Marinette was more than a little aware that her crush was pretty sad and pathetic. For months, she'd tried desperately to get better around the school darling, Adrien Agreste. And always, her stupid mouth and her panicked thoughts completely self-sabotaged her. Worse, of course, Adrien noticed. How could he not? She didn't even want to think of what he must think of her - the awkward, clutzy girl who always got so painfully tongue-tied around him. It only made her insecurities worse, her anxiety tying her up into knots even more around him.

Adrien though, sweet soul that he was, was so patient with her. He never made fun, always choosing instead to be warm and friendly with her, even if he was a little distant. Still, they were bridging the gap, ever slowly. First when he came to help with her uncle, then more so when he came over to game at her house. The blond was so kind, it couldn't help but make her heart melt every time she thought of him.

Still, she was getting kind of impatient.

"Marinette, you're psyching yourself up too much about this!" Tikki chided from on top of her desk as the designer sat cross-legged on the floor, trying to hone in on her more confident Ladybug self. "You're just making it worse, you know."

"Tikki, hush! I'm trying to concentrate," Marinette said, keeping her eyes closed as she tried to imagine her confidence as some kind of red magatama.

The little kwami sighed, before zipping over in front of her charge's nose. "Marinette, have you considered maybe not trying so hard?" she said, cocking her head as she looked her chosen over. "You're a wonderful person. Adrien will be sure to figure that out on his own, if you give him the chance."

Marinette cracked open an eye. "Tikki, that's not going to happen unless I can talk to him in full coherent sentences. I have to be better than this."

"I'm just saying..." Tikki started, before she gave it up. "Alright, alright, whatever you think is best. I'll encourage you as best as I can."

At this, the designer smiled warmly. "I know Tikki, you always do. Now, help me focus."

~o~

The next morning, Marinette was psyched and ready to speak to Adrien like a normal human being. She had slept well, gotten up early, eaten breakfast, brushed her teeth, put on her lucky socks. Everything to give her the fullest advantage. Even Alya noticed as the pair of them met up at their favorite bench at school. "Wow, Mari, you look great today!"

"Thanks," she smiled, her cheeks warm with a happy glow. "Today's the day, Alya. I can feel it. I'm going to have an honest to god, unsolicited conversation with Adrien. With minimal stuttering."

"Ooh, this should be exciting," Alya said encouragingly. "...But we've got like a half hour to class. Maybe try not to psych yourself out about it too much." It was almost exactly the same advice that Tikki had given her last night. Apparently, she had a bad case of getting too much into her own head. "Oh, I know! You've got some new designs for your site, right? You want to show the girls? That's plenty distracting."

"I... Oh fine," Marinette deflated, knowing she simply wasn't getting out of it. She'd built up such a good momentum too! Still, it was nice to hang with the girls for a bit before class, making her forget all about her impending date with destiny. Her gang kept her so sufficiently distracted that school bell rang before she even realized it.

Once she did, her stomach dropped and she felt herself go just a little clammy.

No. No, no, no, she wasn't going to do this again. Confidence. Be confident. Closing her eyes, she chanted the mantra as she rubbed against her temples, trying to concentrate. It did not help that Alya laughed aloud at her. "Mari, stop that!" she giggled, taking her hands away from her temple, instead tugging her up the stairs. "You don't need to go into zen mode. Last thing you need to be is a monk."

Despite herself, Marinette couldn't help but laugh. "How do you know? What if monks are Adrien's type?"

This set Alya into a fit of giggles. "Oh, that's attractive! You'd look amazing with a shaved head!"

They were still giggling as they entered the classroom, which was slowly filling up with their classmates. Once again, Marinette's stomach bottomed out when she saw Adrien already waiting in the front row. He didn't look quite like himself, maybe a little frayed. Nonetheless, he was still gorgeous.

"Morning guys!" Alya greeted on their behalf, since it was pretty much second nature now. Just as well, since Marinette had basically swallowed her tongue. She'd get it back out, it was just going to take all of first period. So, she settled on a weak smile and a wave.

But then Adrien opened his mouth.

And it wasn't his voice.

"Morning Alya," he greeted smoothly, before his emerald eyes settled on her. There was a mischievousness to them, one that was all too familiar. He grinned at her, giving her a wink as he said, "Morning Princess."

Marinette stared at him, frozen as if struck by lightning. She knew that look. She knew that voice. That specific cadence and intonation. The slight purr and drawl. The context. It was subtle, but she recognized it instantly.

Chat?

Realizing that he was expecting some kind of reply, she said slowly, "...Good morning, Adrien."

The blond beamed back at her in response, before turning his attention to his bag. Dumbfounded, there was little that Marinette could do but to go to her own seat. Beside her, Alya grabbed her by the arm and whispered excitedly, "Princess? Did you hear what he called you?"

Oh, right. He had called her that. Somehow, that hadn't even registered until now. She was still in shock that somehow, someway, Chat Noir had inserted himself into her classroom. As... as Adrien, no less. What the hell did this mean?

Marinette was tempted to try to dismiss it as her imagination. However, Chat simply wasn't giving her the opportunity to do so. Every opportunity he could, he kept dropping hints and puns, teasing her and paying her special attention. (For reasons that she could easily hazard a guess.) Well, he definitely got her attention, along with just about everyone else in the classroom. It was kind of a relief that she wasn't the only one to notice that he was off.

