Plagg zipped out of Adrien's pocket just in time as his chosen collapsed onto his bed. "What am I going to do?" Adrien moaned into the blankets.

Brushing off imaginary dust, Plagg gave him a haughty look, "How about not trying to flatten your kwami?"

"Plagg…" Adrien rolled over onto his back into to glare at the small black cat before groaning in frustration and covering his face with his arm. "You know that's not what I mean."

The tantalizing aroma of camembert wafted towards him from the cabinet where Adrien stored all his cheese. Plagg's mouth started to water and he slowly drifted towards it, savouring every moment of the delicious smells. "Mm… camembert…" Something soft suddenly whacked into him, sending Plagg flying across the room until it squashed him against a wall. Dazed, Plagg flopped onto the soft object where it had landed on the floor and blinked a few times before realizing it was a pillow. He turned to glare at Adrien. "What was that for?"

"I need help!" said Adrien, returning Plagg's glare, "I don't need a kwami rhapsodizing about cheese!"

Plagg shot one more longing look at the cabinet before zipping across the room to hover above Adrien's head. "Fine. What do you need help with?"

Adrien pushed himself up off his bed abruptly so he could start pacing the room and Plagg hissed as he was forced to swerve quickly out of the way. "Everything! How can I be in love with Marinette? I still love Ladybug! And why did she lie about what happened? Does that mean she doesn't love me? Does she regret kissing me? Does she think I used her? How am I going to face Ladybug now that I know I'm in love with someone else? Is she going to hate me? Will she think I betrayed her? Will she–"

Plagg rolled his eyes, "Stop! Why are you asking me any of this? You know I can't answer those questions right? You need to ask Marinette and Ladybug. No one else can help you. You want my advice? Go ask them on a date." At the horrified look on Adrien's face Plagg had to roll his eyes again, "Not together you nitwit! Ask them on separate dates! People do that kind of thing all the time." In a voice too quiet for Adrien to hear, he added, "And I'm sure they'll both be fine with it since they're literrally the same person."

His pacing resumed as Adrien responded, "Right. So I should go talk to them. I should probably talk to Marinette first. I mean, she did defend me…" Eyes wide, he spun back to face Plagg, "But how do I know she did? That will be super suspicious if I show up talking about things she said when I shouldn't have been there!"

Throwing up his paws in exasperation, Plagg flew the cabinet and phased through it before reemerging with a wedge of camembert. "And you're supposed to be smart. Alya said she was going to post it all on her blog didn't she?"

Adrien's face lit up, "That's right! She did!" He darted across he room to wake his computer and bring up the Ladyblog. Plagg drifted over to watch as he munched on his snack. As soon as the website loaded, Lila's picture of Chat Noir carrying Marinette filled the screen along with the caption 'Breaking Mews: Chat Noir Selflessly Risks Freezing to Rescue Student'. Adrien quickly scrolled down through the post to be sure Alya had quoted Marinette, and a smile of relief filled his face. "This is perfect Plagg! Now I have a reason to know. Let's go talk–" he cut himself off abruptly and when he turned to look at his kwami Plagg was annoyed to see that his previous expression of worry was back in place. "What if it's too soon? What if Marinette doesn't want to talk to me yet? What if she doesn't want to talk to me at all? What if–"

"What if you shut up and just go ask her?" Adrien stared at him, mouth agape. Plagg growled in frustration and gave a regretful look at his remaining cheese before tossing it into the air and swallowing it whole. "I never thought I'd say this, but just transform and get your butt out there already!"

For the first and likely only time in his entire existence, Plagg felt nothing but relief as he was sucked into Adrien's miraculous.

As Chat Noir approached the familiar Dupain-Cheng bakery, his eyes were immediately drawn to the lithe figure pacing back and forth on the balcony. He felt a surge of nerves and quickly gave himself a final boost with his baton before they could suck him in and make him change his mind about visiting. Retracting his baton enough to spin it above his head to stay aloft, he tried to figure out what he was going to say while he covered the final stretch, but his mind remained stubbornly blank. He landed silently on the railing behind her, hesitating for just a moment before jumping silently down. He could hear Marinette mumbling to herself, but was only able to catch something about a hamster before she turned around and let out an ear-piercing shriek.

