"This is my absolute favorite Mandopop group," Marinette pulled up the umpteenth music video onto her screen. "My cousin Bridgette showed it to me when she visited Paris last year."

"Ooh…" Adrien enthused, "I really like the electro swing they're going for. And their outfits! Wow!"

"I know right?" Marinette agreed, "This group's costumes have been designed by one of the best fashion designers in China."

Adrien leaned close to the screen, his third pain au chocolat in hand. Marinette noted that her crush had relaxed significantly throughout his visit to her home. She's learned so many new things about her friend, finding absolutely no luck in calming down her racing heart.

Contrary to popular belief, Adrien Agreste was just a normal boy.

Just like Marinette.

He has his own fears and insecurities, and he chose to show Marinette a little bit of his heart. It completely dispelled the former imagine Marinette had held of the model, instead replaced with someone who Marinette could actually see herself becoming close friends to. She wasn't exactly sure how it happened in such a short time span, but there was something about Adrien that drew Marinette in.

It was more than his good looks, more than his kindness, more than his gentleness—

"Kitty, that's dangerous! Come here!" Adrien scooped Marinette's kitten into his arms, rocking him as if he were rocking a baby, "I can just tell you're going to be a clawful, aren't you?"

-Marinette felt like she was in the company of someone who made her feel safe. There, making terrible puns while holding a little black kitten with bright green eyes, Marinette was reminded of the one person in the world who she trusted more than anything.

Her heart throbbed, longing for another black cat who she hadn't seen in days.

Perhaps that's why she found herself inching towards Adrien with every passing moment. He reminded her so much of her kitty cat. When Adrien turned towards Marinette, grinning bigger than she'd ever seen him, she felt her heart swell with fondness for the boy.

She fought the urge to slap her forehead in frustration. She was supposed to be getting over Adrien, not adoring him while missing Chat Noir! And besides, what happened to Kagami? Kagami, your friend? Remember her? Marinette ignored the smaller voice in the back of her head that pointed out she hadn't spoken to the girl in a few weeks, but Marinette still wanted to move forward to not hurt the girl.

"Hey Marinette?" Adrien asked, calling her attention away from her current predicament, "Can you send me a playlist of all your Mandopop recommendations? I love all these bands."

"Of course," Marinette replied, "I can also give you some drama recommendations, so you can watch those instead of opening a textbook to study."

"That's so smart!" Adrien gasped. He raised Kitty up to his eye level, "Your maman is a genius!"

Heat rose to Marinette's cheeks, and she turned away from the two boys, fighting back the affection blossoming in her chest.

She didn't want to cause any problems, especially since she had her own plate to deal with. Her phone rang, drawing her attention away from Adrien and her mewing kitten.

"Hello?"

"Hey!" Alya's chipper voice greeted from the other end, "I just had a quick question for you, if that's okay? You busy?"

"I have time for a question," Marinette replied, "Go ahead."

"Do you think Madame Bustier will let me and Lila do our report on the Miraculouses in Tibet?"

Marinette felt her breath leave her all at once. It seemed as if ice cold water had been dumped over her head, and she wasn't at all expecting it. She honestly should've expected this from her curious best friend. Alya and an opportunity to present an expose on the Miraculouses? It was as predictable Lila lying over the most miniscule, ridiculous things.

Speaking of which—

"Lila?" Marinette asked, drawing Adrien's attention at once, "Weren't you working with Nathanael?"

"Yeah, but Lila was really interested in learning more about the Miraculous, and asked Nathanael and Miss Bustier if it was cool if we could switch."

"…o…oh…" Alya continued to chatter, informing Marinette of her intentions for the project, but Marinette couldn't hear anything else. Alya finding out information about the Miraculouses was one thing, but Lila was another.

Lila was an enemy of Ladybug and an ally of Hawkmoth.

She'd willingly assisted him before.

Who knows what dangerous plans Lila had? That kind of information should not be easily accessible for civilians. Marinette would have to talk to Tikki and Wayzz about Alya.

