a.n.-It's Friday loves, and that means another chapter. Alright before we go forward, the rating for this story will remain T, but if you are looking for an M version, go to this story over on Archive of Our Own starting next chapter. If not, stay reading on here.

Reading suggestions? It was an Accident by Their_Destinys_Writer and The Guessing Game by Macaronize

Alright, now I have that out of the way, here is the chapter.

She couldn't have been more than 10 feet away standing in the kitchen, baking as if nothing happened and it drove Adrien insane. His mind had been going at a non-stop pace since yesterday after coming home from a fight with a villain he had never seen before. He found his apartment lacked the one person he wanted to see. The worry bubbling up in his stomach increased when he went to visit her that night as Chat, only to find her curtains drawn and lights off to signal that she didn't want to be disturbed. How did she get home? Did that mean that she knew exactly where he lived, how her apartment could be reached in a few rooftop jumps?

He watched helplessly as she licked some brownie batter off her fingers, the blood unprompted flowed southwards. It took all his restraint to not march over there and steal the taste of chocolate off her lips.

But he couldn't...all because he wasn't wearing a catsuit.

"Want some?" Marinette asked shattering his thought process.

Yes please, his mind chimed, although he knew that he had little desire to lick the spoon. "Hmm," he hummed trying to distract himself from the growing uncomfortableness. The last time he had seen her, the lingerie clung to her body; his focus wavered with the short distance between them.

"Brownies," she clarified as she began to pour the batter into its pan. "It won't be long before they're ready."

"Stress baking?" He asked closing the gap between the two and leaned against the counter. Adrien racked his brain for stressors, maybe the interruption left her just as frustrated. However, Marinette simply shrugged nonchalantly.

"I was craving chocolate," if she licked that spoon one more time. "I'm sure you crave things from time to time." The way her bluebell eyes flickered to bore into his, teasingly, she couldn't be doing this on purpose, could she?

"B-brownies sound delicious." He managed to all but stutter. He needed to change the subject and potentially lead her away from the batter if possible. He could smell the chocolate on her enticing him to draw closer.

"When did you buy the painting that's hanging behind the door? I can't believe I didn't notice it." Marinette's question came out of the blue hitting him in the gut. A valid question for her to ask, she had the knack of being observant. The only problem, he didn't have an explanation for what lay behind the painting.

"I just saw it in a store and liked it." He tried to keep his tone as casual as possible. Maybe she hadn't noticed the-

"And it's just big enough to cover the hole in the wall." His whole body tensed, caught red-handed. If he had done his job correctly, she wouldn't have found out about that, and now he had trapped himself. He couldn't very well tell her that he created the whole when he found out about the blackmail.

"I got in a fight with Nino," He blurted the first thing that came to his mind. Nino would play along if the lie needed to come to life, it came with the best friend title. "I got angry and the next thing I knew…" his voice faded out. Judging by the solemn expression, she bought it.

Her next words caught him off guard, "what did you fight about?" Adrien should have known better, of course Marinette cared what happened, Nino had been one of Marinette's friends too.

"You," he admitted softly as if it was the only thing that made sense. He tried to ignore how her stare burned into his skin. "But…we've made up since then. I'll get someone to fix it, I promise." An unbearable quiet settled between the two. Adrien caved first. "I couldn't help but notice the flowers that littered the apartment the other day," he blurted out. Why did he do that? The word reckless came to mind when describing his choice to change the subject to his alter ego.

He watched as her face didn't move an inch as she slid the brownies into the oven. "An embarrassing amount of lilacs, Alya still teases me about it." Marinette set the timer to make sure that they wouldn't burn before making her way to the couch. She couldn't help but notice the way his eyebrows knit together before he sat next to her.

"You didn't like them?" The edges of her lips twisted up into a small smirk. For the first time, she could see bits of Chat bleeding through to Adrien's behavior. She hoped that if she gave him the opportunity, that he would tell her the truth himself.

"It's just not what I expected," she confessed.

"Why is that, aren't they your favorites?" He asked leaning towards her. She never mentioned that she didn't like his little surprise, if she did, he would have been crushed. It took him three different florists to find those flowers.