Chat Noir flinched, then quickly put his hands out towards her, palms up and empty, "It's just me Marinette! Chat Noir!"

Unfortunately, Marinette didn't quite recover fast enough. She stumbled back a couple of steps and tripped over one of her potted plants. Her arms windmilled and Chat jumped forward to try and catch her, but her left hand hit the small storage box beside her with a resounding WHACK, destabilizing her further and sending her sideways towards her lounge chair. She twisted as she fell and her head missed the bottom rail of the chair by milimetres. Realizing he wouldn't be able to catch her, Chat instead dove to the floor just in time for Marinette to land on him instead. All the air in his lungs was expelled with an explosive whoosh as her head made contact with his solar plexus.

Almost immediately, Marinette shot to her knees, hands fluttering uselessly around him, "I'm so sorry Chat! You startled me and I panicked and then I tripped and you dove over here and I landed on you, but I didn't mean to! Are you alright? Did I hurt you? Can you still talk? Chat? Chat!"

Blinking back the tears that had formed in his eyes at the sudden impact, Chat Noir gestured for her to back up a bit as he tried to regain his breath. He could hear a dog barking nearby, but far more concerning to him was the nearby sound of heavy footsteps pounding up a staircase. As quickly as he could, Chat rolled to his hands and knees and crawled across the balcony to hide under the far side of Marinette's wooden table. He didn't miss the look of utter confusion on her face.

"Um… Chat? Did you– did you hit your head?" He turned towards her just enough to shoot her a forced smile between wheezes and a thumbs up, but her expression didn't clear. "Are you su–"

"Marinette?!" The trap door flew open with a bang and M. Dupain's head and shoulders appeared through the small opening. Marinette screeched again and spun towards him, scrabbling backwards like a crab.

"Papa! You scared me!" She threw a quick glance towards Chat, who was doing his best to breath while staying quiet and hidden, then stood and walked towards her father.

"Why did you scream? Are you alright?" M. Dupain's eyes were flitting all around and Chat scrunched himself into a tighter ball, closing his eyes so their telltale green glow wouldn't give him away and hoping that his suit would allow him to blend into the night.

"Papa I'm fine." Marinette's voice was soothing and Chat found himself relaxing slightly in response. "I thought I saw a rat–" Chat stifled a snort, "but it was just a strange shadow." There was a slight pause and Chat could easily imagine the way Marinette would be waving her hands as she tried to explain. "You know me, I jumped, I tripped, I fell… I'm fine though. Nothing's hurt."

Chat counted the seconds as the silence stretched, unwilling to risk opening his eyes to see what was going on.

"Please be more careful honey. You could have hit your head or broken something."

"Well, I think I did break a pot, but it's not a big deal."

"Why don't you come in? It's late and you have school tomorrow. You need your sleep sweetheart."

What? No! Chat Noir stiffened and opened his eyes in the tiniest of slits to try and see what Marinette was doing. I haven't even had the chance to talk to her!

"I will soon Papa. I think I could use a couple of minutes to bring my heart rate back down so that I'll be able to sleep." She let out a nervous sounding giggle and Chat quickly closed his eyes again.

"Alright sweetie, but please be more careful." Marinette's loft ladder creaked as M. Dupain climbed back down and Chat Noir let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, pleased to discover he could do so naturally again. "And don't stay up too late!" He called back up.

"Okay Papa!"

Chat slumped back against the central table post in relief, taking a few deep breaths before opening his eyes. He had to bite back his own scream as he came face to face with Marinette who had apparently crawled under the table edge to him and was now just centimetres away. She smiled apologetically, "Sorry. Guess I should've been more careful."

"It's fine," he squeaked. Chat cleared his throat and tried again, "Really, I'm just a little nervous about your dad after last time."

Marinette let out a soft 'ah' of understanding and her gaze drifted beyond him for a moment, likely thinking about her father's recent akumatization as well. Chat used the opportunity to slide out from under her table and perched on the edge of it instead. Marinette followed, mind still obviously elsewhere.

"I uh… just came to talk to you." Get it together! He snarled at himself, This is Marinette. Your friend. You can talk to her! "To say thank you I mean." Marinette snapped her attention back to him, brow furrowing and eyes blinking. "For today." As she continued to stare without replying Chat found himself reaching up to rub the back of his head self-consciously. "I'm sorry you had to lie for me."

