Tea was scattered every which way along with cocoa and coffee, so it seemed just logical to start with the groundwork as soon as possible. So while he waited for his stunned classmate to return to her senses, regretting very much his sudden question, he kneeled silently and started to gather the nein-fussed mess with his hands.

It didn't take long for the conversation to start flowing again as she shrugged off whatever shocked her so much and handed him a broom, keeping the duster to help him out. Luckily enough the only damage was done to a naked mannequin and the rest of the furniture was out of the way of the disaster zone. He kept at it absentmindedly until he heard a faint sound.

"Come again?"

"A friend, Adrien is a friend of mine." She straightened up from her position giving her declaration the emphasis needed.

"Is that why he's hanging around on your wall?"

"Yes! No! I mean…"

"Because I've never seen you actually spending time with him, so I'm rather surprised. Maybe you're online buddies? Pen pals? Facebook friends?"

It wasn't a fair accusation, especially since he and his alter ego would never be in the same place at the same time unless there was a cloning akuma on the loose. Despite this, he always wondered why she was never the first one to strike a conversation and refused to stay with him unless Alya was involved. Her face scrunched up more every second until…

"That's not it and I don't like your tone! It's not your business anyway!"

At her outburst he couldn't help but stare, ears dropping, maybe he'd gone too far in his search for validation. With a sigh, she turned around leaving the duster behind.

"I'm sorry… It's just... Ugh! It's complicated… Maybe I should show you?" There was something dull about her demeanor from her hands slowly rubbing together to her heavy steps or her downcast eyes. "I've always been a nervous person, you know? It takes ages for me to make a decision; I just freak out over the most far-fetched possibilities." He briefly wondered if he should be hearing this after all but it was too late to retreat now. He let go of the broom, closing the distance in a sign of goodwill. "I used to be bullied; I cowered before school because of Chloe… Used to hide in bed until my parents decided to drag me downstairs.

"But I started fighting back, all because of Alya." She fiddled with the string of the pull-down chart, balancing her weight on one foot and then the other. "I only worry about things that haven't happened yet, though. I can own up to what's already done pretty fast. But with Adrien… There are so many things that could go wrong. So many that I just freeze! Or blurt out something dumb and embarrassing or I just run away! "…I'm getting better… I'm not there just yet, but I really, really try. But he is my friend. Just look!"

With renewed vigor, she unraveled the chart to reveal…

"A schedule?!" He was clearly missing an important bit of information because the heartfelt confession just now didn't fit at all with what he was seeing. What was it that could go so wrong in their friendship?

"Not only a schedule. It's our schedule, a combination of his and mine."

"You volunteered to a kitten shelter? I'm flattered."

"I should have known that it would be the one thing to jump at you."

"I'd rather be jumped at by other things, but that's not why we're gathered here today. You do realize cats are pretty self-centered, don't you, princess? He moved around to support his chin on her shoulder but she flipped away with a scoff.

"They also get easily distracted. Now, I don't have trouble meeting Alya outside of school, she can make time whenever I'm free… But with Adrien… How many empty slots do you see?" She quirked an eyebrow at him while extending her hand towards the schedule.

"Two, without considering weekends."

"And one of them has no activities after it, which means he'll be stuck at home! We only have one matching free slot this week; I got Alya to ask them if they want to go on a picnic that day."

"Wow, that is really thoughtful… How did you get his schedule again?" She blushed at his question and seemed to hesitate before answering.

"It used to only have his school extracurriculars so it was a monthly schedule… But I had to steal his phone to delete an embarrassing voice mail some time ago. He hasn't changed his lock pattern so I just check it again every week."

So that's what Plagg was talking about before, it was a pretty good reason but he got the feeling that she wasn't telling the whole story.

"Should I keep an eye on your rising criminal career? Tsk, tks. We can't have such an outstanding citizen getting a dirty record."

"Uhm… No thanks, I don't make a habit out of it…A-and I always give back the stuff I take!"

"Stuff? Wasn't it just a measly phone? I suppose I can look the other way and take your word for it. I wouldn't mind a cat burglar for my very own rogue gallery, though." With a wink, he went back to cleaning and dumped the dusters' content in the trashcan by the desk. Then he heard a huff behind him.

"I won't give you the satisfaction of a visual pun, kitty cat. That kind of exposition would be bad for business." She proceeded to grab a croissant, splitting it in half and handing him the biggest piece. "I don't know if you like truffle, is it okay?" She didn't even finish her sentence when he was already gulping down the treat.

"I think that answers your question. What other delights do we have here?"

She pointed at her chaise, so he took a seat, the remaining food placed between both of them.

"That one has cheese, there's one with jam, and one filled with confiture de lait, I wanted to bring the classics but we're out of stock… I'm sorry I can't offer you anything but water, I'm too clumsy to have stairs." Her consideration was met with happy moans as he stuffed his face with pastries.

"That I find hilarious since I know from a very good source that you can do a perfect backflip."

Instantly, Marinette froze up, recovering quickly to flail her arms as chaotically as her thought process tried to come up with something.

"That's! I used to do ballet-no! Gymnastics? Yeah! I used to participate in competitions uh, I was… Uh… Very good?"

He felt his nose wrinkling at that… Did she expect him to believe such a half-cooked lie?

"Maybe you can show me some tricks later… Now I'm thinking this banquet requires some entertainment... Say, have you seen sharknado?"

"Just to the second movie, I heard they're making a fifth one! I always found their popularity a bit too fishy."

"They just want you to be their chum… Do you want to look for memes?"

Both teenagers quickly settled in an easy camaraderie but Adrien couldn't help but notice how much she was holding back. Every now and then she'd have to restrain herself; just halfway to giving him a pat on his back, or cutting off mid-sentence from something she decided was better off left alone.

When Marinette's parents called her to go down for dinner he realized he had outstayed his welcome.

While he was saying his goodbyes she stared warily at in his direction and the nauseous feeling came back. Did she know who he was? Most importantly; Did she know he suspected her of knowing? There was no way to know, especially with her closed-off behavior. Just as he was halfway outside through the window he turned to her once more.

"I had fun today, princess. I hope I didn't get in your way for too long."

"Kitty, thanks for your help-Wait! That's not it! Chat Noir, the citizens are grateful for your service… Hum no, not that… Okay, let's forget I said any of that. Let me start over." She took a moment to breathe in deeply, spitting quickly what's she said next. "I don't know if I'll have the chance to say this ever again so… Thank you; for protecting the city I love so much. If you ever need anything, you know where to find me!" He stood still for a second before she turned the lights off and left him alone in the darkness. The realization hit him hard right then.

Aw shucks… Marinette is an undercover agent…