Excuse me while I take my writer's block into a dark alley and shoot it.

I knew it. I KNEW IT! I KNEW I wouldn't be able to finish this without missing a week. But you know what? THAT'S NOT THE WORST PART. The WORST part is that I got writer's block the same week one of my favorite authors favorited my story! I F CKED IT UP! SENPAI NOTICED ME AND I F CKED IT UP!

So yeah, sorry for missing a week. But I'm back! Here, have a chapter!

Mariette wasn't sure how long she and Cat had been sitting there, but it must have been a considerable amount of time with how tired her mouth was getting. Even so, she didn't want to stop. While she didn't have anyone to compare him to, she was certain she could say that Cat Noir was an excellent kisser. Sadly, they had to stop at some point. So with great reluctance, they separated, though neither tried to move Marinette out of Cat's lap.

"Wow," he muttered breathlessly. Marinette giggled.

"You said that the last time, kitty," she reminded him. "I'm starting to wonder how limited your vocabulary is." Her tone was light and teasing, but she was every bit as short of breath as he was. Seeing him like that, flushed and winded with kissed bruised lips, because of her, no less, did wonders for her ego. That didn't stop her from blushing furiously when his mouth quirked into one of his mischievous grins.

"What can I say, Princess? I doubt the bard himself would be able to string a coherent sentence together after kissing you," he murmured, his voice equal parts flirtatious and teasing.

"W-well, I did manage to take your breath away," she shot back, unwilling to let him fluster her.

"Hmmm, you did, didn't you?" he hummed thoughtfully. "That could be a problem."

"Oh? Why is that?" Marinette tried to keep her voice even, but it inevitably cracked a little, and that stupid cat heard it if his smirk was anything to go by.

"Because, Princess, I value my breath, so it would be appreciated if you didn't take it away every time you walk by." He punctuated it with a wink, causing Marinette to let out a squeak. Blushing crimson, she pushed his shoulder roughly before hiding her face in her hands.

"I was right, you are a flirt! A huge, massive, mega flirt! A mega dorky flirt!" Cat chuckled at her outburst, wrapping his arms around her a bit more tightly.

"Hey, come on! Don't hide from me like that," he urged, butting her covered face with his head. "I want to see your pretty face." Naturally, Marinette responded by turning away as far as she could ( which wasn't very far, since she was still sitting in his lap) and used one of her hands to bat at his shoulder.

"You-you! Stupid! Flirty! GAH!" This only caused Cat to chuckle louder. He grabbed the wrist of the hand that was currently assaulting him and pulled her closer.

"What's wrong, Princess? Cat got your tongue?" he teased. Marinette gaped at him in utter disdain.

"You didn't," she said in a warning tone. "You didn't!"

"Oh, Princess," the smug feline replied as he waggled his eyebrows, his smirk stronger than ever. "I believe I just did." There was, of course, only one logical reaction to that. Marinette grabbed a pillow off the chaise and smacked him in the face with it. He let out a small 'oof,' but she wasn't ready to let him off the hook just yet.

"Of all the corny!" Smack. "Cheesy!" Smack! "Predictable puns you could make!" At this point, Cat was almost coming apart with laughter, his attempts to defend himself half-hearted at best. Marinette gave him a few more smacks for good measure before huffing and sitting back. She scowled as Cat slowly caught his breath, wiping a tear from his eye. Eventually, he stopped. Leaning back on his hands, he gave her that cheshire grin of his.

"I'm not sorry," he said, eyes twinkling in humor. Marinette raised her pillow again threateningly, causing him to start chuckling again and lift an arm to shield himself. "Oh, come on! I had to!" he laughed, grabbing her weapon and lowering it between them.

"No. No, you didn't," she deadpanned, giving him a flat look.

"But Marinette!" he whined, giving her the best pout he could while trying not to burst out laughing again (it was surprisingly effective, but she wasn't going to tell him that).

"No buts," she said sternly as she crossed her arms. "That was awful and you know it."

"But that's the point!" he explained eagerly. "It's funny because it's awful!"

