A/N: 51 followers! This calls for celebration... How does a surprise chapter sound? Enjoy. ;) Thank you so much for all the words of praise! I'm currently working on Part 4 of Switch episode, which is right after Truth Serum. That is where more fun stuff happens! Please don't hate me for what will occur in Switch...

Truth Serum: Part Three

Somehow or another, she managed to get him back to her place without anyone noticing the two struggling heroes. Luckily, his suit was black and hers was red, so the blood wasn't too obvious.

Leaning him back on her chaise, she bit her lip, wondering what she should do first. A compress for his bruises? Or rubbing alcohol and tweezers for the shrapnel in his chest?

She quickly checked his pulse and breathing; both were strong and regular when compared to her own. She quickly gathered medical supplies, her fingers fumbling with the bell around his neck as she unhooked it so she could access the zipper underneath. It jangled loudly.

She peeled his leather suit away from his injured chest, biting her lip to keep from sobbing as she stared at where the shrapnel had torn into him. She picked up the tweezers and a towel soaked in rubbing alcohol, mentally preparing herself for the task ahead.

Luckily, the injury wasn't as bad as she had thought; most of the torn metal had only made surface wounds. Those that were a bit deeper didn't go past his skin; apparently, his suit had acted as a buffer, keeping him from being shredded by the impact of the exploding barrel.

After she was done bandaging him, she touched his face lightly as a few tears slipped down her face. His breathing was regular, but he hadn't woken up during her treatment.

"Wake up soon, Chat," she whispered, resting her head on his arm. "Please."

Adrien opened his eyes, groggy. Pain lanced through his chest as he inhaled sharply, momentarily not recognizing his surroundings.

Something pinned his right arm down. He cautiously reached over, his fingers encountering soft hair. He angled his head down as much as he could, instantly recognizing Marinette's blue-black hair even though it was not in its trademark pigtails.

She stirred as his fingers ran through her hair. Her head jerked up, her eyes wide as she stared at him. "Chat!"

He smiled tiredly. "Hey there, bug-a-boo. Did we get her?"

She burst into tears.

Stunned, Adrien's smile slipped from his face as he reached for her, wanting to wipe away her worries. "Marinette? What happened?"

"I-I thought…" she sniffled, her fingers digging into the soft leather of his Miraculous suit. "There was so much blood, a-and you weren't waking up…"

"Hey, it's okay," he quickly comforted her, tugging her towards him to hug her tightly. He realized belatedly that his suit had been unzipped to his waist and bandages covered his chest; Marinette gripped the two sides of his suit as if they were a lifeline, her face buried into the nape of his neck. "I'm okay, Marinette."

"Stupid cat," she cried, her voice muffled. He could feel her hot tears striking his neck. "I was scared I had lost you. I can't do this without you, Chat Noir; you're not allowed to die, you hear me? You're-you're not allowed to…"

Adrien's arms had been slowly wrapping around her. However, at her last sentence, he froze. "Mari…"

"You're my partner," she rambled. "Partners-partners don't leave each other, you hear me? You need to promise me, Chat. Promise me you'll never leave me."

His heart twisted at this. "I can't do that."

Her head lifted. She stared at him, incredulous. "Wha - "

"Not until you tell me," he continued, staring straight into her eyes. "If you had to pick between me and Agreste, which would you choose?" Truth Serum's effects must have still been in his system, because otherwise, he would never had said what he just did. It was true that he was both Chat and Agreste, but if he had to tell someone which was more like the real him, he would say it was Chat - but to make Marinette pick between the two versions of himself may prove to be very, very disastrous and heart-crushing.

Her face twisted in confusion. "Chat…" She shook her head. "Adrien was my first crush; he will always be special to me. However, I'm okay if we just remain friends. But you…" Her eyes teared up again as her fingers dug into his suit. "You're my partner; you've seen me at my worst. You've become a huge part of my life, Chat, and I-I don't know if I could live without you anymore."

His eyes widened at her confession, his lips parting in surprise. He had known how much she had liked his 'other half,' the one that constantly had to act prim and proper in society because he was told to. For her to say this…

Her hands cupped his face with a tenderness that left him speechless. She forced a smile onto her tear-streaked face. "I don't know when it happened, Chat, but I-I care too much about you to ignore it anymore."

