Marinette spent her Sunday trying to get her mind off of things. 

She helped out her parents in the bakery for the morning and lunch rushes. She did all her homework and just about wrapped up her final portion of the project. 

But her determination to distract herself caused her to finish with too much time to spare. It was about 10 pm now. She finished everything she wanted to accomplished and even showered. 

She was ready for bed and there wasn't much for her to do other than listen to her own thoughts. 

Marinette sighed before climbing up to her balcony. She sat down on her chair, staring up at the night sky. 

Adrien wasn't feeling too well either. He thought things had gone great the previous night, but Ladybug's hasty leave made him worry. Perhaps he was thinking too much about it. Plagg tended to relay information incorrectly, especially when half-asleep. 

Either way, he decided to get some fresh air. Sundays were typically his least packed day (not counting the Saturday he had for the project), so he finished everything on his schedule rather early. 

"I think I'll go out for a night stroll," Adrien spoke. He had already showered and dressed for bed. He sat on his couch, staring out the window, bored. He knew Ladybug wouldn't visit him that night. 

He could hear Plagg groan from somewhere else in the roam.

"Whyyyyy?" the kwami groaned, just having finished his last bite of camembert. 

Adrien rolled his eyes, "Stop being so lazy, Plagg."

Plagg muttered under his breath as Adrien stood up and called out his transformation.

Chat Noir jumped out of his window, landing on a nearby roof. Although he normally wouldn't patrol that day, it was a bonus thing for him to do. 

He ran across the Parisian night sky, admiring the darkening city and occasionally keeping an eye for any crime. 

Things were mostly calm. There were plenty of people still out, but most seemed to be turning in for the night. Monday was the next day. 

It wasn't long before he found himself at a familiar bakery. Up at the very top was Marinette. 

Chat stopped nearby, looking over at her curiously. Her hair seemed a little damp. It was clear she hadn't gotten out of the shower too long ago. She was looking up at the night sky, her face glum. 

His face dropped as he wondered what could be making her so upset. He wanted to go over and cheer her up. They were friends, she deserved that. However, he wasn't sure how she'd react. 

He hadn't had many interactions with her as Chat Noir. They did interact once or twice, but those were concerning akumas. They had never had a full-blown conversation as Marinette and Chat Noir. 

Chat Noir made his way over, landing quietly on her balcony next to her.

"Is everything alright?" he asked. 

Marinette jumped in her seat, startled by the sudden voice. 

She turned to him with wide eyes. She felt herself blush a little, and she hoped he wouldn't notice. 

If he did notice, he ignored it.

"I-I'm ok," she stuttered out.

He frowned, "You don't seem ok, is something bothering you?"

Marinette sighed. Would it be so bad to tell him? It technically did concern him, even if he didn't know. Would that also be deceitful?

Marinette shook her head, her thoughts going wild again. Chat took notice, walking closer to her and kneeling next to her. 

"Something is clearly bothering you. You can trust me, but I'm not going to pressure you into telling me," he spoke softly. 

Marinette looked away.

"It's about a boy," she mumbled. 

"A boy?" he asked, genuinely surprised. 

She nodded, "Yeah, I feel like a terrible person."

"Why?"

"I've been lying to them," she hid her face in her hands.

Lying? Chat wondered who she was talking about. 

"I-I feel l-like once I-I t-tell them, h-he'll hate me!" she choked out. 

"Is the lie that bad?" he asked.

"M-my... friend, says I'm e-exaggerating. But I'm not sure."

"Does your friend know the lie?"

She nodded, removing her face from her hands. Chat noticed the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. 

"Then maybe it's not so bad. I'm sure your friend has good intentions," he spoke.

He was right on that. Tikki would never do anything to purposefully hurt Marinette. 

"Maybe, I do tend to let my anxiety get the best of me," she mumbled. 

"Would it help if I share my own woes?"

She blinked in surprise and turned to look at him. What could he possibly be upset about?

"Is that why you're out?" she asked. "You're upset over something too?"

"Well," he started, sitting down on the floor, "I'm not upset, more like worried. I think I did something to upset someone special to me."

"What makes you say that?"

"They acted a little off after we... um, hanged out for a bit," he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, a soft blush on his cheeks.

Marinette didn't notice. It didn't seem to register in her mind that he was talking about her. 

"I guess we both needed some fresh air, huh?" she chuckled. He nodded. 

As they both sat there in silence, enjoying the cool night breeze, Marinette wondered if she should reveal herself. She knew his identity. It didn't seem fair for her to know his while he was still in the dark. 

The benefits outweighed the negatives, right?

Unless she was wrong and they didn't. What if Chat Noir hated her? What if he didn't want to be partners anymore? Who would want to be partners with a liar anyway? At this point, she didn't feel any better than Lila.

Marinette jumped once more after she felt a cool, leathered hand on her arm.

"Hey, are you ok?" Chat Noir asked, looking concerned. He noticed her mind drifting off. Her face looked glum once more, and her eyes watered once more. 

She turned to look at him, her face relaxing.

"I'm sure it's all going to be ok," he smiled softly. 

"Maybe you should go to bed, tomorrow's Monday. You have school, right?" he asked. She nodded.

"Then it's best you go to sleep soon, get some rest. I'm sure that'll help you feel better tomorrow morning."

"I do have a bad tendency to wake up late," she chuckled. "It would do me good to go to bed early and not at 2 am."

Chat Noir stood up. 

"In that case, yeah, go to bed," he chuckled. 

Marinette stood up. She reached over, wrapping her arms around his torso, much to his surprise. Chat tensed up.

"Thank you, it actually felt nice to talk to someone else about it," she smiled. Chat relaxed, hugging her back.

"I'm glad I could make your night better," he smiled. 

They pulled away, Marinette with a small blush on her face, but Chat chose to ignore it. 

He walked over to her balcony railing, giving her a two-finger salute before jumping off to a nearby roof. 

Marinette waved back, feeling better. Even if he didn't know she was talking about him, if he said things were going to be ok, she trusted him. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Here's some needed marichat for the soul (;