In which Adrien realizes that keeping the charade up for so long purrhaps wasn't such a good idea.

"Kitty."

Adrien raised a looming paw.

"Kitty no."

The tension was palpable as Adrien's eyes remained locked with Marinette's, both refusing to avert their gaze and back down. She was the first to give, her hard stare flickering uncertainly in the hope of mercy, but it was all for naught. In one firm motion, he swatted his paw in a large and powerful sweep, promptly sending the blue ball of yarn flying across the room.

Marinette slumped and flung her arms in the air, throwing what little she had completed of the mittens down. "That's the fifth time already!" She groaned loudly, shooting him a nasty glare. Adrien turned away. He stubbornly refused to acknowledge her less he start regretting his petty actions, the inevitable guilt fighting to come out. Yet, he only squashed it down and continued to pout as she pushed back her chair in defeat to once again retrieve her ball of yarn.

He'd been delighted to find Marinette in her room that late morning when he'd come scratching at her window. It had been so early that she hadn't even left it open for him. When he peered inside he was pleasantly surprised to find her already bent over her work as she knit his gift, hands skillfully twisting and pulling on yarn. Adrien had leapt back with a yelp when Tikki suddenly flew up into his face, giggling, as she was the first to notice him. Plagg had had to press himself flat against his back so she wouldn't see him while she unlocked the hatch.

After that mini-heart attack, Adrien figured some of her luck must've been rubbing off on him because she didn't even bat an eye or give any hint that she suspected anything wrong and merely floated back down to Marinette, allowing Adrien to sneak down in a way that kept Plagg hidden out of sight until he made it to the box. As before, Plagg didn't say a word though he could feel his kwami shaking against him all the while with stifled laughter. At least Plagg seemed entertained by all this, Adrien thought dryly. It was out of the ordinary that he was humoring him so much, but he wasn't about to make a comment about it. If he hadn't been getting his own little kick out of this, there was no way Plagg would be so indulging.

It had been a slight gamble to come this early because it was the weekend and he hadn't known for sure what she'd be doing but if the way she was hunched over her work was any indication, she didn't seem to be planning to go anywhere. His heart had swelled happily. Like this, he could spend the whole day with her.

At least that's what he'd initially thought. He'd spent a good fifteen minutes sitting patiently in front of her, unable to control his tail which flickered back and forth in eager anticipation of her petting, but when she continued to focus on her project, only glancing up briefly every once in a while to check her design, it quickly became apparent that her focus was entirely on making the gloves. And since her focus was on the gloves, that meant one crucial thing as far as he was concerned. That it wasn't on him.

It had been like that for hours now and he couldn't take it anymore! Feeling dejected at first, he'd half-heartedly allowed Tikki to entertain him with some of his-no, the toys, which distracted him for a while (he swore that it was only to humor her, only that! ) but eventually the novelty had worn off and he was aching for pets.

Obviously, if he was in his right mind and not feeling just a little attention starved, he'd realize what exactly he was doing, but desperate times called for desperate measures. He had tried begging for attention in all ways civilly possible like meowing insistently at her to look at him, pawing her leg to the point where he was clinging so hard she had to shake him off, and then even going so far as to sit straight in her lap so she would at least look at him. But she was adamant about her work and expertly ignored him, barely reacting except for the occasional pat which were half-hearted at best.

Planting himself face down while mewing incoherently, Adrien was momentarily staggered as he was struck with just how well this situation could fit Chat Noir and Ladybug. It was laughable. Though at the same time not, he thought and looked up to stare at her with slit eyes.

If anything, it was something he had learned about her: when Marinette committed, she became absorbed. The fact that it came at his expense to the point where he felt invisible just wouldn't do though.

By that point he was so deprived of her affection that he may or may not have finally snapped and "accidentally" knocked all the supplies off her desk with his tail. She'd just chuckled with a small sigh and shake of her head, but when she had been forced to put down her supplies and finally pet him properly it was almost pitiful how quickly he melted in bliss.

Heaven...the stray thought floated up against his will and he'd flushed hotly except for moments later when she promptly drew away and returned to her task. Adrien blinked at her, mouth agape, as the pleasurable tingling that had barely had time to settle vanished immediately and was replaced with a very unsatisfied itch.

Alright then. She wanted to play hard to get? Challenge accepted.

