A.N.- Hey everyone! Decided to post before I took a weekend trip to Canada. I think you'll really enjoy this chapter. It is dedicated to my beta who has done so much for my writing. She, unfortunately, has to step down because life is catching up to her. So if you have interest in grammar, PLEASE hit me up in the comments below. This chapter is unbeta-ed, but I think you'll enjoy it all the same

It was a knock that pulled her out of her half sleep state. She glanced towards the closest clock near her; 1:30 am. Who in the world was waiting to talk at this hour?

Maybe it was Amelie wanting to rant or needing to talk to her about something. It was a regular occurrence after they made up from their fight a couple days prior.

When the sound rang through the room once more, she came to the realization that it wasn't coming from the door but rather the window.

"Chaton?" Her legs tensed with every step. What if something happened to him? It seemed quiet lately, it would be a perfect time for Hawkmoth to attack. The second she pulled the curtain back and saw the cat unharmed and without a scratch, she sighed as relief flooded her system.

"Why, hello Kitty." He didn't know how much he craved the way the flirtation rippled through her voice till now. "What are you doing here?" She asked leaning in towards him.

"Meet me on the roof." The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop himself. It was hard to hold in his excitement when he had spent all week coming up with the perfect plan.

"Chat, do you know what time it is?"

"It won't take too long, I have a surprise for you." He winked before disappearing up to the roof.

Marinette didn't know what to expect as she climbed the stairs. Chat seemed way too excited so that meant that he was definitely up to something. The second she opened the door her mouth dropped. Candles littered the edge of the rooftop and at the center was a blanket, a picnic basket and chat holding a cupcake with a candle.

"Happy Birthday Princess," His words were mere whispered lost in the night.

"Birthday," she breathed to herself. How could she have forgotten her own birthday? With the day to day business at the internship, she must have lost track of time. "Chat you really didn't have to do this." She settled herself next to him resting her head on his shoulder.

"Aren't you going to make a wish?" He teased extending the treat once more in her direction. Marinette rolled her eyes before her lids closed and the flame on the candle was snuffed out.

"What did you wish for?" His hot breath sunk into her skin causing goosebumps to spread. She had wished that he would come to the "surprise" party that she was sure that Amelie was throwing that night.

"I can't tell you, if I do then it won't come true," she teased opening one eye to glance at him. Chat said nothing and instead leaned back till his back hit the blanket, Marinette followed his lead snuggling up against him.

"If you could do anything or go anywhere today what would you do?" He had cleared his schedule for the day and found out that he was the one in charge of distracting Marinette while Amelie had the party put in place. It was easy to take her all around town, but he wanted to make sure she enjoyed herself.

"With you." Her answer took him back although he shouldn't be surprised. Marinette was one of the most down to earth people he ever met, she didn't need to be wined and dined to be happy. She could appreciate the little things in life, one thing that he adored about her. "My roommate is throwing a party for me. She means well but usually, they get out of hand," she admitted.

From the couple months that he had known Amelie that didn't surprise him in the least. "I'm sure she tries her best," he offered weakly. Marinette let out a sigh and snuggled closer.

"I know she does, and I'm grateful. It's just...not how I would envision spending the night. I wouldn't mind a small group of friends hanging out, maybe cake-"

"Or presents?" Chat Noir interjected his hand sliding into his zipped pocket.

"What?" He handed her a small box tied with a red ribbon. Marinette's fingers traced the velvety box once over before she pulled the lid back. "Kitty..." She gasped at a loss for words. "It's gorgeous."

Within the box was a beautiful pearl bracelet that matched the necklace that Adrien had given her so many years ago. There was a small silver charm that was attached with CN engraved on it.

"I got to think about that necklace that you said your friend gave you and how it was important after all these years. I thought that maybe when you wear this you could think of me." He was relieved that his mask was covering any reaction to the heat rising to his cheeks. Marinette leaned in and kissed him gently.

"Thank you Chat. This is already the best birthday that I've had in years."

The sun consistently assaulted his eyes beaming brightly through the curtains. It may have been his choice to stay up late as Chat celebrating Marinette's birthday, but it still had its consequences. He was willing to barter almost anything for a few more hours of peaceful slumber. As his luck would have it, he would have to brave through the day tiredness and all. He moaned gently giving into the reality as he felt Amelie's hand slip across his chest.

"Good morning handsome," she cooed into his ear before leaving a kiss on his cheek.

