A/N: Here's an early update. Enjoy this lighter chapter. :)

Thank you to everyone for your reviews and encouragement! You're all awesome.

Chapter 3: The Other Reunion

It felt like it had been forever since he had transformed and Plagg agreed with that sentiment entirely. The feel of the leather suit, though far from foreign, was stiff and Adrien didn't move in it as naturally as he used to. It was minor thing though because surprisingly, he felt like Plagg was spot on in his assumption. As Chat Noir, he had the fresh courage of the superhero and the best thing was, his speech was unimpeded. While the suit didn't feel quite right, everything else seemed like it was back to normal. A happy, healthy normal. Adrien let the grin on his face spread wide. It was great to feel the daring surge of the cat's spirit again.

He exited his room with a more careful trepidation than usual. His father had more surveillance installed around the grounds since Adrien had returned home. The last thing he wanted was to make his father think Chat was some kind of night burglar- or worse, put two and two together and realize that his own son was the masked superhero of Paris. If his father ever found out, he'd be confined to the house for life for doing something so dangerous. So he took it nice and slow as he made his way out of the Agreste estate, making mental notes as he went so his return trip would be easier.

Once on the rooftops, he observed the city with a gradual, full rotation, taking in a deep breath of the cool night air as he did so. He reveled in the sights, the smells, the relative quietness of the night. Apparently he had also missed patrols more than he first figured. Whipping out his baton, he took flight. Dashing and leaping across rooftops, the feeling of rejuvenating excitement washed over him as oxygen coursed through his lungs and into his muscles. His heart raced and his lungs soon burned as he bolted across the city. It had been too long since his last jaunt. If it hadn't been so late, he would have sought Ladybug out, but the clock face in one of the many parks told him his lady had finished patrol long ago. So he continued running, disregarding the protest his weakened body petitioned. He was finally free.

After another spree, he decided to yield to his screaming lungs, catching himself at his knees as he sucked in some deep breaths to replenish his stamina. Sweat poured down his forehead as he looked at his surroundings, noticing the top of the small, familiar corner bakery just in the distance. Having rested on Marinette Dupain-Cheng's balcony on a couple of occasions, he decided her small outdoor chair would provide a far superior resting spot than the dingy metal ledge he currently squatted on. He wiped his face before extending his baton, vaulting over the remaining obstacles coming to his classmate's balcony with a light thump. However, upon landing he stumbled when his strength waned, resulting in a crash when he careened into a potted plant.

"Oww. . ." he grumbled, gingerly rubbing his upper arm where it had been impacted.

Fortunately nothing around him had broken, only a little soil had spilled from the pot the plant sat in. He carefully rose to his feet, ensuring he didn't upset anything else in the process. There was a good chance he had woken someone up, and he hoped it hadn't been-

"P-princess!" he exclaimed with a start, falling back onto his butt.

"Chat-" Marinette lowered the large textbook she was wielding in front of her. "Chat. . ." she repeated dumbly, her mind reeling as she trying to process what had just happened.

"Chat Noir!" she exclaimed.

The cat crumpled back at her raised voice, balking as he looked at his classmate who almost appeared. . . infuriated.

"He-y Marinette, sorry about the mess. An-and I didn't mean to wake you," he added with a stammer, waving his hands apologetically in front of his face after seeing her frown increase.

Marinette's glare softened a bit as she stared down at him. Chat watched her cautiously, unsure how upset she could be when woken up abruptly in the middle of the night. Her attire then caught his eye and he found his gaze traveling up a cute set of pink flannel pants with a black tee shirt with a white silhouette of a cat's head in the center. Her hair was a ruffled clump of wavy locks from the crimps of the pigtails she wore daily and her face wore a displeased frown. He stifled the impulse to chuckle as he knew it would just further provoke her rage. But she was really cute. Adorable, really. A hint of a smile must have slipped past him, as the girl's expression soured anew.

"Where have you been?!"

There. She said it.

Adrien gaped. Why the sudden concern for Chat's whereabouts? Last he checked, Marinette never requested updates, let alone even suggest to schedule the next time he would stop by. Did he miss something?

"Oh, you know, around," he replied casually. There was no reason she had to know what he'd been going through.

"Ladybug hasn't seen you in weeks," she pointed out, angrily, throwing her arms in the air as emphasis.

Wait, she had spoken with Ladybug? Granted, it didn't seem odd once he played the idea through his mind. Ladybug had interacted with their class on a number of occasions, she knew many of them by name, and she even knew Adrien. Besides, he talked with her sometimes as Chat so why should it surprise him that Marinette might speak with Ladybug as well?

