I have no excuse at this point. Updates will likely always take forever because of who I am as a person.

Further more, I can honestly say I don't really like this chapter. I rewrote it twice, and I am much happier with it now than I was, but idk. Still didn't seem quite right. Feedback is appreciated.

Speaking of which, thank you guys so much for your kind reviews! They motivate me to write like no one's business.


That damn alley cat.

She was going to kill him, she decided. Slowly and painfully, because there was no way he hadn't snooped through her phone. And when she was done with him, she was going to kill Alya for suggesting such a ridiculous idea in the first place. Granted, the girl had likely been joking, but the damage had been done. Marinette slung an arm across her eyes. She had thought Chat's offer for a "practice" relationship had been odd, and somewhat random to say the least, but she had written it off as his normal weirdness and tried to forget. But after his departure, she crawled back on her bed to finish the texting conversation she had been having when noises from the roof had distracted her. Her phone was halfway across the bed from where she had left it, and the text blinking across the screen made her stomach do a backflip. She thought it fitting to say a quick prayer to thank whatever god who was listening that she had listened to Alya and put a lock on her phone. Because as embarrassing the displayed text was, the rest of the conversation thread was quite frankly, a hundred times worse. Loaded with nothing but her woes with Adrien and advice about said woes from Alya, Marinette would have voluntarily buried herself alive from humiliation if Chat had read it.

Practice boyfriend practice boyfriend practice boyfriend…

The words danced around in her head, and even though she didn't want to admit it to anyone, the offer sounded alluring. She knew it would be terrible to take advantage of Chat like that, especially since her gut told her that the chances of Ladybug being his secret crush were fairly high, but anything that promised even the tiniest of chances with Adrien was hard to overlook.It was his idea, the enamoured teenage girl side of her whispered. Just make sure you don't give him any hope as Ladybug. After all, as far as he knows, you're two different people. It wouldn't be your fault if Ladybug doesn't like him. And who's to say he's in love with Ladybug anyway? It could be anyone.

"No," she mumbled to herself. "Bad Marinette."

Tikki flew over quietly and landed on her chest. "Are you still thinking about it?" she asked gently.

"No," she shook her head. "No, of course not. We decided I'd tell him no if he brings it up again. It's not a good idea."

The kwami looked skeptical. "Yes, I know that's what we decided, but is that what you decided?"

"Of course it is. It would be unfair of me to take advantage over him like that…" she trailed off. "But it sure would be something if it could help me get closer to Adrien..."she trailed off.

Tikki smacked a paw to her face.

Marinette laughed sheepishly. "Right, right. Not gonna think about it anymore. The answer is no."


It was unsettling, Adrien decided.

It had him on edge and watching over his shoulder almost constantly. Why hadn't his father punished him? Of course, Gabriel had insisted that his attendance at various company events were slowly paying off his debt, but Adrien remained unconvinced. He'd had all of his freedom snatched away for far lesser crimes in the past. Missing that showcase was the equivalent to murder in the Agreste household. But so far, it would seem he got off scot-free. His hand subconsciously rose to his still tender nose. He flinched. Well, relatively scot-free. He stared at his ceiling in silence, waiting for his alarm to go off. He'd been sleeping less and less as the nights went on, paranoia and anxiety slowly chewing away at his brain.

Adrien curled his fingers in a fist on his chest, trying to ignore the icy cold ring digging slightly into his skin. Something was definitely different about it. He had been certain that it had only been his frightened imagination at first, just his mind playing mean tricks.

But then he realised he was unable to remove it from his finger.

The silver band stayed firmly in place no matter how hard he tugged or twisted. It had a funny little way of making his insides turn to ice.

He had chosen not to tell Plagg. Somehow, the thought of saying it out loud made it seem a little too real. And reality was giving him enough fits as it was. He rolled over on his side.

At least what he thought reality was, anyway. He finally admitted to himself that his interpretation on what was real and what wasn't might be flawed.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Adrien reached over to shut off the clock with a sigh. Time to get the day started. He gently poked the kwami sleeping on the pillow beside him.

"C'mon, sleepy head. You better not make me late again."

Plagg groaned, refusing to open his eyes. "Blame your dad. He's the one who keeps us up so late every night with those stupid dinners."

"Oh shush. You weren't complaining when I snuck you that cheese."


Adrien tapped his foot inpatiently under the the desk. Normally, he had no issues when a teacher went a little long with their lecture. In fact, he often found helpful tidbits in those few extra words. But not today. He was restless, his mind was unable to focus on anything but praying for the bell to ring. He reached into his bag, gently scooting a sleeping Plagg off his phone screen. He switched on the device, checking the time.

