A.n.- I hope you enjoy it!

"Tell me the truth," Alya started, her gaze could alone cut his skin with its intensity. "Do you have feelings for Marinette?"

Adrien swallowed hard, the collar of his shirt may as well dig deeper into his throat.

It was one thing to admit his feelings to Nino or Plagg, but Alya was something different. She knew Marinette, and the information could find its way back to her.

Would that be such a bad thing?

Would it? Adrien glanced over in Marinette's direction. He wanted her to know, but not from a side comment; he should be the one to tell her.

"Why do you want to know?" Adrien had no issue telling Alya as long as she kept it a secret, but he wasn't going to show how far down the rabbit hole his crush had gotten.

"Cut the crap, Agreste."

Alya had been spending way too much time with Tikki. But her harsh tone made him take a step back.

"Ok, ok, I"- he closed his eyes in defeat, "might."

"I want to help you become Marinette's boyfriend."

Wait...what?

None of this made sense. Why would Alya agree to help him with this? Unless he had other competition that he didn't know about.

It could be Luka, his mind interjected. She did bid on his date after all.

He shook his head. Tikki had assured him that nothing was going on between Marinette and Luka. But things changed, would Marinette let that slip if she did start liking someone else?

"Not that I'm not grateful or anything," Adrien started. "But why are you helping me?"

"Because you're a good guy, I think you two would work well together, and Marinette's other crush is a fantasy at best. I love the girl, but she can't live up in the clouds. That's where you can help."

So there was another guy, Adrien's heart sank. It had to be Luka. He was the only other guy that hung around Marinette with. Now he really might be sick to his stomach thinking about their date.

"What could I do?"

He had already been doing everything he could to keep an open line of connection between them. He tried to be there for her whenever she needed him. He tried. But if Marinette had gained feelings for Luka, all his effort failed somewhere down the line.

"Do I have to spell it out for you, Agreste? You woo her, and I can find out whatever information you want to know."

Having that kind of knowledge at his fingertips would be invaluable and would help balance the fact that he often turned to a pile of goo whenever she was around. Luka already had the advantage since he knew Marinette for longer, there was no way he could turn down Alya's offer.

"Alright, I'll do it."

"I knew I could count on you. I'll start my research and let you know." She pulled out a pen and grabbed Adrien's hand. "Here's my number if you need anything."

Adrien's mouth dropped as she sauntered off, wearing a smug smile. What had he just agreed to? An arm snaked around his, causing him to jump. All the meanwhile, his mind still swirling from the previous conversation.

"Adri-kins!" Chloé latched onto his arm, distracting him from his anxiety, if only for a little while. "I'm free tomorrow for our picnic, but tell me that we won't be sitting on the ground. Instead, I was thinking"-

Adrien tuned her out. He had this picnic planned out for at least three days; there was no need to switch things now. His eyes began to search the crowd until they landed on Marinette. Luka was talking to her, probably discussing their date.

He froze when she turned her head and met his gaze. Even from across the room, Marinette's eyes were nothing short of enchanting. Blue eyes reminded him of the skies that stretched across Paris.

She offered him a smile, although a kind he had never really seen before; a tint of sadness laced it.

Even though Adrien told her not to worry, he feared that his words didn't stick. He tried to smile back to reassure but was afraid that it looked forced.

"Adrien, are you listening to me?" Chloé jabbed his shoulder.

"Huh- yeah." Even if he did follow her instructions, there was no pleasing her unless he became her boyfriend, and that wouldn't happen.

Marinette had turned back to Luka, and they were talking. Adrien could have sworn that he caught Chloé and Luka stealing glances at each other for the next couple of minutes. However, before he could address the matter, Chloé stormed off, and Luka showed Marinette out.

"Are you sure you're ok, Marinette?" Luka knew that Marinette would tell him if something was wrong, but she wasn't behaving how she usually did. She showed up late- which in itself wasn't all that weird- but then she was distant, and kept checking her phone. If she had somewhere else she needed to be; she could have always rescheduled. They've seen each other plenty of times, especially in his band's rehearsal space. Having the official "date" was only a formality.

"What-oh. Yes, I'm fine," she stuttered out.

Luka internally sighed. She was always honest with him, and he was tempted to call out her lie. "If I'm boring you"-

"No!" Her eyes widened in embarrassment. "Of course not. Sorry, I'm not myself today."

