Adrien

It had been two nights since I last visited Marinette. I was quite proud of myself for that, but it just made me more lonely than I already was.

I could've talked more with Plagg, but it had become routine for me to only lose my transformation long enough for him to eat and me to sleep. Even at night, when we could've talked, we didn't. At least, I didn't. I didn't know what to say anymore. I was running him ragged, and I knew what I was doing wasn't good for him, even though he never said it. Yet, I couldn't stop doing it. I couldn't stop being Cat Noir. I couldn't go back to being Adrien. Every day, my fear of becoming Adrien grew more and more. This was only meant to be temporary, but now I never wanted to be Adrien again.

I stood on a rooftop not too far from Marinette's home, though not enough for it to be too much temptation. Despite being able to refrain from visiting her these last couple days, I couldn't seem to get her off my mind. Other than Ladybug, a girl had never been on my mind this much. Though, it wasn't exactly thoughts of romance. I was amazed and baffled by Marinette. How could she care so much about Adrien? And, her kindness toward me, as Cat Noir . . . it was a bit overwhelming. For someone who was usually as quiet as her, I couldn't believe just how much warmth she had toward me that I never knew about. If I could, I would've relished in that warmth forever.

I was also missing the other lady in my life, but I was avoiding her as well. The last time I had spoke to her was during the last akuma fight, but only for a few seconds as my transformation was wearing off. I had watched from afar last night as she patrolled the city, but I stayed out of sight. I would've tonight, too, but when I heard the thud from behind me, I knew that was no longer an option. I turned around, finding Ladybug.

A look of relief lit up her face. She was holding a box, one that looked a lot like the ones in Marinette's family's bakery.

As if on cue, my stomach growled. I had finished off the last box this morning, and I could only hope that box was what I thought it was.

"Milady," I greeted, managing a smile, though I could tell it wasn't as wide as it usually was.

"Kitty," she said, also smiling a little bit. "I found something for you."

She handed me the box. In marker, someone had written Cat Noir, and my heart swelled at the thought of who it was. I opened it, finding it full of macaroons.

"I saw Marinette earlier and she asked me to give it to you," she explained. "She said you had visited the bakery a couple times this week."

"I've just had a bit of a sweet tooth this week," I said, popping one into my mouth. "Do you want one? They're amazing."

She shook her head. "No, thanks." She looked out at the night sky, rather than at me. "She also asked me to tell you she really wants to see you again. Maybe when we're done patrolling you can slip over."

I buried my surprise. "Why does she want to see me?"

She shrugged, though I could tell from the look in her eyes that she was hiding something. "I don't know. I guess you'll find out."

I cleared my throat. "So . . . milady, any updates on the Agreste situation?"

Her eyes lit up with surprise. "I thought you didn't care about runaway teen models."

I looked away. "I don't, but I was just wondering if he was still hogging all the media outlets."

"He is," she said. "Though the minutes they spend on him have been dwindling by the day as he gets pushed further to the back of the list. Soon, he might disappear from it altogether, at least, that's what I hope."

My ears perked. "Why do you hope for that?"

"It might be easier for him to return home if the media isn't swarming his house when he does," she explained. "I heard he never liked the spotlight, so I understand if the thought of returning to a swarm of paparazzi might be a bit daunting for him."

She had no idea how right she was.

"So, out of curiousity, how well do you know him?" Maybe this would clue me in on her identity.

"Honestly, not that well," she admitted. "Not well enough for his disappearance to not surprise me, anyway. But, he was always kind to me, as a civilian and as Ladybug. I admit to not liking him the first time we met, but his sincerity and kindness is what won me over."

I frowned. Adrien was nice to everyone, even Chloe. But, who didn't like me when I first met them?

I shrugged the thought away for the time being. I would have time to think about it later. "Milady, it kills me to think another man has stolen your heart right out of my claws."

A nervous laugh escaped her lips. "Sorry, kitten."

I cleared my throat. "So, have you done any investigating?"

She shook her head, and relief washed over me. "Not really. And I'm afraid to just break into his room. I never know what could happen, if someone would catch me. I want to, but I don't know when would be the best time."

I nodded. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea."

She crossed her arms, looking down. "But, I feel so useless. I'm supposed to be a superhero and I can't even find a missing teen boy."

"No one is going to find him," I said. "Don't beat yourself up over it. Sometimes people don't want to be found."

"Do you really believe that?" She asked. "I always thought it was a cry for help."

I shook my head. "Not always." I took her hand in mine, kissing it. For once, she didn't pull away. "Milady, I think you need to stop worrying and see what happens."

Now she pulled away. "I won't give up on him. I just need a plan to get into his house. Maybe there's something people are overlooking."

I groaned. "You won't find anything."

Crap.

Her eyes widened. "How do you know?"

"I mean, police have searched everywhere. What could you possibly find?"

"I just wouldn't mind having a look," she said. "Even if it's just to confirm that there is nothing."

I took a deep breath. "Milady, I wouldn't. I know you care about him, but I just think that's a bad idea. Call it cat's intuition."

She sighed. "Fine. I'll let it be for now."

Something seemed off. She was giving in too easily. It was unlike her.

"On the other hand." I couldn't believe what I was about to say. "Why don't I help you?"

