"Marinette, oh my god, they're writing to you!" Alya all but tackled Marinette off of her chair and tugged on her arm, where slightly shaky, but neat, handwriting was appearing on her skin.

Marinette looked incredulously at it. She had a nasty habit of writing and drawing all over her body, and she knew that whoever her soulmate supposedly was would have the same markings appear, but she had never had any spontaneous ink on her skin before. Until now. Wow, I honestly thought I didn't have a soulmate.

"Hey, I'm sorry to bother you," Alya read, "and I really do love your art, but do you think that you could try to not draw on yourself in the evenings? I'm a model and everyone is starting to get really frustrated with me." She stared at the small block of text and blinked. "They're a model, Mari, oh my god!" While it was a wonderful and startling revelation, Marinette was much too busy being utterly mortified. "No, don't give me that face! Give me that pen instead!"

Marinette just covered her face while Alya reached over her, splaying out across her dramatically. "Oh my god," she said. "I'm so bad, they must hate me."

"Don't be ridiculous, girl!" Alya finally backed off of her, looking triumphant with the simple blue pen in hand. "Write back!"

"No, I've already embarrassed myself, I'm just going to try not to draw on myself. Ever again. Oh my god." She pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her head in them.

"Then I'll do it. Give me your arm."

"Alya!"

"One of us is going to write back to them. This is the first time they've ever contacted you!"

"And I've already made everything terrible!"

"Calm down, girl," Alya said authoritatively, tapping her foot and holding a hand out. "Give me your arm. You don't even have to worry about it, I'll set everything straight."

Oh my god, she's so totally going to make things worse. Marinette reluctantly held her arm out, keeping her head firmly between her knees so she didn't have to look at the embarrassment that would no doubt appear.

"There," Alya said, "look. All I wrote was an apology. I'm not going to embarrass you in front of your soulmate." She rolled her eyes, and then winked. "Yet at least. That's for after you two find each other."

Marinette risked a glance at her arm and noticed the neat scrawl appearing on its own first, before even reading what Alya had written. "I'm so sorry about that," Alya had written, "I didn't realize, I'll try to restrain myself."

"It's okay," Alya read the writing as it appeared after Marinette had registered what was happening. "Honestly I don't mind at all. I kind of like it, actually, but my dad doesn't want his only son to be covered in tattoos so he kind of made me ask you to stop. I'm sorry for bothering you, again, I know I don't usually write to you."

"'Don't usually'," Alya scoffed, "Don't ever." She bent over to write on Marinette's arm, despite her protests. "You've never written to me."

"Sorry," he wrote.

"That's why I figured my drawings didn't bother anyone. Most people know by the time they're like six."

"My dad kept me immaculate. Sorry."

Marinette growled and finally succeeded in snatching the pen from Alya's grasp. "Don't worry about it. That was actually my friend. I just wish you'd let me known sooner that I was being a bother."

The writing by then had moved up from Marinette's forearm to her bicep, and the neat scrawl was beginning to get distorted as he, likely, had trouble writing at the angle he was. "You're with a friend?"

"Yeah."

"I see." There were no marks for a long while. (And during the silence, Marinette fought Alya for rights of the pen. A fight that Alya eventually lost when Marinette's soulmate started writing again.) "Hey there's not a lot of space on an arm, is there?"

Marinette chuckled. "There is if you aren't writing at random."

"You would know. Anyway, do you think we could talk some other way? Phone, maybe?"

"Ooh, practical," Alya noted. "And you know with the whole model and dad thing, he sounds kind of like Adrien."

"Alya!" Marinette protested. "Don't even joke, you know that's not funny."

"I'm serious. He said his soulmate wrote to him all the time, but didn't he say it was usually drawings? Isn't that what you do?"

"He has a soulmate, Alya. And he seemed excited about it! I don't think he'd only just now be writing back if it was him."

"You never know." Alya shrugged. "Give him your number!"

"Okay, okay," Marinette said. She sighed and jotted down her phone number really quickly.

Both girls stared at the exposed skin on Marinette's arm for what felt like hours. Alya kept making small comments to herself, putting pieces together, making the puzzle point to Adrien. Marinette knew she was just giving in to confirmation bias, trying to make the situation align with Marinette's hopeless crush on her classmate. Eventually, he wrote again. "What's your name?"

Marinette risked a glance with Alya, who was encouraging her enthusiastically, and hesitantly wrote. "Marinette."

