Adrien could not believe, well, anything. He couldn't believe that Ladybug was so… nonchalant about him accidentally revealing his identity, or at least his very imminent reveal. He couldn't believe that he was dumb enough to write "Chat Noir" without thinking when Marinette asked for his name. And oh my god I cannot believe that Marinette is my soulmate!

Adrien buried his head into the thick blankets on his bed, trying to make sense of everything that had happened. He had a lot of time, sure, but still none of it made any sense. Marinette, though? He thought, half distressed. He didn't have anything against Marinette, of course, in fact he really wanted to be her friend, but… Of course the girl who's my soulmate is the one who hates me.

He felt bad, for both himself and her. It wasn't fair that she couldn't have a soulmate that she actually liked and wanted to talk to. Instead she got him and he got her and he didn't want to trick her but keeping up the image of Chat instead of revealing his identity was the only thing he could think of to at least try to convince her that he wasn't as… whatever she thought he was. Snobbish, arrogant, he didn't really know, he tried not to act that way. He was sure that if he could just have a do-over, have their introduction again, one that wasn't ruined by circumstance and misunderstanding, then he could show her that he wasn't that bad.

He hoped, anyway.

But using Chat to trick her into being my friend? Isn't that exactly the kind of thing I should be avoiding? But do I have much of a choice? Will she ever even talk to me if I don't?

Man, she can hold a grudge though. Or have I really been acting like a jerk all this time?

"Augh!" He let out a short exclaim into the bed to soften his voice. "I don't want to think about this anymore." Rolling onto his back, Adrien examined the ceiling. "Plagg, what do I do?"

"You go on your dates with the girl is what you do," Plagg said casually, drifting lazily around the room. "And you stop thinking about it."

"I can't stop thinking about it," Adrien whined, ignoring the way Plagg rolled his eyes.

Adrien could just imagine Marinette's expression when he finally told her the truth. She was already so angry with him on a normal day. All he really needed to do was show up for her face to turn red and for her to stop having a full grasp of vocabulary. And he knew that she tried so hard, at Alya's insistence, if her pushing them together was any indication, to be nice to him and he tried to be as nice as he could in return but nothing seemed to work to make her calm down, or forgive him, or… whatever was the problem.

And of course he didn't like doing that to Marinette, but he kept showing up because Nino and Alya are both still his friends and he won't get anywhere with Marinette by avoiding her, not that he seemed to be getting anywhere anyway. It was almost desperate at that point, and not even because of the newly discovered soulmate thing, he just really wanted her to be okay around him again. If she couldn't forgive him or be his friend, then he at least wanted to get it to the point that they could be in the same room without her looking like she wanted to explode.

Her reactions were so extreme sometimes that he feared she'd be vulnerable to being akumatized, but either she was really lucky or near perennial rage didn't check off on Hawk Moth's exploitable emotions list. Maybe he needs a spike, and she's just so constantly pissed at me that he can't take advantage of it. It's just the usual now.

If the thought didn't hurt him so much, Adrien might have laughed. Because even though he didn't dare call her his friend, even if he wanted to, he really did respect Marinette a lot. Even before discovering she was his soulmate, he admired her for a lot of reasons. Her amazing ability to hold a grudge did, admittedly, border on awesome for him (though that wasn't exactly a positive thing), but she was not only a talented designer, something he was able to appreciate especially given his upbringing, she was passionate, brave, clever… well, there's not many people who could both face an akuma nearly alone and also successfully get their possessed item away from them. Sure, Nathanaël had a crush on her, but the average citizen wouldn't have been able to pull that off. If she had hesitated at all, she wouldn't have gotten that pen from him.

Not to mention that she did it knowing that Ladybug wouldn't be showing up. He hadn't met a citizen before who trusted him so completely that they didn't even need the reassurance that Ladybug would be there. It almost made him dare to hope that she liked him as much as Ladybug, but that was ridiculous. Ladybug was the real hero. He was her partner, there where she needed him. She was in the spotlight; he was up on the catwalk turning the light so no one would miss her performance.

