“You were in the shower the whole time? And you fell asleep?” Alya crossed her arms and hummed suspiciously at her best friend.

Marinette was sitting in her and Adrien’s hotel room living room, Alya and Nino looking down at Marinette.

Marinette had barely made it on time to take a quick shower, put on some pajamas and open the door that Alya was banging on.

Ladybug had left Chat Noir after his promise to contact her that night and that he would take care of himself. Marinette could still remember the cold of his body, yet the warmth of his lips. She unconsciously bit her lip, remembering the event that had happened in her bedroom several weeks ago.

“I got it.” Alya snapped her fingers in realization. “You were taking care of yourself, weren’t you?” She wiggled her eyebrows at Marinette, which Nino then decided that the environment was too awkward to be around and dismissed himself to his room when Marinette’s eyes widened.

“A-Alya! What the hell?” Marinette asked as she closed the door Nino just left through.

Alya laughed from the couch, wiping her eyes. “I knew it! The blush and your facial expression said it! You were shaving, weren’t you? Going to shave your legs? Freshening up the downtown?”

“Alya Césaire!” Marinette cried.

“I mean, I know you’re sharing a hotel room The Adrien Agreste, but I can’t believe you’re going to make the first move… or maybe you want him to do the first move.” Alya’s eyes sparkled mischievously. “Girl, are you wearing cute underwear? Is it matching? It has to be matching.”

Marinette gasped loudly, crossing her arms over her chest. “Alya, I can’t believe you.” She said despite the blush on her face.

“Just, whatever you two do, just try to keep it quiet.” Alya winked as she exited her room and across the hall.

“Speak for yourself!” Marinette retorted loud enough for her to hear. She heard her laugh and the door started to open again. “What, you act like I don’t know your personal life, I know what you and Nino do and-“ Marinette’s voice trailed off as she realized who it was at the door.

“Hey.”

“A-Adrien, u-uh, um, w-welcome home! I-I mean, it’s not home, b-but since we’re staying here it’s kinda like home so, I, uh…” Marinette felt like such a fool, blurting out all that stuff about Alya in front of Adrien, but he didn’t seem to have noticed. He stumbled into the living room and Marinette rushed to his side, helping him steady himself, her unease disappearing.

“Thanks.” He mumbled as Marinette helped him to his room.

“Are you okay?” She asked. He waved his hand in so-so manner before making it to his bed to lie on his back.

“I got… hit with a tree branch during that storm. My head’s just hurting pretty bad.”

Now that Adrien mentioned it, Marinette was starting to feel some pain too. She was hoping Chat was taking care of himself, but she would have to hear from him later that night.

“Do you need anything?” Marinette asked softly as she sat on the edge of the bed, looking over at him worriedly.

“Can you help me into the restroom? I want to see if a hot shower can relieve the pain.”

Marinette looked him over, noticing how his hair was like a golden halo around his head, an angel of perfection. She nodded and helped him sit up slowly, taking him to the bathroom. She helped him sit on the closed toilet, him letting out a sigh.

“Anything else?” Marinette asked a she brought some towels closer.

Adrien hummed quietly, before looking up at her with a small smirk. “Help me undress?”

Marinette’s mouth gaped and a blush pooled her face. “Your injury must not be that bad if you can joke around like that Adrien Agreste!” She grabbed a small hand towel that was rolled up on the sink counter and threw it at him, Adrien laughing as it hit his chest. “Bye.” She huffed and stormed out of the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

“Well aren’t you the cheeky one.” Plagg asked, coming out from Adrien’s shirt. “First, Ladybug kisses you then you mercilessly asked Marinette to undress you. Make up your mind, would ya?”

Adrien chuckled, closing up the drain for the sink and filling it up with steamy water. “Have a bath, you deserve it.” Adrien said, looking towards the water bath he made.

Plagg was usually hesitant around water but there was no hesitation as the warmth hit him. Adrien filled up his bathtub the same, sinking into the warm water up to his nose.

The heat of the water was seeping into his bones, relaxing the tense in his muscles, making the throbbing in his head somewhat gentler. Adrien’s lips let out a sigh underwater, greeted by bubbles. He breathed in the humidity through his nose, the smell of the soap provided by the hotel, relaxing completely.

Although he was relaxed, his heart wasn’t at ease. Plagg had been right; Ladybug kissed him and he was flirting with Marinette. He can’t deny the feelings he had for Marinette were growing stronger – she didn’t judge him for actions, just played along with him. Her stutters were beyond adorable and her body was more than- Adrien stopped his train of thought right there, before his body could begin reacting to his thoughts.

