Author's Note:

Recommended by Hkt29. This takes place after my story named Plagg's New Toy. But you can read this separately if you like.

I do not own any of these characters.

Plagg noticed much more than he would ever let anyone accuse him of noticing, much less admit out loud. For example, he noticed how Adrien really didn't like how he had taken revenge on the little liar for getting Marinette expelled. He also noticed how neither Adrien nor Marinette were comfortable in their new relationships with Kagami and Luka. He also noticed that both Kagami and Luka noticed their discomfort.

He also knew he couldn't get away with using his power around Adrien. Being connected to him via the ring gave him a sixth sense about his destructive power being used nearby. However, if he wasn't nearby, then Adrien didn't seem to notice... at least until after he witnessed the results. But to be fair, the Italian girl had obviously had a bad day that day... and Adrien had already put him on notice.

He also figured Marinette would figure it out if she gave herself the opportunity to think about all the things that had befallen Liar Rossi. What he wasn't sure about was whether Master Marinette would kiss him or scold him. But his days of seeking revenge on behalf of Marinette... at least for past crimes against her... were over. Now, he just wanted her to be happy. And that meant breaking up the existing relationships and getting Marinette and Adrien together.

Adrien's obliviousness was legendary though. Plagg had tried many times over the past year to direct Adrien to Marinette... and he still chose Kagami. Marinette wasn't helpful in that regard though. Her stuttering left Adrien confused about her feelings and his assumption that she liked Luka as more than a friend, while unfounded, kept him from even considering a future with her.

However, with the crushes of Adrien on Ladybug and Marinette on Adrien now being crushed by the reality of their existing relationships, their friendship was finally becoming more comfortable. Plagg knew Ladybug would still reject Cat Noir because of her heroes shouldn't date rule. But that didn't stop the soft eyes she'd give Cat Noir more often than she'd ever admit. But he also knew that Marinette had no problem with Alya and Nino dating as civilians while being heroes as they never went too far as heroes.

So now... Plagg needed a plan. He needed to not only orchestrate two breakups... which he figured would be easy under the circumstances... but also finally get Adrien and Marinette together. An evil grin spread across his face as the plan formed in his mind. This is going to almost be as good as extra gooey camembert, Plagg thought to himself. And Tikki, he smiled to himself, was going to help, whether she knew it or not.

As Marinette fell asleep, Tikki floated up to the balcony for her usual nighttime chat with Plagg. As soon as she phased through the trap door, she gasped loudly. "Ugh! Plagg! You know better than to bring your stinky cheese over here! Marinette might smell it!"

"Relax, Sugar Cube. I waited until she was asleep before I flew close enough for my precious camembert to expose our nightly dates."

"These are not dates!" Tikki shook her head in exasperation.

"Oh! Okay!" Plagg threw his piece of camembert high into air and caught it with a loud gulp. "I was going to share, but since this isn't a date, I can enjoy it all myself."

"Remind me again why I put up with you."

"Because somewhere deep down inside you is a special place in your heart just for me."

"Yeah! It's got yellow caution tape over the door and a big sign that says never open this door under any circumstances."

"You didn't deny it..." Plagg gave Tikki a large smirk and Tikki just shook her head again. Tikki flew over and sat down beside Plagg on the patio chair. "So... serious question..."

"... if you can ask one..."

"... ha... ha..." This time Plagg rolled his eyes. "Did Master figure out it was me that caused all those bad things to happen to the little liar?"

"No... I don't think she even cares enough to feel sorry for the girl after everything she's put her through."

Plagg nodded. "That's good. I'd hate to be in trouble with the new guardian so soon."

"No you wouldn't... You'd hate to get caught doing something you shouldn't by the new guardian so soon."

"Aww. Tikki. You really do know me." Plagg smiled brightly.

"That wasn't a compliment."

"Anyway... Their relationships seem to be a little strained, don't you think?"

"Yeah. I know Marinette is really worried about hurting Luka. But she just doesn't feel the same way. She had hoped her feelings would start to grow after they started dating, but so far they haven't."