Lunch was the real kicker. As soon as the bell sounded, Chat Noir was on her like flies on honey, leaning languidly over the edge of her desk as he looked up at her with a bright smile. "Say Marinette," he said in that unmistakable voice of his, "you feeling peckish? I'd love to butter you up over lunch."

Food puns now, was it? And the obvious intent to get her alone. Still, two could play at this game. "...Are you asking me out on a date?" she asked, both eyebrows raising.

That gave Chat pause (ha!), but he recovered himself quickly enough to lay another pun straight back at her. "I'm sure I could orange something," he replied with a smug grin.

Marinette almost snorted. "That's really verging on corny now."

"All in a day's wok." She could almost hear the Milady in the silence that followed. However, she did hear the hushed gossip of her classmates as they watched the pun battle with rapt attention. Most of all from Alya and Nino, who were gaping at them like landed fish. Chat was doing an absolutely terrible job at staying on the down-low. She probably should oblige him with some privacy and figure out what the hell was going on.

"Very well, I suppose I can cater to your whim this time," she said, ever so indulgent as she stepped down to his level and held out an arm.

Chat took it instantly. Unable to give her the last word, he said, "Ah thank you, Princess. I'll make sure to relish your company." That final pun dropped, he eagerly stole her away from school and away from the sudden chorus of chaos that erupted distantly from their classmates. It was going to be an interesting scene they came back to, that was for sure.

However, the blond looked far more interested in getting her on her own. Stealing her away to the park next to her house, his eyes lit up with he saw the small stall of croquettes being sold by the entrance. "You want some?" he asked, pointing them out.

"Um... sure," Marinette said, "Hey wait!" Too late. He'd already whipped out his wallet and was paying for both of them. "Ah, well, thanks," she said awkwardly, trying to figure out where on earth the money came from.

"No problem, Princess. My treat," Chat smiled, before settling down on a bench to snack on his bounty. He looked so very pleased with himself, like a cat that had swallowed a canary. It was surreal seeing him in- in Adrien's form. For her part, Marinette was having trouble with her appetite as she stared at her croquette. She couldn't eat. Not until she finally got her suspicions out of the way.

"You're Chat Noir, aren't you?"

Chat's strangled choking noise was answer enough. Marinette had to slap him hard on the back several times, just to help him breathe again. Once he recovered, he looked up to Marinette with teary eyes, his voice rasp as he tried to breathe. "What- how- How did you figure that out?!"

He said that like it was even remotely difficult. She knew her kitty entirely too well.

"I have my ways," she replied enigmatically, before getting to the other important matter. Her own identity. "Do you know who I am?" She had to ask. She couldn't think of any other reason why Chat Noir would target her like this. Especially if he needed help.

It was a little surprising that Chat seemed utterly clueless. "Y-you're Marinette," he answered, swallowing hard, "Marinette Dupain-Cheng. ...Right?" he added, more than a little uncertain. Even so, Marinette felt as though she could breathe just a little bit. Right, so this was just a massive coincidence then. Just her luck. Well, at least she'd still be able to help. And where was Adrien, if Chat was here?

"What are you doing in Adrien's body?" she asked of the boy, who'd gone white as a sheet. He looked up at her in startlement, his jaw briefly going slack, as he struggled to think of what to say.

"I... uh... akuma?" he replied, giving her a helpless shrug. It irritated her just a little bit. Yeah, she could guess that much. There were all kinds of powers that could have made this mess. Copy Cat, Evillustrator, Reflekta even. She needed specifics!

"Well, where's Adrien then?" she demanded, while Chat only gaped uselessly at her. To be fair, he was probably still getting over the shock of being found out. Problem was, they didn't have time for that. "Is he in your body? Is he safe?"

"Perfectly!" the blond cried urgently, giving her the first bit of good news she'd heard this past half hour. "He's completely, totally safe, I promise," Chat assured her, his hands waving to dissipate her concern. It wouldn't be so easy, but at least he was trying. Especially, when he added, "But uh, I can't tell you where he is, obviously. Y'know, the whole secret identity thing, no?"

Not for the first time, Marinette grew irritated at that rule. Sure, she strictly enforced it, per Tikki's instruction. However, she did not care for that fact that it was obstructing her from making sure that Adrien was actually okay. "Are you sure?" she asked, demanding accountability. This wasn't a matter of out of sight out of mind, after all.

"I'm sure!" Chat Noir cried, sweating just a bit under the intensity of her gaze. "He's having the time of his life, not having to do all that modeling and lessons and everything. Just being a normal teenager."

...Well, it at least sounded like Chat had actually spoken to Adrien, instead of just leaving him out in the cold. Marinette didn't like it, but if Chat really did have the situation under control, she was just going to have to let it be and trust him. "Alright fine," she relented, leaning back against the park bench to take her first bites of her croquette. "Tell me about the akuma then. We need to get you back to your own bodies."

This was really not the way that she wanted to channel Ladybug today. Sigh. Duty calls.

"I... don't remember," Chat replied, visibly cringing at his own lame response. "I was just minding my own business and then bam, suddenly I'm Adrien Agreste. And he's in my body. So... yeah. B-but I'm sure it's just a completely temporary thing!" he added quickly. "In fact, I'm sure that by tomorrow morning everything will be back to normal, so there's really nothing that you need to worry about."

