Alya knew that Marinette was talented, but she'd never realized the full extent of her best friend's skill. Marinette's fingers absolutely flew, guiding the fabric through her sewing machine, pecking away with her needle, mouth full of pins and eyes full of determination.

Alya stayed an hour past her nightly curfew, but it was worth it. By the time the clock struck nine, there was a fabulous, sparkling gown in front of the two girls. They stepped back to admire their handiwork. Alya hugged the designer.

"Wow, Marinette, what a star! The dress is incredible," said Alya warmly. Marinette didn't reply, just leaned against her best friend, closing her eyes and yawning. Alya laughed. "I reckon you need sleep, girl. I'd better be heading back before Mama calls the cops." She smiled and squeezed Marinette's hand. "Good job, girl." She walked down the stairs, disappearing from view. Marinette waited until she was gone before changing into her pajamas and falling into bed.

MLBMLBMLB

Adrien spun in his desk chair, staring at the screen in front of him. A pen hung out of his mouth, and his blonde locks were dishevelled. Plagg hovered above him, for once not stuffing his greedy face.

"Come on, Adrien," whined the kwami. "This is so boring. Can't we do something?"

"What do you suggest?" Adrien's eyes didn't leave the computer display.

Plagg huffed. "Look around you! We have foosball, we have arcade machines, we have rock-climbing, we have basketball….everything we could possibly need!"

"That's debatable," muttered Adrien, scrolling with his mouse.

He felt something collide with the back of his head. "Oh, can it, Romeo," said Plagg dismissively, preparing to toss another ping-pong ball at his chosen. "We all know you're head-over-heels for Ladybug, but she rejected you, broke your heart, blah blah blah. Honestly, you should just forget about her, and have some fun!"

Adrien glared at his kwami, rubbing the back of his head. "Great advice, Plagg. God, can't you just leave me alone?" He turned back to the Ladyblog.

Another ping-pong ball hit him. "Nope!" said Plagg cheerily. "I'm your kwami, so you're stuck with me. Now, foosball tournament? Winner takes all!"

"I don't want cheese, Plagg."

Plagg pouted. "Aw, come on! I'll tell you Ladybug's identity," he said teasingly, before clapping a tiny hand over his mouth and looking horrified.

Adrien pounced immediately. 'What did you say?" he asked, a hungry gleam in his eyes.

Plagg waved his arms like windscreen wipers on a rainy day. "Nothing! I said nothing!"

Adrien raised his eyebrow. "That's not what I heard."

Plagg chuckled nervously. "Uhh….how strange!"

"It sounded like you said that you'd tell me Ladybug's identity."

"No, I didn't!" said Plagg defensively. "You've got it all wrong."

"Oh, did I?" Adrien gave his kwami a truly evil smile. "Well, prepare yourself, Plagg. Winner takes all, remember?"

Plagg shook his head. "Nuh-uh. Even if you win, my lips are sealed."

The model shrugged. "That could change." He strolled leisurely over to the foosball table and rested his elbows on the edge, cupping his face with his hands. "Ready to be beaten?"

Plagg reluctantly floated over, wondering what in the world he'd gotten himself into.

MLBMLBMLB

Marinette wiped her hands on her apron, leaving floury smudges. She pulled out her hair tie and redid her simple ponytail, fixing the strands that had fallen out. With a final twist of her wrist, she secured the tie and turned to face the next customer, painting her practiced smile on. "Hello, how can I help you?"

"Well, for starters, you could have left that ponytail in. The strands were absolutely perfect."

Marinette blinked. "Alya? Is that you?" she asked, peering at the girl, who was sporting oversized sunglasses and a bright headscarf.

"Damn, you caught me." The blogger pulled off the scarf with a flourish and perched her shades on top of her head, beaming.

Marinette giggled and shook her head, ushering her grinning friend behind the counter. "Get back there, you're holding up the line," she instructed. As Alya slipped behind her, the bluenette flashed her smile at the next client- except this time, it wasn't just put on for show. Her smile was genuine.

Once the shop had emptied, Marinette took a breather, stepping away from the counter and ducking into the kitchen itself to find Alya. Her friend was busy tying up an apron, her ombre waves knotted into a high bun. She glanced up when Marinette entered.

