Author's note: Oh my! Somehow I got 10 followers since last chapter, which is amazing! Was it Luka? Maybe that should have been my pairing? Hahaha. But you know what that means, right? Story going downhill, because suddenly expectations are crushing me, haha. Oh well, thank you all for following and for any person who left a review. It's fun reading them!

"Eh?" He froze in place looking at her with a blank face.

"What are you doing here?" she said stepping out completely and closing the hatch.

"What am I… eh…," he started with the same blank face. Marinette stepped closer.

"Are you all right? Chat Noir?" She waved her hand where she stood a meter away, wondering if he could even see her properly.

"Yes!" he answered suddenly and he went back into the usual demeanor he usually held that Marinette had known, or at least he tried hard to look like he did. "Yes, it is I, Chat Noir at your service," he said and bowed with a wave of his own arm.

"Haha, thanks for the offer," she laughed and then asked him again if he was all right.

"Yes, of course." He stood straight and puffed up his chest. "Why would you ask that?"

"Because you are here, for starters," she retorted. "What are you doing?" she asked this time with more concern than before.

It was strange enough that he was into his costume, even more so because he was pacing on her balcony. She hadn't noticed anything going on in the city with a new Akuma, but maybe there was an emergency and she had just not noticed it being away all day. With every passing second, she felt worse thinking she didn't do her job properly and people might be in danger because of her.

"Oh, nothing… I was just helping with some minor issues," he scrambled to find the words, "A cat was stuck in a tree and the fire department was already busy saving another cat and I couldn't really abandon a fellow cat in need now, could I?" he said with a matter-of-fact tone. He seemed a bit all over the place, but she figured it was just her mistaken idea.

"Of course not," she sighed with relief. "I was worried there could have been more serious danger," she confessed.

"You were worried about my safety, princess?" He put both his hands on his heart.

"More like worried over you being here and leaving Paris unprotected," she said mischievously with a half-smile.

"Would it be unprotected though? There's Ladybug," he said with a careful tone of lightness and something else, more focused. She wasn't sure why he seemed like that today, but she almost fell for her own words since she was Ladybug and if she was here and Chat Noir was also here, that would mean no one was dealing with any kind of danger. But Chat Noir didn't know her identity; all he knew was that Ladybug would save the day even if he were here, talking to her as Marinette.

"B-but of course," she agreed. "But you do make a great team together, don't you think?"

"I sure hope so, otherwise what am I doing?" He laughed and looked over the rails. She came to stand by him next to the rails.

"You didn't tell me, what are you doing here?"

"I said I was helping a cat–"

"No, I mean here on the balcony. Or are you telling me the cat was on my balcony?" she joked. He laughed a bit looking at her.

"No no, the cat wasn't here. I…," he paused looking back over the rails, "wanted to think for a while and there's a great view here," he rushed towards the end of the sentence, as if it were an excuse.

"Better view than the Eiffel tower?" she asked with a bit less humor, since he seemed kind of serious, but she wanted to lighten the mood as much as possible, so he wouldn't feel down.

He laughed again and shook his head.

"No, I suppose not, but… I rather like it here. Yeah, that's it," he nodded as if to convince himself.

"Thank you for the compliment, I suppose. I do like my balcony, as well" She leaned over the rails and put her elbows on them. "Erm, are you sure you are okay though?"

She couldn't decide how he looked, she thought to herself. One moment he was his usual self with the jokes and the light lines and the next moment he seemed almost sober, as if he had secrets or problems he didn't want to share. She truly valued Chat Noir as one of her friends (despite the big secrets between them) and wanted to help him in any way that she could, but she wasn't close to him in this form and wasn't sure how to breach that topic.

Then again, they had that night when she was the cause of André getting akumarized, that they became closer, divulging things to each other that they probably wouldn't have otherwise, but it was too sensitive of a topic to breach. She looked towards him. His gaze was far away and he was tapping the rails with his fingers.

Does it have to do with Ladybug once again? Could I even help with that?

He stopped the tapping and looked at her for a moment. "Yes, why are you asking?" His tone was definitely light.