Thus he'd made it his mission to continue bugging the hell out of her.

Ha, bugging. He'd have to save that one for later...

"At this rate, I'm not going to be able to finish them by the end of the weekend and then it might not make sense to give it to him anymore." Marinette moped, setting the ball of yarn on her other side in a futile effort to keep it away from. Tikki who had been watching the spectacle from the sidelines only giggled.

"Maybe this is a good time to take a little break? Plus, I'm a little hungry and I think he's bored." Tikki chirped, smiling in amusement. "You should know by now how needy cats are. You've been paying attention to that ball of yarn instead of him this whole time. I bet he's just jealous!"

Needy? Jealous? That was ridiculous! He couldn't be jealous, which he definitely wasn't, as that just didn't make sense since that would mean he was jealous because he wasn't getting attention over... himself. Sort of. Jealous, yeah right. It just wasn't fair was all! He paused, taking a moment to sort it in his head. The bottom line was that he wasn't getting attention because Marinette was so focused on making a gift for him though he was right there.

Okay, maybe he was a little jealous... or a lot.

How the hell had he gotten into this position? He thought sourly, glaring at the ball of yarn vehemently.

"I guess you're right, but let me finish this bit at least." Was what she said, shooting a wary glance in his direction, but as soon as Marinette made a few more stitches he could already tell she was being sucked right back in. If she didn't put it down now, this would keep going on for the rest of the day!

In one final effort to get her to stop, Adrien shoved her notebook right off the edge.

He couldn't suppress the purr of triumph as Marinette, who didn't even bother glaring at him this time, just let out a big sigh of defeat. "OK, ok! Fine. He wins."

Tikki flew over to perch on his head, clicking her tongue even as a tiny grin tugged at her face in amusement. "Can you bring some cookies up Marinette?"

"Sure thing Tikki. I'm sorry for not feeding you. Maybe that's why he's so restless too. You're probably just hungry huh kitty?" When Marinette graced him with the first proper smile she'd given him that day and he was warmed down to his toes, it suddenly hit him all at once how deep he was getting himself.

Too deep, he muttered weakly as he settled down. Damn, he was so, so screwed. In all ways. He just hoped that when she finally found out, she'd grace him with a swift death.

Marinette put down her needles and bent over to grab the fallen book. It had flipped open on its front and Adrien started to feel bad about pushing it over. He knew how much she drew in it and here he was just knocking it down to be annoying. But when she put it back on the desk, he was sucked out of the dreamy spell her smile had casted over him and froze stiff as if he'd been plunged into a bucket of icy water. He stared at the picture it had opened to.

It was a drawing of a scarf. A very familiar looking scarf.

His heart suddenly felt like it was being squeezed with an iron grip.

Unaware, she didn't even pause before flipping the book closed, shutting the picture away, but those few seconds had already done their damage. The image was burned into his mind and he was flooded with confusion. There was no mistake. That had been his scarf. It was identical, even shaded the exact color. The one that his father had supposedly given. But from what he'd just seen...

Adrien concentrated hard, thinking back to that day. Hadn't Marinette tried talking to him? She'd been holding a blue box too, hadn't she... the very same one he'd found his scarf in.

He bolted up as it really sank in, pulling down his happy mood with it. His stomach, which had been fluttering lightly turned into an uncomfortable churning. He needed to get Plagg. It was time to go. All he wanted to do was crawl under his covers and be alone and think.

As this was going on in his head, Adrien wasn't aware of Marinette returning with a plate of goods for him and Tikki which she happily flew down to collect. So he almost scratched her on accident when he found himself being pulled into her lap.

"Hey now." She frowned, petting him gently. He instantly stilled, wide-eyed, and didn't move again.

Several minutes ago this had been the only thing he wanted from her today but now he only felt like he was burning beneath her touch. He could only hope she couldn't feel how hard his heart was beating.

"Hey Tikki, do you think maybe I should try to take Adrien something from the bakery? That'd be a good excuse to go see him, right?" Marinette said out loud.

Adrien and his heart jolted simultaneously. No! That was a terrible idea! He was fully prepared to go ballistic to keep her from trying to leave, but fortunately Tikki saved the situation for him instead.

"Maybe that wouldn't be a good idea Marinette." Tikki said. "What would you say to him? Hey Adrien, blah, uh, ah-" She continued to poorly imitate her stuttering until Marinette poked her gently.

