It always smells so nice in here! Maybe Marinette's parents stuff some croissants inside of the walls…

"A-Adrien? Are you okay? You're staring into space."

"Huh? Oh, sorry Marinette. I guess I got distracted by the smell of your home."

"You don't...uh, have to apologize," She told him, showing him the way to her room in the attic. They were about halfway up the steps before the girl abruptly paused, "Haha, I uh, I forgot about a...a-a thing! Yeah! A thing! Just...Just stay here and wait on the stroa-I mean s-stairs!"

"Do you need any hel-"

"No!"

For the next five minutes, the baker's daughter scrambled around her room, delicately grabbing every picture of Adrien Agreste she had lovingly pinned, taped, or stapled onto her walls. By the time most of them were pulled down, a large heap sat in the center of the floor which she swept under he bed.

Letting out an intake of breath and wiping off a drop of sweat from her forehead, Marinette was about to head back downstairs to bring him up, but stopped and laid on top of the door that separated her room from downstairs and listened in on the muffled voices.

"How long have you known Marinette for, Adrien?"

"Oh, I'd say for half the school year now probably."

Oh no. Oh no no no no no! Mom, stop talking to him! Ple-"Ahh!"

Sooner than she had hoped, Marinette came down the stairs. How she descended, however, was a little different than what she planned. The next thing she knew, she was lying on her back on the floor, stars in her eyes.

"Marinette? Marinette, are you okay!? Uh, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng? I think she fell down the stairs!"

"Again? Ah, Mari, this hasn't happened for a while now. Were you listening in again?" Her mother asked, wetting a towel under the faucet in the kitchen before bringing it to her forehead.

Adrien wrapped an arm around her back and propped her up against him, "You really are clumsy, aren't you? Heh, it's kinda cute, Marinette."

"C-CUTE!? I-I, YOU, HAH, I-"

"What she means to say is thank you," The older woman suggested, putting the rag in his hands and clasping his fingers over it, "Why don't you bring her upstairs and we'll bring up some madeleines for you both to snack on in a bit?"

"That sounds delici-I mean, that sounds great," He corrected himself, trying to conceal his sweet tooth as he held her up and began going back up with the frail girl, "Thank you for the hospitality, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng."

"No problem at all, Adrien. Be careful when you get near the top! The ceiling gets a bit lower."

After making it to her room, the blond set her down gently on her bed against the wall next to Emma.

I need to find something that will snap her out of her confused state, He told himself as he rifled through some boxes in her room with care, How about these dolls-...I've seen these before…This'll be easy.

Before Marinette could even fully stand up again, Adrien was sitting in a criss-cross position at the foot of the bed, holding the dolls that were all too familiar to her.

Of course, he just had to choose the Ladybug and Chat Noir dolls.

"Bien joué!" He cheered, making the dolls fist pumped with their little hands before putting all his attention into his Chat impression, "My Lady, why don't you tell me who you are?"

Because I can't tell you just yet. Ki-

"Because I love you too much, my little chaton! I can't lie to you about my feelings anymo-"

"Hold it! You don't...You don't really think that Ladybug would say that, do you?" She interrupted, reaching to take the doll of herself, Ladybug, out of his grasp.

He chuckled a bit and replied in a sly voice as he positioned Chat in a feline-esque pose, "Do you not feel this strong emotion in your chest, Bugaboo?"

How does he know that Chat calls me that? He's never called me that in public before...I don't think.

"No one can know who we are, Chat. Not even the two of us," Marinette emoted through Ladybug, "Maybe one day…"

She couldn't tell why, but he looked very sullen for a second before standing and helping her up. Was it something she said?

"So do you have any ideas, Miss Designer?"

"I-Ideas? W-Wha-?" The girl full-on panicked, thinking of something more indecent than she should be.

"About Emma? I don't know where you usually work on your designs in your room."

Picking up the sack from the bed, he held it under his arm and looked around. In his mind, he hoped that she wouldn't suggest something with feathers.

"Sorry! I kinda, uh, spaced out. I could try knitting a scarf that looks like yours."

"I don't wear it very often, Marinette. You have an amazing memory!"

"Do I?" She chuckled awkwardly, opening a bin of yarn to find one that matches his, "Well, anyways. Do you know how to knit?"

"No, but I'd like to learn if you'd be willing to teach me."

He wants me to teach him to knit!?

"Oh, y-yeah, uh, sure! Just let me get some, um, nitting keed-I mean, knitting needles!"

Rushing down the stairs like a bolt of lightning, Marinette eagerly rifled through every drawer in search of needles to use, hands shaking with glee. All the while, Adrien could only sit upstairs and wait for her as he looked around her room and held their assigned "sack baby".

"Don't worry, Emma. Marinette isn't going to stab you with a needle by accident...at least, I hope she doesn't."

Location: Marinette's room
Activity: Sewing Knitting
Caretaker: Both parents
Time period: Three hours