And that was fine with him. Still, the thought that someone, Marinette of all people, liked and respected him on the same level (or even more?) as Ladybug was a little wild to him.

Why is it that you treat me so different on either side of the mask, Mari? Do you just really respect Chat? Do you just really hate Adrien? It's still me, what makes it so different? It can't be that Chat's a hero, you're just fine with everyone else but me.

A soft vibration cut him out of his thoughts. Digging through his blankets for his phone (actually, his backup phone, which he wasn't strictly supposed to be using unless something happened to his main one, but which he took out on account of Alya knowing his phone number) he checked to see Marinette's new message.

M – I'm making hot chocolate, if you think it's as good a night as any to show up on my balcony. ;)

The first time he went to her balcony was actually just the night after they talked in the school. Things had been predictably awkward, but they somehow managed to fall into light banter and they left on a jovial, if not amiable note.

With a sigh, Adrien considered his chances. Well, every moment with her is a step. Forward or back, at least we're going somewhere. He stood to stretch exaggeratedly. Plus she has a treat for me!

CN – I'll be over momentarily, princess 3

Carefully, as always, Chat Noir slipped out of his house, ensuring there was no one around to see him, and made his way just as carefully to Marinette's little bakery nearby. When the coast was clear, he dropped down onto the balcony, taking in his surroundings quickly. Marinette wasn't outside. Picking his way across to the trapdoor leading to her room, Chat Noir crouched down next to it, examining it curiously before reaching out and softly rapping on it with his knuckles.

A few moments later, a gentle click was released into the night and Marinette pushed the door open, smiling at him as she rose out of the hatch. She moved with practiced grace to a small table and placed her single mug down on it before turning back to the open door. "Stay, Tomcat. I'll get your cup."

Not knowing what else to do, Chat plopped down on one of the chairs near the table and sat, staring at the thin trail of steam coming out of the mug waiting there.

A minute passed in silence with Chat just feeling the crisp air against him. He closed his eyes and tried to not think too hard about the situation. Not long after, though, warmth drifted up, making his nose twitch, and he could smell the chocolate from the cup that Marinette held out to him. He cracked one eye open, taking in her pleasant smile, and accepted the mug from her. He watched her take the seat opposite him and waited until she took a sip from her own mug before drinking from his.

"Are you okay, Chat?" Marinette asked.

Chat felt his own heartbeat against his rubs when he met her eyes. Because her eyes were all concern and kindness and everything except what he was used to as Adrien. No, it's everything I'm used to minus something overpowering and distracting. Despite his thoughts, Chat Noir grinned widely. "How could I be anything but purrfect when my princess invites me over?"

His answer didn't seem to satisfy Marinette, but she didn't press him. Instead, after a few minutes of hot chocolate and silence, not quite awkward but definitely not comfortable, Marinette shattered the quiet of the night with a statement. "August fourth."

Chat blinked at her. "What?"

"My birthday." Marinette smirked at him teasingly as she clarified. "August fourth."

Chat took a moment to process that. Because of those texts last week? He gulped, unsure how to respond since he knew Marinette knew Adrien's birthday already. After a few seconds, the only thing he could think to do was plaster a sly grin on his face and point out the obvious. "You're a Leo."

Marinette actually leaned over the table and smacked his arm. "Don't even start, Tomcat."

He laughed at her. "That's so great. You're a kitty yourself! No wonder we're meant for each other." Only after the words left his mouth did Chat realize what he said. He almost cringed. Being meant for each other had a much different meaning when you were soulmates, after all, and he just intended a harmless flirt.

Luckily, Marinette either didn't notice or didn't acknowledge it. "That's not why I told you, you dumb cat!" Pouting, she took another sip of her drink and pulled her knees to her chest. "I didn't even think about that. Of course that's what you'd notice."

Chat closed his eyes, opting for another hit from the warm chocolate to slide down his throat and drive its warmth through his veins rather than watching her reaction. "Why did you tell me then?"

"Because that's what this is about, isn't it? We're supposed to be getting to know each other."

