As soon as her transformation dropped, Tikki was right in Marinette's face, eyes huge and frantic. "Marinette, hurry! We've got to transform you again!"

Marinette was confused. "What? Why?"

"Patrol!" cried Tikki, panicking. "We're an hour late!"

Marinette muttered a curse. There hadn't been an akuma all week, and it was about time one showed up. What if Chat was fighting one on his own? He couldn't purify the akuma. Panic began to take over. She wasn't in love with him, but Chat Noir was very dear to her, despite all the stupid puns. She couldn't allow him to be hurt just because of her!

"Tikki, spots on!"

MLBMLBMLB

His breath rattled in his chest as Chat leaped over the rooftops, going faster than ever before. His superpowers gave him incredible endurance, and it was rare for him to be so out of breath. However, he needed to find Ladybug. How had he forgotten patrol? It was usually one of the highlights of his day, something he longed for. But Chat had gotten so caught up on his not-really-a-date with Marinette that he'd had a complete mental blank.

Nice one, Agreste.

He leaped over a chimney, glowing eyes searching for something, anything that might give away the whereabouts of his lady. Surely she wouldn't still be at the Eiffel Tower. He'd check there anyway. It would give him a better view of the city, and maybe Ladybug had forgotten, too.

He pulled his baton out and extended it, latching onto the beams of the famous landmark. Up, up, up he climbed, till the people and buildings below him resembled toys. The height gave him a thrill, just as always. Knowing that he could slip and fall at any moment was a terrifying experience.

Chat Noir thudded onto the place where he usually met Ladybug for patrol. To his disappointment, no one was there. He turned and gazed over Paris, scanning for something, anything that might lead him to Ladybug.

Out of the corner of his eye, Chat caught a flash of bright red. He spun around to inspect it and broke out into a grin.

Ladybug soared through the air, yo-yo clutched in her hand, whirring as she zipped towards the Tower. She landed gracefully (unlike Chat), slung her yo-yo around her hips, then immediately doubled over, gasping for air. Chat rushed over to her, concerned.

"Ladybug! Are you okay?" he cried, putting his arm around her shoulder, then quickly removing it. She held up her red-gloved hand, still panting. Eventually, she straightened.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry that I'm late. I, uh, lost track of time," she said sheepishly, still breathing heavily.

Chat waved his hand dismissively. "Ah, don't worry about it, Bugaboo. I only just got here myself."

Ladybug let out a sigh of relief. Her cheeks were pink from exertion, and her chest was heaving. Chat had to tear his eyes away from the area below her neck, flushing slightly as he looked her in the eyes.

"Oh, good," she said. "I was terrified that there would be an attack. It's about time for one."

"Maybe Hawkmoth's finally decided to quit and let us live our lives," suggested Chat.

Ladybug frowned. "I seriously doubt it. Do you remember how determined he seemed when we fought Stoneheart? Going by that, he's not giving up anytime soon."

Chat sighed. "Yeah. Damnit."

Ladybug giggled softly, then suddenly looked far away. "You know, sometimes I wonder what drives him."

Chat gave her a quizzical look. "What do you mean? What drives who?"

Ladybug rolled her sapphire eyes. "Hawkmoth, you dropkick. I mean, what motivates him to akumatize people? Why does he do it?"

"Oh, right." Chat thought for a moment. "Well, I guess lots of things could," he said slowly. "Anger, revenge…." he paused and looked Ladybug right in the eye, "..love."

Ladybug held his gaze for a second, then shrugged and looked away. "Or maybe he's just a sadist."

"Yeah." Chat drew his baton. "You ready to go? I don't think we should abandon our duties much longer, although I do love spending time with you, Bugaboo." He smirked and put his face close to hers.

She pushed him away, placing her finger on his nose, then turned away quickly. Then Chat remembered.

"How are things going with Adrien?"

Ladybug's shoulders slumped like something had taken all the air out of her. "No change."

Chat felt a twinge of sadness at seeing her pain. "He really did break your heart, huh?"

"Yep. Broken as the ice-cream machine at McDonald's." She gave a dejected sigh.

Chat couldn't help but smile at her comparison, then stopped when he remembered that he was the one who had broken her heart in the first place. He was tempted to blurt everything out but stopped himself. Remember the plan, Chat.

"You're way too good for him, Ladybug. If I were him, I'd be falling all over you."

She shrugged. "It doesn't matter. He doesn't return my feelings. End of story." She breathed in, then suddenly slammed her hand into the nearest beam.

Chat froze, staring at her. She looked absolutely wild, like she wanted to kill someone. But behind the murderous fire in her eyes was a carefully masked glint of sadness and pain.

"P-patrol?" he suggested carefully, watching her fearfully. The fire died. She nodded.

"Let's go."

As his lady dropped down to the rooftops, Chat remembered the fire in her eyes, and his chest ached.

Ladybug, I am so, so sorry.

MLBMLBMLB

Marinette flopped down onto her chair, slowly spinning, eyes to the heavens and groaning. Usually, pain that Ladybug felt didn't affect her when she wasn't transformed, but today was an exception. Every muscle ached, and the bluenette felt like she was going to pass out from exhaustion.

There had been an akuma attack. A mother had gotten upset by the fact that her daughter was growing up so fast, and had been turned into a villain called Reine Enfance, with the power to de-age anyone who got in her way. Chat had managed to destroy the locket where the akuma was hidden, with the help of Ladybug's Lucky Charm- a large shield. The villain had shot a blast at Ladybug, which had rebounded off the shield and hit Reine Enfance, causing her to become a child and making it easy for Ladybug to capture the akuma.

