"Well a hard headed woman
A soft hearted man
Been the cause of trouble
Ever since the world began."
Hard Headed Woman, Elvis Presley

Alya ended up staying in the hospital overnight, along with the other victims of the akuma attack. The Lucky Charm had done its work, reducing the amount of caffeine in their bodies until it was back to normal, and every patient was expected to make a full recovery. Just in case though, they were to be monitored one more night before they would be allowed to check out. Alya hated it. She was just itching to get out of that distilled room; his phone was still blowing up with messages from her complaining about the smell of disinfectant spray and how touchy the nurses were. Nino, however, was glad that she would have to stay in the hospital for the overnight check up; the poor teen was worried sick when he saw her get hit in the cafe, and this was the only thing that seemed to calm him down enough to act normal again.

In the end, all of his friends were doing just fine. Or at least most of them were. Marinette began to act odd after they met up again in the hospital after the akuma attack. Her body was with them, but her mind was somewhere else entirely. Adrien had an inkling of a feeling that her mood wasn't due to the physics exam they had taken earlier in the day either. Once again, Adrien was restrained from asking her what the matter was because they weren't close enough for that intimacy.

Though you're close enough to do intimate things with her, his mind supplied unhelpfully, images of Marinette in her pale blue bra popping up behind his eyelids, not for the first time that week. She had been fogging over his thoughts like ominous roaming thunder clouds, dangerous yet beautiful in their disastrous ways. These promiscuous thoughts weren't fair to him. He was in love with Ladybug, for God's sake! Even if he didn't know what she looked like without her mask, he had been head over heels for her since day one, and the time that they spent together only made those feelings grow. So why was it fair for either one of them, Adrien, or Ladybug, or Marinette, to have to go through this? Why did it have to be so complicated?

Adrien pulled at his hair in frustration, sitting on his expensive bed as he continued to think about how Marinette had been acting after the Caffeinator was defeated. She was so distant and strange, he almost wished that he would have stayed with her until he was positive that she had found a safe place, but she had gotten separated in the bustling crowd of strangers. If only he had made sure she was safe, she wouldn't be the way she was. Was she hit? Was she there when Alya was hit? He wasn't sure, and he also wasn't sure if he could just ask her. Adrien and Marinette weren't at that level.

He groaned out of vexation, annoyed with the oncoming headache. It was at that moment that Plagg decided to speak, popping one final slice of camembert in his mouth before he said anything. "What's wrong with you, kid? Eat something bad?"

Adrien didn't answer so Plagg continued. "This is why you should eat cheese; just delicious aged cheese," The kwami's mouth began to water at the thought of it, his stomach growling in hunger. "It always makes me feel amazing, and then I want more and then-" Adrien really needed to put an end to this tirade or else Plagg would continue on for eternity about his "One true love, cheese" and nobody wants that.

"I'm not sick Plagg," Adrien said, sufficiently stopping his friend from his rant about how great cheese was.

"Well, if you're not sick, than what's wrong with ya?"

"I don't know. What's wrong with Marinette? She was acting strange today, don't you think?" The blond haired teen looked up to his kwami for answers, shoulders sagged from the lack of energy and his green eyes dull from his puzzlement. Plagg shrugged in response.

"Who knows? Women are always strange."

"Well that's really helpful, Plagg." He sent the cat kwami a glare, to which Plagg snickered at. "I think something happened during the fight, but I can't really just go up to her and say, 'Hey, I noticed you've been acting differently, not that I should really notice that, and I wanted to know what happened.'"

"Well, why not? You've done that to her as Chat Noir before."

Adrien nodded his head in agreement, thinking back to the night that had happened. That was probably one of the first times Adrien had ever felt truly connected to Marinette, yet it had to be when he was wearing a mask and putting up a charade. She had tried to hold back but eventually told him everything that had been going on with her, and why she was stuck between a rock and a hard place. In fact, that was the night that Adrien decided to propose their little deal to her, which he did the next day. Their heart to heart created something that Adrien couldn't quite put his finger on, but that he loved. Marinette seemed to feel more at ease with Chat Noir rather than Adrien, which was strange when you think about the physically passionate moments between the two. Marinette was more willing to tell Chat Noir about her issues, probably because he was someone she didn't have to worry about getting close to and-

And an idea popped into his head just as he thought about that. Plagg eyed his holder warily as the blonde slowly raised his head. His green eyes glinted with a plan forming, looking at Plagg as he came to a conclusion.

If Marinette was more comfortable telling Chat Noir her problems, then why not give her a visit at the knight in shining leather himself?

Plagg seemed to register where this plan was going as his eyes widened in a feigned terror at the thought. "No. No, no, no, no, no. We are not going to go see your little toy thing-" Adrien glared a Plagg for the degrading nickname as the kwami continued. "-as Chat Noir. Absolutely no way! I just ate and-" Plagg didn't get to finish his rant as Adrien called out for his transformation. Plagg tried to run away but the ring pulled him in with cries of complaints and threats filled the air.