...Yeah, that sounded just a little too good to be true. It was probably just another brave and chivalrous attempt to reassure a civilian. Marinette knew better though. He had to be scared. Both of them had to be. It wasn't even like Ladybug could show up to assist, not without compromising her own identity. Plain old Marinette was just going to have to do.

"Well, I hope so," she said, although she wasn't able to hide the skepticism from her voice, "But just in case, I'll need to stick close to you to make sure that no one else realizes who you are. We can't have anyone figuring out you're not Adrien."

Chat went still again, his borrowed eyes widening in surprise. As if he was completely blown away by her offer of aid. Although, he must know, on some level that she would. Why else would he have paid her so much attention. Silly kitty. Like I would leave you alone, Marinette smiled to herself. Just like with Evillustrator, no?

"...Good idea," he said after finally finding his voice. Then he brightened. "In fact, maybe you should change seats with Nino. Keep me in line and all that."

Oh boy. Marinette was going to have teach Chat Noir about Adrien 101. (It was only so lucky that he came to the right stalker- uh, girl.) Shaking her said, she said, "No, that's just suspicious. Adrien loves Nino. He wouldn't have him trade places with some random girl. We can say that I'm doing a project with your- I mean, Adrien's father, and I have to shadow you. We need to keep our eyes peeled for that akuma too. I'm sure you and Adrien aren't the only victims to it."

The designer had a sneaking suspicion that Chat Noir was not taking her seriously, when a sly smile spread across his lips. "You going to come home with me too?" he asked, his voice dripping with innuendo.

"Pff, as if," Marinette scoffed reflexively. Then she wondered, was this another brave face? So she dialed that back just a little, just in case Chat really was unnerved by that huge, haunting mansion. Slightly apologetic, she said, "I honestly don't know much about Adrien's home life. But from what I know, he's pretty isolated. I don't think you'll get into much trouble there."

The boy's smile dropped. So very suddenly, he didn't look like Chat anymore, but Adrien. Like the lonely and vulnerable boy behind the model, the one who was still so kind despite everything. He was gone in a flash though, covered up by Chat Noir's swagger. It was an unsettling reminder of just who was at stake. Of who was now missing. "You're pretty observant," Chat remarked.

"So I've been told," the designer responded with a mirthless laugh. Dusting the crumbs off her pants, she stood up from the park bench. "Anyway, shall we head back? Lunch is almost over."

"Well, I would be honored to escort you back, Princess," Chat replied, giving her a low bow before taking her arm again. "Might I say that you were a lovely lunch date."

Despite herself, Marinette giggled. "Well, thanks, Chat. You weren't too bad yourself."

As expected when they returned, the whole class was in a state of upheaval. "Marinette! Marinette, did you two go out on a date?!" Rose squealed, pouncing on them almost immediately when they came into the room. Accompanied by other giggles and questions, "Where did you go?" "What did you do!"

Marinette went bright red, her eyes flicking over to Chat beside her. Fortunately, his attention was otherwise occupied when Nino dragged him off to an isolated corner of the classroom. Good. Last thing she needed was Chat teasing her about how they were going steady.

She was, however, unable to escape Alya's journalistic instincts. "Girls, hush!" her bestie cried, holding out her hands like a conductor. Then she coughed lightly and gestured for Marinette to follow her. "Ms. Dupain-Cheng, this way please. I have some questions for you."

...Oh boy.

~o~

By some minor miracle, Marinette made it through Alya's interrogation and the rest of the school day in relatively one piece. Although she was subject to sly looks and snickers throughout the rest of the day. She could only sigh and take it. Once Adrien got back to himself, everything was going to go back to normal. ...She hoped.

However, a more important duty called. Making sure that Chat Noir didn't give himself away. He did not need to know that she had Adrien's schedule memorized by heart, so she tagged along as Adrien's chauffeur did most of the work. First up was fencing. ...Chat could fence, right? she wondered. Didn't he while they were fighting Knightblade?

Turned out that Chat Noir could more than fence. He was a complete showboat at it. "Princess, would you do me the great honor of bestowing me a favor before my joust?" he asked, giving her a teasing smile and a wink as she sat on the sidelines.

Ugh, this ham. Even so, Marinette couldn't help blushing a little. "You're not jousting, just go," she said, pushing him off towards his opponent. He only laughed, tipping his helmet off to her before he began his practice match. It was a good thing they were only practicing, since Chat Noir nearly gave up form for flair. He was much more interested in entertaining her and getting her attention than focusing on his match. It was exasperating. ...But also a little sweet.

Mr. Argencourt was having none of it though. "Mr. Agreste!" he scowled at who was supposed to be his star pupil. "If you cannot concentrate, I will have to remove the source of your distraction from the school!" he said with a rather significant look in Marinette's direction.

Chat was much better behaved after that.

Although at the photoshoot that followed after, the cat went straight back to being distracted again. In any other circumstance, Marinette would have savored the experience of being on a real photoshoot. Right now though, her stomach did vaults and somersaults, as she looked on Chat- Adrien being prepped.

