The walk home was far more awkward than he had expected. Bodyguard skulking along in the car aside, he didn't know what to talk about and neither did she. No, that was a lie. They had a lot in common: videogames, fashion, musical tastes as well as regular school life. But for some reason the cat got his tongue. Ironic since his talks with Marinette as Chat were always so alive and overflowing with too many topics to keep track of. The kind of conversations that you couldn't remember all the details from save a few funny lines and the happiness of having the company. He wished he could have the same talk with her as himself, wished she could be herself. He tried anyway.

"So Marinette, what have you been up to?" Adrien flinched when the small girl yelped behind her purse.

"Up to? N-nothing! Why would you say that? I mean, I've not been up to anything at all." She wheezed out a laugh, giving him an extra step of distance. Now, he thought, that was suspicious. His inner Chat grew ever more curious, clawing the back of his mind as a cat would claw the new couch.

"Oh? Marinette, are you...hiding something?" Adrien leaned closer, flashing a sparkly grin. Marinette buckled under her weight, taking a huge stride to catch herself. He had to admit to himself, it was cute to see her so flustered though why he enjoyed it, he couldn't fathom. Was it him or Chat at play? What did it mean if it was both?

"Uh!" She frantically thought up a lie. He could tell by the way her eyes looked around for any prompt but wanted to hear what it might be as after all, Marinette was known for her creativity. "Uh, I was busy-"

"With?"

"S-Stuff I had to do!"

"Regarding?" Adrien closed the gap again, leaning over so they were eye level.

"Um, it's a secret?" Her face radiated heat like an oven. This was torture for the poor girl. He enjoyed it all the same, cruel as that may seem to others. To him, it was cute.

"Is it though? You don't sound so sure. Is it a boy?" He swore he heard glass breaking behind those doe eyes.

"A b-boy!? No! I was..." she frowned. "I was...I was-"

"It's okay, Marinette." Adrien clasped her hand gently as they strolled. "I won't pry any further." He paused a moment before continuing. "I hope I don't make him jealous!" Marinette freed her hand and gave him a rougher than expected shove, he had to catch himself with the strength she demonstrated. Clearly an instinctual reaction because moments later she was over apologising in case she caused a bruised. Adrien couldn't respond through his giggle fit. His laughter had fortunately been infectious as she hid a small smirk.

"Adrien, you're as bad as Alya!"

"What? Alya teases you about boys too?" That last comment for whatever reason seemed too far, Marinette hung her head in what he thought might be a silent admittance. Who could it be though, if that were the case? Not him, she rarely even looked his way... Adrien shook the thoughts away, compulsively grabbing the back of his neck in guilt. "Sorry Mari, I didn't mean to tease you. Well, I did but only to make you laugh." Her face lit up a little. It was enough.

"You're worse than Alya and that's saying something." Marinette gave a soft smile, cheeks still a rosy pink. Adrien felt his tongue give up on forming any words, instead gulping excess saliva, he stupidly smiling and sighing with relief that she made no comment on the nick name.

Her pure and innocent expression caught him off guard but the salivating...they were stood in front of the bakery now so that must be why. He admired the exterior decoration, attempting to push the thoughts aside. Something about her seemed...curious when he really looked at her. It bothered him more than he realised not knowing what it was. It was a nagging sensation that lingered in the back of his mind.

"Adrien?" She meekly brought him back from the bat cave in his mind. He realised he'd been fondling his chin in contemplation and quickly dropped his arms back to his sides, giving a shrug of an apology. "Should we go inside? You're not going to learn out here."

"Right. After you Mari." He gestured her inside, internally cringing that he called her that nickname again. Once was ignored, surely not again. But Marinette merely unlocked the door and invited him in, unfazed by the nickname or the tension in his chest. Of course, she wouldn't see that he reasoned, but it felt like his ribcage had tightened every time he made an ass of himself. A rare and uncomfortable but oddly not new sensation around her.

