Had Adrien known Marinette was going to be in the locker room, he would have mentally prepared himself better. As it was, the clock said there were still ten minutes before school started, so he really hadn't expected her for another…ten minutes. At the sound of her pleasant voice coming out in a decidedly not-so-pleasant way, Adrien folded himself into the row on the other side. He was not eavesdropping. He was collecting information to better know how to help his girlfriend. And, depending on what the matter really was, he was saving himself from a "woman's scorn", or whatever that saying was.

"…told him about this? This is some deep stuff, Mari."

That was Alya's voice. Of course.

"No…we never talk about stuff like this. At least, not anymore." Marinette sighed, and Adrien placed his hand on his heart subconsciously. "He's still wearing that mask with me, Alya. I just want him to, to take off the mask and be real with me, you know?"

A locker closed.

"Hon, I get you," Adrien heard Alya reply. The voice was getting closer to where Adrien stood in the next aisle. "And all I can say is…I think it's time for a little chat, if you get what I mean."

There was silence for a moment before Marinette and Alya burst out in laughter. Adrien was too busy listening to the rich sounds of Marinette's laugh to register that they had turned out of their aisle. Skittering around the corner, Adrien barely missed an open locker with his face before dodging behind it. Above everything else now, he definitely did not want to get caught doing what he had been busy convincing himself he wasn't doing.

"I know, Alya," Marinette giggled through her words. "I just can't seem to cat-ch him at the right time."

The two girls pulled open the large locker room door and left with renewed laughter, Alya shaking her head at her best friend's word choice. The person with the open locker Adrien had just hid behind started to close it. Adrien couldn't stop him, couldn't move.

Had she just…? Did she really just…?

Sure, he had suspected, but…it was just an empty supposition. He hadn't actually believed that she didn't know. Because she would never do that! It was all just a test…!

Oh, gosh, she actually doesn't know.

Adrien raked his hands through his hair, his feet picking up a pace around the crowded locker area.

And then just to say those things to Alya!? Did Alya know, then? They were obviously talking about him! Or did Marinette have someone else entirely, another secret superhero boyfriend!?

No, she couldn't – didn't. Adrien would be able to smell him on her.

Hm…was that a creepy thing to admit?

So it had to be him.

She wanted to see Chat Noir without the mask, huh?

Adrien had already planned for this date to go badly, but now…it was a personal challenge.

qpqpqpqpqp

It was hard to keep up appearances for the next two days and nights with Marinette and Ladybug. The task was made a little easier when Adrien blatantly cancelled everything up until Friday…and even then, he made sure he skipped school that day entirely (to help oversee things for the party, right?)

When Marinette – or Ladybug – would text him, though, he always made sure to respond. Texting was easy; the screen was another mask for his feelings, one that wouldn't betray him. Hopefully.

Despite his mixed emotions – ranging from anywhere around anxious to annoyed to love-crossed – Adrien was actually, well, excited about the idea of bringing Marinette somewhere fancy, somewhere very, very public. He was sure she would look beautiful – she looked beautiful in anything anyway – and he would be able to parade her around his father and all of his father's "friends". It was charming, and would bring a great relief to him to have somewhere there he knew and loved.

He almost regretted what he was about to do.

But Marinette had punned while talking about him. Something had to give.

This thoughts only entertained Adrien for the two minutes it literally took for him to drive to Marinette's house. The sleek silver of his car played with the lights of the bakery in the darkness. Breathe in…breathe out. As he stepped out of the car, he buttoned up his slim-fit suit jacket, momentarily distracted with straightening his suit to think about much else. When he was almost to the side door of the apartment building, Adrien finally lifted his eyes…and froze.

Marinette was closing the door behind her, seeming eager to get out of the house. (Her parents were, undoubtedly, right on the inside of the door, watching.) She turned, and Adrien felt his hand this time when it reached up to his racing heart. His fingers, needing something to latch onto, dug the tips into the fabric.

"Ah, cats."

The expression came out breathless, surprised, awestruck. But it didn't come from him. It came from the doe-eyed beauty by the door.

Marinette blushed, but still didn't stop trailing her eyes all over Adrien's body. The sensation felt a little like an x-ray, and, well, a little like…maybe making out, but with her eyes. If that made any sense at all. It definitely gave him the same feeling in his gut. Especially when she bit her lip like that. Adrien gulped.

"You, ah…" Marinette tried again. "I mean, y-you look, gall you look ho – I mean! You look rrrrreally handsome, Adrien." She seemed to shiver and trip over the r's. It was completely adorable.

Dang.

He looked over Marinette again. Her pink, satiny dress was cocktail length, flaring out at the waist to full skirting underneath. The tights were sheer, but had a lacey pattern that was only distinguishable when the lights shone on them. And heels. Gall, the girl was wearing heels for the first time ever, and if anyone ever told him that they were magic slippers, he would absolutely believe them…because heels should not be able to naturally do that to a girl's legs – posture, he meant posture.

DAAAANG.

Marinette finally looked away, her curled ringlets by her face bobbing against her cheeks. The rest of her hair was pinned up into a classy bun, tied with a matching pink ribbon, the tails of the satiny material floating down to almost her shoulders.