He'll be fine. Chat takes direction well. He's in Adrien's gorgeous body. Nobody will notice a thing. So what if he probably never set foot in a studio before. Oh God, this is going to end horribly.

Chat, for his part, looked like he didn't have a care in the world. It was so irritating. It was like she had worry double to make up for him. However, it turned out her fears were mostly unfounded, as soon as he stepped in front of the camera. Then Adrien's naturally photogenic face took over, as did Chat's dubiously charming personality.

...Right, she should have remembered. Showboat. The only problem was that he kept getting distracted and looking in her direction. Like he needed some kind of affirmation that she was still there or something. It vexed his photographer greatly and it didn't take him long to pinpoint the source of the problem. Instead of shooing her off the set though, the Italian took her by both of her arms and planted her on a specific spot just off camera. "Bene, ragazza. You just stay here okay? You are a bowl of spaghetti."

"...Um, what?" Marinette asked, completely mystified.

"Think spaghetti!" And on that confusing note, the photographer went straight back at it, pausing only to shuffle Marinette around the set like a little chess piece. Whatever was going on seemed to be working, seeing as they made it off the set right on time.

After all of that managing and worrying, Marinette was mentally exhausted. She just about oozed in the back of Adrien's limo, wishing she could go home and take a nap.

Naturally, Chat Noir clearly had other ideas.

"Please, please, please come home with me," he begged childishly, leaning into her personal space. "Just for a little bit? My room is so, sooo big and lonely."

Damn that face. Damn those big green eyes. It was hard to be unaffected by it, even knowing just who was behind that handsome mask. She wasn't shallow. She wasn't. But guh. Hormones. Marinette lightly pushed Chat away, trying to get some breathing room. 'Ch- Adrien, no. I told you already, you'll be fine."

"But there's a foosball table! You can't play foosball by yourself," Chat protested. He leaned in again, his green eyes only growing bigger and more entreating. "Pwincess, pwetty pwease~?"

It was a critical hit, socking the wind right out of her. (It's super effective!) "W-will you stop looking at me like that?!" she snapped, squirming under Chat's sweet and potent look. "Ugh, this is so not fair. Stop using that face against me," she muttered under her breath.

The blond blinked. Then his expression turned positively devilish, negating and compounding on the sweet doe eyed look earlier as his lips pulled into a wicked smile. "Oh~? So you think I'm handsome, do you?" he purred, his voice like velvet and dark chocolate.

Damn it, he wasn't supposed to hear that!

"So does most of Paris! I'm not blind, you know," she huffed, folding her arms over her chest. However, that evil smile of his only grew. Marinette could scarcely breathe. Her whole body went flush with heat as she squirmed in discomfort. That face. That voice. It was the worst combination that she could possibly imagine. It was positively lethal. She wasn't sure how much longer she could resist-

Then, suddenly, Chat pulled back, giving her a reprieve from her suffocation. "A-actually, you know what? You're right. I think I'll be fine," the blond said, rather quickly. He tapped his bodyguard on the shoulder and said, "Can you drop Marinette off at 12 rue Gotlib, please?"

The designer stared at him, still trying to recover from- from whatever the hell that was. Had he just been toying with her? She didn't want to think of him in such an unflattering light, but she couldn't think of any other explanation. In any case, they were at her house shortly and she was more than ready to take her leave of the devil prince.

"Well," she said awkwardly, trying not to look like she was running from the car, "this has been... interesting. Hope everything goes well for you tomorrow." She highly doubted that the problem would fix itself overnight, but one could dream, right?

"Yes, thank you for accompanying me," Chat Noir replied, all polite charm. The complete opposite of what he had been just a minute before. Then he took her hand and pressed a chase kiss to her knuckles. "Good night, Princess."

Marinette blushed again at the warmth in his voice. "G-good night." Cursing herself for stuttering, she quickly spun on her heel and nearly ran to the safety of her home. She didn't dare look back to see if Chat was shooting her one of those Cheshire smiles at her. Instead, she jogged up to her room and leaned against the wall as she tried to get her heart back under control.

Tikki emerged, giving her chosen a wide, worried look. "M-Marinette, are you alright? You're all red."

"Fine! I'm fine!" the designer wheezed. She took a few calming breaths, trying to meditate just like she had been doing last night. When she was sufficiently back in control, she looked to Tikki. "We should get you some cookies," she said, already thinking of her duty. "Ladybug has an akuma to track down."

~o~

Marinette felt like a zombie the next morning. She'd spent the entirety of last night trying to track down the akuma that had afflicted Chat and Adrien. By herself. It was fine, considering Chat's situation. It just meant it took twice as long as she went through all the usual suspects, Chloe Bourgeois, the Mayor, the Police, trying to find signs of the presence of the latest villain. All she got for her troubles were disgruntled but understanding negatives and being screeched at by Chloe for ruining her beauty sleep. When it was clear that just about everyone in Paris was asleep except for her, she spent the rest of the night trawling through the internet for news stories to see if there were odd stories about strange new personalities or body snatching.

What she got was absolutely nothing. Nada. Zip. Rien.

Part of her was suspicious the entire thing had been a dream. Because seriously, Chat in Adrien's body was exactly something her bedraggled mind would cook up. Maybe all of yesterday was some kind of figment of her sleep deprived mind.

"Good morning, Princess."

