Marinette did feel a little bad. While it'd been somewhat amusing to watch Adrien stumble over himself simply because she'd dared to use a silly pick-up line on him, she also knew what it was like to be uncomfortable, and so she'd put an end to it following the chemistry comment. It was somewhat comforting, knowing that he was just as capable of getting flustered and overwhelmed as she was—especially when considering how generally calm and collected he seemed to be. But that didn't justify doing it. She didn't like to feel nervous around him and she certainly didn't want him to affiliate anxiety with being around her.

Still, it did spark a slight warmth in her chest, knowing that she was even able to make him react that way—whether it implied anything about his feelings towards her or not. But she wasn't going to think too hard on that part. Especially since he hadn't even been able to look her in the eye all day. And while this was usually more of an issue for her, she took no pleasure in putting the same problem on his shoulders. She didn't dare assume he'd reacted as he had because he felt for her the same way she did him, so she took the safe route and told herself that his discomfort was more due to awkwardness at her words than because he felt any kind of "tender" feelings towards her.

It was a cautious mindset, but she wasn't sure she was brave enough for anything else.

Balanced on her balcony, Ladybug peered out over the rooftops, taking in the familiar scene before slipping her yoyo from her hips and casting it out. She was meeting up with Chat so they could continue their slow search for Hawkmoth's lair—if he had one—or any clue as to where he could be.

It took her only a few minutes to reach the rooftop they'd decided on previously, Chat's silhouette visible as she touched down.

She paused, however, when he didn't immediately turn to greet her. Normally he had some exasperating comment ready about how he'd "waited so long for her to arrive" or "that she couldn't sneak up on him so long as he had cat senses." And she knew he must have heard her—she hadn't been particularly quiet.

The silent greeting was practically unnerving, Ladybug frowning as she replaced her yoyo on her hip and made her way closer.

"You're awfully quiet tonight," she said once she was at his shoulder. He didn't jump at her words, however, as a surprised cat might have done. Instead, one of his ears twitched, before he finally glanced up at her with something between a thoughtful frown and a grimace on his face.

"Sorry, My Lady. I was... purr-ocupied."

She almost rolled her eyes.

"Well, are you ready to get to work or are you gonna take a cat-nap instead?" she asked, wholly expecting that he'd jump right to his feet. And so she was continually taken aback when, instead, he sat back on his butt and let his legs hang over the edge of the roof, heels colliding with the brick.

"Can I ask you something?" His tone was serious, which put Ladybug on guard immediately. "Not anything personal," he corrected quickly. "Just, like, friend to friend stuff."

"Friend to friend stuff?" she asked, shoulders dropping of their defensive stature.

"Yeah..." He pulled at one of his claws nervously. "Well, to be honest, you're one of the only girl friends that I have, so..."

"Oh?" Raising a skeptical brow, Ladybug hesitated for only a moment longer, before she took a seat beside him. Letting her legs dangle alongside his own, she nudged her shoulder into his. "Need a woman's advice? Is Paris' resident alley cat having girl trouble?"

"You're more than enough trouble to satisfy me, My Lady," he assured, that familiar, smarmy grin making its way onto his face. But the expression only lasted a moment, before he was sighing and pulling his gaze back out to the city.

"Chat...?"

"Okay, so, you remember a few days ago, when we were talking about how guys might like it if girls partook in a little... cheesy romance once in a while?"

She nodded.

"Well, as ironic as it is, there's this... girl. I go to school with her. To be honest, I don't really know her that well. We've never really talked much. But today, totally out of the blue, she started, like... using these horrible pick-up lines on me. And I don't know... what it means."

Ladybug had to hold herself back from snorting. "Uh, well, it sounds like she was flirting with you. Or trying to."

"No, you don't get it. I'm pretty sure she can't stand me. Until today, I was certain she was actively avoiding me."

Ladybug furrowed her brows beneath her mask. "Why would she flirt with you if she didn't like you?"

"That's it! That's what I don't get!" He huffed, slumping in defeat.