"Kagami is certainly noticing the same with Adrien. Maybe we should suggest they go on another double date?"

"That's a horrible idea! The last time at the ice rink didn't exactly go well for either relationship. It might cause both couples to break up. And then what?"

"And then we get them together!"

"Are you really that bored... that you'd break up two couples just for some amusement?"

"No! I want our holders to be happy too! The amusement is just an added benefit."

"Plagg! Don't you dare try to break them up!"

"Okay, okay! Geez! You need a cookie! I think your blood sugar is too low."

"I'm serious, Plagg! Not a single thing. If their relationships don't work out, it'll be because of them... not you."

Plagg held up his paws in surrender. "Okay! You win! I won't do anything to them." Tikki just stared at him. "Either of them." Tikki finally just nodded at Plagg and turned back to look at the night sky.

Luka was riding his delivery bike when he was passed by a fancy red car. Suddenly, the car swerved and came to an abrupt stop. He stopped to see what was wrong and knocked lightly on the front driver's window.

The rear driver's side window rolled down and Luka looked in to see Kagami sitting there. "There's no one in the front seat. This car is fully automated."

Luka nodded a little at the information. "I was just trying to see if I could help."

"It's okay. The car has already contacted roadside assistance."

Luka ducked down to get a better look at who he was talking to when a look of recognition overtook his face. "Hey... I know you. You're Adrien's girlfriend, right? Kagami? Right?"

Kagami smiled. "That's correct. And you're Marinette's boyfriend, Luka."

"Yeah..." Luka walked around the car. "Hey, it might take roadside assistance a little while to get here this time of day and it's just a flat tire. If there's a spare, a jack, and tire iron in the trunk, I can get you back on the road."

"I'd appreciate that." Kagami instructed the car to cancel roadside assistance and then exited the vehicle. She stood back and watched as Luka removed the items he needed from the trunk.

"So... how are things going with you and Adrien?"

Kagami stared at him slightly longer than was comfortable, but finally answered. "Fine..."

"That's good. I know I see the two of you sometimes when we're in a larger group, but we haven't really had a chance to talk."

"It seems like Marinette almost always heads the other direction when we show up together. I don't think she realizes she's doing it because she's really friendly when it's just me."

Luka looked a little sheepish. "Marinette's history with Adrien is... complicated."

"I know she had a crush on Adrien. It was pretty obvious... at least to everyone but Adrien. But Adrien has said that she's not stuttering as badly around him now and she seems to be more comfortable around him. I think she's just subconsciously avoiding us because she still has some lingering feelings that aren't completely gone."

"With them being in school together, even in some of the same classes, it's hard for her to completely distance herself from him in order to completely get over her crush. But she's told me countless times she'd never want to do anything to hurt either of you."

"It's all so confusing to me, to be honest. Adrien told me he was in love with a girl that wasn't returning his feelings. After we went ice skating, I thought it was Marinette. But he was always emphatic that Marinette was just a friend."

Luka was thoughtful for a few moments as he swapped out the tires. "Does it seem to you like Adrien has successfully moved on from that girl?"

Kagami looked a little sad. "Honestly. No."

Luka just nodded. "Looks like you and I are in the same boat."

Luka finished up and replaced everything back in the trunk, said goodbye, and watched as the car pulled away.

Plagg watched from his perch and smiled to himself.

A few days later, Adrien's car had just pulled away from the school with him in it. Kagami was about to get in her car when she saw Luka riding on his delivery bike across from the school. She waved at him and he waved back.

Unfortunately for him, that's when his front tire came off. Luka tumbled into a heap, causing Kagami to rush over to see if he was okay.

As Luka laid on the ground trying to take an inventory of everything that hurt before deciding if it was safe for him to get up, the sun was blocked out. Opening his eyes slowly, he saw Kagami's concerned face looking down at him. "Are you okay?"

Luka smiled. "Better than the bike." He tried to sit up, but vertigo quickly had him collapsing back down.

Kagami sat down on her knees and pulled Luka up to prop him up and keep him from hitting his head again. "I think you might have a concussion. You probably shouldn't try to get up. And don't fall asleep!"