...Or not.

Marinette stared at the bushy-tailed, bright-eyed blond in the front row of the classroom. Her mind was still in a complete fog and she wondered if she had just imagined him saying that. However, he looked a touch uncomfortable, almost sheepish. Ah, it really was Chat then. No magic switcharoo in the middle of the night.

Suddenly ten times more exhausted, but still trying to be supportive, she gave him a reassuring smile. "Good morning, Adrien," she greeted, before taking to her own seat.

Apparently, this was just much too much for the class queen. "Adrichoue!" she screeched, her voice stabbing into Marinette's tired brain like a hot dagger, "What are you doing, calling her a princess! I should be a princess, not some common peasant!"

Marinette groaned. She was much too tired to deal with this right now. This was one of those battles she was going to have to stomach.

Unexpectedly though, Chat Noir came to her rescue. "Really?" he asked, his borrowed face knitting into a dark frown, "Because you're not acting like one. Aren't princesses supposed to be more gracious and ladylike?"

The designer blinked at this, while a collective Oooooh~ went through the class. Oh no. Strike two on Adrien 101. Adrien never told Chloe off. Well, not really, not like that. Some chiding here and there, but nothing so negative. He especially didn't defend Marinette from her.

...Chat did though. Chat didn't seem to have any problem with it.

An odd flutter swarmed in her stomach, making her cheeks threaten to heat. She did her best to try to squelch it down, but a tiny happy smile spread unbidden over her lips. It stayed there for the rest of the morning.

At lunch, the blond once again punned her into submission, managing to convince to go out on another lunch date. N-not that it was a real date or anything. It's just what one calls lunches. With boys. Handsome, handsome boys. Guh.

She tried to snag the bill this time, but Chat was just too quick for her, looking perfectly smug as he paid for their lunch with someone else's money. She blamed the sleep deprivation. "I don't know how I feel about you using Adrien's money to treat me," she said crossly, giving him as disapproving look as she could manage.

Chat was, as ever, nonchalant. "It's fine. I'll pay him back. Don't worry about it," he replied dismissively. Then, he leaned over their lunch table, his lips spread into a wicked smile. "Now, where did we leave off yesterday? Oh right. How handsome you think I am," he purred.

Marinette reddened. Damn it. She should have known this cat wasn't going to let that go. "You are absolutely incorrigible," she muttered under her breath, taking a very sudden interest in the pizza in front of them.

"I didn't hear a no~" the blond teased, grinning wider and more mischievously.

It was starting to get to be a little too much. "Do I need to put a bell on you?" Marinette demanded sharply, her temper getting the better of her, "You better not be taking advantage of Adrien's body to flirt with everything in sight."

Chat's wicked smile dropped instantly. "Do you really think I'm that bad?" he asked, leaning back against his seat.

The designer struggled briefly, torn between the temper and the truth. Then she released a sigh. "No, of course not," she admitted grudgingly, before unloading what had been bothering her this whole time. "I just... I have no idea why you're flirting with me so much. Besides, anyone would be tempted if they somehow ended up in the body of a supermodel. Heaven knows what I would get up to," she added softly. She knew herself too well, after all.

However, the blond only cocked his head as he looked at her. "But Marinette," he said, catching her eyes to him, "you're already beautiful. You don't have anything to be jealous of."

Marinette was not prepared for the compliment. The words didn't have a single teasing lilt to them. Instead, they were so devastatingly sweet and sincere, interlaced with Chat's warm charm. It caught her completely off-guard, making her just as frazzled and flustered as if Adrien Agreste were down on one knee in front of her. She tried to talk, but only unintelligible squeaking came out, her mind had overheated and was on a mental shut down.

There was really no graceful way to walk out of this one. So, she stuffed her mouth with some pizza and did her best to not impersonate a boiling tomato.

Across the table, Chat Noir's mouth spread into a grin, his eyes dancing with delight and mirth. "What's the matter?" he teased, "Cat got your tongue?"

Ugh, this stupid cat!

After their work was done for the day and they were heading home from Adrien's shoots, Chat tried once again to invite her over to his borrowed home. "There's a rock climbing wall," he said, giving her a winning smile, while Marinette scrolled through some news articles on her phone. "Plus arcade games and just about every movie and tv series that you can imagine. Do you like anime? We could watch anime."

...Was that house seriously that creepy? Why did he keep inviting her over?

"Sorry, I'm busy," she said apologetically, playfully ruffling his hair. Namely with trying to fix this whole situation. Still, she was in a fairly good mood. The shoots were exciting and Chat was... Well, it was hard not to be fond of him. "Why don't you just enjoy it on your own?"

"But the foosball table!" the blond whined. "I can't play foosball by myself!"

"Well, you can't have everything," the designer replied lightly, stepping out of the car in front of the patisserie. She leaned over, giving him a warm smile through the door. "I'll see you later, alright?"

Chat Noir pouted. It was adorable. "Fine," he replied with a resigned sigh, knowing he wasn't going to win this one. Then with gentle ease, he took her hand and pressed a chaste kiss to her knuckles. "Good night, Princess."

