A/N: Finally getting a tablet to draw! EEEK! 😁 Now I can finally draw more for this story 😉  

BTW, I have a question. When does the NY movie go in the show? The movie is canon so I will include the movie in the story and want to know where specifically in the show did it come out.

Enjoy the chapter. It's slightly long.

There are moments in life when you feel like you can take on the world and never worry about a thing. You have been given a gift to help others and save them. You have been praised by many and ignored the darkness to follow the light. 

You relished it. 

It felt amazing. 

But there are moments when it became too much and couldn't ignore the darkness as it showed its true colors. 

Not everything was in black and white. There were specks of grey everywhere. 

Gwen knew that. She knew that and kept her darkness for her to bear. She lost so much and always reached for the stars to get them back but she'll always remain touching the gravel. 

That was until she met a boy. 

Ironically, a boy she's slowly developing feelings for and refuses to acknowledge as she wants to focus on her goals. 

She can't be selfish. That's what put her here in the first place. 

Gwen hated having these feelings. She loathed it. But she couldn't help but want it. She craved it within her. 

But it's too much. It burns. It scorches the living hell out of her. She knew it can be too much for both of them. She knew it would hurt them. 

The warm feeling of being in his arms felt so safe for her. The feeling of being complete of a puzzle. It didn't feel black, white, or gray. 

It felt warm and beaming yellow. 

His smile...his presence...his eyes...are beautiful.

She wanted to stay by his side as he stayed by hers. Through all her troubles, through all her suffering, he always stayed by her side to make her feel safe. 

Gwen doesn't deserve him...not when the shadow is always lurking to glare at her and holding her back. 

What she doesn't know...

Adrien will save her from her darkness...always.

🕸🕷🕸

Gwen grunts as she dropped her last box into the new apartment. Standing up straight, she popped her back and glanced at the old man who smiled at her with the little turtle kwami. 

"Well, that's the last of it," Gwen shrugged her shoulder as she looked around at her new home. It was smaller than her previous and her room had more space, thankfully. She already set up her mattress and couches in her room. 

She knew it would be too far fetch to set up her thumbprint lock in her room so she placed it in her closet. 

Gwen couldn't help but look at her board hung on the wall. She had the models of her transporter along with her map of Paris. She wasn't sure what it was. She felt like she was forgetting something important on the board but left it be. 

Gwen sighed as she walked towards Fu's room, making sure to knock. She entered, seeing him on the ground meditating. She stood awkwardly, not knowing what to do. 

Fu smiled as he opened his eyes and ushered her to sit in front of him. "I suppose you have some rules for your stay?"

Gwen nodded and sat straight. "I would like to know first how much I will pay for rent along with the groceries."

Fu shook his head, "Do not worry about the rent. This is your new home."

Gwen bit her lip, not used to having someone pay her rent. "I want to at least contribute to something. It feels wrong not to do so."

Fu was amused as he can see how the girl always relied on herself for the last few months here in Paris. "Do not feel the need to do so. After all, you are staying for your training. I need you to focus. Do you have any rules?"

"Yes," Gwen nodded. "As much as I respect your privacy, I ask you to respect mine as well. Do not enter my room if I am not around. Do not touch any of my devices that are on the ground, could be dangerous and I will clean my room when I can. I go patrolling at night, so don't wait up for me as I have a crazy schedule with school, work, and patrolling. But if you need anything, you can always call me."

Fu nodded, taking in her rules. "I understand. We can start your training in a few days for you to be able to adjust to your new home."

Gwen nodded and stood up, checking the time. She needed to head to work and go patrolling later. "See you later," she smiled as she headed out. 

She took a glimpse at the man behind her as she dropped a bead to her room, making sure no one enters. 

🕸🕷🕸

Ghost swung on her webs and approached Ladybug and Chatnoir as they helped save the man in a glider. Giving the man the bouquet, she didn't expect a rose suddenly be in front of her. 

She raised a brow and grew confused as Chat gave her and Ladybug a red rose each. She chuckled, "What's this for?"

"For being great partners," he grinned. 

Ladybug smiled amusedly, "Thanks Chat. I'll be heading out now, bye!" She jumped off the building and swung away with her yo-yo. 

Ghost nodded to Chat and started walking away when she sensed him following her. She stopped and glanced back at him. "Is there something wrong?"

"I was going to ask you that," he nervously rubbed his nape. "After defeating Sandboy, you've been acting...strange? Is everything all right?"