"Where have you been?" Marinette demanded again, regaining Chat's attention.

She now towered over him, crossing her arms as fury continued to burn at the backs of her eyes. Couldn't he see that she was upset? It didn't matter that she wasn't Ladybug. Had Hawkmoth been active, it would have been all of Paris that suffered, not just her. Chat remained on the ground in front of her, splayed ungracefully on her balcony. In the middle of the night. It was the first time she had seen him in weeks and he owed her an explanation. She had nearly been worried sick with anxiety over his well being, and now he just shows up, uninvited, as carefree as ever. Her stony expression melted as it hit her again. Chat was sitting in front of her, worse for wear. Her partner. Her kitty. The one, who in her darkest dreams, she feared she may have lost. And based on his current appearance, her fears weren't completely quelled.

Marinette dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her chin on his shoulder. What had he been through? She shuddered briefly before she steeled herself again, pulling away from a dumbfounded cat to look him in the eyes. Up close, his eyes looked bleary, and he was breathing more laboriously than usual. She frowned at him again upon noticing his face seemed more gaunt. A faint line of puckered skin ran down his left cheek to his jaw, like he had scraped his face something awful.

"She. . . and I," Marinette added tentatively, "have been very worried about you."

"I'm sorry," Chat said, his gaze dropping so he was no longer looking at her directly. "I was. . . sick," he finally finished with great effort. "Quite sick. Bedridden for a majority of the time," he added, his eyes still staring past her. It wasn't a complete lie. Adrien just didn't know what else he could say without drawing unnecessary attention to himself. "I'm fine now, though," he said, turning back to her, making sure she noticed his large grin.

Marinette felt her stomach sink with guilt as he gave his alibi. How could she fault him for that? It wasn't his choice whether he became ill or not. Just because it hadn't happened in the past (or at least not for weeks at a time), didn't mean he was immune to human frailties. Ladybug of all people should have realized that. Her eyes wrinkled with sadness as she gazed at him. Despite his facade, he still looked less lively and more tired than usual and he certainly didn't exude the same level of overconfidence he normally showed. He was obnoxious, that much was true, but she still cared about him. And his appearance in contrast to his behavior worried her somewhat. She ruffled his hair in an effort to lighten the mood to which he turned and gave her a sheepish smile. She returned with a wry smirk of her own. She still wasn't pleased he had woken her up, but at least she now knew he was safe.

"You'd better inform Ladybug tomorrow then," Marinette instructed sternly as she pulled the boy to his feet.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," he agreed, still feeling self-conscious. He dusted himself off as Marinette turned her back to straighten the disheveled pot. After collecting his baton, he turned and reached for the railing when Marinette wheeled around.

"Wait a second," she said, stabbing a finger in his direction. "That doesn't explain what you're doing on my balcony so late. I mean, 3:30 in the morning is a little late for even you, wouldn't you agree?" She was crossing her arms again, tapping an impatient finger against her upper arm.

Adrien shifted uncomfortably before looking back to her.

"With all the sleep I've gotten lately, I was feeling restless tonight. I decided to go out and get some fresh air."

"Is that all?" she asked, eyeing him skeptically.

"I- uh, needed a breather," he confessed, rubbing at his arm again. "I'm a little out of shape, and happened to be in the neighborhood. . . and you have a nice chair out here so- I . . . uh. . ."

Marinette giggled. Adrien froze, relaxing a little when her giggle continued.

"It's okay, kitty," she reassured him. "But you really should try and get some sleep. You don't want to get sick again, do you?"

"You're right about that, Princess."

She rolled her eyes dramatically at the pet name, suppressing the smile that spread across her face, but allowed him to kiss the back of her hand before leaving. Everything seemed normal again as he bowed and leapt onto the railing before waving her off, but then something caught her attention that she found unsettling. Had she not been so experienced as Ladybug, she probably would have missed it. . . but her trained eyes were certain she had seen him wince just now, if only for a second. That alone was more disconcerting than anything else she had discovered about him that night. Why was he pretending everything was okay? And had he really just been ill? She peered at him with concern as he vaulted into the night, contemplating all the details she would grill him about tomorrow. A large yawn pushed her eyelids down as the need for more sleep overtook her. She shuffled mindlessly back into her room where she threw herself down on the bed. A sleepy Tikki looked up at Marinette as the girl pulled her covers up to her chin.

"Is Chat alright?" the kwami asked.

"Yeah. He's. . . fine," Marinette muttered with another yawn before rolling over, letting her eyes droop shut.

'At least, I hope he is. . .'

A/N: Yay! I found a way to put some Marichat in here!

The next update will still probably be this weekend. Might as well keep going strong. ;)