The reply was immediate. "Dupain-Cheng?!"

"Yes." There was another long moment when no one wrote, so Marinette added, "What's your name?"

The pause only extended further, so long that Marinette started turning her arm over to see if he had just moved to a different part (with no luck, he simply hadn't replied). When her soulmate finally wrote back, it was the last name she expected to see. It was written hastily, but clearly, just under her question. "Chat Noir."

The room was quiet as both girls tried to process that. Chat Noir?! No, he must be… a fan. Yeah. He's a fan of Chat, and he's just playing a joke. I'm sure he'll write soon, telling me his real name.

"Chat Noir?!" Alya shrieked. "Girl, your soulmate is Chat Noir?!"

"Of course not!" Marinette frowned at the words. "Obviously he's just a fan. I'm sure he's just having fun."

"He must recognize you! You helped him with Evillustrator, remember?"

Marinette gulped hard and watched as more words appeared under his name. "Well, it's good to talk to you again, purr-incess!" Oh my god, it's really him. "Is your friend still there?"

"Yes." Marinette felt her face burning as she wrote, stubbornly blocking out Alya's excited squeals. Why on Earth would he give me his superhero name?! He shouldn't bring our jobs into this dumb soulmate thing! Now if he ever tells me his real name, I'll know his identity! …Oh my god, I'll know his identity. Oh no. And if we started dating then Alya would know his identity! Goddamn it, Chat!

"That'd be Alya, wouldn't it?" he wrote, "The girl who runs the Ladyblog? I remember it being mentioned that she was your best friend."

Alya squealed even more with giddiness. "Mari, he remembers you! He remembers me! Oh my god, this is the best thing!"

"We don't know that he's actually Chat." Marinette reminded her.

"How else would he know all that?"

"He could be… I don't know!" Marinette searched her mind for anyone, anyone at all, even Adrien, to fill in, but no one in her life except Chat Noir had called her "Princess".

Pouting, Marinette wrote back. "Yes it's Alya. Are you going to text me or not, I thought you were running out of space?"

"I found more."

Alya wrested control of the pen from Marinette and wrote quickly as Marinette sighed. "Are you really Chat Noir?"

"I think it would be pretty dangerous to lie," he said, "considering she is my soulmate. (ps. I can tell your handwriting is different, Alya ;3) Do you need me to prove it? I think I still have my princess' home listed somewhere on my baton. I can't write while I'm running over there though."

"Oh my god, Mari he wants to come over!" As Alya shook with delight, Marinette once again managed to gain control of the pen.

"Absolutely not," she wrote, "I'm not letting a strange boy in my house at eleven at night."

After a long pause, Marinette found his reply skewed to the point of being nearly illegible, somewhere around her elbow. "Okay it actually took me like three minutes to even find that, let's use our phones now, please."

Her phone vibrated not a minute later with a message from a number her phone didn't recognize.

CN – this is me, princess!
CN – I totally understand, but we should meet up sometime at least. I know it probably sounds creepy, especially since I only told you my superhero name -.- but it really can't be in public either. I don't want people targeting you.
M – Sure, but I'm not going to be alone.
CN – whatever makes you comfurtable 3
M – And know that I can kick your butt, so don't get any ideas.
CN – I am a cat of honor, princess, I would never.

Alya, of course, took a hold of Marinette's phone, turning it to face her better. "Ask him to tell you who he is!"

"Alya, no!" Marinette exclaimed. "I can't do that to him!"

CN – knowing that the lovely lady in charge of the ladyblog is there means you're probably wondering my real identity.
CN – if you even needed her prodding for that.

This cat is psychic, I swear.

CN – well as you need to confirm my identity, I do yours as well! I like you, Marinette, but I can't just tell people who I am. you understand. maybe after we meet in person, and I talk to Ladybug about it.

"Mari, he likes you!"

"He meant that platonically," Marinette deadpanned, studying the phone. Assuming he really is Chat… that means we're destined, right? I always said that if it weren't for my crush on Adrien I might consider giving him a chance. Still, would he even go for me? He likes Ladybug though.

M – Aren't you like, in love with Ladybug though?

Alya stayed quiet, patting her shoulder in a movement of solidarity and, Marinette suspected, respect for asking the "tough questions". Chat's response took a few minutes to arrive.

