Special thanks to my fried, Miss I-don't-want-you-to-use-my-name-please, for naming the fic and being a beta. This whole thing was based on a nickname we gave Adrien: Starving Cat Boi. No, we almost never use his real name.

(It also stems from the fact that I don't like eating and she gets on my case about it constantly, and I thought it'd be cute if I made it Adrienette.)

It started about a week ago. Maybe it had been going on for longer, but Marinette only noticed it then.

When did Adrien eat?

She never saw him grab a tray at lunch, and, after a while, she noticed how much thinner he'd gotten. When she finally noticed, she felt the need to ask about it. He had looked at her in shock before smiling his adorable little smile and saying, "I'm not hungry."

He didn't get a tray the next day, or the next, or the next. Again, it had been going on for a week, maybe longer.

Yesterday, Marinette had asked him why he never seemed to be hungry. His response was "I'm just not."

Today, she had a plan. She sat down at her usual lunch table, noting that, once again, Adrien didn't have a tray. She frowned to herself momentarily before opening her bag and pulling out a package.

She set it in front of her and opened it slowly, getting everyone's attention.

"What's that, Marinette?" Alya asked. Marinette smiled at her.

"Oh, the other day, I complained to my parents about the quality of food in schools," she said. "I asked if I could start bringing my own lunch, and they said yes."

"Uh, yum!" Alya responded. "I'm jealous, Girl."

"Yeah," Nino agreed. "It's not everyone at school who has parents for bakers."

"In some cases, school food is more edible than home food," Alya cut in. Then, she gestured to herself, making everyone laugh.

After getting the giggles out of her system, Marinette finished unwrapping her food. She had packed enough salmon pie and croissants for two people. She frowned down at the meal, pretending to be upset about something.

"Oh, man. I packed too much," she said. She looked up at the table, careful not to look too hard at Adrien. She didn't want him to think she had done this on purpose. Which she had.

"Does anyone want to half with me? I can't finish it all by myself," she said. She nudged Alya under the table a bit to let her know what she was doing. Thankfully, she got the message and turned to Adrien.

"Why don't you help her, Adrien?" she asked. Adrien blinked at her.

"Me?" he asked. "Why?"

"The rest of us are already stuffed with our school lunches," she said. Nino made a face at her, but Alya gestured to Adrien's lack of a tray, and he seemed to get the message too.

"Oh, yeah," he agreed. "Wouldn't want to waste all this food that we already have… no matter how inedible it is."

Alya nodded at him and turned back to Adrien, who shrugged.

"Alright, sure, I'll help," he said. Marinette cut the piece and handed half of it to Adrien, who smiled at her.

"Thank you, Adrien," she said. He nodded and took a bite of the pie, his eyes lighting up.

"No problem, Marinette," he said. "I could never say no to your family's baking."

This made everyone laugh, and Marinette mentally stored Adrien's words away.

I could never say no to your family's baking.

Marinette knew she couldn't play the same exact trick every day that she had played before. So, she mixed it up a bit.

Some days, she'd have to let Adrien go without lunch, if she wanted to keep him from getting too suspicious. Other days, she'd bring snacks for everyone at her table. But on the right days, she'd bring just enough to share with Adrien. She found herself not bumbling around as much when she started sharing food with him.

And Adrien? Well, Marinette was trying, but he was starting to get suspicious…

Why did it feel like he was always volunteered to be the one to share with Marinette? Now, admittedly, the pastries were delicious, so he never complained… and granted, she didn't always bring too much food, but it was a bit strange that it had happened this often. He brought it up to her once, and her excuse was that she's so clumsy, she cuts bigger pieces than she means to.

He didn't quite believe her.

Maybe he wouldn't be so suspicious of it if she hadn't been asking him about his lack of eating literally a day before this started.

He face-planted on his bed and let out a sigh. Plagg flew out of his overshirt and landed beside him on the bed.

"So… what's wrong?" the kwami asked. Adrien turned his head onto its side so that he could answer.

"Nothing is wrong, Plagg," he said. Plagg crossed his tiny arms.

"That's a lie and we both know it," he said. Adrien smiled tiredly at him.

"Fine," he said. "Something is wrong. Outside of the main thing that's wrong."