"So, what do you think, Marinette?" Alya asked. Marinette's eyes flew over to Adrien, who was now observing her with a worried look on his face. He mouthed 'is everything okay?' to her. She was sure that she was as pale as a ghost at this point, but couldn't find it in herself to tell Adrien that No. Everything is not okay. This is a disaster!

Unconvincingly, she nodded, not at all surprised when Adrien raised a brow at her.

"Marinette?"

"I…oh…um…" Marinette stammered, "I mean, maybe?"

"Maybe?"

"I mean…" she wracked her brains, knowing that Alya had her stuck and there really wasn't other option for her. She bit her lip, and thought hard, trying to come up with the easiest solution for her current predicament.

Suddenly, a hand reached out and rested over her clenched fist.

Adrien leaned over, concern shining in his iridescent green eyes.

He squeezed firmly, offering Marinette his support, though he wasn't exactly sure what crisis Marinette was currently going through.

You can protect the Miraculouses, Marinette. She reminded herself, You can do this. You're Ladybug! You're Marinette! It'll be okay.

Taking a deep breath, Marinette spoke softly.

"A…Alya," she said, "Don't you think it would be dangerous to present an entire project on the Miraculouses?"

Adrien gasped in front of Marinette, and Alya hummed thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you had to dig for all of that information," Marinette explained, "We're talking magical stuff that's been hidden for centuries. If you unleash all that information, Hawkmoth could easily get a hold of it. Ladybug and Chat Noir will be in danger."

"So, you don't think I should do it?"

Marinette took a deep breath.

This was Alya, her best friend. She wasn't going to blow up at her and call her a terrible friend for discouraging her from following her passion right?

Leap of faith, Marinette.

She exhaled.

"I don't…" Marinette admitted. "I know, it's super interesting stuff! And if anyone can find out about it, it's you! But, we don't know what kind of risk it poses to us. To Ladybug and Chat Noir. We won't know."

She heard someone clear their throat on the other line.

"But Marinette!" Lila Rossi's saccharine voice sounded through Marinette's phone. She winced for a moment, pulling her phone away from her ear. Adrien looked at Marinette quizzically, and she pushed the speaker button so he could hear what was going on.

"Ladybug already gave us her blessing! Remember? I'm her best friend!" Lila chirped enthusiastically.

"Am I on speaker?" Marinette asked incredulously.

"Whoops," Marinette heard a 'beep' and Alya's voice a lot closer to her ear, "Bad habit, I know. But Marinette, Lila said Ladybug gave her the green light! We should be good!"

"Alya," Marinette said gently, "Lila also has a condition where she says anything, regardless of if it's the truth or not."

She saw a wide smile curl up on Adrien's face, knowing exactly where Marinette was going with this. He shifted, his hand moving from its place over hers. A part of her was disappointed when he moved away, but she chose to ignore it and focus at the task at hand.

"That's right…" Alya gasped, "…so what do you think I should do?"

"Ask Ladybug and Chat Noir if you're still on the fence," Marinette answered easily, knowing full well what the superhero duo would say. "But it has to be you that does it."

"Me…gotcha…" Alya sighed, "Man, I hate it when you get logical on me."

"It's okay, you'll get me back one of these days," Marinette laughed, "I'll talk to you later though."

"Okay, talk to you soon," Alya laughed, "And bye Adrien!"

Adrien let out a surprised laugh and Marinette squeaked, quickly hitting the 'end' button cutting of Alya's cackles. Marinette slumped in her chair, tossing her phone onto her desk.

"That was hiss-terical."

"Adrien!"

"I'll see you tomorrow, Marinette!"

"Bye!"

Marinette waved to Adrien as his bodyguard pulled away from the curb. As soon as the car disappeared down the street, she ran up towards her room, skipping two stairs at a time, before closing her trap door and throwing on the latch. Tikki flew into view, pressing herself against Marinette's cheek happily.

"Tikki, I can't believe I spent the majority of the afternoon with Adrien, and I was able to speak with him normally."