"It's not that, I love them. If he knew what they meant, he wouldn't have gotten them," she replied.

"What do they mean?" The words strained against his throat leaving a scorching sensation behind. Adrien didn't know much about flowers or their meanings, but based on her reaction, he couldn't help but worry.

"F-first love." Somehow, she managed to look him in the eye, and he took the invitation to invade her soul. Her breath hitched involuntarily, and she couldn't tear herself to snap her focus away. "Adrien…I didn't tell Chat they were my favorite," her whisper spoke volumes. She begged- no pleaded for him to tell her the truth.

"Well maybe he-he asked someone." The lie released her from whatever bond held her and she glanced to the coffee table in front of her.

"No..." Her voice faded out. Why couldn't he be honest with her? Didn't she deserve that much?

"How do you know?" Their eyes locked again, but all words were dead on her tongue. A splash of emotions crashed over her causing a wave of dizziness. "Mar, I—"

"Marinette, there's something I need to talk to you about!" Alya's words served as the cold water needed jolting the pair back to the present instead of whatever world they were lost in. "Am I interrupting something?" When Marinette gave Alya a key to the apartment, she never thought that she would come barging in… especially at inopportune times such as this.

"No, of course not." She replied, but her flustered stare screamed otherwise. Marinette jumped up from the couch and made a b-line for her best friend.

"Maybe we can talk alone?" Alya couldn't help but throw a look in the blonde's direction. It didn't take long for Marinette to catch on.

"My room is available." In a flash, both women were gone leaving a very confused Adrien behind.

"Girl, you promised me!" Alya snapped the second the door closed. The statement caused the heat to travel up to her friend's cheeks.

"Absolutely nothing happened Alya. Adrien is with Amelie. I'm completely over him." She replied...But that was before she knew he was her kitty—alleged kitty , she reminded herself. It was easier to hold on to the thought that this was all a misunderstanding, that she wouldn't lose both the men she loved to the same girl.

"Then why did it look like if I had waited 5 more minutes I would have walked in on a steamy make out?" Thoughts of the Chat Noir lingerie stored in her drawer cause the blush to deepen discrediting any denial spouting from her mouth.

"Alya, you know I'm with Chat." Adrien her mind corrected. Marinette started sorting through her designs to distract herself but made the mistake of accidentally piling some wedding dresses sketches on top.

"What are those?" Alya asked her tone pointed.

She could lie. The thought definitely occurred to her at that moment. Originally, she had agreed to Amelie's proposal to prove that she held no feelings for Adrien (mostly to herself) ...only now did she see how that backfired.

"Wedding dress designs," Marinette replied hoping that Alya would believe it was just another project for Mr. Agreste.

"For who?" Alya shot back raising an eyebrow prodding for the truth.

"Amelie." A string of curses spilled from Alya's mouth taking Marinette by surprise.

"No, no, no! This is too far. I promised myself that I would protect you and now the witch has you making her dress. I'm drawing the line as your best friend, it's sick. You can't make her wedding dress."

"And why not?" She argued. Not that she really wanted to make the dress now that she knew. Alya never snapped at her like this, curiosity got the better of her.

"Because you're in love with the groom!" Marinette's breath hitched at the accusation and for a brief moment wondered if Alya knew. She threw the thought away swiftly because it couldn't be true. She wouldn't have been so supportive of her relationship with Chat if she knew. Alya would have fought tooth and nail against it because she would know how small Marinette would feel if she ever found out. What's worse is that she had to lie to her best friend, because Adrien's secret wasn't hers to tell.

"I'm not in love with Adrien." Lies! Everything in her body cried out. "I told you, I love Chat." And now because of what knowledge she did have, that was disintegrating to dust before her eyes. Marinette could have sworn that Alya looked taken back only for a moment a response poised on her lips. But whatever her best friend was debating on saying she chose to keep it to herself.

"Marinette."

"Alya," The two Kwami's rolled from their spot on the desk to capture their chosen's attention.

