Thank you to pjomlbfan on the MF Discord Server for betaing! Written for Day 24: Jealousy of Marichat May.

Adrien blinked at Marinette uncomprehendingly as Nino lightly punched her on the arm. "Way to go, dudette! Luka's a cool dude." His eyes flickered to Nino. His friend was grinning proudly at Marinette while Adrien felt pricks of unease.

She rubbed her arm as she mock-frowned at Nino before giggling. "Yes, that is why I'm dating him," she teased.

The words caused Adrien's stomach to twist uncomfortably. He didn't know why the news was such a shock to his system. He already knew that Marinette liked Luka, but why did he feel like there was something off about the news?

Luka was a great guy! He'd keep Marinette happy; surely there was nothing to worry about? Noticing his friends watching him, Adrien immediately pasted on his most charming smile; the one he normally used for the camera. "That's great, Marinette. I'm happy for you."

Instead of blushing or stuttering in that adorable way of hers, Marinette simply smiled and nodded. His heart sank in disappointment, for reasons unknown to him. He should be ecstatic that Marinette was starting to feel more comfortable around him, treating him just like everyone else. It was proof that their friendship was growing stronger!

So then, why did he feel like he was losing something?

The bell rang and the group of friends headed to their seats. Adrien took in a deep breath as Mme. Bustier entered the room. Marinette was his very good friend, he wasn't going to allow his silly ideas to get in the way of that. Whatever he was feeling was sure to pass, he decided, giving Mme. Bustier his full attention.

Or at least he tried to give her his full attention. He felt hyper-aware of Marinette fidgeting behind him; it felt different today somehow. Soon, he found himself straining his ears to hear the conversation that was taking place between her and Alya.

"I'm really happy that you're with Luka now, girl," Alya was saying. Adrien felt like a masochist as he continued to listen, ignoring the way his heart twisted and his stomach churned.

"But…you do know he's just your rebound right?"

Hearing those words caused Adrien to jerk up and send his books clattering to the floor. Everyone stopped to stare at him. He blushed furiously, the tips of his ears feeling hot.

"Sorry!" He exclaimed, rushing to pick his things up. Mme. Bustier only shook her head at him before continuing her lesson but Adrien felt even more confused than before.

Luka was Marinette's rebound? That made absolutely no sense. Marinette was in love with Luka. Kagami had called Luka, Marinette's boyfriend and she hadn't denied it. If that wasn't an indicator of a crush, he didn't know what was.

Then how could Luka be her rebound? Adrien clasped his hands thinking furiously. His eyes stopped on his ring and an idea popped into his head.

Adrien might not be able to get the answers he was looking for, but he knew someone who could.

Chat Noir leaped through the city. He was a cat on a mission and he was determined to see it through. Luckily, it appeared as though fate was on his side because the girl he wanted to speak with was standing on her balcony, gazing over the city.

He paused to stare at her from a nearby rooftop. She looked so peaceful that for a moment Chat forgot the questions that were circling through his mind. Wanting nothing more than to speak with her and bask in her presence, Chat made the leap from the rooftop to the top of her balcony.

"Marinette, right?" He smiled at her jumping down to perch on her balcony railing.

Marinette rolled her eyes at him, moving to the side to give him more room. "I know you remember me, Chat Noir." The fond smile she was giving him made Chat want to melt in his boots.

"How could I forget?" He sighed. Marinette blinked at him in surprise and Chat scrambled to come up with a decent excuse for his words. "I mean! A supervillain wanted to go on a date with you, that's pretty hard to forget."

Marinette chuckled as he forced a grin at her, hoping she would buy his excuse. "Funny, I thought it was because you rejected me and then had to fight my dad as a supervillain?"

Chat gaped at her which only made her laugh harder. "I'm just teasing, Kitty. I'm totally over that."

Chat sighed in relief. He didn't like thinking about how he must have hurt Marinette. She was far too sweet and precious to hurt. He gave her a once over, noticing how she was leaning on the railing.

