Author's Note: an unusually long chapter.

Chapter 6: 6 Weeks of Angst

"Look over here. Yes just like that! Hold that pose, now smile! Think of mama's spaghetti when you smile. No, no, no!" The photographer cried. "I need you to look happy for this shot, that smile is clearly fake."

"I'm sorry, I think that I need a break."

"Ok, take 5 everyone."

Adrien sighed as he got up to take a short, secluded walk. Hearing a commotion, he glanced back to see Nathalie and the photographer in what appeared to be a pretty heated conversation. He felt a tinge of guilt hit him, this and everything else was all his fault and he knew it. Fencing, piano, Mandarin, school, and now even his photo shoots. Everything had been impacted by his melancholy attitude and it was Nathalie who was taking the brunt of it all.

5 weeks, it had been 5 whole weeks, soon to be 6 since Ladybug had left him that night on the Eiffel Tower with tears in her eyes and no explanation. 5 weeks with no akuma (which was strange to say the least), no events, and no way of contacting Ladybug. A few time he had transformed into Chat Noir and gone back to the Eiffel Tower hoping that she might appear there looking for him. His efforts were to no avail as his lady never appeared at the tower, causing his hope to plummet.

He tried his best to push through it, concentrating on his activities and doing his job well, but he was having difficulty. Nino had been doing his best the past few weeks to cheer his mate up and be there for him, but there was only so much he could do. Sure Adrien enjoyed hanging out with Nino and all the extra amount of time they were spending together, but his company was not want he craved. Even occasionally spending time with Alya and Marinette couldn't pull him out of his depression for long. The distraction and joy they brought with them faded immediately each time they left, leaving Adrien in the exact same spot he was before.

"Ladybug, will I ever see you again?"

"Of course you will now stop moping and head over to the buffet table, I can smell the camembert from here." Plagg demanded as he flew out of Adrien's packet.

"Plagg, could you stop thinking about cheese for a few moments and help me out here?"

"Look kid I'm a god not a therapist, now let's head over buffet table and chow down."

"Plagg, I'm serious! It's been weeks since I've seen Ladybug, weeks! There haven't been any akuma attacks or any events held in our honor. What if Hawkmoth gave up and left town? There aren't any future events for Ladybug and Chat Noir, so I can't meet her then. I have no way of contacting her when she isn't transformed! I'm starting to feel like I'll never see her again." Plagg could hear the panic in Adrien's voice as he spoke. He truly began to doubt he would ever see Ladybug again. Camembert is going to have to wait until I deal with this messy love situation. I will never understand why humans always get caught up in such complicated situations regarding love. Hopefully it won't take long, I hate to leave my beloved cheese waiting for me too long.

"Look kid, just because there hasn't been an akuma attack for a while doesn't mean there'll never be one. Hawkmoth hasn't just decided on a whim to stop terrorizing Paris in an attempt to steal the Ladybug and Chat Noir miraculous, so I can assure you there will be another akuma attack and Ladybug will show up to stop it. You just need to be patient until then."

"I know Plagg, but I just can't stop these feelings of doubt. Besides, even if I do see her again, what then?" Adrien slumped down against a tree with his hands on his knees and his head down. "I completely screwed things up with Ladybug, I've ruined everything."

He looks completely defeated. Thought Plagg as he starred at Adrien. Why is he so worried about this? Even if Ladybug doesn't return his feelings it's not like their friendship won't continue. They're a team and a really strong one at that. Something this small isn't going to destroy that bond. Now all he has to do is realize this.

"Look kid." Plagg stated as he sat down on Adrien's head. "Ladybug is not about to let something as trivial as this ruin everything. You guys have been fighting together for months, forming an unbreakable bond in the process. Trust that that bond is enough to get you two through this and you'll have no worries."

"You really think so?"

"Of course?" Plagg said with a smirk. "I've been together with hundreds of previous Chat Noir's and trust me when I tell you you're not the first to have Ladybug problems. Now stop mopping and let's go get some cheese, I'm starving!"

"Ok, ok." Adrien said with a chuckle. He couldn't help but to enjoy the moment. It was rare for Plagg to show such concern or give such sage advice, making the moment extra special.

"Besides," Plagg added, "if things don't work out with Ladybug, you could always get together with that Marinette girl."

"Plagg!" Adrien cried.

"What, I'm just saying. She's pretty cute, super nice, and super talented."

"I guess," Adrien reluctantly admitted.

"Plus you guys get along great."