"Master Fu has summoned everyone for a meeting." Marinette's eyes narrowed, it most likely had to do with the new villain they encountered...which also meant that she would have to see Chat, just the thought ripped her insides. Seeing Adrien earlier was totally different than seeing him in his other form. She had one advantage, he didn't know she was Ladybug. Hopefully, she could avoid him till she figured out exactly what she thought. With a few words and a flicker of magic, both had transformed. Marinette tried to smile not to worry Alya.

"Come on, I'll race you." Rena's lips bent up into a smirk not backing down from a challenge.

"You're on."

He allowed his gaze to wander back to Marinette's room where the two girls were in no doubt confiding something to each other. It was common for the best friends, but he couldn't help but fight the urge to listen in; something he never had to do before. Marinette had raised her defenses yet again when they were alone, and the backsliding made him want to release frustrated screams in his pillow. Wasn't it enough that he had to deal with this blackmail, now he had to navigate a complicated relationship with the girl that he was undoubtedly in love with but couldn't have. Tonight, he would attempt to mend whatever he did to wrong her.

"Adrien, I know you're in there." Chloe's voice shrieked through the door amongst her knocks. He held back a groan, he must write a book about how to offend women, because that seemed all that he could do lately. His feet rushed to the door not wanting to keep his childhood best friend waiting, even reformed Chloe had her limits.

"Chlo," He wore his best smile when he opened the door to the blonde whose arms were crossed, and a frown plastered on her face. "I wasn't expecting you."

"If your fiancée is here, you better hold me back or I can't be held responsible for what I do. Doesn't she know who I am?"

"Chloe-" He tried to intervene but failed. When Chloe got this angry, little could calm her.

"Imagine how embarrassing it was to find out about your wedding in the newspaper. The little witch didn't even invite me to your engagement party. I kept racking my brain, but I don't understand, why didn't you tell me?" The way that her voice cracked made his stomach drop.

"It's complicated." Adrien couldn't bring himself to look at her, he never meant to hurt her.

"And what about Marinette, do you still love her? How could you do this?" As she snapped, he couldn't help but cringe at her accusations. He cared for Chloe, but the chances of her keeping quiet if he told her what was really going on were slim. The blonde tended to be overprotective of him, even if he told her to stay out of it.

"Of course, I still love her," he forced a whisper pulling Chloe towards his room, but more importantly away from where Marinette could hear. "It's complicated," he parroted only this time his voice had lost its gusto.

"How much more complicated will it get when she finds out who you are. You need to tell her soon Chat. Marinette still loves you, but after a stunt like this? You might lose her." Adrien's lip grew into a scowl.

"You don't think I know that?" His voice sliced through the air sharply. "I'll tell her everything after I figure things out."

"What are you hiding from me?" All her anger was stripped away leaving only the vulnerability behind.

"I will tell you everything," he promised reaching out to grasp her shoulders. The words hung heavy, he didn't even know if he could even fulfill what he promised. Chloe did keep quiet after he had accidentally spilled his secret. "I just need a little more time." Although not entirely pleased with the answer, Chloe took his words at face value.

"Adrien, I don't know what to do." Her own reserved exterior started to crumble. His eyebrows furrowed until she reached into her purse and pulled out a small box. His eyes widened at the familiar tattooed pattern ridged on the outside.

"Is that what I think it is?" Master Fu normally did not change his mind on much, but if the bee comb lay in that box as he suspected, then there was a first time for anything.

"I haven't looked," Chloe confessed. "I just came home from classes and there it was on my counter." She sounded just as surprised. "What if I mess up again? Or Pollen hates me?" The underlying question among her doubts stilled the air; what if I'm not cut out to be a superhero?

"He wouldn't have given it back if he didn't believe in you, Chloe. He sees your potential…even if you don't. If he left Pollen in your care, that speaks volumes about how much he trusts you." She didn't look completely convinced, but before Adrien could continue Plagg bolted into the room.

"Kid, Master Fu has called a meeting and wants everyone there," the black cat eyed his chosen's blonde company. "That includes you, honey." Adrien watched as Chloe's eyes flitted back to the box in her hands. With a moment of courage, she opened the lid and the two of them were engulfed in a blinding yellow light.