"What are you doing here, Alya? You only saw me yesterday," said Marinette, raising her eyebrows at her friend.

Alya smiled mischievously. "A little bird told me that you were manning the bakery alone. I figured you could use a hand."

Marinette put her hand on her hip. "Well, thanks, Alya. Who was the 'little bird'?"

"I bumped into your parents while I was on Principale Avenue. They mentioned that they were visiting an old friend and that you were down here. No way was I going to let you fight the lunch hour rush on your own."

Marinette hugged her friend tightly. "You're the best, Alya!"

Alya nodded. "And don't you forget it."

MLBMLBMLB

Adrien gritted his toothpaste-commercial teeth and grabbed the rubber handle. With an expert flick of the wrist, he sent the tiny plastic ball spiralling into Plagg's goal.

"Haha! Who's the loser now, Plagg?" Adrien gave his kwami a triumphant grin and slid the marker up to the '10' on the scoreboard. "Winner winner chicken dinner!"

Plagg moaned loudly and flopped onto the foosball table. "Awww," he complained. "It was only one goal!"

Adrien shrugged. "A deal's a deal, Plagg! You'd better start talking."

Plagg stuck out his chin. "No way, Jose! I'm not saying a single word. I never made that deal. You did."

"Come on, Plagg," coaxed Adrien. "Think of all the Camembert…. Delicious, soft, gooey Camembert…"

Plagg's mouth fell open. "Mmmm…" he murmured. "Camembert…" His bright eyes suddenly widened and he shook himself out of his trance. "Nice try, pretty boy," he told a disappointed Adrien. "But I can't be persuaded quite so easily."

"Are you sure?" Adrien put his hand to his pocket. "What if I showed you….this?" He whipped out a small wheel of the soft cheese, glinting in its foil. The little kwami gasped as he read the packaging.

"No way! You got my favourite?" He zoomed over to snatch the dairy product, but Adrien pulled it away.

"Not so fast, my friend. First, you've gotta tell me Ladybug's true identity."

Plagg looked longingly at the cheese, which shone temptingly. "No."

"Come on, Plagg. Just two little words…"

Plagg glared at him. "I could report you to Master Fu for this, you know!"

Adrien simply shrugged. "You could….but then you'd never get this delicious wheel of cheese. Just think, Plagg."

Plagg covered his ears and zipped away, wailing. Adrien chased after him, brandishing the cheese in front of him. "You know you want it, Plagg! Just give in!"

MLBMLBMLB

Tikki peeked out from behind the cookie tin, watching the two girls. Alya was ringing up purchases as Marinette slid trays out of the oven. The bakery was warm and bustling with customers. The two girls would be occupied for at least another hour, especially as it was just half-past eleven.

Checking that the coast was clear, Tikki zoomed out of her hiding place and flew through the open window above her. She shivered slightly in the cool Parisian air, before remembering her mission. Glancing around quickly, she began to fly high above the city, so that any civilians would think she was just a brightly coloured bird.

Several minutes later, the little kwami came to a halt outside a small, familiar house, its door painted with Chinese symbols. Gliding over to the doorbell, Tikki pressed the button down, hearing the chimes echo through the building. Footsteps shuffled inside before the door cracked open and a wrinkled face peered through.

"Master Fu!" cried Tikki. "I must speak with you. It's urgent."

The old man glanced around. "Is Marinette with you?"

Tikki shook her head. "No. She can't know about it yet. I need your advice."

Master Fu nodded gravely and opened the door wider. "Very well. Come through."

MLBMLBMLB

Marinette flipped the sign on the door to CLOSED, shooting an apologetic smile at an approaching couple before slipping back into the warm glow of the quiet bakery. The hustle and bustle of the evening customers was gone, but the scents of fresh bread and pastries lingered. Marinette hung her apron up and wiped the counter, and was halfway up the stairs when she remembered that she had forgotten to lock up. Jogging back to the door, she reached out to lock it. Once she was satisfied that all the windows were closed, Marinette called out. "Tikki?"

There was no reply. Marinette's forehead creased. "Tikki?" she tried again, her blue eyes scanning the bakery for her little friend. Still, there was no squeaky voice calling back to her.