Luka put down his guitar and folded his hands in his lap. "Do you want to talk about it?" Usually talking out problems wouldn't be ideal for a first date, but this was Marinette he was talking about. If something was bothering her, then he wanted to make it right. "Might make you feel better."

"I promised a friend that I would be there for them, and I don't know if I can keep up my end."

That would be upsetting. Marinette always prided herself in her word and kept her promises to a fault. That was one thing that he admired about her.

"Let me guess, Adrien?" He wasn't blind to how close they had become. There was a time or two where he had to curb his protective jealousy. Marinette was important to him after all. But she constantly told him that she and Adrien were just friends and that he had no reason to be overprotective. So he took her at her word, regardless of what he was seeing. Besides, Marinette acted that way a couple of years ago, and she didn't have a crush on him either. It had to be how she acted around her guy friends.

He watched as she nodded and refused to look at him. "Marinette, who did you think you were bidding on?"

Her skin flushed pink, and Luka wasn't sure if Marinette realized.

"Adrien and I had made a plan so that I would win the bid. He told me that it would contain video games in his summary. So, I bid like I was supposed to, but right before, Alya had told me to bid on number twenty-four, and I wouldn't regret it."

That made sense, but there must have been a breakdown in communication somewhere for her not to mention that Luka and Adrien switched numbers. Marinette was only doing what she was told. Luka's stomach churned. If they had not changed things up a bit, then she would have been on a date with Adrien, and he would have won a date with Chloé. Would that have been better? It wasn't as if she was talking to him right now.

"It's all my fault. I suggested that we switch numbers right before the bidding started."

Marinette's jaw fell open, and he looked away. "I told Alya about it, but I guess she didn't pass along the information correctly."

"Luka," her voice wavered in uncertainty. "Can I ask you a question?"

"You can ask me anything." He braved his shame and forced himself to meet her eye, offering a smile with it. Their friendship would fall apart if they couldn't rely on each other for everything that they needed.

"What's going on with you and Chloé?" Marinette started drawing shapes on the ground with her shoe.

Luka adverted his gaze as his blood ran cold. They had promised when they were kids to always be honest with each other, no matter what. He upheld that promise even today. There was no doubt she was questioning because she roomed with her. Luka bit the questions on his tongue. Asking how Chloé was doing was tempting, but now was not the time.

"It's complicated," he admitted. "But nothing we can't figure out." What good would it be to worry Marinette about something she couldn't control. If he told her the whole story, she would attempt to fix things for him, and that wasn't fair to her. He smiled, "So what are you still doing here?"

Luka allowed a smirk to play on his lips as Marinette's head twisted towards him in shock. It hurt his feelings, to be honest. They could hang out any time, but the only reason she was staying was out of obligation.

"But I thought"-

"Your friend needs you. Go!" he urged with a shooing motion. His confidence was all she needed before she grabbed all of her things and raced to the door. Before she left, she turned back towards him and flashed a smile.

"Thanks, Luka. I can always count on you."

He fought the urge to laugh as the bell signaled her exit; some things never changed. Marinette was charging Adrien and Chloé's date to crash it.

What if-

Luka pulled out his phone and typed out a message. It was a long shot, but maybe Chloé would surprise him with a second chance.

Adrien looked at his phone. Marinette should be calling him any minute to rescue him. He had endured the awkward conversations for over an hour. If he stayed with her all day, Chloé might get the wrong impression of how he felt about her - especially since she had been trying to flirt with him since school started.

Or maybe he was disappointed that the picnic he had initially planned turned into a poolside meal on the roof of one of her father's nearby hotels. It was as far as a picnic in the park as he could get. At least most of the food he packed wasn't going to waste.

He had brought his camera with him, but if he brought it out, Chloé would demand him to take pictures of her.

He picked up his phone and unlocked the screen again. Nothing. Marinette did mention that her date was roughly the same time as his. Maybe that's why she hadn't messaged him. The thought caused his heart to deflate. If he had to accept a reality where Marinette was happy with Luka, then he would. It would just suck in the meantime as he got over her.

A notification lit up the screen, and his eyes danced across the screen as he read.

Marinette: Sorry it took so long for me to get here. Are you ready? I'll call in just a minute.

She was here. Although Adrien had no idea what she was going to do, the second Chloé saw her; the jig would be up.

