Adrien had never been inside of the bakery. He had only ordered from here once or twice, and either Natalie picked it up or it was delivered. He couldn't contain his excitement; he loved when he had a chance to do the things that he wanted to do, especially when it came to food. He stood outside of the large wooden door, trying to fathom what the inside could possibly look like. Would Marinette be down in the bakery? Or would she be upstairs? Would he have to meet her parents and explain to them the reason that he was there? How was this going to work?

He pushed the door open, admiring the sound that the bell made. He walked inside of the bakery, the smell overwhelming him. His sneakers squeaked on the floor, but he didn't mind. This place was magical… This place was amazing. He had wondered what it was like to feel so at home for so long… and now he was in a place that was just so homey and nice… Marinette was so lucky. She had everything he wanted. She had everything he needed. He wasn't jealous at all; he was happy for her. He had come to terms with his home life and his father. It was fine for him, but it made him feel so happy because someone so great had a loving family.

"I'll be right with you!" A voice called from a back room. Adrien didn't mind waiting. He was just enjoying this new experience. He probably looked pretty dumb, standing in the middle of a bakery with a big, goofy grin on his face. The best part of it all? Adrien didn't care! For the first time in a long time, he didn't care about his appearance, or about how he appeared to other people, or if he was liked. In that moment, the only thing that troubled him was that he didn't have anyone to share it with.

Until a great pair of legs and a giant stack of boxes came waltzing – or stumbling – into the room. Adrien stared for a moment, before he regained some composure. Adjusting his shirt, he took a step forward.

"Here, let me help you," he said, grabbing a few boxes.

"Thanks. Just put them on that counter over there."

Adrien did as he was told, watching the girl set her stack of boxes down next to his. She turned around, a big smile on his face. The smile was replaced by a look of shock, and then a look of horror as she realized who he was. Adrien's sense of home was ripped from him as he realized that he didn't belong. He stared down at his shoes, before looking back up at the tiny girl in front of him. He smiled widely; he was a great actor.

"Hey Mari!" He said, voice as charming as ever.

"A-Adrien! W-what're you d-doing here?" She stuttered, stepping away from him. And there it was. The distance between them widening. She would never like him. They could never be friends. She was so disgusted by him. Adrien swallowed the lump in his throat,

"I just came by to say hi, and to…" he paused. Why was he here? "To see you."

"M-me?" Her eyes widened. "Oh. Why?"

"Because I wanted to… get you to recommend something to me. Like… from your bakery… I'm… trying to figure out what I like, so I can have my dad order it for my next fashion thing…" So much for confident Adrien swooping in and getting the girl. If she reacted to him like this, he wondered how she would react to Chat Noir sneaking onto her rooftop terrace…

"Oh! I see! Well, what kind of sweets do you like? Cakes? Cookies? What flavors do you like? We make really good sweets too, if you're into things like that. And different types of bread. I don't know, I'd recommend everything. Everything is really good… it really just depends on you."

Adrien nodded, looking around. "I guess just give me some of those, and those…" He pointed to random items. He didn't know what he was getting, he just wanted to get out of there. It was a mistake coming to see her.

She nodded. "Um, your total is-"

"Here," he handed her the card his father gave him.

She swiped the card, blushing slightly. "Okay. Here's your treats. I hope you enjoy them…" she smiled.

Adrien smiled back. "I… I'll see you in class, Marinette." It had been a while since he had called her Marinette. He usually shortened her name in an effort to see if she felt anything for him. Did her heart call out to him like his did for her? Did she know who he really was? Because he knew that this was his Lady. His ladybug. There was no denying it.

"O-okay, Adrien." She didn't look at him, just fiddled with something behind the counter.

Marinette blew it. She knew she did the tiny fraction of a second that Adrien looked hurt. But there was no going back from that. It was best that she loved him from afar. It was best that they didn't become friends… or more. Especially since she was Ladybug. She'd be better off dating Chat Noir as Ladybug. Adrien Agreste was unreachable, and that was something she needed to remember. He didn't come here to see her, he came to get her recommendation.

She tried to fight the urge to run after him, she really did… but her legs moved before her head. She was running after him before she realized it. She had to save whatever this was between them. She had to save this friendship.