Ghost wasn't sure what to say, really. She sighed as she crouched to the ground. Chat followed and only listened. "I don't know," she chuckled. "After the fight, It took me a while to realize what really happened that night, and...it gave me a wake-up call."

"What made you realize?" he asked, seeing as she played with the stem of the rose. 

"I finished my transporter," she stated making his eyes widen.

"You did?" he frowned as he looked down at his hands. 

"I haven't tried it out yet," she shrugged. "I'm trying it in a few days...I don't know if it will work or not."

"So...you're leaving?"

Ghost stopped and glanced up at the hero next to her. She frowned as she saw the forlorn expression he had. 

"I used most of the vibranium to build it. I need the technology in order to get rid of the stones in me. I'm not sure how long it will take for it to happen but I need to do this."

"...Will you come back?"

Ghost nods, "Of course, I still have to place the stones inside this dimension."

Chat gritted his teeth as he stood up, turning away from her. "What about your friends? Will you say goodbye to them?"

Ghost sighed as she stood up too, "Of course, I already told Ladybug about it. I'm surprised you were able to figure out about it."

Ghost looked up at the hero and frowned to see he was gone. She sighed as she rubbed her head. 

🕸🕷🕸

Chat moved to another building as he saw Ghost dropping the rose on the ground and webbing herself away, probably to go to work. He jumped back to where she stood and grabbed the rose from the ground. 

Chat gripped the rose and jumped to school and entered the locker room. Thankfully, there was no one around but it didn't stop the ache in his heart at the moment. 

"Plagg, claws in," he whispered as Plagg flew out and worriedly looked at him. 

"Are you okay?" he asked. 

Adrien nodded but his eyes told him otherwise. He sighed as he sat, holding his head. 

Gwen is leaving...for who knows how long. 

He has yet to show Gwen so much. He hasn't had the chance to confess to her and do many things with her. 

Adrien grabbed his fencing helmet and walked out of the room. 

"You sure take your time, Mr. Agreste," Armand crossed his arms. 

Adrien ignored him as he walked to his mat. Kagami stood in front of him as they prepared. Adrien had so many thoughts about what occurred earlier. He couldn't stop it. 

He yelped as he was suddenly on the ground with Kagami pointing her sabre at him. "Predictable."

He immediately stood up and swung his sabre at her but she dodged and got his back. "Predictable."

Adrien tried again and again but failed as he finally landed on the ground with Kagami as the winner. This kept going on as fencing classes ended. 

Adrien sat on a bench as he couldn't help but feel ridiculous for what happened. Gwen is leaving. He can't change her mind. She had that goal ever since she arrived. 

She has been getting hurt because of him so it's a good thing she can go. Gwen can finally see her family and friends. She can finally clear her name...he sighed as he looked at the rose inside his bag, taking it out. 

Plagg was also upset about what happened earlier and knew how Adrien must have felt. 

"Who knows?" Adrien dryly chuckled. "She can finally have someone to love her the way she is and keep her safe."

Plagg can only look at him in worry. Adrien twiddled with the rose when he saw red converse in front of him. 

"What's going on, Adrien?" 

Adrien looked up to see Kagami in front of him with her bag over her shoulder. She changed out of her uniform to her regular clothes. 

"I usually enjoy defeating you, but it's no fun when you make it that easy," Kagami stated. 

"Do you ever get the feeling that you're stuck, Kagami?" Adrien sighed as he took off his helmet. "That no matter what you do, it's the same old story over and over again. That things will never change?"

Kagami stopped as she saw the forlorn expression he had. She took off her bag and sat next to him. She knew what he was talking about. No, not what. Who he was talking about. 

Kagami would hear Adrien's stories about his friend, Gwen. He can see the sparkles in his eyes when he talks about her and their small adventures. She knew he liked the girl and knew it wasn't going anywhere. 

"Adrien," she started. "The biggest mistake a fencer can make isn't choosing the wrong technique. It's choosing the wrong target." She glanced at the boy and saw he wasn't giving much thought to her words so she cupped his cheek and made him look at her. 

"Change targets," she smiled.

Adrien looked at the girl and smiled as he looked down at the rose. Perhaps it was meant this way. Gwen will leave and never come back. He'll be alone. 

He raised the rose, handing it to Kagami. 