Marinette smiled in return, a font of warmth spreading through her as she took in her partner in crime. Her funny, goofy, loyal, brave partner. Who still, despite his dire circumstances, flirted like the devil, acted like a gentleman, and... and defended her honor like a knight. On sheer impulse, she leaned over and pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek. "Good night, sweet prince," she murmured into his ear, making him stiffen beside her.

Before he could react, she tore away, dashing back home and up to her room. Her rapidly beating heart threatened to burst from her chest, her face burning as she put her hands to her cheeks. The room suddenly seemed so unsteady, swaying underneath her.

"Marinette?" She looked up to Tikki's concerned blue eyes.

Coughing lightly, the designer did her best to quell her heart, to get it back under control. "Are you ready to head out, Tikki? Hopefully, we can find that akuma today."

"Marinette, I really think you should sleep," the kwami chided, but she simply wasn't having it.

"Nope, Chat needs our help, Tikki. We can't fail him now," Marinette said, set with the determination to power through yet another all nighter.

"...And Adrien," Tikki reminded her.

The thought stopped Marinette short. A guilty barb went right through her, stabbing her right in the heart. "A-and Adrien. Of course," she agreed hastily. "Anyway, let's go."

~o~

Of course, night two yielded another round of absolutely nothing. Marinette managed to catch a couple zz's before her alarm bell went off, but otherwise, she was subsisting solely on caffeine and adrenaline. ...And perhaps on Chat Noir's addicting energy.

Marinette didn't know if she was just losing her mind due to the sleep deprivation or what, but for some reason she was becoming more and more affected by her charming partner. They spent nearly all day word sparring, trying to make the other blush first. She lost every single damn time, but it was almost worth it to see Chat laughing brightly at her expense. ...Almost. Even so, they only became closer, his teasing and playful banter hooking and reeling her in. Until she almost couldn't imagine what her days would be like without him.

She could admit, maybe only ever to herself, that she liked Chat Noir so much more than she let on. He adored her and she... she did too.

Nonetheless, the doubt began to creep in. Especially in those quiet, calm spots, when she'd look up and suddenly remember she was looking at Adrien's face. Not Chat's. Adrien, who was still gone. Adrien, who still affected her, influenced her. Her blood would turn to ice and she would wonder if her new tender feelings for Chat were even real. Or was it just because he was wearing the face of the boy she adored.

And Adrien. God, poor Adrien. She couldn't even think of him without guilt clamping down as painfully around her chest as a bear trap. She was doing everything she could to try to get him back to where he belonged.

...Wasn't she?

After an entire day of indulging in playing around with Chat and becoming closer to him, Marinette was determined to make night three a success. Third time's the charm wasn't it?

As it turned out, it was three strikes, you're out.

The fourth morning, Marinette was a complete wreck. She stared at her alarm clock as it counted down the seconds to blaring in warning. She felt sick with fatigue, unease and most of all guilt. She didn't understand why she couldn't find this damned akuma! It had never gone on this long before!

You're not trying hard enough, a dark voice whispered at the back of her mind, low and accusing. You don't actually want Adrien back, do you? You just want Chat in his body. Best of both worlds, isn't it?

Marinette rubbed her hands over her face, trying to will the negative thoughts away. "It's not true," she whispered. "It's not true. It's not."

Poor, poor Adrien. All alone wherever he is.

Would it be so bad if he never came back?

Terror swept through her very bones, turning her as cold as ice. If this... if it carried on... There was no guarantee she wouldn't fall victim to an akuma herself.

She had to do something about this. It couldn't go on like this.

That morning, she greeted Chat Noir as she usually did, giving him a smile before turning to her desk. Once his attention was away, her smile dropped, her whole body trembling and uneasy. The sick feeling in the pit of her stomach simply wasn't going away and she felt like she was going to toss her cookies at any second.

Finally, lunch came around and so did her opportunity.

"Chat, want to come over to my place for lunch?"

The blond froze up down the steps of their school, his eyes widening. Then with a small start, he said quickly, "I, uh, y-yes! Sure, that sounds fine." His cheeks were warm though, and his eyes a little too bright and interested. This was only going to make this all the more difficult.

When they were safely stowed away in the warmth and comfort of her kitchen, Marinette heated up the salmon dish that Maman had made for her. The peace offering, however, was the platter of chouquettes that she stole from the patisserie that very morning. Chat's eyes widened with delight, just the way that she knew they would.

"Chouquettes!" he gasped. "These are my favorite! How did you know?"

Marinette gave him a small bittersweet smile. "I have my ways," she replied airily, before waving him to eat. "Now go ahead. We can't have you paying for me all the time." He did so gladly and she enjoyed watching him enjoy it. Even so, her own appetite wasn't returning as she picked at her food.

It didn't take long for Chat to notice. "Is something wrong?" he asked, slowing his own eating.

The designer looked up at him, the guilt like a pool of bile in the pit of her stomach. "I... no, I just..." She worried her lower lip, trying to think best of how to say this without hurting his feelings. Taking a breath, she made her attempt. "I don't want you to get the wrong idea. I really liked spending time with you these past few days, I really did." So much more than he would ever know. That was precisely the problem. "But... I haven't seen any sign of this akuma and... and I just... When do you think Adrien will be back?"

She fiddled anxiously with her fingers, praying that he would understand. He had to see this couldn't work out in the long run, right? This wasn't his life, his body, his friends. He was Chat Noir, he was supposed to help her! Not- not fall in love.

