Ladybug looked over the city of Paris and let out a relived sigh. "As far as akumas go," she turned to Chat Noir with a smile. "That one wasn't so bad."

"An angry bus driver," he shrugged "With disrespectful passengers. Who knew she could have switched gears so quickly." Ladybug rolled her eyes, as she repressed a giggle.

"I think the gears pun is stretching it Chat," she smirked.

"Sorry, my lady," Chat winked, "I was too bus-y fighting to think of anything better." Ladybug stared at her partner, utterly confused until his horrible attempt at a pun dawned on her.

"Bus-y?" she laughed. "Really Chat? That one doesn't really work outside of print."

"I had to try," he smiled roguishly. A beep sounded between the pair.

"That's me," Ladybug smiled, her hand instinctively reaching to her ear. "I better go." She had her yo-yo in had ready to toss it and fly off into the night until she felt a large hand stay her movement. She whipped around and she saw a very nervous Chat Noir staring back at her.

"One minute Ladybug," he said, a tightness to his voice that she had never heard before.

"Chat, I have…"

"I know," he interrupted. "But I swore to myself that I'd say this. I've put it off for too long." Chat took a deep breath a let it out slowly, the nerves that she saw so clearly in her partners eyes turned into something drastically different. Resolve. "I like you," Chat said, "A lot," his gaze met hers unflinchingly.

Marinette fought to keep her face still. She had suspected that Chat might have felt this way about her, but here she had his confession, and there was absolutely no denying it anymore. She felt flattered, but the same old doubt crept in. How would he feel if he knew that Ladybug was in fact, bumbling clumsily, plain, foot constantly in her mouth Marinette? She wondered and forced herself to look away.

Chat Noir really was incredible. He was reliable, funny-once you got used to the terrible puns, roguishly handsome, but he wasn't Adrien. Her heart, as both Marinette and Ladybug belonged to him alone.

"You don't have to say anything," Chat smiled, hopefully. "I know you have to go, but…"

"Chat," she interrupted, and she felt his grip on her arm tighten and loosen in the span of a blink. "I'm flattered but," Tikki sounded the beep again, and she cringed. "But I like someone else." She dared to look up at Chat's face. She was surprised to see that her normally expressive partner, wore a vaguely familiar and unreadable mask.

"C'est la vie," Chat shrugged with a smirk fixed firmly on his face. "My Lady is quite amazing. He is a lucky man."

"Chat," Ladybug shook her head, not knowing what to say.

"Don't worry Ladybug," Chat smiled. "This won't change anything between us. I've always been your friend and partner, and I always will be." He pulled his baton from his belt, pressing a button to extend it, before turning and flashing Marinette a brilliant smile. "You never know until you try, right?"

"Good night, Chat," she said, fighting the blush that crept up into her cheeks.

"Good Night, My Lady," Chat winked at her and then darted off into the night. Another beep from her earrings, and Marinette finally let her yo-yo fly rapidly making her way to where she had stored her things before transforming in to Ladybug.

She found the deserted alley in no time, looked around as Tikki released her transformation one the final warning beep and floated right in front of Marinette as she grabbed the carefully wrapped bag of fabric from its hiding spot.

"How do you feel?" Tikki asked with a small sympathetic smile.

"Terrible," Marinette confessed slumping against the brick wall. "I didn't want to hurt him, but I did."

"It happens with Ladybug and Chat Noir more often than you'd think," Tikki said putting a tiny hand on Marinette's nose.

"I just wish I could have talked to him more," Marinette slumped further. "Chat is my friend, and partner. He's the only one who really understands," she waved her hands around frantically, "Well, all of this." Tikki just nodded. Marinette sighed and glanced up at the sky, before clutching her bag tighter and rising to her feet. Tikki dove back into her purse, and munched on the waiting cookies, letting Marinette alone with her thoughts.

Her feet led her automatically home, "There you are," Sabine rushed to the door and swept Marinette up in a fierce hug. "You left your phone upstairs, and there was another attack while you were out."

"I know," Marinette said, relishing in the hug a little more than normal. "I hid in a café near the fabric shop until it was over. I'm sorry I left my phone here. I could have sworn I took it with me." Marinette had been certain she shad brought it, she opened her purse and saw Tikki hiding near the bottom. The kwami just winked, and resumed quietly munching on her cookie. Her mother gave her another squeeze before Marinette retreated to the silence of her bedroom.

