I wasn't going to post this until Wednesday, but all you readers have been so amazing that I decided to put it up early. Thank you for all of the encouragement., it means a lot to me (and it makes me want to update quicker)

Disclaimer: I own none of the Miraculous Ladybug Universe

Chat turned around in time to see Marinette climb out of her room with a watering can in her hand.

"Good evening purr-incess," he purred, and chuckled softly when she jumped.

"Chat?! What are you doing here?" Despite the initial shock, she didn't seem angry, which he regarded as a good sign.

"I just finished up my patrol for the evening and thought I'd stop by and visit my favorite Purr-isian Purr-incess." His cheeks darkened slightly at the sound of his stomach growling.

A soft giggle filled the air, and caused a look of amazement to cross his face. "Looks like Paris' finest is looking for a snack."

Before he could object, she disappeared into her room. "Way to go Adrien." He leaned on her railing and looked out at the night life below. The lights of Paris winked up at him. It was quiet outside of the normal city sounds. Closing his eyes, Chat focused on the various noises. The smell of chocolate and baked goods invaded his senses, and made his eyes pop open. He turned and was presented with a plate of warm chocolate chip cookies by smiling Marinette.

"I thought you might be interested in some freshly baked cookies."

He looked between the treats and the girl who most likely made them in wonder. "Thank you Princess." He took one before she set the plate on the table.

"It's the least I could do to show my appreciation Chat," she said before taking one for herself. She then took a seat on the beach chair and motioned for him to join her.

"So Princess, how have you been lately?" he asked.

"I've been good. My friend Alya, the one who runs the Ladyblog, asked me to make her a dress for a masquerade dance at my school. After hearing I was making one for her, a lot of other girls asked for one as well, so I've been busy. This is the first real break I've had in quite a while," she explained. "In a way I have to thank you for that."

"If it means free cookies, I will gladly distract you from your work whenever you wish," he said before grabbing a second and third cookie. "After all, what kind of knight in shining leather would I be if I didn't assist my Princess in every way possible?"

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind," she said with amusement dancing in her eyes.

The two continued talking about trivial matters until the plate was empty.

"I should probably get going," Chat said with more reluctance than he expected. "Until next time." Chat gently picked up Marinette's hand and placed a soft kiss on the back. With a wink and two-finger salute, he took his baton and vaulted from the balcony.

Back at the Agreste Manor, Chat snuck in his bedroom window and detransformed.

"I gotta admit kid, you're taking this a whole lot better than I thought you would be," Plagg grumbled while heading to the mini fridge for some delicious camembert.

"What are you talking about Plagg?" Adrien asked before slipping into some sweatpants to sleep in.

"For someone who just got confirmation that the 'love of their life' loves someone else, you're handling it quite well, especially when we consider it's you we're talking about.

Adrien froze in his tracks just before jumping in bed. "To be honest, I'd actually forgotten all about it." He'd been having such a good time with Marinette that Ladybug had completely slipped his mind.

"Be sure to thank your Princess for me the next time you see her. I wasn't particularly looking forward to listening to you wail tonight."

"Oh shut up Plagg," he said before pulling up his covers and shutting off the light.

The next day, Adrien met up with Nino in front of school.

"Hey dude!" His friend called out before they shared a fist bump. "So listen, I was wondering if you could help me with asking Alya to the Masquerade Ball. I was really hoping to get one of Paris' top heroes to assist me, and thought you might know how I could contact them." Nino sent him a knowing look. Adrien had confessed his secret identity and number of weeks ago. His friend was ecstatic to hear of his secret and more than willing to provide alibis and any other aid he could to the blonde.

"I think that can be arranged." Adrien started up the front steps with Nino following close behind.

"Thanks dude! You're the best!" Once in the classroom, they took their seats and began planning what exactly Chat Noir was going to do. They were soon interrupted by a familiar voice that warned them it was time to change topics.

"Seriously girl, I can't believe you agreed to design and create so many dresses. Especially on top of school, the bakery, and your other extracurricular activities. Why didn't you just turn some of the requests down? Wait, let me guess, you just couldn't say no," Alya said before entering the classroom.

"No. I just-couldn't-say-no," Marinette replied.

"I really love you girl, you know that? If you need help with anything, just ask." Alya turned her attention to the boys and waved. "Hey Nino! Adrien!"

"Hey babe." Nino got up and gave her a small peck before nodding to Marinette. "Morning Mari."

"Good morning Nino," she said with a radiant smile.

"Hey girls." Adrien noticed how she immediately got nervous at his greeting.

"H-hi A-Adrien." She quickly made her way to her seat and started digging things out of her bag.

If he was completely honest, he envied how easily she spoke to the rest of their class, even if she could be cute when flustered. Alya and Nino shared a meaningful look at the exchange before taking their respective seats.

AN: Just so all you lovely readers know, in addition to Nino knowing Adrien's second identity, Alya knows Marinette's. Since the story mostly follows Adrien, I wasn't sure how to include that other than subtle hints and writing it in an AN.

Remember to R and R (more reviews mean faster uploads)/Follow and Favorite. Next chapter should be uploaded on Wednesday. Until then, stay Miraculous,

~Sana