"I gathered you all here because we face a real threat in the form of Le Paon. She has the resources and she will stop at nothing before she takes your miraculous. Consider her more dangerous than Hawkmoth." The four looked among themselves in silent shock. It was one thing to have a new opposition, but to compare her after one fight to the man they had been fighting for years now…they would be in trouble if the two ever teamed up.

"What happened to Hawkmoth?" Alya found her voice.

"There hasn't been an akuma attack in ages." Chat Noir jumped in earning a glare which he ignored. "You don't think that something happened to Hawkmoth, do you?" Master Fu held out his hands to silence any further questions.

"While we can hope that he has seen the error of his ways, it would be foolish to let our guard down. That is why I invited Queen Bee to join us once more as her skills will aid us in battle." All eyes flickered to Chloe for mere seconds before he commanded their attention once more. "I want you all to split up into partners and practice the drills until I return."

"Is that the best you can do?" Chat's winded body hit the ground with a thud sliding back a couple feet. Rena proudly wore a smirk extending her flute to hold him in his downed position.

"Was that necessary?" He asked as he cringed. Master Fu told them to practice, but this seemed a little extreme. There were points of contact when the blows rippled pain through his body. Chat couldn't help but wonder if part of her aggression had to do with Nino if that's the case, he hoped that they would get over whatever issues they had before their next training session.

"Careful, it almost sounds like you're panting...are you tired, kitty?" Her taunt only made him grind his teeth. He was already physically exhausted from lack of sleep, but this fight was taking more out of him then he would care to admit.

"No," he growled helping himself to his feet.

"Ready for round two?" The two lunged at each other putting forth what energy they had into their blocks and advances.

"Enough!" Master Fu's voice boomed stopping any forward motion and Chat let out a sigh trying to catch his breath. "Practice is over for today. Stay alert. Watch each other's backs."

"But-" Alya tried to interrupt, but immediately was cut off.

"Control your emotions Rena, or they will control you." His words silenced her in an instant and she hung her head in the embarrassment of being called out. "I will be in touch."

The four headed towards the door not a murmur among them. The sound paired with the splash of the rain caused Ladybug to freeze. Why did this nature phenomenon always bring her mind back to where it didn't belong? Only this time, it was different. Chat was Adrien, Adrien was Chat and no matter which name went first both halves made up all of him. She had given him ample opportunities to tell her that morning, and he had passed them up. Her blue eyes fluttered over to her partner who had his focus on the rain. Marinette couldn't help but wondered if the rain brought back all their memories to his mind too.

"Ladybug, are you okay?" Rena's voice broke through her thoughts with ease and she realized that she had let her eyes linger too long.

"I'm fine." The revelation that her best friend lied to her face hit Alya like a ton of bricks. That look, she had seen it many times over the course of the years. It didn't take a genius to put together, what or rather- who, upset her. "I'm going to bug out." She used her yo-yo and latched it onto the nearest building and zipped off faster than Alya could stop her. She watched Chat shift uncomfortably before he mumbled his own goodbye. Deep down she knew she shouldn't, things got messy when she inserted herself into the middle of problems, but she couldn't help herself as she skillfully began to tail their black cat partner.

His ears tilted back as he jumped from one rooftop to another. He thought he had smoothed things over with Alya, but if their sparring match could be used as an indication, they had a long way to go before she forgave him. He hadn't meant to unmask her, it just happened. The thing that would be best for the team's sake would be to move on together as one. Besides everyone in the group knew that Queen Bee and Chloe were the same person, how was this any different?

He wanted to stop Ladybug before she flew away, but although his mind screamed to do something, his body didn't respond until he watched her form fade among the horizon. It hadn't slipped his notice that his lady had also been distracted during her match as well. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she hadn't acknowledged him since he stepped foot in Master Fu's training grounds. He couldn't even rack his brain on what he could have done to offend her.

When he dropped into his normal alleyway he reverted to his civilian self with every intention to go upstairs and see how much Marinette knew. Their conversation from earlier left him queasy. However, before he could take any more than two steps in the right direction, suddenly his back slammed against the wall.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, Agreste." His green eyes were only met by the hazel eyes of Rena Rouge.

A.n.- I know some of you were hoping a confrontation between Marinette and Adrien and it didn't happen. It happens soon, I PROMISE. Let me know what you think!