It sounded simple, but in order to avoid being turned into a child, the duo had been forced to take some pretty extreme dodges. They'd both slammed into the ground and walls, and had had various heavy items hurled at them. Marinette was stiff and sore and wanted nothing more to fall into bed. After all, tomorrow was a Saturday. Her chat with her kwami could wait until then.

MLBMLBMLB

Marinette's eyes fluttered open. She stretched, then snuggled back into her pillows, revelling in the absence of her alarm.

Some time later, she climbed down her ladder to change. As much as she would have liked to stay in her comfortable pajamas all day, her parents wouldn't appreciate it if she served customers in slippers.

The cold February air had snuck in through the walls and was harsh against Marinette's skin. She pulled on jeans and a sweater- comfortable and warm, yet polished enough to serve customers in.

A streak of red flashed up in front of Marinette's face. "Marinette, you have a message from Chat Noir. He must have rung you last night, after you detransformed."

Marinette winced, reminded of her sore body, which was still aching from last night. "What did he say?"

"He wants you to meet him tonight, at the Eiffel Tower."

"Seriously? Another patrol? I wanted to lie in bed and watch Netflix tonight. Besides, I'm still sore from last night."

Tikki shrugged her tiny shoulders. "I don't know if it's a patrol. Maybe he just wants to talk to you. And Marinette, it'll be good to get out. You need to stop feeling sorry for yourself." Tikki was stern but kind. "I get that Adrien hurt you. I get that you don't want to socialize and stuff. But lying around wallowing in your grief won't help."

Marinette sighed. "Yeah, I know. But that's not just it. I'm really confused. I don't know if you heard what Adrien said last night, but…"

"Oh, I heard." Tikki had been angry at Plagg before, but now she was downright seething. What in the name of all that was holy did he think he was doing? Adrien had rejected Ladybug when he was clearly in love with her. And now he was going around saying that she was amazing. Oh, the next time Tikki saw Plagg, he was going to be sorry.

Marinette groaned. "What does he mean? Does he hate Ladybug, or like Ladybug? Ugh."

"Maybe you should talk to him," suggested Tikki.

"I'll think about it," said Marinette miserably. "I'd better head downstairs. Saturday morning rush hour, and all."

Tikki watched sadly as her chosen trudged down the stairs. Plagg had better have some good explanation for this.

MLBMLBMLB

Adrien hoped that Ladybug had gotten his message.

She hadn't picked up when he'd first called her last night, so he'd assumed that she had either detransformed or was busy with something else. Hopefully, her kwami would pass on the message.

Meanwhile, he had work to do.

Strangely enough, his father hadn't scheduled any photo shoots for the day. Usually, he tried to pack in as many as possible whenever Adrien wasn't at school. His father had seemed distracted lately, even more distant than usual. At least he wasn't interfering with Adrien's personal life, although there were times when Adrien wished that his father was more, well, fatherly. Between his distance and his mother's absence, Adrien often felt that he had no parents at all. If it wasn't for his friends, he would have felt very neglected indeed.

But today, Adrien was glad that his father wouldn't be around. He had something to do, and it had to be done in secret.

He walked down the stairs, carefully checking that no one was around. No Nathalie, no Gorilla, and no Father. The coast was clear. He turned a corner, went through a door, down a staircase and through another, and found himself standing in the cool, quiet kitchen. His father's personal chef, who prepared meals for the Agreste household, wasn't here yet. Adrien walked over to a large stainless steel door and pushed it open.

Inside were shelves upon shelves of food; biscuits, cakes, fruits, condiments and much more. It was everything Adrien needed, including the woven basket that lay on the floor, tucked under the lowest shelf. He pulled it out eagerly and began to search through all the shelves, picking and choosing what he wanted.

He hoped his lady would love it as much as he loved her.

MLBMLBMLB

Marinette wiped her floury hands on her apron, then turned to the next customer, plastering a large smile on her face. "Good morning, madam. How may I help you?" The words and smile were automatic, actions she had done so many times that day that Marinette didn't even have to think about it.

As she handed the woman a loaf of sourdough and a handful of change, there was a call from behind the girl. "Marinette, dear, go grab a bite to eat before the hordes come in for lunch."

Marinette grinned; she was starving, and it was awful to be surrounded by food you couldn't eat while you were hungry.

The superhero climbed upstairs to the kitchen, and heated up some soup, grabbing a few chunks of freshly-baked bread to go with it. As she sat down to eat, Tikki flew out of the pantry, clutching a cookie and chewing. Marinette smiled at her kwami. "Hey, Tikki."

"Hi," she responded with a mouthful of cookie. "You got another message from Chat."

"Really? What was it this time?"

Tikki swallowed before replying. "He wants you to save your appetite before you meet him."

"Huh," said Marinette thoughtfully. "Thanks, Tikki. That's an odd request."

Tikki shrugged. "Maybe he wants to take you out for dinner, or something like that."

Marinette looked pensive. "I guess I'll have to wait and see."

Hi guys! Thanks for all your reads, review, favourites, and follows! I know I've said this before, but you honestly have no idea how amazing it is to see how many people like my writing. I never expected this amount of support, especially since I have no experience in this whole fanfic thing. You guys are the best!

PS. When Ladybug called Chat a dropkick, just for those who may be unfamiliar with the term, it's basically calling someone a dope. We use it a lot in Australia (or I do, anyway. It's pretty much my go-to insult).

See ya!