"Yeah... I think I need to clear my head a little more before I try to get up."

"I think you need to wait for the paramedics to see if you need to go to the hospital."

"I'm sure I'm not that bad. I just tried to get up too quickly."

"Nonsense! You'll stay here and not get up until you've been cleared by a professional."

Luka cracked open one eye and saw the seriousness on her face. He closed his eye and replied, "Yes, ma'am."

A few seconds later, Kagami heard Marinette's voice from afar, "Luka!" Kagami looked over at her as she ran full speed over to them. "Luka!"

Luka cracked an eye at Marinette. "Hey... I think I'm going to be late picking you up."

She collapsed next to them and placed a hand on Luka's cheek. "It's okay. You're more important than going out to see a movie."

She looked up at Kagami, who stated, "I think he has a concussion. I've also had the paramedics called. They should be here shortly."

"Thank you. I'm glad you were here to help him. What on earth happened?"

"I was about to go home from fencing when I saw the front wheel of his bike come off."

Marinette looked over at the bike. She got up and went over to inspect it. She noticed a missing bolt on the front axle... and ash. She squinted and started looking around. It was almost imperceptible, but Plagg's tiny cat ears could be seen sticking out from his hiding spot. Marinette grimaced, knowing this was going to have to be a conversation held later.

The paramedics showed up and checked over Luka. By then, his head had cleared enough for him to sit up on his own. Anarka had also shown up in time to drive Luka home as he was told to take it easy for the remainder of the evening.

Tikki phased through the trap door to meet Plagg at the usual time. "Hey, Sugar Cube!"

"Plagg, we need to talk." Tikki could've sworn all the color had drained from his face. "Actually, your presence is requested inside."

Plagg gulped. "Requested?"

"Demanded would be a more appropriate word." Plagg's face fell as he followed Tikki inside.

Plagg hovered in front of Marinette's obviously displeased face. "What the actual hell, Plagg?"

"I'm afraid you'll need to be more specific, Master." Plagg tried his best to smile innocently, but it just came off as awkward.

"Why did you cataclysm Luka's bike today? He could've been seriously hurt. He was seriously hurt. And before you deny it... I saw the ash on the bolt and your ears peeking out from where you were hiding."

Plagg looked up towards his ears and mumbled, "Traitors." He looked back at Marinette and his countenance fell. "I'm sorry Master. I didn't intend for him to get a concussion, honestly. I just wanted him to fall down so Kagami would rush over to help him. He was wearing his helmet. How was I supposed to know he'd actually get hurt?"

"You better thank whatever higher power you pray to that he was wearing his helmet, or he could've been hurt much worse. Otherwise... we'd be having a very different conversation."

"W...What... What conversation are we having now?"

"The one where you explain to me why you're trying to get Kagami and Luka to bump into each other. I heard from Luka about the incident with Kagami's car. After today, it's clear to me that you had a hand in that too."

"Okay. I admit it. I was trying to help you out. I know from talking with Tikki that you had a crush on Kagami's boyfriend. I know you're not very happy with Luka... even though you're trying very hard to be happy... and I know that Kagami's relationship is in a similar situation. I just thought that by getting Kagami and Luka together that it'd take care of everything. They could get into a happy relationship and you could get that boy you've been in love with." Plagg gave a wide smile.

"I've also told Plagg that it's not our place to interfere with your relationship," Tikki added accusatorially.

"Oh, come on, Sugar Cube. It's not like it's the first time I've helped out Marinette."

"You've what?" Plagg looked back at Marinette, who somehow looked even more displeased.

"I may have taken revenge on that liar from your class for having you expelled that one time."

"Plagg! What did you do to Lila?"

"You remember the photoshoot where Lila fell in the swimming pool?"

"... yeah..." Marinette's words left the unspoken I doubt that's it in the air.

"And the first day of school when her elastic broke on her shorts..."

"You did that! Plagg! That was not appropriate!" Plagg held up his paws for her to stop.

"I know that now. I understand I went too far that time."

"Okay... what else?"

"That day a little over a week later where everything that could go wrong... did."

