"She misses me, she really misses me," Adrien flopped back in his bed. He smiled up blissfully at the ceiling, replaying the whole night back in his head. Then he frowned, and leaned on his side. "Plagg, can you believe she nearly gave up her miraculous! That was a close call!"

"I'll tell you what was a close call!" Plagg exclaimed from where he had just scavenged his hidden stash of Camembert from under Adrien's bed, "This Camembert is starting to harden around the edges. I nearly lost you my creamy goodness!" Plagg stroked the darkening cheese wedge tenderly.

"Echh! Is that what that smell is?! Why wasn't that in the refrigerator?!" Adrien pressed both his hands over his face, but his efforts were futile. The smell of ripening Camembert already permeated his senses.

"Oh, I was saving this little scrumptious tidbit for just the right moment...and that moment happens to be now!" Plagg stuffed the whole wedge in his mouth, making Adrien nearly gag.

"You're such a gluten," Adrien rolled his eyes. "You're so obsessed with your cheese! Is it never enough?"

"You're pretty obsessed with your own little wedge of Camembert," Plagg said through a mouth full of cheese.

"You know I don't touch that stuff unless it is an absolute emergency," Adrien, put his arms behind his head, and returned to staring at his ceiling.

"I'm not talking about literal cheese lover boy!" Plagg rolled his eyes. "I thought you said you had put your pokadoted fantasies aside."

Adrien's brow creased, but he didn't face Plagg. "It...it's not like that this time. Ladybug misses having me help her out. You saw how she was with Shadowcat. She is just used to Chat Noir, and she doesn't like change. It's nice that she got sentimental about the Chat Noir side of me, but when it comes down to it, nothing has changed. She means to world to me, and I'm just a sidekick to her."

"It didn't really sound like that to me." Plagg licked his paws savoring the lingering flavor.

"If I just fall back in to the same routine, it is just going to end up the same way. I don't think I can keep that up forever. It's too hard on my heart," Adrien sighed.

"So, what? You're saying Chat Noir is out?" Plagg pouted.

"I managed to cool it as Shadowcat. Can't I be my cat-tivating Chat Noir self without putting Ladybug on the spot all the time?!"

"Heh...heh...I see what you did there. You have missed the puns haven't you?" Plagg smirked.

"Yesss!" Adrien sat up. "Being Chat Noir is so much more fun! I feel like I can just relax and be free for once in my life!"

"And you don't want to loose that," Plagg led.

"No, I really don't," Adrien admitted.

"Then don't," Plagg shrugged as if this was the simplest thing in the world.

"But Ladybug..." Adrien started to lament.

"You do realize that the Ladybug and Black Cat represent the dual forces of creation and destruction right?!" Plagg let out an exasperated huff. "You can't have one without the other. Stop making your worth depend on if Ladybug falls in love with you or not! I'm not going to argue people into choosing Camembert as the best cheese in history, even though there is clearly no comparison. If they don't like it, that is all the more for me!"

"That was weirdly insightful Plagg," Adrien smiled at him.

"What can I say," Plagg rubbed his whiskers. "I know my cheese!"

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Meanwhile, not too far away, the Lady that pulled at Adrien's thoughts, was having a few reflections on the night herself...

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"Shadowcat said he'd find Chat Noir for me!" Marinette gushed, twirling around her bedroom and gazing at the photo of her kitty in her hands. His picture looked back at her with emerald cat eyes, and a crooked smile that made her lightheaded.

"Maybe he'll come back, you'll apologize, and things will all go back to normal," Tikki said nibbling at a second macaroon.

Marinette paused, and shared down at the photo. "But... what if I...don't want things to just go back to normal? What if I want..."

"Wait! What?" Tikki buzzed up to her face. "What do you want exactly?!"

Marinette's shoulders rose to her ears, and she blushed awkwardly. "Well, I know I've always insisted on just being partners, but what if we try to be more than just partners...more than just friends...?"

"Eeep!" Tikki squeaked. "Where did all of this suddenly come from?"

