The shirt Marinette had lent him was perfect. The fit was amazing, and it looked so similar to his super suit he couldn't help but wonder how she had managed to get such tiny details designed so accurately, but then there was the slight panic that someone would put two and two together and get four. That they'd realise Adrien Agreste was Chat Noir.

The panic was fed by the thought of Alya seeing him. I mean she knew the heroes as well as they knew each other. He shrugged on his coat over the shirt, hiding it from prying eyes, and made his way back down to the bakery.

Another moment had been spoiled but he couldn't help the tiny hint of hope that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. He was quite sure he wasn't hiding it anymore, he was an open book with open arms ready to welcome her into them.

After the battle with 'The Sugar Plum Fairy', Adrien had considered everything from what he told Ladybug to the way she had encouraged him to 'go for it'. He still loved her, he really did but he wasn't lying when he said it would be easy to fall in love with Marinette. Everyone who met her must feel the same way, she was one hell of a woman and he was glad he'd agreed to her apology that afternoon.

He stepped into the bakery and the atmosphere suddenly shifted. He didn't know what they had been talking about but he was quite sure it was either about him, or they didn't want him to know. The deafening silence told him that. He placed on his award winning smile and walked towards where everyone was gathered.

"What would you like me to do?" He asked, clapping his hands in front of his body.

Before anyone could fill him in on tonight's details, he noticed the eyes of those around him suddenly widen. Widen so much Adrien panicked they'd figured it out, that was until he heard the tell tale noise of Marinette.

Swiftly, he turned around and held his hands out ready to catch her, managing to just save her before she hit the floor.

"Falling for me, I see." Her face turned red as the words slipped from his mouth and he could have kicked himself in the ass. Commenting something like that in front of the girl-you-want-to-date's parents was mortifying.

The sound of a booming laugh circled around the room, and suddenly Adrien relaxed. Tom Dupain was laughing. Marinette's father had found it funny. Hopefully his head would stay attached for the evening and he wouldn't have to watch his back.

"Good one, son." Tom walked past them both and grabbed his coat from the rack in the corner. Adrien marvelled at the size and thought if they ever wanted to go camping they could ask Tom to borrow his coat, you could fit two, maybe three, regular sized people in there. He made a mental note to keep on the big guy's good side, he was sure as friendly and happy as Tom was, he was a protective papa bear and would kill anyone who caused harm to his offspring.

"Dude, smooth." Nino walked over to Adrien, and clapped a hand on his shoulder as Marinette was positioned back to standing and once again stable on the floor.

Adrien reached up to his neck and gave it a quick rub. Did guys big themselves up for this type of action, or should he just act nonchalant towards it? He decided to go with the latter. Shrugging his shoulders and giving Marinette a quick smile before turning towards Nino.

"I'm Adrien, by the way." He held out his hand to Nino, who took it graciously and nodded.

"Oh, I've heard about you dude." Nino said with a smile.

"Nino!" Alya hissed from beside Sabine, the smaller woman laughed, obviously in on the joke too. Adrien looked between everyone baffled, what was he missing?

"I'm Nino, and it's great to finally meet you. Marinette has had nothing but great things to say about you."

"Really?" Adrien turned his gaze to Marinette who shifted her own to outside the window, before hurrying over to Alya and attempting to make herself look busy.

His eyebrows raised, she obviously attempted to avoid his gaze. What was that all about? Her personality seemed to change rapidly, ever since the morning after the ball. Had she had that bad a time? He raked his mind again and again and couldn't work it out. He was starting to think he was insane himself. He would swear in one moment that she liked him in the exact way that he liked her., that she wanted to be with him, to hug him and kiss him, then in the next breath she couldn't get further away.

Perhaps this is what all women were like? Perhaps he just had a bad understanding of how women acted? But for some reason he didn't think that was it. He didn't think this was normal and he didn't know what to do.

"Don't mind her, flustering like that usually means she likes you," Nino must have understood Adrien's expression as he moved towards the girls too. Adrien wanted to take it at face value but he just couldn't. It just didn't seem right.