Marinette gasped. "I heard about that. I didn't see it because I was running late... but Alya told me all about it."

Plagg nodded. "And you know how she's now no longer able to successfully get away with lying to everyone?"

"You did that? How?"

"I cataclysmed her good luck. Without the good luck she had before at getting away with people believing her, she's not able to get away with lying."

Marinette's face turned grateful and she cupped him in her hands. After placing a kiss on top of his head, she said, "Thank you, Plagg. It's nice to know you'd stand up for me like that. Just try not to do it again as you could've gotten caught or you could've accidentally done something worse than you intended."

Plagg smiled genuinely. "Thank you, Master."

"But back to the issue with Luka." Marinette's face fell and was left looking more thoughtful than mad. "I guess you and Tikki are right. I have been forcing things with Luka. I'm sure he can tell."

"It's not just you and Luka. It's Kagami and that boy also. From what Tikki's told me, he's trying harder than he should to try to make the relationship work."

"After the museum, he told me the girl he loves doesn't like his jokes either. I always thought he was talking about Kagami. I thought he was happy now."

Plagg floated up to Marinette's cheek and gave her a small hug. Once he was back in front of her, in a way that looked more honest and real than Tikki had ever seen him act before, he replied, "He's not."

After a long, uncomfortable silence, Marinette finally realized something else she needed to ask Plagg. "Where has Cat Noir been while you've been doing all these things?"

"He's... around. He does a lot of boring things throughout the day. It gives me quite a bit of free time."

"What if there's an akuma? Aren't you supposed to stay close to him just in case?"

"I keep an ear out. There's almost always someone around who gets an akuma alert. As soon as that happens, I fly straight to..." Bubbles popped out of his mouth. "Oh, sorry. Straight to Cat Noir."

Marinette looked curious. "Why the bubbles?"

"I almost said is name... his civilian name. The miraculous magic prevents us from accidentally giving away our holder's names to anyone else."

"Oh! That's convenient."

"... and a pain in the backside." Plagg added. "Unless you already know his identity, I can't say his name even to you. Say... now that you're the guardian... why haven't you learned his identity? It's your job to know."

"My job? Tikki said I could learn his identity now, but not that it was part of my job."

"Plagg!" Tikki hissed.

"What? It is... admit it."

Marinette and Plagg stared Tikki down until she caved. "Alright! Fine! I admit it. I wasn't going to encourage it until after all of the stress from becoming the new guardian and the relationship issues calmed down, but Plagg's right. It is your job."

"I think it'll help make sense out of everything if you ask me." Plagg replied aloofly.

"Plagg! Shh! It's up to Master, it's her decision."

"Why do you think it'll make sense out of everything, Plagg?"

"I'm sorry Master, but I can't tell you. The miraculous magic and all."

Marinette thought for a few seconds while Tikki glared at Plagg. "I can learn his identity without him learning mine, right?"

"If you want..." Tikki quickly added.

"But..." Plagg started before Tikki glared at him again.

"But... what?"

Plagg cleared his throat as Tikki finally caved. "Since you're the active Ladybug, knowing his identity without him knowing yours will throw you out of balance."

"But... what if Cat Blanc happens again?"

"Cat what?"

"Plagg... don't you listen to anything I tell you. I told you a few months ago right after it happened."

"Oh! Cat Noir getting akumatized and Bunnix coming back to fix it."

"He said it was our love that caused it..." Marinette let a stray tear roll down her cheek at the memory.

"If you want my opinion," Plagg started, "it could have been that one of you found out the other's identity and got out of balance. That's why balance is so important."

"You think so? Tikki?" Tikki nodded shyly. It had been her conclusion also. "Alright... so if I decide to learn Cat Noir's identity, then it's best if he learns mine. For now... Plagg, stop trying to get Luka and Kagami to bump into each other and head back to Cat Noir. I'll make my decision before patrol tomorrow."

The next day happened to be a Saturday. The large group of friends were getting together for ice cream again before the weather turned cold. Marinette and Adrien both showed up late due to an akuma that morning.

