"I know it sounds like this has come from nowhere, but I really have liked you a lot for a while now!"

Marinette visibly paled as her expression turned from concern to pure shock. The reassuring hand that was on his shoulder snapped back to cover her mouth.

Crap. This was not the reaction Chat Noir was hoping for.

Internally he was kicking himself for having hope that things would go more smoothly as Chat with Marinette, but anxiety started to slowly whisper to him that this would be just as painful and just as unrequited as his love for Ladybug. That he didn't deserve either of them. Knots started to painfully form in his stomach and fear offered him a way out before he could think clearly about it.

"A-a-april fools!" His voice cracked pathetically, an unsure grin on his face.

Well that was even worse.

The girl next to him was a kaleidoscope of expressions; most he couldn't read, before he suddenly yelped as Marinette pushed him backwards off the railing to her balcony that he was sitting on.

"Mari-!" Chat's voice caught in his throat as he scrambled both his hands out, reaching for the railing. Her arm shot out, grasping his hand tightly in her own, his other managing to grip one of the bars of the rail. He could see through the dim lighting of the city that Marinette was looking horrified at him before she quickly helped him back up. Both were breathing heavily as soon as Chat's feet planted on the balcony, and Marinette proceeded to crouch and curl into herself in embarrassment.

"OHGODI'msosorry that was uncalled for and I way overreacted and you could have gotten hurt or died and Ladybug wouldn't have a partner anymore and Paris would be doomed and-" A hand appeared in front of her, interrupting her rambling. She took Chat's hand to stand up again, looking into his uneasy eyes. He squeezed her hand gently before letting go.

She huffed. "It's still March, you know. I don't know why you're playing jokes like that."

"No, no, that was pawful of me to spring on you. I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable, Princess." Chat took back his hand to rub the back of his neck in embarrassment, trying to think of a way to make Marinette forget this happened. Nothing like that came to mind like that, but there was one excuse to pass off his failed confession…

"It was a confession…rehearsal. But by your reaction I'm guessing it wasn't a very good one." He laughed, wincing a little at how dumb that sounded out loud.

Marinette's eyes widened at that. "Rehearsal…?" He saw her visibly tense. Her arms flailed around, gesturing to him. "Wait, you're not going to seriously confess to Ladybug, are you?" As soon as the words left her mouth she realized what her diction made his actions sound like.

The black cat's ears drooped. Anxiety once again flooded his veins at her words. Did Marinette also think his earnest words to his Lady were only play? Did his complete honesty and open-heart only sound like jokes? He pulled at the hair on the back of his neck, trying to shove down those thoughts. "While she humors my advances, my Lady has already made it clear she doesn't feel the same, let alone wants to let our relationship get any more personal than it already is."

"So…it's for someone completely new then?" Marinette felt a sudden pressure in her chest that made it hard to breathe, only made worse by the dejected look her partner had in front of her.

His ears perked up at the chance. "Y-yes! Someone else that you totally don't know! Yeah, that's r-right…" Again Chat was kicking himself mentally, but there must be a way to make the best of this awkward situation. He drew in an uneasy breath before taking a few steps closer to her. "Sooooo how did it sound? Did it make your heart flutter, are you swooning for this alley cat yet?"

He was grinning at her. Marinette looked carefully at him for a moment before closing her eyes and crossing her arms. "It needs some work, maybe a 6/10." She huffed playfully, the corner of her mouth almost pulled into a smirk for a moment before she looked back to the hero, face stoic and voice soft.

"You're really serious about this one, aren't you? That confession sounded almost nothing like you…no puns, no flirting, none of your usual 'Chat-ness'." She briefly wondered if he was going to make this confession as his superhero self or his civilian self.

The blond pressed his lips into a thin line and nodded slowly, looking at the ground. He met her blue eyes - his opposite, as blue as the spring sky as he was the dark of the night. She was looking at him, determined. "Well, this girl is lucky to have caught your eye. If you need an ear, or any advice, I'll be right here to help you. You're my friend and I want to see you happy. You really do deserve it."

He was stuck in this lie, and he had to commit to it. She really was too kind.

But maybe there's a way around this. 'Yeah,' he realizes. 'This may be a good thing after all…' He looks back to the target of his affections and clears his throat nervously.

"Marinette, you have every right to say no, but," Chat swallowed and hopped his luck won't spurn him just this once. He took her hand and knelt in front of her. "My Princess. Would you do me the honor of being my confession rehearsal pawtner?"

He felt his face grow warm, but hoped the night would mask it. Chat looked up at Marinette, surprised to see her covering her mouth - her eyes and her shoulders both betrayed the giggle she was trying to hide. He stood back up, trying to pull her hand from her mouth, putting on a pout. "It's not very nice to laugh at your knight's request, you know." Her hand fell away, showing him a face tinged pink and eyes still crinkled in a laughter she was fighting to contain.

"I'm sorry, kitty." She pressed her lips together for a moment, air escaping like a raspberry. "This sounds like something I would need to do, too. Maybe once this is all over, I could have you as my practice partner?" Her shoulders still shook, but soon she got her giggles out of the way. Chat's ears perked up at her question, but before he could say anything she took her hands back and gave him a small curtsy.

"But yes, Chat Noir, I will be your rehearsal partner." She smiled back at him. "After all, besides Ladybug, who else but me knows this you the best?"