CN – I suppose I'd be lying if I said I didn't hope it was my lady when I first wrote back to you. I've liked her for a long time now, so I can't just say "hey, found my soulmate, thanks for the memories!"
CN – this isn't exactly unexpected though. not that I had any idea it was you, I just mean I knew the likelihood of it being her is pretty low.

"Oh this cat." Alya sounded angry, but Marinette was mostly just berating herself. Of course he'd rather have Ladybug. She's amazing. If only I could be like her all the time.

CN – still I'm not disappointed! I'm glad it's you.

Marinette felt like she was in a trance as she typed.

M – You are?
CN – of course! how brave my princess is, and clever too. you're great! and I already know I can trust you and count on you.
CN – I want to be 100% honest with you, so yeah I am a little sad that it didn't work out that Ladybug would be my soulmate, but I always knew it was a possibility. and as I said I really do like you. I look forward to seeing how this works out, if you want to try with me.

Marinette felt her breath hitch, and was all too aware of Alya's presence over her shoulder.

M – "Try" is all I can promise, but yeah, I'd love to.

"My Lady!" Chat Noir's voice sent Ladybug's heart racing. This is it, if he brings it up then it really is him. "Ladybug, I have something important to talk to you about, if that's okay."

Ladybug examined her partner closely. "Why do you seem so nervous, Kitten? Did you do something?"

He flinched, making a face and rubbing his neck. "Y-yeah, I think I did." Ladybug, of course, knew exactly what this was about, but she couldn't let him know that, so she waited patiently for him to explain. "I… I found my soulmate."

"That's good!" Ladybug said. "You found someone."

"Yeah but… I might have screwed myself over." He bit his lip and trained his eyes on the floor. "When she told me her name, I, uh, well I know her already. She… I'm not sure, but I think she doesn't really like me. And so when she told me her name I kind of panicked." Ladybug silently arched an eyebrow. "So when she asked me for my name I freaked out because I didn't want to tell her it was me, because I don't think she likes me, but she seemed to like Chat well enough and I didn't know what else to say, so I accidentally said Chat Noir."

Ladybug feigned surprise. "Chat!"

He grimaced again. "I know. It was really stupid and I'm sorry but I really don't think I can get out of it."

Even if he did make an excuse, there's no getting out of it with me now that I know it really is Chat. At least if he does tell me I don't have to pretend to not know when I'm Marinette. Ladybug sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder. He looked up, terrified but hopeful, into Ladybug's eyes. "Chat, that was really, really, really dumb. But since you've already backed yourself into this corner, I think you should go for it. You said you know this girl; can you trust her?"

"Absolutely!" Chat nodded. "Actually I've run into her a few times even in costume. She can definitely be trusted, and she can handle herself."

"Then don't worry about it. It was bound to happen eventually, right?"

Chat looked about ready to cry, but Ladybug knew it was from relief. He surged forward just a step, raising his arms, and hesitated. He dropped his arms awkwardly and settled for just talking. "Thank you so much."

Ladybug rolled her eyes and stepped up to him, returning the hug he wanted to give before, after a shocked pause, his arms wrapped around her in a vice grip.

"Girl, I cannot believe you!"

For the umpteenth time that day, Marinette groaned. "Alya, you know why."

"I can control myself!"

"No you can't!" Marinette laughed. "Alya, you started interrogating him when we were writing on my arm. If I brought you we wouldn't even have a chance to talk, it'd just turn into an interview for your blog." Marinette tapped Alya on the nose teasingly with her finger. "I love you Alya, but I need back up, not an assault team."

"Then who are you bringing?"

"Nino and Alix. I've already talked to them about it."

Alya raised her eyebrows. "Why them?"

"Well Nino's talked to both Ladybug and Chat Noir more than most, plus he's really level-headed. And Alix is the only person I know who wouldn't be afraid to punch a superhero in the face. Just in case that's necessary. And they can both keep this quiet."

"That's…" Alya looked up, considering it, "fair. Okay girl, but I want all the details when you're done!"

"Of course. He said he already talked to Ladybug about it, and that she trusts his judgement, but we're arranging the meeting for a few days from now."

"Or he's just nervous," Alya said, "Or he's lying and is trying to avoid fessing up for as long as possible."

Marinette hummed, entirely unsure of how to handle the situation. She had confirmation that it was Chat Noir, with him bringing it up on their last patrol. She trusted Chat, of course, and if they really were soulmates then the identities would have had to come out eventually. Even still, she wasn't entirely comfortable having this meeting with him alone. Nino and Alix were the best options she had. "I'll just give him the benefit of the doubt for now, I think."