They bumped into each other while running towards Andre's, almost literally. "Oh! Hi Marinette! Running late?"

"Hi Adrien. Yeah... busy at the bakery and lost track of time. You?"

"Chinese lesson ran over."

They both slowed down and walked the rest of the way. As the approached, they saw Kagami and Luka standing together and talking. They were waiting for Adrien and Marinette before getting ice cream.

Marinette stopped, causing Adrien to stop and look at her. "What's wrong?"

"Are you happy with Kagami? I heard a rumor that maybe you weren't as happy as I thought you were."

"To be honest... I'm still getting use to the idea of dating someone other than the girl I told you about after the museum. I think Kagami can tell also. I'm concerned it's not fair to her. But I know she wants to date, and she's very nice. I'm just afraid I'm going to hurt her in the end. I'm afraid it'll affect our friendship. She doesn't have very many friends."

"I think the same thing is happening with me and Luka. He's really sweet. But I can tell me not being able to give him my whole heart is starting to weigh on him."

"That must be tough after dating for so long."

Marinette looked confused. "Adrien? How long do you think Luka and I have been dating?"

"I don't know. I just met him last year at the music festival. I figured you and he knew each other longer since he's Juleka's brother. Then there was the ice-skating double-date we went on. How long have you been dating?"

"About as long as you and Kagami."

"Oh... wow. I was way off then."

Marinette looked painfully towards Kagami and Luka. "I don't want to hurt them. Either of them. But am I hurting Luka more by trying to make it work?"

"I don't know. If you are hurting Luka, then I'm probably hurting Kagami just as much."

"Maybe we're both overdue for a long talk with each of them?"

After a very long talk for each couple over ice cream, Luka found Kagami crying quietly waiting for her car to pick her up. "I guess your ice cream with Adrien went as well as my ice cream with Marinette."

Kagami wiped a tear away. "That obvious, huh? I guess Marinette is going to try to win over Adrien now."

"She said she wasn't sure what was going to happen as Adrien was still in love with a different girl. She's just going to focus on being his friend for now."

"What a crock! She's been friend-zoned by Adrien for so long I think she'd fall over dead if Adrien actually ever reciprocated her feelings."

"Yeah... probably." Luka chuckled a little. "What a mess. I just hope they find their way eventually. They both deserve to be happy."

"Don't we deserve to be happy?" Kagami nearly yelled.

"I know you're hurting now. But were you really happy with Adrien? Knowing his affections were split?"

Kagami looked at him in shock. "N... No. I guess not." Kagami's car pulled up and the back door opened on its own. "I guess I'll see you around sometime."

"Hey... If you need someone to talk to, give me a call. I can certainly empathize with what you're going through."

Kagami smiled at him and nodded slightly, a slight blush dusted her cheeks as the car door shut her in and the car drove away.

Adrien walked up behind Luka. "I guess I just missed her, huh?"

Luka turned around hesitantly. He was not looking forward to talking to Adrien and was hoping he could just keep his cool. "Yeah... she's headed home. She's not feeling very good."

"I'm sure that's my fault. I just couldn't give myself to her completely. I thought ending it now wouldn't hurt as much as ending it later."

"Well, she's hurting now. And you're right... it is your fault." Luka turned and walked away before he said anything else.

"I'm sorry. Luka's hurting right now too." Adrien turned to see who was talking to him. Marinette was standing there rubbing her hands together nervously.

"You too, huh?" Marinette simply nodded. "Well, we're both single again. What are the odds that both of our relationships would last the same length of time?" Adrien smiled weakly as his car pulled up. "I'd offer you a ride home... but I don't really feel like being around anyone right now."

"Me neither. I think a nice slow walk home with lots of fresh air is better for me right now anyway."

Marinette watched as Adrien's car drove off with him inside. She walked home slowly, wondering how she ever got into this situation in the first place.

As the sun slowly set and Cat Noir made his way to patrol, he was surprised to find Ladybug was there before him. From the sound of her sighs, she felt about as good as he did. "Long day, My Lady?"

