Hey guys! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

~Cat Noir~

Cat Noir lands softly on Marinette's balcony. He bounces on his toes and shakes his hands to rid himself of the nerves.

Why am I so nervous? It's just Marinette. He shakes his head and moves towards her trap door. He bends down and knocks gently. He doesn't want to scare her. When she doesn't answer, he knocks again, this time more prominently.

"Cat Noir?" She asks when she finally opens the trap door.

"Hello, Princess." He smirks, "I saw you on the news, thought I'd drop by."

Marinette looks at him puzzled, "The news?"

Cat Noir's eyes glean, "It seems all of Paris is buzzing about a certain girl dating a famous model."

Marinette's eyes widened, "It's on the news too!? I thought it was just the tabloids, the magazines!"

She climbs back into her room and begins to pace back and forth. Cat Noir follows her in, but remains close to the balcony door.

"What am I going to do?" She mumbles to herself.

"You know, Princess, you don't look all that happy about your new relationship." He hedges.

Marinette stops in her tracks and glares at him, "I am happy. What makes you think I'm not happy?"

Cat Noir raises his brow, "How about the fact that you're staring daggers at me and can't stop your hands from shaking."

Marinette hides the offending hands in her lap as she sits on her chaise.

She sighs, "I care about Adrien a lot, Cat. I would do anything for him, he only has to ask, but…"

"But?" Cat Noir asks.

Marinette looks away, "It's nothing."

"Marinette, you can tell me. You know that, right?" He says.

Marinette shakes her head, "I'm sorry Cat Noir, but this is something I have to keep to myself." She looks at him sadly, "I appreciate your concern, but I really am okay. I really am happy with this situation, even if it's complicated, even if I can't explain it to you. I am happy to be dating Adrien. It's a bigger mess than I could have ever imagined, but it's a dream come true all the same." She smiles, "I'll get through it."

A dream come true? Dating him is a dream come true?

"Do you like him?" He blurts.

Both their cheeks flush with his words, Marinette swallows, "w-wll, o-of course. We're dating, r-right? Hehehe." She laughs nervously.

"O-oh, r-right. Of course. You two wouldn't be dating if you didn.t" He rubs his neck, "Silly me, that was a stupid question." He says.

Marinette chuckles, "It wasn't a stupid question, Kitty."

He smiles. Why did I ask that? Of course she'd say yes. Cat Noir isn't supposed to know the relationship is fake. Ugh. This was a mistake. I'm more confused than before.

"Are you okay?" Marinette asks.

Cat Noir breaks from his thoughts, "Oh, yeah, of course! Just lost in thought."

Marinette nods in understanding, "So, what brought you here?"

"I just wanted to see how you were doing? Making sure no rabid fans have attacked." He jokes.

Marinette giggles, "Not yet, but I'm sure they'll try tomorrow. Don't worry though, I can handle them." She says confidently.

Cat Noir chuckles. "I'm sure you can, but just in case, I'll be around. Oni-Chan was akumatized over the model just a few days ago, I wouldn't be too surprised if it happens to another girl soon."

Marinette winces, "Yeah, it is a possibility." She looks up at him, "But no worries, I know that you and Ladybug will be able to handle it."

Cat Noir pushes his chest out with confidence, "Of course we will! My Lady can handle anything."

Marinette giggles, "With you by her side, of course she can."

Cat Noir smiles, "She truly is amazing." He says wistfully.

Marinette blushes, "So are you."

His eyes twinkle as he looks at the girl in front of him, "You're amazing too, Marinette."

Her blush deepens, she clears her throat and changes the topic, "A-anyway. I should probably get ready for bed. I have my first official photoshoot with Adrien tomorrow. I need to make sure I'm well rested."

"I'll get going then. Good luck on your photoshoot tomorrow, you'll do great!" He calls before climbing out of the trap door.

Marinette calls her goodbyes as he leaves.

Cat Noir doesn't rest until he's back in his room and calls off his transformation, "Claws in."

Plagg flies out, "Well that was a waste of time." Plagg says.

Adrien shakes his head, "It wasn't, I didn't get the answers I wanted, but it wasn't a waste of time."

Plagg ignores him in favor of flying to his camembert.

"What do you think she meant when she said it was a dream come true?" Adrien asks.

Plagg shrugs, "I don't know, kid. Maybe she just said that to keep up the lie?"

Adrien shakes his head, "No, she seemed so genuine when she said it. Like she really meant it." He pauses, "Do you think that Marinette likes me?"

"Of course she does. You're friends." Plagg says.

"No, I mean, do you think she has feelings for me?" Adrien asks.

"I'm not sure kid, but what would you do if she did?" Plagg asks.

Adrien takes a moment to think about it before answering. What would he do? Marinette is amazing. She's beautiful, kind, and generous. She's always there for him and others. She's strong and determined, like Ladybug. But she's not Ladybug. She's not the woman he loves, so what would he do? Would he date her for real? Does he like her too?

Adrien shakes his head, "I don't know… I don't know what I would do. I care about her, I do. I don't want to hurt her. I'd do almost anything to make her smile at me. To make her happy. But I love Ladybug, and I will always love Ladybug…" He trails off.

Plagg takes pity on his holder and flies into his sightline, "Then you do nothing, kid. You continue with this fake dating scheme. You protect her from your fans, you treat her like your princess, and you keep her safe. You be the best fake boyfriend you can be, and when the time comes, when the moment is right, you'll know if you should be with her for real or not. You'll know how you feel about her. How she feels about you. You'll end this scheme with her as your real girlfriend, or with her as your friend once again. Either way, you will do what you believe is right in the moment, and she will too."

Adrien looks at his kwami stunned, "Since when did you become so wise?"

Plagg shakes his head, "I'm millions of years old, Adrien. I have always been wise."

Adrien processes the words Plagg said to him a moment before and nods, "Thank you, Plagg."

He shrugs, "Whatever kid. I just don't like you being so lost…" He trails off before flying back to his cheese.

Adrien smiles at his kwami and finally gets himself ready for bed. He's determined to be the best fake boyfriend Marinette could ever have.