🕸🕷🕸

Adrien walked Kagami to her car as she left. He stood in front of the school as he thought about what he was going to say to Gwen when she leaves. They only have a few days together before she's gone.

"Well, well, Casanova," Plagg peaked out the bag. "Got yourself a new contender?"

"No. No way. Gwen's the one I like." Adrien frowned as he looked down at his dog tag. "But..."

"Gwenchy is leaving," Plagg sadly sighed. "Maybe it's good that you change your tune...right?"

"Why should it be different with Kagami? I must not have the right technique, that's all."

"I don't know a thing about human girls, but whenever I meet a beautiful camembert, I introduce myself," Plagg grinned as he floated. "Hello, Camembert. I'm Plagg. so very nice to eat you!" he chuckled as he started eating an imaginary camembert. 

Adrien chuckled at his kwami. "Thanks, but I'll get love advice from someone else."

It didn't help at all as Adrien tried asking his chauffeur, Nathalie, and his father, but it didn't feel right. He still feels conflicted. He doesn't want to give up on Gwen but he also can't be selfish and tell her to stay. 

Adrien sighed as he landed on his bed. He closed his eyes as he continued to think about what to do. 

He flinched as he felt his phone vibrate. Picking it up, he expected it to be Nino but paled as he saw Gwendy calling him. 

He sighed as Gwen's grinning picture ached his heart more. He didn't respond as it went to voicemail. 

"Omen, hey," Gwen started which made Adrien stay quiet to hear her. Just hearing her voice hurts him too. 

"I...um...I need to talk to you about something. It's important. Call me back when you can, okay? See you tomorrow."

Gwen hung up as Adrien sighed, flopping his head on the bed. "Oh, Gwendy," he murmured. "What can I do?"

🕸🕷🕸

Adrien couldn't sleep at all last night. He almost dreaded going to school but went anyway. 

He stopped at the entrance as he saw Nathaniel and Marc working together, Ivan and Mylène laughing and running together, Nino and Alya talking and laughing, and Rose and Juleka listening to music together.

He didn't know who to talk to about what he was feeling. He knew that if he were to talk to Nino about it, he will tell Alya and he wasn't sure what to feel about that. 

Adrien goes to walk to class when he stiffened. He saw Gwen talking to Chloé and saw her laughing as Chloé fumed about something. His heart ached more as he knew how much he'll miss her smile and her snarky remarks. 

Adrien grunted as someone bumped into him from behind and saw Marinette picking everything up as she dropped her backpack to the ground. 

"Marinette!" he smiled. "Perfect timing."

"Huh?" Marinette blinked. "You think so?" she smiled. 

Adrien chuckled as he helped her up. "Actually, what I meant was...I need some advice right now. Can we talk?"

Marinette's eyes widened as she smiled, feeling the butterflies in her stomach. "Uh...abosutely."

Adrien was going to let go of her hand when he saw Gwen heading over to him but he dragged Marinette to a room, trying to avoid her at the moment. 

He didn't know what to say to her and he couldn't see her. At least, not right now. He couldn't bear to be with her as he knew he would act foolishly around her. 

As they entered an empty classroom, he closed the door behind them and sat on a chair as Marinette followed. 

"Well," he started. "I'm sorry, this is a bit awkward for me because...it's about a girl."

Marinette blinked, "A girl?"

"We see each other all the time because we study together. We've just been friends, you know. Until recently," he smiled. 

"Until...recently?" Marinette grinned as she couldn't help but be excited. 

"Now I'm starting to see her differently. Has the same thing ever happened to you?" he asked. 

"Yes...no. Well, probably. What's she like?" she smiled. 

"She's special," Adrien smiled. "Very pretty. She's got dark silky hair, deep and mysterious eyes..."

Marinette's eyes widened more as his description was more like hers and smiled flusteredly. "Do...do I know her?"

"Yeah, it's...Kagami."

Marinette's smile dropped as she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Adrien seemed to notice and turned to her. "Marinette?"

"Uh...what?" she blinked out of her daze. 

"I was just asking you what you thought I should do about Kagami."

"The Ice Queen?" Marinette incredulously asked before covering her mouth for her mistake. 

"What?" Adrien raised a brow.

"The Ice...Rink! Yeah! That's what I said. No better place to break the ice than the ice rink."

Adrien bit his lip in thought. Would it be a good idea to take Kagami there? Is it too soon? He glanced out the window, spotting Gwen talking to Kim and Max. He inaudible sighed. 

