Adrien had been in front of the mirror longer than normal today. He ran a hand through his hair to settle it one way, then again to settle it back the other,"Plagg what do you think; naturally ruffled or playfully mussed?"

The black kwami hovered over from the snack plate he was devouring,"They look the same to me. What's all the fuss about? Got a hot date tonight?"

"Not me plagg." Adrien ran his hand back through his hair again, naturally ruffled,"Cat Noir, don't you remember?"

Plagg looked pensive for a moment, Adrien half expected smoke to rise from his ears,"Oh right, the baker girl. You switched from exotic cheese to domestic. There can be quality comfort in the familiar." Plagg settled on Adrien's shoulder,"I don't know why you don't just go after her on your own though."

Adrien gave himself one last look in the mirror, then gave up and scooped his bag,"She sees me as a friend Plagg, she always has. I'm lucky to have a friend like her, but it *would* be nice to be something more." Adrien's voice slipped back into wistful thoughts.

Plagg's gagging noises brought him back to reality. Adrien poked his little friend lightly,"I don't know plagg, maybe she has a thing for superheroes?" Adrien laughed,"Not something I could ever fault her for could I?" He pulled out his phone, the unlock screen was still Ladybug but when Adrien entered his passcode a stealthily snapped picture of Marinette was now his background,"All I know Plagg is that as Adrien Agreste or as Cat Noir, I treasure the time I can spend with her."

Plagg gagged again and added a fake death to the routine, he opened an eye to see if Adrien was watching and Adrien chuckled at his friend's antics.

"C'mon you, let's see if we can't escape unnoticed this morning." Adrien opened his shirt and Plagg dove inside.

Sneaking out was getting easier. Either he was improving, or Nathalie and his bodyguard were just tired of trying to stop him. The walk to school was invigorating now even more than it had been before his abduction, and doing it had one more added bonus. The locals, even the girls, had begun to calm down about Adrien Agreste. He couldn't escape the second glances or the occasional lingering stare, but he was treated more like a person than a commodity in at least this little part of the world. He could enjoy the chill autumn morning while ordering his thoughts for tonight's rendezvous. Adrien chuckled softly to himself, wondering if it was fair to be a little jealous of Cat Noir.

It was a sign of just how free he had become that he was able to notice being followed. Adrien stopped short, turning to examine himself in the glass reflection of a storefront, but unlike most stalkers this one didn't freeze or hang back.

They were about his height, jeans, white sweatshirt with the hood up hiding their face. The walk was familiar, and the casual way they sauntered up beside him to look into the glass as well gave even more clues. Adrien wondered briefly if it was a good thing or a bad thing that seeing his own face looking back at him in the reflection didn't really surprise him.

"I'd like to be able to say this is new, but I'll settle for,'to what do I owe the honor?'"

His doppleganger's smile didn't seem malicious and his words were pitched quiet and calm,"Well, it is a first for me at least. And it is a bit disconcerting I'll admit." the smile turned into a grin.

Adrien relaxed,"You get used to it. But you didn't answer my question."

"I wanted to see if you were the original article or just the beta version."

Adrien smiled,"And?"

The other grinned back and tilted his head in a Cat Noir manner, one Adrien had practiced many times in front of a mirror,"I think we are almost nothing alike. For one I am far more handsome."

The easy confidence struck Adrien. It was seeing his fears already conquered, no mask required. "So, what do I call you? 3.0 doesn't really roll off the tongue."

The smile dipped,"5.0 actually." He recovered quickly and gave Adrien a friendly thump on the back,"But you can call me Adrikat."

Adrien wasn't going to let that slide. He turned away from the window to look at- himself directly,"What happened to three and four?"

That earned a wince from Adrikat,"Yeah, I figured you hadn't changed enough in a few months to not notice that."

Adrien tilted his head and gave his twin a reassuring smile,"you mentioned it because you want to talk about it."

"Okay, we need to never talk again." Adrikat laughed,"But yeah." he looked down the street,"Walk and talk?" as Adrien fell in beside him Adrikat fished two shattered coins out of his pocket and passed them over,"Three and Four."

Adrien turned the cracked and broken circles over in his hand. How many amoks created by Shadowmoth and Mayura had they broken? This didn't feel like it was the same, but there was something uncomfortable about it with another standing beside him and one who had fooled even Ladybug. Adrien remembered his own polkadoted mistake and her fate.