Marinette's brow smoothed and her eyes widened, "Oh! I didn't do it for you. I mean! I did! But, I also didn't because I was worried that the boy I like would think that I liked someone else and–"

"Wait," Chat raised a hand to stop her, "The boy you like? But you said you were in love with me." He could feel the disappointment settling like lead in his stomach. But wait, she was freezing from Exposure's mistletoe too wasn't she?

All the color draining from Marinette's face and her hands flew up to cover her mouth. Ever so slowly, she lowered them again. "Chat…" her eyes kept shifting between him and the ground and she was wringing her hand together so tightly that he was surprised she wasn't hurting herself. "I… um…" Marinette's eyes squeezed shut and her shoulders bunched up towards her ears, "I lied to you."

Chat froze, only his tail tip continuing to twitch erratically.

Her eyes sprang open and her hand jumped up in a pleading gesture between them, "I'm sorry! You were talking about seeing me right after Ladybug had taken off because she was going to detransform and since you know that I'm friends with Ladybug I was afraid you were going to ask me who she was and so I panicked and said the first thing that came to mind that I thought would distract you but I didn't really mean it, only apparently I did mean it and I just didn't know I did because when Exposure hit us with her mistletoe I starting freezing immediately and then I realized that I actually do love you but since I also love Adrien I kind of panicked but I knew that Ladybug needed you so you couldn't be frozen and I was hoping that he would never find out about it because then he'll never like me back so I talked you into kissing me and now I don't know what I'm going to do because I love Adrien but I also love you and I can't possibly choose between the two of you but I guess it doesn't matter because there's no way that you or he would be interested in someone who is such a mess and can't even make up her mind..."

Her voice trailed off and Chat was startled to see that unshed tears were shinning in her eyes. "Marinette–"

A slight tremor passed through her body as Marinette turned away from him, "It's fine Chat. I'm sorry. I understand."

His mind was reeling with the information dump that he'd just received, but Chat knew that if he didn't say something now, he risked losing her forever, and that thought was so painful that he knew he couldn't risk it. Shoving his own confusion aside, Chat Noir reached out to take Marinette by the hand and tug her gently back towards him, "Marinette – you're in love with Adrien? Adrien Agreste?" Wait, what? That's not what I meant to say!

Her cheeks coloured, but Marinette nodded.

Suddenly, understanding everything she'd said didn't matter. She loves me! All of me! "I don't mind sharing you with him." What is wrong with me?! Why am I saying such stupid things! How can I make that sound better… "I mean, it's only fair. After all, you know that I am also in love with Ladybug, so you'd have to share me too." He hesitated, "Assuming she wants me. But that's an entirely different problem." Shut up!

Eyes blown wide, Marinette just stared at him until Chat started to fidget. "Uh… why? How could you be okay with that?"

Think! Chat wracked his brain for a reasonable answer that wasn't 'because we're the same person!' His ears perked up when he remembered what Plagg had said just before he'd transformed. "Well, people can go on dates to get to know each other better without being exclusive. As long as everyone knows and agrees, there's nothing wrong with it." His free hand came up to cup her cheek tenderly, "Besides, Exposure made me realize that I'm in love with you too. I don't want to be without you, so I'll take whatever you're willing to give me."

"Oh Chat…" His name came out in a fervent whisper and the soft look that she was giving him made Chat want to pull her in close and claim her lips without akuma influence, and for a split-second he almost did. Then his brain caught up to him and he stopped himself, unsure if it was what she wanted.

Then the moment passed and Marinette was jerking her hand away as she spun around, "But I can't ask that of him!" The pitch of her voice raised slightly, "Hey Adrien! I just wanted you to know that I'm in love with you, would you like to go on a date with me? Oh, by the way, I'm also in love with and dating a superhero. I hope that's okay!" She spun back towards him, her face filled with anguish, "He'd either laugh or yell at me!"

Chat felt a strange pang of jealousy towards himself, but pushed it aside. "He really doesn't seem like the type of person to do either of those things Mari."

Marinette swayed and Chat quickly stepped forward to catch and steady her. "Are you okay princess?"