"Morning." He groggily replied. Discomfort and stiffness ached in his back and knees, maybe he needed to invest in a new mattress.

"You must have been up late working on your project to fall asleep on the couch." His eyes burst open to see that she was right, and his thoughts began to run through the previous night.

Marinette. Rooftop. Stargazing.

By the time he snuck back in, the couch must have called to him and he never made it to his own bed. It didn't make sense, his room was practically the same distance, so why did he decide to crash there knowing that he would experience pain in the morning?

"Um...yeah. Sorry about that." His hand rubbed the back of his neck only to realize it was sore too.

"I can think of a way that you can make it up to me." There was no denying what she was implying, she was flashing her bedroom eyes. He realized that for the first time in a long time, his body didn't tense at the suggestion or his mind sink into the gutter; he was indifferent. His eyes flickered over to Marinette's room and he could hear the laughter from their conversation the previous night.

"Don't you have a lot of planning to do before tonight?" He watched her freeze eyes dilating wide in shock. The moment passed quickly as she composed herself leaning forward once more.

"Most of it is already done," she purred. He noticed a change in her tone which was now dripping like honey. "Are you sure there's nothing I can do to convince you?" Most guys would call him an idiot for passing up on the opportunity, but it didn't matter.

"You have so much work to do, I don't want to distract you." He replied with the sincerest smile he could muster. "I think I just need to go take a long hot shower, sleeping on the couch did a number on me." Amelie's lips sunk into a pout, but she didn't try to tempt him again.

"You're no fun but have it your way. Just remember to stick with the plan and have Marinette to the country club by 6 sharp." She picked up her purse and headed straight for the door. "Love you." She called over her shoulder.

"You…too." He replied but he couldn't ignore how the words that came so freely now got stuck in his throat.

Adrien found that there was a direct correlation to the length he allowed the warm water to rush over his tightened muscles and the troubles on his mind slipping away. He still didn't have an answer for why he slept on the couch instead of a comfortable bed and it bothered him. Maybe it was a riddle that he was never meant to solve. Things were relatively good between them. They hadn't had any fights recently and he could tell that she was trying to work on herself as well as them. There was still a nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach that whispered that it would never be enough. Not that he knew exactly what his inner voice was referring to, but the thought caused his stomach to churn with dread.

Adrien waited another minute before shutting the water off completely. It was the first time that he heard his phone go off since the water started. It was his Chat Noir burner phone that he used to communicate with Marinette, Plagg and a handful of others. He had a couple of text messages.

Marinette: I can't stop thinking about last night Kitty. Hope to see you soon. Xo

Plagg: SOS

His skin started to pale at the sight of it. He had taught Plagg the basics of communication with phone since he was occupying the other apartment. What if someone discovered or even taken him? Marinette wasn't ready to go yet he could and come back before she even noticed that he was gone.

Marinette sometimes wished that she would have gained more inches from her Dad's side of the family. It would make several things easier including reaching the back of the top shelf in the closet to grab forgotten fabric for one of her designs. Her tongue slid out concentrating, her fingers could brush the red fabric, but she couldn't seem to grasp it.

Suddenly Adrien came stumbling out of the bathroom in full force. When he saw Marinette, his momentum was too great to stop. He ran dead smack into her sending the two towering to the floor with a yelp. Last minute Adrien managed to twist them, so he would take the brunt of the fall. When the dust settled Adrien was wincing on the floor his muscles feeling the fall and Marinette flat against his naked chest with only a towel separating them.

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going." But Marinette didn't hear him, instead, she was wondering if she could die from shame. The other incident was over a month ago, but this was somehow worse. By the look plastered on Adrien's face he wasn't doing much better.

"It's ok," she managed to strangle out pushing herself up off him. The sound of the blonde sucking in air caused her to pause. She had put them in a just as compromising position where she was straddling his body. The towel prevented seeing him completely naked, but she was sure the pressure pressing against her thigh was not from the fluffy blue fabric.

Her cheeks flushed hot and she wasn't sure she could form words if she tried. She jumped up as carefully as she could, biting her lips at the grunts escaping his mouth. Her eyes trailed down his chest committing every inch to memory. Once they reached the towel they snapped back to the mortified face of her roommate.

"I-I got to go." He held the tighter trying to stand up without fully exposing himself.

"Yeah, I'm just to go get some breakfast."

"No-" he shouted then shrunk back. "I have to go out anyway. I'll pick up breakfast. It's your birthday after all." Amelie would kill him if he lost track of Marinette.