"You mean your- "

"Yes, that," Adrien interrupted him. He sighed again. "I appreciate what Marinette is doing… she's such a good friend. I just wish…"

"Wish what?" Plagg asked. Adrien frowned at him for a second.

"You're being surprisingly caring," he said. Plagg glared at him, making Adrien giggle ashamedly. "Ok, ok… I just wish I could tell her the truth."

"Then do it," Plagg said. "Simple as that. She's going through all this trouble just to make sure you eat, after all."

Adrien bit his lip.

"That's… true…"

"You trust her, right?" Plagg asked. Adrien nodded. The kwami floated a bit, forcing Adrien to sit up so he could keep his eyes on him. "Then you have to trust that she'll understand."

"But it's so…" Adrien struggled to find the word for a bit before giving up. Plagg floated down to look him in the eye.

"Kid, if I'm getting concerned, then you know it's serious," he said. "You need to talk to someone."

Adrien thought about it for a moment.

"And the best person for that… is my everyday Ladybug," he said slowly. He smiled a little bit and looked Plagg in the eyes. "Plagg, claws out."

Chat Noir landed in an alleyway across from the Dupain-Cheng bakery before detransforming. Plagg hid in his overshirt, and Adrien stepped out of the alley, making his way to the bakery. He took a deep breath before opening the door and stepping inside.

Immediately he was hit with the smell of freshly baked bread, frosting, melted butter- all the delicious smells that followed Marinette wherever she went.

Speaking of…

There was Marinette, behind the counter, rushing to put pastries in bags and money in the register. She was moving so fast that he was worried she might mix something up- he knew he would have. There was a ridiculously long line forming. Maybe he shouldn't be-

"Hi! Welcome to our bakery!"

All of a sudden, he had a blue-haired girl hurriedly speaking into his ear. He hadn't realized that he'd come so close to the counter. Marinette, without looking, gestured to the back of the line with a pair of tongs in her hand.

"If you'd kindly wait in the line, I'll be with you shortly. Or, if you still haven't decided what you'd like, feel free to roam around and study our options."

Since when could she talk so fast? It took a second for Adrien to realize that Marinette hadn't even paid attention to who she was talking to. He stood there and watched her breeze through three customers before finally speaking up.

"Do you need any help?"

Marinette screamed and tossed the donuts she was currently holding into the air. She gasped and held out her hands, catching them easily, before turning to see who had spoken. Adrien waved a bit awkwardly.

"Hey," he said. He looked at the line, which had almost doubled. "So… need any help?"

"Uh…" Marinette started to say something that would probably descend into nonsense before she remembered that she had a boatload of customers to attend to. She finished wrapping up and packaging the donut and quickly took the money, going to put it in the register before realizing that she was actually putting the donut in the register. She giggled awkwardly at Adrien.

"Maybe a little?" she said, but it sounded more like a question. Adrien smiled warmly at her and joined her behind the counter.

"What do you need me to do?" he asked. Marinette thought for a moment before looking at the line of customers.

"I'll grab and wrap the pastries if you'll work the register," she said. Adrien nodded.

"Consider it done," he said.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Adrien found himself constantly glancing at his phone, expecting a call from Nathalie. Fortunately, none came, and he found himself falling into a rhythm with Marinette.

Two hours later, the line was finally gone. He waved the last customer away and turned to smile at Marinette.

"That was fun," he said. Marinette giggled and restocked the croissants.

"It's not quite as fun when you're working both jobs," she said. "And then constantly having to run to the back to grab some restock."

That seemed true enough. There were moments during the rush where Adrien would look over and Marinette would be gone. Then, she'd pop back up out of nowhere with a tray of goodies before Adrien could tell the customer that they were out of their desired treat. He had no clue how she moved so fast, but she did, and it was impressive. But he couldn't imagine having to work all three different jobs at once.

"Were your parents in the back?" he asked. Marinette nodded, setting the empty tray to the side.

"Yeah, they were baking," she said. "They're faster at it, so I always end up working these jobs."

"Makes sense," Adrien said. "Does that line happen often?"

"Every day," she said. She pointed at the clock. "At around the same time. We're able to prepare ourselves, but it's never really- know what? Never mind."