"Hum," he said, not wanting to comment more, especially not to someone he'd only just met, and not to someone who was Marinette's close friend. His feelings would stay locked down and he'd work through it himself, he had no choice.

"Okay, are you all ready?" Tom was back with the others, now with extra accessories of gloves and a scarf.

A sound of yeps circulated the room, each as enthusiastic as each other and ready for the mission ahead.

"This is how it works .." Marinette began, handing boxes upon boxes of pastries to each of the helpers. "We each have a selection of pastries we need to deliver, the addresses are on top of each box. First people back win. Maman, Papa, you can be together this year, Adrien you'll be with me -" his heart leapt into his throat, he was going to get more one to one time with Marinette. Merry Christmas, Adrien.

"Woah, no, no, no!" Alya began to speak over Marinette, shaking her thick locks side to side with her head. "I don't think so. He can be your partner for game night, but for this ..." she nodded at the boxes cradled in his arms, "he's with me."

A collective group of gasps echoed around the empty bakery as Alya gained a wide smile across her mouth.

"But you don't know each other." Marinette said. A pathetic excuse but better than what he had at this moment. He wanted to go with Marinette.

"That's the whole point," Alya continued, "you and Nino haven't had much time together recently and I would like to get to know this Adrien Agreste who sweeps my bff off her feet and takes her to romantic log cabins in the alps."

"Alya!" Marinette sounded again, as she looked at her parents with a grimace on her face. There it was again, another indication that Marinette didn't like him that way, but why would she play with his heart so much. It was cruel.

"It's fine," Adrien said, gulping. "I can go with Alya, I don't mind."

"It's okay," Sabine sounded up, as she led the procession out of the bakery and onto the streets. "You can go as a group of four."

They looked between themselves and then smiled. "Thanks Maman,", "thanks Ms. Cheng."

They left the building and turned in opposite directions. The gang turned to the right as the bakers turned to the left.

"Lead the way Mari, we'll be right behind you." The gang set off at a rather leisurely pace and Adrien suddenly found himself getting ancie.

"Isn't this a race?" He asked. He was competitive, he didn't like the idea of losing, especially when he was trying to make an impression on Marinette.

"It is, but we always let Sabine win." Nino said, walking alongside Adrien as the girls took up the space at the front.

"Oh," was all Adrien could say. He was curious to know why, afterall he'd seen Marinette play UMS as she was a force to be reckoned with, add in the determined stalking she did in the pine maze and suddenly something about her characterisation didn't make sense.

"It's not that we don't want to win," Marinette began to explain, obviously knowing Adrien was silently questioning her, "but whoever makes it back to the bakery first does the cooking, and I know my Maman loves to be in charge of keeping everyone fed and happy, so it's a gift from me to her."

Adrien couldn't help but feel the warmth of Sabine Cheng. She loved to keep them fed and happy? It had been a long time since someone wanted to do that for him.

"We'll drop the items off and then usually we have a quick trip to the Liberty and see what's happening with Kitty Section. They tend to rehearse a lot this time of year in case they manage to get a Christmas or New Years gig." Nino continued, keeping a steady pace behind the girls.

"Kitty Section?" Adrien asked, turning to look at Nino.

"Yeah, Luka's band."

"Luka?"

Alya stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Adrien before turning back to Marinette, and then back to Adrien again.

"You don't know who Luka is?"

"Um - no? Should I?"

Alya turned to look at Marinette again, who bowed her head down in response. She shook her head and carried on walking.

"Nino, go with Marinette. I need to have a chat with Buttercup here."

"Buttercup? I thought I was 'Wonderboy'?" Adrien smiled at Alya causing the red head to laugh.

"I like him, M, you can keep him."

Adrien couldn't help the heat flame up his cheeks. Oh, how he did want her to keep him, he wanted her to keep him way more than what could be seen as socially acceptable. Marinette looked over her shoulder before Nino took her arm, pulling her further in front of Alya and her interrogation.