Black leather covered Adrien skin tightly, pulling taut against the planes of his shoulders and the groves of his muscles, constricting him inside the comforting armor. His sweatpants were replaced with the tight leather melding over his legs, the belt-like tail popping out from behind him. The final piece of the suit was placed, his mask spreading from one side of his face to the other until his outfit was completed.

Gone was Adrien; now here stood Chat Noir.

"Think the princess is ready for a visit from her knight?"

~*~*~

Marinette sat on her balcony, her sketchbook nestled in a delicate balance on her knees as she worked on an overall design. There was a competition being held across the schools of Paris where young fashion designers could enter. The top ten contestants in this contest would be considered by Gabriel Agreste himself for the chance of an apprenticeship. So to say that Marinette was worried about her designs was an understatement. They had just under four months to hand in two portfolios displaying their work, as well as three of their favorite designs actually being worn for the catwalk which will be where Gabriel Agreste determines who he wants as his intern, and Marinette was dying to get in.

She has heard plenty of stories from Adrien about how Gabriel was not the best dad, but she has also heard plenty of praises coming from Adrien about how great of a designer his father was. Because if he had one thing he could be proud of his father for, it was his skills in fashion. Marinette briefly wondered why he cared so much about his father's abilities in the fashion industry, but quickly returned to sketching out the pair of overalls she had envisioned in her mind.

On the side table next to her was a half eaten plate of lasagna her dad had made for their dinner, which she had taken upstairs to eat so she could finish her homework, which was discarded on the ground without any care. She just couldn't spare anymore of her brain cells for that class, otherwise she wouldn't be able to learn anything else (Not like she even learned anything in that class anyway) art and French, hell she was even better in English than she was in science, and that was actually learning a new language!

Tikki sat next to the plate of lasagna with a plate of her own cookies, quietly munching on the sweet treats as she watched Marinette's pencil brush in rapid strokes against the paper. It had been a rather calm night for the two of them, Marinette finally having time to catch up on her missing homework assignments and actually getting ahead on a few for a class or two. It was a productive night, and Tikki was glad since Marinette had seemed like she really needed a break for a while now. After the akuma yesterday, Tikki had been worried about her holder. Marinette has never had to go through a situation as perilous as that, not until that day. And it wasn't like she could straight out fight the akuma, not with the knowledge that he was just a small child being controlled by the terrible villain Hawkmoth. It was a stressful and deadly fight, one that no one teenage should have to fight. For the first time since she joined Marinette as Ladybug, Tikki realized that Marinette and Chat Noir were still just teenagers, young to the cruel world that they were thrust into protecting.

Tikki's thoughts were interrupted when she caught whiff of another kwami's presence near her. Plagg. Of course it was him, she could feel the powerful destruction curling violently under an undying love for anything and everything cheese. Not taking the risk, Tikki flew back into Marinette's bedroom, hiding underneath the pile of pillows on the young girl's bed.

As though he's done this several times before, Chat Noir landed on the fence lining Marinette's balcony, carefully avoiding the litter of pots with plant growing in them as he did so. Precariously balancing on the thin metal railing, Chat Noir watched Marinette with inquisitive eyes as she continued working on her sketch. She didn't seem to know that he was there, and he was half-tempted to scare the ever living daylights out of her, but whatever it was she was working on looked important, so he was going to wait before he'd announce his presence.

After a minute, however, Chat Noir grew impatient and the moment Marinette raised her pencil to her lips in a motion like she was thinking about something, he decided to reveal his presence to her, jumping off the railing with a loud thud that was unlike his usually silent and stealthy steps.

Adrien's mouth twitched in amusement as Marinette let out a high-pitched squeak, jumping off the lawn chair with her arms held up in defense, ready to attack whatever it was on her balcony. Even when she spotted the leather-clad hero standing in front of her, his lips curled in a smirk from his humor, she didn't lower her arms, instead scowling at him.

"Were you going to hit me, princess? I'm wounded." Adrien purred, placing a hand over his chest, momentarily wondering how it was easier to flirt with Marinette as Chat Noir while he was still awkward and fumbled around her as Adrien when they made good of their deal. That thought came to an end as he watched Marinette cross her arms over her chest, still glowering at him as she stepped closer to him, walking over the recklessly tossed physics book their class had.

"What are you doing here Chat Noir? Do you need me to help you on another 'mission'?" She made air quotes around the word "mission" referring to the first time they had interacted as Marinette and Chat Noir, one of Adrien's personal favorite memories as Chat Noir. He never knew that Marinette could be so bad ass until that day, and it was amazing. Remembering that she had asked him a question, Adrien quickly responded.