"Don't let him off easy though, girl."

"I won't." When Alya gave her a serious, doubtful stare, Marinette amended her statement. "Alix won't." Ladybug won't.

"That, I believe."

"Alya," Marinette said, "you know you can't tell anyone that he's Chat Noir, right?"

Alya looked downright offended, perhaps even more than when Marinette told her that she wasn't going to be her back up for the meeting. "Of course I know that! I'm not going to out him! That would put both of you in danger, and there's no way I'm doing that to him and especially not my best friend!"

"I'm just making sure. You, Alix and Nino are the only ones who know he's Chat, so I need you to keep quiet."

"Marinette, no one is going to say anything!" Alya rolled her eyes. "Though, when you start dating, I am definitely expecting interviews."

"No one said anything about dating!" Marinette felt her face heat up. Gosh, with Chat? I never even gave it serious thought. But he already loves Ladybug! And I like Adrien. It's not fair to either of us to just try dating just because some dumb mystical "soulmate" marks tell us to. "Not all soulmates are romantic anyway, remember?"

"I know, but you're definitely going to date."

"Alya!"

She walked away, cackling. "Listen, girl, I'm going to prepare questions for my first exclusive interview, okay?"

"I can't promise you that, Alya," Marinette repeated, but her best friend had already left. Finally, she turned her attention to her phone, where a message from Chat Noir awaited her.

CN – so, you were saying furiday? that's one of my free evenings. I'm good any time after school ends unless of course an akuma attacks
M – In my school at around 5 then. Ms. Mendeleiev always leaves early so her classroom should be empty. And locked, but that's not a problem, is it? Room 109. Alix and Nino (Timebreaker and Bubbler) will be there as well. Assuming you really are Chat Noir, no one else will know.
CN – ooh, distrustful of me, princess?
M – Maybe I'm just more willing to trust my eyes than some words from someone claiming to be a superhero.
CN – even if those words come from your soulmate?
M – Especially. Mystic shenanigans make not a stable friendship, Tomcat.
CN – "Tomcat" I like it. makes me sound like a manly kitty :3
M – Don't let it get to your head.
M – I'm just testing to find something Ladybug doesn't use.
CN – well I like it. and my lady doesn't use it so you can if that's all you're worried about 3
CN – and come Friday I'll convince you I'm worthy of an adorable nickname
M – Chat
CN – hm?
M – I have something to say, as well as a question. I'm not sure if it'd be better to ask in person, but I really need to know.
CN – whatever you need, marinette. ask away
M – Well first of all, I just want you to know that I do believe you. That you're Chat Noir.

Marinette waited a few moments to see if he'd respond, but after a minute or two of silence, she quickly typed out her question.

M – What I wanted to ask you though, was… what do you want from this, Chat? This whole soulmate thing. What are you hoping to get out of it?

A few minutes of held breath later, and her phone vibrated.

CN – I told you before I want to be 100% honest so… I really don't know what I want from this. I didn't think about it.
CN – I've always felt sort of attached to my soulmate, to you, but I guess that's just what being a soulmate means
CN – I'm not entirely sure how I'm supposed to feel, but at this point I think I'd be up for trying whatever. if you wanted to try the romance thing then we could do that. if you want to be just friends I'd be honored to be counted among my princess' friends
M – You like Ladybug though.
CN – I do, but I'm choosing you
M – Because of some writing on your skin.
CN – because you're worth choosing
M – You really believe that?
CN – of course. there's a reason you're a princess
M – You hardly know me.
CN – I'm a good judge of character

Marinette scoffed. Says the guy who thought Chloe was Ladybug.

CN – and anyway, it's not like I really know LB in the way you're meaning either. that hasn't stopped me
M – What do you mean by that?
CN – well, you know, casual stuff. I know what LB is like in a crisis, I know my lady when she's making a plan and when she's flying over the rooftops, but I don't really know things friends are supposed to know about each other
CN – her birthday? her favorite food, color? what does she want to do with her life when she's not ladybug? I have no idea. it's the same thing with you, really
CN – I know how brave and clever you are, how you can stay calm in the face of an akuma, and I love that just like I do in my lady. Even though I might not know your birthday or favorite things or your dream, that doesn't mean I don't know things about you to like
CN – that's all I meant
CN – and actually I do know you want to be a fashion designer so that's one up isn't it? ;3

Marinette swallowed hard on the lump in her throat. This dumb kitty cat. Was all she could manage to think. God, and I can't even convince myself that he's lying. That's just such a… such a Chat thing to do.