Marinette decided to try one more time. "Tikki?" she yelled. "Are you here?"

There was a tiny tapping noise. The bluenette glanced around frantically at the door and windows. She spotted a little red blur outside on the fogged-up kitchen windows and flung it open. Tikki fell into her hands, shuddering.

Marinette cupped her tightly and held the kwami to her chest in an effort to keep her warm. "Oh, god. Hang on." The girl raced upstairs into the Dupain-Cheng apartment, and quickly flicked the kettle to boil, nestling her freezing kwami into a pile of blankets and pillows. She brought Tikki closer to the heater, stroking her forehead gently. "Tikki?" she whispered, gazing at the little creature. "Are you okay?"

Deep blue eyes fluttered open, and Marinette's tense shoulders relaxed. "M-Marinette," croaked the kwami. "I'm fine…."

Marinette ran into the other room to prepare some coffee. She brought it back in a small cup and handed it to her kwami. "Where were you?"

Tikki sipped the hot drink gratefully. "I was at Master Fu's."

Marinette felt her heart clench. "What?"

"I was at Master Fu's," repeated Tikki. "It's for your own good, Marinette."

"B-b-but…" Marinette eyes glimmered with unshed tears. "I-I.."

"Marinette." Tikki left her bundle of blankets to hover in front of Marinette's face, crossing her tiny arms. "Yesterday, you seemed to regret your decision. Have you changed your mind?"

Marinette wiped her eyes furiously and shrugged. "I don't know."

"See, this is why it's for your own good. You're too torn between options to ever make a choice. As a kwami, I'm supposed to stand by your decisions. But in this case, I just can't. Hawkmoth is this close to taking control of the Miraculous." Tikki raised her palms and put them together until they were almost but not quite touching. "I have to do everything in my power to stop that from happening. Even if it means making important choices for you." She took a deep breath. "You and Chat Noir are going to meet each other at Fu's house tomorrow night. I'm sorry, Marinette. I really am."

Marinette simply stood there, mouth hanging open, staring at her kwami. After a second, she composed herself. "Don't worry, Tikki. I forgive you."

The kwami sighed happily. "Good."

"Does Chat Noir know?"

Tikki looked guilty. "Ahh..no. I was actually going to tell him now."

Marinette nearly shook her head off. "No way are you going out again. You'll freeze to death!"

"What do you suggest?"

"I'll transform, and call him," decided Marinette.

Tikki's eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Hopefully, he won't be transformed, and then I can just leave a voice message," replied the girl. "Ready, Tikki?"

"Absolutely!" squeaked Tikki.

"Tikki, spots on!"

MLBMLBMLB

Adrien was mad at Plagg. Really mad. The kwami was refusing to tell him a single thing about Ladybug, and none of Adrien's strategies were working. So he'd transformed, fully aware that Plagg detested being sucked into Adrien's ring.

After all the bright green flashes were over, Chat Noir had stood in his room, unsure of what to do. He'd transformed purely to annoy Plagg. It was bitterly cold outside, but Chat doubted it would go down well if Nathalie or his father came in and found a superhero standing in Adrien's bedroom.

He opened the window and jumped out, careful to close it. He hadn't gone very far when his baton began to buzz and flash. He landed on the nearest rooftop and flipped it open. There was an image of Ladybug on the screen. Frowning, Chat Noir's clawed finger hovered over the 'decline' button. He didn't want to speak to Ladybug. But if she was calling him at this time, it must be important. With a sigh, he hit 'accept'. A few seconds later, his partner's face had filled the screen.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Ladybug," he replied, his voice expressionless. Ladybug's face fell slightly.

"I, uh, I'm calling to tell you that we have an appointment at Master Fu's tomorrow at four."

"A.m or p.m?"

Ladybug glared at him. "Haha, very funny. P.m, of course."

Chat nodded curtly. "Thanks for telling me. Bye." He slammed the baton back to normal, just catching the hurt look on his partner's face. Shaking his head, he reflected on what he'd just done.

Chat Noir wished he could turn back time, and do that call again.

Ughh. Once again, I'm sorry that it took so long to update. I missed out on school twice last week, due to inter-school tournaments, which meant that I got a stack of homework (which I still haven't done). I'll try to be more consistent, and thanks for tolerating me.