Unable to form words to respond, he did the only thing he could think of to convey his feelings to her.

He kissed her.

It wasn't gentle and hesitant like the first one; instead, it was desperate and filled with years of pent-up feelings that he had had to tone down each and every single time he had seen her ever since they had met that fateful day in school. He pulled her even closer to him, ignoring the painful twinge from his bandaged wounds.

Marinette's hands tangled in his hair as she kissed him back, equally desperate to be close to him. Through her kiss, he could sense how much she had been worried for him - how much she cared for him. A deep groan escaped his throat, and she gasped as he flipped them over with his catlike reflexes.

"You shouldn't move. Your wounds - " she started to warn him, but was cut off with a short gasp as he nibbled the side of her neck as he crouched over her.

"I don't care," he growled, his eyes hooded as he stared into her bluebell eyes. "I promise, Marinette."

"H-huh?" She couldn't tear away from his smouldering gaze, trapped as effectively as chains.

He nuzzled her ear, whispering, "I promise I won't leave you." A fresh wave of tears spilled over her cheeks, and he lovingly wiped them away. She grabbed his open vest and pulled him down, pressing her lips against his firmly.

Marinette opened her eyes, her head feeling like it was about to split open. She closed them again, wishing the headache would go away. She buried her head in her pillow, never wanting to leave her bed again. However, two voices from the chaise in her room caught her attention.

"You finished pigging out?"

"Shut up. You're not the one having to maintain a suit for hours on end because you refuse to tell her your real identity."

"You know why, Plagg. You were there when I promised her."

A tiny sigh. "Yeah, yeah. Still, though; I think it's a bad idea. She's probably going to be enfuriated when she does find out."

"I'll deal with that when the time comes. In the meantime, I want to keep my word to her."

"Exactly how important is that when she doesn't even remember asking you to promise that you won't reveal yourself so she could figure it out on her own this time? This is all so stupid…"

"You know why, Plagg. Are you done eating?"

"Last bite. You should at least give her some hints - "

"Plagg, claws out!"

"H-hey! At least let me digest!"

Marinette kept her eyes shut and her back turned to the chaise. Her mind swirled with questions, although some of her initial ones had been answered.

Chat Noir hadn't told her his identity because she had made him promise not to. Not only that, but it had something to do with her finding out again on her own. It felt like she was playing a game of cat and mouse - except it was against her own lost memories. She had been playing a game against herself, yet she didn't remember the rules.

She thought of last night, her face turning crimson as she remembered what had happened. She had made out with Chat Noir, even confessing to him that she cared more about him than Adrien, the one she was dating right now.

She groaned, a little louder than intended. An added weight behind her on the bed alerted her of Chat's presence right before he spoke. "Is something wrong, Princess?"

She buried her head into her pillow, not looking at him. "It's your fault."

He shifted behind her. Her eyes popped open as she realized he was climbing into the bed, stretching out next to her. He placed his hand on her shoulder, trying to pull her over so he could see her face, but she didn't concede. "What did I do?"

She curled into a ball. "I-I'm dating Adrien," she blurted. She felt his hand on her shoulder go still. "B-but now I like you, and…"

He chuckled, startling her. She peeked at him from her pillow. He grinned at her. "Don't worry about it, mi'lady. I'll talk to him."

"He got shot by Truth Serum," she blurted, "and said he liked me."

He stilled, his eyes slowly widening at her words as he came to some revelation. "I'm sorry," he breathed regretfully. "I-I didn't… I wasn't thinking, and I made you choose."

He got up, reaching for the trapdoor above them. Seeing he was about to leave, Marinette bolted upright and grabbed his arm. "Wait - "

"Marinette! Are you up? You're going to be late for school!" her mother called up the stairs.

Chat Noir smiled at her solemnly, looking as if he had just lost the love of his life. "I'm sorry if I confused you, mi'lady. I'll stop; I know how much you've liked Agreste."

"Wait, you stupid cat!" Marinette hissed.

"Marinette?" Mrs. Dupain-Cheng's voice is closer to the door now.

"I'll be down in a minute, Mom!" Marinette quickly threw at the door, grabbing Chat's arm as he opened the trapdoor. "Chat, wait a minute!"

