Author's note: Thanks again for the reviews!

/

Marinette's confession weighs heavily on his mind.

He can't quite understand how he could have missed something so huge. Plagg's analysis, for all that it was simplistic, seems to also somehow also be the most accurate and likely. It all makes some sort of strange sense now that he thinks about it. If she'd always seemed to be on edge around him, it was because she was nervous. What he had considered to be strange behaviour around Dylan was in fact perhaps slightly closer to the real Marinette than how she had behaved around Adrien.

The teen finds himself staring at her from time to time, as if trying to catch a fleeting glimpse of something which has eluded him up until this point. Usually, Plagg ends up having to snap him out of it. It could be considered strange or intimidating to fix someone for extended periods of time.

The next question he ends up asking himself is just why Marinette likes or liked Adrien. Was it the looks? He was quite used to having a large number of fans given his modelling career. Still, he dares to hope that she isn't quite that shallow. Could she like Cat Noir as well? What about Dylan? Wait… Didn't she have a crush on Luka? Things had seemed a lot simpler when it was just Ladybug whom he had to think about. Maybe that's why he hadn't noticed that others were taking an interest in him.

It's made all the worse by the school gossip mill which seems to be spinning out the story that he's got a soft spot for the baker's daughter. She seems to laugh about the matter, perhaps not taking it very seriously. Denying it when he's nearby. She's never asked him if it's true. He's not entirely sure if that's just out of consideration for his privacy, if she thinks it's nonsense or if she actually isn't interested and simply doesn't want to hurt his feelings. Dylan usually just shoots anyone whom he hears, thinks he hears or vaguely suspects of spreading the rumour a cold glare and then tries his best to ignore them.

He needs help. He needs someone to talk to. Someone other than Plagg who's taking a great deal of pleasure in his confusion and as a result in teasing him.

There's only one person he can really turn to.

Unfortunately, he feels somewhat awkward about bringing up the subject. Nathalie doesn't exactly strike him as the romantic sort. For as long as he's known her, she hasn't had any partners (he deduces that simply from the amount of time she seemed to have freely available to hang around the mansion and that family matters never seemed to be an issue for her). She seems so serious, so stern at times that he can't picture her on a date or even flirting. As a result, he doesn't mention the issue around her for a good few days.

She picks up that something isn't quite right and even asks him a few times if he's alright. He passes it off as simply being to do with stress, they're getting closer to the end of year exams after all. He can tell that she's not entirely convinced but lets the matter lie none-the-less.

Ironically, it's upon coming home from work one evening that she ends up bringing up the subject herself, without any prompting. She's tired. She works long hours and it's pretty thankless work having to deal with irate phone calls from enraged and/or confused customers day-in and day-out. He makes a point of asking her how work went. Her most common response is "as usual". She never complains but sometimes brings up exceptionally bizarre or stupid individuals she's had to deal with if she thinks that it might amuse him.

So that evening, when she comes in, as always he asks after she's hung up her coat:

"How was work? The same as always?"

"As it so happens, no..." She informs him with a faint smile. "A guy from the office asked me out on a date."

He stares at her. He's not too sure whether he's surprised that she's telling him this. Usually, he would have assumed that it was something a little bit to private for her to share with him. Nathalie is quite fond of keeping her own private life a secret and he knows that she doesn't always appreciate him digging around too much. Maybe this is her way of letting him know that she officially now has a boyfriend? He's confused, unsure whether or not to pry any further but struggling to think of how he could do anything else other than ask her about it.

Curiously, she chose to fill him in on the matter a few seconds later:

"I told him about you. Amazingly, that didn't seem to put it off."

"You think I put people off?" He frowns, somewhat hurt by the implication.

"No!" She's quick to reassure him. "Not you personally but a lot of people aren't too keen on dating others with established families. Least of all potentially moody teenagers..."

"Oh..."

