Shattered

2) Everthing We Are

Back to the present
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Adrien's POV
All I could do was stare anxiously at the clock. The sound of the light buzzing of my pencil hitting my desk filled my ears.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Ta- "greste, -Agreste, M Agreste!" I looked up to see Mdm Mendeleiv staring daggers at me. I was dead.
"M Agreste, glad to see you have joined us," she said coldly. "Would you care to share the definition of abiogenesis with the class?"

I looked at m'lady sitting next to me. With just my eyes, I pleaded for a little help. It wasn't my fault I was distracted, I would've been just fine if I hadn't been so anxious for our date tonight. Sorry kitty, her glance responded. You're on your own here.

That was one of the many things I love about Marinette. Ever since the reveal last summer, we understood each other in a way no one else could. One shy glance could convey an essay of thoughts and emotions... and one in response could mean everything's okay, or, we're in this together.

Needless to say, despite our miraculous "telepathy", as we commonly refer to it, I was screwed.

"That's what I thought. I will see you after school today, M Agreste," Mdm Mendeleiv's stare was enough to make even the great Chat Noir flinch. "And don't be late."

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The moment the bell rang, I was out the door, m'lady right by my side.

"So..." Marinette began, "rain check?" All I could do was sigh as my girlfriend gave me a shy smile.

"Yeah, rain check."

That's right. Marinette Dupain-Cheng aka my lady, bugaboo, and princess, was Adrien Agreste's girlfriend. Was my girlfriend. In hindsight, I'm not sure how we didn't figure things out sooner. I mean her hair, her eyes, her selflessness, even that signature eye roll she gives when she's had enough of my puns! It was so obvious! It probably would have taken longer hadn't it been for circumstance, and if it hadn't been for Hawkmoth.

It all began last year (halfway through our 11th year of school) when I was in trouble. I wasn't proud to admit it, but it was the truth.

A seemingly harmless mugger has gotten a good swipe with his knife when I turned my back while on patrol. It was the middle of the night, pouring rain, but I knew I couldn't go home. My Father or Natalie would be suspicious if I returned to the mansion with a large gash pouring out blood in my side. In all honestly, though, I was quite sure that my father would have been more concerned about the blood stains tainting the furniture than the welfare of his only son, but either way... going home wasn't an option.

Still wearing my mask, I scanned the Parisian night. The streetlights blurred from the heavy rain pouring in, and the stars were shielded by an army of dark clouds. Uh oh, I so very-sophisticatedly thought. I purrsumed that dizziness wasn't a good sign purrtaining to blood loss, but at least my punning abilities were still intact... and that had to mean something, right?

I took a final glance around the street, but I was running out of valuable time and options. That was until I saw it.

Marinette's balcony light was still on.

That night, the midnight blue haired girl gladly tended to my wound and insisted I return for a follow up the next night. At the time, I didn't understand why she cared so much, but now, I can't imagine her being anywhere but my side.