CN – was that too sappy? I'm sorry if that was too much I just wanted to be honest
CN – golly that made it worse didn't it you know what I'll just leave you alone
CN – see you friday

And that's not. Is he nervous? Marinette almost laughed. In a lot of ways, she appreciated the thought. Many soulmates just came together and got together. It worked out for them often, sometimes it didn't, but many people don't really put thought into it. It's not something to be nervous about. It's pretty much literally whatever magical power presiding over their world telling them that they're meant for each other, so why would they worry about it? That Chat Noir was nervous about it meant he wasn't presuming anything with her, which Marinette appreciated especially because she hadn't yet decided exactly what she wanted to do. And okay, if I'm being honest, it's a little cute, coming from him.

M – Don't worry about it; thanks for being honest. I do have to go though. I'll see you later.

CN – hey princess guess what

Marinette sighed as Alya looked over at her phone. Alya normally wouldn't lean over her shoulder to read her conversations, but this was her soulmate and Chat Noir, so Marinette decided to cut her some slack. It wasn't as if they'd say anything incriminating anyway, Chat didn't know she was Ladybug, and Alya would find out Chat's identity soon regardless.

M – What is it, Tomcat?
CN – ',:3 new emoticon
M – I hope there is never a situation in which you have to use that unironically.
CN – oh do you? ',:3
M – Okay I set myself up for that, that's fair.
CN – hehe you totally did ;3c
CN – by the way
CN – I spy with my little eye, a beautiful princess and her lovely bff who is not being subtle about reading our conversation ;3
CN – I know I'm a bit early but I was excited. I'll stay hidden though don't worry

"Girl, how did you get a soulmate this adorable?" Alya asked while very obviously looking around.

CN – you won't find me, alya ~ I am a cat, a master of stealth
CN – also you have no idea where to look

"Oh, he's done it now. Sorry, Mari." Alya snatched Marinette's phone out of her hand and wrote her own message.

M – enjoy it while it lasts mr noir bc the moment u try something w my bff you will not be able to avoid me
M – I'll keep ur lil identity a secret but don't think for a moment I wont use it to find you and jdhifhsijnk

Marinette fought Alya for the phone, leaving the rest of her message a mess of jumbled letters. Chat Noir, for his part, took it in stride. Probably because he could apparently see them.

CN – mr noir am I part of some kind of tv crime drama now or something?
M – Face it, your life is basically a television crime drama.
CN – I mean you're not wrong
CN – still I think I'd describe it more as superhero meets magical girl
M – I guess you are literally a magical girl.
CN – isn't it great?
M – Dork.
M – Anyway so what are you just sitting on the roof waiting or something? We can't meet until a lot of the crowd has left you know.
CN – I know! and as a matter of fact I am not on the roof. I'm nearby. in disguise B3

Alya reached for the phone again, and Marinette just rolled her eyes and conceded.

M – lemme guess ur not transformed and probably go here so we wouldn't notice a strange boy here if we looked am I right
CN – ooh, first try. I'm glad you're on my side

Alya rolled her eyes and tossed Marinette the phone. "Yeah he's not clever. I know exactly who he is."

Marinette arched an eyebrow at her friend. "Really? Who is he then?"

"Please, I'm honestly disappointed that you haven't figured it out by now. Even with just what he's told you over text, you of all people should be able to tell."

"What… does that mean?"

"It means you're helpless, I've already told you, and he'll tell you soon enough anyway so just don't worry your pretty head over it."

Marinette frowned, but since her meeting with Chat was scheduled to happen any second, she let it go.

"Girl, there's Nino and Alix, get going. Tell your boyfriend it's time." Alya pointed to the two friends in question, who were chatting by the large entranceway of the school.

Marinette stood and sighed, checking her phone.

M – Think it's clear enough?
CN – if you're sneaky going back in, yes maam
M – Do not call me ma'am ever you're like the same age as me
CN – you're a princess though
M – And I already put up with that.
CN – fine. *yes princess
CN – better?

Marinette rolled her eyes and shoved her phone into her bag as she made her way to Alix and Nino.