"Oh, nothing," she said quietly, "y-you just said you wanted to think, so…," she said bashfully. "Wait, am I bothering you?" she asked louder than she wanted to. "I should leave you to think alone. How inconsiderate of me." She moved to leave, but he grabbed her hand.

"What? No, no." He seemed surprised at her words. He left her hand free with some sudden move and then used the same hand to run it through his hair as if that was what he wanted to do all along. "Stay with me, Marinette," he said casually.

"S-sure," she stammered a bit once again wondering what was going on. He was acting strangely. She took the same position as before leaning over the rails.

"So… what's up?" he asked with a smile.

"Hmm," she pondered, "not too bad. Busy everyday with school and all. But… is that really what you wanted to ask me?" She looked at him with a puzzled look.

At the same time Marinette was asking her question, Adrien's mind was racing to find an answer. To be completely fair, he wasn't really planning to meet her today like this and he was contemplating about leaving when she caught him. But now that she had, he was feeling reluctant to just let her go. It might have been an urge coming here, but now that he was and happened to see her, he didn't want to waste his chance.

"Hmm," he said thinking what would be the best way to answer her. He didn't want to lie to her, but he could hardly ask her about her double identity, but did he really have to ask her something? Luka popped up in his mind and before he could remove that thought from his mind, his mouth formed a question. "How is your crush going?"

His eyes widened faster than Marinette's, which had eventually become 2 full circles looking at him.

Did I really ask that?

"I'm sorry, that was insensitive," he added quickly looking somewhere over her head.

But now that it's brought up, where's the harm?

He lowered his eyes towards her face again before saying "I just… I was just wondering if you were feeling better," he said slowly measuring his words. "I think of you as my romantic partner," he claimed with a smile and realized too late that his wording wasn't what he really meant when Marinette's eyes managed to become even bigger. She had said nothing, but stared at him all those seconds it took him to actually form words.

He felt his cheeks go warm, even though he wasn't the type to blush that easily, but he kept making mistakes and he started thinking that he was losing control of the situation. He turned his face abruptly so she wouldn't notice and added in a more light way, "I meant it as in partner in crime, haha." He never felt his laugh as fake as that moment and surely she could see it too, but he didn't know what else to do.

After a few seconds of silence and of Adrien avoiding looking at her, he heard her finally speak again.

"Is everything ok with Ladybug?" she asked quietly.

"Huh?" He turned towards her and he could see she had calmed down from before and maybe she was guarded just a bit. "What do you mean?"

"You look down today and you brought up romance… Are you ok?" She looked worried. Was it because she was Ladybug and felt guilty? Because she wasn't? Because she cared?

Well, if she was Ladybug she did care. She has been my real partner for a long time now.

What was he supposed to answer to that though? It's only been a few days, but he really wanted to get this over with because his curiosity had peaked and he also wanted to straighten out his confused emotions. Could he like Marinette? Did he like her already? Was he betraying Ladybug? Was he that fickle?

"I'm ok…" he said slowly, "It's just one of these days," he tried to excuse himself, "and you're such a good listener, so…" he trailed off, but he smiled at her as per usual trying to pass it off as normal as he could. He didn't really want to be gloomy either way, if he could only have a normal conversation with her, it would be perfect.

She seemed troubled for a few seconds, but her face relaxed a bit more and smiled just a bit.

"If you must know…, it's the same," she finally said looking at the sky.

"What is?"

She lowered her eyes to him again. "My crush. You asked about it."

"Ah! Yes, I did," he almost tripped over his words. He waited for her to speak again, but he was met with silence. "So, it's not going well?"

"Mmm, I don't think it's going at all," she said wistfully. "But I really don't mind!" she added quickly waving her hands.

"You don't?"

"I don't. Well, I do, but I don't. I do and I don't," she tried to explain.

"That was most helpful, Marinette," he genuinely laughed. She blushed.

"I'm just happy to be near him." She shrugged. "What about you?" she seemed more careful with her question.

"About me and Ladybug? Nothing," he said. If he lied to her that something was going on, would Marinette react to that knowing it was a lie?

