Adrien couldn't stop thinking about what Marinette had said. "Realisations" about what? About him? About Chat? And if it was about Chat, why did she care so much?

Maybe he had mad a mistake going to talk to Marinette as Chat Noir. Or maybe he had opened a door. There was only one way to find out.

He stood on the roof for what felt like hours, deciding whether he should go in or not. He knew she was there; she had her light on, and he had seen her through her room's window when he first came.

He was about to leave, when he heard the latch on the trapdoor unlocking. As quickly as he could, he jumped behind the wall, just as she popped her head out of the hole.

"I could have sworn I saw someone out here." She whispered to herself. Just in case, she had told Tikki to hide. Taking a deep breath, she walked towards the balcony. She liked the night. It was dark, and mysterious.

Taking in a deep breath of cold night air, she pulled her blanket around her tighter, but just as she turned back around, she heard a low cough from behind the wall.

"Who's there?" Her voice suddenly raised in fear, until a dark figure popped up, and jumped over the wall.

"Hi." He says shyly. There was no way out now.

"Chat!" She gasped. "What are you doing here again? And so late?" She realized that she had a chance to say everything she didn't get to yesterday.

"It's cold out here. Come inside." She said, her voice still wary.

"Really? Thanks, Marinette."

When they got inside, she turned back to him. "Why did you come back?"

He suddenly had no idea what to say. He couldn't say he came to ask about her personal life. Or if she cared about him. He didn't even expect to get invited in.

"I.. I don't know..." He stammered.

She laughed. "Don't worry, Chat. I wanted to talk to you too..."

"Really?!"

Her brave, witty front broke when she saw how his eyes lit up, and realized it was actually quite adorable.

"I-uh." She started. "I wanted to tell you that..." he looked back quietly with intent, and she felt Tikki pulling on her shirt, urging her to talk.

"I wanted to thank you." She declared

"Thank me? What did I do, purrincess?"

"You opened my eyes."

He was still confused. "How? Why do you care so much, Marinette?"

"I just realized..." there it was again. Realisations just like she said the night before. "Realized that I was being superficial. That it's better to care for other people who are genuine. Like you.

"Like... me?" He repeated in disbelief.

"Chat Noir, If Ladybug doesn't notice you, that's her loss." She knew she was insulting herself, but it was the only way she's could get to him meaningfully. "I made the same mistake with a boy in my class. But he'll never love me back, and I think I was being superficial."

"The boy in your class..." he knew this room already. He'd seen it beforehand a couple times. But he thought she had the pictures of him on the walls because she was a fan of Gabriel, since he knew she liked fashion. Now, he realized th real reason.

"Is it him?" He pointed to a picture in a frame. One of the only pictures Marinette and Adrien had taken together. He remembered it clearly; the four friends were hanging out and he asked to take a picture with her. "Adrien Agreste?"

Well, he was smart. She couldn't deny it. "Since the day we met. But I think I can live without my childish crush on him now."

At this point, he just stood in disbelief. The fact that an amazing girl sat for over a year liking him, and he was blindly following the mysterious Ladybug. It was the worst feeling.

Everything in both of them told them to just go and reveal themselves, but they knew it would be a mistake. Plus, they had no idea how the other would react. Instead, Chat broke the silence.

"Thank you for listening, Marinette. But, I should de-purr-t, I have some homework to cat-ch up on." He laughed at his own puns, and she giggled, before he climbed back up the ladder and left her smiling in the middle of her room.

As soon as he got home, he called off his transformation, then threw himself onto his bed.

"What's wrong, Adrien?" Plagg flew out of his ring and asked.

"She's liked me for more than a year! And I've just ignored her! I've been just like Ladybug. That's why she's always so shy around me!"

"You danced with her at Chloe's party." Plagg suggested.

"As a friend! I didn't know she liked me... Now she probably hates me."

"Then why didn't you tell her you're Adrien?" Plagg asked.

"Ladybug would kill me! She already think I 'told Adrien' my identity." He waved his fingers in the air as quotation marks. "She can't know I told someone else."

"I'm confused. You never told anyone your identity in the first place. And anyway, why are you still letting Ladybug Control you?" He had a point. Actually, a really good one. But he still wanted to talk to Ladybug before doing anything.

He had a patrol to do anyway.

"Transform Me, Plagg!" He called, and once he had his baton back in his hand, he opened the phone part.

"Ladybug?" He spoke into the receiver. "I know you're mad at me, but I need to talk to you. Please get back to me when you can." He hung up, then pushed himself back out of the window again.