This one is long and very emotional. I apologize to Adrien for what happens to him later in this chapter. (It's not evil, but I still feel bad for making it happen a second time. I tend to ascribe to very immature forms of comedy) This chapter will end on a semi - nice note.=^-^=

Ch. 15 - Kitty's Resolve

Chat Noir looked over the lit up Paris nightscape with his ears pinned back and his tail hanging limply from the beam next to him. He was sitting on the Eiffel Tower, the spot he and Ladybug often met at for patrol. The hero had spent nearly two hours looking around the city for his partner going back to the tower between each other location he tried just to make sure. "Where are you, milady?" He muttered to himself at a near sob. There was a niggling feeling in the back of his mind, but it wasn't from his intuition. It was more likely Plagg whining about being hungry. Even though he didn't have a time limit anymore, the kwami still got cranky with hunger after extended use of his powers.

He let out a sigh and leapt up to the platform just above Eiffel's office where he knew there were no cameras and transformed back. "About time, kid! I'm starving!" Adrien pulled a piece of camembert from his jacket and silently handed it over. "Can you at least look happy while I eat? You'll make my cheese taste bad." Adrien merely huffed a sigh and leaned on his knees. "Look, kid, I know you're down, but scrambling all over the city isn't gonna help. Pigtails could be in a building for all you know."

The model nodded but didn't say anything. Ladybug's tracker had cut out only a few minutes after he transformed, and it was near the Eiffel Tower. Who knew where she could be by this point? "Maybe call her?" Though she didn't pick up when he tried his Chat phone. Adrien pulled at the phone in his pocket but his book fell out along with it. "Huh?" He grabbed it with his other hand and realized it was the little photo book Tom had given him for Christmas. "This was…" It was the last thing he felt happy about before he messed up the whole night being a brat. She was so cute when she was trying to grab it from him. Just the memory alone was enough to bring a little smile to his face. He flipped it open to the first picture where Marinette was around 14. If he was guessing right, it was probably taken during the year they went to school together at DuPonte… "I haven't looked there!" He suddenly declared which surprised Plagg to the point of nearly choking on his cheese.

"Geez! Warn a kwami, would you?" He complained while clearing his throat.

"Plagg, Claws out!" Adrien didn't even bother to answer as he transformed and leapt down to head to the school. "She's got to be there. It's the only place I haven't looked yet!" Though she could potentially be somewhere he's never been, he didn't want to dwell on that possibility. He needed to find her as soon as possible. If he didn't… Well, he was worried something bad would happen. He told himself over and over that she was definitely there as he jumped from one roof to another. He was only partly aware of the occasional call from a citizen below. After what felt like an eternity for him he finally reached the dark school building and began looking around frantically in any place she could be. Her locator never showed her here so she must've been a civilian which means she couldn't get inside very far… If she was here at all. He jumped into a nearby alley and changed back so he wouldn't draw attention.

A clatter drew his attention back only to find Plagg hovering over his newly dropped phone. "I'll grab it. You just keep looking." He encouraged with an oddly forced smile, but Adrien didn't have the mind to question it. Marinette was all he wanted to think about.

"Stop playing with my phone, Plagg." He scolded when a flash interrupted his searching seconds later. "Opps… My bad." Plagg responded with a grumble at the end. Adrien felt the device slip into his pocket moments later as well as the kwami who made a rather violent show of settling in the upper coat pocket where he'd had the cheese. He kept looking and probably circled the whole block three times before giving up and sitting on the steps. "Why was I so sure?" He muttered aloud feeling like an idiot.

Letting out a sigh, he propped his head on his hands and began to sulk again much to Plagg's irritation. "Come on, kid. Are we going to wait out here all night? It's getting cold."

"I'm not going home without at least talking with her, Plagg. I don't care how cold it is." As if hearing him, the wind picked up ever so slightly and snow began to fall around him. "Seriously?" He moved to tighten his scarf with an eye roll. If the weather really was trying to get to him at least it was too cold for it to be rain. That would have made him feel even more miserable, though the fact his coat didn't have a hood was a little annoying.

"You're really going to sit out here all night? What if pigtails already went home?"

"Well what if she went back to Eiffel Tower? Or back to the bakery? Or swung by my house, Plagg? I don't know! I just… She could be anywhere."

"She could." The kwami agreed while poking his head out from the buttoned pocket. "So why were you running around until now then? You just said she could be anywhere, and it's not like you could search the whole city. Let's just go home, and I'm sure you can go by her place in the morning."