"That's not…" Adrien began before he stopped himself. Plagg did have a point, he and Marinette did get along well. Not just well, great. Over the several weeks Adrien had really gotten to know Marinette better and realized he truly enjoyed her company. She was smart, creative, funny, caring, and pretty cute. How could I have not noticed this before? Adrien pondered the thought before realizing Marinette had stopped stuttering and being so nervous around him. He was glad that Marinette stopped being so nervous around him, it definitely helped grow their friendship when she could speak in full, coherent sentences and didn't try to run away every time he approached her.

"I guess we do get along better, now that she's not so afraid of me."

"Glad you finally realized."

Adrien shrugged, "I guess I was too wrapped up in my angst over Ladybug to truly notice. Regardless," Adrien said while shaking his head, "I don't possess any special feelings towards her. Besides, I only have eyes for my lady."

"Tell me about it. Now let's go get that camembert!"

Adrien slowly got up and proceeded to the buffet table where Plagg began enthusiastically mowing through the cheese platter.

"Ok breaks over, places everyone!"

"I can do this." Whispered Adrien to himself. "My bond with Ladybug is stronger than this and when we meet again, I'll fix everything." Adrien walked back onto the shoot with a renewed sense of determination and hope. The rest of the shoot went off without a hick leaving Adrien feeling better and less guilty about the problems he created for Nathalie.

Driving back home from the shoot, Adrien began to plan out what he was going to say to Ladybug when they next met. Should I just flirt and act like nothing happened until she brings it up or should it be the first thing we talk about? Eventually he decided to go with a straight forward approach and just ask her why she left in tears. I just wish that I knew what the problem was.

"Do you think he'll like it?"

"Of course he will, you made it yourself with love right. How could he not like it?"

"Hmmm"

"Now all you have to do is give it to him."

"Right, I can do this!"

"That's the spirit and don't even think about chickening out on me."

Marinette and Alya stood in front of the school waiting for Adrien to return from lunch. In her hands, Marinette held a box of chocolate éclairs that she had made for Adrien in hopes of cheering him up. For the past several weeks, Adrien had been in a depressed state. Marinette, Nino, and Alya had all tried their best to cheer him up unsuccessfully. It hurt seeing Adrien in such a state and knowing she was powerless to do anything about it hurt even more. Nevertheless, Marinette was determined to find some way to cheer up Adrien, whether it was inviting him to hang out with her and Alya at the park or giving him a few treats from the family's bakery. This would be the first time that she gave him anything that she had made herself though.

Having grown up in a bakery, Marinette learned a lot about baking and was quite the expert baker herself; however, her clumsy tendencies often led to delicious treats and a complete mess in the kitchen. Her parents decided long ago that it would be best if Marinette stayed out of the kitchen unless it was a special occasion like today.

"He's here!" Marinette cried as Adrien's limo pulled up. "Here goes nothing."

As Marinette walked down the steps towards Adrien, Nino came up and stood next to Alya.

"Another present for Adrien?" Inquired Nino as he looked at Marinette.

"Yeah, a box of éclairs that she made for him herself." Alya replied.

"Made it herself, she's really going all out this time."

"Yeah…" Ever since Marinette noticed Adrien's demeanor a month ago, she became completely focused on cheering him up. Her one track mind even caused Marinette to forget to be nervous around Adrien. Over time Marinette completely stopped stuttering around Adrien and even became comfortable enough around him to actually invite him to hang out. Although Marinette still experienced some moments of nervousness or stuttering, Alya official labeled Marinette as conqueror of her insecurities. And Alya was happy for Marinette, she truly was, but something just wasn't right about the whole situation.

For starters, Marinette's drive to help Adrien bordered on the obsessive. Sure she over the top in the first place when it came to Adrien, what with his pictures all along her walls and the copy of his schedule hanging from her ceiling, but it appeared to Alya as if Marinette step into a whole new level of obsessive. Every free moment she had she seemed to be worrying about Adrien and trying to come up with a plan to cheer him up. The few times she wasn't worrying about Adrien, she became engrossed in her studies or designing. Marinette had already made two swimsuits, 3 shirts, 1 pair of pants, and 6 different hair clips. While Alya did absolutely love the swimsuit, shirt, and hair clips that she got from Marinette, the entire situation seemed wrong, as if Marinette was trying to distract herself from something else.

"Well look at that,"

"What?"

"Adrien's smiling, like with a genuine smile." Alya looked back over to Marinette and Adrien. Adrien was holding the box of éclairs and smiling at Marinette. For a while whenever Adrien smiled his smile always looked faked, but today he seemed to honestly feel happy.