"Are you sure?" She asked hesitantly.

"Yup," Adrien was sure his strained voice gave away the discomfort he was feeling in that moment.

Before he could make even more of a fool of himself, he retreated to his room. His phone dinged again.

Plagg: We're out of cheese.

Anger flared up inside him that his Kwami caused all this over some Camembert. He'd need to have a conversation with him to explain to him what a real emergency was.

The crisp March night air cooled her cheeks as the two walked towards their destination. Marinette found herself quiet as her mind wandered through events of the day. From the shower incident earlier to how Adrien had been acting all day. Things were different, but she couldn't place her finger on it. He hadn't treated her to places in the past that previous "babysitters" had. Instead, he had taken her to fabric stores and museums, almost like a walk to memory lane. Every single place he took her held importance in some way shape or another.

"Want to practice your surprise face before we go into the party?" She stopped in her tracks, he was playing this all wrong. Amelie always threatened to skin anyone who gave away the party. She would always just play along. "Didn't you say she threw one every year?" She hadn't said since last night. Maybe he got confused with Amelie confiding that information with him.

"Yeah," She chuckled. "I just pretend each year. It's not like she's subtle with it but-"

"At least she tries." He finished her sentence without hesitation. Her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped. It had to be a coincidence for Chat to use the same line earlier that day. Her hand began playing with the pearl bracelet on her wrist. "Before we go in... I wanted to give you my gift." He extended to her an envelope that she studied once over. There were no hints, just Marinette scrolled gracefully across the front. The last time he gave her something like this it changed her life.

It didn't take more than a couple seconds to realize what he had done.

"Adrien these are tickets to the summer fashion show. Designers will be there-how?" He let out a small chuckle which confused her.

"I convinced my father that our top intern should be invited. We can rub you in our competition's noses that we have the most up in coming designer in Paris...respectfully of course. Don't worry though, I'll be right by your side the whole way." She didn't know what she could say. Gabriel wouldn't have agreed if his opinion differed from his sons. But wouldn't he want Amelie with him too since she craved to move up in the fashion industry as well?

"Thank you…Adrien." She replied, but even that didn't seem adequate enough. She could have sworn she saw the lightest pink spread across his features, but he coughed and recomposed himself.

"Ready to go?" She nodded to his question and he opened the door to the shouting of Marinette's beloved friends and family.

"So you were surprised?" There was something in her roommates face that Marinette wanted to cater to her delusion. After all, a little white lie couldn't hurt.

"Totally." She watched Amelie's face light up like a Christmas tree. "Thank you Am-" All her breath was knocked out of her in a crushing hug. It took a couple seconds for Marinette to move her arms to circle back around her friend. It was obvious by the streamers and hundreds of balloons that great effort was put into this party.

"Anything for my best friend." The redhead mumbled into her shoulder. The hug ended shortly after and Amelie was dragged away to deal with other details that night.

"That was nice of you," she could feel the heat radiating off Adrien's body behind her. "Going along with the surprise." Marinette turned her head to witness a Cheshire smile form.

"Well like you said, it's the least I can do when she put all this together." She replied returning a grin. Everyone that she knew was here, family, friends from school and from her past. She even spotted Bellamy and Amelie in the corner and glancing over in her direction. Everyone was here...except the one she wanted.

"Hey, are you ok?" She jumped as Adrien's hand touched her back ever so slightly. She could feel him studying her trying to gauge her reaction. Her fingers went to play with her bracelet almost instinctively which didn't go unnoticed either.

"Fine." Another small white lie, after all the two had done the last thing she wanted to appear ungrateful.

"Mari." It was just her luck that he could see through her act. She just wished that her Kitty was here, was that so wrong?

Before she could conjure up and answer she heard her name being called through the crowd. Nathaniel and Chloe emerged hand in hand seconds later. Marinette's gaze caught a glimmer of the ring resting on Chloe's hand.

She had said yes.

The two looked happy and her lips crept into a small grin. Maybe she could change after all. Ms. Bustier had once said that Chloe had great potential as long as she learned to love others.

"I'm stealing the birthday girl," she announced grabbing Marinette's wrist. "You'll get her back later." Chloe winked at Adrien before dragging her previous enemy to a more secluded room closing the door behind her.

"Chloe?" Marinette asked but the blonde ignored her.