"I know! I was there, I saw!"

"And I think I was able to protect the Miraculouses from unnecessary attention too!" Marinette added, "This could've been a disaster!"

"But it wasn't!" Tikki chirped, "And you handled it beautifully, Marinette."

"I felt like I was going to die," Marinette admitted. "I'm guessing Alya's gonna have to flag me down soon, right?"

"She'll probably say something the next akuma attack," Tikki remarked. Marinette nodded, and climbed onto her loft, headed for the rooftop terrace.

"I'm gonna get some fresh air," Marinette announced, "Tikki, you look sleepy. You can go to sleep first. I'll be in soon."

Tikki yawned behind one of her paws, "Okay, but don't stay out there too late. It's supposed to be really chilly tonight."

"Okay!" the cool autumn air caressed Marinette's skin, her dark tresses, which she had released from their rubber bands, flowed freely onto her shoulders. Her midnight locks swayed in the wind as a gentle breeze brushed past the girl.

Paris was a vision at night.

Up on Marinette's rooftop terrace, she sat in her own world, high above the evening bustle down below. It wasn't often that she was able to steal a moment to herself where she could just simply be in the moment. She reached out, curling her fingers around the iron railing and closed her eyes, breathing in the evening air.

Marinette felt better than she normally did.

Eyes clothes, Marinette listened to the sounds around her, taking in everything her city had to offer her. She could hear the evening traffic on her street, as well as the faint ringing of the bell on the bakery's front entrance. She could hear the distant chitter chatter of passing pedestrians, unaware of Marinette three stories above them. She could hear the sounds of children laughing, dogs barking, and the occasional police siren.

The faintest whisper on the wind, brushed by Marinette, silencing all other sounds in a split second, and Marinette's eyes snapped open.

"What was that?" she asked herself.

The noise itself wasn't unpleasant; however, it came and went as if someone were running past her. It spoke into her ear before disappearing into the night.

Marinette wasn't even entirely sure that it was real.

Before she could really dwell on it, she became distracted by a loud thud, followed by a familiar bell. Her heart slammed into her ribcage as she spun around instantly, greeted by vibrant green eyes, sun-kissed hair, and a Cheshire cat smile.

"If it isn't Marinette!" Chat Noir greeted, tucking his baton behind him. "What are you doing out here all alone, Princess?"

Marinette wanted nothing more than to run into his arms and beg for forgiveness.

She shouldn't have yelled.

She shouldn't have shut him out.

She shouldn't have hurt him.

Marinette found that she missed him terribly. Ladybug missed Chat Noir terribly.

But Marinette wasn't Ladybug right now. Her heart throbbed, wanting to have its way for once, but the more logical part of Marinette's mind insisted that she played her role. She didn't want to think about what Tikki would say if she blew her cover right then and there.

"Oh you know, just getting some fresh air," she answered casually, "But what about you? What are you doing out here?"

"Oh you know," he answered in an identical tone, "just getting some fresh air."

"You don't have patrol with Ladybug?" Marinette prodded, hoping to the Universe that Chat would take the bait and mention her. She walked away from the rail, plopping herself down in one of the pink lounge chairs by the trap door. "Hawkmoth hasn't made any akumas lately though…"

Chat Noir didn't answer for a long beat. The air filled with a tense silence and when Marinette glanced up at her companion, she was shocked to find Chat perched on her railing, his ears drooped over and his tail hanging sadly. His eyes revealed a sadness that she understand very well.

"Chat?" Marinette asked, "What's wrong, Chat?"

"I don't have patrol with Ladybug," Chat replied quietly. "I was out here hoping that she'd show up. Her patrol route normally passes your house, so I just thought…"

Marinette knew she couldn't transform at this moment, though the temptation was strong. She knew the repercussions of a reveal, especially with the threat of Hawkmoth looming over the city. But there was also another part of her that simply wanted to comfort her best friend.