"The ice rink? I think I'd be too shy to go there with her by myself."

Marinette saw he was sad and bit her lip in thought. "Well, uh, I could come along with you if you'd like?"

"You'd do that?" Adrien grinned as he gets up. "That's awesome! I can't wait to go to the ice rink together. Thanks!"

He ran out of the classroom as Marinette sighed in disappointment. She groaned as she facepalmed. Tikki can only smile nervously at the girl. 

She hid as there was a knock on the door and Marinette glanced up. Gwen smiled at her as she entered and sat next to her. "Hey, what's wrong? I just saw Adrien pass by," she chuckled. 

Marinette groaned again as she flopped her head on the girl's shoulder. "Adrien likes Kagami!"

Gwen's eyes widened as she lightly gasped at the revelation. Gwen felt like she was hit by a train.

Adrien...likes Kagami?

Is that why he was avoiding her? She frowned as she tried calling him several times and he wouldn't pick up. He even ran away from her today. 

"And that's not the worst part," Marinette groaned. "They're going on an ice rink and I'm going to tag along."

Gwen's eyes widened and sweatdropped at the girl. "Why don't you tell him that you have other plans?"

"Because I already told him I would go...and besides. I don't think I want to cancel."

"Huh?" Gwen saw Marinette move away as she stood up. 

"Adrien really needs me and if he wants my advice then why not? After all, it's not an issue and I'm definitely not jealous because..." Marinette frowned at the ground. "Because there's nothing between us."

Gwen goes to pull the girl into a hug but Marinette pulled away and grabbed her bag, heading to class. Gwen sighed as she sat on the chair, not caring if she missed class at the moment.

Adrien likes Kagami.

Gwen glanced down at her dog tag and played with it. How long has this been going on? Why didn't he tell her? Stupid question. It's not her business to know everything about him. 

After all, she was going to say goodbye to everyone before going home and talking to Fu about it. She dreaded to talk to Adrien that she was leaving but seeing how Adrien liked Kagami and is willing to get advice from Marinette to go out with her made her realize that she was dragging him down with her problems. 

Maybe it is for the best that Adrien has someone to be with him while she's gone. It's not like she planned to finish her goals and make a transporter to come back to him...

Crack!

Gwen flinched and jumped up and gasped as she unintentionally gripped the chair too hard and broke it with her strength. 

"Shit."

🕸🕷🕸

There are moments people dreaded being in the same room with their crush. Not more than seeing your crush with someone else and pretending everything is okay.

Gwen woke up the next day to receive a text from Marinette to go with her and support Adrien. Marinette was going to bring Luka along and wanted her support too. 

Gwen tried calling Adrien multiple times last night but it all went to voicemail. She's not sure if Adrien wants her to be there. But...she needs to talk to him. 

He's not going to ignore her this time. 

She grabbed her things and walked to Fu's room, knocking on his door. "Um, Fu, I'm going to the ice rink. I'll be right back."

"Be careful on your way back," she heard him from the other side. 

"I will."

Gwen didn't want to hurry but felt nervous at the same time. What if she makes it awkward? If things go bad, she'll leave. But what about Marinette? She wants her there too. 

Gwen groaned as she rubbed her face in frustration. "This sucks!" she unintentionally screamed, alerting some of the people around her. 

"Sorry," she chuckled and ran towards the ice rink. She picked up the speed and made it in ten minutes as she saw Marinette and Luka arriving. 

They both smiled seeing the girl and waved at her. She waved back and stood next to them. "You ready to go?" Luka smiled. 

Gwen smiled and nodded as a silver car arrived along with a hot red car. She gulped as Adrien and Kagami got out of the car and greeted each other. She felt a pang in her chest as Adrien smiled at the girl. 

Gwen sighed and put up a smile. 

Adrien turned to Marinette and stiffened when he saw Gwen next to the girl. Gwen saw this and flushed in embarrassment realizing she was right. 

He didn't want to see her. 

"H-Hey!" Adrien smiled, walking over to them. 

"I brought Luka and Gwen. I hope you don't mind," Marinette nervously smiled, oblivious to Adrien's and Gwen's interaction. 

"No, I think it's great," Adrien smiled too as he glanced at Gwen and smiled at her too. "Hey, Gwen."

"Hey," she pettily greeted and walked over to Kagami to greet her. 