As promised, what seemed like seconds later, his phone rang. Adrien answered it before she could see Marinette's name.

"Hello?" He answered. Part of his role in 'Operation: Save Adrien' was that he had to keep a normal voice and not give anything away.

"Greet me like you would Nathalie."

Adrien was taken aback at how serious she sounded but complied anyway.

"Hello, Nathalie."

He had to remind himself not to smile too much. Usually, when Nathalie called, it was just a correction in his schedule.

"Just a moment." He had to put some distance so Chloé wouldn't hear Marinette's voice. He mouthed an "I'm sorry," to Chloé before he walked towards the roof edge.

"She can't hear you," Adrien assured Marinette, switching the phone to the other side.

"Ok, but you have to keep up appearances. Here's your story: your father booked you a photoshoot, but the photographer is leaving town, so it has to be today."

"There's a problem unless you bribed someone to get my car to come. Chloé won't believe that I'm walking to the shoot."

Even worse if she invited herself to come along.

"Let me worry about that."

What did that even mean? Last time he checked Marinette wasn't able to pull out a car out of thin air.

"I'll be waiting downstairs."

"But Marinette"-

A click indicated that she had hung up. What was he supposed to do now? Chloé was probably waiting for an explanation.

"Sorry," his hand flew to the back of his neck. He figured apologizing would be the best way to start. "That was Nathalie. My father booked a last-minute photo shoot for me and is sending a car."

He hoped that Marinette suddenly gained magical powers and conjured up a car from thin air.

"Well, that's alright," Chloé replied, tapping something into her phone.

She was incredibly cool about this...too cool.

"It is?" He asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Of course, Adri-kins. The last thing I would want is to get in the way of your work." She tapped his nose playfully. "But there's no need to have a car sent when one of my drivers could take us."

Us? She couldn't possibly mean-

"Since my mom is a fashion designer too, I could provide valuable input."

Panic had started to set in. "You can't."

Chloé's mood shifted as she crossed her arms. "And why not?"

"It's a closed shoot." He blurted out. "My father doesn't want anyone whose necessary."

"What kind of clothes are you shooting for?"

Adrien blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Underwear!"

If he could have facepalmed at the ridiculousness without looking like a complete idiot, he would have.

"My dad is branching off into something new. You know me: I'm the test dummy."

Chloé's face beamed with color. "Alright," she replied weakly, not daring to look him in the eye. "Well, at least let me walk you to your car."

As they neared the front door, Adrien's palms began to sweat. Marinette had sent him a one-word text containing the word bodyguard. He needed context. If she were going to be in a costume, surely Chloé would recognize her.

Once they exited the front door, Adrien spotted a big buff guy leaned against a car. To his surprise, the man straightened up.

"M. Agreste."

Marinette's text message clicked.

"Adrien? Who's this?" Chloé grabbed his arm to prevent him from getting closer.

He shrugged to downplay how fast his heart was racing. "He's a new bodyguard my father hired." Now all Adrien had to do was explain. "The car had to go to the shop."

From this angle, he could see the very edge of Marinette's shoe sticking out from behind the car. If he didn't send Chloé back away soon, she might spot it.

"Thanks for the afternoon, Chlo. It was good to catch up."

"We'll have to do it again soon." She agreed.

They quickly said their goodbyes and Adrien released the breath he was holding after Chloé disappeared inside.

"You were awesome!" Marinette's voice hit him before her jumping hug did. Reflexively, he wrapped his arm around her, bringing her close.

Adrien made the mistake of turning his head to face her. They were so close, too close. He did the only thing he could think of to save his brain from short wiring; he released her.

Marinette's cheeks reddened similarly as Chloé's did.

Adrien coughed and turned his head, fighting the heat creeping up his own body. "Thanks for being my partner in crime."

"No problem."

"Ahem," the guy leaning against the car interrupted.

"Oh, sorry, Dave. Didn't mean to keep you waiting." Marinette pulled out some money and handed it to him. "Thanks for doing this. Say hi to my parents for me."

"Will do. Have fun, lovebirds." He waved goodbye and got in his car before they could protest.

"He was my cousin visiting my parents. I got lucky when he called me for directions."

That made sense and Adrien couldn't be more thankful.

"Well, thank you for rescuing me."

Marinette cracked a smile. "What kind of knight would I be if I didn't rescue the fair princess?"

