Marinette moved forward slowly. She had heard someone just ahead and knew she couldn't be seen; the only thing she could do is take him down before he could raise the alarm. Moving forward in a slight crouch until she was just behind him, she slowly lifted the hand holding the knife. Noticing he was about to turn around, she quickly kicked the back of his leg forcing him to his knees before wrapping her free arm around his head and quickly stabbing the knife into his throat.

Marinette stared down at the body for a moment before sighing and looking around for anything useful she could take before giving up. Chloé had told her it would be a good way to distract herself from the party the others were having, but it just wasn't her thing. Sighing once more, she shut down the game and stretched.

If she was being honest, she hoped Chat Noir would be stopping by tonight although she thought it was unlikely; usually if he came two nights in a row he'd let her know beforehand.. but then again she was kind of embarrassed that he had seen her break down the way she did last night. It wasn't the first time he'd seen cry, as Marinette or as Ladybug, but it was the first time he'd seen her in such a state.

On top of that, Chloé had been here to see how they interacted! The same day she had gone through Marinette's clothes and found those. Running her hands through her hair in an attempt to stave off embarrassment-induced panic, she considered waking up Tikki to ask for advice.. but decided against it. Which she definitely did because she wanted to let her friend get some rest, and not at all due to the smug look Tikki sometimes got ever since she had made the purchase. Damn the confidence-inducing anonymity of online purchases.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft thud behind her; Chat had been visiting her long enough that she could immediately recognize the sound. This might have seemed rude to some people, but they had a sort of unwritten understanding - if her light was on and the latch unlocked he was welcome to drop in. A smile crept unto her face before she even realised, and turned around expecting to see his usual smirk.. only to blink in confusion at the expression on his face.

His posture was relaxed and yet his mouth was open, as if he had been startled just before saying something. His eyes were wide, and yet they seemed to be strangely blank; as if his thoughts were miles away. Taking a step forward Marinette reached out to wave a hand in front of his face and hopefully snap him out of.. whatever this was, but before she could he started pacing up and down muttering to himself.

Straining her ears to hear she could still only make out a few phrases;

'maybe I shouldn't have..'

'No it was important they realise..'

'..asked her first?'

'Not a damsel.. might be mad..'

'..maybe happy?'

'..Ladybug.. civilians..'

Realising she didn't know enough to make sense of the snatches she heard, she opted to simply take a seat at her desk and watch him. Her curiosity, however, was soon replaced with amusement when she noticed the way he was muttering to himself and gesturing with his hands was reminiscent of her own actions when nervous.. and before she realised a giggle slipped out.

The sound seemed to snap him out of whatever introspection had him so worked up, as he turned towards her without making eye contact and rubbing the back of his neck in a now familiar gesture of embarrassment.

'Get it together Adrien! Now isn't the time to be worrying about what she'll think, since you've already done it!'

His inner turmoil pushed aside for the moment, Chat Noir straightened and looked Marinette in the eyes.

"Marinette.. I.. did a thing. It's a bit of a complicated thing, but not a bad thing.. Or at least, I don't think it's a bad thing. Ladybug would definitely think it's a bad thing, but you're Marinette not Ladybug so I'm hoping you don't think.. Actually this might definitely be a bad thing because I didn't come to you first or discuss it with Ladybug before I did the thing." Adrien paused for a moment to observe her reaction, and instead his train of thought derailed immediately.

'Man she looks cute when she tries not to laugh.. Damn it, Adrien! Focus now, stare later!'

"It's about what happened last night," Chat noticed how she suddenly tensed up, but didn't let it stop his explanation, "and that party ou.. your class had tonight. I actually dropped by there just before I came over to.. have a 'talk' about what has been going on."

Her reaction shouldn't have shocked him as much as it did; lips pursed, eyes narrowed and arms wrapped around herself so tightly it seemed she was trying to keep herself from falling apart.

"Oh, and now I suppose you know the 'truth'? How I'm just a bully that can't see past my own jealousy? I guess that's why you came over.. To either tell me to be nicer to Lila, or that I need to get over my jealousy. So which is it? What story did she get you with, or was it just the tears?" Marinette finished almost rambling, turning her back towards him so that he couldn't tell what her expression was.

Not only is her voice filled with hurt, he can hear the resignation as well. She is honestly expecting him to react like their classmates.. it's almost enough to make him head back and make good on his previous threat, but she needed him here more.