"Me-ouch, can't a hero come check up on his favorite citizen?"

"You aren't a real hero if you have favorites." Alright, ouch. Not in the mood for flirting tonight, duly noted. Marinette noticed his hurt expression and sighed, pinching her nose between her thumb and pointer finger, shaking her head lightly.

"I'm sorry," Marinette said finally, raising her head so she could look the blond boy in the eye as she apologized. Her shoulders were still tense from what Adrien could tell, and that crease from between her brows was still prominent despite the slow smile that was growing on her lips. "That was a really mean thing for me to say. I'm sorry, I really didn't mean that Chat Noir."

Well, Adrien was right about Marinette being off since the akuma attack, if her little snarky outburst was a testament to anything. Though, he's not gonna lie, he wished that his suspicions were confirmed in a different way that didn't include Marinette lashing out at him. But he was glad that now he could get to the point with her. Skipping over her previous statement, Chat Noir could finally ask Marinette the question that has been bothering him all day.

"I saw that a few friends of yours was at the cafe that was attacked, and I know what happened to Alya. Are-" Adrien paused for a moment. Was it really okay for him to cross these boundaries as Chat Noir? Was this a betrayal to Marinette as Adrien? If she says anything to him as Chat Noir, she's confiding in someone she thinks is a stranger, not someone she sees on a daily basis. Does he have the right to do this, just because he was curious about why she has been acting strange? Adrien had made up his resolve though, as he continued. "Are you okay Marinette? Did something happen or?" He trailed off, leaving the question open-ended for Marinette to finally explain.

He received a shrug in response, an act of nonchalance which didn't belong in the dramatic atmosphere that the two were currently creating. When he raised a disbelieving eyebrow, Marinette sagged back into her lawn chair, groaning in annoyance. Chat Noir walked closer to her, leaning against the side table. His elbow rested only a few inches away from her plate of half-eaten lasagna, which was cold now but still managed to make the teenaged boy's stomach rumble quietly. He had forgotten to make dinner, too distracted with his homework and his thoughts about Ladybug and Marinette.

"Are you going to finish-" Marinette pushed the plate into his direction the moment he pointed at the plate.

"Go ahead and have it. I think I ate too many cookies before dinner tonight." Not entirely a lie, Tikki did share some cookies with Marinette. She just wasn't very hungry tonight; Marinette wasn't sure she could even stomach any food tonight, as it's been since the day before. She let out a soft giggle as Chat Noir immediately dove into the plate, a quiet moan slipping from his lips as he took the first bite of the lasagna.

"Oh my god, your parents are the best cooks in the world, I swear." Adrien complimented, quickly shoveling another forkful of lasagna into his mouth. Hearing Marinette's delicate snickering, an accomplished grin growing on Adrien's feature. He had at least made her laugh, and that was a point in the right direction in his opinion.

"My dad would die if he ever heard you say that; he's a big fan." Which was strange to Marinette, seeing as she was Ladybug and Chat Noir was her partner, but her father didn't know that.

"Mm, a smart man," Chat Noir said with a wink, settling onto his knees as he continued to eat the rest of her dinner. He cannot get distracted, he came here with a specific goal, and he was not going to leave until he has accomplished said goal. "But no more evading the question."

Marinette's lips curled into a pout, her pink lips protruding in a manner that if Chat Noir was here as Adrien in the moment, he would not have hesitated in kissing that frown right off her face until those rosy lips were swollen and scarlet.

"Why do you keep asking? I'm fine; I didn't get hit by the Caffeinator."

"But other people did. Things... happened that day that should have never happened." Adrien said, reaching a hand to placing comfortingly on her shoulder before thinking better of it and resting it on the table instead. "I for one know that it's better to speak to someone about something after an experience like that."

Marinette's gaze wandered over to Chat Noir, momentarily thinking about her partner's surprisingly wise words. Who did he talk to about his problems and experiences as Chat Noir? His kwami? Marinette usually turned to her own kwami when things became too difficult. Seeing her partner's concerned look, Marinette weighed the pros and the cons about unloading the weight on her chest onto Chat Noir, and eventually decided that the pros outweighed the cons.

"I saw two of my best friends get hit by the Caffeinator that day." Marinette said monotonously, her eyes staring off at the night sky instead of her partner as he suddenly stilled, the fork raised halfway up to his mouth as he looked at her in a mixture of shock and confusion. "I mean, they're obviously both okay, the Lucky Charm did it's job and neither one was really affected by it, but..."

"But it was still a scary experience." Adrien finished, watching as Marinette nodded her head. He thought about her words. She said she saw two of her best friends get hit. She was back at the cafe when Alya got hit? Scraping as much of the memory that he could, Adrien could not for the life of him remember if he saw Marinette at the cafe again or not. And even if she was there, who was the second person she saw get hit? Chat Noir had tried his best to make sure that there were as few civilian casualties as possible, but he couldn't protect every one, which was something he was still having a hard time getting past.