Adrien shook his head. "But that might be too late, Plagg. I need to see her tonight. I need to know what happened… What I said or did to make her so upset." He pulled the recovered bracelet from his other pocket and looked over the box before opening it. He thought it was the perfect gift. She wouldn't want something over the top so he went with silver and then the pink diamonds because pink was her favorite color. She looked so happy when she first saw it, so why? Why did she run away from him? He rubbed the engraving as he thought it over.

"Marinette, please! You need to get out of this cold." Tikki implored as she tugged at her chosen's hood. She looked up to the dark sky knowing it could start snowing any minute and Marinette, being the Ladybug holder, was more susceptible to the cold like herself. Marinette looked out from the pillars of the Trocadero towards the Eiffel Tower. She had initially wanted to go there, but that was something Ladybug would do. She didn't want to be Ladybug at the moment. Being Ladybug was too… hard… Being confident and calm in any crisis was just exhausting to do all the time and she didn't want to let Adrien down. He finally wanted to date her, and he loved her… but he'd loved Ladybug so long. She didn't want him to become disillusioned because Marinette couldn't live up to the standard. Milady is calm and confident and… perfect… She groaned at the wave of nausea that hit her when she thought about that. Adrien wasn't like that! He liked Marinette, not just Ladybug… but would he like her the same?

Ever since they learned each other's identities he'd been looking at her as Ladybug. He almost always called her 'milady' and that was one of Ladybug's pet names. He saw Ladybug most of the time… not Marinette. What about before? Before he hadn't mentioned anything about real dating! He didn't mention it until after he found out! But didn't they have fun? They… she thought they were at least enjoying hanging out together even if the dating part was faked. "Marinette!" Tikki yelled far louder than ever. It was very effective in shaking the designer from her spiraling thoughts as she looked up. The kwami could still see the panic evident in her eyes and let out a sigh. "Get up, Marinette! It's freezing out here! You're going to get sick!"

Her chosen did as ordered and stood which made her realize just how numb her toes were. Had she thought about it a little more, she probably would have thought about socks to go with the boots, but she didn't think she'd spend hours outside at the time. The numbing cold wasn't restricted to her toes either. As she began walking where Tikki was tugging one hand she noted most of her extremities were almost as bad and shivered. "Y-you're right T-tikki… I'm f-freezing."

"Good, at least you can tell now. You've been sitting on that bench for over two hours."

The designer quickly pulled out her phone to confirm the time. "I was?"

Tikki rolled her eyes but she understood Marinette was upset. She obviously wasn't thinking straight. "Yes, so let's get you home where you can warm up. Adrien is probably worried about you."

Marinette froze in her tracks. "A-adrien!?"

The kwami shook her head at her own slip. She should have waited until they got home to bring him up. "Yes, but worry about the cold now, Master." She pulled harder on the girl's hand.

"But I just… I ditched him! I just left him standing there without even thinking about it!"

Tikki let her go and flew to her face. "Then why don't we head back to the bakery to see if he's still there?" Anywhere so long as Marinette could warm up.

"No! I-I can't!" Marinette crouched down and wrapped her arms around her legs where she stood. "I can't talk to him now! I'm not ready! I-I need to… I need to be calm, and collected. If he saw me freaking out-"

"He'd try to help you, Marinette! You know he would. Just like you help him when he's upset or in trouble. Just because you're confident and calm as Ladybug, doesn't mean you need to be that way all the time, just like Chat Noir isn't always a fearless goofball. Adrien knows who you are now, but what can he do to help if you keep shutting him out?"

"But I… It's not his fault I'm anxious all the time, Tikki. If I just told him it would sound like I was blaming him. I can't do that to him…" It also sounded insane for her to even be worried about a silly nickname at this point. Why did it bother her so much to be perfect? Adrien isn't perfect, so why should she be? Marinette started pulling at her own hair and dropped her phone in the process.

"Marinette!"

"I'm sorry, Tikki… I don't know why I'm just…"

Tikki looked at the tears forming in her eyes and could feel just how confused her chosen was. She internally chastised herself for not interfering earlier. Marinette's attempts to work through her problem had obviously been more harmful than good if this is how she ended up. "It's okay, Marinette. It's okay." She pat her head trying to comfort her. "You're not exactly my first chosen to have an identity crisis over her two identities." Though this probably was the most frustrating all together if only because she could have gone to Adrien about it earlier unlike in for her previous chosen.

