By the time their food had arrived, Marinette had managed to pull herself together, placing her napkin on her lap as they all prepared to eat.

Alya called him, so Nino walked back inside. He dropped down into his chair, fidgeting anxiously with his hat.

Alya pursed her lips. "Still nothing from Adrien? To be honest, I'm kind of surprised."

Nino shook his head. "Yeah. He usually doesn't bail on the weekends."

Marinette, eyes widened. "Wait." She subtly gulped - emotions battling between a growing sense of fear at having to talk to him without being able to say a word about what had happened; and warm squiggles of recollection from last night while cuddled up on the couch. "Adrien is coming?Here?"

"He was supposed to, anyways." Nino confirmed, frowning as he took a bite of his omelette.

Smiling, Alya ruffled her hair. "You seemed down, and we figured you might need a pick me up."

Marinette's smile was just a little too wide, a little too bright. "I appreciate the thought. Really."

"It's still weird to not have a word from him." Nino's brow furrowed. "Especially after he confirmed he was on the way. I mean, I waited outside long enough to have spotted Chat Noir out and about on the rooftops, but he darted off when you called."

Puzzled, her gaze slipped over to the window. What would send him darting away from the restaurant, when he had planned to come here? Especially when he had just been at her house the night before.

He hadn't run away until after she'd slipped into the bathroom, trying to come to terms with the very sudden revelation.

Maybe he'd misunderstood her panic? Chat always had been a little more sensitive than she'd initially credited him. Now knowing he was Adrien, it started to make a certain, perfect sense.

Alya pouted, setting her fork down on the table. "Speaking of, I need to figure out how to track Chat Noir down. I'd really like to get the real scoop before I drop the rest of the interview."

Snagging her own phone, Marinette panicked, pulling up the messages screen. She was never more certain that she needed to get this story first.

Chat's - Adrien's - identity depended on it.

"Sorry. That was my parents, messaging for help on a last minute catering order."

Alya chuckled. "I'm sure they can wait for you to finish your breakfast."

Her purse was already at her shoulder, as she slid her chair back under the table.

"Rain check?" Marinette opened her purse, tossing a few euros on the table with a very genuine frown on her face. "That should cover what I owed. If it's too much, just pay me back next time?"

Alya sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Alright. Just call us once you get to your parents, okay?"


Marinette ran out of the restaurant.

It was mostly force of habit, as soon as the threat presented itself. She was either dashing headlong into danger - or into hiding to safely transform.

But Chat - Adrien - was waiting for her.

And Adrien had lost enough in his life. He had to know that she wouldn't abandon him, no matter what.

It was one thing for her to worry that he had left her behind. She had loads of friends and family who could help her pick herself back up and carry on.

But Adrien? Outside of Nino - and maybe Chloé - he didn't really have that. His father was nearly as standoffish now as he had ever been, and Adrien had clearly been careful to hold him at a respectful distance.

It was understandable, considering. So, why hadn't she been able to assemble the pieces, when it came to her as second nature in the heat of battle?

She balled her hands into fists; her nails bit into the flesh of her palms as those implications landed. Narrowly missing the crosswalk light, she stopped suddenly and clarity struck her. Her eyes slammed shut as realization set in.

The ability to put everything together seamlessly was thanks to him… It was because he had been there, beside her. Because she could trust he would have her back - no matter how bad everything would get.

She dashed across the street and ran across the park, looking for any sign of him until her legs protested the sudden sprint.

The sight of a somber blonde, slumped down onto a park bench made up her mind for her. It still didn't change the fact that she still really needed some time to gather her thoughts. But it was painfully clear that he needed her more.

Adrien looked a bit out of place, adorably overdressed for the occasion. He was sitting with an all-too-familiar bag in hand.

She inhaled sharply before striding over to the bench and sitting down beside him.

"Marinette?"

His green eyes went wide, unblinking.

The little bit of unrestrained awe in his eyes was overwhelming, and she had to force herself to look away to hold onto her composure. She knew she had to be blushing… not that it was anything new. With any luck, Adrien wouldn't notice it as out of place.

Although… the mild panic she heard in his voice left her a little breathless. Maybe… just maybe, he wasn't as unaffected by her as she'd thought.

Marinette bit her lip. "Mmmhmm?"

"Are you alright?"

