A/N: I'm a bit later than usual with this update, but gosh, this chapter was a headache. Deleted and rewrote it like three times. It ended up being a lot shorter than I expected but that's the way it is. I hope you enjoy, drop a comment and stay safe in the crazy world out there!

25.

Marinette opened the door with the least amount of noise she could make.

"My parents are sleeping, so we must be extremely quiet," she whispered to Adrien. "Would you like some tea?"

He nodded.

"Follow me then." She guided him to the kitchen, put the water to boil and watched the kettle like a hawk, while getting out two mugs and the chamomile tea, reserved strictly for emergencies. They sat in the silence, waiting. Adrien studied her face – even though the gentle wind on the balcony had cooled her face, he could tell she'd cried. Her eyes were red and puffy and she avoided looking him in the eye.

Marinette turned the stove off seconds before the kettle would have started whistling. She poured it into the mugs and nodded her head towards the kitchen door. Adrien understood immediately. He got up, helped her with the door while she carried the tray with drinks towards her bedroom.

Once there, Marinette sighed.

"I was really surprised to see you out there," she said, placing the drinks down on her desk. She grabbed one of the mugs and offered it to Adrien before sitting down on her chaise longue. He took it with a quiet "thank you", taking a seat on a chair by the desk, eyes on her.

"Well, I was actually hoping to find you here…" he admitted. "Hugo woke up, went to see you and you were gone."

Marinette wanted to facepalm. She'd forgotten about the possibility of that happening.

"With everything going on, I guess I just worried but… Sorry, I called Alya." He rubbed his neck. "You left your phone." It was a lame excuse but it was better than the truth – that he'd checked in on her to see if she was up to a movie or something, found her bed empty and window wide open, immediately assuming the worst.

Alya had suggested he check her parents' house before calling the police.

"Sorry, I… I should have at the very least brought my phone." She offered him a tiny, almost unnoticeable smile, suddenly feeling shy.

"I'm glad that you're alright."

"Me too." She took a sip only to burn her tongue on it. "I just wanted to be alone. Your home is very lovely, but it's not the same as… " She gestured vaguely.

Adrien knew what she meant.

"I can go, if you want," he offered kindly. He didn't really want to. "Or we could, I don't know… talk, if you want?"

"I'd like that."

Adrien stared at her, confused.

"The talking, I mean." Marinette clarified, covering her face with hands. "Gosh, this is ridiculous."

"We don't have to talk? We could do something else, if yo want?" Adrien looked around the room, looking for something to save them from the awkward silence. "Err…"

Marinette laughed. "No, I… I would appreciate…" She paused and started again. "You see, the thing is…" She took a deep breath. "I'm so confused. About everything. There's so many things happening all at once and I can't help it. I feel a little, no, very much overwhelmed. And some of it is good like you and Hugo and I guess even Luka, but some of it is bad like… I never expected Chloé Bourgeois to be back in my life and maybe it's just her hormones right now, but I think she's trying to be nice in her own way and" She had to pause, because she ran out of air and needed to breathe. "And nothing makes sense anymore. I just want to go to sleep and not wake up until it's all over."

Adrien was mesmerized by the movement of her lips. He hadn't noticed it before, but under the warm light, Marinette's lips looked a little softer, a little more inviting. He was sorely tempted to shut her up with a kiss.

But he didn't. Instead, he looked at her through his eyelashes, almost giving her a heart attack, when he started speaking softly. "I know how you feel." A brief pause. "When I was little, I met this girl. She was like a shooting star. There one moment, gone the next."

He grimaced at how sappy he sounded, but when he said that, Marinette's thoughts returned to her Cat and Prince and she smiled fondly.

"We agreed to meet up again, but we never did. I don't know what happened… but I like to think that if she was a shooting star, I could wish upon her." His smile melted Marinette's heart. "This is silly, but I wished I'd come upon another shooting star in my life."

"Marinette, you're like her. Like a shooting star. You are so brilliant. All eyes are turned on you, because of that. I guess what I'm trying to say…" Staring at her lips, he'd lost his trail of thought. His cheeks tinted pink.

"That I'm burning out?" she quipped, her lips curving into an amused smile. She didn't like the idea of being compared to a piece of space debris. Adrien huffed, annoyed at her comment.

"No, what I'm trying to say is… That from your point of view, it makes sense for things to be blurry right now." His gaze was filled with kindness and it was killing her. "But from where I saw you, from where everyone sees you," he corrected himself. "You give hope. You give hope to all the little boys and girls. Even if you're only here for a moment, you've changed so many lives."

Marinette blushed. "Now you're just trying to cheer me up, aren't you?"

"You got me!" Adrien chuckled, even though his eyes were so serious that the woman struggled to keep eye contact. "But seriously, things will get better. I'll be here for you. You and me against the world, what do you say, milady?"

Marinette moved so fast he could barely catch her. Her arms wrapped around him in a strong hug.

"Thank you, Adrien."

She was so close he could smell her hair. Marinette smelled like cookies. The surprise on his face was replaced with a content smile, as he relaxed against her.

It felt so nice that he could have fallen asleep like this. But a thought crept into his mind, shaking him awake.

"Say…" he started with hesitation. "Why would Chloé's hormones make her be nice to you?"

Marinette snorted. "I really shouldn't have told you that. But… I guess you're her friend or at least so she says… Promise me you won't tell anyone?"

"Promise." He pulled her closer, snuggling his face against her neck.

"She's pregnant."

Adrien's head snapped back so fast he hurt himself. "WHAT?"

Marinette giggled at his reaction.

"But when? Why? How?!"

She gave him a look. Here he was, a father to a four (almost five!) year old boy, asking her about how someone could be pregnant. His shoulder slumped in defeat.

"How didn't I notice? She's one of my oldest friends." He shook his head and sighed.

"She probably didn't want you to notice."

Marinette had a point and he smiled at her for that. They stared at each other for a while until she caved.

"Come here, kitty," she yawned, opening her arms for another hug. Adrien didn't need to be told twice.