Two more minutes.

He could do two more minutes easy. That wasn't so bad.

If only two minutes didn't feel like two decades. He sighed, resting his chin in his hand. Would this day never end?

A sigh matching his own rose up from behind him. Adrien turned his head discreetly, an equally glum Marinette stared blankly at the front of the room. Her fingers tapped absently on her desk, mind clearly somewhere else. It left him to wonder, what was she thinking about? She had yet to notice him staring at her, far too deeply engrossed in her own thoughts.

Adrien tried not get his hopes up, but some small part of his mind insisted that she was considering his- well, Chat Noir's- deal. She had been more reserved he noticed, since the night he'd proposed it, even with Alya. She acted as if something was eating at her. Finally, the bell sounded off with a clanging flourish, and he hastily packed his belongings. Marinette darted by him, making a beeline to the door. And in that moment, Adrien made up his mind. Something was up with her, and regardless of what it was, he was going to find out.

Tonight.


Marinette sighed. She'd managed to mess up that damn hemline twice tonight. What was wrong with her?

Well, that was a stupid question. She knew exactly what was getting to her. Chat's offer had stuck itself deep in her head, and she couldn't shake it loose no matter how hard she tried. It was wrong. She knew it was. Chat, though experienced with flirting, did not seem to truly understand matters of the heart. Unlike her, he had no clue what he was getting himself into. While she was convened it was impossible for her to fall for anyone besides Adrien, she couldn't be sure it would be the same for the black cat.

After all, misfortune was his patronus.

Frustrated, Marinette tried to focus on the task at hand, finishing the dress for Alya's party. Chat had probably forgotten about it anyway, knowing him. She hoped.

A gentle tap sounded from her trap door.

Well, speak of the devil… Sighing, she rose from her seat and climbed up to her bed. Tell him no, tell him no, tell him no… She flipped open the door and climbed onto the balcony. Sure enough, he stood before her. His expression was that of nervous concern.

"Hi," she said simply.

He cleared his throat. "Hey."

For a few suffocatingly awkward moments, neither said anything.

Finally, Marinette licked her lips and broke the silence. "Did you need something, Chat?"

"Wha- me? No, I just wanted to check on you."

She raised an eyebrow. "Check on me?"

Chat Noir kicked himself. How the hell was this not creepy? He couldn't very well say that she had seemed down at school and this was just a friendly check in. He grimaced. "Yes?"

She crossed her arms. "Well, as you can see, I'm doing just fine."

"Yep, I do see that."

"Anything else, Chaton?" He chewed his lip anxiously, eyes studying her skeptical form. Oh fuck it. "Yeah, actually. I uh, was wondering if you'd given any thought to our… previous conversation?"

She sighed. Yep, there it was. "Yes, I have. And listen, I just don't think it's a good idea."

"Why not?"

"It's just not! What if feelings get involved? One or both of us could get hurt."

"They won't, not if we're careful. It wouldn't actually be a real relationship."

Marinette wished he would stop pushing her. She was already so tempted to say yes, and learn the secrets to win Adrien's heart, and playing Tikki's words over in her mind was not helping her strenghten her resolve as much as she'd like. "Chat, please. My answer is no. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to work on my dress."

She turned back towards the trap door.

He was going to let it go, he really was.

But he still found himself reaching out to grab her arm and pull her back. "Mari, wait! Here, let's make a deal. I take you on one trial date right now, absolutely no strings attached, and if you still decide you don't like it, we'll never speak of it again."

Marinette blinked. A free lesson? Surely, no feelings could develop in one outing? It seemed harmless enough...

"And in return, regardless if you say yes or no, I'll help you finish your dress."

"Wait, help me?"

"Yes. I'm not an expert, but I do know a thing or two about fashion. I could pick up supplies for you, give a second opinion, help you thread needles... the possibilities are endless. So," he held out his hand. "Do we have a deal?"

Marinette felt what was left of her resolve crumble, the little Tikki living in her mind shook her head in annoyance. He was going to be the death of her. Sorry, Tikki. "Fine," she took his hand and shook it firmly. "One date."


As Chat had instructed her before they shot off into the night, Marinette kept her eyes squeezed shut. She clung tightly to his shoulders, her other senses being heightened by the absence of her sight. She listened intently to the peaceful sounds of a slumbering world, smelled the leather of Chat's suit, and felt the crisp breeze gently kiss her face as they sped by. He ran and leaped for what felt like hours.

