"So we're partners again," Adrien smirked as he adjusted his cap. "Isn't this a so-called fate?"

"Professionally speaking, we're called a battery," Marinette answered, securing the gloves in her hand.

"Yeah, but we're not professional baseball players so basically, a catcher and a pitcher are called partners in my own vocabulary. One who can't work without the other one. Right, my Lady?"

She pushed his nose when he hovered near her face "Whatever you say so, Kitty."

"You know," the blond scratched the side of his cheek as he looked at the surroundings. "I'm expecting my weekend to be filled with pastries, Chinese dumplings and several rounds of UMS 3. Not this."

"You're partly to blame, you know."

He chuckled "About that..."

Adrien was supposed to say no when Alix approached them one Friday afternoon for a baseball showdown with another class. Even Marinette explained to her that they have something important to be done over the weekend...

Namely, binge-eating some fresh baked goods while having an anime marathon.

Of course, Marinette didn't say that. The last time she told someone about it, she was accused that they were only doing Netflix and Chill. She was mortified when she searched the meaning of it on the internet.

"How about if I'm going to give you two free passes on All You Can Eat buffet in Nolita?" their pink-haired classmate said as she flaunted the tickets on their faces.

No one could say no to free food.

"Alix said that we'll be playing only two out of nine innings if we can make the opposite team get zero," Adrien said, slipping the protective gear on his body. "Which means that our tandem is crucial to winning the game."

"Alya said that two of the players are Junior League members."

"Who cares? We have a feisty superheroine Ladybug and her yoyo skills on our side."

"Not to mention a multi-skilled Chat Noir who can hit a Lucky Charm easily with his baton," she nudged him by her shoulder as he winked. "Have you had any experiences with baseball?"

The blond shrugged "If you're going to include my top marks in Wii then yes, I have experiences in baseball. How about you, Princess?"

"It's been a while since I last played catch ball with Papa, but if we're talking about curve balls, I can showcase my skills in catching Pokemon."

The teens sighed exasperatedly as they observed the other team huddling together while theirs - Kim, Alix, Ivan, Nathanael, Max, Nino, and Alya - were minding their own businesses.

"We're hopeless." Adrien groaned. "No way we can win this game."

"If we can't win it, we have to make sure of our free food tickets."

He eyed his companion warily "What's the plan, my Lady?"

Marinette stepped in the pitcher's mound and called her classmate's attention "Hey guys! Listen up - I have a plan."

The plan was pretty generic - hit the ball if you're the batter or catch it if you're the catcher. They also changed the arrangement, making the best batters fill in the first and last line so that those with weaker swings stayed in the middle.

As for the pitcher and the catcher...

"Let's say we are going to reveal the surprise during the game," Adrien told them then gave the pig-tailed girl a wink much to her embarrassment.

It was a great shock to everyone - including Nino and Alya who had their jaws dropped to the ground - at Marinette's fastballs.

"Strike three! Batter out!" the referee announced as the opposite team's fifth batter walked away despondently.

"Are you sure she's not a pro?" one of the spectators asked.

"I've heard that she's an aspiring fashion designer."

"Since when did sewing gives you a better arm reflex?"

"That must be a beginner's luck."

"You call a five - okay, it's six just now - consecutive strikeout a beginner's luck? I call it precision."

"Man, that curveball is deadly. Are you sure she's not a pro?"

"Maybe the catcher is the pro? No sane person would dare to catch a hella smokin' balls."

"I've heard that the catcher is a model."

"No way!"

The surprise didn't end there. When Adrien was assigned to do the first bat, he immediately hit the fastball with ease and flung it away from the field.

"Home run!" Nino screamed. "Home run! Home run!"

All of their classmates chanted the words as the blond moonwalked from the first to fourth base.

Marinette didn't hit the ball like Adrien's - after all, she was a yoyo and not a staff user - but passable enough to run on bases and earn a point.

After the second innings, Marinette called it quits.

"Bu - But we are almost - "

"You told us that we only need to play two innings and make the opposite team earn a zero. Look at the scoreboard."

"A promise is a promise, Alix," Adrien added. "We uphold your agreement. Now we want you to uphold yours."

"You should have told them nine innings instead of two," Kim hissed at the pink-haired's ear.

"I didn't know they were good!" she retorted.

"Rose and Juleka can be a good battery," Marinette consoled. "Besides, we're supposed to be their reliever until they arrived, right?"

"Marinette's right, Alix," Rose smiled as she adjusted the glove on her hand. "Thanks for saving us, Marinette, Adrien. We have an appointment prior to this that's why we can't be here at the exact time."

"It's okay, Rose. We really enjoyed playing the game." the pig-tailed girl responded.

Alix pulled the tickets from her pocket then slapped it on their hands, "Here you go. Enjoy your date!"

"And don't forget to take some pictures." Juleka added.

Marinette and Adrien's face turned from ash white to deep red. It took them a few sputters of denial and eye rolls from their friends to ease their awkwardness and leave the park.

"I'm starving, my Lady." the blond sighed, rubbing his stomach with his hand. "I think I can finish a whole barbecue back ribs in one sitting."

"I'm not sure if Nolita has barbecue back ribs since their specialty is Italian cuisine," his companion answered while reading the information on the ticket.

"I don't mind pizza and some pasta, to be honest."

"Do you think they will win the game?" she asked, referring to their classmates.

"I believe so. Kim and Alix are good batters, same with Alya, Nino, and Ivan," he answered then turned to another corner. "I haven't seen Rose and Juleka's play, but if Alix put them as a battery then that means they have a good chemistry - just like us, my Lady."

She giggled "If you say so, Kitty."

"Let's do this sometime."

"The what, playing baseball?"

"No," he shook his head with a blush all the way to his neck. "The date. Not this I-got-free-passes date but I-plan-it-all date. That is, if you like."

"I'd like that, the date I mean. We can go out sometime," she muttered with scarlet cheeks, then raised her fist shyly, "Bien joue?"

Adrien's eyes shone, flashing his brightest smile enough to light up the entire Paris. He raised his fist for a fist bump "Bien joue."