"You're awful!" she huffed. "And you need some sort of intervention!" Marinette turned away from him, trying to hide her blush, but that was a mistake. She didn't see the mischievous glint in Cat's eye, so she was totally off guard when he flipped her onto her back and hovered over her.

"Oh, I'm awful, am I?" he drawled, looking at her almost wolfishly. "Are you sure about tha-"

"Marinette!" came a sudden voice from downstairs. "It's almost time for bed, have you finished your homework?"

"Oh, uh- YES MAMA!" the girl called back, hoping her voice was even.

"Alright, just checking! Make sure you go to sleep soon! I don't want you to be late for school tomorrow!"

"Yes Mama! Goodnight!"

"Goodnight, sweetie! I love you!"

"Love you too!" Both teens sat frozen on the chaise for a few seconds, waiting to see if there would be a reply. When none came, they let each let out a sigh of relief.

"I, uh, I guess I should go now, huh?" Cat said awkwardly.

"Yeah," Marinette agreed breathily. "That'd probably be best." She bit her lip and looked up at him through her lashes. "Later this week?" she added hopefully. Cat gave her a megawatt smile.

"If I have time, it's yours," he assured her. He carefully got off the chaise and helped her sit up. "Until next time, Princess," he said, taking her hand and giving it a chaste kiss. For some reason, this felt more intimate than making out with him for the last half hour.

"Okay," she managed, giving him a small grin. Cat Noir gave her one last wink before leaping out onto the balcony and into the night.

Marinette really should have known better than to not expect something to go wrong. Honestly, at this point in her life, it was strange when there wasn't some sort of weird hiccup or catastrophe. However, she, still a little dazed over what had happened the previous night, foolishly ignored the pointed looks and furtive glances Alya gave her the after she had managed to slide into her seat. When the redhead didn't say anything to her during morning break, she decided it was nothing. Consequently, once lunch break arrived, her defenses were completely down.

"Hey, Marinette," the blogger said the second the bell sounded, far too enthusiastic to be trusted. Marinette leaned back a bit, trying to regain some of the personal space Alya had invaded.

"Uh, hey, Alya…" she replied stiffly, confused. "What is it?" The devious gleam in Alya's eye made the smaller girl feel like a mouse facing down a hungry cat.

"Oh, nothing much, I was just wondering if you wanted to go check out that new café with me for lunch! You know, the one by that fabric store you like?" It seemed an innocent enough invitation.

"Oh, sure! That sounds-"

"What a coincidence!" Nino interrupted suddenly, turning around in his seat to face the girls. "My man Adrien and I were just planning to go to the same place!"

"Wait, we were?" said a confused Adrien, turning as well. Marinette was instantly filled with apprehension.

"Wow!" Alya plowed on, ignoring the model and the adorably befuddled look on his face. "That is a coincidence! Crazy!"

"I know, right?"

They aren't, she thought.

"Hey, can we tag along with you two ladies?"

They are! Marinette wasn't sure what their friends were planning this time, but if it involved Adrien, she had to get out of it. She couldn't let Nino and Alya set her up with someone when she already had a (secret) boyfriend! "You know, I just remembered-"

"Of course you can!" the redhead cut in. "It'll be fun! Come on!" Suddenly, Marinette felt a sturdy grip around her arm, dragging her out of her seat.

"Hol- wha- Alya, wait!" she protested, but the blogger continued forward steadfastly. Adrien was making similarly futile protests to Nino, who had a smug grin on his face. Before either could put up any real resistance, Adrien and Marinette had been shoved into a booth at the café, their respective best friends guarding the exit. Marinette looked across to the blond boy, who looked just as off-balance as her. He gave her a small smile that made heat creep up her cheeks. Just because she'd accepted her feelings for Cat didn't mean she was over Adrien. The sunshiney boy could still make her heart race.

"So, Marinette," Alya drawled, placing her chin on her hand as she faced her friend. "I have a few questions for you." There was determination in the bloggers eyes: she wanted answers, and she was getting them.

"If you wanted to talk, you didn't have to drag me over here," the blue-eyed girl grumbled, doing her best not to look at Adrien. Alya's lips cured predatorily.

