. I'm just like a warm-blooded feline so this weather feels purrrfect to me."

Marinette laughed and shoved him with her elbow. "You're sounding just like Chat Noir. Don't tell me his horrible puns are rubbing off on you too."

"Horrible?" he gasped, holding his hand to his heart as if offended. "I strive to be as hilarious and devilishly handsome as Chat Noir."

"I wouldn't set the bar too high," Marinette said as she rolled her eyes. "I'm sure Ladybug has her daily fill of Chat Noir's nonsense."

Adrien shuffled his feet as he walked and stared at the ground. He felt so empty inside. Maybe Marinette was right, but he couldn't bring himself to agree with her. "Yeah..." he said, although he didn't mean it. Every time he thought of Ladybug, his heart hurt all over again. Maybe he just wasn't likeable as Chat Noir, but did that mean he wasn't likeable as Adrien, either? They were the same person... Right?

Marinette lightly touched Adrien's arm, and her touch was so kind that it nearly undid him. He had to look up to the sky to keep tears from falling from his eyes.

"Did I say something wrong?" she asked softly.

"No, it was nothing you said. Like I mentioned earlier, it's just been a rough week for me. I really don't mean to be such a killjoy tonight."

She shook her head and to his surprise, she slid her hand into his and gave his fingers a squeeze. "You're not a killjoy. I'm enjoying spending time with you. I just wish there was more I could do to make you happier."

He wiped his eyes with his sleeve and gave her a genuine smile, returning the squeeze and not letting go of her hand. The warmth from her hand somehow helped fill the aching hole in his heart. "Thanks, Marinette. I've never met anyone as kind as you."

Even in the darkness, Adrien could see the faint blush that rose in her cheeks. Just seeing that made the back of his ears turn red and he had to look away from her. Although his heart felt completely empty at the moment, he still thought her reaction was cute.

Marinette's hand felt so comforting in his own, as if they resumed that friendship that had been postponed for a few years in her absence. She didn't pull her hand away and for that, he felt grateful. Her touch seemed to be the only thing that brought him peace at that moment in time.

Sighing as they walked, Adrien asked, "Do you ever wish something in your life could happen a certain way, but no matter how hard you try to make it work, the world's forces work against you?"

"Almost every day of my life," she laughed. "Life never seems to go as planned, does it?"

"Not really."

At last, they arrived at her house and they stood out front, Marinette's cheeks stung pink from the chill in the winter air. Snowflakes began drifting down from the darkened skies, erasing all sound from the night. Adrien almost hated to say goodbye because he really didn't want to be alone right now, but at least he had Plagg. And he planned on seeing his father tonight anyway.

Adrien gave her a sad smile that didn't quite reach his eyes before he lifted her hand to his lips and gave her knuckles a gentle kiss. "Thanks, Marinette. You're a great friend."

Marinette opened her mouth to say something but then closed it as if her tongue were tied in knots. So he just gave her one last wave and bid her a goodnight as he disappeared from view. However, as soon as he was out of her line of sight, he transformed into Chat Noir and used the shadows to conceal himself from onlookers. He didn't want to be alone but he did at the same time.

Finally, he found a lone rooftop close to his father's house and sat down with his legs dangling over the side, staring at the snowflakes drifting gracefully and silently from the orange-white clouds circling above.

Adrien let out a long, sorrowful sigh. It was times like these that he wished he could be halfway across the world. He could visit the ancient origins of the first Chat Noir in Egypt. He could discover who he really was when the mask came on. What did it mean to be Chat Noir? What was his purpose? Without Ladybug in his life, his life felt purposeless. Surely there was more to his identity than destroying akumas and taking down bad guys.

He jumped in fright as his phone chimed in his pocket and he grimaced when he saw the caller ID.

"Hey, Dad. I was just on my way over."

"You're late, Adrien. I thought we agreed you'd be here a half hour ago."

"I know, I'm sorry. I got caught up with something. I'll be there soon."

After hanging up the phone, he jumped down from the building and changed into Adrien as he walked the rest of the way to his father's house. He needed to be cheerful, or at least act as if nothing was bothering him.

"Hey, Dad. I—"

Immediately, Adrien stopped right in his tracks as he stared wide-eyed at the lone figure sitting at the table across from his father—Alyssa.

"Alyssa, what—"

His ex-girlfriend smiled softly and stood up from the table to give him a kiss on the cheek. "I missed you, boo-bear. We just couldn't cut into the cake without you. It would be wrong."

Adrien clenched his fists as he stared back at Alyssa. He wasn't necessarily angry that she was here. He felt angry that she was here on his mother's birthday of all days. She wasn't part of this family and never would be. Never ever.

Still, Adrien sat down at the table with his father and Alyssa, not wanting to cause contention on his mom's birthday. This was a sacred time, one that shouldn't be interrupted by ex-girlfriends barging in.

Out of respect for his mom, he waited until after they cut into the cake before saying anything.

"Alyssa, we broke up."

"A very unfortunate turn of events," Gabriel sighed as he adjusted his glasses. "I wish you'd reconsider, Adrien. Alyssa is an outstanding woman." He smiled softly as he gazed across the table. "She reminds me a lot of your mother when she had been here."

"No," Adrien said, shaking his head abruptly. "I'm not—I can't—Dad, I'm sorry."

Alyssa smiled despite and reached for Adrien's hand. "We can still make it work, Adrien. I already feel like part of your family. It would break my heart to have to go."

Adrien's lips pressed together uncertainly. Now that Ladybug didn't want anything to do with him, he felt sad and lonely, and Alyssa felt familiar. She was a safe place despite his lack of feelings for her. He almost didn't have the heart to tell her he didn't want to be involved with her anymore. Almost.

"I'm sorry, Alyssa. It's just...It's just not a good time for me right now."

"Well, your dad wants me to keep coming around so I will. I know you'll change your mind soon, Adrien. We're good together."

The conversation took a lighter note as she and his father talked about plans over the holidays. Alyssa planned on coming for Christmas and Gabriel seemed overly ecstatic about the idea. Why? Why did his father like her so much? That really didn't make sense...

He stopped listening to the conversation as his attention became enraptured by the gold and purple necklace hanging around Alyssa's neck. It drew him in like a magnet. Almost as if he could reach out and touch it and immediately become swallowed within its depths. The necklace was so beautiful. So enthralling. So—

Adrien quickly shook away the confusing thoughts. Something wasn't right about that necklace, but he couldn't even begin to fathom what. Still, he couldn't stop thinking about it.

To take his thoughts away from the necklace, he thought about the shark tooth instead. Something wasn't right about that, either. Perhaps it was time to pay Master Fu a visit. He just didn't entirely like the idea of Ladybug coming along...