"So, Monsieur Agreste, what are your intentions with our little Marinette here?"

"Intentions? We've only known each other for about two weeks, we're just having fun as friends."

Alya made acknowledging noises before hitting Adrien with a question which made him almost drop the delicious treats he had in his arms. "Fun, or fun?" She wiggled his eyebrows at him and he wanted to Cataclysm a hole to fall into.

"Definitely not, we're just friends."

"Sure, sure ... and I'm just a normal girl with a normal life."

Adrien creased his eyebrows, what did that mean? Noticing his confusion, Alya decided to change subjects. "Tell me, Adrien. How much do you know about our little Marinette here?"

The raven haired (secret) hero stilled in her steps and Adrien had to swiftly move to the right to not slam into her back.

"Don't!" The voice was as harsh as the look she was giving her best friend, and he didn't think he'd ever link this facial expression to Marinette.

She was not happy.

"Oh, come on Mari, there are so many stories,"

"I swear on my Gabriel exclusive four inch stilletos, you go any further with this conversation and I will disown you as a friend." Marinette was now fully facing them, Nino quivering by her side as she unleashed her fury at his girlfriend.

"Geez, who put a bee in your bonnet?" Alya responded, looking between Marinette and Adrien.

"Alya!"

"Fine, I won't say anything too bad. I just don't want 'Wonderboy' to have to wander about you."

Marinette rolled her eyes before turning around and heading back the way they were going, towards the Paris Children's home. Alya placed her hand on Adrien's arm, slowing him down and causing a substantial gap between the two pairings.

"What do you want to know? I'll fill you in as quickly as I can without her hearing."

Adrien looked at Alya unsure whether it would be the right thing to quiz her about Marinette especially when she'd just made it quite clear she didn't want Adrien to know anything. But like the saying goes curiosity killed the cat and Adrien didn't fancy dying anytime soon.

"Tell me about Luka,"

I went to watch my ex-boyfriend play with his band at a local concert but their music makes my ears bleed, so I told him I had an ear infection and needed to wear cotton wool in my ears.

A flashback from the aeroplane journey appeared in his mind. Could Luka be the ex-boyfriend who she'd mentioned?

"Luka is Marinette's ex, they're still good friends but there's nothing romantic there anymore, on her half anyway. He's still utterly devoted and besotted with her."

"And she doesn't feel the same?"

"They were together a long time, and they were close, they still are. They know pretty much everything about each other and it's both a blessing and curse." Alya, for all her playfulness, had become serious and he knew she was telling him the absolute truth, no sugar coating, and no added extras.

"Why did they break up?" He asked, curious as to what the answer would be. If they were that close, why would they suddenly be separate?

"Something changed in Marinette's life and she realised they weren't as made for each other as she originally thought. Luka is a unique guy, and sometimes his personality is very individual. He just didn't suit her anymore, they didn't work as more than friends."

"What about Marinette's other boyfriends? What are they like?"

Alya's lip turned up at the edge and she turned her attention fully onto Adrien.

"Interested in my girl's past love life I see, does that mean you might be interested in her future love life?"

"I'm just a guy that's intrigued ... that's all."

"Yeah, right." She snorted. "Well, if you must know, there is only one guy that seems to hold Marinette's heart at the moment."

"And that is?"

"Why are you so interested, Agreste? I mean I'm all for Marinette being happy in a relationship, but at the moment she has a lot happening."

Adrien sighed and looked straight in front, keeping an eye out for any unseen street posts, and lamp posts. Last thing he wanted to do was walk head first into a stationary object and knock himself out cold. There was no way Marinette would find him cool then.

"She said. Is there anything I could do to help her? I mean, I know I don't model anymore but I do still have a lot of contacts. I could always find something or someone to help her out."

"As sweet as that is, she's on her own in this one."

