They were having an after-school group study in Marinette's room when Alya made a snide remark "Don't you think Chat Noir's butt is getting bigger?"

Marinette and Adrien sputtered their drinks simultaneously.

"Alya!" the pig-tailed girl chided with beet-red face while their other bespectacled friend was hitting the coughing blond's back. "We're all eating here!"

"So what? I don't see any problems talking about a fine ass."

"We are not talking about anybody's fine asses here, in my own room, especially Chat Noir's ass!"

"C'mon, Mari. Try to indulge your best friend here." the brunette prodded then flicked some gallery images on her phone. "If you check Chat Noir here, the one I got way back during Horrificator, and the recent shot I got during Baconator...and if we zoom his rear in - "

"Alya!" Marinette had to slap the phone away as she controlled her blush, while Adrien's face turned into sickly white.

"Leave the poor cat boy alone, Alya." Nino snorted while shaking his head. "You can't bully a superhero that saved your life more than once, you know."

"Ye-yeah. Ju - just give him a b - break." the blond added timidly as he sipped his remaining juice.

"Fine!" the brunette grumbled with crossed arms. "But as their PR manager, I must not miss a single detail about their growth."

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Since when did you become their PR manager?"

"Since the day they declared their war against Hawkmoth! Any you can't deny my claims, Girl. Because Ladyblog is my evidence."

"Yeah, yeah." the pig-tailed girl rolled her eyes again as she chewed her sandwich.

"Speaking of growth..." Alya scrolled her phone screen. "Don't you think Ladybug's bust is growing too?"

While Marinette hacked her throat when the bread went to a wrong pipe, Adrien choked and accidentally spewed all of his juice to his best friend's face.

"Bro!"

The blond apologized profusely as he wiped Nino's grossed face with tissues.

"Urk -"

"Alya!" Marinette covered her chest self-consciously. "We're studying relevant lessons here!"

"But I'm bored!"

"Just because you're bored you can just sexually harass a superheroine who saved Paris on a daily basis!"

The brunette scoffed "As if our boys here are not guilty of fantasizing her ladyboobies."

Adrien's head became so red he was sure his blood could spurt out from his ears.

"Nuh - uh. Count me out." Nino quipped. "Because all I want is nothing but your watermelons, bae."

Alya gasped dramatically then batted her lashes. "Aww, you're a terrible pervert boo~"

"But I am your pervert boo~"

Marinette and Adrien gagged in unison as they returned to their school work.

Being an attention-seeker, Chat Blanc walked down from the stairs then waddled towards his Master for belly rubs, much to his Master's gratification. She scratched his weak spots absentmindedly while her other hand leafed the pages of her books.

Her actions made the white cat purred in delight.

"No offense dude, but isn't Chat getting...fatter?"

As if on cue, the cat flipped on his back shamelessly with his hind legs spread out in the air for more petting.

"Chat doesn't care if you fat-shame him." Alya chuckled at the feline's mewls. "He likes to be called as fat."

"Chat's not fat." the pig-tailed girl pouted then poked her pet's squishy stomach. "He's...a bit plumpy, but that's because he's healthy. He's a growing kitty, right mon minou?"

Marinette noticed how her blond classmate subtly rolled his eyes. She even heard him muttered about something, but Chat Blanc's meows drowned his volume.

The friends resumed their studying for a few minutes until Alya stood up.

"Hey, what's with the water spray here?" the brunette pulled a mouse-shaped bottle from the desk drawer then shook it in the air. "Is Chat starting to become a bad kitty?"

While Marinette knew her pet would automatically duck his head between her thighs, she wasn't expecting that Adrien would faintly cower behind his books.

She tried not to take note of how he slightly, slightly moved towards her space.

"Stop that, Alya. You're scaring my Chat." she scolded her without noticing the blond's odd reaction. "I've been using that for my garden, and to chase some strays away."

"By keeping it in your drawer?"

"Hey, I can forget things."

In actuality, she kept the spray bottle there for the purpose of scolding her feline pet whenever he tried to claw the things she labeled as 'off-limits', and at the same time, a tool to shoo a certain feline hero once he starts to become 'too playful'.

"Don't tell me you fed a stray that won't leave you alone, Marinette Dupain-Cheng?"

"Ma-maybe?" she answered sheepishly.

Alya gaped at her then shook her head in defeat. "You're too good for this world."