But he only stared at her with Adrien's warm green eyes. Ones that seemed to turn into chips of jade. "What do you mean?" he asked slowly, looking so... so betrayed.

Her throat tightened up, making it so much more difficult to speak. She ducked her head down, trying to will herself not to cry. "It's just- This isn't your body, Chat. Aren't you worried about your own life? Your own family? Don't you miss them? We should be working on putting you back, not just- playing around."

"Playing- Is that all you think this is?" Chat demanded, a sharpness to his tone that made her wince.

"No! No, I just-" She shook her head, trying to figure out the right words, what to say to just make him listen. Was it really going to have to come to this? To show him why she would always doubt herself?

...There really wasn't a way around it, was there?

Resigned to her fate, she said softly, "I need to show you something."

The blond nodded slowly, his expression painted with as much unease as she felt. Every step felt like lead as she led him up to her bedroom, where her guilty secret lay exposed. All over her walls. It took Chat Noir a whole beat to even notice them at first, but then his eyes laser focused on them. Swaying, he took a step back, staring in astonishment at all the faces reflected back at him.

Marinette couldn't even look at him, her gaze on the floor instead as she wrung her hands. "I... I should have said something earlier," she whispered, utterly miserable. "I've had this massive crush on Adrien for the longest time. Then when you came around and just decided to pay special attention to me, I... I'm so sorry." Her voice choked and her eyes glistened before she squeezed them shut. She was failing the battle to stay strong. "I like you, Chat. But Adrien needs to come home."

It seemed an eternity before Chat Noir spoke a word. He simply stood there, eyes wide and incredulous as he took this all in. For her part, it was all that Marinette could do not to break down into tears. She wanted to say something, anything to reassure him. But she failed him, failed them both. There was nothing that she could do to make this better. She needed him to help. Adrien had to come back. It was the right thing to do. And... and Chat Noir had to go back to being the boy she could never know.

After an age, Chat finally whirled on his heel, his expression as dark as night. Without a single word, he stormed from her room, leaving her behind. "Ch- Chat!" she called down the hatch after him, "Chat, come back!" However, the slam of a door was her only answer.

Slowly, Marinette sank down to the ground, her aching misery and sleepless nights finally catching up with her. She hiccuped, tears flowing freely down her cheeks as she curled up against her chaise. Tikki flew out of her hiding spot, abuzz with indignation, but most of all worry. "Oh Marinette," she whispered, rubbing her cheek against her chosen's as she sobbed. "I'm so sorry, Marinette."

~o~

Sabine took one look at her daughter when she returned from the lunch rush, before determining that she was absolutely not fit to return to school. Instead, she was sent straight to bed where she fell instantly into desperately needed sleep.

The next morning, Marinette was much more clear headed, but she still felt anxious and sick as she headed to school the next day. Her mother tried to convince her to stay another day in, but she had to go and see Chat for herself. Maybe talk to him, make him see reason.

Feeling like she might faint at any second, she stood in front of the familiar bowed mop of blond hair. Clutching her books to her, she steeled herself and spoke, "Good morning, Adrien."

The boy in front of her stilled. Then he turned his eyes upwards, giving her a too-bright smile. "Good morning, Marinette."

The designer started violently, staring at him incredulously. That didn't sound like Chat. It didn't sound like Adrien either, to be honest. There was too much strain in his voice. Either it was Chat giving her the cold shoulder or... or Adrien was back and trying to pretend everything was normal. Neither option was good.

Ducking her head, she wordlessly went to her desk and tried to ignore the intensely questioning gaze in Alya's eyes. "Marinette, what's going on?" she demanded, "What happened with you two?"

"Can you just leave it?" the designer whispered back. "Please? It's just between me and him." Alya gave her a distinctly sour look, but she did as she was asked. Mostly. Marinette couldn't exactly stop her from glaring daggers into Ch- Adrien's back all throughout class.

During the first break, Marinette tried to talk to him. However, he only gave her that bright, false grin that made her heart break. At lunch, she tried again, seeing if he'd give and have lunch with her like always. If he even remembered. "Um, Adrien, d-did you want to...?" she asked weakly, once she got his attention.

"Do I want to... what?" the blond asked politely, giving absolutely no indication he knew what she was talking about.

Her heart fractured again. "Nevermind," she whispered, turning away to have lunch alone at home. Not that she ate.

Finally, at the end of the school day, Marinette simply couldn't take it anymore. As soon as the bell rang, she gathered her courage again, she went straight to Adrien and managed to stammer out, "H-Hi, Adrien." She cursed herself for her stupid mouth, but powered through it, "D-do you mind if we talk? I think we need to talk."

Adrien stared at her for a moment. It had to be him. Chat wouldn't phase her out like this. Chat wasn't that cold. Then he pulled on that fake smile again and said brightly, "Sure, that's fine." Ever the consummate gentleman, he held the door open for her and followed her off to the park next to the patisserie.

When they sat down on their- on hers and Chat's bench, Marinette held herself together, albeit stiffly. She had to know. She had to get this out there. Now. "Are you..." she swallowed heavily, "you're definitely Adrien, right?"

Adrien stared at her again, a flicker of something at the back of his eyes. This time, he couldn't hide that he knew what she was talking about. "Yeah," he admitted. "It's me now."