He paused, watching her with a guarded expression. "What is it?"

"Did you miss everything I said last night?" she fumed, her cheeks flushing at the memory. However, Truth Serum's effects hadn't worn off yet, so the brave words tumbled out of her. "Yes, I like Adrien Agreste, but I also like you. Adrien may have confessed to me, but…" she hesitated, whispering the next words. "It came a little too late."

Adrien was frozen to the spot, staring at her in stunned silence. "Too… late?" he repeated brokenly. She nodded. "Then…"

Then the reason why she hadn't responded to Adrien's confession wasn't because she was shocked, but because she had been torn between the two people she liked - which, in the end, happen to be the same person.

He still felt torn up inside for making her go through all of this. She thought she was cheating on him, not knowing that even if she was, she was cheating on him with himself. He had made a huge mess out of their relationship - and he hadn't even meant to. All because of a stupid promise and a selfish request.

He gave her a small smile, running his thumb along her jawline. "But… you still like him, don't you? Don't ruin that relationship, please. I'll still be here; I won't leave you, Princess."

Curse this Truth Serum's effects. If it hadn't been for it, there wouldn't have been this nasty little mess he had gotten himself into; he had dug his own grave. Now he dreaded the moment Marinette found out his identity.

But if she knew right now… He weighed his options. If he told her now, there was less likely a chance of repercussions. The longer he waited to tell her, the angrier she would be at him - he was sure of it.

Screw my promise to her, he thought, throwing caution out the trapdoor he had been about to walk through. "Marinette, I'm - " he rushed out, suddenly desperate.

"Ahhh, I gotta get to school!" Marinette cried, glancing at the time. She leaped out of bed, diving for her closet. "I'm sorry, Chat, I'll talk to you later! We can search for Truth Serum afterwards, okay?"

Without waiting for him to answer, she closed the bathroom door to change.

Sighing, Adrien escaped out the roof, missing his opportunity to clear up his mistake. He didn't want to go home, but he knew that he should. He just hoped his father wouldn't hold him hostage…

An idea sprang to mind. Leaping across the city, he detransformed near Nino's place and whipped out his phone, quickly dialing his best friend.

"Hey, man, where were you?" Nino greeted him, his usually chill voice full of worry.

"Sorry," Adrien automatically apologized. "I… kinda stayed at Marinette's place." He slapped his hand over his mouth, mortified at what he had just said. "I-I mean, we didn't - she let me crash there - "

"Dude, chill." Adrien shut up. "You got hit by the bullet, didn't you?"

"Yes," he answered simply, sagging in relief. "How did you know?"

"Alya got shot. She… uh… she confessed to me." Nino went silent for a moment before suddenly exclaiming, "What are you doing outside my house?"

Adrien glanced up. Sure enough, Nino was peering down at him from his room, his jaw hanging open. "I-I need an alibi," the model admitted, smiling sheepishly up at his friend. "My dad can not find out I crashed at Marinette's place."

Nino sighed. "I'll be down there in a minute."

"You can't tell Marinette or Alya that we did this, either," he quickly added, realizing a flaw in his plan; if it got back to Marinette that he had told Nino that he had crashed at her place, she would easily put two and two together.

"Gotcha." Nino didn't like drama any more than Adrien, and Adrien suspected Nino knew there was more behind the story than the model was telling him.

Nino opened the door a few minutes later. "Come on in, dude. Did you know we don't have school today? They just called my parents."

Adrien looked surprised. "No, I didn't know…"

Nino nodded. "Apparently, the new akuma is wreaking enough havoc that the school wanted everyone to stay home - Hey! Wait! Where are you going?"

"Sorry, Nino, but I'm going to check on Marinette," he threw over his shoulder lamely, even though it was the truth. "She had been hit by Truth Serum, too."

Nino waggled his eyebrows. "Oh, I see how it is."

This time, Adrien didn't dare correct him for fear of what would come out of his mouth this time. "We'll figure out a cover story later; sound good?" Nino gave him a thumbs-up.

A/N: Again, thank you so much for following my story. I'm glad all of you like it so much! I have many plans for it. *rubs hands together eagerly* However, according to my beta reader and cover artist, I am an 'evil writer.' You have been effectively warned.