"Fair enough. Let me at least thank you. Ice cream in the park on me." It was the least he could do. His schedule was cleared for hours, and he couldn't think of a better way to spend it than with Marinette.

"Sounds perfect."

The park was practically empty for that time of day. Most Parisians had other things on their minds, like what to make for dinner or the long laundry list of things to do once they got out of work.

Adrien didn't mind; this allowed him more time with Marinette plus fewer glances from fans as they passed by.

She walked quietly beside him, ice cream in hand. Had he made things awkward by taking her here? This almost felt like a date. The thought reawakening the butterflies in his stomach. The only problem is his tongue was tied, and Alya hadn't given him any information he could use.

"Thank you so much for the ice cream. It's delicious." She said, continuing to enjoy her strawberry ice cream.

"Like I said, it's the least I could do."

Adrien stopped, resting on the fenced area around the lake in the very center of the park. The water seemed to go on forever. He knew that they could keep walking, and eventually they would loop back to where they started.

"I love coming here," he sighed. "My mom used to bring me here when I was younger."

Bringing up his mother was the last thing he had expected, but he couldn't very well take back the comment now. He shouldn't have been surprised by the next question.

"What's she like?"

An innocent question prompted by his statement, but he couldn't help but stiffen.

"She is—well, was one of the nicest women you would ever meet. She radiated warmth, and just one smile from her could lift any horrible mood. Then when I was about 15 or so, she suddenly fell ill and died. She was gone in a blink of an eye."

Marinette's free hand covered his, her fingertips gently curling into his palm with a squeeze.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know."

He refused to cry, not here, and certainly not now. But even as the years passed, it hadn't become any easier to let her go.

"It's ok," he offered a small smile the best he could. "She would want us happily living our life, not stuck in grief."

A silence fell between them as he cast his gaze back to the lake. The warmth from Marinette holding his hand offered him the comfort that he desperately wanted.

"Do you take photos?" She teased, catching him off guard, although, he did appreciate the subject change. "I thought models didn't have to carry their own equipment."

Adrien's mood lifted. "It's not for work. I've taken pictures for the last couple of summers now." He quickly unzipped his bag and pulled out his camera. "I started to get into photography because I wanted to be a better model, but then it just grew on me."

His hands danced along the frame of the camera, adjusting the settings as he saw fit before raising to his face, the lens out towards the lake. "I mostly take shots of landscapes more than anything else. I've found that I like capturing beauty for the world to see." He took another couple shots then turned the camera towards Marinette. She looked so serene staring out on the lake and hadn't noticed him changing his subject, until the second shot.

"Hey!" She playfully cried, putting her hand to bring his camera down. Adrien chucked and returned it to the proper place before nodded for them to keep walking.

The two kept walking until they stopped and made themselves comfortable on a patch of grass looking up at the sky, the camera placed to the side.

"So," a sly smirk spread across her lips. "Do I want to know what you said to Chloé, so she allowed you to leave?"

His cheeks heated like a wildfire. There was no way he was telling her freely that the best thing he could come up with was a fake underwear shoot.

"Oh, you know," he fumbled. "Just told her I had a shoot like you told me to."

"Oh come on, Agreste." Marinette's eyebrow gently nudged his side. "The girl searched the whole library, and you expect me to believe she let you walk out the door without question."

Adrien didn't need a reflective surface to know his blush deepened. Not just the secret he was hiding, but it was the first time she had used Tikki's nickname— and he liked it.

Marinette rolled up on her side to face him, eyebrow arched. "Why do I feel like you're hiding something."

Adrien remained silent; if he opened his mouth, he might incriminate himself further.

"I guess you leave me no choice."

Her fingers started to poke his sides feverishly. His body started writhing in defense, his hands desperately grasping for her to stop. Laughter filled the air between the two of them. Adrien could barely get her name out.

He managed to grab her hands to start a power struggle. Adrien pulled her towards him, causing the two to start rolling. Marinette screeched in delight. The victory was claimed once they stopped and she was on top.

Their breaths were ragged at best and smiled. The joy faded quickly when he realized that Marinette was on top of him. He needed her to hurry before his body betrayed him further.

"Uh—Marinette."

He didn't need to finish the thought. Her cheeks lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Right." She rolled to the side, releasing him. "We should probably head back."