Marinette looked up when a ping from her phone went off. She'd been ignoring any calls that came through, but this one was a text message. Tikki floated down to get it and pulled it up. It was a picture though a little blurry. It was Adrien she could tell despite the fact he wasn't looking at the camera. He was headed towards a set of stone steps in a very familiar place. The kwami looked back to her chosen and dismissed the picture. "Get up right now, Marinette!" She ordered while dropping the device in her pocket. "It's time to Ladybug up! You are Ladybug! Ladybug isn't perfect! Ladybug isn't always calm! Ladybug isn't always right! Ladybug is a human being just like Chat Noir, and right now, he's waiting for you! You will get up and go to him!" She demanded with the sternest expression she could give. She never liked ordering her Ladybugs to do things, and rarely had to, but this is one of those times where she would put her foot down. There wasn't a war, or any other outside conflict to interfere this time around. She would get her chosen to her partner tonight, if she had to drag her there herself.

Marinette looked at her wide eyed but didn't say a word. Tikki pointed in a direction and the ravenette started walking to avoid any more anger from her normally sweet kwami. The walk was completely silent save for the occasional direction from Tikki while the coast was clear until Marinette recognized the building they were headed to. "Are we going to DuPonte?"

"Keep moving, Marinette." The red kwami ordered without answering the question. After she got her moving again she felt a chill and dove into Marinette's coat for warmth right as the snow started to come down. The designer stopped on the corner across from the school and quickly took note of one downcast blonde seated on the steps looking at a small object. "Go!" Tikki whispered harshly from the pocket and Marinette flinched at the command.

It wasn't as though she didn't want to see him or that she didn't understand. She just didn't feel ready to see him, not with how confused she was. As she stood watching him for a few minutes, however, she could tell he was more than a little upset over her actions; not that she was surprised. He practically radiated misery at a level she would normally worry about akuma being attracted too. Whatever confusion she was feeling wasn't worth seeing Adrien dragged into it too. He deserved an answer even if that answer might hurt him. She checked the street before she made her approach and stopped a few feet away to think on what to say. "…Hi…" My god did she just say hi!? What kind of greeting is that after causing this mess!?

Adrien looked up and homed in on her immediately though he didn't move to approach her. "M-marinette?" She grimaced and nodded with a weak wave of her hand. "Where-? Why-?" He shook his head and stood up. "What's wrong? Please tell me. I don't care what it is, I want to help you." He implored as he took a few steps to her. "I want to understand what's been bothering you… milady." He appeared to hesitate when he said it, but his reflexes were like lightning when he grabbed her wrist. She'd stepped back at the name which confirmed the hypothesis he'd been going over before she showed up. "It's that name isn't it? When I call you milady?" The more he thought about it the more he realized he'd been using it more often ever since he found out she was Ladybug. "If you don't like me calling you that then you need to tell me or I won't know, Marinette."

She stopped any attempt to pull away from him at his words and raised her head to look him in the eye. He wasn't angry or even upset. His eyes told her he was just confused and he earnestly wanted to help. "Y-yes…"

"Yes it's a problem?" He asked for clarification. She nodded and he let her wrist go. "Alright, can you tell me why?" She hesitated a moment before shaking her head. "Can't or won't, Marinette? I told you before, I won't know what's wrong unless you tell me. We're partners, right? Trust me. I want to help." He held up a fist for their classic gesture after they stopped an akuma. Why was she so hesitant? This was the man she'd been fighting side by side with for nearly seven years. He was he partner; someone she usually trusted with her life. Even if this whole mess was a result of her own insecurities, Adrien has given her no reason to think he would betray her trust. He wants to understand, but she needed to give him that chance. With a calming breath she didn't know she was holding, she reciprocated the gesture with her own fist. He gave her a smile. "Thanks, mil- I mean Marinette." He quickly corrected. "Now we can sit down and-"

"Find a nice warm place to have this absurdly over due discussion!" Plagg yelled from his pocket. "I'm freezing my whiskers off!"

"Plagg!" Tikki scolded back while rubbing her own arms. "But… I'm really cold too…" She ended with a far more meek tone.

"Ah… That's a good idea…" The designer agreed with a sheepish expression. Tikki had just been scolding her before about being out in the cold so long.

Adrien looked over Marinette and noted she really didn't dress the best. The jacket she wore was thinner than his and she had nothing for her ears or hands. "Here… Just for the walk back." He pulled up the scarf and wrapped it around her neck snuggly.

"Thank you." She blushed and leaned against the arm he next wrapped around her shoulders.

It was lucky that Alya would be away for the night visiting with Nino's family out of town. This meant that the apartment would be perfect for a private conversation and they could forgo calling Chloe and having a late night Christmas meeting being put in the tabloids. The moment they were inside Marinette's shivering jumped up with realizing just how cold she had really been feeling. "O-oh, w-wow… I h-hope th-this doesn't m-make me s-sick."

