A/N: I couldn't help it. I got really excited after seeing how many people have followed my story. Enjoy! Let me know what you think! I'm currently rewriting the third 'episode' to make it longer (the word count for that whole section came up a bit short) while slowly posting the parts to this second episode.


The Materialist: Part Two

Adrien waited on Marinette's roof, fingering the leather tail of his Miraculous. He thought back on how his date with Marinette hadn't ended the way he had planned; he had wanted to give her a goodnight kiss at her doorstep, and then offer to take her out again the following weekend…

"I'm back!" Marinette cheerfully said, smiling at him. A first-aid kit is tucked underneath her arm.

Adrien smiled at her tiredly, the deep sadness prodding him like the incessant chill of winter. Despite the date not going how he had intended, he wouldn't trade this moment - even if his lady didn't remember the significance behind it.

As she doctored his face, he murmured, "Thank you."

She paused, watching him in concern. "Are you feeling all right, Chat Noir? You're not your usual self right now."

He smirked, but this time, he couldn't help the bitter tone it gave his voice. "I'll be fine."

She put a bandaid on his chin, covering the scratch. "You can tell me," she said as she packed up the first aid kit. "I won't tell anyone. Promise."

"Marinette…" he breathed. She looked up at him. Suddenly, he was overcome with the urge to kiss her. He wrapped his hands gently around her wrists, stopping her movements.

He leaned forward, watching her eyes widen as he toyed with the idea of pressing his lips against hers. Deciding against it, he bypassed her face and rested his forehead on her shoulder. "Just… let me rest for a moment."

He held her wrists in his hands - enough to maintain a grip, but not enough to restrain her. If she tried to pull away, he would let her.

But she didn't.

After a few seconds of silence, Marinette whispered, "What happened?"

He laughed hoarsely. The irony behind those two words were priceless; after all, she was the cause of his pain, yet she didn't even know it - to an extent, anyway. He couldn't keep it in anymore, though; these last few days have been horrible on him. "A girl. Brave, courageous, and beautiful - and totally oblivious to me."

"Ladybug?" Marinette whispered.

You got it, he thought, smiling into her shoulder where she couldn't see the tears welling in his eyes. I guess you're more observant than I'd presumed. "She knows the me behind the mask and seems to like that version. I wonder if she likes Chat Noir, too. I'm only ever truly myself when I'm with Ladybug as Chat Noir, but… if she found out my real identity, would she still want to be my friend?"

His voice cracked on the end. He knew he was giving away too much; he could tell by the way her breath caught when he had said she knew him without the mask. He also knew he was being a bit unreasonable; she had accepted him the moment he had shown her his true identity a week ago. However, he couldn't shake off the feeling that he didn't know how she felt about 'Chat,' the real side of him. He wanted Marinette's - not Ladybug's - honest opinion, and this might just be the only time he would ever get it when she didn't know his true identity.

She pulled out of his grip. He tensed, ready to move away at the slightest bit of rejection on her part. However, he was startled when her hand stroked his hair, soothing him. "I'm sure she doesn't hate you, Chat," she breathed. "If she did, she wouldn't want to partner with you."

His arms wrapped loosely around Marinette's waist. He heard the soft warning beep from his ring signifying he only had five more minutes left on his disguise. "Thank you, Marinette."

She pulled away, twisting around to look at his ring. "You need to go, don't you?"

He smiled at her, suddenly exhausted. "Yeah, but… I don't know if I can make it home before I run out of time. Can I stay here and recharge before leaving?"

Marinette blinked, surprised. "But… that means you'll be showing me your true identity."

"Only if you peek." He pointed at the door leading down into her room. "I just need some cheese - preferably camembert if you have any - and about five minutes."

A giggle burst out of her. "Is that your recharge food? Gross."

He blushed. "Y-yeah. Something like that."

Marinette patted him on the top of the head. "Don't worry. I'll get you some cheese. Just wait here."

He waited. In less than three minutes, she was back, handing over the cheese. She gave him a smile. "If there's anything else I can do, just let me know, Chat Noir."

Stop her, an inner voice screamed at him. It almost sounded like Plagg's, but he knew his kwami couldn't talk to him while he was transformed. Stop her before she leaves. Tell her the truth; tell her you know she is Ladybug and that she is in love with your other self.

