As I slipped on my green oxford shirt and my tuxedo jacket, Plagg actually complimented me saying, "Wow, kid you dress up nice. Someone might actually think that you like this girl."

I looked at myself in the mirror straightening up my black bow tie. I loved the feeling of the silky smooth fabric between my fingertips. "Plagg," grumbled, "I do like her. I like her more and more everyday. It was stupid of me to never notice her before. I had always been so preoccupied with my crush on Ladybug, that I missed out on an amazing girl that had been right front of me. Well I guess technically she was behind me." I laughed a nervous laugh.

Plagg flew over and landed on my shoulder causing a sudden stench of stinky cheese to make its way through my nostrils. "So..." he said in a mocking tone, "you don't like Ladybug anymore?"

This question caught me completely off guard. I had spent many nights crying myself to sleep in college because of my lost love. Over the years, the tears dried up and I even stopped thinking about her altogether. I knew that dreaming of seeing her again would only bring heart ache and pain, so I decided to let that dream go. Some part of me would always love Ladybug, but my heart would no longer be taken by her.

"I will always like her to some extent, Plagg," I retorted, "but I am ready for something real that can actually flourish. I've really been enjoying my time with Marinette, and unlike Ladybug, she seems to be enjoying her time with me as well. It's exciting having someone actually return my feelings, whatever they are, for once."

Plagg continued munching on his cheese, so I brushed him off of my shoulder. I didn't need stinky cheesy crumbs on my nice jacket. "You know," he mumbled with his mouth still full, "you might see Ladybug again someday. What will you do then?"

Again, his question caught me off guard. I had lost all hope of ever seeing my lady again a long time ago. Even if I did see her, I wasn't sure I could ever feel the same way about her again. It had been too long, and my heart was already moving on.

"I don't know, Plagg," I said as I started walking down the hallway and towards the front door. "Why did you ask that?"

Plagg landed on my head so he didn't have to try catching up. I could have sworn that he had gained weight over the years. Not using his powers to transform me was a very bad thing for him. "I'm just saying," he sung, "you might run into her whenever you least expect it. Just keep you eyes peeled kid. Look for the girl under the mask, not Ladybug."

I was getting annoyed. Why would Plagg be bringing this up now? I was about to go on my first date with Marinette and he wouldn't shut up about my first crush. "Plagg, just forget it, okay? I can't be thinking about Ladybug when I am pursuing Marinette." I said this a lot more harshly then I meant to, but I hoped that Plagg had got my point. I was trying to move on, so I needed him to move on, too.

As the door to the bakery was opened, I was greeted by the scent of fresh cookies and cinnamon buns. It had been years since I had set foot in the Dupain-Chang bakery and the smell brought back many memories of friends and good times.

"Marinette will be down in a few minutes," her mother, Sabine, hummed. "It's so nice to see you again, Adrien. I know that Marinette has been thrilled with your sudden return in her life."
"I've enjoyed being with her as well," I hastily replied. "Your daughter is a special young woman. I was lucky to run into her again."

Sabine then took me by surprise catching me in a big hug. "Just treat her well," she whispered.

Just then, we were interrupted by the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. I turned to look upon Marinette as she entered the room. She was absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. My heart raced and my fingers felt numb at the sight of her. She had her hair pulled up into a loose bun with a few curls dangling by her face. Her dress was clearly Ladybug inspired which was a tender reminder of the conversation that Plagg and I had just had. Sleek, black heels elongated her legs making her eyes almost level with mine.

"You look amazing," I complimented. "All heads are going to turn to catch a glimpse of your beauty. It's a good thing that your knight in dapper attire will be there to protect you."

Sabine giggled and Marinette just rolled her eyes walking forward grabbing my arm and pulling me towards the door. "Come on Sir Knight," she said with regal, "we wouldn't want to miss the ball now would we?"

I opened the door of the limo for Marinette and then I went to other side to get in myself. Upon entering the car, I was hit with the scent of Marinette's sweet perfume. It wasn't an overwhelming smell; instead it was quite inviting making me want to get ever closer to the wearer. Even though all I wanted to do was nuzzle and cuddle the sweet smelling girl next to me, I held myself back. I looked over at her red polka dot dress and was given great inspiration for a conversation starter.

"You're still a fan of Ladybug and Chat Noir I see," I said with a smirk. No one, besides Plagg, had mentioned the famed superheroes to me since I had arrived back in Paris; I figured that they must have been forgotten.

Marinette looked down and brushed her dress flattening it out as much as she could. "Uhh... y-yea," she stuttered, "they did so much for our city. I was recently reminded of them and wanted to make a dress in memory of Ladybug." She then started rubbing her fingers on the ribbon of her dress lingering them over a tiny green paw print clearly representing Chat Noir that was sewn into the material. "I'm sure that they are still out there somewhere," she dreamily stated, "they must miss each other a lot."