They continued to walk a little in silence, catching up behind Marinette and Nino, who were playing a game of movie quotes. Hearing Marinette talk in different voices made his heart swoon. She was adorable. If he had to write a list about Marinette cute as a mouse would most certainly be on there.

Marinette ... mouse! There's that nagging feeling again. Was she ... Multimouse? He tried to remember what had happened the day of Kwamibuster.

He was in his last year of lycée and was quite sure Ladybug was from the same one as him. She had dropped a similar school textbook to one he'd had in the past, and it just seemed too coincidental that Tikki and Plagg had been spotted together there.

If that were true, she would have been in her first year. He looked at the back of her head as she continued walking and tried to remember the amazing girl who'd worn all the Miraculous. He'd thought it was Ladybug until another pigtailed girl appeared alongside his lady.

What was her name? Melissa? Marie? A name whispered in the back of his head (or from his jacket pocket) ...

Marinette.

It was her. She was the all-powerful Mouse holder, one, unfortunately, his Lady would never use again. She'd revealed her face to Chat Noir, and reveals were a nogo.

Was that the moment she fell in love with his altar ego? When they were fighting side by side? He let out a sigh causing the others to glare suspiciously at him, each one narrowing their eyebrows.

"Oh - um - I was just - um - thinking?" His words came out as a question which only added to the curiosity of the three around him.

"About?" Nino asked, eyebrows creased together as he squinted at Adrien.

He was quite sure Nino thought he was weird, and to be honest who would blame him. Adrien was weird, and, at the moment, the way he was talking, people would think he was truly bonkers. He certainly did.

"The children, I was just thinking what it would be like to have no family for Christmas. I mean, when I lost my mother it just wasn't the same, I couldn't get excited about anything. So to not have any parents or family it must be hard. It's so admirable of you and your parents, Marinette, to do something to help it not be quite as hard. To give them something to get excited about and enjoy." He congratulated himself on the save before realising that he did actually mean every word.

"That's really sweet, thank you" Marinette said, her smile brightening the darkened night, and making Adrien stand ten feet taller.

"Yeah, it is." Alya agreed as Nino bobbed his head up and down.

The quartet made six stops in total, all Children's homes dotted close to the bakery. Marinette seemed to know a lot of the owners rather well and they spent time at each venue playing with the children before moving to the next and repeating the and doing the same.

Adrien found himself drawn to Marinette over and over again. He'd watch her chat and play with the children, cuddle the toddlers and coo over the babies, before heading off to play video games with the teens. She was truly something else. A rare breed and a very special lady.

After finally reaching the last drop off they began to walk towards 'The Liberty' and the Kitty Section rehearsal. Nino and Alya headed off ahead, snuggled together against the cooling night filling Adrien with a tremendous amount of jealousy and longing. He wanted that, and until recently he didn't know quite how much he did. He wanted to cuddle and express devotion to one person, to a person who would do it freely back.

He couldn't continue this way, he couldn't continue knowing Marinette without it being more. He wanted to be more than just friends, he wanted more and he hoped she'd give it to him.

They continued to walk over a bridge and towards the River Seine, suddenly Adrien spotted a boat with an array of lights glowing in the night. He recognised the boat as one he'd fought before, alongside Ladybug. And as if by magic her face was as clear as day, taking over his thoughts.

He had to get it in his thick skull that she didn't and couldn't have relationships with him, with anyone. Her guardianship was everything to her, and it was admirable how much effort and commitment she was putting into the Miraculous. He loved her. He truly did, but as the past few weeks played out he had found himself loving someone else too. Someone just as smart and clever and beautiful. He had fallen head over heels in love with Marinette.

As the girls circulated between each other in his head, Adrien continued mindlessly following the loved up couple, not realising the girl toying with his emotions was walking right next to him.

That was until she slotted her arm through the crook of his.

His heart pretty much stopped as he watched the small gloved arm snake next to his, looking even tinier due to his larger sized frame.

