Marinette watched as Tikki quickly and neatly took bites out of the cookie she'd packed for her. "I think I'm going to go out."

Tikki froze mid-bite and looked up at Marinette with wide eyes, "Out where?"

"To watch the akuma. Our plans aren't working, so I need a chance to watch it without the constant uh… interruptions." Her checks reddened as her thoughts drifted to the kiss she'd shared with Chat Noir only moments before.

Tikki chewed slowly for a moment and swallowed deliberately, "I don't think this is a good idea Marinette."

Marinette narrowed her eyes in determination, "Well we need to do something Tikki. Exposure doesn't have any reason to attack me and it's not like I'm going to walk right out in front of her. I'm just going to watch without my spots for a bit. Red isn't exactly inconspicuous."

Tikki's look was disapproving, "She'll be more than happy to freeze you too if she sees you." Tikki's eyes searched Marinette's and she felt an involuntary blush rising into her face. "Are you sure that's why you want to go out there?

Carefully not meeting her kwami's eyes, Marinette opened her purse and gestured to Tikki. "Of course I'm sure." Tikki flew inside reluctantly. "It'll be fine Tikki. She'll never know I was there. We need to change tactics, what we have been doing isn't working." She ignored Tikki's skeptical look as she snapped her purse closed and carefully cracked open the door. With a quick look from side to side to be sure Chat was gone, Marinette slipped out into the hallway, shutting the door softly behind herself.

She crept down the hallway, silently retracing her steps until she could hear Chat's mocking voice. "Don't leaf me hanging here! You're berry easy to avoid." Marinette peeked around the corner to see Chat smirking at the akuma, somehow managing to strike a pose that was simultaneously saucy and battle-ready. Narrowing her eyes, she scanned the area and the akuma, trying to find a weak point, or at least identify the akumatized object, but her gaze kept drifting back to Chat Noir.

Exposure's vines wove around Chat, who carefully danced just out of reach.

A flicker of movement caught her attention and suddenly Marinette realized that Exposure was playing with him. While most of the vines attacked from in front and to the sides, a few were slowly creeping their way around him, preparing to attack from behind. Throwing caution to the wind, Marinette sprang around the corner, waving her arms to get Chat's attention, "Chat Noir! Behind you!"

Chat's blood ran cold when he heard Marinette's voice. Fortunately for him, his instincts kicked in, and he leapt forward, twisting through the air and spinning to avoid the vines that had been sneaking behind him. He landed lightly, then immediately extended his baton to propel himself to the upper catwalk, retracting it just in time to avoid it being entangled in Exposure's vines.

He glanced down to check on Marinette who was trying to scramble back out of sight, but Exposure had already set her sights on the bluenette. Growling softly to himself, Chat jumped back down, landing between the two. "Marinette, run!"

Exposure laughed, "What, did you run out of witty one-liners street rat? You seem unusually concerned about this one. You even know her name." A malicious smile spread across her face, "Does that mean you're not as faithful to Your Lady as you pretend?" She reached down to retrieve a couple of berries from her skirt, "Shall we find out?"

A feeling of cold dread settled in Chat's stomach. He flashed back briefly to the kiss he'd shared with Marinette that morning on the steps of the school, surely that hadn't been enchanted mistletoe? Marinette was just a friend. A kind, amazing, talented, beautiful friend… Focus idiot! He glanced over his shoulder to see that Exposure had succeeded in blocking Marinette's escape with her vines. Struggling to appear indifferent Chat called out, "You don't like my puns? How cold."

He nearly jumped out of his skin when a pair of small arms wrapped around him and grabbed his baton, thumbing past the button to make it extend and shoot them up into the air. "Can't you go five minutes without a pun?" Marinette grumbled, "Maybe then I wouldn't have to save you."

Mentally unbalanced by her unexpected proximity, Chat had to try twice before he managed to grab the railing and flip them over it while retracting his baton. "I had it under control princess. Keeping akumas busy and away from civilians is part of my job." He snagged her wrist and pulled her down a hallway, running and turning random corners to escape Exposure's pursuit, "A job which is significantly easier when said civilians don't go jumping into the middle of a fight."

Marinette tried unsuccessfully to pull her hand free, "I–" she hesitated, "Ladybug sent me to keep an eye on you."

Chat stumbled, dragging them to a stop and barely managing to keep his footing. Marinette wasn't so lucky and only his hold on her wrist prevent her from faceplanting on the floor. His eyes were furious as he looked at her. "Ladybug sent you?" He growled and his tail lashed behind him, "Was she trying to get you frozen?!"

Finally succeeding in pulling her hand free, Marinette planted her hands on her hips and glared at him, "Of course not!"

"So you're saying she doesn't trust me to stay out of trouble?"

"No! She just wanted to make sure someone was watching your back while she couldn't! She was worried about you you stupid cat!"

"I knew about the vines behind me! This is what I do!"

The silence between them stretched as they glared at each other. Suddenly, Marinette jerked forwards and Chat reached out automatically to catch her. Laughter rang down the hallway as Exposure sauntered towards them, hands outstretched and vines writhing through the air around her. "Look at what the cat dragged in. How many statues will I get this time?"

Chat quickly glanced down at Marinette to see a rapidly spreading sprig of mistletoe on her back. Tendrils had already begun to snake their way across his gloves and up his arms as well. Their eyes met, and this time hers were wide and frightened. His face hardened with determination and his arms slipped around her to scoop her up in a bridal carry, turning to run as he did.