She smiled back at him and gestured around them.

"So… did you stop by just to help out?"

Some part of Adrien vaguely recognized that Marinette seemed comfortable around him, as she hadn't stumbled or stammered once. He smiled a bit at the change.

"Y- "

He felt Plagg kick him from inside his overshirt and winced slightly.

"Yeah, not… exactly."

Plagg was NOT getting any cheese for that stunt. He sighed, seeing Marinette's slight frown.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Adrien started playing with the ring on his finger, not looking at her. He missed the way her shoulders sagged and the sad look that crossed her face.

"Do you want to talk about it somewhere privately?" she asked. Adrien nodded. He didn't want to talk about it at all, but because a certain someone was so insistent, he had no choice. Marinette offered her hand and he took it, following her through the kitchen, up the stairs, into her room, and onto the balcony.

"Is everything alright, Adrien?" she asked. He gulped and took a deep breath.

Trust her. I can trust her. This is Marinette, I trust her as much as I trust Ladybug.

"I… have a confession to make," he said. He inwardly berated himself. Stalling for more time… tell her.

He missed how quickly her face heat up, and missed her shaking her head to clear it away.

"W-what it is?" she asked. She shook her head again. "I-I mean, what is it?"

Adrien smiled sadly at her, a bit amused that she went back to stuttering.

"I… um… " he got another kick from Plagg. "I'm… I've been having… what I call… Blank Plates."

"Blank Plates?" Marinette asked. Adrien nodded.

"Y-yes," he said. "They started when… well, this is going to sound… I mean…"

Marinette put a hand on his shoulder. He took a deep breath to calm himself down.

"They... started when... my mom… well, you know," he said. She nodded. "Before, we would all sit down at the table. She'd tell jokes, make my father and I laugh. She was always so good at that…

"But now… I'm sitting at this really long table by myself," he said. "It can sit 18 people and it's used for one… the Blank Plates always center around that. One day, I'll be sitting at the table and it'll feel bigger and more empty than usual. Those are the days where eating just doesn't seem worth it if I'm by myself."

He sighed.

"I know… it's a bit stupid, but- "

"It's not stupid," Marinette interrupted him. He looked at her in shock. She smiled and shook her head. "No, not at all. It's… well, everyone has a different reaction to dealing with a loss. This is just yours.

"Sure, it's not healthy to decide that some days aren't for eating," she said. "But that's why we let our friends know- so we can get some help."

Adrien frowned down at the balcony. His eyes shifted upwards when Marinette spoke again.

"How about this… whenever you're having a Blank Plate day, text me and I'll bring a snack from the bakery- any snack you want."

"But, Blank Plates are… well, I don't... "

"Those are the days you need someone most," Marinette reminded him. "They're the days you feel lonely… what better way to stop feeling lonely, than if a friend brings something by for you to munch on?"

Adrien's eyes darted back and forth, studying her face for any sign of disinterest or dishonesty- looks he got from both his father and Chloe- then reminded himself that this is Marinette. She wouldn't be like that, she just wasn't that kind of person.

He smiled gratefully at her and wrapped her in a hug, tears forming in his eyes when he felt her arms wrap around him, too.

"Thank you so much for understanding, Marinette," he said. Marinette squeezed him slightly.

"Anything for y- f-for a friend," she answered him back. After a while, they pulled away, Adrien running his arm across his eyes.

"One more idea," Marinette said. Adrien looked at her excited face and couldn't stop a smile. Her mood was always so infectious.

"What?" he asked.

"As a thank-you for helping out in the bakery today, do you want to stay for dinner?" she asked. Adrien blinked at her in shock before beaming.

"Could I?" he asked. She nodded.

"If it's alright with your father," she said. Adrien hid a wince, checked his phone, and debated calling his father. He knew the man wouldn't answer. And if he called Nathalie, he'd get in trouble for sneaking out. He made a decision.

He shut his phone off, looked up, and smiled at Marinette.

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind," he said. Marinette looked skeptical for only a second before shrugging it off and smiling at him and leading him back downstairs through her bedroom.

For a month after that, she would wake up and see that she had gotten a text from Adrien. Every morning it was the same text- he was having a Blank Plates day. She'd make him a new pastry every time, and he always took and ate them without complaint. One day, she decided to ask him why she'd never noticed before.