She dared to look over at him now, noticing the far more anxious, unsure stance he sometimes took as Chat Noir, rather than Adrien's practiced poise. Her lips curved at the familiarity. "I think I will be." She nodded down at the bag between them. "You stopped at my parent's bakery?"

His slow smile stopped and then restarted her heart. "Yeah. I definitely needed to run a few errands this morning on that side of town." His voice dropped a half octave, as he inched ever closer. "I needed to get ahold of a good deal of Camembert so Plagg could replenish his energy."

Marinette's eyes widened. "Then you know… that I know."

Adrien blushed. "It seemed pretty clear after I woke up to him raiding the fridge. And you were nowhere to be found."

She peered into the bag, spotting glowing green eyes and a miniature version of that all too familiar leer. The tiny black cat nibbling happily on a cheese danish inside the bag.

Marinette mouth closed into a demure smirk. "He's adorable."

Adrien arched a brow. "Don't let him hear that. I'm pretty sure the little glutton swiped a bit before he re-stocked your fridge."

"Hey!' grumbled a snarky voice from underneath his jacket. "I heard that."

Adrien snorted. "I wanted you to."

Marinette fidgeted again when she looked up to find his eyes entirely focused on hers. "You didn't have to restock the fridge, Adrien."

"Yeah, but I wanted to. I just didn't expect to take quite so long… but I had every intention of coming back." His fingers scratched absently behind his ear, far too reminiscent of what she had done herself the night before. "Didn't you see the note I left?"

Pressing her hands against her knees, Marinette fought to keep them to herself. Her fingers itched to card through his hair again, despite her better judgement. Blinking, she shook her head. "I didn't, actually. I must have missed it in the mad rush to get Loup's stuff together for Mr. Haprele."

"Honestly, I didn't really intend to leave." Adrien winced, a soft blush brightening his cheeks. "But you were taking quite a while in the bathroom, and I needed to get myself cleaned up. So I checked on Loup, scribbled out a note, and headed home to grab a shower."

"Really?" Marinette arched a brow… feeling a lot more like herself. "Like a real shower? Or a ruse?"

He sighed. "There never was a much better option to explain why I disappeared, you know? Especially when I was supposed to stay in the same room..."

"Well, I know that now." She snorted, half muffling her grin behind her hand. "But it doesn't change how much Nino still loves to pick on you about your habits."

Adrien's eyes softened as he reached out to pat the back of her hand. "At least you're laughing now. That's something."

Her brows furrowed as she mentally kicked herself for doubting him. "I'm sorry."

He blinked. "What for? You didn't do anything wrong."

Arms crossed over her chest, Marinette looked up at the still dark sky. "Maybe not. But it doesn't change the fact that I had doubted you, even for a second."

He inhaled, before gently pushing Plagg aside in the bag, and pulling out the quiche her parents had given him. "I mean. I'm glad you realize that now. I was a little afraid that we wouldn't be able to have a much needed conversation."

She inclined her head towards him and took the tiny slice of quiche he'd offered. "You have to know that your secret is safe with me. It's just… it was taking a little while to process it all. Honestly, I had never anticipated that Chat would be you. Or really anyone quite so close."

Finishing off a large bite of his own piece, he smiled. "I guess I can see that."

"After sort of psyching myself up, I wasn't expecting to come out of the bathroom to find myself alone. I didn't see the note, and then Loup's grandfather stopped by to pick up Loup and most of the stuff. It was really just a little quiet without either of you there, especially with as much as I was already worried. So, I just kind of needed to get away."

His free hand slipped up to her shoulder. "You're not alone, Marinette. I promise you."

"I mean, I did realize it… eventually." She smiled, tapping into her courage reserves to lean a little closer. "But I admit that Alya's little interview with… you had helped. Of course, then Nino said you were supposed to come meet up, but then mentioned you were running in the opposite direction."

Adrien set the quiche back down onto the little plate, hardly making a sound.

"And the only reason I could figure was that you were running from me. Except that didn't make sense… not with how kind you were last night. So that just left you being afraid that you'd hurt my feelings." Marinette mumbled, heat burning her cheeks. "Ugh. This whole mess is all because I was struggling to figure out how to tell you everything that you really ought to know. I mean, you have to know what it is like to have secrets, and that's a big part of why it was taking me so long."

