(A/N): Can i just say a huge thank you to you all! The response has been staggering, i have been totally overwhelmed by the interest this has received! Every comment makes my day. You guys are the best!

Happy Reading!


Chapter Three

It had been an incredibly unsettling week for Marinette. Adrien had been… off. She'd fallen asleep in at least one class for each of the last three days and by the time Friday rolled around she was desperate for a day where she could sleep in, spend hours in her pyjamas and just relax.

And possibly ponder Adrien's weird new behaviour. Alya and Nino had noticed too, of course. Nino shrugged every time Alya needled him for answers, sighing and telling them that the blonde just wouldn't talk about anything. Marinette was becoming worried, afraid that something bad had happened to him and he was scared to tell them. It sounded silly, so she hadn't yet shared her thoughts with Alya, but if he was still out of sorts on Monday she feared she might have to.

Or Nino. Nino would be able to ask Adrien for her, and he wouldn't tease her as much as Alya would.

Marinette yawned as she stepped out of her LadyBug costume. She'd had Tikki change her to call Cat Noir. She'd called off patrol, claiming she was busy but in truth she was bone-tired and hopeful that the night would be as quiet as it usually was. She dropped onto her bed with a sigh, grateful for the embrace of her duvet. Tikki was tired too, and after munching on half of the cookie Marinette had given her she'd curled up on Marinette's pillow and fallen asleep.

Marinette was close to joining her when she heard the familiar tapping on the glass pane of her window.

Despite how exhausted she was, how stressed about the increased attacks and how anxious about Adrien she felt, she was smiling before she'd even raised her head. Tikki made her way into her usual hiding spot in Marinette's extra sock drawer. She had a nest of sorts made up in there. Marinette petted Tikki's sleepy head before she threw open the window, the gentle rush of cool air at least waking her up a little.

"Hello, Mari."

There he was. She tried to look stern but she couldn't hide her grin.

"What are you doing here?"

He held a hand over his heart, feigning hurt.

"Me-owch! Is that how you feel about my visits?"

Truthfully?

No way.

Marinette could feel the truth on her face as she stepped aside to let him drop silently through the window.

"You know the answer to that." she retorted, feeling a little vulnerable still when admitting things like that to him.

He chuckled, his eyes bright as he stood before her.

"It's nice to be welcome." he sniffed, but he was smiling too.

Marinette rolled her eyes and flicked his bell. The sound was soft and tinkly in the darkness.

"You're such a house cat."

He made a disapproving noise but followed her as she made her way over to her desk, sitting in his favourite chair - the one Adrien always chose when he visited too - and letting his eyes travel over the desktop contents. He didn't bother to hide his interest any more, and Marinette had long since grown out of hiding things from him. As nervous as she always felt showing her designs to Alya and Nino and Adrien, she wasn't with her partner.

He purred appreciatively at a coat design that was in the process of being born, the outlines trailing and ending, teasing in their possibilities.

"Impurressive as always, i see."

Marinette hummed distractedly, trying to remember where she'd sat the tupperware tub of cookies she'd brought up. She could hear her partner flipping papers as she hunted, hear him making the pleased little noises he so often did. She was wondering what he'd think of the bottom page of designs, the ones inspired by him, when she finally located the tub under the jumper she'd thrown over it.

She turned triumphantly, eyes finding him as she grinned and held the box up for him to see. But Noir was holding a page in his claws, as gently as she'd ever seen him hold anything, and his green eyes were wide. She watched his expression, feeling anxious worry squirming in her stomach. It was nothing compared to the worry she'd been feeling over Adrien but it was significant enough to give her pause.

She liked her partner like that a lot more than she cared to admit. His opinion had the ability to truly hurt her. And she knew it.

She watched his face as she sat back down, biting her lip. He looked… odd. He looked nervous, unsure, confused… worried? Cat was always so confident, it was unusual to see him like this. She put the box on the desk and craned to look at what he'd found.

It was one of her dress designs, one of the rare ones that wasn't flooded with colour. Marinette liked colours; light and pastel, vivid and living. She had to hold back on the red when she first became LadyBug, so excited by the thought of her costume that she kept straying and over-using it.

The dress on the page in Cat's hands was pitch black, like his suit. It had a sweetheart neckline, and a stiff high collar like his. There was a touch of black lace along the neckline, and nestled in the point where the two sides met was a tiny gold bell, sewn on with a black velvet ribbon. The dress fell to knee-length, only the barest hint of shape, elegant and mysterious like Cat Noir himself.