"Your love life must have taken a turn for the best," Chat commented lightly, trying to gauge any changes in her expression. Marinette only looked at him confused. "A little birdie told me you have a boyfriend?"

Her confusion evaporated but she seemed sad. That wasn't exactly the look Chat had expected to see on the face of someone who had just gotten a boyfriend. Different scenarios flitted through his head and he vowed to himself to destroy Luka if he had hurt Marinette in any way.

He was half way through plotting Luka's murder without the use of his cataclysm, so he could get away with it too, when Marinette's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Luka is such a sweet guy," Marinette started, making Chat struggle to keep his disgust hidden. The last thing he wanted to do was hear about how perfect and kind Luka was.

Every compliment Marinette paid Luka made Chat want to growl furiously. What was so great about Luka anyways? Having blue hair and knowing how to play the guitar didn't make him special!

Chat played the piano which was a much sweeter instrument. And he was just as gentle and patient as Luka! What did Luka have that he didn't?!

Chat paused. Where had that come from? Why was he comparing himself to Luka?

He tuned back into what Marinette was saying, "I adore Luka but my heart still lies with Adrien. I know I have to move on but…" she trailed off.

"A-Adrien?" Chat stammered. "Luka's your rebound because you like Adrien Agreste?"

Marinette nodded, letting out a sigh. His mind was whirling. "Adrien is so sweet and kind, even when I was rude to him, he did his best to make amends. How could I keep myself from falling for him?" she complained.

"And here I thought I was the lucky person you couldn't get over," Chat joked, even as he struggled to make sense of his shifting reality. A lot of Marinette's behaviour was beginning to make sense to him. No wonder things had changed now that she was trying to move on from him.

Learning about that did not make him feel any better.

"Why are you trying to move on from him? I mean, did you even tell him that you like him?"

"I tried!" Marinette protested, but Chat merely crossed his arms over his chest and stared at her. "Not in as many words," she finally admitted.

"That's not fair. You can't just move on without giving him the opportunity to decide how he feels!"

Marinette paused to look at him, her eyes wide. "You didn't pun."

"What?"

"You usually pun whenever you can but you didn't this time," she pointed out.

Chat floundered. "I just think that if any of my friends liked me, I'd want to know about it," he finally said.

"Even if you were in love with someone else?"

Chat frowned. "Who's Adrien in love with?"

Marinette ducked her head, anxiously tapping her fingers on the railing. She peeked up to see Chat staring at her intently. Once it was evident he wasn't going to just let it go, she groaned. "It's Kagami; I'm pretty sure he likes her," she confessed.

Marinette gave him a bitter smile, turning her gaze towards the city. She seemed smaller somehow, as if admitting her crush was unrequited had sapped her of her energy.

Chat hated it. Marinette should be full of life! She was far too kind and sweet to be hurt by her own feelings. The idea that it was his fault she was so upset made him feel nauseous.

As he watched her reach up to twist a lock of hair around her fingers, Chat wondered what it would be like to run his fingers through her hair. All he wanted to do was hold her in his arms and never let go.

"Confess to him," he blurted out, knowing what he wanted with more clarity than ever before.

Marinette jumped a little as she turned back towards him. "What?"

He grabbed her hand, bringing their heads close together. Marinette's eyes widened and her face flushed. "Trust me. If you confess to him, he won't be able to say no."

Marinette hesitated and Chat tugged her closer. "Promise me," he breathed out, inches away from her.

"He'll say no," she protested.

He leaned forward to bump his forehead with hers, before letting go of her. Marinette stumbled back, hand reaching up to touch her forehead and eyes wide. "Just say you'll do it."

"I–," she took a deep breath. "I promise."

"Good," Chat grinned. "You won't be disappointed," he winked at her and then jumped off her balcony.

As Chat headed back home, he grinned from ear to ear. He couldn't wait to see her tomorrow.