Gwen's not heartless. She doesn't hate Kagami at all. In fact, she actually wanted to see her again after the last encounter. She's heard from Adrien how competitive the girl can be and how good she was at sports. 

"Hey, I'm–"

"Gwen Stacy," Kagami stated. "I've heard about you."

"You have?" Gwen blinked and glanced at the others but saw they were in deep conversation. "I hope it's good things," she nervously chuckled. 

"I heard you make Adrien often upset and bring your problems to him," Kagami deadpanned. 

Gwen's senses flared and narrowed her eyes at the girl. "What problems?"

"I've heard so much from Adrien, I can tell what kind of person you are. Do him a favor and..." Kagami stood next to her but faced the others. "Deal with your burdens yourself. Don't bring him more pain."

Gwen's eyes widened as Kagami walked towards Adrien but Gwen stood in her spot. 

Now she's pissed. 

Gwen's eyes glowed purple for a moment but took deep breaths. She darkly chuckled, shaking her head. "So he's been talking shit about me to his crush?" She scoffed and cracked her knuckles. "I don't think so."

"Gwen?" 

She bitterly smiled and turned to Luka and Marinette. "Let's go." She grabbed their wrists and walked inside to follow Kagami and Adrien. 

🕸🕷🕸

Adrien sweated nervously as he entered with Kagami. He didn't expect to see Gwen. He can tell that Gwen felt awkward earlier and felt bad as he kept ignoring her. 

He didn't know what to say. 

He felt worse as he can feel her dark aura when she entered the rink and stayed silent as she stood next to Luka. She's really mad. 

Adrien sat next to Kagami while she was preparing herself. Adrien scooted next to Marinette and glanced at Gwen but paled more as Gwen's eyes flashed purple for a moment before returning to blue. 

"It was really cool of you to bring Luka and Gwen, Marinette," Adrien smiled at the girl nervously. 

"Of course," Marinette smiled nervously. "That's what friends are for!" She internally groaned as she and Adrien tied their laces. 

"I don't know what to do about Kagami. Should I offer to hold her hand?" he asked. 

"You have to let her fall," Marinette smiled. 

Gwen snorts next to Luka. 

But Adrien blinked. "Huh?"

"No! What I actually meant was that you cannot let her fall in any way. I mean, do whatever you can so that she doesn't fall," Marinette stood up. "So yeah, grab ahold of her hand and take her onto the ice, and then–AAAH!" 

She tripped over her laces and fell back but Gwen and Luka quickly caught her. Luka guided the girl to sit as he fixed her laces. 

"Try to be natural. Go with the flow and listen to the rhythm. Just follow my lead," Luka smiled as he finished and took the girls to the rink. 

Gwen followed their lead. She glanced back at Adrien to see Kagami tying his laces. She sighed and laughed as Luka twirled around the girls before doing some tricks for them. 

"You're an idiot," Gwen chuckled. 

Luka laughed, "More insults from the Great Gwen. How natural."

"Oh please," Gwen smirked as she twirled Marinette and skated along. 

Gwen remembered the times when her dad would bring her to the Rockefeller Center and make the stupidest tricks for her. She would play along but would always end up falling for not paying attention. 

She yelped as a man snuck behind her. "Hello, miss. You are doing splendidly skating. Would you like to learn more by signing up?"

"No thanks," Gwen sweatdropped and followed the others. The man pouted and skated to the person to save his ice rink.

On the other side of the rink, Kagami glanced at the three and turned back to Adrien. "Did you invite them because you were scared of being alone with me?"

"Of course not," Adrien nervously shook his head. "It's just that I asked Marinette to help me."

"Help you with what?" she asked. 

"Uh...to perfect my figure skating skills," he smiled. 

"But you don't need her for that," Kagami snatched her hand from his and showed off her skills which impressed Adrien. 

The man from before grinned and skated over to her. "You have what it takes to be a champion. The style. The talent! Let me be your coach."

"I only practice noble arts like archery or fencing. Ice skating's just for fun," she skated away to Adrien. 

On the other side of the rink, Gwen saw Kagami's moves and whistled. "She's good."

Luka chuckled as he grabbed Marinette's hands. Gwen smiled softly at them and skated ahead. If she knew she was going to be third-wheeling the third wheels she would have stayed home. 

Gwen did a few tricks as well. She laughed as she almost fell but kept going, loving the adrenaline. 