"I don't think the sayings about strays and foods are always right," Nino said as he munched a quiche. "Cats can also roam around to mate, you know."

While Marinette guffawed on the idea of Chat Noir wooing Chat Blanc, Adrien felt like throwing up.

"Oh my gosh, Ni-no!" the pig-tailed girl giggled as she imagined a serenading Chat with a guitar under the moonlight. "But they're both males!"

"So what? Either this stray might be a gay for your cat, or he's totally into you."

The DJ's comment didn't help Marinette's teary peals of laughter and Adrien's internal screamings at all.

"Pfft, Nino - he's not - ahahahaha - oh crap, he's not seeing me that way!"

Nobody heard how the blond offendedly grumbled 'why not' under his breath.

"Cats might be superficial animals, but they can grow an attachment towards their humans, regardless if they are the owners or not. I believe all animals share this same trait." Alya supported with a snap. "Take my Dad and his panther for example."

"Is your Mom not even jealous of their close bond?" Nino asked while reaching for his second helpings. "I mean, your pops got akumatized because Kim called his panther a 'weakling'."

"Well, she thinks she's the third wheel in the relationship. I'm not surprised if one day she'll file a divorce because our Dad fell in love with his panther."

"A panther for a partner? That's so wild."

"Shut up, Agreste!"

"I'd like to think that this stray visits me for food," Marinette interjected after she gathered her bearings. "I'm not surprised if he's doing the same thing to other people."

"Impossible. There's no way he can do that!" Adrien blurted out, then squirmed at his friends' inquisitive stares. "I guess?"

Alya plucked Chat Blanc from his Master's lap, much to the animal's chagrin. "You pudgy Chat, now you have a competition. You should've exercised more and worked those claws out to scratch the mangy stray for stealing your Master."

"He tried, and miserably failed."

Three heads turned at the smirking blond with quizzical looks.

"What?"

"I know you and Chat Blanc are like sworn enemies." his best friend remarked. "But you're not a type that would condone illicit affairs."

The pig-tailed designer scowled "Hey!"

"I don't see why anyone would dislike a stray, much more if he's a handsome stray." Adrien shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "What do you think, Marinette?"

The vibrancy of his green eyes made the girl to avert her gaze and instead focused on the floor. She never thought the patterns of her wool carpet could be this interesting.

"Dibs for a sleepover!" Alya suddenly announced. "We're all going to camp out in Mari's balcony and check the handsome stray that won her heart!"

"Alya!" her flustered best friend squeaked. "I never said he's handsome! Or that he won my heart!"

"But your face told us otherwise." the brunette pointed out. "You know what? You're inspiring me to post this on my blog. And the title will be 'The one who wrecked my MariChat'"

"Erm, babe? I hope you realized that Chat Noir's shortened name in your blog is 'Chat'"

"Oh, you're right Nino." the bespectacled girl pounded a fist on her palm. "I'll use 'MariBlanc' then."

"Can we just stop this ridiculous topic and let's focus on our assignments instead?" Marinette sneered at her friends' ridiculousness.

"Geez, Mari. Always a spoilsport. We're not in school right now yet you're still pulling that 'class rep' on us."

"That's because I'm a responsible student of Collège Françoise Dupont." she sassed.

"I don't see the 'responsible student' vibe when you're also the Queen of Tardiness."

"Burn!" the boys rolled over chuckling as the pig-tailed designer tackled her best friend then gave her a good kick in the shin.

Alya rubbed the sore spot. "You might be small, but damn you have a strength of a monster!"

Marinette poked her tongue out.

The friends almost finished their respective homework when they decided to call it a day.

"Why can't I stay here for a night and meet your 'secret pet'?" Alya whined as she stepped outside the apartment.

"Because one: you have to babysit your siblings while your parents are out of town. And two: he's not my 'secret pet' and no way I'm going to adopt him as my 'pet'. He comes and goes whenever he pleases, so there's a chance you might not see him during your sleepover."

"Aww, that sucks." she hung her head dejectedly. "Hey, why don't you take a picture of this mysterious stray?"

"And what, you'll post it on your Ladyblog?" Marinette placed a hand on her hip. "You know the troubles I had when I asked my parents to adopt Chat Blanc. Try to imagine what would be their reaction once they heard about a 'stray' that lurks on my balcony."