Smiling, Adrien's green eyes closed on a deep inhale. "Think you could tell me now?"

"Maybe," she tilted her head toward him, whispering. "If you could tell me who you were talking about in the video with Alya."

"Ah." He grinned, green eyes now opened and as mischievous as his alter ego ever was. "I should have thought that obvious, my Lady."

Her eyes widened comically, as she sat up ramrod straight. "Adrien! When did you...?"

He became sheepish, and blushed like mad as he slipped his fingers between hers. "Maybe a few hours before. I happened to SPOT… ahem… your little... red mascot?"

"Tikki?" She hissed.

Marinette entered meltdown mode, staring wide eyed down at her purse.

Tikki looked shocked… and contrite.

Adrien chuckled softly. "She stole out into the kitchen. And I wouldn't have noticed usually, but my senses were just a little more… attuned in the moment."

Her voice rose an octave. "So you know that I'm…"

Adrien just grinned. "A very good furr-iend?"

Marinette just rolled her eyes. Smacking her free hand against her forehead as she dropped her head back against the bench. "Of course," she murmured. "It would have to be puns."

His thumb drew lazy circles across the back of her palm. "Do you really mind?"

"Honestly?" She sighed, wearily pressing her smaller shoulder against his own. "Not as much as I should…"

He picked up her hand, turning it to press her knuckles up to his lips. "I'm very glad."

She stared up at him in shock, as a flash went off.

Adrien shrugged off his jacket for makeshift cover, tugging her along behind him and away from the crowd of amateur photographers.

Adrien grinned like mad, as he tossed his coat over her head.

Marinette lost it, and doubled over in a fit of giggles.

The two quickly collected themselves, then sprinted off. Short as she was, Marinette was more than capable of matching his longer strides. However, they didn't make it more than a few blocks before the ominous skies finally opened up. The steady drizzle left only the more persistent photographers on their tail.

"Ah! The quiche!" Adrien grumbled, his eyes darting back in the direction of the park.

"Leave it."

"Yeah," he practically pouted. "But I really wanted to finish it."

Frowning, Marinette scouted the street before tugging him into a nearby alley and ducking out of sight until the crowd went past. "My parents could probably be readily persuaded to make more. Especially if we both came over to visit."

"Both?" His brows lifted, grinning like mad.

"Ummm…" Marinette blushed, ducking down further into the shadows and the half cover the building provided from the drizzle. "I kind of think they'd be happy to see you."

He was puzzled, tugging her down into a crouch beside him. "Why is that?"

"Well, they are always happy to see any of my friends, really." She hedged, letting her eyes slide closed as she summoned up her courage. "Part of why I took so long was that it was a bit hard to come to terms with the fact that the boy I'd been pushing away and the one I'd been crushing on for so long were one in the same."

His jaw dropped, eyes growing wide and then softening in amazement. "Well, that explains the wink," he murmured, though the words were muted by the falling rain.

"What? Was that?" She blinked, tucking a wet strand behind her ear.

Even in the panic of the moment, Adrien was mostly just amused… he laced his fingers through hers and squeezed her hand. "I understand, Marinette. Far more than you know."

Her eyes met his, before glancing back down the alleyway.

There was really only one surefire escape.

She called Tikki, as softly as the echoing alleyway would let her.

"Out of one jam, and straight into another." She grumbled, her gloved hand still tucked into Adrien's. "It just feels like business as usual."

Whispering the same to Plagg, he grinned as the transformation washed over him. "Not sure I'd have it any other way, My Lady."

Ladybug groaned, bangs plastered against her forehead in the rain. "Alya's going to wonder what is up. You know she'll find those pictures."

"I dunno." He sidled up beside her, all pretense of personal space forgotten once his mask was in place. His clawed hand lingered at her shoulder. "I'm sure if we put our heads together, we could come up with something juicy to satisfy her curiosity." Chat Noir winked, unrepentant. "Preferably lips first."

Ladybug just rolled her eyes, elbowing him away just enough to launch herself towards home.

Carefully, she peered back mid-swing and winked at him, hoping that he would catch on and follow. Leaning into each swing, she grinned as she raced back to shelter of her apartment.

After all, they had a lot to chat about.


Author's Notes:

Just one more chapter now. At least I didn't leave you all on an evil cliffhanger this time. ;)