Gwen skated back to Luka and Marinette when her senses flared and skated faster to catch Marinette before hitting the wall. She didn't expect the shift in weight and fell with Marinette on top of her. 

Marinette yelped as she fell and gasped, turning Gwen. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry!"

Gwen rubbed her back and bottom as she smiled at the girl. "I'm fine. Don't worry."

Marinette glanced at Gwen's arm and gasped as she didn't realize she accidentally sliced her arm with her skates, seeing a visible scratch.

"Gwen," she murmured apologetically but Luka helped her up before giving a hand to Gwen. 

Gwen goes to grab it when Adrien skated over to her in a hurry. "Gwen! Are you okay?"

Gwen's eye twitched in annoyance and goes to get up when the man from before skated in front of her making her fall again. 

"See how a few lessons from me could come in handy? Please, Adrien Agreste. Just put your name on this form and your fans will come running and my ice rink will be saved!"

The Mayor grabbed the papers from his hands, "None of these young people want to sign up, Phillippe. You can't force them now, can you?"

Phillippe sadly frowned before skating away. "You're right."

Gwen sighed as she looked down at her wound and saw it was healing already. 

"Get up." Kagami helped her off the ground before whispering in her ear. The others couldn't hear a thing but they all just stared as Gwen's eyes dimmed slightly by her words. Kagami moved away and skated back to Adrien and skated off. 

Marinette and Luka skated towards Gwen seeing her stoic expression. "Gwen?" Luka asked. 

"Are you okay?" Marinette frowned worriedly.

Gwen stared at Kagami and Adrien for a moment before smiling at them and ruffling Marinette's hair. "I'm okay. You guys go on ahead. I'm going home to heal this up, is that okay?" she shrugged her wounded arm with a grin.

Marinette frowned more as she can tell Gwen seemed upset but didn't know how to bring it up to her and not want to bother her more. "Thank you for coming, Gwen."

Gwen grinned at her. "No problem, I'll see you around." She nodded to Luka, silently telling him to take care of Marinette before getting off the rink. 

Gwen immediately took off her skates and grabbed her things before heading out. Adrien noticed this and frowned removing his hand from Kagami. "I'm going to check on Gwen. Sorry Kagami, I'm going to check on her."

Kagami only observed as Adrien skated off the ice rink and followed after the girl. She sighed as she kept skating. Gwen must be that special to have Adrien follow her like that. 

🕸🕷🕸

Gwen sighed as she rubbed her wound in the restroom sink. Seeing as the wound was closing up, she walked out only to see Adrien in front of her. She narrowed her eyes at him before walking off. 

"Gwen, wait!" Adrien followed but Gwen ignored him and kept going. 

"Gwen!" he grabbed her wrist and ran in front of her. "Are you okay?"

"Why?" Gwen snapped, making Adrien flinch. "So you can ignore me again?"

She bumped her shoulders with him and kept going but Adrien ran in front of her again and spread his arms out. "Gwen, you know it's not like that."

Gwen shook her head. "Oh, pray tell. Why have you been ignoring me? If there's something wrong, you know you can tell me."

Adrien bit his lip. He can't say that he knows she's leaving because she'll know his identity. But not saying anything will make this worse. "I...I can't say," he murmured, looking at the ground shamefully.

Gwen sadly frowned, looking at him in disbelief. Seeing as he felt conflicted, she turned around. "Do..."

Adrien looked up at her as Gwen's back faced him. "Do...I hurt you? Is that it?"

Adrien's eyes widened and ran in front of her, grabbing her hands. But Gwen just stared at him with pleading eyes. 

"You know how much it hurts me when you get hurt?" she whispered. "I regret it every single day when I see you hurt when you're supposed to be a normal teenager living your life. Not with violence...not with me..."

Gwen glanced at him one last time before removing her hands from his. "I'm so sorry for putting you through so much. You won't have to worry about it anymore. I'll be gone before you know it," she sadly smiled at him. "I was going to tell you this the other day but I finished my transporter."

She glanced at him one last time before walking out, leaving Adrien behind. Adrien gritted his teeth and glared at the ground cursing himself for everything. 

Adrien suddenly felt a cold breeze and looked back. His eyes widened as the walls were rapidly freezing to ice. He stood up and ran as he grabbed the camemberts and threw a blue one in the air. 

"Plagg! Power up!"

Plagg flew out of his pocket and ate the treat, transforming himself. "Plagg Glacier!"