"Oh, that would be bad for your bakery." the brunette realized then tapped her chin. "I'll try to be vague as possible."

"Nope."

"C'mon, I'm curious! I want to know the reason why your panties are getting twisted every time I ask about Chat's nemesis."

"Alya!"

"Oh my God, is this the one that you tried to entrap last time? The one that's pissing Chat every night?"

"Alya!"

"It is!" she squealed. "What breed is it? Mixed? Persian? Or maybe Sphinx? I bet he's cute and adorable. C'mon, a picture will do, Mari, and we're even."

Marinette pinched a bridge of her nose then sighed. "I can't promise."

"Yay!"

"Alya!" this time it was Nino who called her name. "I thought we'll be fetching your siblings before six!"

"Be there in a minute!" she yelled back then planted a kiss on the pig-tailed girl's cheek. "I'm not done with you yet, Girl. I'm going to hound you so hard later until you spilled all the beans."

"Au revoir, Atilla."

Alya gave an indignant snort then bid her friend goodbye.

Tikki poked her head out once they left the premise. "Are you going to take a picture of Chat Noir in your balcony and show it to Alya?"

"Of course not." Marinette harrumphed. "I have to think some alternative options like how I - oh, shoot!"

She suddenly remembered her other friend that was left inside her room.

Good thing she removed all of his paraphernalia and hid them well, but she didn't want to be conceited by his oblivious nature.

Him staying alone in her room was like a landmine that could blow her into proportions.

"Adrien?" she called him upon pushing her trap door, then noticed her opened skylight. "Adrien?"

There she saw him standing blissfully on her balcony, with slender hands on the rails.

He turned around then flashed her a dimpled smile that almost reached his ears. "You have an astounding view here, Marinette."

"Yeah." she breathed at the mesmerizing sight of the blond model.

His white shirt was slightly crumpled, and his usual neat blond locks were being ruffled by the afternoon wind. His back looked so broad and straight against the sunlight, with loose shoulders that qualified as slouching in professional shoots.

For some unknown reasons, his poise reminded her of Chat Noir.

Chat Blanc immediately popped beside her then growled at the model.

"You don't like me, do you?" Adrien grimaced at the white cat's feral glares.

Marinette moved her pet away from his direction. "Sorry about that. I don't know what makes Chat so uncomfortable with you."

"Maybe because I can steal you for myself?"

"What?"

"Nothing!" the blond gesticulated frantically with scarlet cheeks. "I mean, he thinks that I'm going to steal you? Me stealing you? Why am I going to steal you?"

"Ye-yeah. Why..."

The awkward tension between them was short-lived though.

"Hey, tell me more about the stray that visits you every night."

She groaned at his query. "Can we just drop this subject about this mangy cat and move on?"

"I'm just curious whether he's handsome or not."

"Do you have an animal fetish you might want to disclose, Adrien Agreste?"

"Not that I'm aware of, Marinette Dupain-Cheng." he mused at her childish pouts. "What's with this stray that you don't want to talk about?"

Because he's an imaginary cat in replace of a certain mangy Chat, was supposed to be her reply but ended up with "Because there's nothing to talk about."

"C'mon, Marinette. I'm not telling anyone. I promise."

Marinette raised a brow in disbelief. "Really?"

He nodded with a hand gesture near his chest. "Cross my heart and hope to die."

She didn't know why her crush was so adamant knowing about the proverbial stray. Was he really an obsessive cat fanboy?

"He thinks he's handsome."

"What?"

"The stray. He thinks he's handsome," she told him. "Quite flirty if you ask me, and a bit handful. He's insufferable, you know, and will do anything that suits him best."

Adrien hummed "Sounds like he's a bother, eh?"

"I'd say, troublesome."

"So...you don't like him?"

Marinette shook her head at his deflated tone. "Not that I don't like him, but more like I'm worried about him."

"Worried? How so?"

"Erm, you see..." she chewed her lower lip. "He's not a stray, per se. He's a...housecat. He got this big round bell around his neck like a collar. He's prim and proper, which means that he came from a well-endowed household. But it seems like his owner rarely feeds him, or maybe they were feeding him but with small portions? I'm not sure."

"What saddens me most." the girl went on as she leaned on the railings. "Is the fact that he can go out freely without them knowing - and that's because nobody cared enough to check on him every night."