"Hey, Mari," Alix said, "we ready to do this?"

"Yeah, let's go. And thank you both again."

Nino clapped her on the shoulder. "Anything for my friend, dude." Meanwhile Alix just waved her off nonchalantly, muttering about "soulmate shenanigans".

Together, the three of them carefully made their way through the courtyard. The ventured together through mostly empty hallways and, luckily, there was no one in sight outside Ms. Mendeleiev's classroom. Marinette tried the door first, finding it, as expected, locked.

Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she saw Alix pulling something small out of her pocket. "I got this, keep watch." Together, Marinette and Nino patrolled the hallway while Alix picked the lock (why she knew how to do that, Marinette wasn't sure if she wanted to ask) and it wasn't long before the three of them slipped inside the classroom. After making sure no one saw them, Nino and Alix took positions on either side of the classroom, guarding both doors and doubling their back-up duty with lookout duty.

With her two friends on either side of the classroom, Marinette stood with her back against the wall, facing the windows that Chat Noir appeared outside of just a few minutes later. After Marinette opened one of the windows for him, he climbed inside, greeting her enthusiastically before even landing his feet on the tile. "Princess! It's been a while."

"It has. Last time we saw each other you were… saving me from The Gamer?"

"Hmm," he hummed, "must have been."

Marinette stared into his eyes for what seemed like a long while, taking in the familiar green and trying to sort out how it made her feel. He's Chat Noir, my partner. She had to avert her eyes from the striking green that always stood out so much. They even, sometimes, literally shone in the dark, if the light was right. Like little flashlights searching into her for something, and she didn't know what he was looking for so she didn't know whether to hide it or help him find it. What do I want "partner" to mean though? I still like Adrien, even if I did like Chat that way, it wouldn't be fair, right?

But if he's willing to give me a chance, isn't it fair if I give him one? Do I want to give him one? He said he'd choose me, even though he still likes Ladybug. Can I do the same thing?

"Oh my god," Alix said loudly, interrupting her thoughts. Chat jumped just as she did at the voice, and they both turned to the girl at the door. "No wonder you brought me here, you're both hopeless. Just talk already."

Marinette gulped and looked back at Chat, meeting his piercing gaze. "I…" he said, "don't know what to say." As his ears drooped and his eyes turned away from her, Marinette couldn't do much but share the sentiment.

"Talk about your feelings," Alix suggested, "your next step. Your situation is a bit more complicated than normal."

Marinette and Chat looked at each other again for another minute before both blurting out simultaneously, "So I've been thinking-"

"And…"

"Uh…"

Marinette was sure Alix was hitting her head on the wall from the soft thumping coming from her direction, but she refused to remove her eyes from the tile at her feet. Chat Noir cleared his throat. "Uh, ladies first?"

"Okay," she said, "okay, so I was thinking, am thinking, really, and I think it would be smart for us to just… be friends. Maybe later, after we know each other better, then we can think about doing the romance thing."

Chat's eyebrows knit together and his lips curled down just slightly. One of his ears twitched but they both stayed firmly flattened backwards. "I see."

Marinette paused. Oh no, he's upset isn't he? What does the ears back thing mean again? After all this time I still don't look up cat body language, gosh. "Uh, what did you want to say?"

"I was thinking," he said hesitantly, "that since we've confirmed that we're us, you know, maybe we could… I don't know… hang out sometime on your balcony or something before I show you my identity."

She blinked, taken off guard. "Sure, I guess." She frowned. He goes to school here too, so he shouldn't keep me up too late, so it shouldn't be a problem, right? But… "Why?"

"I…" He made an awkward sort of grimace as he spoke, one that made Marinette feel badly for him. "Well, you know I go to school here and… I act pretty differently when I'm Chat and I'm not sure how telling you who I am will change this because you act differently around me too and I just… I want us to be friends first before identity shenanigans mess with things, okay?"

Marinette smiled. Oh I know exactly what you mean, Kitten. She had, after all, been planning on keeping being Ladybug a secret for a while, it was only fair. "That's perfectly fine. Text me when you want to meet, okay?"

His ears perked up again, and his expression softened. "Yeah! I will."

With a glance to Alix and Nino, both of whom seemed more bemused than anything else, Marinette decided to end their awkward conversation while it was almost bearable. "We should clear out before someone comes by and sees us."

"Right. I'll see you later then."

"Later, Tomcat. Lock the door behind us."