"Plagg Glacier, claws out!"

🕸🕷🕸

Gwen huffed in annoyance and facepalmed. "Why did I react like that? I'm such an idiot."

Her senses flared making her jump as ice spread throughout the city. Her eyes widened as the Parisians turned to ice along with the vehicles. She frowned and looked around. 

"An akuma," she murmured and punched her fists together having the suit on. 

She clicked on the settings in her bracer, getting thin blades on the soles of her feet. She webbed a building and headed to find her comrades. The ice glistened from the sunlight. 

"Beautiful," she whispered as she landed on top of a building. Lady Ice and Ice Noir followed. 

"Ghost, good thing you're here," Lady Ice smiled. 

"Haven't left yet," Ghost nodded. 

Ghost glanced at Chat but the hero refused to look at her. Not when they argued just minutes ago. "I'm sorry for giving you the news like that, Chat. I didn't mean to give it so bluntly."

Ice Noir shook his head, "I should be the one apologizing. It's fine."

Ghost nodded and looked at her comrades and grinned. "Love the suits."

"Thanks," Lady Ice smiled. "Shall we go?"

The three nodded and split up to find the akumatized victim. It took them a while but Ghost was getting a good start as she followed skating tracks on the ground. 

Following them, she stopped close to the Eiffel Tower. Her senses flared and turned around to see Ice Noir behind her. She turned back to see what Frozer is doing, spotting him on the Eiffel Tower.

Their eyes widened as Lady Ice arrived later on and Frozer jumped down to attack her. Ice Noir and Ghost skated towards her and pushed her away from the incoming attack. 

"Thanks, guys," Lady Ice smiled. 

They skated away but Frozer was faster and started kicking them shards of ice at them. They moved away from each other and dodged the ice. But Frozer skated up a bridge and started raining down shards of ice. 

"I'm positive the akuma's in his skates!" Lady Ice exclaimed. 

Three avoided Frozer's attacks and skated away as the villain followed them. Frozer was fast and skated ahead of them as they hid behind a frozen bus. Ghost glanced at Frozer and saw he jumped away to find them. 

"My cataclysm could destroy his skates but he'd have to be up in the air," Ice Noir nods. 

"I can use my webs to trap him or trip him," Ghost nods too. 

Lady Ice nods in agreement and uses her Lucky Charm. A large bag of salt dropped into her hands and grew confused. 

"A bag of salt?"

Ghost spotted the salt falling to the ice and saw how the ice dissolved. "Salt makes ice melt," she smirked. 

Lady Ice grins and handed the bag to Ice Noir. "I'll keep Frozer busy. You two will be melting. Listen..." she whispered their plan before heading off. 

Ghost and Ice Noir skated to the nearest fire truck and dumped some salt on it. Ghost used her strength to push it against the wall while Ice Noir moved the ladder to the wall. 

They only waited. 

Ice Noir glanced at Ghost and bit his lip nervously. "Is everything all right?"

Ghost looked at him which made him clarify. "You seem upset. Did something happen?"

Ghost sighed as she leaned against the wall. "Um...a friend. I've been told that I should keep my problems to myself as I keep hurting others. Thinking back on it, they were right. I always bring others down with me and I should've realized it sooner."

Ice Noir frowned, looking at her. Who told her that?

"I'm not much to rely on people with my problems as it would be a bother but to hear it from someone I don't know who's close to my friend just...hurts."

"It shouldn't bother you at all," Chat murmured, making her turn to him. "As you said, you don't know them and they don't know you. Whatever opinions they said shouldn't matter because only you know yourself."

"Do you think your friend is the kind to give up on you?" Ice Noir asked as Ghost fidgeted with her hands. 

"No...I guess not. He's too much of a puppy to be like that."

Ice Noir sweatdropped and chuckled. "Maybe you should talk to him. Wouldn't it be good to leave on good terms with your friend?"

Ghost looked at the ground in thought. "He says he can't say anything."

Chat bit his lip again. "Do you think your friend is just afraid for you?"

"Afraid? What for?"

"If you're leaving, they must be worried for you," Chat glanced at her but Ghost shook her head. 

"I must be crazy for acting this way but I was kind of expecting something that will never happen."

He blinked, turning to her as Ghost turned away. "I kind of hoped...he could wait for me." She thought of Kagami and Adrien's soft interaction and sadly smiled. "But I realized it was too much to ask. He deserves happiness, that at least I could give."