"Hey! I'm not that bad..." Marinette protested but trailed off. She rested her head on her hands, elbows propped on the desk, and sighed. "Okay, maybe you're right, I am that bad. But I just can't help it. I just get all tongue tied, but what's a girl in love supposed to do?"

In love.

The words rattled around Adrien's head like a ping pong ball.

In love.

"What do I do Tikki? If only I could get out a couple of words and talk like a normal person..." Marinette pressed the spacebar on her keyboard, sighing dreamily when her desktop popped up. Then she glared at it.

She hugged him tightly to her chest. "Curse those beautiful eyes and that perfect hair and, and that heart melting smile!" Adrien tried not reacting to that, he really did, but he couldn't help it. She thinks I have beautiful eyes... This was too much for his poor heart. Did she want it to explode? "It's not my fault that he leaves me stuttering like an idiot. Besides, all I really want is to one day maybe be able to be proper friends with him."

A small lump settled in his throat. Did she not think that they were friends? It was almost funny. Until two days ago, he hadn't even realized that they were actually the best of friends, of course as Ladybug and Chat Noir. Everything was so flipped.

"Geez Marinette, you would think that you only like him for his looks!" Tikki joked. Adrien's ears drooped. As much as it hurt, Tikki wasn't breaking new ground. This wouldn't be the first time a person had fawned over him like this. Could it be that this whole 'crush' Marinette had on him was really just based on the fact that he was a model?

He had hoped so badly...

"You know that's not true Tikki!" He felt Marinette's grip tighten around him, an earnest look shining in her eyes. She actually seemed slightly offended. "I just... he's so sweet and kind. But I feel like there's something about him that's... a little lonely too. I don't know him that well, I admit, but I want to get to know him more. I want to be someone who can be there for him. Someone that he can rely on and trust."

A pink blush dusted her cheeks. "Like with his scarf. Of course I wanted him to know I had made it for him, but it made him so happy when he thought it was from his dad. I was sad, but I'd do anything if I could create that feeling for him again. Knowing that it was my gift that had made him smile like that... well, it made me happy too and for the moment, it's enough. And maybe one day... I'll be able to make him smile like that on my own. That's the dream anyway."

Tikki rested a gentle paw on her cheek. "Oh Marinette. Don't worry, he'll see who you really are one day. You're Ladybug! You can do anything you set your mind to!"

Marinette wilted, absently carding her fingers through his fur. "Sometimes I don't feel like Ladybug. When I'm her, I feel like I can be brave and do anything, but then when I'm not it's like reality comes back and I remember who I really am. Marinette, the clumsy awkward girl. " She paused. "Tikki, I love being Ladybug. I really do. But being her... it's never been about the person behind the mask. It's about the mask itself. She's always been a symbol: one of hope and peace, a pillar of strength for people. Ladybug is all that, and I'm proud and honored to be able to play that role but peel back all the glory and there's only... me."

"Marinette..." Tikki's big eyes gazed sadly at her charge.

Adrien had remained quiet in her arms, but he rubbed his head gently against her stomach as he was unable to offer anything else. Because everything she was saying wasn't true at all.

Marinette shook her head. "Sorry, I didn't mean to get so down. You know I've just been worried with everything going on."

"I know. But you know none of that's true Marinette." Tikki said and spread her arms to cup her face in a tiny hug.

"Thanks Tikki." She leaned over to give the little kwami a peck on her head. Marinette took a deep breath, then smiled down at Adrien in her arms. "Don't think I've forgotten about you either, little man."

She kissed him gently on the nose.

Adrien's heart stopped, but Marinette just looked up as if she hadn't just made him explode inside. "Alright, I should get back to work now. These aren't going to knit themselves you know. It'd be good to get more done before we go out again too."

"You just have to remember to sign your name this time." Tikki said lightly, plopping again onto his head, but there was an uneasiness to her voice that only Adrien caught. But she didn't say anything more.

He didn't interrupt her much after that, choosing to quietly watch her while snuggling with Tikki who patted him in Marinette's absence instead. He stayed right up to the point where Ladybug leapt out the window thought it wasn't even quite dark yet. She had been anxious to go as soon as possible.