Stepping in after Marinette, straining not to touch the delicate desserts decorating the display cabinets, he could really take in how homely and warm the place felt for the first time. Even the shop floor felt like a home in itself. All the little and large treats living in their colourful, organised neighbourhood cases. Pots and pans old and rusty hung from the walls, implying that the owner's sentimentality couldn't bear to throw them away.

Counters shiny from being recently cleaned reflected his face that was only slightly obscured by various bits and bobs only a baker would know the name of. The centrepiece and most likely the pride and money-maker of the business was the classic stone oven. The thought of all of the wonderful treats coming out of that oven and the strong cinnamon smell caused an understandably expected growl from his stomach, a reaction Marinette must have experienced often dealing with customers.

The girl in question had disappeared upstairs, leaving him to wonder the shop floor and admire treats he was struggling evermore to resist. Maybe she wouldn't notice a few missing? He could hear scuffling and hushed voices upstairs, sounds of feet against floorboards pacing back and forth. The speed of the steps had him concerned.

"Should we investigate?" Plagg yawned, squirming and stretching from a long cat nap in his inside pocket.

Adrien asked quietly. "Where have you been? How do you know where we even are?"

"Meh, I've been listening on and off. You were really awkward, so I went back to sleep to spare myself the embarrassment." Plagg yawned again, licking his dry lips. "So, is this dare I say, a date?"

"What, no? Marinette's just giving me baking lessons. I don't think she likes me that way..."

"Adrien, really!?" Plagg groaned in frustration, hiding the smile upon hearing Adrien's unnoticed frustration at this. "I bet you 100 camembert wheels she's going to come down those stairs dressed really nice...for you."

"This is her house, she can change if she wants to. And besides, you know how I feel about Ladybug."

"Oh, Adrien, I do. I really do. And to be honest, well, I shouldn't really say anything." Plagg toyed with an idea in his head. The idea was mischievous in nature, Adrien knew Plagg well.

"What shouldn't you say? Plagg?"

Marinette reappeared from the stairs. It seemed Adrien owed Plagg 100 camembert wheels after all. She had changed into some pastel coloured clothing, the kind you wouldn't miss if they got messy. Her hair was different too, all of it tied into a large bun like a crown. He wasn't used to seeing her dressed differently, but even something as mundane or normal like a hairstyle change greatly intrigued him. She looked different and that was…well, different. He couldn't find the word for it, not yet.

"Are you okay Adrien, was there a customer?" Marinette spoke as she wrapped her apron around her. "I thought I flipped the sign…"

"N-no Mari, just...uh, admiring the new look." He pointed to her hair using the other hand's thumb to press Plagg's head back into his cotton cubby. He winced slightly at the nip he received back. She eyed his slightly strange actions with confusion then realised he'd just complimented her hair. She felt for the bun to check it was still in place.

"It's not a new look, just something to keep my hair out of my eyes when I'm helping out." Her eyes shot to the floor, retreating from the attention. "But thank you, Adrien." She made no remark on the nickname again much to his relief. He guessed that it was alright to use. She beckoned Adrien come get his apron. His…pink apron adorned with oriental style flora and food prints. "My Dad's is a little too big, I think. This one is clean at least." Her apologetic smile made it hard for him to be put off for long.

"Okay, thanks. But next time I'm bringing my own. So, what are we making?" Adrien clapped his hands together and rubbed them like he was starting a fire, eager to get started.

"Next time? Uh, whatever you want, though please not cinnamon rolls. I made like 250 or more of those yesterday for the hotel's restaurant."

"Really!? Wow, I never knew how much your bakery contributed to the Mayor's hotel..." Had Ladybug gotten her mitts on some of these rolls and not shared with him yesterday? Did she stay at the hotel or even...had she shopped here before? Marinette might have even met her and not known! Still, he noted to ask next time they went on patrol as he almost always shared his treats with his Bug.

"Yes, I'm often just doing the small orders though." Marinette spoke as she arranged the basic crockery one needed to bake anything. "Sometimes we even cater to your Father's shows…"

"That's a small order? Wow. Well, I'm feeling something a little more savoury. Any ideas?"