Ladybug, however… She said she liked someone else. But whenever Chat had woken up, she was clinging onto him desperately, her words were broken and she had tears streaming down her eyes. She was sending him mixed signals and he didn’t know how to interpret any of it.

Could Adrien tell Marinette that he liked her, even though he was in love with someone else? Adrien was so deep in thought that he didn’t hear the knocking on the bathroom door.

“Adrien? Are you okay?” Marinette was starting to get worried something might have happened to Adrien while he was bathing.

She had left him bathing to go downstairs and get something to eat for the both of them. Considering the hotel had seven stories, the dining area wasn’t that occupied.

When Marinette returned with warm food and pain killers, she found that Adrien was still in the bathroom, silence on the other side of the door.

Naturally, Marinette began to freak out. “What if he fell asleep? What if he drowned! Oh my god, oh my god, what do I do? D-Do I go in there? B-But he’s gonna be naked…” Marinette was about to quickly rap her knuckles on the door again when she noticed the door knob turned, the door opening to reveal a half covered Adrien. A blush ran through her immediately and she found herself admiring his bare chest.

“See something you like?” He asked, posing for her.

Marinette stammered for words and crossed her arms across her chest and huffed. “A-As if!” But internally, she was screaming. Marinette turned in a mechanical way, pretty much against her own will, to the living room and robot-walked out of his bedroom. “I-I got food if you want some!” She called, sneaking a peek back at him.

When she saw that Adrien had been watching her the whole time, she jumped and flushed, running across the living room to her room.

Marinette tossed herself on her bed, rolling back and forth, holding back the huge squeal she wanted to let out. Tikki popped out from under a pillow, giggling at Marinette.

“So, did you save Adrien?” Tikki asked.

“Tikki, don’t talk about it!” Marinette groaned, shoving her face into a pillow.

“You should go take care of him! Remember, he’s hurt!”

Marinette groaned once again and she rolled of the bed, going out of her room and across the living room to knock on Adrien’s door.

“Are you okay in there?” Marinette called.

The door opened, revealing an Adrien with a baggy clothing, a t-shirt and some sweatpants. His hair still had droplets of water in it, tainting his white shirt see through.

“Dinner is on the table.”

“That’s good, I’m starving.” The two went to the kitchenette, sitting at the small dining room table where Marinette had set up the food. A lamb stew that smelled delicious and a salad. Adrien looked down at his food, surprise lacing his features and Marinette noticed.

“Oh my god, your diet regime. I completely forgot, I’m so sorry!” Marinette mentally face-palmed herself as she remember that Adrien is supposed to be on a strict eating diet due to his figure.

“Marinette, it’s-“

“No, no, no, it’s okay, don’t worry, I’ll go get you something new.” The two had already sat, Marinette across the table from Adrien. She began to stand, chuckling at her own stupidity. “I’m such a dummy!” She laughed and Adrien quickly grabbed her wrist, making her look down at him.

“Mari, it’s okay. I’ll eat it, now sit.” His voice was firm and… and seductive as he told her to sit, letting go of her wrist.

“Oh.” A small blushed creeped across Marinette’s cheeks as she sat. “Okay.” She spoke quietly.

She watched as Adrien picked a small spoonful of soup, bringing it to his mouth. She watched as his jaw extended and closed, how it clenched as he chewed and swallowed.

“Oh.” Adrien looked down at his food and Marinette visibly cringed.

“Is it that bad?” Marinette asked quietly.

He shook his head, looking up at her with childlike sparkling eyes. “It’s great!” Adrien began chowing down.

Marinette giggled at his enthusiasm and began to eat some food herself.

They eat in silence, the two of them enjoying their food, but stealing glances at each other every so often.

Adrien liked the way her downcast eyes made her eyelashes fan out over her cheek bones, her midnight black blue hair, he just noticed, weren’t in their usual pigtails. It was let loose, still humid on her shoulders.

“You should let your hair down more often.”

Marinette looked up at him curiously. “What?”

Adrien jumped, not realizing he had spoken his thoughts out loud. “O-Oh, I said you should let you hair down more often. It… It really suits you.” His ears were tinged pink and Marinette almost dropped her spoon.

“O-Oh, u-um, you thanks? I mean, t-thank you.” An awkward silence filled up the room until they finished dinner. Even though housekeeping would pick up any plates or trays, Marinette still washed them, with Adrien’s insistence of help.

“Drink these.” Marinette held two white pills in her hands, a cup of water in the other. “Pain killers.”