And to top off the whole thing there was a vivid green ribbon at the base of the bodice, as green as Cat's eyes, as green as his famous paw print. She had toyed with idea of red but dismissed it. It was a thick and eye-catching satin ribbon, and in the side-sketches Marinette had sketched the bow it would tie into. On the back of the dress were a line of small silver buttons, each shaped painstakingly into little paw prints and dotted in the centre with green.

Marinette had spent a good few weeks perfecting the design, hiding it away until she felt ready for him to discover it on her desk. She bit her lip and looked up at him, knowing she shouldn't feel quite so nervous and yet terrified he wouldn't like it. He blinked, staring at the drawing for another moment before he finally met her eyes.

"Wow." he breathed, looking back down at the dress.

"You like it?" she managed to squeak, scolding herself for feeling so silly and yet worried he wouldn't like it at all.

She'd gotten material, ready to start making it, and if he didn't like it… Well she probably wouldn't make it. Such a thing surprised her because as shy and docile as Marinette truly was, she'd never let other people decide what she did or didn't create. Cat's opinion meant more than it should, and she didn't want to think about why.

"Mari… It's…"

His voice sounded funny, and Marinette felt crestfallen.

"You don't like it?" she whispered, trying not to show how surprisingly upset that made her feel.

"No." he breathed, looking up at her with those glowing green eyes. "I love it."

Marinette grinned, flush from top to toe in a dizzying pride. Cat was smiling at her softly, the way he looked at LadyBug so often, and Marinette felt her cheeks heat up.

"I- ahh. Thank you." she tried, attempting to sound calm even though inside she was cheering.

Cat Noir just smiled again, and set down the design very carefully on her desk. His gaze lingered on it and he looked pleased, and Marinette felt like she had accomplished something great. The work she'd put in had paid off, despite the hours of sleep she had missed out on. When Cat turned towards her again he surprised her, drawing her into a hug before she knew what was going on.

"I'm honoured, Princess, to be the inspiration for your brilliant mind."

Marinette blushed properly that time, scarlet and nervous. But she hugged him back, surprised he'd done such a thing and yet pleased too. She was far more fond of him than she was telling even herself, and it was proven when he drew back and she missed his touch.

"You're brilliant yourself, Cat." she smiled, before rolling her eyes at his grin. "In your own, annoying way."

Cat sniffed, but his eyes were twinkling.

"You'd rather i was a well-behaved house cat?"

Marinette cocked her head to one side, pretending to look at him thoughtfully. He raised an eyebrow. She hummed teasingly.

"Weeell…"

Cat feigned insult again, but underneath it Marinette could see the real nervousness in his eyes, something she had never ever expected to see in Cat. And yet she'd been seeing it for months, that trepidation. She'd come to the conclusion that perhaps her fierce and bubbly partner was as nervous under his mask as she was. She reached over to flick his bell, and his smile chased away the look in his eyes.

"I guess not." she giggled. "Although it might be nice to have a nice quiet cat around who doesn't cause trouble."

He laughed with her, and then that cheeky look she knew so well was in his eyes, warning her that a taunt was coming. And he didn't disappoint.

"You just want to have me around more often."

She snorted, flashing him a look as she grabbed a cookie.

"You wish, pussycat."

In an instant, Cat's manner changed. He seemed to shrink, all traces of his bold confidence gone in a matter of seconds. His ears flicked a little to the side and he bit his lip. Before Marinette could even ask what was wrong he was out of his chair and across the room.

"Cat?"

"I- uhm. I have to go."

"Wait-"

She chased him but he was Cat Noir. By the time she'd gotten to the window he was out of it and when she reached the balcony he was gone. She felt an uneasy feeling settle in her stomach as she looked out into the darkness and saw no trace of him. She leaned on the balcony to look over, knowing she wouldn't find him. He was swift and fast, he'd be long gone.

She sighed, feeling sadder than she expected to, and she knew that at some point she was going to have to deal with the feelings she was juggling, with the way Cat made her feel. Because she still loved Adrien, didn't she? And yet…

Urghh, this was way too complicated. And now she had her partner to worry about, wondering why he'd run off on her. She teased him all the time, pussycat was one of her regular nicknames for him. He'd never reacted like that before.

"Oh, Cat…"

What had she done to cause such a reaction? What had she said?