"Adrien!" She called out, squinting in the sunlight. He turned to look at her, a troubled expression on his face.

"Mari?" He asked, confused. He began walking back towards her.

"Come back inside," she hesitated. "There's something we should talk about."

He nodded, following her back into the bakery. Once the door was shut, he cocked an eyebrow.

"Look, Adrien… I want to be friends with you. I really, really do… but I just… it's hard because everyone likes you. And they make it difficult to get to know you and be around you. I either hear things about you, or Chloe does things… and I really, really want to be friends with you…"

"I get it," he muttered, a saddened expression on his face. "Chloe makes it like that with everyone. I like you, Marinette, but being friends with me comes with a cost that you shouldn't have to pay. You're too nice to have to deal with Chloe or with anything that comes with being friends with me. I mean, if you want… we don't have to be friends in public. We can text, or hangout when people aren't around…"

"Let's just start by texting sometimes, Adrien…" Oh god, what was she doing. She blew it again. Here was her chance to say 'hey Adrien, I kind of really like you a lot and we should be more than friends'.

"Texting. That's fine."

Chat Noir was supposed to be patrolling. His Lady had told him that that was what she needed him to do that night… but he couldn't get those glorious blue eyes out of his head, and the softness of her voice when she told him how hard it would be for them to be friends. It crushed him; this girl that he tried so hard to be friends with basically rejected him. He jumped down from the rooftop, and swung himself onto the terrace. This terrace led to Marinette's bedroom. He landed with a thud, and leaned against the railing. Now he would wait.

Marinette rushed out onto the balcony, eyes wide and carrying a… stick. Was she going to use that to defend herself? Chat let out a chuckle. Marinette relaxed a bit when she saw him, letting the stick fall to the ground. It was for the best; he wasn't too sure how well she could protect herself against anyone malevolent with a stick.

"Silly kitty, you gave me a heart attack," she frowned, placing her hand on her hip. This is the Ladybug he knew.

"How pawful!" He chuckled. "I'm sorry, princess."

"What're you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be patrolling?" She paused. "Or something…?"

Nice save, Ladybug. "I'm patrolling, but I thought I'd stop by and have a… Chat."

She rolled her eyes. "Chat Noir, your jokes are just too much."

"Hey, my puns are carefully thought out and executed with pawfect timing."

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Why are you here, exactly?"

"My princess, I couldn't stop thinking about you." Chat smirked.

"Why?" Her eyes widened, a large blush spreading across her face.

"Because you seem to understand me… I mean… I'm in love with Ladybug, and she'll never see me for who I truly am… I sense that you feel that way about someone too…" He was hopeful. Maybe he would be right…

Her face fell. "I messed up with him. I just… I wish that I could tell him how I feel… but every time I talk to him I just seem to mess everything up…"

"Maybe he likes you back, and you don't know because you haven't told him?" Chat suggested, sauntering over to her. "It's better than openly knowing that the person you love has feelings for someone else, and you have to hear about how great they are day after day. It's better than being their best friend and knowing that that's all you'll ever be to that person. You have a chance, Marinette. You haven't messed anything up. You just need to take your chance…"

"How can I take my chance when I can barely talk to the guy? He's so cool, and nice… I just… I've liked him all year, and he only notices me because we have mutual friends and I don't know… He's so great, but I hurt his feelings today. I didn't mean to… it just happened." She vented. "He's never going to see me the way that I want him to see me. I'm always going to just be shy, awkward Marinette."

"That's not all that you are. You're so much more than that, Marinette. You're a great girl. You're beautiful, smart… Anybody would be lucky to be with you. Whoever this guy is… doesn't know what he's missing out on."

"And Ladybug obviously doesn't know who she's missing out on…" She said, eyebrows furrowing slightly. She does a good job of hiding the fact that she's Ladybug…

"Can I come visit you tomorrow? I have something for you… and I should get back to patrolling so that Ladybug won't be upset with me."

"Sure," she nodded, leaning in and placing a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Goodnight, princess…" He reached for her hand and squeezed it.

I would like to thank everyone for even reading this story. I have so much planned, I just have to set everything in motion. Please favorite and read a review, your support and commentary mean a lot to me. You can find me on tumblr under the same username that I write under. (immaculatemoonlight)