"Eh, well... if she really does hate you, maybe you're on the butt end of a joke?"

His response was immediate. "No. I mean, her and her best friend are pretty crazy sometimes, but I don't think she'd ever do that. Not, like, to be mean. Even if she does... hate me, I don't think she'd ever do something like that." He shook his head, only becoming more resolute. "No, she's not cruel."

"Then... I don't know what to tell you, Kitty," she admitted, poking him lightly in the side. "If she's flirting with you, then she probably likes you—as hard as I find that to believe."

"Meowch! Your words are like daggers, My Lady. They cut me to the core."

"Uh huh, sure."

"Are you jealous?" He waggled his eyebrows—she could see it even beneath his mask.

"Why do you ask questions that you already know the answers to?" she asked flatly.

"So harsh..."

"You do it to yourself."

"Okay, but it still doesn't make sense!" They were apparently going back to the previous topic. "Why would she do such a sudden one-eighty? Yesterday, she couldn't even stand to look at me. And today she's dropping lines in the middle of class."

Ladybug tapped her chin with her finger. "Maybe...? I don't know, Chat! I don't know her. Why are you so upset anyway? I thought you were into that sort of thing." He frowned, looking mightily offended, which only spurred Ladybug to find her own devious grin. "Unless you're not as into it as you said. Are you the type that can dish it out, but can't take it?"

"What?! Of course not." He made a series of sputtering noises that got Ladybug rolling her eyes. "I'm flattered, whether she's sincere or not. And I am, of course, just as witty in response to her as I am with you. A prime example of total composure."

"Then what's the big deal?"

"There isn't a big deal," he said stubbornly, slamming his arms over his chest. "I just wanted to know what you thought. Can't blame a cat for trying to make his lady jealous."

"How could I possibly be jealous over someone I've never met liking such a silly boy?" Reaching up, she pinched one of his cat ears fondly. "Besides, if her pick-up lines are as lame as yours, you two are probably a match made in heaven."

"Doubtful."

"Make sure to invite me to the wedding."

"Why would you need an invitation to your own wedding, Bugaboo?"

She punched him in the arm.

"Unnecessary roughness," he griped, shying away. As if it honestly hurt through his super-armored suit.

"So what are you gonna do?" she asked a second later, leaning back on the flats of her hands. "You gonna ask out pick-up line girl?"

"You're the only girl I want to pick-up, My Lady."

"I'm being serious."

"I told you, she doesn't like me."

And around they went.

"You said she was flirting with you."

"You said that," he clarified.

"Well, I'm much smarter than you. You should know by now to listen to me. I don't bestow my wisdom on just anyone."

He leaned in closer. "Are you saying I'm special?"

"I'm saying you need the extra help."

He glared. "Maybe I will ask out pick-up line girl," he decided rebelliously. "She did say we had chemistry."

Ladybug's eyebrows crawled a little higher. "Did she now?"

"She did," he nodded. "Said she was falling for me. That she could picture us together."

"Really..." Ladybug narrowed her eyes. "That's what she said..."

"One-hundred percent paw-sitive. She sits right behind me in class. Pretty sure that makes me a credible source." He clicked his tongue, throwing her a wink in the same moment. "Let me know when you start to get jealous."

"What's her name?"

"Huh?"

"Her name. What is it?"

Chat cast her a disapproving look. "Now Ladybug, I understand that jealousy can be a very powerful thing, but you should consider your position before you start taking names in my honor."

"What's her name, you stupid cat?!"

"My Lady!" He pretended to be aghast, putting his hand dramatically on his chest. "Where are your manners? My fragile disposition can't handle your harsh tone. I'm far too sensitive."

"Chat..." Taking a deep breath, Ladybug gently laid her hand on his shoulder, trying to get across to him just how important this was. Everything inside her was sitting on edge, her heart only calm for as long as it took him to give her the answer she needed. "Please, tell me her name."

Finally realizing how grave she was, Chat's humor vanished. "Why?"

"I just-" Closing her eyes, she took a deep, calming breath, ignoring how her nerves sparked beneath her skin. "I'm just curious."