He pretends to understand. For a few moments, he tries to think about how he would have reacted had his father suddenly announced that he'd found another woman to share his life with. Probably with a fair amount of scepticism and concern given that the man never left the building. That asides, would he have been angry? Felt betrayed? He's watched some television where the kids try their best to try away their new step-parent, would he have done the same?

Nathalie seems a little lost in her thoughts for a few seconds. Then, for the second time, she takes him by surprise letting out a soft chuckle. She might as well have just broken down in hysterics. Truly puzzled, Adrien raises an eyebrow:

"What's so funny?"

"I just hasn't happened in a while." The woman explains to him. "It took me by surprise."

"I wouldn't mind." Adrien tells her, speaking slowly, tentatively. "If you wanted to hook up with-"

"You think I care what you think?"

The bluntness of her question catches him off-guard. He blinks a few times, surprised. It's difficult to tell if she's genuinely angry or actually gently mocking him.

He opens his mouth to answer but finds himself unable to do so. He has two options both have potential drawbacks. His first instinct is to say "no" she most certainly doesn't need his permission, she's a free woman and can do what she likes. Then, it occurs to him that she used the word "care". If he says 'no' that would imply that he doesn't think that she cares about him and what he thinks. As a result the teen hesitates, torn and uncertain.

After a few seconds, a third option occurs to him. One which he timidly articulates a few seconds later:

"This is one of those trick questions, isn't it?"

"The boy learns..." Nathalie smiles softly as she slings her handbag over one of the seats. "Besides, I politely declined. He's a nice man but not really my type."

"What is your type?"

He surprises both Nathalie and himself with the boldness of his enquiry. Sometimes, curiosity gets the better of him, overriding his inhibitions and prompting him to articulate questions and sentiments which he would never usually even contemplate expressing.

The the reaction he gets out of Nathalie is one that he'd never thought he'd achieve: a blush. It's clear as day, her cheeks flush a brighter shade of red and she abruptly turns her gaze away from him. The awkwardness is palpable as Adrien realizes that he's said something which has unsettled the woman. He rubs the back of his neck nervously, not even daring to apologize for a few seconds. He does glance back briefly towards her and to his surprise, finds that her expression is rather grave. In those few instants, she doesn't look so much like someone embarrassed as someone ashamed.

She shakes her head a few seconds later, pulling herself together. Instantly, she's back to the usual Nathalie. The silence lasts a while longer. He chooses to fix a piece of the wallpaper which despite their best efforts is peeling away due to the damp. Finally, he admits defeat and lets out a sigh:

"Man..." He begins timidly, drawing her attention. "Can I talk to you about something?"

She turns curious. He calls her "Man" almost exclusively now. It's simpler than alternating between it and Nathalie and is less likely to lead to embarrassing and potentially dangerous slip-ups in public. He has her full and undivided attention. He's probably being a little bit too dramatic, causing her to worry over nothing. Still, he's not too sure how to express what's been bugging him these past few days, no doubt because he doesn't quite understand it himself. He fumbles, awkwardly, unsure how to begin:

"It's about a girl-"

"Oh no! I refuse to get dragged in to any of this teenage melodrama!" To be fair, she was firm on that point upon entering their current living arrangements.

"Aw please man! Otherwise I'll have to go to Plagg and I know his advice is going to be-"

"Alright! Alright!" She allows herself to collapse onto the couch before muttering distastefully. "Teenagers…"

Despite her obvious and undisguised exasperation, Adrien found himself smiling as relief takes over. He's already looking forwards to being able to get this weight off of his chest and hopefully getting some decent answers to the numerous questions and insecurities which have been plaguing him over the course of the past ten days or so. Nathalie looks over to him, shooting him a look to get him to get a move on and to spit it out.

Again, he takes a few seconds, wondering just where to begin. He decides to start at the root of the issue, where things first changed:

"You remember that you said that Marinette had a crush on me?"

"I said that?" She seems genuinely surprised.