His teacher paused a moment, caressing her cheek in thought. A 'tada' moment graced her face in seconds, Adrien could easily imagine light bulbs flashing in those unexpectedly vibrant eyes.

"Hold on a minute please?" She ran upstairs again only to return wielding a tattered scrapbook covered in what Adrien assumed was at one time drawings of food only now stained with actual food. "This is a book Alya and I made, full of recipe ideas." Marinette flicked through several sticky pages, looking for something that would suit Adrien's craving and not a recipe that blew up in hers and Alya's face, sometimes literally. Peering over her shoulder, Adrien admired the colourful concoctions and snacks on the pages as quickly as he could. "Aha, how about a pizza?" She turned to realise he was looming over her, inches away from her face. He noticed her gormless expression, those cheeks rosy red again and now facing the floor. Perhaps she was not very confident with the idea? He lifted her chin gently, making very soft eye contact. She stared like she'd been caught in the headlights, unable to move.

"Pizza sounds awesome, what do you need me to do?" Adrien stood back, hands on hips and ready to get to it. "The quicker we start, the quicker we can eat."

"R-right. Um, here..." Marinette laid out the basics for making dough that were always on hand for a baker.

"Could you...mix these ingredients together until we get a doughy consistency? Just springy enough so that if you punch it, it puffs right back for another one! There are scales over there." Adrien looked over the quantities in the book, nose nearly touching the pages and with an excited grin he could not hold back.

"Whoa, that's a lot. How many pizzas are we making?" He also silently wondered how often Marinette had abused and battered her poor dough.

"Just one. The idea was to make a gigantic pizza. Like, comically huge." Marinette reached to either side of her to exaggerate the size of it. "For movie nights."

"Okay, that's double awesome. Maybe even quadruple awesome! I should have started lessons sooner. Alright..." Adrien - baker apprentice began his mixing whilst Marinette scurried away to round up toppings. She returned with precooked chicken and bacon, plus a large bag of pasta, which immediately confused the boy. "Aren't we having pizza?"

"It's going to be a Mac and cheese pizza of ultimate cheesiness!" Marinette pumped her fist in the air, remembered it wasn't Alya she was cooking with and returned to her shy posture just as quick. "If that's okay?" she squeaked. Adrien felt a little tug in his chest, thinking how awesome she was, never mind the pizza. This girl knew how to have fun in the best way. The tugging continued however, and he realised Plagg had been triggered by that precious word. Cheese. Adrien tried in vain to ignore the ruffling.

"Okay, but please no camembert?" He winced slightly at a sharp pinch of a nipple, making a point to deny those 100 camembert wheels betted earlier.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, just a little annoying pain...from fencing. It's fine."

Marinette turned around just long enough for him to give Plagg a stern glare. "Okay, I'll leave the pasta boiling for now and get to work on the cheese sauce. What you've done looks really good, so you should start kneading and making the shape. Let's make it square so it can fit in the oven exactly. We want to maximise space."

"No problem, Mari! You just leave this master baker to his craft." Adrien spoke too soon. His hands were stuck in the mixture. "Uh, may need some help."

Marinette couldn't help a small giggle, music to his ears. It seemed as though she was actually enjoying his company.

"Master baker…? That didn't sound right, Adrien." She laughed warmly at his confused face.

Marinette padded his clay like hands with more flour, started the doughball off and left him to do the rest. She watched him intently as he used his strength to kneed and spread the dough. It was more difficult than it looked on TV, small grunts escaped through gritted teeth as he pressed. Marinette still looked on, a small sigh flew from her mouth. Was she bored? It suddenly dawned on him that he was one letter off from making more of a joke of himself.

"Master baker...I see. Though it was really you who made the joke, so who's the dirty one now?" He stuck his tongue out playfully and was met with a huffy Marinette contemplating a comeback, arms folded in defence. Instead she shrugged, a half sorry grin complimenting her already cute face.

"Such sass, reminds me of someone."

"Alya?"