Chat clearly wasn't convinced—not that he should be—but, all joking aside, he knew better than to doubt any intentions she had. Though they didn't know each other's names, they were partners. They trusted one another implicitly—a requirement of the job, really.

"I don't get why," Chat said slowly, sounding more concerned than anything else, "but if you really want to know...

"It's Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

Ladybug was certain that, for one long, torturous moment, her heart quit beating. Before it was jump-started into a pace twice as fast as it'd been going before. Like a cold chill, shock settled through her, draining all the color from her face as she swallowed hard against her bursting emotions.

Despite her efforts to master her panic, a slight, high-pitched whine escaped her throat.

Which, naturally, drew Chat's attention. "My Lady?" he asked, turning toward her some as he carefully watched her. "Are you-"

"You sit in front of her?" Ladybug blurted, voice sounding foreign to her own ears. "You-You do? You sit in front of her?"

"Uh... yeah... Are you okay?"

He was reaching out to her, perhaps to lay a comforting hand on her shoulder.

That was Adrien's normal behavior after all, wasn't it?

"I-I have to go," Ladybug stammered, standing swiftly before taking as step back. So as to avoid any and all contact with him. "I think I left the- the, um, i-iron on. In my house. I need to go."

"Ladybug?" Chat had gotten to his feet as well, hand held out toward her. He looked so worried, and surprised, but Ladybug couldn't focus there. No, suddenly, she was seeing everything about him that she'd been ignorantly blinded to before. The shape of is sharp nose, his rounded lips, the breadth of his shoulders and familiar, lithe body. Abruptly, it was familiar in a different way. Reminded her of more than just Chat.

"Sorry, I-I really should go back." She gestured vaguely behind her. "Let's just... cancel patrol for tonight, okay?" She tried to push a reassuring smile onto her face, but it didn't feel wholly successful. "I-I'll see you on Sunday, okay?"

"Ladybug?"

"It's okay, really. But, um, I should- I don't want my house- Burn down. Iron. Go. I gotta go." Forcing a nervous smile, she waved stupidly before turning swiftly on her heel and tossing her yoyo.

She didn't look back—didn't dare to—and instead swung home as quickly as her weapon would take her. No stopping, no pausing—as if going as fast as possible would somehow allow her to escape the truth biting at her heels.

But, almost like a wall was swelling up in front of her, the sight of her balcony forced her to slow. Until—breath heaving—she'd dropped down beside her chair. Head pounding, she stood perfectly still for some moments, bracing herself for the thoughts that were inevitably going to begin passing through her head.

Adrien...

Adrien was Chat Noir.

Adrien Agreste was her superhero partner.

The concreteness of this fact dropped onto her shoulders like cinderblocks, leaving her groaning as she stumbled to the side and dropped down upon her chair. Willing away her transformation, she cradled her face in her hands as Tikki buzzed around her head.

"Marinette?" Tikki asked, sounding concerned.

"I can't believe this," she muttered, hunching over as she did. "I can't believe he's..."

Tikki came up and nuzzled her hand. "Marinette, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong?!" Marinette squawked, finally dropping her hands to her lap. "Adrien is Chat Noir! That's what's wrong!" Moaning, she flopped back on her chair.

"Adrien? The boy you like?" Tikki asked, flitting around is sudden excitement. "That's wonderful! Congratulations, Marinette!"

"How is this wonderful?" Marinette asked weakly. "Didn't you hear what I said? Adrien is Chat Noir."

"I thought it was a good thing," Tikki reasoned, forehead crinkling curiously. "Instead of liking two boys, now you only like one."

"Two boys?!" Marinette exclaimed, sitting up suddenly. "I never said I liked Chat Noir!"

Tikki wasn't buying it.

"I didn't!" Marinette persisted, though Tikki's far-too-patient gaze weakened her defenses far more quickly than she would ever admit. "Chat's a great friend, but I never seriously considered him that way..."

"But if it weren't for Adrien, you thought maybe you could have had feelings for Chat, right?" Tikki asked. "Isn't that the same as admitting that you like him?"