This would work, I assured myself. If we looked together, I could keep her away from anything linking Adrien and Cat Noir. She wouldn't find anything else about my disappearance.

She perked up. "Really? You would help me?"

I nodded. "It's important to you, isn't it? I don't want my lady to worry or get caught while searching herself. We'll meet at midnight on top of the Agreste mansion."

Marinette

Four days ago, Adrien disappeared. Four days, and no one was any closer to finding him. The thought had me teary-eyed all day. But, Cat Noir's offer to help me search his room gave me a small ray of hope.

Despite what I told Cat Noir about Marinette, he didn't show up to see me in between, but it didn't matter now. If Adrien was Cat Noir, I highly doubted he would help me search his own room for clues.

At midnight, I met Cat Noir on the roof of the Agreste mansion.

"Are you ready, bugaboo?"

I whirled around, finding Cat Noir grinning at me.

"We need to find a way to get directly into his room," I said.

"Already figured that out, milady," he said. "It's the window directly under us. It's unlocked."

I nodded, though I was too excited to question how he knew all this. "Alright. Let's go."

I started to go first, but somehow he slid past me. Considering his earlier disregard for this investigation, he seemed almost too eager to help now.

At first, it didn't dawn on me that this was Adrien Agreste's bedroom, even though I had been there before. I touched the comforter on his bed. He slept here. It looked comfortable. Did he miss it? Where was he sleeping now?

The room itself was large, much larger than my own. For a moment, I just felt around, not really searching for anything right away. If anything, this was more an investigation for me to find out more about Adrien. I doubted I would actually find anything that would help me.

Cat Noir seemed especially preoccupied with Adrien's desk, pulling at a couple drawers and shuffling through them.

"Find anything?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Unless you count fan mail, not really. You know, maybe a crazy fan girl kidnapped him and is using him as her love slave?" He chuckled at his own joke.

"I'm glad one of us finds you funny," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Just trying to lighten the mood, Milady."

He pushed the drawer in and I heard a click. I whirled around, and I could've sworn I saw the tip of a key poking out of his fist. Before I could question it, he spoke.

"I need to go," he said. "Try not to stay too much longer yourself. This place probably has cameras."

I nodded, and he was gone before I could say another word.

I went to the drawer that he locked. Why would he lock a drawer in someone else's house? You only lock things so other people can't get in them. And, why would he take the key?

Something weird was going on, and I knew just how to get to the bottom of it.

"Lucky charm!"

A key appeared in my hand, this one red with black spots. I smiled as I slid it into the keyhole. This would shorten my transformation, but at least I could figure out what that crazy cat was doing.

The first thing I saw in the drawer made me gasp. It was the Valentine card I had written Adrien and forgot to sign. Why did he keep it?

With a shaking hand, I picked up the card and found what looked to be an upside down box. It looked strangely familiar. I turned it over, and my breath hitched.

I dropped the box as if it were on fire and quickly locked the drawer again. I jumped from the window as my miraculous beeped. It would take every second I had left to make it home, and I couldn't give myself time to process what I just found.

I made it to my balcony with a minute to spare. "Tikki, spots off."

My transformation faded, and Tikki fell in my hands. "Marinette, we need to talk about this."

My hand shook as I opened the balcony door. "How can Adrien be Cat Noir?"

I slunk down on my bed, burying my face in my pillow. Tikki and Alya had teased the idea of that, and I had thought about it, but I wanted so bad for it to not be true. I didn't know what I would do if I found out Adrien was Cat Noir.

Tikki patted my hair. "Marinette, you at least know where he is and that he's safe. That's the most important thing, right?"

I nodded, feeling tears gathering in my eyes. "But Adrien's nothing like Cat Noir! How are they the same person?"

Tikki sighed. "Marinette, list some of Adrien's qualities."

I looked at her. "He's kind and sweet. He's always a perfect gentleman."

"Now name some of Cat Noir's."

I groaned. "He's a complete flirt who uses too many bad puns."

She sighed. "What else?"

I tapped my chin, thinking. While Cat Noir was a total flirt, he was also nice and sweet. How many times had he risked his life to save me? And how he often bowed and kissed my hand . . . some people might consider that gentlemanly behavior.

An image flashed in my mind. Adrien, kissing my hand . . . saying "milady" with that cheesy grin.

My cheeks heated up. Five minutes ago, that darn cat's flirting would've gotten on my nerves, but now . . . .

"Earth to Marinette." Tikki snapped me from my thoughts. I rolled over, facing her now.

"Do you see now?" she asked. "He is similar to Cat Noir. He's more confident behind the mask, just like you are. That's why he's so flirty as Cat Noir."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "We're not supposed to know each other's identities. What am I supposed to do?"

Tikki frowned. "What's done is done, but at least you know where he is now."

My cheeks heated up as I remembered when Cat Noir came to me, as Marinette. "Oh great, Tikki! He knows I like him! This is going to be awful!"

A playful smile lit up her face. "It could be worse. You could've been Ladybug when you said that."

Groaning, I buried my head back into my pillow. This was going to be a long night.

A partial identity reveal and some ladynoir for you :) What's Marinette going to do now? Find out soon. Thanks for reading!