She carefully put her fabric away, and took a shower getting ready for bed. All the time her thoughts consumed with the incredibly brief conversation with Chat Noir. In another life, she felt like she could have fallen for Chat. He was brave and sweet. He was always more concerned for her safety than he was of his own. Funny and smart. Always there for her.

Marinette let out a huge sigh as she ran a brush though her hair. It would be easier if she had fallen for Chat Noir rather than Adrien. But the heart wants what it wants, and there is no convincing it to change its affections simply because life would be easier. Marinette wandered back to her room, not really seeing anything, and climbed up into her loft bed.

"What are you going to do?" Tikki's tiny voice asked from the small plushy bed that Marinette had recently finished making for her kwami.

"I'm going to take Chat Noir's advice," Marinette said firmly.

"He gave you advice?" Tikki asked, tilting her head to one side as Marinette rolled over to look at her.

"It wasn't advice per say," Marinette nodded. "But," she smiled thinking of how brave her partner had been to confess how he truly felt without any reserve. "You never know until you try, right?"

"You are going to confess to Adrien?" Tikki smiled.

"I don't think it will go well," Marinette rolled on to her back to stare at the ceiling. "But I have to try. I have to tell him how I feel. I have to be brave."

Adrien arrived at school the next day with as little fanfare as possible. He'd managed to convince the Gorilla to drop him off just down the street from school, hoping that arriving without his driver, he would make a little less commotion with his presence. He was wrong. Just walking into school caused a twitter-pated group of girls to stop him instantly. You would think they'd be use to me by now, he straightened his shoulders and fixed a camera ready smile to his face.

Not for the first time in the last twenty-four hours, Adrien was grateful that he had spent most of his life pretending everything was great, while he moped internally. The first time had been last night, when Ladybug had told him that she liked someone else. His heart had broken with so few words, but he had still managed to smile for his lady.

He was fortunate that his cataclysm hadn't been required to defeat the akuma. He ran around the rooftops of Paris, willing everything to go back to normal, and terrified that it wouldn't. He knew before he confessed to her, that it wouldn't go well for him. His bad luck would never allow it. Adrien had finally returned to his room after hours of dancing about the city roof tops, and dropped into his open bedroom window, Plagg dropping the transformation without being told. As usual, paranoia chilled the blood in his veins. What if, by some stroke of bad luck, someone had looked in on him?

He shook his head, knowing that was next to impossible as he watched Plagg circle the cheese plate that he had left sitting near his computer. "This is why you should stick with cheese," Plagg said though a mouth full of camembert, but a hint of sadness in the kwami's tone. "You always know where you stand with cheese."

Plagg hadn't said much of anything else the rest of the night, and Adrien knew that Plagg's silence, was his way of being nice. A shrill voice snapped Adrien out of his reverie, as a blonde figure rushed him, slamming into his right and clamping an arm around his.

"Good morning, Chloe," Adrien flashed a polite smile, as they made their way up the stairs, Sabrina shadowing them at a good pace.

"Adrekins," Chloe began in a sing-song tone, which usually indicated she wanted a favor. "Daddy is having a party on Friday," she popped out her lower lip in a pout. "You know how dreadfully boring these things are. Would you come with me? It'd be so much more tolerable if you were there. It's at 7 at the hotel. Be there." She tightened her grip around his bicep.

"I can't Chloe," he smiled. "I have a photoshoot that night." I won't mention that it ends at 7, he thought. He didn't relish the idea of being dragged around all night at another one of the mayor's events. Chloe's pout deepened. "I'm sorry."

"Maybe I can have Daddy make photoshoots illegal for the day," Chloe's grip tightened to a painful level as they walked in the door to the classroom, and Adrien has to force himself not to wince and pull away.

"It wouldn't work," Adrien chuckled. "Father is preparing for the summer line, and wants to get this shoot in before he leaves for Milan."

"Fathers," Chloe snapped as if the very word disgusted her. "They really do ruin all the fun." She stomped her foot, petulantly, and dropped his arm quickly when the teacher raised her voice to call class to order.

Nino greeted him with his usual energetic high-five, and Adrien turned to greet Alya and Marinette. "Good Morning, Alya. Good Morning Marinette," he said. Alya just nodded.

"Uh…" Marinette stammered. "G.G…uh…Good Morning," she finally said. Adrien turned back to the front of the classroom where the teacher began discussing the lesson. Adrien didn't pay particular attention. He knew it would come back to bite him, but he was too broken hearted to care.