Too late, Adrien realized he hadn't said anything in response to Marinette's own admission. The toe of her heel skidded inward and her hands fidgeted unsurely in front of her, a little purse (just big enough for a Kwami) dangled from her wrist.

Without wasting any more time, Adrien rushed to Marinette. He pulled her hands up to his chest and kissed them both before looking down at her. Their eyes met for only a moment before he bent down and kissed her right on the lips. Her form relaxed immediately, a sigh pushing out from her mouth to his own. They stayed that way, Adrien pouring every compliment he couldn't voice into the movement of his lips, for a solid two minutes before he pulled away.

"You look stunning, Marinette."

"Th-Thanks, Adrien."

"Shall we," – Adrien cleared his throat – "get going then?"

"Uh, y-yeah, let's do that."

Adrien walked Marinette into the car, trying to calm his racing heart. This was not going as planned. At all.

Cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater. Cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater. Cheater, cheater…

The mantra repeated through Adrien's mind over and over to remind him of who he was with and what he was going to do. What he needed to do.

He needed to keep his eyes off those fancy-pants tights.

….And maybe try to keep his hands in his pockets.

qpqpqpqpqp

The party was going great.

And by great, Adrien meant awful.

But in the way that he planned, so…great.

So far, Adrien had managed to leave Marinette alone with the most boring, talkative people he knew, made sure she caught him picking his teeth, and introduced her as a friend to everyone in the room, including his father (who, admittedly, narrowed his eyes at his son, a look that was enough that Adrien knew he could see right through his lie but wasn't going to voice his opinion at the moment). They had enjoyed hors d'oeuvres while literally rubbing shoulders with people as Adrien dragged Marinette through the crammed event area, "accidentally" bumping her into people while she blushed madly. Adrien held in a smile and continued to play the oblivious innocent. It was the most fun he had ever had at an event, despite the looks he continually got from his father (surprising) and the side-glances he received from Marinette (expected).

It was nearing the time of the actual sit-down portion of the event. Tables were being called and groups of eight high-positioned people were led in while the rest of the guests waited for their turn. It was now or never.

Thank goodness Ladybug had, among other things, encouraged them to have a burping contest. And, upon discovering his shocking lack of belching experience (including the wide-eyed stare at seeing a lady burp), had taught him the ins and outs of developing an air bubble good enough to compete against his spotted partner. The irony that the skill set she had taught him was coming back to bite her in the you-know-where was almost enough to make Adrien choke from laughter as he sucked in air and swallowed it down. The feeling in his stomach bubbled somewhat unpleasantly, but not enough to keep him from his mission. Placing a hand on his stomach, he leaned toward Nathalie and put a hand on her shoulder. When she turned to look at him, Adrien tried to put the most convincing, "Imma-gun-hurl" face on.

"Nathalie…" Adrien somewhat-loudly mumbled. His voice drew the attention of some other members of their waiting group, including his father and Marinette. "I'm…I'm not feeling too well…"

Suddenly Adrien lurched forward a bit, as if he were trying to hold something back, and let out the loudest belch he had ever emitted in his life.

(Where the crap was that during their latest burping contest!?)

The effect was immediate, and Adrien had to lean on Nathalie and hide his face to keep the barking laugh schooled behind her shoulder. Because, honestly, Adrien had never known his father's eyes could blow so wide, or that his lips could pull so tight.

Next to him, Marinette seemed to be having a similar struggle. He could hear her coughing (laughing), the sound coming out muffled as though she had shoved her face into her handbag. Which, he supposed, she probably had.

Nathalie, meanwhile, had frozen under his weight. Now, though, she seemed to suddenly stir. And while Adrien had heard her use a stern or distressed voice a handful of times in his life, the strangled cry that came out of her throat to accompany her words was so foreign, Adrien almost broke through his reserve to collapse in unaffected titters.

"Adrien! Let's get you out of here right. NOW."

And with that, Adrien was ushered from the hall.

He managed to glance backward and saw a stunned Marinette. A Marinette who just realized that her "friend" had essentially dumped their date and left her alone for the rest of the evening.

Darn that Adrien. Whatever was Marinette supposed to do?

qpqpqpqpqp

It was a little under twenty minutes before Adrien had been brought and successfully dumped into his bedroom. The Gorilla, though a dutiful bodyguard, had no desire or inclination to nursing or babysitting and had planted himself at the head of the house after seeing Adrien safely into his room (and at a safe distance, too). Adrien wasted no time. He knew Gorilla wouldn't check on him, that Nathalie or his father wouldn't call, and he had already sent an apology text to Marinette to explain what had happened.

A (8:59 pm): You, uh, don't have to stay with those guys the whole night if you don't want to.

A (8:59 pm): I'm really sorry I had to leave our date.

M (9:00 pm): It's fine, really.

M (9:17 pm): …

M (9:23 pm): Ok, actually I think I'm going to head.

M (9:23 pm): Thanks again for inviting me, and I hope you feel better soon.