“You’re my life saver.” Adrien groaned, downing the pills with some water. Adrien leaned in and gave her kiss on the cheek, without thinking. When his lips made contact with skin, the two froze.

“U-Uh…”

“Mari, I-“

Marinette shushed him. “Don’t… Just don’t say anything.” Marinette whispered. Her heart was pounding in her throat and in her ears, as she slowly pulled away from him. “Good night, Adrien.” She whispered, her eyes were a shade darker as she retreated to her room.

Adrien was having troubles swallowing. Was he even breathing? He couldn’t tell.

He kissed Marinette’s cheeks on accident – well, he wanted to do it and he assumed his inner cat made him do it. He was shocked in himself, but glad he did it. However, he didn’t know how to interpret her reaction.

The two of them had frozen due to the unexpected action but her eyes were sparkling. Could it be that Marinette liked him, but she was afraid to show so?

Marinette closed her door behind her, leaning on it and sliding all the way down. She put her hand to where Adrien kissed her cheek and she started squealing, kicking her feet. Tikki had been watching from the bed the whole time, coming to float beside Marinette, in a storm of giggles.

“Tikki, did you see that? He kissed me! He actually kissed me! I’m never washing this cheek again.” Mariette said, cupping the place where he kissed her.

Tikki continued laughing, ushering Marinette into bed. Marinette jumped into her bed and grabbed the marker from the night stand, plopping down with a happy sigh. Time to see if the kitty was okay.

“You up, kitty?”

This is what Adrien was waiting for, to hear from his lady. He smiled as the pink ink flourished on his arm.

Adrien un-lidded his green marker with his teeth and swiped his fingers across his arms, prepping to write. “Stayed up for you, my lady.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Better. I was provided some pain killers after an amazing dinner and a hot bath.” Marinette gave a sigh of relief. “How about you? It’s not as bad right?”

“It bearable. I do wish you had been more careful… Even though it was my fault you got injured.”

“My lady, don’t blame yourself. You are my top priority, you are what makes me, me.”

“Sweet talking won’t get you anywhere kitty.”

“Not even a cuddle or two?~”

She could partially imagine his smirk right now. “I’ll consider it.”

“Maybe a kiss or two?”

“Chat.”

“Or maybe you’d prefer that I-“ Adrien stopped writing.

Thoughtlessly flirting with Ladybug isn’t what he intended on doing. He was thinking about Marinette while writing. Ladybug was a whole different person and the kiss they shared, he didn’t know what to think.

“Chat?”

“My lady, I apologize.”

“It’s okay, are you okay?”

“Yes, I am. My lady?”

“Yes kitty?”

“The kiss you gave me… How should I interpret it?”

Marinette remained silent for a moment. She continued drawing ellipses to notify Chat that she was still there, only thinking.

“It was relief. Happiness, that you were okay. Did I do it just to make you shut up? Yes, but part of me started to believe that I was going to lose you. That… It struck fear into me. I can’t lose you Chat.”

Adrien’s heart fluttered with her words. “My lady?”

“I can’t exist without you Chat Noir. I need you.”

“Is this how you’re confessing to me?”

Marinette blushed. “You silly kitty.”

Adrien smiled. She didn’t say “no”. “But my lady, what about the boy you liked?”

“I don’t know Chat… Things are developing with him too and-“ Her writing was swiped before she finished.

“I have something I need to confess too, my lady.”

“Yes kitty?”

“There’s… There’s someone who has caught my attention too.”

Marinette already had an idea that she was the one that Chat was crushing on. He loved Ladybug and he liked Marinette. If he liked both sides of her, she could probably reveal herself… Marinette shook her head. A dangerous thought. “So what do you want to do?”

“Let’s see how things play out. How does that sound?”

Adrien was skeptical. Ladybug was now claiming to need him, but what about Marinette? She’s brought out the real side of him and she didn’t judge him. Marinette wasn’t chopped liver.

“Sounds okay. I’m heading to bed, my lady.”

“Good night kitty.”

“Sweet dreams my lady.” Adrien could barely keep his eyes open any longer, capping his marking and passing out.

Marinette, equally as tired with the new turn of events, capped her marker and fell asleep.

“You think they’re going to find out soon?”

“It’s hard to say. He’s as dense as a log.”

“You’d be surprised. That's the mystery of magic."

“I can’t believe he hasn’t noticed yet.”

“We can’t say – it’s for their safety, the safety of their family and friends too.” A sigh.

“I know. Part of me just…”

“Wishes they could be together?” A small silence.

“Yeah… Camembert?”

“I’d prefer a cookie, thank you though.”