"How long have you been here?" Ladybug asked as she leaned against the Eiffel Tower railing next to Chat Noir.

He shrugged. "I don't know...maybe ten minutes?" He paused as Ladybug nodded. "Have you seen Imperiumal at all lately?" Chat asked.

"No... Now that I think about it, I haven't seen him anywhere in the city. And I mean anywhere." She sighed and looked out over the city. "I've heard that all of the fires have been put out, and now damage is starting to be repaired. It's strange, isn't it? That suddenly he would disappear after so much success."

"Maybe it's because I woke up." Chat suggested, looking over at Ladybug. She seemed troubled, which would only make sense...but he could tell something else was bothering her. Something that wasn't related to the akuma at all. "Ladybug, are you okay?" He asked tentatively.

She looked at Chat, startled, and her cheeks suddenly blushed bright red. "What? Oh yeah, I'm okay...why? Why would you ask?" She sounded frantic and embarrassed.

"You look...troubled."

"Oh!" She laughed a bit, as if to say, 'Silly me!' but instead she nervously twiddled her thumbs. "Nothing's wrong." She said, forcing her eyes away from Chat. "We should start patrol and look for Imperiumal."

Chat nodded, smiling to himself as they jumped off of the Eiffel Tower. He had a feeling that Ladybug's red cheeks had something to do with him.

The entire night proved to be fruitless. Throughout the patrol Chat kept thinking about those parting words his father had given him. Don't fight Imperiumal. It was almost as if he knew that he was going to go out on a patrol with Ladybug. He tried not to think about it too much.

Despite that, Ladybug and Chat hadn't found any sign that Imperiumal even existed. Even worse, Ladybug seemed out of it the entire evening, avoiding Chat's eyes whenever possible.

The patrol ended off with Ladybug giving Chat a quick farewell with bright red cheeks. Chat nodded in return as she swung away. Trying to take as long as possible, Chat grudgingly set off for home when he paused. He could go see Marinette. Surely she wouldn't mind. With a new plan, Chat turned towards Marinette's bakery and made his way forward.

It didn't take him long to arrive at the balcony, but to his dismay, Marinette wasn't outside. Feeling slightly nervous, he landed on the balcony and crouched near the trap door, looking through it to see if anyone was in. He could see Marinette sitting at her desk, writing on something he couldn't see. However, no one else was in the room, so Chat felt it safe to knock. He did just that, knocking lightly on the glass. Marinette jumped slightly and turned, but once she saw Chat, she smiled. Climbing up the latter she opened the trap door, climbing out onto the balcony. Chat helped her stand, and together they walked to the railing. Chat jumped up to sit on it, his legs dangling over her balcony floor.

"What are you doing here, Chat?" Marinette asked, trying to sound disapproving, but he could tell that she was glad to see him.

He shrugged. "I just wanted to see you." He said, smiling. Marinette smiled back.

"I guess I can't throw out a stray cat." She paused for a moment. "I'll let you stay for a bit. But, unlike last night, my parents are home so if you hear anything you better get out of here as fast as you can."

Chat raised an eyebrow. "Why? Am I embarrassing to you?"

"No..." Marinette said quietly, her cheeks pink. "So, uh, how did it go with Ladybug?" She asked, quickly changing the subject.

"It was fine." Chat said absently, shrugging his shoulders. "Wait, how did you know I was with Ladybug?"

A moment of panic flew across Marinette's face, leaving Chat curious, but she quickly covered it up. "I saw the two of you jumping around the city." Chat wanted to press for more information, but he let it slide. "What were you guys trying to find?" Marinette asked after a while.

"We were trying to find Imperiumal, but it's strange...He hasn't shown up since I woke up after my five day nap." Chat said.

Marinette sighed and looked out over the city. "That is strange. Maybe he's afraid to face both you and Ladybug?" She looked back at him.

Chat took this into consideration, but it still didn't make sense. "I don't know...he wasn't afraid to face us as Blaze. Why would he be scared now?"

"You're right." Marinette said. "Well, no matter the reason, he's definitely still out there in hiding."

"Is he though?" Chat said, thinking hard.

"What do you mean?"

Chat looked at Marinette, his hopes rising. "Maybe he's gone. Maybe he got defeated somehow, or the akuma wore off, or..."

"I thought akumas couldn't just wear off." Marinette pointed out.

"Oh...right." Chat said, the idea immediately gone. He was actually hoping Imperiumal had gone.

There was a moment of silence, both Marinette and Chat pondering the possibilities of where Imperiumal could be. However, Marinette soon broke the silence. "Oh, Chat! I wanted to tell you something!" Chat slid off of the railing, looking over Marinette's shoulder. She pulled out her phone. This time on the screen was again a picture of Adrien, but this time the big bold letters read AGRESTE FOUND AFTER SIX DAYS. "He was back at school today." She said excitedly.

Chat smiled, but a large ball of guilt was growing inside him. If only he could tell her...if only he could tell her... "Are you friends with Adrien?" he asked.

Marinette's face turned slightly red, and she smiled. "More or less..." Chat raised an eyebrow. He was used to girls being obsessed with Adrien, but it was different with Marinette. She didn't seem obsessed, only embarrassed. It was...adorable.

"More or less?" Chat repeated, a teasing tone in his voice. "Do you...like him?"

Marinette's face blushed bright red and she shoved Chat. "You don't know what you're talking about!" She said furiously, but she was smiling the entire time.

Chat laughed and raised his hands in the air. "Sorry, sorry!" He said, laughing some more as Marinette groaned and covered her face with her hands. "I won't tell him, I swear."

Marinette looked up, slightly panicked. She sighed. "I'm too obvious. You don't need to keep it a secret. He'll probably find out anyway..."

Chat could tell instantly that she had a crush on Adrien, or rather...himself, and it made him wonder... how could he not tell before?