"I haven't had one since I started going to school," he said. "I guess I was too excited to really think about it, but… they've never lasted this long before."

"To be surrounded by friends one moment then be all alone the next can make people feel more alone than they used to," she told him. "That's why some people isolate themselves- they'd rather believe they're all alone and not think about it than be surrounded by people then left all alone."

Adrien let that sink in. Yeah, it made sense. Sure, he saw his friends every day at school, but he wasn't allowed to participate in most things they did after school. It did make him feel a bit worse…

One day, Marinette woke up and didn't see any messages from Adrien. She readied herself for the day, same as usual, and left for school. When she entered the classroom, she saw Adrien sitting beside Nino, laughing at a joke he'd been told. She smiled to herself- she was glad he was feeling so much better.

He noticed her and waved. She waved back and made her way over to him. They all talked for a bit, then class started, and Marinette sat down beside Alya.

"Wow," she breathed. "Not one rant or stutter? Who are you and what have you done with Marinette?"

Marinette giggled.

"Something… happened. I feel a bit more confident around him now," she said. She smiled down at Adrien. "I guess we both just needed to be friends for a bit."

And later, at lunch, Adrien sat down at their table holding a tray. Marinette beamed at him.

Not every day was like this, of course. Every once in a while, he'd text her early in the morning and let her know that it was a Blank Plate day. She would prepare something for him to eat, then sit there and watch him eat it. He didn't always make it easy- some days, he made it plain and obvious that he did not want to eat. These were rare days, and she knew them best by the fact that he'd text her, then try to politely decline the food she'd brought.

"I'd be more than happy to share- "

"But I made it just for you."

The guilt trip usually worked, and he'd give her a playful pout. She'd giggle a bit and watch him eat. One time, she had to whisper to him to 'eat or else.' She didn't know what the 'or else' would be, but she was glad that Adrien didn't want to find out.

After a while, she noticed a bunch of weird looks being directed their way. Alya would smirk, Nino would try not to smile, Chloe looked hilarious… even Lila looked more evil than usual, which was saying something.

She couldn't figure it out, which was unusual. Normally, she was very good at reading her friends.

As for Adrien, the opposite was true. He was usually so blind to people, but recently, he's had a suspicion about their classmates.

They couldn't exactly hide the fact that Marinette was always baking things especially for him. Hiding that was literally impossible by this point. But, true to Marinette's nature, she hadn't told anyone about his… problem… so no one knew why she was baking him all these goods. To them, there could only be one explanation, and he wasn't sure how he felt about it.

He chose not to say anything.

That night, Adrien was feeling especially lonely. So, he did the thing that usually cheered him up the most.

He transformed and went to visit Marinette.

He landed on the railing of her balcony, startling her a bit, but she offered him a smile.

"Hello, Chat Noir," she said. Chat grinned at her.

"Good evening, Purr-incess," he said. He looked over to the small table by her side and saw a bunch of small cake pops on it. They were black and had two black triangles sticking out the sides. Marinette looked in that direction and giggled a bit, holding one up to show him.

"What do you think?" she asked. Chat Noir grinned.

"A cake pop themed after yours truly?" he asked, making her giggle again. "I gotta admit, I see the likeness. These are great, Marinette."

She smiled and told him he could have it. He ate it, smiling at how tasty it was.

"Mint," he said. Marinette nodded.

"Yep," she said. He smiled at her.

"So, anything interesting happen lately?" he asked. Her expression fell a bit.

"A… friend of mine hasn't exactly been living easy," she said. "Food is becoming less important to him, and I'm trying to think of how to help him, but I don't know how much I'm actually doing…"

More than you could ever know, Chat thought to himself.

"How are they doing now?" he asked. She smiled at him.

"I think he's doing a little better," she said. "I've managed to get him to eat some pastries- he once told me that he could never say no to my family's baking."

A throwaway comment, he thought. But she's taking it to heart… is that how she's been getting me to eat?

"That, along with the fact that he's such a nice guy and wouldn't turn down homemade food, have gotten him to finally start eating again," she finished. Chat Noir smirked at her.

"So, you've been tricking him into eating?" he asked. She nodded.