But Adrien didn't get the last few messages.

Because Chat Noir was about to make his appearance.

qpqpqpqpqp

The bright lights of the Louvre illuminated the figure of Marinette as she walked out of the pyramid structure. The dark of the night caused her shadow to appear with defined lines as it stretched across the lengths of concrete and stone, the stretched figure of a lithe girl with a poofy dress contrasting against the yellow glow splintering through the glass. Chat couldn't do anything but do what he does best when he sees his lady. He whistled at her. Marinette froze, a brief smile floating up to her face before her body turned toward the direction of his whistle. This time the smile met her eyes but quickly turned into a smirk. The entire picture of "Really?" came to life when she placed a hand on her hip.

"Cat-calls?" she called out to him in the shadows.

Chat grinned. He vaulted with his baton, pushing himself into the air and deftly landing in a crouch right in front of Marinette. As he straightened, he grabbed her hand, placing a lingering kiss on her knuckles. He was gratified by the flush on her cheeks.

"I thought I might be seeing you tonight," Marinette whispered to him.

"I hope to see you every night," Chat replied easily, taking her other hand and kissing those knuckles too. Marinette didn't respond, and Chat could feel her pulse rise a bit.

"Want to get out of here?" he purred, bending to whisper the offer into her ear. He remained there, stroking her fingers with his thumb, waiting for an answer.

"Take me home?"

Ten minutes later found the duo landing in front of Marinette's side door. The arches and looming apartments by her own living area put the world into a blacker night than they had been experiencing before. Not for the first time, Chat was thankful for his night vision. Landing low so he could absorb all the of impact Chat gingerly deposited his precious cargo, unwinding his arms from around her so slowly, he wondered if everyone would be able to tell how much he just wanted to hold her like that forever.

"So, Princess…" Chat drawled out, resting an arm against the wall just above Marinette's head and leaning down into her personal space juuuust a bit. "Did you have a fun time tonight?"

Marinette could only give him a flat look.

"It could have been better."

Chat tsked, shaking his head theatrically and adding in an eye-roll for good measure. He leaned down to tickle her nose with his own. Marinette only giggled softly, the sound accompanied by a little puff of warm air on his lips. The feeling made him shiver, and he had to force out the next words through a hitched voice.

"I can fix that."

The clawed hand not supporting his weight on the wall slowly reached behind Marinette and rested on her neck. Before he could do anything more, though, Marinette, who was closer to his face than she normally was because of her heels, swayed forward and gently touched her lips to his in what could be considered a chaste kiss. But it was from Marinette. And any touch from Marinette always burned.

When Marinette pulled away slightly, her eyes were shut, and she seemed to be reveling in the feel of him close to her. The sight urge Chat closer, and he leaned into Marinette again, pushing on her mouth a little more forcefully than he had originally planned.

The burning continued. Marinette's responses, just like Ladybug's had always been, matched his perfectly. They always matched up perfectly with each other, and the way her lips moved with his own was no exception. But this was not necessarily part of his plan. His original plan, yes, was to get her to like his favorite side of himself more than the other. Tonight, though, had been more about getting the girl back who thought she had any right to two-time her two-year boyfriend. To play the girl who had played him.

So when Marinette sighed into his arms and spoke volumes of wanting a little more from him, Chat pulled away slightly.

"When are you going to learn to stick with the right guy in the first place?"

Marinette, who had ghosted her lips across Chat's while he spoke, went stiff at these words. Chat felt her pull back from him, and he opened his suddenly heavy-lidded eyes to see how his words had affected her. All he could see was a sea of shocked and curious blue. The look etched into her countenance was causing a certain itch to blister under his skin, like goosebumps, but fiery.

It was something that felt an awful lot like guilt.

Chat swallowed, the bitter taste in his mouth feeling thick as it traveled to his gut. Marinette's head tilted as she studied him, a statue giving a statue a stare-down. Because Chat was completely frozen under her scrutiny, and Marinette had yet to move anything but her eyes.

All at once, said eyes widened.


(( DUN DUN DUUNNN.

So…it's 2:00 am here. I was literally falling asleep while writing this (the last time this happened, I kept looking at my screen and seeing letters typed out like "hhhhhhhhhhhhh" and stuff…it was pretty bad), but I was so close to being done with this chapter that I kept going! I did a quick edit and found some mistakes, but I'll have to look over it more tomorrow for a better edit (if I remember).

Thanks for everything, you guys! I've especially been enjoying the comments…and while I normally LOVE to answer them and give ideas or hints about things that might happen sooner or later in the fic, I strategically kept away from answering any of the last chapter's notes…because reasons. Reasons that will be revealed in due course.

(That was for the Ao3 peeps. No one here posted a review for the last chapter, I think? But yeah. Anyway!

AND MY FLUFFMAS STUFF WILL BE POSTED TOMORROW! WOO! (YAY FOR FREE TIME).

And if no one has reminded you today, remember that you are you, you're a wonderful you, and there is no one more you-ier than you, and we need a little more you around here, because YOU ARE AWESOME. Yay, you! I love you! Really. n.n ))