She slowly turned to look up at him, though Chat couldn't decipher the intense look on her face. "Say it again," she whispered.

Brow furrowed, Chat obeyed, "Are you okay princess?"

Her head was shaking before he finished, "No, before that. When you said… when you said my name."

Chat thought for a moment, wondering why him saying her name would have affected her so much. His face slackened as he realized he had unthinkingly shortened it. He could feel the blush creeping into his cheeks. "Mari?"

She shivered slightly, but Chat didn't have time to wonder why before her lips were pressed against his and his thoughts were swept away. A few golden moments later, they pulled away and he leaned down to rest his forehead against hers. Eyes closed, they breathed together in silence for a few heartbeats.

"Sorry," Marinette breathed, "I hope I didn't cross any lines…"

Chat blinked his eyes and pulled back to stare at her, "Sorry? Don't you dare apologize! This cat was just gifted the most delicious cream and doesn't appreciate you besmooching it! Actually, I'd be completely okay with you besmooching me again…" he trailed off with a suggestive eyebrow wiggle.

Marinette giggled and he relished in the light dusting of pink on her cheeks. "Does that mean you still want to date me? Even if I do love someone else too?"

In answer, Chat leaned down to capture her lips again. I can never go back to thinking of Marinette as just a friend. How can I convince her to tell me she loves me? Ah! Chat pulled back, smiling to himself when Marinette's mouth twisted into a frown, "I wasn't done with you," she grumbled.

"Neither am I," he replied and her eyes popped open in surprise. "But first, I want you to promise me that you'll talk to Adrien. You don't have to tell him who else you're dating if you don't want to. Just make it clear that you're asking him on a single date. No exclusive commitment required." Please promise…

Marinette looked thoughtful, "I suppose that could work. If I can get the courage to ask."

Chat laughed, "You? Needing courage? Just use that well of courage that served you so well against Evillustrator. Or me for that matter." He gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "You just admitted to lying to me. Surely asking Adrien on a date can't any worse than that."

"I guess not…" Marinette bit her lip, then tipped her head back to look at him with a mischievous twinkle. "But let's not talk about other people right now. I may have just realized today that I'm in love with you, but I also found out you love me, and I feel like I've wasted enough time denying it."

"As you command purrincess." Marinette raised an eyebrow at him and he decided to test out his new found influence instead, "Or should I say, Mari."

Eyes wide, cheeks pink, Marinette quickly closed the distance between them, interrupting his chuckle with a kiss.

Twenty minutes later, Tikki flew out of her hiding spot to hover beside Marinette, who was watching Chat Noir vaulting away. He was doing far more flips and spins than strictly necessary, likely to impress Marinette. Tikki turned to study Marinette with some concern. Marinette was leaned on the railing and staring after Chat with a dopey grin on her face.

Worry mounting, Tikki finally spoke up, "Marinette? Are you sure this is a good idea?" Her voice was soft and hesitant.

Sighing slightly as she pulled herself from her reverie, Marinette turned to look at her kwami, "Hmm? What do you mean?"

"Well… you did just agree to date Chat Noir. As a civilian. Don't you think that puts both of your identities at risk?"

Marinette shook her head, "Not really. I mean, Alya thought Chloe could be me and we don't look anything alike. Even Chat questioned it. I think that the miraculous magic is good enough to prevent us from seeing through it, especially if we're careful to try not to."

Tikki wasn't convinced. "Then what about the risk of people targeting you because you're dating Chat Noir?"

Marinette pushed off the railing and walked towards her skylight, "Come on Tikki, it's not like we're going to announce it at a press conference. No one is going to know."

"And what about Adrien? You just agreed to ask him on a date."

Marinette froze mid-step. "Oh no oh no oh no oh no! I can't do that! Why did I do that? Tikki! What am I going to do?"

"Um… ask him a on a date?" Tikki suppressed an eye roll.

Marinette's eyes were blown wide like a deer in headlights, "I can't do that!"

Tikki sighed, "Then you're going to have to explain that to Chat next time you see him."

Suddenly, a smile started to spread across Marinette's face and Tikki drifted backwards a bit in apprehension. "Maybe Marinette can't, but Ladybug can!"

"Wait! This won't solve your pro–"

"Tikki! Spots on!"