Adrien stood to his feet and helped her. They headed back to the campus in silence, all the meanwhile, heads racing.

"Cookie, I'm back!" Plagg shouted through the door. He hoped she would hurry; the box in his arms was getting heavy.

Within a couple of seconds, he was greeted by his girlfriend stealing a kiss on sight.

"What's that?"

"It's all of our pre-recorded shows. I took them to back them up and categorize them."

"Sounds like a hot date," she teased. "Is that what you're doing tonight?"

"Unfortunately." He grunted, setting the box on his bed.

"Do you want some help?" She wrapped her arms around his waist

"I don't know," he inhaled a sharp breath as if it would be a tough decision. "The CDs might get jealous."

She pinched his side and made her way over to her laptop. "Just let me make sure I don't have any assignments due."

Plagg allowed his eyes to drift off his girlfriend to explore around the room. He couldn't put his finger on it, but it was different somehow. Maybe she cleaned up? The trash can was overflowing.

"While you do that. I'll take your garbage out for you."

"Oh that's alright, I can get it later."

But by the time she turned her focus back to him, he had already found what she probably wanted to keep from him.

"What's this?" The further down he read, the more he didn't need her to reply. She had been accepted into an internship over the summer. "Why didn't you tell me that you got the internship. You were talking about it for months." Was she hiding something from him?

"It's not a big deal; I decided not to go.'

Plagg couldn't even begin to believe that. Something had to have to happen for her to change her mind. What worried him most was that this was the first time he heard about it.

"What changed?"

"I just decided that I didn't want to go." Tikki wouldn't look at him and stayed glued to her seat.

"But why?" Plagg closed the gap and turned the chair, so she had to meet his eye. "Talk to me Tikki."

"I have a project to do. I think it's best if you leave."

Plagg scanned her baby blue eyes but knew that pushing this would be useless. His girlfriend was stubborn when she wanted to. It was hard enough to straighten up and take a step back.

"This isn't over, Tikki. We need to talk about this." With that, he headed directly towards the door.

Marinette rolled away from her textbooks onto her back and released a quiet sigh. Chloé was gone who knows where which allowed the room to be used for study purposes.

She hadn't expected to spend hours in the park with Adrien the other day, and she put off her homework to do so.

No sooner had she closed her eyes, did an image of Adrien's shocked face as she hovered over him in the park appeared. Why was this stuck in her head? It's not like she had a crush on him. Marinette groaned, and sat up, hands covering her face.

Alya's words must have gotten to her in her insistent nagging. Marinette would be the first to admit that Adrien was handsome, he was a model for crying out loud, but to think that she would even be remotely his type was absurd. She was thankful for their friendship; if she entertained the idea, then things would get messy quickly.

Her other phone vibrated, drawing her attention to her pillow.

Chat?

Her heart fluttered; this was how she was supposed to feel. But why was he texting her?

Chat Noir: Ready for the date?

Wait. It was Saturday, wasn't it? How could she ever forget that she had a date with Chat?

Of course! Where should we meet up?

Marinette bolted out of bed to change clothes and finish looking presentable enough. She pulled out a cute red dress and slipped it on and let her hair down.

Chat Noir: Meet me in the parking lot by building C.

Building C was on the edge of campus. There wouldn't be many students there at this time of day. Her stomach jerked, would she see who Chat was? Did she know who he was? No- she would have known if she met Chat Noir out of his mask.

Be right there.

She reached the top of the stairs, and her gaze naturally dropped. At the bottom was someone next to a jet black motorcycle.

A moment later, her phone buzzed.

Chat Noir: Care for a ride?

Marinette raced down the steps to meet him.

"Chat, this is incredible." She allowed her eyes to take in the beauty of the bike but didn't touch it. Knowing her, she would find a way to bump the bike and send it to the ground accidentally.

"I didn't know you could ride."She watched him shrug.

"I learned last summer," he explained.

Even though his visor was down, his voice assured her that it was still her kitty. Maybe this is how he planned to keep his identity hidden.

"So what do you have planned for our little date?"

In response, she was handed a helmet. He wanted to go for a ride? The butterflies started in Marinette's stomach. She hadn't ever ridden on a motorcycle before. Thousands of scenarios started piling in her head of things that could go wrong.

She must have looked nervous because Chat reached for her hand.