"You're right, he seems genuinely happy."

"I guess whatever was bothering him so much has cleared up," Nino stated with a grin.

"I think you're right."

As Marinette and Adrien walked up the steps into the school building, Alya thought back to Marinette's state of mind 6 weeks ago before she noticed Adrien's mood. The first thing Alya noticed was that Marinette had been crying all night long. Even with the concealer, Alya could see how red and puffy her eyes were. Alya tried her best to get Marinette to talk about, but she refused to answer choosing to instead just slump in her seat. Eventually Alya gave up not wanting to push Marinette into talking about anything she didn't feel comfortable discussing; although, her reporter instincts were screaming at her to keep pressing until she found out the truth. She kept her instincts in check though, valuing being a good friend over satisfying her own personal desires. It wasn't much later until Marinette began throwing out design after design and obsessing over making Adrien smile. With everything going on, Alya couldn't help but think this whole situation was all a distraction to prevent Marinette from thinking about whatever it was that was bothering her.

To further solidify her concerns, Marinette had taken down almost all her photos of Adrien and removed his schedule from her ceiling. The only photo left was a framed photo of him, which she kept faced down on her desk most of the time. With everything going so well with Adrien, it seemed odd that Marinette would do that. When Alya questioned Marinette about it, she replied, "Oh, I just thought that it was a little much. I mean do I really need like one hundred photos of my crus…Adrien adorning my walls?" It made sense logically and Alya was glad that Marinette was toning it down a little, but the way that Marinette replied sounded so sad. There was a deeper meaning as to why Marinette removed all of those photos, but Alya couldn't figure out what would cause such a reaction.

"Argh!" Alya groaned as she walked together with Nino towards the classroom.

"What's wrong hun?" He asked, concerned at her sudden outburst.

"Nothing, just thinking about Marinette." Nino placed a comforting arm around Alya and gave her a quick kiss on her temple.

"Don't worry so much. I'm sure that whatever has been bothering Marinette will solve itself in time, just like with Adrien. Constantly worrying about it isn't going to help." Nino also noticed Marinette's behavior during the past several weeks and was concerned. The two had spent a lot of time together discussing their best friends' strange behavior and trying their best to be there for them.

"I know, I just wish that I knew exactly what was going on so I could do a better job of helping her through it."

"I know babe, I wish that for myself with Adrien sometimes. I guess the best we can do is to just be there for them and support them even if we don't know the details of the situation."

Alya smiled, "I think just being there is enough." Nino nodded in agreement as the two entered the classroom and sat down for class.

"Okay, so first I need to go to the fabric store and pick up about 10 feet of red cotton…"

"Marinette…"

"With that I can start on this new dress design…"

"Marinette."

"I can only work on it for a few hours though, since I really need to start studying for the end of year exams…"

"MARINETTE!"

Marinette jumped, startled at Tikki's sudden outburst.

"Marinette, this has been going on for too long. It has already been over a month; you can't keep avoiding this."

"I'm not avoiding anything, I've just been very busy and haven't had a lot of time to deal with this."

Tikki just stared at Marinette without saying a word. She knew Marinette kept herself busy to avoid talking about it and she knew that Marinette was aware of that very fact, even if she wouldn't admit it out loud.

The morning after the incident with Chat Noir, Tikki got up early hoping to talk to Marinette. However, immediately after getting up Marinette stated she didn't have time for a chat and needed to get ready for school. Tikki let the subject drop, deciding that it would be better to give Marinette a little time. After school, Tikki broached the subject again only for Marinette to say she needed to focus on cheering up Adrien. When Tikki brought it up a third time a few days later, Marinette suddenly became engrossed in her designs. Each and every time Tikki tried to have a conversation about her feelings towards Chat Noir, Marinette managed to bury herself under a pile of work. Tikki understood her reluctance and was willing to give her the time and space she needed to sort everything out, but her patience was running thin. Over a month had past, enough was enough. Marinette was going to talk about her confusing feelings whether she liked it or not.

"I don't care if you're busy, make time because this is important." Tikki adamantly stated.

Marinette took one look at Tikki's determined stare and sat down on her computer chair. Well, it's not like I could avoid it forever. Marinette concluded. And now is as good a time as any to talk.

"Ok Tikki you win, so where do you want to begin?"

Tikki sighed in relief before flying around Marinette's room. "Let's start with why you removed all of Adrien's posters from your wall." Tikki motioned at the now almost bare walls surrounding the room. Marinette shifted uncomfortably, clearly not wanting to answer the question. Tikki waited patiently for her response, despite already knowing the reason why. She needed to hear it and Marinette needed to say it out loud.

