Marinette knew she shouldn't let Lila get her down. But the witch was truly horrible. The fact that she'd managed to convince the whole class to shuffle around on her behalf was annoying enough but what really hurt was Alya's decision to shift to be near Nino, leaving Marinette alone.

While Marinette could understand why Alya would want to be near her boyfriend, it still cut her that her best friend was so willing to ditch her to the back of the room. Sighing, Marinette had felt a sense of relief when the class reshuffled and Alya had loyally moved to sit with her again. But when it came down to it, Adrien was the only one who saw Lila for the conniving troll that she was. He was the only one to make a stand, choosing to sit with Marinette.

The thought made her heart flutter. So much so, that her face was hot and she needed some fresh air. Climbing up through her skylight, Marinette swept onto her balcony to breathe in the cool air. The sun had set and the last few rays of sunlight were dimming quickly.

Tikki was somewhere downstairs, temped by the scent of freshly baked cookies. So, Marinette was alone with her thoughts or at least that's what she assumed. A light thud sounded behind her and the girl turned to see Chat Noir perched up on the chimney. Gasping and clutching at her chest, Marinette threw the feline hero a dirty look.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He said with a bashful tilt to his blonde head.

"It's okay," she reassured him as her heart slowed. "I wasn't expecting anyone else to be up here."

"Should I go?" There was something sad about his voice, as if Chat Noir were lonely.

"No, it's fine, you can stay."

At that, he slunk his way down to the railing, gripping the narrow beam with his hands and balancing easily with his feet. "I'm supposed to be patrolling but it's a quiet night and Ladybug didn't show up."

Blue eyes widened at his comment. She'd been so caught up in her musings that she completely forgot she was meant to be patrolling too. It didn't help that Tikki was distracted, normally the scarlet kwami would have reminded her. "I'm sure she has her reasons," Marinette said, trying to cover for herself.

Chat Noir let out a wistful sigh. "Probably chasing that other boy."

His comment had Marinette quirking an eyebrow. Was he really so bent out of shape about that? "Surely there are lots of girls out there keen to meet you." The moment the words left her mouth she regretted them. He'd probably think she was crushing on him.

Instead, Chat Noir rubbed his nose with the back of his wrist and gave her a sheepish smile. "There probably are, but there's just one girl for me."

"You're something of a romantic, aren't you Chat Noir?"

Looking to the sky, the black clad hero smiled. "Yes, I am."

Marinette took a moment to admire her partner. While he could be an utter fool, there was something sincere and endearing about him. Mentally shaking herself, Marinette reminded herself of who it was that made her heart beat faster and her breath catch in her throat. Perhaps she and Chat Noir weren't so different. Though she hoped he'd give up his pursuit of Ladybug, she only had eyes for Adrien.

Regardless of this, she didn't want to let down Chat Noir in a professional sense. He was a loyal partner and he didn't deserve to be stood up for patrol. Walking to him, she patted his gloved hand. "You should start patrolling, I'm sure Ladybug will show up."

"You think?"

"Yeah. Given how busy you two have been lately, I'm thinking she might have forgotten or maybe dozed off."

A smirk spread across Chat Noir's face. "Oh, and she'd give me so much teasing if I was the one to have a catnap."

Marinette couldn't help but grin back at him. "But it wasn't you. Still, don't try and charm her with too many puns."

"But that's half the pun."

Rolling her eyes, Marinette groaned. "Half the fun, Chat."

"Fun, pun, same difference to me."

"And you wonder why she hasn't shown up."

His smirk turned positively cheeky. "Maybe she's become enamoured and entranced with the latest Adrien Agreste billboards."

Marinette almost choked on her own tongue. "What!?"

"They're all over the city. She slammed into his lips on one billboard during an akuma fight. I caught her when she slipped down and she was a little flushed."

There was something almost smug about Chat Noir and that didn't add up. "You think she likes him?"

The hero's spine straightened as he remained clinging to the railing. "Well, um, I don't know. Maybe." He narrowed his eyes and leaned forward, "Do you think she might?"

"Adrien is very handsome and kind and sweet and… well, wonderful. So yeah, it's possible she would like him."

Chat Noir's chest puffed up at her statement, again she thought his response strange. Then he cocked his head to the side and studied her for a long moment. "She told me she was into a guy. Do you think maybe it could be him?"

Marinette's cheeks burned. Oh, she knew it was but how to break it to Chat Noir, especially when he looked so hopeful. Clearing her throat, she gave an evasive answer. "I couldn't say."

Rubbing his chin with his forefinger and thumb, Chat Noir gazed off, clearly pondering. "It's an interesting theory." His head swivelled back to Marinette. "But as you say, I should start patrol."

"Have a nice night, Chat Noir."

"Same to you, Marinette."

She watched as he darted away, bounding between streets and buildings at the extension of his stick. As soon as he a good distance away, Marinette scampered down to her room where Tikki sat devouring a cookie. Guilt lined the kwami's face. "I forgot about patrol too."

"Well, we better get out there. I just perked Chat Noir up."

Tikki shoved he last bite of her cookie in her mouth and Marinette uttered the words that made her Ladybug, then left the room. A few blocks away, Ladybug opened her yoyo and checked her tracker. She saw that Chat Noir had stopped once again and she quickly raced to his location.

Her partner stood leaning against the brick parapets of an old church, his back to her as she approached. "Sorry I'm late."

Cat ears swivelled in her direction and his tail flicked slightly. "It's okay, milady. I'm glad you finally showed up."

Ladybug walked to stand beside him, leaning her elbows on the parapets too. "Find anything exciting?"

"Not exactly," he said as he turned to face her, yet his eyes remained fixed straight ahead.

Curious, Ladybug followed his gaze and paused. There before them was a brightly lit billboard of 'Adrien, the fragrance.' She cocked her head as she looked to Chat. "Thinking of buying some perfume?"

"It's aftershave, and I may or may not have some already."

Ladybug snickered. "Suckered in by the advertising."

"Nope, just wondering if it was something my lady was interested in."

She didn't miss the underlying note in his voice. He genuinely wanted an answer but she suspected it was more about Adrien than the actual fragrance. "I'm interested," she whispered with reverence as she gazed at the billboard, her eyes lovingly tracing Adrien's handsome face.

Chat Noir shuffled beside her and his hand cupped the curve of her shoulder. "You have no idea how happy that makes me."

Frowning with confusion, Ladybug had to ask, "Why?"

There was something cryptic in Chat Noir's smile but it was very wide. "Because what you want is a lot closer than you think." But before she could question him further, Chat Noir extended his hand to her. "So, shall we patrol?"

With a shrug of her narrow shoulders, Ladybug placed her hand in his. "Sure, why not."

She eventually decided he must have started wearing that perfume and really want her to like it. Meaning, Ladybug completely missed what Chat Noir was alluding to.

Thought I'd try a one shot. I hope you liked it.