"Don't worry," he assured. "I wouldn't let anything happen to you."

Marinette slipped on the helmet and allowed Chat to help guide her on the bike. His head turned back as he revved the engine.

"Hold on, and don't let go."

Marinette wrapped her arms tightly around his waist and rested her head on his back. Even with her helmet on, she could smell the cologne he was wearing.

The second they took off she squeezed him tighter and closed her eyes, allowing his scent to keep her calm as the two blazed the road.

"The observatory?" Marinette asked, staring at the scene.

Adrien couldn't get over how cute she was being; it would be hard enough to keep up his suave bravado without that.

"Are you sure it's ok for us to be here?"

Normally no, but there was a lot he could get away with by slipping the guard some money and an autograph picture for his niece. He understood Adrien's burden of popularity and the need for privacy.

"Absolutely. We have the whole place to ourselves." It helped matters that he scouted the place out a couple of days ago to know where everything was. He held out his hand and guided her up the stairs to the deck.

She tugged at his hand and stopped in her tracks. "What's that?"

Adrien smiled to himself underneath the helmet because he knew.

"Patience," he assured her before nudging her up the stairs. A sense of pride swelled in his chest as he earned a gasp from Marinette when they reached the top.

There was a picnic blanket spread out with an assortment of food that he had picked out. Music filled the air from a nearby speaker, and the guards had even lit the candles that he had given them if there was extra time. Everything looked perfect, just as she deserved.

"Chat!"

Marinette's million-watt smile spoke all the praise he needed as she took in the sight ahead of them.

"How did you- this is incredible."

"Dare you say perrrfect?" His comment earned her nudging him playfully. Adrien led her to the blanket and helped her down. "I'm glad you like it."

"I love it," she corrected him. "I'm impressed that you pulled something like this off."

"You deserve the best." Adrien found that he quite enjoyed making Marinette flustered, the color on her cheeks only enhanced her natural beauty. Being Chat gave him a sense of control over his feelings and that he could never have with Adrien. "Close your eyes."

His heart started to ring in his ear as she complied. This was risk higher than anything he had done before. He removed his helmet cautiously. If Marinette peeked at all, it would be game over. Thankfully, her eyes stayed closed.

Adrien reached into the picnic basket and pulled out a black mask that he had packed. It was different than the outfit that he wore to the party, but he hoped that it would be enough.

"Alright," his voice faltered. "You can open them."

His body tensed, waiting for her reaction.

"Your helmet…" She trailed off.

"I figure this way would be easier to watch the stars." Every voice in his head wanted to run away with the way her eyes scanned over him. Being this vulnerable with anyone was scary, let alone with someone he cared about.

Marinette's fingers brushed the edge of his mask for a moment before she pulled away hesitantly. "Thank you," she whispered. "For trusting me like this. It means a lot."

"I wish I could tell you who I am."

"It's ok, Chat." She reached out and grabbed his hand and squeezed. "I understand."

Those words meant more to him than she would probably ever know.

"Chat?" She turned her head to look at him.

"Hmm?" He hummed thoughtfully, running his thumb against the back of their laced hands.

"As much as I hate to say it, we should be getting back."

Adrien was hoping that time would have stopped at some point during the last couple of hours. But it had to be past 1 am. He was sure that the previous time the guard looped by, he received a glare.

"You're right," he groaned, standing to his feet. Besides, Adrien knew that he wouldn't sleep much tonight. Marinette accepted his outreached hand, and he helped her up. Normally he would have expected her to let go so they could make way back to the motorcycle. He would come back for all of his supplies after he dropped her off; it seemed like the gentleman thing to do. Thoughts faded as he realized Marinette was still staring at him.

What was wrong, did he have something on his face?

"Your eyes…" Marinette's voice trailed off, and Adrien gulped. "They're so green."

She was close, way too close. But despite his internal alarms blaring in his system, Adrien couldn't help but slowly be drawn in like a sailor to a siren's call. Could they possibly pick up from where they left off at the party?

They grew closer and closer, and as Marinette closed her eyes, he followed suit. The anticipation was killing him.

"It's late."

Adrien's eyes burst open only to find she had backed away a couple of steps.

"We should head back."

He wouldn't admit that his heart sunk inside his chest, or that his legs may as well have been lead.

Did he do something wrong?

"As you wish," Adrien muttered and led her back to his bike.