But then everything came to a screeching halt, the atmosphere shifted ever so slightly. Chat stopped running.

He let her slide from his back, gently grabbing her arm to lead her forward. "You may open your eyes." She did.

Marinette could honestly say that she had no expectations for what tonight would bring, she was still trying to believe that she had let it happen. But this was something beyond anything her wayward mind come conjure up.

And it was nothing but a run down, forgotten carnival.

Or at least, what was left of it. Only a handful of colorful tents still stood, the booths had lost their paint and looked well weathered. Even the few rides she could see looked as if they could crumble at a moment's notice. But despite the deadness she saw all around her, it still felt eerily alive.

"Chat?" she spoke, her voice almost seeming to have an echo. "Where have you brought me?"

Chat began walking down the dirt path before them, she trotted to catch up. "During World War II, there was this girl that got sent to America to live with an aunt for safety. Elodie Andre, I believe her name was. Her parents were killed in the bombing of Villers-Bocage, and she ended up spending the rest of her childhood in the states, and didn't return when the war ended. For the most part, she hated living there, ya know? It was so different. But the one thing she was always fascinated with were the traveling carnivals her aunt and uncle would take her to in the summer," Chat gestured widely, getting lost in his story. "She eventually began to work at them during her teen years, and she did like, crazy well. The fairs that always came to her town remembered her and always had place for her. When she graduated high school, she permanently joined one she was particularly fond of, working her way up the ladder until she inherited ownership of it. In the late 1960's, came back home to France. So she brought her carnival with her and set it up here," he waved a hand at the area around them, before a sad look crossed over his face. "But it, uh, it didn't take too well here. Not many people liked the completely American style of doing things, ya know? It was too "extreme". Elodie didn't give up right away, but eventually she ran out of money and was forced to close up shop. She abandoned this place and moved back to America, where she died in 1993."

Marinette walked slowly beside him, staring thoughtfully a at the ground. "What a sad story."

Chat nodded. "It is. She still had a niece who lived here, and she left this property to her when she died. Since then, it's been forgotten about, even though the family still owns it."

Marinette yelped. "So we're trespassing?"

He laughed. "Nah, we're enjoying it, which is what I think Elodie would have wanted."

She rolled her eyes. "How do you know all this trivia anyway?"

"This place is kinda rumored about, ya know? 'Cause of its creepy vibe I guess."

Marinette took another glance around the place. Yeah, she was getting the vibe.

"Some people back in America call it the Carnival of Broken Dreams. Like no joke, they have entire blogs and websites dedicated to it. I got curious so I researched it. Turns out, it was real and had a cool background story so I wanted to see it."

"So, you're like a history buff or something?"

He winked. "Something like that. Now c'mon, Princess, let's get to it."

"Get to what?"

He grabbed her hand, pulling her along. "Exploring of course!"


There was something almost supernatural about this place, Marinette decided almost immediately. Reality seemed almost...altered.

It was easy to forget that there was a world outside the antique rides and abandoned booths. She was almost convinced she'd been here since the day she was born. The more she explored, the more it felt like a memory, like somewhere she'd been before.

Something was oddly familiar about the way the rides creaked in the wind, sounding almost as if they spoke to her.

She shivered.

"You getting cold?" Chat asked in concern as he walked beside her.

Marinette smiled up at him weakly. "A little." "Not to worry, Princess. We'll go inside for a moment."

"Go inside where?" Chat glanced around, night vision zeroing in on one of the least tattered tents.

"There. I think it's a funhouse or something." Marinette followed his lead without complaint, slightly endeared by the look of awe that had not left his face since they'd arrived.


Chat had certainly done his homework on this place, but nothing could prepare for the real thing. No rumor could really do the place justice. It was the kind of place you go just before you fall asleep. Just barely there in the back of your mind, but capturing your attention all the same.

He could see it in his mind's eye, this place in it's former glory, the bright lights, the music, the chatter. It all seemed so tangible, as if it could burst to life at any given moment.

But it remained dormant, and he was left alone with only his imagination.

He gently pulled Marinette along toward the funhouse, kicking himself for not bringing some blankets or extra clothes.

"After you," he instructed, holding the tattered flap of tent open for her. She nodded in thanks, scurrying in and he swiftly followed. To both of their disappointment, it wasn't much warmer inside that it was outside, but they were out of the wind and that was better than nothing.

Suddenly, Marinette let out a startled cry.

He dashed to her side, alarmed. "Mari? What is it?"