I began thinking about how Ladybug must feel about my absence. I hadn't seen her since that night that we said goodbye to one another so many years before. I had never thought about her missing me before, but on some level she must. We had been partners for so long that there was just no way that she couldn't be missing Chat Noir.

As I was picturing her soft bluebell eyes and dark black hair, I happened to look up at Marinette who surprisingly had those same features. How had I never noticed that before? Was there a slight chance that my Ladybug could have been so close to me all along, and that she was sitting there next to me right now?

As a teenager, I could have never thought that such a coincidence would have been possible, but now, I wasn't so sure. I certainly was enjoying my time with Marinette and looked forward to getting to know her more. Whether she was my lady or not, I would appreciate every moment that I got to spend with her. If by some chance she miraculously ended up being Ladybug, I would be the happiest guy in the world. But there was no way that that would ever happen. After all, she was just Marinette, a shy and sweet girl. She was nothing like the brave and confident Ladybug.

"Are you okay?" Marinette asked as she noticed that I was staring at her.

"Oh. Sure." I said as I fumbled with my bow tie. I then leaned back in the seat with one arm resting on the back of it. "I was just thinking about what you had said about Ladybug and Chat Noir." I then put on the cheesiest grin that I could and and leaned forward saying, "I'm pawsitively sure that Chat Noir must be missing his Lady." Then I whispered, "But I am also sure that he has probably moved on and found another princess to steal his heart."

"Shall we?" I asked as I reached out my hand to help Marinette out of the limo. As she took my hand, I became obsessed with the gentle smoothness of hers. I did not let go as we waltzed up the stairs and entered the building. As we entered the large ballroom, we were bombarded with the sound of live classical music, the smell of many different types of Hors d'Oeuvres, and the sight of many beautiful clothing designs on display.

I could feel Marinette's grasp tighten around my fingers as we were approached by a famous fashion designer who proceeded to make small talk about the dress that Marinette had made. "That was Roberto Giovanni an extremely prestigious designer from Italy," she panted, "and he loved my dress!"

"Of course he did," I slyly stated, "anyone could spot that your designs are a bug deal." I laughed quite pleased with my joke.

Marinette finally pulled her hand from mine placing both of her hands on her hips. "Alright Sir Knight," she spat, "that's three puns already this evening. What's gotten into you?" Then she mumbled more to herself than to me, "I would have never expected to hear puns from you."

I hadn't realized that I had never really used puns as Adrien before. That was always something that I did as Chat Noir. Did my puns get on Marinette's nerves? Ladybug had always hated them, too. Why did girls always hate on my puns?

"I'm sorry," I apologized, "It's just that I was starting to feel comfortable around you. I guess I've always secretly liked to use puns. Is that a problem?"

The expression on Marinette's face softened and she began to play with the ribbon on her dress again. "N-no," she said shyly, "they just remind me of someone that I used to know is all."

Before I could respond, a server came by with a plate of calamari. It was deep fried to golden perfection and was served with a mouth watering white sauce that tasted somewhere between a tartar sauce and ranch dressing. By the time we had had our fill of the delectable squid, the moment of the pun conversation had passed. I had wondered who she could have known that I had reminded her of, but the delicious morsels of goodness quickly took my mind off of it.

"Adrien," I heard my father say as he approached us from behind, "would you mind if I borrowed your date for awhile so I can introduce her as my newest employee?"

I agreed sending Marinette off with my father. I watched as she boldly walked side by side with my dad. The nervous girl that I had once known was nowhere to be seen. She paraded around with such confidence and bravery that I could have sworn that she looked just like Ladybug. I decided to take this opportunity of solitude to head to the bathroom.

Thankfully, I had the forethought to grab a handful of cheese from a serving platter on my way because Plagg immediately flew out of my pocket and started engorging himself. "I don't understand how you are still always so hungry," I complained, "it's not like you ever do anything."

"That's not fair, Adrien," he grumbled, "its not my fault that your father gave up being Hawkmoth and that you no longer need to transform. Give a Kwami a break!"

I decided to wash off my face allowing the cool water to help clear my mind. "Plagg," I started slowly, "do you think that Marinette could be Ladybug?" I knew that what I had just said sounded stupid, but I wanted Plagg to shoot it down so I would get these crazy thoughts out of my head.

Plagg kept eating but answered with his mouth full, "Sure. She certainly looks like Ladybug doesn't she?"

My body felt like it had been struck by lightning at his words. "What are you saying, Plagg?"

Before he could answer, footsteps were heard walking towards the door forcing him to retreat back into my pocket. We would have to resume this conversation later. I reentered the ballroom and caught sight of Marinette standing among a group of elite designers. They all seemed to be listening intently to what she had to say making every fiber in my being wish that I could hear as well.

As she finished speaking, she looked in my direction locking eyes with mine. She gave me the biggest, most beautiful smile that I had ever seen making it hard for me to breath. She had stolen my heart and I was falling at a whirlwind speed for this amazingly talented and spectacular girl right in front of me.