"It's not 'sudden' at all Tikki!" Marinette protested. "We've known each other for years. Chat Noir has always been there for me, and his love has never faltered. He's sweet, loyal, trustworthy, smart, brave...and who am I kidding, he's pretty hot in a cheeky kitty kind of way. I don't know why I've never given him a chance before!"

"Because Hawkmoth could find out...oh yeah, and the because of the uber crush you have on Adrien!" Tikki pointed out.

"Well sure, there is that..." Marrinette dropped down into her computer chair. She poked at the keys on her keyboard. "But Hawkmoth already knows Chat Noir has a thing for me, and we've still been able to hold him at bay. And Adrien...well Adrien is my friend. He said so countless times. Shouldn't I accept that and be satisfied."

"So you're saying that even if Adrien walked right up to you and suddenly confessed his undying love, you'd still turn him down for Chat Noir?"

"Pft! That's never going to happen!" Marinette scoffed waving her hand in the air.

"But if he did...who would you choose?" Tikki insisted.

Marinette stared hard a Tikki. A reel of images and moments ran through Marinette's head.

"Do you wonder if Adrien would understand about you flying off to save the world?" Tikki asked.

"I'm not sure..." Marinette couldn't help being plagued by the guilt over how things had ended between her and Luka. Chat Noir might be the only one who could possibly know what that was like. But on the other hand, what would Chat Noir think if he ever found out his 'perfect' Ladybug was actually his babbling disaster of a friend, Marinette?

She had actually technically confessed that she loved Chat Noir (even if it was just to throw him off her identity). He had turned her down in favor of it just his stubbornness or one track mind that kept him from moving on from Ladybug? Would he really never be able to accept the girl behind the mask? Even Chat Noir himself had told Marinette he was glad they could be friends!

"Grawh!" She ran her hands across her head, fraying strands of hair loose from her ponytails. "How do I always end up in the friend-zone! Chat Noir is so amazing about expressing how he feels and not holding back when he confesses his love!"

Then Marinette dropped her hands, and stared at Chat Noir's picture. "That's it!"

"Ahh...what's it?" Tikki asked apprehensively.

"I already know Chat Noir loves Ladybug, but what if I get him to fall for Marinette...I mean me!" she declared in determination.

"How are you going to do that?" Tikki had warning bells going off in her head.

"I'll just act like him!" Marinette started digging through her desk drawer and pulled out the notebook she had been using earlier. She turned to a fresh page. Snapping up a pen, she hunched over the lines and started jotting down notes.

"You want to be like Chat Noir?! I don't know if Paris, or me for that matter can handle two superheroes like Chat Noir! The whole beauty in your partnership is that you balance each other out."

"No, no, not as Ladybug! I'll act like Chat Noir as Marinette!"

Tikki blinked at Marinette dubiously. Marinette smiled back at her.

"Ahh..I don't think that is such a good idea!" Tikkki finally said hesitantly.

"Sure it is! Chat Noir expresses his love like that, so when I do the same he'll realize I really love him!"

"And if he doesn't?"Tikki asked.

"If he doesn't...I guess I'll know Marinette isn't the part of Ladybug he really loves."

I still don't think that..." Tikki rubbed her tiny arms nervously.

"Don't worry so much Tikki," Marinette brushed the doubt aside, "just help me decide which cat pun is better: "I want to be yours fur-ever," or "Do you wanna get meow-rried someday?"

Tikki face palmed herself.

"Hey! They're not that bad!" Marrinette leaned over her notebook scribbling in some more ideas. "I got it! I love my cat the meowst!"

"That's just clawful!" Tikki groaned.

"Hey, good one Tikki! Wait till Chat Noir hears this! He won't know what hit him!"

"That is what I'm worried about," Tikki chirped nervously.

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Thank you readers for your support, likes, and follows! It makes me so excited to write more when I hear from readers that they are enjoying the story! A special shout out and thanks to KagamiPINKAgreste, aey82, MrOutsider, and Liventmenow for their encouraging reviews! It was certainly a first for me to receive a proposal over one of my fanfictions Liventmenow! Thanks, you're making me blush! Hope all of you readers keep following my story. I love hearing from you:)

All the best!

Phoenix203