Adrien helped rub down her arms after discarding the jacket covered in fresh fallen snow. "I hope not…"

She gave a back glance to Adrien who was looking rather guilty. "It's not your f-fault, Adrien. I d-did this to m-myself."

"But I-"

She cut him off with a finger to his lips. "We'll t-talk about it first." She then went for the blanket they kept over the couch which was one of those fuzzy blankets that were oh so perfect for snuggling up in. After draping it over her arms she let out a breath of relief. "Plagg can go warm up with Tikki next to her heating pad." Which was located right underneath the little carrier Marinette allegedly used to hold extra sewing supplies but really it was a nest for Tikki to keep warm in the winter. "Take a seat on the couch."

"Where are you going?" The model wondered hoping that she wasn't trying to sneak away somehow. It wasn't likely, but her earlier run wasn't exactly expected either.

"I'll be right back with something warm for us to drink. You should probably let your father know you're alright." Her parents would probably assume she'd gone where ever Adrien went anyway.

"Right… I'll text… I'll text Nathalie." His voice made it obvious he was too bothered about communicating directly with the man since he'd been so bratty before.

"You know your dad understands. I actually never gave him enough credit before."

Adrien leaned over the back of the couch to see what he could of her through the bar window to the kitchen. "What do you mean by that?" Sure, he knew his father actually cared despite learning the scarf was not an expression of it, but it's not like he did much to show it; other people wouldn't see.

"When you stormed out before he didn't even try to go after you, but it wasn't because he didn't want to deal with you. It was because he knew I would have a much better chance of getting through to you. It takes a lot for a man like Mr. Agreste to admit he can't do something like that; something most parents are able to do easily. Now I'm not trying to belittle the issues you've had with your father over the years, but parents and children argue all the time all over the world. I like to think most of the time, these problems can be worked out by talking, but I agree with your father in your case. Had he gone out to speak with you, I feel like you would have stomped away and not come back."

He saw the top of her head move from one end of the window to the other before the clink of cups was heard. "He… You're probably right." He admitted with a chuckle. "Though I was already regretting how I was by the time you came out. I shouldn't have gotten so upset and ruined your Christmas dinner."

"It's not like you planned it, Adrien, and nothing is ruined. Considering that I sort of…"

"Ditched me?" He finished for her.

"I-I wasn't trying to, I just wasn't…"

"Thinking?" He added again. "Yeah, I kind of get that." He wasn't thinking when he stormed out either. Adrien watched Marinette come around to sit with two steaming mugs in her hands. "But back to you, Marinette. Just tell me what about 'milady' bothers you? It only started after we found out each other's identities." The blonde recounted remembering just how bummed he was the day after that incident since she'd been so distant out of nowhere. "It didn't bother you before."

She shook her head and sat back while leaning over her arm rest. "No, it didn't… But it was because it was before." She tried to reason aloud but found it lacking. "Actually, I didn't really get why until recently myself. I thought it was because it felt like you were only seeing Ladybug when you called me that."

"But you are Ladybug, Marinette." Adrien countered very confused as he held his mug close.

"But I'm not always Ladybug, Adrien, just like you're not always Chat Noir." She pointed out. "The mask of Ladybug is something that lets me be more. I know it doesn't actually change anything about my personality, but… You know what I mean right? You can't really be your goofy cat-pun self out of the mask all the time."

Adrien gave a nod of concession. He doubted his father would have liked him acting like that especially when he was younger. Adrien Agreste had to maintain a professional image after all. Being Chat Noir was like a breath of fresh air he didn't know he needed until he first donned the ring. "So… You were worried I suddenly liked you more just because I found out you were Ladybug?"

She gave a nod and took a sip of her drink. "At least at first… I was worried that I was competing against myself."

"You kind of were if you think about it. I mean, I definitely was." He blushed as he thought back to all he said about the mystery guy before realizing it was himself.

"You're not the only one who feels like an idiot for that." She agreed thinking back to how she admitted to wanting to date Chat Noir as her backup. "But like I said, that really wasn't it. I realized more in last few days it really wasn't that. I suppose maybe a little, but that wasn't why it made me so anxious." She could feel herself getting worked up again just trying to spit it out. "I was more worried about trying to measure up."

"To me?" Adrien asked with a bewildered expression.

"No." She quickly corrected which bothered him just a little at the speed of it. "Not living up to you is something I can live with, Adrien." She explained at his minor pout. "We're two different people with different strengths, weaknesses-"

"Heights." Adrien cut in with a playful smirk.