Chat felt a rumbling chuckle in his chest. "Well from one kitty to another, I think we're not doing too well there just yet."

"Then ask me something. Anything. And I have to answer honestly. Then I'll ask you something." She flashed him a look. "I'll try to avoid identity stuff for now, but you can still just tell me if it'd be too obvious."

Chat swirled the hot chocolate in his mug a little, watching as it spiraled. "Okay. Who asks first?"

"You. Ask whatever you want."

Trying to think of a question, Chat played with his mug some more, took a few sips, and finally set it down, turning his attention totally to Marinette. He wanted to ask her whether she even really liked him, and why. Especially after finding out about the soulmate thing, her behavior seemed just a little bit… incongruous. Or maybe it was just because of the soulmate thing. They worked well together before. I will ask, later. Maybe. But that's too heavy to start this off with. "What's your favorite color?"

"Pink. Yours?"

"Blue."

"We're so cliché."

Chat Noir let out a real laugh at that, allowing it to distract him. "Okay then, any hobbies?"

"Baking, drawing, designing, you know, stuff you'd expect." Marinette sighed softly. "I play video games a lot. I'm a master at Mecha Strike." Chat knew that, of course, but raised an inquisitive eyebrow nonetheless. "What about you?"

"Are you just going to keep using my questions?"

Marinette smirked again at him, "They're pretty standard questions. Important for us friends to know."

Chat huffed, but answered. "I like music. I play the piano when I can. Play video games too. I like to read, even write a little if I have time. I guess I just like words, honestly." He grabbed his cup again and took another drink. "Foreign languages, books, writing, I like all that." He tapped his fingers on the table, debating for a moment before adding on another hobby. "Fencing too."

Marinette hummed. "Interesting. I know some people in a fencing group. You fight like one, sometimes. You know more than just French?"

"Hey, princess, it's my turn."

"No, you asked if I'd keep using your questions."

Chat made a show of crossing his arms and pouting, giving her his most adorable kitten eyes, but she was unfazed. He finally just gave up and relented. "Yeah. I'm… relatively fluent in English, less so in German. I've picked up little bits of Spanish, and I've been learning Chinese for a while now."

"Hmm, I don't know how to speak Chinese."

Chat shrugged. "Most people don't. It's pretty different from French."

"That's true." The silence that fell between them was significantly less awkward from before, if only because they could pass it off as both of them just taking a drink simultaneously. "Your turn."

"Opinion on Ladybug and Chat Noir?"

Marinette gave him a very unimpressed look. "Are you just taking advantage of my promise to tell the truth to ask that while I can't sass you for it?"

"That's exactly what I'm doing, Princess." He smirked at her, watching as she sighed.

"Fine. I think they're pretty great, as we all do. They keep us safe, you know? And we all owe them for that."

Chat frowned just a little bit when she paused. Her answer just seemed so… generic. It was almost infuriating. So he tried to press her further. "And?"

"And I think Chat Noir doesn't get as much credit as he deserves." Chat nearly choked on his hot chocolate, and when he looked at her, she kept her gaze firmly on the horizon off to the side. "Ladybug's capable and strong, yeah, but she wouldn't be half of what she is without Chat." Setting down his mug silently, Chat watched her, momentarily unsure if she was even really talking to him anymore or just to herself. "He's strong and dependable too, he just got the political short straw by not being able to cleanse the akuma himself. And that's the only reason people keep calling him a sidekick."

Chat almost flinched at the way she said the word "sidekick". She spat it out like it was something distasteful, like it wasn't even really worth the time to think about and it was an injustice that the word had to be spoken at all. "And Ladybug keeps telling everyone but they don't listen. Chat is her partner. Equal, and always there when she needs him."

"You're… passionate about this," Chat said. "Kitty to kitty, you're not just trying to flatter me, are you?"

He offered her a sly, joking smirk but her serious expression told him there wasn't room for that in this particular phrase of the conversation. "I said I had to answer honestly, didn't I?"

"You did. I just…" Chat Noir examined his mug, nearly empty now. "Sorry. Thank you."