"Princess, I promise you I'll never take the word of that lying bitch over you. Honestly I'm still not sure how you are going to react to this but.. the reason I stopped by that party was to deliver two messages. I told your class to not even consider contacting you if it isn't about an apology if they knew what's good for them.." Chat paused to take a breath before almost whispering the last part, half hoping she wouldn't hear, "and I may have threatened to kill Lila if she ever came after you again - akumatised or not."

His hopes that she wouldn't hear the last line were dashed, however, as he noticed her shoulders stiffen, before she slowly turned around. Face blank, and with a too neutral tone, she simply asked: "You.. did what?"

"You heard me right. And it wasn't an empty threat either.. I think at least a part of it is my Miraculous? Plagg has told me that each past wielder leaves a sort of.. imprint? To enforce certain reactions, help learn how to use the weapons and powers and improve my reflexes.. Sometimes the past users can even manifest voices, though only on subjects where all previous users would have agreed."

Marinette nodded slowly, though without the fear or rejection he had expected to see, and so he continued to try and explain.

"My miraculous.. it is.. it embodies some of the darker concepts of life? One of the reasons why the Black Cat and Ladybug are always active at the same time, is that the Ladybug Miraculous helps keep mine more.. controlled and on the side of good. A rare exception apparently is.. well the Black Cat Miraculous makes me protective of those that matter to me. Very protective.. however, Destruction isn't exactly made to protect. Which means my nature is more about getting rid of the threat than shielding you from it."

Chat finished his explanation, and rather than fill the silence with mindless chatter, opted to observe Marinette's reaction instead. Now while Adrien knew he wasn't the best when it came to understanding normal social cues - and this situation was admittedly far from normal - he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something.. off about her reaction. Rather than the negative reaction he was expecting, she seemed to have almost no reaction; expression more perplexed than anything else, eyes staring straight past him.

Marinette was having something of a mental struggle; after all, that was a whole lot to learn on a random Saturday night. Though if she was being honest, there probably wasn't a widely accepted day to learn someone felt so protective of you they'd threaten to kill someone..

Contrary to popular belief, Marinette had a very logical mind; and because of this she was able to conclude that there are likely three ways one would react to learning what she just did.

Revulsion, confusion or acceptance. Rationally she knew she should abhor the thought, maybe even fear him for his willingness (and ability) to kill. Even being confused would be a viable reaction, at least initially, and even acceptance in severe situations..

What she should definitely not be feeling at his announcement is a swell of affection. Threats of violence are not romantic. As Marinette, she should be worried for her own safety and the state of Chat's mind; As Ladybug she should be worried for the safety of Paris and their partnership should Chat Noir become a ruthless killer.

And yet.. she did. Her first, and rather worrisome reaction, had almost been to kiss him. While it had by no means been the first time she had been tempted to kiss him, it worried her how unworried she was about her Kitty threatening to kill or destroy any threat to her. Even more worrisome was the voices she had momentarily heard; saying almost nonsensical things she was just barely aware of.. Sweet Chaton.. always so loyal.. overprotective and adorably vicious…

Finally snapping out of her musings, Marinette turned her attention back to Chat..

Oh that's just not fair. A cat-themed superhero should not be able to pull off the kicked-puppy look that well.

..only to see him sitting cross-legged on the floor, with his hands clasped and ears drooping. Shaking of the immediate urge to give him a hug, she takes a breath before speaking.

"Chaton.. I'm not mad at you, but.. this is kind of a lot to take in. Would you mind giving me a little time to process everything? I just.."

"Of course, Princess. I'll just be.. uhh.. I'll just be going. Just flag me down on patrol when you're ready to talk, okay?" Chat answered in a forced cheerful tone.

"I.. could do that.. but I was kind of hoping you'd be able to stop by tomorrow night..?" Marinette asked nervously. Why the hell was she nervous? Chat came over all the time! She just needed to talk things over with Tikki before.. oh, that's why she's nervous. Whatever happens tomorrow.. will probably change everything between them.

Being thousands of years old, Tikki knew she had seen more than most; even among Kwami Plagg was the only one with a memory as long as hers. It followed then that she had seen similar patterns repeat themselves throughout history.. and accordingly, wasn't easily surprised. Tonight, however, she had been surprised not once but twice.