The words like a punch to the solar plexus, knocking the wind right out of her. Right. Right then. This was the way it was supposed to be. Even though she lost Chat. Before she could even make things right. I-it was... this was the way things were meant to be.

"Okay," she murmured, before turning up a pained, heartbroken smile of her own up to her old crush. "I'm glad you're back, Adrien. You must be relieved to be back home."

Adrien's own smile was just as uncomfortable and awkward, "Ah, yeah. I'm glad that Ladybug took care of business. I guess it just took a little while to track the akuma down. I mean, a body snatching akuma has to be extra tricky."

Wait... wait, what?

Marinette went very, very still. "Ladybug?" All her emotions and thoughts froze, her mind hyperfocused on his words.

"Yup. She came and took care of it last night. No more body snatching," Adrien replied nonchalantly.

...Only he was lying through his teeth. But why- How- There was absolutely no way she was out and about last night. She was completely dead to the world, having the first night of sleep in almost a week. "You're lying," she spoke, her eyes watching as he stiffened up, betraying his guilt. "Adrien, why are you..."

Marinette froze again, comprehension slowly dawning. Her brow knit into a frown as she stared hard at the boy beside her.

"...Chat?"

The blond went still, his whole body riveting in panic, his eyes wide as he stared right back at her. It was not an expression she ever saw on Adrien. But Chat? Chat was a different story. Then, validating her thoughts, his lips pulled into a familiar, sheepish smile. "...Yes?" She half expected him to yell out 'Surprise!' right after.

Marinette sucked in a sharp breath, confusion and elation warring within her. If Chat was still here, if Chat was Chat, and Adrien was Adrien, then that meant- But... but what about that whole body snatcher akuma?! Unless...

She pushed herself up from the bench, hands fisted at her sides as she stared at the blond in growing horror. "...There's no akuma, is there," she whispered. "You made that up."

"Guilty," Adrien admitted, putting his hands up in surrender. "Although technically, you opened the door on that one."

"But-! But that means you're-!" she cried, pointing a finger at his face. "You're still Adrien!"

"Yeah, guilty of that too."

"But you're Chat Noir!" Marinette sputtered, growing redder and redder and more indignant by the second.

"That I am." Adrien's mouth began to twitch, breaking into a grin. A completely inappropriate, stupid, gorgeous grin.

Marinette gaped at him, as the charming smile only widened. All this time, she had spent whole nights looking for an akuma that didn't exist, worrying her head off about two boys when they were one in the same and not even in any danger at all, agonizing over her own guilt for not being better, conflicted and confused over her own feelings for no good reason. For an entire week?! All for what? Because of this stupid, idiotic, dipshit who was grinning at her. Like a sweet smile was going to save his lying ass.

Hint: It wasn't.

"You- you ASSHOLE!" she shrieked, pouncing on him and shaking him violently by his shirt lapels. "Why the hell did you lie to me, you stupid cat?!"

Which is when Adrien burst into laughter.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he cried between his laughter, holding up his hands to try to defend himself. He was laughing so hard, his eyes began tearing up and he could barely breathe. "I don't- haha- I don't know why I'm laughing. This isn't even funny!"

"You're damn right, it's not!" Marinette shrilled back at him, shaking him even harder. He only laughed louder. "STOP LAUGHING, DAMN IT!"

It took entirely too long for Adrien, Chat, to get a hold of himself. Marinette fumed resentfully beside him on the bench, glaring pure spite into him as she waited for him to catch his breath after his manic laughing fit. Even now, he was still grinning like an idiot. "I'm sorry, Princess. Do you think you could find it in yourself to forgive me?"

"You don't even look remotely sorry," Marinette snapped, glaring daggers into him.

"Can't really help it," Adrien beamed. "I'm too happy. The girl I like has a disturbingly huge crush on me."

Despite herself, her cheeks went pink, as she was reminded that he was privy to her guilty secret. "You weren't supposed to find that out," she hissed, folding her arms over her chest. "I didn't think you were you, when I showed you those pictures!"

"Aw, but it's so cute," Adrien teased wickedly, never looking more like Chat as he gave her a winning smile. "In a slightly creepy, stalker shrine kind of way."

Marinette promptly found a stick on the ground and smacked him with it. He had it coming. "You- you-! You're impossible!" she cried, her entire body glowing in mortification.

"Yeah," he agreed easily, his smile widening, "but I'm also yours."

Marinette went still at the simple words.

"If you want me that is," he added softly. Strangely, she heard both Adrien and Chat in his voice. The sweet and the wicked, blended together into a tone warm with adoration.

"...What if I don't want you?" she demanded mulishly. ...Oh who was she kidding, she was going to fold in a heartbeat.

"Oh, you want me," the blond replied confidently, his eyes seeming to glow in mischief and delight. He leaned into her, his body warm as he came but a breath away from her lips. His smile pulled into a smirk, "I just need to convince you."

Sooo... Adrien was a bit of a devil... and an incorrigible tease, and a shameless flirt.

That really shouldn't make her all hot and bothered.

...But it did.

Marinette squirmed uncomfortably. She valiantly held out for two heartbeats, before she caved pitifully. "Well," she said as she licked her lips. "You better get to convincing then."