Marinette gave a pointed expression before letting it go. "Yes, but I am Ladybug, and the thought of having to constantly measure myself against her, someone who personifies all of my best qualities is-"

"Hold on there, Marinette. I need to make a correction to that statement. Ladybug is terrible at sharing." The model cut in looking very high and mighty at his own words. "Oh, and let's not forget how bad she is at reading the mood. Super unromantic you know?" He nodded so casually and closed his eyes to take another sip of his drink.

"Adrien-"

"And you know what? Would it kill her to have a sense of humor? I mean seriously? I know akuma fights are supposed to be serious, but she won't even laugh at my puns after it's over!"

"I do too!"

"Like maybe two times?" He countered very seriously.

"Well, someone has to take things seriously!" She thought they went over that the last time they traded kwamis by accident. "And what I'm trying to say, is I don't want to be-"

"I know, I get it." Adrien cut in again looking more serious. "You don't want to be expected to act like your Ladybug self all the time. It's too much pressure and it feels like your being crushed by an invisible force right? Or maybe drowning in nothing?" He gave her a small smile that reflected a hidden sadness.

"I… Yeah… Like I'm being strangled by every breath I take."

Adrien nodded and leaned towards her to take one of her hands in his. "Yup, I get it. I know that feeling better than most actually." That suddenly made Marinette feel like a fool thinking about just how bad he had it. He spent years under that level of pressure and she'd only dealt with it a few weeks. "Mari." He called snapping her out of her shamed inner reprimand. "It's okay." He squeezed her hand. "If anyone knows how truly painful and sometimes terrifying that situation is, it's me. I grew up under the assumption I had to be perfect at all times or I wasn't worth keeping around." He let out a sigh and reached his other hand over after setting his cup down. "And I am so sorry I made you feel that way." He squeezed her still cold hand with both of his. "You never had to try to be perfect, Mari, or like Ladybug all the time. You're already my everyday Ladybug, you know?" His smirk got a little of what he wanted when she laughed at his attempted tease, but it also got tears.

"Adrien…"

"Oh come on, Mari, do you honestly think Ladybug and Chat Noir would have gotten so far if we hadn't thrown in a dash of Marinette and Adrien along the way? Hell, maybe I should change 'milady' to 'every day Marinette' huh? She could stand to be a little more lighthearted and playful when the fate of Paris isn't on the line."

"And maybe a certain kitty I know could stand to keep his paws to himself when the fate of Paris is on the line?" She countered back while wiping a tear.

"I suppose, but you know, I could never be like that unless a certain bug I know was so serious. You have no idea how much you saved me that day we met, do you?" He leaned in until their foreheads touched. "I would have cracked under the pressure of the Agreste name long ago if you hadn't been there to just let me be myself; to be free." He didn't even want to think about how his life would be if he never became Chat Noir.

"Chat…" Marinette choked out trying to hold back her emotions. "I'm so glad you are my partner." She'd lost track of all the times he'd saved her whether he arrived in the nick of time to catch her or even sacrificed himself so she could win the day.

Adrien opened his eyes to see the new tears forming in hers and he smiled. "Of course, milady, so am I." And she didn't flinch at the name.

He pulled her close for a hug. "A-adrien hold-"

"I already regret it…" He muttered as he felt the lukewarm liquid slowly fall down his shirt and into his lap.

Marinette pulled back with her cup and snickered at the hot chocolate soaking his shirt and a part of his jeans. It was good that she'd only lost about half of what was left in her cup or it would have gotten to the couch. "Let me go get you a towel." Marinette placed her cup on the coffee table and hurried back to the kitchen.

Adrien let out a sigh and looked over the mess on his clothes. "A perfect moment ruined…" He muttered though he supposed there were plenty of worse ways it could have gone. At least Marinette thought it was funny.

"Here… I can get you a change of clothes if you want? I probably have something…"

"Yeah, but um…" The model blushed while he wiped his lap as he realized another problem.

"What?"

He glanced away. "You wouldn't happen to have any… boxers or anything would you?" The drink had leaked down his pants enough to soak the front of his underwear. Marinette blushed and chewed her lip slightly. "I know… Kind of a silly question, right? I mean why would you have-"

"Yes." She interrupted before he could make it sound any more awkward.

He looked at her in surprise before a thought hit him. "Please don't tell me they're Nino's."

She shook her head with a sheepish smile. "No… Not technically. Um… You remember him giving you those Ladybug boxer briefs for your birthday maybe a year ago?"

The blonde furrowed his brow before suddenly blushing as he remembered. "Those were…"

"He commissioned me." She admitted with a harsh blush of her own.