Chat Noir's confession had shocked the Kwami. The behaviour itself wasn't that out of character, but the fact that he already felt that strongly about Marinette without either of them sharing their identities or confessing a love for each other.. while not unheard of, didn't occur frequently. A worrisome part of what he said implied that Chat Noir had truly feared for her, otherwise the previous wielders wouldn't have manifested their voices; that means her wielder had been in real trouble, and she had been too passive to notice.

Tikki frowned as she realised how close she might have come to losing Marinette to her emotions, and despite her age Marinette was truly one of her favourite wielders. Tikki also worried that this all might have happened too soon; while her Chosen had shown signs of realising how she felt towards Plagg's chosen, she wasn't sure if Marinette was ready to confront her own feelings - or the complexities that were Chat Noir's feelings.

Taking a moment to glance at Marinette, Tikki considered the second surprise of the evening.. the fact that her past wielders had manifested their voices at the time of Chat's confession. This was an extremely rare occurrence; while those Chosen by the Black Cat Miraculous usually all have similar qualities (viciousness, loyalty, a desire to be free and often loneliness) which made it easier for them to agree on certain things, her own Chosen had vastly differing personalities. From the wildness of The Lioness of Brittany seeking to avenge her partner, to the serious devotion of Joan Of Arc to freeing her people, there was rarely something they could agree on.

Yet they had all seemingly shared an opinion on the way this Chat Noir acted.. And Tikki had no idea on what they had agreed. She knew there was a possibility the voices urged Marinette to be cautious or perhaps even afraid.. though she hoped they counselled acceptance. She admittedly held a soft spot for the Chat Noirs with a more.. wild air. Those that seemed to most embody her other half.. rare as they were. Though she loved Plagg, she knew his nature wasn't something most humans would take to without having evil in their souls, and so those rare humans who could embody Destruction while remaining good were special to her - not only because of how protective they were of her wielders, but because of how they could cheer Plagg during the years they were kept apart.

"Tikki.. I need your advice."

Seeing the nervous look on her face, Tikki couldn't help but see the irony in hoping this sweet girl had a bit of a darker side than her appearance would indicate.

Hawk Moth was having.. an interesting night to say the least. Just earlier he had tried to akumatise someone, only to fail. This had happened before of course, but the circumstances this time were.. unique.

He had detected Mrs. Rossi's turbulent emotions earlier, largely resentment and anger but with a undercurrent of something else which he hadn't bothered to analyse.. to his detriment. As soon as his akuma had made contact, the screaming had started. Through the mental link formed by the akuma, he had been assaulted by wave after pure terror. The fear she projected was so raw and uncontrolled it had momentarily knocked him to his knees. With a surprising amount of effort, he had found the memory causing the fear before severing the connection.

"Sir, I fail to see the relevance of Chat Noir having romantic feelings for Mrs. Dupain-Cheng, unless you mean to use her against him?"

Gabriel Agreste glanced at his assistant before seeming to consider his answer.

"No.. The opposite in fact. This information has in fact designated Mrs. Dupain-Cheng as close to untouchable as I'd consider anyone. Recall the historical documents I found in my research detailing the previous wielders of the Black Cat's responses to harm befalling their partners? A further detail which I had discarded at the time indicated the Kwami of Destruction only grants that much power of his Chosen's love was harmed.. Do you see the opportunity this presents?"

"I.. confess I do not sir. If we are not to use the girl, then how does this information benefit us?"

"It benefits us, Nathalie, as it implies he does not love Ladybug. At least not anymore. It means I can create more dangerous akumas, and take more risks in seeking their miraculous! I have been forced to hold back by the threat of a grieving Wielder of Destruction, but now.. now I am closer than ever before."

"But sir, this doesn't guarantee that Ladybug doesn't love Chat Noir; if he should come to harm there is still a chance of her seeking vengeance isn't there?"

"True.. however the Kwami of Creation is known for cleverness and plans. Her vengeance would perhaps be more terrible than that of Destruction, but it wouldn't be as swift, and thus I can disregard it. After all, I do not plan to survive my final confrontation with the heroes of Paris.. That will be all for now, Nathalie. Leave me."

Taking a seat at his desk, Gabriel steepled his hands as he considered how best to make use of this information. He had just started to form a plan when his thoughts were interrupted by his own Kwami.

"Master.. what did you mean about not surviving the final confrontation? I don't believe Ladybug and Chat Noir would kill you even if they were to win?"

