This oneshot was inspired by Episode 15 – Le Gamer because of that one scene where Adrien said that he's not good enough to fight alongside Marinette at the UMS tournament.

It's January 18 and I wish Thomas Astruc a happy birthday! Thank you so much for creating such a wonderful show and I hope you have a miraculous day today! This fic is dedicated to you, Hawkdaddy!

This fic is also dedicated to tei-gen, shishitsunari, angiensca, littleblackchat, papaya-chan, sadrienagreste and checkeredtablesloth. Thank you so much for being so supportive for the past week when I went through some of the toughest times in my life. I love all of you.

You Can't Have One Without The Other

"Aah… You won… again! You're too good at this game!"

Marinette giggled and placed her controller down on the table. "Well… I've been playing Ultimate Mecha Strike for years. I've played all the games – UMS I, II and III! Of course I'll be this good!"

Chat Noir pouted at her and crossed his arms. "I've played all the games too but your skills are just crazy!"

"Aww don't be a sore loser, Chat. Here, have a consolation prize." Marinette swiped a chocolate chip cookie from a plate she sneaked from the kitchen earlier and held it in front of his face. Still pouting at her, Chat Noir's eyes flickered from the cookie to the girl, then back to the cookie for a few times, before he took it and gave it a small bite.

"Oh gods, this is good!" He gave a tiny squeal, a big smile replacing his pout, and took a bigger bite out of the cookie. Urgh, I should have intervened earlier… I could have tasted those croissants too.

"Hehe, thanks! They have to be good! My family owns the best patisserie in Paris after all!"

"Yeesh! You've let your win at the UMS tournament go to your head. Snap out of it!" Chat Noir glared at her and ruffled her hair playfully.

"H-Hey—! M-My hair! Stop!" Marinette squirmed and swatted his hand off her. "Look what you did! It's all messed up now!" She said angrily, removing her hair ties and attempting to smooth her hair out by combing it with her fingers. "Wait… Were you at the tournament earlier? Is that why you're here at an ungodly hour to play UMS with me – the champion?"

Chat Noir looked startled for a moment at her question, his eyes quickly darting from her face – she looked lovely with her hair down and he had been staring at her – to focus on the hair ties on Marinette's lap. "U-Um, yes! I was there. You and Max were awesome!"

"Aren't we the best?" Marinette gave up on her hair, deposited the hair ties on the table and drew her legs in, placing her chin on her knees. "Max was such a great partner!"

Chat flinched at the word "partner" and it did not go unnoticed by Marinette. She lifted her chin and looked closely at his facial expression. He was not smiling. Even his ears were drooping. His eyes looked dull compared to the bright emerald she was used to seeing. Marinette reached out her hand to touch his shoulder. "Hey, what's wrong?"

He looked at her from the corner of his eyes and nibbled at the cookie. "It's… noth—OW! Why did you pinch me?!" He rubbed his arm furiously, trying to ease the pain and gave her a glare.

"Something's bothering you. Now, talk."

Chat stared at her before letting out a long sigh, running a hand through his hair. "I've been wanting to ask something but I'm scared of hearing the answers…"

Marinette nodded and gave his shoulders a gentle squeeze. "Go on. I'm listening."

"Thanks, Princess," He said, relaxing a little from her touch. "Okay… Here's the question… Gosh, I'm really nervous. Do you… Do you think I'm good enough for Ladybug? As her partner?"

A few seconds of silence passed between them before Marinette stood up suddenly and screamed, "Of course you are! You're important to her! What made you thi—UMPPH!"

"Shh! What were you thinking screaming like that?! Your parents are gonna hear you! I'll be dead meat when they come bursting in!" Chat whispered harshly, keeping his hands on her mouth. Her eyes widened for a split second, realizing her mistake and both of them turned to look at the trap door. When no movements or sound were heard, they released their breaths. Locking their gaze back to each other, Marinette let out a small squeak when she noticed how close their faces were and jerked her head back quickly. Chat immediately withdrew his hands, his cheeks reddening, and sat back down on his seat, swivelling the other way so she would not see his face.

Marinette stared at his back for a few moments before pulling her chair over to his side and sitting down. She touched his shoulders, prompting him to face her. He looked at her sadly. "Chat, I don't know what came over you to make you think about that question but you've done so much for Paris. Who helped to escort the citizens to safety? You. Who warned them about impending danger? You. Who saved me earlier? You. Ladybug could only save so many people by herself. You've helped to keep the casualties to a minimum. Ladybug may have her Lucky Charm, but you have Cataclysm, a power that she doesn't have. If you haven't noticed already, you've saved her life many times with and without it. And… "

Marinette paused to look deep into his eyes. "She would not be here without you. She needs you."

I need you. If it weren't for you saving me just now, I would not have been able to cleanse the akuma. I would not be here.

Chat stared at her for a few seconds before breaking into a smile, though his eyes still show some hints of sadness. "Thanks Marinette. I really needed that… It's really reassuring to have someone acknowledge that I'm a great partner to Ladybug. Ladybug is smart, confident and beautiful. The news… Ladyblog… Everybody adores her. I'm known for messing up all the time and I worry about getting in her way some times."

Marinette reached over to hold his hands. "Even if the world is against you, I will always stand by you."

You're the best partner I ever had, Chat Noir. No one else could replace you.

His smile grew wider and he squeezed her hands. "Thanks, Princess."

The next day, Adrien found himself laughing (and crying) while scrolling through Mewspaper, a blog created and managed by Marinette.

Update 2016/01/22: littleblackchat on Tumblr made a fan-made The Mewspaper page! If any of my readers have Tumblr, please search the-mewspaper and follow the blog!