"What!? He commissioned underwear!?"

The designer shrugged while still holding a sheepish expression. "He said he wanted to give you sexy Ladybug themed underwear, and I honestly thought it was a joke." It was such a fun idea and she even took suggestions from Alya and Alix over how the design would go. She got several very interesting ideas which she'd sketched and placed in a folder very deep in her secret file which was hidden with the miracle box. In the end they'd decided on using the 'lucky charm' motif where she embroidered the phrase on the back while embroidering a string to loop around the side to form the pattern on the yo-yo at the crotch.

"I'm pretty sure it was intended to be." Adrien admitted while he pat down his shirt to keep his mind from wandering too much. "He'd included a few other things with it…" Things he was very glad his father never saw or Nino would have been barred from the premises. "But anyway uh… Are you saying you have more?"

Marinette nodded while playing with her fingers. "Well… I kind of felt like it needed a companion piece so I made another pair…"

Adrien looked up to see her blush deepen. "Hold on… Did you make Chat Noir underwear too?"

"Let me go get you those clothes." She deflected and dashed around the couch to her room. He followed her with an amused expression. Marinette really wasn't one to do anything halfway was she? And to think she made his favorite scarf and his favorite boxer briefs?

She came back out a few minutes later holding a new set of PJs and black underwear on top. "Hold on… I thought you'd bring out the pajamas I wore this morning?"

"R-right those… um… They were dirty?" She answered in a slight fluster which made him wonder what that meant.

Was it him? He'd taken a shower that morning but he had been out in that costume too. "Okay, sure." He stood up and took them. "By the way, would you mind if I used your shower? I really worked up a sweat running around the rooftops of Paris."

"Of course." Though she looked a little guilty at the mention. "There are extra towels in the cabinet under the sink."

"Thanks, and seriously, Marinette, it's not your fault." He quickly struck a dramatic pose. "It's the model in me."

They shared a laugh while the designer rolled her eyes. "Sure, well don't let the model use up all the hot water, okay."

He furrowed his brow. "What do you mean? Don't you have a hot water heater?" She had hot water when he washed his hands.

Marinette looked exasperated for a moment before muttering to herself and nodding. "I'm sorry to break this to you, rich boy, but not everyone in Paris has a hot water tank big enough to spend all day in the shower." She wore a teasing expression. "Anyway, me and Alya can usually take our showers one after the other without problems so long as we don't take very long." She then shooed him on. "Now hurry up. I'll probably take one after you." It would certainly take the chill from her bones that the cocoa and blanket couldn't.

Adrien headed back to bathroom stationed right between Marinette and Alya's rooms. It was a little small for his tastes, but the one he saw at Nino's dorm was even smaller so he was thankful for that. After setting his PJs on the counter he opened the cabinet to find a couple of towels stacked on the side. He then noticed something rather odd. There was a small calendar hanging on the inside of the cabinet door. It was a little odd since most people would have them hung out in the open to be easily seen. He then noted Initials written in to certain dates. AC was written in on December 3rd and MDC was written in for the 24th. "Maybe a cleaning schedule?" He wondered aloud before shrugging and closing it.

Marinette was surprised to hear Adrien leaving the bathroom only five minutes later. "Adrien?"

"Hmm?" He walked up the hall while drying his hair.

"You're already done?"

He pushed the towel back. "Well yeah. I never take longer than a few minutes unless I really need to." Like after fencing or when he had heavy product in his hair. "Long showers dry out your skin."

"Oh…" She thought he'd spend 15 minutes in there or longer since he'd never had to think about hot water consumption before, but this made sense. A model had to take care of their skin.

"By the way, Marinette, I'm a little curious. Who were these pajamas for?" He revealed the monogrammed AA on the chest pocket.

"Um…" She blushed. "Do I really have to tell you that?" She was hoping it was very obvious by now.

He gave her a smirk and hung the towel around his neck. "I suppose not unless you happen to know someone else with these initials?" He chuckled at her embarrassed expression. "I'm beginning to think you have entire wardrobe for me hidden in your room." While he laughed Marinette remained silent and walked past him to her room. "Wait… Do you?" She didn't say anything though he saw her miss a step when he asked and figured she very well might. She'd already shown she had clothes almost perfectly tailored to him even back when they were in New York. His eyes widened at the thought. Had those clothes actually been for him? Is that why she was fine with letting him have them? When he saw her dash to the bathroom he had to fight the urge to go snooping in her room to find more.