The day progressed in very much the say way. Adrien was on autopilot. He was whisked home at lunch time, to the massive, empty dining room where he took his meals alone. Natalie ran though the list of things he had for the rest of the day. He pretended to pay attention as he pushed his lunch around his plate. He knew his schedule well enough after all.

Back at school the rest of the day went by quickly. The only thing that had distracted him was Psychics. After the final bell rang, he made his way to the gym for fencing practice. He had hope that this would help him stay distracted but all is did was dishearten him as he was soundly beaten in every sparring match. After a lecture from D'Argencort he retreated to the locker room to change and found a familiar figure leaning against the wall near the door. He pulled of his fencing mask, "Marinette?" he asked confused. She snapped to attention, staring at him with wide almost panic stricken eyes.

"Uh…" Marinette began, "Hi…uh…Adrien."

"Did you need something?" Adrien asked.

"No," Marinette practically shouted, "Well…yes…uh…" she paused and took a deep breath. "Do you have a minute?"

"Sure," Adrien said tucking the mask under his arm. "Is everything ok?"

"Depends on your definition of ok," Marinette mutter under her breath, and Adrien laughed. "Oh god," Marinette groaned. "Of all the…" another deep breath. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm just nervous."

"Do…I make you nervous?" Adrien asked, and when Marinette's face turned bright pink, he knew. He sighed. He had always wondered why she was so off put by him. Why she could be so straight forward and passionate around everyone else and why only around him she became unsure. She liked him. With that thought, his stomach dropped painfully.

"Adrien," Marinette met his gaze a confidence in her eyes that she hadn't had a moment before. "I like you. I have for a while." She wrung her hands together, thumb her right absently rubbing the palm of her left. "Hence, the reason I turn into an idiot around you."

His mind screamed at him just to invite her to coffee. To talk to her. To get to know her better. He liked Marinette. He really did. She was sweet, kind, passionate, talented and went out of her way to help everyone around her. Quite frankly, she was wonderful. But, his heart reminded him that she wasn't Ladybug.

He didn't want to do this. Why had she picked today of all days to tell him? He knew exactly how she was going to feel. It was exactly the way he felt right now, and it hurt him even more to know that he was going to be the reason for her pain. "I like someone else," he said, hating that he was repeating Ladybug's words to him.

"Oh," she said, her eyes glossing over before she looked down at her feet. Adrien looked at the ceiling cursing his bad luck again, as his friend stood before him on the verge of tears. "I understand." Marinette had turned her bright eyes to him, still glossy with unshed tears.

"I don't want anything to get weird between us," Adrien continued, speaking quickly. "I mean, you're my friend and I'd hate…"

"You consider me your friend?" Marinette interrupted staring at him.

"Yeah," he squirmed under her gaze, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't want to be presumptuous, but yes." There was a long pause and Adrien held his breath. Was that the wrong thing to say? He wondered.

"I'm glad you consider me your friend," Marinette's face lit up with her smile, and Adrien could finally relax a little. "I was just a little surprised. I always get so tongue tied around you that I thought I had made a terrible impression."

"The opposite actually," Adrien nodded. "You make a wonderful impression."

"And don't worry," she waved a hand in the space between them. "Things won't get weird I promise. I mean," She smiled thoughtfully, "You never know until you try right?" He saw his pain echoed in her eyes as her words struck a familiar cord in him. "Anyhow, I should go. I'm going to be late." She pickup her book bag from the ground beside her. "I'll see you around."

"Definitely," Adrien gave a sharp nod, and Marinette waved goodbye and disappeared as she closed the gym door behind her.

"So," Plagg's voice cut in right beside his ear, and Adrien jumped slightly. "Marinette."

"Yeah," Adrien shoved the locker room door open and made his way to his bag. "I feel awful Plagg."

"I tell you man," Plagg shrugged. "Cheese is the way to go."

"Very funny," Adrien glared at his kwami. "The worst part is," he said pulling his gear off and shoving it roughly in his bag. "I know exactly how she feels."

"Not much you can do about it," Plagg said floating down to sit beside his equipment bag.

"I could ask Alya if she's ok," Adrien said pulling his clothes back on.

"Nope," Plagg shook his head, his tail twitching slightly. "That just makes you look weird."

"Yeah," Adrien sighed. "I guess you're right."

"Too bad Chat Noir isn't closer to her," Plagg said floating over to Adrien's back pack and pulling out a piece of emergency cheese. "Then you two could talk."

"Not a bad idea Plagg."