A few beats of silence has passed before he muttered.

"You really know him well, Marinette."

She shook her head again, with staid eyes on the orange sky. "I'm just making an assumption here. He's like a puzzle that needs to be solved, and it so happened that I'm into challenges."

"He's lucky to have you."

"Maybe." she pursed a grin. "I bet I'm just one of those girls he used to exploit with treats."

"If you're concerned about him checking on other people." Adrien suddenly reached for her hands then clasped it firmly. "Fret not, because you're the only girl he's seeing to every night."

"A - Adrien..."

Marinette's heart skipped a beat upon hearing his words. She glanced up to meet his gaze, only to lock on the sincerity projected by his emerald hues.

Her stomach lurched and felt like it was invaded by a swarm of butterflies. Her blood was being pumped by her heart so hard it started to climb up and drown her brains.

She swore his face was getting closer, but the loud honk that sounded below brought her back to reality.

"I - I - I'm so sorry!" Adrien stepped back like he just touched a scalding cast-iron. "I didn't mean to - I mean, I - "

She blinked at his stammering mess.

What the hell just happened?

Why did Adrien apologize to her?

Did she offend him enough to become a tomato red?

What in the world did she do to make him feel so guilty?

"I - I - I - It's okay, Adrien." she waved her arms casually. "No harm was done!"

He gave her a bewildered look like she just sprouted a third head.

"Really?"

"Yup!"

"You sure?"

"Uh - huh!"

"That's...cool."

"I believe your ride is here." she looked down and saw a familiar limousine. "I hope I'm not getting you into trouble."

"Me? Trouble? Pssh, why am I in trouble when you're the one who's in trouble?" he hastily slapped his mouth. "You're not in trouble - I mean, a trouble! You're not a trouble! Am I a trouble? Of course, I am."

"No, you're not." she clarified despite some confusions. "You can come back here anytime you want."

His eyes suddenly lit up. "Anytime?"

"Ye-yeah! Any - anytime!" she stuttered. She wanted to facepalm herself.

What's wrong with the date today?

The limousine honked again. "I think that's my call now. Can't make the Gori - I mean my bodyguard to wait longer."

Once they collected his things, the teens went downstairs and bid each other goodbye.

But before the vehicle could leave, Adrien opened the passenger's windows and shouted "Marinette!"

Not only Marinette but the entire neighborhood - including Tom and Sabine of course - turned around and saw how the blond model waved his hands enthusiastically in the air.

"Marinette!" he called her attention again. "Have I ever told you that you're an amazing person?"

The pig-tailed girl stilled in her tracks and almost forgot how to breathe.

He was spouting some praises about her, but she couldn't hear them anymore due to the loud poundings that overwhelmed her ears. Her brain got short-circuited and too fried up to register everything. Even her sight was blinded momentarily by his pearly smiles.

"Chat you later!" was the last words she remembered before the limousine zoomed away.

It took her several minutes to break her reverie.

"Marinette?" Tikki poked her side. "Marinette? Paging, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Please come back to us. Mari?"

"Tikki?" the girl finally croaked, with blanked eyes staring into the oblivion. "Am I still dreaming?"

"Sorry to burst your bubble Marinette, but no. This is a reality."

"Did I hear myself right? Adrien the-perfect-guy Agreste said that I'm an 'amazing person'?"

"Well, he literally screamed them on top of his lungs. I'm not surprised if the entire arrondissement heard him too."

Marinette sighed languidly, with hands pressed on her beating heart "I think I just died and went to Heaven."

"I believe so." the kwami chuckled. "You're standing here unfazed for almost half an hour to notice Chat."

The girl looked down and saw a mewling feline sitting on her feet.

"Oh, kitty." she picked Chat Blanc up then nuzzled his head lovingly. "I'm so happy that Adrien finally noticed me."

The affection made him purr contentedly.

"But if you think about it." she paused with a crestfallen expression. "He didn't know it was a fabricated lie."

"Oh, Marinette. You're already amazing regardless." Tikki soothed. "It's his loss if he doesn't see you that way, not yours."

The cat meowed as if to support the kwami's claims.

"Thanks, guys." the designer pecked a kiss on their foreheads then headed back to her room.

Later that night, Chat Noir dropped by not only to say 'hi' but to serenade her with a song about a bass and a trouble.

Good thing Marinette kept the spray bottle handy.