Adrien decided to watch a little TV when he realized Marinette's shower wouldn't be as quick as his. He was halfway through some random Christmas special before she finally left the bathroom. "I was beginning to think you'd gotten lost in there." He joked as he turned the volume down on the TV.

"We can't all be done in five, kitty."

"I suppose not, but now I know what Nino meant when he said Alya liked to take her time." Nino tended to complain that she hogged the bathroom.

"I don't expect a man to understand the maintenance that goes into a woman's appearance." She jabbed before taking a seat next to him on the couch. She was wearing a light jacket over her Chat Noir PJs from before.

"Oh, I know. I just happen to work with a lot of women, and I'm not deaf to their conversations." They would go on about a million things like all they do for their hair before bed or hair removal techniques. Marinette pulled her hair from under her jacket and sat back. "By the way, I like it when your hair is down." She usually had it up on most days and even when she slept last night. "You should leave it like this more often."

The designer blushed and brushed her fingers through a lock of it. "Well, if it were easier to manage, I would. I usually have it up to keep it out of my face."

Adrien reached for a lock and noted it was perfectly dry. "Well, it looks like you're managing it well."

"I try. You know you could have used my dryer, right?" She pointed at his still damp mop.

Adrien shrugged. "Nah, I only dry it when I have to." He leaned over to whisper. "Don't tell Vincent or he'll have the whole hair team nagging at me for it."

She giggled and he smiled in amusement. "Anyway, what are you watching?"

"I'm not actually sure? I think it's a rip-off of Frosty the Snowman."

"Oh, I guess it is pretty late now. All the good ones already aired." Though she supposed they could find a better one if they looked. "We could find something else?" She offered and reached for the remote.

"Actually," Adrien interrupted and covered the remote with his hand. "I really want to ask you something." He turned off the device and sat up. "I've wanted to ask this for awhile and tried yesterday but with the Christmas cakes and…" He trailed off and she put a hand on his to comfort him. He looked down to the comforting touch and smiled slightly. "We started this whole 'fake dating' thing to help me get away from Lila." He squeezed her hand. "I wasn't really sure how it would work out, but even before I knew you were Ladybug I realized being with you was fun. It didn't even matter if we were actually doing anything either. Just talking with you was fun. You made it easy to forget it was supposed to be pretend, you know? And now… Actually for awhile now, I don't want it to be fake anymore. I want you to be my real girlfriend." He lifted her hand to kiss it much like he would as Chat Noir. "If you'll have me, Mari."

Marinette went solid crimson at the request. His actions were so Chat Noir, but he called her Mari instead of milady. Why did that make her feel so excited? "I-I too course l-love…" She stuttered out only to quickly realize her mistake and set her face in her free hand.

Adrien tried to hold back a laugh. "Ah, I kind of missed that. I remember you doing that a lot back in the day." She peaked out through her fingers but remained silent. "Now let me see if my Marinette-ese is still good. That meant 'of course I'd love too,' right?"

"Just kiss me you stupid tom cat." She grumbled with her face still red as a tomato.

"As you command, my fair Marinette." He pulled her close, this time with no drink to ruin the moment, and took her into a kiss.

The heat spiked between then when Adrien refused to let it end with just one and Marinette didn't have a word of complaint. There was plenty of unresolved sexual tension between them built up over the years and now it was breaking loose like a damn. The model felt chills when her hands groped at his shirt and moved to undo the buttons. It was hard to tell how long the escalation really took by the time he had her pinned to the couch with his shirt falling down his shoulders and hers rolled up just shy of her breasts. "Is this… Alright?" The blonde asked as he explored around her neck with his lips.

"Y-yes..." Marinette squeaked out and the hand that had rested on her stomach began to move south. He'd only grazed the waist band of her pants when the girl under him suddenly tried to reposition. "No wait!" She pleaded though the man over her was a little preoccupied with his sudden problem. In her expedience to stop him she didn't realize that crossing her legs in that position would force her knee to vie for space with one model's developing arousal and so he was now more or less collapsed over her with his adventurous hand now cradling his bruised manhood. "A-adrien?" She called at the sudden weight accompanied with his silence over being stopped.

"Yes… Marinette…?" He groaned out with a tone muffed by the cushion beside her head.

"I-I'm sorry but… We uh… can't."

There was a beat of silence between them before Adrien answered. "That's okay… I don't think… I can anymore… either…"

"Adrien, are you… Okay?"

"…No…" As Marinette's worry mounted at his words she moved to get out from under him though he quickly pulled her back to her pinned position. "Stop… moving…" He groaned out weakly. "Just… for a few… minutes… please…"

"Okay…" She responded at the odd and very worrying request. "Um… What's wrong, Adrien? I k-know I kind of… I wasn't trying to lead you on or anything I just… remembered…."

