After what felt like forever, Tuesday night finally came. Marinette had been looking forward to going out with Chat for the entire week being able to hang out with her friend since they made the plans.

She knew why the two of them shouldn't exchange numbers, but she almost wished that they had so that she'd know when he was on his way, or so she could get advice on what to wear, or anything along that line, no matter how much she knew that asking him for fashion advice would result in a response along the lines of 'You're asking an alleycat for fashion advice?'

She smiled at her own fictional response of his and checked the clock. 19h45. She mentally patted herself on the back for correctly estimating how long it was going to take for her to get ready that evening. She looked herself over in the full length mirror one more time, making sure she looked nice without being too dressy, considering she still had no idea where they were going.

She was wearing a simple plum-colored midi-length dress that she had designed for her portfolio when she'd applied for the internship. In addition, she was wearing a pair of short black boots and a faux leather jacket, cute while also being warm enough to keep her comfortable in the lowering temperature of the Parisian night air.

At precisely 20h00, she heard a knock at their front door and she felt her heart leap from her chest. She put her wallet into the pocket of her jacket, along with her phone. Tikki flew into the inner jacket pocket before Marinette made her way downstairs. When she entered the living room, she wasn't expecting to see him .

She could only see his side profile and she had a feeling that he'd been standing at that angle deliberately so that she couldn't see more of his face. It was clear from what she could see that he'd had a short ponytail, one that sat higher than Cat Walkers. He'd been wearing a mask, but she was sure he wasn't sick- just using it to obstruct his face.

She never expected that he'd wear glasses as a civilian, but she was surprised by how nice they'd looked on him. She knew she shouldn't look at them very much, not wanting to accidentally recognize his eyes.

His jeans were a dark wash, which he'd paired with a forest green shirt and a black jacket. Marinette couldn't help the smile that bloomed across her face as she admired her friend before the two of them left for their evening out.

"Ready to go?" His voice was different than it used to be, deeper. She could barely get out a coherent acceptance after hearing how much different his voice was than usual.

"I'll have her back by 23h," Chat assured her parents.

"You can have her out until midnight, son," Tom assured. Marinette was certain, after that line, that her parents had no idea that she was heading out with Chat Noir. Granted, there was an ever-growing list of people who Tom referred to as 'son'. It could be anyone, from a semi-regular in the bakery to most of Marinette's friends.

The two of them walked down the stairs and Chat extended his elbow for Marinette to take. "Are your shoes comfortable for walking? Our destination isn't too far, but it'll mostly be standing once we get there, so I want to make sure you'll be okay."

"I'll be fine, Ch-érie," she corrected quickly. He wondered if she could feel him tense at her almost slip. "If you change your mind, you can just give me my hug and take me home." Her voice was quiet, almost a whisper, unlike he'd ever heard her before.

"I'm not giving up that easily, dear," he assured. She could practically hear the smirk that followed his words. He placed a hand on hers as they walked, taking in the scenery of the Parisian night. Adrien was just thankful Gabriel liked Marinette enough to be willing to give him a night without worrying about Akumas or Ladybug.

It felt like no time had passed since the two of them left the bakery, getting immediately lost in their own, personal little world. Marinette, against better judgment, grabbed his bicep a little tighter. She couldn't remember the last time she'd gotten to feel her partner so close to her. He was so warm and she didn't think she'd ever want to let go of him again.

She knew, of course, that she'd have to eventually. At least when he took her home at the end of the night, but she was happy to pretend to be ignorant of the fact that that moment would come. He noticed when her grip tightened on his arm, but he wasn't sure why. She'd never struck him as the type that would cling to someone, just because they were around.

"Have you had dinner, sweetheart?" She couldn't help but feel like his question came out of the blue. "If you're hungry, we could stop on the way to our destination." He'd been thinking about it for hours. Between 16h00 and 18h00, everyone on the set of the photoshoot had been given a break to eat dinner and he couldn't help but notice that she hadn't actually had anything during her break.

She didn't skip eating often, which was what stood out to him. Whenever he'd looked over, she'd been scrolling through her phone or making notes in her planner. He knew that she'd gotten something to eat, but the plate looked just as full at the end of her break as it did when she had first sat down.

"Of course, honey," she assured. The assurance was empty, however, as a few moments after she spoke, her stomach growled, offering a different answer than she had. A small blush developed across her face, encompassing both of her cheeks. She was certain, without looking at him, that he had rolled his eyes at her attempt to lie.

Their destination was still a few blocks away, but he figured that there was no harm in stopping to grab something on their way. He'd planned something he was sure that she'd enjoy, but their destination didn't offer more food than just a few snacks. The two of them stopped at a stall to pick up a crêpe that Marinette repeatedly tried to refuse.

Her stomach had assured him that she was just refusing to be polite. He was there to help her as best as he could. Even though she was with 'Chat Noir,' he was still Adrien. He was her 'Anti-Akuma Partner' and even though Gabriel had agreed not to akumatize her, Adrien wanted to make sure his partner was taking care of herself.

He stepped in front of her when she looked like she was debating walking away. "Please, let me get you something to eat, Marinette," he almost whispered. He lifted his hand and placed it on her cheek. She wanted to look up at the boy she was with, but she knew that she couldn't. The cool metal of the ring on her cheek reminded her of that fact.

She made a deliberate point not to look at him as her eyes found their way to the menu. She placed her order and he was more than happy to pay for it. After their detour, the two continued their walk to their original destination.