"Nothing to thank," she mumbled, "it's just the truth."

So I was right? She really does like Chat Noir. As much as Ladybug. "Equal", she said. That's so strange hearing from anyone but My Lady. "Really, thank you." He repeated it because it really did mean a lot to him. Even if Marinette didn't like Adrien, and even if he couldn't figure out why the schism between Chat and Adrien was so deep in her mind, it was really amazing to be told that he's worth being a hero. That he didn't just screw everything up.

"Why do you think you need to thank me for that?" Chat gulped and looked away. She liked him, he didn't really want to tell her about all his insecurities. He didn't want her to think less of him. "That was my question, by the way."

It's fine. She asked, she's not going to judge you or anything. Marinette isn't like that… right? Is she just judging Adrien because I'm Chloe's friend and I'm rich? She doesn't seem like that kind of person though, and Alya doesn't seem the type to put up with that kind of person, honestly. Well, you agreed to this game, it's do or die. Advance or abscond, you dumb cat. "Sometimes I think I'm not much of a help to her at all." He answered truthfully, following the rules of their game to the letter. "I mean, with the amount of times I've been trapped or controlled by the akuma, I'm against her as much as I am with her, and when I'm with her half the time I'm just bumbling along."

"It's not that bad."

"Copycat chained me, Dark Cupid, Puppeteer, and Princess Fragrance made me fight her, you got closer to taking down the Evillustrator than I did, two seconds into the fight with Pharaoh and I'm trapped in a coffin, Digital got me in his picture frames, do I really need to go on?"

Marinette sighed, meeting his hard gaze for a few moments. "I don't think you should measure your help to only the fights."

"What else is there?"

Marinette looked down in her mug, and downed the last of its contents before replying. "Obviously I'm just an observer, but I can't imagine being a hero is very easy for either of you." Chat begrudgingly agreed with her. "Does you ever feel like if it weren't for her, you wouldn't be able to handle being Chat Noir? Like if Ladybug weren't there at your side the stress or the responsibility or whatever would just be too much for one person?"

"Sometimes."

"It's probably the same for her." She didn't meet his eyes, and Chat didn't question why she would have thought about this kind of thing, nor how she was so spot on about it. "Even if you aren't the best in a fight, which isn't true by the way, don't think I don't remember you taking on an army of knights against Darkblade, or a large squad of cops against Rogercop." She really pays that close attention to me? "But even if you weren't, if you weren't there by her side, I don't think it would even be a question of how capable she is. I don't think there'd even be a Ladybug."

Chat Noir felt like Marinette had just handed him a knife and turned around so he could stab her in the back with it. And what's worse, without saying anything more, he felt like he did. It was nice, naturally, to know he had a fan, but hearing how much Marinette loved and respected him just made him feel like when he revealed himself he'd only let her down. Knowing that the hero she admired was just the boy she hated would be like the final twist of the knife and Chat Noir couldn't even think about doing that to her. But I don't have any options.

Chat downed the last of his own drink and curled up slightly in his chair, only remembering not to make it too obvious after he started. After a long period of silence, Marinette reminded him of their game. "It's your turn."

"Huh? Oh. Um… well if you don't mind answering, you don't have to if you don't want to, you know that I like Ladybug. Is there anyone you have a crush on?"

For Chat Noir, it was just idle curiosity. He was open to the possibility of romance with Marinette, but she made it clear that they were friends first. After thinking about it, Chat agreed that it was probably for the best anyway. Better to let down a friend than a significant other, he hoped. Still, he had a crush on Ladybug, if Marinette had a crush on someone else… maybe their soulmate thing really was one of those platonic ones. Maybe I can be her wingman, he thought, hiding a snicker.

Marinette looked at him curiously. "Yeah, I have a crush on someone."

After she failed to elaborate, Chat pried just a little further, testing how far she'd allow him to push. "Kitty to kitty? It's a sacred bond between cats, you know. I'd never tell anyone your secrets."