"Unlike my lovely fiancé, I happen to keep up with the news. So, imagine my surprise when Nathaniel comes home and tells me that Marinette Dupain Cheng and Adrien Agreste are madly in love. When multiple sources have confirmed that he and Amelie Marlone have been going steady for months and you have been spotted with Chat Noir..." By the way Marinette's eyes widened, she knew she was on to something.

"Chloe-" She pressed her finger against the dark haired girl's lips. She didn't have time to deal with the endless excuses. Not when she wanted answers.

"I'm not finished." She wagged her finger in Marinette's face. "I thought he must have been mistaken, only to find when I see the two of you the sexual tension can be cut with a knife. So, what is going on between you and Adrien?"

The seconds of silence dragged on, Chloe wasn't a patient person, if Marinette wouldn't chalk up to it she had no problems turning on her childhood friend.

"Nothing is going on." Marinette stated earning an eye roll.

"If you expect me to believe that you must think I'm more oblivious than you were in high school." She snapped then recoiled at the look on Marinette's face. "Look I'm not the same person as I was back then. Ever since yo- er, Ladybug took my miraculous away it caused me to look at who I really care about. Adrien has been my friend since we were little so trust me when I say he's still in love with you." Chloe studied the girl in front of her, even though they weren't friends growing up she remembered her habits as well. The normal Marinette would be jumping up and down at the news. Instead, her eyes fluttered to the ground.

"You're wrong." The answer was infuriating. This was ridiculous, utterly ridiculous. She didn't know who she was disappointed in more, Marinette, Adrien, or any of their friends for failing to point this out.

"Can't you see what's right in front of your face? He's never looked at Amelie the way he's looked at you. There's going to come a time where whatever spell she's got him under will fade and he'll be the one to end it, and you'll be his reasoning."

"Why are you telling me this?" Why was she doing this? Dealing well the lovebirds in denial was not her normal behavior, not in high school anyway. Somewhere along the way she had to grow up and evaluate her priorities. Adrien didn't leave her during the hard times and she wasn't going to give up on him now.

"Because I don't want him to get hurt." She let out a sigh. "If whatever you have with that alley cat makes you happy, fine. Don't lead him on and just be a friend to him." She paused briefly before her blue eyes connected with Marinette's. "But if there's a tiny bit of you that holds actual feelings, then don't lose hope."

Silence...wasn't the worst thing Chloe decided. If Marinette's face was any indication she was battling her denial and the initial instinct that she was lying. The worst part was she couldn't blame her. Marinette received the brunt of her cringeworthy behavior. For once she was trying to do the right thing.

"I should get back to the party, Nathaniel is no doubt looking for me." The statement brought Marinette out of her stupor in enough time to catch Chloe pausing at the doorway.

"I don't blame you, you know. You had no choice but to take Pollen away. I just hope one day I can prove my worth and earn my miraculous back. I figured this was a good way to start."

Adrien couldn't help but feel helpless watching as Chloe dragged Marinette off to who knows where. Not that she couldn't handle herself but rather because of their conflicting personalities, not to mention it left him alone with Nathan. He never really spoke much to the redhead despite their mutual interest in the same girl in school.

He had to carry on small talk before for his career, doing the same for a few minutes until the girls return couldn't be too hard.

"I heard congratulations are in order. I'm sure you and Chloe will be very happy together." Technically Marinette told Chat Noir and not Adrien, but it was a safe bet by the ring he saw on Chloe's finger.

"Thanks." The artist flashed a smile. "It seemed like a long time coming, not as long as you of course. But I'm less nervous now that she said yes. " Adrien took the opportunity to grab a drink from a passing tray. He would never have described his relationship as a long time coming with Amelie, then again Nathaniel was a romantic at heart. "So when are you going to ask her?" He seemed a little too eager for the answer.

"Ask what?" The blonde questioned taking a sip.

"To marry you." Adrien was sent into a coughing fit as the drink went down the wrong pipe. Being with Chloe must have caused Nathaniel to be more forward with his questions, but that was one of the last things he was expecting to get asked. He was having enough trouble as is with living with her in her own apartment. They weren't ready in any sense to move forward even more.

"I think it's a little too soon in our relationship to think about that, it's only been a couple months." There were couples that got engaged that fast, but Adrien wasn't ready to take that step with just anyone. He needed to know that they were in it for the long haul.

"You already live together. Besides, you two have known each other for years, doesn't it feel like the right step?" Why was Nathaniel being persistent about this? Did he know Amelie? She certainly never mentioned him.