"Well… You didn't say it but you implied-" He pauses, noticing that she looks none-the-wiser.

"When was this?" The woman sounds uncertain, it's not an act or her trying to make some sort of point.

"That time that she came round-" Suddenly it dawns on him. "You were ill. You used the peacock miraculous."

"Oh yes… Of course." Her voice trails off failing to hide some of her worry. "I don't know… Things are fuzzy from back then."

That's concerning. It's not quite the first time that she's expressed difficulty recollecting just what had happened following her use of the miraculous. The amnesia, if that's indeed what it is, is quite normal, Plagg assures them. He stresses to Nathalie that every time she uses the jewel, it's her entire body which takes a blow: heart, lungs, kidney, liver, brain... all suffer. She's aware of the risks, muttering quietly that she doubts she'll get away with another use.

Uneasy, she's quick to stir things back on track. She admits to being aware of the fact that the girl might have had a crush on him. It was hardly unheard of. If he says that she told him, then she believes him. He tells her about some of his recent interactions with the girl and what she had confessed to Dylan during her birthday party. He feels the heat rise to his cheeks, something he tries his best to conceal, looking anywhere else other than the woman. When he's done explaining, she contemplates the matter for a few moments, clearly giving it some thought.

"Do you like her?" She asks eventually.

"I..." His voice trails off. "-don't know. I mean I loved Ladybug- love Ladybug but Marinette, I've never seen this side to her before, she's… Special."

"Okay. First of all, be careful with saying that you "love" people. It's a big word." Nathalie's tone is firm, maybe a little harsh. "Throw it around too much and it becomes meaningless."

"I know..." Or at least he thinks he does. How does one tell the difference between 'love' and 'like'? The teen crashes down next to her on the couch, his kwami floating just above his head. "But I don't know if she likes me or if it's just because she's being kind to me that I- I'm so confused..."

"Well I believe it's part of the territory." The woman informs him in a soft voice. "Listen… I'm not the best person to ask for advice about this sort of thing but from the few times I've met Ms. Dupain-Cheng, she's seemed like a very reasonable and kind-hearted girl. My advice would be get to know her a bit more, just act natural – you know, for Dylan – and then, if it feels right, ask her out on a date."

He chews on what she's just told him. It's easy for him to see how it's the sensible thing to do. His past experience however is something of a mixed bag. Whilst as Adrien he'd certainly gotten a lot of attention, much of it unwanted or at least not anything that he'd gone looking for, his other persona had been famed if anything for his failure. It's hard to forget some of the incidents which to this day sting his pride.

The teen lets out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. It's his newest tell which is fine when he's dyed his hair recently but somewhat more hazardous for his identity if his roots are beginning to show.

"That didn't go so well with Ladybug." He reminds the woman.

"Because you were… Lets say 'insistent'. It's not wrong for someone to not be interested." It almost feels like he's being scolded. "You should just accept that and get on with your life."

"Did you ever have any trouble like this?"

"I-" She hesitates for a moment, uncertain before letting out a sigh and nodding a few times. "Of course I did. I don't know why you have so much trouble getting it through your head that I was a teenager once too. I've had and continue to have 'crushes' or people that I like. Which is why there's only so much help I can give you. Everyone's different. Unfortunately there isn't a guidebook for romance..."

"So we just have to work it out?"

The woman offers him a soft smile and a nod as response. The teen continues to look at her with confusion. No doubt spending so long locked up in a mansion with only anime to open his eyes to the outside world has left him with some strange views. He's still trying to find his feet and Nathalie is acutely aware that she is far from the best person to come to for advice on the subject. In the past, her own sensibilities and emotions have pulled more than one trick on her, the most recent of which is partly responsible for her current predicament.

Eager to chase such matters from her mind and that of the teen, she gets to her feet.

"Now, come on! I want to see you fry something without burning one side of it black tonight, okay young man?" Adrien stares for a second before nodding slowly.

"Thanks Man..."

"You're welcome..."