"Oh, but I did," she insisted, leaning closer. Marinette scooched back as far as she could, but was soon pressed against the wall. "You see, if I talked to you about this alone you might try and get away with some excuse." The designer groaned internally. So that was it. Alya wanted to use Adrien to keep her off balance so she couldn't whip out a good excuse for whatever they were going to talk about.

"Well, what is it?" Marinette sighed, resigned to her fate. If it was something Alya was willing to share with Nino and Adrien, it couldn't be too bad, right?

"What was Cat Noir doing in your room last night?" Marinette and Adrien choked simultaneously. That had not been what they were expecting.

"Huhh-wuh-wa-what?!" Marinette squeaked, stiffening. "I-I-I- I don't-"

"Don't lie to me girl," Alya said sternly, pinning her with her eyes. "I saw him leave your balcony last night. I know he was there."

"Why were you looking at my balcony last night?!" the designer hissed, trying desperately to gather her thoughts.

"That doesn't matter," the redhead said dismissively.

"I think it matters a lot!" Marinette argued, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. Why, why, why had Alya been there?! Why was she the one to have seen him? How much had she seen? How was she going to get out of this?!

"Don't dodge the question girl, we're waiting." Sure enough, Nino and Adrien were at the edge of their seats, staring at her intensely. There was a strange look in the blond's eye that Marinette didn't have the mental capacity to identify at the moment, but he looked oddly pale.

"Well, uh, he was-" she wracked her mind for a good excuse, anything other than the truth. "He was checking up on me!" she blurted out. That didn't sound suspicious, right?

"Oh, really?" Wrong, apparently, at least if Alya's tone was anything to go by. "That's pretty special. I mean, the heroes of Paris don't normally make house calls." Dang it! She was right.

What now?!

I'm working on it!

"W-well, normally people don't get k-k-k-kissed by super villains!" Marinette countered, sure that she was as red as Tikki at that point. Alya pursed her lips, seeming to acknowledge the validity of the point.

"But why didn't he come the night before, then?"

SHUT UP NINO!

Yelling won't do any good now, he's already asked the question!

WELL ANSWER IT!

I'M TRYING!

"He- he couldn't! He got caught up in something personal after the attack and wasn't free until last night!" TAKE THAT, NINO!

Yeah! Stop asking reasonable questions!

… I think we have a problem.

I know we have a problem.

"Okay, but why was he in your room?" Alya pressed, not yet giving up on the idea of a scoop. "Come on, girl! You know I wouldn't tell anyone else, right? It'll stay between us!" She was practically bouncing in her seat at that point. Honestly, if her enthusiasm had been directed at anything else, it probably would have been endearing.

"There's nothing to tell," Marinette groaned. "I-I, well, I invited him in for a snack! You know, to say thanks for… well, everything…" It was the first excuse she could think of. Hopefully it would be enough. Alya stared her down a moment longer, gauging the truthfulness of her words. Marinette tried not to squirm too much.

"All right," the blogger relented. Marinette (and Adrien) let out a sigh of relief. "But you're giving me details later, got it?" she said, pointing a stern finger at her friend.

"Of course, Alya," Marinette giggled, relieved the interrogation was over.

"So!" Adrien cut in, seemingly eager to change the subject. "Why don't we start thinking about what we want to eat?"

"Yeah! That's an idea!" Marinette blurted back. Adrien snorted quietly and Alya shook her head beside her. After a moment, she realized what she'd said. "I-I-I mean a good idea! It's a good idea! Like, maybe even a great one! It- I'll stop talking now." This was going to be an awkward lunch.

It was Saturday night before Adrien-er, well, Cat Noir- got the chance to see Marinette again. He'd just been too busy with all of his other extracurriculars. He'd tried to see her anyways, but…

"I'm not transforming you just so you can go over to your girlfriend's house and fall asleep on her couch."

"But Plagg!"

"No, Adrien."

And that was the end of that discussion. So he waited. It was frustrating to not be able to talk to Marinette as himself, but that wasn't something he felt comfortable doing without talking to Ladybug first. So it wasn't surprising that he was excited to knock on Marinette's balcony door that evening.