"I'm still getting to know her." He replied as his eyes narrowed at the comment in confusion. 6 months may feel like a prolonged period of time to some, there was still more to learn.

"How much more about Marinette do you need to know? You've been in love with her since high school, right?" Adrien froze every vein in his body shot cold. Nathaniel was talking about Marinette? He fought the blush while highly aware that he needed to do something. Mrs. Malone was within earshot and by the look upon her face, she had heard the whole thing. He could attempt to smooth her feathers later, he was more interested in where the redhead received his information. He tugged on his sleeve pulling him away from prying eyes and ears.

"Did I do something wrong? I didn't mean to push." Nathan said. Adrien's hands flew up to run through his hair. He didn't do anything wrong, somewhere down the line he was misinformed, but he couldn't hold that against him.

"Nathan, Marinette and I may live in the same apartment but we aren't...together." He watched as the blood drained from the redhead's face in sheer embarrassment.

"You're...not." Adrien shook his head as a response.

"Who told you that we were?" He almost didn't want to know. It didn't really matter after all if the information was out there and there was nothing he could do to stop it. But if it was from a printed article he would like to see what it said.

"Marinette did." With Nathaniel's simple answer Adrien's world came crashing down.

"Nino What does it mean if someone lies about being in a relationship with someone else?" Nino snorted at Adrien's question.

"Sounds like a stupid plot from those predictable romantic comedy movies." He paused and at the sight of his best friend's expression continued. "Have you been forced to watch them again? I've talked to Amelie about this." No response again. This was serious. He grabbed both sides of Adrien's shoulders. "Blink once if you need me to save you from the estrogen filled den you call an apartment."

"Marinette told Nathaniel that...that she and I were together."

"Oh." Nino's shoulders slumped back trying to process the news. Both Marinette and Adrien been crushing on each other for the longest time while in denial to the point of frustrations had set in. Nino refused to let his best friend go through that again even if he needed to give Adrien a little push himself. "And how do you feel about that?"

Adrien leaned against a nearby wall and released a sigh. "I...I don't know." Nino half smiled to himself, Adrien had no idea how deep he was in this. Hopefully with a few right questions, it would send him on the right path.

"Are you upset that she lied?" Nino knew that Adrien had people all throughout his life that tried to use his name to get ahead. While he doubted that was Marinette's intentions he didn't know where his best friend stood on the matter.

"I'm sure she had a good reason." Adrien shrugged his shoulders. It was a starting place that Nino could work with, but he had a feeling the questions would get harder for him to answer.

"How's your relationship with Amelie?" Adrien cocked an eyebrow at the direct question. What did that have to do with anything?

"Fine." Instinctively his eyes began to scan the room until they landed on his girlfriend chatting up some of the other guests.

"Just fine?"

His eyes snapped back to Nino a frown hung from his lips. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Does Amelie make you happy?" Nino asked. Adrien initially scoffed in response only to realize that he was being serious.

"Yeah. We have fun together, she's gorgeous, determined. What guy wouldn't be happy with her?" The smirk on his friend's lips sparked something inside him, an irritation. Nino seemed entirely too pleased with his answer.

"What about Marinette?" At the mention of her name Adrien's mind race with memories from the moment she stepped back into his life. He had to reel in his thoughts in order to answer.

"What about her?"

"How does she make you feel when you're with her?" Somehow Adrien doubted that Nino would take everything as an answer. All he knew was that when they interacted it was some of the best parts of his day.

"I don't know."

"So If people thought you and Marinette were together that wouldn't be a problem?" The blonde eyebrows knitted together, and Adrien's lips curled into a thin line. He had to deal with this as Chat Noir, and everything turned out fine. People would talk regardless of his actions.

"No." He replied.

"Why?" Nino pushed again, and Adrien felt his control over his temper slipping.

"Nino." He growled not wanting to be questioned anymore.

"If you tell me why then I'll stop." Adrien felt him pushing another one of his buttons.

"Because I still love" his voice betrayed him giving out as he realized what he was confessing, "her," he finished breathing out. After all this time, Amelie was wrong. His feelings for Marinette hadn't diminished at all but strengthened. His body grew stiff as Nino placed one hand on his shoulder, a smirk prominent in his features.

"So what are you going to do about it?"

A.N.- I know you guys must have a ton of questions. You'll get answers to them eventually, I promise. Let me know what you thought of this fluff filled chapter. Love you all, and thank you so much for your support.