"I thought I saw something move over there."

Following her pointed finger, Chat turned his gaze, green eyes easily piercing through the dark. His hand reached for his baton. Sure enough, there was movement. Chat gave a relieved chuckled giving it a cheery wave, much to Mariette's confusion.

"Kitty? What is it?"

"Well, it is a funhouse. Here, gimme your phone." She quickly obliged, and he switched on the flashlight, walking towards their mystery object. The bright light bounced back at them, and Marinette gave a sigh of relief. "It's just a mirror." she noted. Chat nodded, inspecting the old, distorted glass. "Indeed it is." She laughed quietly. "I screamed at my own reflection."

He laughed with her. "Well, you are pretty scary, but in your defense, it is a fun mirror, and it really doesn't look anything like you. I mean, c'mon you're not nearly that tall."

"Hey!"

He laughed again, staring at his own reflection curiously. Despite being in a funhouse, there really wasn't anything fun about it. It was broken and shattered at the top as if someone had thrown a rock at it, the crack branching and webbing throughout the rest of the mirror. They spidered across his reflection's face, distorting it in a way far different than its original purpose. He swallowed. Something told him he shouldn't be here, but he couldn't tear his eyes away. His reflection was dark, mostly a silhouette outlined by the flashlight. But his face was illuminated just well enough to make out. He stepped back with a shuddering gasp.

Were those fangs? "

Chat Noir? Is everything okay?" her voice began to fade into the distance.

Suddenly, breathing felt almost impossible. His brain spun at the speed of light, while he desperately tried to keep up. The image in the mirror glued itself to the forefront of his mind, stirring up the whole mess of fear a little faster. Why couldn't he breathe?

He blindly handed her phone back, trying to calm his breathing. Stay in control, something warned him above his alarm. It will make it worse if you panic. I

nhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale.

Mari's hand gently rubbed soothing circles on his shoulder, saying words he couldn't understand. His face and hands began to tingle. What was happening to him?

"Can we get out of here?' he finally gasped out. She nodded wordlessly, entwining their fingers and leading him back out into the night. Instantly, his panic dissolved. Marinette moved them over to a rickety bench that creaked in protest when they sat down. She didn't let go of his hand.

"Are you okay, Chaton? What happened in there?"

He laughed uneasily. "I'm not really sure."

She chewed her lips thoughtfully. "Have you...have you ever had anxiety attacks before?"

Chat shook his head. "No."

"Well, that's uh, kinda what it looked like to me." "Oh." "That's nothing to be embarrassed about or anything!" she quickly added. "I've had them before."

"Sorry I kinda ruined the night."

"What? No, of course you didn't! There's nothing to apologise for. But do you know what triggered it? It may be something you need to talk to someone about, and I'd be happy to listen."

"No." he almost snapped. " I don't want to talk about it."

She looked taken aback at his sudden harshness. "Oh okay. That's fine."

They sat in silence for a few moments. Finally, Marinette stood up. "Well, c'mon, Alleycat. The night's still young and there's a carousel over there I wanna check out."


Chat followed a few steps behind her, trying to process what just happened. A panic attack? Was that what Plagg meant when he said the miraculous would mess with his head?

He swallowed, glancing down at his ring. It gleamed almost maliciously in the gibbous moon light. Something told him that this was only the beginning.

Marinette gave a gasp of delight beside him, drawing his attention away from his fears. "It's so beautiful!" she exclaimed, racing the rest of the way to the decorative horses. And he had to admit, she was right. It was absolutely stunning. Though the paint on the horses and murals was chipped and faded, it did nothing to diminish the detailed beauty of it. With a childish laugh, Marinette scampered up the steps, running around until she selected a horse. She jumped into the saddle, grinning invitingly down at him. He found himself returning it weakly, climbing slowly up the steps and mounting the dapple gray horse beside hers.

When was the last time he'd even been on a carousel?

She rested her hands between the horse's ears, placing her chin on top of them. She let out a sigh. "It's heartbreaking that this place didn't make it. Just think, the last time anyone sat on these horses was when it still played music and spun." Chat nodded thoughtfully. Somehow, that hadn't occurred to him.

She jumped off her horse, slowly walking around, studying each forgotten figure with saddened eyes. She walked toward the center, running a hand along the thick, mirror-lined collum. The old wood groaned and creaked with every step she took. Finally, she came back around the circle, where he sat. She grinned.

"Thank you for bringing me here, Chaton."

He smiled warmly back. "It was my pleasure, Princess."