"It's just- one of them I was the reason they got hit. I was careless and desperate and I could have lost someone that means a lot to me and it would have been my fault if they had gotten hurt." Marinette looked at her partner, reliving the scene over and over again in her head. She shouldn't have been so careless, especially when it came to the safety of the partner who always had her back, regardless of the danger that was thrown their way. Even if her thoughts had been clouded with the worry of Alya and the other woman who could have been seriously injured, Marinette should have kept a cool and clear head as Ladybug. How could Chat Noir even respect Ladybug anymore after that, or even trust her to protect him like he does for her?

"I wasn't there," Adrien started quietly, scraping the tips of the prongs of the fork on the ceramic plate, creating a grating noise that sent shivers down his spine. "But I think- no I definitely know that if there had been any other solution you would have figured it out. Marinette," Adrien bumped her knee with his, getting her to look up at him for the first time during this conversation. "You are one of the smartest people that I have ever met. Whatever it was that you did was probably the smartest thing that you could do in a situation like that."

"How do you know? I haven't even told you anything about what happened."

"Like I said before," Adrien set the fork down on the empty plate, standing up and popping his back as he stretched his arms out. Extending a hand down to her, Adrien helped pull Marinette up and out of her chair as she placed her small and dainty hand in his. "You are one of the smartest people I know, princess. Don't treat yourself badly just because you think you deserve it."

The dull grayness that clouded over her bluebell eyes faded away, the sparkle of life that made Marinette Marinette returning for the first time that night. Seeing that, Adrien knew that he had accomplished his goal. "Thank you, Chat Noir."

"Of course," Adrien bowed in the overly-extravagant way he did when he was Chat Noir, not releasing her hand as he looked up at her through his thick lashes. "But alas, I must go. The beautiful princess needs some time to sleep, and I will not take up anymore of her precious time." Adrien said in an exaggerated old english accent. Instead of the light giggles he usually received from her, Chat Noir was rewarded with a hearty laugh, her entire body shaking with the loud chuckles that escaped from her. He dropped the goofy accent, pressing his lips against the cold knuckles of her hand in a chaste kiss as he said goodbye to her once more.

"Goodnight, Chat Noir." He sent her a two finger salute with that signature grin of his before he launched himself off the balcony, shooting into the night sky. The last Marinette saw of her partner was when he disappeared behind the roof next to her balcony, quickly blending in with the night. Even though she couldn't see him anymore, Marinette continued to stare off in the direction that the cat-eared boy had gone. There was this weird sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, and Marinette couldn't quite place her finger on what the feeling was until Tikki had called her name from within her room. While Chat Noir was with her, he filled up this hole that seemed to be growing inside her since the day before. It was a terrible feeling. It was numb and cold and it sent painful prickles down the length of her body.

Now that Chat Noir was gone, she felt lonely. For the first time in, well, since Marinette could remember, she truly felt alone. And she didn't like that feeling. She had never once felt like she deserved something bad upon herself, not truly anyways, until yesterday when she failed both Chat Noir and Alya. Did they really deserve to have someone like Marinette in their lives? She almost risked their lives, and even with Chat Noir's wise words, Marinette knew that there could have been, should have been a better way to react in that scenario and she just didn't think it through. She felt as though she deserved to be alone.

Hearing Tikki call for her once more, Marinette picked up her discarded homework, sketchbook, and the plate that used to hold her unfinished dinner before heading back down into her warm room, escaping the skin-nipping wind

Maybe Chat Noir was right about one thing. Maybe she shouldn't treat herself badly just because she felt like she deserved it. She doesn't have to be lonely, Chat Noir had proven that with his (un)surprisingly good company. So maybe she doesn't have to be alone, because maybe she had people that would keep her from being lonely.

Without a second thought, Marinette pulled out her phone, quickly pulling up one of the first contacts that showed on the screen. The only time she hesitated was when her finger hovered over the call button. One simple push, and she knew that he would pick up. They had done this several times before, with them both staying up late so often. It wouldn't be unusual for her to call him out of the blue like this. Nothing out of the ordinary, not for them. Marinette glanced at the time on her phone. 23:27. He would still be awake in all likelihood.

She pressed her finger against the screen. After only two rings, the person on the other end of the line picked up.

"Marinette?"

"I really don't want to be alone right now."

Adrien paused and Marinette could hear the rustling what she presumed to be his sheets. For a moment she panicked. Did he actually go to bed early tonight? Did she just wake him up for her own selfish desire, her greedy wants? After what felt like eternity, Adrien finally spoke again.

"How soon can you get here?"

No worries, there will be smut in the next chapter, I promise!

Until next time, peace!