If Ladybug couldn't be there for Chat Noir, then Marinette would make sure she'd fill in without giving too much away. She leaned forward on her lounge chair, shooting her partner a sympathetic glance.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He shook his head, "Nah, I don't want to burden you with superhero stuff."

"I don't mind at all!" Marinette insisted, "I can keep a secret!"

Chat knew Marinette. He knew that she was trust worthy. Marinette was banking on the fact that he had worked with her on multiple occasions to accept her offer. After a few moments, he sighed and leapt off the railing, throwing himself onto her other lounge chair.

"Ladybug and I…had a fight…" he shared sadly, "She jumped in between me and a really nasty akuma and took a hit."

Marinette remembered it very well.

She remembered the woman in black, whose ink-dipped fingers reached out to hurt Chat. She remembered throwing herself in front of Chat with images of Chat Blanc flashing over her eyes. She remembered being trapped in her own nightmares, playing vividly in her head until she was able to break free and purify the akuma.

She remembered the look of pure devastation and desperation on Chat Blanc's face as he chased her through Paris' ruins.

Marinette had lived that reality countless times.

She'd only met Chat Blanc once, and he'd visited her in her dreams every night since. She didn't mean to yell at Chat, but she'd rather sacrifice herself if that meant that he didn't get hurt. He meant too much to Marinette.

"…did you get to talk to her about why it happened?" Marinette asked carefully.

"No," Chat sighed, "but I need to. Something's wrong. I know it. Ladybug's been different since Chloe Bourgeois was akumatized."

"…" Marinette didn't answer, surprised that Chat was able to sense the change so soon after the guardian switch.

"When the akuma hit Ladybug, I saw what Ladybug was seeing," he admitted quietly, "I don't know how or why, but I know that Ladybug is alone. And I know she's been trying to hide it from me."

"Maybe she's trying to protect you?" Marinette offered.

"I don't need her to protect me!" Chat cried, "I just want to be there with her. Sharing her burden. I know you were Multimouse for an afternoon, but you know how hard it is to wield a Miraculous."

Marinette nodded.

"That isn't something Ladybug should have to do alone," Chat said, "I know I'm not a perfect partner, but I still want to be there with Ladybug."

His eyes blazed as he looked off towards the city, "I want to be a better partner to her because I've made so many mistakes as Chat Noir. I'm not even sure that I deserve to be Ladybug's partner-"

"Chat," Marinette interrupted, alarmed, "You and Ladybug are only human. Nobody expects you to be perfect! Ladybug won't be able to do this without you. And even if you make mistakes, that's okay!" Marinette shared Tikki's words of wisdom, "You will be the Chat Noir that you want to be."

"How do you know?" Chat questioned, "How do you know that I'll be able to be the partner Ladybug deserves and the superhero Paris needs?"

She sighed, offering the same piece of advice she'd given Adrien that afternoon. The very same piece of advice that she'd been trying to follow as Ladybug.

"You don't," Marinette answered quietly, "it's all a leap of faith. You have to trust that what you're doing is what's best."

Chat Noir slumped into his seat, allowing Marinette's words to sink in. It was there, with his blonde hair shining under the full moon and his blazing green eyes standing out in the night, that Marinette was reminded of Adrien Agreste. His demeanor, their conversation, the way he was holding himself.

It reminded her so much of Adrien.

Marinette let out a soft laugh, shaking her head. She wondered if there was something in the water, causing these two boys to run to her for the same advice.

"What is it?" Chat Noir asked.

"Nothing!" Marinette replied, "You just remind me a lot of my friend. I actually told him the same thing I'm telling you just this afternoon."

Chat jolted from his seat, sitting up rod straight, "O…Oh?" he said.

"Yeah," Marinette continued, laying against her chair, "he's one of the loveliest people I know, but there was always something…" she furrowed her brows, "…untouchable about him. It was almost like he was supposed to keep up this perfect façade for everyone…"

When Chat didn't reply, Marinette continued.