"So, no change?" she asked curiously. He looked at her straight then. There was definitely a change, that's for sure, but should he say?

"There's been a change," he muttered to himself while looking away, but he was still heard.

"Really?" She seemed surprised. "What is it?"

"I–" he started, but couldn't finish. What was he supposed to say? "Nothing too important," he smiled weakly. There would be a good time to talk to her about it, but for now he needed to know more about her crush. It wouldn't do to confess to her at some point only to be rejected 5 seconds later.

Confess…

He shook his head and she eyed him suspiciously.

"Talk to me more about you, princess," he said lightly once again. "If my romance is doomed, at least yours won't be."

She smiled a bit again, but it did not reach her eyes and she kept silent again for a while.

"I don't really have much to say today. I'm in a good mood and I don't think about it much," she said with an honest smile.

"Good mood, eh?" he pondered out loud. "Why?" Then he thought of Luka. "Did you see him today?"

She blushed, but didn't answer right away. "I did, but that's not it."

"Hmm?" he asked, noticing he was gripping the balcony rails a bit harder than before and relaxed his fingers.

"… Nothing really." She shook her head. "I'm just happy as things are right now. Or at least I don't think of how it is an unrequited crush, I suppose," she said thoughtfully. "Do you feel down every day?" It may have been a serious questions, but she was half-smiling, proof that she was not expecting a positive answer from him.

"Of course not," he responded immediately, because the truth was that he didn't feel as down as he expected himself to be. He was happy with Ladybug and just sometimes, he couldn't help wanting more and more of her attention. That was something that was happening ever more often these days, so his mood has been further… moody, sometimes.

She nodded at his answer, expecting it. "But today you feel down?"

"Hmm, to put it as eloquently as you did before: I do and I don't." He couldn't resist smiling as he said it. She giggled next to him, as well, which made him just a tad happier. "I think…," he started again pacing around, "I think that we just started off at the wrong paw," he said with a genuine smile. "Honestly, I just wanted a bit of company and hearing about your adventures is fun."

"Adventures? I don't really have any."

"Ah, your would-be adventures. Why have you not confessed yet?" He went back to that same topic, because… well, because he could. And wanted to. And he was now in a better mood thanks to her.

"You're very direct today, Chat Noir," she nervously giggled, while averting her eyes.

"Can a cat be anything other than curious?"

"I suppose… but do you know what they say about curiosity and cats," she reminded him.

"You wound me!" He put once again his hands over his heart. "You wish me harm, princess? Me, your knight?"

She chuckled. "Not me," she said and shook her head. "But curiosity…" she trailed off.

"Well then, maybe you can quench my thirst of knowledge and I will be safe."

"What was the question again?"

"Why have you not confessed yet?" He took some pleasure into teasing her now. The conversation was truly personal and one he really cared about the outcome of it, but seeing her silently squirm was interesting.

"… It's not easy, you know," she grumbled, but didn't seem to take it to heart.

"But you seem such a sweet girl, Marinette, and you even had a couple of fans! There is no one who wouldn't like your confession," he said with conviction, because he truly believed it. But the more he thought about it, the more he doubted himself. If she had confessed to him before, would he accept it? He couldn't be sure, but the answer was most probably a no, since his heart was set on Ladybug. So in the end, it wasn't really the truth. But he would have definitely liked it, just like the time when he learnt she was a huge fan of his modeling career.

She blushed at the compliment, but didn't seem to accept it judging by her face. "It's not that easy really. He d-doesn't like me," she said with a red face looking at her feet.

"How do you know?"

"I-I just know," she said with a deflated and disappointed voice.

"But you have never confessed to him. Wait!" he suddenly said, "Does he have a girlfriend then?" Did Luka have a girlfriend? He didn't know. In fact, he didn't even know how long Marinette knew Luka really. Was it even Luka the one she liked? She did say she saw him today though, could it be one of the people she came over to the hotel?

"Nonono!" She waved her hands while shaking her head, as well. "Not as far as I know. But he is generally well-liked," she added. "I've said too much!" She slapped her cheeks.