"No... just keep kneading, master baker." Adrien did as he was told, carefully moulding into what was promising to be the slobbiest and most comforting pizza he'll ever eat. He glanced up occasionally to watch her dance about the kitchen with such form and grace. Distracting it definitely was. He'd never seen Marinette so animated and flexible, though then again, he'd never watched her work in a bakery. If Mari's pursuits in fashion didn't work out, she'd be a wonderful baker. The keen coordination and reflexes she displayed were familiar to watch. Again though why escaped him at the moment. He was just content to admire her pirouettes and glides across the floor.

When she realised that he was watching, her whole body seemed to want to cave in. How could she help her parents bake if she was too shy being watched? Maybe it was something to do with him? It couldn't be. His mind doubted itself and began thinking in little puzzle pieces. Maybe it was him? His fame perhaps? He decided on this as an explanation for now as it was a conundrum that needed more time when he went to bed. It would make sense since she was such a fan of his work. The number of pictures plastered on her wall when she was on TV didn't display any of his outfits though...

Marinette walked through his thought bubble to assess his work. "Oh, that looks good Adrien. I'm sorry about that, I got a little carried away."

"Don't worry about me, I enjoy watching you work." He thought about the connotations of that statement too late. Another embarrassed neck rub smearing excess dough all over his shirt, another flush of embarrassment decorating his floury face. "Oh, uh, you just look so professional when you work. Hmm, what now?"

Marinette glanced about the room as prey would when looking for predators, humming quietly to herself in the hopes of finding out what now. "Oh, the pasta. I-I'll drain it and you can mix in the sauce. Then, we'll smother the dough with said pasta, dotting the bits of meat around. Sound good?"

"Sounds delicious. It's okay though Mari, I can do this myself. It's not like I don't know how to drain pasta. Where's the holey bowl?"

"The colander? Behind you. Um, excuse me a moment." Marinette made a gesture most like a courtesy and bolted up the stairs. "Don't forget to bless the bowl!" she joked on the way up. Plagg saw an opportunity to squirm out of his pocket palace and admire their work.

"Wowee, look at all this cheese! You have to save me a slice."

"When we get back, Plagg. Now get back here." Adrien glanced frequently at the stairs, listening for any footsteps as he worked on spreading the sticky mixture.

Plagg couldn't help but transfix his gaze on that lovely, runny sauce on the hob. "Yes, yes. I know to hide for now but I gotta say, some mighty cheesy work you've done."

"Yeah, but it was a team effort."

"I meant the flirting. You're a lot worse at it than I thought! Some date." Plagg's wry smile was really beginning to annoy the boy, even more so his repeated insistence on misunderstanding what was going on.

"I wasn't flirting, just being friendly. Plagg-"

"And did you see her checking out the gun show when you were punching that flour? Take it from me dude, she digs ya." Plagg hovered to eye level after swiping a lick of the delicious sauce. It was no camembert, but still wonderful on the taste buds.

"No, Marinette wouldn't dig a guy like me. We're just friends. She's made it clear she doesn't like me that way."

"How?" A simple question, but one Plagg hoped would yield some surprising revelations.

"Well, she's not too keen on me being close to her." That was a thought that gave a profound sense of sadness in his heart. It would suck if she was only tolerating him, she was always so kind to everyone else that he wanted some thrown his way too.

"That means she's shy, Adrien. She's never like that with other celebrities. She's met like, how many celebrities now? How comfortable are you when Ladybug is close to you? Bet you have to hunch over so she doesn't see how she makes you feel..."

Adrien was getting visibly flustered, a quick glance down confirmed he knew what Plagg was referring to. "There's also the fact that I like Ladybug. You've just highlighted that. You're always hinting I ask Marinette out or that I want to kiss her. You're not my matchmaker."

"No, I'm your friend and I'm trying to help you, but it seems that either magic is at play or you're really dense."

"Some friend, calling me stupid. What are you on about?" Plagg sighed, choosing to hide rather than explain anymore.

Marinette was coming back. "Adrien, are you alright? I heard talking."

"Y-yeah, of course! Just taking in what a monster, we've created."