"I guess..." Marinette agreed, pouting a bit as she did.

"Then why are you upset?"

"I don't know!" Standing, she paced the length of the balcony. "Because Chat Noir is silly and tells lame jokes and flirts too much! And Adrien is, well, he's..."

"Yes?"

"He's just... not like that..."

"Isn't he?" Tikki asked. "Sometimes, when a human uses a miraculous, they act differently than they normally would—differently than they're allowed to as civilians. Do you think you act differently as Ladybug?"

"Well, no, not particularly. I mean, people listen to me, so it's easier in some ways, but..."

"Maybe Adrien isn't like that. Really, Marinette, how well do you know Adrien to begin with?" Tikki cast her a gentle smile. "He's a nice boy. Generous, kind, considerate. But isn't Chat those things too?"

"Of course."

"Maybe Adrien does like silly jokes. And maybe he feels more comfortable doing some things as Chat that he can't as Adrien. It doesn't mean they can't be the same."

"But... isn't that almost too perfect?" Marinette asked, turning away before leaning her palms on the banister. "I love Chat—he's a wonderful friend and partner. I trust him with my life. If he's Adrien too, then..."

"Maybe the only reason it seems perfect is because he's perfect for you," Tikki said softly.

Marinette laughed shortly, their discussion having calmed her nerves some. But, still, she couldn't help groaning again as he hunched over her banister, forehead balanced on the cool metal.

"I don't know, Tikki," she muttered, sighing. "It still seems strange. I mean, just today Adrien nearly lost it because I dared to flirt with him. Chat would never do that..."

"Are you sure?" Tikki asked knowingly. "Maybe he's not as smooth as he pretends to be."

"Are you saying Chat Noir is full of hot air?" Marinette asked, giggling as she leaned up again. All Tikki could do was shrug, however, before she joined in on the laughter. "Well, I mean, I guess it could be worse," Marinette finally decided, trying to be as rational as possible. "It's better than Chat being some street hooligan, though Adrien in a tight black suit is... something I'd never imagined before."

"Is it a bad image?" Tikki asked mischievously.

Marinette grinned. "No. He's right—it is a good look on him."

Her kwami twirled happily.

"But still," slamming her fist into her other hand, Marinette straightened, "I can't believe he tricked me." A statement that visibly confused Tikki. "That stupid cat! I spent all that time pushing him away only to find he lured me in with his civilian self. How despicable. And to think that Chat Noir made me into a bumbling, stammering fool! Ugh! How embarrassing."

"Sounds like you've been doing the same thing to him the past few days," Tikki countered.

"That's true. Ha! He said he kept his composure when I was dropping those lines. Pu-lease! He threw a book. What a liar."

Tikki giggled again, while Marinette put her finger to her chin thoughtfully.

"Actually... This could be a good opportunity." The smirk was pulling at her lips before she could stop it. "He's been flirting with me since the day we met, thinking he's so charming. But now... now the tables have turned."

Abruptly, she didn't feel at all bad about having made him uncomfortable.

"Marinette..."

"That silly kitty, can't even handle a few pick-up lines. Can't take his own medicine, more like. Well, after all he's put me through."

"Marinette..."

"It'll be fine, Tikki," she assured, plans already beginning to form in her head. "There's nothing wrong with giving someone their just desserts, right? I'm a superhero, after all. I should always fight on the side of justice."

"This sounds more like revenge."

"I'm just going to give him a little taste of what he's always put me through, that's all. Maybe it'll teach him a lesson."

"And give you an excuse to flirt with Adrien?"

"That too." Because, really, if Adrien was Chat Noir, then she couldn't humiliate herself any further by becoming a nervous wreck around him. Never in her life would she have considered behaving in such a manner around Chat. If he ever found out, he'd laugh his leather butt off at her.

Besides, all's fair in love and war, right?

"C'mon, Tikki," she issued, heading for her skylight. "I need to do some research on stupid pick-up lines."

She was determined to beat him at his own game.

Lukanette or nathanette?