Plagg floated out of the box once she was gone. He was surprisingly quiet instead of complaining like Adrien had been expecting him too. Mostly lost in thought, they went home in an uncommon silence. Plagg didn't even berate him that harshly about his cheese, even going so far as to say please when he asked for some.

They were already tucked in for the night when Adrien finally spoke. Hey Plagg... how much did you listen today?

Plagg who had already been comfortably curled beside Adrien glanced over at him. "I heard some things. I mostly took naps."

Hmm. Adrien hummed thoughtfully until he finally blurted out his thoughts.

Plagg, do you have someone you love?

His kwami raised an eyebrow, whisker twitching. "What?"

Adrien felt the tips of his ears grow a little warm, but he went on. I mean, is there anyone special to you? You can't always have been alone. Being Chat Noir seems like a full time job... doesn't it get a little lonely?

"Are you kidding? I don't have time to get lonely when I'm looking after boneheads like you."

Adrien frowned. I'm being serious here. With a dejected sigh, he flopped around. Never mind. I guess your head really is filled with nothing but cheese.

Plagg sighed with a roll of his eyes. "Look, I love cheese, but I'm not heartless." He finally conceded. "I do. Have someone, that is."

Adrien was wide awake now. Really? It would be another kwami right? His eyes widened as something occurred to him, thinking of the only other kwami he knew. Wait, is it Tikki? Are you two together?

Plagg smirked, crossing his arms thoughtfully. "What's with humans and always having to know everything? Look, Tikki and I... we're beyond any of those labels of yours."

What do you mean? Adrien proceeded cautiously. He'd never asked Plagg about his life, never wanting to intrude or pry because every time he would usually just evade his questions and chatter away about cheese instead, but he couldn't quell his curiosity now that Plagg was actually sharing. I'm sorry Plagg. I didn't realize... and I've been asking you to hide yourself from her. You should've told me sooner. Don't you miss her?

"Of course I miss her." Plagg said quietly. "But Tikki and I, we're halves of a whole. Though we may not see each other directly all the time, even for decades or longer sometimes, we always find each other. So really, it's like I'm with her all the time." A tiny, rare smile crossed his face. "We'll always be together... as long as there is Chat Noir and Ladybug."

I never realized you were such a romantic Plagg. Adrien chuckled though he was touched by the admission.

"Psh. Besides, it's not like it'll be much longer till I properly see her anyways." Plagg cackled, promptly shutting him up

The next morning, Adrien was drawn out of sleep by the smell of freshly baked bread. He wasn't surprised when he realized that Plagg was the source as he happily indulged himself with a cheese danish. But when he recognized the unmistakable TS bakery logo on the bag set beside him, Adrien darted up to grab it.

There was a little pink sticky note stuck to the front and he noted with a chuckle that it hadn't been signed, but this time it didn't need to be. His eyes darted over the tiny message once, twice, and once again, his heart aflutter. All it said was that she'd made him some pastries and that she hoped to see him back at school and healthy on Monday (despite the fact that she would actually be seeing him again in a bit) but it was enough to make his morning. She'd actually gone through the trouble after all, for him...

He set the bag down and moved over to his dresser, pulling out his scarf. He held it gently, curling his fingers into the fabric. Quietly, he pulled it against his face.

She was wrong.

Ladybug may have been a symbol, but there was more to it. It did matter who was behind the mask; if anything, Ladybug wouldn't- no, couldn't be who she was supposed to be if it weren't for Marinette. Beautiful, wonderful, clumsy, strong Marinette.

That, Adrien was sure of.

Ghosting his scarf over his mouth, his face grew warm as he remembered the feel of her lips pressing gently against his face. She was more amazing that she'd ever know.

~.~.~.~.~

Plagg sighed beneath him. "Ok Adrien, don't you think this is getting a little out of hand? We've moved up to visiting twice a days now? You're being creepy."

Adrien scampered through the dark streets towards the bakery, attempting to sound casual. I'm not being creepy! Marinette seemed really tired and out of it today. I just want to make sure that she's alright, that's all. He was worried about her. She had been out of it all day, stifling yawns and unable to keep a frown from her face. She'd spent her time working tensely on the gloves before finally shoving them down, announcing her restlessness. Right after, she'd promptly transformed and left.