They fell into companionable silence as Marinette came to sit beside him.

Once again, his thoughts wandered, but this time to a more pleasant place. He saw long, blonde hair, a kind smile and a mellifluous voice. She had taken him to places like this in a not so distant past. Back when his world had been bright and dreams had seemed closer to reality. He missed those day where stories of knights and dragons lulled him to sleep and everything felt warmer all because of her smile. She always had a way of making everything beautiful, even things that seemed full of darkness and cold.

He could really use some of her light right now.

"My mom used to take me to carnivals when I was a kid." he began absently. "Not often of course, dad always thought they were for the "riff raff" only. But I always thought they were fun, ya know? I miss that."

His companion hummed. "So I gather that your dad is a bit of a hardass, huh?"

Chat laughed. "You could say that."

"Your mom sounds cool though."

His smile grew distant. "She is. Or was anyway."

Marinette swallowed. "Was?"

"Yeah, she was."

"I'm sorry." she offered sadly. "You must miss her."

"Every single day."

Marinette reached between them, gently entwining their fingers again. She said nothing.

"But hey," Chat shrugged. "At I'm not alone anymore."

She smiled back, before giving his hand a squeeze and releasing it. The saddness that lingered in the air grew heavy.

Marinette wouldn't stand for that.

"Oh my gosh," she excalimed. "I can't believe you!"

Chat jumped and stared at her like a deer in the headlights, looking completely clueless. "What? What did I do?"

"More like what you didn't do! I've been here with you all night and you have yet to give me any boyfriend lessons!"

Chat gave a sigh of relief when he saw the teasing smile peeking from the corner of her mouth.

She wants to play, huh?

He dismounted his carousel horse and walked tauntingly to stand beside her. She turned in the saddle to face him, coyly staring him down.

He leaned in, smirking."My apologies, we were having such a good time, I forgot to be fake."

She took in a breath expectantly.

He pulled away abruptly, thoughtfully tapping his chin. "Now where to begin? What can I possibly teach Marinette Dupain Cheng about charming a man that she hasn't already mastered?" He gently reached to cup her face, lightly caressing her cheek with the pad of his thumb. Her surprised expression began to relax. "Why, she already has the ocean in her eyes! What else could a man even want? And these adorable freckles? Why, they're to die for. And those are just on the surface," he leaned in again, breath tickling her temple. Her eyes fluttered closed, cheeks flushing. "She's also selfless, brave," he moved lower down the side of her face, lightly grazing his lips across her cheek, but never becoming daring enough to leave a kiss. "Kind, responsible, extremely talented," he was at her jaw now, his voice lowered to a husky mutter. "Determined, creative," his lips brushed against her neck. "Why, the list just goes on and on."

"C-hat," she gasped softly. He slowly rose back to eye level, a sultry smile in place. He found her half-lidded eyes a little too satisfying.

He leaned in once more, lips hovering above her ear. "Lesson one," he announced softly. "Get them breathless."

Her eyes flew back to full alertness. "Wait. That was the lesson?"

He smirked smugly. "It was effective, non?"

She uh, she couldn't argue with him on that one."

"And trust me, Princess, there's plenty more where that came from." If Chat was being honest with himself (which he wasn't), he hadn't entirely been sure that would work. After all, this whole arrangement was to be a learning experience for both of them. Marinette said nothing, and simply stared with a gobstopped look.

"Well, what do you say? Care for another "lesson"?"

For a moment, she almost looked as if she might say yes. "

Actually," she spoke as she retrieved her phone from her purse. "It's getting pretty late. I should probably get home." He whipped out his baton, flipping up the screen. Sure enough, 12:23 a.m.

"Of course," he started, trying to sound casual. "But before I take you home, do you have your answer?"

"My answer?" she questioned with a puzzled expression.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "To our, uh deal?"

"Oh," she said blankly. "Right."

Chat couldn't quite explain why his heart seemed to sink at her dismal reply. Why did this matter so much to him?

Meanwhile, Marinette looked nothing short of conflicted. It gave him a bit of hope however, because some part of her, no matter how big or for what reason, wanted to say yes. She glanced at him warily.

"No strings attached, correct? For educational purposes only?"

He nodded quickly. "Yes, that's correct."

She drug a hand across her face. "Fine," she kept her eyes closed, and held out her hand to shake. "Don't make me regret this."

Grinning broadly, he took her offered hand, and brought it to his lips. Her eyes snapped open. "I won't," he purred, kissing her knuckle. "Cat's honor."