Chat frowned, glancing at her hand while she fidgeted. "Maybe..." he started as he grabbed her hand gently. "He wants to be happy with you and no one else?"

"Perhaps," she shrugged. "But I have problems to bear on my own and I'm not dragging him anymore. He deserves a normal life."

They stopped as they heard skating above them and got ready. Ice Noir glanced at Ghost before hanging under the ladder while Ghost webbed the top of the ladder. Lady Ice skated down the ladder as Frozer followed. 

Midway through the ladder, Ghost pulled her web causing Frozer to fly off. Ice Noir jumped off the ladder and used his cataclysm to destroy his skates. 

Lady Ice captured the akuma, purifying it and bringing everything back to normal. 

Frozer turned back to Phillippe. 

The three pounded their fists in victory and smiled at each other. Ladybug turned to Ghost. "Thank you so much for helping us."

Ghost chuckled, "I'm going to come back. Don't miss me too much. I'm just doing a test drive."

"Huh?" Lady Ice and Ice Noir's eyes widened in disbelief. "But we thought that you were–"

"Wait, I didn't tell you?" Ghost blinked before smirking behind the mask and crossing her arms.  "Wow, you already want to get rid of me? The transporter can be too much for me, that's why I'm doing a test drive in a few days."

Ghost laughed at their faces and webbed herself away. 

🕸🕷🕸

"This is Philippe at the ice rink. He makes skating so much fun," Adrien sent on social media. 

"Thank you, Adrien," Philippe smiled. 

"I hope this helps you get more students to sign up," Adrien walked away, meeting Kagami outside of the rink.

He spotted Gwen walking away from Luka and Marinette and walked toward her. Gwen stopped and turned to him. 

"I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry."

They both apologized simultaneously before guiltily looking away. 

Gwen raised her hand. "I want to say sorry for how I behaved earlier. I shouldn't pressure you to tell me anything. It's not my business."

"No, I should apologize for earlier. You're right. I have been avoiding you and your calls because...I was scared," Adrien looked at her. 

"Scared?" she frowned, thinking back to Chatnoir's words. 

"I didn't know when you leave and it felt selfish of me to ask you to stay when you have so much to do. I didn't want you to leave and I was scared to see you and saying the wrong words."

Gwen's eyes widened. Chat was right. She looked at the ground, avoiding his gaze. "I'm scared too."

Adrien's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yeah," she chuckled through her nose. "I mean. You helped me with everything and I don't want to leave yet. Not when we have yet to do so much together. And...I–" she hesitated. 

Her heart pulsed as she can sense his warmth from the small distance they had. She glanced up at Kagami who was on her phone to contact her mother a little far away from them. Kagami can make him happy. Hell, any girl can make him happy and keep him safe. 

"I am happy with what we have," she smiled at him. 

Even if it's not her who will make him happy, she's fine as long as he is.

Adrien followed Kagami to her car and opened the door for her. "I'm not changing my target," he started, getting her attention. "Even if it means waiting for a long time, I will succeed and hit it."

Kagami glanced at Gwen and smiled at Adrien. "The day you realize you've got the wrong target, I'll be here," she leaned to him, kissing his cheek before entering her car. 

Her car drove off as Adrien walked towards Gwen. Gwen smiled at him, "She's cute. But next time, tell me when you have a crush on someone so I can make fun of you."

Adrien laughed, shaking his head. 'The only crush I have is you...' he thought. He grinned at her as he entered his car. He glanced at her until she was too far to see.

Gwen can only stare as the vehicle drove off. She chuckled as she saw Marinette running after him and turned back to see Luka behind her. 

"McGoofy's?" Gwen shrugged, looking up at the boy. 

Luka shrugged too, "Sure. There's a new episode that came out."

"Vámonos," Gwen grinned and pulled the boy to eat. 

(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ Next Episode: Style Queen pt.1 ♥

A/N: Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! ❤️🎄 Stay safe and enjoy the holidays! Make sure to save some tamales for me! Kidding! I'm curious, what do you guys want for Christmas? I want AOT manga 😋

OOH! I forgot to mention!!!!! There's someone very special who wants to translate this story! I'm so excited! It's going to be in Spanish! They barely started but make sure to show support and enjoy the story!

Franciscaamaya22

Love you guys!

-Wuv out🤍

Published: December 21, 2022

Word Count: 6801