Marinette fiddled with her hands for a bit before finally speaking. "I couldn't take it anymore, those green eyes staring at me. It made me feel as if Adrien was staring at me, judging me for kissing Chat Noir when I'm in love with him."

"Is that the only reason?"

"…no. His eyes remind me of Chat Noir's eyes." Marinette gazed around the room at where her old Adrien posters once hung. "Those emerald green eyes kept forcing me to think about Chat, about how I just left him without a word. I couldn't take the guilt anymore, so I removed the posters." Why do they have to have the same eyes? It also doesn't help that they're both blonds, about the same age and height. Both excellent fighters. Marinette thought back to a fencing tournament she went to where Adrien won first place. God, they even sound the same! Their similarities are driving me crazy.

"So what is your reason for removing Adrien's schedule? It didn't have any pictures of Adrien on it."

"I…" Marinette hesitated. Why did she remove Adrien's schedule from her ceiling? Unlike the photos which reminded her of Chat, the schedule had nothing to do with him. The day she cleared her walls, she also removed the schedule. "I guess because I just felt like I didn't need it anymore."

"Why would you feel that way? I thought you liked knowing where Adrien was?"

"I did…I mean I do!" Marinette exclaimed desperately. "I-I-I just was removing everything else, so why not take down the schedule as well. Besides, it's a little too stalker to have an entire copy of his schedule just hanging in my room. I mean, who does that?" Tikki inwardly smiled, knowing full well the answer was forced. She'd seen this reaction enough times with previous Ladybugs to know exactly what Marinette was thinking, even if she was too stubborn to admit it herself.

"So then you must be having the time of your life spending so much a lone time with Adrien?"

"Of course!" Marinette stated truthfully. She really was enjoying spending time with Adrien and getting to know him better. Since her nervousness and stuttering went down, she's been able to hold longer and more in depth conversations with Adrien, allowing her to learn a lot more about him. His favorite movies, what subjects he enjoys the most, his career in the fashion industry, and stories about his mother. Marinette never talked to Adrien about his mother before, but knew about her disappearance two years ago. Since it what such a high profile case, her disappearance was all over the news for two straight weeks. Everyone was talking about Gabriel Agreste's wife disappearing, coming up with their own speculations, attempting their own investigations, or just expressing sympathies towards the family. Eventually the mayhem died down and the media moved on to other stories, but Marinette still remembered the story.

Marinette loved how Adrien lit up whenever he spoke about the times he spent with his mother. From family vacations, picnics in the park, or playing games with her in his room. Marinette couldn't help but giggle at the thought of the Mrs. Agreste, a world famous model, playing video games and foosball with Adrien in his room. His mother seemed to be his source of love, affection, and friendship, losing her left a hole in his life.

"That's why I was so desperate to go to public school and make friends." Adrien told Marinette one day when they were in the park. "Being homeschooled wasn't so bad when she was around, but after she disappeared the mansion just felt so empty."

Marinette was seeing a whole new side to Adrien. Underneath all the smiles, underneath all the laughter, underneath all the genuine care he displayed towards others was a very lonely boy. Marinette practically kicked herself for not noticing. She was in love with him and had been watching him for months, but somehow missed the extent of his loneliness. Sure she noticed how busy he was, what little time he seemed to spend with his father, how cold Nathalie and his body guard seemed to be. She also knew Chloe had been his only friend for the first fifteen years of his life; nevertheless, she never realized just how deep his loneliness went. Furthermore, she was surprised to learn how much Adrien enjoyed taking long strolls. His extrovert personality and comfort around other people suggested that he would enjoy parties and gatherings with others the most. Adrien admitted while he does enjoy being around other people and wishes he could attend more parties, he also enjoys spending time just walking outside. Being a celebrity means receiving a lot of attention and sometimes he just needs a break.

Marinette marveled about everything she learned regarding Adrien over the weeks and smiled to herself how close they became as friends. Friends. Marinette adored Adrien, it was clear to anyone who bothered to pay attention; however, it became clear as the weeks went on that Adrien did not feel the same about Marinette. As more time past, Marinette was finding it harder and harder to deny what she suspected was true; Adrien was in love with someone and that someone wasn't her.

The clues where subtle, like the time they were taking a stroll through the city and passed by a jewelry store. Marinette stopped to stare at a beautiful necklace. When she pointed it out to Adrien he replied, "Beautiful, it would really enhance your blue eyes." Marinette began blushes profusely, but stopped when she heard his next comment. "I wonder if it would enhance the blue in her eyes as well." It was no louder than a whisper, but Marinette heard clearly.