"Yeah, but that's why I'm not so sure how much I'm helping. If he's going to overcome this, he needs to eat on his own, not be tricked by me."

Chat Noir sat there in thought. He could practically hear Plagg's newfound mother-henning.

She's right, you know. You can't sit back and let her do all the work for you. She can only take you so far. You have to man up and jump for the cheese yourself.

Chat Noir had a plan. Of course, he didn't know how to plan his plan, so he went to the best planner he could think of.

He landed beside Ladybug after the patrol. She removed her yoyo to go home, but he grabbed her arm.

"M'Lady, wait," he said. She paused and turned to him, curious.

"What's the matter, Chat?" she asked. His ears flattened against his head.

I've got this. I can do this.

"Uh, M'Lady, I need to ask your opinion on… a matter," he said. She studied him for a second, then lowered her yoyo.

"I'm listening, Kitty," she said. Chat Noir began fiddling with his ring. He took a deep breath.

"I… I have a… friend," he said. She blinked at him in confusion. "And sh- they have a friend who has a problem. Basically, his problem is unhealthy and my friend is trying to help her friend, but my friend isn't sure how much she's helping him, and her friend wants to let her know that she's really helping him and asked me how to do it, and I told her friend I'd tell him tomorrow but I don't know what to tell him."

Ladybug blinked at him before giggling a little bit.

"I think he should just tell her- if he can't do it in person, then make her something, or do something to let her know her efforts are truly helping him."

Chat thought about it for a moment. Even outside of his problem, Marinette deserved a lot for all the stuff she did. He smiled to himself, thinking of hundreds of different things that he could do for her.

"Thank you," he told Ladybug. "I knew I could count on you, Bugaboo."

Ladybug rolled her eyes with a smile and released her yoyo, swinging away.

The next day, Adrien snuck out of his home and landed in front of the Dupain-Cheng bakery. He remembered how busy they had been last time he'd been there, and if they faced that sort of thing every day, he had no clue how they were all still standing.

He opened the door and saw Marinette preparing for the rush to start. Upon the sound of the door opening, she turned and saw him, face splitting into a grin.

"Hey, Adrien!" she said. She went back to stocking. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Marinette," he said. "I was wondering if you'd need any help today."

Marinette turned back to him with a slightly suspicious smile on her face.

"Um, not yet, but if you want, you could help out with the rush," she said. Adrien grinned at her.

"I'll do it," he said. Marinette smiled sweetly at him.

That's how it continued: Adrien would sneak out of his bedroom to help Marinette and her family with their bakery, they'd all eat together (Adrien included- they were just as good at cooking as they were at baking) and he'd sneak back to his room. He would still occasionally let Marinette know that it was a Blank Plate day, but those were coming fewer and fewer. Adrien inwardly thanked his lady every day for the good advice- as she always had, anyway.

Chat Noir grinned at the top of the Eiffel Tower. He managed to force himself to eat something outside of Marinette 'tricking' him. He knew she was happy about that- he could always see the pride on her face when she caught him.

And he knew that she and her family appreciated him helping out at the bakery. Tomorrow, Marinette would show him how to knead the dough. He'd be in the kitchen! Doing actual baking! Oh, he couldn't wait!

He heard a zip, then the delicate landing of his lady right beside him. He turned around and smiled at Ladybug, who grinned at him and sat beside him.

"Hey, Kitty," she said. Chat Noir gave her a two-fingered salute.

"Fancy seeing you here, M'Lady," he said. Her smile turned warm.

"You ready for patrol?"

"I'm always ready to hang out with you, Bugaboo."

The two stood up together, Ladybug tossing her yoyo out in front of her to start swinging. Chat Noir pulled out his stick and aimed it downwards.

"Wanna race, M'Lady?" he challenged. Ladybug's smile turned into a smirk.

"Won't be much of a race," she said. He grinned at her.

"You're right," he said. "I'd win too easily."

Ladybug reached over and rang his bell.

"In your dreams, Kittycat," she teased.

"Only one way to find out," he said. She sighed and looked out over Paris.

"First to the Louvre?"

"Prepare to buy me some cat snacks."

They took off through the night, laughing and calling friendly insults to each other.