"He told me a little about it today," she added, "it's so lonely. Having all these great expectations imposed on you, especially when you're just trying to figure out what you want in life…"

"You got all that from a conversation?" Chat Noir asked in a hushed tone. He was wide-eyed, hanging onto Marinette's every word.

"Since you've been so open to me about your secrets, Chaton," she said, "I'll tell you something. Can you keep a secret?"

He grinned and gestured to his costume, "It's my job, Princess."

Marinette beamed at Chat Noir, before turning her eyes to the buildings in the distance. Warmth filled her cheeks as she began quietly, "When I first met my friend, there was a misunderstanding and I jumped the gun and judged him pretty harshly. I could say with 100% certainty that I disliked him immediately," though the dreaded Gum Incident happened nearly a year ago, she remembered it as if it were yesterday.

"I thought he was trying to stick a piece of gum on my chair, and immediately assumed the worst. That afternoon, he approached me, and admitted that he was actually trying to remove the gum and opened a little bit of his heart to me," she said, "He'd never been to school before, he'd never had the opportunity to make friends before—the entire thing was so new to him. It was raining, and he offered me his umbrella," she laughed, remembering the umbrella snapping around her and Adrien's joyous laughter.

That one moment in the rain seemed so long ago.

"Because of his honesty," she finished, turning her eyes down at her hands, "his kindness and his gentleness, I fell in love with him. I guess that is how I was able to piece together how he felt about his situation…I'd been watching him this whole time. It's not hard to tell when someone is hurting or sad, even if they try to cover it up…if you love them, you just know."

She'd never divulged this much information, especially about Adrien. Sure, Alya knew the gist of it, but Marinette doubted that she was ever able to convey to her best friend just how much she cared for him.

And you let him go, too…

Getting over Adrien was going to be hard, but she figured she'd might as well tell someone since he was finally with Kagami.

"…did you tell him?"

Marinette's head snapped over to Chat Noir, "Huh?"

Chat Noir was leaning closer to Marinette now, his eyes revealing an emotion she couldn't quite place. His brows appeared to be furrowed under his mask.

"Your friend," he said quickly, "Did you ever tell him how you felt?"

She smiled sadly, "No, I never had the chance to. "I tried everything though! I knitted him a scarf for his birthday that he thought was from his father," that he still uses to this day, "I sent him a Valentine's day card but forgot to sign it," that I'll probably never hear about again, "I tried giving him a letter and someone gave him the wrong note," she laughed, though it was humorless, "I even told him I loved him in a video message a few weeks ago that got erased by his cousin and every time I tried to talk to him…well, it was difficult to get my words out."

Reliving every single thing that went wrong with Adrien was a fresh wound to her heart. She'd convinced Alya that she'd be okay, and she'd convinced herself that she already had too much on her plate to deal with it, but in reality?

"Eventually, I decided to let him go because he seemed happy with another girl."

She wasn't okay at all.

Tears welled in her eyes, and she hastily blinked them back, "I just want Adrien to be happy. That's all I want."

Chat didn't answer.

"Chat?" she asked.

He sat, staring at Marinette blankly.

"Chat, are you okay?" she reached out, brushing her fingers against his arm. She peered up at him to get a better look, and was shocked to find her kitty cat near tears.

"Chat!"

His bottom lip wobbled, "You did all those things for him," he said in a small voice, "and in the end you let him go so he could be happy with someone else?"

She nodded slowly.

"But now you're the one hurting, Marinette."

"It's okay!" she reassured, waving her hands, "My friend isn't as sad and alone as he used to be, and I got to hang out with him today. He's doing what he needs to be doing and so am I—"

"Do you need a hug?" Chat asked abruptly. She could see more tears welling in his eyes and knew that her kitty just wanted to comfort her. Smiling, she walked over and wrapped her arms around his waist, laying her head against his chest. Strong arms wound tightly around Marinette holding her securely to him.

"We'll figure it out, Chaton," Marinette breathed, "It'll be okay."

They embraced under the moonlight for a long moment, enjoying each other's warmth in the chilly autumn air.

"Thank you, Marinette."