By the time Chat had managed to lose Exposure, Marinette was shivering violently in his arms and her lips were turning blue. "Ch-ch-chat…"

"Shh…" he shushed her as he stuck his head through a door to ensure the room was empty before stepping through and kicking it closed behind them. When he tried to put her down Chat quickly realized that his hands were frozen to her and there was no way to let go. His mind blanked momentarily as the implications sunk in. No… I can't be in love with Marinette. I love Ladybug! "I'm s-so s-s-sorry M-Marinette. This is all m-my f-f-fault. And now y-you're going to fr-freeze."

"A-and y-you?" she returned with a raised eyebrow. Her hands tightened convulsively around his neck as she shivered.

He shook his head, "I c-can't. I l-love her." Chat Noir collapsed against a wall with a groan, "Why is this happening to me?"

Marinette let out a shaky laugh in his arms, "You c-can l-love more than o-one p-p-person."

He looked at her in anguish, "I'm s-sorry. I k-know you love m-me, b-but it doesn't ch-change anything. I c-can't betray her!"

"H-have you p-promised h-her anything?"

"N-no…"

"Then y-you aren't b-betray-betraying her." He just shook his head in response, squeezing his eyes tightly closed. He flinched as her cold hand came to rest on his cheek. "Ch-ch-chat, L-l-ladybug, n-n-needs you," she forced out, "Sh-she'll underst-stand…"

Suddenly, his eyes flew open, "Of c-course! You're m-my friend! I j-just need to g-give you a b-b-bise!" He ignored Marinette's shaking head (she was just shivering wasn't she?) and leaned forward to give her a quick kiss on each cheek before pulling back with a triumphant smile.

The smile disappeared instantly as a burst of cold seemed to explode in his gut as though he'd been sucker punched. He doubled over around Marinette, shivering uncontrollably and gasping for breath. "Y-you're m-m-making it w-worse!" she said.

Unable to reply, Chat struggled to raise his head enough to meet her gaze. He expected to see annoyance or fear in her eyes, but instead he found sympathy.

"I un-unders-stand," she caressed the side of his face and edge of his mask with trembling fingers. "I l-l-love s-someone else t-too." Her wide blue eyes seemed to suck him in. "It's g-going to b-be okay." As she pulled herself closer, he didn't resist.

Her lips were cold, but soft against his own. Chat prepared himself to push her away, but hesitated when she didn't try to force him to respond. Slowly, a point of warmth grew between them and he found that he no longer wanted to. I'm sorry My Lady… Then all thoughts of Ladybug were swept from his mind as the point of warmth grew, filling him with peace, comfort, and love. The kisses he had shared with Ladybug had been amazing, but something about the simplicity of this kiss overshadowed them. Though it seemed ridiculous, Chat felt as though here, in Marinette's arms with their lips pressed gently together, he was safe. He was home.

Gradually, Chat realized that his shivering had stopped and his hands were no longer frozen to Marinette. Not wanting to lose this feeling, he used his newfound mobility to place her feet gently on the ground before wrapping his arms tightly around her and tangling one hand in her hair. When his claws snagged on one of her hair elastics, he carefully reached up without breaking the kiss to slip them out so he could freely massage her scalp and comb his fingers through her hair.

Just as he was debating deepening the kiss, Marinette gave a sudden yelp and jerked away from him. Chat quickly dropped his hands so she wouldn't be trapped. He would have stepped back, but the wall behind him left him nowhere to go. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you?"

Marinette was rubbing her arm and glaring down at– her purse? "No, it wasn't you." When she looked up and locked gazes, a beautiful blush spread across her cheeks. "Um… sorry."

Chat reached up to gently brush her now free hair behind one ear, "Don't be." Inwardly, he could feel the building war between guilt and bliss, but he firmly tamped it down to be faced later. He offered her a small smile, "I'm not."

The corners of her lips twitched upwards in reply, "I should probably let you get back fighting the akuma. Ladybug must be wondering where you are."

"Yeah." He stayed a moment longer, studying her face and was rewarded with a deepening of her blush. Realizing he was staring, Chat quickly averted his face to hide his own rising blush and slid along the wall to reach the door. He hesitated, his hand on the knob before turning back towards her, "We'll talk later?"

Marinette smiled, "Later."

Heart beating erratically and mind whirling in confusion, Chat Noir smiled back and stepped out of the room. His first few steps were wobbly, but a quick shake of his head helped him refocus and he took off in search of Exposure.

Tikki looked angrier than Marinette had ever seen as she phased right through her purse and flew up into her face. "I told you not to go out there!"

Marinette looked down at her shoes, unable to meet the angry kwami's gaze, "If I hadn't he'd have been trapped and who knows what Exposure would have done to him."

Flying down to hover in front of her face again, Tikki forced Marinette to look at her, "He knew about the vines! You didn't save him, you put yourself and Chat Noir in danger and very nearly got both of you frozen!"

"I know Tikki, but–"

"No! There are no buts! Who's going to save Paris if you're an ice sculpture? Think Marinette!"

Marinette hunched up her shoulders, "You're right Tikki, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking straight." When Tikki continued to stare at her expectantly she sighed and her shoulders sagged in defeat, "Alright, I wasn't really thinking about stopping Exposure. I was thinking about Chat Noir."

Tikki's gaze softened, "I realize this has to be confusing for you Marinette, but you need to be in control of your emotions." She drifted closer and rested a gentle paw on her face, "You'll have time to figure the rest of this out. I promise."

Marinette nodded, "You're right." Raising her head and squaring her shoulders, Marinette turned towards the door, "Let do this. Tikki, Spots On!"