Ladybug just looked up at him and he could see the tear streaks on her face. He sat down next to her and just let her lean against him silently for a while. This was a somewhat rare occasion, but Cat Noir wasn't going to complain... nor get his hopes up. Apparently, right now, Ladybug needed him as a friend. A literal shoulder to cry on. And he was going to be there for her in this capacity just like he would in any other capacity she needed or wanted.

She finally broke the silence. "I broke up with my boyfriend today."

Cat Noir let out a humorless chuckle. "Me too. What are the odds."

"My kwami was telling me today that we have to stay in balance, or it could affect things. I guess that goes for our personal lives as well."

"While I certainly like being happy when you're happy, it really, really, sucks being sad when you're sad."

Ladybug nodded against his shoulder in agreement. "Tikki also mentioned that I should learn your identity since I'm the new guardian. That it was my job."

"Wouldn't that put us out of balance?"

"Only if I don't reveal my identity to you also."

"Oh... Oh! But... maybe today's not the best day to do it given the day we've had?"

Ladybug leaned back a little and gave Cat Noir and incredulous look. "You're passing up the opportunity to have the reveal?"

"Not passing it up... just saying it might be better to wait until we're both in a better mood. That's all. After all... I want My Lady to see the best version of this alley cat after the reveal, not... whatever it is I am right now."

"Numb? Emotionally drained? Thinking it's all your fault?"

"That about sums it up for me. You?"

Ladybug just placed her head on his shoulder again and nodded in reply. "I heard something strange last night when talking about the reveal. I heard that things will make a lot more sense after the reveal."

"That is an odd thing for your kwami to say."

"It wasn't Tikki that said it. It was Plagg."

"Plagg? What was Plagg doing at your house?"

"He and Tikki have a habit of meeting nightly. Usually after we're both in bed. I had some... things... to discuss with Plagg, so I stayed up and had Tikki bring him down."

"That's... good information to have."

Ladybug and Cat Noir eventually decided to do the reveal one week from the dual breakups. And now, it was one week later. Excitement and tension grew steadily over the past week. Cat Noir arrived early at their planned rooftop, about an hour early. He had just finished setting everything up when he heard Ladybug's yoyo in the distance.

Ladybug dropped onto the roof and smiled brightly. "I see you came prepared." She looked around at the pillows and blankets arranged for them to sit comfortably across from each other. "So did I." She held out a nondescript white box. "Snacks for after the reveal. I'm sure we'll be talking for a while."

They sat down facing each other. Ladybug closed her eyes, prompting Cat Noir to do the same. "Plagg, Claws In."

"Tikki, Spots Off." Tikki drug Plagg far away so he couldn't comment on anything.

Adrien opened his eyes after hearing the loud gasp, which was exactly what he was expecting to hear. The loud gasp he heard from himself was not what he was expecting though. There sitting across from him was Marinette. Well, Marinette trying to hide her face in her hands, but he was certain it was Marinette. "Marinette?"

At the sound of her name, her hands slipped down from her face and she smiled awkwardly. "Adrien..." After several more seconds of stunned silence, she finally added, "I guess this explains who the girl was you said you were in love with."

Adrien nodded and then looked away. "But it doesn't answer the question about the boy you couldn't move on from."

Marinette leaned forward and pulled Adrien's face back towards her. "I'll give you a hint. We have to stay in balance."

Adrien's eyes widened in understanding. "M... Me?" Marinette nodded shyly. "Of course!" Adrien facepalmed. "If I was stuck pining for you, then that means you were stuck pining for me."

Marinette giggled a little. "I'm... uh... a little embarrassed about how this all played out."

Adrien held her hand. "Me too. But I couldn't be happier either." Marinette smiled brightly and leaned a little closer. Adrien closed the gap and they kissed each other sweetly. After they parted, Adrien said cheekily, "I'm never going to forget that one..."

"Me neither." Marinette placed a hand over her face and shook it back and forth. "And to think, we have Plagg to thank for trying to play matchmaker."

Adrien looked at Marinette quizzically. "Plagg?"

"Well, he might've done some inappropriate things to get Kagami and Luka talking..."