Or the time when the four of them, Nino, Alya, Adrien, and Marinette were sitting together in the park during lunch. All four of them were involved in an exciting conversation about Jagged Stone's new album set to release in a few days. During the conversation, Marinette noticed that Adrien became quiet. When Marinette inquired what was wrong he responded, "Nothing, just thinking about someone." Marinette felt a sharp pain in her chest as she looked at Adrien. Love and pure adoration were evident all over his face; whomever he was thinking about, he was think about fondly.

It hurt knowing that Adrien was in love with someone else, hurt to know that her fantasies of them being together were just that, fantasies. Marinette was dying to know who the girl was, but at the same time thought, do I really want to know?

Looking back on the whole situation brought back all the pain, hurt, and another feeling that Marinette still couldn't place. She felt it after determining without a doubt that Adrien was in love with someone else, but had difficulty identifying what that feeling was. Trying to keep her emotions in check, Marinette buried the feeling deep down along with her pain. She was spending time with Adrien in hopes of making him feel better, not herself. Nevertheless, her feelings could not stay buried for long and this conversation with Tikki caused all those feelings to resurface.

Marinette looked at Tikki, who continued floating in silence. Tikki was determined to make Marinette talk about her feelings, but still knew that she needed to give her time to sort them all out. Tikki's patience and understanding are astounding. Marinette smiled as she cupped Tikki in her hands and nuzzled her against her cheek.

"*Giggle*, what was that for?" Asked Tikki.

"Just a thank you for being such a great friend and the best kwami I know."

Tikki looked at Marinette knowingly. "Did you realize something when you were thinking about the time you spent with Adrien?"

"Kinda, I remembered my feelings when I found out that he was in love with someone else. It hurt knowing I didn't have a chance with him, but there was another feeling present as well that I just can't place." Marinette frowned as she thought about the emotion.

"Could it have been relief?" Tikki inquired.

"As if, why would I feel relief over Adrien being in love with someone else and completely closing the door on any chance I have with him? Erasing any guilt I feel over…" Marinette gasped at the sudden realization. A grin slowly encompassed Tikki's face. About time she noticed. Tikki thought to herself.

"So what does this mean for you and Chat?" Marinette thought for a moment. There's no point in denying my feelings towards Chat Noir, those became apparent the moment I kissed him back. It may have occurred suddenly, but I know I've fallen in love with Chat Noir.

"I…I still love Adrien. I may have fallen for Chat Noir, but I still have feelings for Adrien. Tikki, what do I do?" Marinette pleaded. As tears threaten to fall, Tikki flew over to her charge.

"Shush, shush its ok Marinette," Tikki soothed. "There's nothing wrong with being in love with two people at once. Adrien was your first love after all, those feelings aren't going to disappear overnight just because you've found someone else you love. Everything will be ok."

"But what do I do Tikki? What do I do about Chat Noir?"

"Whatever you want. Just because you've developed feelings towards Chat Noir doesn't mean that you have to be with him. Continue pursuing Adrien, start a relationship with Chat Noir, or just remain friends with both of them; the choice is yours."

Marinette got up and walk over to her window. Tikki's right, I don't have to do anything if I don't want to. As Marinette's anxiety slowly melted away, it was replaced with a new found sense of confidence. Now I just have to figure out what it is that I want?

The street lights of Paris illuminated one by one. Marinette thought they looked lovely, she always enjoyed the glow of the street lamps at night. She found an even greater enjoyment peering at them ever since that night with Chat Noir.

"I've figured out what I want to do," Marinette suddenly exclaimed. "But first, I need to speak to Chat Noir again, but who knows when I'll see him again. Plus I have no way of contacting him."

"You may be able to find him at the Eiffel Tower if you're lucky. That was where you last parted ways so he might be in the habit of visiting the tower in hopes of seeing you again."

Marinette paused. She never considered the fact that Chat Noir might be actively looking for her. Since they had no way of contacting each other, she just assumed he'd be waiting for an akuma attack or something to meet up again. Although, considering how long it's been since the last attack (which was unusual), it made sense that Chat grew tired of waiting and was actively trying to find her.

"Great idea. Tikki transforme moi!"

Author's Note: So apparently Marinette does have some really tiny freckles in the show, who knew. Also, despite the fact that there is no indication in the show, Thomas Astruc tweeted in 2015 yes to the question of whether night patrols are canon. I'm be adding in the patrol later in the story.