"It is a beast, isn't it? I brought a final topping. Would you care to sign our work?" Marinette handed him a bottle of smoky barbeque sauce, a perfect accompaniment to any meal this tier of unhealthy.

Eagerly, Adrien signed the top half of the pizza, handing it back to Marinette and gesturing she go next. Holding with both hands, she managed to squeeze her whole name in bold barbeque italics, the pizza really was that big. "Now we have to cook it." she explained. "We'll use these pizza spades to move it."

"Pizza spades?" she shied away from him once again.

"It's just a silly name for them from when I was a kid. Come on, on the count of three. One..." They both moved in sync, neither wanting to see their creation decorate the floor. It managed to slide in the oven perfectly, barely a millimetre to spare. Adrien stared the pizza down, already imagining himself scoffing it as Plagg would an entire wheel of Camembert. "Now it only needs about 30 or so minutes to complete on a medium heat." After a few seconds, she must have realised that meant 30 minutes of entertaining him, which she didn't seem confident in. Adrien caught this and tried to spare her any more awkwardness from him.

"So, what else do you do in your spare time? I'm usually playing on my piano, fencing or bleh, modelling but sometimes sneak out during nights to hang out with a friend." Adrien reeled at what he had just blurted out. Plagg had him thinking too much and now it was tumbling out.

"That sounds like a good friend. I have one too."

"You and Alya have sleep overs?"

"Well yeah, but that's not who I meant." Adrien sat himself on the floury counter and gestured for her to continue, trying to look as innocent as possible because he had a strong feeling he knew who she was talking about. "I don't know if I should say..." Marinette mulled over her thoughts, face hard to read for once.

"Marinette I'm sure it's fine. It's a boy, isn't it?" Adrien chuckled at her play angry face. The pouting was an adorable sight.

"You are...right that it's a boy, but not in that way! Sometimes me and Chat hang out, or rather he hangs out on my balcony clawing to get in."

"That sounds very unfair, Mari. You're telling me you don't enjoy his company?" The disappointed glower on his face seemed to confuse her.

"I was only kidding! Y-you know-cat jokes? I can has cheeseburger?"

"I'm sure he'd be offended by such jokes!"

Marinette blinked, figuring out his pouting was just for play. "Oh, I see. Ha ha, very funny. But really, I'm grateful for his friendship. He's really sweet."

Adrien felt like his heart was trying to flutter away, he knew it was morally questionable to inquire more but the curiosity had a firm hold on him. "Really sweet, huh? Do you guys share baking recipes?" He knew she did anyway, talking at length about the new treats she attempted and most of the time succeeded. Often, she would let Chat have some freebies before he pole-vaulted to goodness knows where. She made it a point to always be a kind of lighthouse friend for him when he needed company, guiding him to her with her bright, compassionate soul.

"I offer him some treats naturally. I swear he makes it a point to stop by purely for that reason."

"Surely not just for treats, his stick wouldn't support his weight after so many visits. I'm jealous, I should stop by for treats too, though I will pay for them." Marinette looked to the floor again, hiding a smile in her hand. "What else? Give me all the details."

"I don't know what you mean! Adrien, I never took you for one so...curious. We talk, we joke, we sometimes play videogames. But mostly we just chill."

"Hmm, okay. What kinda talk? Does he read you poetry?" The eyebrow wiggle Marinette didn't seem to appreciate. The connotation was not lost on her.

Marinette huffed, arms crossed. "Pfft, no! Why would he? I'm..." Something in his gut told him she was thinking seriously on something.

Adrien's eyes pleaded for an answer. "You're what?" Marinette shook her head, a firm frown under her scrunched nose. Plagg began squirming in his cubby again, nipping his skin until he got the hint. "Hey, actually Mari, could I use the bathroom?"

"Oh, sure. You remember where it is?"

"Mmhm." He left her in her reverie, a little concerned that not only did Adrien seem to cause her upset, but Chat somehow too. He was about to enter the bathroom when his Kwami wriggled free again. "What now, Plagg?"