He tried to pass the coins back but Adrikat shook his head,"I've carried that weight long enough. Pitch them or keep them, I've finally come to terms with the fact they aren't me."

Adrien pocketed the coins for now,"So, do you know what happened?"

"Only what I was told, but I don't believe I was lied to. Three tried to break Chloé's amok, things got ugly. Four did that to his own amok." They two walked together in silence for several steps,"I can see how it could happen, but obviously it didn't for me. The same thoughts, but different choices made from them."

"Are you worried about there being a six some day?" Adrien tried to put himself in Adrikat's shoes, worrying about mistakes loomed large, but there were pieces he didn't have.

"No." Adrikat did smile at that, a fond one,"We've come to an understanding." He turned his head,"Even if we hadn't, I don't think there would be. You should have seen them. One near catatonic, just staring at me, while the other tried to keep her and me both intact."

Adrien considered,"Which was which?" Then before an answer came, he let his thoughts play out and trusted them,"It switched, didn't it?"

Adrikat nodded and hunched slightly, his voice carried the soft second-hand sorrow that Adrien felt just by imagining the scenario,"The moving one would just stop, and the other would pick up until she couldn't, and back and forth. I wasn't going to be party to that happening again." He straightened up, "But that's for me, and mine. A few months difference between us right?" he grinned at Adrien.

Adrien smiled back, letting the moment slip quickly into the past,"So are you going to tell me what you've been up to first, or am I going to tell you? We can see who's more surprised."

Adrikat laughed,"Got something good do you?"

Adrien was near bursting, literally the only person he could share this secret with in the world walked beside him,"Cat Noir's started dating Marinette."

Adrikat stopped in his tracks. Adrien walked a step or two past him then looked back, he had figured it was a surprise but-,"HA!" Adrikat grinned back at him from the depths of his hoodie before resuming the walk.

"I thought you would be a little more surprised than that."

"Oh, I am; don't get me wrong. I'm just proud too."

Adrien wondered at the surge of elation that he felt. Was it right to feel that way for making your… self proud? That wasn't quite right. Though Adrikat knew the looks, poses, and ways of Adrien Agreste he'd traded innocence for wisdom somewhere in the last few months. It was more like looking at a future self, or an alternate path. Like the two coins in his pocket, a path that could lead to ruin. Adrien felt suddenly protective of his other self,"So you think it's a good idea?"

"It's the best, if you can't get yourself to just ask her out."

"She's not interested in me that way. You know that, nothing's changed."

"Asking isn't about knowing the answer. It's about expressing yourself."

Adrien paused and frowned slightly. He wanted to argue with Adrikat, but nothing was coming up to counter the point,"It's more complicated than that."

"It always is. Going to live your life waiting for something simple?"

Adrien nudged Adrikat,"Okay, what happened to turn me into you?"

That brought a full manic Cat Noir grin to Adrikat's lips,"It's easy, just be a copy of one person who is two people, and live with two people who are one person; puts a lot of things in perspective real fast."

Adrien jumped topics again, that was going to take some digesting,"So, am I going to have competition for Marinette now? Or are you after M'Lady?" he tried his own Cat Noir smile, but it was hard without the mask. He felt eyes on him, his father's gaze watching always.

"Neither. Marinette's all yours, you two just might be perfect for each other. I met with our bugaboo last night for introductions. You'll be happy to note she isn't even as interested in me as you. Quite unwilling to accept substitutes, no matter the upgrades." Adrikat grinned,"I tell myself I wasn't really trying though. I am content with my arrangement."

"Chloé?" More of an affirmation than disbelief.

"We put the fun in dysfunctional." Adrikat stopped, they were almost to school,"Partnership plus we'll call it."

"Have you been able to help her?"

"I'm here now, hoping to. She's coming for Vesp-" The sound of screams interrupted Adrikat. They were distant but unmistakable and more regular than Notre Dame's bells these days. Both the blond boys tensed and their eyes turned towards the sound in perfect unison. "That's not her, we'd hear more explosions." Adrikat looked back at Adrien.

Adrien looked at the school, back to Adrikat. Adrikat grinned,"Go on, go hang with your Lady for the both of us. I'll even give you the purrfect cover for a few periods in school." Adrikat swept the hood of his sweatshirt back and shook out his hair, playfully mussed.

Adrien grinned at his counterpart, and for the first time, a touch of Noirishness leaked into it. He bolted for cover to make the change.