It had been early enough for him to actually leave and justify returning. At this time, it was a little early for Ladybug to be finished with her patrol, but since she had left earlier than normal he hoped that she would be back soon. And when she returned, he'd be there to greet her.

But as he rounded the corner onto the quiet street of the bakery, a flash of red slipped through the darkness and caught his eye. She sailed down so smoothly that he might've missed her if he hadn't known where she was going. She landed on her balcony and vanished, having must have gone inside.

My Lady! He chirped excitedly, ignoring Plagg's groaning. He skillfully scaled the wall, something he'd gotten quite good at within the past few days, and had reached her balcony within ten minutes just as her light blinked out but when he approached he realized that her window was still open. He frowned.

Curious and a little uneasy, he crept towards the window and peeked inside. Though it was dim, he easily made out the figure of Ladybug curled up on her bed. But more than that, he could see her shoulders shaking and hear the sound of sniffling filling the quiet.

Something was definitely wrong. He leapt down beside her without thinking, oblivious to Plagg who tried pulling him back by his tail, just as her transformation dissolved around her. Tikki burst from her earrings with a pop and her eyes were big and sad. She floated over to curl against Marinette's cheek. As Adrien approached, his bell jingled around his neck alerting them to his presence.

The two turned to face him and his breath caught as her eyes glistened back at him, lashes damp with tears. With the palm of her hand she wiped them and forced out a breathless chuckle. "Hey kitty, what are you still doing here? Sorry, you haven't caught me at my best moment."

Princess...The watery smile she sent him tore his heart to pieces but she couldn't hold it as several more tears slipped down her cheek. He meowed in concern, slowly approaching to settle beside her face, desperate to know what was wrong.

Tikki patted her affectionately. "It's okay Marinette. I'm sure he's okay..." Tikki said quietly but she could no longer keep her own worry completely out of her voice. "Until we hear from him, we... we can't assume anything. You can't keep pushing yourself like you've been doing the last couple of days. You're exhausted Marinette, you need to relax-"

Marinette shook her head, trembling. "I can't. I just..." She took a shaky breath as Adrien suddenly understood. "I should've known something was wrong the first night he didn't show up. Chat would never just leave, especially without telling me. And now he's missing and it's strange that the akuma has been keeping such a low profile. It can't be a coincidence. What if he did do something reckless? What if he's hurt somewhere? What if... and I've just been sitting here." She buried her face in her hands. "I feel so helpless."

Adrien's blood had gone chilly, horror dropping like a stone in his stomach.

"No." Tikki tried saying firmly. "You haven't just been sitting here and you know it. Something would've happened by now if he'd been taken. I'm sure of it." So she said, but Adrien could see her expression in the dark.

What have I done?

He'd been so caught up in his eagerness to spend time with Marinette that he had never even considered his lady's feelings at all. He'd been so selfish and dumb.

He had never intended to hurt her like this, but never did he think that she'd react like she was either. If anything, he'd have thought that his absence might be a small relief for her since he always seemed to be on the brink of her nerves. But he thought of her smiling at him, at Chat Noir, and now he felt completely ashamed. Of course she would be worried about him. They were a duo, partners... and beyond his flirting and unrequited feelings, there always was their bond with each other regardless and he was an idiot for thinking that she wouldn't care. He knew that if she ever vanished without a word he wouldn't rest until he found her either.

Uncertainly he scooted closer to her and gently nuzzled her face. She blinked up at him in surprise, a stray tear falling from her eyelashes but she lifted a hand to pet him and he purred loudly to try and comfort her.

Suddenly, she reached to cup him close to her and pulled him to her chest, curling against him. In her arms, he flushed; he could feel the beating of her heart. He tried looking up to see her face but stopped when she felt her grip tighten as she buried her face into his fur. Cool drops made it damp.

"That stupid cat. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Where are you Chat?" She whispered against his head. Adrien could only close his eyes, meowing softly, and only curled closer to her.

He knew he couldn't stay like this, but he couldn't bring himself to leave her arms, even when he finally felt her relax her grip around him and her breathing slowed. He'd leave in just a little, he told himself, he just wanted to be here a little longer. Just a little longer...

Tomorrow. I'll tell her tomorrow for sure. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me Princess...were his last thoughts before nodding off, wrapped in his lady's warm embrace.

Woops, there's the angst. It practically put itself in there, I'm sorry!