"I know, but it's none of your business, Chat." Though her words were stern, her expression was soft, showing that she didn't mean any disrespect by it. She just didn't want to say. That's fine then, I can't force her. "Are you really that different when you're Chat than when you're not transformed?"

"No- I mean, yeah, I guess." Chat shrugged. "I don't really think about it, usually, but yeah. I mean I'm still me, it's like how you'd act different when you're talking to Alya or your teacher. Does that make sense? It's like when I'm Chat, the world is my best friend, so I can be a dork and be annoying and it's okay, but when I'm not I have to reign it in." He examined her slightly concerned expression and chuckled. "It's not a bad thing, don't worry. Actually I think it's probably a good thing. I'm a still a huge nerd, I still love puns, it's not that different. It's just that I try to act with a certain amount of… poise. I'm quieter."

"When you talk about you being quiet, all I can think of is you sneaking up on some poor mouse and getting ready to pounce."

Chat laughed. "Not a mouse, no." He reached over to tap her gently on the nose and winked at her. "Another kitty, maybe."

Marinette huffed and crossed her arms, but her white teeth shone behind her grin. She stood, taking both of the mugs by their handles in one hand. When she was near him to collect his mug, she kept talking. "Well, if you try to pounce on me I may be forced to defend myself." As she turned, smirking, she lightly flicked his bell, sending a shiver down his spine. "And, kitty to kitty, you're not the only one with claws."

Against his better judgement, and his free will, he felt his face begin to heat up. Oh no… Her teasing smirk and meaningful, half-lidded gaze seemed to hang in his vision, all framed by the glittering Parisian lights making the scene way more romantic than either of them really intended or wanted. And she called herself a kitty too, oh my god I'm going to die. Again, against his free will and better judgement, he couldn't fight off the image of Marinette wearing cute little cat ears and maybe a bell just like his and oh my god, stop, stop, stop!

In the midst of his gawking, Marinette paused, turning back to look over her shoulder at him. He did his best to put on his poker face. She cannot, under any circumstances, know what you were just thinking, man. In fact, you can't either. Never think it again. "Hey Chat? I was just going to take these down and come back but… it's actually getting pretty late. And we have school tomorrow so maybe we should wrap it up for tonight."

"Ah, of course, Princess!" Chat stood a respectable distance from her, giving her an exaggerated bow. "I eagerly await our next meeting. I miss you already."

"You're the one who will know when you see me at school."

"It's not the same though."

Marinette chuckled and ruffled his hair before continuing on her way towards the hatch to her room. "I'll see you later, Tomcat. Until next time."

"Yeah," he murmured, watching her descend into her room, "next time."

The next morning, Adrien had one thought in his head and one thought only.

What was that?!

It was actually pretty funny, he realized halfway through class, that he was so busy trying to figure out why he was left a blushing mess on Marinette's balcony, and continuing to very pointedly not imagine her in a cat outfit (Or worse, a Chat Noir outfit… oh god, stop thinking about it! What is wrong with you?), that he barely even noticed the very girl's presence just behind him. I should just blame the "kitty to kitty" thing. It's probably why I'm so hung up on the cat outfit too. Adrien supported his head on his hand, watching the teacher but not really absorbing any of the information. Yeah, that's it. I'll just… never let her know that it got to me. Ever.

Why did it get to me though? We're just friends. I don't think it'd get to me if Alya did something like that. Maybe Ladybug. Okay, if Ladybug did that I'd actually be dead right now, but that's not the point. Has Marinette ever flirted with me before? I don't think so. Did that count as flirting? Hmm, felt like it. Why would she flirt though? We agreed to just be friends. Adrien sighed and drummed his fingers quietly on the desk. I guess technically we don't have to be more than friends to flirt, and I'm not exactly innocent either there, but I don't remember Marinette being the flirty type. Not with me, Adrien, obviously, but I mean with anyone. Does that mean she only does it with Chat? If that's true, what does it mean? Why is everything so complicated?

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and then opened his eyes again so the teacher would think he was still paying attention. Really though, his focus was behind him. He tried to clear his head, getting rid of all the confusion temporarily, and focused on the sound behind him, close enough for his sensitive ears to pick up with only the standard "good hearing" instead of the transformed super hearing that being Chat Noir gave him.