Musicians are definitely well-liked… Does she mean he has groupies to choose from?

"Maybe you should move on from that guy then," he concluded with a feeling of guilty lurking inside him. It wasn't a piece of advice he would give her, but just maybe…

"Easier said than done," her answer came immediately and then, she turned to look at him with a look he couldn't exactly translate. Offended? Disappointment towards him? Pity? "Could you get over Ladybug that easily? Would you even want to?"

He hadn't thought about it, but he definitely planned to win her love at some point, never give up on her.

"I suppose you're right," he said after a pause and an awkward silence fell upon them.

"I am trying to get closer to him," she said quietly. He just turned to look at him. "I will confess to him!" She said resolutely. "One day!"

He would have laughed, if he didn't feel a pain around his chest. She didn't notice his reaction though, but checked her phone.

"Oh wow, I'm sorry, but I have to go! I only came up here to pick up a book I left." She raised the book which was now in her hands. "I have to finish an assignment and I don't have much time left," she said fast and then she slowed down and cocked her head to the side. "Will you be ok? Do you maybe need some more company?"

"Naw, it's ok." He smiled. "I feel better already and this was a fun conversation. I might just come again to chat."

"Thank you for the honor, Chat Noir." She chuckled and the light tone of the conversation had returned.

"The honor is mine, princess." He bowed to her.

She was opening the hatch and moving inside when she stopped for a second. "You know, you said I'm a good listener, but you said nothing about yourself."

"Is that so? I didn't notice."

"Hmmm!" she said pointedly. "Alright, good night, Chat Noir." He wished her the same and she went back into her room, while he was left all alone on the balcony.

"Well, that went well," he muttered to himself and then he sighed. I should go home. He might have escaped Chloé's clutches for a while today and left together with everyone else, but he still had responsibilities to take care of at home. It was a miracle that his father had allowed him to be away for so long, but he supposed it was courtesy to Chloé's mother, an old friend.

He stretches his body and shook his arms and legs, because he felt suddenly stiff, although his mind was still pondering the conversation he had with Marinette. He had approached her a couple times the past few days, but every time it felt lacking since the discussion led nowhere; he didn't know her crush, he didn't have hard proof she was Ladybug and by now, he might probably be pestering her with his questions.

She might dislike me faster than I could make her like me… Which me though, hmm…

As he was finally ready to leave the balcony and head home, his phone started ringing. He checked it only to see his father's picture staring at him. He took off from Marinette's balcony, just to be safe and landed on somewhere more remote and he answered the call. His dad was once again strict about curfew and the fact that he was alone without the car made things worse.

Time to rush home, then.

After he left, Marinette was still struggling with her assignment and didn't have much time to think over her strange by all accounts conversation with Chat Noir. She had to focus on finishing it up, because she was already feeling tired and she really just wanted to rest. Tikki's encouraging words sounded once in a while with a simple "You can do it, Marinette!" and "Just a bit more!" and she somehow got some power from her. Of course, Tikki was also helping her with finding certain pages in books and even finding the books she needed, which made the whole procedure go by faster, or at least seem like it.

By the time she finished, it was midnight and she was wondering why she wasn't asleep. She knew the answer of course, but it still was an important question.

"Don't forget to send it," Tikki reminded her.

"Yes…" she responded sleepily. She checked twice she had the right file and the right email and finally sent it. "It's done!" She would have put her arms up, but she was feeling sooo tired by now and her dinner had been pretty small, so all she could do was yawn. "It's really done." It had only been a few hours, but she felt as if she were working at it the whole day and now that she was finally done, the exhaustion hit her like a wave.

She dragged herself to the bed and changed into her pajamas. She moved her things aside and slid into bed and just as she was putting her phone aside, she noticed it was blinking. She fiddled with it a bit, but her eyes were closing faster than she expected. She saw that she had a new message, which she hadn't seen earlier as she was focused on her assignment and her phone was on the bed. She didn't manage to check it properly, before she fell asleep with the phone in her hands.

"Good night, Marinette," Tikki told her, but she barely heard it and just made a sound in return. Tikki tucked her in properly and went to sleep herself.