"Are you enjoying tonight?" She'd asked him. How could he tell her that any night with her is a night he would enjoy. Just being in her presence made it go from a one to a ten in a matter of seconds.

"I'm having a great time," he smiled down at her and knew by her reaction she was pleased with his response. Her rosy cheeks from the cool night air had darkened to a reddish colour and her own smile lit up her face. As his eyes met hers she looked down at the floor before looking back up.

"I'm glad." She softly said. They continued to walk arm in arm behind Alya and Nino. "Luka is the ex boyfriend."

Adrien had gathered that from her responses earlier and also what he'd gathered from Alya. His stomach tightened a little thinking about her with someone else, even if it was someone she knew way before him.

"The ex boyfriend. Does that mean he's the one that got away?" He asked the question for no other reason but his own self confidence. If he was correct with everything he'd heard the answer would be ...

"No," she said, a slight hint of amusement in his voice. He wanted to shout his gratitude to the God's but unfortunately a smile would have to do. He needed to play it cool.

Adrien Agreste, do not scare this one away.

"It lasted its course. Something would always get in the way and my feelings changed. But now that we're talking about it, please I beg of you, don't mention anything I said on the plane."

Adrien's lips turned up. It was time to tease.

"So don't mention Chat Noir costumes?"

Marinette stopped, her connection to Adrien pulling him to a stop too.

"Adrien,"

"You know, I look purr-ty lovely in leather, purr-haps I can show you sometime."

Marinette took her arm out of his, pulled off her glove and smacked him repeatedly around the arm with it whilst laughing.

"Adrien, stop."

"What? Don't you like people dressing up that way?"

"You're the worst," he grabbed her arm to stop her from hitting him and pulled her into his body, her warmth mingling in with his own.

"Want to argue it out?" She rolled her eyes at him and pushed away walking off towards Alya. "Have you got your cotton wool? I hear those ear infections can be annoying, loud music can really affect them." He called after her laughing. She turned around and flipped him the bird, stunning him to the spot.. Marinette Dupain-Cheng had some sass, and he liked it.

"What did you do to her?" Nino had swapped places and was now standing beside Adrien. Both watching the women in front randomly giggle and turn back to face them. He felt like he was back in his teens, girls spotting him and whispering between themselves.

"Not a clue," Adrien shrugged, reaching his neck and rubbing the length.

"I've haven't seen her so carefree and happy for at least five years. You've got a skill, man." Adrien looked down as he laughed, not wanting another to know how much he basked in that praise. When it came to Marinette he would do whatever to make her happy.

"Thanks, I think." They began to make their way down a set of steps, towards the boat Adrien had spotted earlier. "So is that where we're going?" He asked.

"Yeah. Looks like a pirate ship doesn't it?"

"Sure. Hey, what's a pirate's favourite letter in the alphabet?" He asked Nino.

"Oh dude, could you have made this any easier? It's 'R'." Nino did his best pirate impression swinging his arm across his body, fist clenched.

"Most people think it's 'R' but they're actually more fond of the 'C'."

Nino stopped and looked at Adrien before gaffouring. "Man, that's funny!" Nino wandered off calling Alya's name, "Babe, you need to hear this." The two bounded over the ramp and onto the boat, leaving Adrien trailing behind.

Adrien smiled as Nino walked off quite sure he had made a new friend in the red cap wearing guy. He continued making his way towards the launch and found Marinette waiting for him.

"Thank you for waiting," Adrien made his way to Marinette and offered his arm again.

"Of course, what kind of hostess would I be if I didn't? Are you ready to make some new friends?"

"If they're like you, then I am definitely ready."

She laughed and turned her head to him, giving him a quick wink.

"I'm one of a kind, Wonderboy, I thought you would have discovered that for yourself by now."

They walked onto the boat deck conversation following with incredible ease and Marinette's arm remained threaded through his. They looked very much like a young couple enjoying a nightly stroll.

A young beautiful couple who made people stare.

A young couple who made other people jealous.

A young couple who had caught the attention of a love lost blue haired musician.