"It's okay, Marinette…" He reassured with his face still planted in the cushion by her head. After a few minutes of strange and tense silence he started to move. He slowly crawled back and off of her with an obviously pained expression.

"Adrien?" She asked when she saw he looked hurt and then saw him cradling his crotch. It was easy enough to connect the dots once she saw that and thought of where her knee was placed. "Oh my gosh, Adrien! I am so sorry! I didn't mean to- gah!" She covered her face with her hands before bolting up. "I'll get you an ice pack and, the first aid kit and- I am so sorry!" The designer ran to the kitchen without another word. A few minutes later and the couple was sitting back on the couch with Adrien blushing while holding a bag of ice over his crotch and Marinette held the first aid box in her lap looking like she was about to be fired. "I am so sorry, Adrien…." She apologized for the seventh time in the last few minutes.

"I said I'm alright, Marinette, really. I appreciate the ice though." She handed him a pillow which he used to cover his icing ailment and turned to her trying his best to cover up any pain on his features. "So… What happened?" He asked and she bowed her head.

"I am so so so so sorry, Adrien!"

"Calm down, Mari, it's alright. Just tell me what happened."

"Y-you're not mad?"

"If I'm being honest, yes, I'm kinda mad, but that's because I just got kicked in the balls, alright? Just tell me why you suddenly changed your mind like that."

The designer flinched at his irritated tone, but she couldn't blame him. "I uh… I'm sorry-"

"Marinette." Adrien cut in to warn her against apologizing again and just get on with it.

"I'm uh…" She let out a sigh. "I started my period yesterday and completely forgot when I got caught up in… well, you and the kisses and touching…"

Her face was as red as he'd ever seen it as she admitted her reasons. He could feel his own face flooding with heat as well. It wasn't something he'd ever had to think about before since he never had a steady girlfriend. Sure he worked with loads of women, but aside from a few eavesdropped conversations and Nino complaining the only thing he knew about a girl's menstruation cycle came from his health class tutor. "Oh… OH! I got it." The more he thought about it the more it made sense.

"Right so… I mean it doesn't mean we couldn't do what we were doing, but not, you know, all of it?"

Adrien nodded mutely as he reached for the remote. "Actually, I think I'm good for now… No offense, I just…" He pat the pillow on his lap and Marinette nodded quickly.

"No, completely understandable." She was sitting stock straight as she looked to the TV. "I'm sorry…" She muttered after another minute of silence and Adrien sighed.

"You don't need to keep apologizing, Marinette. I already know it was an accident."

"I know, but… This is the second time I've kicked you there so…"

"Huh? Oh, yeah I remember that. Actually, I think that time was more my fault given the circumstances." He blushed at the memory. It was back when they were in New York and had no idea of each other's identities. She still looked pretty guilty when he looked back at her and so he silently rolled his eyes and threw his pillow on her lap. "Alright, you want to make it up to me, right?" She nodded hastily and moved the first aid kit out of the way. Adrien smirked and gently repositioned himself so he could lay back with his head on her lap. "Then you shall be my pillow for the evening."

"A harsh but deserved sentence." She responded with a giggle in her tone though Adrien could still see worry on her features.

"Now how about we find something more interesting to watch?"

"Like what?" The ravenette asked with her hands resting on his head.

"Hmm, how about this show Nino got me into. It's full of action, and can be a little hard to follow, but I'll answer any questions you have." From his laying position he started into the TV's apps and logged himself in.

"Well, even if I don't like it, I'll consider it part of my sentence." She added a little drama to her voice as she said that.

"If you don't like it we could just-"

"I have no other suggestions so just play it." She decreed with her fingers starting to run through his hair gently. Any complaint from the blonde over fairness was forgotten in the pleasure of it. When the show started Marinette quickly found herself confused even with the recap, but her mind was also distracted by a soft purr that emanated from her lap, and stopped caring about anything else. Christmas would be over in a few hours, and she was just happy it ended on a moderately nice note.

I make no promises of going to crud humor again! (I watched a lot of AFV when I was a kid.) If you remember what I said earlier in the fic, I never intended to put in any detailed sexual content. I stand by that so it's on you if you were expecting more! The more I write this story the more I realize I have quite a few ideas I have yet to put to paper... or MS word in this case. This chapter was very long simply because I didn't want to break up the drama again so I hope you all enjoyed.=^-^=

As always! I love you all! I appreciate you reading! I also appreciate any feedback you'd be willing to give! (Pretty please? But no pressure...)=^-^=