The door shut. Adrien stared at it, still rooted to the spot as his transformation slowly faded away and Plagg popped out.

"You idiot!" he instantly roared as quietly as the feline kwami could muster at a time like this. "You could have told her. She was right here! Go down there! Explain to her what happened when she was akumatized!"

Adrien shook his head as he held the cheese out, careful not to inhale too deeply. It wasn't camembert, but it also wasn't one of his favorites. "If I tell her, then I won't have the chance to find out if she likes me, Plagg. I know she likes this version - " He gestured to his civilian clothes and unmasked face. "But I need to know if she likes Chat Noir, too."

Plagg chomped on the cheese, unhappy about the situation. "You're still an idiot," he grumbled around a mouthful. "You should go apologize or something before you leave."

In about five minutes, Plagg was back to full strength. Adrien transformed into Chat Noir and knocked on the door leading down into Marinette's room; no answer. Chewing on his lip, he finally made a decision and hopped down into the room.

It was much smaller than his own, but it felt much more like a bedroom than his did. He noticed posters of his modeling products on the wall near her desk and smiled. Yep, she was a fan, all right.

Marinette was sprawled out on her bed on top of the covers, a book drooping from her fingers as she dozed. Adrien paused, surprised; she must have been exhausted to fall asleep so fast. She hadn't even stirred when he had landed silently next to her on the bed.

He pulled the covers over her, smiling gently at her relaxed face. Why was he so upset that she preferred 'Adrien' over 'Chat Noir'? They were both him, and his real form was more permanent than his Miraculous form. There shouldn't be anything to be concerned with.

He kissed her forehead, resting his hands briefly on either side of her as he whispered almost inaudibly, "Sleep well, mi'lady."


The next morning, Marinette shot up in bed, instantly thinking she was late for school - and then remembering it was the weekend. Slumping back in bed, she groggily glanced down to see she was still dressed in what she had worn to the theater with Adrien.

She gasped. "Adrien!" She fumbled around, searching for her phone and quickly calling him.

"Hello?" a groggy voice mumbled over the line.

Relief washed through Marinette, quickly followed by embarrassment and guilt. "I-I'm sorry, Adrien. Did I wake you? I was just worried because of what happened…"

"Oh, hey, Marinette," he greeted, his voice sounding clearer but still sleepy. "How are you? You didn't get hurt, did you?"

"No." She glanced out the window at the bustling city. "How about you?"

"Just a scratch." She heard him yawn. "Oh, I want to show you something. Would you like to meet me in the mall plaza in an hour? We can get breakfast together."

Butterflies couldn't explain the cartwheels her stomach was doing. "Yes!" she squeaked, and he hung up. She leaped out of bed and grabbed a quick shower, getting ready in record timing. She tossed back an excuse to her parents as she rushed out the door, eager to see what Adrien had planned.

She stood near the fountain in the mall plaza, anxiously waiting for Adrien. Tikki poked her head out, beaming at Marinette. "This is so exciting! A second date in just two days!"

"I wonder what he has to show me!" Marinette exclaimed, nearly bouncing in excitement.

"Whatever it is, it has to be good!" Tikki closed her eyes and bobbed her head in happiness. "Just don't forget the akumatized person we met yesterday. She seemed to be pretty mad at you, Marinette."

"Don't worry, I will," she reassured her kwami. Clicking her purse closed again, she glanced around just in time to see Adrien strolling towards her, his hands filled with coffee and paper bags.

"Good morning," he greeted her with a grin, offering her a coffee and a bag. "Here."

She hesitantly took it, sipping at the cup. She hummed at the taste. "Delicious!" Peeking inside the bag, she smiled at the muffin. "You weren't kidding about having breakfast together."

He perched on the edge of the fountain. "Of course not." When she looked at him, she noticed the small scratch on his face.

On reflex, she reached out and touched it. "What happened?"

"Just a nick from the rubble." He took a bite out of his muffin while watching her. "What do you think of Chat Noir and Ladybug?"

"W-what?" she stammered, her smile glued to her face as she carefully set her coffee down before she dropped it. She laughed mechanically. "They're Paris's heroes and pretty cool. What about them?"

He stared over the crowd, not looking at her. "It's nothing." He pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to her. "Here."

She held out her hand, and he dropped something into it. She gasped at the pretty locket before looking at Adrien. "This looks way too valuable. I can't - "

"Look inside it."