Raising an eyebrow at Nooroo, he responded: "You didn't think I was unaware of the sacrifice required to make a wish, did you? And while I understand you must not have a very good impression of me.. I would not resort to murder without reason. I plan to exchange my own life to bring back Emilie.. She was the light of my existence, and I'm just an empty shell of a man without her. She would never forgive me for all I have done, and all I plan to do.. but regardless. I love her enough that I'd create a world where I'm despised by an entire city, so long as she could live in it.. and besides, Adrien needs his mother more than the excuse of a father I am. He is a good son and would grieve me even as he rejoiced at the return of his mother.. Which is why I must keep him at a distance. Now be quiet, I need to plan how to obtain the Black Cat and Ladybug miraculous.

Oh Master.. the pain you feel is great, and yet the love you have is even greater. It saddens me to see how your feelings for your wife affect you even now.

Chat Noir was a nervous wreck. While Adrien was usually confident in himself, and his superhero persona could easily be considered over-confident, he knew that this delicate girl with the mind-numbing smile and hypnotic eyes could potentially break his spirit tonight.. and honestly he wasn't sure how he would deal with the rejection.

Looking at her now, he wasn't sure what her thoughts were. On one hand he felt optimistic since she was wearing a Chat Noir onesie (and damn if Plagg didn't need to restart Adrien's heart thrice at the sight), and yet the expression on her face seemed.. he wouldn't call it disturbed, but it was pretty close.

"Chaton, last night you said.. that what you did was prompted by instinct? Something that makes you need to protect those that matter to you?" Marinette starts hesitantly.

Chat frowned lightly at the misunderstanding, before clarifying: "Not.. no not that way. It has nothing to do with 'people' that matter to me, and everything to do with who matters most to me."

Taking a deep breath for courage, he continued: "That's you Marinette. I can't tell you when it happened, probably long before I realised it, but at some point you went from a friend to my favourite person in the world. My wanting to protect you isn't just because of Miraculous; if anything it only showed me exactly how important you are to me."

He heard her soft gasp, but she had immediately tilted her head down to look at the floor - which made the 'ears' on the hood of her onesie fold down as well (Oof. There goes his heart again.. isn't there some sort of law against giving someone repeated heart attacks?)

"And.. what do you mean by that, Chaton?" she said in a voice almost too soft to hear.

Steeling himself for the worst, yet hoping with every fibre of his being for the best, Adrien answered as simply and seriously as he could.

"It means, Marionette Croissant Dupain-Cheng, that I'm hopelessly in love with you."

Okay, so not completely serious. He liked his jokes after all. Yet her stuttering answer felt like a punch to the gut.

"N-no… You can't love me, you only think you do because you don't know what I'm really like. Y-you think I'm some sweet, kind girl and I admit I thought that too, but then you told me you had threatened to kill someone… and I was completely fine with it. More than fine, I wanted to kiss you for it! Who reacts like that!? There has to be something wrong with me, and you can't love me when I'm clearly wrong in the head.. Lila may have been on to something after all.." Marinette half-ranted, half cried.

It took Adrien longer than he'd like to admit to make sense of what she'd just said, before he walked closer and gently tilted her face up. Wiping her tears away with his thumbs, he opened his mouth to speak, only to falter when he looked into her eyes. It both angered and darkly amused him to see the doubt they held.

"Princess.. While I try to respect your feelings in all things.. Please tell me you didn't convince yourself there is something wrong with you, because I'd be willing to kill someone to protect you? Because I realise you have the active imagination of a true artist, but surely a girl as clever as you wouldn't think something so ridiculous?"

Seeing her blush so fully, he realised that is exactly what had happened.

"Kitty.. I realised yesterday that I've been denying that I love you for way to long. Nothing would make me happier than being yours and having you be mine.. but are you sure you could love me? This probably won't be the last time I overthink things or blow them completely out of proportion.."

Chat smirked at her, before answering: "If helping you snap out of your spiral is going to get you to blush so adorably every time, I'll probably hold out hope that you'll overthink something every day.. And speaking of blushing, did you slip in something about kissing me earlier..?"

Chat had expected her to blush. Perhaps remain calm enough to offer some witty banter, or even to simply brush off the comment.

What he had not expected was for her to suddenly pull his head down into the first proper kiss they would share.. which they both agreed should have happened years sooner.