Adrien could not allow himself to answer that question - not in the way Val would have wanted him to. "I'm -- not sure --", he ended up saying; and he could not prevent his words from faltering.

He watched as an expression of concern made its way onto Val's face; and, after all, he had known from the start that he could have not swallowed down his turmoil - that it was only a matter of time before Val would notice. That was how caring and attentive he was; and this realization only made Adrien angrier at himself.

"Is everything alright?".

Adrien turned his head, a frown appearing on his forehead. He tried not to look at Val, but he could feel his worried gaze on him - and he began to feel strangled with coming tears. "No, not really", he managed to squeak.

"Would you like to talk about it?", he heard Val say.

Adrien couldn't find an answer. Any time he had shared his worries with Val, the words he'd received had unfailingly given him relief - yet another gift that Val had been offering to him so selflessly, so caringly, and that Adrien felt he did not deserve.