Tap, scratch, scritch, tap, tap, scritch. The pencil on paper made strange music in Adrien's ears. He could hear how she dotted her "I"s with a little more force than she'd normally put into the paper, how she'd alternate between quick curves and careful lines all while maintaining a certain rhythm. Marinette's rhythm. Do most people write with a rhythm? I think so, probably. He actually didn't like it much. It was quick, almost rushed, like she was late or busy and Adrien hoped that it was just because the teacher wasn't exactly pausing for them to take their notes. Idly, he wondered if Ladybug's writing tempo would be at all similar to her fighting tempo. She was always pretty fast-paced too. I've always been a bit slower, in that sense. Ladybug always flitted around and flew away while Adrien just trod along on steady paws. The two tempos worked together, melded together well, like Chat and Ladybug did, but her quick staccato, both Marinette's and Ladybug's, reminded him just a little of his busy life and schedule.

He didn't know about Ladybug, but Marinette at least he knew didn't have that kind of thing weighing over her all the time. She was just that kind of person, and that thought made Adrien infinitely more comfortable with the quick beats. Would it be nerdy or sappy to compare us to harmonics? Both, probably. Though Marinette is my soulmate, maybe it's warranted. Oh but that means I'm the first harmonic, and my Princess always comes first, right? He smiled. And it doesn't work if she's the first harmonic, that's the one with the smallest frequency, and my tempo is slower. Darn, this metaphor is terrible. Let's just stop being a nerd for a moment and get back on topic.

Which was… oh yeah, how royally screwed I am. Maybe I'm going about it wrong? Maybe I should be trying to get her to at least tolerate me as Adrien instead of flirting with her as Chat. Or in addition to. That works just as well.

But it's not like I haven't been trying to get her more comfortable with me since, like, the beginning of school! I'm not sure I even have any more tools at my disposal other than going full Chat Noir, and that would probably either scare or irritate her. Maybe I can talk to Alya about it? Alya would know how to get closer to Marinette, right? Or at least she'd know exactly what Mari's problem with me is, so I have something more specific to work on other than "Rage Matching That of Achilles Himself".

He risked a glance at the girls behind him. Marinette was studiously scribbling in her notebook but Alya was just resting her head on her hand. She met his gaze and raised one eyebrow, a knowing smirk tugging at her lips all the while. It wasn't quite as innocent or even curious as he had expected. Instead she looked downright sly, like she had the benefit of being the audience when some hardcore dramatic irony plagued the entire scenario. But he preferred to think Alya was just imagining her latest post on the Ladyblog or something and that was why she seemed so pleased with herself.

Flicking his gaze back to Marinette, he whined internally. Rage not, Mari, I'll be your Patroclus. Hehe, I wonder if she'd even get it if I used that reference on her someday. But no, I probably shouldn't make a joke about Marinette being pissed at me, that might only make things worse. Still, what I did to be her Agamemnon I have no idea. It's not like I stole a pretty girl from her or anything. He turned back forward sharply, shocked and terrified at the thoughts crossing his mind. Or heck, maybe I did. I don't even know who has a crush on me anymore. I hope that's not what happened, that would be awful. She did say she had a crush on someone, right? Gosh… And that would explain why she has a problem with Adrien in particular, even though I'm the same person as Chat. Oh my god, how could I even begin to resolve that? I hope that's not what it is. Adrien glanced nervously at the clock. Hopefully Alya can tell me. But when can I talk to her alone?

When he looked at Nino's notes, his page covered in messy writing and his pencil still working furiously, and back at his own notebook, a sad, empty page with nothing more than a header, Adrien sighed and slumped in his chair. Whatever, I have Alya's number, I can just text her. It's not like we're on a time trial. Mari's hated me for a long time now, putting off action for a few more days won't make much of a difference.

In the meantime, I guess I'll keep ruminating on my stupid metaphors. The Patroclus to her Achilles? Really?