She carefully opened the locket, seeing a picture of Adrien's mother on the inside. She looked very much like him with fine blonde hair, green eyes, and a radiant smile. "Beautiful," Marinette whispered, enamored.

"It used to be my mom's," Adrien began quietly as he took it back from her. His thumb ran over the picture before he clicked the locket shut. He slipped it over his neck, tucking it underneath his shirt. "It's the only thing I have left to remind me what she looks like. I… don't really show anyone it. Anytime I have a shoot, I hide it."

Marinette watched him, unsure why he was telling her this. He noticed her curious glance and smiled slightly. "When I woke up this morning, I realized I hadn't looked at her photo since last week."

Marinette stopped breathing for a brief moment, her thoughts racing. Last week… last week, she had been akumatized. Last week, Adrien had rejected her feelings - and then came back and told her he liked her.

Before she could say anything, he offered his hand to her. "Want to walk around a bit?"

She nodded shyly, taking his hand. Her head swirled as she mentally freaked out in excitement over holding Adrien's hand but mulled over her lost memories about the previous week. He smiled at her, and she felt like she was going to melt.

"Stop. Right. There."

They looked up to see the girl from last night hovering above them on what looked like a board with jets. She flicked her raven hair over her shoulder and glared at Marinette. "Get your filthy hands off him, baker's daughter."

Marinette took a deep breath to tell this girl off, but Adrien stepped in front of her. "Why are you following us?" he demanded. Marinette had to give him credit; his voice didn't tremble once.

Her enraged expression melted into one of pure adoration. "I love you, Adrien. I don't mind if you date, just - " She jabbed her finger at Marinette. "Not her. She's not worthy of your attention."

"Run," he breathed.

Marinette barely caught the word, but the intent was clear. "No way, Adrien," she hissed. "She can materialize guns! We need to leave together."

"She won't hurt me. You're another story, though. Go!" He pushed her away.

She gave him one last glance before darting around a corner. "Tikki, spots on!"

The transformation wasn't quick enough for Marinette's liking. Within seconds, she was in her tight suit with her yo-yo strapped to her waist. She sprinted out of her hiding space, glaring at the girl now focused entirely on what Adrien was saying.

"... go with you, just leave Marinette alone!"

She giggled triumphantly. "Good choice, Adrien." She looked over Adrien's shoulder to spot Marinette in her Ladybug outfit. Her expression darkened as if she had showed up as herself in civilian clothes instead, sending a chill down her spine. "I won't let you interfere, Ladybug."

Adrien turned around, his eyes wide and hopeful. He smiled at her - really smiled - and it twisted her heart. Adrien hadn't smiled like that to Marinette.

The outline of a butterfly formed around the girl's face, signifying Hawk Moth communicating with her. A memory flashed through Marinette's mind of gripping a cylindrical item in her hand, craving an escape from the pain of being rejected. Hawk Moth had provided her with that escape in the form of being able to take away emotions.

Marinette gripped her yo-yo tightly, her hands shaking. "Run, Adrien," she ordered, glaring at the girl with raw anger. Not anger at the girl specifically, but at the man behind her, controlling her like a puppet. "Who are you?"

"The Materialist," the girl said in a haughty voice as Adrien escaped around a corner and disappeared. "What are you doing here, Ladybug?"

"I'm here to stop you," she snapped, irritated. She spun her yo-yo, preparing herself for the first attack. "You shouldn't go breaking up people's dates, you know. It's rude."

"Indeed." She turned to see Chat Noir crouching on top of his extended baton. He winked at her. "Good morning, mi'lady. I haven't seen you in a while."

Ladybug turned away from him. "This isn't time for games, Chat."

He sighed wistfully. "Oh, the games I want to play with you, mi'lady…"

Materialist snorted in disgust. "Just get a room already." She grinned wickedly, holding her arms wide. "Better yet, I'll give you one."

Suddenly, they were encased in a plush room with red walls and a heart-shaped bed. There was even a red, heart-shaped jacuzzi in the corner. The floor and tiles were black and accented by little red hearts here and there.

"Ugh." Marinette wrinkled her nose as she glanced around. No doors or windows. How were they supposed to get out of this one?!

"Hmm… purr-fectly comfy."

She turned around to see Chat Noir stretching languidly across the bed, smiling seductively at her. He patted the comforter in front of him. "Join me?"