"Good evening, Princess," he crooned once she poked her head out.

"Evening, tomcat," she replied cheerily, opening the trapdoor. Her eyes caught on something behind him and she stifled a giggle. "I'd ask if you were happy to see me, but the answer seems pretty obvious." Adrien turned to find his tail was twitching excitedly behind him. With a small yelp of embarrassment he snatched the treacherous thing in a viselike grip.

"W-well, of course I am!" he said, trying to keep his voice from cracking in embarrassment. "You are the cat's meow, after all," he declared, waggling his eyebrows. Marinette was unimpressed.

"Really?" she deadpanned, giving him a flat look.

"I don't do well under pressure, okay?" he grumbled. Marinette giggled again.

"Fine, I guess I'll let that one go," she conceded, "but only because I'm happy to see you again." She took his hand and led her down into her room. "So, any idea what you want to do tonight?" she asked as they made their way down.

"Uhh… not really," Adrien admitted, reaching back to scratch his neck bashfully. "I didn't really think about what to do. I just kinda… wanted to see you." It was embarrassing to be honest like that, but if it made Marinette flare up like a stop light every time, he'd have to do it more often. He snickered at the adorably flustered look on her face. She responded by scowling and smacking him on the arm.

"Oh, quite, you dumb stray," she muttered, but the effect was muddled by her blush. Adrien decided to take mercy on her and smothered his laughter.

"Well, if we were to go back to your original question, I didn't think of anything beforehand, but maybe we could play some UMS?" he proposed, changing the subject. Marinette's eyes immediately took on a competitive gleam.

"Oh?" she challenged. "You sure, kitty? I'm not sure if you know, but I am a city champion," she bragged, already getting out the controllers.

"Oh, I know," he said teasingly.

"Well, don't say I didn't warn you," she sing-songed as she handed him the controller and pulled up an extra chair. "After all, you may call me a princess, but when it comes to this game, I'm the queen."

"Well, I don't mean to brag, but I happen to be pretty good myself." And he'd been practicing since the last time they'd played together. If Marinette thought it was going to be an easy victory, she was in for a real surprise.

Marinette, it seemed, was not the one in for a surprise. She must not have even shown half her skill the last time they played, because she stomped him no matter what he tried.

"No! Nononononono!" he Adrien cried as he mashed the buttons in a desperate attempt to save his mecha's depleted health bar. Alas, Marinette's combo landed, leaving her victorious. Again.

"Yes!"

"No!"

Adrien groaned pathetically as she did a little victory dance, twirling around and wiggling her hips. As much as he enjoyed it, Adrien's competitive side demanded a rematch.

"Again!" he demanded petulantly, pouting. Marinette apparently found it hilarious as she started giggling energetically.

"Are you sure? I mean, I guess there is that saying, 28th time's the charm," she teased. Adrien grumbled, and Marinette's eyes softened. "Aww, come on, Cat, don't be like that. You know you'd hate it even more if I let you win," she consoled him, putting a soothing hand on his shoulder.

"How would you know? You've never tried." He wasn't really upset, but it was fun to see Marinette fuss over him like this, even if they both knew they were joking.

"Call it woman's intuition," she said with a smile. "And do you want to know what else my intuition is telling me?"

"What?" he asked.

"That it's late, and you should go home." Adrien pouted, not wanting to leave, but knowing Marinette was right.

"Fine. But next time we do something that doesn't involve you kicking my but."

"I make no promises," she said slyly. Adrien smiled and stood up before taking her hand and placing a light kiss on her knuckles.

"Good night, fair maiden! May your dreams be full of me!"

"Oh, just go, you dork!" she snorted, pushing him away playfully. He gave her a two fingered salute before climbing up the stairs and out the trapdoor. He closed it and made his way to the edge of the balcony.

"Goodnight, Princess," he said softly to the night air.

So, yeah, this chapter took a while, and it's a bit shorter than normal. It's not my favorite, but it's done and that's what's important! Special shout outs to Djtiger901, who requested Alya almost finding out, and Demi clayton, who requested video game night! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!